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Sustainable agriculture requires balancing crop yields with the effects of pesticides on non-target organisms, such as bees and other crop pollinators. Field studies demonstrated that agricultural use of neonicotinoid insecticides can negatively affect wild bee species1,2, leading to restrictions on these compounds3. However, besides neonicotinoids, field-based evidence of the effects of landscape pesticide exposure on wild bees is lacking. Bees encounter many pesticides in agricultural landscapes4–9and the effects of this landscape exposure on colony growth and development of any bee species remains unknown. Here we show that the many pesticides found in bumble bee-collected pollen are associated with reduced colony performance during crop bloom, especially in simplified landscapes with intensive agricultural practices. Our results from 316 Bombus terrestriscolonies at 106 agricultural sites across eight European countries confirm that the regulatory system fails to sufficiently prevent pesticide-related impacts on non-target organisms, even for a eusocial pollinator species in which colony size may buffer against such impacts10,11. These findings support the need for postapproval monitoring of both pesticide exposure and effects to confirm that the regulatory process is sufficiently protective in limiting the collateral environmental damage of agricultural pesticide use.

CD55 deficiency with hyperactivation of complement, angiopathic thrombosis, and protein-losing enteropathy (CHAPLE) is an ultra-rare genetic disorder characterised by intestinal lymphatic damage, lymphangiectasia, and protein-losing enteropathy caused by overactivation of the complement system. We assessed the efficacy and safety of pozelimab, an antibody blocking complement component 5.

Given advances in antiretroviral therapy (ART), some people with HIV are transitioned to non-tenofovir-containing ART; the implications for people with HIV-hepatitis B virus (HBV) are unknown. We characterized HBV-related outcomes in people with HIV-HBV coinfection while not taking tenofovir-containing ART.

Intermittent (on 4 days per week) antiretroviral therapy (ART) for patients with HIV-1 might be more convenient, better tolerated, and cheaper than continuous treatment. We aimed to establish the efficacy and safety of a 4-days-on and 3-days-off (intermittent) maintenance regimen versus a standard 7 day (continuous) maintenance regimen.

ObjectivePrevious studies suggested that distinct phenotypes of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA; formerly known as Churg-Strauss syndrome) could be determined by the presence or absence of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), reflecting predominant vasculitic or eosinophilic processes, respectively. This study explored whether ANCA-based clusters or other clusters can be identified in EGPA.MethodsThis study used standardized data of 15 European centers for patients with EGPA fulfilling widely accepted classification criteria. We used multiple correspondence analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and a decision tree model. The main model included 10 clinical variables (musculoskeletal [MSK], mucocutaneous, ophthalmological, ENT, cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, renal, central, or peripheral neurological involvement); a second model also included ANCA results.ResultsThe analyses included 489 patients diagnosed between 1984 and 2015. ANCA were detected in 37.2% of patients, mostly perinuclear ANCA (85.4%) and/or antimyeloperoxidase (87%). Compared with ANCA-negative patients, those with ANCA had more renal (P< 0.001) and peripheral neurological involvement (P= 0.04), fewer cardiovascular signs (P< 0.001), and fewer biopsies with eosinophilic tissue infiltrates (P= 0.001). The cluster analyses generated 4 (model without ANCA) and 5 clusters (model with ANCA). Both models identified 3 identical clusters of 34, 39, and 40 patients according to the presence or absence of ENT, central nervous system, and ophthalmological involvement. Peripheral neurological and cardiovascular involvement were not predictive characteristics.ConclusionAlthough reinforcing the known association of ANCA status with clinical manifestations, cluster analysis does not support a complete separation of EGPA in ANCA-positive and -negative subsets. Collectively, these data indicate that EGPA should be regarded as a phenotypic spectrum rather than a dichotomous disease.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality in men. In patients undergoing a failure after radical treatment, one of the therapeutic option is androgen deprivation: despite initial response rates, a progression to a state of castration resistance is observed in most of the patients. In the present article, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of all clinical trials assessing treatment for nmCRPC with next-generation androgen receptor inhibitors. We performed a review and meta-analysis of phase III randomized controlled trials comparing new agents (apalutamide, enzalutamide, darolutamide) with placebo as control arm, in the setting of nmCRPC. Patients treated with next-generation ARIs had a 26% reduction in the risk of death compared with placebo; compared with other ARIs, darolutamide had the lowest rate of grade 3 and 4 AEs and the lowest therapy discontinuation rate due to any grade AEs. This meta-analysis shows that treatment with new ARIs is safe and significantly reduces the risk of death and of metastasis onset in nmCRPC patients. Under way studies on new biomarkers such as genomic classifiers will probably allow the stratification in more specific subsets of disease. New imaging modalities such as PSMA-PET have shown greater sensibility and specificity than conventional imaging in metastases detection. All patients were randomized in a 2:1 fashion, with a total of 2,694 who underwent next-generation ARIs (806 apalutamide, 955 darolutamide, 933 enzalutamide) and 1,423 in the placebo arm.

