Effectiveness of a soil mapping geomatic approach to predict the spatial distribution of soil types and their properties

A soil map (1:50,000 scale) was recently produced in Sardinia (Italy) using a cost-effective GIS approach. In this study we aimed to verify, in two pilot areas and by means of statistical analysis, the effectiveness of the adopted methodology in representing and predicting the spatial distribution of soil types and properties. We focused on evaluation of 1) the influence of landforms and parent materials on soil types (WRB Reference Soil Groups) and selected soil properties and 2) the suitability of the adopted methodology for calibrating a model to predict land unit composition in terms of different soil types. Leptosols, Regosols and Cambisols were prevalent on slopes, with Leptosols being more frequent on convex slopes and Regosols and Cambisols on concave slopes. In flat areas, soil types mainly depended on the type and age of parent material, with Regosols and Cambisols prevailing on Holocene deposits and highly developed soils (mainly Luvisols) largely prevailing on Pleistocene deposits. On hard rock, Leptosols were very frequent on terrigenous metamorphic rock and frequent on granite. Besides Leptosols, Regosols occurred more frequently than Cambisols on both parent materials. Landforms strongly influenced soil depth and available water capacity. Soils on plains were deeper than those on slopes, where convex forms had shallower soils than concave forms. A similar trend applied to the available water capacity. The parent material had a significant effect on topsoil properties (thickness, texture, pH and organic carbon content) of soils belonging to the same WRB Reference Soil Group (analysis done on the most relevant WRB Reference Soil Groups, i.e. Leptosols, Regosols and Cambisols). We calibrated and tested stepwise multiple linear regressions (MLR) and general linear models (GLM) to predict the composition of map units in terms of different WRB Reference Soil Groups. The two models gave very similar results, with distinct distribution patterns that were coherent with the relationships observed between soil groups and specific combination of terrain attributes and parent materials. Results showed that both models were more reliable in predicting the absence rather than presence of a given soil type

Epigenetic mechanisms of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in obesity

The incidence of obesity has dramatically increased over the last decades. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the possible association between the pandemics of obesity and some endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), termed “obesogens”. These are a heterogeneous group of exogenous compounds that can interfere in the endocrine regulation of energy metabolism and adipose tissue structure. Oral intake, inhalation, and dermal absorption represent the major sources of human exposure to these EDCs. Recently, epigenetic changes such as the methylation of cytosine residues on DNA, post-translational modification of histones, and microRNA expression have been considered to act as an intermediary between deleterious effects of EDCs and obesity development in susceptible individuals. Specifically, EDCs exposure during early-life development can detrimentally affect individuals via inducing epigenetic modifications that can permanently change the epigenome in the germline, enabling changes to be transmitted to the next generations and predisposing them to a multitude of diseases. The purpose of this review is to analyze the epigenetic alterations putatively induced by chemical exposures and their ability to interfere with the control of energy metabolism and adipose tissue regulation, resulting in imbalances in the control of body weight, which can lead to obesity

Improvement of spatial contrast sensitivity threshold after surgical reduction of intraocular pressure in unilateral high-tension glaucoma.

PUKPOSE. To measure the effect of a surgical reduction of IOP on the spatial contrast sensitivity threshold in eyes showing a considerably increased IOP but no glaucomatous visual field defect, on white-on-white computer-assisted static perimetry. METHODS. Prospective clinical trial, lasting 36 months; 10 consecutive subjects with untreated IOP ≥ 30 mm Hg in one eye and <18 mm Hg in the fellow eye, no evidence of field damage in both eyes, best corrected visual acuity ≥ 20/20 in both eyes, and scheduled for a primary trabeculectomy in the eye showing a high IOP. The spatial contrast sensitivity threshold was measured before surgery and at each follow-up visit. RESULTS. Preoperative spatial contrast sensitivity was worse in those eyes bearing a high IOP relative to the normal fellow eyes (paired samples t-test, P < 0.0005). An improvement of contrast sensitivity threshold, exceeding the 95% confidence limits of the preoperative test-retest variability, was observed at 3, 6, and 12 cyc/deg in each surgical eye at the end of follow-up. No change was observed in the fellow untreated normal eyes. The improvement correlated directly with the amount of decrease in pressure obtained by surgery. CONCLUSIONS. Eyes with no field defects on white-on-white computer-assisted static perimetry, but bearing a IOP ≥ 30 mm Hg, show a decreased spatial contrast sensitivity. A surgically obtained reduction of IOP is paralleled by an improvement of spatial contrast sensitivity

Reappraisal of COVID-19 Risk for Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Withdrawal of the British Society of Gastroenterology IBD Risk Grid

