Humans and viticulture in Sardinia: the history and social relations as signs of identity of the wine-growing area.

The premise of this paper is that viticulture is an expression of history and social relations. In this sense, we embrace a post-modern vision of development that characterized both economic and cultural geography and agricultural economics. Such an approach does consider culture as an element of mediation between humans and the nature, placing it at the heart of the wine-growing territory. So history and social relations have influenced the today spatial densification by types of grape and the persistence, the reduction and/or disappearance of vines\u2019 cultivations due to the different level of integration between humans and wine territories in the Italian region of Sardinia. In this region, there are selected areas where winegrowers have been forced to grub vineyards up, depleting the regional viticultural heritage, others\u2013\u2013within which the fabric of the system of social relationships were denser\u2013\u2013and where we saw a real rush to purchase of replanting rights for the expansion of the production surface for the increasing of production. The aim of this paper is to highlight the role of history and social relations in the determination of the structure of the regional viticulture through the identification and analysis of diverse case studies

Un indice per misurare la accessibilità di prossimità

IAPI (Inclusive Accessibiity by Proximity Index) misura, in ambiente GIS, l'accessibilità a servizi essenziali a partire dalle condizioni che favoriscono/sfavoriscono la pedonalità, la ciclabilità e le interazioni sociali a scala di quartiere. La sua sperimentazione in Bologna ha permesso sia di mappare la qualità dei percorsi ciclo-pedonali, sia di valutare l’accessibilità via mobilità attiva a servizi di quartiere, sia di valutare l’effetto di interventi puntuali di pedonalizzazione sulla qualità dei percorsi e degli spazi pubblici. Grazie alla facilità di calcolo, alla trasferibilità dell’approccio connessa all’uso di dati open source e alle opportunità di aggiornamento degli indicatori e dei coefficienti utilizzati, IAPI può contribuire alla costruzione di politiche multi-settore, a diverse scale

Un indice per misurare la accessibilità di prossimità

IAPI (Inclusive Accessibiity by Proximity Index) misura, in ambiente GIS, l'accessibilità a servizi essenziali a partire dalle condizioni che favoriscono/sfavoriscono la pedonalità, la ciclabilità e le interazioni sociali a scala di quartiere. La sua sperimentazione in Bologna ha permesso sia di mappare la qualità dei percorsi ciclo-pedonali, sia di valutare l’accessibilità via mobilità attiva a servizi di quartiere, sia di valutare l’effetto di interventi puntuali di pedonalizzazione sulla qualità dei percorsi e degli spazi pubblici. Grazie alla facilità di calcolo, alla trasferibilità dell’approccio connessa all’uso di dati open source e alle opportunità di aggiornamento degli indicatori e dei coefficienti utilizzati, IAPI può contribuire alla costruzione di politiche multi-settore, a diverse scale

LCA study of oleaginous bioenergy chains in a Mediterranean environment

This paper reports outcomes of life cycle assessments (LCAs) of three different oleaginous bioenergy chains (oilseed rape, Ethiopian mustard and cardoon) under Southern Europe conditions. Accurate data on field practices previously collected during a three-year study at two sites were used. The vegetable oil produced by oleaginous seeds was used for power generation in medium-speed diesel engines while the crop residues were used in steam power plants. For each bioenergy chain, the environmental impact related to cultivation, transportation of agricultural products and industrial conversion for power generation was evaluated by calculating cumulative energy demand, acidification potential and global warming potential. For all three bioenergy chains, the results of the LCA study show a considerable saving of primary energy (from 70 to 86 GJ·ha−1) and greenhouse gas emissions (from 4.1 to 5.2 t CO2·ha−1) in comparison to power generation from fossil fuels, although the acidification potential of these bioenergy chains may be twice that of conventional power generation. In addition, the study highlights that land use changes due to the cultivation of the abovementioned crops reduce soil organic content and therefore worsen and increase greenhouse gas emissions for all three bioenergy chains. The study also demonstrates that the exploitation of crop residues for energy production greatly contributes to managing environmental impact of the three bioenergy chains

Design of Dual-Emitting Nonaromatic Fluorescent Polymers through Thermal Processing of l-Glutamic Acid and l-Lysine

Fluorescence emission of proteins containing aromatic groups and conjugated bonds is generally associated with light absorption in the ultraviolet range, around 185-320 nm. Photoluminescence in nonaromatic biopolymers, however, has also been observed in amyloid-like structures and polymers derived from l-lysine and glycine. Here, we show, for the first time, that branched polymers obtained through thermal copolymerization of two nonaromatic amino acids, l-lysine and l-glutamic acid, exhibit two-color centers with relative absorptions in the visible range. Thermal homopolymerization of l-lysine or l-glutamic acid gives rise to the formation of branched polyglutamic acid and polylysine with a single fluorescence emission peaking at around 450 nm. The coreaction of the two amino acids produces instead a branched peptide-like polymer with a new emission centered at around 380 nm. The structures of the copolymers were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, in situ temperature-resolved FTIR, NMR, and TEM spectroscopy techniques. The optical properties were investigated by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The double emission can be correlated with two different intramolecular charge transfer processes between the polymer backbone and the oppositely charged moieties of the two precursor side chains, Lys and Glu, which are at the origin of near-UV fluorescence

