66 research outputs found
Qualità architettonica e qualità urbana nell'edilizia borghese e popolare a Roma (1890-1930)
No full textIl volume, strutturato in due parti ben distinte (in cui con chiarezza è distinguibile l’apporto individuale dei due autori), rilancia una lettura storico-critica dell’architettura romana realizzata tra la fine del XIX ed i primi decenni del XX secolo, rivalutandone oltre alle qualità architettonico- linguistiche, anche quelle riguardanti gli impianti urbani e gli abitat conseguenti. Tale produzione architettonica a Roma infatti, mette in evidenzia tutta la problematica ed interessantissima vicenda, del particolare momento di transizione. Dalle consolidate linee espressive ottocentesche dell’eclettismo, all’architettura moderna del Novecento non razionalista. Questa tematica è analizzata sia per tipologie “borghesi” dei villini dell’ edilizia privata nel quartiere di Villa Patrizi (prima parte del volume- di cui è autore Paolo Cavallari), che per quella popolare in molti quartieri dell’I.C.P. di Roma (seconda parte del volume dal titolo :"Aspetti della cultura architettonica nella produzione dell’Istituto Case Popolari di Roma" di cui è autrice Simona Benedetti). Questa seconda parte si articola nel seguente modo: un capitolo relativo all’inquadramento storico- culturale del periodo in esame apre la trattazione, in esso si individuano le linee programmatiche, urbanistiche e gestionali del problema delle case popolari e del ruolo urbano di queste stesse. Nel capitolo successivo, si analizza l’apporto di alcuni architetti attivi nei quartieri popolari dislocati in varie zone della città. Tra questi interventi si analizzano anche le due Città- Giardino: Garbatella ed Aniene. Dall'analisi condotta si evidenzia l’operato di particolari personalità artistiche: G. Magni, Q. Pirani, I. Sabbatini, C. Palmerini, G. Guidi, ecc.. Nel contributo si sono messe in luce altresì le caratteristiche compositivo- linguistiche, che evidenziano il particolare momento di transizione dell’epoca in esame: essa infatti risulta ancora intrisa di memorie formali e lessicali del secolo passato, ma contemporaneamente esprime, in altrettanti elementi architettonici, il desiderio di un linguaggio rinnovato, moderno. Nell'ultimo capitolo, si traggono le conclusioni critiche, evidenziando anche il carattere dei nuovi impianti urbani ed edilizi nei quali, a varie scale di analisi, si coglie il particolare carattere di "architettura di relazione". Nell'articolazione formale dei nuovi quartieri si individua una vera e propria ‘altra modernità’, densa di suggerimenti tipologici, formali, stilistici, un campo di libera ricerca architettonica del periodo in esame. Sempre nella seconda parte del volume, vengono pubblicati parecchi disegni inediti, appartenenti al fondo Gustavo Giovannoni, custodito presso l'archivio (recentemente riordinato) del Centro di studi per la Storia dell'Architettura (Roma - Casa dei Crescenzi). INGLESE:The book is divided in two parts: the first (L’architettura residenziale borghese a Roma, capitale dello stato liberale: il quartiere di Villa Patrizi- by Paolo Cavallari); the second (Aspetti della cultura architettonica nella produzione dell’Istituto Case Popolari di Roma – by Simona Benedetti). The book, divided in two different parts (in which is clearly denoted the individual contribute of both authors), proposes again an hystorical-critical interpretation of the roman architecture achieved between XIX and early decades of XX century, valuing again the urban establishment and the consequent habitat, rather than architectonical-linguistical quality. In fact this architectonical production in Rome, draws attention to all the problematic and interesting sequence of the particolar transition period. From the consolidate expressive nineteenth-century eclecticism lines, to the Twentieth-century modern non rationalist architecture. This theme is analysed for private building trade cottage “bourgeois” typology in the Villa Patrizi neighbourhood (in the first part of the volume), and for public building trade in many Rome I.C.P neighbourhood (second part of the volume). In this second part, (whose the undersigned is the author), after a chapter about the historical-cultural environment of the period under analysis is dedicated, in which the programmatic, urbanistic, managerial public building trade problem lines are distinguished and its urban role, proceeds to analyse the contribution of some protagonist in the popular neighbourhood located in different city’s area. In this parts even the two Città Giardino of Garbatella and Aniene are considered. The detailed analysis, also synthetically indicated, points out the work of particular personages: G. Magni, Q. Pirani, I. Sabbatini, C. Palmerini, G. Guidi, etc.. Doing it, it attempts to stand out the compositive-linguistic features that better underlines the particular moment of the transition period, still full of formal and linguistic memories coming from the past century, at the same time rich of desire of newness facing with modern. These needs generate a real ‘transition architecture’, identifiable with a real ‘different modernity’, extremely dense of formal, stylistic, urban suggestions tracing out a free architectural research field for the considered period
Macroeconomic Interdependence with Trade and Multinational Activities
