The Historical Development of the Port of Livorno (Italy) and Its New Port Plan 2010 in Advanced Stage of Elaboration

The geographical location makes the port of Livorno one of the most important in Italy. The port, in fact, benefits of an extended network of roads and rails connecting it with the rest of Italy, and central and southern Europe as well. The history of Livorno and its port is inextricably linked to that of Pisa and Florence, and to the complexity of events that determined the political set-up of the region along several centuries. Looking at the new port plan of Livorno has made it necessary an extensive overview of the history of both the port, and of its planning. This analysis has allowed: to understand the reason for the different choices made in the past for the development of the port, highlighting, when necessary, the errors made; to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the existing port infrastructure; to identify the works needed to boost the port in the European context. The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of the analysis performed for the implementation of the new Livorno port plan 2010 and show how the port planning in Italy is often conditioned by hundreds of centuries of history

The ecology of resilience learning in ubiquitous environments to adverse situations

Primary education in Mexico is facing a growing set of challenges that the government has tried to counteract through the use of communication technologies (ICT) in formal education. While these efforts provide support for students and educators, there remains a need for a renewed and contextualized awareness that will re-conceptualize the adverse experiences of students and the importance of resilience in the context of the learning environment. The objective of this document is to give an account of the learning acquired by nine telesecondary students in a rural area of Hidalgo and the student’s benefits of building awareness about the ecology of learning. The paper highlights the process of re-envisioning their experiences that emerged from the various points of views shared in discussion. The study was triangulated by quantitative and qualitative phenomenological and hermeneutical analyses. It was organized into three stages and employed a survey, semi-structured interviews, focus groups and use of the Google-Classroom platform. The hermeneutical analysis of autobiographies and the use of technological resources enhanced the personal analysis of the experiences of the participants. These experiences generated learning that may often be invisible in formal education but can empower critical thinking, collaboration and autonomy of students to become aware of their learning and the scope of their social contribution

The ecology of resilience learning in ubiquitous environments to adverse situations

Primary education in Mexico is facing a growing set of challenges that the government has tried to counteract through the use of communication technologies (ICT) in formal education. While these efforts provide support for students and educators, there remains a need for a renewed and contextualized awareness that will re-conceptualize the adverse experiences of students and the importance of resilience in the context of the learning environment. The objective of this document is to give an account of the learning acquired by nine telesecondary students in a rural area of Hidalgo and the student’s benefits of building awareness about the ecology of learning. The paper highlights the process of re-envisioning their experiences that emerged from the various points of views shared in discussion. The study was triangulated by quantitative and qualitative phenomenological and hermeneutical analyses. It was organized into three stages and employed a survey, semi-structured interviews, focus groups and use of the Google-Classroom platform. The hermeneutical analysis of autobiographies and the use of technological resources enhanced the personal analysis of the experiences of the participants. These experiences generated learning that may often be invisible in formal education but can empower critical thinking, collaboration and autonomy of students to become aware of their learning and the scope of their social contribution

Self-organization, scaling and collapse in a coupled automaton model of foragers and vegetation resources with seed dispersal

We introduce a model of traveling agents ({\it e.g.} frugivorous animals) who feed on randomly located vegetation patches and disperse their seeds, thus modifying the spatial distribution of resources in the long term. It is assumed that the survival probability of a seed increases with the distance to the parent patch and decreases with the size of the colonized patch. In turn, the foraging agents use a deterministic strategy with memory, that makes them visit the largest possible patches accessible within minimal travelling distances. The combination of these interactions produce complex spatio-temporal patterns. If the patches have a small initial size, the vegetation total mass (biomass) increases with time and reaches a maximum corresponding to a self-organized critical state with power-law distributed patch sizes and L\'evy-like movement patterns for the foragers. However, this state collapses as the biomass sharply decreases to reach a noisy stationary regime characterized by corrections to scaling. In systems with low plant competition, the efficiency of the foraging rules leads to the formation of heterogeneous vegetation patterns with $1/f^{\alpha}$ frequency spectra, and contributes, rather counter-intuitively, to lower the biomass levels.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Projecting non-native Douglas fir plantations in Southern Europe with the Forest Vegetation Simulator

