232 research outputs found

    Usual and unusual suspects : What network analysis can tell us about climate policy integration

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    Key messages Understanding adaptation-mitigation linkages helps identify co-benefits and reduce negative interactions between the two climate change domains. Barriers include working in institutional siloes and lack of information: adaptation actors are not well-informed about mitigation actions and vice-versa. Policy network analysis sheds light on adaptation-mitigation actor interactions and what can be done to improve them. It reveals both the usual and unusual suspects who can foster linkages between the two domains. This InfoBrief summarizes the findings of a climate change policy network analysis conducted in Peru and published in the journal Climate Policy (Locatelli et al. 2020)

    Exploiting Data Mining for Authenticity Assessment and Protection of High-Quality Italian Wines from Piedmont

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    This paper discusses the data mining approach followed in a project called TRAQUASwine, aimed at the definition of methods for data analytical assessment of the authenticity and protection, against fake versions, of some of the highest value Nebbiolo-based wines from Piedmont region in Italy. This is a big issue in the wine market, where commercial frauds related to such a kind of products are estimated to be worth millions of Euros. The objective is twofold: to show that the problem can be addressed without expensive and hyper-specialized wine analyses, and to demonstrate the actual usefulness of classification algorithms for data mining on the resulting chemical profiles. Following Wagstaff\u2019s proposal for practical exploitation of machine learning (and data mining) approaches, we describe how data have been collected and prepared for the production of different datasets, how suitable classification models have been identified and how the interpretation of the results suggests the emergence of an active role of classification techniques, based on standard chemical profiling, for the assesment of the authenticity of the wines target of the stud

    MicroRNA-184 is a downstream effector of albuminuria driving renal fibrosis in rats with diabetic nephropathy

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    Renal fibrosis is a common complication of diabetic nephropathy and is a major cause of end-stage renal disease. Despite the suggested link between renal fibrosis and microRNA (miRNA) dysregulation in diabetic nephropathy, the identification of the specific miRNAs involved is still incomplete. The aim of this study was to investigate miRNA profiles in the diabetic kidney and to identify potential downstream targets implicated in renal fibrosis. miRNA expression profiling was investigated in the kidneys of 8-month-old Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats during overt nephropathy. Localisation of the most upregulated miRNA was established by in situ hybridisation. The candidate miRNA target was identified by in silico analysis and its expression documented in the diabetic kidney associated with fibrotic markers. Cultured tubule cells served to assess which of the profibrogenic stimuli acted as a trigger for the overexpressed miRNA, and to investigate underlying epigenetic mechanisms. In ZDF rats, miR-184 showed the strongest differential upregulation compared with lean rats (18-fold). Tubular localisation of miR-184 was associated with reduced expression of lipid phosphate phosphatase 3 (LPP3) and collagen accumulation. Transfection of NRK-52E cells with miR-184 mimic reduced LPP3, promoting a profibrotic phenotype. Albumin was a major trigger of miR-184 expression. Anti-miR-184 counteracted albumin-induced LPP3 downregulation and overexpression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. In ZDF rats, ACE-inhibitor treatment limited albuminuria and reduced miR-184, with tubular LPP3 preservation and tubulointerstitial fibrosis amelioration. Albumin-induced miR-184 expression in tubule cells was epigenetically regulated through DNA demethylation and histone lysine acetylation and was accompanied by binding of NF-kappa B p65 subunit to miR-184 promoter. These results suggest that miR-184 may act as a downstream effector of albuminuria through LPP3 to promote tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and offer the rationale to investigate whether targeting miR-184 in association with albuminuria-lowering drugs may be a new strategy to achieve fully anti-fibrotic effects in diabetic nephropathy
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