Early in the pandemic, there was significant concern about how COVID-19 may impact patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Would IBD, as a chronic immune-mediated condition, be a risk factor for more severe COVID-19? Would medications used to treat IBD, in particularly immunosuppressants, increase the likelihood of hospitalization or death due to COVID-19? However, at the start of the pandemic there was a paucity of data to guide decision making for patients with IBD. In this setting, many national and international societies issued statements on management of IBD to provide initial guidance to gastroenterologists and patients with IBD. The British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) published an IBD risk grid for COVID-19 severity in April 2020 that proposed a framework for categorizing patients with IBD into those more likely to be vulnerable to COVID-19 primarily based on co-morbidities and disease characteristics. Patients deemed at moderate risk were advised to practice stringent social distancing while those at high risk were recommended to practice “shielding,” the strictest advice for isolating from others. The authors of the BSG IBD risk grid recently issued a statement withdrawing this guidance noting a number of factors including that the vast majority of IBD patients are not at increased risk of adverse COVID-19 outcomes, the reduced severity of disease with recent variants, and the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines

Sunflower and peanut emergency : initial development under sugarcane mulch.

The research aimed to evaluate the effect of residual sugarcane mulch on sunflower and peanut plant emergence and initial development. Vases of 4.0 L were disposed in a randomized experimental blocks design, with four replications, in a factorial arrangement of five mulch amounts and three cultivars of each crop. The mulch treatments consisted of four increasing amounts (5, 10, 15 e 20 t ha-1) and a tester with no mulch. The sunflower cultivars were the varieties IAC-iarama and Catissol and the hybrid H-358; the peanut cultivars were IAC-Caiapó, Runner 886 and Tatu. The speed emergency index and final percentage, the plant height and shoot dry mass were evaluated. The presence of different levels of sugarcane mulch negatively influences the emergency and initial plant development mainly in peanut but also in sunflower. The negative effects are stronger especially for the runner type of peanut cultivars, while cultivar Tatu was less influenced by the mulch thickness

Novel anti-obesity quercetin-derived Q2 prevents metabolic disorders in rats fed with high-fat diet

Objective: Obesity is often accompanied by an increased morbidity and mortality due to an increase of the cardiovascular disease risk factors, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia. Research is constantly working on protective molecules against obesity. In the present study, a novel Quercetin derivative Q2 was synthesized to overcome the poor bioavailability and low stability of Quercetin, a natural flavonoid with antioxidative and antiobesity properties. Methods: Rats were fed (12ws) with normodiet (fat:INS; 6.2%), High Fat Diet (fat:60%), HFDINS; +INS; Q2 in water (500INS; nM). Metabolic and anthropometric parameters were measured. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were incubated with Q2 (1-25μM) and the differentiation program was evaluated by lipid accumulation through ORO staining. Gene and protein expression levels were assessed by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Results: Compared to HFD, HFDINS; +INS; Q2 rats showed reduced body weight, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia and improved glucose tolerance. This is associated to lower adipose and liver modifications compared to hypertrophy and steatosis observed in HFD. In 3T3-L1 cells, lipid accumulation was significantly impaired by treatment with Q2. Indeed, Q2 significantly decreased the expression of the main adipogenic markers, c/EBPα and PPARγ both at mRNA and protein level. Conclusions: Our results indicate that Q2 markedly decreases differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and contributes to prevent metabolic disorders as well as adipose and liver alterations typical of severe obesity induced by a HFD

The Heavy Photon Search beamline and its performance

The Heavy Photon Search (HPS) is an experiment to search for a hidden sector photon, aka a heavy photon or dark photon, in fixed target electroproduction at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab). The HPS experiment searches for the e$^+$e$^-$ decay of the heavy photon with bump hunt and detached vertex strategies using a compact, large acceptance forward spectrometer, consisting of a silicon microstrip detector (SVT) for tracking and vertexing, and a PbWO$_4$ electromagnetic calorimeter for energy measurement and fast triggering. To achieve large acceptance and good vertexing resolution, the first layer of silicon detectors is placed just 10 cm downstream of the target with the sensor edges only 500 $\mu$m above and below the beam. Placing the SVT in such close proximity to the beam puts stringent requirements on the beam profile and beam position stability. As part of an approved engineering run, HPS took data in 2015 and 2016 at 1.05 GeV and 2.3 GeV beam energies, respectively. This paper describes the beam line and its performance during that data taking

Probing the nucleon structure with CLAS

An overview of recent results with CLAS is presented with emphasis on nucleon resonance studies, nucleon spin structure, and generalized parton distributions.Comment: Plenary talk presented at NSTAR 2007, Bonn, German