Full case study report: Bio-Distretto Cliento -Italy

The Italian long‐standing tradition and experience with industrial and agro‐industrial districts and the 2001 national Agricultural Act including a specific article on “rural and quality agro‐food districts” (and following regulations), have undoubtedly contributed to inspire the more recent phenomenon of “bio‐distretti” initiatives. Bio‐distretti are spreading from south to north across the country, gathering the interest of private and public actors around a context‐specific project of local development. This is essentially based on the combination of the “district culture and tradition” with a precise focus on organic agriculture and its significant potential for sustainable territorial development (Pugliese and Antonelli 2015). Bio‐distretto Cilento, in Campania region, is the first bio‐district initiative carried out in Italy. Its pioneer experience constitutes a key starting point and reference case for the many other initiatives that have emerged in the last five years, each with specific context features and distinct development history and trajectory, but all sharing the “bio‐district” vision and objectives. So far 11 bio‐districts have been officially established in 9 regions and 3 more are underway

Case study fact sheet. Bio-distretto Cilento - Italy

It is not by chance that the first Italian biodistrict was developed in Cilento, land of nature, culture, history and food traditions. The long‐term commitment and the remarkable efforts of various private and public stakeholders in support of Cilento Bio‐distretto have produced, over time, a number of interesting results. First, some important progress has been experienced in the development in the Cilento area of the organic sector, both in terms of operator numbers and land area. Second, the establishment of short supply chain outlets like, organic farmers’ markets, organic purchase groups and green public procurement and a number of other initiatives specifically targeting tourists have contributed to create stable market outlets for local organic products, thus meeting farmers’ need for viable market opportunities which was originally the intention of the creation of the Bio‐distretto initiative. Third, through its continued active presence in the area and its multiple initiatives, the Bio‐distretto project contributed to the protection of local foods and traditions as well as of the Mediterranean Diet heritage. Fourth, the Bio‐distretto Cilento succeeded in creating relatively permanent socio‐economic links between inland and coastland areas as well as between agriculture and other promising economic sectors in the region. Fifth, as a result of the many initiatives, it is claimed that the turnover of local organic farms and enterprises participating to the Bio‐distretto activities has increased by about 20% on average in these years. Sixth, the presence of Bio‐distretto project contributed to spread the “green economy and lifestyle” culture in the area (differentiated waste collection, renewable energies, bioarchitecture). Seventh, many of the activities carried out under the Bio‐distretto umbrella have managed to test and introduce innovative solutions to local problems and to broaden horizons with innovative projects, like care farming

Level and correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior in patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional analysis of the italian diabetes and exercise study-2

OBJECTIVE: Patients with type 2 diabetes usually show reduced physical activity (PA) and increased sedentary (SED)-time, though to a varying extent, especially for low-intensity PA (LPA), a major determinant of daily energy expenditure that is not accurately captured by questionnaires. This study assessed the level and correlates of PA and SED-time in patients from the Italian Diabetes and Exercise Study_2 (IDES_2). METHODS: Three-hundred physically inactive and sedentary patients with type 2 diabetes were enrolled in the IDES_2 to be randomized to an intervention group, receiving theoretical and practical exercise counseling, and a control group, receiving standard care. At baseline, LPA, moderate-to-vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA), and SED-time were measured by accelerometer. Physical fitness and cardiovascular risk factors and scores were also assessed. RESULTS: LPA was 3.93±1.35 hours∙day-1, MVPA was 12.4±4.6 min∙day-1, and SED-time was 11.6±1.2 hours∙day-1, with a large range of values (0.89-7.11 hours∙day-1, 0.6-21.0 min∙day-1, and 9.14-15.28 hours∙day-1, respectively). At bivariate analysis, LPA and MVPA correlated with better cardiovascular risk profile and fitness parameters, whereas the opposite was observed for SED-time. Likewise, values of LPA, MVPA, and SED-time falling in the best tertile were associated with optimal or acceptable levels of cardiovascular risk factors and scores. At multivariate analysis, age, female gender, HbA1c, BMI or waist circumference, and high-sensitivity C reactive protein (for LPA and SED-time only) were negatively associated with LPA and MPA and positively associated with SED-time in an independent manner. CONCLUSIONS: Physically inactive and sedentary patients with type 2 diabetes from the IDES_2 show a low level of PA, though values of LPA, MVPA, and SED-time vary largely. Furthermore, there is a strong correlation of these measures with glycemic control, adiposity and inflammation, thus suggesting that even small improvements in LPA, MVPA, and SED-time might be associated with significant improvement in cardiovascular risk profile

Effects of elevated CO2 and temperature on interactions of zucchini and powdery mildew

