A Modeling tool to assess local and regional impact of climate change on crop water requirement in Euro-Mediterranean Countries, and assessment of Mediterranean irrigated agriculture vulnerability

Irrigation is a needed practice in arid and semi-arid Euro-Mediterranenan regions, where water scarcity is expected to be more severe under climate change, thus requiring optimal water management. This work develops a tool able to estimate crop water consumption and irrigation demand at local and regional scale. The Simulation of Evapotranspiration of Applied Water model was implemented in R programming language (SIMETAW_R), and validated in ten European sites through the FLUXNET network. SIMETAW_R was improved using R-GIS libraries, to build a spatial platform (SIMETAW_GIS) that can interact with large geodatasets of environmental conditions and agronomic practices, to provide simulations of future water consumption and application. The study was conducted at Euro-Mediterranean scale on economically relevant crops (maize, wheat, and grape), for past (1976-2005) and future (2036-2065) climate, under Representative Concentration Pathways scenarios 4.5 and 8.5, with a resolution of 14 km. In addition, the vulnerability of irrigation agriculture to climate changes was assessed for five Mediterranean reservoirs and associated irrigation systems. Results show an increasing future irrigation demand, which will worsen water use conflicts in Mediterranean. Although all investigated basins have a large capacity, the irrigated agriculture shows potential vulnerability to climate changes. Results may be useful to prioritize implementation of sustainable water use strategies

Hyperspectral analysis applied to micro-Brillouin maps of amyloid-beta plaques in Alzheimer’s disease brains

A recent investigation on the architecture and chemical composition of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques in ex vivo histological sections of an Aβ-overexpressing transgenic mouse hippocampus has shed light on the infrared light signature of cell-activation related biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease. A correlation was highlighted between the biomechanical properties detected by Brillouin microscopy and the molecular make-up of Aβ plaques provided by FTIR spectroscopic imaging and Raman microscopy (with correlative immunofluorescence imaging) in this animal model of the disease. In the Brillouin spectra of heterogeneous materials such as biomedical samples, peaks are likely the result of multiple contributions, more or less overlaid on a spatial and spectral scale. The ability to disentangle these contributions is very important as it may give access to discrete components that would otherwise be buried within the Brillouin peak envelope. Here, we applied an unsupervised non-negative matrix factorization method to analyse the spontaneous Brillouin microscopy maps of Aβ plaques in transgenic mouse hippocampal sections. The method has already been proven successful in decomposing chemical images and is applied here for the first time to acoustic maps acquired with a Fabry–Perot Brillouin microscope. We extracted and visualised a decrease in tissue rigidity from the core through to the periphery of the plaque, with spatially distinct components that we assigned to specific entities. This work demonstrates that it is possible to reveal the structure and mechanical properties of Aβ plaques, with details visualized by the projection of the mechanical contrast into a few relevant channels

Hybrid Protein-Glycosaminoglycan Hydrogels Promote Chondrogenic Stem Cell Differentiation

[EN] Gelatin-hyaluronic acid (Gel-HA) hybrid hydrogels have been proposed as matrices for tissue engineering because of their ability to mimic the architecture of the extracellular matrix. Our aim was to explore whether tyramine conjugates of Gel and HA, producing injectable hydrogels, are able to induce a particular phenotype of encapsulated human mesenchymal stem cells without the need for growth factors. While pure Gel allowed good cell adhesion without remarkable differentiation and pure HA triggered chondrogenic differentiation without cell spreading, the hybrids, especially those rich in HA, promoted chondrogenic differentiation as well as cell proliferation and adhesion. Secretion of chondrogenic markers such as aggrecan, SOX-9, collagen type II, and glycosaminoglycans was observed, whereas osteogenic, myogenic, and adipogenic markers (RUNX2, sarcomeric myosin, and lipoproteinlipase, respectively) were not present after 2 weeks in the growth medium. The most promising matrix for chondrogenesis seems to be a mixture containing 70% HA and 30% Gel as it is the material with the best mechanical properties from all compositions tested here, and at the same time, it provides an environment suitable for balanced cell adhesion and chondrogenic differentiation. Thus, it represents a system that has a high potential to be used as the injectable material for cartilage regeneration therapies.The authors are grateful for the financial support received from the Spanish Ministry through the MAT2016-76039-C4-1-R project (including the FEDER financial support), the BES-2011-046144, and the EEBB-I-14-08725 grants. The CIBER-BBN initiative is funded by the VI National R&D&I Plan 2008-2011, Iniciativa Ingenio 2010, Consolider Program. CIBER actions are financed by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund. M.S.-S. acknowledges the European Research Council (ERC-HealInSynergy 306990) and the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC-EP/P001114/1)Moulisova, V.; Poveda-Reyes, S.; Sanmartin-Masia, E.; Quintanilla-Sierra, L.; Ferrer, G.; Salmerón Sánchez, M. (2017). Hybrid Protein-Glycosaminoglycan Hydrogels Promote Chondrogenic Stem Cell Differentiation. ACS Omega. 2(11):7609-7620. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.7b01303S7609762021

Detection and genotyping of human Papillomavirus in urine samples from unvaccinated male and female adolescents in Italy

