Ecosystem Services, Green Infrastructure and Spatial Planning

Ecosystem services and green infrastructure do not appear to inform spatial policies and plans. National governments hardly identify their ecological networks or make an effort to integrate them into their spatial policies and plans. Under this perspective, an important scientific and technical issue is to focus on preserving corridors for enabling species mobility and on achieving connectivity between natural protected areas. In this respect, this Special Issue takes a step forward insofar as it aims at proposing a theoretical and methodological discussion on the definition and implementation of ecological networks that, besides guaranteeing wildlife movements, also provide a wide range of ecosystem services. The social and economic profile of this question is also relevant since in the long run, savings in public spending (e.g., due to the reduced need for grey infrastructures aiming at contrasting soil erosion or at managing flood risk), savings in private spending (e.g., on water treatment costs) and the potential creation of green jobs are foreseeable. Moreover, indirect and less easily quantifiable social and health benefits (e.g., due to improved natural pollution abatement) are likely to occur as well

Study of the Al-grading effect in the crystallisation of chalcopyrite Cu(In,Al)Se2 thin films selenised at different temperatures

Chalcopyrite CuIn1−xAlxSe2 (CIAS) thin films with an atomic ratio of Al/(In + Al) = 0.4 were grown by a two-stage process onto soda-lime glass substrates. The selenisation was carried out at different temperatures, ranging from 400 °C to 550 °C, for metallic precursors layers evaporated with two different sequences. The first sequence, C1, was evaporated with the Al as the last layer, while in the second one, C2, the In was the last evaporated element. The optical, structural and morphological characterisations led to the conclusion that the precursors sequence determines the crystallisation pathway, resulting in C1 the best option due to the homogeneity of the depth distribution of the elements. The influence of the selenisation temperature was also studied, finding 540 °C as the optimum one, since it allows to achieve the highest band gap value for the C1 sequence and for the given composition

Native mass spectrometry of human carbonic anhydrase I and its inhibitor complexes

Abstract: Native mass spectrometry is a potent technique to study and characterize biomacromolecules in their native state. Here, we have applied this method to explore the solution chemistry of human carbonic anhydrase I (hCA I) and its interactions with four different inhibitors, namely three sulfonamide inhibitors (AAZ, MZA, SLC-0111) and the dithiocarbamate derivative of morpholine (DTC). Through high-resolution ESI-Q-TOF measurements, the native state of hCA I and the binding of the above inhibitors were characterized in the molecular detail. Native mass spectrometry was also exploited to assess the direct competition in solution among the various inhibitors in relation to their affinity constants. Additional studies were conducted on the interaction of hCA I with the metallodrug auranofin, under various solution and instrumental conditions. Auranofin is a selective reagent for solvent-accessible free cysteine residues, and its reactivity was analyzed also in the presence of CA inhibitors. Overall, our investigation reveals that native mass spectrometry represents an excellent tool to characterize the solution behavior of carbonic anhydrase. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Reactions of medicinal gold(III) compounds with proteins and peptides explored by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and complementary biophysical methods

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI MS) is a powerful investigative tool to analyze the reactions of metallodrugs with proteins and peptides and characterize the resulting adducts. Here, we have applied this type of approach to four experimental anticancer gold(III) compounds for which extensive biological and mechanistic data had previously been gathered, namely, Auoxo6, Au2phen, AuL12, and Aubipyc. These gold(III) compounds were reacted with two representative proteins, i.e., human serum albumin (HSA) and human carbonic anhydrase I (hCA I), and with the C-terminal dodecapeptide of thioredoxin reductase. ESI MS analysis allowed us to elucidate the nature of the resulting metal–protein adducts from which the main features of the occurring metallodrug–protein reactions can be inferred. In selected cases, MS data were integrated and supported by independent 1HNMR and UV–Vis absorption measurements to gain an overall description of the occurring processes. From data analysis, it emerges that most of the investigated gold(III) complexes, endowed with an appreciable oxidizing character, undergo quite facile reduction to gold(I); the resulting gold(I) species tightly associate with the above proteins/peptides with a remarkable selectivity for free cysteine residues. In contrast, in the case of the less-oxidizing Aubipyc complex, the gold(III) oxidation state is conserved, and a gold(III) fragment still containing the original ligand is found to be associated with the target proteins. It is notable that the C-terminal dodecapeptide of thioredoxin reductase containing the characteristic –Gly–Cys–Sec–Gly metal-binding motif is able in all cases to trigger gold(III)-to-gold(I) reduction. Our investigation allowed us to identify in detail the nature of the gold fragments that ultimately bind the protein targets and determine the exact binding stoichiometry; some insight on the reaction kinetics was also gained. Notably, a few clear correlations could be established between the structure of the metal complexes and the nature of the resulting protein adducts. The mechanistic implications of these findings are analyzed and thoroughly discussed. Overall, the present results set the stage to better understand the real target biomolecules of these gold compounds and elucidate at the atomic level their interaction modes with proteins and peptides

Neutron Tomography at INES: First experimental results

A neutron tomography apparatus has been designed and installed at the Italian neutron experimental station (INES) at ISIS (UK). The instrument has a double aim: an additional opportunity for the INES users and a “bench test” for an instrument component that will be proposed for installation on some of the new neutron scattering instruments of Target Station 2 (TS2) of ISIS. Here, we present the first experimental results achieved with this apparatus

Tuberculosis in roe deer from Spain and Italy

TUBERCULOSIS (TB) is a chronic infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Mycobacterium (Grange and others 1990). The detection of wildlife reservoirs of disease is important, particularly in areas where there is a relatively low incidence of the disease in domestic animals. Tuberculosis cases in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) are reported only sporadically, despite the wide distribution and the abundance of this cervid. Roe deer with TB have been reported in Germany (Schmidt 1938), Switzerland (Bouvier 1963), France (Zanella and others 2008) and the UK (Gunning 1985, Delahay and others 2007). This short communication is the first report of TB in roe deer in Spain and Italy, and discusses the implications of these findings for wildlife and livestock disease control. The prevalence of mycobacterial infections, such as TB and paratuberculosis, seems to be increasing in Spain. Wildlife species may act as disease reservoirs, so this short communication also elucidates the epidemiology of mycobacterial infections in species such as roe deer

Awareness, Co-operation, Tackling to Stop Sexual Bullying: An empowerment pack for young people and the people working with them (The ACT Pack).

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