La politica estera australiana: appunti e riflessioni.

Riassunto analitico Tesi di Dottorato. Lo studio geopolitico dell’Australia rileva complicazioni interpretative se, accanto all’analisi della sua posizione geografica, si prende in considerazione l’identità nazionale. Combinati, i due fattori offrono molteplici chiavi di lettura. Negli anni passati molti hanno cercato di dare una risposta definitiva alle questioni della posizione e dell’identità, i governi federali in testa. Tuttavia, ancora oggi, nessuno è in grado di stabilire definitivamente il futuro geopolitico dell’Australia, quale possa essere la sua identità e in che modo debba intraprendere relazioni con i Paesi della regione. Questo studio cerca di raccogliere elementi utili che permettano di formulare delle possibili risposte a tutte queste problematiche. Riuscire nell’intento di ritagliare un posto seppur piccolo sullo scacchiere internazionale in termini geopolitici per un Paese che, seppur molto giovane, per lungo tempo si è considerato quasi come un corpo estraneo all’interno della sua area geografica non è senz’altro facile ma nemmeno impossibile. Tra le possibili soluzioni al problema, la ricerca analizza la politica estera australiana alla luce della teoria che, a mio avviso, ha indirizzato meglio il Paese in tal senso: si tratta della teoria della Good International Citizen (GIC) elaborata dall’ex ministro degli esteri Gareth Evans. Con questa teoria Evans voleva dare una connotazione nuova alla politica estera australiana, in modo da ottenere in ambito internazionale una visibilità positiva. Il lavoro è stato suddiviso in tre parti, ognuna delle quali affronterà un argomento specifico: nella prima parte ho ricostruito brevemente la storia dell’Australia, soffermandomi sulle scelte politiche effettuate dai vari governi nel periodo intercorso tra la fine della seconda guerra mondiale e le ultime elezioni politiche del 2010; nella seconda parte ho analizzato le categorie fondamentali con cui si identifica la politica estera australiana: concetti come pivotal power, middle power e good international citizen, fondamentali per chiarire le scelte dei governanti in un determinato momento storico; nella terza parte ho descritto e analizzato alcuni documenti programmatici che i governi australiani degli ultimi vent’anni hanno preso l’abitudine di diffondere all’inizio di ogni legislatura, per dar conto all’elettorato circa le scelte strategicamente più importanti per il Paese. Nell’ultima parte troveranno spazio le mie considerazioni sul sistema Australia, Paese che cerca di conservare nel modo migliore la sua fama, spesso meritata, di “lucky country”. Nonostante la crisi generale delle economie occidentali, l’Australia ha reagito molto bene e gli effetti disastrosi che stanno vivendo molti Paesi europei, per non parlare degli Stati Uniti, non l’hanno minimamente interessata. Rimane l’annosa questione dell’identità del popolo australiano che cercherà probabilmente di riscoprire le proprie radici culturali anche attraverso la valorizzazione di quel poco che è rimasto della cultura aborigena

Antiseizure effects of cannabidiol leading to increased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma levels in the hippocampal CA3 subfield of epileptic rats

We evaluated the effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on seizures and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPAR) levels in an animal model of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were continuously monitored by video-electrocorticography up to 10 weeks after an intraperitoneal kainic acid (15 mg/kg) injection. Sixty-seven days after the induction of status epilepticus and the appearance of spontaneous recurrent seizures in all rats, CBD was dissolved in medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil and administered subcutaneously at 120 mg/kg (n = 10) or 12 mg/kg (n = 10), twice a day for three days. Similarly, the vehicle was administered to ten epileptic rats. Brain levels of PPAR immunoreactivity were compared to those of six healthy controls. CBD at 120 mg/kg abolished the seizures in 50% of rats (p = 0.033 vs. pretreatment, Fisher’s exact test) and reduced total seizure duration (p < 0.05, Tukey Test) and occurrence (p < 0.05). PPAR levels increased with CBD in the hippocampal CA1 subfield and subiculum (p < 0.05 vs. controls, Holm–Šidák test), but only the highest dose increased the immunoreactivity in the hippocampal CA3 subfield (p < 0.001), perirhinal cortex, and amygdala (p < 0.05). Overall, these results suggest that the antiseizure effects of CBD are associated with upregulation of PPAR in the hippocampal CA3 region

The Highly Unusual Outgassing of Comet 103P/Hartley 2 from Narrowband Photometry and Imaging of the Coma

