32 research outputs found
Moderni strumenti gestionali di dati floristici e vegetazionali: un esempio di geodatabase relazionale per la città di Trieste
No full textI recenti sviluppi nel campo dell’informatizzazione e conservazione della biodiversità stanno portando allo sviluppo
di nuovi sistemi informatici, che rendono possibile una efficiente raccolta, modifica, analisi e condivisione di dati e
metadati. In quest’ottica è stato sviluppato un geodatabase che organizza dati di flora e vegetazione dell’area di Trieste, provenienti
da diversi dataset e raccolti nell’ambito di vari progetti del Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita dell’Università di Trieste.
A questi sono stati aggiunti i dati sul verde pubblico e sulle specie arboree ottenuti dal Comune di Trieste. I dataset sono
stati standardizzati per sistema di riferimento e tassonomia, e successivamente integrati in un database PostgreSQL, abbinato
all’estensione spaziale PostGIS. Il geodatabase, interfacciato con un sistema GIS, è risultato un indispensabile strumento per
la visualizzazione dei dati e per la loro analisi spaziale testo
Food Habits and Sport Practice According to BMI Categories and Rural/Urban Origin
No full textThe juvenile obesity is correlated to dietary and physical activity. Moreover, the rural or urban context could affect other aspects like time available to practice sport or the availability of sport facilities. Thus, this brief report investigated the relationship be- tween origin and food habits in children belonging to different BMI categories. Over than 1400 primary school students were interviewed with their parents about their food habits. All answers were stratified according to origin (rural/urban) and to BMI categories as defined in literature. The percentage of normal weight, overweight and obese children between rural and urban context were similar (p > 0.05). All the BMI categories were familiar to have breakfast and no differences were found between rural or urban context (p > 0.52). Over 70% of children had the principal meal in at least 15 minutes. In particular, all of them used to watch TV during this moment: no differences were found between urban/rural or BMI categories (p = 0.87 and p = 0.98). In general, most of urban children performed physical activity less than seven hours/week, while normal weight subjects were more active than obese one (p = 0.04). We concluded that school promotion and municipalities/institutions interven- tion could be a good solution to reach all children in environment where the amount of facilities is often poor
U-Pb ages and Hf isotopes on detrital zircons from Neoproterozoic sediments from the Armorican Massif (NW France): western Gondwana as possible source
No full textCultura e lingue classiche. Convegno di aggiornamento e di didattica. Roma, 1-2 novembre 1985, a cura di Biagio Amata. 2 tomes, 1986-1988 ; Pavanetto (Clelus),Litterarum graecarum classicarum lineamenla potiora,1984 ; Elementa linguae et grammaticae latinae, 1987
No full textDu Plessis Brigitte. Cultura e lingue classiche. Convegno di aggiornamento e di didattica. Roma, 1-2 novembre 1985, a cura di Biagio Amata. 2 tomes, 1986-1988 ; Pavanetto (Clelus),Litterarum graecarum classicarum lineamenla potiora,1984 ; Elementa linguae et grammaticae latinae, 1987. In: Revue des Études Anciennes. Tome 91, 1989, n°3-4. pp. 132-133
Projections of leaf turgor loss point shifts under future climate change scenarios
No full textPredicting the consequences of climate change is of utmost importance to mitigate impacts on vulnerable ecosystems; plant hydraulic traits are particularly useful proxies for predicting functional disruptions potentially occurring in the near future. This study assessed the current and future regional patterns of leaf water potential at turgor loss point (Ψtlp) by measuring and projecting the Ψtlp of 166 vascular plant species (159 angiosperms and 7 gymnosperms) across a large climatic range spanning from alpine to Mediterranean areas in NE Italy. For angiosperms, random forest models predicted a consistent shift toward more negative values in low-elevation areas, whereas for gymnosperms the pattern was more variable, particularly in the alpine sector (i.e., Alps and Prealps). Simulations were also developed to evaluate the number of threatened species under two Ψtlp plasticity scenarios (low vs. high plasticity), and it was found that in the worst-case scenario approximately 72% of the angiosperm species and 68% of gymnosperms within a location were at risk to exceed their physiological plasticity. The different responses to climate change by specific clades might produce reassembly in natural communities, undermining the resilience of natural ecosystems to climate change
Influence of SLN Matrix on "in vitro" and "in vivo" nanoparticle performances