On a population level, individual plasticity in reproductive phenology can provoke either anticipations or delays in the average reproductive timing in response to environmental changes. However, a rigid reliance on photoperiodism can constraint such plastic responses in populations inhabiting temperate latitudes. The regulation of breeding season length may represent a further tool for populations facing changing environments. Nonetheless, this skill was reported only for equatorial, nonphotoperiodic populations. Our goal was to evaluate whether species living in temperate regions and relying on photoperiodism to trigger their reproduction may also be able to regulate breeding season length. During 10 years, we collected 2,500 female reproductive traits of a mammal model species (wild boar Sus scrofa) and applied a novel analytical approach to reproductive patterns in order to observe population-level variations of reproductive timing and synchrony under different weather and resources availability conditions. Under favorable conditions, breeding seasons were anticipated and population synchrony increased (i.e., shorter breeding seasons). Conversely, poor conditions induced delayed and less synchronous (i.e., longer) breeding seasons. The potential to regulate breeding season length depending on environmental conditions may entail a high resilience of the population reproductive patterns against environmental changes, as highlighted by the fact that almost all mature females were reproductive every year.

Inherited bone marrow failure syndromes (IBMFSs) are a group of disorders typified by impaired production of 1 or several blood cell types. The telomere biology disorders dyskeratosis congenita (DC) and its severe variant, Høyeraal-Hreidarsson (HH) syndrome, are rare IBMFSs characterized by bone marrow failure, developmental defects, and various premature aging complications associated with critically short telomeres. We identified biallelic variants in the gene encoding the 5′-to-3′ DNA exonuclease Apollo/SNM1B in 3 unrelated patients presenting with a DC/HH phenotype consisting of early-onset hypocellular bone marrow failure, B and NK lymphopenia, developmental anomalies, microcephaly, and/or intrauterine growth retardation. All 3 patients carry a homozygous or compound heterozygous (in combination with a null allele) missense variant affecting the same residue L142 (L142F or L142S) located in the catalytic domain of Apollo. Apollo-deficient cells from patients exhibited spontaneous chromosome instability and impaired DNA repair that was complemented by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene correction. Furthermore, patients’ cells showed signs of telomere fragility that were not associated with global reduction of telomere length. Unlike patients’ cells, human Apollo KO HT1080 cell lines showed strong telomere dysfunction accompanied by excessive telomere shortening, suggesting that the L142S and L142F Apollo variants are hypomorphic. Collectively, these findings define human Apollo as a genome caretaker and identify biallelic Apollo variants as a genetic cause of a hitherto unrecognized severe IBMFS that combines clinical hallmarks of DC/HH with normal telomere length.

Inherited bone marrow failure syndromes (IBMFSs) are a group of disorders typified by impaired production of 1 or several blood cell types. The telomere biology disorders dyskeratosis congenita (DC) and its severe variant, Høyeraal-Hreidarsson (HH) syndrome, are rare IBMFSs characterized by bone marrow failure, developmental defects, and various premature aging complications associated with critically short telomeres. We identified biallelic variants in the gene encoding the 5′-to-3′ DNA exonuclease Apollo/SNM1B in 3 unrelated patients presenting with a DC/HH phenotype consisting of early-onset hypocellular bone marrow failure, B and NK lymphopenia, developmental anomalies, microcephaly, and/or intrauterine growth retardation. All 3 patients carry a homozygous or compound heterozygous (in combination with a null allele) missense variant affecting the same residue L142 (L142F or L142S) located in the catalytic domain of Apollo. Apollo-deficient cells from patients exhibited spontaneous chromosome instability and impaired DNA repair that was complemented by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene correction. Furthermore, patients' cells showed signs of telomere fragility that were not associated with global reduction of telomere length. Unlike patients' cells, human Apollo KO HT1080 cell lines showed strong telomere dysfunction accompanied by excessive telomere shortening, suggesting that the L142S and L142F Apollo variants are hypomorphic. Collectively, these findings define human Apollo as a genome caretaker and identify biallelic Apollovariants as a genetic cause of a hitherto unrecognized severe IBMFS that combines clinical hallmarks of DC/HH with normal telomere length.

