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Abstract Introduction Small‐scale sheep and goat farming is one of the business models the EU depends on to achieve the objectives of the Green Deal. However, these production systems are characterized by structural weaknesses that risk being aggravated by international events, such as the post‐COVID‐19 crisis and reconstruction, the conflict in the European area and the generalized inflationary wave. Against this scenario, the work aims to expand knowledge of these companies’ sustainability levels to assess their performance, business model, the strategic keys to their resilience and chances of survival in the changed international scenario. Materials & Methods The approach chosen is SAFA (Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems), the FAO's holistic framework. The empirical analysis focused on a sample of farms in a semi‐arid Mediterranean area. Results The results demonstrate the sustainability lag in governance, social capital, fertilizer management, landscape heritage and economic terms. This is due to the absence of strategic planning on soil, environmental and livestock management, genetic and human resource management, and farm structure. Regarding economic resilience on performance, the weight of the CAP (common agricultural policy) for these farms and the effect of high production costs are high. Conclusion The work is helpful for different stakeholders, who are invited both to structure the intervention of eco‐schemes on animal welfare for the 2023/2027 programming period and to support farm development plans to foster the flow of innovation, cooperation and sustainability.

Integrated organic crop-livestock systems represent a sustainability model on which many environmental, economic and social expectations have been placed, especially in some areas with limited availability of natural resources. In recent years, among the fodder crops in rotation on organic livestock farms, conditions have been created for the emergence of soya (Glycine hispida, M.), also due to the coupled aid granted by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). A generalised spread of soybean, however, may generate unsustainable production patterns, especially in Mediterranean areas characterised by limited irrigation and weed management issues. With respect to the above, the research assessed the holistic sustainability of using field beans (Vicia faba, L.) in rotation for fodder purposes. To this end, a technical-economic and environmental analysis was carried out with economic balances and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), through which a number of synthetic efficiency indices were developed. The results demonstrate the validity of the agronomic choice in achieving environmental efficiency, but also the importance of soil management and reducing the livestock load per unit area in order to simultaneously maintain economic and social efficiency levels.

Agriculture is a risky industry and is present in every management choice the farmer makes. Farms can experiment with different tools that can contain the impact of adverse events to protect production facilities, investments, and income generated by farming. This is the context for the study conducted in Sicily on a sample of farms of different types to explain farmers’ decision-making process in adopting insurance offered in the subsidized market. The study adopted three socio-psychological constructs, Attitude (ATT), Subjective Norm (S.N.), and Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC), derived from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). It proposed the addition of a new construct, Risk Factors (RISK), and farm type. The results indicated that factors including Attitude, S.N., and PBC are positively significant when understanding farmers’ intentions to adopt insurance. However, the additional factors included in the regression model (RISK and farm type) were statistically insignificant, rejecting the efficiency of an extended theory of planned behavior framework. Based on these results, it was concluded that combining extension services to improve awareness of the importance of insurance facilitated by the public contribution service could significantly influence farmers’ intention to adopt it.

ABSTRACT: Under the perspective guided by Darnton (1986), this article aims to capture the interpretations made by Ataliba Antonio de Oliveira about the new school movement. It is about a teacher from São Paulo who followed and resisted closely and from within the onslaughts and attempts at pedagogical renewal in progress in the São Paulo school system. By writing more than two hundred chronicles, interpreting among other themes the initiatives of the Escolanovistas in São Paulo, Ataliba de Oliveira pointed out the errors that characterized “the failure of new school reform”. After inventorying and analyzing these chronicles, this article intends to answer the question: How did Ataliba de Oliveira interpret the new school movement and the tentatives of inserting this pedagogical doctrine in the Paulista school apparatus between 1930 and 1940? The comparative logical structures the most of the chronicles, and through them, are revealed his most scathing criticism to the reform, the reformers, and the educational consequences of those actions. He also revealed the patterns that he intended to preserve. Taken together, the chronicles of Ataliba de Oliveira made up the interpretation that “the failure of new school reform” occurred because its apologists did not consider the data and situations of the Paulista school reality, nor the conditions faced by teachers and students in the educational task.

