Le nuove disposizioni in tema di prospezione, ricerca e coltivazione di idrocarburi e le problematiche giuridiche connesse

Il presente lavoro si propone, previa una breve esposizione dell’evoluzione normativa che ha interessato la materia degli idrocarburi ed un primo inquadramento concettuale delle diverse tipologie di attività di c.d. "upstream" minerario (ossia, prospezione, ricerca e coltivazione), di offrire una lettura critica delle nuove disposizioni intervenute in materia per opera del d.l. 12 settembre 2014, n. 133 (c.d. "Sblocca-Italia"). In particolare, si cercherà di mostrare la tensione (oggi) esistente nel settore fra due opposte esigenze che richiedono, soprattutto all’interprete, un’opera di attento bilanciamento: ci si riferisce, da un lato, al bisogno di rilancio delle attività economiche connesse allo sfruttamento energetico, e, dall’altro, alle esigenze di (forte) protezione ambientale ed ecologica (soprattutto delle "aree marine protette") alla luce dei principi di "precauzione" nonché di "sviluppo sostenibile". In tale contesto si è inserita, di recente, la (nuova) disciplina posta dal Governo italiano all’interno dell’art. 38 del decreto "Sblocca-Italia", la quale, come si cercherà di mostrare nel corso dell’analisi, pare presentare alcune criticità, tanto sotto il profilo della compatibilità a Costituzione (specialmente quanto al rispetto dei criteri di riparto di competenze, legislative ed amministrative, fra Stato e Regioni), quanto con la disciplina sovranazionale (ed, in particolare, comunitaria) dedicata al (delicato tema) della protezione ambientale legata alle attività estrattive c.d. "offshore".After a brief exposure of the regulatory changes that affected the hydrocarbons and after a first conceptual framework of the different types of "Upstream" activities (ie, prospecting, exploration and production), the paper aims to offer a critical interpretation of the new provisions of the law decree of September 12th, n. 133/2014 (so called "Sblocca-Italia"). In particular, it will be shown the contrast today existing between two opposite needs: on one hand, the need of economic recovery linked to the energy exploitation and, on the other hands, the need of (strong) environmental and ecological protection (especially of "marine protected areas") in the light of the principles of "precaution" and "sustainable development". In this framework, the (new) rules laid down by the Italian government in the Art. 38 of the Decree "Sblocca-Italia", seem to be problematic, both in terms of compatibility with the Constitution (especially as to the compliance with the criteria of the allocation of legislative and administrative competences between State and Regions), and in relation with the supranational regulation (in particular communitarian) dedicated to the (sensitive issue) of the environmental protection in the so called "mining offshore" activities

Variance Allocation and Shapley Value

Motivated by the problem of utility allocation in a portfolio under a Markowitz mean-variance choice paradigm, we propose an allocation criterion for the variance of the sum of $n$ possibly dependent random variables. This criterion, the Shapley value, requires to translate the problem into a cooperative game. The Shapley value has nice properties, but, in general, is computationally demanding. The main result of this paper shows that in our particular case the Shapley value has a very simple form that can be easily computed. The same criterion is used also to allocate the standard deviation of the sum of $n$ random variables and a conjecture about the relation of the values in the two games is formulated.Comment: 20page

Comparison between different trap types for Drosophila suzukii in cherry orchards

In 2013 an experiment was carried out to compare six types of similar size traps baited with the same food attractant (“DroskiDrink”), differing for their shape and the number of entry holes. Four of the traps are already/will be soon available on the market, two of them being marketed specifically for SWD (“Drosotrap new®” and “Drosotrap®” by BIOBEST), and two being marketed for other pests (“Taptrap®” and “Vasotrap®” by Roberto Carello). The other two traps were specifically designed and hand-made on purpose (Kartell red and Bot). The trial was performed in a cherry orchard in Vignola (Modena Province, Northern Italy), area of IGP cherries; traps were placed according to a completely randomized block design and their position was changed weekly. The number of captured Drosophila suzukii (SWD) and that of other insect taxa was recorded weekly. After the first year, results show that the traps with the best performance in terms of early season captures and total number of SWD catches were “Drosotrap new” and “Bot”. However, the low selectivity towards other insect types and the uneasiness of use suggest the need of further research to improve the efficacy of these traps

Integrative Research: The EuroGEOSS Experience

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New insights on single-neuron selectivity in the era of population-level approaches

