The Influence of short-term land use change on soil evolution in the centre-south coastal areas of Sardinia

The land use change in short-term (time and space) in the Mediterranean context can be induced by phenomena like destruction of the autochthonous plant species, land abandonment, overgrazing, fire, urbanization (above all for touristic purpose), etc. These phenomena can lead to soil’s degradation conditions causing a loss of physical and biological productivity and the consequent emphasis in desertification processes. Desertification is considered one of the biggest environmental problems in Mediterranean areas (ICCD, 1994), and Sardinia is one of the most affected regions in Europe (UNEP, 1992; Imeson and Emmer, 1992). In Sardinia changes happened during the last decades (such as industrialization, coastal urban areas expansion, etc.) have often resulted in repercussions on the environmental ecosystems and foremost on soils. An important decrease of fertile lands and a consequent increase of marginal and unproductive areas have been observed; this fact has taken to manifest environmental and economic repercussions. In Sardinia such degradation phenomena are particularly evident in coastal areas, where the uncontrolled urbanization and the natural touristic vocation represent relevant impact types. In fact, in 1897 km of coastal lands (500 km are represented by dunal systems) 40% is subjected to deep erosion phenomena, that often are caused by wrong management actions. For these reasons the knowledge of their nature and expansion is of primary importance to carry out correct choices in land use. This work shows an example of a comparative investigation on coastal ecosystems particularly under human pressure. The investigated areas are located along the Centre–North coast of Sardinia. Particularly they concern: a) soils on limestone formations, forestry live oak cover and pasture land use (goat and swine); b) soils on fixed dunes, reforestation with pine and touristic-recreational land use foremost. In the areas several soil profiles have been realized to investigate the influence of the land use change, occurring in short-term in both places, on the evolution and degradation processes of soils

A Quali-quantitative evaluation approach to pedodiversity by multivariate analysis: introduction to the concept of "pedocharacter"

A model has been developed for the interpretation of the complexity of pedological systems; this is referred to as “pedocharacter”. The main aim of the model was to reduce the variables able to define soils and their relationships with the environment through the following quali-quantitative approach: i) definition of a fair number of qualitative characters; and ii) development of an analytic function, defined as “Land Relevance of the Factor”

Categorizing basic factors driving soil genesis, pedovariability and plant assemblages in Mediterranean Temporary Wetlands (TWs)

A research was carried out in six Temporary Wetlands (TWs), located in north-western Sardinia (Italy), with the aim to categorize the basic factors driving and linking soil genesis and plant assemblages in Mediterranean basin

Pedotechniques strategies to improve soil resilience against the impact of irrigation by municipal wastewater: using zeolitized tuffs as soil amendments

A research was started aiming at evaluating the possible use of natural zeolites as exchange conditioners to improve and make durable the soil resilience against the adverse effects of the use of anomalous wastewater, for irrigation purposes. To satisfy such aims, two zeolitized tuffs (ZTs), viz. a Neapolitan yellow tuff (NYT) and a clinoptilolite bearing tuff (ZCL), were tested as pedotechnical materials to improve soil resilience against the impact of treatment by a ‘dirty’ municipal wastewater (DMW)

Trasporto di metalli verso i laghi del sistema Flumendosa Campidano in conseguenza dell'erosione dei suoli

Weathering of mine tailings represents an important metal source in Sardinia. The accumulation of mobilized metals onto soil in the mineralized areas and the subsequent erosional transport of soil towards the freshwater reservoirs endangers the quality of drinking water. The here described study on the Flumendosa-Campidano system shows the prescence and spatial distribution of metals in the system and underlines the necessity to control the more mobile and dangerous metals, as for exampIe cadmium

Zeolitized tuffs in pedotechnique for quarry restoration: evaluation of phytonutritional efficiency in ^AUP model horizons

A study was started aiming at assessing the suitability of zeolitized tuff as optimal mineral Human Transported Materials (HTMs) in pedotechnologies for quarry restoration

Characterization and phylogenetic epitope mapping of CD38 ADPR cyclase in the cynomolgus macaque

