Diasporic and Local Mainstream Media as a Tool for Intercultural Integration? The Case of Latin American Communities in Italy

In Italy, communication research on the impact of media on immigrants’ integration dynamics has up until now privileged the sphere of national mainstream media. This paper takes into consideration the role of diasporic media as complimentary to perspective, by exploring the disposition of the two media fields towards the promotion of intercultural dialogue. In an attempt to assess whether there is in fact an intercultural media integration process occurring in both mainstream and Latin-America diasporic media players in Italy, this paper focuses on gathering evidence from the media pertaining to the society in general and from those created by and for immigrant communities. This evaluation aims to establish the degree to which majority and minorities take an interest in each other as well as the story telling they deploy or one another. Interculturalism and intercultural media integration are the main theoretical frameworks used to understand how intercultural dialogue is operationalized at the media level. Preliminary findings suggest a local mainstream media scene out of step with the de facto multicultural society, whereas only in some cases do Latin-American diasporic media demonstrate integrative potential capable of” bridging the gap” with the host society rather than merely fulfilling its ingroup “bonding” role

Role of IL-1β in rheumatoid arthritis

Tese de doutoramento, Ciências Biomédicas (Imunologia), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Medicina, 2012Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory and immuno-mediated disease with a significant involvement of the synovial membrane of multiple small joints and progressive destruction of cartilage and bone, which leads to functional impairment and a significant increase of both morbidity and mortality of patients. Early diagnosis and an accurate prompt therapeutic strategy are crucial to prevent rheumatoid arthritis progression and joint destruction that can occur immediately after its onset. The most debilitating characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis is the synovial hyperplasia of joints, which is mediated by the interplay of several immune cells (macrophages, neutrophils, T and B cells) and complex cytokine networks (particularly interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and IL-17). IL-1β is considered to be a crucial element in rheumatoid arthritis pathology due to its ability to enhance cytokine and chemokine secretion, metalloproteinases (MMPs) production, T cell expansion and survival which further increases antibody production by B cells, T helper (Th)17 cells differentiation, and osteoclastogenesis with consequent bone loss. Importantly, the production of IL-1β is tightly regulated both at the transcriptional and post-translational levels, involving nuclear factor kappa-lightchain- enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kB), inflammasomes and caspase-1. Interestingly, it has been shown that perturbation of these regulatory mechanisms results in an exaggerated inflammatory response that underlies autoinflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. These mechanisms might be particularly relevant in the early phase of the disease. Nevertheless, the majority of the studies concerning rheumatoid arthritis physiopathology have focused on the established phase of this disease, while the knowledge regarding the cellular interactions and the immunologic regulatory cascades involved in its onset are still scarce. The main goal of this work was to study the early triggers of the inflammatory process in rheumatoid arthritis, including those involved in inflammasome activation. Accordingly, the first task in this study was the analysis of the early cytokine and chemokine environment in the early phase of rheumatoid arthritis. To that end, a cohort of untreated polyarthritis patients with less than six weeks of disease duration was prospectively followed up. These patients were evaluated at baseline (without treatment) and after short-term therapy with low dose of corticosteroids and methotrexate (MTX). The clinical follow up of these patients allowed the identification of two subgroups of patients: one that evolved into rheumatoid arthritis and another which XXXI evolved into other chronic inflammatory joint diseases or had self-limited forms of arthritis. Additionally, a second cohort of rheumatoid arthritis patients with established disease and under MTX therapy was also analyzed. Interestingly, we found that in the very early phase of rheumatoid arthritis there are increased levels of circulating cytokines related with the recruitment (IL-6), maturation and survival (a proliferationinducing ligand (APRIL) and B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS)) of B cells, as well as a cytokine profile that supports neutrophil recruitment (IL-8) and Th17 cells polarization (IL-1β and IL-6) and activation (IL-17A and IL-22) when compared with other very early chronic inflammatory joint diseases and with the established phase of the disease. Furthermore, the analysis of synovial fluid samples from established rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with MTX also revealed a pattern of cytokines similar to that of the very early phase of the disease. Of note, treatment with corticosteroids and MTX, although