| 1. |
- Bonelli, Andrea, et al.
(author)
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Aortic valve stenosis and cardiac amyloidosis : A misleading association
- 2021
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In: Journal of Clinical Medicine. - : MDPI. - 2077-0383. ; 10:18
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The association between aortic stenosis (AS) and cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is more frequent than expected. Albeit rare, CA, particularly the transthyretin (ATTR) form, is commonly found in elderly people. ATTR-CA is also the most prevalent form in patients with AS. These conditions share pathophysiological, clinical and imaging findings, making the diagnostic process very challenging. To date, a multiparametric evaluation is suggested in order to detect patients with both AS and CA and choose the best therapeutic option. Given the accuracy of modern non-invasive techniques (i.e., bone scintigraphy), early diagnosis of CA is possible. Flow-charts with the main CA findings which may help clinicians in the diagnostic process have been proposed. The prognostic impact of the combination of AS and CA is not fully known; however, new available specific treatments of ATTR-CA have changed the natural history of the disease and have some impact on the decision-making process for the management of AS. Hence the relevance of detecting these two conditions when simultaneously present. The specific features helping the detection of AS-CA association are discussed in this review, focusing on the shared pathophysiological characteristics and the common clinical and imaging hallmarks.
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| 2. |
- Dorigo, Tommaso, et al.
(author)
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Toward the end-to-end optimization of particle physics instruments with differentiable programming
- 2023
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In: Reviews in Physics. - 2405-4283. ; 10
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The full optimization of the design and operation of instruments whose functioning relies on the interaction of radiation with matter is a super-human task, due to the large dimensionality of the space of possible choices for geometry, detection technology, materials, data-acquisition, and information-extraction techniques, and the interdependence of the related parameters. On the other hand, massive potential gains in performance over standard, “experience-driven” layouts are in principle within our reach if an objective function fully aligned with the final goals of the instrument is maximized through a systematic search of the configuration space. The stochastic nature of the involved quantum processes make the modeling of these systems an intractable problem from a classical statistics point of view, yet the construction of a fully differentiable pipeline and the use of deep learning techniques may allow the simultaneous optimization of all design parameters. In this white paper, we lay down our plans for the design of a modular and versatile modeling tool for the end-to-end optimization of complex instruments for particle physics experiments as well as industrial and medical applications that share the detection of radiation as their basic ingredient. We consider a selected set of use cases to highlight the specific needs of different applications.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Forzieri, Giovanni, et al.
(author)
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The Database of European Forest Insect and Disease Disturbances: DEFID2
- 2023
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In: Global Change Biology. - 1365-2486. ; 29:21, s. 6040-6065
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Insect and disease outbreaks in forests are biotic disturbances that can profoundly alter ecosystem dynamics. In many parts of the world, these disturbance regimes are intensifying as the climate changes and shifts the distribution of species and biomes. As a result, key forest ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, regulation of water flows, wood production, protection of soils, and the conservation of biodiversity, could be increasingly compromised. Despite the relevance of these detrimental effects, there are currently no spatially detailed databases that record insect and disease disturbances on forests at the pan-European scale. Here, we present the new Database of European Forest Insect and Disease Disturbances (DEFID2). It comprises over 650,000 harmonized georeferenced records, mapped as polygons or points, of insects and disease disturbances that occurred between 1963 and 2021 in European forests. The records currently span eight different countries and were acquired through diverse methods (e.g., ground surveys, remote sensing techniques). The records in DEFID2 are described by a set of qualitative attributes, including severity and patterns of damage symptoms, agents, host tree species, climate-driven trigger factors, silvicultural practices, and eventual sanitary interventions. They are further complemented with a satellite-based quantitative characterization of the affected forest areas based on Landsat Normalized Burn Ratio time series, and damage metrics derived from them using the LandTrendr spectral–temporal segmentation algorithm (including onset, duration, magnitude, and rate of the disturbance), and possible interactions with windthrow and wildfire events. The DEFID2 database is a novel resource for many large-scale applications dealing with biotic disturbances. It offers a unique contribution to design networks of experiments, improve our understanding of ecological processes underlying biotic forest disturbances, monitor their dynamics, and enhance their representation in land-climate models. Further data sharing is encouraged to extend and improve the DEFID2 database continuously. The database is freely available at https://jeodpp.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ftp/jrc-opendata/FOREST/DISTURBANCES/DEFID2/.
