Archaeo-mobility. Integrating Archaeological Heritage with Everyday Life

Underground mass-transit is the logical solution for the growing demand of mobility that presses the urban space of historical cities, but it has to deal with the palimpsest of the numerous layers the history of many cities is made of. The construction of subway lines is a unique opportunity to develop a contemporary and active display of the archaeological heritage and return it to the dynamics of urban life. Some projects in this direction have been attempted, too often crashing against bureaucratic and economic difficulties, or against inadequate methods for investigating and managing the archaeological heritage. New metro lines in Athens, Thessaloniki, Sofia, Istanbul, are showing pros and cons in techno-economical and cultural terms while interest and care for the heritage is growing everywhere as well as the awareness of handling it as a resource. Unfortunately, in most cases archaeological remains are simply extracted and arranged in banal museum-like displays while taking into no account the high potential of involving the urban context. Italy has the largest and most stratified archaeological heritage of the world and at the same time one of the smallest metro systems, but in the last two decades a vast program of upgrading has been developed, introducing important advances in archaeological investigation methods, excavation planning and architectural integration. Naples is nowadays world-renowned for its Art-stations, but in the Municipio station currently under construction, the collision of infrastructure and archaeological strata is managed with continuous adjustments to give a spatial response to the extraordinary finds as they are discovered in Europe's largest archaeological excavation site. New Line C is under construction in the very centre of Rome intersecting outstanding remains together with crucial urban nodes with stations in places like Colosseum or Imperial Fora; projects now under discussion are expected to set new standards in archaeo-mobility

Berarducci e la chiesa di Nostra Signora di Bonaria a Ostia

Il concorso per le nuove chiese in Roma del 1969 seppure molto partecipato non fornisce un quadro particolarmente appassionante della ricerca architettonica che pure in quegli anni sta percorrendo strade di sperimentazione anche radicale. In questo quadro di riferimento il progetto di Francesco Berarducci, Giorgio Monaco, Giuseppe Rinaldi, che risulta vincitore per l’area di Ostia Lido Nord, si distingue per il suo approccio non convenzionale strettamente pertinente ai temi richiesti dal programma liturgico-funzionale

Cliffs Used as Communal Roosts by Andean Condors Protect the Birds from Weather and Predators

The quality and availability of resources influence the geographical distribution of species. Social species need safe places to rest, meet, exchange information and obtain thermoregulatory benefits, but those places may also serve other important functions that have been overlooked in research. We use a large soaring bird that roosts communally in cliffs, the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), as a model species to elucidate whether roost locations serve as a refuge from adverse weather conditions (climatic refuge hypothesis, CRH), and/or from predators or anthropogenic disturbances (threats refuge hypothesis, TRH). The CRH predicts that communal roosts will face in the opposite direction from where storms originate, and will be located in climatically stable, low precipitation areas. The TRH predicts that communal roosts will be large, poorly accessible cliffs, located far from human-made constructions. We surveyed cliffs used as communal roosts by condors in northwestern Patagonia, and compared them with alternative non-roosting cliffs to test these predictions at local and regional scales. We conclude that communal roosting places provide refuge against climate and disturbances such as, for instance, the threats of predators (including humans). Thus, it is not only the benefits gained from being aggregated per se, but the characteristics of the place selected for roosting that may both be essential for the survival of the species. This should be considered in management and conservation plans given the current scenario of global climate change and the increase in environmental disturbances.Fil: Lambertucci, Sergio Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Invest.cientif.y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnol.conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Invest.en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente;Fil: Ruggiero, Adriana. Consejo Nacional de Invest.cientif.y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnol.conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Invest.en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente

From daily movements to population distributions: weather affects competitive ability in a guild of soaring birds

The ability of many animals to access and exploit food is dependent on the ability to move. In the case of scavenging birds, which use soaring flight to locate and exploit ephemeral resources, the cost and speed of movement vary with meteorological factors. These factors are likely to modify the nature of interspecific interactions, as well as individual movement capacity, although the former are less well understood. We used aeronautical models to examine how soaring performance varies with weather within a guild of scavenging birds and the consequences this has for access to a common resource. Birds could be divided broadly into those with low wing loading that are more competitive in conditions with weak updraughts and low winds (black vultures and caracaras), and those with high wing loading that are well adapted for soaring in strong updraughts and moderate to high winds (Andean condors). Spatial trends in meteorological factors seem to confine scavengers with high wing loading to the mountains where theyout-compete other birds; a trend that is borne out in worldwide distributions of the largest species. However, model predictions and carcass observations suggest that the competitive ability of these and other birds varies with meteorological conditions in areas where distributions overlap. This challenges the view that scavenging guilds are structured by fixed patterns of dominance and suggests that competitive ability varies across spatial and temporal scales, which may ultimately be a mechanism promoting diversity among aerial scavengers.Fil: Shepard, Emily L. C.. Swansea University; Reino UnidoFil: Lambertucci, Sergio Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentin

