The alien vascular flora of Linosa (Pelagie Islands, Strait of Sicily): update and management proposals

This paper provides an up-to-date overview of the naturalized alien plants of Linosa (Pelagie Archipelago, Sicily), which includes 83 taxa and accounts for 29 % of the total island's flora. Among these plants, 6 are invasive, 49 are naturalized and 28 are casual. With respect to previous available data, our field investigations resulted in the addition of 31 new xenophytes (21 casual and 10 fully naturalized). One of these species is new to the whole European territory (Kleinia anteuphorbia), 6 of them are new to Sicily and 11 are recorded for the first time on circum-Sicilian islets. For each alien plant, we indicate the habitat where the naturalization has been observed by using the codes proposed by Natura 2000 and Corine Biotopes habitat classification. We also provide a list of 159 alien plants that are cultivated in Linosa, but currently not naturalized, in order to underline the key role played by horticulture and gardening in the introduction of exotic species. In order to address this phenomenon and its huge impact on the integrity of both the natural and the traditional rural landscape, several actions are proposed that aim at preventing, controlling and monitoring both the ongoing and the potential invasion processes

Il trattamento conservativo precoce nella Camptodattilia = Camptodactyly : early nonoperative treatment

Scopo: Approfondimento delle classificazioni e dei protocolli conservativi utilizzati dalle unit\ue0 operative di chirurgia della mano e pubblicati negli ultimi 15 anni. Confronto con la classificazione ed il protocollo utilizzati nel nostro reparto. Materiali e metodi: Si sono analizzati i protocolli conservativi pubblicati e si \ue8 poi descritto il nostro protocollo attraverso l\u2019analisi di tre casi attualmente in trattamento. Risultati: Si \ue8 evidenziata una disomogeneit\ue0 nella classificazione delle camptodattilie e nell\u2019utilizzo dei tutori, sia per tipologia che per modalit\ue0 di utilizzo. Il nostro reparto si avvale della classificazione di Foucher per determinare la scelta del tipo di tutore. Conclusioni: Anche se la tipologia di tutore non \ue8 sempre la stessa, tutti gli autori concordano che, nella maggioranza delle camptodattilie sia importante cominciare con l\u2019approccio conservativo. Nel nostro reparto vengono confezionati tutori statici o dinamici in base al tipo di camptodattilia e viene monitorato costantemente l\u2019andamento tramite misurazioni goniometriche, con ottimi risultati.Purpose: To analyse the classifications and the conservative protocols used by hand surgery operative\u2019s units and published in the last 15 years. To draw a comparison between those classifications and protocols and the ones used in our unit. Material and Methods: The published conservative treatments have been analysed and then our protocol has been described through the analysis of three cases currently treated in our division. Results: It has been highlighted that camptodactyly classifications are not homogeneous. Moreover, in conservative treatment, different typology and posology of splints have been adopted. Our unit uses the Foucher\u2019s classification to define the type of splint that it is necessary. Conclusions: Despite the authors choose different types of splint, they agree that in the most cases of camptodactily the initial approach is conservative. In our unit static and dynamic splints are made directly on the patient\u2019s hand and they are monitored with goniometrical measurements, obtaining great results

Compuestos y reacciones quimicas naturales como motivadores del aprendizaje

Uno de los componentes importantes en el proceso de aprendizaje, se relaciona con la fuerte motivación intrínseca que el estudiante muestra hacia los contenidos que debe incorporar. Mas allá de los intereses propios de los alumnos es posible aportar, desde los materiales didácticos con los cuales se trabaja en el aula, información, imágenes, e inquietudes que, al relacionarse con temas aplicados de su entorno natural conduzcan a un aumento en la atención, como modo de mejorar la comprensión, retención y posterior uso activo de los conocimientos adquiridos (Teoría Uno, Perkins, 1995). En esta propuesta el aprendizaje de la escritura de fórmulas y ecuaciones químicas, con todos sus componentes asociados se presenta como material didáctico que describe compuestos y reacciones químicas observables en el entorno natural circundante del alumno

Ancient Migratory Events in the Middle East: New Clues from the Y-Chromosome Variation of Modern Iranians

