Does circular economy mitigate the extraction of natural resources? Empirical evidence based on analysis of 28 European economies over the past decade

Moving towards a circular economy (CE) has become one of the main strategic initiatives on a global scale in the search for sustainable economic systems. However, the conceptual relationship between sustainable development and the circular economy is a matter of ongoing debate. In particular, the extent to which CE initiatives are contributing to the mitigation of resource extraction seems to be a still unclear topic. This paper investigates the relationship between the extraction of natural resources and the CE, and also analyses the effects of critical socioeconomic drivers such as economic and population growth and economic structures. The analysis is based on a panel data covering 28 European countries during the period 2010–2019. Results confirm that promoting a shift towards more circular economic systems can reduce the extraction of primary resources. However, the mitigating effect of CE initiatives remains rather marginal when compared to the impact of economic growth. Namely, estimates show that the primary resources extracted annually linked to economic growth are roughly four times the resources saved by CE initiatives. The findings provide evidence that the circularity of economic systems should be approached from a systemic perspective that includes both production and consumption as well as waste management. In particular, complementary measures addressing behavioural consumption are needed if we want to achieve a sustainable development

Regional monitoring frameworks for the circular economy: implications from a territorial perspective

Progress in implementing circular solutions in European regions has so far been limited. This is partly due to the multifaceted territorial contexts characterizing the continent. Ultimately, the understanding of territorial dynamics is key to envisage a successful transition to a circular economy (CE). However, CE discussion from a regional standpoint is still limited and CE frameworks that can be applied to monitor and measure the CE potential in a specific territory remain at a rather theoretical level. This paper contributes to this research gap by (1) presenting a regional monitoring framework across three case studies; (2) analysing the respective territorial patterns from a CE perspective. The three case studies include the central cross-border Scandinavian area, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and the Duchy of Luxembourg. The results reveal that circular initiatives are generally designed on the basis of available local resources and, depending on these, regional strategies seek to optimize the technical and/or biological cycles of local economies. Furthermore, the increasing levels of waste generation observed in all case studies challenge traditional waste policy approaches, generally centred on end-of-life management, in favour of more ambitious initiatives aimed at optimizing use of resources and preventing waste.This work received funding from the ESPON 2020 Cooperation Programme within the framework of the initiative to support young researchers and dissemination of ESPON results among the scientific community

Splenic extramedullary hematopoiesis in dogs is frequently detected on multiphase multidetector‐row CT as hypervascular nodules

Extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) is the formation and development of blood cells outside the bone marrow, and in dogs it frequently occurs in the spleen. Although splenic EMH is a relatively common condition, data regarding its appearance in veterinary medicine are lacking. Our aim was to describe different multidetector computed tomographic (MDCT) features of splenic EMH in dogs. In this descriptive retrospective study, dogs with cytological diagnosis of splenic EMH and three-phase MDCT study of the abdomen were included. Multi-detector CT findings recorded were splenomegaly, appearance of the parenchyma, and mean attenuation of the spleen and lesions. Out of 89 dogs included, 55 (62%) presented multifocal nodular aspect, 14 (16%) mass, 12 (13%) diffuse heterogeneous parenchyma, and eight (9%) normal spleen. Most lesions were hyperattenuating to the parenchyma in the arterial (57/89, 64%) and portal (59/89, 66%) phases; whereas in the interstitial phase only 40 of 89 (45%) were hyperattenuating. The mean attenuations of the lesions were higher compared to the values of the adjacent spleen, and the difference of the mean attenuation between the hyperattenuating lesions and the parenchyma was significantly higher in arterial and portal phases than in interstitial phase (P < .0001). The most frequent MDCT aspect of splenic extramedullary hematopoiesis consists of multiple nodules hyperattenuating to the normal spleen, best visualized in the arterial and portal phases

Shipping and Air Quality in Italian Port Cities: State-of-the-Art Analysis of Available Results of Estimated Impacts

Populated coastal areas are exposed to emissions from harbour-related activities (ship traffic, loading/unloading, and internal vehicular traffic), posing public health issues and environmental pressures on climate. Due to the strategic geographical position of Italy and the high number of ports along coastlines, an increasing concern about maritime emissions from Italian harbours has been made explicit in the EU and IMO (International Maritime Organization, London, UK) agenda, also supporting the inclusion in a potential Mediterranean emission control area (MedECA). This work reviews the main available outcomes concerning shipping (and harbours') contributions to local air quality, particularly in terms of concentration of particulate matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants (mainly nitrogen and sulphur oxides), in the main Italian hubs. Maritime emissions from literature and disaggregated emission inventories are discussed. Furthermore, estimated impacts to air quality, obtained with dispersion and receptor modeling approaches, which are the most commonly applied methodologies, are discussed. Results show a certain variability that suggests the necessity of harmonization among methods and input data in order to compare results. The analysis gives a picture of the effects of this pollution source, which could be useful for implementing effective mitigation strategies at a national level

Social environment and attitudes toward COVID-19 anti-contagious measures: an explorative study from Italy

Social and cultural aspects (i.e., political decision making, discourses in the public sphere, and people’s mindsets) played a crucial role in the ways people responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Framed with the Semiotic-Cultural Psychological Theory (SCPT), the present work aims to explore how individual ways of making sense of their social environment affected individuals’ perception of government measures aimed at managing the pandemic and the adherence to such measures. An online survey was administered from January to April 2021 to the Italian population. Retrieved questionnaires (N = 378) were analyzed through a Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) to detect the factorial dimensions underpinning (dis)similarities in the respondents’ ways of interpreting their social environment. Extracted factors were interpreted as markers of Latent Dimensions of Sense (LDSs) organizing respondents’ worldviews. Finally, three regression models tested the role of LDSs in supporting the individual satisfaction with the measures adopted to contain the social contagion defined at national level, individual adherence to the containment measures and the perception of the population’s adherence to them. Results highlight that all the three measures are associated with a negative view of the social environment characterized by a lack of confidence in public institutions (health system, government), public roles and other people. Findings are discussed on the one hand to shed light on the role of deep-rooted cultural views in defining personal evaluations of government measures and adherence capacity. On the other hand, we suggest that taking into account people’s meaning-making can guide public health officials and policy makers to comprehend what favors or hinders adaptive responses to emergencies or social crises

Use of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography for the characterization of tumor thrombi in seven dogs

Some neoplasia-such as adrenal and thyroid glands tumors-have been associated with "tumor thrombi" both in humans and dogs. The detection and characterization of these venous tumor thrombi is important for both surgical planning and prognosis. In human medicine, contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) is considered an accurate diagnostic technique for differentiating malignant from benign portal vein thrombosis in hepatocellular carcinomas. Data regarding the characteristics of tumor thrombi in dogs are currently lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of CEUS for the characterization of malignant venous thrombosis in dogs. On the basis of our results, CEUS appeared to be useful in the detection of malignant intravascular invasion; contrast uptake of the thrombus was present in all cases. In addition, CEUS may clearly detect newly formed vessels within the thrombus, and arterial-phase enhancement and washout in the venous phase were the main features in malignant thrombosis in our dogs. As CEUS is an easy to perform, noninvasive technique, its application in the detection of malignant thrombosis in dogs may be used to improve the diagnosis in oncological canine patients. Tumors of adrenal and thyroid glands have been associated with vascular invasions-so-called tumor thrombi, both in humans and dogs. The detection and characterization of venous thrombi is an important diagnostic step in patients with primary tumors for both surgical planning and prognosis. The aim of this study was to describe the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) for the characterization of tumor thrombi. Dogs with tumor thrombus who underwent bi-dimensional ultrasound (B-mode US) and CEUS were included. Seven dogs were enrolled in this retrospective case series. On B-mode US, all thrombi were visualized, and vascular distension and thrombus-tumor continuity were seen in three and two cases, respectively. On color Doppler examination, all thrombi were identified, seemed non-occlusive and only two presented vascularity. On CEUS, arterial-phase enhancement and washout in the venous phase were observed in all cases. Non-enhancing areas were identified in the tumor thrombi most likely representing non-vascularized tissue that could potentially be embolized in the lungs after fragmentation of the tumor thrombi. On the basis of these preliminary study, CEUS appeared to be useful for the characterization of malignant intravascular invasion

