Community core detection in transportation networks

This work analyses methods for the identification and the stability under perturbation of a territorial community structure with specific reference to transportation networks. We considered networks of commuters for a city and an insular region. In both cases, we have studied the distribution of commuters' trips (i.e., home-to-work trips and viceversa). The identification and stability of the communities' cores are linked to the land-use distribution within the zone system, and therefore their proper definition may be useful to transport planners.Comment: 8 pages, 13 figure

Marine Ecological Footprint of Italian Mediterranean Fisheries

The capacity of marine and coastal ecosystems to sustain seafood production and consumption is seldom accounted for and is not included in the signals that guide economic development. In this article, we review estimates of marine and coastal areas aimed at sustaining catches for seafood consumption. The aim of this paper is the assessment of the interactions between the environment, intended as a set of ecological subsystems in natural equilibrium, including the marine ecosystem, and the process of fisheries systems. In particular we analyze fisheries in Italy, which is the third biggest economy and the greatest consumer of seafood in the Eurozone, conducting an in-depth analysis of the Marine Ecological Footprint (MEF) that evaluates the marine ecosystem area exploited by human populations to supply seafood and other marine products and services. The positioning of Italian fisheries shows a level of sustainability next to the threshold value. The analysis in the present study highlights the importance of absolute indicators in providing rough estimates about human dependence on ecological systems and recognizes the importance of those indicators, such as the Marine Footprint (expressed in % of Primary Production Required/Primary Production), in ensuring a high level of precision and accuracy in quantifying human activity impact on the environment

Mealworms for Food: A Water Footprint Perspective

In this paper, we have explored the possibility of substituting traditional meat products with an alternative source of protein (insects) in order to reduce human pressure on water. Insects, in fact, could represent a good alternative source of quality proteins and nutrients and they are already a very popular component of the diet of one third of the world's population in approximately 80% of countries. In the study, we have taken into account only two species of edible insects (Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas morio mealworms), because they are already commercially produced even in Western countries, and for this reason it is possible to find specific data in literature about their diets. We have used the water footprint (WF) as a reliable indicator to calculate the volume of water required for production and to compare different products. The final aim of the work is, in fact, to evaluate the WF of the production of edible insects with a focus on water consumption associated with protein content, in order to make a comparison with other animal protein sources. We have demonstrated that, from a freshwater resource perspective, it is more efficient to obtain protein through mealworms rather than other traditional farmed animals

Integrating Safety-I and Safety-II Approaches in Near Miss Management: A Critical Analysis

Safety-II is a recently theorized approach, considering safety as the ability of a system to reach a positive outcome under variable conditions: analyzing “what goes right” can help to understand the dynamics of the analyzed system and improve its inherent safety level. On the contrary, a more traditional perspective, defined as Safety-I, aims at analyzing “what goes wrong”, thereby relating the safety level of a system to the number of adverse events that occurred. This study explores the potentialities of integrating these two approaches in near-miss management. Through a Safety-I approach, near-miss events are analyzed to identify the root causes generating the event chain, in order to delete them and prevent future accidents. Applying a Safety-II approach, the analysis can include elements that contributed to limiting the consequences and blocking the event chain, revealing the resilience level of the systems. This study presents a critical analysis of the two approaches and proposes a practical framework to integrate them into near-miss management systems. A test case shows the potential benefits of this integration. This work provides a tool to support the implementation of Safety-II on the operative level while suggesting a new perspective for near-miss management

Assessing agricultural eco-efficiency in Italian Regions

none5Agriculture plays a key role in providing a wide range of ecosystem services, such as food, feed, fiber and biofuel, thus taking part in the economic development of countries. On the other hand, this sector also gives rise to negative externalities. The eco-efficiency has been considered as a meaningful index for assessing how efficient economic activities are in terms of resource-use and environmental pressures: measuring eco-efficiency provides policy makers with important information for developing policies focused on sustainable management and ef- ficient use of natural resources in the agricultural sector. In this context, sustainable development is now one of the most important objectives of the European Union Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that has a key role in facing the challenges of the new paradigm of sustainability of agriculture. In this direction, the aim of this paper is to evaluate the eco-efficiency of the Italian agricultural sector, as an index useful for emphasizing the dif- ferences among some national geographical areas. This paper tries to fill the lack of scientific studies on agri- cultural eco-efficiency in Italy, despite the strategic role played by Italy in Europe. For this purpose, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology was used, focusing on the integration between agricultural pro- ductivity and resource conservation, in order to develop a support tool for policy makers and managers. The analysis had shown a better orientation in saving resources for the Southern Regions and a greater orientation in productivity for the Northern Regions. Overall, Italy seems to have a good capacity for sustainable management of agricultural resources although there is still space for improvement. In this regard, the measurement of eco- efficiency provides a useful index for policy makers to achieve better performances in terms of agricultural sustainability. This means that CAP subsidies should be granted in exchange for specific environmental ex- ternalities provided by farmers as a result of more ecologically friendly management with a land use planning avoiding the depleting of Ecosystem Services rich areas, allowing for the achievement of a balance between economic growth and ecosystem protection. Although the paper has expanded the literature on agricultural eco- efficiency, this work has some limitations that could serve as a reference for future studies that can include other ecological variables such as the provision of some ecosystem services that can be enhanced or impacted by agricultural development. Finally, the challenge to realize sustainable agriculture can represent a long-term guarantee of food security as well as societal well-being.openColuccia, Benedetta; Valente, Donatella; Fusco, Giulio; De Leo, Federica; Porrini, DonatellaColuccia, Benedetta; Valente, Donatella; Fusco, Giulio; De Leo, Federica; Porrini, Donatell

