Sustainability actions in Mediterranean Countries through cooperation partnership: the case of the project PAMLED

In the recent years the involvement of the third countries in achieving the environmental Policy objectives set up by the European Union are becoming more and more important. Several Programs of cooperation co-fund activities and actions to improve the state of the Environment of third Mediterranean partners in order to achieve a global improvement of the environment. This paper aims to present the results of the project PAMLED co-funded by the Med-Pact Programme of the EU. The project will complete its course at the end of April and it aims to develop and strengthen the capabilities of three Mediterranean cities (City of Marrakech - Morocco, Sin El Fil – Lebanon and Bodrum -Turkey) in managing and promoting their local sustainable development, as well as implementing innovative different action fields. The strengthening of the capabilities of these Mediterranean partners was mainly based on the ‘collective learning’, achieved by the constitution of a partnerships with five European partners (Municipalities of: Prato, Lucca, Brtonigla, Rio Marina and Skopje). Needs and priorities of each Mediterranean partner were identified and pilot actions were specifically elaborated in order to promote the sustainable development and the exploitation of local resources, with particular respect to environmental protection, the enhancement of local tangible and intangible assets, economic support and an overall sustainable development The paper will show the outputs of several pilot actions carried out in the three Mediterranean cities involved. The Municipality of Bodrum carried out innovative pilot actions in the field of urban waste management; Sin El Fil developed a pilot project titled “Youth development plan”, while the City of Marrakech carried out a pilot project aimed at sensitizing the local communities and the actors of the touristic sector (e.g. hotels, hammams) on the importance to reduce water consumption.

Model Pembelajaran Terpadu Modifikasi Wolfinger di Sekolah Dasar

Model pembelajaran terpadu modifikasi Wolfinger adalah model pembelajaran terpadu (integrated learning) yang berkaitan dengan kurikulum terpadu (integrated curriculum). Kurikulum terpadu menggabungkan sejumlah disiplin ilmu melalui pemaduan isi, ketrampilan dan sikap. Model pembelajaran terpadu modifikasi Wolfinger di sekolah dasar menjadi strategi pembelajaran bahasa asing yang memusatkan keterpaduan ketrampilan berbahasa. Penguasaan kosakata bahasa Inggris siswa sekolah dasar masih rendah, khususnya pemahaman siswa pada bahasa Inggris. Guru perlu menciptakan model pembelajaran yang lebih kreatif dan inovatif. Tujuan penelitian ini yaitu mendeskripsikan model pembelajaran terpadu modifikasi Wolfinger pada mata pelajaran Bahasa Inggris di sekolah dasar. Responden terdiri dari delapan siswa kelas IV Sekolah Alam Bengawan Solo Kabupaten Klaten. Model pembelajaran terpadu modifikasi Wolfinger sebagai suatu konsep dapat diartikan sebagai pendekatan pembelajaran yang melibatkan beberapa mata pelajaran untuk memberikan pengalaman bermakna kepada siswa. Siswa mampu memahami konsep yang dipelajari melalui pengalaman langsung lalu menghubungkannya dengan konsep lain yang sudah dipahami. Melalui langkah-langkah model pembelajaran terpadu modifkasi Wolfinger, siswa dirangsang untuk mengembangkan kemampuan berbahasa disertai dengan tindakan pada mata pelajaran bahasa Inggris di lingkungan sekolahnya. Siswa yang memiliki banyak penguasaan kosakata lebih mudah menguasai keterampilan berbahasa lain. Guru sekolah dasar dapat memadukan keterampilan bahasa Inggris dengan pelajaran lain

Evidencias en el ADN mitocondrial reflejan una incipiente estructuración poblacional en el mero guasa del Atlántico (Epinephelus itajara, Epinephelidae) en Brasil

