EOCENE, OLIGOCENE AND MIOCENE NATICID GASTROPODS OF NORTHERN ITALY

The present paper covers 77 species and six subspecies of naticid gastropods occurring in the Eocene, Oligocene and Miocene units of Northern Italy; all are described and commented on in the systematic account. Forty-two taxa are identified as formerly described ones; of these, 16 are associated with a generic name different from the previous one, and four are ranked at a different taxonomic level. Twenty-four taxa are proposed as new and the rest likely represent undescribed species, but more, better preserved material is required in order to establish their identity and to name them. Of the 83 taxa considered, 17 are assigned to the genus Cochlis Röding, 1798, one belongs in Cryptonatica Dall, 1892, another belongs in Tanea Marwick, 1931, 11 are members of the genus Tectonatica Sacco, 1890, three are included in Ampullonatica Sacco, 1890, one belongs in Eunaticina Fischer, 1885, 20 are assigned to Euspira Agassiz in J. Sowerby, 1837, three belong in Neverita Risso, 1826, five belong in Payraudeautia Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus,1883, two agree with the characters of Pliconacca Cossmann & Martin in Martin, 1914, four are members of Polinices Montfort, 1810, two belong in Sigatica Meyer & Aldrich, 1886, four belong in Sigaretotrerma Sacco, 1890, and nine have the characters of the genus Sinum Röding, 1798. All genera are discussed in terms of type species designation, distinctive characters and subfamilial affiliation (when different from the current one).  The character analysis has shown that the measurable elements of the protoconch along with its microsculpture (if any) are diagnostic in many species of all subfamilies. The features of the outer surface of the calcareous operculum proved to be diagnostic in the Pliocene and Recent naticine species. In the present case, the operculum of only four Cochlis species is known, readily differentiating them from one another. The umbilical characters, i.e. umbilicus width and presence/absence and strength of inner spiral structures, proved to be of variable utility in identifying species. The inner umbilical characters are never species-diagnostic in the case of the naticine taxa, particularly those of Cochlis. The inner structures, primarily presence/absence, number and strength of cordlets or threads on the umbilical bottom, are more effective in distinguishing poliniceine taxa. The umbilical callus can be used diagnostically for a limited number of naticine and poliniceine taxa. The exterior sculpture of the teleoconch (absent in the naticine and in most poliniceine taxa) is well developed in all the sinine species. In the case of Sigaretotrema and Sinum, the sculptural characters proved to be relevant in species recognition. The color pattern is diagnostic in most of the taxa in which this character is preserved. The shell morphology and the apertural characters are relevant only in a few cases. In the absence of diagnostic elements, a combination of all characters can help in recognizing species

Designing hybridization: alternative education strategies for fostering innovation in communication design for the territory

Within the broad context of design studies, Communication Design for the Territory stands as a hybrid discipline constantly interfacing with other fields of knowledge. It assumes the territorial theme as its specific dimension, aiming to generate communication systems capable of reading the stratifications of places. From an educational perspective, teaching activities are closely linked to research and can take on different levels of complexity: from the various forms of cartographic translation to the design of sophisticated transmedia digital systems. In the wake of COVID-19, this discipline has come to terms with a profoundly changed scenario in terms of limited access to the physical space and the emergence of new technologies for remote access. In this unique context, we propose a pedagogical strategy that focuses on the hybridization of communication artifacts with the aim of fostering design experimentation. As a creative tool, hybridization leads to the design of innovative systems by strategically combining the characteristics of different artifacts to achieve specific communication goals. By experimenting with these creative strategies, students are led to critically reflect on existing communication artifacts’ features and explore original designs that deliberately combine different media, contents, and communication languages in innovative ways. Through hybridization, the methods for territorial knowledge production appear more effective, effectively combining the skills and knowledge embodied in multiple subject areas. The paper presents the experience developed in the teaching laboratories of the DCxT (Communication Design for the Territory) research group of the Design Department of Politecnico di Milano. The teaching experience highlights how hybridization strategies can increase the effectiveness in learning about territorial specificities, in acquiring critical knowledge about communication systems, and in developing innovation strategies that allow to influence the evolution of traditional communication models

Past, present and future of the ecosystem services provided by cetacean carcasses