Overview on Radiolabel-Free in Vitro Assays for GPCRs

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent important targets for drug discovery because they participate in a wide range of cellular signalling pathways that play a role in a variety of pathological conditions. The characterization of the patho-physiological profile and functional roles of new receptors is highly dependent on the availability of potent and selective ligands and new screening assays. The study of the pharmacological profile of new chemical entities is very important in order to predict the activity of drugs and their clinical adverse effect in humans. In the last decade, a large number of new in vitro radiolabel-free assays were developed and relevant information on diseases was upgraded. In particular, radiolabel-free assays led significant easy to handle and safer tools for operators. The aim of this review is to analyze these assays in terms of new drug activity and toxicology prediction and translation of non-clinical findings to humans in order to provide a powerful tool to aid drug development

Simulation and comparative analysis of binding modes of nucleoside and non-nucleoside agonists at the A2B adenosine receptor

PURPOSE: A(2B) receptor agonists are studied as possible therapeutic tools for a variety of pathological conditions. Unfortunately, medicinal chemistry efforts have led to the development of a limited number of potent agonists of this receptor, in most cases with a low or no selectivity versus the other adenosine receptor subtypes. Among the developed molecules, two structural families of compounds have been identified based on nucleoside and non-nucleoside (pyridine) scaffolds. The aim of this work is to analyse the binding mode of these molecules at 3D models of the human A(2B) receptor to identify possible common interaction features and the key receptor residues involved in ligand interaction. METHODS: The A(2B) receptor models are built by using two recently published crystal structures of the human A(2A) receptor in complex with two different agonists. The developed models are used as targets for molecular docking studies of nucleoside and non-nucleoside agonists. The generated docking conformations are subjected to energy minimization and rescoring by using three different scoring functions. Further analysis of top-score conformations are performed with a tool evaluating the interaction energy between the ligand and the binding site residues. RESULTS: Results suggest a set of common interaction points between the two structural families of agonists and the receptor binding site, as evidenced by the superimposition of docking conformations and by analysis of interaction energy with the receptor residues. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results show that there is a conserved pattern of interaction between the A(2B) receptor and its agonists. These information and can provide useful data to support the design and the development of A(2B) receptor agonists belonging to nucleoside or non-nucleoside structural families. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-9616-1-24) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

The Role of Forecasting and Strategic Consensus in Improving S&OP Process Performance: The Dafram S.p.A. Case

openThe thesis investigates the role of forecasting and strategic consensus in enhancing the performance of the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process, with a specific focus on the case of Dafram S.p.A., a leading Italian valve manufacturer. Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis, the research aims to explore how effective demand forecasting and alignment of strategic priorities among various management levels contribute to improving S&OP outcomes. The first part of the study delves into the theoretical foundations of demand forecasting within the S&OP framework, discussing both qualitative and quantitative methods that enable companies to anticipate future market trends and customer demand. The emphasis is placed on how forecasting tools, if correctly integrated, can significantly enhance decision-making processes across departments, ultimately optimizing operational and strategic planning. The second part addresses the concept of strategic consensus, defined as the shared understanding of organizational goals across different management levels, and its critical importance in achieving alignment within the S&OP process. Using a quantitative approach, this section and the following one introduce the calculation of within-group strategic consensus through structured questionnaires distributed among Dafram’s management team. The results aim to quantify the degree of consensus and its impact on decision-making effectiveness. In the final part, the qualitative analysis focuses on Dafram S.p.A.'s current S&OP process and strategic alignment. The objective is to assess how well the company's strategic priorities are harmonized across different departments and to provide actionable recommendations for improving the integration between strategic goals and operational execution. The analysis includes suggestions for enhancing both forecasting accuracy and strategic alignment to further refine Dafram’s S&OP process and boost overall performance. To conclude, the combination of quantitative metrics and qualitative insights provides a comprehensive evaluation of how forecasting and strategic consensus can drive better operational outcomes and ensure long-term strategic success within the context of S&OP.The thesis investigates the role of forecasting and strategic consensus in enhancing the performance of the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process, with a specific focus on the case of Dafram S.p.A., a leading Italian valve manufacturer. Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis, the research aims to explore how effective demand forecasting and alignment of strategic priorities among various management levels contribute to improving S&OP outcomes. The first part of the study delves into the theoretical foundations of demand forecasting within the S&OP framework, discussing both qualitative and quantitative methods that enable companies to anticipate future market trends and customer demand. The emphasis is placed on how forecasting tools, if correctly integrated, can significantly enhance decision-making processes across departments, ultimately optimizing operational and strategic planning. The second part addresses the concept of strategic consensus, defined as the shared understanding of organizational goals across different management levels, and its critical importance in achieving alignment within the S&OP process. Using a quantitative approach, this section and the following one introduce the calculation of within-group strategic consensus through structured questionnaires distributed among Dafram’s management team. The results aim to quantify the degree of consensus and its impact on decision-making effectiveness. In the final part, the qualitative analysis focuses on Dafram S.p.A.'s current S&OP process and strategic alignment. The objective is to assess how well the company's strategic priorities are harmonized across different departments and to provide actionable recommendations for improving the integration between strategic goals and operational execution. The analysis includes suggestions for enhancing both forecasting accuracy and strategic alignment to further refine Dafram’s S&OP process and boost overall performance. To conclude, the combination of quantitative metrics and qualitative insights provides a comprehensive evaluation of how forecasting and strategic consensus can drive better operational outcomes and ensure long-term strategic success within the context of S&OP

