169,846 research outputs found
Urban Crisis Within Environmental and Industrial Policies in Italy: The Case of the Steel Industry in Taranto
No full textThe chapter aims at representing the results of a case study with concern to the economic and environmental crisis triggered by Ilva in Taranto.
The case study design follows an ethnographic approach. The analysis is based on the collection of some qualitative interviews and documentation related to the environmental conflict engendered by the Ilva of Taranto, which has been the largest steel mill in Europe since the 1990s.
The analysis of the empirical data shows some interesting insights about (a) the growing contradictions in time of crisis in the relationship between the ‘the four pillars’ of sustainability (economy, social justice and society, environment, culture); (b) the importance of the social pillar in playing a key role in the management of local conflicts and in stimulating change within social and economic organizations; (c) the difficulty to promote sustainable policies through a multilevel governance approach able to synthesize the complexity of the scenarios emerging at the local, regional, national and European levels, in order to create an alternative way of development.
The ethnographic approach is useful to analyse in depth the core of the environmental conflict and the divergent developmental scenarios expressed by the different categories of actors
Poesia e teratologia: l'invito a Lesbia Cidonia di Lorenzo Mascheroni nei preparati anatomici
No full textIn 1793 Lorenzo Mascheroni, appointed to the chair of Mathematics at the University of Pavia and well-known poet, wrote
“L’invito di Dafni Orobiano a Lesbia Cidonia”. In the poem he described the beauty of the University of Pavia and its wonders gathered in the scientific collections of the museums. From the beginning, one of the glass cases of the Museum for the History of the University of Pavia shows some of the preparations described in the Mascheroni’s verses. In addition to some fossils, human teratological preparations are also exposed: they recall the verses of the poem dedicated to the description of “monstrous” preparations. However, after a detailed scientific and historical research, the traditional association of the exposed anatomical preparations with the verses is questione
Optimizing Formulation Conditions of PLGA Microparticles to Enhance Indomethacin Encapsulation
No full textDrug delivery systems can avoid the drawbacks of Indomethacin (IND), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to treat osteoarthritis and arthritis, which requires high doses to reach therapeutic plasma levels leading to significant systemic side effects. This study aims to optimize poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles (MPs) for intra-articular IND administration. MPs are prepared by solvent evaporation and freeze-dried for stability. Initial formulations with Tween 80 yield rubbery samples with low drug loading (1%); replacement of Tween 80 with Gelatin produces a stable powder with syringable MPs (particles size: 7 mu m), although, DL (3%) and EE (30%) remain suboptimal, due to IND polymorphic transformation. Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy demonstrate a molecular dispersion of IND in PLGA. Adjusting the aqueous phase to pH 3 in the formulation process, i.e below IND pKa, significantly enhances EE (90%) due to the reduction of drug solubility in the external aqueous phase. In vitro release study shows prolonged IND release over several days, confirming an effective drug encapsulation. This study provides a foundational framework toward the optimization of the successful encapsulation of IND in PLGA MPs, potentially advancing future clinical applications of such drug delivery systems.This study aims to optimize PLGA microparticles for intra-articular delivery of Indomethacin (IND). The use of Gelatin as a surfactant in place of Tween 80 limited the plasticizer effect on the polymer, improving stability. Adjusting pH to 3 in the external phase enhanced encapsulation efficiency (90%), leading to prolonged IND release, demonstrating effective drug encapsulation for potential clinical use. imag
Modelli in ceroplastica di Anfibi e Rettili nelle collezioni di Kosmos – Museo di Storia Naturale dell’Università di Pavia
No full textWax models of Amphibians and Reptiles in the Kosmos collections – Natural History Museum of the University of Pavia. Waxworking is a technique used since ancient times to create wax models but only since the 17th century was adopted for scientific purposes and in particular for anatomical studies. During the 19th century, zoological and botanical wax models were quite common in the collections of museums and universities for educational purposes. Kosmos holds 80 waxworks from the former Museum of Comparative Anatomy and Physiology. The oldest specimens are three frog heart models and a series of snake heads, created by Angelo Maestri (1806-1889). More recent preparations were made by Achille Maestri including the development models of amphibians and sauropsida. Finally, there are 35 models purchased from Studio Ziegler company of Friborg which represent the entire development of an anuran amphibian and the formation of the primordial skull in Rana temporaria, Ambystoma mexicanum and Lacerta agili
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
In vivo β-carotene skin permeation modulated by Nanostructured Lipid Carriers
No full textNanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLC) were investigated with the purpose of promoting skin permeation of the highly lipophilic β-carotene (BC) across the stratum corneum (SC) barrier so that it may perform its antioxidant properties in photo-aging and epithelial skin cancer prevention. Two differently sized NLC samples were developed using stearic acid and squalene as lipid matrix and evaluated in comparison with Microstructured Lipid Carriers (MLC). The carriers were characterized for morphology, size, Z-potential, BC loading and release as well as physical state by means of DSC and XRPD analyses. In vivo penetration of the carriers was assessed on humans by determining BC concentrations within the SC stratum disjunctum and stratum compactum layers removed by means of the tape stripping test in comparison with pure BC. Unlike MLC and pure BC that were mostly retained within the outermost layers of the SC, the NLC sample having the smallest size (about 200 nm) has proved to penetrate more deeply into the SC barrier. Accordingly, the goal of providing β-carotene actions against oxidative damages within the looser skin viable tissues could be envisaged
Mitomycin C in highly myopic eyes - Author reply
No full textOphthalmology. 2005 Feb;112(2):208-18; discussion 219.
Mitomycin C modulation of corneal wound healing after photorefractive keratectomy in highly myopic eyes.
Gambato C, Ghirlando A, Moretto E, Busato F, Midena E.
SourceRefractive Surgery Service and Antimetabolite Therapy Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of topical mitomycin C in corneal wound healing (CWH) after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in highly myopic eyes.
DESIGN: Prospective, double-masked, randomized clinical trial.
PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-two eyes of 36 patients affected by high (>7 diopters) myopia.
METHODS: In each patient, one eye was randomly assigned to PRK with intraoperative topical 0.02% mitomycin C application, and the fellow eye was treated with a placebo. Postoperatively, mitomycin C-treated eyes received artificial tears (3 times daily, tapered in 3 months), whereas the fellow eye was treated with fluorometholone sodium 2% and artificial tears (3 times daily, tapered in 3 months).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), contrast sensitivity, manifest refraction, and biomicroscopy. Contrast sensitivity was determined using the Pelli-Robson chart. Corneal confocal microscopy documented CWH.
RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 18 months (range, 12-36). No side effects or toxic effects were documented. At 12-month follow-up examination, UCVAs (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) were 0.4+/-0.48 and 0.5+/-0.53 (P = .03) in mitomycin C-treated eyes and corticosteroid-treated eyes, respectively. At 1 year, corneal haze developed in 20% of corticosteroid-treated eyes, versus 0% of mitomycin C-treated eyes. At 12, 24, and 36 months, corneal confocal microscopy showed activated keratocytes and extracellular matrix significantly more evident in untreated eyes (Ps = 0.004, 0.024, and 0.046, respectively).
CONCLUSION: Topical intraoperative application of 0.02% mitomycin C can reduce haze formation in highly myopic eyes undergoing PRK.
Comment in
Ophthalmology. 2006 Feb;113(2):357; author reply 357-8
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