427 research outputs found
Acción urbana: ¿acción profesional?
El debate “¿Acción urbana: acción profesional?” se celebró el 30 de abril de 2014 en el marco del programa radiofónico “¿Qué está paz-ando? Una mirada reflexiva con los actores que construyen ciudadanía”, del Instituto de Paz de la Universidad Distrital de Bogotá, (Colombia). En él se trató el tema de las acciones urbanas desde distintas visiones, con invitados tanto académicos como profesionales provenientes del I Foro Internacional de Acciones Urbanas, organizado por la Universidad de Los Andes. Se tuvo especial atención a la participación desde Twitter a través del hashtag #D_accion, transmitiendo temas y preguntas a los distintos invitado
Effects of Wood Distillate on Seedling Emergence and First-Stage Growth in Five Threatened Arable Plants
Wood distillate (WD) is an environmentally safe bio-based product stimulating plant
growth and yield and allowed in Italy in organic farming. To the best of our knowledge, there
are no studies on the effects of WD on spontaneous plants growing among crops, including their
functional traits such as biomass. To test such effects, we carried out a lab experiment on artificially
reconstructed arable plant communities composed of five species of conservation interest, which are
specialist winter cereal crops: Bromus secalinus L., Centaurea cyanus L., Lathyrus aphaca L., Legousia
speculum-veneris (L.) Chaix, and Scandix pecten-veneris L. After sowing 45 pots under controlled
conditions, we applied WD at three concentrations (0%, 0.2%, and 0.5%) six times over 7 weeks. The
number of emerged plants in each pot was counted every two weeks. Finally, we harvested all plants
and measured the fresh and dry above-ground weight of each species in each pot. The resulting
data were analyzed by Permutational Analysis of Variance. The application of 0.2% and 0.5% WD
modified the community composition after two weeks, but such differences later disappeared. Both
0.2% and 0.5% WD had a positive effect on the dry weight of S. pecten-veneris and a negative effect on
that of L. speculum-veneris. Moreover, 0.2% and 0.5% WD increased seedling emergence in L. aphaca,
and 0.5% WD increased seedling emergence in S. pecten-veneris. Both 0.2% and 0.5% WD enhanced
seedling emergence in the entire community. We suggest that the use of WD at low concentrations
in winter cereals may be a sustainable agricultural practice that benefits crops without harming the
associated plant diversity
Drivers of diversity of arable plant communities in one of their european conservation hotspots
The changes of agriculture led to deep transformations of arable plant diversity. The features of arable plant communities are determined by many anthropic, environmental, and geographic drivers. Understanding the relative importance of such drivers is essential for conservation and restoration purposes. In this work, we assessed the effects of agronomic, climatic, geographic, and landscape features on α-diversity, β-diversity, and composition of winter arable plant communities across continental Italy, a European hotspot of arable plant diversity. Using redundancy analysis and variation partitioning, we observe that the selected groups of variables explained a restrained to moderate proportion of the variation in diversity and composition, depending on the response (5.5–23.5%). We confirm previous evidence that climate and geographic location stand out in determining the features of arable plant communities in the country, followed by the type of rural area. The surrounding landscape has a subordinate influence but affects both α and β-diversity. The α-diversity is higher in traditional agricultural areas and in landscapes rich in woody vegetation, while it is lower in warmer areas. Species composition is determined by climate, latitude, and the type of rural area, but not by landscape. Total β-diversity is mainly explained by climate and latitude, and subordinately by the agricultural context and landscape. Its components are explained by latitude and climate (replacement) and agricultural context and climate (richness difference). The local contribution to β-diversity of single sites suggested a good conservation status of the studied communities. We discuss the implications of our findings in the light of conservation and restoration of vanishing arable plant communities
Robotic monitoring of forests: a dataset from the EU habitat 9210* in the Tuscan Apennines (central Italy)
