Substrates to contrast compaction in urban tree plantings

Aim of our work was to assess the ability of recycled crushed bricks employed as a substrate of growth, of contrasting the compaction and improving the development of trees in urban avenues. Soil employed in urban planting is often deep subsoil with a high percentage of fine material (silt and clay) and no organic matter. The excess of soil compaction due to trampling and car parking can seriously affect the survival of trees in these conditions. Coarse recycled materials already used in urban green areas, allow a better air circulation and water drainage in the rizosphere and can be a valid solution to reduce the post transplant crisis. The materials employed as substrate were: compost, soil, crushed bricks 0-30 mm, crushed bricks 6-30 mm The experimental trial was set up planting 36 lindens in 1) soil, 2)soil +15% compost; 3) crushed bricks 0-30 mm; 4) crushed bricks 0-30 mm + 15% compost; 5) crushed bricks 6-30 mm; 6) crushed bricks 6-30 mm + 15% compost. The monitoring included: sprouts length, number of sprouts, SPAD chlorophyll, and dynamic plate resistance. The preliminary results showed that the crushed bricks showed the highest resistance to compaction and the combination of crushed bricks 0-30 mm + compost developed the average longest sprouts. At this stage of the research the best compromise between resistance to compaction and growth seemd to be crushed bricks 6-30 mm + compost

Wildflowers

Not availableIl progetto di ricerca VALFLORIA ? Innovazione e qualificazione dei prodotti per la valorizzazione della floricoltura toscana e la rinaturalizzazione di aree antropizzate - ha preso l?avvio nell?anno 2010 a seguito di un bando pubblico promosso dalla Regione Toscana, che ha condiviso con il mondo delle imprese floricole una serie di istanze emerse come prioritarie e ne ha fatto oggetto di una sia pur breve ma intensa attivit? di ricerca applicata. Questo manuale, realizzato nell?ambito del progetto, conclusosi nel corso del 2013, raccoglie una serie di esperienze sul campo e fornisce indicazioni nella direzione di una diversificazione produttiva; diversificazione quanto mai utile in un momento di grave crisi economica, come quella attuale, che si ripercuote in maniera pesante sugli acquisti di generi voluttuari come sono i prodotti floricoli. Il progetto ha affrontato sia temi generali legati alla valutazione di nuove specie, proponendone un metodo di screening preliminare, che temi specifici quali gli approfondimenti su alcune fisiopatie di specie di origine australiana, sui miscugli di wildflowers e su importanti aspetti in post-produzione. Sono stati testati infine anche nuovi approcci a metodologie di analisi dei processi produttivi floricoli con l?applicazione della metodologia LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), strumento per la valutazione degli impatti ambientali nei percorsi di certificazione ambientale. Dai tre anni di attivit? del progetto VALFLORIA nasce cos? questo manuale, strumento conoscitivo indirizzato in particolare a tecnici edoperatori del settore floricolo e in grado di fornire sia soluzioni immediatamente applicabili che indicazioni per una ulteriore implementazione di quanto sinora ottenuto, sempre con un occhio particolarmente attento ai risvolti ambientali delle produzioni agricole

Use of compost in urban greening to develop biodiverse herbaceous communities

Derelict urban soils are not suitable to grow ornamental traditional vegetation, but they can be effective in becoming areas of biodiversity and nature conservation. The compaction and very low quality of those soils, though do not enable a uniform covering and development of species and plant sizes, necessary to satisfy esthetical requests. Aim of our work was to evaluate the contribution of compost in improving the plant biodiversity and the self-sustainability in the cultivation of an herbaceous community sawn on derelict urban soil. The experimental study was carried out in eight, 2 m2 beds, filled with urban subsoil and sown with a mix of 29 autochthonous herbaceous species: annuals, biennials and perennials. The species selected for the trial are native in the surrounding countryside. We added compost, coming from selected municipal organic waste, in the first 15 cm of soil, then we sow the seed mixture on a thin layer (about 5-10 cm) of seeding substrate. The filling soil was poor in N (0.2 g kg-1) and Corg (4,3 g kg-1) and had alkaline pH (8.3), both this properties can affect negatively the growth of plants, the addition of compost could improve the content of N and Corg and decrease the value of pH. The vegetation was monitored every month since march, number of plants were counted inside a fixed quadrat. The plots with compost showed a more diverse vegetation in terms of species and a longer time of flowering