In Italy, Douglas-fir has great potential in terms of wood production and drought tolerance. However, a growth reference for mature stands is lacking. We calibrated and validated the Pacific Northwest variant of the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) for Douglas-fir plantations in Italy and then ran the calibrated model to test management alternatives. We calibrated the height-diameter, crown width, crown ratio, and diameter increment submodels of the FVS using multipliers fitted against tree measurements (n 704) and increment cores (n 180) from 20 plots. Validation was carried out on tree-level variables sampled in 1996 and 2015 in two independent permanent plots (275 trees). Multiplier calibration improved the error of crown submodels by 7–19%; self-calibration of the diameter growth submodel produced scale factors of 1.0 –5.2 for each site. Validation of 20-year simulations was more satisfactory for tree diameter ( 6% to 1% mean percent error) than for height ( 10% to 8%). Calibration reduced the error, relative to that of yield tables, of the predicted basal area and yield after 50 years. Simulated responses to thinning diverged, depending on site index and competition intensity. The FVS is a viable option for modeling the yield of Douglas-fir plantations in Italy, reflecting the current understanding of forest ecosystem dynamics and how they respond to management interventions

Effectiveness of the Promotora (Community Health Worker) Model of Intervention for Improving Pesticide Safety in US/Mexico Border Homes

A variety of environmental health issues occur within homes along the US/Mexico border region. Individuals living in this region are often not aware that specific issues, including pesticide safety, occur in their homes and may not understand the potential adverse effects of pesticide use on their families’ health. The Environmental Health/Home Safety Education Project created by the Southern Area Health Education Center at New Mexico State University, utilizes promotoras (community health workers) to educate clients on pesticide safety issues. Data from 367 pre/post tests and home assessments were collected from 2002-2005. The data were analyzed to detect changes in clients’ knowledge or behavior as they related to protecting themselves and their families against unsafe pesticide use and storage. Statistically significant changes occurred with both knowledge and behavior in regards to safe pesticide use. Through this culturally appropriate intervention, the promotoras provide practical information allowing clients to make their homes safer

Polyethylene Glycol Epirubicin-Loaded Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization Procedures Utilizing a Combined Approach with 100 and 200 μm Microspheres: A Promising Alternative to Current Standards

PURPOSE:To report clinical effectiveness, toxicity profile, and prognostic factors of combined 100 μm ± 25 and 200 μm ± 50 epirubicin-loaded polyethylene glycol (PEG) microsphere drug-eluting embolic transcatheter arterial chemoembolization protocol in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective, single-center, single-arm study with 18 months of follow-up, 36 consecutive patients (mean age 69.9 y ± 10.8; 26 men, 10 women; 54 naïve lesions) were treated. Embolization was initiated with 100 μm ± 25 microspheres, and if stasis (10 heart beats) was not achieved, 200 μm ± 50 microspheres were administered. Each syringe (2 mL) of PEG microsphere was loaded with 50 mg of epirubicin. Results were evaluated using Modified Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors with multidetector computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging at 1, 3-6, 9-12, and 15-18 months. Toxicity profile was assessed by laboratory testing before and after the procedure. Complications were recorded. Postembolization syndrome (PES) was defined as onset of fever/nausea/pain after the procedure. Patient/lesion characteristics and treatment results were correlated with predicted outcome using regression analysis. Child-Pugh score was A in 86.1% of patients (31/36) and B in 13.9% (5/36). RESULTS: In 10 of 21 lesions, < 2 cm in diameter (47.5%) stasis was achieved with 100 μm ± 25 microspheres only, whereas all other lesions required adjunctive treatment with 200 μm ± 50 microspheres. Reported adverse events were grade 1 acute liver bile duct injury (3/39 cases, 7.7%) and PES (grade 2; 3/39 cases, 7.7%). Complete response (CR) at 1, 3-6, 9-12, and 15-18 months was 61.1%, 65.5%, 63.63%, and 62.5%. Objective response (CR + partial response) at 1, 3-6, 9-12, and 15-18 months was 83.3%, 65.85%, 63.63%, and 62.5%. No single factor (laboratory testing, etiology, patient status, hepatic status, tumor characteristics, administration protocol) predicted outcomes except for albumin level at baseline for CR (P < .05, odds ratio = 1.09). CONCLUSIONS: The combined microsphere sizing strategy was technically feasible and yielded promising results in terms of effectiveness and toxicity