Planning of the Agrifood supply chain: a case study for the FVG region

The aim of this paper is to discuss the planning of regional Agri-food supply chain using an integrated database territorial information. The objective is to optimize the chain performance using alternative solutions. Evidences are obtained with a case study performed in FVG region applied to maize-crop. Firstly it is explored the chain network composed by farms, collection points and processing plants; then territorial, agronomic and climate information are integrated to simulate realistic production forecast model applied to maize crop. Finally a program from graph analysis is used to allocate the production through the chain. The economic performance is evaluated using the net revenues varying with the intensification of maize production and adoption of different organization solutions (independent and cooperative). Conclusions are that the chain performance is influenced by a combination of technology and organization decisions and the policy maker can use these results to orient their targets about regional planning.data integration, supply chain, decision support system, crop simulation, regional policy., Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Labor and Human Capital,

Development of an integrated environmental monitoring protocol for SARS-CoV-2 contamination. Applications at the IRCSS San Martino Polyclinic Hospital in Genoa, Italy

Scientific background: Environmental sampling of SARS-CoV-2 is a fundamental tool for evaluating the effectiveness of non-specific prophylaxis measures in counting their spread. The purpose of our work was to evaluate the effectiveness of the different sampling methods in the hospital setting to assess their correlation with the structural, functional, and operational situation of the monitored departments and to define the dynamics of the spread of the virus in indoor environments. Methods: The monitoring was carried out at the San Martino Polyclinic Hospital (Genoa, Italy) in the period from April 2020 to June 2021. The presence of viral RNA in the collected samples was evaluated by qPCR. The infection capacity of the sample collected was also evaluated by an in vitro challenge test on cells sensitive to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: The percentage of positivity with respect to the number of tests performed (sensitivity) were bubbler 50%, wipe test 17%, and challenge test 11%. Only 20% of the samples tested positive in the wipe test and 43% of the samples tested positive in the bubbler sampling were also positive in the challenge test. All the positivity obtained was detected at a distance of less than 2\u202fm and height of less than 1.5 from COVID-19 patient. Conclusions: Environmental contamination from SARS-CoV-2 detected at the San Martino Polyclinic Hospital is found lower than similar assessments performed in other hospitals both in Italy and abroad. Our study predicted that environmental monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 must be carried out in an integrated way by not using a single sampling method, as each individual test has a different biological significance and performance. However, the virus detected by wipe test is not a degraded viral fragment but an intact infecting virion, only in a modest percentage of cases

Aplicação de resíduo de vidro no concreto como substituto parcial à areia / Application of glass waste in concrete as a partial substitute for sand

A utilização de resíduos como material substituto parcial ou total dos componentes do concreto é uma alternativa às tecnologias tradicionais que visa minimizar a extração desiquilibrada dos recursos naturais. Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar a influência da substituição de areia por resíduo de vidro no concreto nos teores de 10, 20 e 30%. Para atingir este objetivo, realizou-se a caracterização dos resíduos utilizados, fabricação de corpos de prova de concretos com diferentes teores de substituição parcial de agregado miúdo, determinação da resistência à compressão e absorção de água. A partir da análise comparativa entre resultados os ensaios das amostras com e sem a substituição, verificou-se que o pó de vidro é um resíduo viável como um substituto parcial do agregado miúdo para a fabricação de elementos não estruturais na construção civil que não necessitem de alta resistência à compressão, como os pavers e placas de concreto para o passeio público. Assim, outros estudos são necessários para complementar a compreensão da aplicação do resíduo e suas influências na característica dos concretos

PERFIL SOROEPIDEMIOLÓGICO DE ANTICORPOS CONTRA Toxoplasma gondii EM ESTUDANTES DE MEDICINA VETERINÁRIA

The state of Pará due to its location in equatorial region, presents climatic and epidemiologic characteristics propitious to the maintenance of the Toxoplasma gondii in the environment. The objective of the present study is verifying the occurrence of anti-T. gondii antibodies in Veterinary Medicine students from the Federal University of Pará and serologically following them up for three consecutive semesters assessing their hygiene-food habits and behaviors. 51 veterinary students (22 women and 29 men) participated on the study. All the volunteers signed an informed consent and answered an epidemiologic questionnaire. The anti-T. gondii antibodies research was performed by indirect immunofluorescence reaction. From the 51 students 22 (43.14%) were reactant to anti-T. gondii antibodies. The variables with strong statistical association were: the presence of cats at home (p=0.002), cats from the neighborhood with access to the backyard (p=0.046), the consumption of water or juice of unknown provenance in the streets (p=0.026), the consumption of raw salad in restaurants (p=0.031), and the consumption of sandwiches containing raw vegetables in the streets (p=0.009). It can be concluded that eating food in places without hygienic standards of sanitation favors the contamination by T. gondii.Keywords: toxoplasmosis; serology; college students; Pará.O Estado do Pará por se localizar em região equatorial apresenta características climáticas e epidemiológicas propicias para a manutenção do Toxoplasma gondii no meio ambiente. O objetivo do presente estudo é verificar a ocorrência de anticorpos anti-T. gondii em alunos de Medicina Veterinária da Universidade Federal do Pará e acompanhá-los sorologicamente durante três semestres consecutivos avaliando os seus hábitos e comportamentos higiênico-alimentares. Participaram do estudo 51 alunos de Medicina Veterinária (22 mulheres e 29 homens). Todos os voluntários assinaram um termo de consentimento livre e esclarecido e responderam a um questionário epidemiológico. A pesquisa de anticorpos anti-T. gondii foi realizada pela reação de imunofluorescência indireta. Dos 51 alunos 22 (43.14%) foram reagentes a anticorpos anti-T. gondi. As variáveis que tiveram forte associação estatística foram: a presença de gatos em casa (p=0.002), se gatos dos vizinhos tinham acesso ao quintal (p=0.046), o consumo de água ou suco na rua com procedência desconhecida (p=0.026), o consumo de salada crua em restaurantes (p=0.031) e o consumo de sanduíches contendo legumes crus na rua (p=0.009). Conclui-se que a alimentação realizada em locais sem padrão higiênico sanitário favorece a infecção pelo T. gondii.Palavras-chave: toxoplasmose, sorologia, universitários, Pará

Modeling the brown eye spot sampling in arabica coffee.

Coffee production has a great socioeconomic importance for Brazil. It generates direct and indirect jobs, and foreign exchange, with Brazilian Arabica coffee production estimated between 42 - 46 million bags (60 kg) in 2020. It is the main agribusiness activity in the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil with expected production between 13 - 15 million bags, and around 30% of this production is Arabica coffee. Technologies are recommended to coffee growers to increase yield, and production of specialty coffees on sustainable properties. Among the principles of integrated management is the monitoring of pests and diseases to determine the level of pest control. The estimate of the number of leaves to be sampled in the monitoring becomes an important tool to increase the accuracy of the obtained information. This research was carried out aiming to determine the minimum number of leaves necessary to evaluate the infestation of brown eye spot (BES) of coffee in Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica L.) without affecting the accuracy of the collection method. It was observed that the estimate of the minimum number for sampling was 46 leaves for the characteristics of incidence, and severity of BES in Arabica coffee. The modeling applied in this study allows to conclude that it is possible to recommend an optimum number of Arabica coffee leaves for these edaphoclimatic conditions, and variety, and it can serve as a basis for monitoring in an integrated pest and disease management program in Arabica coffee

Sendai five years on: reflections on the role of international law in the creation and reduction of disaster risk

This article offers a critical examination of the position of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 within international law. It is argued that any interrogation into the role of international law must begin not with existing disaster risk reduction (DRR) laws and policies, but rather with an enquiry into the nature of disaster risk and the role of international law in its creation and reduction. It is demonstrated how, while areas such as international human rights law can be utilized to enforce obligations in support of DRR, other areas – in particular international investment law – actively work to undermine DRR efforts. In order for international law to be a productive tool in the reduction of disaster risk international lawyers must engage with critical work in disaster studies in order to explore the role that the former has played – and can play – in creating and addressing hazards, vulnerabilities and capacities

