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A newly discovered will by Girolamo di Carpi’s son Annibale dating from 1584 provides the first documentary evidence of the early provenance of Girolamo’s drawings and reveals how sketchbooks and other materials were circulated among artists in sixteenth-century Ferrara.

This paper focuses on the intriguing treatise Pallazzo di Lucullo, written in ca. 1515 by the humanist Lelio Manfredi, which reconstructs the villa in Frascati (ancient Tusculum) built for the Roman aristocrat Lucullus. The vernacular manuscript, dedicated to Isabella d'Este Gonzaga, Marchioness of Mantua, and preserved in the Biblioteca Marciana in Venice, testifies to Manfredi's antiquarian interests. First of all, the essay investigates the ancient and modern sources used by the author, dedicating particular attention to Varro's description of his own villa of Cassino, which served as Manfredi's model for the reconstruction of the Lucullian villa. The Pallazzo di Lucullo is then framed within the context of architectural treatises written by men of letters in the sixteenth century – such as Alvise Cornaro and Giangiorgio Trissino – and of the humanistic reception of the aviary, also admired by Erasmus and Giulio Giovio. Finally, the paper discusses the Pallazzo di Lucullo within the cultural context of the Gonzaga dukedom, where Manfredi lived for several years. By describing the ancient villa, the author presents himself as an artistic adviser of the Gonzaga, who were renowned patrons thanks to their important architectural commissions. Thus, the analysis of the Pallazzo di Lucullo sheds new light on the dynamics at this Renaissance court, promoting the study of the intermediaries who introduced the Gonzaga to antiquarianism and ancient architecture.

Patients who undergo oesophagectomy for oesophagealcancer (OC) usually have an overall poor prognosis and, still more preoccupying, an unsatisfactory quality of life (QoL). Considering that, as already noted, post-operative pulmonary function has a strong correlation with the long-term outcome and QoL after surgery, we have assumed and speculated on the clinical benefits of an intensive long-term pulmonary post-operative rehabilitation program in this particular subset of patients. Herein, we report the preliminary results of a comparative retrospective analysis in a series of 58 patients who underwent radical oesophagectomy and post-operative chest physical therapy (CPT) under two different protocols, from October 2006 to January 2011. Finally, we discuss on the time-trend analysis of pulmonary function and the potential role of post-operative pulmonary rehabilitation.

The present paper shows the results of an experimental test campaign on RC base column joints realized using three different typologies of steel reinforcing bars. Traditional TempCore®B450C rebars were adopted in comparison with enhanced ones with Dual-Phase microstructure. The interest in the use of such kind of reinforcing grade comes from its improved performance in terms of durability in presence of aggressive environmental conditions, being able to provide a lower decrease of the deformation capacity, with residual values higher respect to minimum imposed by current standards. Being characterized by the typical undefined yielding stress–strain behaviour, Dual-Phase steel reinforcing bars need an accurate characterization to be used. In the present work experimental tests on RC-DP sub-structures were performed to assess their structural performance in presence of cyclic/seismic loading conditions, comparing results with traditional RC-TempCore® structures’ behaviour.

This article analyses an edition of Vitruvius' De architectura (Florence, 1513) conservated in Biblioteca Comunale Teresiana in Mantua (LXVI.F.21). There are brief and sporadic comments on the margins of the text as well as several drawings. The woodcuts are often enhanced with diverse indications, even \"corrected\" and replaced. This study aims to propose a catalogue and an accurate analysis of the illustrations of the codex, and an autoptical exam of the book. The critical paragraph is subdivided in two parts. The first one focuses on the codex and on the relation among the drawings of Mantua Vitruvius and other Renaissance treatises. The second one aims to rebuild the history of Teresiana's volume and to point out the cultural background in which the comments has been produced.

The essay analyzes a previously unpublished document found at the Archivio di Stato in Ferrara, which makes it possible to attribute and date the tomb of local humanist Celio Calcagnini. According to the document, the project is to be attributed to Terzo Terzi, court architect of Ercole II d'Esté, and its hypothetical reconstruction traces its origin from archaic models substantially different from those typical of the local tradition. Through an outline of Terzi's overall activity, the author suggests a plausible position of the project within the architect's body of work. Calcagnini's architectural culture is then analyzed through his writings and library. A part from the publication of newly discovered archive materials, the article reveals a virtually unknown aspect of the humanist's multifaceted culture, establishing a starting point for further studies on architecture in early-16th-Century Ferrara.

