A nonlocal supercritical Neumann problem

We establish existence of positive non-decreasing radial solutions for a nonlocal nonlinear Neumann problem both in the ball and in the annulus. The nonlinearity that we consider is rather general, allowing for supercritical growth (in the sense of Sobolev embedding). The consequent lack of compactness can be overcome, by working in the cone of non-negative and non-decreasing radial functions. Within this cone, we establish some a priori estimates which allow, via a truncation argument, to use variational methods for proving existence of solutions. As a side result, we prove a strong maximum principle for nonlocal Neumann problems, which is of independent interest.Comment: 32 pages, 0 figure

Existence and non-existence results for a semilinear fractional Neumann problem

We establish a priori $L^\infty$-estimates for non-negative solutions of a semilinear nonlocal Neumann problem. As a consequence of these estimates, we get non-existence of non-constant solutions under suitable assumptions on the diffusion coefficient and on the nonlinearity. Moreover, we prove an existence result for radial, radially non-decreasing solutions in the case of a possible supercritical nonlinearity, extending to the case $

Existence and non-existence results for a semilinear fractional Neumann problem

We establish a priori $L^\infty$-estimates for non-negative solutions of a semilinear nonlocal Neumann problem. As a consequence of these estimates, we get non-existence of non-constant solutions under suitable assumptions on the diffusion coefficient and on the nonlinearity. Moreover, we prove an existence result for radial, radially non-decreasing solutions in the case of a possible supercritical nonlinearity, extending to the case $0<s\le 1/2$ the analysis started in [7].Comment: 17 pages, accepted version: minor changes from the original manuscrip

Androgens and Adipose Tissue in Males: A Complex and Reciprocal Interplay

Clinical evidence shows that in males obesity is frequently associated with hypogonadism and vice versa; also, low testosterone levels have been considered a “hallmark” of metabolic syndrome in men. These observations indicate that there is a strict connection between anatomically and functionally distinct cell types such as white adipocytes and Leydig cells, that synthesize testosterone. Adipose tissue is able to control several functions of the testis through its products secreted in the bloodstream. On the other hand, circulating levels of testosterone and estradiol deeply affect adipocyte proliferation, differentiation, and fat mass distribution, hereby controlling critical metabolic functions, such as food intake, insulin sensitivity, vascular reactivity, and immunity. This paper highlights the existing clinical and experimental evidence linking androgens and adipose tissue and illustrates the consequences occurring when the balance between fat mass distribution and eugonadism is lost

Impact assessment of fish cages on coralligenous reefs through the use of the STAR sampling procedure

The study aimed at contributing to the development of methods to assessing the effects of human disturbance on coralligenous reefs. The effects of the presence of a fish farm on coralligenous reefs were evaluated using the STAR (STAndaRdized coralligenous evaluation procedure) sampling procedure. An asymmetrical sampling design was used to compare the aquaculture site with two reference sites in areas unaffected by human pressure. The response of different ecological indices (ESCA, Ecological Status of Coralligenous Assemblages; ISLA, Integrated Sensitivity Level of coralligenous Assemblages; COARSE, COralligenous Assessment by Reef Scape Estimate) and descriptors (α-diversity, β-diversity and Sensitivity Level) of this kind of disturbance was compared. Results indicate that coralligenous reefs are vulnerable to aquaculture fish cages, and differences in the structure of coralligenous assemblages between the disturbed and the reference sites were mostly due to the decrease in β-diversity. On the contrary, no significant differences in the number of taxa/groups were highlighted. Encrusting Corallinales, erect Rhodophyta, Dictyotales, Fucales and Halimeda tuna were more abundant in reference sites than in disturbed site, while Peyssonnelia spp. and algal turfs had the opposite trend. Conversely, no significant differences between conditions were found in the abundance of sessile invertebrates. The study supports the suitability of the STAR approach to be employed in impact evaluation assessments, such as in monitoring programs. The present study is a first attempt to combine three different ecological indices (ESCA, ISLA and COARSE) within a unified approach, in order to assess the status of coralligenous reefs subjected to a moderate human-induced disturbance. The inconsistent response of the different indices highlights the advantage of applying different indices and descriptors to evaluate the variable human pressures on natural systems