The Atlantic goliath grouper is a critically endangered species that inhabits estuarine and reef environments and is threatened primarily by fishing activities and habitat destruction. Despite the urgent need for protection, its genetic conservation status remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the gene flow among the populations of the species along the coast of Brazil based on the control region of the mitochondrial DNA. The results indicate low haplotype diversity (0.40-0.86) and very low nucleotide diversity (0.1-0.5%). They also show that the genetic diversity of the species varies considerably along the coast and that this finding may be especially important for the identification of priority areas for its conservation. The population analyses indicate a low but significant degree of genetic structuring (ΦST =0.111), probably due to the occurrence of rare haplotypes at some locations, although the genetic differentiation between sites was not correlated with geographic distance (r=0.0501; p=0.7719), and the shared haplotypes indicate that gene flow occurs among all locations along the Brazilian coast. The results of the pairwise FST indicate a high degree of genetic differentiation between locations. The incipient population structuring detected in the present study is not related systematically to the geological or physical features of the Brazilian coast. The complex interaction of fluctuations in sea level, marine currents, and the reproductive characteristics of the species hampers the identification of the specific role of each of these processes in the gene flow dynamics of the population units of the Atlantic goliath grouper. The low overall levels of genetic diversity, the pairwise FST values and the significant population structuring among groups (ΦCT) identified in the present study all reinforce the critically endangered status of the species and are inconsistent with the presence of a single, panmictic population of groupers on the Brazilian coast. The results of this study suggest that, though it may be incipient, the observed genetic structuring must be taken into account in order to prevent potential problems, such as outbreeding depression, in the management of wild stocks.El mero guasa del Atlántico está críticamente en peligro, habita en ambientes estuarinos y arrecifes, los cuáles están amenazados principalmente por las actividades de pesca y la destrucción de su hábitat. A pesar de la necesidad urgente de protección, su estado de conservación genética aún es desconocido. El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar el flujo génico entre las poblaciones de esta especie a lo largo de la costa de Brasil analizando la variabilidad genética de la región control del ADN mitocondrial. Los resultados indican baja diversidad haplotípica (0.40-0.86), y una muy baja diversidad nucleotídica (0.1-0.5%). Además se observa que la diversidad genética de la especie varía considerablemente a lo largo de la costa y este resultado puede ser especialmente relevante para la identificación de áreas prioritarias de conservación. Los análisis poblacionales indican un bajo, pero significativo grado de estructuración genética (ΦST =0.111), lo cual es probablemente debido a la ocurrencia de haplótipos raros en algunas localidades, aunque la diferenciación genética entre sitios no está correlacionada con la distancia geográfica (r=0.0501; p=0.7719), y los haplotipos compartidos indican que el flujo génico ocurre entre todas las localidades a lo largo de la costa brasileña. Los resultados de la distancia dos a dos indican un FST de alto grado de diferenciación genética entre las localidades. La incipiente estructuración poblacional detectada en este estudio no está relacionada sistemáticamente con las características biogeográficas de la costa brasileña. La compleja interacción de las fluctuaciones en el nivel del mar, las corrientes marinas, y las características reproductivas de la especie dificultan la identificación del rol específico de cada uno de estos procesos en la dinámica del flujo genético de las diferentes unidades poblacionales del mero guasa del Atlántico. Los bajos niveles generales de la diversidad genética, los valores de FST dos a dos, y la significante estructuración poblacional entre los grupos (ΦCT) identificada en el presente estudio, todo refuerza el estado de peligro crítico de la especie y son inconsistentes con la existencia de una simple, población panmíctica de meros guasa de la costa brasileña. Los resultados de este estudio sugieren que, a pesar de que puede ser incipiente, la estructuración genética observada debe ser tenida en cuenta con el fin de evitar problemas potenciales, tales como la depresión exogámica, cuando se maneja poblaciones silvestres

Right ventricular-arterial uncoupling independently predicts survival in COVID-19 ARDS

Aim: To investigate the prevalence and prognostic impact of right heart failure and right ventricular-arterial uncoupling in Corona Virus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) complicated by an Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Methods: Ninety-four consecutive patients (mean age 64 years) admitted for acute respiratory failure on COVID-19 were enrolled. Coupling of right ventricular function to the pulmonary circulation was evaluated by a comprehensive trans-thoracic echocardiography with focus on the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) to systolic pulmonary artery pressure (PASP) ratio Results: The majority of patients needed ventilatory support, which was noninvasive in 22 and invasive in 37. There were 25 deaths, all in the invasively ventilated patients. Survivors were younger (62 ± 13 vs. 68 ± 12 years, p = 0.033), less often overweight or usual smokers, had lower NT-proBNP and interleukin-6, and higher arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2)/fraction of inspired O2 (FIO2) ratio (270 ± 104 vs. 117 ± 57 mmHg, p < 0.001). In the non-survivors, PASP was increased (42 ± 12 vs. 30 ± 7 mmHg, p < 0.001), while TAPSE was decreased (19 ± 4 vs. 25 ± 4 mm, p < 0.001). Accordingly, the TAPSE/PASP ratio was lower than in the survivors (0.51 ± 0.22 vs. 0.89 ± 0.29 mm/mmHg, p < 0.001). At univariate/multivariable analysis, the TAPSE/PASP (HR: 0.026; 95%CI 0.01–0.579; p: 0.019) and PaO2/FIO2 (HR: 0.988; 95%CI 0.988–0.998; p: 0.018) ratios were the only independent predictors of mortality, with ROC-determined cutoff values of 159 mmHg and 0.635 mm/mmHg, respectively. Conclusions: COVID-19 ARDS is associated with clinically relevant uncoupling of right ventricular function from the pulmonary circulation; bedside echocardiography of TAPSE/PASP adds to the prognostic relevance of PaO2/FIO2 in ARDS on COVID-19