Mapping Asbestos-Cement Roofing with Hyperspectral Remote Sensing over a Large Mountain Region of the Italian Western Alps

The World Health Organization estimates that 100 thousand people in the world die every year from asbestos-related cancers and more than 300 thousand European citizens are expected to die from asbestos-related mesothelioma by 2030. Both the European and the Italian legislations have banned the manufacture, importation, processing and distribution in commerce of asbestos-containing products and have recommended action plans for the safe removal of asbestos from public and private buildings. This paper describes the quantitative mapping of asbestos-cement covers over a large mountainous region of Italian Western Alps using the Multispectral Infrared and Visible Imaging Spectrometer sensor. A very large data set made up of 61 airborne transect strips covering 3263 km2 were processed to support the identification of buildings with asbestos-cement roofing, promoted by the Valle d’Aosta Autonomous Region with the support of the Regional Environmental Protection Agency. Results showed an overall mapping accuracy of 80%, in terms of asbestos-cement surface detected. The influence of topography on the classification’s accuracy suggested that even in high relief landscapes, the spatial resolution of data is the major source of errors and the smaller asbestos-cement covers were not detected or misclassified

A Knowledge Brokering Framework for Integrated Landscape Management

Sustainable land management is at the heart of some of the most intractable challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. It is critical for tackling biodiversity loss, land degradation, climate change and the decline of ecosystem services. It underpins food production, livelihoods, dietary health, social equity, climate change adaptation, and many other outcomes. However, interdependencies, trade-offs, time lags, and non-linear responses make it difficult to predict the combined effects of land management decisions. Policy decisions also have to be made in the context of conflicting interests, values and power dynamics of those living on the land and those affected by the consequences of land use decisions. This makes designing and coordinating effective land management policies and programmes highly challenging. The difficulty is exacerbated by the scarcity of reliable data on the impacts of land management on the environment and livelihoods. This poses a challenge for policymakers and practitioners in governments, development banks, non-governmental organisations, and other institutions. It also sets demands for researchers, who are under ever increasing pressure from funders to demonstrate uptake and impact of their work. Relatively few research methods exist that can address such questions in a holistic way. Decision makers and researchers need to work together to help untangle, contextualise and interpret fragmented evidence through systems approaches to make decisions in spite of uncertainty. Individuals and institutions acting as knowledge brokers can support these interactions by facilitating the co-creation and use of scientific and other knowledge. Given the patchy nature of data and evidence, particularly in developing countries, it is important to draw on the full range of available models, tools and evidence. In this paper we review the use of evidence to inform multiple-objective integrated landscape management policies and programmes, focusing on how to simultaneously achieve different sustainable development objectives in diverse landscapes. We set out key success factors for evidence-based decision-making, which are summarised into 10 key principles for integrated landscape management knowledge brokering in integrated landscape management and 12 key skills for knowledge brokers. We finally propose a decision-support framework to organise evidence that can be used to tackle different types of land management policy decision

Development of broad-spectrum human monoclonal antibodies for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis

Currently available rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for use in humans includes equine or human rabies immunoglobulins (RIG). The replacement of RIG with an equally or more potent and safer product is strongly encouraged due to the high costs and limited availability of existing RIG. In this study, we identified two broadly neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies that represent a valid and affordable alternative to RIG in rabies PEP. Memory B cells from four selected vaccinated donors were immortalized and monoclonal antibodies were tested for neutralizing activity and epitope specificity. Two antibodies, identified as RVC20 and RVC58 (binding to antigenic site I and III, respectively), were selected for their potency and broad-spectrum reactivity. In vitro, RVC20 and RVC58 were able to neutralize all 35 rabies virus (RABV) and 25 non-RABV lyssaviruses. They showed higher potency and breath compared to antibodies under clinical development (namely CR57, CR4098, and RAB1) and commercially available human RIG. In vivo, the RVC20-RVC58 cocktail protected Syrian hamsters from a lethal RABV challenge and did not affect the endogenous hamster post-vaccination antibody response