The Food Council of Pisa

The need for a transition to more sustainable food systems has made the definition of more integrated and advanced forms of management of food-related issues increasingly urgent, especially in the urban contexts. As for many other cities around the world, also in the territory of Pisa (Tuscany, Italy), since 2010 a process aimed at developing an integrated food strategy has been promoted (the Food Plan of the province of Pisa). In the context of new reflexivity and mobilization created by the process for the definition and implementation of the Plan, in 2013 a group of citizens, researchers and professionals established the Food Council of Pisa, an organization aimed at stimulating a reflection on the food-related issues at urban level and at promoting an integrated approach to their management. The Council started to operate identifying some specific areas of action, establishing relationships with the various initiatives carried out by local civil society, and trying to interact with public administrations

Non-healing old world cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. infantum in a patient from Spain

Background: The prevalence of Old World Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in the Mediterranean region is increasing and in Southern Europe often caused by Leishmania infantum. Spontaneous healing of cutaneous leishmaniasis is commonly observed, especially if caused by L. major, whereas L. infantum associated lesions have been reported with longer disease duration and decreased tendency for self-limitation, however, available information is sparse. Case presentation: We report the case of an otherwise healthy woman from Southern Spain who presented with a seven years persistent, non-healing, painless, central ulcerated, nodular cutaneous lesion with a diameter of 2 cm of the forearm. Cutaneous leishmaniasis was diagnosed by smear and histology, showing large amounts of leishmania amastigotes in subepidermal histiocytes and extensive lymphocyte and plasma cell inflammation. L. infantum as the causative pathogen was confirmed by restriction fragment length polymorphism and microsatellite-PCR. Systemic or visceral involvement was excluded by negative leishmania serology and clinical presentation, relevant concomitant diseases or immunosuppression were excluded including quantification of immunoglobulin levels and lymphocyte phenotyping. Topical and systemic anti-infectious treatment options, often limited in terms of efficacy, tolerability and long lasting treatment duration, were considered. Treatment was successfully performed by surgical extraction in local anaesthesia only. Conclusion: To our knowledge this is the longest reported duration of a L. infantum associated cutaneous leishmaniasis indicating a potential long lasting natural evolution of the disease in an otherwise healthy and immunocompetent patient, however, high parasite density may have reflected a lack of a L. infantum specific immune response. Complete surgical extraction can be successfully performed as treatment

La natura va a scuola. Linee guida per la creazione di un prato fiorito nel giardino delle scuole

No abstract availableLa necessit? di riportare la natura in citt? sembra quasi paradossale, ma ? un concetto di grande attualit? e con un significato sempre pi? pressante per il continuo aumento dell?urbanizzazione. L?idea di seminare un prato di fiori spontanei in ambienti urbani nasce dall?osservazione che sui suoli poveri questi fiori rivelano un notevole valore ornamentale e sviluppano un alto grado di diversit? vegetale. Il suolo urbano spesso ? di riporto e non contiene le necessarie quantit? di sostanza organica e di elementi nutritivi che fan s? che le piante possano crescere in maniera rigogliosa. I giardini in citt?, infatti, sono spesso popolati da una vegetazione stentata. I fiori spontanei, invece, seminati su questi stessi suoli, possono svilupparsi e creare delle comunit? vegetali ricche di specie diverse, che non richiedono interventi di irrigazione o di concimazione. Si tratta dunque di un modo sostenibile di gestire le aree urbane, riducendo anche drasticamente i costi. Inoltre, questo tipo di gestione comporta un minor disturbo dell?area a verde che pu? essere cos? tranquillamente frequentata dalla fauna attirata dai fiori, rappresentata da insetti in cerca di nettare e da uccelli granivori e insettivori. L?Agenzia Regionale per lo Sviluppo e l?Innovazione in Agricoltura (Arsia), la Regione Toscana e l?Istituto per lo Studio degli Ecosistemi (ISE) di Pisa del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) negli ultimi cinque anni hanno finanziato progetti e condotto studi su questa tematica, promuovendo una valida collaborazione con amministrazioni comunali e provinciali. In particolare, il rapporto con le scuole e con le autorit? scolastiche di Livorno ? stato estremamente proficuo ed il Prato Fiorito si ? rivelato un ottimo sistema per la gestione dei giardini scolastici e per la didattica. Il Prato Fiorito costituisce, infatti, un piccolo ecosistema che diventa un ?laboratorio all?aria aperta? per gli alunni che possono cos? partecipare a tutte le fasi dell?impianto, dalla preparazione del terreno alla semina, seguire le diverse fasi fenologiche delle piante, dall?emergenza delle plantule alla fioritura, osservare la micro e mesofauna attratta dalla vegetazione, nonch? studiare le dinamiche ecologiche e la catena trofica. Prendere spunti per disegni e creare composizioni scritte di vario genere diventa poi la naturale conclusione alle diverse osservazioni. In questo modo vengono superati i problemi legati alla mancanza di fondi e alla ridotta qualit? dei suoli nei complessi didattici e lo studio delle scienze viene proposto in modo stimolante ed estremamente divertente

