Proposed strategic management of fallow deer to conserve endemic red deer in the Mesola forest, Ferrara, Italy

Ferri, M., Ferraresi, M., Gelati, A., Vitturi, M

Lycopersicon esculentum lectin: an effective and versatile endothelial marker of normal and tumoral blood vessels in the central nervous system

The binding of Lycopersicon esculentum lectin (LEA) to the vascular endothelium was studied in the central nervous system of rat, mouse and guinea pig at different developmental ages, and in a gliosarcoma model. Our observations showed that LEA consistently stained the entire vascular tree in the spinal cord and in the brain of all animal species at all developmental ages investigated. In the tumor model, the staining of the vascular network was very reproducible, enabled an easy identification of vascular profiles and displayed a higher efficiency when compared to two other commonly used vascular marker (EHS laminin and PECAM-1). Moreover, our results showed that LEA staining was comparable in both vibratome and paraffin sections and could be easily combined with other markers in double labeling experiments. These observations indicate that LEA staining may represent an effective and versatile endothelial marker for the study of the vasculature of the central nervous system in different animal species and experimental conditions

Representing Business Contracts in RuleML

This paper presents an approach for the specification and implementation of translating contracts from a human-oriented form into an executable representation for monitoring. This will be done in the setting of RuleML. The task of monitoring contract execution and performance requires a logical account of deontic and defeasible aspects of legal language; currently such aspects are not covered by RuleML; accordingly we show how to extend it to cover such notions. From its logical form, the contract will be thus transformed into a machine readable rule notation and eventually implemented as executable semantics via any mark-up languages depending on the client's preference, for contract monitoring purposes

RESULTS OF STUDIES ON THE MESO-CENOZOIC SUCCESSION IN THE MONTE OLIMPINO 2 TUNNEL. THE TECTONO-SEDIMENTARY SIGNIFICANCE OF THE "GONFOLITE LOMBARDA"

The construction of the Monte Olimpino 2 railway tunnel connecting Chiasso (Switzerland) and Bernate (to the South of Como, Italy) allowed the continuous observation of the poorly outcropping Mesozoic to Cenozoic succession and the collection of new stratigraphic and structural data which are significant for the reconstruction of the South-alpine margin evolution. The Mesozoic succession (lower Jurassic to lower Cretaceous) is strongly tectonized and thinned. The Selcifero Lombardo is represented by a sliver of radiolarites; the Maiolica is only 15 m thick and the Scaglia Variegata reaches a maximum local thickness of 1.5 m of cataclastic marls. From a stratigraphic point of view the presence of lithofacies referable to the lower lithozone of the Sogno Formation (upper Lias) is noteworthy. They occurr at the same stratigraphic position of the nearly outcropping Rosso Ammonitico Lombardo (Breggia river, Switzerland) and are indicative of relatively deeper sedimentation within the Generoso Basin. The overlying Oligocene to middle Miocene deep marine clastic succession, the "Gonfolíte Lombarda", is separated from the Mesozoic succession by a North-vergent thrust. Four depositional sequences have been recognized on the basis of major unconformities and of the progradation-retrogradation pattern of the depositional system. A gradual increase of the tectonic tilt from the bottom to the top ("progressive unconformity"), recurrent cannibalization phenomena and lateral shifting of the clastic buildups characterize the whole succession

An integrated assessment framework for the analysis of multiple pressures in aquatic ecosystems and the appraisal of management options

The contribution illustrates an integrated assessment framework aimed at evaluating the relationships between multiple pressures and water body status for the purposes of river basin management. The framework includes the following steps. (1) Understanding how the different pressures affect the status of water bodies. This entails the characterization of biophysical state variables and the definition of a causal relationship between pressures and status. Therefore this step involves interaction between experts bearing ecological understanding and experts providing models to represent the effect of pressures. (2) Identifying the relevant pressures to be addressed through appropriate measures to improve the status of water bodies. (3) Evaluating reduction targets for the relevant pressures identified in a river basin, by weighting the effort associated to reducing individual pressures and the potential benefits in terms of water body status. (4) Designing management measures through a creative process and political discussion of alternative options, balancing costs, benefits and effectiveness based on engineering and economic analysis. (5) Simulating scenarios of implementation of a programme of measures in order to check their effectiveness and robustness against climate and land use change. We discuss the five steps of the assessment framework, and particularly the interaction between science and policy at the different stages. We review the assessment tools required at each step and, for setting optimal pressure reduction targets (step 3), we propose and illustrate a simplified multicriteria approach based on semi-quantitative assessment, which produces frontiers of optimal trade-offs between effort spent on measures, and achievements

Control of the urban pigeon Columba livia population and the preservation of common swift Apus apus and bats Chiroptera during the restoration of the Ghirlandina tower in the city of Modena (Italy)

Ferri, M., Ferraresi, M., Gelati, A., Zannetti, G., Domenichini, A., Ravizza, L., Cadignani, R