This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness and EU ERDF funds through the projects CGL2015-66966-C2-1-2-R and CGL2017-89905-R. M.M. was supported by a research contract Ramon y Cajal from the MINECO (RYC-2015-19231) , and A.CA. by a contract Juan de la Cierva Incorporacion (IJCI-2014-20744; Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain) and a PostDoc contract Programa Vicent Mut of Govern Balear, Spain (PD/039/2017) . NS was supported by the Bekker programme of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) . Acknowledgements of specific institutions and people sharing their valuable strandings database is in Table B3.Ecosystem services associated with cetacean strandings have been altered by humans through exploitation of wild populations during the whaling era and more recently by regulations on carcass management and disposal to abide by environmental health requirements. Here, we systematically review the scientific literature and gather data on cetacean strandings worldwide to: 1) identify the ecosystem services provided by stranded cetacean carcasses in the past and present; 2) estimate the density of cetacean strandings currently occurring in selected coastal areas around the globe, and analyse its association with human population density and regulations; and 3) identify and discuss the regulations and methods concerned with whale carcass disposal in specific regions of the world. Our literature review revealed that stranded cetacean carcasses have provided a rich and varied array of provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting ecosystem services to ancient and modern civilisations worldwide. Also, we found that the current density of stranded carcasses (mean: 0.090 strandings . year(-1). km(-1); range: 0.001-0.978) and the disposal methods widely varied across the studied regions and countries. In addition, neither human population density nor the existence of regulations were good predictors of stranding densities. Finally, we provide recommendations for the future management of stranded cetacean carcasses, by identifying those disposal methods that minimize costs and maximize ecosystem functions and services. In particular, we encourage natural decomposition in situ whenever possible; otherwise, the present coastal management strategies could be improved by including zoning, seasonal use limitation and educational outreach depending upon the local scenario. Overall, further socio-ecological research is strongly needed to guide stranded cetacean carcass management towards enhancing the net benefits that humans and ecosystems gain from carcasses, especially considering that coastal areas become more populated, new disposal regulations are approved, and cetacean populations are recovering - and thus strandings may become more frequent.Spanish Government EU ERDF funds CGL2015-66966-C2-1-2-R CGL2017-89905-Rresearch contract Ramon y Cajal from the MINECO RYC-2015-19231 contract Juan de la Cierva Incorporacion (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain) IJCI-2014-20744PostDoc contract Programa Vicent Mut of Govern Balear, Spain PD/039/2017Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA

Sessualità e stomia: indagine conoscitiva presso l'ambulatorio stomizzati dell'ulss 1 di Belluno e approcci assistenziali.