No full textThis paper examines how differences in the integration strategies followed by firms active in foreign markets affect the way productivity and policy shocks spread their effects worldwide. The analysis incorporates costly trade and local sales by multinational firms in a general-equilibrium open economy macroeconomic model. The mode of foreign market access is found to play a major role in the international business cycle, affecting the dimension of consumption and output spillovers worldwide. We show that despite financial markets being effectively complete, consumption risks may not be fully insured in the world economy as long as multinational firms discriminate prices across markets. Furthermore, cross-country differences in firms' integration strategies can account for extensive asymmetries in the way country-specific and global shocks are transmitted in the world economy. We argue that this may have relevant consequences for the welfare implications of monetary and trade policies. Copyright � 2008 The Author. Journal compilation � 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Antigen-presentation of non-peptidic antigens lipid trafficking and loading
No full textT cells recognize a broad variety of antigens, including peptides, lipids and non-peptidic phosphorylated metabolites. Clarification of the rules rendering non-peptidic molecules immunogenic is essential to understand and to influence the reactions of the immune system to this class of substances in health and disease. Despite recent advances in research about immune responses to non-peptidic compounds, important issues remain unanswered. Molecular mechanisms governing the immunogenicity of non-peptidic ligands such as their cell internalization, trafficking within intracellular organelles, association with dedicated antigen-presenting molecules, induction of central and peripheral tolerance, and finally their role in autoimmune diseases as well as in protection during infections are unknown to date.
The aims of this thesis were to assess some of the immunological functions and cell biological rules governing the immunogenicity of non-peptidic antigens, with particular emphasis on cell trafficking of non-peptidic antigens and antigen-presenting molecules. It focused on (i) the antigen reactivity and presence of human invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells in diseases, (ii) the role of CD1a trafficking in lipid antigen presentation by this protein, and (iii) the requirements of membrane translocation of phosphorylated mevalonate metabolites that stimulate human T cell receptor (TCR) gamma-delta cells.
With the development of alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GC)-loaded soluble CD1d dimers, which specifically interact with the TCR of iNKT cells, we have the perfect tool in our hands to perform detailed studies on iNKT cells. Analysis of the iNKT cells in blood unveiled large differences in their fluorescence intensity suggesting the presence of semi-invariant iNKT TCR with large disparities in the affinity for the alpha-GC-CD1d complex. Unexpectedly, established iNKT cell clones showed no correlation between CD1d dimer-staining levels and alpha-GC reactivity, indicating that additional mechanisms control responsiveness of iNKT cells, at least to this lipid antigen.
The identification of lipid antigens stimulating exclusively some desired functions in human iNKT cells might lead to new medical therapies or vaccines. To screen a variety of synthetic lipids for their capacity to activate iNKT cells, we devised an in vitro model based on plastic-bound CD1d. Piperidinones, molecules with a ceramide- or sphingosine-like structure, revealed that a single lipid tail is sufficient to form stimulatory complexes with CD1d. Interestingly, piperidinones preferentially induce TH1-like cytokines, predicting a possible role as novel leader molecules to functionally direct iNKT cell responses deployable in clinical therapies.
The balance of proinflammatory TH1 to regulatory TH2 cytokines is well-known to be decisive for the outcome of many diseases. Atherosclerosis (ATH) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by lipid accumulation in plaques. The disease is complicated by cardiovascular events provoked by plaque rupture or erosion. Because inflammation participates in lesion progression and rupture of plaques, the identification of its causes and of the culprit leukocyte populations involved in plaque destabilization is crucial for effective prevention of cardiovascular events. We used CD1d dimers to detect and characterize iNKT cells in ATH patients. We found that, in human atherosclerotic lesions, the abundance of CD1d-positive antigen-presenting cells (APC) and of iNKT cells correlates with disease severity and activity. CD1d-positive cells colonize advanced plaques in symptomatic patients and are most abundant in plaques with concomitant signs of ectopic neovascularization. In plaques, the frequency of iNKT cells among total T cells exceeds the one in blood. After having successfully isolated iNKT cell lines from plaque tissue, we showed that they promptly release proinflammatory cytokines upon lipid antigen stimulation and promote endothelial cell migration and microvascular sprout formation in vitro. This functional proangiogenic activity is ascribed to interleukin-8 released by iNKT cells after lipid recognition. These findings introduce iNKT cells as novel candidates to induce plaque neovascularization and destabilization in human ATH. Targeting iNKT cells could lead to late stage ATH treatment.