Ricomposizione Procustiana della Rete Fiduciale e della Cartografia Catastale Numerica

In questi ultimi anni, il gruppo di ricerca dell\u2019Universit\ue0 di Udine ha sviluppato una procedura originale e innovativa per la ricomposizione globale della rete dei Punti Fiduciali del catasto. Tale metodo, basato sulle tecniche dell\u2019analisi procustiana generalizzata, si prefigge di effettuare il miglior adattamento conforme ai minimi quadrati dei vari poligoni fiduciali ricostruiti sulla base degli elaborati tecnici inseriti in PREGEO. L\u2019idea distintiva \ue8 utilizzare per la compensazione della rete non gi\ue0 le singole distanze tra PF, valutate in maniera disgiunta l\u2019una dall\u2019altra, bens\uec ogni singolo rilievo nella propria interezza, considerato come entit\ue0 geometrica non disaggregabile, con vertici interconnessi tra di loro da legami rigidi. La soluzione proposta ha due importanti conseguenze: innanzi tutto, permette di individuare, stimare e risolvere gli eventuali sistematismi presenti nei dati di partenza; inoltre, preservando la forma dei poligoni fiduciali compensati, evita l\u2019insorgenza di deformazioni anisotrope nel tessuto cartografico e mantiene inalterate le mutue relazioni tra i PF e i rilievi di aggiornamento ad essi appoggiati. Tali considerazioni hanno trovato pieno riscontro nella sperimentazione svolta. Dopo una fase iniziale eseguita in ambiente simulato, le prove hanno riguardato due reti reali situate nei comuni di Udine (zona Udine Nord: 68 PF e 3.8 Km2 di estensione), Gorizia (zone censuarie A e G: 59 PF e 2.6 Km2) e Tarcento (UD) (205 PF e 20 Km2). Il confronto tra i risultati ottenuti dalla ricomposizione conforme e i dati relativi a reti di Punti Fiduciali di controllo appositamente istituite, ha permesso di constatare l\u2019ottimo rispetto delle tolleranze vigenti gi\ue0 a partire da una compensazione vincolata a un numero di PF fissi pari al 10-15% del totale. Altre verifiche hanno evidenziato inoltre come il metodo procustiano riesca, a differenza del metodo di compensazione classico, a ridurre gli effetti di componenti sistematiche d\u2019errore eventualmente presenti nelle misure. Gli esiti della sperimentazione hanno permesso di consolidare il metodo in funzione della fase successiva, ovvero la ricomposizione cartografica numerica delle particelle. Nel presente lavoro sono illustrati i primi risultati in questa direzione, ossia l\u2019inserimento, mediante trasformazione conforme ai minimi quadrati, dei rilievi PREGEO all\u2019interno delle reti fiduciali compensate. Per testare la bont\ue0 dell\u2019operazione, \ue8 stata eseguita una doppia serie di indagini: nella prima si sono valutate le effettive discrepanze, in termini di coordinate, tra punti omologhi di rilievi adiacenti; successivamente, mediante sovrapposizione, si sono confrontati i contenuti della mappa catastale parziale cos\uec ricostruita con quelli della carta tecnica numerica del Friuli Venezia Giulia. Nel primo caso, le differenze riscontrate sono risultate estremamente contenute; nel secondo, \ue8 stata confermata e messa in risalto la notevole congruenza ottenibile tra i due prodotti cartografici a seguito della ricomposizione dei rilievi catastali. Ulteriori miglioramenti sono stati permessi dall\u2019attuazione di una procedura di ricomposizione che considera simultaneamente i poligoni fiduciali ed i punti omologhi appartenenti a rilievi catastali adiacenti tra loro