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Covid-19 outbreak has mostly affected people in the second half of their lives, at risk of isolation and loneliness; in fact, the impact of the pandemic was even more severe for the well-being of the elderly. Such a recent event has to be framed within the challenge of the demographic increase of people aged 65 years or older, which is particularly relevant in the European context. This paper explores which gaps have to be filled up in order to make cities a suitable place for the elderly to live in, particularly after any emergence of dysfunction and fragility in health, employment, transportation and welfare systems due to the pandemic. We assess the relative contribution of each regressor to the explained variance, that may advise policy makers about which urban features are perceived to be the most relevant for the elderly, even before the pandemic, and must be implemented. Our results have several policy implications. The assessment should provide a contribution to European decision-making processes headed to improve the perception of age-friendliness in urban environments, implementing a paradigm for reference, given the great heterogeneity of features characterizing European cities. • It is important to understand suitability of urban environments for the elderly. • The analysis covers 83 cities in Europe and the perceptions of their citizens. • The age-friendly city environment was associated with an elder-friendly city. • The R-squared decomposition identifies the most relevant features of cities. • Our results contribute to improve policies for cities after Covid-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical spectrum of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection is mixed. It ranges from asymptomatic cases, medium‐intensity forms with mild to moderate symptoms, to severe ones with bilateral lung involvement and respiratory distress, which can require transfer to ICUs and intubation. In most cases, the clinical picture is characterized by a persistent fever, cough, dyspnoea, expectoration, myalgias, arthralgias, headache, gastrointestinal symptoms, nasal congestion, and pharyngodynia. The spread of COVID‐19 in Europe has highlighted an atypical presentation of disease involving upper airways and, above all, dysfunction of olfactory and gustatory senses. There is ample evidence that COVID‐19 is significantly less severe in children than in adults. However, due to difficulties in assessing the disorder in children, especially among very young patients, the olfaction and gustatory dysfunctions remain open issues. This article sheds light on the upper airway involvement in pediatric COVID‐19 subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric variables play a fundamental role in driving man-managed ecosystems and more specifically in agro-ecosystems, determining the quantity and quality of crop production. On the other hand, climate variability can be seen as the superimposition of gradual and abrupt changes. This paper is focused on European surface air temperature in the period 1951-2010. Analysis of this dataset identified breakpoints that define two homogeneous sub-periods: 1951-1987 and 1988-2010. Thermal resources for crops were analyzed adopting a 'normal heat hours' approach. Computation highlighted a general increase in thermal resources in the European continent for crop groups II and III (C3 and C4 plants adapted to high or moderate temperatures), while a decline of thermal resources for crop group I (cold adapted C3) was highlighted in the Mediterranean area. The climate variability justifies a change in the potential latitudinal limits of different groups of crops, representing a fundamental step for crop adaptation to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an environmental sustainability assessment of residential user-scale energy systems, named solar home systems, encompassing their construction, operation, and end of life. The methodology adopted is composed of three steps, namely a design phase, a simulation of the solar home systems' performance and a life cycle assessment. The analysis aims to point out the main advantages, features, and challenges of lithium-ion batteries, considered as a benchmark, compared with other innovative devices. As the environmental sustainability of these systems is affected by the solar radiation intensity during the year, a sensitivity analysis is performed varying the latitude of the installation site in Europe. For each site, both isolated and grid-connected solar home systems have been compared considering also the national electricity mix. A general overview of the results shows that, regardless of the installation site, solid state nickel cobalt manganese and nickel cobalt aluminium lithium-ion batteries are the most suitable choices in terms of sustainability. Remarkably, other novel devices, like sodium-ion batteries, are already competitive with them and have great potential. With these batteries, the solar home systems' eco-profile is generally advantageous compared to the energy mix, especially in on-grid configurations, with some exceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Italian dry-stone wall terracing represents one of the most iconic features of agricultural landscapes across Europe, with sites listed among UNESCO World Heritage Sites and FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS). The analysis of microclimate modifications induced by alterations of hillslope and by dry-stone walls is of particular interest for the valuation of benefits and drawbacks of terraces cultivation, a global land management technique. The aim of this paper is to perform a thermal characterization of a dry-stone wall terraced vineyard in the Chianti area (Tuscany, Italy), to detect possible microclimate dynamics induced by dry-stone terracing. The aerial surveys were carried out by using two sensors, in the Visible (VIS) and Thermal InfraRed (TIR) spectral range, mounted on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), with two different flights. Our results reveal that, in the morning, vineyard rows close to dry-stone walls have statistically lower temperatures with respect to the external ones. In the afternoon, due to solar insulation, temperatures raised to the same value for each row. The results of this early study, jointly with the latest developments in UAV and sensor technologies, justify and encourage further analyses on local climatic modifications in terraced landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes household management systems and their effect on intrahousehold gender differences in decision making in thirty European countries. The study considers five domains that reflect two types of decisions – time-consuming and frequent decisions like everyday shopping versus infrequent but important decisions like borrowing money or purchasing consumer durables. In time-consuming activities, the gender gap favors women in each system; for infrequent decisions, the gender gap is dependent on the way money is managed and the biggest gap is found in systems where resources are not pooled. This paper also investigates the role of distribution factors in shaping decision-making behavior. For time-consuming decisions, the higher the income (and education) of the woman compared to the man, the less likely she is to make the decisions. For infrequent activities, the higher the income of the woman compared to the man, the more likely she is to make the decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Europe, multiple waves of infections with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) have been observed. Here, we have investigated whether common patterns of cytokines could be detected in individuals with mild and severe forms of COVID-19 in two pandemic waves, and whether machine learning approach could be useful to identify the best predictors. An increasing trend of multiple cytokines was observed in patients with mild or severe/critical symptoms of COVID-19, compared with healthy volunteers. