Relationships between humus profiles and C cycling, first results from a Mediterranean pine forest

Pine species used for land restoration in the Mediterranean basin since the late 19th century are nowadays showing symptoms of degradation. Forest degradation may reduce the forest potential to act as a C sink, or even increase the C losses through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Microbial processes strongly affect SOM decomposition and therefore C fluxes. Since the first and most important modifications of microbial processes occur within humus profiles, humus characteristics and structure might affect microbial processes and GHG emissions. The study was carried out to relate C cycling in a degraded pine forest with the morphology and characteristics of the humus profiles.The study area was located near Florence (Central Italy) in a reforest area planted with Black pine, Brutia pine, and Cypress. In spring 2016, 9 humus profiles were described, sampled and classified, and CO2 and CH4 fluxeswere measured. Humus profiles were analyzed for bulk density, particle size, N, C, lime content and pH. Bio macroaggregates of the first mineral horizon were separated by moist sieving in three size classes ( <1 mm, 1-4 mm, >4 mm) for the humus classification. Statistical relationships were checked by a Spearman test.Eumacroamphi was the main humus form, while Dysmull and Pachiamphi were less frequent. There were significant correlations between CH4 fluxes and both the thickness of the transition from organic to inorganic horizons, and the percentage of aggregates in different size classes. CO2 emission did not provide significant correlations with humus features. These first results suggest that the activity of methanotrophic bacteria responsible for CH4 uptake might be lower where the thickness of the transition between the organic and mineral horizons is larger

Inflammatory bowel disease nurse specialists for patients on biological therapies: a nationwide Italian survey

Background Management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients requires a multidisciplinary approach. Among the working team, the role of IBD nurse is expected to be particularly relevant when managing patients receiving biological therapies. We performed a survey to assess the presence of IBD nurse in centers where patients were receiving biologics. Methods For this Italian nationwide survey a specific questionnaire was prepared. IBD nurse was defined as a nurse directly involved in all phases of biological therapy, from pre-therapy screening, administration and monitoring during therapy, to follow up performed by a dedicated helpline, completed a specific training on biological therapy therapy, and observed international guidelines. Results A total of 53 Italian IBD centers participated in the survey, and 91 valid questionnaires were collected. Overall, 34 (37.4%) nurses could be classified as IBD specialists. IBD nurses had a significantly higher educational level than other nurses, they were more frequently operating in Central or Southern than in Northern Italy, they were working in an Academic center rather than in a General hospital, and in IBD centers with >25 patients on biological therapy. On the contrary, mean age, gender distribution, years of nursing, and years working in the IBD unit did not significantly differ between IBD and other nurses. Conclusions Our nationwide survey showed that the presence of an IBD nurse is still lacking in the majority of Italian IBD centers where patients receive biological therapies, suggesting a prompt implementation

A multivariate approach for the study of environmental drivers of wine economic structure