Problema principale: la sessualità è un aspetto fondamentale della persona umana. Se da un lato è intesa come atto finalizzato alla riproduzione, dall’altro è correlata allo sviluppo di comportamenti e di modelli sociali e di relazioni che si sono evoluti nella società. Quando si parla di “sessualità” si fa quindi riferimento agli aspetti psicologici, sociali e culturali del comportamento sessuale dell’essere umano. L’ipotesi centrale che viene discussa in questa tesi è che la sfera sessuale subisca importanti alterazioni quando il paziente affronta uno stato di malattia che comporta il confezionamento di una stomia. Il paziente che deve convivere con un mutato aspetto del proprio corpo temporaneo o permanente, deve quindi essere educato per la gestione della sua sessualità e al mantenimento delle relazioni con le persone in particolare verso coloro che da un punto di vista affettivo sono a lui maggiormente vicini. L’infermiere quindi che prende in carico il paziente deve disporre di adeguate competenze per indagare e affrontare gli aspetti di natura sessuale, psicologica e relazionale conseguenti allo stato di malattia. Obiettivo: l’obiettivo principale della tesi è quello di indagare le modifiche sulla vita sessuale e le problematiche di una stomia, che sia essa temporanea o permanente e di correlarle con le informazioni che vengono fornite ai pazienti da parte del personale sanitario dei diversi reparti riguardo al tema della sessualità. Se si tratta di una stomia temporanea, la persona dovrà superare innanzitutto il problema della malattia fisica; in un secondo momento avrà modo di saper gestire autonomamente i propri presidi stomali (placche, sacca). Per quei pazienti che invece si ritrovano ad avere una stomia permanente, le problematiche vanno proiettate anche nel lungo periodo. A livello psicologico la persona dovrà riprendere pian piano le normali attività di vita quotidiana, tra le quali rientra anche l’attività sessuale con il partner. In particolare lo studio condotto ha cercato di mettere in luce le figure professionali che maggiormente hanno trattato l’argomento con il paziente. Inoltre si è voluto conoscere anche quanto incideva la sfera sessuale sulle singole persone. Infine, l’indagine condotta mirava a conoscere le modalità e le problematiche più rilevanti che insorgono quando l’infermiere affronta temi legati alla sfera sessuale con i pazienti in generale e non solamente con pazienti portatori di stomia. Infine, con riferimento alla realtà del bellunese, la tesi si è posta l’obiettivo di ottimizzare la gestione dell’ambulatorio stomizzati per poter garantire una migliore assistenza al paziente portatore di stomia. Materiali e metodi: per poter compiere il mio lavoro di tesi, ho redatto 2 questionari rivolti al personale infermieristico e ai pazienti portatori di stomia (intestinale o urinaria), all’interno dell’U.O. di Chirurgia e Urologia dell’ospedale San Martino di Belluno. I pazienti coinvolti nell’indagine conoscitiva del fenomeno preso in considerazione sono 49, di cui 28 uomini e 21 donne. Gli infermieri che hanno risposto sono 43 persone, facenti parte dei reparti sopra citati. Risultati emersi: dai risultati dei questionari è emerso che le persone portatrici di stomia hanno avuto, nel colloquio pre – operatorio prima e nel periodo riabilitativo poi, la possibilità di affrontare l’argomento riguardante la sessualità e del modo in cui questa poteva subire dei cambiamenti dopo l’intervento. Inoltre si evince che il personale parla di questo argomento con i propri pazienti, ma urge la necessità di poter approfondire l’argomento, così da poter colmare in modo ancor migliore le esigenze di coloro che sono chiamati ad assistere. Conclusioni: dai dati emersi nell’indagine condotta in questa tesi emerge come il tema della sessualità sia delicato da trattare sia per i pazienti che per gli infermieri. Si impone quindi la necessità di dover affrontare tale argomento e le problematiche ad esso connesse in maniera che sia il più semplice e chiara possibile da parte del personale infermieristico. il personale sanitario infermieristico dimostra la volontà e il desiderio di formazione per intraprendere un percorso di conoscenza che possa aiutarlo a rispondere in maniera efficace alle esigenze del paziente. Si evidenzia anche come nella realtà del bellunese sia solo l’infermiere stomaterapista ad occuparsi del percorso di cura dall’inizio, fino alla fase di riabilitazione del paziente. Sulla base dei dati raccolti si propone di intraprendere un percorso gestionale dell’ambulatorio stomizzati diverso dall’organizzazione attuale centrato solamente su un’unica figura professionale, quella dell’infermiere specializzato stomaterapista, il quale segue l’iter riabilitativo del paziente nei mesi successivi all’intervento. L’ottimizzazione del servizio richiede la creazione di un gruppo di professionisti formati e ben organizzati che possano gestire indipendentemente le attività di ambulatorio. La figura dell’infermiere specializzato stomaterapista dovrà essere il punto cardine del gruppo di lavoro. L’infermiere stomaterapista avrà inoltre la possibilità di essere affiancato a rotazione da infermieri che sono stati preventivamente formati dall’ente, cosicché altro personale infermieristico partecipi alla gestione dell’ambulatorio. Il lavoro ambulatoriale dovrà essere organizzato in modo che i pazienti possano incontrare il personale medico per rispondere alle esigenze squisitamente medico – chirurgiche. Inoltre, risulterà importante nella realtà bellunese intraprendere una maggiore collaborazione con l’Associazione Stomizzati, in modo tale innanzitutto che i pazienti possano sentirsi parte di un gruppo in cui anche altre persone condividono le stesse esperienze di vita senza essere messi in disparte o abbandonati a sé stessi. Inoltre l’Associazione permette ai pazienti di poter esprimere liberamente durante gli incontri le proprie esperienze di vita ed i propri dubbi e perplessità nella gestione del stomia e nella convivenza con questo presidio. Avendo quindi già dei punti di partenza su cui trattare, perché espressi durante gli incontri dell’Associazione, si può permettere al paziente di arrivare all’appuntamento ambulatoriale più tranquillo e consapevole che c’è qualcuno che lo può aiutare; dall’altra parte il personale infermieristico collaborando con l’Associazione può avere un quadro più generale del proprio operato e apportare le opportune modifiche, in modo tale che la gestione del paziente stomizzato sia ottimale e garantisca un qualità di vita buona.ope

