The Sound of a Circular City: Towards a Circularity-Driven Quietness.

The circular economy paradigm can be beneficial for urban sustainability by eliminating waste and pollution, by circulating products and materials and by regenerating nature. Furthermore, under an urban circular development scheme, environmental noise can be designed out. The current noise control policies and actions, undertaken at a source-medium-receiver level, present a linearity with minimum sustainability co-benefits. A circular approach in noise control strategies and in soundscape design could offer numerous ecologically related co-benefits. The global literature documenting the advantages of the implementation of circular economy in cities has highlighted noise mitigation as a given benefit. Research involving circular economy actions such as urban green infrastructure, green walls, sustainable mobility systems and electro-mobility has acknowledged reduced noise levels as a major circularity outcome. In this research paper, we highlight the necessity of a circularity and bioeconomy approach in noise control. To this end, a preliminary experimental noise modeling study was conducted to showcase the acoustic benefits of green walls and electric vehicles in a medium-sized urban area of a Mediterranean island. The results indicate a noise level reduction at 4 dB(A) when simulating the introduction of urban circular development actions.

The effect of vitamin K supplementation on biochemical markers of bone formation in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis.

INTRODUCTION: Impaired vitamin K status in cystic fibrosis (CF) has been considered as a newly emerged pathogenetic factor for reduced bone mineral density (BMD). OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of vitamin K supplementation in managing bone formation abnormalities in children and adolescents with CF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The statuses of vitamins K and D in relation to biochemical markers of bone metabolism and BMD were examined in 20 CF children receiving vitamin D supplements but not vitamin K supplements. Laboratory tests were carried out at the beginning of the study period and after 1 year of vitamin K supplementation (10 mg single oral dose/week) and the results were compared; the results were also compared with those of 25 healthy controls. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Ten of the CF patients had BMD z-score