Institutions and Economics of Water Scarcity and Droughts

Integrated water resources management seeks an efficient blend of all water resources (e.g., fresh surface water, groundwater, reused water, desalinated water) to meet the demands of the full range of water users (e.g., agriculture, municipalities, industry, and e-flows). Water scarcity and droughts already affect many regions of the world and are expected to increase due to climate change and economic growth. In this Special Issue, 10 peer-reviewed articles have been published that address the questions regarding the economic effects of water scarcity and droughts, management instruments, such as water pricing, water markets, technologies and user-based reallocation, and the strategies to enhance resiliency, adaptation to scarcity and droughts. There is a need to improve the operation of institutions in charge of the allocation and re-allocation of resources when temporal (drought) or structural over-allocation arises. Water scarcity, droughts and pollution have increased notably in recent decades. A drought is a temporary climatic effect or natural disaster that can occur anywhere and can be short or prolonged. Water scarcity involves a lack of supply relative to potential or current demand that generates conflict between alternative uses of water, especially regarding the requirements of societies, economic sectors, territories and ecosystems. Traditionally, users in water-scarce regions have adapted to dealing with water shortages; however, droughts can greatly increase problems since they are uncertain events and also affect water-abundant regions, with climate change increasing their frequency and severity [1]. Supply-side mechanisms have traditionally been employed to cope with drought by building infrastructure (wells, dams, channels, inter-basin transfers), and recently by including desalinised, brackish, and reclaimed wastewater into the resource mix. Berbel and Esteban [2] study the influence of drought as a catalyst for water policy reform in three developed economies with a Mediterranean climate (Spain, California and Australia), and find that solutions and institutions are trajectory-dependant and grounded in social institutions. Nevertheless, there is a convergence of the type of instruments employed to manage water scarcity and droughts. In this Special Issue, the reported case studies recount experiences from USA, China, and the European Union (southern Member States). A variety of proposals aimed at tackling droughts and scarcity have been discussed, ranging from economic tools (pricing and insurance) and the increased use of reclaimed wastewater, to reforming the institutional setting (water markets and priority rights). Most of these papers analyses economic instruments and agriculture, but other economic sectors as well as non-market values are also addressed

Presynaptic paraneoplastic disorders of the neuromuscular junction: An update

The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is the target of a variety of immune-mediated disorders, usually classified as presynaptic and postsynaptic, according to the site of the antigenic target and consequently of the neuromuscular transmission alteration. Although less common than the classical autoimmune postsynaptic myasthenia gravis, presynaptic disorders are important to recognize due to the frequent association with cancer. Lambert Eaton myasthenic syndrome is due to a presynaptic failure to release acetylcholine, caused by antibodies to the presynaptic voltage-gated calcium channels. Acquired neuromyotonia is a condition characterized by nerve hyperexcitability often due to the presence of antibodies against proteins associated with voltage-gated potassium channels. This review will focus on the recent developments in the autoimmune presynaptic disorders of the NMJ

A GEO-REFERENCED DATABASE TO MANAGE THE LANDSCAPE AREAS UNDER PRESERVATION IN LOMBARDY REGION

Abstract. One of the main goals of the Lombardy Region Landscape Plan (Piano Paesaggistico Regionale – PPR) review was to set up a detailed investigation of landscape binding actions that are issued according to article 136 of the Code of Cultural Heritage and Landscape (D.Lgs. 42/2004).To achieve this goal, a survey was launched and a geo-referenced database was constructed, considering all the data included in the 888 landscape binding actions currently in force in Lombardy.The geo-referenced database takes into account also other architectural preservation measures and natural landscape protections, because a large quantity areas in Lombardy are safeguarded as Regional Parks and Natural Monuments, ecological corridors, geosites and various zones with natural significance are issued as ZPS and SIC by UE.Databases from other agencies and institutions were collected, examined and updated, to provide a complete tool, usable by public administrations and professionals.Such database can also be integrated by multi-temporal geoinformation availability of applications implemented to manage and share georeferenced historical maps (i.e. GEOPAN ATL@S APP), boosting the utility of these data sets in the daily professional activity.</p

Dynamic identification of a strategic building of the sixties with a mixed structure

The present paper shows and discusses the results of the identification procedure applied to the building of the Municipality of Castellaneta, Taranto (Puglia, Italy). The case study has been chosen for its structural complexity; indeed, the building has been built in two successive phases, block A built between 1955 and 1957, and block B, for completion, presumably built between the years 1960 and 1961. Block A constitutes the main building and represents the original nucleus. The structure was subsequently subject to structural interventions to replace some load-bearing walls with steel beams. The building constituting block B, joined to the original body of the building, has a structure in load-bearing masonry, while the floors, more recently built, are also in brick-concrete, but with pre-cast prestressed joists. The dynamic response of the building was assessed through OMA (Operational Modal Analysis) identification technique which allows you to determine the properties of the structure in real operating conditions, without the need to interrupt the activities inside the structure itself. The structural excitement, therefore, is due only to the environmental condition. A 3D model was defined in PRO_SAP; the results obtained from the finite element model were subsequently compared with those obtained from the experimental model