Vitivinicultural "terroir" is a concept referring to an area in which the collective knowledge of the interactions between environment and vitivinicultural practices develops, providing distinctive characteristics to the products. The effect of the environmental components over the terroir wines has been already widely demonstrated, but their possible effect on the overall system of production and organization of the viticultural farms and wine industry, called "wine economic structure" in this study (WES), is still unknown. Thus the research hypothesis of this work was that there are environmental drivers influencing WES.The investigation was carried out at the national scale, taking Italy as study area, the biggest wine producer of the world. We used viticultural territories singled out at 1:500,000 reference scale, called viticultural Macroareas, which grouped Denomination of Origin areas with respect of geographic proximity, environmental features, viticultural affinity, and wine tradition. The characterization of WES was based on the official data reported in the wine production declarations related to the year 2008. Statistics were taken into account about general quantitative variables of wine farms, presence of associative forms, degree of vertical integration of wineries, quality orientation of wine producers, and acreage of vineyard. Environmental variables related to climate, soil, and vegetation vigour were selected for their direct influence on the vine growing. A second set of variables was chosen to express the effect of land topography on viticultural management. A third one was intended to discover the possible relationships between WESs and land qualities, such as the indexes of sensitivity to desertification, the soil resistance to water erosion, and land vulnerability. A multivariate approach was carried out to elaborate the many studied variables and their interactions. Nonparametric statistics were also used, to overcome the necessity of normal distributions. A PCA was carried out separately for the environmental and economic data, to reduce the dimension of datasets. The new economic and environmental synthetic descriptors were submitted to three multivariate analyses: (i) the correlation between economic and environmental descriptors, through the non-parametric Spearman test; (ii) a cluster analysis to group the Macroareas in few homogeneous WESs; (iii) a discriminant analysis of economic clusters and environmental factors, to highlight the environmental drivers of WESs. The results highlighted that in some Macroareas there is a direct correlation between high quality wine production and presence of low available soil water, due to both soil and climatic limitations. In other Macroareas, the limited quantity and quality of wine yield showed a significant relationship with the presence of rough morphologies and high environmental variability. Similarly, heterogeneous soil and morphological conditions fitted well with both the absence of well-defined economic structures, and a relatively lower quality production. The cluster analysis identified six main WESs for the whole country. Climatic, pedoclimatic, morphological mean conditions and topographic heterogeneity of Macroareas had the most important discriminant power over the clusters. The result of this multivariate analyses proved that the different WESs of a country are significantly influenced by specific landscape characteristics. Therefore, landscape care has a strategic role also on the development of the wine industry

Reconstructive surgery for complex aortoiliac occlusive disease in ypoung adults

Background: Although aortoiliofemoral bypass grafting is the optimal revascularization method for patients with severe aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD), previous studies have documented poor patency rates in young adults. This study investigated whether young patients with AIOD have worse outcomes in patency, limb salvage, and long-term survival rates after reconstructive surgery than their older counterparts. Methods: Patients aged <50 years undergoing reconstructive surgery at our institution for AIOD between 1995 and 2010 were compared with a cohort of randomly selected patients aged >60 years (two for each of the young patients, matched for year of operation), analyzing demographics, risk factors, indications for surgery, operative details, and outcomes. Results: Among 927 consecutive patients undergoing primary surgery for AIOD, 78 (8.4%) aged <50 years (mean age, 48.4 years) and 156 older control patients (mean age, 71.2 years) were identified. The younger patients were mainly men (81%) and 59% had surgery for limb salvage and 41% for disabling claudication (P .02). Compared with older patients, they were significantly more likely to be smokers (90% vs 72%; P .002) and had previously needed significantly more inflow procedures (28% vs 16%; P .03). Only one death occurred perioperatively (30-day) among the control patients, and no major amputations or graft infections occurred in either group. The need for subsequent infrainguinal reconstructions was greater in the younger patients (18% vs 7%; P .01). The primary patency rates were inferior in the younger patients at 5 years (82% and 75%) and 10 years (95% and 90%; P .01), whereas assisted secondary patency (89% and 82% vs 96% and 91%; P .08), secondary patency (93% and 86% vs 98% and 92%; P .19), limb salvage (88% and 83% vs 95% and 91%; P .13), and survival rates (87% and 76% vs 91% and 84%; P .32) were comparable in the two groups. Conclusions: This study shows that despite a higher primary graft failure rate than that in older patients, aortoiliofemoral revascularization for complex AIOD is a safe procedure for younger patients with disabling claudication or limbthreatening ischemia, providing they are willing to follow a regular protocol to complete their postoperative surveillance and to undergo graft revision as necessary

Application of Multi-Criteria Analysis selecting the most effective Climate change adaptation measures and investments in the Italian context