Knowledge of high resolution Y-chromosome haplogroup diversification within Iran provides important geographic context regarding the spread and compartmentalization of male lineages in the Middle East and southwestern Asia. At present, the Iranian population is characterized by an extraordinary mix of different ethnic groups speaking a variety of Indo-Iranian, Semitic and Turkic languages. Despite these features, only few studies have investigated the multiethnic components of the Iranian gene pool. In this survey 938 Iranian male DNAs belonging to 15 ethnic groups from 14 Iranian provinces were analyzed for 84 Y-chromosome biallelic markers and 10 STRs. The results show an autochthonous but non-homogeneous ancient background mainly composed by J2a sub-clades with different external contributions. The phylogeography of the main haplogroups allowed identifying post-glacial and Neolithic expansions toward western Eurasia but also recent movements towards the Iranian region from western Eurasia (R1b-L23), Central Asia (Q-M25), Asia Minor (J2a-M92) and southern Mesopotamia (J1-Page08). In spite of the presence of important geographic barriers (Zagros and Alborz mountain ranges, and the Dasht-e Kavir and Dash-e Lut deserts) which may have limited gene flow, AMOVA analysis revealed that language, in addition to geography, has played an important role in shaping the nowadays Iranian gene pool. Overall, this study provides a portrait of the Y-chromosomal variation in Iran, useful for depicting a more comprehensive history of the peoples of this area as well as for reconstructing ancient migration routes. In addition, our results evidence the important role of the Iranian plateau as source and recipient of gene flow between culturally and genetically distinct population

Spatio-Temporal Characteristics of Global Warming in the Tibetan Plateau during the Last 50 Years Based on a Generalised Temperature Zone - Elevation Model

Temperature is one of the primary factors influencing the climate and ecosystem, and examining its change and fluctuation could elucidate the formation of novel climate patterns and trends. In this study, we constructed a generalised temperature zone elevation model (GTEM) to assess the trends of climate change and temporal-spatial differences in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) using the annual and monthly mean temperatures from 1961-2010 at 144 meteorological stations in and near the TP. The results showed the following: (1) The TP has undergone robust warming over the study period, and the warming rate was 0.318°C/decade. The warming has accelerated during recent decades, especially in the last 20 years, and the warming has been most significant in the winter months, followed by the spring, autumn and summer seasons. (2) Spatially, the zones that became significantly smaller were the temperature zones of -6°C and -4°C, and these have decreased 499.44 and 454.26 thousand sq km from 1961 to 2010 at average rates of 25.1% and 11.7%, respectively, over every 5-year interval. These quickly shrinking zones were located in the northwestern and central TP. (3) The elevation dependency of climate warming existed in the TP during 1961-2010, but this tendency has gradually been weakening due to more rapid warming at lower elevations than in the middle and upper elevations of the TP during 1991-2010. The higher regions and some low altitude valleys of the TP were the most significantly warming regions under the same categorizing criteria. Experimental evidence shows that the GTEM is an effective method to analyse climate changes in high altitude mountainous regions

Disposable sensors in diagnostics, food and environmental monitoring

Disposable sensors are low‐cost and easy‐to‐use sensing devices intended for short‐term or rapid single‐point measurements. The growing demand for fast, accessible, and reliable information in a vastly connected world makes disposable sensors increasingly important. The areas of application for such devices are numerous, ranging from pharmaceutical, agricultural, environmental, forensic, and food sciences to wearables and clinical diagnostics, especially in resource‐limited settings. The capabilities of disposable sensors can extend beyond measuring traditional physical quantities (for example, temperature or pressure); they can provide critical chemical and biological information (chemo‐ and biosensors) that can be digitized and made available to users and centralized/decentralized facilities for data storage, remotely. These features could pave the way for new classes of low‐cost systems for health, food, and environmental monitoring that can democratize sensing across the globe. Here, a brief insight into the materials and basics of sensors (methods of transduction, molecular recognition, and amplification) is provided followed by a comprehensive and critical overview of the disposable sensors currently used for medical diagnostics, food, and environmental analysis. Finally, views on how the field of disposable sensing devices will continue its evolution are discussed, including the future trends, challenges, and opportunities

Genetic architecture of human plasma lipidome and its link to cardiovascular disease

Understanding genetic architecture of plasma lipidome could provide better insights into lipid metabolism and its link to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Here, we perform genome-wide association analyses of 141 lipid species (n = 2,181 individuals), followed by phenome-wide scans with 25 CVD related phenotypes (n = 511,700 individuals). We identify 35 lipid-species-associated loci (P <5 x10(-8)), 10 of which associate with CVD risk including five new loci-COL5A1, GLTPD2, SPTLC3, MBOAT7 and GALNT16 (false discovery rate<0.05). We identify loci for lipid species that are shown to predict CVD e.g., SPTLC3 for CER(d18:1/24:1). We show that lipoprotein lipase (LPL) may more efficiently hydrolyze medium length triacylglycerides (TAGs) than others. Polyunsaturated lipids have highest heritability and genetic correlations, suggesting considerable genetic regulation at fatty acids levels. We find low genetic correlations between traditional lipids and lipid species. Our results show that lipidomic profiles capture information beyond traditional lipids and identify genetic variants modifying lipid levels and risk of CVD