clinically effective in reducing inflammatory manifestations, did not seem to affect the cytokine content in circulation. The increased concentration of IL-1β observed since the early phase of the disease both in peripheral blood and in the synovial fluid may be explained by the increased levels of active caspase-1 that were also observed both in early untreated rheumatoid arthritis patients with less than 1 year of disease evolution and in established rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with MTX. The crucial role of IL-1β suggests that this cytokine could be a promising target for rheumatoid arthritis treatment. However, clinical trials with IL-1 receptor targeting (anakinra) and with IL-1 monoclonal antibody (canakinumab) have not revealed encouraging results in the established phase of rheumatoid arthritis compared with TNF antagonists. Therefore, we raised the hypothesis that IL-1β plays a complementary role to that of TNF and more relevant in the early stage of the disease rather than in the established phase. Consequently, interference, during the early phase of arthritis, with pathways regulating both IL-1β and TNF could constitute a promising therapeutic option. To test this hypothesis, a drug screen was performed in a THP1 macrophage-like cell line in order to identify those that simultaneously down-regulate the production of both cytokines. The drugs that were selected were further studied in vivo in a wistar rat model of adjuvant-induced arthritis to analyze their potential anti-inflammatory properties. The in vivo experiments revealed that two of the selected drugs, celastrol and gambogic acid, have anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties and are able to effectively treat arthritic rats, by an inhibitory effect of IL-1β and TNF, induced by a down-regulation of caspase-1 and NF-kB activation. Finally, to distinguish between the direct role for IL-1β as an effector or as an upstream initiator, by driving the differentiation of Th17 cells in XXXII the inflammatory process, a drug which inhibits retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor gamma (RORγ)T transcriptional activity (digoxin) was also tested in vivo in the same animal model in order to observe its anti-inflammatory effects. We found that digoxin was able to ameliorate the inflammatory signs of the arthritic rats only if administered in the early phase of arthritis development, albeit with a slower and less efficient effect on disease progression compared with the drugs above mentioned. In contrast to digoxin, celastrol and gambogic acid are also effective if administered in the later phase of arthritis development, which is crucial for rheumatoid arthritis management. These results suggest that the isolated inhibition of Th17 cells polarization might be a strategy with limited efficacy, at least in the established phase of the disease. Overall, the results of the present thesis support the hypothesis that IL-1β plays a more relevant role in the early rather than late phase of rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, these original results have important clinical implications, by suggesting that an earlier intervention of therapies targeting IL-1β pathways might be of beneficial clinical use to induce early remission and this strategy should be evaluated in rheumatoid arthritis patients.A artrite reumatóide é uma doença inflamatória crónica imunomediada, com envolvimento predominante da membrana sinovial das pequenas articulações e destruição progressiva de cartilagem e osso, que induz incapacidade funcional e aumento da morbilidade e mortalidade dos doentes. O diagnóstico precoce da artrite reumatóide e a administração imediata de uma terapêutica adequada são cruciais para a prevenção da progressão da doença e da destruição articular, a qual pode ocorrer numa fase muito inicial. A característica mais debilitante da artrite reumatóide é a hiperplasia sinovial. Esta inflamação sinovial é mediada pela interação entre diversas células do sistema imunitário (macrófagos, neutrófilos, células T e B) e complexas redes de citocinas (particularmente interleucina (IL)-1β, fator de necrose tumoral (TNF) e IL-17). A IL-1β é considerada um dos elementos centrais na patologia da artrite reumatóide, por induzir um aumento na secreção de citocinas e quimiocinas e produção de metaloproteinases (MMPs) bem como expansão e sobrevivência de células T, que por sua vez conduzem a um aumento na produção de autoanticorpos pelas células B, à diferenciação de células T auxiliares (Th)17 e à osteoclastogénese, com consequente erosão óssea. É importante salientar que a produção de IL-1β é fortemente regulada quer a nível da transcrição, quer a nível da pós-tradução, envolvendo o factor nuclear kappa B (NF-kB), o inflamassoma e a caspase-1. É interessante notar que estudos anteriores documentaram que a desregulação destes mecanismos resulta numa resposta inflamatória exacerbada e desnecessária, característica de doenças autoinflamatórias e autoimunes, como é o caso da artrite reumatóide. Estes mecanismos poderão ser particularmente relevantes na fase muito inicial da doença. Contudo, a maioria dos estudos relativos à fisiopatologia da artrite reumatóide têm sido focados na fase estabelecida da doença, sendo o conhecimento acerca das interações celulares e dos mecanismos regulatórios imunológicos que participam na fase inicial da artrite reumatóide ainda muito limitado. O principal objectivo