From Planning to Management of Cult Ural Heritage Sites: Controversies and Conflicts Between Unesco Whl Management Plans and Local Spatial Planning in South-Eastern Sicily

The paper investigates the relationship between the preservation of cultural heritage and planning in UNESCO World Heritage List (WHL) sites, with special reference to the relation between Management Plans and other (local and regional) planning instruments and policies able to influence the promotion of sustainable and responsible development. This will be explored through a case study related to South-Eastern Sicilian UNESCO sites (in particular Syracuse). The analysis of this case study will point out the challenge of integrating different management and planning regimes - which mainly refer to a performative model - in a (still) very conformative planning system. The paper will show how supranational protection tools and models often lose their efficacy in relation to local planning systems

Topology in full QCD at high temperature: a multicanonical approach

We investigate the topological properties of $N_f = 2+1$ QCD with physical quark masses, at temperatures around 500 MeV. With the aim of obtaining a reliable sampling of topological modes in a regime where the fluctuations of the topological charge $Q$ are very rare, we adopt a multicanonical approach, adding a bias potential to the action which enhances the probability of suppressed topological sectors. This method permits to gain up to three orders of magnitude in computational power in the explored temperature regime. Results at different lattice spacings and physical spatial volumes reveal no significant finite size effects and the presence, instead, of large finite cut-off effects, with the topological susceptibility which decreases by 3-4 orders of magnitude while moving from $a \simeq 0.06$ fm towards the continuum limit. The continuum extrapolation is in agreeement with previous lattice determinations with smaller uncertainties but obtained based on ansatzes justified by several theoretical assumptions. The parameter $b_2$, related to the fourth order coefficient in the Taylor expansion of the free energy density $f(\theta)$, has instead a smooth continuum extrapolation which is in agreement with the dilute instanton gas approximation (DIGA); moreover, a direct measurement of the relative weights of the different topological sectors gives an even stronger support to the validity of DIGA.Comment: 23 pages, 13 figure

Status of the Italian Freshwater Gastrotricha Biodiversity, with the Creation of an Interactive GIS-Based Web Map

Gastrotricha are microscopic benthic animals found in almost all water bodies. To date, over 890 species distributed in 71 genera, 18 families, and two orders are known. There are 376 freshwater species, and several are also found in Italy; however, a compendium of the studies carried out so far, and a georeferenced distribution of the species, still need to be provided. This project summarizes information about the diversity and geographic distribution of Italian gastrotrichs. Diversity data, acquired over 239 years, were reviewed and corrected based on taxonomic and nomenclatural updates and, in addition to distribution information, were organized into a data matrix valuable for statistical analysis. The data were fed into geographic information system software to understand the overall figures more easily. The results indicated that Italy is one of the best-known countries regarding freshwater gastrotrichs. With 92 species in 17 genera and three families from 61 investigated localities, Italy counts 17 type localities and 19 endemic species. Despite this high biodiversity, many Italian regions still need to be investigated, and should, therefore, be the focus of future research. The implementation of a web-mapping plugin enabled the creation of interactive maps for an easy and modern method for sharing the work done, and the information acquired

Internal aeration and respiration of submerged tomato hypocotyls is enhanced by ethylene‐mediated aerenchyma formation and hypertrophy

With the impending threat that climate change is imposing on all terrestrial ecosystems, plants ability to adjust to changing environments is, more than ever, a very desirable trait. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants display a number of responses that allow them to survive under different abiotic stresses such as flooding. We focused on understanding the mechanism that facilitates oxygen diffusion to submerged tissues and the impact it has on sustaining respiration levels. We observed that, as flooding stress progresses, stems increase their diameter and internal porosity. Ethylene triggers stem hypertrophy by inducing cell wall loosening genes, and aerenchyma formation seems to involve programmed cell death mediated by oxygen peroxide. We finally assessed whether these changes in stem morphology and anatomy are indeed effective to restore oxygen levels in submerged organs. We found that aerenchyma formation and hypertrophy not only increase oxygen diffusion towards the base of the plant but also result in an augmented respiration rate. We consider that this response is crucial to maintain adventitious root development under such conditions and, therefore, making it possible for the plant to survive when the original roots die.Fil: Mignolli, Francesco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Todaro, Juan Santiago. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Vidoz, María Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; Argentin

Colorectal cancer defeating? Challenge accepted!

