Green cities for a better future? – A case study from an alpine region: the Town of Trento

In a world where, by 2050, 70% of the population will be living in cities, a “New Urban Agenda” is considered crucial in order to form more sustainable, inclusive and resilient cities. This means cities which are liveable both from the natural and human-environment points of view and where citizens are involved in the realization and management of an attractive urban environment of high quality. Given the process of urbanization occurring in many towns of the Alpine Region, managers and planners need to know the new order of priorities in needs and values expressed by citizens with regard to urban forests and those in nearby areas. This paper illustrates a case study of the town of Trento, in the north-eastern Italian Alps, a typical medium-sized alpine town which, despite recent urbanization, is still in close connection to woodlands. The research has been carried out by means of a questionnaire aimed at investigating the relationship between citizens and their forests. In particular, the points of investigation were the main functions attributed to the forests and visitors’ preferences of forest features. The results show that urbanization and socio-economic changes, with the introduction of an urban lifestyle, are producing a radical transformation in people’s behaviour and attitudes with regard to forests. A survey of this type may be a useful tool in the hands of planners and managers in order to help shape a sustainable urban development

Allocating Family Responsibilities for Dependent Older People in Mexico and Peru

This paper applies different analytical frameworks to explore processes of family bargaining about providing care for dependent older people in Mexico and Peru. These frameworks include cultural norms, life course effects and material exchange. The paper is based on 19 in-depth qualitative family case studies, which are linked to a wider set of quantitative survey data. Care arrangements and bargaining processes are revealed to be highly gendered, and largely conform to prevailing cultural norms. Rather than neutral and objective, the self-identified role as main carer is found to be subjective and potentially ambiguous. The few men who self-identify as main carers are more likely to play an indirect, organisational role than engage directly in daily care. As such, bargaining mainly relates to which woman performs the main care role, and large family networks mean that there is usually more than one candidate carer. Bargaining can occur inter-generationally and conjugally, but bargaining between siblings is of particular importance. Bargaining is framed by the uncertain trajectory of older people’s care needs, and arrangements are sometimes reconfigured in response to changing care needs or family circumstances. Taking the narratives at face value, the influence of life course effects on bargaining and care arrangements is more obvious than material exchange. There are, however, indications that economic considerations, particularly inheritance, still play an important behind the scenes role

CAR-associated vesicular transport of an adenovirus in motor neuron axons.

Axonal transport is responsible for the movement of signals and cargo between nerve termini and cell bodies. Pathogens also exploit this pathway to enter and exit the central nervous system. In this study, we characterised the binding, endocytosis and axonal transport of an adenovirus (CAV-2) that preferentially infects neurons. Using biochemical, cell biology, genetic, ultrastructural and live-cell imaging approaches, we show that interaction with the neuronal membrane correlates with coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) surface expression, followed by endocytosis involving clathrin. In axons, long-range CAV-2 motility was bidirectional with a bias for retrograde transport in nonacidic Rab7-positive organelles. Unexpectedly, we found that CAR was associated with CAV-2 vesicles that also transported cargo as functionally distinct as tetanus toxin, neurotrophins, and their receptors. These results suggest that a single axonal transport carrier is capable of transporting functionally distinct cargoes that target different membrane compartments in the soma. We propose that CAV-2 transport is dictated by an innate trafficking of CAR, suggesting an unsuspected function for this adhesion protein during neuronal homeostasis

Yield of organic potato cultivars in the subtropical region of Brazil

<p></p><p>ABSTRACT The cultivar selection is fundamental to reach high potato yield in the organic production system. The objective of this work was to evaluate tuber yield and yield components and make suggestion for organic production system in South region of Brazil. The experiment was carried out in two crop seasons, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015, three trials, in Guarapuava, Paraná State and Caseiros, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Eight cultivars were evaluated (Agata, Clara, Eliza, Catucha, Aracy Ruiva, Itararé, Vitória and Cris) for total and marketable tuber yield, number of total and marketable tubers, and percentage of tuber dry matter content. A completely randomized block design in a split plot scheme, with trials as main plot and cultivars in sub plot, and four replications was used. The total and marketable yield varied according to the trial, however ‘Catucha’ stayed always in the group of high yielding cultivars, reaching around 28 and 23 t/ha of total and marketable yield, respectively. The relatively high yield of this cultivar was mainly due to high number of tubers, around eight and four/plant, total and marketable tubers, respectively. Moreover, this cultivar had the tubers with higher percentage of tuber dry matter content in all three trials (25; 16 and 21% in the trials 1; 2 and 3, respectively). Therefore, ‘Catucha’ is one of the suggested cultivars for the organic potato system in region of subtropical climate in Brazil.</p><p></p

Improved Trimethylangelicin Analogs for Cystic Fibrosis: Design, Synthesis and Preliminary Screening

A small library of new angelicin derivatives was designed and synthesized with the aim of bypassing the side effects of trimethylangelicin (TMA), a promising agent for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. To prevent photoreactions with DNA, hindered substituents were inserted at the 4 and/or 6 positions. Unlike the parent TMA, none of the new derivatives exhibited significant cytotoxicity or mutagenic effects. Among the synthesized compounds, the 4-phenylderivative 12 and the 6-phenylderivative 25 exerted a promising F508del CFTR rescue ability. On these compounds, preliminary in vivo pharmacokinetic (PK) studies were carried out, evidencing a favorable PK profile per se or after incorporation into lipid formulations. Therefore, the selected compounds are good candidates for future extensive investigation to evaluate and develop novel CFTR correctors based on the angelicin structure

SARS-CoV-2 viral entry and replication is impaired in Cystic Fibrosis airways due to ACE2 downregulation

Patients with cystic fibrosis are not reporting particularly sever outcomes upon SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here, the authors demonstrate decreased ACE2 levels is cystic fibrosis airway epithelia associated with impaired viral entry and replication

Use of rituximab in a multicentre cohort of patients with rheumatic diseases during the outbreak of novel SARS-COV-2 infection

No abstract availabl

Use of rituximab in a multicentre cohort of patients with rheumatic diseases during the outbreak of novel SARS-COV-2 infection

none24noneBatticciotto, Alberto; Marotto, Daniela; Giorgi, Valeria; Balzarini, Patrizia; Favalli, Ennio Giulio; Balduzzi, Silvia; Fredi, Micaela; Bazzani, Chiara; Sartorelli, Silvia; Ravagnani, Viviana; Tamanini, Silvia; Castelnovo, Laura; Lurati, Alfredo Maria; Farah, Sonia; Bongiovanni, Sara; Caporali, Roberto; Dagna, Lorenzo; Faggioli, Paola; Franceschini, Franco; Montecucco, Carlo Maurizio; Salaffi, Fausto; Galli, Massimo; Cappelli, Antonella; Sarzi-Puttini, PiercarloBatticciotto, Alberto; Marotto, Daniela; Giorgi, Valeria; Balzarini, Patrizia; Favalli, Ennio Giulio; Balduzzi, Silvia; Fredi, Micaela; Bazzani, Chiara; Sartorelli, Silvia; Ravagnani, Viviana; Tamanini, Silvia; Castelnovo, Laura; Lurati, Alfredo Maria; Farah, Sonia; Bongiovanni, Sara; Caporali, Roberto; Dagna, Lorenzo; Faggioli, Paola; Franceschini, Franco; Montecucco, Carlo Maurizio; Salaffi, Fausto; Galli, Massimo; Cappelli, Antonella; Sarzi-Puttini, Piercarl