Purpose: The study, within the Increasing Resilience of Cultural Heritage (ResCult) project, aims to support civil protection to prevent, lessen and mitigate disasters impacts on cultural heritage using a unique standardised-3D geographical information system (GIS), including both heritage and risk and hazard information. Design/methodology/approach: A top-down approach, starting from existing standards (an INSPIRE extension integrated with other parts from the standardised and shared structure), was completed with a bottom-up integration according to current requirements for disaster prevention procedures and risk analyses. The results were validated and tested in case studies (differentiated concerning the hazard and type of protected heritage) and refined during user forums. Findings: Besides the ensuing reusable database structure, the filling with case studies data underlined the tough challenges and allowed proposing a sample of workflows and possible guidelines. The interfaces are provided to use the obtained knowledge base. Originality/value: The increasing number of natural disasters could severely damage the cultural heritage, causing permanent damage to movable and immovable assets and tangible and intangible heritage. The study provides an original tool properly relating the (spatial) information regarding cultural heritage and the risk factors in a unique archive as a standard-based European tool to cope with these frequent losses, preventing risk.

This study addressed the impact of nanomaterials on anaerobic digestion and biogas production (methanogenesis pathways) when contaminating aerobic sludge is generated during wastewater treatment. Our experimental system was based on bioreactor operational parameters aligned with the operating conditions used in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), a contamination scenario considering the treatment of nano-enabled products at the last stages of their life cycle, and nanomaterial concentrations close to those predicted in WWTP. The physico-chemical, microbiological and chemical engineering proxies studied all concluded that combusted nanoCeO2-enabled fuel additives transiently increased EPS production and specific hydrolytic enzymatic activities without altering the aerobic sludge microbial community structure nor the C, P, N removal capacity (spiked concentrations of 130 μg L−1during aerobic sludge production). However, the presence in the aerobic sludge biosolids of 99.9% of the total CeO2injected (without any change in speciation) altered the production, structure, and activity of the anaerobic sludge during digestion (impacting the EPS, ATP, lipase and α-glucosidase activities). Interestingly, these modifications of the anaerobic sludge activity shaped the methanogenesis pathways from acetoclastic to hydrogenotrophic and enhanced the biogas production with a significant increase in generated H2. In the context of developing a sustainable energy supply, we observed a continuous improvement of the biogas production in the contaminated bioreactor, which could increase the energy recovery potential of WWTPs.

•One sNFL dosage highlights patients worth of further clinical in-depth analysis.•Careful therapy tailoring ensures low biologically-evident levels of inflammation.•sNFL remains always informative along the whole disease course.

Shortening the duration of antibiotic therapy for patients admitted to hospital with community-acquired pneumonia should help reduce antibiotic consumption and thus bacterial resistance, adverse events, and related costs. We aimed to assess the need for an additional 5-day course of β-lactam therapy among patients with community-acquired pneumonia who were stable after 3 days of treatment.

