Co-Authorship and Bibliographic Coupling Network Effects on Citations

Climate change adaptation (CCA) has recently emerged as a new fundamental dimension to be considered in the planning and management of water resources. Because of the need to consider the already perceived changes in climate trends, variability and extremes, and their interactions with evolving social and ecological systems, water management is now facing new challenges. The research community is expected to contribute with innovative methods and tools to support to decision- and policy-makers. Decision Support Systems (DSSs), have a relatively long history in the water management sector. They are usually developed upon pre-existing hydrologic simulation models, providing interfaces for facilitated use beyond the limited group of model developers, and specific routines for decision making (e.g. optimization methods). In recent years, the traditional focus of DSS research has shifted away from the software component, towards the process of structuring problems and aiding decisions, thus including in particular robust methods for stakeholders' participation. The paper analyses the scientific literature, identifies the main open issues, and proposes an innovative operational approach for the implementation of participatory planning and decision-making processes for CCA in the water domain

Polyaniline synthesized with functionalized sulfonic acids for blends manufacture

Polyaniline (PAni), an electronic conductive polymer, has poor mechanical properties, such as low tensile, compressive and flexural strength that render PAni a non-ideal material to be processed for practical applications. Desired properties of polyaniline can be enhanced by mixing it with a polymer that has good mechanical properties. In this work, PAni was synthesised using functionalized sulfonic acids like camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) and dodecilbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) in order to promote PAni doping and improve its solubility, making possible conductive blends manufacture. The different forms of PAni were characterized by infra-red spectroscopy, thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy and conductivity measurements. A conductive blend composed of PAni/DBSA and lower density polyethylene (LDPE) was obtained via solubilization method and its thermal, morphological and electrical properties were investigated. Concentrations as low as 5 wt. (%) of PAni was able to lead to electrical conductivities of PAni/LDPE blends in the range of 10-3 S.cm-1, showing great potential to be used in antistatic packing, electromagnetic shielding, anti-corrosion shielding or as a semiconductor

Minocycline counter-regulates pro-inflammatory microglia responses in the retina and protects from degeneration

Background: Microglia reactivity is a hallmark of retinal degenerations and overwhelming microglial responses contribute to photoreceptor death. Minocycline, a semi-synthetic tetracycline analog, has potent anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. Here, we investigated how minocycline affects microglia in vitro and studied its immuno-modulatory properties in a mouse model of acute retinal degeneration using bright white light exposure. Methods: LPS-treated BV-2 microglia were stimulated with 50 mu g/ml minocycline for 6 or 24 h, respectively. Pro-inflammatory gene transcription was determined by real-time RT-PCR and nitric oxide (NO) secretion was assessed using the Griess reagent. Caspase 3/7 levels were determined in 661W photoreceptors cultured with microglia-conditioned medium in the absence or presence of minocycline supplementation. BALB/cJ mice received daily intraperitoneal injections of 45 mg/kg minocycline, starting 1 day before exposure to 15.000 lux white light for 1 hour. The effect of minocycline treatment on microglial reactivity was analyzed by immunohistochemical stainings of retinal sections and flat-mounts, and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of microglia markers was determined using real-time RT-PCR and RNA-sequencing. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) stainings were used to measure the extent of retinal degeneration and photoreceptor apoptosis. Results: Stimulation of LPS-activated BV-2 microglia with minocycline significantly diminished the transcription of the pro-inflammatory markers CCL2, IL6, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Minocycline also reduced the production of NO and dampened microglial neurotoxicity on 661W photoreceptors. Furthermore, minocycline had direct protective effects on 661W photoreceptors by decreasing caspase 3/7 activity. In mice challenged with white light, injections of minocycline strongly decreased the number of amoeboid alerted microglia in the outer retina and down-regulated the expression of the microglial activation marker translocator protein (18 kDa) (TSPO), CD68, and activated microglia/macrophage whey acidic protein (AMWAP) already 1 day after light exposure. Furthermore, RNA-seq analyses revealed the potential of minocycline to globally counter-regulate pro-inflammatory gene transcription in the light-damaged retina. The severe thinning of the outer retina and the strong induction of photoreceptor apoptosis induced by light challenge were nearly completely prevented by minocycline treatment as indicated by a preserved retinal structure and a low number of apoptotic cells. Conclusions: Minocycline potently counter-regulates microgliosis and light-induced retinal damage, indicating a promising concept for the treatment of retinal pathologies