Report WS1. Il binomio “Città porto”: conflitti e sinergie multilivello fra trasformazioni urbane e competitività globale

The paper collects the best practices and considerations from two sessions of the workshop “Città porto: la dimensione multipla della pianificazione spaziale”. The leitmotiv of the first session’s reporters has been: the harbour, as urban gateway, origins conflicts, synergies and moments of cooperation with the urban structure. They’ve referred about North and South European harbours of medium level that, for advanced technical and logistic features and strategies of intervention, represent a substantial landmark for similar realities. Genoa, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Bilbao rehabilitation plans, despite their own peculiarities, have in fact dragged aspects of the industrial sector, urban design, identity, quality and sustainability in the planning process. The waterfront upgrading represents either the catalyst for transformation or socioeconomic development of disused and strategic contexts (for city’s competitiveness): the integration between the harbour structures and the city means upgrading and a new skyline, i.e. new “downtown scape” (Hamburg Harbour), or “flagship elements” (Bilbao). The second session has looked at the volume of traffic trades, the competitivity, the strategies and the imbalance between global and local that the harbour gives. According to R. Bruttomesso, the harbour, as a gateway, is evolving and complicating things. E.Musso focuses on the rise in volume of traffic trades and in competitivity: it’s necessary to improve logistics and relocate globally activities, keeping up both environmental and socioeconomic sustainability of the harbour. He proposes three strategies: spaces’ razionalization, governance and occupation. P.Grass states that Eastern countries’ horbours are more attractive, for their city-harbour system, upgrading approaches and competitivity. So, the redevelopment plans of Marsiglia, La Spezia and Santander harbours have a common goal: making the horbour a polyfunctional area, in contact with the remaining parts of the city

