Addressing Peripherality in Italy: A Critical Comparison between Inner Areas and Territorial Capital-Based Evaluations

As highlighted by the UN 2030 Agenda, sustainable development is a complex and multidimensional issue that can be effectively implemented and reached at the local level. This implies the evaluation of differences and disparities between territories in order to define local priorities and support cohesion policy objectives. This need has been addressed by the Italian "National Strategy for Inner Areas", which aims to support the growth of territories with a continuous economic and population decline. However, Inner Areas are identified by a set of indicators related to the low accessibility to Services of General Interest, neglecting other important factors that contribute to this condition. This paper proposes a critical analysis of this measurement and of the related "territorialization" of Inner Areas, by introducing a more comprehensive assessment model based on the concept of Territorial Capital (TC), which highlights a more nuanced understanding of complexities and diversities related to the potential development of a territory. In particular, the proposed model evaluates eight TC dimensions (human, social, cognitive, infrastructural, productive, relational, environmental and settlement capital), which cover a broad spectrum of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In order to accurately demonstrate the differences between the results of the two evaluation methods, this paper presents the results of a case study application concerning all 377 municipalities, which compose the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (Italy). The findings of this study confirm the potential of an approach based on the Territorial Capital for place-based policymaking. TC, in fact, can become relevant for defining local priorities and supporting complex decisions, allowing governments to better design and tailor interventions for the effective and efficient management of available resources. Furthermore, these results pose new questions for future research developments in the field of sustainable and equitable development

From macro to nano: Linking quantitative CEUS perfusion parameters to CD4+ T cells subtypes in spondyloarthtitis

The onset and progression of immune-mediated inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis, are linked to the IL23-IL17 immune axis, so that many therapeutic strategies aim at modulating this pathway. However, there is so far no possibility of an in vivo direct monitoring, without a biopsy, of the specific T cells involved in this modulation. Synovial perfusion, and thus synovial angiogenesis, has been recognized as a sensitive and early marker of inflammation that can be evaluated via quantitative analysis of contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging data. © 2017 IEEE

Ixodid ticks on wild donkeys in a Mediterranean nature reserve (Asinara National Park): diversity and risk factors

The Sardinian coloured donkey Equus asinus (Perissodactyla: Equidae) and its albino colour morph represent the wildlife species most typical of the island of Asinara. This Mediterranean island represents a favourable context for ticks and tick-borne diseases; however, knowledge of the tick fauna on Asinara is scarce. A total of 106 Sardinian donkeys were inspected for tick infestation from June to November 2015. All ticks found were collected, classified by stage and sex, and identified to species level. The level of infestation of each donkey was determined; both the overall tick infestation and infestations of each detected species were classified on a scale of 1\u20133 to give an infestation score (IS). Overall, 256 hard ticks were collected from 60 of 106 donkeys (56.6%). Rhipicephalus bursa, Haemaphysalis punctata and Hyalomma marginatum (all: Ixodida: Ixodidae) infested 26.4%, 28.3% and 6.6% of donkeys, respectively. Different variables affected the IS. With reference to overall tick infestation, a higher IS was observed in donkeys grazing on grassland and Mediterranean shrubland and in albino donkeys compared with coloured donkeys. The collected ticks included species involved in the transmission of pathogens to humans, which highlights the risks for public health in a tourist destination such as Asinara National Park

European Jurassic floras : statistics and palaeoenvironmental proxies

The Jurassic floras of Europe show considerable diversity. To examine the extent of this diversity and its possible causes we used multivariate statistical methods (cluster analysis, PCA, NMDS) to compare all significant Jurassic floras in Europe. Data were based on 770 taxa from 46 fossiliferous occurrences (25 units) from France, Germany, Greenland, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Statistical analyses were applied at species level and genus level, and also performed for the major plant groups. The genus cladograms show affinities between different localities based on environmental factors, while the cladograms based on species affinities indicate only taxonomical correlations. The study shows that locality age does not seem to be of paramount importance for floral composition

Modificazioni dei livelli di acido arachidonico e vitamina A in relazione alla attività anticancerogena attribuita all'apporto alimentare di burro naturalmente arricchito in acido linoleico a dieni coniugati (CLA)

Considerable attention has recently been directed to the naturally occurring trace fatty acid conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), based on its dual ability to act both as a preventive and therapeutic agent in a number of rodent and human tumor model systems. CLA, which is synthesized by rumen bacteria, is found in meat and dairy products, and is of particular interest since it is effective at low levels in the diet. Our research interest is to explore whether the mechanism of the anticarcinogenic activity of CLA may be reconductible to its metabolism and influence on tissue lipid metabolism. CLA is a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) with two singular properties: 1) Its metabolism is alike that of linoleic acid and thus competes with the latter for the elongation and desaturation enzyme systems, leading on one hand to a decreased generation of eicosatrienoic and arachidonic acids for eicosanoid synthesis, and on the other to a replacement of the natural substrates with CLA metabolites known to inhibit the cyclooxigenase (COX) and lipooxygenase (LPOX) pathways; and 2) It increases the retinol content of different tissues, an effect that may be due to β-oxidation of CLA by peroxisomes with consequent activation of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor a (PPARα). The effects of CLA on eicosanoid synthesis may be the key factor of a common mechanism underlying its pleiotropic activities, and our current working hypothesis is that this factor along with tissue retinol increase, mediate the anticarcinogenic action of CLA

High-Level Expression of Various Apolipoprotein (a) Isoforms by "Transferrinfection". The Role of Kringle IV Sequences in the Extracellular Association with Low-Density Lipoprotein

