186 research outputs found
Probing the Debye spectrum in glasses using small system sizes
The work aims to show that small system sizes in numerical simulations turns out to be useful for investigating the Debye spectrum in glasses
Progetto per una chiave interattiva per l’identificazione delle libellule italiane
La Società Italiana per lo Studio e la Conservazione delle Libellule (ODONATA.IT) ha tra i
suoi scopi quello di promuovere lo studio odonatologico di base e applicativo, di
promuovere la diffusione delle conoscenze sull'argomento e di adoperarsi alla loro
divulgazione. Nel 2014 pubblica l’Atlante delle libellule italiane, volume che rappresenta la
prima mappatura delle specie di libellule in Italia e che offre un quadro aggiornato e reale
della conoscenza sulla composizione e la distribuzione degli odonati in Italia. Dall'ottobre
dello stesso anno poi, aderisce alla piattaforma Ornitho.it per la raccolta dati sul territorio
nazionale. Il processo di segnalazione prevede una fase di verifica e validazione dei dati
da parte di esperti che, grazie alla possibilità da parte del segnalatore di poter allegare
immagini, vengono facilitati nello svolgimento del loro compito. Infatti, con l'apertura a un
pubblico anche di meno esperti alla raccolta dei dati, la possibilità di ricevere informazioni
inesatte è sempre dietro l'angolo. Quindi se da un lato la piattaforma Ornitho.it apre
enormi possibilità sul piano del monitoraggio, della raccolta di informazioni e della loro
divulgazione, dall'altro diventa anche una possibile fonte di dati erronei. Per questo motivo
si è resa da subito evidente la necessità di formare o poter fornire strumenti che aiutino un
pubblico anche meno esperto, ma comunque estremamente appassionato, nella
determinazione delle libellule osservate. Si è pensato perciò di creare una chiave
dicotomica che aiuti e faciliti il grande pubblico nell'identificazione degli adulti di libellula
italiani. La chiave sarà costruita attraverso la struttura del progetto KeyToNature,
appongiandosi alla versione italiana Dryades. KeyToNature è un progetto europeo,
coordinato dall'Università di Trieste e finanziato dalla Commissione Europea nell'ambito
del Programma eContentplus, centrato sullo sviluppo di strumenti innovativi per
l'identificazione degli organismi e sulla loro introduzione nel mondo della scuola, dalle
elementari all'università. Il sito web di Dryades permette l'accesso a guide interattive per
l'identificazione di piante funghi e animali, ad archivi iconografici e a diverse banche dati
sulla biodiversità dell'Italia. Oltre a essere un perfetto strumento da affiancare alla
piattaforma Ornitho.it sarà anche una grande opportunità di sensibilizzazione e diffusione
delle conoscenze sul mondo delle Libellule. Per la realizzazione del progetto sarà chiesto
il coinvolgimento di tutti i soci di ODONATA.IT per il reperimento della parte iconografica,
fondamentale per lo sviluppo e la realizzazione della chiave e per la fase di test, che
servirà ad affinare e a migliorare il prodotto in modo tale che sia di facile utilizzo e
comprensione sin da subito
Nuova stazione di Utricularia sp. (Lentibulariaceae) per il Modenese
The presence of Utricularia sp. was observed in a pond during a survey in some small water bodies in the Modena Apennines (Italy). This ecosystem was sampled and observed in order to apply the IBEM index, which allows judging the quality of these habitats on the basis of their biodiversity. A specific taxonomic determination was not possible because of the lack of the flower on the individuals; nevertheless, some features led to U. australis. However, it was decided to report the new finding since all species of the genus Utricularia have become quite rare in Italy
Invasive alien species of European Union concern: the use of a faunistic database for the knowledge and future management at a local scale
A research group of the Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia,
with the contribution of the Province of Modena and the Emilia-Romagna Region, implemented a
faunistic database named Darwin. The database gathers information chiefly on the vertebrate fauna
of the province of Modena (Northern Italy). To date, over 20,000 historical and recent records have
been collected, regarding 535 vertebrate species and 7 invertebrates (Bivalvia and Crustacea) of
high managing interest. Darwin allows to register the modification of the local fauna, with regards
to the most problematic taxa and especially to the allochthonous species, which are mainly
organisms living in the lowlands that became invasive at different levels. Some of these assumed
the role of key species in a variety of ecosystems (e.g., Pseudorasbora parva), some threaten
certain autochthonous species already at risk (e.g., Trachemys scripta and Procambarus clarkii),
others give rise to economic issues (e.g., Myocastor coypus), whilst the remaining ones have
progressively lost their invasivity, becoming rare or sporadic (e.g., Ameiurus melas and Lepomis
gibbosus). The database represents a strongly effective tool for the basic knowledge functional to
the actions deriving from the European Regulation 2014/1143, regarding the recent “List of invasive
