A possible alternative to illegal migration in South Wollo (Ethiopia).

The paper, starting from an analysis of migrations in Ethiopia, shares the lessons learned from a development project implemented on migration in central Ethiopia. The project “A possible alternative to illegal migration”, implemented in 2016/2017 by the Italian NGO CIFA and co-financed by the Italian Development Cooperation Agency, was based on the partnership the University of Turin and the Master of Social and Community Theater and local actors like the Wollo University, local authorities and NGOs, which allowed tackling the phenomenon of illegal migration, with all its tragic consequences and high level of suffering, through a multi-sector approach

Identifying efficient Nitrate reduction strategies in the Upper Danube

Nitrogen losses in the form of Nitrate (N-NO3) from point and diffuse sources of pollution are recognized to be the leading cause of water body impairment throughout Europe. Implementation of conservation programs is perceived as being crucial for restoring and protecting the good ecological status of freshwater bodies. The success of conservation programs depends on the efficient identification of management solutions with respect to the envisaged environmental and economic objectives. This is a complex task, especially considering that costs and effectiveness of conservation strategies depend on their locations. We applied a multi-objective, spatially explicit analysis tool, the R-SWAT-DM framework, to search for efficient, spatially-targeted solution of Nitrate abatement in the Upper Danube Basin. The Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model served as the nonpoint source pollution estimator for current conditions as well as for scenarios with modified agricultural practices and waste water treatment upgrading. A spatially explicit optimization analysis that considered point and diffuse sources of Nitrate was performed to search for strategies that could achieve largest pollution abatement at minimum cost. The set of optimal spatial conservation strategies identified in the Basin indicated that it could be possible to reduce Nitrate loads by more than 50% while simultaneously provide a higher income

A decision support tool (R-SWAT-DS) for integrated watershed management

Best management practices (BMPs) can be used effectively to reduce nutrient and sediment loads generated from point sources or non-point sources to receiving water bodies. Methodologies for optimal, cost effective BMP selection and placement are needed to assist watershed management planners and stakeholders. We developed a modeling-optimization framework that can be used to find cost-effective solutions of BMP placement to attain nutrient load reduction targets. The framework integrates the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) watershed model, spatial representation of BMPs, an economic component, and multi-objective optimization routines in the R environment. The framework can be used to launch individual or iterative BMPs simulations, or search for optimal strategies. Advanced plotting, mapping and statistical analysis functionalities that facilitate the interpretation and assessment of the results are included

Inclusion of different fat sources and mineral oil in equine diet

Objetivou-se avaliar os efeitos da inclusão de gordura de origem animal ou vegetal e de óleo mineral sobre a aceitabilidade, a digestibilidade dos nutrientes e as concentrações plasmáticas de triglicérides e colesterol em equinos. Utilizaram-se quatro potros de 13 a 16 meses de idade recebendo dieta contendo feno de gramínea e concentrado, em delineamento quadrado latino, analisado por contrastes ortogonais. A aceitabilidade não foi influenciada pela quantidade nem pelo tipo de óleo adicionado às dietas. Os menores valores de digestibilidade de matéria seca (MS), matéria orgânica (MO) e extrato etéreo (EE) foram observados para as dietas acrescidas de óleo mineral (58,90; 60,29 e 32,02%) em comparação à dieta controle, cujos valores foram de 62,58; 64,41 e 77,72%. O coeficiente de digestibilidade do EE obtido com a dieta com óleo mineral foi menor (32,02%) que o obtido para as dietas com gordura animal (90,26%) e gordura vegetal (86,47%). A dieta com óleo mineral reduziu a concentração de HDL-C (68,75 mg/dL) em relação à dieta controle (76,00 mg/dL). A adição de fontes lipídicas e óleo mineral não influencia na aceitabilidade da dieta por equinos. O óleo vegetal não se diferencia da gordura animal quanto à digestibilidade dos nutrientes, no entanto, essas fontes de lipídios afetam a digestibilidade do extrato etéreo. A adição de óleo mineral reduz os níveis plasmáticos de HDL-C, ao passo que a adição de gordura animal e gordura vegetal não altera as concentrações plasmáticas de colesterol.The objective of this study was to assess the effects of including animals or vegetable fats and mineral on the acceptability, nutrient digestibility and triglyceride plasma concentrations and cholesterol in horses. Four foals aged 13 to 16 months were used receiving diet containing grass hay and concentrate. The experimental design was a Latin Square; using orthogonal contrasts. The acceptability was not influenced by the quantity nor the type of oil added to the diets. The smallest dry matter (DM) digestibility values, organic matter (OM) and ether extract (EE) were observed for the diets with the addition of mineral oil (58.90, 60.29 and 32.02%) compared to the control diet, whose values were 62.58, 64.41 and 77.71%. The EE digestibility coefficient obtained for the diets with animal fat (90.26%) and vegetable fat (86.47%). The diet with mineral oil reduced the HDL-C concentration (68.75 mg/dL) compared to the control diet (76.00 mg/dL). The adition of fat sources and mineral oil did not influence the acceptability of the diet by the horses. The vegetable oil did not differ from animal fat regarding nutrient digestibility, but these fat sources affected ether extract digestibility. The addition of mineral oil reduced the plastmatic HDL-C levels while the addition of animal fat and vegetable fat did not alter the cholesterol plasmatic concentrations

The potential of water reuse for agricultural irrigation in the EU: A Hydro-Economic Analysis