The Promotoer, a brain-computer interface-assisted intervention to promote upper limb functional motor recovery after stroke: a statistical analysis plan for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Electroencephalography (EEG)-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) allow to modulate the sensorimotor rhythms and are emerging technologies for promoting post-stroke motor function recovery. The Promotoer study aims to assess the short and long-term efficacy of the Promotoer system, an EEG-based BCI assisting motor imagery (MI) practice, in enhancing post-stroke functional hand motor recovery. This paper details the statistical analysis plan of the Promotoer study. Methods: The Promotoer study is a randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded, single-centre, superiority trial, with two parallel groups and a 1:1 allocation ratio. Subacute stroke patients are randomized to EEG-based BCI-assisted MI training or to MI training alone (i.e. no BCI). An internal pilot study for sample size re-assessment is planned. The primary outcome is the effectiveness of the Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment (UE-FMA) score. Secondary outcomes include clinical, functional, and user experience scores assessed at the end of intervention and at follow-up. Neurophysiological assessments are also planned. Effectiveness formulas have been specified, and intention-to-treat and per-protocol populations have been defined. Statistical methods for comparisons of groups and for development of a predictive score of significant improvement are described. Explorative subgroup analyses and methodology to handle missing data are considered. Discussion: The Promotoer study will provide robust evidence for the short/long-term efficacy of the Promotoer system in subacute stroke patients undergoing a rehabilitation program. Moreover, the development of a predictive score of response will allow transferring of the Promotoer system to optimal clinical practice. By carefully describing the statistical principles and procedures, the statistical analysis plan provides transparency in the analysis of data. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04353297 . Registered on April 15, 2020

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of RGD–Cryptophycin Conjugates for Targeted Drug Delivery

Borbély AN, Figueras Agustí E, Martins A, et al. Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of RGD–Cryptophycin Conjugates for Targeted Drug Delivery. Pharmaceutics. 2019;11(4): 151.Cryptophycins are potent tubulin polymerization inhibitors with picomolar antiproliferative potency in vitro and activity against multidrug-resistant (MDR) cancer cells. Because of neurotoxic side effects and limited efficacy in vivo, cryptophycin-52 failed as a clinical candidate in cancer treatment. However, this class of compounds has emerged as attractive payloads for tumor-targeting applications. In this study, cryptophycin was conjugated to the cyclopeptide c(RGDfK), targeting integrin αvβ3, across the protease-cleavable Val-Cit linker and two different self-immolative spacers. Plasma metabolic stability studies in vitro showed that our selected payload displays an improved stability compared to the parent compound, while the stability of the conjugates is strongly influenced by the self-immolative moiety. Cathepsin B cleavage assays revealed that modifications in the linker lead to different drug release profiles. Antiproliferative effects of Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)–cryptophycin conjugates were evaluated on M21 and M21-L human melanoma cell lines. The low nanomolar in vitro activity of the novel conjugates was associated with inferior selectivity for cell lines with different integrin αvβ3 expression levels. To elucidate the drug delivery process, cryptophycin was replaced by an infrared dye and the obtained conjugates were studied by confocal microscop

Ventral tegmental area disconnection contributes two years early to correctly classify patients converted to Alzheimer's Disease: implications for treatment

Background: Recent cross-sectional studies highlighted the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) as an early pathophysiological event in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Objective: In this study, we longitudinally investigated by resting-state fMRI (RS-fMRI) a cohort of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD to evaluate the impact of VTA disconnection in predicting the conversion to AD. Methods: a cohort of 35 patients with MCI due to AD were recruited and followed-up for 24 months. They underwent cognitive evaluation and RS-fMRI to assess VTA connectivity at baseline and at follow-up. Results: At 24-month follow-up, 16 out of 35 patients converted to AD. Although converters and non-converters to AD did not differ in demographic and behavioral characteristics at baseline, the first group showed a significant reduction of VTA-driven connectivity in the posterior cingulate and precentral cortex. This pattern of additional disconnection in MCI-converters compared to non-converters remained substantially unchanged at 24-month follow-up. Discussion: This study reinforces the hypothesis of an early contribution of dopaminergic dysfunction to AD evolution by targeting the default-mode network. These results have potential implications for AD staging and prognosis and support new opportunities for therapeutic interventions to slow down disease progressio