La democracia des-mediada. Corrupción y democracia en la modernidad

Este trabalho de teoria política toma a problemática da corrupção (entendida não só no sentido de “propina”, mas também no sentido mais abrangente de desatenção do mandato político) como eixo para disparar uma rediscussão do debate entre o liberalismo e o republicanismo, aqui encarnados nos federalistas e antifederalistas americanos. A partir de aí, se desenvolvem algumas hipóteses sobre como a diminuição de instancias de mediação pode servir para pelo menos conter a corrupção nos Estados moderno

A propósito de Alfredo Raúl Pucciarelli (coord.), Los Años de Alfonsín ¿El poder de la democracia o la democracia del poder?

Reseña crítica del libro de Alfredo Raúl Pucciarelli (coord.), Los Años de Alfonsín ¿El poder de la democracia o la democracia del poder

Post-eruption morphological evolution and vegetation dynamics of the Blanco River, southern Chile

In this study, we analysed the morphological evolution of a channel segment in the Blanco River in southern Chile that was affected by the Chaitén Volcano eruption occurred in 2008–2009. Through a series of high-resolution satellite images from 2005 to 2019 that represents the entire pre- and post-eruptive dynamics and land covers, we tracked the geomorphological evolution of a 5.65-km-long river segment using channel form indices and also monitored the vegetation dynamics using object-based image analysis (OBIA). Discharge record for the Blanco River was also reconstructed to support the analysis of channel morphologic process. The study aims at examining whether a) the river channel is still adjusting 10 years after the eruption and if so, at what magnitude and, b) the recovered riparian vegetation plays a significant role in stabilising the river streambanks and terraces. We found that even 10 years after the eruption, the Blanco River channel planform is still adjusting, showing a simpler and stable channel configuration in the upstream reaches of the valley, where a certain degree of equilibrium appears to have been attained. More dynamic morphologies were observed in the reaches downstream that have to accommodate the arrival of large amounts of freshly eroded sediments. Our analysis showed that the occurrence of competent floods capable of reworking the river channel matches with the geomorphic indices and mark the post-eruption adjustments of the channel. Finally, the in-channel and riparian vegetation does not play a significant role in stabilising the active channel, streambanks, and terraces, reinforcing the recolonization of sedimentary active areas occurring elsewhere in the valley.This research was developed within the frame of the project FONDECYT 1170413 funded by the Chilean Government. Authors acknowledge the support of the Economy and Knowledge Department of the Catalan Government through the Fluvial Dynamics Research Group (RIUS) SGR017-459

Legacy of wood charcoal production on subalpine forest structure and species composition

Land-use legacy on forest dynamics at both stand and landscape scale can last for centuries, affecting forest structure and species composition. We aimed to disentangle the history of the charcoal production legacies that historically shaped Mont Avic Natural Park (Aosta Valley, Italy) forests by integrating LiDAR, GIS, anthracological, and field data at the landscape scale. We adopted different geostatistical tools to relate geographic layers from various data sources. The overexploitation due to intensive charcoal production to fuel mining activities shaped the current forests by homogenising their structure and species composition into dense and young stands with a reduction in late seral species such as Norway spruce (Picea abies) and an increase in pioneer species such as Mountain pine (Pinus uncinata). The multidisciplinary and multi-scale framework adopted in this study stresses the role of historical landscape ecology in evaluating ecosystem resilience to past anthropogenic disturbances. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-022-01750-y

High-performance versatile setup for simultaneous Brillouin-Raman micro-spectroscopy

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from American Physical Society via the DOI in this record.Brillouin and Raman scattering spectroscopy are established techniques for the nondestructive contactless and label-free readout of mechanical, chemical and structural properties of condensed matter. Brillouin-Raman investigations currently require separate measurements and a site-matched approach to obtain complementary information from a sample. Here we demonstrate a new concept of fully scanning multimodal micro-spectroscopy for simultaneous detection of Brillouin and Raman light scattering in an exceptionally wide spectral range, from fractions of GHz to hundreds of THz. It yields an unprecedented 150 dB contrast, which is especially important for the analysis of opaque or turbid media such as biomedical samples, and spatial resolution on a sub-cellular scale. We report the first applications of this new multimodal method to a range of systems, from a single cell to the fast reaction kinetics of a curing process, and the mechano-chemical mapping of highly scattering biological samples.S. Corezzi acknowledges financial support from MIUR-PRIN (Project No. 2012J8X57P). S. Caponi acknowledges support from PAT (Provincia Autonoma di Trento) (GP/PAT/2012) “Grandi Progetti 2012” Project “MaDEleNA.” P. S., A. M., M. P. acknowledge financial support from Centro Nazionale Trapianti (Project: “Studio di cellule per uso clinico umano, con particolare riferimento a modelli cellulari (liposomi) e linee cellulari in interazione con crioconservanti e con materiali biocompatibili”). L. C. and S. Caponi acknowledge financial support from Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche-Istituto Officina dei Materiali. F. P. acnowledges support from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Grant No. EP/M028739/1 (F. P.)). The authors acknowledge Jacopo Scarponi for valuable help in setting up the hardware and software system for simultaneous Raman and BLS measurements

Effect of DMSO on the mechanical and structural properties of model and biological membranes

This is the final version. Available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordDimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is widely used in a number of biological and biotechnological applications, mainly because of its effects on the cell plasma membrane, but the molecular origins of this action are yet to be fully clarified. In this work, we used two- and three-component synthetic membranes (liposomes) and the plasma membrane of human erythrocytes to investigate the effect of DMSO when added to the membrane-solvating environment. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal fluctuation spectroscopy revealed significant differences in the response of the two types of liposome systems to DMSO in terms of the bilayer thermotropic behavior, available free volume of the bilayer, its excess surface area, and bending elasticity. DMSO also alters the mechanical properties of the erythrocyte membrane in a concentration-dependent manner and is capable of increasing membrane permeability to ATP at even relatively low concentrations (3% v/v and above). Taken in its entirety, these results show that DMSO is likely to have a differential effect on heterogeneous biological membranes, depending on their local composition and structure, and could affect membrane-hosted biological functions.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC

Insight into Elderly ALS Patients in the Emilia Romagna Region: Epidemiological and Clinical Features of Late-Onset ALS in a Prospective, Population-Based Study

Few studies have focused on elderly (>80 years) amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, who represent a fragile subgroup generally not included in clinical trials and often neglected because they are more difficult to diagnose and manage. We analyzed the clinical and genetic features of very late-onset ALS patients through a prospective, population-based study in the Emilia Romagna Region of Italy. From 2009 to 2019, 222 (13.76%) out of 1613 patients in incident cases were over 80 years old at diagnosis, with a female predominance (F:M = 1.18). Elderly ALS patients represented 12.02% of patients before 2015 and 15.91% from 2015 onwards (p = 0.024). This group presented with bulbar onset in 38.29% of cases and had worse clinical conditions at diagnosis compared to younger patients, with a lower average BMI (23.12 vs. 24.57 Kg/m2), a higher progression rate (1.43 vs. 0.95 points/month), and a shorter length of survival (a median of 20.77 vs. 36 months). For this subgroup, genetic analyses have seldom been carried out (25% vs. 39.11%) and are generally negative. Finally, elderly patients underwent less frequent nutritional- and respiratory-supporting procedures, and multidisciplinary teams were less involved at follow-up, except for specialist palliative care. The genotypic and phenotypic features of elderly ALS patients could help identify the different environmental and genetic risk factors that determine the age at which disease onset occurs. Since multidisciplinary management can improve a patient’s prognosis, it should be more extensively applied to this fragile group of patients