A Fifty-Year Sustainability Assessment of Italian Agro-Forest Districts

DistrictAs cropland management and land use shifted towards more intensive practices, global land degradation increased drastically. Understanding relationships between ecological and socioeconomic drivers of soil and landscape degradation within these landscapes in economically dynamic contexts such as the Mediterranean region, requires multi-target and multi-scalar approaches covering long-term periods. This study provides an original approach for identifying desertification risk drivers and sustainable land management strategies within Italian agro-forest districts. An Environmental Sensitivity Area (ESA) approach, based on four thematic indicators (climate, soil, vegetation and land-use) and a composite index of desertification risk (ESAI), was used to evaluate changes in soil vulnerability and landscape degradation between the years 1960 and 2010. A multivariate model was developed to identify the most relevant drivers causing changes in land susceptibility at the district scale. Larger districts, and those with a higher proportion of their total surface area classified as agro-forest, had a significantly lower increase in land susceptibility to degradation during the 50 years when compared with the remaining districts. We conclude that preserving economic viability and ecological connectivity of traditional, extensive agricultural systems is a key measure to mitigate the desertification risk in the Mediterranean region

From Manufacturing to Advanced Services. The (Uneven) Rise and Decline of Mediterranean City-Regions

Uneven changes in the global urban hierarchy have given way to new forms of relationships between urban and rural areas based on complementarities, cooperative and specialized exchange of services and goods, abandoning the additive processes of growth guided by industrialization and urbanization. Representing a distant notion from traditional concepts in regional studies such as 'compact cities' or 'suburbs', 'gravitation' or 'hierarchy', the 'city-region' paradigm has stimulated different visions to be recomposed within the 'sustainability' framework. With global changes, the 'mega-city region' model has starting to take the lead in the development of contemporary urban agglomeration. In this study, considerations over the emergence of this urban model in the Mediterranean region will be presented to investigate the relationship between dispersed urbanization and consolidating southern European city-regions. While Mediterranean cities have been considered for long time as ‘ordinary’ cities, rather distant from the 'globalized' northern urban models, most of these cities are characterized by distinctive socioeconomic traits possibly open to competition and globalization. The present contribution describes the emergence of a Mediterranean urban area, Athens, as a new 'city-region' in the context of urbanization processes in Greece and in the Mediterranean basin as a whole. One of the clearest indications of urban competitiveness amongst emerging and established large city-regions is the fight for hosting mega-events. The final objective of the study is to understand how the efforts for increasing urban competitiveness are impacting new forms of cityregions, mainly based on low-density settlements reflecting discontinuous urbanization

NCR+ ILC3 maintain larger STAT4 reservoir via T-BET to regulate type 1 features upon IL-23 stimulation in mice

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) producing IL-22 and/or IL-17, designated as ILC3, comprise a heterogeneous subset of cells involved in regulation of gut barrier homeostasis and inflammation. Exogenous environmental cues in conjunction with regulated expression of endogenous factors are key determinants of plasticity of ILC3 towards the type 1 fate. Herein, by using mouse models and transcriptomic approaches, we defined at the molecular level, initial events driving ILC3 expressing natural cytotoxicity receptors (NCR+ ILC3) to acquire type 1 features. We observed that NCR+ ILC3 exhibited high basal expression of the signal-dependent transcription factor STAT4 due to T-BET, leading to predisposed potential for the type 1 response. We found that the prototypical inducer of type 3 response, IL-23, played a predominant role over IL-12 by accessing STAT4 and preferentially inducing its phosphorylation in ILC3 expressing T-BET. The early effector program driven by IL-23 was characterized by the expression of IL-22, followed by a production of IFN-γ, which relies on STAT4, T-BET and required chromatin remodeling of the Ifng locus. Altogether, our findings shed light on a feed-forward mechanism involving STAT4 and T-BET that modulates the outcome of IL-23 signaling in ILC3. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Climate Aridity under Changing Conditions and Implications for the Agricultural Sector: Italy as a Case Study

A comprehensive diachronic analysis (1951–2010) of precipitation and temperature regimes has been carried out at the national and regional scale in Italy to investigate the impact of climate aridity on the agricultural system. Trends in climate aridity have been also analysed using UNEP aridity index which is the ratio between rainfall and potential evapotranspiration on a yearly basis. During the examined time period, and particularly in the most recent years, a gradual reduction in rainfall and growing temperatures have been observed which have further widened the gap between precipitation amounts and water demand in agriculture

Ubiquitin-dependent endocytosis of NKG2D-DAP10 receptor complexes activates signaling and functions in human NK cells

Cytotoxic lymphocytes share the presence of the activating receptor NK receptor group 2, member D (NKG2D) and the signaling-competent adaptor DNAX-activating protein 10 (DAP10), which together play an important role in antitumor immune surveillance. Ligand stimulation induces the internalization of NKG2D-DAP10 complexes and their delivery to lysosomes for degradation. In experiments with human NK cells and cell lines, we found that the ligand-induced endocytosis of NKG2D-DAP10 depended on the ubiquitylation of DAP10, which was also required for degradation of the internalized complexes. Moreover, through combined biochemical and microscopic analyses, we showed that ubiquitin-dependent receptor endocytosis was required for the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and NK cell functions, such as the secretion of cytotoxic granules and the inflammatory cytokine interferon-γ. These results suggest that NKG2D-DAP10 endocytosis represents a means to decrease cell surface receptor abundance, as well as to control signaling outcome in cytotoxic lymphocytes

Review of Characteristics of Behaviour Change among Children at Risk in Juvenile Rehabilitation Centres in Nairobi County, Kenya