In the context of climate change, one of the EU’s major political efforts focus on water management. Public investment is carried out considering several drivers, from economic development to demographics, climate, and pollutants. Meanwhile, the need for evaluation methods is also increasing, so their development has grown in recent years. Among these, Multi-Criteria Analysis methodologies (MCA) have taken on great importance. This work aims to demonstrate the usefulness of MCA in addressing crucial environmental issues, such as the use of water resources for agricultural and food production. The document presents an application of MCA for the ranking and selection of projects to be financed under the Italian National Plan on Water Resources. The Plan is part of the national initiatives planned for the adaptation of the agricultural sector to climate change. The selection criteria have been identified following a participatory approach, and to respond to both the challenge of climate change and the limited availability of funds. MCA is used to select the best projects to be financed with the available amount. The Italian experience confirms the effectiveness of MCA and highlights how the involvement of both decision makers and stakeholders is necessary for a successful application of MCA to environmental issues

Contribution to the vascular flora of the Castelli Romani Regional Park (Rome, Central Italy) with recent observations and early herbarium surveys

We report the results of a floristic survey carried out in the Castelli Romani Regional Park (Rome, Central Italy) during the years 2003-2008, supplemented with data derived from recent literature. The Park includes part of Colli Albani, four SCIs and a SPA. The purpose of this study was to assess the actual floristic value of an area close to the city of Rome, yet still at medium floristic knowledge. The area has peculiar features in terms of lithomorphology (volcanic rocks, volcanic lakes), soils (andisoils, brown soils), and phytoclimate (Mediterranean Transitional Region, Temperate Region). The floristic list is composed of 796 units belonging to 783 species, 420 genera, and 102 families. One species, Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw., is new to Lazio Region. The woody flora reaches 12.06%, while, as for the herbaceous flora, Hemicryptophytes slightly prevail over Therophytes. As regards chorotypes, together with a considerable number of Mediterranean s. l. and of European species, there are many species with wide distribution area, testifying a longlasting and deep urban impact which started many decades ago. The flora of the Park is similar enough, both in structural and geographical terms, to the flora of the volcanic district of Vico (northern Lazio Region); a detailed comparison concerning aquatic and hygrophilous flora between the two areas pointed out similar sets of rhizophyte species, whereas in the lakes of Albano and Nemi helophyte belt and wet meadows are lacking. Quite few species that are rare or extremely rare to Lazio Region or included in the Regional Red Lists of the Italian Plants were recorded. Nevertheless, some of them have a high biogeographical value (e.g., Vicia sativa subsp. incisa, Adenocarpus samniticus) or are typical of rare environments (Potamogeton sp. pl.). A test study limited to Lycopodiophyta, Ferns and allies, and Orchidaceae was carried out on ancient herbarium specimens kept in the Herbarium RO, showing that 21 units are today no longer recorded

More Crop for Drop – Climate Change and Wine: An Economic Evaluation of a New Drought-Resistant Rootstock

The current paper presents the results of an economic evaluation of a new drought-resistant rootstock (M4), capable to maintain in adverse environmental conditions high photosynthetic activity, to accumulate osmotic compounds and to compensate for the accumulation of sodium and chlorine in the grapevines, in two core Italian grapevine growing areas: the North-East and Sicily. After collecting data on quantitative (yield per plant in kg) and qualitative parameters (°Brix, anthocyanins, pH) of experimental vineyards (Cabernet Sauvignon variety) planted using the traditional rootstock 1103P and the innovative M4 rootstock, over a seven-year period, a cost-benefit analysis calculated the effects of replacing the traditional rootstock. The results show that M4 rootstock yields higher net revenues compared to the best situation of 1103P rootstock, roughly in 40% of North-East vineyards and in more than 80% of their Sicilian counterparts. In addition, 14% of North-East vineyards and more than 94% of Sicilian vineyards are currently exposed to drought risk, and these areas are expected to increase in the coming years. Thus the M4 rootstock, as other related innovations [51-53], could significantly improve watersaving strategies, which are gaining increasing attention from both public bodies and wine companie