Background: Elderly breast cancer patients are frequently affected by significant comorbidities that make sophisticated radiotherapy treatments particularly challenging. Aims: We dosimetrically analyzed two different simple free-breathing external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) techniques for the hypofractionated treatment of the left breast in elderly patients with a low compliance, to compare target coverage, and heart and left anterior descending coronary artery (LADCA) sparing. Methods: We developed radiation plans for 24 elderly patients using 3D conformal (3DCRT) field-in-field tangential technique and intensity-modulated (IMRT) tangential beam technique. Dose-Volume-Histograms (DVHs) were used to provide a quantitative comparison between plans. Results: The median breast volume was 645 cm3. IMRT and 3DCRT plans comparison demonstrated no significant differences in terms of organ sparing for the heart. Regarding LADCA, mean dose (10.3 ± 9.5 Gy vs 11.9 ± 9.6 Gy, p= 0.0003), maximum dose (26.1 ± 16.1 Gy vs 29.1 ± 16.1 Gy, p= 0.004) and V17 Gy(21.5% ± 26.9% vs 25.0% ± 27.2%, p= 0.002) significantly decreased using IMRT compared with 3DCRT. IMRT plans showed a better target coverage compared with 3DCRT (0.91 ± 0.05 vs 0.93 ± 0.04, p= 0.05). Discussion: Comparing the two different EBRT techniques, we demonstrated few, although substantial, dosimetric differences in terms of doses to the organs at risk characterized by a statistically significant dose reduction of LADCA in the IMRT plans. Conclusions: Elderly patients with a low compliance to treatment might benefit from 3DCRT with field-in-field tangential arrangement or from a simple IMRT approach. IMRT should be preferred.

Different nonsurgical therapeutic strategies can be adopted for intraprostatic relapse of prostate cancer after primary radiotherapy, including re-irradiation (with brachytherapy [BT] or external beam radiotherapy [EBRT]), high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), and cryotherapy. The main issues to consider when choosing nonsurgical salvage local therapies are local tumor control and significant genitourinary toxicity.

Purpose: The cost-optimal analysis is not able to address the multi-dimensionality of the decision according to the new European objectives and International sustainable development goals in the field of the nearly-zero energy building (NZEB) design. The purpose of this paper is to study the role of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) for guiding energy investment decisions. Design/methodology/approach: The paper explores the Preference ranking organization method for enrichment of evaluations II (PROMETHEE II) application to support the project of transforming a rural building into a NZEB. The evaluation provides an estimate of the effects of alternative energy efficiency measures, involving energy consumption, life cycle costs, carbon emissions, property value and indoor comfort criteria. The study performs a multi-actors analysis in order to understand how different consumers' point of views can influence the final choice of the best investment. Furthermore, a multi-site analysis explores the spatial variation of NZEB building appreciation in the real estate market. Findings: The PROMETHEE II-based model ranks 16 alternative solutions for the NZEB according to energy, economic and extra-economic criteria. The multi-actors analysis highlights the configuration of the NZEB building that best meets the needs of different end-users, respecting the European directives and national standards. The multi-site analysis concludes that location does not change users' appreciation and not influence the output for the best solution. Originality/value: The MCDA occurs as a support tool that helps to optimize the preliminary design phase of NZEB through the exploration of the optimal solution considering crucial criteria in the energy and environmental and real estate market rules.

Silver nanomaterials with different shapes (spheres, plates, wires, rods, cubes) are valued by industries and scientists for their shape-dependent properties which make them useful for diverse applications. In a safer-by-design perspective, controlling the shape of Ag nanomaterials could be an option to increase their properties while lowering either their hazard or their exposure potentials. Nine indoor aquatic mesocosms reproducing a lotic ecosystem were contaminated with chronic low-level additions of Ag nanospheres (Sp-Ag) and nanoplates (Pl-Ag) for a month. A shape-dependent impact under such environmentally relevant exposure conditions was observed. Pl-Ag induced a moderate oxidative stress in adult Gammarus fossarum(after molting) and a hormesis effect on planktonic microbial communities, while Sp-Ag had no effect. In an environmental risk perspective, our results highlight which ecological niches of a lotic ecosystem would be more impacted by Pl-Ag: (i) >72% of the total Ag was found fully sulfidized in surficial sediment and had only a moderate impact on benthic macro-organisms, (ii) only 11% to 15% of the Ag remained in the water column after 1 month, but Ag was under a more reactive speciation that impacts the planktonic community.