Evolution in river vegetation of Friuli-Venezia Giulia after gravel extractions

openIl presente lavoro ha come scopo quello di valutare l’evoluzione della copertura vegetale insediata in aree sottoposte a interventi di sghiaiamento effettuati negli ultimi 50 anni nell’area dei Magredi dei fiumi Cellina e Meduna (Friuli-Venezia Giulia), area di grande importanza naturalistica dichiarata Zona Speciale di Conservazione ai sensi della Direttiva Habitat. L’analisi è stata divisa in due parti. Nella prima è stata valutata la variazione temporale della copertura tramite l’analisi di ortofoto e foto aeree. Nella seconda le variazioni di copertura sono state studiate tramite rilievi fitosociologici svolti in campo. Gli anni di valutazione della copertura vegetale presi in considerazione per il fiume Cellina sono: 1977, 1984, 1993, 2000 e 2018, mentre per il fiume Meduna sono: 1976, 1984, 1993, 2000, 2006, 2012 e 2018. Per lo svolgimento della prima parte sono state utilizzate ortofoto e le foto aeree in toni di grigio provenienti da varie fonti (sito online dell’Istituto Geografico Militare, Regione e Protezione Civile del Friuli-Venezia Giulia). Tramite il software QGis sono state individuate le aree in cui sono avvenuti gli interventi di sghiaiamento nelle varie epoche prese in considerazione. Sulla base dell’intensità di grigio (toni più chiari e più scuri indicano rispettivamente copertura minori e coperture maggiori) nelle foto dei vari anni successivi a quello dello sghiaiamento è stata stimata la percentuale di suolo coperto da vegetazione. In questa prima parte sono state analizzate per il fiume Cellina 27 aree e per il fiume Meduna 111 aree. In campo si è proceduto con il rilevamento floristico in 42 aree di saggio nel fiume Meduna, in cui sono stati identificati i tipi di vegetazione presenti e le varie caratteristiche ambientali, tra cui il tipo di substrato. Di questa ultima variabile sono state individuate tre categorie: aree mai sghiaiate, sghiaiate vagliate e sghiaiate non vagliate. Nell’analisi di questi dati sono stati aggiunti ulteriori rilievi fitosociologici esistenti, per un totale di 94 dati analizzati. Dallo studio compiuto è risultato che nei Magredi la copertura vegetale dipende da più variabili ambientali, e in particolare dal tipo di substrato, dal tempo trascorso dopo l’ultimo sghiaiamento e dalla numerosità delle specie delle famiglie diverse dalle graminacee e leguminose. Per la prima variabile è stato osservato come i substrati vagliati non spianati rappresentano dei suoli poco idonei all’insediamento delle specie vegetali, rispetto ai substrati vagliati spianati e ai non vagliati. Quaranta e più anni dopo lo sghiaiamento le coperture vegetali che si raggiungono sono rispettivamente pari a circa 30, 60 e 78%. Da tale risultato deriva che il semplice spianamento dei vagliati rappresenta un intervento gestionale poco costoso per migliorare la rapidità di ricostituzione delle fitocenosi di magredo dopo gli sghiaiamenti. Si è osservato anche che l’andamento della copertura vegetale tende ad aumentare rapidamente nei primi 20-25 anni dopo lo sghiaiamento, per poi raggiungere un valore oltre il quale la variazione è molto limitata. Questo andamento della copertura si osserva anche per la numerosità delle specie che aumenta in modo veloce nella fase iniziale, per poi assestarsi. Attraverso questo studio è stato possibile valutare per i Magredi dei fiumi Cellina e Meduna l’evoluzione della copertura vegetale post-sghiaiamento in relazione a vari parametri ambientali, ottenendo risultati non solo di interesse scientifico ma anche importanti per una riduzione degli impatti degli interventi antropici da decenni esercitati in questi ambienti.The aim of this work is to evaluate the evolution of the vegetation cover in areas subject to gravel extractions carried out in the last 50 years in the Magredi area of the Cellina and Meduna river (Friuli-Venezia Giulia), an area of great naturalistic importance declared as Special Area of Conservation according to the Habitats Directive. The analysis was divided into two parts. In the first part, the temporal variation of the coverage was evaluated through the analysis of orthophotos and aerial photos. In the second, the variations in coverage were studied through phytosociological surveys carried out in the field. The years of vegetation cover assessment taken into account for the Cellina River are: 1977, 1984, 1993, 2000 and 2018, while for the Meduna River they are: 1976, 1984, 1993, 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2018. For the first part, orthophotos and aerial photos in gray tones from various sources were used (online site of the Military Geographical Institute, Region and Civil Protection of Friuli-Venezia Giulia). Through the QGis software, the areas in which the gravel extractions took place in the times taken into consideration were identified. On the basis of the intensity of gray (lighter and darker tones indicate respectively lower and higher vegetation coverage) in the photos of the various years following that of the gravel extraction, the percentage of soil covered by vegetation was estimated. 27 areas were analyzed for the Cellina River and 111 areas for the Meduna river. In the field, botanical surveys were carried out in 42 sampling areas in the Meduna River, in which the types of vegetation present and the various environmental characteristics, including the type of substrate, were identified. Three categories of this last variable were identified: unexcavated areas, unlevelled screened gravel, and levelled screened gravel. In the analysis of these data, additional existing phytosociological surveys were added, for a total of 94 surveys analyzed. The study carried out showed that in the Magredi vegetation cover depends on several environmental variables, and in particular on the type of substrate, on the time elapsed after the last gravel extraction and on the number of species of the families other than grasses and legumes. For the first variable it was found that the unlevelled screened gravel are substrates very unsuitable for the establishment of plant species, compared to the levelled screened gravels and the unexcavated areas. Forty and more years after gravel extraction, the plant covers are respectively equal to about 30, 60 and 78%. From this result, it follows that the simple leveling of the screened gravel represents an inexpensive intervention to increase the recolonization speed in the Magredo areas after gravel extraction. It was also found that the trend of vegetation cover tends to increase rapidly in the first 20-25 years after gravel extraction, and then it reaches a value beyond which further change occurs very slowly. This trend was also observed for the number of species that increases quickly in the initial phase, and then remains steady. Through this study it was possible to evaluate for the Magredi of the Cellina and Meduna river the evolution of the post-gravel extraction vegetation cover in relation to various environmental parameters, obtaining results not only of scientific interest but also important for a reduction of the impacts of the anthropogenic interventions which were carried out for decades in these environments

Online and offline representations of biocultural diversity: A political ecology perspective on nature-based tourism and indigenous communities in the Brazilian Pantanal