Marine Fisheries and Mariculture in Croatia: Economic and Trade Analysis

The aim of this paper is to identify the state and trends in Croatian marine resource sector which determine the trade balance with Italy. Firstly, size and the structure of the marine fisheries in Croatia are investigated taking into account time trends and the effects of the EU common market policy. Furthermore, we compared the size of export and import of the fishery products. In particular, we look at the relevant indicator of trade with Italy. Since the wholesale market places are established with difficulties in Croatia, the trade channels of the marine fishery products are rather heterogeneous. Next, the market size and structure are analyzed for the specific markets, together with the analysis of the information asymmetry problems. The analysis results with several findings including that the total fish catch volume is accompanied by a decrease in fish catch value. Furthermore, the gap between Italian and Croatian catches in the Mediterranean Sea shrink, and more fish products are exported from Croatia to Italy than imported from Italy to Croatia. The average size of Croatian fishing fleet vessel is still much lower than the average fishing vessel size arriving at Croatian ports. Finally, fish market is underdeveloped in Croatia with low value added created along the trading chains

social media and environmental sustainability an overview of european countries

The theme of the relationship between social media and sustainability has prompted many scholars to analyze the impact that "virtual information" has on the environment. This study empirically tests two models that examine the effects of cultural values and social media on environmental performance by considering different variables such as Social Media penetration, Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions and Environmental Performance Index. Two multiple linear regression models were employed to test the hypotheses on a sample of 30 European Countries.Empirical results, extensible to all of Europe, conclude that the cultural dimensions analyzed, as well as social media penetration, significantly influence environmental performance of European Countries when we execute a combined model.Social media are arguably an integral part of sustainability strategy and future research on IT and sustainability needs to take a more integrated approach. If we consider that social media have a positive effect on the environment it is easy to intuit that if governance implements effective policies to ensure social media access for everyone, real sustainable development could be achieved

Unfolding IGDQ peptides for engineering motogenic interfaces

Extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimicking surfaces are pivotal tools in understanding adherent cell physiopathology. In this sense, we have recently reported on a discrete set of ECM-mimicking SAMs, among which only those exposing IGDQ peptide-alkanethiols sustain the adhesion of MDA-MB-231 cells by triggering FAK phosphorylation and peculiarly induce the migration of individual cancer cells on the subcentimeter scale. Starting from the experimentally observed relationship among the SAM composition, organization, and biological response, a systematic computational characterization aided in pinpointing the atomistic details through which specific composition and organization achieve the desired biological responsiveness. Specifically, the solvent, number and type of peptides, and presence or absence of surface fillers were accurately considered, creating representative model SAMs simulated by means of classical molecular dynamics (MD) with a view toward unravelling the experimental evidence, revealing how the conformational and structural features of these substrates dictate the specific motogenic responses. Through complementary experimental and computational investigations, it clearly emerges that there exists a distinct and precise mutual interaction among IGDQ-peptides, the surface fillers, and Au, which controls the structural properties of the ECM-mimicking SAMs and thus their motogenic potential

Case Report Hepatitis B Reactivation in a HBsAg-Negative, HBcAb-Positive Patient Receiving Fludarabine for the Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation is an increasingly recognized cause of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing chemotherapy. In haematology, the risk of reactivation of B hepatitis among HBsAg-positive patients has been documented; therefore, use of lamivudine prophylaxis is recommended before starting chemotherapy. Differently, for HBsAg-negative patients with markers of previous HBV infection (i.e., presence of isolated anti-HBc positivity) (anticore patients) management strategies are not univocal. We describe a rare case of HBV reactivation in an anticore patient after fludarabine therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. The patient fully recovered after a 6-month course of lamivudine with persistent HBV-DNA clearance and loss of HBsAg. The most important feature of this case is that fludarabine alone infrequently determines HBV reactivation, especially in anticore patients. Therefore, we suggest that patients candidates to receive fludarabine therapy should be considered for lamivudine prophylaxis, not only if HBsAg-positive, but even if anticore-positive only