Neural Surface Antibodies and Neurodegeneration: Clinical Commonalities and Pathophysiological Relationships

Autoimmune encephalitis and neurodegenerative disorders share several clinical features, including behavioural and psychiatric manifestations, cognitive impairment, sleep and movement disorders. Therefore, it is not surprising that autoimmune encephalitis is one of the main differential diagnoses of rapidly progressive dementia. However, more chronic presentations of autoimmune disorders have been reported and can lead to the misdiagnosis of a neurodegenerative disease. On the other hand, antibodies against neuronal proteins, such as those directed against NMDAR, can occur during established neurogenerative disorders, and their role in this context is still unclear. They might be simple bystanders or modify the disease course and phenotype. Indeed, autoimmune encephalitis can leave long-term cognitive sequelae and specific antibodies to neuronal surface antigens are associated with clinical and pathological neurodegenerative features. Here we review the link between these antibodies and neurodegeneration. In particular we discuss: (a) the possibility that autoimmune encephalitis presents as a neurodegenerative disease, identifying the red flags that can help in the differential diagnosis between antibody-mediated and neurodegenerative disorders; (b) the occurrence of antibodies against neuronal surface antigens in patients with neurodegenerative disorders and their possible role in the disease course; and (c) the long-term cognitive and neuroradiological changes associated with autoimmune encephalitis, as well as the biomarkers that can help to predict the cognitive outcome. Finally, we review the clinical and pathological features of IgLON5 antibodies-related encephalitis, a unique model of the relationship between antibodies and neurodegeneration

MEMS-based Micro-scale Wind Turbines as Energy Harvesters of the Convective Airflows in Microelectronic Circuits

As an alternative to conventional batteries and other energy scavenging techniques, this paper introduces the idea of using micro-turbines to extract energy from wind forces at the microscale level and to supply power to battery-less microsystems. Fundamental research efforts on the design, fabrication, and test of micro-turbines with blade lengths of just 160 μm are presented in this paper along with analytical models and preliminary experimental results. The proof-of-concept prototypes presented herein were fabricated using a standard polysilicon surface micro-machining silicon technology (PolyMUMPs) and could effectively transform the kinetic energy of the available wind into a torque that might drive an electric generator or directly power supply a micro-mechanical system. Since conventional batteries do not scale-down well to the microscale, wind micro-turbines have the potential for becoming a practical alternative power source for microsystems, as well as for extending the operating range of devices running on batteries

Glycine Receptor Antibody-Associated Progressive Encephalomyelitis with Rigidity and Myoclonus (PERM) During SARS-CoV-2 Infection: a Video-Case Report

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Design and Optimization of Polarization Splitting and Rotating Devices in Silicon-on-Insulator Technology

We review polarization splitting and rotating photonic devices based on silicon-on-insulator technology platform, focusing on their performance and design criteria. In addition, we present a theoretical investigation and optimization of some rotator and splitter architectures to be employed for polarization diversity circuits. In this context, fabrication tolerances and their influences on device performance are theoretically estimated by rigorous simulations too

Connecting in Real-time Power System Labs: An Italian Test-case

Sharing of hardware and software facilities together with knowledge and expertise among laboratories is a key point in research. In the power systems field this is possible even remotely by coupling real-time simulators located in different laboratories. In this paper an experimental test-bed is described. It consists of the remote interconnection of the realtime simulators, located at Politecnico di Torino and Politecnico di Bari respectively, in order to perform Remote Power Hardware-in-the-Loop experiments. The possibilities and limitations of this type of co-simulation are described and a case study is presented

Head and neck cancer subtypes with biological and clinical relevance : meta-analysis of gene-expression data

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a disease with heterogeneous clinical behavior and response to therapies. Despite the introduction of multimodality treatment, 40-50% of patients with advanced disease recur. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the classification beyond the current parameters in clinical use to better stratify patients and the therapeutic approaches. Following a meta-analysis approach we built a large training set to whom we applied a Disease-Specific Genomic Analysis (DSGA) to identify the disease component embedded into the tumor data. Eleven independent microarray datasets were used as validation sets. Six different HNSCC subtypes that summarize the aberrant alterations occurring during tumor progression were identified. Based on their main biological characteristics and de-regulated signaling pathways, the subtypes were designed as immunoreactive, inflammatory, human papilloma virus (HPV)-like, classical, hypoxia associated, and mesenchymal. Our findings highlighted a more aggressive behavior for mesenchymal and hypoxia-associated subtypes. The Genomics Drug Sensitivity Project was used to identify potential associations with drug sensitivity and significant differences were observed among the six subtypes. To conclude, we report a robust molecularly defined subtype classification in HNSCC that can improve patient selection and pave the way to the development of appropriate therapeutic strategies