Collective housing as a good way to reduce city fragmentation

Today the study of the fragmentation represents an important occasion to meditate on the city and on the evolution of the relational strategies of settlements. If we analyse in a critical way our contemporary cities, we can see several interventions of the last decades, that brought, more or less consciously, to discontinuity and isolation (gated communities to the new ghettos). In this situation the individual becomes part of a small community; but how long does it can go on? Are the public and sharing spaces, in which we can open ourselves to the city and in the same time we can develop a sense of identity and belonging, well designed? Are they at human scale? A tendency, that can be observed in the modern western cities, is the intervention as collective living and cohousing that are producing urban continuities and community relations trying to institute relationships with the outside, always keeping their own differences and identities. Anyway the architectonic results don’t seem already innovative and the general quality of the interventions remains of low level. The innovative examples for collective living can certainly be considered positive for what deals with functions, topics and sense of community: spaces where liveability increases and where a rediscovered relation between Man and Environment is at the centre of the project, have been designed. So the lacking passage to completely solve, thanks to the cohousing projects, the fragmentation of the city, deals with the architectural aspect. Architects must underline the importance of the architectonical results in terms of language and spatiality to increase the integration capability of the intervention. In this case the design of architecture has a fundamental role for the next development of the city and for solving all the fragmented and inclusive situation

A comparison between different urban analysis methods: the case study of Rubattino-Ortica district in Milan

The paper deals with urban studies focused on historical districts named Rubattino and Ortica set in the east part of Milan. It represents a focus on urban morphology’s analysis and it deals with the comparison of different urban analysis’ methods. The given site of Rubattino and Ortica districts in Milan is characterized by very different urban morphologies and building typologies, even if it represents a kind of big urban “cluster” in between railways and highways: the historical settlements with their monuments, the industrial era with productive spaces, the post-war expansion with housing districts, the post-industrial era with large dismissing and new speculations, the recent developments due to cultural events and activities. It is very difficult to find out just one architectural theory that fits this “hybrid” of urban morphologies, but more than one theory can partially describe its features. The aim of the study is to deal with urban analysis accordingly to pre-assigned morphological approaches, showing that they are complementary and not alternative. The approaches have been chosen accordingly to a deep preliminary urban analysis, finding out feasible ways of describing the site with clear urban indicators. Two of the chosen approaches seem more appropriate to describe site’s morphology: one is based on the idea of ‘urban islands’ or ‘clusters’ that describes cities as a unity of different and independent parts. The other one is based on the idea of city as ‘layers’, showing also the interference of different functions and ‘systems’. Describing the same site through different theory-based urban analysis’ approaches represents the chance for a comparative study of theories themselve

Estimating offspring production using capture-mark-recapture and genetic methods in red squirrels.

Reproductive rate is a key demographic parameter of life history and population ecology. In traditional population-ecology studies of small mammals, this and other vital rates are inferred from capture-mark-recapture (CMR) data. However, CMR assumes that immigrants at first capture can be distinguished from unmarked locally born offspring, an assumption not always met. We verified CMR estimates of locally born red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) offspring as a measure of reproductive rate, with candidate offspring (CO)\u2013candidate parent (mothers, CPs) assignment by CERVUS, using ten DNA microsatellite loci. Seventytwo of 122 candidate offspring (59%) were assigned to 52 of 125 CPs in six populations. Estimates of mean litter size were 1.5 young (range 1\u20133). The 50 CO (41%) not assigned to a reproducing female in the study site were considered immigrants. Parentage assignment also provided evidence of dispersal between two of our sites. Overall, CMR and CERVUS agreed in 77% of cases. Considering only the 55 juveniles determined as locally born by CMR, 50 (91%) were also assigned as local offspring with CERVUS. The main discrepancy between the two methods was that 22 subadult squirrels classified immigrants by CMR, were assigned by CERVUS to females which had reproduced in our sites. It is concluded that although in our study system agreement between CMR and CERVUS in determining local offspring was high, using genetic parentage assignment helped to correctly classify some subadults, considered immigrants by CMR, as locally born. Hence, in largescale demographic studies, combining CMR with parentage assignment will allow more precise estimates of reproduction and dispersal