alien species of Union concern” (EU 2016/1141). Overall, Darwin collects information on the local
distribution of 32 invasive allochthonous species, 7 of which of Union concern, namely: Lithobates
catesbeianus, Myocastor coypus, Procambarus clarkii, Pseudorasbora parva, Trachemys scripta,
Threskiornis aethiopicus, and Oxyura jamaicensis. The first four species are established within the
province, while T. scripta is diffused but not definitively confirmed as breeding, T. aethiopicus is
present but not breeding, and O. jamaicensis is observed only occasionally. Thanks to the database
the autochthonous species of EU interest comprised in the national IUCN Red list and their
competitors could be brought into focus. For instance, we revealed the presence of merely 8 local
populations of Emys orbicularis, threatened by the wide distribution of T. scripta, which is reported
from over 20 sites within Modena’s territory. Furthermore, we found Austropotamobius pallipes at
122 mid-elevation sites (100-1100 m a.s.l.), whilst its direct competitor P. clarkii, currently
expanding to the foothills, was recorded from 101 locations from 10 to 100 m a.s.l. These
preliminary results highlight the necessity of control plans towards the two alien species, which
could be developed on the basis of the already available distribution patterns.
Our research group aims at the constant implementation of the database by adding information from
ongoing and forthcoming studies on species of major interest. The existing data, presently used in
various control plans, will pave the way to more specific investigations on the invasive alien fauna
and increase the effectiveness of future managing actions
Probing the non-Debye low frequency excitations in glasses through random pinning
We investigate the properties of the low-frequency spectrum in the density of
states of a three-dimensional model glass former. To magnify the
Non-Debye sector of the spectrum, we introduce a random pinning field that
freezes a finite particle fraction in order to break the translational
invariance and shifts all the vibrational frequencies of the extended modes
towards higher frequencies. We show that Non-Debye soft localized modes
progressively emerge as the fraction of pinned particles increases.
Moreover, the low-frequency tail of goes to zero as a power law
, with and
above a threshold fraction .Comment: 4 Figures, submitted to PNA
Status quo of knowledges on Italian high altitude lacustrine macroinvertebrates
High altitude lakes and their fauna are one of the most threatened and less investigated
ecosystems in Italy. Alpine lakes are highly influenced by climate harshness and by air
pollution, and because of their small dimensions are extremely vulnerable to global climate
warming. Italy, in addition to the Alps, hosts another mountain range: the Apennines,
reaching in some cases comparable altitudes, and therefore subject to the same risks.
Moreover, the gentler slope of the Apennines makes them extremely vulnerable even to
direct human impacts. In the present work, for the first time, high altitude lakes belonging
to the Alps and to the Apennines are compared to highlight which meteo-climatic or
chemical characteristics could be considered key drivers for their macroinvertebrate
structure. The study area was explicitly focused on natural lakes placed above 1300 m of
altitude and above the 44\ub0 parallel, thus in the alpine area and subject to a continental
climate. 25 lakes were chosen (19 in the central-western Alps and 6 in the Modenese
Apennines) with surface areas lower than 1 km2 and with maximum depths lower than 15
m. Physico-chemical parameters and macroinvertebrates were studied and compared.
Samples were taken through the use of a hand-net (250 \u3bcm mesh size) along the littorals
on different substrates following standardised methodologies during the richer-fauna
season to allow an easier identification of species. Parallel to that, water samples were
collected and analysed. Species richness and the Taxonomic Distinctness Indices were
applied to underline the different complexity of the community structure of the two areas.
Results showed different macroinvertebrates communities with peculiar characteristics and
highlighted a more structured and diverse composition on the Apennines. Predictive
models on the future climate scenarios show how the peninsular portion of Italy will be
even more affected by the increase in temperatures than the Alpine area. Thus, this work
could be highly informative, mainly for central Italy, where proximity to towns encourage
tourists to reach these type of lakes, even if placed in protected areas or parks. Therefore,
protection and management plans, and conservation efforts of high altitudes cannot
overlooked a thorough understanding of the biological diversity of these environments,
which still appears fragmented and limited to some sector of the Alps. Furthermore, the
fundamental role of high altitude lakes as water resource needs a specific management
regime, as they are not included under the monitoring programs of the Water Framework
Directive legislation
Which future for Italian high altitude lakes?