Another approach to understand the role of lipid-specific immune responses is to investigate the molecular rules of lipid-CD1 complex formation. Lipids distribute, due to their physicochemical properties or with the help of specific transporters and lipid transfer proteins, to different intracellular compartments and membrane domains. Thus, it is advantageous for the immune system to utilize multiple CD1 isoforms, each with a distinct trafficking pattern, to facilitate sampling of lipid antigens localized in various membranes. Several studies have addressed trafficking of CD1 isoforms. However, the molecular mechanisms are known in only a few cases.
We identified invariant chain (Ii) and lipid rafts as key regulators of CD1a organization on the surface of APC and of its immunological function as antigen-presenting molecule. Colocalization of CD1a with Ii is dependent on raft integrity and CD1a internalization is increased by Ii. The localization of CD1a in lipid rafts is functionally relevant as raft disruption inhibits CD1a-restricted antigen presentation.
Moreover, we found that CD1a is internalized independently of clathrin and dynamin and that it follows a Rab22a- and adenosine diphosphate ribosylation factor (ARF) 6-dependent recycling pathway, similar to other clathrin-independent cargo. Posttranslational S-acylation of the CD1a cytoplasmic tail may occur but neither determines the rate of internalization nor recycling nor its localization to detergent-resistant membrane microdomains. These findings place CD1a close to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I in its trafficking routes although CD1a loads lipids in recycling endosomes and not in the endoplasmic reticulum as MHC class I.
Strikingly, the glycolipid antigen sulfatide was found localized predominantly to early and recycling endosomes where CD1a is located. Swapping the cytoplasmic tail of CD1a for the one of CD1b and hence targeting the CD1a protein to the late endosomal and lysosomal compartments decreases its capacity to present sulfatide and shortens the half-life of stimulatory complexes. Thus, the physiological intracellular trafficking route of CD1a is critical for efficient presentation of lipid antigens that traffic through the early endocytic and recycling pathways.
Intracellular trafficking of another class of non-peptidic antigens, namely the phosphorylated metabolites which stimulate human TCR gamma-delta cells expressing the Vgamma9/Vdelta2 heterodimer, was examined. These T cells recognize a family of structurally related compounds produced in the eukaryotic mevalonate and prokaryotic methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathways. The endogenous self-ligands are generated within the cytoplasm and must cross the membrane in order to associate with dedicated antigen-presenting molecules, which remain unknown at present.
Using an in vitro transport assay, we demonstrated that the multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) 5 transporter is involved in membrane translocation of antigenic phosphorylated metabolites. Confocal microscopy illustrated that MRP5 is located in membranes of both endoplasmic reticulum and early endosomes. Both the intracellular localization and active role in antigen transport confer an immunological function to MRP5, resembling that of TAP (transporter associated with antigen processing) transporters involved in peptide antigen translocation. This indicates a similar strategy used for antigen presentation to TCR alpha-beta and gamma-delta T cells.
In conclusion, these studies have underlined the physiological relevance of T cells recognizing non-peptidic ligands and have revealed unanticipated molecular mechanisms controlling the efficient presentation of such antigens
Risk, Security and Organizational Aspects
No full textRisk and Security matters are commonly characterized as being part of every day life, organizations, online, personal and business environments (Luhmann, 1993). They feature almost every human activity and they rep- resent an important step in the evolution of human beings (Adams, 1995) (Ritchie & Brindley, 2007).
The purpose of this book is to investigate major research findings about risk and security from a social point of view (Sandaman, 1988), taking into account important contributions from social scholars and research into sci- ence, technology and society (Gallivan et al., 2005), in order to arrive to the definition of organizational issues (Jasperson et al., 2005).
The arriving point is the impact of the mentions dimensions (i.e. risk and security) into organizations (Wynne, 1982), for a variety of composed aspects, operational risk, market risk, information risk, safety on the work- place and the like.
In the Information Systems (IS) field, researchers have successfully identified a number of key factors influencing individual adoption of new Information Technologies (IT) which relate directly to risk and security (Volti, 2001) (Venkatesh et al., 2003).
However, extant research sheds little light on the antecedents of ongo- ing or continued usage (Karahanna et al. 1999), the relationship between individual and institutional concepts of risk and security is also problemat- ic, and at first glance, it appears that extant theory is of little use in terms of understanding, perceiving and evaluating the mentioned concepts (Gallivan et al., 2005). This section presents an overview of the methodological matters that guided the study of the present monograph. It comments interpretivism, comments on the possible role of theory in this study and discusses the re- search strategy of the author itself as the antecedent, and including some discussion and speculation of previous research findings that proved to be particularly useful.