The aim of this study was to review characteristics of behaviour change among children at risk in juvenile rehabilitation centres within Nairobi County, Kenya. The target population was all the children and managers of Juvenile rehabilitation Centres in Nairobi County. It consisted of 380 boys, 160 girls, 8 managers in Kabete and Getathuru and 4 managers in Dagorreti rehabilitation Centre, making a total of 552 respondents.  Children at risk in Juvenile rehabilitation Centres within Nairobi County were sampled using probability and non-probability sampling methods. To obtain a practicable sample from the target population, convenience, purposive, stratified random and systematic random sampling methods were used respectively. Questionnaires, interview schedules and focus groups were used in the study as tools for data gathering. Data gathered was entered, coded and analyzed using inferential statistics and SPSS. The qualitative data was organized, analyzed and reported into emerging themes. The study established that rehabilitation of children at risk in Juvenile rehabilitation Centres was not sufficiently addressed and it was only those children with severe and profound cases whose misbehaviours transformed to moderate levels. Educationists were left out during assessment, classification and in general, the behaviour change process despite their rich expertise in rehabilitation. The researcher recommended a multidisciplinary approach in behaviour change process. That is in Educational Assessment and classification of children at risk to specifically cater for the Children’s special Needs in Education. That the government of Kenya moves all the Juvenile Rehabilitation Centres from Ministry of Labour and Social Services and be placed under the Ministry of Education which has adequate personnel required to rehabilitate a child. Keywords: Behaviour, Children at risk, Juvenile, Rehabilitation, Juvenile Rehabilitation Centres and Delinquency

Stakeholder Perceptions and Context of the Implementation of Performance-Based Financing in District Hospitals in Mali

Background: To improve the performance of the healthcare system, Mali’s government implemented a pilot project of performance-based financing (PBF) in the field of reproductive health. It was established in the Koulikoro region. This research analyses the process of implementing PBF at district hospital (DH) level, something which has rarely been done in Africa.Methods: This qualitative research is based on a multiple, explanatory, and contrasting case study with nested levels of analysis. It covered three of the 10 DHs in the Koulikoro region. We conducted 36 interviews: 12 per DH with council of circle’s members (2) and health personnel (10). We also conducted 24 non-participant observation sessions, 16 informal interviews, and performed a literature review. We performed data analysis using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).Results: Stakeholders perceived the PBF pilot project as a vertical intervention from outside that focused solely on reproductive health. Local actors were not involved in the design of the PBF model. Several difficulties regarding the quality of its design and implementation were highlighted: too short duration of the intervention (8 months), choice and insufficient number of indicators according to the priority of the donors, and impossibility of making changes to the model during its implementation. All health workers adhered to the principles of PBF intervention. Except for members of the district health management team (DHMT) involved in the implementation, respondents only had partial knowledge of the PBF intervention. The implementation of PBF appeared to be easier in District 3 Hospital compared to District 1 and District 2 because it benefited from a pre-pilot project and had good leadership.Conclusion: The PBF programme offered an opportunity to improve the quality of care provided to the population through the motivation of health personnel in Mali. However, several obstacles were observed during the implementation of the PBF pilot project in DHs. When designing and implementing PBF in DHs, it is necessary to consider factors that can influence the implementation of a complex intervention

Subset- and tissue-defined STAT5 thresholds control homeostasis and function of innate lymphoid cells

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) patrol environmental interfaces to defend against infection and protect barrier integrity. Using a genetic tuning model, we demonstrate that the signal-dependent transcription factor (TF) STAT5 is critical for accumulation of all known ILC subsets in mice and reveal a hierarchy of STAT5 dependency for populating lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues. We apply transcriptome and genomic distribution analyses to define a STAT5 gene signature in natural killer (NK) cells, the prototypical ILC subset, and provide a systems-based molecular rationale for its key functions downstream of IL-15. We also uncover surprising features of STAT5 behavior, most notably the wholesale redistribution that occurs when NK cells shift from tonic signaling to acute cytokine-driven signaling, and genome-wide coordination with T-bet, another key TF in ILC biology. Collectively, our data position STAT5 as a central node in the TF network that instructs ILC development, homeostasis, and function and provide mechanistic insights on how it works at cellular and molecular levels

Clinical utility of the Gen-Probe amplified Mycobacterium tuberculosis direct test compared with smear and culture for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy of the Gen-Probe amplified Mycobacterium tuberculosis direct test (AMTD), a recently developed amplification test for the detection of M. tuberculosis complex directly from clinical specimens, for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis and its suitability for use in a routine microbiology laboratory.MethodsSequential respiratory specimens were tested with AMTD and results were compared with those of acid-fast stain and culture. Performance of AMTD was tested over a 13-month period, using 278 respiratory specimens, from 219 patients, submitted to the microbiology laboratory of our hospital. AMTD's sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values were determined, with the combination of culture and clinical diagnosis being taken as the standard.ResultsThirty-three specimens were collected from 23 patients with a conclusive diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Of these specimens, 13 were smear positive, 22 culture positive and 30 AMTD positive. AMTD was more sensitive in detecting pulmonary tuberculosis in patients partially treated but with undiagnosed disease (100%), and in smear-positive disease (100%). The overall sensitivities, specificities and positive and negative predictive values were: 39.4%, 100%, 100%, and 92.4% for staining; 66.7%, 100%, 100% and 95.7% for culture; and 90.9%, 100%, 100%, and 98.8% for AMTD.ConclusionsAMTD is a rapid, reliable and accurate test for the detection of M. tuberculosis complex in respiratory specimens. Repeat testing of those samples whose results fall between 30 000 and 300 000 relative light units, increases test specificity by preventing the majority of false positives