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| 5. |
- Ituarte-Lima, Claudia, et al.
(author)
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Just Pathways to Sustainability: From Environmental Human Rights Defenders to Biosphere Defenders
- 2023
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In: Environmental policy and law. - 0378-777X. ; 53:5-6, s. 347-366
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- People form part of the biosphere - the biosphere being the whole intertwined network of life on Earth. While there is convergence on the need for societal change for just sustainability and a healthy biosphere, the pathways to achieve these transformations remain relatively unclear. Through legal interpretation, conceptual and thematic analysis of academic and grey literature, we seek to answer the following two questions: (a) how does the concept of Biosphere Defender enable a deeper and distinct understanding of who environmental defenders are and their role in just sustainability transformations? and (b) how does international human rights law contribute to specify the content of biosphere defenders’ rights? To address these questions, we first critically review the scope and limitations of the notion of Environmental Human Rights Defenders (EHRD) in human rights narratives in international law and policy. We examine how understandings of EHRD portray those defending their land and environment and what limitations this concept has in terms of possibilities for reflecting on transformations towards just sustainability. Second, we propose an alternative and/or complementary understanding of EHRD by using the concept of Biosphere Defenders. We also develop the Defend-Biosphere Framework to analyse the role of these actors as agents of change in pathways towards just sustainability. Third, to empirically illustrate the role of Biosphere Defenders, and the use of the Defend-Biosphere Framework we present two case studies from Latin America analyzing initiatives catalyzed by rural people who are defending their lands and territories while generating new ways to relate to socio-ecological systems and engage with the State and the economy. In both case studies, we find that relational values of solidarity, responsibility, and care (between human and other living beings) are central in understanding Biosphere Defenders’ initiatives creating pathways towards just sustainability. The findings of this article are of particular relevance to the implementation of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment in the context of the Escazu Agreement on access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Aarhus Convention on access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters and the Montreal-Kunming Global Biodiversity Framework in particular Target 22 (access to information, participation, access to justice and environmental defenders) and Target 23 (gender equality).
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| 6. |
- Nardi, Maria Andrea
(author)
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Ambientalistas trabalham para manter o papel pacificador da natureza no norte de Uganda : Três formas de usar a natureza para promover a paz e o desenvolvimento sustentáveis
- 2024
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In: Global Voices.
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Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Nos últimos anos, houve uma repressão contra defensores do meio ambiente em Uganda. Jornalistas, estudantes, agricultores e moradores da zona rural defendem o ambiente natural, protestando e mobilizando-se contra o tratamento injusto e a migração forçada causada por infraestruturas de combustíveis fósseis, agronegócio, energia hidrelétrica ou compensação de carbono. Essa situação colocou as autoridades e os interesses empresariais contra os ambientalistas, que buscam proteger o meio ambiente de corporações que expandem a fronteira de extração de recursos para novas áreas. Nesse contexto, e 15 anos após o fim do conflito armado no norte de Uganda, perguntamos se a paz pode ser sustentável nessa região do país.
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| 7. |
- Nardi, Maria Andrea
(author)
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Dans le Nord de l'Ouganda, les écologistes s'efforcent de préserver le rôle de la nature dans la construction de la paix
- 2024
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In: Global Voices.