The events of recent years (pandemic and conflict in the European area) have led to a rethink of traditional policies on trade and support for domestic production. The concept of national “self-sufficiency” is being consolidated to the detriment of globalization and the possibility of buying raw materials on the world market at the lowest price. European agriculture, affected by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) review for the 2023/2027 programming period, is not exempt from this process. Therefore, the construction of National Strategic Plans may partly dampen the drive towards sustainability undertaken with the Green Deal and related strategies (from Farm to Fork, Biodiversity 2030, and Circular Economic) up to the 2030 Agenda Goals because producers are demanding greater freedom in production intensification. The research, conducted in a traditionally agricultural area in Italy, shows that competitive and sustainable agriculture can coexist thanks to entrepreneurial choices based on values and interest in the territory. Despite the difficulties arising from the changing conditions of the international scenario, which have led to an increase in production costs and a contraction of market opportunities, agriculture has become resilient thanks to sound agronomic practices and the sustainability of the process. Therefore, a model of agriculture more closely linked to the territory's characteristics is proposed.

The paper starts from the assumption that a greater level of sustainability in national food systems can be achieved with the contribution of the consumer. Nowadays, the consumer can condition the choices of the production system, with a greater demand for reassurance on the quality, safety, and traceability of food products. To confirm this hypothesis, this study intends to verify sensitivity to sustainability, purchase behavior, and type of sustainable products in consumer samples of two territorial contexts, the United Arab Emirates and Sicily. The analysis of the results shows the interest of the UAE consumers for organic products and Sicily consumers for local products from a short and zero-kilometer supply chain which is the expression of traditions and opportunities for socio-economic development in the region. The picture is enriched with some food for thought on aspects closely linked to agri-food sustainability.

Este texto buscou responder, ainda que parcialmente, uma necessidade da historicização da presença da álgebra na escola primária. Como ocorreu as tentativas de inserção da álgebra na instrução da criança da escola primária? Como ensiná-la? Para construir as respostas, num primeiro momento, fez-se uma imersão nas experiências pedagógicas de Pestalozzi. Há quem diga ter sido ele o primeiro a ousar inserir a álgebra no programa da escola primária. A análise de um amplo conjunto de documentos evidenciou que, no Instituto Pestalozzi, a álgebra foi reduzida aos seus elementos mais primitivos. Essa matéria era ensinada e aprendida acompanhando a mesma marcha da aritmética: intuição das unidades; cálculo mental; cálculo escrito; cálculo mental algébrico; cálculo literal ou álgebra propriamente dita. Descolados a priori das definições, regras, sinais, fórmulas e axiomas, os elementos da álgebra se imbricavam com os da aritmética tendo como ponto de partida do ensino a intuição sensível das relações de grandezas, tornando-as em matérias organicamente unidas. No final do século XIX, o método intuitivo de Pestalozzi foi uma das referências de modernização do ensino público de São Paulo. Como segundo momento desta investigação, a análise aqui particularizada mostrou que, entre os anos de 1870 e 1920, a escola pública paulista assistiu e sentiu as constantes turbulências vivenciadas pela álgebra ora enquanto saber a ensinar, ora enquanto artifício engenhoso para ensinar aritmética. Os efeitos dessas instabilidades puderam ser identificados pelas mudanças na finalidade da escola primária e pelas sucessivas reformas nos programas de ensino.

Este artigo analisa a constituição dos saberes aritméticos a serem ensinados na escola primária da província do Quebec, Canadá, entre os anos de 1850 e 1920, de modo a compreender a finalidade da escola primária, a finalidade da Aritmética e a organização dos seus saberes. As fontes documentais que amparam a investigação são: relatórios das conferências pedagógicas das escolas normais produzidas pelo setor católico; modelos de lições aritméticas divulgados em impressos pedagógicos (revistas e livros escolares); programas de ensino, leis e regulamentos escolares. Esse conjunto documental revelou as orientações didáticas dadas aos professores, a emergência de novos materiais didáticos e as reorganizações e sistematizações do ensino da Aritmética primária, bem como a sedimentação desses saberes. Pode-se afirmar que, na vaga intuitiva, a sala de aula foi transformada num grande atelier de números e cálculos e, nesse período, a escola primária francofônica do Quebec trabalhou na construção e constituição de um novo saber: a ‘Aritmética intuitiva’.

