How much can changes in the agro-food system reduce agricultural nitrogen losses to the environment? Example of a temperate-Mediterranean gradient

Ammonia (NH3) volatilization, nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, and nitrate (NO3-) leaching from agriculture cause severe environmental hazards. Research studies and mitigation strategies have mostly focused on one of these nitrogen (N) losses at a time, often without an integrated view of the agro-food system. Yet, at the regional scale, N2O, NH3, and NO3 loss patterns reflect the structure of the whole agro-food system. Here, we analyzed at the resolution of NUTS2 administrative European Union (EU) regions, N fluxes through the agro-food systems of a Temperate-Mediterranean gradient (France, Spain, and Portugal) experiencing contrasting climate and soil conditions. We assessed the atmospheric and hydrological N emissions from soils and livestock systems. Expressed per ha agricultural land, NH3 volatilization varied in the range 6.2-44.4 kg N ha(-1) yr(-) 1, N2O emission and NO3 leaching 0.3-4.9 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1) and 5.4-154 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1) respectively. Overall, lowest N2O emission was found in the Mediterranean regions, where NO3 leaching was greater. NH3 volatilization in both temperate and Mediterranean regions roughly follows the distribution of livestock density. We showed that these losses are also closely correlated with the level of fertilization intensity and agriculture system specialization into either stockless crop farming or intensive livestock farming in each region. Moreover, we explored two possible future scenarios at the 2050 horizon: (1) a scenario based on the prescriptions of the EU-Farm-to-Fork (F2F) strategy, with 25% of organic farming, 10% of land set aside for biodiversity, 20% reduction in N fertilizers, and no diet change; and (2) a hypothetical agro-ecological (AE) scenario with generalized organic farming, reconnection of crop and livestock farming, and a healthier human diet with an increase in the share of vegetal protein to 65% (i. e., the Mediterranean diet). Results showed that the AE scenario, owing to its profound reconfiguration of the entire agro-food system would have the potential for much greater reductions in NH3, N2O, and NO3 emissions, namely, 60-81% reduction, while the F2F scenario would only reach 24-35% reduction of N losses

Thermal infrared dust optical depth and coarse-mode effective diameter retrieved from collocated MODIS and CALIOP observations

In this study, we developed a novel algorithm based on the collocated Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) thermal infrared (TIR) observations and dust vertical profiles from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) to simultaneously retrieve dust aerosol optical depth at 10 &micro;m (DAOD10&mu;m) and the coarse-mode dust effective diameter (Deff) over global oceans. The accuracy of the Deff retrieval is assessed by comparing retrieved Deff with the in-situ measured dust particle size distributions (PSDs) from the AER-D, SAMUM-2 and SALTRACE field campaigns through case studies. The new DAOD10&mu;m retrievals were evaluated first through comparisons with the collocated DAOD10.6&mu;m retrieved from the combined Imaging Infrared Radiometer (IIR) and CALIOP observations from our previous study (Zheng et al. 2022). The pixel-to-pixel comparison of the two retrievals indicates a good agreement (R~0.7) and a significant reduction of (~50 %) retrieval uncertainties largely thanks to the better constraint on dust size. In a climatological comparison, the seasonal and regional (5&deg;&times;2&deg;) mean DAOD10um retrievals based on our combined MODIS and CALIOP method are in good agreement with the two independent Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) products over three dust transport regions (i.e., North Atlantic (NA; R = 0.9), Indian Ocean (IO; R = 0.8) and North Pacific (NP; R = 0.7)). Using the new retrievals from 2013 to 2017, we performed a climatological analysis of coarse mode dust Deff over global oceans. We found that dust Deff over IO and NP are up to 20 % smaller than that over NA. Over NA in summer, we found a ~50 % reduction of the number of retrievals with Deff &gt; 5 &mu;m from 15&deg; W to 35&deg; W and a stable trend of Deff average at 4.4 &mu;m from 35&deg; W throughout the Caribbean Sea (90&deg; W). Over NP in spring, only ~5 % of retrieved pixels with Deff &gt; 5 &mu;m are found from 150&deg; E to 180&deg;, while the mean Deff remains stable at 4.0 &mu;m throughout eastern NP. To our best knowledge, this study is the first to retrieve both DAOD and coarse-mode dust particle size over global oceans for multiple years. This retrieval dataset provides insightful information for evaluating dust long-wave radiative effects and coarse mode dust particle size in models.</p

Fermi surface induced lattice distortion in NbTe2_2

The origin of the monoclinic distortion and domain formation in the quasi two-dimensional layer compound NbTe$_2$ is investigated. Angle-resolved photoemission shows that the Fermi surface is pseudogapped over large portions of the Brillouin zone. Ab initio calculation of the electron and phonon bandstructure as well as the static RPA susceptibility lead us to conclude that Fermi surface nesting and electron-phonon coupling play a key role in the lowering of the crystal symmetry and in the formation of the charge density wave phase