Effective monitoring of habitats is crucial for their preservation. As the impact of anthropic activities on natural habitats increases, accurate and up-to-date information on the state of ecosystems has become imperative. This paper presents a new dataset collected from the forests located in the Tuscan Apennines (Italy) using the ANYmal robot. The dataset provides information regarding the structure and composition of the EU priority habitat 9210*. The dataset, which is publicly available through a Zenodo repository, includes photos, videos, and point clouds of the environment. This dataset is a valuable resource for the scientific community working in the field of forest ecology and conservation and has the potential to inform future research and conservation efforts on habitat 9210*. the collaboration between robotic engineers and plant scientists provides a unique perspective on the forest ecosystem and underscores the potential for interdisciplinary work in this field. This dataset constitutes an important contribution to the ongoing effort to monitor and conserve habitats globally, particularly in light of the challenges posed by global changes
EFEITOS DA ENZIMA Β-MANANASE SOBRE A MORFOMETRIA INTESTINAL E O DESEMPENHO DE PERUS NA FASE INICIAL
Em muitos ingredientes utilizados na alimentação de perus, estão presentes compostos conhecidos como β-mananos, polissacarídeos não amiláceos que comprometem o aproveitamento dos nutrientes da dieta. O objetivo do presente experimento foi o de avaliar os efeitos da enzima β-mananase em dietas para peruas sobre a altura de vilos e a profundidade das criptas, aos 7 dias, e o desempenho zootécnico, aos 7, 14 e 21 dias de idade. Foram utilizadas 432 aves, distribuídas em delineamento experimental inteiramente ao acaso composto por 3 tratamentos: T1 – dieta basal; T2: dieta basal com redução de 150 kcal/kg e; T3: dieta basal com redução de 150 kcal/kg + adição da enzima β-mananase. Os dados obtidos foram submetidos à análise de variância e, no caso de diferenças significativas, comparadas estatisticamente pelo teste de Duncan (5%). A adição da enzima β-mananase permite reduzir os níveis de energia da dieta sem que sejam afetadas a altura de vilos e profundidade de criptas, aos 7 dias de idade, bem como o desempenho zootécnico das aves, aos 21 dias.
Impact of the Extremities Positioning on the Set-Up Reproducibility for the Total Marrow Irradiation Treatment
Total marrow (lymph node) irradiation (TMI/TMLI) delivery requires more time than standard radiotherapy treatments. The patient's extremities, through the joints, can experience large movements. The reproducibility of TMI/TMLI patients' extremities was evaluated to find the best positioning and reduce unwanted movements. Eighty TMI/TMLI patients were selected (2013-2022). During treatment, a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) was performed for each isocenter to reposition the patient. CBCT-CT pairs were evaluated considering: (i) online vector shift (OVS) that matched the two series; (ii) residual vector shift (RVS) to reposition the patient's extremities; (iii) qualitative agreement (range 1-5). Patients were subdivided into (i) arms either leaning on the frame or above the body; (ii) with or without a personal cushion for foot positioning. The Mann-Whitney test was considered (p < 0.05 significant). Six-hundred-twenty-nine CBCTs were analyzed. The median OVS was 4.0 mm, with only 1.6% of cases ranked < 3, and 24% of RVS > 10 mm. Arms leaning on the frame had significantly smaller RVS than above the body (median: 8.0 mm/6.0 mm, p < 0.05). Using a personal cushion for the feet significantly improved the RVS than without cushions (median: 8.5 mm/1.8 mm, p < 0.01). The role and experience of the radiotherapy team are fundamental to optimizing the TMI/TMLI patient setup
Italian Vascular Flora: New Findings, Updates and Exploration of Floristic Similarities between Regions
The tradition of floristic studies in Italy has made it possible to obtain a good knowledge of plant diversity both on a national and regional scale. However, the lack of knowledge for some areas, advances in plant systematics and human activities related to globalization, highlight the need for further studies aimed at improving floristic knowledge. In this paper, based on fieldwork and herbaria and literature surveys, we update the knowledge on the Italian vascular flora and analyze the floristic similarities between the administrative regions. Four taxa, all exotic, were recorded for the first time in Italy and Europe. In detail, Elaeodendron croceum, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, and Sedum spathulifolium var. spathulifolium were found as casual aliens, while Oxalis brasiliensis was reported as historical record based on some herbarium specimens. Furthermore, Kalanchoe laxiflora was confirmed as a casual alien species for Italy and Europe. Status changes for some taxa were proposed at both national and regional