The concept of biocultural diversity is confronted with contemporary changes that impact on local communities, such as globalization and digital transformations. Engaging the conceptual flexibility of ‘biocultural diversity’, we studied nature-based tourism at the intersection of indigenous communities and the digital realm. We employed a political ecology perspective to examine online and offline representations of biocultural diversity in the Brazilian Pantanal, one of the biggest wetlands in the world, and home to groups of peoples known as the Pantaneiros. Data from interviews with 48 stakeholders in the tourist sector were structured along three ‘myths’—the Uncivilised, Unrestrained, and Unchanged—for which we have also constructed counter narratives. Each myth denoted the primacy of biodiversity, and ignored broader dimensions of the Pantanal as a bioculturally diverse landscape. The relationships of the Pantaneiros with their environment were found to be intricate and had clear repercussions for tourism, but ironically, reference to the Pantaneiro culture in nature-based tourism was superficial. Moreover, thriving on the myths, this form of tourism perpetuates skewed power structures and social inequalities. Lower-class Pantaneiros likely suffer most from this. We recommend stakeholder engagement with a biocultural design that facilitates the integration of other-than-biodiversity values, and that thereby promotes sustainability of the entire social-ecological system

Two bullets in the gun: combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy to defeat neuroblastoma by targeting adrenergic-mesenchymal plasticity

neuroblastoma (NB) is a childhood tumor that originates in the peripheral sympathetic nervous system and is responsible for 15% of cancer-related deaths in the pediatric population. Despite intensive multimodal treatment, many patients with high-risk NB relapse and develop a therapy-resistant tumor. one of the phenomena related to therapeutic resistance is intratumor heterogeneity resulting from the adaptation of tumor cells in response to different selective environmental pressures. The transcriptional and epigenetic profiling of NB tissue has recently revealed the existence of two distinct cellular identities in the NB, termed adrenergic (ADRN) and mesenchymal (MES), which can spontaneously interconvert through epigenetic regulation. this phenomenon, known as tumor plasticity, has a major impact on cancer pathogenesis. The aim of this review is to describe the peculiarities of these two cell states, and how their plasticity affects the response to current therapeutic treatments, with special focus on the immunogenic potential of MES cells. furthermore, we will discuss the opportunity to combine immunotherapy with chemotherapy to counteract NB phenotypic interconversion

Salvage rates and prognostic factors after relapse in children and adolescents with initially localised synovial sarcoma

Background: Previous studies have reported a poor outcome for synovial sarcoma patients whose tumours relapse. Methods: This study analysed 44 relapsing cases in a series of 118 consecutive patients<21 yr of age with non-metastatic synovial sarcoma prospectively enrolled in Italian paediatric protocols between 1979 and 2006. In an effort to identify a possible risk-adapted stratification enabling a better planning of second-line treatment, the relapsing patients' outcome was analysed vis-à-vis their clinical picture at onset, first-line treatments, clinical findings at the time of first relapse and second-line treatment modalities. Results: The first event was a local recurrence in only 15 cases, and metastatic in 29 (associated with local relapse too in 7 cases). The time to relapse ranged from 4 to 108 months (median 20 months). Overall survival was 29.7% and 21.0% five and ten years after relapsing, respectively. The variables influencing survival were the timing and type of relapse (combined) and the chances of a secondary remission, which correlated strongly with the feasibility of complete surgery. Conclusions: Our study confirmed a largely unsatisfactory prognosis after recurrences in children and adolescents with synovial sarcoma: the chances of survival can be estimated on the basis of several variables for the purposes of planning risk-adapted salvage protocols. An aggressive surgical approach should be recommended. New effective systemic agents are warranted, and experimental therapies can be offered to patients with little chance of salvage. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

A presença de estudantes indígenas na Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina: um panorama a partir do Programa de Ações Afirmativas – PAA/UFSC.

O artigo aborda uma avaliação do Programa de Ações Afirmativas (PAA) da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), no que tange à situação de ingresso e permanência de estudantes pertencentes a povos indígenas. Para tanto, utiliza-se de levantamento bibliográfico acerca da legislação sobre ações afirmativas; de informações institucionais coletadas junto à Comissão Permanente do Vestibular (COPERVE) e ao Departamento de Administração Escolar (DAE); e de relatos feitos pelos estudantes indígenas em consultas realizadas em 2010, 2011 e 2012 por bolsistas Capes/ REUNI do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Antropologia Social da UFSC. Esse conjunto de informações permitiu traçar um panorama acerca da relação dos indígenas com a Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina e viabilizou a elaboração de sugestões, levadas à Comissão de Acompanhamento e Avaliação do Programa de Ações Afirmativas, como parte do processo de avaliação institucional do PAA. Tais elementos, também expressos neste artigo, visam ainda contribuir com as discussões presentes no cenário atual das instituições de ensino superior brasileiras e suas adequações à recente Lei 12.711 de 29 de agosto de 2012, também conhecida como “Lei de Cotas”. http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/223667251122

