WATER POLICY AND THE SUSTAINABILITY OF IRRIGATED SYSTEMS IN ITALY

The management of water resources is today one of the main issues in most countries. In Italy, as in many other European countries, irrigation is the main sector using water and hence it is at the centre of the water policy agenda. Water management for irrigation requires suitable policy tools able to meet social objectives and private behaviour. The legal framework in the European Union is today faced with the new Water Framework Directive (60/2000), that sets up new criteria for water management, regulation and pricing. Among other things, the Water Framework Directive introduces the principle of full cost recovery and the polluter pays principle for water users. For many areas of Italy, this may be a significant shift compared to present payment criteria, based on traditional rights, area prices, and only a partial cost recovery from final users. The objective of this paper is to analyse the problem of water regulation for irrigated agriculture, through a simulation model based on the integration of a mathematical decision making model and a principal agent. The methodology allows to quantify water demand and optimal regulation from the point of view of the policy maker. The results show major impacts of water availability and prices on farm income. The adoption of a mix of pricing instruments related at the same time to charges associated to crop mix, water consumption and pollution can significantly improve water policy efficacy.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Status of Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) in Sicily.

La poblaci\uf3n del buitre Neophron percnopterus en Sicilia se encuentra restringida a los sectores central y oeste de la isla. La poblaci\uf3n alcanz\uf3 cerca de 30 parejas durante el periodo entre 1970 y 1980, auque durante nuestro periodo de estudio (1990\u20132007), la poblaci\uf3n tuvo un tama\uf1o promedio de s\uf3lo 7 \ub1 2 parejas m\ue1s 2 \ub1 1 individuos no emparejados, con fluctuaciones considerables en los n\ufameros. Las tasas reproductivas durante nuestro periodo de estudio (juvenil por pareja reproductiva y juvenil por nido exitoso) fueron t\uedpicas para una poblaci\uf3n europea, aunque la tasa de \ue9xito de los nidos disminuy\uf3 y el abandono de nidos durante el per\uedodo 2000\u20132007 fue el doble del registrado durante el per\uedodo 1990\u20141999. La reducci\uf3n en la cantidad de ganado muerto y en la disponibilidad de alimento, como tambi\ue9n el aumento de la perturbaci\uf3n humana cerca de los sitios de anidaci\uf3n, probablemente alteraron la cualidad de los territorios de cr\ueda, y son probablemente la causa de la disminuci\uf3n del \ue9xito de anidaci\uf3n. Neophron percnopterus es una de las aves rapaces m\ue1s amenazadas de Europa, por lo que recomendamos el desarrollo r\ue1pido y la implementaci\uf3n del Plan de Acci\uf3n de Especies

Cancer pain management in an oncological ward in a comprehensive cancer center with an established palliative care unit.

Abstract BACKGROUND: This survey was performed to draw information on pain prevalence, intensity, and management from a sample of patients who were admitted to an oncologic center where a palliative care unit (PCU) has been established for 13 years. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey in an oncological department performed 1 day per month for six consecutive months. RESULTS: Of the 385 patients, 69.1, 19.2, 8.6, and 3.1 % had no pain, mild, moderate, and severe pain, respectively. Inpatients and patients with a low Karnofsky score showed higher levels of pain intensity (p < 0.0005). One hundred twenty-eight patients with pain or receiving analgesics were analyzed for pain management index (PMI). Only a minority of patients had negative PMI score, which was statistically associated with inpatient admission (p = 0.011). Fifty of these 128 patients had breakthrough pain (BTP), and all of them were receiving some medication for BTP. CONCLUSION: It is likely that the presence of PCU team providing consultation, advices, and cultural pressure, other than offering admissions for difficult cases had a positive impact on the use of analgesics, as compared with previous similar surveys performed in oncological setting, where a PCU was unavailable. This information confirms the need of the presence of a PCU in a high volume oncological department