deste trabalho foi o estudo dos elementos iniciadores do processo inflamatório na artrite reumatóide, incluindo aqueles que estão relacionados com a atividade do inflamassoma. Assim, a primeira tarefa realizada neste estudo foi a análise da libertação de citocinas e quimiocinas na fase muito inicial da artrite reumatóide. Para tal, um grupo de doentes com poliartrite com menos de seis semanas de evolução, não tratada, foi prospectivamente seguido. Estes doentes foram XXVII avaliados antes do tratamento, após terapêutica de curta duração com dose baixa de corticosteróides e após metotrexato (MTX). O acompanhamento clínico destes doentes permitiu a identificação de dois subgrupos: um que evoluiu para artrite reumatóide e um outro que evoluiu para outras doenças crónicas inflamatórias articulares ou que incluiu formas autolimitadas de artrite. Adicionalmente, foi analisado um segundo grupo de doentes com artrite reumatóide na fase estabelecida da doença, sob terapêutica com MTX. É interessante notar que, na fase muito inicial da artrite reumatóide, foram observados no soro dos doentes níveis aumentados de citocinas relacionadas com o recrutamento (IL-6), maturação e sobrevivência das células B (a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) e B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS)), bem como um perfil de citocinas relacionadas com o recrutamento de neutrófilos (IL-8) e com a polarização (IL-1β e IL-6) e ativação (IL-17A e IL-22) de células Th17, comparativamente com doentes que não evoluem para artrite reumatóide e com doentes com artrite reumatóide estabelecida. Além disso, a análise de amostras de líquido sinovial de doentes tratados com MTX na fase estabelecida da artrite reumatóide revelou também um perfil de citocinas semelhante ao da fase muito inicial desta doença. De salientar que o tratamento com corticosteróides e MTX, embora clinicamente eficaz na redução das manifestações inflamatórias, não pareceu afetar o padrão de citocinas em circulação. A elevada concentração sérica e sinovial de IL-1β observada desde a fase muito inicial da artrite reumatóide pode ser explicada pelo aumento nos níveis de caspase-1 ativada que foi também observado, quer em doentes com artrite reumatóide com menos de 1 ano de evolução e não tratados, quer nos doentes com artrite reumatóide estabelecida, tratados com MTX. O papel central da IL-1β faria supor que esta citocina seria um alvo ideal na terapêutica da artrite reumatóide. Contudo, os resultados dos ensaios clínicos em doentes com artrite reumatóide estabelecida com um bloqueador do recetor da IL-1β (anakinra) e com um anticorpo monoclonal (canakinumab) não demonstraram o mesmo nível de eficácia dos antagonistas do TNF. Colocámos a hipótese de que a IL-1β desempenhe um papel complementar ao do TNF e mais relevante na fase inicial da doença. Por este motivo, a interferência na fase inicial da artrite com a via reguladora da libertação de IL-1β e de TNF poderia constituir uma opção terapêutica promissora. Para testar esta hipótese, usou-se uma biblioteca de drogas na linha celular macrofágica THP1 no sentido de identificar as drogas que simultaneamente diminuam a produção de ambas as citocinas. As drogas selecionadas foram posteriormente estudadas in vivo num modelo de rato Wistar de artrite induzida por adjuvante para analisar as suas propriedades anti-inflamatórias. XXVIII Nestas experiências in vivo foi observado que duas das drogas selecionadas, o celastrol e o ácido gambógico, têm propriedades anti-inflamatórias e anti-proliferativas, tratando eficazmente os ratos artríticos devido ao seu efeito inibitório sobre a IL-1β e o TNF, induzido pela diminuição da ativação quer da caspase-1, quer do NF-kB. Por fim, com o intuito de distinguir entre um papel direto da IL-1β como elemento efetor ou como iniciador do processo inflamatório, pela indução da diferenciação das células Th17, foi também testada in vivo uma droga inibitória da atividade transcricional do retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor gamma (RORγ)T (digoxina) no mesmo modelo animal, permitindo a análise do seu efeito anti-inflamatório. Após o tratamento com a digoxina foi observada uma melhoria nos sinais inflamatórios dos ratos artríticos quando a droga foi administrada na fase inicial do desenvolvimento da artrite, tendo-se verificado um efeito menos rápido e menos eficiente na progressão da doença comparativamente com as drogas acima mencionadas. Contrariamente à digoxina, o celastrol e o ácido gambógico são também eficientes quando administrados em fases tardias do desenvolvimento da artrite, sendo este resultado muito importante no contexto da prática clínica. Estes resultados sugerem que a inibição da polarização das células Th17 per se parece ser uma estratégia com uma eficácia limitada, pelo menos no que diz respeito à fase estabelecida da doença. No seu conjunto, os resultados da presente tese suportam a hipótese de que a IL- 1β desempenha um papel mais relevante na fase inicial do que na fase tardia da artrite reumatóide. Estes novos dados têm assim uma implicação clínica importante, ao sugerirem que a introdução precoce de terapêuticas direcionadas às vias reguladoras de IL-1β poderão ser particularmente eficazes na indução da remissão na fase inicial da doença, devendo esta estratégia ser avaliada em doentes com artrite reumatóide.Sociedade Portuguesa de Reumatologia, Pfizer; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/40513/2007

