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A description of the NET-SCHOLAR system, an on-line aid for naive users of the Advanced Research Projects Administration (ARPA) Computer Network, is provided. The discussion focuses upon the system's representation and handling of functional and procedural information and its ability to deal with action verbs, all within the context of the ARPA network. Section I presents a brief introduction to the system and Section II a series of tutorial questions, the answers to which clarify the need to work with action verbs. These verbs are then classified and a taxonomy of questions constructed, providing the basis for the next phase of the discussion. Section III describes the method used to encode the meaning of operations, procedures, etc., while Section IV presents a predecessor of NET-SCHOLAR used temporarily while NET-SCHOLAR was being built. Section V describes NET-SCHOLAR itself, with emphasis upon the system's English comprehension capabilities. The description is illustrated with actual protocols, and a summary and conclusions are presented. (Author/PB)

In 2019 the 4th Report ex-Art. 17 on the conservation status (CS) of Annex I Habitats of the 92/43/EEC Directive was expected by every EU/28 country, with reference to the period 2013-18. In Italy, the process was in charge to the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), on behalf of the Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea Protection (MATTM), with the scientific support of the Italian Botanical Society (SBI). A large group of thematic and territorial experts elaborated the available data concerning the 124 types of terrestrial and inland water Habitats present in Italy, 39 of which are represented by Forest Habitats (Group 9),. The main aim of the work was the evaluation of the overall CS of each Habitat by Biogeographic Region (Mediterranean, Continental and Alpine), for a total amount of 294 assessments. A high proportion of these (92, corresponding to 31% of the total) referred to Forest Habitats, including 20 marginal types for which the CS was not requested. The analysis was carried out at different scales: a) administrative territory, through the data contained in the ISPRA database, whose compilation was in charge to the Regions and Autonomous Provinces; b) Natura 2000 site, with the latest updates available (Standard Data Forms updated to 2018); c) national scale, implementing the distribution maps for each Habitat based on the European grid ETRS89-LAEA5210 (10x10 km2 mesh); d) Biogeographic Region, scale of the final assessment. Cartographic outcomes, associated databases and additional data used for the assessments will be available online on the ISPRA Portal as soon as the validation process by the European Commission will be completed. A dedicated archive named "HAB_IT" has been created in the national database "VegItaly" (1), managed by the Italian Society of Vegetation Science, where the phytosociological relevés representative of the various Annex I Habitats in Italy will be archived and freely accessible. An overview of the results regarding the Forest habitats is here provided, including a comparison with the outcomes of the former reporting cycle, the 3rd Report ex-Art. 17 (2). In several cases (e.g. 9120, 91L0), the distribution maps have been remarkably improved due to better knowledge and more fitful interpretation. The conservation status resulted as Favourable (FV) for 6,7%, Inadequate (U1) for 58,7% and Bad (U1) for 32,0% of the 72 assessed forest Habitat types. In no case there was an improvement of the conservation status, while in 6 cases a worsening of the conditions resulted from the data analysis, pointing out the Habitats types with a higher need of action. Similarly to other projects carried out as a team by the network of Annex I Habitat experts of the Italian Botanical Society and the Italian Society for Vegetation Science (e.g. 3, 4), this is another step in the direction of supporting the implementation of the 92/43/EEC "Habitat" Directive in Italy and Europe. On this ground, the high biodiversity of the Italian forest Habitats could be emphasized, however results pointed out that some rare or endemic types (e.g. Alnus cordata or Betula aetnensis-dominated forests) are still scarcely acknowledged by the most prominent EU conservation tools such as the Annex I to the "Habitat" Directive. 1) F. Landucci et al. (2012) Plant Biosyst., 146(4), 756-763 2) P. Genovesi et al. (2014) ISPRA, Serie Rapporti, 194/2014 3) E. Biondi et al. (2009) Società Botanica Italiana, MATTM, D.P.N., http://vnr.unipg.it/habitat/ 4) D. Gigante et al. (2016) Plant Sociology, 53(2), 77-87