Although the proliferation of the wild boar in Europe makes capturing and handling necessary for both management and research, the behavioural responses of this species to capture are still unknown. We evaluated how capture affects wild boar behaviour during the first 30 days after the release, focusing on the animals' total activity, mobility and activity rhythms and their variation in response to different drug mixtures used for sedation. Low levels of activity and mobility characterized the first 10 post-capture days. After this period, a gradual restoring of stable levels occurred. Wild boar captured by using different drug mixtures exhibited slightly different patterns of activity depression. We also showed capture to produce a partial effect on wild boar behavioural rhythmicity. Our findings highlight the case study variability of the capture effect and offer useful insights into several conservation and management implications.

Reproductive performance is one of the most important life‐history traits that should be routinely studied and considered in adaptive wildlife management. In the case of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), a species with delayed implantation, which complicates studies on fetuses, corpora lutea (CL) counting is the only alternative for routine monitoring. However, because of a possible implantation failure, the reliability of this method is questionable, and factors influencing implantation success have been poorly understood so far. We analyzed 2,594 intact uteri of roe deer hunted from 2006–2015 in an Apennine population, central Italy, during winter (mid‐Jan to mid‐Mar). By comparing the number of CL and fetuses in the same individuals (i.e., success in blastocyst implantation), we revealed a mean implantation failure of 8.6% in a pooled sample set (regardless of the age and origin of animals), with a high inter‐annual variability (range = 3.6–19.8%). Contrary to adults (x¯± SE = 11.1 ± 1.9%), the implantation failure in yearlings was low (4.4 ± 1.9%). Implantation success was affected by individual maternal characteristics (positive effect of body mass and negative effect of age), climatic condition in summer (positive effect of July temperature up to 23.4°C, and negative effect above this threshold), winter harshness (negative effect of snow cover duration), and altitude (negative relation with the elevation). Reproductive performance of adult female roe deer cannot be adequately measured by CL counts because of high inter‐annual variability in implantation failure and important effects of female attributes and environmental factors. However, for yearlings, which also express the highest variability in the ovulation rates, CL counts provide important information on their reproductive outcome because they have low implantation failure. © 2018 The Wildlife Society. In roe deer, a species with delayed implantation, several factors affect implantation success of fertilized blastocysts. This restricts applicability and reliability of corpora lutea counting in hunted females as a measure of their reproductive outcome only to yearlings, in which implantation failure is rather low.

ABSTRACTThe impact of radiotherapy (RT) on immune cell status in prostate cancer (PCa) is only partially determined. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of different RT strategies on peripheral B, T, and Natural killer (NK) lymphocytes at precise longitudinal time-points in PCa. 18 patients treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) (40 Gy/3FRX), definitive moderate-hypofractionation (62 Gy/20FRX), or post-operative conventional-fractionation RT (66–69 Gy/30FRX) were prospectively evaluated for the immune cell profile in terms of immune cell composition, differentiation stage, cytokine production and inhibitory receptor (IR) expression. The immune-monitoring of the 18 patients revealed that RT affects the balance of systemic immune cells, with the main differences observed between SBRT and conventionally fractionated RT. SBRT favorably impacts immune response in term of increased B cells, central-memory and effector-memory CD8+T cells, along with decreased Treg cells after treatment. On the contrary, conventional fractionated RT had a long-term negative effect on the systemic immune profile, including a decrease of total lymphocyte counts accompanied by an increase of neutrophils-to-lymphocytes ratio. Total B and T cells decreased and Treg-to-CD8+ratio increased. Functionality of T lymphocytes were not affected by any of the 3-fractionation schedules. Interestingly, SBRT significantly up-regulates the expression of V-domain immunoglobulin suppressor of T-cell activation (VISTA) in CD8+T cells in the absence of other IRs. Our results indicate the relevance of systematic immunomonitoring during RT to identify novel immune-related target to design trials of combined radio-immunotherapy as a promising strategy in the clinical management of PCa.