Between an Acknowledgment of Immigration and Neglect? Assessing Interculturalism and Media Integration in Luxembourg

peer reviewedLuxembourg is a de facto multicultural country, with 179 different nationalities represented. It is, however, complex to identify who among the latter is perceived as an immigrant by public opinion. In the same vein, immigration stories rarely make the headlines of some of the most prominent outlets of Luxembourg’s mainstream media. This study covers the print content of some of Luxembourg’s dominant media outlets in the search for the representation of (im)migrants and refugees. It thus takes a perspective whereby media act as a vehicle for a quintessential aspect of interculturalism, that of local meaningful interaction. Its overarching question regards the role that both local mainstream and minority media sectors can play in promoting integration through intercultural dialogue. It is hereby argued that immigrants are foremost represented and given a voice in media outlets created for the immigrant and cross-border communities as well as in mainstream media with more local (Tageblatt) and independent political views (D’Lëtzebuerger Land). In stronghold media such as RTL Lëtzebuerg and Luxemburger Wort, immigrants are, instead, scarcely represented

Role of UBE2C in brain cancer invasion and dissemination

© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Glioblastoma (GB) and brain metastases (BM) are the most common brain tumors in adults and are invariably associated with a dismal outcome. These highly malignant tumors share common features including increased invasion and migration of the primary or metastatic brain cancer cells, whose triggering mechanisms are largely unknown. Emerging evidence has suggested that the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2C (UBE2C), essential for controlling cell cycle progression, is overexpressed in diverse malignancies, including brain cancer. This review highlights the crucial role of UBE2C in brain tumorigenesis and its association with higher proliferative phenotype and histopathological grade, with autophagy and apoptosis suppression, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, migration, and dissemination. High expression of UBE2C has been associated with patients' poor prognosis and drug resistance. UBE2C has also been proven as a promising therapeutic target, despite the lack of specific inhibitors. Thus, there is a need to further explore the role of UBE2C in malignant brain cancer and to develop effective targeted therapies for patients with this deadly disease.This work is funded by National Funds through the FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P., under the scope of the project 2022.08774.PTDC and the fellowship 2023.03882.BD attributed to SD. In addition, the authors are grateful for the funding of Portugal Programa Gilead GÉNESE (Grant ID Number: 17859); Millennium bcp; Associação David Vaz and private donations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Spatial and temporal distribution of cetaceans in the mid-Atlantic waters around the Azores