HERASE: monitorare l’erosione del suolo nelle Alpi con tecniche Geomatiche

In Italia ci sono circa 4 milioni di ettari di terreno agricolo e forestale a rischio di erosione o frana e recenti stime del Ministero dell’Ambiente (2013) indicano che sarebbero necessari 40 miliardi di Euro per ridurre il rischio dovuto alla perdita di suolo sul territorio nazionale. Il progetto Hydrogeological modeling for Erosion Risk Assessment from SpacE (HERASE), finanziato da Fondazione Cariplo (Grant Nr.2016-0768), affronta questo tema nel bacino camuno del fiume Oglio, un’area alpina dell’Italia settentrionale. Scopo di HERASE è mettere a punto una metodologia di analisi basato sul Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), reso dinamico dall’uso di mappe di copertura del suolo multi-temporali, per evidenziare le zone potenzialmente soggette a fenomeni erosivi e le dinamiche dei cambiamenti del territorio capaci di influenzarne l’entità. Misure in situ di erosione realizzate con un simulatore di pioggia permetteranno la caratterizzazione idrologica di zone rappresentative e la taratura del modello. Infine, le previsioni restituite dai modelli climatici saranno utilizzate per delineare possibili scenari di rischio futuro, in un contesto che vede il territorio montano, e quello alpino in particolare, soggetto a sempre più evidenti cambiamenti climatici. Il presente lavoro riporta alcuni risultati preliminari del progetto HERASE ottenuti sul sotto-bacino del torrente Arcanello (circa 21 km2), dove la stima preliminare dell’erosione è pari a 7,61 [t ha-1 a-1]. Tale risultato è concorde con il valore medio annuo a livello nazionale

Transplantation of clinical-grade human neural stem cells reduces neuroinflammation, prolongs survival and delays disease progression in the SOD1 rats.

Abstract Stem cells are emerging as a therapeutic option for incurable diseases, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). However, critical issues are related to their origin as well as to the need to deepen our knowledge of the therapeutic actions exerted by these cells. Here, we investigate the therapeutic potential of clinical-grade human neural stem cells (hNSCs) that have been successfully used in a recently concluded phase I clinical trial for ALS patients (NCT01640067). The hNSCs were transplanted bilaterally into the anterior horns of the lumbar spinal cord (four grafts each, segments L3–L4) of superoxide dismutase 1 G93A transgenic rats (SOD1 rats) at the symptomatic stage. Controls included untreated SOD1 rats (CTRL) and those treated with HBSS (HBSS). Motor symptoms and histological hallmarks of the disease were evaluated at three progressive time points: 15 and 40 days after transplant (DAT), and end stage. Animals were treated by transient immunosuppression (for 15 days, starting at time of transplantation). Under these conditions, hNSCs integrated extensively within the cord, differentiated into neural phenotypes and migrated rostro-caudally, up to 3.77 ± 0.63 cm from the injection site. The transplanted cells delayed decreases in body weight and deterioration of motor performance in the SOD1 rats. At 40DAT, the anterior horns at L3–L4 revealed a higher density of motoneurons and fewer activated astroglial and microglial cells. Accordingly, the overall survival of transplanted rats was significantly enhanced with no rejection of hNSCs observed. We demonstrated that the beneficial effects observed after stem cell transplantation arises from multiple events that counteract several aspects of the disease, a crucial feature for multifactorial diseases, such as ALS. The combination of therapeutic approaches that target different pathogenic mechanisms of the disorder, including pharmacology, molecular therapy and cell transplantation, will increase the chances of a clinically successful therapy for ALS

Solitary waves in the Nonlinear Dirac Equation

In the present work, we consider the existence, stability, and dynamics of solitary waves in the nonlinear Dirac equation. We start by introducing the Soler model of self-interacting spinors, and discuss its localized waveforms in one, two, and three spatial dimensions and the equations they satisfy. We present the associated explicit solutions in one dimension and numerically obtain their analogues in higher dimensions. The stability is subsequently discussed from a theoretical perspective and then complemented with numerical computations. Finally, the dynamics of the solutions is explored and compared to its non-relativistic analogue, which is the nonlinear Schr{\"o}dinger equation. A few special topics are also explored, including the discrete variant of the nonlinear Dirac equation and its solitary wave properties, as well as the PT-symmetric variant of the model

Long-Term Survival of Human Neural Stem Cells in the Ischemic Rat Brain upon Transient Immunosuppression

Understanding the physiology of human neural stem cells (hNSCs) in the context of cell therapy for neurodegenerative disorders is of paramount importance, yet large-scale studies are hampered by the slow-expansion rate of these cells. To overcome this issue, we previously established immortal, non-transformed, telencephalic-diencephalic hNSCs (IhNSCs) from the fetal brain. Here, we investigated the fate of these IhNSC's immediate progeny (i.e. neural progenitors; IhNSC-Ps) upon unilateral implantation into the corpus callosum or the hippocampal fissure of adult rat brain, 3 days after global ischemic injury. One month after grafting, approximately one fifth of the IhNSC-Ps had survived and migrated through the corpus callosum, into the cortex or throughout the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. By the fourth month, they had reached the ipsilateral subventricular zone, CA1-3 hippocampal layers and the controlateral hemisphere. Notably, these results could be accomplished using transient immunosuppression, i.e administering cyclosporine for 15 days following the ischemic event. Furthermore, a concomitant reduction of reactive microglia (Iba1+ cells) and of glial, GFAP+ cells was also observed in the ipsilateral hemisphere as compared to the controlateral one. IhNSC-Ps were not tumorigenic and, upon in vivo engraftment, underwent differentiation into GFAP+ astrocytes, and β-tubulinIII+ or MAP2+ neurons, which displayed GABAergic and GLUTAmatergic markers. Electron microscopy analysis pointed to the formation of mature synaptic contacts between host and donor-derived neurons, showing the full maturation of the IhNSC-P-derived neurons and their likely functional integration into the host tissue. Thus, IhNSC-Ps possess long-term survival and engraftment capacity upon transplantation into the globally injured ischemic brain, into which they can integrate and mature into neurons, even under mild, transient immunosuppressive conditions. Most notably, transplanted IhNSC-P can significantly dampen the inflammatory response in the lesioned host brain. This work further supports hNSCs as a reliable and safe source of cells for transplantation therapy in neurodegenerative disorders