Instance nationale et multi-communauté de DIRAC pour France Grilles

DIRAC [DIRAC] [TSA-08] is a software framework for building distributed computing systems. It was primarily designed forthe needs of the LHCb [LHCb] Collaboration, and is now used by many other communities within EGI [EGI] as a primary wayof accessing grid resources. In France, dedicated instances of the service have been deployed in different locations toanswer specific needs. Building upon this existing expertise, France Grilles [FG] initiated last year a project to deploy anational, multi-community instance in order to share expertise and provide a consistent high-quality service. After describingDIRAC main aims and functionalities, this paper presents the motivations for such a project, as well as the wholeorganizational and technical process that led to the establishment of a production instance that already serves 13communities: astro.vo.eu-egee.org, biomed, esr, euasia, gilda, glast.org, prod.vo.eu-eela.eu, superbvo.org,vo.formation.idgrilles.fr, vo.france-asia.org, vo.france-grilles.fr, vo.msfg.fr and vo.mcia.fr

Characteristics of Severe Asthma Patients and Predictors of Asthma Control in the Swiss Severe Asthma Registry

Background: Asthma is a chronic airway disease, affecting over 300 million people worldwide. 5–10% of patients suffer from severe asthma and account for 50% of asthma-related financial burden. Availability of real-life data about the clinical course of severe asthma is insufficient. Objectives: The aims of this study were to characterize patients with severe asthma in Switzerland, enrolled in the Swiss Severe Asthma Registry (SSAR), and evaluate predictors for asthma control. Method: A descriptive characterisation of 278 patients was performed, who were prospectively enrolled in the registry until January 2022. Socio-demographic variables, comorbidities, diagnostic values, asthma treatment, and healthcare utilisation were evaluated. Groups of controlled and uncontrolled asthma according to the asthma control test were compared. Results: Forty-eight percent of patients were female and the mean age was 55.8 years (range 13–87). The mean body mass index (BMI) was 27.4 kg/m2 (±6). 10.8% of patients were current smokers. Allergic comorbidities occurred in 54.3% of patients, followed by chronic rhinosinusitis (46.4%) and nasal polyps (34.1%). According to the ACT score, 54.7% had well controlled, 16.2% partly controlled and 25.9% uncontrolled asthma. The most common inhalation therapy was combined inhaled corticosteroids/long-acting β2-agonists (78.8%). Biologics were administered to 81.7% of patients and 19.1% received oral steroids. The multivariable analysis indicated that treatment with biologics was positively associated with asthma control whereas higher BMI, oral steroids, exacerbations, and COPD were negative predictors for asthma control. Conclusion: Biologics are associated with improved control in severe asthma. Further studies are required to complete the picture of severe asthma in order to provide improved care for those patients

The clinical features of asthma exacerbations in early-onset and eosinophilic late-onset asthma may differ significantly

Over 20 years ago, the concept of asthma control was created and appropriate measurement tools were developed and validated. Loss of asthma control can lead to an exacerbation. Years ago, the term "clinically significant asthma exacerbation" was introduced to define when a loss of control is severe enough to declare it an asthma exacerbation. This term is also used by health insurances to determine when an exacerbation is eligible for reimbursement of biologics in clinical practice, however, it sometimes becomes apparent that a clear separation between loss of "asthma control" and an exacerbation is not always possible. In this review, we attempt to justify why exacerbations in early allergic asthma and adult eosinophilic asthma can differ significantly and why this is important in clinical practice as well as when dealing with health insurers

Assessment of dust size retrievals based on AERONET: a case study of radiative closure from visible‐near‐infrared to thermal infrared

Super‐coarse dust particles (diameters &gt;10 μm) are evidenced to be more abundant in the atmosphere than model estimates and contribute significantly to the dust climate impacts. Since super‐coarse dust accounts for less dust extinction in the visible‐to‐near‐infrared (VIS‐NIR) than in the thermal infrared (TIR) spectral regime, they are suspected to be underestimated by remote sensing instruments operates only in VIS‐NIR, including Aerosol Robotic Networks (AERONET), a widely used data set for dust model validation. In this study, we perform a radiative closure assessment using the AERONET‐retrieved size distribution in comparison with the collocated Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) TIR observations with comprehensive uncertainty analysis. The consistently warm bias in the comparisons suggests a potential underestimation of super‐coarse dust in the AERONET retrievals due to the limited VIS‐NIR sensitivity. An extra super‐coarse mode included in the AERONET‐retrieved size distribution helps improve the TIR closure without deteriorating the retrieval accuracy in the VIS‐NIR