levels, as well as many taxa were reported as new or confirmed at the regional level. Currently the Italian vascular flora comprises 9150 taxa of which 7547 are native (of which 1598 are Italian endemics) and 1603 are exotic at the national level. The multivariate analysis of updated floristic data on a regional scale showed a clear distribution along the latitudinal gradient, in accordance with the natural geographical location of the regions in Italy. This pattern of plants distribution was not affected by the introduction of alien species. Despite some taxonomic and methodological issues which are still open, the data obtained confirm the important role of floristic investigations in the field and in herbaria, as well as the collaborative approach among botanists, in order to improve the knowledge of the Italian and European vascular flora
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Two-Season ACTPol Spectra and Parameters
We present the temperature and polarization angular power spectra measured by
the Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter (ACTPol). We analyze night-time
data collected during 2013-14 using two detector arrays at 149 GHz, from 548
deg of sky on the celestial equator. We use these spectra, and the spectra
measured with the MBAC camera on ACT from 2008-10, in combination with Planck
and WMAP data to estimate cosmological parameters from the temperature,
polarization, and temperature-polarization cross-correlations. We find the new
ACTPol data to be consistent with the LCDM model. The ACTPol
temperature-polarization cross-spectrum now provides stronger constraints on
multiple parameters than the ACTPol temperature spectrum, including the baryon
density, the acoustic peak angular scale, and the derived Hubble constant.
Adding the new data to planck temperature data tightens the limits on damping
tail parameters, for example reducing the joint uncertainty on the number of
neutrino species and the primordial helium fraction by 20%.Comment: 23 pages, 25 figure
Bryophyte, lichen, and vascular plant communities of badland grasslands show weak cross-taxon congruence but high local uniqueness in biancana pediments
Cross-taxon congruence, i.e., using certain taxonomic groups as surrogates for others, is receiving growing interest since it may allow decreasing efforts in biodiversity studies. In this work, we investigated the patterns of cross-taxon congruence in species richness and composition between communities of bryophytes, lichens, and vascular plants in different biancana grasslands of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) of central Italy. We recorded species presence and abundance in 16 plots of 1 × 1 m size and analyzed the data using Procrustes correlation, co-correspondence analysis, and indicator species analysis. We did not highlight any correlation in species richness and composition between the three taxonomic groups. Conversely, the species composition of bryophyte communities was predictive of the species composition of lichen communities. Moreover, lichen richness was negatively correlated with the total cover of vascular plants. Indicator species analysis evidenced the presence of species from the three biotic communities being particularly related, at least at the local scale, to biancana pediments, like the bryophytes Didymodon acutus and Trichostomum crispulum, the lichens Enchylium tenax, Cladonia foliacea, and Psora decipiens, and the vascular plants Brachypodium distachyon, Parapholis strigosa, and Artemisia caerulescens subsp. cretacea. In the biancana pediments, acrocarp mosses, squamulose lichens, therophyte plants and chamaephyte plants coexisted. In spite of the weak cross-taxon congruence between the three taxonomic groups, this study could highlight a locally unique diversity of bryophytes, lichens, and vascular plants related to the extreme environment of biancana pediments, selected by high soil salinity and deposition from the upper eroded slope. Soil erosion and deposition in biancana badlands supports the increase of local multi-taxonomic plant diversity by creating unique ecosystems. Such biodiversity should be considered locally at risk of disappearance, due to the ongoing vanishing of biancana badlands in central Italy
New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #60 to #82
New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 8 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 49 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Campania, Calabria, Marche, Piedmont, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany and Umbria. Relevés and figures are provided as Supplementary material respectively 1 and 2
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