Occupant behavior is among the main causes for the mismatch between simulated and in-use energy performance of buildings. One of the strategies considered capable of reducing user’s behavior induced energy consumption, while increasing indoor environmental quality is the application of Building Automation and Control Systems (BACS). In this study, three building user’s profiles have been considered depending on their energy consumption. The energy savings due to BACS class increase have been calculated, and a cost–benefit analysis (CBA) has been performed to evaluate the feasibility of different scenarios. Additional co-benefits perceived by the individuals have been accounted for in the form of willingness-to-pay (WTP). The methodology is applied to two case studies: a nearly zero-energy building (NZEB) rural single-family house and a recently renovated dwelling in an apartment block. The results show that the main reductions are achieved by the users’ behavior alone, and the adoption of BACS is economically feasible only when an incentive program is in place, and the WTP is repeated as a recurrent co-benefit over the years. In particular, relying only on energy reduction due to higher BACS class introduction is not economically desirable. The greatest savings are achieved by the behavioral change of the user when coupled with BACS, supporting their potential role in improving user’s energy literacy. Finally, incentive schemes are necessary to reduce the investment costs of such projects, being these the most influential variables in the feasibility of BACS applications.

To retrospectively evaluate the outcome of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in the treatment of elderly patients affected by isolated body metastasis from different primitive tumors. 70 patients with isolated body metastasis were treated. Median age at diagnosis was 75 years (IQR 69–80). The most common SBRT fractionation scheme was 5 × 7 Gy (total dose 35 Gy). The primary endpoints were Local Control (LC) and Toxicity. Secondary endpoints were Overall Survival (OS) and Disease-Specific Survival (DSS). Response to radiotherapy was assessed according to RECIST criteria v1.1. Toxicity was registered according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v 4.0. We performed survival analysis with the Kaplan–Meier method. The correlation between time actuarial incidence and clinical parameters was studied. Median follow-up was 26.5 months. 44 patients (62.8%) were alive at the time of analysis, while 22 (31.4%) died because of the disease. Local control at 2 and 3 years was 87%. The 2-year OS and DSS were 84 and 71%, respectively, while the 3-year values were 57 and 62%. PFS at 2 and 3 years was 41 and 25%, respectively. On univariate analysis, KPS ≥ 90 is statistically correlated with improved OS and DSS (p< 0.05). Acute toxicity of grade ≥ 2 occurred in 4 (5.7%) patients, while late toxicity ≥ 2 was recorded in 6 (8.6%) patients. Ablative Radiotherapy represents a safe, effective, and minimally invasive treatment modality for elderly oligometastatic patients who are judged unfit for systemic therapy.

The paper considers the decision problem related to the reuse of an abandoned railway for the creation of a new infrastructure in the Monferrato Region (Northern Italy). The project represents an important opportunity for the economic survival of the area, contributing to valorise local resources and to promote cultural values. With the aim of addressing the design of the reuse plan, a multi-criteria evaluation based on the PROMETHEE method has been developed for the selection of the best functions to be considered for the various station buildings along the line. The assessment was supported by an experts' panel that contributed to define the decision scenarios and to identify the importance of the evaluation criteria.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) shares pathological and clinical features with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) patients making the diagnosis challenging. Distinguishing PD from PSP is crucial given differences in disease course, treatment and clinical management. Although some progress has been made in the discovery of biomarkers for PD and PSP, there is an urgent need to identify additional biomarkers capable of distinguishing between these diseases. In this study, we tested the phosphatases DUSP8 and PTPRC for their diagnostic potential using quantitative PCR assays, in blood of 138 samples from participants nested in the Parkinson’s Disease Biomarkers Program. Relative abundance of PTPRCmRNA was downregulated in PSP patients compared to PD and healthy controls, whereas there was no significant difference in the expression of DUSP8. Interestingly, PTPRCmRNA correlated with the Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) total score and MDS-UPDRS- part III, thus indicating it might be useful as part of a biosignature to stratify patients according to disease severity and progression. Collectively, these results suggest that PTPRCexpression may be useful for distinguishing PD from PSP patients as part of a biosignature. Evaluation of PTPRCalong with additional biomarkers in a larger and well-characterized longitudinal study is warranted.