Metabolomics Fingerprint Induced by the Intranigral Inoculation of Exogenous Human Alpha-Synuclein Oligomers in a Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is considered a synucleinopathy because of the intraneuronal accumulation of aggregated α-synuclein (αSyn). Recent evidence points to soluble αSyn-oligomers (αSynO) as the main cytotoxic species responsible for cell death. Given the pivotal role of αSyn in PD, αSyn-based models are crucial for the investigation of toxic mechanisms and the identification of new therapeutic targets in PD. By using a metabolomics approach, we evaluated the metabolic profile of brain and serum samples of rats infused unilaterally with preformed human αSynOs (HαSynOs), or vehicle, into the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Three months postinfusion, the striatum was dissected for striatal dopamine (DA) measurements via High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis and mesencephalon and serum samples were collected for the evaluation of metabolite content via gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis. Multivariate, univariate and correlation statistics were applied. A 40% decrease of DA content was measured in the HαSynO-infused striatum as compared to the contralateral and the vehicle-infused striata. Decreased levels of dehydroascorbic acid, myo-inositol, and glycine, and increased levels of threonine, were found in the mesencephalon, while increased contents of fructose and mannose, and a decrease in glycine and urea, were found in the serum of HαSynO-infused rats. The significant correlation between DA and metabolite content indicated that metabolic variations reflected the nigrostriatal degeneration. Collectively, the metabolomic fingerprint of HαSynO-infused rats points to an increase of oxidative stress markers, in line with PD neuropathology, and provides hints for potential biomarkers of PD

Colorectal Cancer with Peritoneal Metastases: The Impact of the Results of PROPHYLOCHIP, COLOPEC, and PRODIGE 7 Trials on Peritoneal Disease Management

HIPEC is a potentially useful locoregional treatment combined with cytoreduction in patients with peritoneal colorectal metastases. Despite being widely used in several cancer centers around the world, its role had never been investigated before the results of three important RCTs appeared on this topic. The PRODIGE 7 trial clarified the role of oxaliplatin-based HIPEC in patients treated with radical surgery. Conversely, the PROPHYLOCHIP and the COLOPEC were designed to chair the role of HIPEC in patients at high risk of developing peritoneal metastases. Although all three trials demonstrated the relative ineffectiveness of HIPEC for treating or preventing peritoneal metastases, these results are not sufficient to abandon this technique. In addition to some criticisms relating to the design of the trials and their statistical value, the oxaliplatin-based HIPEC was found to be ineffective in preventing or treating peritoneal colorectal metastases, especially in patients already treated with systemic platinum-based chemotherapy. Several studies are ongoing investigating further HIPEC drugs and regimens. The review deeply discussed all the aspects and relapses of this new evidence

Plant invasion in Mediterranean Europe: current hotspots and future scenarios

The Mediterranean Basin has historically been subject to alien plant invasions that threaten its unique biodiversity. This seasonally dry and densely populated region is undergoing severe climatic and socioeconomic changes, and it is unclear whether these changes will worsen or mitigate plant invasions. Predictions are often biased, as species may not be in equilibrium in the invaded environment, depending on their invasion stage and ecological characteristics. To address future predictions uncertainty, we identified invasion hotspots across multiple biased modelling scenarios and ecological characteristics of successful invaders. We selected 92 alien plant species widespread in Mediterranean Europe and compiled data on their distribution in the Mediterranean and worldwide. We combined these data with environmental and propagule pressure variables to model global and regional species niches, and map their current and future habitat suitability. We identified invasion hotspots, examined their potential future shifts, and compared the results of different modelling strategies. Finally, we generalised our findings by using linear models to determine the traits and biogeographic features of invaders most likely to benefit from global change. Currently, invasion hotspots are found near ports and coastlines throughout Mediterranean Europe. However, many species occupy only a small portion of the environmental conditions to which they are preadapted, suggesting that their invasion is still an ongoing process. Future conditions will lead to declines in many currently widespread aliens, which will tend to move to higher elevations and latitudes. Our trait models indicate that future climates will generally favour species with conservative ecological strategies that can cope with reduced water availability, such as those with short stature and low specific leaf area. Taken together, our results suggest that in future environments, these conservative aliens will move farther from the introduction areas and upslope, threatening mountain ecosystems that have been spared from invasions so far