Geological tourist mapping of the Mount Serrone fault Geosite (Gioia dei Marsi, Central Apennines, Italy)

© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of Journal of MapsThe Geological tourist map of the Mount Serrone fault Geosite (Gioia dei Marsi, Italy) has been realized for describing, in an educational perspective, the surface expression of one of the main active faults of the Central Apennines, connected with the 1915 Fucino earthquake (magnitude 7, historically, one of the strongest in Italy). The Central Apennines are a mountain range whose landscape is deeply connected to active tectonics and seismicity, as documented by recent earthquakes. In this framework, the map is a useful tool for the dissemination of the geological knowledge of the Fucino area and faults in general and for the promotion of a geological landscape through a modern, sustainable and environmentally aware tourism. The map is double-sided with simple texts and cartoons on the front outlining general info about the geosite, faults and earthquakes, how to behave in seismic areas and historical notes. The back shows the Main Map with its visual legend featuring the main geological and tectonic elements of the Mount Serrone fault Geosite and the long term history of the landscape. Through simple keywords and concepts, tectonics, faults and earthquakes are shown to be natural features that have contributed to shape the landscape of the Apennines over geological time, as well as something to be afraid and worried of, as they are connected to natural hazard and disasters. This approach is aimed at increasing people’s awareness of geological processes and hazards (i.e. seismic), which with adequate knowledge and proper land management, can be lived with.Published298–3092TM. Divulgazione ScientificaJCR Journa

Local control in metastatic neuroblastoma in children over 1 year of age

Background: Local control is always considered in metastatic neuroblastoma (NBL). The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of radical surgery on survival in children over 1 year of age. Methods: Fifty-eight patients older than 1 year of age with metastatic NBL were treated with conventional plus high-dose chemotherapy with or without addition of local radiotherapy (RT, 21Gy). Surgery was classified as radical surgery (complete resection and gross total resection) or non-radical surgery. The Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazard model were used to calculate the probability of progression free and overall survival (PFS and OS) and for multivariate analysis. Results: The 5-year PFS and OS for patients with radical surgery were 26% (95% CI 14-40%) and 38% (95% CI 23-53%) respectively, while the PFS and OS for patients without radical surgery were 33% (95% CI 10-59%) and 31% (95% CI 10-55%) (respectively, P 0.85 and P 0.42). The 5-year PFS and OS for patients who received RT were 36% (95% CI 19-53%) and 46% (95% CI 26-64%) respectively, while the 5-year PFS and OS for patients who did not receive RT were 22% (95% CI 9-38%) and 27% (95% CI 13-42%) respectively (P 0.02 for PFS). Multivariate analysis confirmed the role of well-known prognostic factors, such as the presence of MYCN amplification, age and response before high-dose chemotherapy. Conclusions: Our data suggest that the degree of resection does not influence survival in metastatic NBL patients treated with high-dose chemotherapy; local RT contributes to local disease control

Ewing Sarcoma of the Bone in Children under 6 Years of Age

BACKGROUND: Ewing Sarcoma Family Tumours (ESFT) are rare in early childhood. The aim of this study was to report the clinical characteristics and outcome of children under 6 years of age affected by ESFT of the bone in Italy. METHODS: The records of all the children diagnosed with osseous ESFT in centres members of the Associazione Italiana di Ematologia ed Oncologia Pediatrica (AIEOP) from 1990 to 2008 were reviewed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for estimating overall and progression-free survival (OS, PFS) curves; multivariate analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: This study includes 62 patients. An axial primary localization was present in 66% of patients, with the primary site in the chest wall in 34%. Fourteen (23%) patients presented metastatic disease. The 5-year OS and PFS were 73% (95% confidence interval, CI, 58-83%) and 72% (95% CI 57-83%) for patients with localized disease and 38% (95% CI 17-60%) and 21% (95% CI 5-45%) for patients with metastatic disease. Metastatic spread, skull/pelvis/spine primary localization, progression during treatment and no surgery predicted worse survival (P<0.01), while patients treated in the last decade had better survival (P = 0.002). In fact, the 5-year OS and PFS for patients diagnosed in the period 2000-2008 were 89% (95% CI 71-96%) and 86% (95% CI 66-94%), respectively. CONCLUSION: The axial localization is the most common site of ESFT in pre-scholar children. Patients treated in the most recent period have an excellent outcome