We report on photometry and imaging of Comet 103P/Hartley 2 obtained at Lowell Observatory from 1991 through 2011. We acquired photoelectric photometry on two nights in 1991, four nights in 1997/98, and 13 nights in 2010/11. We observed a strong secular decrease in water and all other observed species production in 2010/11 from the 1991 and 1997/98 levels. We see evidence for a strong asymmetry with respect to perihelion in the production rates of our usual bandpasses, with peak production occurring ~10 days post-perihelion and production rates considerably higher post-perihelion. The composition was "typical", in agreement with the findings of other investigators. We obtained imaging on 39 nights from 2010 July until 2011 January. We find that, after accounting for their varying parentage and lifetimes, the C2 and C3 coma morphology resemble the CN morphology we reported previously. These species exhibited an hourglass shape in October and November, and the morphology changed with rotation and evolved over time. The OH and NH coma morphology showed hints of an hourglass shape near the nucleus, but was also enhanced in the anti-sunward hemisphere. This tailward brightness enhancement did not vary significantly with rotation and evolved with the viewing geometry. We conclude that all five gas species likely originate from the same source regions on the nucleus, but that OH and NH were derived from small grains of water and ammonia ice that survived long enough to be affected by radiation pressure and driven in the anti-sunward direction. We detected the faint, sunward facing dust jet reported by other authors, and did not detect a corresponding gas feature. This jet varied little during a night but exhibited some variations from night to night, suggesting it is located near the total angular momentum vector.Comment: Accepted by Icarus; 20 pages of text (preprint style), 5 tables, 7 figure

Assessment of the territorial suitability for the creation of the greenways networks: Methodological application in the Sicilian landscape context

The proposal to create greenways networks for the enhancement of more or less vast areas, is of great importance to territory planning. The paths, which are overlaid on pre-existing linear patterns, promote the development of endogenous resources and facilitate direct learning of the territory's historical, cultural, environmental and landscaping assets. Rural areas can be strongly influenced by setting up a greenways network, as their use not only promotes the exchange of knowledge between users and inhabitants, but also encourages the enjoyment of various areas (agricultural landscapes, scattered cultural heritage, protected environments) that would otherwise be inaccessible due to their distance from the traditional routes. Altogether, this favours the introduction of economic activities based on their typical characteristics. This work identifies the appropriate road infrastructure, available in the former Province of Syracuse (East Sicily), for building greenways networks that will best contribute to the valorisation of their surrounding territory. This work assigns great importance to landscape features as factors of tourist and cultural attraction. We have used the multi-criteria analysis associated with GIS. We have weighed and mapped numerous indicators to define the territory's infrastructural, landscape, cultural, and tourist resources, meaning those able to increase the use of the territory and/or that determine attractiveness for the population. The GIS analysis allowed us to develop numerous intermediate maps, whose information helped us to draw up the final map illustrating the suitability of the existing infrastructures that could be useful while planning of a greenway network. Such infrastructures could be the subject of specific plans or detailed projects aimed at enhancing the pre-existing resources of a rural territory. This study, although referring to a defined territory, is methodologically valid in a general sense and can be used in various contexts

La gestion du paysage serricole sicilien à l’épreuve de la participation

De nombreuses zones rurales du littoral méditerranéen sont soumises à une forte pression anthropique due à l’agriculture intensive, à des usages résidentiels, industriels ou touristiques. Le présent travail traite de la récupération des zones dunaires du golfe de Gela, en Sicile méridionale, et est basé sur l’aménagement du paysage. Il tente ainsi de donner au paysage un rôle actif dans la planification, plutôt que de le reléguer à celui de récepteur passif de dommages considérés comme inévitables. La méthode proposée, basée sur la lecture, l’évaluation et l’interprétation de la dynamique du paysage, ainsi que sur le projet de paysage en tant qu’outil d’aménagement du territoire compatible avec les besoins de conservation de la nature, a été testée dans le cadre du projet LIFE 11- Leopoldia, financé par l'Union Européenne. La méthode utilisée, tout en interprétant le développement durable comme une affirmation du droit des peuples à la qualité de vie en tout lieu, doit faire face à la difficulté de mobiliser les habitants aux valeurs du développement durable et à l’absence des politiques publiques.Many rural areas of the Mediterranean coast are under strong anthropogenic pressure due to intensive agriculture, residential, industrial or touristic uses. This work deals with the recovery of dunal areas of the Gulf of Gela in Southern Sicily, based on landscaping, attempting to raise the landscape an active role in planning, rather than relegate it to that passive receiver of damage considered inevitable. The proposed method, based on characterization and evaluation of the landscape and on the landscape project as a tool for land use planning compatible with the needs of nature conservation, was tested in the LIFE 11-Leopoldia project, funded by the European Union. The method used, while interpreting sustainable development as an affirmation of the right of peoples to the quality of life of all places, faces the difficulty of mobilizing people to the values ​​of sustainable development and the absence of public policies