Myers argues that a “research method is a strategy of inquiry which moves from the underlying philosophical assumptions to research design and data collection” (Myers, 1997). A research strategy is chosen according to the fit, between it, and the purpose of the study and the nature of the re- search question posed (Marshall & Rossman, 2006).
Broadly speaking, one must decide what philosophical perspective will underpin the study and one must choose a qualitative, quantitative or mixed strategy. Philosophical perspectives are also known as paradigms, and are defined by Guba and Lincoln as “basic belief systems based on ontological, episte- mological and methodological assumptions” and described as “axiomatic systems... differ[ing] from one another on matters much more fundamental than the locale in which the inquiry is conducted, the format of the inquiry report, or the nature of the methods used” (Guba & Lincoln, 1994).
We intend for the purpose of this monograph here a “paradigm” as a basic belief system or a worldview that guides the researcher.
The emphasis is on the paradigms, their assumptions, and the implica- tions of those assumptions for research. In the research timeline, authors have criticized the over-quantification and the received view of know- ledge, noting such issues as the theory-laden and value-laden nature of facts and the relationship between the inquirer and the object of the inquiry (Willcocks & Whitley, 2009).
The paradigms most commonly discussed are: positivism, post- positivism, critical theory, and constructivism.
Prior to research into risk and security organizational issues, those par- adigms must be then examined with regard to ontology (what is the form and nature of reality), epistemology (what is the nature of the relationship between the knower and what can be known), and methodology (how can the inquirer go about finding out whatever he/she believes can be known) (Guba & Lincoln, 1994).
The main philosophical perspectives or paradigms discussed in the sub- ject of this work are positivist, interpretivist and critical (Chua 1986) (Or- likowski & Baroudi 1991).
Positivism continues to dominate (Orlikowski & Baroudi 1991) (Wal- sham 1995) (Davison et al., 2004) but interpretivism has been gaining steady ground (Lindgren, 2004) (Rescher, 2000).
The aim of interpretivism is to gain understanding rather than to be able to make predictions (Orlikowski & Baroudi, 1991). Interpretive studies generally attempt to achieve this understanding of phenomena through the meanings that people assign to them (Walsham, 1995).
More specifically, interpretive research aims to develop a richer under- standing the complex world of lived experience from the point of view of those who live it.
The ontological assumptions of interpretivism (which is sometimes re- fer to as constructivism) can be labeled as relativist: “realities are appre- hendable in the form of multiple, intangible mental constructions, socially and experientially based, local and specific in nature... and dependent for their form and content on the individual persons or groups holding the con- structions” (Guba & Lincoln, 1994). Interesting contributions by Winograd and Flores and, more recently, by Davison, and Baskerville and Myers points to shed light on the perceptions of individuals and how these percep- tions are shaped by the experiences of those individuals, which are local, specific and dynamic, and others, represented in discourse (Winograd & Flores, 1986) (Davison et al., 2004) (Baskerville & Myers, 2002)
Angaria neglecta Poppe & Goto 1993
No full textneglecta, Angaria Poppe & Goto, 1993 Angaria neglecta Poppe & Goto, 1993: 22 (pl. 6). Gastropoda, Angariidae Paratype: MZSP 95951. Locality: Japan, Wakayama prefecture, Nada-Cho, 510 fms. Preservation: Dry. Remarks: Former Jens Hemmen Collection. The specimen listed above was initially designated as paratype # 12 in the original description. The senior author (Poppe, pers. comm.) confirmed the type status.Published as part of Cavallari, Daniel C., Dornellas, Ana Paula S. & Simone, Luiz Ricardo L., 2016, Second annotated list of type specimens of molluscs deposited in the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil, pp. 1-59 in European Journal of Taxonomy 213 on page 38, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2016.213, http://zenodo.org/record/384012
Pachydrobia crooki Brandt 1968
No full textcrooki, Pachydrobia Brandt, 1968 Pachydrobia crooki Brandt, 1968: 228–229 (pl. 8, fig. 12 + text fig. 10). Gastropoda, Pomatiopsidae Probable paratype: MZSP 95469 (Fig. 2 G–H). Locality: Thailand, Ubon Province, Mekong River at Bandan (type locality), 7 Mar. 1967. Preservation: Dry. Remarks: Former Jens Hemmen Collection. Measurements and data on the specimen’s label correspond to the lot originally catalogued as SMRL 3431. The specimen listed above is a possible remainder of a 30-specimen paratype lot left by the author under the care of the SMRL.Published as part of Cavallari, Daniel C., Dornellas, Ana Paula S. & Simone, Luiz Ricardo L., 2016, Second annotated list of type specimens of molluscs deposited in the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil, pp. 1-59 in European Journal of Taxonomy 213 on page 19, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2016.213, http://zenodo.org/record/384012
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