BACKGROUND: The CD38 transmembrane glycoprotein is an ADP-ribosyl cyclase that moonlights as a receptor in cells of the immune system. Both functions are independently implicated in numerous areas related to human health. This study originated from an inherent interest in studying CD38 in the cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis), a species closely related to humans that also represents a cogent animal model for the biomedical analysis of CD38. RESULTS: A cDNA was isolated from cynomolgus macaque peripheral blood leukocytes and is predicted to encode a type II membrane protein of 301 amino acids with 92% identity to human CD38. Both RT-PCR-mediated cDNA cloning and genomic DNA PCR surveying were possible with heterologous human CD38 primers, demonstrating the striking conservation of CD38 in these primates. Transfection of the cDNA coincided with: (i) surface expression of cynomolgus macaque CD38 by immunofluorescence; (ii) detection of ~42 and 84 kDa proteins by Western blot and (iii) the appearance of ecto-enzymatic activity. Monoclonal antibodies were raised against the cynomolgus CD38 ectodomain and were either species-specific or cross-reactive with human CD38, in which case they were directed against a common disulfide-requiring conformational epitope that was mapped to the C-terminal disulfide loop. CONCLUSION: This multi-faceted characterization of CD38 from cynomolgus macaque demonstrates its high genetic and biochemical similarities with human CD38 while the immunological comparison adds new insights into the dominant epitopes of the primate CD38 ectodomain. These results open new prospects for the biomedical and pharmacological investigations of this receptor-enzyme

Dysbiosis Triggers ACF Development in Genetically Predisposed Subjects

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide, characterized by a multifactorial etiology including genetics, lifestyle, and environmental factors including microbiota composition. To address the role of microbial modulation in CRC, we used our recently established mouse model (the Winnie-APCMin/+) combining inflammation and genetics.Methods: Gut microbiota profiling was performed on 8-week-old Winnie-APCMin/+ mice and their littermates by 16S rDNA gene amplicon sequencing. Moreover, to study the impact of dysbiosis induced by the mother's genetics in ACF development, the large intestines of APCMin/+ mice born from wild type mice were investigated by histological analysis at 8 weeks.Results: ACF development in 8-week-old Winnie-APCMin/+mice was triggered by dysbiosis. Specifically, the onset of ACF in genetically predisposed mice may result from dysbiotic signatures in the gastrointestinal tract of the breeders. Additionally, fecal transplant from Winnie donors to APCMin/+ hosts leads to an increased rate of ACF development.Conclusions: The characterization of microbiota profiling supporting CRC development in genetically predisposed mice could help to design therapeutic strategies to prevent dysbiosis. The application of these strategies in mothers during pregnancy and lactation could also reduce the CRC risk in the offspring

Extramedullary Plasmacytoma Mimicking Pancreatic Cancer: An Unusual Presentation

Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell tumor that homes to and expands in the bone marrow and that, despite the new available drugs, remains incurable. Extramedullary plasmacytoma is a not frequent manifestation during the natural history of multiple myeloma and is frequently associated with plasma cell bone marrow infiltration. The most common locations for an EMP include the gastrointestinal tract, pleura, testis, skin, peritoneum, liver, endocrine glands, and lymph nodes. Primary involvement of the gallbladder fossa is exceedingly rare. In this report, we describe a patient with multiple myeloma who achieved a clinical and serological remission after autologous transplant but progressed rapidly at extramedullary site mimicking a second cancer (i.e., pancreatic or biliary cancer). In this case, the extramedullary localization was refractory to standard therapy, differently from bone marrow localization, but responded to lymphoma-like therapy. In this patient (i) the particular site of developing plasmacytoma is the gallbladder fossa, (ii) the timing of onset of this neoplasm is immediately after autologous transplant, and (iii) its disjunction from primary myeloma is that it appears in clinical and serological remission phase which may be confounding during the diagnostic approach simulating a different tumor (solid tumor)

One-loop f(R) gravity in de Sitter universe

Motivated by the dark energy issue, the one-loop quantization approach for a family of relativistic cosmological theories is discussed in some detail. Specifically, general $f(R)$ gravity at the one-loop level in a de Sitter universe is investigated, extending a similar program developed for the case of pure Einstein gravity. Using generalized zeta regularization, the one-loop effective action is explicitly obtained off-shell, what allows to study in detail the possibility of (de)stabilization of the de Sitter background by quantum effects. The one-loop effective action maybe useful also for the study of constant curvature black hole nucleation rate and it provides the plausible way of resolving the cosmological constant problem.Comment: 25 pages, Latex file. Discussion enlarged, new references added. Version accepted in JCA