Nowadays the use of forest reproductive material (FRM) is carefully regulated, but from the 18th century until few decades ago undocumented large-scale transfers of FRM has been commonly practiced in Europe. Past translocations could have had a profound impact on the genetic layout of European forests, and current plantations could either represent risks (e.g., genetic pollution for local lineages) or opportunities (e.g., unintentional assisted migration experiments in areas not covered by provenance trial networks) for extant forest genetic resources. Aiming at clarifying the role that silver fir plantations could play for the conservation of the genetic diversity of fragmented, rear-edge silver fir populations, we assembled a large genetic dataset of 3342 trees: 1553 from 48 plantations in Northern and Central Apennines, and 1789 from 38 natural populations representing possible sources of FRM. All trees were characterized with 16 microsatellite markers to reconstruct the main past translocations occurred in an area > 500 km wide in peninsular Italy. The integration of > 1000 newly genotyped individuals with previously published datasets enabled a broad review of the genetic structure of silver fir plantations across Italy. Overall, we found that ⁓30% of the planted individuals were translocated from a distant genetic cluster and 92% of nation-wide genetic diversity is conserved in plantations. The consequences of assessing the presence of local vs. non-local genotypes in plantations, as well as all downstream considerations about their spatial genetic structure and levels of genetic diversity, are discussed with a special focus on informing the management of forest tree plantations that could have high conservation value.
In this paper, we study a class of nonlinear problems driven by mixed local-nonlocal operators and involving general nonlinearities. Using variational methods, we prove the existence of a least energy solution and of infinitely many radially symmetric solutions, in the spirit of the seminal works by Berestycki-Lions [16,17] and Berestycki-Gallou & euml;t-Kavian [15]. We further investigate qualitative properties of these solutions, including regularity, decay, sign, and symmetry. (c) 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
In the realm of homecare services, there is still a lack of a comprehensive conceptual framework and appropriate identification of performance dimensions to guide public managers in creating public value, guiding efficient resource allocation and effectiveness of homecare services. Addressing this gap requires the integration of financial variables with technical variables, strategic and operational needs, and both internal and external organizational perspectives. Only a few studies have explored how value is co-created during service delivery, particularly when considering the service user’s life context and the importance of cross-sector relationships in public service provision. Despite growing scholarly interest in cross-sector collaboration, practical evaluation of their overall performance remains limited, and there is insufficient attention to the internal dynamics that drive performance within collaborative processes. The aim of this study is to identify the dimensions of a performance measurement system, able to reach efficient resource allocation and effectiveness of homecare services. The study is based on field research using semi-structured interview as a data collection method, involving thirty-four healthcare providers and nine members of health organizations and regional government. The results of the empirical analysis are presented using the Public Service Environment framework, articulated at macro-, meso, micro-, and submicro- level.
This study examines the dynamic and asymmetric connectedness among global sustainability-focused financial markets, including clean energy, the hydrogen market, ESG, carbon markets, and green bonds. The study uses an integrated methodological framework—Quantile-TVP-VAR, connectedness network, and Wavelet coherence—examining spillovers across market regimes and investment horizons. The results reveal that spillover among sustainability markets largely depends on markets’ regimes and frequency horizons. Specifically, the study found that at lower and higher quantiles, clean energy, ESG, and hydrogen markets act as net transmitters. Whilst, at higher quantiles, green bonds and carbon markets absorb systemic shocks and stabilise sustainability markets. The frequency distribution highlights a prominent connectedness in the short-term frequency horizons, while moderate at medium and long-run. The study recommends that diversification benefits are temporary and regime-dependent, while portfolio risk management must be horizon-specific. The hydrogen and clean energy markets can be used for resilience enhancement in sustainability-focused portfolios. Moreover, carbon and green bonds can improve market liquidity and stabilise the sustainable finance framework.
Abstract Background The quadriceps tendon (QT) has emerged as a reliable autograft for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), but uncertainty remains regarding several key comparative aspects—particularly donor-site morbidity, long-term graft survival, knee stability, and complication rates—when evaluated against hamstring tendon (HT) and bone–patellar tendon–bone (BPTB) autografts. High-level evidence restricted to randomized controlled trials directly comparing QT with HT or BPTB remains limited. To compare clinical outcomes, graft failure, donor-site morbidity, and knee stability among QT, HT, and BPTB autografts for primary ACLR using level-I and level-II randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods The MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase (Elsevier), and Cochrane Library databases were searched on 1 September 2025, and repeated 2 weeks later. Only level-I or -II RCTs comparing QT to HT or BPTB in primary ACLR were included. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed for International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Lysholm scores, instrumented laxity, graft failure, donor-site morbidity, and reoperation. Risk of bias was assessed with RoB 2.0, and small-study effects with funnel and doi plots. Results Eleven RCTs (mean follow-up, 2–10 years) were included. Pooled IKDC scores averaged 84.8 (95% CI 81.9–87.9) and Lysholm scores averaged 93.1 (95% CI 91.6–94.6), with no significant differences between QT and either comparator (P > 0.05). Side-to-side anterior tibial translation averaged 1.2 mm (95% CI 0.99–1.54 mm) across all grafts, also without significant differences (P > 0.05). Pooled graft failure and ipsilateral reoperation rates were 0.7% (95% CI 0.0–1.9%) and 2.3% (95% CI 0.6–4.7%), respectively, again with no between-graft differences (P > 0.05). Donor-site morbidity did not differ significantly between QT and HT (mean 13.83 [95% CI 9.6–19.83]; P > 0.05). Conclusion This meta-analysis of level-I/II randomized controlled trials found no statistically significant differences among quadriceps tendon, hamstring tendon, and bone–patellar tendon–bone autografts in patient-reported outcomes, knee stability, graft re-rupture, or additional knee surgery. Donor-site morbidity comparisons were limited by incomplete reporting, particularly for BPTB. These findings suggest that contemporary surgical techniques and rehabilitation protocols may minimize graft-specific differences in mid-term outcomes, although interpretation should consider the limited number of direct comparative trials across all three graft types. Level of evidence Systematic review and meta-analysis; level of evidence, 1 and 2.