No full textThis study focuses on the production of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) loaded with the hydrophilic carbonyl quencher N-acetylcarnosine (NAC) in order to develop topical formulations useful in several skin diseases and in the photoageing prevention and treatment. The addition of amphiphilic substances into lipid matrix, such as phosphatidylcholine (PC), polyglyceryl-3-diisostearate and sorbitan monooleate, was evaluated. The influence of additives on "in vitro" SLN performances was investigated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry, size and zeta potential, active content analyses, release and occlusion tests. Preliminary "in vivo" investigations of cutaneous tolerability and short-term effect of SLN application were also carried out using non-invasive skin bioengineering techniques. Results obtained from this work allowed to conclude that the incorporation of these additives, in concentration of 15% with respect to lipid mass, strongly affects colloidal systems physical properties leading to a very different in in vitro and in vivo performances. In particular, encapsulation efficiency can be very good reaching the 65.75% by addition of PC into lipid matrix. In vivo evaluation evidenced good cutaneous tolerability for all batches produced. The presence of PC can significantly modify the short-term effect of SLN application on the skin with respect to both vehicle alone and unmodified SLN
Inhibitory effect by new monocyclic 4-alkyliden-beta-lactam compounds on human platelet activation
No full textIn the present study some new beta-lactam compounds were screened for their ability to inhibit human platelet activation. In particular four compounds differing in the group on the nitrogen atom of the azetidinone ring were investigated. A beta-lactam having an ethyl 2-carboxyethanoate N-bound group was demonstrated to inhibit, in the micromolar range, both the Ca(2+) release from endoplasmic reticulum, induced either by thrombin or by the ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin, and the Ca(2+) entry in platelets driven by emptying the endoplasmic reticulum. The compound also inhibited the platelet aggregation induced by a variety of physiological agonists including ADP, collagen, thrombin and thrombin mimetic peptide TRAP. The beta-lactam reduced the phosphorylation of pleckstrin (apparent MW 47 kDa), elicited by thrombin but not by the protein kinase C activator phorbol ester. Accordingly it did not significantly affect the aggregation evoked by phorbol ester or Ca(2+) ionophore. It was concluded that the beta-lactam likely exerts its anti-platelet-activating action by hampering the agonist induced cellular Ca(2+) movements. The beta-lactam concentration, which significantly inhibited platelet activation, only negligibly affected the cellular viability. Even if it is still premature to draw definitive conclusions, the present results suggest that this new compound might constitute a tool of potential clinical interest and the starting-point for the synthesis of new more beneficial anti-thrombotic compounds
Plant spectral diversity from high-resolution multispectral imagery detects functional diversity patterns in coastal dune communities
No full textQuestion: Remote sensing is a fundamental tool to monitor biodiversity and spectral diversity may represent a proxy for different biodiversity facets such as taxonomic (TD) and functional diversity (FD). We used fine-resolution multispectral imagery to explore spectral diversity (SD) patterns across spatial scales (i.e., plot, transect, area), and assess SD relationships with TD and FD along an environmental gradient. Location: Coastal sand dune, Viareggio, Italy (“Migliarino–San Rossore–Massaciuccoli” Regional Park, 43°83′ N, 10°25′ E). Methods: We measured TD as species richness, while SD and FD were computed using probability density functions based on pixel and species position in multivariate spaces. We compared SD and FD patterns in space occupation, and we tested whether these patterns are coordinated along the sea–inland gradient. We also assessed univariate relationships between SD and biodiversity facets, and we tested how these facets were partitioned across scales. Results: We found a strong correspondence between functional and spectral patterns in space occupation and along the environmental gradient, with a lack of significance when considering TD. However, TD and SD showed higher variation at broader scale while most FD variation occurred at plot level. Conclusion: By measuring FD and SD with a common methodological framework, we demonstrate that SD approximates functional patterns in plant communities. Moreover, we show that SD retrieved using high-resolution images can capture different aspects of FD, and that the occupation of the spectral space is analogous to the occupation of the functional space