Biofortification is a strategy to reduce micronutrient deficiency in humans by fortifying food through natural processes, agronomic practices and genetic modification. In this study, we seek to shed light on what consumers understand by the term 'biofortified products' and thus to understand their level of knowledge about these products, as well as the reasons that dictate their purchasing choices and the relationship between consumption choices and lifestyles. The analysis focuses on vegetables and, in particular, on tomatoes with a high lycopene content. Research shows that consumers of biofortified food products are generally confused and uninformed, even though they show a high willingness to pay. This confusion seems to result, moreover, from the lack of a clear definition of a biofortified product, as well as from the lack of clear information on the specifics of biofortified products and the benefits they can bring. The future of biofortified products can, therefore, be improved by the creation of clear standards and reference definitions and better information and transparency that would benefit the consumer.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, which promotes a sustained inflammatory environment in the central nervous system. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an important role in the control of inflammation and might play a neuroprotective role. Indeed, a decrease in Treg number and function has been reported in PD. In this context, pramipexole, a dopaminergic receptor agonist used to treat PD symptoms, has been shown to increase peripheral levels of Treg cells and improve their suppressive function. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of pramipexole on immunoregulatory Treg cells and its possible neuroprotective effect on human dopaminergic neurons differentiated from human embryonic stem cells. Methods: Treg cells were sorted from white blood cells of healthy human donors. Assays were performed with CD3/CD28‐activated and non‐activated Treg cells treated with pramipexole at concentrations of 2 or 200 ng/mL. These regulatory cells were co‐cultured with in vitro‐differentiated human dopaminergic neurons in a cytotoxicity assay with 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA). The role of interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) was investigated by co‐culturing activated IL‐10‐producing Treg cells with neurons. To further investigate the effect of treatment on Tregs, gene expression in pramipexole‐treated, CD3/CD28‐activated Treg cells was determined by Fluidigm analysis. Results: Pramipexole‐treated CD3/CD28‐activated Treg cells showed significant protective effects on dopaminergic neurons when challenged with 6‐OHDA. Pramipexole‐treated activated Treg cells showed neuroprotective capacity through mechanisms involving IL‐10 release and the activation of genes associated with regulation and neuroprotection. Conclusion: Anti‐CD3/CD28‐activated Treg cells protect dopaminergic neurons against 6‐OHDA‐induced damage. In addition, activated, IL‐10‐producing, pramipexole‐treated Tregs also induced a neuroprotective effect, and the supernatants of these co‐cultures promoted axonal growth. Pramipexole‐treated, activated Tregs altered their gene expression in a concentration‐dependent manner, and enhanced TGFβ‐related dopamine receptor regulation and immune‐related pathways. These findings open new perspectives for the development of immunomodulatory therapies for the treatment of PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resumo Este artigo adota a perspectiva histórica com o objetivo de compreender a dinâmica da circulação das ideias pedagógicas e identificar movimentos de inovação, acomodação e reinterpretação, próprios dos processos culturais. A análise do tema está delimitada às ideias educacionais de Johann Friedrich Herbart (1776-1841) postas em circulação nos Estados Unidos da América, entre a década final do século XIX e as décadas iniciais do século XX. As fontes documentais que amparam a análise desse tema são dois manuais didáticos produzidos para orientar a prática de ensino de professores da escola elementar, em formação e em exercício: The elements of general method based on the principles of Herbart (nas edições de 1893 e 1907) e Teaching by projects, publicado em 1920, ambos de autoria de Charles A. McMurry (1857-1929), um dos principais divulgadores norte-americanos do herbartianismo. O autor, além de produzir vasta bibliografia, foi professor, diretor e superintendente de escolas primárias, atuou em instituições de formação de professores e foi um dos fundadores e Secretário da National Herbart Society. A análise do ciclo de difusão das ideias herbartianas, situado entre as concepções pestalozianas – as lições de coisas – e as concepções da Educação Progressiva – o método de projetos -, considerou a inter-relação entre agentes, instituições formadoras e impressos pedagógicos e acompanhou desde suas pretensões renovadoras até sua capitulação frente a outras tendências e teorias. Foram identificados movimentos de inovação, adaptação e reinterpretação dos conceitos e das práticas pedagógicas destinados a conferir-lhes relevância e sentido em diferentes contextos de uso.