A landscape project for the coexistence of agriculture and nature: a proposal for the coastal area of a Natura 2000 site in Sicily (Italy)

Many rural coastal Mediterranean areas suffer from great anthropomorphic pressure. This is due to intensive agriculture, and construction for residential, tourism and industrial uses. The present work investigates the idea of using a landscape project in the Gulf of Gela in South Sicily to recover the dunes and the area behind them. The method used is based on the literature and will evaluate and interpret the dynamics of the landscape, so as to draw up a landscape plan, which can be used to help sustain the assets of the area, in a way, which is compatible with conserving nature. This method was tested in the LIFE11-Leopoldia project, funded by the European Union. The results of the study form part of the landscape project. This project is aimed at connecting the different productive zones in the area, protecting the natural environments and the rural historical patrimony, through combining the modern road networks with the older slower, historic infrastructure. Three different levels of landscape management are proposed: total protection (the dunes), high-level protection (the area behind the dunes where traditional agriculture is practised, buffer areas and ecological connecting areas), medium levels of protection (sustainable agriculture, green connections and ecological corridors). The key aims of the project are as follows: transversality - repairing the agricultural fabric and the relationship between the land and the sea; sustainability - recovering the environmental system and traditional activities; flexibility - agriculture with only minor environmental impact

Identifying areas suitable for wine tourism through the use of multi-criteria and geographic information system: the method and its application in the countryside around Mount Etna (Sicily)

Vineyards are among the crops that shape quality landscapes. Many places in the world are famous for their unique wine landscapes which play an important role in the development of tourism in the rural areas. Among these, the wine landscape surrounding mount Etna (Sicily) emerges due to its undisputed value, as it is an important component of the territory recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This work was conducted with that in mind, in order to identify the most suitable areas for wine tourism on the slopes of our volcano. The method used assigns a great importance to the quality of the landscape, an indispensable resource for encouraging wine tourism, and considers it to be of equal importance with the production of the wines themselves. The present work uses multi-criteria analysis in combination with geographic information system (GIS). Numerous indicators describing local resources were weighed and spatialized. The GIS analysis allowed for the development of various intermediate maps, which allowed to draw up the final suitability map for wine tourism, identifying areas larger than those of the actual vineyards. The value of these areas and the quality of their landscapes are closely connected to the production of the wines in the zone. It could be the target for specific plans and projects aimed at using the available resources, to develop wine tourism in rural areas. Although the study only covers a limited geographical area, the methodology used has general validity and could be used in other contexts

Investigating a method to limit damage in Globigerina Limestone, a soft porous stone widely used in historic buildings

A programme of studies is ongoing to investigate the action of environmentally-friendly functionalized polycarboxylates as organic crystallization modifiers on salts on two types of Globigerina Limestone of Malta, to compare their action and behaviour. This was mainly done to verify the potential of such compounds to control, and therefore, limit damage on this locally unexplored territory. The main thrust of the research, at this stage, was to observe modifications to solution transport and salt crystal growth induced in two varieties of the stone by treating under controlled laboratory conditions; work under uncontrolled conditions has also commenced, but will not be discussed here. In this paper, indications of the modifications obtained are discussed, in the context of former trials, the fact that they are still under investigation and with a view on way forward. A discussion establishing a classification for damage limitation is postulated.peer-reviewe

Life-course vaccinations for migrants and refugees. Drawing lessons from the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns

Covid-19 showed once more, and very evidently, that some disadvantaged subgroups, including mi- grants and refugees (M&Rs), are at higher risk of contracting a disease or suffering from its severe con- sequences in areas with high transmission [1,2]. This may be due to their living conditions, which make physical distancing difficult, and/or to their legal status, which may exclude them from health care services. Additionally, COVID-19 reminded us that M&Rs tend to also have suboptimal vaccination coverage compared to the general population due to several concurrent factors [3,4]: – exclusion from health and vaccination plans and systems, often due to a lack of legal entitlements to health care or due to administrative/residence barriers; – health system barriers due to language, lack of cultural sensitivity, lack of outreach and community engagement capacity, lack of collaboration with civil society organisations, barriers to primary care, and vaccination services access, including vaccination costs; – high mobility of M&Rs; – lack of confidence in the health system and misconceptions about the vaccine. We propose some elements useful for orienting the research agenda and generating debate based on the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. While M&Rs experienced exclusion due to the pandemic in many contexts, in others, it has been an opportunity not just to maximise coverage, but also to set up, test, and implement new, effective, and replicable approaches in vaccination services