The introduction of vaccination against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in adolescent girls in 2006 has focused virological surveillance on this age group. As few studies have evaluated HPV infections in young populations, further data are needed in order to improve and extend prophylactic policy and to monitor epidemiological changes. The present study aimed at evaluating overall and type-specific HPV prevalence in both female and male adolescents in Italy. HPV DNA detection and genotyping was performed on urine samples collected from 870 unvaccinated adolescents (369 females, 501 males, 11-18 years of age) in five cities in Italy. Following DNA extraction by means of a commercial kit (NucliSENS®-miniMAG®, bioMérieux), the L1 gene fragment was PCR amplified and genotyped by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. HPV DNA was detected in 1.5% of all samples, and in 3% and 0.4% of samples from females and males, respectively. In approximately 70% of HPV DNA positive adolescents, the infection was due to a single genotype, with 88.9% of genotypes belonging to the HR-clade. The only two HPV-positive boys (14 and 18 years old) had HPV-70 genotype. Only one of the 11 HPV-infected girls was in the 11-14 age-group. HPV prevalence was 4.2% in girls aged 15-18 years and 60% of infections were due to vaccine types HPV-16 or HPV-6/-11. This is one of the few studies, the first conducted in Italy, on HPV infection in adolescents. Urine testing is the easier way of detecting HPV infection in younger populations. Our data revealed a very low HPV prevalence, and no infections were observed in the 12-year-old vaccine target population. The majority of infections were seen in females aged 15-18 years. Overall, more than 50% and 30% of the potentially persistent HPV infections detected in this group could have been prevented by the quadrivalent and the bivalent vaccines, respectively

EMG-based learning approach for estimating wrist motion

This paper proposes an EMG based learning approach for estimating the displacement along the 2-axes (abduction/adduction and flexion/extension) of the human wrist in real-time. The algorithm extracts features from the EMG electrodes on the upper and forearm and uses Support Vector Regression to estimate the intended displacement of the wrist. Using data recorded with the arm outstretched in various locations in space, we train the algorithm so as to allow robust prediction even when the subject moves his/her arm across several positions in space. The proposed approach was tested on five healthy subjects and showed that a R2 index of 63:6% is obtained for generalization across different arm positions and wrist joint angles

Progastrin Represses the Alternative Activation of Human Macrophages and Modulates Their Influence on Colon Cancer Epithelial Cells

Macrophage infiltration is a negative prognostic factor for most cancers but gastrointestinal tumors seem to be an exception. The effect of macrophages on cancer progression depends on their phenotype, which may vary between M1 (pro-inflammatory, defensive) to M2 (tolerogenic, pro-tumoral). Gastrointestinal cancers often become an ectopic source of gastrins and macrophages present receptors for these peptides. The aim of the present study is to analyze whether gastrins can affect the pattern of macrophage infiltration in colorectal tumors. We have evaluated the relationship between gastrin expression and the pattern of macrophage infiltration in samples from colorectal cancer and the influence of these peptides on the phenotype of macrophages differentiated from human peripheral monocytes in vitro. The total number of macrophages (CD68+ cells) was similar in tumoral and normal surrounding tissue, but the number of M2 macrophages (CD206+ cells) was significantly higher in the tumor. However, the number of these tumor-associated M2 macrophages correlated negatively with the immunoreactivity for gastrin peptides in tumor epithelial cells. Macrophages differentiated from human peripheral monocytes in the presence of progastrin showed lower levels of M2-markers (CD206, IL10) with normal amounts of M1-markers (CD86, IL12). Progastrin induced similar effects in mature macrophages treated with IL4 to obtain a M2-phenotype or with LPS plus IFNγ to generate M1-macrophages. Macrophages differentiated in the presence of progastrin presented a reduced expression of Wnt ligands and decreased the number and increased cell death of co-cultured colorectal cancer epithelial cells. Our results suggest that progastrin inhibits the acquisition of a M2-phenotype in human macrophages. This effect exerted on tumor associated macrophages may modulate cancer progression and should be taken into account when analyzing the therapeutic value of gastrin immunoneutralization

Water as a key enabler of nexus systems (water-energy-food)

This review article positions water front-and-center as a key enabler of water-energy-food nexus systems. It demonstrates the critical role of water in human civilization, progress, and development, including how water is central to the achievement of many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is suggested that water may in fact be the most important resource needed in a broader water-energy-food nexus context, as well as in the broader scope of human development. The review shows the consequences of ‘water going wrong’ – when there is too much or too little, and the global impacts of increasing frequency of such events, largely due to an ever more ‘hyperconnected’ world. The review concludes by urging greater ‘nexus awareness’ and systems thinking, especially in policy and decision making, while cautioning against the potentially ironic situation of returning to a sectoral, water-centric view of resources management.

Scales of application of the WEF nexus approach

Water, energy, and food (WEF) systems form a complex interconnected network, operational at scales from the household up to the global. These scales, like the nexus sectors themselves, and mutually interconnected, with lower-level characteristics help drive higher-level resource management, and vice versa. This chapter highlights recent WEF nexus research at spatial scales from household, to national, and up to global. The studies demonstrate the vast diversity in nexus issues and challenges, along with a concomitant diversity of research and assessment approaches to tackling and better understanding these issues. This chapter closes with a discussion on interactions between the scales, and how policy developed at one scale may impact on other scales, potentially in unanticipated and detriment ways. The investigation into cross-spatial scalar nexus interactions is in its infancy and represents a promising avenue for future research effort. Another aspect not covered so far by research is the issue of differences in the temporal scale in the nexus, both in terms of policy setting and implementation and in terms of impacts to people. This chapter represents another major topic for future research to better guide, develop, and understand the impact of policy and climate change on nexus resources and livelihoods, and vice versa.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Water Resource