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2013. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Taylor & Francis for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Biology Research 10 (2014): 123-137, doi:10.1080/17451000.2013.793814.Cetaceans living in offshore waters are under increasing pressure from anthropogenic activities. Yet, due to the lack of survey effort, relatively little is known about the demography or ecology of these populations. Spatial and temporal distribution of cetaceans in mid-Atlantic waters were investigated using a long term dataset collected from boat surveys and land-based observations around the Azores. From 1999 to 2009, 7307 cetacean schools were sighted during 271717 km of survey effort. In 4944 h of land-based observations, 2968 cetacean groups were detected. Twenty-four species were recorded: seven baleen whales, six beaked whales, eight dolphin species, Physeter macrocephalus, Kogia breviceps and K. sima. Overall, Delphinus delphis was the most frequently sighted species but its encounter rate decreased in June- November, coinciding with presence of Stenella frontalis in the region. Tursiops truncatus, P. macrocephalus and Grampus griseus were frequently encountered yearround, whereas large baleen whales showed a distinct peak in encounter rates in March-May. Mesoplodonts were fairly common and appear to be present throughout the year. These findings fill-in a significant gap in the knowledge of cetaceans occurring in a poorly studied region of the North Atlantic, providing much needed data to inform management initiatives.This work was supported by FEDER funds, through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme – COMPETE, by national funds, through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology, under projects CETAMARH (POCTI/BSE/38991/01) and TRACE (PTDC/MAR/74071/2006), and by regional funds, through DRCT/SRCTE, under project MAPCET (M2.1.2/F/012/2011). We thank the Azorean Regional Government for funding POPA, the Shipowners Proprietors and the Association of the Tuna Canning Industries for their support to the programme. MAS was supported by an FCT postdoctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/29841/2006), and IC and RP were supported by doctoral grants SFRH/BD/41192/2007 and SFRH/BD/32520/2006. IMAR-DOP/UAç is the R&D Unit #531 and part of the Associated Laboratory #9 (ISR) funded through the pluri-annual and programmatic funding schemes of FCT-MCTES and DRCTAzores

Celastrol efficacy by oral administration in the adjuvant-induced arthritis model

Copyright © 2020 Cascão, Vidal, Carvalho, Lopes, Romão, Goncalves, Moita and Fonseca. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Background: We previously demonstrated that celastrol has significant anti-inflammatory and bone protective effects when administered via the intraperitoneal route. For further preclinical evaluation, an effective oral administration of celastrol is crucial. Here we aimed to study the therapeutic dose range for its oral administration. Methods: Celastrol (1-25 μg/g/day, N = 5/group) was administrated orally to female adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rats after 8 days of disease induction for a period of 14 days. A group of healthy (N = 8) and arthritic (N = 15) gender- and age-matched Wistar rats was used as controls. During the treatment period, the inflammatory score, ankle perimeter, and body weight were measured. At the end of the treatment, the animals were sacrificed, blood was collected for clinical pathology, necropsy was performed with collection of internal organs for histopathological analysis, and paw samples were used for disease scoring. Results: Doses higher than 2.5 μg/g/day of celastrol reduced the inflammatory score and ankle swelling, preserved joint structure, halted bone destruction, and diminished the number of synovial CD68+ macrophages. Bone resorption and turnover were also reduced at 5 and 7.5 μg/g/day doses. However, the dose of 7.5 μg/g/day was associated with thymic and liver lesions, and higher doses showed severe toxicity. Conclusion: Oral administration of celastrol above 2.5 μg/g/day ameliorates arthritis. This data supports and gives relevant information for the development of a preclinical test of celastrol in the setting of a chronic model of arthritis since rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term disease.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Identification of a cytokine network sustaining neutrophil and Th17 activation in untreated early rheumatoid arthritis

