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A Petri net modeling approach to explore the temporal dynamics of the provision of multiple ecosystem services
No full textThe representation of the temporal dynamics of ecosystem services (ES) is a crucial research frontier in the field of ES modeling. In fact, most current ES models focus on static ES assessments, that need to be repeated with different inputs per time step to explore potential changes in ES. Here, we present a new approach for the dynamic modeling of multiple ES, based on the Petri Net modeling framework. The key features are: (i) multiple ES are modeled together as a single network, using a social-ecological systems (SES) perspective; (ii) the model accounts for the interactions occurring among ES, by distinguishing between the ES whose provision is mediated by some type of human input, which can produce some side-effects on the system, and those that are generated directly through ecosystem functions and do not generate side-effects; (iii) the model can reproduce the effects of changing drivers on the elements of the SES. These features allow to use the model to explore how ES can evolve over time under different “what-if” scenarios. The importance of considering the ES interactions is tested, showing that failing to include them in the model remarkably affects the results. Due to its complexity, the model should be used as an exploratory tool, focusing on the analysis of the general trends of multiple ES provision, rather than on the generation of quantitative projections. A first conceptual application to the Venice lagoon, Italy, is presented, in which the trends of 13 different ES are simulated. This application shows the potential of the model in exploring the development produced by climate change and socio-economic pressures, and the effects of a set of possible management actions. This modeling approach can contribute to generate new perspectives on the dynamic modeling of multiple ES and on the integrated management of SES
Religious Tolerance: A View from China
No full textScholars of religion in the Chinese speaking world find themselves often having to dispel the many myths that surround it. Does China have religion? What does it look like? And where does it stand vis-a`-vis religious tolerance? In this short article, I take a comparative look at the late imperial period in China and the substantive changes that took place at the end of it. What does religious tolerance – and its opposite – mean in the context of China’s modern epistemic order
Economy-wide analysis of food waste reductions and related costs
No full textReducing food waste has become a policy priority in recent years as many studies show that a significant amount of food is wasted at various stages of the food supply chain. However, the economic impacts of food waste reduction have not been studied in depth as most of the studies in the literature ignore the cost and feedback effects. The aim of this report is to develop a general framework to analyse the economic impacts of reducing food waste in EU28 in both a global and a regional context in support of the EU policy making process on food waste reduction. For the purposes of this study, we employ the CGEBox toolbox which is a flexible, extendable, and modular code basis for CGE modelling. The default configuration of CGEBox used in this study covers the global economy with a detailed representation of the agriculture and food production sector whereas the EU28 is modelled at NUTS-II level.
The impact of a food waste reduction equal to 5% of the intermediate input use of food processing sectors under two different cost assumptions is analysed in the scenarios. Firstly, in the cost neutral scenario, we assume that the cost of reducing food waste is equal to the monetary savings for the food processing industry. Secondly, in the pessimistic scenario, we assume that the cost of reducing food waste is twice as much as the cost savings made by reducing food waste.
The results suggest that a unilateral commitment by the EU to reducing food loss and waste would most likely decrease the competitiveness of the EU’s food processing. Reduced demand for primary agricultural inputs would shrink the EU’s agricultural sectors, putting pressure on farm incomes and land prices. The contribution to global food security would be very minor. The impact on emissions relevant to climate change at global level is also minor, with a very limited contribution within the EU
The trade-off between transparency and efficiency in EU decision making is not as straightforward as some claim
No full textIper-ammortamento: irrisolte le criticità su recapture e requisito territoriale
No full textCon la Legge di Bilancio 2019, il Legislatore ha prorogato, con alcune modifiche, la disciplina dell'iperammortamento. In linea con le previsioni di cui al D.L. 12 luglio 2018 n. 87 (il c.d. Decreto dignità), la nuova disposizione ha riproposto il requisito territoriale e la relazione illustrativa che ha chiarito che il meccanismo di recapture si applica anche ai nuovi investimenti. In riferimento a questi aspetti, nonostante il recente intervento normativo in paroila, non sono stati risolti alcuni dubbi imperativi, già sorti in seguito all'entrata in vigore del Decreto dignità. Parimenti, non è stata fornita alcuna precisazione in merito all'applicabilità delle disposizioni di cui al Decreto dignità agli investimenti avviati prima dell'entrata in vigore del medesimo Decreto, ma non ancora completati a tale data
Spin-current-mediated rapid magnon localisation and coalescence after ultrafast optical pumping of ferrimagnetic alloys
No full textOptimization of a Benzoylpiperidine Class Identifies a Highly Potent and Selective Reversible Monoacylglycerol Lipase (MAGL) Inhibitor
No full textMonoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is the enzyme degrading the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol, and it is involved in several physiological and pathological processes. The therapeutic potential of MAGL is linked to several diseases, including cancer. The development of MAGL inhibitors has been greatly limited by the side effects associated with the prolonged MAGL inactivation. Importantly, it could be preferable to use reversible MAGL inhibitors in vivo, but nowadays only few reversible compounds have been developed. In the present study, structural optimization of a previously developed class of MAGL inhibitors led to the identification of compound 23, which proved to be a very potent reversible MAGL inhibitor (IC 50 = 80 nM), selective for MAGL over the other main components of the endocannabinoid system, endowed of a promising antiproliferative activity in a series of cancer cell lines and able to block MAGL both in cell-based as well as in vivo assays
