237 research outputs found
Sound perception of different materials for the footpaths of urban parks
No full textOver the years the environmental potential of urban parks has attracted increasingly attention. In order to preserve their positive influence for communities, the sonic environment perception (soundscape) must be considered too. Urban parks' sonic environment is influenced by attenders moving around; indeed, walking sounds have very high occurrence in such contexts. However, studies investigating both walking sounds and soundscape are limited. This study investigates the influence of different footpath materials on the sonic perception. A laboratory listening experiment was carried out with four walked-on materials: grass, wood, stone and gravel. Preliminary results show a significant material effect on soundscape perception
Differences in soundscape appreciation of walking sounds from different footpath materials in urban parks
No full textThe perception of the acoustic environment, namely the soundscape, in urban parks has attracted increasing attention. There is a growing belief that the management of the acoustic environment of urban parks should be addressed within a broader soundscape methodology rather than a merely noise control one. One of the most frequent sound sources in urban parks is walking sound; however walking sound perception so far has mainly been investigated for indoor environments. This paper aims to investigate the overall effect of walking sounds from different walked-on materials on people's soundscape, combined with other non-acoustical factors. Moreover, this research investigates how perception varies when the walking sound is self-produced or simply listened. To this purpose, two laboratory experiments in Italy and UK were carried out with four walked-on materials that were considered to be possible design solutions for the footpaths of urban parks: grass, wood, stone and gravel. Results showed a significant effect of materials on perceived noise annoyance and soundscape quality, as well as a partial influence of other nonacoustical factor. Considering the individual responses for the four selected materials, gravel was associated to the worst soundscape quality (M = 38.42) while grass to the best one (M = 65.05). While a group effect (Italian and UK samples) was observed for perceived noise annoyance corresponding to the materials, no significant group effect was found for soundscape evaluation. Eventually, people simply listening to the walking sounds resulted to be less tolerant towards them, with respect to people who self-produced the sounds by walking
The effect of walking sounds from different walked-on materials on the soundscape of urban parks
No full textUrban parks are essential environmental resources in contemporary cities, for the substantial social and psychological relief they provide for local communities. In recent years, the potential of the soundscape approach for enhancing the ecological contribution of such environmental assets has been intensely investigated. Although, researchers tended to focus on the perception of people “staying” in the park, whilst it is important to consider how the sonic environment would be dynamically perceived by users walking across the park. Within this framework, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of different footpath materials on soundscape quality and walking quality perception for people walking in an urban park, considering that the experience of such users is affected by both the background acoustic environment of the park and their walking sound. To this purpose, a laboratory experiment was carried out with 25 participants. Four different walked-on materials that are likely to be used in urban parks were tested: grass, wood, stone and gravel. Results show that the material factor has a significant effect on both auditory and haptic perception. Furthermore, positive correlations can be observed between auditory and haptic variables, confirming that the soundscape appreciation for people walking in urban parks is likely to be affected also by other but aural sensory modalities. The paper ultimately points out that it is possible to re-think the approach to urban parks design and more specifically to the footpaths and the walking sounds that their materials are likely to produce
Assessment of mycotoxins co-occurrence in Italian dried figs and in dried figs-based products
No full textThe possible contamination by aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), fumonisin B1(FB1), fusaric acid (FA), and beauvericin (BEA), was investigated in 55 samples of dried figs and dried figs-based products purchased from the South Italy (Calabria) market. A total of 41 samples showed contamination by at least one of the mycotoxins investigated. Aflatoxin B1was found in six samples (0.19 — 8.41 μg/kg) total aflatoxins were found in 13 samples (0.5–17.12 μg/kg), OTA was found in 21 samples
A minimal promoter region of Kit gene recapitulates mast cell differentiation in development, aging and inflammation
No full textTo follow mast cells (MCs) distribution during aging and inflammation, we characterized two transgenic mouse models in which the EGFP expression is controlled by 9 kb or 12 kb of Kit gene promoter, defined as p18 and p70, respectively. We detected EGFP-positive cells in the serosal surfaces of the peritoneum, pleuras and pericardium, mucosal cavities, and connective tissue of almost all organs including gonads of p70, but not of p18 mice. By FACS and immunofluorescence for Fc epsilon R1, Kit and beta 7-integrin, we found that these EGFP positive cells were MCs. In non-inflammatory conditions, a higher percentage of EGFP positive cells was found in juvenile with respect to adult serosal surfaces, but no differences between males and females at both developmental ages. We found, however, a striking difference in developing gonads, with low numbers of EGFP positive cells in fetal ovaries compared to age matched testes. Under inflammatory conditions caused by high fat diet (HFD), mice showed an increase in serosal EGFP positve cells. Altogether our results identify a regulatory region of the Kit gene, activated in MCs and that directing EGFP expression, can be employed to trace this immune cell type throughout the organism and in different animal conditions
Impact of age and gender on glioblastoma onset, progression, and management
No full textGlioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults, while its frequency in pe-diatric patients is 10-15%. For this reason, age is considered one of the major risk factors for the development of GBM, as it correlates with cellular aging phenomena involving glial cells and favoring the process of tumor transformation. Gender differences have been also identified, as the incidence of GBM is higher in males than in females, coupled with a worse outcome. In this review, we analyze age-and gender-dependent differences in GBM onset, mutational landscape, clinical manifestations, and survival, according to the literature of the last 20 years, focusing on the major risk factors involved in tumor development and on the mutations and gene alter-ations most frequently found in adult vs young patients and in males vs females. We then highlight the impact of age and gender on clinical manifestations and tumor localization and their involvement in the time of diagnosis and in determining the tumor prognostic value
2003-2013, a valuable study: Autologous tumor lysate-pulsed dendritic cell immunotherapy with cytokine-induced killer cells improves survival in stage IV breast cancer
No full textDendritic cells (DCs) and cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells have both shown activity as immunotherapy in some malignancies. Our aim was to prospective assess the effect of this immunotherapy in patients with stage IV breast cancer. Between Aug 2003 and Dec 2013, we collected 368 patients who met inclusion criteria and divided into immunotherapy group (treatment group: 188 patients) and chemotherapy group (control group: 180 patients). DCs were prepared from the mononuclear cells isolated from patients in the treatment group using IL-2/GM-CSF and were loaded with tumour antigens; CIK cells were prepared by incubating peripheral blood lymphocytes with IL-2, IFN-gamma, and CD3 antibodies. After the patients had received low-dose chemotherapy, those in the treatment group also received the DC-CIK therapy, which was repeated four times in a fortnight to form one cycle. At least three cycles of DC-CIK therapy were given. Immune function was measured in treatment group patients' sera. Disease-free survival (DFS) and Overall survival (OS) after the diagnosis of stage IV breast cancer was assessed after a 10-year follow-up. The result demonstrated that immune function is obviously enhanced after DC-CIK therapy. By Cox regression analysis, DC-CIK therapy reduced the risk of disease progression (p < 0.01) with an increased OS (p < 0.01). After low-dose chemotherapy, active immunization with DC-CIK immunotherapy is a potentially effective approach for the control of tumour growth in stage IV breast cancer patients. (C) 2017 European Federation of Immunological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.International Scientific Fund of Fuda Cancer Hospital, Guangzhou [Y2016-ZD-006]SCI(E)ARTICLE37-4318
The treatment of progressive ovarian carcinoma with D-Trp-LHRH (Decapeptyl). Gruppo Oncologico Nord ovest (GONO)
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