Communication design for health. Territorial and digital networks

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic emergency, there has been renewed interest in issues related to health, prevention and community well-being. Health communication and the promotion of disease prevention now require a theoretical and design approach that first and foremost requires the identification of appropriate tools to enhance ‘intersectorality’, ‘collaboration’ and ‘outreach’ among the different areas of expertise of the well-being and healthcare actors involved in the territory. The aim is to strengthen the process of community ‘empowerment’. This study investigates the communicative strategies suitable for enhancing the physical, virtual and digital relationships among the active presences in the territory, choosing those capable of mediating needs, promoting well-being and building a dialogue between citizens and health facilities, thus finally creating a ‘territorial health network’

The role of marine mammal carrion in the ecology of coastal systems

Carrion represents an important energy resource in the natural world, yet its ecological significance has often been overlooked. It also plays a crucial role facilitating energy transfer across trophic levels and between ecosystems. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the role of marine mammal carrion in the ecology of coastal systems, investigating one of the most commonly occurring sources of marine mammal carrion in the UK, the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus). This was addressed by providing first a detailed documentation of the fate of a grey seal pup carcass with insights on the scavenging ecology existing in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. On the shore, great black-backed gulls (Larus marinus), juvenile gulls and ravens (Corvus corax) fed on the carcass showing a distinct temporal succession using the food resource. The underwater carcass was initially dominated by Echinodermata (starfish), whose abundance dropped lately, while Malacostraca (crabs) were present in similar number during the whole monitoring. Bacterial activity was evident in both experiments. Predictability of seal carrion was then defined during the pupping season at one of the largest colonies in the UK, the Isle of May (Scotland). Data collected by aerial survey (11 years) and ground visual census (3 years) were used to estimate the inter-annual variability of carrion, from placentae and dead seals, according to its timing, biomass and energy released and spatial distribution on the island. For all measures considered, variability was below 34%, similarly to other resources, such as salmon runs, which appear to be predicted by consumers. Twenty one percent of the total biomass from dead seals was consumed at the end of the pupping season suggesting a clear response from the scavenging community to the presence of the resource carrion. The predictable nature of seal carrion was then tested exploring the spatial and temporal distribution of scavenging gulls at three geographical scales (regional, local and patch scales). The great black-backed gull was affected by carrion availability occurring on the Isle of May, while the herring gull (Larus argentatus) was not. In particular, the number of adult and juvenile great black-backed gulls feeding was directly correlated with carrion abundance, while searching behaviour was greatest after the mean seal pupping date and at the peak in mortality. The behavioural dynamics of scavengers were finally explored monitoring the feeding activity on pup carcasses and placentae of adult and juvenile great black-backed gulls. It was predicted that under conditions of predictable and abundant carrion an equal scavenging effort would be found for the two age classes when consuming carcasses. Hierarchical dominance was, instead, expected during scavenging activity on placenta as it represents a preferred energy-rich food item. Temporal trends of scavenging activity and time spent feeding on carcasses were in fact similar between the two, while young individuals spent more time feeding on placenta, highlighting the importance of this food source for juvenile gulls during winter. The house mouse was also found to scavenge on seal carrion, which until now has been undocumented. This study demonstrates the importance of marine mammal carrion as a resource for multiple facultative scavenger species in both the marine and terrestrial environment

Cartographic Interfaces for Hybrid Spaces: Communication Design in the Spatial turn.