In the past, neuroscience was focused on individual neurons seen as the functional units of the nervous system, but this approach fell short over time to account for new experimental evidence, especially for what concerns associative and motor cortices. For this reason and thanks to great technological advances, a part of modern research has shifted the focus from the responses of single neurons to the activity of neural ensembles, now considered the real functional units of the system. However, on a microscale, individual neurons remain the computational components of these networks, thus the study of population dynamics cannot prescind from studying also individual neurons which represent their natural substrate. In this new framework, ideas such as the capability of single cells to encode a specific stimulus (neural selectivity) may become obsolete and need to be profoundly revised. One step in this direction was made by introducing the concept of "mixed selectivity," the capacity of single cells to integrate multiple variables in a flexible way, allowing individual neurons to participate in different networks. In this review, we outline the most important features of mixed selectivity and we also present recent works demonstrating its presence in the associative areas of the posterior parietal cortex. Finally, in discussing these findings, we present some open questions that could be addressed by future studies

Two-dimensional kinematics in gait evaluation of Bardigiano Horse breeding stock

Kinematics studies the change of position of the body segments in space during a speci- fied time: motion is described quantitatively by linear and angular variables. The data are displayed graphi- cally. In this preliminary study the kinematics parameters at trot of an Italian horse breed are considered, in order to develop an objective method for gait analysis in field condition. Six Bardigiano mares were considered. Fourteen markers were glued on the left side of the standing mares at previously defined skel- etal reference points. The recordings were made using a video digital camera and analyzed using the SIMI Motion System. The obtained joint angle-time diagrams are similar to those found by other authors in other breeds. A horse showed an elbow motion diagram quite different from the others. The data were compared with judges scores. This study is a first step to obtain a reliable method for gait evaluation in this breed

Universal statistics of epithelial tissue topology

Cells forming various epithelial tissues have a strikingly universal distribution for the number of their edges. It is generally assumed that this topological feature is predefined by the statistics of individual cell divisions in growing tissue but existing theoretical models are unable to predict the observed distribution. Here we show experimentally, as well as in simulations, that the probability of cellular division increases exponentially with the number of edges of the dividing cell and show analytically that this is responsible for the observed shape of cell-edge distribution

GOLPH3 protein controls organ growth by interacting with TOR signaling proteins in Drosophila

The oncoprotein GOLPH3 (Golgi phosphoprotein 3) is an evolutionarily conserved phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate effector, mainly localized to the Golgi apparatus, where it supports organelle architecture and vesicular trafficking. Overexpression of human GOLPH3 correlates with poor prognosis in several cancer types and is associated with enhanced signaling downstream of mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin). However, the molecular link between GOLPH3 and mTOR remains elusive. Studies in Drosophila melanogaster have shown that Translationally controlled tumor protein (Tctp) and 14-3-3 proteins are required for organ growth by supporting the function of the small GTPase Ras homolog enriched in the brain (Rheb) during mTORC1 (mTOR complex 1) signaling. Here we demonstrate that Drosophila GOLPH3 (dGOLPH3) physically interacts with Tctp and 14-3-3ζ. RNAi-mediated knockdown of dGOLPH3 reduces wing and eye size and enhances the phenotypes of Tctp RNAi. This phenotype is partially rescued by overexpression of Tctp, 14-3-3ζ, or Rheb. We also show that the Golgi localization of Rheb in Drosophila cells depends on dGOLPH3. Consistent with dGOLPH3 involvement in Rheb-mediated mTORC1 activation, depletion of dGOLPH3 also reduces levels of phosphorylated ribosomal S6 kinase, a downstream target of mTORC1. Finally, the autophagy flux and the expression of autophagic transcription factors of the TFEB family, which anti correlates with mTOR signaling, are compromised upon reduction of dGOLPH3. Overall, our data provide the first in vivo demonstration that GOLPH3 regulates organ growth by directly associating with mTOR signaling proteins

Halyomorpha halys in Emilia, prime risposte dal monitoraggio

OSSERVAZIONI IN CAMPO CONDOTTE NEL 2013-2014. Dopo la sua comparsa in Italia, accertata nel 2012, è stato attivato nella zona di ritrovamento un programma di monitoraggio teso a studiare l’insetto e il suo comportamento nell’ambiente. La specie desta maggiori preoccupazioni nel settore frutticolo, dove il danno rappresentato dalle tipiche deformazioni può giungere al 100