New floristic data of alien vascular plants from Sicily

New records of Commelina communis, Euphorbia hypericifolia, Melia azedarach, Nicotiana tabacum, and Xanthoceras sorbifolium are reported for the Sicilian flora

Tsallis Ensemble as an Exact Orthode

We show that Tsallis ensemble of power-law distributions provides a mechanical model of nonextensive equilibrium thermodynamics for small interacting Hamiltonian systems, i.e., using Boltzmann's original nomenclature, we prove that it is an exact orthode. This means that the heat differential admits the inverse average kinetic energy as an integrating factor. One immediate consequence is that the logarithm of the normalization function can be identified with the entropy, instead of the q-deformed logarithm. It has been noted that such entropy coincides with Renyi entropy rather than Tsallis entropy, it is non-additive, tends to the standard canonical entropy as the power index tends to infinity and is consistent with the free energy formula proposed in [S. Abe et. al. Phys. Lett. A 281, 126 (2001)]. It is also shown that the heat differential admits the Lagrange multiplier used in non-extensive thermodynamics as an integrating factor too, and that the associated entropy is given by ordinary nonextensive entropy. The mechanical approach proposed in this work is fully consistent with an information-theoretic approach based on the maximization of Renyi entropy.Comment: 5 pages. Added connection with Renyi entrop

Life forms, life strategies and ecological indices of bryophytes for bioindication in wood areas: a case of study in the "Bosco della Ficuzza, Rocca Busambra, Bosco del Cappelliere e Gorgo del Drago\u201d Oriented Nature Reserve (West Sicily).

Life forms, life strategies and ecological indices of bryophytes which live in evergreen and deciduous Quercus woods as well as in a Pinus halepensis artificial system within the "Bosco della Ficuzza, Rocca Busambra, Bosco del Cappelliere e Gorgo del Drago" Oriented Nature Reserve are analysed and compared. The study highlights that in the same local climatic conditions the Quercus and Pinus trees select different bio-ecological types in the bryophyte communities. They appear to be especially useful to detect physionomic-structural differences in the woods, integrating the information provided by the ecological indice

Oncogenic senescence: a multi-functional perspective.

Cellular senescence is defined as an irreversible growth arrest with the acquisition of a distinctive secretome. The growth arrest is a potent anticancer mechanism whereas the secretome facilitates wound healing, tissue repair, and development. The senescence response has also become increasingly recognized as an important contributor to aging and age-related diseases, including cancer. Although oncogenic mutations are capable of inducing a beneficial senescence response that prevents the growth of premalignant cells and promotes cancer immune-surveillance, the secretome of senescent cells also includes factors with pro-tumorigenic properties. On June 23rd and 24th, 2016, the Division of Cancer Biology of the National Cancer Institute sponsored a workshop to discuss the complex role of cellular senescence in tumorigenesis with the goal to define the major challenges and opportunities within this important field of cancer research. Additionally, it was noted how the development of novel tools and technologies are required to accelerate research into a mechanistic understanding of senescent cells in carcinogenesis in order to overcome the current limitations in this exciting, yet ill-defined area

Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis and Quantum Jarzynski Relation for Pure Initial States

Since the first suggestion of the Jarzynski equality many derivations of this equality have been presented in both, the classical and the quantum context. While the approaches and settings greatly differ from one to another, they all appear to rely on the initial state being a thermal Gibbs state. Here, we present an investigation of work distributions in driven isolated quantum systems, starting off from pure states that are close to energy eigenstates of the initial Hamiltonian. We find that, for the nonintegrable system in quest, the Jarzynski equality is fulfilled to good accuracy.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

Carbon Intensity of Passenger Transport Modes: A Review of Emission Factors, Their Variability and the Main Drivers

The transport sector is responsible for a significant amount of global carbon emissions, and several policies are being implemented at different levels to reduce its impact. To properly assess the effectiveness of planned measures, analysts often rely on average emission factors for different transport modes. However, average values often hide significant variability that stems from factors along the entire supply chain of transport modes. This review presents a comprehensive overview of research on this topic, comparing emission factors for different passenger transport modes and discussing the main drivers and parameters that affect their variability. The results are useful for researchers and policymakers to properly understand the reliability of carbon intensity indicators when evaluating the impact and effectiveness of sustainable transport policies

New interesting moss records from the Pollino National Park (Southern Italy).

Some interesting moss records in Pollino National Park, noteworthy protected area of the southern Apennines, are reported. Among them, Mnium spinosum and Brachythecium tommasinii are new to southern Italian peninsula, Grimmia laevigata, G. Montana, G. tergestina, G. trichophylla and Orthotrichum pumilum are new to Basilicata region, and, finally, Campylidium sommerfeltii is rare in southern Italy and little known in Mediterranean area

New interesting moss records from the Pollino National Park (Southern Italy).

Some interesting moss records in Pollino National Park, noteworthy protected area of the southern Apennines, are reported. Among them, Mnium spinosum and Brachythecium tommasinii are new to southern Italian peninsula, Grimmia laevigata, G. Montana, G. tergestina, G. trichophylla and Orthotrichum pumilum are new to Basilicata region, and, finally, Campylidium sommerfeltii is rare in southern Italy and little known in Mediterranean area