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) clearly recognized the three groups based on cytokine patterns. Classification and Regression Tree (CART) further indicated that IL-6 discriminated controls and COVID-19 patients, whilst IL-8 defined disease severity. During the second wave of pandemics, a less intense cytokine storm was observed, as compared with the first. IL-6 was the most robust predictor of infection and discriminated moderate COVID-19 patients from healthy controls, regardless of epidemic peak curve. Thus, serum cytokine patterns provide biomarkers useful for COVID-19 diagnosis and prognosis. Further definition of individual cytokines may allow to envision novel therapeutic options and pave the way to set up innovative diagnostic tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The market of batteries for electric mobility is expected to greatly expand in Europe during the next decades. The most sustainable batteries to be produced in the future depend on the primary and secondary resources available and on the capacity to produce and recycle battery cells. This paper proposes an optimization model based on Material Flow Analysis and prospective Life Cycle Assessment which allows us to suggest the types of batteries which should be produced and recycled, the primary and secondary resources to be used, and in which quantities. Several scenarios are proposed to address the uncertainty of the future batteries market. In the Reference Scenario, designed to reflect the European policies, the results show that Europe would achieve high self-sufficiency from external producers (72%), but this percentage could decrease drastically in the case of alternative scenarios (up to 35%). Furthermore, in the Reference Scenario, lithium-iron-phosphates (40%) and lithium-air (23%) batteries result to be the best options. To cut the consumption of lithium and cobalt, sodium-ion cells (3%) could also be considered for manufacturing or even nickel-cobalt-manganese (6%) type to exploit secondary cobalt. In alternative scenarios instead, the proposed algorithm would suggest different choices as a function of the boundary conditions. For instance, in case the demand and the re-use rate of the cells are higher than in the Reference Scenario, the environmental impact of batteries for mobility turns out to increase because of the lower self-sufficiency of the European industry. • Material flow analysis and prospective LCA are integrated into an optimization model. • Several scenarios are set to address the uncertainty of the future batteries industry. • The European batteries' production and recycling to cut GHG emissions are assessed. • The optimal management of primary and secondary resources is evaluated in time. • The model evaluates the batteries industry's relevant GHG mitigation (up to −45%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Accuracy of risk algorithms for psychosis prediction in “at risk mental state” (ARMS) samples may differ according to the recruitment setting. Standardized criteria used to detect ARMS individuals may lack specificity if the recruitment setting is a secondary mental health service. The authors tested a modified strategy to predict psychosis conversion in this setting by using a systematic selection of trait-markers of the psychosis prodrome in a sample with a heterogeneous ARMS status. Methods 138 non-psychotic outpatients (aged 17–31) were consecutively recruited in secondary mental health services and followed-up for up to 3 years (mean follow-up time, 2.2 years; SD = 0.9). Baseline ARMS status, clinical, demographic, cognitive, and neurological soft signs measures were collected. Cox regression was used to derive a risk index. Results 48% individuals met ARMS criteria (ARMS-Positive, ARMS+). Conversion rate to psychosis was 21% for the overall sample, 34% for ARMS+, and 9% for ARMS-Negative (ARMS−). The final predictor model with a positive predictive validity of 80% consisted of four variables: Disorder of Thought Content, visuospatial/constructional deficits, sensory-integration, and theory-of-mind abnormalities. Removing Disorder of Thought Content from the model only slightly modified the predictive accuracy (−6.2%), but increased the sensitivity (+9.5%). Conclusions These results suggest that in a secondary mental health setting the use of trait-markers of the psychosis prodrome may predict psychosis conversion with great accuracy despite the heterogeneity of the ARMS status. The use of the proposed predictive algorithm may enable a selective recruitment, potentially reducing duration of untreated psychosis and improving prognostic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scab, caused by Venturia inaequalis, is the most serious disease causing economic losses in apple commercial orchards. In Europe, new races of scab have overcome the Vf gene, which is the main source of scab resistance used in apple breeding. Therefore, combining several defense mechanisms is necessary to obtain durable resistance. In this study, apple genotypes ‘Ariane’ and ‘Galaxy’, carrying or not carrying the natural resistance Vf gene, respectively, were transformed via Agrobacterium tumefaciens, with the gene encoding wheat puroindoline B (pinB), under the control of the CaMV35S constitutive promoter. PCR and RT-PCR analyses confirmed both the presence and the transcription of the transgene in 24 lines selected via resistance to kanamycin. These transgenic plants were further examined for the accumulation of PinB using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay and for resistance to two races of the fungal pathogen V. inaequalis: the race 1 affecting only the susceptible cv. Galaxy and the race 6 which overcomes the resistance conferred by the Vf gene. A significant negative correlation between PinB content and disease susceptibility was observed among transgenic lines of ‘Ariane’ as well as transgenic lines of ‘Galaxy’, after inoculation with the race 6 of the pathogen. This resistance was not detected in transgenic lines of ‘Galaxy’ after inoculation with the race 1. This is the first report of a partial resistance in woody plants induced by the expression of wheat puroindoline alone or in association with a natural resistance gene. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]