Effects of increased CO2 and temperature on powdery mildew (Podosphaera xanthii) of zucchini (Cucurbita pepo), were evaluated under controlled conditions. Zucchini plants were grown in phytotrons under four different simulated climatic conditions: 450 ppm of CO2 at standard (18°C night, 24°C day) and elevated temperatures (22°C night, 28°C day), elevated CO2 (800 ppm) with standard temperature and elevated CO2 (800 ppm) with elevated temperature (4°C higher than standard). Physiological responses of zucchini and pathogen development were studied. Under elevated CO2 both healthy and infected zucchini plants grew better when temperature was lower. Elevated CO2 generally caused no significant differences in pathogen development or disease severity, whereas elevated temperature stimulated the development of the pathogen. A combination of elevated CO2 and temperature always stimulated the development of the pathogen and disease severity compared to standard conditions

The comparative analysis of Mediterranean coastal communities: six case studies

The aim of this study is to promote cooperation and actions for the benefit of coastal communities on the Southern and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean region by adopting an approach that integrates environmental, economic and social dimensions. These areas are traditionally based on Fisheries, especially small-scale fisheries (SSFs), which contribute to strengthen social cohesion, in that the seafood value chains still represent the backbone of the coastal economy. The six coastal communities analysed in this paper are located in Algiers port - Casbah (Algeria), Marsa Matrouh (Egypt), Tricase (Italy), Tyre (Lebanon), Nador Lagoon (Morocco), Zarzis (Tunisia). Conclusions emphasise the need to develop a comprehensive reference system for dialogue, cooperation and capacity building both at national and regional level. The cluster approach can help create a favourable cooperation and competition environment, generating income and employment opportunities for local communities.Le but de cette \ue9tude est de promouvoir la coop\ue9ration et des actions en faveur des communaut\ue9s c\uf4ti\ue8res sur les rives Sud et Est de la M\ue9diterran\ue9e, en adoptant une approche qui int\ue8gre les dimensions environnementale, \ue9conomique et sociale. Cette r\ue9gion est traditionnellement ax\ue9e sur la p\ueache, et notamment la petite p\ueache, qui contribue \ue0 renforcer la coh\ue9sion sociale, car les cha\ueenes de valeur des produits de la mer constituent encore la colonne vert\ue9brale de l\u2019\ue9conomie c\uf4ti\ue8re. Les six communaut\ue9s c\uf4ti\ue8res examin\ue9es dans ce travail sont situ\ue9es \ue0 la Casbah- port d\u2019Alger (Alg\ue9rie), \ue0 Marsa Matrouh (Egypte), \ue0 Tricase (Italie), Tyre (Liban), dans la lagune de Nador (Maroc) et \ue0 Zarzis (Tunisie). Dans les conclusions, l\u2019accent est mis sur l\u2019importance de structurer un syst\ue8me de r\ue9f\ue9rence global pour encourager le dialogue, la coop\ue9ration et le d\ue9veloppement des capacit\ue9s \ue0 l\u2019\ue9chelle nationale et r\ue9gionale. Le mod\ue8le du cluster pourrait contribuer \ue0 cr\ue9er un environnement de coop\ue9ration et comp\ue9tition favorable, g\ue9n\ue9rant des revenus et des emplois au niveau des communaut\ue9s locales

Blood biomarkers from the emergency department disclose severe omicron covid-19-associated outcomes

Background: Since its outbreak, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a life-threatening respiratory illness, has rapidly become a public health emergency with a devastating social impact. Lately, the Omicron strain is considered the main variant of concern. Routine blood biomarkers are, indeed, essential for stratifying patients at risk of severe outcomes, and a huge amount of data is available in the literature, mainly for the previous variants. However, only a few studies are available on early routine biochemical blood biomarkers for Omicron-afflicted patients. Thus, the aim and novelty of this study were to identify routine blood biomarkers detected at the emergency room for the early prediction of severe morbidity and/or mortality. Methods: 449 COVID-19 patients from Sapienza University Hospital of Rome were divided into four groups: (1) the emergency group (patients with mild forms who were quickly discharged); (2) the hospital ward group (patients that after the admission in the emergency department were hospitalized in a COVID-19 ward); (3) the intensive care unit (ICU) group (patients that after the admission in the emergency department required intensive assistance); (4) the deceased group (patients that after the admission in the emergency department had a fatal outcome). Results: ANOVA and ROC data showed that high-sensitivity troponin-T (TnT), fibrinogen, glycemia, C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase, albumin, D-dimer myoglobin, and ferritin for both men and women may predict lethal outcomes already at the level of the emergency department. Conclusions: Compared to previous Delta COVID-19 parallel emergency patterns of prediction, Omicron-induced changes in TnT may be considered other early predictors of severe outcomes

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good