Demographic shocks: the view from history

The paper will basically deal with four issues. The first one puts current changes or shifts into a historical comparative perspective. The second deals with "traditional" shocks or violent disturbances of the system and their consequences. The third discusses the "seismic" changes experienced in the past, attempts their measurement, and exemplifies their effects on population and society. The fourth deals with the relevance that past experience has for current changes.Demography ; Economic conditions

The Depopulation of Hispanic America after the Conquest

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The Depopulation of Upper Amazonia in Colonial Times

In Upper Amazonia, after an initial disastrous penetration of Spanish colonists, the Jesuits began the task of evangelization in 1638. A network of Missions covered the territory and some statistics were collected. The indigenous demographic system was characterized by high mobility and high fragmentation of the various communities, as well as rapid turnover of the missions' population. The Iberian intrusion increased the fragmentation, and many nations migrated away from the riverine areas (várzea) into the rainforest, with less favorable living conditions. This process may have pushed a number of communities under the threshold of minimum size for viability, thus accelerating the demographic collapse.En el Alto Amazonas, después de la desastrosa penetración inicial de los colonos españoles, los jesuitas empezaron la tarea de evangelización en 1638. Una red de misiones cubrió todo el territorio y se recogieron estadísticas. El sistema demográfico indígena se caracterizó por su alta movilidad y la gran fragmentación de algunas comunidades, además de por la rápida rotación de la población de las misiones. La intrusión ibérica aumentó esta fragmentación y muchas naciones migraron fuera de las zonas ribereñas (várzea) hacia la selva, donde las condiciones de vida eran menos favorables. Puede que este proceso empujara a muchas comunidades por debajo del umbral mínimo de la viabilidad y acelerase el colapso demográfico

Las múltiples causas de la catástrofe: consideraciones teóricas y empíricas

The aim of this article is to contribute to the analysis of the indigenous population decline, namely the weight, role and function of every one of the causes that originated it. It is argued that the attention given to epidemies and pathologies has entailed a simplification that may seriously distort the historical interpretation of the demographic catastrophe, and that other contributing factors must be analyzed. Special attention is given to two of these factors which weigh on reproductivity and, therefore, on the capacity of reaction to crisis and mortality, namely the «displacement effect» and the «substraction effect» –social displacement and taking away of the reproductive heritage.El objetivo de este estudio es contribuir a la difícil labor de analizar el peso, el papel y la función de cada una de las causas que originaron el declive demográfico de los pueblos indígenas. La importancia que se ha dado a las epidemias y patologías en el descenso de la población ha llevado a una simplificación que puede distorsionar gravemente la interpretación histórica de la catástrofe demográfica. Junto a las epidemias, deben analizarse otros factores que contribuyeron al descenso de dicha población. Dos de ellos merecen una especial atención, ya que afectan a la reproductividad y por consiguiente, a la capacidad de reacción frente a las crisis y a los episodios de mayor mortalidad; nos referimos al «efecto de desplazamiento» y al «efecto de sustracción», desplazamiento social y sustracción del patrimonio reproductivo

Guardando al futuro. La questione dei 4 miliardi

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Performance assessment and LCA of a PCM-based coating for residential buildings of the north-west Mediterranean region

The paper focuses on the thermo-economic and life cycle assessment of three different Phase-Change Materials (PCM) for use in residential buildings on the North-West Italian coast. For the purpose of this work, we considered the climatic conditions of the city of Genoa, Italy, and used publicly available weather data from year 2020. We numerically assessed three PCMs against conventional thermal insulating materials, on three different flat wall geometries, using a one-dimensional heat transfer model, implemented in MATLAB. The most relevant characteristic of PCMs is their phase transition condition. Our model is based on the assumption that PCMs transition occur in a specific temperature range, and this yields to an instantaneous increase of their specific heat. Subsequently, based on a 25-year PCM life cycle assumption, we carried out a thermo-economic analysis based on the Net Present Value (NVP) index, a life cycle assessment (LCA) and a carbon dioxide (CO2) saving estimation. Linear regression was used to predict the future economic and environmental scenarios. Simulation results showed that PCM performance is not as high as expected when benchmarked against a conventional insulating material. Specifically, PCMs do not reduce winter thermal demand and CO2 emissions over their life cycle are twice those of the classical insulator taken as a reference. We then numerically evaluated their performance in a warmer climate, corresponding to a South Mediterranean region, and under these conditions PCMs outperformed against conventional insulators, thus justifying their current higher cost

Potential role of Hepatozoon canis in a fatal systemic disease in a puppy

Canine hepatozoonosis caused by Hepatozoon canis is an emerging disease in Europe. Clinical pictures vary from subclinical to life-threatening and non-specific clinical signs are predominantly reported. A 2-month-old female puppy originating from Southern Italy was adopted and moved to Northern Italy. Then, the dog was brought to a local veterinary practice for gastrointestinal signs, migrating lameness and pruritic dermatitis, and then tested positive for Hepatozoon spp. gamonts at the blood smear. After treatment with imidocarb dipropionate and doxycycline, the dog showed an initial clinical improvement. However, gastrointestinal signs recurred, and diffuse superficial pyoderma appeared on the thoracolumbar region, along with fever, lethargy, and weight loss. Eight months from the first onset of clinical signs, the dog was referred to a veterinary clinic and subjected to complete blood count, urine and fecal analysis, along with abdominal ultrasonography, whole-body CT and gastroduodenal endoscopy. Skin biopsies and blood samples were subjected to a PCR-coupled sequencing protocol, which scored both positive for H. canis. Alterations were consistent with a pre-existing cholangiohepatitis and multiple acquired extrahepatic shunts secondary to portal hypertension. The dog was euthanatized due to a clinical worsening two months later. The potential role of H. canis in the systemic disease observed, clinic-pathological findings and epizootiological implications are discusse