Colorectal tumours are actually considered as aberrant organs, within it is possible to notice a different stage of cell growth and differentiation. Their origin is reported to arise from a subpopulation of tumour cells endowed with, just like the healthy stem cells, self-renewal and aberrant multi-lineage differentiation capacity likely to be called colorectal cancer stem cells (CCSCs). Cancer stem cells (CSCs) fate, since their origin, reflects the influences from their microenvironment (or niche) both in the maintenance of stemness, in promoting their differentiation, and in inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition, responsible of CSCs dissemination and subsequent formation of metastatic lesions. The tumour cells heterogeneity and their immuno-response resistance nowadays probably responsible of the failure of the conventional therapies, make this research field an open issue. Even more importantly, our increasing understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate CSC quiescence and cell cycle regulation, self-renewal, chemotaxis and resistance to cytotoxic agents, is expected to eventually result in tailor-made therapies with a significant impact on the morbidity and overall survival of colorectal cancer patients

Rights of Migrants in European Space: Notes for an Introduction

Thisintroductorychapterreflectsonthenatureofcontemporarymigratory movements, focusing on transversally relevant themes, such as the spatial dimension of reception, with particular reference to the “right to the city” and the right to housing; the sphere of human rights, with particular attention to the right to mobility, citizenship and social security; the sphere of multilingualism and linguistic rights, with particular regard to migrants’ narratives and education. Starting from these key themes, the volume’s editors provide a synthesis of the experiences gained at the national and international level by the authors of the individual chapters, comparing them with the current international scientific debate on migration. The interdisci- plinary approach and the different and innovative ways of deepening the thematic content of the migration phenomenon have allowed us to identify some key research questions. Their answers find their place in the articulated and complex system of contributions that develops within the book, through three main parts that correspond to the three aforementioned themes

Physico-Mechanical Properties of Thermally Treated Poplar OSB

Oriented strand board (OSB) are widely marketed for several applications, from building to packaging. The manufacturing of poplar OSB has recently started in Northern Italy, representing a relevant innovation in the sector, given that this product is usually made of coniferous wood. Thermal treatment is nowadays widely used for increasing the dimensional stability and the durability of wood. The drawback is, however, that the mechanical performance of the treated wood product is reduced. The objective of this research was to analyze the effect of thermo-vacuum treatment on the characteristics of poplar OSB. To this purpose, boards 15 mm thick and with a density of 590 kg/m3 were drawn from the standard production of the manufacturer and thermally treated under vacuum conditions at 190 °C for 2 h. Their mass loss, bending strength, modulus of elasticity, internal bond and swelling were determined. In addition, color change and wettability were studied before and after a weathering test. The thermal treatment significantly changed the properties of poplar OSB. The mass, the bending strength, the modulus of elasticity and the internal bond decreased with different intensities. The swelling after immersion in water decreased. The color switched toward a darker tone and the wettability decreased. After an accelerated weathering test (AWT), the color lightened, and the wettability increased. Overall, this study broadened the knowledge about the thermal treatment of this wood-based panel, which could enable new applications with particular attention to non-structural uses in humid conditions

Distribution, function and predictive value of tumor-infiltrating γδ T lymphocytes

Although γδ T cells are known to exert both tumor-preventing and tumor-promoting activity, there is still little information on the functional characteristics and clinical significance of γδ T cells isolated from the tumor site. In a recent study, we have investigated the distribution of different γδ T-cell populations in melanoma and their impact on disease outcom

Involvement of caspase-3 and GD3 ganglioside in ceramide-induced apoptosis in Farber disease

Farber's disease (FD) is a rare genetic disorder caused by ceramidase deficiency, which results in ceramide accumulation in lung, liver, colon, skeletal muscle, cartilage, and bone. Although this disease has been symptomatically characterized, little is known about its molecular pathogenetic process. Because recent studies reported that ceramide accumulation induces GD3 ganglioside formation and apoptosis, we investigated, in tissue obtained via colonoscopy from seriously involved patients, the possible involvement of ceramide in FD colonocyte destruction. Histochemical and TUNEL analyses of paraffin-embedded sections revealed that 45 ± 4.3% of FD colonocytes showed morphological signs of apoptosis compared with the 8 ± 2.3% of constitutive epithelial cell death. Importantly, immunohistochemical study for pro-apoptotic factors showed that GD3 accumulation colocalized with active caspase-3 and cleaved K18 in FD colon tissue. These findings provide evidence for a role of the apoptotic ceramide pathway in the pathogenesis of FD

Combining conventional chemotherapy and γδ T cell-based immunotherapy to target cancer-initiating cells.

Colon cancer comprises a small population of cancer initiating stem cells (CIC) that is responsible for tumor maintenance and resistance to anti-cancer therapies, possibly allowing for tumor recapitulation once treatment stops. Combinations of immune-based therapies with chemotherapy and other anti-tumor agents may be of significant clinical benefit in the treatment of colon cancer. However, cellular immune-based therapies have not been experimented yet in the population of colon CICs. Here, we demonstrate that treatment with low concentrations of commonly used chemotherapeutic agents, 5-fluorouracyl and doxorubicin, sensitize colon CICs to Vγ9Vδ2 T cell cytotoxicity. Vγ9Vδ2 T cell cytotoxicity was largely mediated by TRAIL interaction with DR5, following NKG2D-dependent recognition of colon CIC targets. We conclude that in vivo activation of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells or adoptive administration of ex-vivo expanded Vγ9Vδ2 T cells at suitable intervals after chemotherapy may substantially increase anti-tumor activities and represent a novel strategy for colon cancer immunotherapy