Land degradation assessment for sustainable soil management

Desertification is a complex phenomenon defined as the extreme degree of land degradation induced by human activities and climatic conditions. Climate change is accelerating and widening these areas. Previews analysis and studies assessed the vulnerability to desertification in Italy at national and regional level through a methodological approach based on integrating climate, soil, vege-tation, and socio-economic data (ESA). The studies carried out by ISPRA aim to provide an update of the of land degradation assessment in Italy, based on Trends.Earth methodology and of the three UN-SDGs sub-indicators on Target 15.3.1 (land use/land cover, land productivity and soil organic carbon above and below ground status and trends), together with additional dimensions of land degradation considered crucial for national land characters. Final assessment of the percentage of degraded land is around 36% of national area. This exercise demonstrates the importance to con-sider a larger number of data and include information on other fac-tors, such as climate, physical, chemical data. This integrated approach to the assessment of land degradation will allow to describe also of the loss of related ecosystem services

Role of a Novel Heparanase Inhibitor on the Balance between Apoptosis and Autophagy in U87 Human Glioblastoma Cells

Background: Heparanase (HPSE) is an endo-& beta;-glucuronidase that cleaves heparan sulfate side chains, leading to the disassembly of the extracellular matrix, facilitating cell invasion and metastasis dissemination. In this research, we investigated the role of a new HPSE inhibitor, RDS 3337, in the regulation of the autophagic process and the balance between apoptosis and autophagy in U87 glioblastoma cells. Methods: After treatment with RDS 3337, cell lysates were analyzed for autophagy and apoptosis-related proteins by Western blot. Results: We observed, firstly, that LC3II expression increased in U87 cells incubated with RDS 3337, together with a significant increase of p62/SQSTM1 levels, indicating that RDS 3337 could act through the inhibition of autophagic-lysosomal flux of LC3-II, thereby leading to accumulation of lipidated LC3-II form. Conversely, the suppression of autophagic flux could activate apoptosis mechanisms, as revealed by the activation of caspase 3, the increased level of cleaved Parp1, and DNA fragmentation. Conclusions: These findings support the notion that HPSE promotes autophagy, providing evidence that RDS 3337 blocks autophagic flux. It indicates a role for HPSE inhibitors in the balance between apoptosis and autophagy in U87 human glioblastoma cells, suggesting a potential role for this new class of compounds in the control of tumor growth progression

Sensitivity of the Cherenkov Telescope Array to spectral signatures of hadronic PeVatrons with application to Galactic Supernova Remnants

The local Cosmic Ray (CR) energy spectrum exhibits a spectral softening at energies around 3~PeV. Sources which are capable of accelerating hadrons to such energies are called hadronic PeVatrons. However, hadronic PeVatrons have not yet been firmly identified within the Galaxy. Several source classes, including Galactic Supernova Remnants (SNRs), have been proposed as PeVatron candidates. The potential to search for hadronic PeVatrons with the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is assessed. The focus is on the usage of very high energy $\gamma$-ray spectral signatures for the identification of PeVatrons. Assuming that SNRs can accelerate CRs up to knee energies, the number of Galactic SNRs which can be identified as PeVatrons with CTA is estimated within a model for the evolution of SNRs. Additionally, the potential of a follow-up observation strategy under moonlight conditions for PeVatron searches is investigated. Statistical methods for the identification of PeVatrons are introduced, and realistic Monte--Carlo simulations of the response of the CTA observatory to the emission spectra from hadronic PeVatrons are performed. Based on simulations of a simplified model for the evolution for SNRs, the detection of a $\gamma$-ray signal from in average 9 Galactic PeVatron SNRs is expected to result from the scan of the Galactic plane with CTA after 10 hours of exposure. CTA is also shown to have excellent potential to confirm these sources as PeVatrons in deep observations with $\mathcal{O}(100)$ hours of exposure per source.Comment: 34 pages, 16 figures, Accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physic

Technical and scientific performance of the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder telescope for CTA

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is the next-generation ground-based observatory for very-high-energy gamma rays. One candidate design for CTA's medium-sized telescopes consists of the Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (SCT), featuring innovative dual-mirror optics. The SCT project has built and is currently operating a 9.7-m prototype SCT (pSCT) at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (FLWO); such optical design enables the use of a compact camera with state-of-the art silicon photomultiplier detectors. A partially-equipped camera has recently successfully detected the Crab Nebula with a statistical significance of 8.6 standard deviations. A funded upgrade of the pSCT focal plane sensors and electronics is currently ongoing, which will bring the total number of channels from 1600 to 11328 and the telescope field of view from about 2.7° to 8° . In this work, we will describe the technical and scientific performance of the pSCT

Forme di urbanizzazione

Estimating the density of urban settlements by now is fundamental, if not even a priority for urban planning, especially with regard to the phenomenon of urban shrinkage (Haase et al., 2014) , due to t he progressive abandonment , the depopulation and the disuse of t he city centers in favor of consumption of new soil in suburbs and periurban areas (Kabisch e Haase, 2011). For the purpose of analysing the urban landscape in its various forms, the ur ban area, is considered the part of the territory that lies within the administrative municipal boundary. This approach, if on one hand allows a temporal comparison of the different indicators, on the other hand, it does not allow to compare urban structures that are beyond administrative boundaries for the same time period (Munafò et a l. , 2016). The expansion of sealed surfaces within the urban areas occurs mainly in t he suburbs and is characterized by both, the construction of new districts or residential zones (Indovina, 2005; Munafò et al., 2011), and the well -known phenomenon of urban sprawl, that is , low density widespread settlements reaching from the center to the outskirt, concentrated in belts at a distance from about 5 to 10 kilometers from the city center with an increasing growth rate over the last years ( Munafò et al . , 2015)

Using skin bioengineering to highlight how weight and diabetes mellitus modify the skin in the lower limbs of super-obese patients

Aim: To evaluate the distinct contribution of obesity and diabetes (DM) to the skin modification in metabolic diseases. Methods: We analysed all patients admitted for bariatric surgery in our hospital with BMI between 38 and 47 kg/m2, with (Group 1) or without (Group 2) DM and compared them with a group of nonobese diabetic patients (Group 3) and healthy volunteers (Group 4). The following features were evaluated: hardness, temperature, hydration and thickness alongside with anthropometric measures of foot and leg. Results: For the general characteristics, patients differed in age and body mass index. As predictable all circumferences (dorsal foot, sovramalleolar and under the knee) were significantly higher in obese with no differences depending on DM (all parameters: p<0.01 in Group 1 and Group 2 vs Group 3 and Group 4). Skin temperature was significantly higher in all obese, irrespectively from the presence of DM (1st metatarsal head: p=0.02 Group 1 and Group 2 vs Group 3 and Group 4; 5th metatarsal head: p<0.01 in Group 1 and Group 2 vs Group 3 and Group 4). Skin hydration score showed increased anhydrosis in both diabetics and severe obesity (p<0.01 in Group 1 and Group 3 vs Group 2 and Group 4). Increase in thickness of skin and subcutaneous tissues was observed (at heel: p<0.01 in Group 1 and Group 2 vs Group 3 and Group 4 and under the scaphoid p=0.03 Group 1 and Group 2 vs Group 3 and Group 4) and plantar fascia (in both regions p=0.02 Group 1 and Group 2 vs Group 3 and Group 4) in all obese patients, with or without DM. Conclusion: Severe obesity significantly affects both shape and structure of the foot, possibly exposing these patients to a higher risk of biomechanical stress. On such a background DM, modifying skin hydration and protective mechanisms exerts a synergistic role further increasing the risk of trauma and ulcers