Desertification indicators for the European Mediterranean region: state of the art and possible methodological approaches [= Indicatori di desertificazione per il Mediterraneo europeo: stato dell'arte e proposte di metodo]

The Italian Environment Protection Agency (ANPA), and the Desertification Research Centre at the University of Sassary have worked jointly to provide decision-makers with an in-depth analysis of the state of the art and methodologies applicable to the evaluation of the desertification phenomenon. ANPA has promoted this important research activity, within the wider and more dynamic framework of actions it conducts in the Italian National Committee, providing its support to the definition and start up of the National Plan to Combat Desertification and Drought. The complexity of the phenomena and their causes leads to the individuation of a plurality of “actors” who might take the responsibility to carry out actions aimed at combating Desertification and Drought. Indicators represent a crucial link in the chain that, from knowledge, leads to taking decisions and promoting responsible behaviours: starting from an evaluation of the various, physical, biologic, socio-economic processes that contribute to land degradation and desertification, the goal is to individuate indicators that might prove useful in territorial planning and public information activities, and that might be a suitable answer to the request for direct knowledge of the status and evolution of the phenomenon, as well as the opportunity to take actions aimed at mitigating and, above all, preventing the occurrence of the phenomenon

α_S1-casein in goat milk: identification of genetic variants by Capillary Zone Electrophoresis compared to Isoelectric Focusing

AlphaS1 casein fraction in caprine milk is characterized by an important polymorphism due to substitution, deletion of amino acids and post trascriptional modifications (Grosclaude et al., 1994; Ferranti et al., 1997). This structural polymorphism is associated to a quantitative variability in protein expression related to different milk quality and dairy properties (Pierre et al., 1998; Remeuf, 1993; Vassal et al., 1994). Classical electrophoretic methods were applied to characterize the phenotypic variants at αS1-casein fraction (Addeo et al., 1988; Russo et al., 1986). During the last ten years capillary electrophoresis became an analytical technique for rapid and automated analysis requiring small sample volume and small solvent waste. These characteristics, together with the high resolution and the chance to give quantitative results, made this technique a useful tool in studying milk protein characterization and in detecting adulteration (Cattaneo et al., 1996a; 1996b) in different application fields. CZE was applied to the study of caprine milk proteins to quantify high, medium and low αS1- casein content and to identify genetic variants αS1 A, B and C on the basis of their different migration time (Recio et al., 1997). The aim of this work was to test a CZE procedure able to identify and discriminate the main αS1 caprine variants A, B, E and F through specific and repeatable electromigration patterns. Comparison between CZE and IEF assays is discussed

Soil consumption by urbanisation: a case study in northern Sardinia (Italy)

The aim of this short communication is to present a case study of competition between urbanisation, environment and agriculture for the Alghero municipality, a coastal Mediterranean area where a high urban growth has taken place during the last 50 years

Utilización de indicadores de desertificación en los países del Anexo IV

Por más de un decenio la Comisión Europea ha individualizado en la Desertificación uno de los mayores problemas de Europa meridional. Varios proyectos han contribuido a individualizar y describir los principales procesos de desertificación operantes en la Región, sus causas y sus fuerzas arrastrantes. Los estudios de los años ’90 apuntaban sobre todo a la comprensión y modelización de los procesos de degradación. A partir de los años ’97 y ’98 se afirma la necesidad de desarrollar un estudio más aplicado y detallado en la individuación de indicadores en tan que instrumentos operativos para el gobierno del territorio, valorizando todos los conocimientos adquiridos. Este trabajo presenta una síntesis de los desarrollos institucionales y científicos en tema de indicadores de desertificación en los Países del Anexo IV

Il Ruolo dell’acqua nell’allevamento animale

The role of water in animal breeding must be extended to a wider context than the animal production area, considering that 70% of the water used in the world is consumed by the whole production chain (agriculture and animal production). Therefore has a great importance the connection with other fields of the chain, as the fodder-growing and the cereal-growing, together with the evaluation and quantification of the environmental impacts. Water, that plays an essential role in the breeding, assumes different importance in relation to the animal class (birds, fish and mammals) and to the animal species. Therefore are extremely different the water requirements and the water consumptions, that are moreover strongly influenced by many factors, such as the dry matter, the climatic breeding conditions, together with the individual animal features. All that represents the starting point to determine the strategies and the ways of the water giving in animal breeding, related to the technological, project and management aspects. Besides the quantitative aspects, water must be considered as food, because it is necessary to animal survival. The importance of the quality of water used in animal breeding and its nutritional role is closely related to the qualitative characteristics and to the presence of residual and polluting substances. The animal production chain, moreover, can produce environmental impacts on the aquatic ecosystems and therefore a particular attention goes to end uses of water as output of the whole animal production chain and to the quantification of the impacts, that is extremely complicate and difficult, depending on many variables. The considerations related to animal production chain assume a different value in the productive context of the management of the water resources in the third countries

40 years of veterinary papers in JAC – what have we learnt?

This review, for the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (JAC), gives an overview of the manuscripts related to veterinary bacteriology published in the journal in the past 40 years with a focus on ‘One Health’ aspects. From 1975 to 2000 the number of manuscripts related to veterinary medicine was limited, but thereafter, the number steadily increased. Most manuscripts published were related to food-producing animals, but companion animals and minor species were also covered. Subjects included antimicrobial usage in animals and the consequences for human medicine, new resistance genes and mechanisms, the prevalence and epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance, and the emergence of resistant bacteria in animals with zoonotic potential such as livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) and ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. These manuscripts have added to our knowledge on the risks of transmission of resistant bacteria from animals to humans and the importance of the prudent use of antimicrobial agents in veterinary medicine