PurposeWe investigated the role of occupational exposure to endotoxin in lung cancer risk in a French population based case-control study.MethodsLifelong work histories of 2926 cases and 3555 controls were collected using standardised questionnaires. Estimation of endotoxin exposure was based on a publication issued by the Institut National de Recherche et de SeeeAecuriteeeAee (INRS), which reported measurements in biological aerosols workstations. Several exposure-related variables were created: intensity (<1000UE/m3; >1000UE/m3), total duration (years), life time cumulative exposure (UE/m3*years) and time since cessation (years). Smoking history was combined into a comprehensive smoking index (CSI) that included mean number of cigarettes/day, duration and time since cessation. Odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using unconditional logistic regression models and controlled for main confounding factors including CSI.ResultsWe found an inverse significant association between high endotoxin exposure and lung cancer risk (151 cases/336 controls; OR = 0.64, 95% Cl = 0.5-0.82). The main activity sectors entailing high exposure included dairy, cattle, poultry and pig farms. In contrast, a statistically significant positive association was found for low exposure (OR = 1.33, 95% Cl = 1.08-1.64) (eg. sawmills, wool industry, meat processing). Using restricted splines cubic models, we observed that the association between cumulative endotoxin exposures and lung cancer risk departed significantly from linearity. In addition, the risk decreased with duration and increased with time since cessation, irrespective of the exposure intensity. Analysis by subgroups showed an interaction with tobacco consumption, and light smokers appeared to be more sensitive to endotoxin protective effect.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that high exposure to endotoxin confers protection against lung cancer.

ObjectivesWe investigated the relationship between lung cancer and occupational exposure to welding activity in ICARE, a population-based case–control study.MethodsAnalyses were restricted to men (2276 cases, 2780 controls). Welding exposure was assessed through detailed questionnaires, including lifelong occupational history. ORs were computed using unconditional logistic regression, adjusted for lifelong cigarette smoking and occupational exposure to asbestos.ResultsAmong the regular welders, welding was associated with a risk of lung cancer (OR=1.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.5), which increased with the duration (OR=2.0, 95% CI 1.0 to 3.9 when duration >10 years), and was maximum 10–20 years since last welding. The risk was more pronounced in case of gas welding (OR=2.0, 95% CI 1.2 to 3.3), when the workpiece was covered by paint, grease, or other substances (OR=2.0, 95% CI 1.2 to 3.4) and when it was cleaned with chemical substances before welding. No statistically significant increase in lung cancer risk was observed among occasional welders.ConclusionsAlthough these results should be confirmed, we showed that type of welding and mode of workpiece preparation are important determinants of the lung cancer risk in regular welders.

PurposeWe investigated the role of occupational exposure to endotoxin in lung cancer risk in a French population based case-control study.MethodsLifelong work histories of 2926 cases and 3555 controls were collected using standardised questionnaires. Estimation of endotoxin exposure was based on a publication issued by the Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité (INRS), which reported measurements in biological aerosols workstations. Several exposure-related variables were created: intensity (<1000UE/m³; >1000UE/m³), total duration (years), life time cumulative exposure (UE/m³*years) and time since cessation (years). Smoking history was combined into a comprehensive smoking index (CSI) that included mean number of cigarettes/day, duration and time since cessation. Odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using unconditional logistic regression models and controlled for main confounding factors including CSI.ResultsWe found an inverse significant association between high endotoxin exposure and lung cancer risk (151 cases/336 controls; OR = 0.64, 95% Cl = 0.5–0.82). The main activity sectors entailing high exposure included dairy, cattle, poultry and pig farms. In contrast, a statistically significant positive association was found for low exposure (OR = 1.33, 95% Cl = 1.08–1.64) (eg. sawmills, wool industry, meat processing). Using restricted splines cubic models, we observed that the association between cumulative endotoxin exposures and lung cancer risk departed significantly from linearity. In addition, the risk decreased with duration and increased with time since cessation, irrespective of the exposure intensity. Analysis by subgroups showed an interaction with tobacco consumption, and light smokers appeared to be more sensitive to endotoxin protective effect.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that high exposure to endotoxin confers protection against lung cancer.