Swallowing evaluation with videofluoroscopy in the paediatric population

Paediatric swallowing disorders can have several causes, from prematurity and congenital anomalies to gastro-oesophageal reflux and infective or inflammatory pathologies of the upper digestive tract. In neonates, the swallowing process is reflexive and involuntary. Later in infancy, the oral phase comes under voluntary control, while the pharyngeal phase and oesophageal phases remain involuntary. Swallowing difficulties can severely compromise pulmonary health and nutritional intake of paediatric patients. Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study (VFSS) is a radiographic procedure that provides a dynamic view of the swallowing process and is frequently considered to be definitive evaluation for objective assessment of dysphagia in paediatric patients. This review focuses on the different possible aetiologies of paediatric swallowing disorders and related videofluoroscopic swallowing study procedures and appearances

Dispersal of Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus: the first case of long-distance relocation of an individual from France to Sicily.

Knowledge of juvenile dispersal is important for understanding population dynamics and for effective conservation, particularly of geographically isolated raptor populations. Here, we report the first documented case of a long-distance movement of an Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus from the French population to Sicily. This observation opens a new perspective for the conservation of the small and endangered Sicilian population of this species, providing evidence that persistence of the Italian population may be aided by new input from other countries

Introduction

Breve presentazione del Blocco tematico dal titolo "1917-2017. One Hundred Years of Graphic (R)evolution in the Soviet Space"

The Role of Water in the Photocatalytic Degradation of Acetonitrile and Toluene in Gas-Solid and Liquid-Solid Regimes

Photocatalytic degradation of acetonitrile and toluene was carried out both in gas-solid and in liquid-solid regimes by using commercial TiO2 samples ( Merck and Degussa P25). The investigation was mainly aimed to study the influence of water present in the reaction environment on the mechanism and degradation rate of two probe molecules. In gas-solid regime, the reacting mixture consisted of toluene or acetonitrile, oxygen, nitrogen, and water vapour. The main degradation product of toluene was CO2 with small amounts of benzaldehyde. In the presence of water vapour, the activity of TiO2 Merck remained stable but greatly decreased if water was absent. TiO2 Degussa P25 continuously deactivated, even in the presence of water vapour. With both catalysts, the photodegradation products of acetonitrile were CO2 and HCN; the activity was stable and was independent of the presence of water vapour in the reacting mixture. The production of HCN represents a drawback of acetonitrile photocatalytic degradation but the elimination of HCN is not actually a problem. In liquid-solid regime, the main intermediates of toluene photodegradation were p-cresol and benzaldehyde; traces of pyrogallol and benzyl alcohol were also found. Benzoic acid, hydroquinone, and trans, trans muconic acid were detected only when TiO2 Merck was used. The photodegradation products of acetonitrile were cyanide, cyanate, formate, nitrate, and carbonate ions

Frontal Functional Connectivity of Electrocorticographic Delta and Theta Rhythms during Action Execution Versus Action Observation in Humans

We have previously shown that in seven drug-resistant epilepsy patients, both reaching-grasping of objects and the mere observation of those actions did desynchronize subdural electrocorticographic (ECoG) alpha (8–13 Hz) and beta (14–30) rhythms as a sign of cortical activation in primary somatosensory-motor, lateral premotor and ventral prefrontal areas (Babiloni et al., 2016a). Furthermore, that desynchronization was greater during action execution than during its observation. In the present exploratory study, we reanalyzed those ECoG data to evaluate the proof-of-concept that lagged linear connectivity (LLC) between primary somatosensory-motor, lateral premotor and ventral prefrontal areas would be enhanced during the action execution compared to the mere observation due to a greater flow of visual and somatomotor information. Results showed that the delta-theta (<8 Hz) LLC between lateral premotor and ventral prefrontal areas was higher during action execution than during action observation. Furthermore, the phase of these delta-theta rhythms entrained the local event-related connectivity of alpha and beta rhythms. It was speculated the existence of a multi-oscillatory functional network between high-order frontal motor areas which should be more involved during the actual reaching-grasping of objects compared to its mere observation. Future studies in a larger population should cross-validate these preliminary results