Efficacy of a new vaccine (Myco-Suivax\uae) against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae under field conditions

Swine enzootic pneumonia is caused by a complex interaction between Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mh), the primary infectious agent, environmental factors, and other infectious agents. In the last few years, the efficacy of numerous vaccines has been demonstrated in reducing losses deriving from enzootic pneumonia. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the field efficacy of a new vaccine (Myco-Suivax\uae, Fatro) administered at a single or double dose in the presence of disease, in an Italian farrow-to-finishing farm, where the long fattening cycle causes slaughter of swine at 160\u2013170 kg of live body weight (LBW) and 9\u201310 months of age. The experimental trial was conducted in a farrow-tofinishing farm of 730 sows situated in Northern Italy, where problems of enzootic pneumonia had been identified in growing pigs. Three consecutive homogeneous groups of 300 piglets each were included in the study; these were assigned at random to one of the following treatment groups: - Group A (double shot): vaccinated twice at 7 days of age and at weaning (25 days of age) at a dose of 1 ml; - Group B (one shot): vaccinated once at a dose of 2 ml on the day of the end of the weaning period (60 days of age); - Group C: control (no Mh vaccination). The efficacy of the vaccine was based primarily on the pulmonary lesions associated with respiratory disease, using the method described by Madec and Kobisch. The overall weights at the end of weaning and at slaughter were also recorded, together with feed consumption in the interval between end of weaning and slaughter, to calculate Average Daily Weight Gains (ADWG) and Feed Conversion Rate (FCR). Slaughter was performed, for pig movement restriction reasons (outbreaks of MVS in the Lombardia region in 2006-2007), between 10 and 11 months of age. The animals which died during the trial were subjected to necroscopic examination and laboratory investigations (PCR) to highlight the presence of Mh. All statistical analyses were performed using the software SPSS 12.0.0 (SPSS, 2003). Necroscopic findings and laboratory investigations highlighted the presence of M. hyopneumoniae in swine of all the treatment groups. Myco-Suivax\uae was able to reduce pulmonary lesions, decrease the number of animals which died and improve weight gain and the FCR in both groups subjected to vaccination. The results appear particularly significant taking into account the late slaughter age (160\u2013170 kg of LBW) and 9\u201310 months of age), in which pulmonary lesions due to M. hyopneumoniae have mainly regressed and where growth tends to at slow down. In the specific field situation in which the trial was conducted, the one shot vaccination, performed at 60 days of age, was the one able to supply the best zootechnical results

Multispectral technology for mining exploration in arid lands: a short review (tecnologia multispettrale per l’esplorazione d’idrocarburi in ambienti aridi: una breve review)

A oggi non esistono stime attendibili sull’effettiva consistenza delle risorse d’idrocarburi e solamente poco più di un quarto dei bacini potenzialmente interessanti ai fini dell’esplorazione sono stati adeguatamente studiati. Anche le tecniche d’indagine più sofisticate spesso si rivelano inadeguate o contraddittorie e per questo motivo numerose compagnie petrolifere stanno valutando le potenzialità offerte da altre nuove tecnologie, come ad esempio il Telerilevamento multispettrale. Questa breve review descrive lo stato dell’arte nella ricerca di microseep d’idrocarburi in ambienti aridi mediante l’utilizzo di tecniche di Telerilevamento ottico multispettrale

Minimum noise fraction transform for improving the classification of airborne hyperspectral data: two case studies

This paper investigates the use of Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF) components to improve the spectral separability of two specific thematic classes in airborne hyperspectral imagery using Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM). Particularly, we compared trends on data distribution before and after MNF transform. Two different data sets recorded with the Multispectral Infrared Visible Imaging Spectrometer (MIVIS) were analyzed. In the first case study, the classification of MNF-transformed data led to an overall enhancement in mapping asbestos roofs. In the second case study, the classification of MNF-transformed data succeeded to distinguish between two different artificial lakes, whereas classification of original hyperspectral data failed. Overall, this study showed how the use of MNF as pre-processing could improve the capability to extract information from two different airborne hyperspectral data sets