Characterization of the assembly of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is of fundamental importance to understanding the biosynthesis and metabolism of this atherogenic lipoprotein. Since no established cell lines exist that express Lp(a) or apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)], a "transferrinfection" system for apo(a) was developed utilizing adenovirus receptor- and transferrin receptor-mediated DNA uptake into cells. Using this method, different apo(a) cDNA constructions of variable length, due to the presence of 3, 5, 7, 9, 15, or 18 internal kringle IV sequences, were expressed in cos-7 cells or CHO cells. All constructions contained kringle IV-36, which includes the only unpaired cysteine residue (Cys-4057) in apo(a). r-Apo(a) was synthesized as a precursor and secreted as mature apolipoprotein into the medium. When medium containing r-apo(a) with 9, 15, or 18 kringle IV repeats was mixed with normal human plasma LDL, stable complexes formed that had a bouyant density typical of Lp(a). Association was substantially decreased if Cys-4057 on r-apo(a) was replaced by Arg by site-directed mutagenesis or if Cys-4057 was chemically modified. Lack of association was also observed with r-apo(a) containing only 3, 5, or 7 kringle IV repeats without "unique kringle IV sequences", although Cys-4057 was present in all of these constructions. Synthesis and secretion of r-apo(a) was not dependent on its sialic acid content. r-Apo(a) was expressed even more efficiently in sialylation-defective CHO cells than in wild-type CHO cells. In transfected CHO cells defective in the addition of N-acetylglucosamine, apo(a) secretion was found to be decreased by 50%. Extracellular association with LDL was not affected by the carbohydrate moiety of r-apo(a), indicating a protein-protein interaction between r-apo(a) and apoB. These results show that, besides kringle IV-36, other kringle IV sequences are necessary for the extracellular association of r-apo(a) with LDL. Changes in the carbohydrate moiety of apo(a), however, do not affect complex formation

Quantitative imaging by pixel-based contrast-enhanced ultrasound reveals a linear relationship between synovial vascular perfusion and the recruitment of pathogenic IL-17A-F+IL-23+ CD161+ CD4+ T helper cells in psoriatic arthritis joints

To develop quantitative imaging biomarkers of synovial tissue perfusion by pixel-based contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), we studied the relationship between CEUS synovial vascular perfusion and the frequencies of pathogenic T helper (Th)-17 cells in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) joints. Eight consecutive patients with PsA were enrolled in this study. Gray scale CEUS evaluation was performed on the same joint immediately after joint aspiration, by automatic assessment perfusion data, using a new quantification approach of pixel-based analysis and the gamma-variate model. The set of perfusional parameters considered by the time intensity curve includes the maximum value (peak) of the signal intensity curve, the blood volume index or area under the curve, (BVI, AUC) and the contrast mean transit time (MTT). The direct ex vivo analysis of the frequencies of SF IL17A-F+CD161+IL23+ CD4+ T cells subsets were quantified by fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS). In cross-sectional analyses, when tested for multiple comparison setting, a false discovery rate at 10%, a common pattern of correlations between CEUS Peak, AUC (BVI) and MTT parameters with the IL17A-F+IL23+ - IL17A-F+CD161+ - and IL17A-F+CD161+IL23+ CD4+ T cells subsets, as well as lack of correlation between both peak and AUC values and both CD4+T and CD4+IL23+ T cells, was observed. The pixel-based CEUS assessment is a truly measure synovial inflammation, as a useful tool to develop quantitative imaging biomarker for monitoring target therapeutics in PsA. © 2016, International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR)

Nothophytophthora gen. nov., a new sister genus of Phytophthora from natural and semi-natural ecosystem

During various surveys of Phytophthora diversity in Europe, Chile and Vietnam slow growing oomycete isolates were obtained from rhizosphere soil samples and small streams in natural and planted forest stands. Phylogenetic analyses of sequences from the nuclear ITS, LSU, β-tubulin and HSP90 loci and the mitochondrial cox1 and NADH1 genes revealed they belong to six new species of a new genus, officially described here as Nothophytophthora gen. nov., which clustered as sister group to Phytophthora. Nothophytophthora species share numerous morphological characters with Phytophthora: persistent (all Nothophytophthora spp.) and caducous (N. caduca, N. chlamydospora, N. valdiviana, N. vietnamensis) sporangia with variable shapes, internal differentiation of zoospores and internal, nested and extended (N. caduca, N. chlamydospora) and external (all Nothophytophthora spp.) sporangial proliferation; smooth-walled oogonia with amphigynous (N. amphigynosa) and paragynous (N. amphigynosa, N. intricata, N. vietnamensis) attachment of the antheridia; chlamydospores (N. chlamydospora) and hyphal swellings. Main differing features of the new genus are the presence of a conspicuous, opaque plug inside the sporangiophore close to the base of most mature sporangia in all known Nothophytophthora species and intraspecific co-occurrence of caducity and non-papillate sporangia with internal nested and extended proliferation in several Nothophytophthora species. Comparisons of morphological structures of both genera allow hypotheses about the morphology and ecology of their common ancestor which are discussed. Production of caducous sporangia by N. caduca, N. chlamydospora and N. valdiviana from Valdivian rainforests and N. vietnamensis from a mountain forest in Vietnam suggests a partially aerial lifestyle as adaptation to these humid habitats. Presence of tree dieback in all forests from which Nothophytophthora spp. were recovered and partial sporangial caducity of several Nothophytophthora species indicate a pathogenic rather than a saprophytic lifestyle. Isolation tests from symptomatic plant tissues in these forests and pathogenicity tests are urgently required to clarify the lifestyle of the six Nothophytophthora species.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio