A Step Change in Wild Boar Management in Tuscany Region, Central Italy

In this chapter, reducing the high-density populations of wild boars in an Italian’s Tuscany region is addressed as a measure of controlling crop damage and road accidents. The issue is usually tackled from a technical and rarely sociological point of view, making the proposed and implemented solutions less effective. The results presented in these chapter highlight the importance of awareness of the social context when the technical choices are applied. The management of ungulates creates economic interests that oppose changes that shift the economic balance, even when the actions taken are for the benefit of the entire community’. In the previous decades, the wild boar populations have increased considerably in Italy in the Tuscany region. As a consequence of this phenomenon, damage to crops and road accidents has increased. In 2016, the Tuscany region enacted a law to change the management of ungulates by promoting individualism in unsustainable harvest rate areas, allowing shooting wild boar with stalking and selling the meat and maintaining a corporate approach in sustainable harvest rate areas. In three years of enforcing the law, damage to crops and road accidents have decreased significantly and meet supply chain has started. On the other hand, a strong reaction against this Law by wild boar drive hunters emerged. The region is, consequently, faced with an emblematic case where political intervention in future is inevitable in order to mediate between long-term results and short-term consensus

Morfologia social e contextualização topográfica: a micro-história de Edoardo Grendi

Il saggio prende in considerazione il ruolo di Edoardo Grendi nella teorizzazione della proposta microstorica italiana, generalmente sconosciuto o sottostimato nel panorama accademico sudamericano

Progetto per la nuova piscina comunale di Altopascio con particolare attenzione ai fenomeni di condensazione superficiale e interstiziale

Progetto per la nuova piscina comunale di Altopascio con particolare attenzione ai fenomeni di condensazione superficiale e interstizial

Effect of aging on behavioural and physiological responses to a stressful stimulus in horses (Equus caballus)

In humans the expression of emotions varies with aging, but for domestic animals we have little information on this subject. Our aim was to verify the influence of aging (life experience) on the expression of emotions in horses (Equus caballus) in reaction to a stressful stimulus. A total of 98 horses were subjected to the sudden inflation of a balloon in a familiar environment for a period of 5 min, on the assumption that this would induce a negative state. When the balloon was inflated, heart rate variability as an indicator of stress response was monitored. Behaviour related to emotional expression (latency of onset, frequency and length of looking and exploration, frequency of avoidance) was also monitored. The younger horses showed a significantly higher frequency of avoidance as well as greater exploratory activity, while the older subjects were less behaviourally responsive and showed a shift toward control by the sympathetic nervous system, as indicated by lower heart rate variability. The results suggest that aging influences the behaviour and physiology of emotional expression to stressful stimuli in horses. Knowing the effect of aging on stress response could be a critical factor in understanding equine welfare and the development of behavioural patterns

Study of the virucidal effect on Human Adenovirus type 5 of polysaccharides extracted from Arthrospira platensis and Dunaliella salina

The current epidemiological scenario has so far focused on the environmental circulation of human viral pathogens. In this context, there is an increasing need for knowledge on the use of virucidal compounds, especially of natural origin. Polysaccharides secreted from Arthrospira platensis and Dunaliella salina exhibits antimicrobial activity, suggesting an effect on viral infectivity. To deep evaluate this possible effect, a series of experimental tests were carried out using Human Adenovirus serotype 5 (HAdV5), which is representative of waterborne viruses. Firstly, polysaccharides were extracted from microalgae coltures by standardized method. Arthrospira platensis polysaccharides were extracted by Lye method, deproteinized with papain and purified by trichloracetic acid (TCA). Dunaliella salina exopolysaccharides were concentrated with heat and cold methanol, dialyzed for 48 hours, purified by TCA and lyophilized. The concentration of 0.2 mg/ml, resulted no toxic for A549 cell cultures, was choosen for tests with HAdV. Two different viral concentrations were used with extracted molecules and the viral abatement was calculated by the estimation of HAdV infectious titer (TCID50/ml) after a specific contact time (15 mins). HAdV5 was shown to be sensitive to polysaccharides basing on the initial titer of the virus. These results could be an important starting point for further research aimed at improving the characterization and the quantification of these microalgae polysaccharides activity under different experimental conditions and against other viruses

A proteomic approach to study parathyroid glands

Parathyroid tumours are heterogeneous and in some cases the diagnosis may be difficult using histological features. In this study we used a two-dimensional electrophoresis (2D)/mass spectrometry (MS)-based approach to examine the global changes of parathyroid adenoma tissues protein profile compared to the parathyroid normal tissues. Validation of protein expression was performed by immunoblotting using specific antibodies. Ingenuity software was used to identify the biological processes to which these proteins belong and to construct a potential network. A total of 30 proteins were found to be differentially expressed, of which 22 resulted in being over-expressed. Proteins identified by 2D/MS/MS proteomics were classified into functional categories and a major change (>= 2-fold) in terms of expression was found in proteins involved in response to biotic stimuli, cell organization and signal transduction. After Ingenuity analysis, 14-3-3 zeta/delta appears to be a key protein in the network of parathyroid adenoma, where it is linked to other proteins such as annexin A2, B box and SPRY domain-containing protein (BSPRY), p53 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Our results suggest that the proteomic approach was able to differentiate the protein profiles of normal parathyroid and parathyroid adenoma and identify a panel of proteins which are differentially expressed. The functional role of these proteins in the network of intracellular pathways is discussed

«Vogliatemi bene»: lettere di Matilde Serao a Gabriele d’Annunzio

L’esperienza di scrittura di Adele Cambria si è legata al femminismo italiano a partire dalla partecipazione al gruppo romano di Rivolta femminile nel 1970. "Dopo Didone" uscì nel 1973, anno in cui dirigeva «EFFE»; farà parte della redazione di «Quotidiano donna» (1981) e quindi di «Minerva: l’altra metà dell’informazione» (dal 1986) e «Noi Donne» (anni ’80-’90). Questo contributo intende evidenziare la pienezza del suo pensiero nel segno di un giornalismo d’impegno.Adele Cambria’s experience of writing was connected to Italian Feminist Movement thanks to her participation to Rivolta femminile in 1970. "Dopo Didone" was published in 1973, while she was «EFFE»’s editor; then she took part in the editorial board of «Quotidiano donna» (1981) and later in that of «Minerva: l’altra metà dell’informazione» (from 1986) and «Noi Donne» (80s and 90s). This contribution aims to highlight the fullness of her thought in her dedicated work