Abstract: High altitude lakes and their fauna are one of the most threatened and less
investigated ecosystems in Italy. Alpine lakes are highly influenced by climate harshness
and by air pollution, and because of their small dimensions are extremely vulnerable to
global climate warming. Italy, in addition to the Alps, hosts another mountain range: the
Apennines, reaching in some cases comparable altitudes, and therefore subject to the
same risks. Moreover, the gentler slope of the Apennines makes them extremely
vulnerable even to direct human impacts. In the present work, for the first time, high
altitude lakes belonging to the Alps and to the Apennines are compared to highlight which
meteo-climatic or chemical characteristics could be considered key drivers for their
macrinvertebrate structure. The study area was explicitly focused on natural lakes placed
above 1300 m of altitude and above the 44° parallel, thus in the alpine area and subject to
a continental climate. 25 lakes were chosen (19 in the central-western Alps and 6 in the
Modenese Apennines) with surface areas lower than 1 km2 and with maximum depths
lower than 15 m. Physico-chemical parameters and macroinvertebrates were studied and
compared. Samples were taken through the use of an hand-net (250 μm mesh size) along
the littorals on different substrates following standardised methodologies during the richerfauna
season to allow an easier identification of species. Parallel to that, water samples
were collected and analysed. Species richness and the Taxonomic Distinctness Indices
were applied to underline the different complexity of the community structure of the two
areas. Results showed different macroinvertebrates communities with peculiar
characteristics and highlighted a more structured and diverse composition on the
Apennines. Predictive models on the future climate scenarios show how the peninsular
portion of Italy will be even more affected by the increase in temperatures than the Alpine
area. Thus, this work could be highly informative, mainly for central Italy, where proximity
to towns encourage tourists to reach these type of lakes, even if placed in protected areas
or parks. Therefore, protection and management plans, and conservation efforts of high
altitudes cannot overlooked a thorough understanding of the biological diversity of these
environments, which still appears fragmented and limited to some sector of the Alps.
Furthermore, the fundamental role of high altitude lakes as water resource needs a
specific management regime, as they are not included under the monitoring programs of
the Water Framework Directive legislation
Combined use of lung ultrasound, B-type natriuretic peptide, and echocardiography for outcome prediction in patients with acute HFrEF and HFpEF
Background:
Lung ultrasound (LUS) can be used to assess pulmonary congestion by imaging B-lines (‘comets’) for patients with acute heart failure (AHF).
Objectives:
Investigate relationship of B-lines, plasma concentrations of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), and echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) function measured at admission and discharge and their relationship to prognosis for AHF with preserved (HFpEF) or reduced (HFrEF) LV ejection fraction.
Methods:
Patients with AHF had the above tests done at admission and discharge. The primary outcome was re-hospitalization for heart failure or death at 6 months.
Results:
Of 162 patients enrolled, 95 had HFrEF and 67 had HFpEF, median age was 80 [77–85] years, and 85 (52%) were women. The number of B-lines at admission (median 31 [27–36]) correlated with respiratory rate (r = 0.75; p < 0.001), BNP (r = 0.43; p < 0.001), clinical congestion score (r = 0.25; p = 0.001), and systolic pulmonary artery pressure (r = 0.42; p < 0.001). At discharge, B-lines were also correlated with BNP (r = 0.69; p < 0.001) and congestion score (r = 0.57; p < 0.001). B-line count at discharge predicted outcome (AUC 0.83 [0.77–0.90]; univariate HR 1.12 [1.09–1.16]; p < 0.001; multivariable HR 1.16 [1.11–1.21]; p < 0.001). Results were similar for HFpEF and HFrEF.
Conclusions:
LUS appears a useful method to assess severity and monitor the resolution of lung congestion. At hospital admission, B-lines are strongly related to respiratory rate, which may be a key component of the sensation of dyspnea. Measurement of lung congestion at discharge provides prognostic information for patients with either HFpEF or HFrEF
Changes in Trichoderma asperellum enzyme expression during parasitism of the cotton root rot pathogen Phymatotrichopsis omnivora
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