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the micronutrient selenium, as inorganic selenite, on adipocytes differentiation, and to identify underlying molecular mechanisms to advance the understanding of basic cellular mechanisms associated with adipogenesis. Methods: The effect of sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) on cell viability (bromide 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-difeniltetrazol [MTT] assay) in preadipocytes, lipid accumulation (oil red O [ORO] assay) and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS, [NBT assay]) in mature adipocytes, as well as explore molecular mechanisms via gene expression analyses (real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction), before and after differentiation, was investigated using 3T3-L1 murine preadipocytes. Results: Selenite (100, 200, and 400 nM) significantly decreased lipid accumulation during differentiation compared with untreated adipocytes (P < 0.05, 0.001, and 0.01, respectively). Preadipocytes exposure (48 h) to selenite caused an increase in glutathione peroxidase 1 (Gpx1) gene expression in a dose-dependent manner. Adipogenesis significantly increased intracellular reactive oxygen species levels (P < 0.05) while decreasing gene expression of antioxidant enzymes (Gpx1: P < 0.05) and significantly increasing gene expression of regulators of lipid catabolism (type II iodothyronine deiodinase [Dio2], P < 0.01) and markers of differentiation (eg, selenium-binding protein 1 [Selenbp1], peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma [Pparg], CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha [Cebpa], and fatty acid binding protein 4 [Fab4]) compared with preadipocytes (P < 0.01, 0.01, 0.01, and 0.001, respectively). Selenite exposure (200 nM) caused a significant increase in Gpx1, selenoprotein W (Selenow) and selenoprotein P (Selenop) gene expression, in adipocytes compared with untreated ones (P < 0.01, 0.001, and 0.05, respectively) with a significant decrease in heme oxygenase 1 (Ho-1), cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox2), Dio2, and Fabp4 gene expression (P < 0.001, 0.05, 0.05, and 0.01, respectively). Conclusions: Selenium, as selenite, prevented adipogenesis through increasing antioxidant selenoprotein expression, leading to decreased inflammatory markers and, subsequently, to a decrease in differentiation and lipid deposition. These findings, if demonstrated in vivo, could provide valuable data for novel dietary approaches to prevent obesity.

Time series analysis plays an important role in the detection of mechanisms that drive population fluctuations. However, long time series are rare, with ungulate data sets usually not exceeding 50 years. In this article, we describe a long-term data set of population density indices of five ungulate species obtained from the analysis of bag records collected in the Castelporziano Preserve, Rome, Italy. Hunting statistics are often used as proxies for population density; however, in the case of long time series for large mammals, there are no comparative studies to assess the validity of such data. We evaluated the ungulate time series, using two different approaches: we 1) compared hunting statistics with independent animal counts, and 2) assessed whether or not habitat composition of the drive areas was representative of habitat availability in the whole estate. Regressions between bag data and animal counts gave significant results only for three species, whereas bag data corrected for hunted a...

This work concerns the classification of different crown cover classes of Poplar stands, using high spatial resolution images (Ikonos and Quickbird satellites), in order to provide poplar monitoring. The test sites are two agricultural areas, located in the alluvial plain of northern Italy, close to Alessandria. In order to enhance spectral differences among classes, textural and high-pass filters were applied and vegetation indices (ratio, difference and normalized difference) were processed. Images were then classified by means of an object-oriented approach which include a segmentation process followed by the application of a Standard Nearest Neighbor classifier on different data sets of spectral images (mean and standard deviation images) and shape indices (shape, compactness). The data sets were defined using the Feature Space Optimization tool available in the Definiens®Developer7 software. From a set of attributes, this tool selects the best combination that produces the largest separability among the classes. The shape of the polygons matched the agricultural plots and the classification results were compared with the reference map defined by means of aerial photo interpretation and ground surveys. New poplar classes were defined in order to improve classification results. The accuracy values obtained were satisfactory (close to 73% for Ikonos and 82% for Quickbird images) and they constitute a basis for automated recognition of poplar plantations and for updating poplar stands assessments.

Patients older than 75 years of age currently represent more than 35% of the population that begins dialysis each year in most European registries; in our centre, at least 30 patients in this age bracket begin dialysis, which represent 45% of the total incident patients. The absence of systematic studies makes this patient category almost indistinguishable from other categories, even though its peculiarity is now becoming evident. At least 30–40% of elderly individuals are expected to be frail and/or dependent, but the incidence of frailty is likely to be higher in those undergoing haemodialysis. Due to severe physical and/or mental impairment and often because of social hardship, these patients rarely experience clinical stability and are dependent on third parties for their survival. Early symptoms of frailty consist of weakness, anorexia, weight loss, muscular atrophy, reactive depression and cognitive deficits. Commonly, early signs and symptoms are underestimated until patients become depende...

Renal transplantation is a well-established treatment for end-stage renal disease. However, transplant recipients have been shown to develop emotional distress and affective disorders, such as anxiety and depression, associated with compromised quality of life. Some accounts report an improvement of affective disorder after transplantation, others draw opposite conclusions. A cross-sectional study selected 42 transplant recipients and 42 control subjects. The two groups were matched for gender, age, educational background and marital status. Symptoms of anxiety and depression and general emotional profiles were compared employing the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale (ANPS), a self-report inventory that evaluates six neurally-based affective tendencies: seeking, caring, playfulness (Positive Affects), fear, anger and sadness (Negative Affects).No significant difference was found between transplanted patients and the control group in the scores for anxiety and depression, evaluated with the Zung and BDI scales. However, transplanted patients scored significantly lower than controls in the fear and anger scales, and in general negative emotions. Transplant recipients did not display symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, a significant reduction in negative affect, evaluated through ANPS scales, did reveal psychological distress. Present findings suggest the affective profile in transplanted patients should be more extensively examined and review all the facets covered in their mental and emotional assessment, especially in regard to the role played by this emotional pattern in complying with the medical treatment, which is well known to be a clinically critical feature of these patients.