COPD – eine unterschätzte Erkrankung

COPD - An Underestimated Disease Abstract: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous lung condition with a complex clinical picture. The diagnosis is not easy to make because COPD can develop insidiously and remain unnoticed for a long time. Therefore, general practitioners play a central role in the early detection of the disease. Suspected COPD can be confirmed by special examinations in collaboration with pulmonologists. The new GOLD guideline defines three COPD risk groups (A-B-E) which should guide the personalized treatment concept. A short- or long-acting bronchodilator (SAMA/SABA or LAMA/LABA) is recommended for group A, and a dual long-acting bronchodilator therapy (LABA+LAMA) is recommended for group B and E. In case of blood eosinophilia (≥300 cells/µl) and/or recent hospitalization for COPD exacerbation, triple therapy (LABA+LAMA+ICS) is recommended. General practitioners are important in implementing non-pharmacological measures (smoking cessation, regular exercise, vaccinations, patient selfmanagement education). However, this also underlines the high demands of the implementation of the GOLD guideline in daily practice.COPD ist eine heterogene Erkrankung mit komplexem Krankheitsbild. Die Diagnose ist nicht einfach zu stellen, denn COPD kann sich schleichend entwickeln und lange unbemerkt bleiben. Hausärztinnen und -ärzten kommt daher für die Früherkennung eine zentrale Rolle zu. Der COPD-Verdacht kann in Zusammenarbeit mit Pneumologen durch spezielle Untersuchungen abgesichert werden als Voraussetzung für das medikamentöse Therapiekonzept. Die neue GOLD-Guideline definiert drei COPD-Risikogruppen (A-B-E). Für Gruppe A wird ein kurz- oder langwirksamer Bronchodilatator (SAMA/SABA bzw. LAMA/LABA) empfohlen. Für Gruppe B und E wird eine Kombinationstherapie LABA+LAMA empfohlen. Bei Bluteosinophilie (≥ 300 Zellen/μl) und/oder kürzlicher Hospitalisierung aufgrund einer COPD-Exazerbation wird eine Dreifachtherapie (LABA+LAMA+ICS) empfohlen. Hausärztinnen und -ärzte sind wichtig bei der Umsetzung therapiebegleitender Massnahmen (Coaching von Patientinnen und Patienten, Impfungen, Rauchstopp, regelmässige Bewegung). Dies unterstreicht aber auch die hohen Anforderungen der Umsetzung der GOLD-Guideline in den Praxisalltag

Patent Foramen Ovale Closure or Anticoagulation vs. Antiplatelets after Stroke

BACKGROUND Trials of patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure to prevent recurrent stroke have been inconclusive. We investigated whether patients with cryptogenic stroke and echocardiographic features representing risk of stroke would benefit from PFO closure or anticoagulation, as compared with antiplatelet therapy. METHODS In a multicenter, randomized, open-label trial, we assigned, in a 1:1:1 ratio, patients 16 to 60 years of age who had had a recent stroke attributed to PFO, with an associated atrial septal aneurysm or large interatrial shunt, to transcatheter PFO closure plus long-term antiplatelet therapy (PFO closure group), antiplatelet therapy alone (antiplatelet-only group), or oral anticoagulation (anticoagulation group) (randomization group 1). Patients with contraindications to anticoagulants or to PFO closure were randomly assigned to the alternative noncontraindicated treatment or to antiplatelet therapy (randomization groups 2 and 3). The primary outcome was occurrence of stroke. The comparison of PFO closure plus antiplatelet therapy with antiplatelet therapy alone was performed with combined data from randomization groups 1 and 2, and the comparison of oral anticoagulation with antiplatelet therapy alone was performed with combined data from randomization groups 1 and 3. RESULTS A total of 663 patients underwent randomization and were followed for a mean (+/- SD) of 5.3 +/- 2.0 years. In the analysis of randomization groups 1 and 2, no stroke occurred among the 238 patients in the PFO closure group, whereas stroke occurred in 14 of the 235 patients in the antiplatelet-only group (hazard ratio, 0.03; 95% confidence interval, 0 to 0.26; P&lt;0.001). Procedural complications from PFO closure occurred in 14 patients (5.9%). The rate of atrial fibrillation was higher in the PFO closure group than in the antiplatelet-only group (4.6% vs. 0.9%, P = 0.02). The number of serious adverse events did not differ significantly between the treatment groups (P = 0.56). In the analysis of randomization groups 1 and 3, stroke occurred in 3 of 187 patients assigned to oral anticoagulants and in 7 of 174 patients assigned to antiplatelet therapy alone. CONCLUSIONS Among patients who had had a recent cryptogenic stroke attributed to PFO with an associated atrial septal aneurysm or large interatrial shunt, the rate of stroke recurrence was lower among those assigned to PFO closure combined with antiplatelet therapy than among those assigned to antiplatelet therapy alone. PFO closure was associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation