THE ONLINE GUIDE OF UNIVERSITY OF ROMA TRE. A CASE STUDY OF TEACHING ACTIVITIES BETWEEN WEBMAPPING AND WEBGIS

Insieme agli iscritti al laboratorio “Metodi e strumenti della ricerca geografica”, svolto presso il Laboratorio geocartografico “Giuseppe Caraci” dell’Università Roma Tre nell’A.A. 2011-2012, è stato condotto un esperimento didattico con elaborazione dei dati geografici da database, realizzazione di schede informative e di cartografia digitale (una carta interattiva di Roma Tre visualizzabile con ArcReader). L’Ateneo, dislocato con sedi e servizi in un’ampia area cittadina, ha fornito la realtà geografica di studio per il GIS, che aveva lo scopo di fornire aiuto a chi avesse necessità di spostarsi nel quadrante sud-occidentale di Roma alla ricerca di una segreteria o di una facoltà, o da un ufficio all’altro. Successivamente il progetto e la mole di informazioni raccolte sono stati elaborati per produrre un webGIS (la “Guida on line” di Roma Tre disponibile sul sito del laboratorio: http://host.uniroma3.it/laboratori/labgeo/) aggiornabile grazie ai suggerimenti degli utenti. È stata inoltre realizzata una pianta a stampa relativa all’area urbana su cui l’università si sviluppa (“I luoghi di Roma Tre”), in scala 1:10.000 e con un espanso 1:5.000 per il tratto di Via Ostiense con maggiore densità di punti di interesse.In the academic year 2011-2012, was conducted an educational experiment with the students of the laboratory “Methods and tools of geographic research”. Roma Tre University, located in a large urban area with offices and services, provided the geographic reality of GIS, which was intended to provide help to those who need to move in south-west part of Rome. In this lab, students have collected the information to be included in the database, they realized sheets and digital cartography. Subsequently, the project and informations collected was processed to produce a webGIS (the “Online Guide of Roma Tre” is available on the website: http://host.uniroma3.it/ laboratori/labgeo/). The GIS can be updated with input from web users. It was also produced a map of the urban area where the university is spread (“Sights of Roma Tre”), at a scale of 1:10,000 and 1:5,000 for an expanded stretch of the Via Ostiense where is greater density of points of interest

Bioecological notes on Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) (Coleoptera Curculionidae Scolytinae), a species recently recorded into Italy

Intense trade flows favour the accidental diffusion of alien plant and animal species harmful to agricultural crops and forest ecosystems in many parts of the world. Particularly prone to such introductions are lignicolous species of woodboring beetles that attack living plants and can develop in lumber or crating wood, such as many species belonging to the subfamilies Scolytinae and Platypodinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Investigations of marked witherings of laurel twigs (Laurus nobilis L.) carried out from autumn 2010 in an area of the Versilia coast (Lucca) revealed that the Black twig borer, Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff), was involved in this pathological expression. This species was recently recorded for the first time in Italy on ornamental plants in some localities in the Naples’s province. Here we report its essential external morphological features, with useful characters for its distinction from X. germanus (Blandford), a morphologically similar species, as well as its essential bioecological features, with special reference to what has been observed in the abovementioned area of Tuscany. This should facilitate the rapid identification and verification of new outbreaks and, where possible, the timely implementation of control strategies

FUS mutant human motoneurons display altered transcriptome and microRNA pathways with implications for ALS pathogenesis

The FUS gene has been linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). FUS is a ubiquitous RNA-binding protein, and the mechanisms leading to selective motoneuron loss downstream of ALS-linked mutations are largely unknown. We report the transcriptome analysis of human purified motoneurons, obtained from FUS wild-type or mutant isogenic induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Gene ontology analysis of differentially expressed genes identified significant enrichment of pathways previously associated to sporadic ALS and other neurological diseases. Several microRNAs (miRNAs) were also deregulated in FUS mutant motoneurons, including miR-375, involved in motoneuron survival. We report that relevant targets of miR-375, including the neural RNA-binding protein ELAVL4 and apoptotic factors, are aberrantly increased in FUS mutant motoneurons. Characterization of transcriptome changes in the cell type primarily affected by the disease contributes to the definition of the pathogenic mechanisms of FUS-linked ALS

The Fortress of Ripafratta, Tuscany. A research project for its conservation and enhancement

[EN] The fortress of San Paolino in Ripafratta (San Giuliano Terme, Tuscany, Italy), represents the main structure of the ancient Pisan Republic defensive system towards Lucca. The fortress is the product of several stratifications dating back to the tenth century. It was built in the years between 1162-1164; later on, starting from 1504, significant interventions of modernization were realized by the Florentine Government, probably following a project by Giuliano da San Gallo. Since the early seventeenth century, the fortress lost its military function and passed to private property. Nowadays, the fortress is in a deep state of degradation, even if since 2008 several initiatives has followed for its recovery, unfortunately without success. The paper aims to show the results of an interdisciplinary project for the enhancement of the fortress and its territory. Based on a careful territorial analysis and in-depth historical study, a mix of compatible functions was identified in order to maximize the use of the fortress in all the seasons. A feasibility study was also developed for verifying the economic sustainability of the whole project and identifying possible intervention phases.Bevilacqua, M.; Karwaca, E.; Mininno, V.; Perrone, M.; Santini, L. (2020). The Fortress of Ripafratta, Tuscany. A research project for its conservation and enhancement. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 835-842. https://doi.org/10.4995/FORTMED2020.2020.11494OCS83584

Does the Element Availability Change in Soils Exposed to Bioplastics and Plastics for Six Months?

Plastic sheets are widely used in farming soil to improve the productivity of cultures. Due to their absorption capacity, plastic sheets can alter element and metal content in soils, and in turn affect soil properties. The use of biodegradable films is an attractive eco-sustainable alternative approach to overcome the environmental pollution problems due to the use of plastic films but their impacts on soil are scarcely studied. The aim of the research was to evaluate the impact of conventional plastic and bioplastic sheets on total and available concentrations of elements (Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in soils. The research was performed in mesocosm trials, filled with soil covered by conventional plastic and bioplastic sheets. After six months of exposure, soils were characterized for pH, water content, concentrations of organic and total carbon and total nitrogen, and total and available Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, and Zn element concentrations. The results highlighted that soils covered by bioplastic sheets showed higher total and available concentrations of elements and higher contamination factors, suggesting that bioplastic sheets represented a source of metals or a less-effective sink to these background metals in soils, compared to conventional plastic ones