Sito Natura 2000 Alta Murgia: linee guida per una gestione agroambientale partecipativa

Situata nel centro della Puglia, l’Alta Murgia è un altopiano carsico dichiarato Zona di Protezione Speciale e proposto Sito di Importanza Comunitaria, e pertanto incluso nella rete ecologica europea Natura 2000. Nel marzo 2004 su parte del territorio è stato istituito il Parco Nazionale dell’Alta Murgia. Quest’area racchiude formazioni steppiche plasmate dal pascolo e considerate habitat prioritario dall’Unione Europea. La messa a coltura di parte della superficie steppica, la regressione degli allevamenti e l’attuale crisi congiunturale dell’agricoltura impongono l’attuazione di una strategia finalizzata a frenare il degrado ambientale dell’area e sviluppare forme di agricoltura funzionali all’incremento della redditività ed alla conservazione dei valori naturalistici. Il presente studio ha l’obiettivo di formulare delle linee progettuali per la gestione agroambientale partecipativa del Sito Natura 2000 Alta Murgia. La ricerca si è svolta partendo dall’esame degli aspetti teorici e metodologici relativi ai metodi partecipativi, e alla loro applicazione nell’ambito della gestione agroambientale degli spazi rurali. In seguito, tramite un’analisi delle fonti bibliografiche, statistiche e documentali, sono state definite le componenti strutturali e politico-pianificatorie del territorio, riservando maggior dettaglio allo studio del settore agricolo. Sono quindi state effettuate alcune interviste a portatori d’interesse locali e a testimoni privilegiati, estrapolando in particolare i loro punti di vista. Tutte le informazioni raccolte sono state impiegate per l’elaborazione di una diagnosi territoriale condivisa. Basandosi su questa, sono state delineate alcune proposte progettuali incentrate sulla partecipazione e sul ridisegno agroecologico del territorio. L’indagine qui condotta evidenzia le molteplici linee d’azione percorribili per la gestione agroambientale dell’Alta Murgia, nonché la disponibilità di vari strumenti per il loro finanziamento. Emerge, tuttavia, la necessità di coinvolgimento della popolazione locale nelle scelte che su di essa ricadono, di ripristino della legalità e di un adeguato presidio del territorio

Survival of patients with HCV cirrhosis and sustained virologic response is similar to the general population

Background & Aims: Life expectancy of patients with compensated hepatitis C virus (HCV) cirrhosis achieving sustained virologic response (SVR) is limited by liver events as compared to the general population. Thus, survival benefit of SVR remains to be measured. Methods: The study includes prospective surveillance data from three cohorts of Italian patients with compensated HCV cirrhosis who achieved SVR on an interferon-based (IFN) regimen, compared to simultaneously observed non-SVR, untreated and decompensated patients. Overall survival was calculated from the date of start of IFN to death. The number of deaths expected during the at-risk period was determined by applying age-and sex-specific mortality rates recorded in Italy for person-years adequate for the enrolment period. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) determined the relative risk of death over that of the age and sex matched general population. Results: Overall, 28/181 patients followed-up for a median period of 9.6 years (range 1-25 years) died. The 10 and 20-year overall survival rates for the whole series were 90.9% (95% CI, 84.3-94.8) and 62.9% (95% CI, 45.9-75.9), respectively. The number of expected deaths in the corresponding age and sex matched general population was 28.1, corresponding to a SMR = 1.00 (95% CI, 0.72-1.35), with an SMR for non-SVR patients of 3.85 (95% CI,, for untreated of 3.01 (95% CI, 2.64-3.42) and for decompensated of 6.70 (95% CI,. Conclusions: Patients with compensated HCV cirrhosis achieving SVR by IFN obtain a main benefit levelling their survival curve to that of the general population. Wider applicability of IFN-free regimens will possibly make this achievement more generalizable

Complete determination of neutron yield from 62 MeV protons on 9Be for the design of a low – power ADS

Within the European Partitioning & Transmutation research programs, infrastructures specifically dedicated to the study of fundamental reactor physics of future fast neutron-based reactors are very important. In this respect, an Accelerator Driven System low-power prototype, based on a 70 MeV proton beam impinging on a thick Beryllium converter, was recently proposed and designed within the INFN-E project. The world data on neutron yield from Be target are scarce in this proton energy range. This lack of data calls for a dedicated measurement which was performed at INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, covering a wide angular range, from 0 to 150 degrees, and an almost complete neutron energy interval, from thermal up to the beam energy. In this contribution the results are discussed together with the description of the proposed ADS facility

Study of an intrinsically safe infrastructure for training and research on nuclear technologies

Within European Partitioning & Transmutation research programs, infrastructures specifically dedicated to the study of fundamental reactor physics and engineering parameters of future fast-neutron-based reactors are very important, being some of these features not available in present zero-power prototypes. This presentation will illustrate the conceptual design of an Accelerator-Driven System with high safety standards, but ample flexibility for measurements. The design assumes as base option a 70MeV, 0.75mA proton cyclotron, as the one which will be installed at the INFN National Laboratory in Legnaro, Italy and a Beryllium target, with Helium gas as core coolant. Safety is guaranteed by limiting the thermal power to 200 kW, with a neutron multiplication coefficient around 0.94, loading the core with fuel containing Uranium enriched at 20% inserted in a solid-lead diffuser. The small decay heat can be passively removed by thermal radiation from the vessel. Such a system could be used to study, among others, some specific aspects of neutron diffusion in lead, beam-core coupling, target cooling and could serve as a training facility

Landscape effects on the complex of Bactrocera oleae parasitoids and implications for conservation biological control

We studied the parasitoid complex of Bactrocera oleae Rossi (Diptera: Tephritidae) in order to analyse the parasitism response to landscape structure at different spatial extents. Olive fruits were sampled and incubated in the laboratory for insect emergence, thus allowing the calculation of parasitoid emergence rates. A landscape analysis was performed in five concentric buffers, ranging from 0.5 to 2 km diameter around the sampling points. Woodland was chosen as focal class. The percentage of landscape and the splitting index, a measure of fragmentation, were used to quantify landscape composition and configuration, respectively. Significant effects of landscape on parasitism rates were detected. In particular, the percent parasitoid emergence was negatively affected by the splitting index of woodland at a spatial extent ranging from 1 to 2 km. These findings suggest that landscape characteristics are likely to affect parasitoids in well-structured agroecosystems as well. In particular, connectivity at a large scale may favour B. oleae parasitoids more than the abundance of woodland. Potential implication