The aims of this work were to re-describe all parasitic stages of Rhipicephalus sanguineussensu stricto, to select and deposit a neotype, and to characterize some of its diagnostic molecular traits. A male of R. sanguineuss.s. collected in Montpellier, France, was designated as neotype. The diagnostic characters unique to the male of R. sanguineuss.s. are: spiracular plateelongated and subtriangular in shape with a dorsal prolongation narrow and usually visible dorsally, with the dorsal prolongation narrower than the width of the adjacent festoon; punctations of the scutummoderate in number and unequal in size; marginal groove conspicuous, deep and punctate; posteromedian groove distinct and elongated, and posterolateral grooves often sub-circular, shorter than posteromedian groove; adanal plates long, wide, and subtriangular in shape, with a clear concavity in its inner margin and posterior margin broadly rounded or truncated; accessory adanal plates with the posterior end pointed, narrower than the width of adjacent festoon. The female of R. sanguineuss.s. can be diagnosed by a combination of broadly U-shaped genital aperture, spiracular platewith a narrow dorsal prolongation visible dorsally, basis capitulihexagonal with broad lateral angles, and scutumbarely longer than broad with posterior margin sinuous and punctations moderate in number and unequal in size, larger and more numerous along cervical fields. The nymph has a basis capitulisub-triangular dorsally with lateral angles slightly curved and presence of ventral processes, scutumapproximately as long as broad with lateral margins nearly straights, posterior margin broadly rounded, and cervical grooves short and sigmoid in shape extending posteriorly to the level of the eyes. The larva is characterized by basis capitulibroader than long with lateral angles short and slightly curved and with posterior margin slightly convex, cervical grooves short, shallow and subparallel, and scutumalmost twice broader than long. The phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences support R. sanguineuss.s. as a well-defined taxon when compared with other species of the R. sanguineusgroup: R. turanicuss.s., R. camicasi, R. guilhoni, R. sulcatus, R. pusillus, R. rossicusand R. leporis. Molecularly R. sanguineuss.s. also encompasses the so-called “temperate lineage” from the New World (Argentina, southern Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and USA). The evidence currently available supports the presence of R. sanguineuss.s. in Europe (France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Portugal) and America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and U.S.A.), but further studies are needed to determine the exact geographic range of this taxon.

The aim of this work was to generate knowledge on ecological aspects of Amblyomma sculptumin Argentina, such as seasonal dynamics, geographical range size, hosts, genetic diversity and phylogeography. Adult and immature A. sculptumticks were collected in different localities of Argentina to know the geographical range size and hosts. The genetic diversity of this tick was studied through analyses of 16S rDNA sequences. To describe the seasonal dynamics, free-living ticks were monthly collected from October 2013 to October 2015. A. sculptumshows a marked ecological preference for Chaco Húmedo eco-region and “Albardones” forest of the great rivers in the wetlands in the Chaco Biogeographical Province, and for Selvas Pedemontanas and Selva Montana in the Yungas Biogeographical Province. This species has low host specificity, and it has large wild and domestic mammals as principal hosts to both immature and adult stages. Amblyomma sculptumis characterized by a one-year life cycle. Larvae peak in early winter, nymphs peaked during mid-spring, and adults during late summer and mid-summer. The genetic divergence was low and the total genetic variability was attributable to differences among populations. This fact could be associated to stochastics process linked to micro-habitat variations that could produce a partial restriction to gene flow among populations. The geographic regions do not contribute much to explain the A. sculptumpopulation genetic structure, with an ancestral haplotype present in most populations, which gives rise to the rest of the haplotypes denoting a rapid population expansion.

This paper presents the early results of a study aimed at experimenting an innovative approach to the design and the evaluation of complex urban transformation processes, based on the combined use of different design strategies and tools. The purpose of the paper is to illustrate, by means of a case study, a multi-level decision aiding process, able to support strategic urban design, with specific reference to regeneration processes for abandoned industrial sites in urban areas. The case study presented in the paper concerns different alternative proposals for the requalification of the former Shougang/Er-Tong mechanical factory in Beijing, China. The choice of a Chinese case study as a field test for an experimentation about mixed methods research approaches in the domain of urban transformation is related to the peculiar emerging conditions of that context, in which huge economic potentials are speeding up the transformation but a substantial lack of cultural and methodological instruments to manage a so fast modification exists. During the design process, three methods in particular have been combined according to a multi-phase design: (i) Stakeholders Analysis, (ii) Multicriteria Analysis, and (iii) Discounted Cash Flow Analysis. Each one of them has been applied in parallel to the evolution of the different design scenarios. The results of the performed study show that mixed methods approaches are a promising line of research in the field of environmental evaluation and urban design. Insights and guidelines for the replication of the proposed methodological approach in other territorial contexts are also proposed.