Ernährungsprobleme bei Kindern und Erwachsenen : Zur Bedeutung von Lebensmitteln für den allgemeinen Gesundheitszustand

Die Zunahme von Krankheiten, die durch frühzeitige präventive Ernährungsmaßnahmen beeinflusst werden können, ist von besonderer gesundheitspolitischer Bedeutung. Hierzu gehören Krankheiten wie Diabetes mellitus, Adipositas, Fettstoffwechselstörungen, Bluthochdruck, gastrointestinale Erkrankungen u.a., die bereits heute erhebliche sozioökonomische Auswirkungen haben. Wichtig wäre es, solche Krankheiten nicht erst unmittelbar vor der zu erwartenden Manifestation zu beeinflussen, sondern bereits zu einem wesentlich früheren Zeitpunkt. Von besonderer Bedeutung sind daher Überlegungen, wie über die prä- und postnatale Ernährung die in diesem Stadium ablaufende fetale Programmierung beeinflusst werden kann, um Krankheiten im Erwachsenenalter zu reduzieren oder gar zu verhindern (Abb. 1). Im Rahmen der Jubiläumsveranstaltungen aus Anlass des 200. Geburtstags von Justus Liebig an der Universität Gießen fand im Mai 2003 eine Vortragsreihe zum Thema „Justus von Liebig und moderne Aspekte der Ernährungsforschung“ statt, bei der auch die Themen Ernährungsprobleme bei Erwachsenen und Kindern ausführlich behandelt wurden. Im Folgenden werden einige Aspekte zusammengefasst, die bei der Zusammenarbeit des Instituts für Ernährungswissenschaft, der Medizinischen Klinik III und Poliklinik und des Zentrums für Kinderheilkunde und Jugendmedizin eine wichtige Rolle spielen

Use of paper mill sludge for the acclimation of nursery trees to be planted in urban soil

Trees planted in urban areas often suffer in the phase of transplanting. Transplant is always a shock for plants, especially when they are moved from the nursery, where the environmental conditions are very favourable, to urbanized areas, where resources and maintenance are scarce. Moreover, some properties of urban soils, such as alkaline pH and compaction, make it difficult for trees to adapt. The industry of recycled paper produces tons of waste, which is a clean material composed mainly of cellulose that can be potentially used as a component in plant growth substrate. In the present experiment, the paper mill sludge pelletized has been added to the growing media with the aim of increasing the water storage in the substrate and, at the same time, of contrasting soil compaction. Three species, Quercus ilex, Lagerstroemia indica, Prunus serrulata ‘Kanzan’, have been planted in 40 L pots using two substrates: i) control, composed of peat, pumice, zeolites (chabasite) and compost; ii) experimental, composed of compost, zeolites (chabasite), pumice and pellet. The substrates were analysed for pH, bulk density, organic carbon, total nitrogen, and plants responses were monitored by measuring trunk diameter, shoot length and chlorophyll content. The experimental substrate resulted suitable to grow the trees in nursery. To use the waste in the experiment we undertook a path to get permission from the local authorities who manage the industrial waste

Randomised prospective study for the effect of therapy on residual beta cell function in type-1 diabetes mellitus [ISRCTN70703138]

BACKGROUND: Newly diagnosed insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is characterised by a temporary recovery of endogeneous insulin ("remission") after the beginning of medical treatment with subcutaneous insulin injections. Although most diabetologists think, that insulin reserve is related to reduced occurrence of diabetic long-term complications, such as eye, nerve and kidney disease, there is only one prospective controlled clinical study (the DCCT) addressing this question, however as secondary hypothesis. METHODS/DESIGN: Therefore, we composed a trial consisting of two cohorts with two therapeutic options within each cohort (conventional versus intensive therapy) and a three-year follow-up. In one group the patients are randomly assigned to the treatment regimes to test the statistical alternative hypothesis if variable insulin dosage is superior to fixed insulin injection in preserving insulin reserve measured by C-peptide in serum. Another group includes patients who prefer one of the two therapies, decline randomisation, but consent to follow-up. Apart from the determination of insulin reserve as a biological parameter a second primary endpoint was defined as 'therapeutic failure' according to the criteria of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. Patients pass a training program to help them self-manage diabetes. A standardised protocol is being set up to minimize centre effects and bias of health care providers. Potential patient dependent bias will be investigated by questionnaires measuring psychic coping processes of people with diabetes. Management of visit dates is directly navigated by the database. Automated visit-reminders are mailed to patients and caregivers to optimise the number of visits on schedule. Data quality is regularly monitored and centres are informed on the results of continuous data management