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

The Role of grazing in agropastoral systems in the Mediterranean region and their environmental sustainability

Agro-pastoral systems have significantly contributed in shaping the landscapes of the Mediterranean basin. These systems vary widely according to the differing climatic, cultural and socio-economic conditions under which they developed; from the Parcours of the Maghreb steppes to the dehesas in the Iberian peninsula, and from the Mediterranean islands to inland mountain regions. Their present particularities developed both in response to internal needs within the farming systems (need to increase production while reducing costs) and external forces (competition with other activities for the use of land). In many cases recent changes evolved from increased grazing. Overgrazing represents one of the causes for desertification in many areas of the Mediterranean region. To mitigate this problem a better knowledge of agropastoral systems is first needed. Then, methods must be devised to model and assess environmental impacts, land suitability to grazing, and optimal stocking rate

Polymorphism of α_S1-casein in goat milk: identification of A, B, E and F variants by biochemical and genetic analysis

Many researches, related to genetic polymorphism of αS1-casein in goat milk, showed a marked variability and implications in milk and dairy product traits. The genetic variants (from A to G) were associated with four levels of expression: 3,6 g/L per A, B and C (“strong” alleles); 1,6 g/L per E (“medium” allele); 0,6 g/L per F (“weak” allele) and 0 g/L per O (“null” allele). Differences existing among the A, B, C, D, E, F, G and O have been described (Grosclaude et al., 1994). To analyze genetic polymorphism of caseins from goat milk, distinct electrophoretic (Russo et al., 1986; Addeo et al., 1988) and chromatographic techniques (Jaubert and Martin, 1992; Iametti et al., 1999) were applied. In last years, the advancement in technological field is allowing the research of primary structure of protein variants (Ferranti et al., 1997; Trujillo et al., 2000) and basic sequence of new alleles (Martin et al., 1999; Bevilacqua et al., 2002; Ramunno et al., 2002). In this work, we employed electrophoretic protein separation (IEF and SDS-PAGE), chromatographic analysis (RP-HPLC) and molecular biology techniques based on polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) to detect αS1-CN genetic variants from goat milk. The utility of protein and DNA analysis combination was discussed

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

In-Training Improvement: A Tactical Athletic Approach to Enhance the Performance and Wellness of Law Enforcement Officers

Fitness and musculoskeletal injuries are a major health concern among United States law enforcement personnel. The objectives of this study were twofold: 1) to compare the effects of wearing work gear and not wearing work gear during job related specific activities; and 2) identify the negative effects of the required work equipment on law officials and exploring methods to decrease the negative effects. There is an undeniable prevalence of law officials and back issues and other musculoskeletal complications which presents an interrelated research and field test environment. This study leverages research to help advance the knowledge of law enforcement performance, and injury prevention to provide a solution to alleviate or diminish the prevalence of numerous musculoskeletal injuries. A study had shown 62 % of law enforcement officials suffered from low back pain as a result of the duty belts worn (25). The purpose of this current study was to compare the Academy cadets’ fitness scores absent of equipment and wearing the fully equipped duty belts in relations to job performance. Police Officers and Sheriff\u27s Deputies in training completed a Regional Law Enforcement Academy that consisted of 33 participants (24 Males and 9 Females). Descriptive statistics (age, height, weight) for all cadets were (29.5 +7.5 years, 174.3 + 7.0 cm, and 97.7 + 25.5 kg), males (28 6.4 + 6.5 years, 1775.8 + 5.9 cm, and 99 + 27.8 kg), and females (33.6 + 8.8 years, 167.2 + 4.3 cm, and 94.4 + 19.4 kg). All cadets completed the Academy’s standardized fitness protocols, the outdoor tactical obstacle course, and 5-10-5 Pro Agility while wearing a fully equipped duty belt or no duty belt. Results of the study had revealed no huge significant impact of the duty equipment on human anatomy and job performance skills. Both the Loaded groups of Males and Females were greater than the alpha (p\u3e0.05). However, various studies had gathered a large data pool of Police Officers and Sheriff Deputies suffering from back complications from their work equipment and the recurring continuous effect of it