WROCLAW PARTICIPATORY BUDGET AS A TOOL TO STRENGTHEN NATURAL CAPITAL AND THE URBAN CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN THE YEARS 2016-2018

Participatory budgets are a popular form of residents’ co-deciding about public space andquality of life in their cities. Projects submitted to participatory budgets respond to needs such as recreation,health, communication and safety. This article evaluates the projects from 2016-2018 of the WroclawParticipatory Budget in terms of aspects related to the wider issue of the natural capital and climate change.The results obtained indicate that despite increasing financial outlays on projects that can contribute tostrengthening environmental and climatic aspects, the share of investments directly targeted at their implementation is relatively small. A total of 201 projects were analyzed, of which 12% directly and 18% indirectly referred to issues related to the natural capital and/or climate change.Budżety obywatelskie stanowią popularną formę współdecydowania mieszkańców o przestrzeni publicznej oraz jakości życia w mieście. Zgłaszane do budżetów obywatelskich projekty odpowiadają na wiele istotnych potrzeb dotyczących m. in. rekreacji, zdrowia, komunikacji czy bezpieczeństwa. W niniejszym artykule dokonano oceny projektów z lat 2016-2018 Wrocławskiego Budżetu Obywatelskiego pod kątem aspektów związanych z szeroko rozumianym kapitałem naturalnym oraz zmianami klimatu. Otrzymane wyniki wskazują, że pomimo rosnących nakładów finansowych na projekty mogące przyczyniać się do wzmacniania aspektów środowiskowych i klimatycznych, udział inwestycji nakierowanych wprost na ich realizację, jest stosunkowo nieduży. Łącznie przeanalizowano 201 projektów, z czego 12% bezpośrednio, a 18% pośrednio dotyczyło zagadnień związanych z kapitałem naturalnym i/lub zmianami klimatu

Host Genetics and Environmental Factors Regulate Ecological Succession of the Mouse Colon Tissue-Associated Microbiota

Background: The integration of host genetics, environmental triggers and the microbiota is a recognised factor in the pathogenesis of barrier function diseases such as IBD. In order to determine how these factors interact to regulate the host immune response and ecological succession of the colon tissue-associated microbiota, we investigated the temporal interaction between the microbiota and the host following disruption of the colonic epithelial barrier. Methodology/Principal Findings: Oral administration of DSS was applied as a mechanistic model of environmental damage of the colon and the resulting inflammation characterized for various parameters over time in WT and Nod2 KO mice. Results: In WT mice, DSS damage exposed the host to the commensal flora and led to a migration of the tissue-associated bacteria from the epithelium to mucosal and submucosal layers correlating with changes in proinflammatory cytokine profiles and a progressive transition from acute to chronic inflammation of the colon. Tissue-associated bacteria levels peaked at day 21 post-DSS and declined thereafter, correlating with recruitment of innate immune cells and development of the adaptive immune response. Histological parameters, immune cell infiltration and cytokine biomarkers of inflammation were indistinguishable between Nod2 and WT littermates following DSS, however, Nod2 KO mice demonstrated significantly higher tissue-associated bacterial levels in the colon. DSS damage and Nod2 genotype independently regulated the community structure of the colon microbiota

WROCLAW PARTICIPATORY BUDGET AS A TOOL TO STRENGTHEN NATURAL CAPITAL AND THE URBAN CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN THE YEARS 2016-2018

Participatory budgets are a popular form of residents’ co-deciding about public space andquality of life in their cities. Projects submitted to participatory budgets respond to needs such as recreation,health, communication and safety. This article evaluates the projects from 2016-2018 of the WroclawParticipatory Budget in terms of aspects related to the wider issue of the natural capital and climate change.The results obtained indicate that despite increasing financial outlays on projects that can contribute tostrengthening environmental and climatic aspects, the share of investments directly targeted at their implementation is relatively small. A total of 201 projects were analyzed, of which 12% directly and 18% indirectly referred to issues related to the natural capital and/or climate change.Budżety obywatelskie stanowią popularną formę współdecydowania mieszkańców o przestrzeni publicznej oraz jakości życia w mieście. Zgłaszane do budżetów obywatelskich projekty odpowiadają na wiele istotnych potrzeb dotyczących m. in. rekreacji, zdrowia, komunikacji czy bezpieczeństwa. W niniejszym artykule dokonano oceny projektów z lat 2016-2018 Wrocławskiego Budżetu Obywatelskiego pod kątem aspektów związanych z szeroko rozumianym kapitałem naturalnym oraz zmianami klimatu. Otrzymane wyniki wskazują, że pomimo rosnących nakładów finansowych na projekty mogące przyczyniać się do wzmacniania aspektów środowiskowych i klimatycznych, udział inwestycji nakierowanych wprost na ich realizację, jest stosunkowo nieduży. Łącznie przeanalizowano 201 projektów, z czego 12% bezpośrednio, a 18% pośrednio dotyczyło zagadnień związanych z kapitałem naturalnym i/lub zmianami klimatu