This study aimed to determine whether modification of physiological parameters could be detected remotely by monitoring the spectral reflectance of olive leaves in response to different degrees of drought. Three different drought intensities were simulated: (a) a mild drought by feeding abscisic acid to detached branches; (b) a rapid and severe drought by detaching leaves and letting them dry over several hours; (c) a relatively slow drought caused by withholding water to potted olive plants. The three degrees of stress affected gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence. When the inhibition of photosynthesis occurred within an hour it was not accompanied by a parallel reduction in chlorophyll concentration in the carotenoid to chlorophyll ratio. Consequently, changes in spectral reflectance in the visible region, e.g. in PRI (photochemical reflectance index) and FRI (fluorescence reflectance indices) were not significantly induced. In contrast, when the inhibition of photosynthesis caused by slow developing drought was prolonged (i.e. more than 24 hours) and led to a decrease in chlorophyll concentration and to a simultaneous increase in carotenoid to chlorophyll ratio, there were significant changes in the visible region of the leaf spectral reflectance and, in turn, in PRI and FRI. We defined 16 new reference wavelengths, from visible to SWIR regions, which are sensitive to both fast-developing and slow-developing stresses. These reference wavelengths were used to develop an algorithm, the Relative Reflectance Increment (RRI), that was linearly related to changes in relative water content (RWC, r 2 = 0.733). This algorithm showed that the 1455 nm wavelength is highly affected by drought. This wavelength was therefore used to elaborate the water content reflectance index that was inversely related to RWC (r 2 = 0.702).

A mediterranean vegetated coastal area has been classified on the basis of multi-temporal TM images and accurate field data. The latter was revealed to be particularly important due to the complexity of the area in terms of coverage degree, height structure of living vegetation and the occurrence of under-storey species. The recognition and classification of the different coenosis has taken into account that the spectral characteristics of vegetation depends on the season and on local climatic conditions. A major improvement in the spatial resolution of spectral data has been obtained by merging TM and SPOT-P by a RGB-IHS transformation that allowed an overall accuracy in the classification of 85 per cent to be achieved.

Clinically compromised patients who must undergo chronic dialysis are, in general, at risk because the procedure can be difficult to perform and give poor results in terms of survival and of rehabilitation. However, it is dialysis of the very elderly which is routinely characterized by misgivings about the indication for and limits of the technique. Patients older than 75 years of age currently represent more than 35% of the population that begin dialysis in most European registries. In our center at least 30 very old patients begin dialysis every year, which represents 45% of the total incident patients. About 30% of these patients, because of severe physical and/or mental disability, often associated with a situation of social deprivation, rarely achieve true clinical stability and depend upon outside caregivers in order to survive. The treatment of these patients strains the resources of the health and social structure, as well as the Nephrology Division, whose organization can be disrupted by their urgent needs, such as hospitalization, transportation, convalescent care, etc. Despite these difficulties and a mean survival of only 28 months, the global clinical conditions of patients older than 75 years of age are not much different than patients in the age bracket of 65 to 75 years. In fact, excluding patients older than 85 years of age (a category which geriatricians consider separately), the survival and rehabilitation of the very elderly appear similar to those of patients 65 to 75 years of age. Many of the clinical problems of the dialyzed elderly, such as sensory, mental and functional impairment, are the result of advanced age per se rather than of uremia or of dialysis. Therefore, ethical considerations of dialysis and of health maintenance in the very elderly are similar to those presented by patients who are afflicted by other serious diseases such as cancer, heart failure, or extensive stroke. As a result of modern technology and the advancement of our clinical knowledge, it is difficult to conceive of a true motive to not dialyze a patient--whether very elderly or any other patient in critical conditions--except in situations of futility or the impossibility to attain a reasonable quality of life. Thus, the true nature of the debate regarding the indications or the limits of dialysis in developed countries is not economic, technical nor clinical, but ethical. The challenge for the Nephrologist is to balance the need to alleviate human suffering and the institutional support that society can offer, which is the "bottom line" which unifies dialysis for the very elderly with every other therapy which prolongs life in tenuous conditions.

The preliminary results of a work of selection and organisation of a terminology on remote sensing and GIS are presented. The terminological system contains around 2.700 terms and it is arranged according to the EARTh thesaurus semantic model. It is foreseen an updated and expanded version of this system.