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Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Ces dernières années en Ouganda, les écologistes ont fait l'objet de répressions partout dans le pays. Pour sauvegarder la nature, des journalistes, des étudiants, ainsi que des agriculteurs et des habitants de zones rurales, protestent et se mobilisent contre les injustices et les déplacements forcés causés aussi bien par les infrastructures utilisant des énergies fossiles que par l’agro-industrie, l’électricité hydraulique ou la compensation carbone. Dès lors, cette situation oppose à la fois les autorités et les intérêts des grands groupes capitalistes aux écologistes. Ces derniers cherchent à protéger les espaces naturels des sociétés à but lucratif, qui étendent les périmètres d'extraction des ressources à de nouvelles zones. Dans ce contexte, et 15 ans après la fin du conflit armé dans le Nord de l'Ouganda [fr], une paix durable est-elle envisageable dans cette région du pays?In recent years, there has been a ‘crackdown’ against environmental defenders across Uganda. Journalists, students, farmers, and rural dwellers are defending the natural environment, protesting and mobilizing against unfair treatment and forced displacements brought by fossil fuel infrastructures, agribusiness, hydropower, or carbon offsetting. This has pitted authorities and large-scale capital against environmental defenders who are seeking to protect the natural environment against profit-driven corporations that seek to expand the resource extraction frontier into new geographical areas. In this context, and fifteen years after the end of the armed conflict in Northern Uganda, we question whether peace can be sustainable in this region of the country. To fully comprehend current disputes over land or the defence of the natural environment, it is necessary to observe how nature is integrated into peacebuilding and development policies. This is because there is often a narrow understanding on how local communities integrate the natural environment in their everyday life. Three issues stand out in relation to the contributions nature can make to foster sustainable peace and development in Northern Uganda beyond its role in income generation by resource exploitation. The natural environment is relevant for peace because it works as a (a) semiotic system, (b) public space, and (c) reconciliation means.
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| 8. |
- Nardi, Maria Andrea
(author)
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Defensores ambientales trabajan para mantener el papel pacificador de la naturaleza en el Norte de Uganda : Hay tres maneras en que se puede pensar la naturaleza para iniciar procesos sostenibles de paz y desarrollo
- 2024
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In: Global Voices.
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Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- En los últimos años, ha habido una “ofensiva” contra defensores ambientalistas en Uganda. Periodistas, estudiantes, campesinos y habitantes rurales están defendiendo su medioambiente, protestan y se movilizan contra el trato injusto y la migración forzada provocada por las infraestructuras para el combustible fósil, la agroindustria, energía hidráulica o la compensación de las emisiones de carbono. Esto ha enfrentado a autoridades e intereses comerciales a gran escala contra los defensores ambientales, que buscan proteger el medioambiente de la expansión de las fronteras extractivistas motorizadas por las corporaciones en su afán de lucro. En este contexto, y quince años después de la finalización del conflicto armado en el norte de Uganda, nos preguntamos si la paz puede ser sostenible en esta región del país.Para entender por completo las disputas actuales en torno a la tierra o a la defensa del medioambiente, hay que observar cómo la naturaleza está integrada a las políticas de paz y de desarrollo. Esto se debe a que, por lo general, se entiende poco cómo las comunidades locales integran la naturaleza en su vida cotidiana. Tres aspectos se destacan en relación con las contribuciones que la naturaleza puede hacer para fomentar la paz y el desarrollo sustentable en el norte de Uganda, mas allá de su rol como generadora de ingresos a través de la explotación de recursos. El medioambiente es importante para la paz porque funciona como: (a) sistema semiótico, (b) espacio público y (c) medio para la reconciliación.
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| 9. |
- Nardi, Maria Andrea
(author)
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Environmental defenders work to maintain the peacebuilding role of nature in Northern Uganda
- 2024
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In: Peace News Network.
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Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- In recent years, there has been a ‘crackdown’ against environmental defenders across Uganda. Journalists, students, farmers, and rural dwellers are defending the natural environment, protesting and mobilizing against unfair treatment and forced displacements brought by fossil fuel infrastructures, agribusiness, hydropower, or carbon offsetting. This has pitted authorities and large-scale capital against environmental defenders who are seeking to protect the natural environment against profit-driven corporations that seek to expand the resource extraction frontier into new geographical areas. In this context, and fifteen years after the end of the armed conflict in Northern Uganda, we question whether peace can be sustainable in this region of the country. To fully comprehend current disputes over land or the defence of the natural environment, it is necessary to observe how nature is integrated into peacebuilding and development policies. This is because there is often a narrow understanding on how local communities integrate the natural environment in their everyday life. Three issues stand out in relation to the contributions nature can make to foster sustainable peace and development in Northern Uganda beyond its role in income generation by resource exploitation. The natural environment is relevant for peace because it works as a (a) semiotic system, (b) public space, and (c) reconciliation means.
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| 10. |
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