NOD2 signalling promotes hyper-responsive macrophages and colitis in IL-10 deficient mice

IL-10 contributes to the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis via the regulation of inflammatory responses to enteric bacteria. The clinical relevance of IL-10 has recently been highlighted in IBD patients where loss of IL-10 signalling can result in early onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). NOD2 mutations are associated with Crohn’s disease (one of the major forms of IBD), though the precise role of NOD2 in the development of intestinal inflammation remains undefined. To determine the role of NOD2 in the development of colitis on the clinically relevant genetic background of IL-10 deficient signalling we generated mice deficient in IL-10 and NOD2 (IL-10-/- NOD2-/-). Loss of NOD2 in IL-10-/- mice resulted in significant amelioration of chronic colitis indicating that NOD2 signalling promotes the development of intestinal inflammation in IL-10-/- mice. Contrary to previous reports investigating immune function in NOD2-/- mice, T cell proliferative capacity and IL-2 production was not impaired and immune polarization towards type 1 immunity was not affected. However, loss of NOD2 in IL-10 deficient macrophages reduced IL-6, TN

Host genetics and environmental factors regulate ecological succession of the colon tissue-associated microbiota

Background: The integration of host genetics, environmental triggers and the microbiota is a recognised factor in the pathogenesis of barrier function diseases such as IBD. In order to determine how these factors interact to regulate the host immune response and ecological succession of the colon tissue-associated microbiota, we investigated the temporal interaction between the microbiota and the host following disruption of the colonic epithelial barrier. Methodology/Principal Findings: Oral administration of DSS was applied as a mechanistic model of environmental damage of the colon and the resulting inflammation characterized for various parameters over time in WT and Nod2 KO mice. Results: In WT mice, DSS damage exposed the host to the commensal flora and led to a migration of the tissue-associated bacteria from the epithelium to mucosal and submucosal layers correlating with changes in proinflammatory cytokine profiles and a progressive transition from acute to chronic inflammation of the colon. Tissue-associated bacteria levels peaked at day 21 post-DSS and declined thereafter, correlating with recruitment of innate immune cells and development of the adaptive immune response. Histological parameters, immune cell infiltration and cytokine biomarkers of inflammation were indistinguishable between Nod2 and WT littermates following DSS, however, Nod2 KO mice demonstrated significantly higher tissue-associated bacterial levels in the colon. DSS damage and Nod2 genotype independently regulated the community structure of the colon microbiota. Conclusions/Significance: The results of these experiments demonstrate the integration of environmental and genetic factors in the ecological succession of the commensal flora in mammalian tissue. The association of Nod2 genotype (and other host polymorphisms) and environmental factors likely combine to influence the ecological succession of the tissue-associated microflora accounting in part for their association with the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases

Richness, diversity and taxonomic analysis of the WT and Nod2 KO colon tissue-associated bacterial communities.

<p>Top panel: Incidence of phyla from treatment groups of WT and Nod2 KO littermates. Mean +/− SEM (n = 4–6) for each group is shown. * p≤0.05, ** p<0.01 by 2 way ANOVA with Bonferroni's multiple comparison test. Bottom panels: the Chao and Shannon estimates for richness and diversity were calculated from individual mice from each group as indicated (n = 4–6). The mean +/− SEM are shown. No differences were statistically significant by ANOVA.</p

Phylogenetic tree visualisation of full length 16S rRNA sequences from WT and Nod2 KO mouse colon tissue 42 days post DSS or control as indicated.

<p>See <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0030273#s4" target="_blank">Materials and Methods</a> for parameters.</p

Comparison of physical and histological parameters and bacterial load of WT and Nod2 KO littermates following DSS damage.

<p><b>A.</b> Timelines and histology assessment for individual mice. No significant difference was observed between the two genotypes for physical parameters (body weight loss, colon length: not shown) nor histological scores between the two groups (see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0030273#pone.0030273.s004" target="_blank">Figure S4</a> for data from 2 additional independent experiments). <b>B.</b> Colon, mesenteric lymph node and spleen tissue-associated bacterial loads assessed by FACS 42 days following DSS damage. ** = p≤0.01 by Anova with Bonferroni's multiple comparison test. <b>C.</b> Residence of commensal bacteria in the muscle layer in Nod2 KO mice. Examples of bacterial staining by EUB338 FISH probes are indicated by closed arrows in these representative images.</p

Community Structure Comparison: Libshuff and Parsimony Statistical Analysis of Colon-Associated Bacterial Populations.

<p>Community Structure Comparison: Libshuff and Parsimony Statistical Analysis of Colon-Associated Bacterial Populations.</p