Marco Quaggiotto Research Fellow Politecnico di Milano Italy [email protected] Giovanni Baule Full Professor Politecnico di Milano Italy [email protected] The paradigm brought by the Spatial turn and its merging of material and immaterial spaces in a new hybrid space, together with the widespread use of geolocalisation, establishes a deep connection between everyday actions and their immediate and constant geo-spatial positioning. In this context, Communication Design is required to provide access to a hybrid territory that mixes physical locations with the immaterial qualities of context and information. Maps, as interfaces to the spatial dimension, provide tools to represent, narrate, access and act on the complexity of the territory. As narratives, maps are able to address the complexity of space providing shared abstractions and virtual spaces of interpretation. As tools, maps build synthetic spaces for action, which allow manipulating virtual territories that merge real and abstract qualities for specific purposes. As containers, maps reveal accumulations of hidden resources, making implicit contents readable. In a scenario in which digital tools drive design actions toward the design of representation processes, the need is that to supply methods and tools capable of managing narrative and instrumental components of cultural artefacts. Digital cartography, from a Design perspective, is not only about portraying the complexity of space, but also about designing interfaces to provide access to hybrid spaces

Wearable proximity sensors for monitoring a mass casualty incident exercise: a feasibility study

Over the past several decades, naturally occurring and man-made mass casualty incidents (MCI) have increased in frequency and number, worldwide. To test the impact of such event on medical resources, simulations can provide a safe, controlled setting while replicating the chaotic environment typical of an actual disaster. A standardised method to collect and analyse data from mass casualty exercises is needed, in order to assess preparedness and performance of the healthcare staff involved. We report on the use of wearable proximity sensors to measure proximity events during a MCI simulation. We investigated the interactions between medical staff and patients, to evaluate the time dedicated by the medical staff with respect to the severity of the injury of the victims depending on the roles. We estimated the presence of the patients in the different spaces of the field hospital, in order to study the patients' flow. Data were obtained and collected through the deployment of wearable proximity sensors during a mass casualty incident functional exercise. The scenario included two areas: the accident site and the Advanced Medical Post (AMP), and the exercise lasted 3 hours. A total of 238 participants simulating medical staff and victims were involved. Each participant wore a proximity sensor and 30 fixed devices were placed in the field hospital. The contact networks show a heterogeneous distribution of the cumulative time spent in proximity by participants. We obtained contact matrices based on cumulative time spent in proximity between victims and the rescuers. Our results showed that the time spent in proximity by the healthcare teams with the victims is related to the severity of the patient's injury. The analysis of patients' flow showed that the presence of patients in the rooms of the hospital is consistent with triage code and diagnosis, and no obvious bottlenecks were found

Seal carrion is a predictable resource for coastal ecosystems

The timing, magnitude, and spatial distribution of resource inputs can have large effects on dependent organisms. Few studies have examined the predictability of such resources and no standard ecological measure of predictability exists. We examined the potential predictability of carrion resources provided by one of the UK's largest grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) colonies, on the Isle of May, Scotland. We used aerial (11 years) and ground surveys (3 years) to quantify the variability in time, space, quantity (kg), and quality (MJ) of seal carrion during the seal pupping season. We then compared the potential predictability of seal carrion to other periodic changes in food availability in nature. An average of 6893 kg of carrion ∙yr−1 corresponding to 110.5 × 103 MJ yr−1 was released for potential scavengers as placentae and dead animals. A fifth of the total biomass from dead seals was consumed by the end of the pupping season, mostly by avian scavengers. The spatial distribution of carcasses was similar across years, and 28% of the area containing >10 carcasses ha−1 was shared among all years. Relative standard errors (RSE) in space, time, quantity, and quality of carrion were all below 34%. This is similar to other allochthonous-dependent ecosystems, such as those affected by migratory salmon, and indicates high predictability of seal carrion as a resource. Our study illustrates how to quantify predictability in carrion, which is of general relevance to ecosystems that are dependent on this resource. We also highlight the importance of carrion to marine coastal ecosystems, where it sustains avian scavengers thus affecting ecosystem structure and function. © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton" is provided in this record*

Validation of a new method to estimate energy use for space heating and hot water production from low-resolution heat meter data

One of the initiatives to reach the European decarbonization goal is the roll-out of smart heating meters in the building stock. However, these meters often record the total energy usage with only hourly resolution, without distinguishing between space heating (SH) and domestic hot water (DHW) production. To tackle this limitation, this paper presents the validation of a new methodology to estimate the SH and DHW from total measurements in different building types in three countries (Denmark, Switzerland, and Italy). The method employs a combined smoothing algorithm with a support vector regression (SVR) to estimate the different heating uses. The estimation results are compared with the different countries’ DHW compliance calculations. The comparison showed that the compliance calculations outperformed this method by considering the validation dataset characteristics