Proteomic analysis of barley powdery mildew haustorial structures to identify candidates of host susceptibility.

The biotrophic fungal pathogen Blumeria graminis is responsible for powdery mildew infection in cereals. B. graminis haustoria are specialized feeding structures which form exclusively within the plant epidermis and are surrounded by a differentiated plant derived extra-haustorial membrane (EHM). While the EHM is required for successful invasion, little is known of its composition. Previous works showed that the relocation of plant proteins to EHM structures is key to infection. This study aimed to unravel EHM located proteins and validate these likely novel mediators of barley-powdery mildew susceptibility.To reach this goal, first differential proteomics approaches were undertaken to identify barley proteins associated with enriched haustoria, prepared from infected barley leaf or leaf epidermis. Then, a selection of proteins associated with infected epidermis or co-enriched in haustoria were evaluated using a transient gene-silencing approach. Two susceptibility genes were overexpressed in Nicotiana benthamiana and subsequently challenged with the biotrophic oomycete pathogen Peronospora hyoscyami f.sp. tabacina , in order to assess their potential cross-kingdom roles in susceptibility and relocation to haustoria structures.Several pathogenesis related proteins were more abundant in infected- compared to non-infected epidermis, including a Blumeria effector BEC1054 interactor thaumatin-like protein 5 (TLP5). Silencing TLP5 and its isoform TLP8 caused marked reduced powdery mildew infection suggesting that TLP5 and TLP8 modulates barley susceptibility. Two additional putative susceptibility proteins were identified as associated with the haustoria; the membrane Aquaporin PIP2;3 and Early nodulin like protein 9 (ENO9). Silencing of PIP2;3 and ENO9 led to reduced B. graminis infection. Preliminary data suggest that TLP5 overexpression of in N. benthamiana caused a small increase in Peronosopora infection. Moreover, overexpression of barley PIP2;3 yielded a similar yet insignificant trend, while silencing of the endogenous NbPIP2;3 had no impact on Peronospora infection.The data presented here suggest that the epidermis associated TLP5 and TLP8, as well as the haustoria associated PIP2;3 and ENO9, are required for virulence during barley infection with B. graminis. Their susceptibility role should be validated by the generation of stable deletion mutants in barley. Confirming these and other susceptibility protein localisation to the EHM will further demonstrate the pivotal role of haustoria in successful biotrophic interactions. In conclusion, characterisation of the EHM proteome remains a promising strategy to further understand host susceptibility mechanisms

The Length and Flexibility of the 2-Substituent of 9-Ethyladenine Derivatives Modulate Affinity and Selectivity for the Human A2A Adenosine Receptor

The A2A adenosine receptor (A2A AR) is a key target for the development of pharmacological tools for the treatment of central nervous system disorders. Previous works have demonstrated that the insertion of substituents at various positions on adenine leads to A2A AR antagonists with affinity in the micromolar to nanomolar range. In this work, a series of 9-ethyladenine derivatives bearing phenylalkylamino, phenylakyloxy or phenylakylthio groups of different lengths at the 2-position were synthesised and tested against the human adenosine receptors. The derivatives showed sub-micromolar affinity for these membrane proteins. The further introduction of a bromine atom at the 8-position has the effect of improving the affinity and selectivity for all ARs and led to compounds that are able bind to the A2A AR subtype at low nanomolar levels. Functional studies confirmed that the new adenine derivatives behave as A2A AR antagonists with half-maximal inhibitory concentration values in the nanomolar range. Molecular modelling studies provide a description of the possible binding mode of these compounds at the A2A AR and an interpretation of the affinity data at this AR subtype