Distribution of Glirids in an Alpine national park

In this long-term study, we evaluated the distribution of three species of Glirids: Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), Garden Dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) and Edible Dormouse (Glis glis) in the Gran Paradiso National Park (Western Italian Alps). The aim was to investigate the ecology, adaptation strategies, and distribution of these dormouse populations along an altitudinal gradient. Monitoring started in 2015 and is still ongoing. We used five different techniques (searching for nests, grids of nest boxes, transects of live traps, nesting tubes, and footprint tunnels), placed along an altitudinal gradient from 700 to 2300 m a.s.l. We found a total of 680 signs of the presence of Hazel Dormouse and 46 individuals, 275 signs and 142 individuals of the Garden Dormouse and 674 signs and 67 individuals of the Edible Dormouse. The three species selected different altitudinal gradients: Edible Dormouse from 800 to 1700 m, with a prevalence between 800-1100 m; Garden Dormouse from 1100 to 2000 m, with a prevalence between 1400-1700 m. The Hazel Dormouse was ubiquitous from 800 to 2032 m, without a clear altitudinal pattern. Edible Dormice were mainly found in deciduous and mixed forests, while Garden Dormice usually occurred in coniferous forests. The Hazel Dormouse seemed to be regularly distributed in all forest types up to the tree limit. These results, obtained from diverse methodologies, permitted comparison between the monitoring protocols, improved knowledge of habitat selection by Glirids in Alpine habitats, as well as providing novel insights within the context of climate change

Appropriate uses of EICAT protocol, data and classifications

The Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) can be used to classify alien taxa according to the magnitude and type of their environmental impacts. The EICAT protocol, classifications of alien taxa using the protocol (EICAT classification) and the data underpinning classifications (EICAT data) are increasingly used by scientists and practitioners such as governments, NGOs and civil society for a variety of purposes. However, the properties of the EICAT protocol and the data it generates are not suitable for certain uses. Therefore, we present guidelines designed to clarify and facilitate the appropriate use of EICAT to tackle a broad range of conservation issues related to biological invasions, as well as to guide research and communication more generally. Here we address common misconceptions and give a brief overview of some key issues that all EICAT users need to be aware of to take maximal advantage of this resource. Furthermore, we give examples of the wide variety of ways in which the EICAT protocol, classifications and data can be and have been utilised and outline common errors and pitfalls to avoid

Crioulo cabo-verdiano e papiamento: estudo comparativo de demonstrativos em anáfora no gênero textual de notícia

Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar comparativamente demonstrativos no crioulo cabo-verdiano e no papiamento na função de anáfora na modalidade escrita. Do ponto de vista teórico-metodológico, este estudo se baseou no modelo teórico tipológico-funcional de Givón (2001) e no modelo descritivo de Halliday e Hasan (1976), tendo sido realizado com base em um corpus composto de dados extraídos de textos do gênero textual de notícia. Testaram-se duas hipóteses, que puderam ser comprovadas. A primeira hipótese foi a de que a função anafórica é codificada prototipicamente por uma forma específica em cada língua, o que foi confirmado, pois se constatou que, no crioulo cabo-verdiano, a forma prototípica usada para essa função foi es e, no papiamento, foi e...aki /esaki. A segunda hipótese foi a de que outras formas podem aparecer exercendo essa função excepcionalmente, o que também foi confirmado, já que se constatou o emprego de kel/kes e de kel li exercendo a função de anáfora no crioulo cabo-verdiano e de e...ei/esei e e...ayá no papiamento. No caso do crioulo cabo-verdiano, as formas alternativas para expressar anáfora podem ocorrer por duas razões: (a) quando se trata de expressão demonstrativa com demonstrativo na posição de núcleo (empregando-se kel li) e (b) quando há a função superveniente de ativação de conhecimento compartilhado pressuposto pelo locutor (empregando-se kel/kes). Entretanto, há também a possibilidade de ocorrer kel/kes em contextos que não são os dois descritos anteriormente, o que significa que haveria variação linguística nesse domínio. No caso do papiamento, as formas alternativas para expressar anáfora podem ocorrer para codificar diferentes graus de distância em relação ao lugar da enunciação no caso de expressões demonstrativas temporais: usa-se e...ayá para marcar passado distante, e...ei para marcar passado indefinido ou próximo e e...aki para marcar futuro próximo. Entretanto, constatou-se também a existência de variação linguística, pois houve ocorrência de e...aki em expressão demonstrativa temporal para marcar passado próximo, assim como o faz prototipicamente e...ei, e também de e...ei/esei em expressões demonstrativas não temporais, assim como o faz prototipicamente e...aki/esaki

Minimally invasive aortic valve surgery

Aortic valve disease is a prevalent disorder that affects approximately 2% of the general adult population. Surgical aortic valve replacement is the gold standard treatment for symptomatic patients. This treatment has demonstrably proven to be both safe and effective. Over the last few decades, in an attempt to reduce surgical trauma, different minimally invasive approaches for aortic valve replacement have been developed and are now being increasingly utilized. A narrative review of the literature was carried out to describe the surgical techniques for minimally invasive aortic valve surgery and report the results from different experienced centers. Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement is associated with low perioperative morbidity, mortality and a low conversion rate to full sternotomy. Long-term survival appears to be at least comparable to that reported for conventional full sternotomy. Minimally invasive aortic valve surgery, either with a partial upper sternotomy or a right anterior minithoracotomy provides early- and long-term benefits. Given these benefits, it may be considered the standard of care for isolated aortic valve disease