The legacy of built heritage is one of the most critical questions of our time—the objective of preserving its immaterial values and exploiting its original vocation brings about challenges related to the history, the identity, and the quality of life of the concerned territory. This especially applies to religious buildings given their strong bond with collective memory. The aim of this research is to determine whether allocating new uses that pursuit social benefits for the community is a possible implementation of the aforementioned purposes and whether it better addresses a broader view of sustainable development, which encompasses equity and well-being. The methodology combines careful knowledge of the building, comparing residual performances of the fabric with new functions. We present a case study, with focus on healthcare-related accommodation facilities and the issue of healthcare migration, which aims to convert a dismissed capuchin convent, located in Villagonia (Taormina, Italy), into a shelter house to host families whose relatives are being treated at the neighbourhood medical centre. This proposal shows that heritage buildings, especially religious ones, have outstanding material and immaterial potential and, through good reuse practices, they provide a valuable opportunity to address the overarching objective of social sustainability.
In the procedures regarding built heritage documentation, the process of representing the object in a digital environment is characterized by a high level of complexity. In fact, the need to process heterogeneous information, referring to quantity, quality and format is one of the main emerging issues. Recent technologies of digitization of our built environment offer excellent performances on data reliability and time of acquisition. On the other hand, they bring about new challenges regarding how to define methodologies and strategies to effectively elaborate such information. A possible way to optimize the use of these data is by implementing them into informative systems: these tools have great potential in the creation of multi-layered representations and offer extensive possibilities for interpretations and analyses. This research, carried out by the laboratories DAdaLab and PLAY of the University of Pavia, focuses on the University's Palazzo Centrale and aims at developing a precise methodological approach: starting from the 3D acquisition, the survey data are discretized-through critical processes of semantic analysis and breakdown-and later implemented into informative databases. Moreover, the architectural characters, construction phases and the strong bond with the urban setting make the case study particularly valuable; therefore, it represents an excellent opportunity to point out the potentials of this approach to the definition of management tools for the conservation of built heritage.
The sustainable reuse of the built heritage is one of the main challenges of our time. Religious heritage, in particular, requires strong survey strategies and analyses in order to achieve consistent approaches for the conservation and transmission of its value, both material and immaterial. The exploitation of the latter is underpinned by knowledge analyses, prior to the conservation actions, with a focus not only on the techniques of material restoration but also on the values that it represents for the territory and local communities. With this aim, three case studies in Southern Italy are here presented, that offer a good example of how ecclesiastical heritage, although vast and diffuse, is still an undervalued asset. By combining accurate knowledge and historical research in comparison with the residual performance of the buildings, the results aim to demonstrate how integrated knowledge strategies can pursue more conscious choices of new possible uses for abandoned religious heritage, resulting in preserve their memory and add value in terms of social sustainability.
Fourteen scans employing the adrenergic blocking agent [131I]MIBG were performed on 10 children with neuroblastoma (NB) or ganglioneuroblastoma (GNB). The scans were negative in 5 cases, and 1 further case produced doubtful results in both the MIBG and CT scan tests. In 4 cases, very positive results were obtained with clear vision of the primary tumor and its metastases. In 1 case, which demonstrated partial differentiation of the outer part of the tumor mass toward GNB, a differentiated tumor specimen did not reveal significant uptake of the tracer. Half-lives of the tracer as measured by external detection in the period 24-48 h after injection were reduced after successful therapy. MIBG scanning appears to be a feasible indicator of NB adrenergic activity, and it can assume a primary role in the staging and follow-up of NB. Higher tumor uptake of the [131 I]MIBG and low background offer new perspectives in the radiometabolic treatment of MIBG.
Sir: The recent report by Nakagawara and Ideka [41 of increased intra-tumoural Abbreviations: CA = catecholamine; NB = neuroblastomas; VMA = vanillyl-mandelic acid; MIBG = meta-iodo(131)-benzylguanidine
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