RESUMO Esse artigo tem como tema geral a circulação transnacional do conhecimento pedagógico e toma como como fonte documental obras norte-americanas que integram o acervo Paulo Bourroul, originário da biblioteca da Escola Normal da Capital/Escola Normal Caetano de Campos, doado à Faculdade de Educação/USP em 1976. Numa perspectiva exploratória, a análise dessa arena intelectual, social e cultural na qual o conhecimento se move, incidiu sobre obras em circulação na última década do regime monárquico. O inventário das obras permitiu identificar tendências predominantes: no âmbito das práticas, os processos de ensino intuitivo adquiriram legitimidade por meio de diferentes rotas de circulação; no âmbito científico, a pedagogia amparava-se em princípios formuladas pela Psicologia para descrever o funcionamento do intelecto na produção de ideias e convicções e elevava as finalidades do campo pedagógico para além da instrução dos conteúdos.

Este artigo adota a perspectiva histórica (décadas finais do século XIX) para analisar a circulação de prescrições vinculadas ao método de ensino intuitivo. As fontes documentais são dois manuais didáticos dedicados a orientar as práticas pedagógicas de professores primários: Primeiras Lições de Coisas, de N. A. Calkins, publicado em língua portuguesa em 1886 e A Eschola Publica, organizado por Oscar Thompson e outros autores, publicado em 1895. A difusão do método intuitivo ou lições de coisas esteve aliada a transformações pedagógicas que incluem aspectos metodológicos e formação de professores, bem como desenvolvimento social e econômico, tornando-se um símbolo de modernização no estado de São Paulo. Focalizando o ensino de Ciências Naturais, o artigo evidencia diferentes interpretações e sentidos adquiridos pela inovação pedagógica no contexto brasileiro. Essas diferenças explicitam, por sua vez, diferentes concepções sobre a ciência e sobre seu ensino, uma vez que estão assentadas em diferentes formas de raciocínio e hábitos mentais que procuram sedimentar. Um deles, priorizou os passos lógicos para ensinar; o outro foi delimitado às prescrições do currículo escolar.

A partir de um conjunto de documentos que expressam estratégias políticas e pedagógicas dos republicanos paulistas na institucionalização da escola pública, objetivou-se identificar as orientações dadas aos professores para ensinar Aritmética no curso primário e analisar a organização didática dos seus saberes focalizando, de modo particular, o uso dos Quadros americanos (de Dunton) e das Cartas de Parker como materiais auxiliares para o ensino do número e do cálculo. No bojo da renovação pedagógica almejada pela escola graduada paulista, a crença na eficácia do método intuitivo marcou a cultura escolar das décadas finais do século XIX e iniciais do século XX. A partir do método intuitivo, a criança aprenderia Aritmética sem a necessidade de pré-requisitos provenientes de outros saberes, bastando dispor ao alcance dos seus sentidos alguns objetos/pontos/traços para serem percebidos, contados e calculados. A análise da renovação no ensino da Aritmética, aqui particularizada, elucida e exemplifica a estreita articulação estabelecida entre método de ensino, materiais didáticos próprios ao seu desenvolvimento e mudanças na epistemologia dos saberes escolares.

The consumer's central role within biodiversity conservation networks may be connected to the process of reconnecting models of production and proven local consumption within "alternative food networks" that have the ability to conserve biodiversity and create sustainable production. This research focuses of the indirect relationships between consumers of biodiversity-friendly vegetable crops surveyed at the main farmers' markets in Sicily, revealing details of purchasing behaviour and the factors related to product choice using social network analysis (SNA) to analyse the social relationships. The research highlights the consumer preferences for local produce or areas with an identity connection or an ethical-social affinity, as shown by the convergence of themes such as "territorial promotion" and "Sicilian quality". This result confirms the role of low-volume producers and local communities in protecting biodiversity-friendly farming and renewing their importance in policy-making. Different consumers highlighted how important it is to design more effective measures to maintain and increase ecosystem resilience. Future development in this area will need to include empirical research on defining the motivations that induce consumers to collaborate with producers in the co-creation of values and anticipating the willingness of consumers to be more pro-active and participatory with biodiversity-friendly farmers in managing their relationships.

