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Abstract: This research explores the general and actual accessibility to cultural spaces and organizations, focusing on the network of relationships between contents, innovation, and participation. It investigates how Culture can be perceived as a normal experience, actually able to set a rich dialogue with each of us, normal ordinary people/consumers. Normality means inclusion and sharing. The proposed investigation is based on a triad of interactions among culture, economics, and design. Assuming that Culture generates its value from a cognitive approach, or from a dynamic and context-dependent value chain that is subject to a cognitive evolution, this research acknowledges that the cultural experience is subject to a double issue of access: - The horizontal question is related to complications associated with the structure. Believing that ‘culture is special’ implies the risk of progressively widening the gap between cultural supply and society. Culture is ‘locked’ in specific sites and a big slice of the world’s adult population has yet to be involved in any cultural experience. - Once physically inside the cultural structure, the vertical issue is generated by the difficulty in entering in contact with the offered contents. This research focuses only on museums and multimedia exhibitions in which the learning process has changed: the research presents itself as a conversation where both ‘those who know’ and ‘those who learn’ play equally active parts in a relative process of understanding. Starting from the existing processes, forms, previous studies and case studies, the survey yearns for their systematization in innovative models. The process, from theory to practice and vice versa, goes beyond a traditional mechanism of deduction: it moves from specific contexts to the abstraction of replicable approaches. The question of how the narration emerges guides you toward a new method of analysis, study, and cataloguing; a schematization capable of investigating not only knowledge, but also the visitor's ‘cognitive metabolism’ (how knowledge is acquired) during the multimedia experience; an innovative multipurpose tool, useful for both the museum institution and the designer. The research finally assesses and takes into account an actual experiment, the outcomes of which may prove to be useful in feeding theoretical implications with empirical experiences: RovelloDue - Piccolo Spazio Politecnico, a temporary multimedia space.
Keywords: audience development, cognitive accessibility, cultural addiction, culture, human, emotion, immersion, innovation, interactive exhibitions, participation, natural interfaces, normality, technologies
Published in RUNG: 13.12.2018; Views: 3553; Downloads: 63
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Abstract: Arsenic contamination in natural water is a worldwide problem and a major health concern. In master thesis hydrogeochemistry and toxicity effects of natural waters rich in arsenic were studied. The main objective of the master thesis was to evaluate As pollution of the Freixeda stream and groundwater in abandoned Freixeda gold mine area in NE Portugal near Mirandela city (41.413767 N 7.103562 W) and compare it with the data from previous studies. Further on, toxicological evaluation of selected water samples was performed in the in vitro system of human cell line Caco-2. Chemical analyses of sampled water samples with use of different modelling sofware show that groundwater have higher sulphate and bicarbonate values than surface water, which could be the reason for As desorption and higher As values in groundwater. Water-rock interaction promotes reduction and dissolution of sulphide minerals and in reductive environments dissolution of secondary Fe minerals releases adsorbed As into solution. Toxicological testing on human cells included cytotoxicity assay, genotoxicity assay and production of reactive oxigene species (ROS). Genotoxicity was only modestly affected by a short-term exposure to As-contaminated water samples, however, higher concentrations of As in real samples lead to higher level of oxidative stress and decreased cell viability. Exposure of cells to pure As(III) solution show clear concentration dependent decrease in cell metabolism and viability, strong genotoxicity and increased ROS generation. Considering the worldwide extent of As contamination in natural waters and ability of intestinal epithelium to reduce the potential harmful effects of As, more studies evaluating the human intestinal permeability for As should be done in the future.
Keywords: Water quality, arsenic, hydrogeochemistry, toxicity, Caco-2 cell line
Published in RUNG: 26.09.2018; Views: 5411; Downloads: 197
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Keywords: CTA, array calibration, groups of telescopes
Published in RUNG: 16.02.2018; Views: 2881; Downloads: 149
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Abstract: During the last fetal stage of development and in the neonatal period, the hypothalamic- pituitary- adrenal (HPA) axis secretes cortisol (C), responsible for several physiologic processes. The claws were recently proved to be a useful, non- invasive matrix for long time- frame retrospective C levels analysis also in puppies (Veronesi et al. 2015, Theriogenology 84:791–796). Because of the scarce knowledge on canine perinatology, this study was aimed to assess the C concentrations in claws of newborn puppies collected at birth, 30 and 60 days of age, and to evaluate the possible influence of age, gender and type of birth on C claws accumulation. The study was performed on 58 large purebred, normal, healthy puppies, born by spontaneous or cesarean parturition. The mean C claws concentrations significantly decrease from birth (26 ± 16.39 pg/mg) to 30 (10 ± 4.53 pg/mg) and 60 (6 ± 3.12 pg/mg) days of age (p < 0.0001); a decrease was also seen from 30 to 60 days of age (p < 0.05). No influence of newborn gender and type of birth was found. This trend of decrease is in agreement with data reported by (Veronesi et al. 2015, Theriogenology 84:791–796) in dead puppies, and suggests the important role of C around the time of birth. However the exact source of the C accumulated in claws of puppies at birth must be clarified, while the source of C accumulated at 30, and even more at 60 days, can be supposed to be addressed to the newborn itself.
Keywords: Cortisol, claws, dog
Published in RUNG: 01.09.2017; Views: 4639; Downloads: 0
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Abstract: In order to provide further information about canine perinatology, and because of the scarce knowledge about fetal fluids composition in dogs, the present study was aimed to assess the cortisol concentrations in fetal fluids collected from small-sized purebred newborn puppies born by elective cesarean section, at term of pregnancy (Meloni et al, 2014). Furthermore we assessed possible correlations of amniotic and allantoic cortisol concentrations and newborn outcome at 24 hours of age and with the newborn gender. Fetal fluids cortisol concentrations were also evaluated for correlation with maternal parity, litter-size, neonatal gender, birth weight and Apgar score (Veronesi et al, 2009). The study, performed on 50 born alive, normal weighed puppies, without gross physical malformation, showed that cortisol concentration was higher in allantoic than in amniotic fluid (p<0.01), even if a strong positive correlation between the two fluids cortisol concentration was found (p<0.0001; R=0.83). Interestingly, higher amniotic (p<0.05) cortisol concentrations were associated to puppies not surviving at 24 hours after birth. Therefore it could be suggested that this parameter may be useful for the recognition, at birth, of puppies needing special surveillance in the first day of age. In relation to the other evaluated parameters, no correlations with amniotic or allantoic cortisol concentrations were found. In conclusion, the present results showed that in small-sized purebred puppies, born at term by elective caesarean section, the evaluation of amniotic cortisol concentration seems useful for the detection of puppies that need special surveillance during the first 24 hours of age, and should be coupled to the newborn evaluation by Apgar score.
Keywords: cortisol, fetal fluids, pregnancy, dog
Published in RUNG: 12.05.2017; Views: 4327; Downloads: 248
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