Influence of the organic matter on the specific surface of a Typic argiudoll

El contenido de materia orgánica (MO) del suelo se relaciona positivamente, en algunos casos, con la superficie específica (SE) del mismo, pero grandes cantidades de MO pueden resultar en una SE menor, cuando se la determina a través de la adsorción de nitrógeno a bajas temperaturas. Tradicionalmente se asocia a la MO una elevada SE, del orden de los 500 a 800 m2 g-1. Estos valores, obtenidos mediante técnicas que emplean solventes polares, por ejemplo, etilenglicol, hicieron suponer que la misma contribuye en gran medida a la SE del suelo. No obstante, hay referencias que señalan una sobrestimación de los resultados obtenidos, atribuida a la utilización de estos solventes. Mediciones que emplean el método con adsorción de N2 a 77 K, cuya interpretación se basa en el modelo de Brunauer, Emmett y Teller (BET), considerado internacionalmente como método patrón, arrojan valores de SE para la MO que son menores que los primeros, en dos órdenes de magnitud. Con el objetivo de aportar conocimiento que contribuyera a una mejor comprensión del papel de la MO en procesos edáficos, se realizaron determinaciones de SE en muestras de un Argiudol típico, con diferentes contenidos de MO y contenido de arcilla constante (20%). Las medidas se llevaron a cabo interpretando las isotermas de adsorción de N2 a 77 K, mediante el modelo BET. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron una relación no lineal negativa entre la SE y el contenido de MO. La eliminación de la MO mediante H2O2 incrementó la SE de las muestras en todos los casos. La variación de SE por unidad de MO eliminada sugiere que la misma no se adsorbe de manera uniforme y continua sobre la superficie de la fase mineral.The organic matter (OM) of soil is positively related to the specific surface area (SSA), but large amounts of OM result in reduced SSA when determined by the Brunauer-Emmett- Teller (BET) method with N2 adsorption at low temperature. It is common to assign a large SSA to OM, ranging from 500 to 800 m2 g-1. These values, obtained with methods using polar adsorbates, e.g. ethylene glycol, imply a high contribution of OM to soil SSA. However, some works claimed an overestimation of the effect of OM on SSA when polar solvents are used. Measurements with the BET method (using N2 at 77 K), considered internationally as a standard method, resulted in values of SSA for OM two order of magnitude smaller than the former ones. With the objective to contribute to a better knowledge about the OM role in edaphological processes, determinations of SSA in samples from a Typic argiudoll with different OM contents were made. Measurements of SSA were carried out with N2 at 77 K, and the isotherms were interpreted with the BET model. Results showed a negative non linear relationship between SSA and the OM content of the samples. Destruction of OM with H2O2 increased SSA in all cases. The increments in SSA, normalized by the content of removed OM, suggested that the adsorption of OM on the mineral surface is not uniform.Fil: Gelati, Pablo R..Fil: Sarli, Guillermo O..Fil: Soracco, Carlos Germán.Fil: Lozano, Luis A..Fil: Filgueira, Roberto R.

The Lords of the Rent

The present paper aims at evaluating which factors affect farmland rents, measuring their relative importance through an empirical analysis based on a hedonic pricing model

The Effect of Biogas Production on Farmland Rental Prices : Empirical Evidences from Northern Italy

In the last decade, increased environmental awareness has prompted the adoption of incentives for exploiting renewable energy sources. Among these, biogas production has received a certain attention in developed countries. Nonetheless, the subsidies provided have posed the problem of an activity (the production of bioenergy) that engages in direct competition with food and feed production for limited resources, like agricultural land. Even if this competition may be softened by allocating marginal land and/or using dedicated non-agricultural crops, empirical evidence shows that biogas plants have been developed in highly-productive agricultural areas, using increasing amounts of maize silage as feedstock. Thus, studies aimed at measuring the effect of biogas production on agricultural activities are needed in order to avoid this socially undesirable outcome. The paper presents an econometric estimation of the impact of biogas plants on farmland rental values of a Northern Italian rural area. Results show that biogas has a non-linear effect on rental prices, suggesting that incentive schemes specifically accounting for plants\u2019 dimensions and technologies would improve the social sustainability of the bioenergy sector and its coexistence with agricultural activity

Studio delle determinanti del valore degli affitti agrari : potenzialità dell’uso di microdati e applicazione del metodo dei prezzi edonici

The paper aims at isolating factors affecting farmland rents and estimating their effect using hedonic pricing model. Unlike the majority or similar analysis, based on Census aggregated data or surveys, we used a sample of microdata based on land rent contracts signed in the Province of Mantova over the period 2010-2014, matched with other territorial or census databases. We focused on the effect of farmland use on rent price, estimating their implicit values, i.e. the shadow prices. The research findings may help stakeholders and researchers interested in rental market dynamics, in particular at local level. Empirically grounded and transparent information on rental market may provide a new tool for contract negotiation among owners and tenants, improving, at the same time, farmers\u2019 choice