This research analyzes consumers’ different purchasing attitudes in traditional and on-line markets. Italy’s on-line direct selling process for organic farm products is still in its formative phase, and the prospective developments mark an interesting research area, not least because it may represent a tool to integrate the relationship with customers and improve companies’ marketing strategies. The research carried out on the direct selling on-line channels allowed the authors to prove a direct and indirect utility for the choice of organic food products. Information obtained with word-of-mouth among consumers seems to be playing an increasingly relevant role in the purchasing process of the virtual community, representing a strong generator of messages and experiences both in virtual and traditional markets. This paper analyzes the behavior of consumers to understand whether it is conditioned more by off-line than on-line channels and which parameters condition the purchasing process. The research confirms that off-line channels for organic products condition the consumers’ choices, linked to traditional word-of-mouth as well as to experiential and sensory direct marketing contact with the producer. An inverse behavior was observed with positive conditions that mostly emanate from on-line channels in the process of buying organic products. The on-line purchasing process involves the system of information linked to the product, i.e., the e-community, which allows the product to be shown together with the comments, evaluations, and recommendations of consumers on the net, reducing the effects generated by the packaging and the brand.

Citrus bacterial canker (CBC) is a known disease caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp citri, which affects many species and varieties of Rutaceae. It causes evident damage on the epigeal parts of plant (leaves and branches) and, in particular, on the fruits, causing their fall and/or deterioration, making them unsuitable for sale. EPPO has signaled its presence in many Asian countries and in the Middle East, in South and Central America and in some regions of the African continent, but not yet in Europe. There are several possible ways of introducing this pathogen into the Mediterranean Basin and, among these, there is the trade of plant material for propagation and planting and the flow of tourism between the risk areas and the Mediterranean countries. This research demonstrates how the risk of invasion through ornamental Rutaceae is evident and identifies - in a participatory way through the involvement of stakeholders - some possible tools of phytosanitary protection. The methodological approach, with multi-criteria analysis, recognizes the interest in forms of protection represented by voluntary certification tools, rather than the introduction of new taxation that can finance the protection system.

Neste artigo são apresentados e discutidos dados referentes a um dos eixos de investigação do projeto de pesquisa ‘Práticas Culturais e Formação de Professores’, qual seja, aquele destinado a mapear as práticas culturais intermediadas por dispositivos digitais de estudantes de dois cursos de Pedagogia na modalidade presencial, oferecidos por instituição pública e instituição privada, em uma cidade localizada no interior do estado de São Paulo. Entre os procedimentos metodológicos estão a pesquisa bibliográfica e conceitual e produção de dados quantitativos. A pesquisa, de natureza exploratória, coletou dados socioeconômicos do questionário do Exame Nacional de Desempenho de Estudantes (ENADE) e, por meio de instrumento elaborado para tal fim, coletou informações sobre o uso de dispositivos móveis em sala de aula, o uso das redes sociais, a relação da tecnologia com o lazer, com o consumo e com os estudos, entre outras. Na análise dos dados foram apontados elementos do processo de incorporação cultural e da construção de significados que, em geral, ocorrem em instituições formadoras. Espera-se que os resultados obtidos, além de descrever elementos constitutivos do repertório cultural de estudantes de Pedagogia, possam contribuir com informações relevantes para a reflexão sobre questões curriculares ou concernentes à profissionalização docente e, consequentemente, com a melhoria da qualidade da educação fundamental. Espera-se também que, nestes tempos de crise, que elevaram a tecnologia ao principal meio de comunicação entre pessoas, os dados possam oferecer parâmetros para avaliar sua eficácia e sedimentação como prática cultural.

This article examines some aspects of the relationship between schooling and broader cultural processes using, as documental source, textbooks produced for teacher training courses which circulated in Brazil and Portugal in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The research focused on elements capable of generalization, including the unity of school structure and the different practices prescribed for teachers, which were designed to root values and ideals in the training process. We analyzed the following manuals: Curso Practico de Pedagogia, by Mr. Daligault (1874); Elementos de pedagogia, by Jose Maria da Graça Affreixo and Henrique Freire (1870); and Lições de Pedagogia Geral e de História da Educação, by Alberto Pimentel Filho (1932).

This article focuses on the circulation of ideas linked to the ideology of the «New School» in Brazil between 1930 and 1958, from the prescriptions aimed at introducing new pedagogical practices in training institutions and, through them, meet the social and educational demands of the country. By having the educational legislation, the prescribed programs for teacher training, and reports produced by delegates of education as documentary sources, this article seeks to gather guidelines produced in different instances of power to capture the combination of a refreshing lexicon, limitations of the educational system and practices intended to be spread, which, in the end, caused tension between concepts and practical experiences, featuring an innovation marked by selective appropriation of the pedagogical renewal pretensions.

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