© 2010 Cascão et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by sustained synovitis. Recently, several studies have proposed neutrophils and Th17 cells as key players in the onset and perpetuation of this disease. The main goal of this work was to determine whether cytokines driving neutrophil and Th17 activation are dysregulated in very early rheumatoid arthritis patients with less than 6 weeks of disease duration and before treatment (VERA). Methods: Cytokines related to neutrophil and Th17 activation were quantified in the serum of VERA and established RA patients and compared with other very early arthritis (VEA) and healthy controls. Synovial fluid (SF) from RA and osteoarthritis (OA) patients was also analyzed. Results: VERA patients had increased serum levels of cytokines promoting Th17 polarization (IL-1b and IL-6), as well as IL-8 and Th17-derived cytokines (IL-17A and IL-22) known to induce neutrophil-mediated inflammation. In established RA this pattern is more evident within the SF. Early treatment with methotrexate or corticosteroids led to clinical improvement but without an impact on the cytokine pattern. Conclusions: VERA patients already display increased levels of cytokines related with Th17 polarization and neutrophil recruitment and activation, a dysregulation also found in SF of established RA. 0 Thus, our data suggest that a cytokine-milieu favoring Th17 and neutrophil activity is an early event in RA pathogenesis.This work was supported by a grant from Sociedade Portuguesa de Reumatologia/Schering-Plough 2005. RAM and RC were funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) SFRH/BD/30247/2006 and SFRH/BD/40513/2007, respectively. MMS-C was funded by Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship PERG-2008-239422 and a EULAR Young Investigator Award

Macro- and micro-geographic variation of short-beaked common dolphin’s whistles in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 20113. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Taylor & Francis for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Ethology Ecology & Evolution 26 (2014): 392-404, doi:10.1080/03949370.2013.851122.Genetic studies have shown that there are small but significant differences between the short-beaked common dolphin populations in the Atlantic Ocean and those in the Mediterranean Sea. The short-beaked common dolphin is a highly vocal species with a wide sound production repertoire including whistles. Whistles are continuous, narrowband, frequency-modulated signals that can show geographic variation in dolphin species. This study tests whether the differences, highlighted by genetic studies, are recognisable in the acoustic features of short-beaked common dolphin’s whistles in the two adjacent areas of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. From a selected sample of good quality whistles (514 recorded in the Atlantic and 193 in the Mediterranean) 10 parameters of duration, frequency and frequency modulation were measured. Comparing data among basins, differences were found for duration and all frequency parameters except for minimum frequency. Modulation parameters showed the highest coefficient of variation. Through discriminant analysis we correctly assigned 75.7% of sounds to their basins. Furthermore, micro-geographic analysis revealed similarity between the sounds recorded around the Azores and the Canary archipelagos and between the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean Sea. Results are in agreement with the hypothesis proposed by previous genetic studies that two distinct populations are present, still supposing a gene flow between the basins. This study is the first to compare shortbeaked common dolphin’s whistles of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean areas.Data collection and processing in the Azores was conducted under projects POCTI/BSE/38991/01, PTDC/MAR/74071/2006 and M2.1.2/F/012/2011, supported by FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) and DRCTC/SRCTE (Secretaria Regional de Ciência, Tecnologia e Equipamentos), FEDER funds, the Competitiveness Factors Operational (COMPETE), QREN European Social Fund and Proconvergencia Açores Program. We acknowledge funds provided by FCT to LARSyS Associated Laboratory & IMAR-University of the Azores/ the Thematic Area E of the Strategic Project (OE & Compete) and by the DRCTC – Government of the Azores pluriannual funding. M.A. Silva was supported by an FCT postdoctoral grant (SFRH/ BPD/29841/2006). I. Cascão and R. Prieto were supported by FCT doctoral grants (SFRH/BD/ 41192/2007 and SFRH/BD/32520/2006, respectively) and R. Prieto by a research grant from the Azores Regional Fund for Science and Technology (M3.1.5/F/115/2012). Data collection by SECAC (Society for the Study of Cetaceans in the Canary Archipelago) was funded by the U.E. LIFE programme – project LIFE INDEMARES (LIFE 07/NAT/E/000732)- and the Fundación Biodiversidad, under the Spanish Ministry of Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs (project ZEC-TURSIOPS).2014-11-0

Nile Basin Focal Project. Synthesis report

The Nile basin experiences wide spread poverty, lack of food and land and water degradation. Because poverty is linked to access to water for crop, fish and livestock based livelihoods, improving access to water and increasing agricultural water productivity can potentially contribute substantially to poverty reduction. The major goal of the Nile Basin Focal project is to identify high potential investments that reduce poverty yet reverse trends in land and water degradation. This is done through the implementation of six interlinked work packages allowing us to examine water availability, access, use, productivity, institutions and their linkages to poverty. Important in the Nile BFP is knowledge management and the uptake of results for ultimate impact