Policy context Water reuse has been identified by the European Commission as a relevant solution to be further promoted in the EU to address water scarcity. This opportunity was highlighted again in the context of the EU action plan for a Circular Economy (COM(2015) 614 final). In, particular the Commission committed to table a legislative proposal setting minimum quality requirements for water reuse. This initiative has been included in the Commission Work Programme 2017. In order to support the decisions to be taken on the matter, the costs and benefits of water reuse need to be clearly identified and quantified to the best possible extent. Key conclusions/Main findings In this study we estimate the distribution of costs of reclaiming and transporting treated wastewater for reuse in agricultural irrigation across Europe. We consider treatment costs as well as the costs associated to the water transport infrastructure and to energy for pumping. The study highlights a high variability of costs depending on the relative position of irrigated agricultural land with respect to the wastewater treatment plants. Treatment costs alone may be minor, about 8 €cents/m3, compared to the other costs, with typical total costs exceeding 50 €cents/m3. However, when treatment requirements become more stringent, treatment costs may surge up to about 0.3 €/m3, causing total costs to shift consistently. The energy requirements for pumping of reclaimed water from wastewater treatment plants to agricultural land follow a distribution with a median of about 0.5 kWh/m3 and an interquartile range of another 0.5 kWh/m3, which seems slightly higher than reported in representative cases of irrigation with conventional water sources. The total volumes of water that can be in principle reused for irrigation are significant, and may contribute to the reduction of water stress by 10% or more in regions where irrigation is an important component of demand. Water reuse may also contribute, in a less apparent and more uncertain way, to nutrient pollution mitigation. While the treatment and energy costs are mostly compatible with the market value of the crops produced thanks to irrigation, the total costs may exceed the capacity of farmers to pay. This indicates that (1) reuse is most suitable where irrigation infrastructure already exists and the necessary additional investments are minor, and (2) the cost of water reuse should be considered in a broader context. This context should be extended to include, on the one side, the whole value chain supplied by agriculture and, on the other side, the process of river basin management where reuse may represent a measure with important co-benefits. Related and future JRC work This work is part of the broader “Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus” project of the JRC. Water reuse is regarded as a relevant water resource management option, and this report provides the basis for an assessment of strategic priorities for water reuse in Europe.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

Assessment of the effectiveness of reported Water Framework Directive Programmes of Measures - Part II – development of a system of Europe-wide Pressure Indicators

The EC DG JRC is using in-house models and other information to build indicators of pressures on water bodies, in the context of the 2nd river basin management plan (RBMP) implementation assessment (Water Framework Directive (WFD) 60/2000/EC, art. 18) and review of the WFD (art. 19). These indicators are meant to provide a picture of major water pressures at the European scale. The main reason to develop a set of independent pressure indicators is the need to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of the EU water policies at broad. If the indicators are realistic, the models used for their computation can be used also as tools to simulate scenarios with changing pressures, as a result of policies or other drivers (such as climate changes, implementation of measures or EU sectorial policies). The EC DG ENV is steering the development of an integrated hydro-economic modelling platform in support to the evaluation of policies, with the broadest possible involvement of the EU Member States, and collaborates with DG JRC by leading a large study on the economics of water in Europe also in order to supplement JRC’s biophysical models and indicators with additional economic evidence about the costs and benefits of reducing pressures and improving the conditions of freshwater and marine ecosystems. Another question is whether the pressures are evaluated consistently throughout the European Union. The JRC indicators could be used to benchmark pressure and status reported by the Member States at a different scale. In fact, if JRC indicators are sufficiently reliable, it is expected that overall trends will be consistent with the pressures reported by the Member States. At the same time, JRC indicators do not take into account local conditions in specific water bodies, and should not be compared to reported pressures and status at water body level. The aim of benchmarking is to understand the reasons for assessment discrepancies, primarily for verification purposes. In particular, discrepancies should not be considered per se as evidence of non-compliance in the implementation of the WFD by Member States. particularly, if a given river basin is flagged by Member State reports to suffer from a given pressure, but this is not found in the JRC pressure indicators, the knowledge available at the Commission is likely inadequate for that river basin. The benchmarking process with reported pressures/status in itself could prompt the Commission to seek an explanation for the discrepancies, and eventually to update the indicators, with the overall goal of a coherent and shared vision of pressures at the European and river basin district scales. DG ENV encourages Member States to provide feedback to DG JRC on the indicators and the underpinning models, so that the European scale picture of water pressures they provide can be improved to a sufficient level of realism and representativeness, and can be consequently used as a basis for European water policy evaluation and development. As a first opportunity for this process, the JRC organised a workshop in Ispra on 11-12 May 2016 with the aim to collect feedback from experts on the proposed methodologies and indicators. The JRC pressure indicators are updated over time, as new knowledge is available at the European level. Therefore the benchmarking of local and European assessments is supposed to be a continuous process. The reviews by experts in the Member States should not add to the administrative burden related to the WFD, but should be conducted with the modalities of scientific peer reviews. It will be necessary to pay significant attention to the way the results are communicated, so to clarify the content of the indicators and avert risks of misinterpretation. The review of the indicators will serve also this purpose. This document summarizes the JRC indicators, the state of play with their update and further development, and the outcomes of the workshop held in Ispra on May 11-12, 2016.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

Current water resources in Europe and Africa - Matching water supply and water demand

Ensuring good quality water in sufficient quantities for all legitimate uses is a major policy aim of the European Commission, and the main aim of the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Water, which will be launched in 2012. The Blueprint is the EU policy response to emerging challenges in the field of water. It is within this policy framework that JRC carries out research on hydrological simulation modelling, aiming to provide scientific assessments of general available water resources and floods, droughts and water scarcity. The main aim of the work is to assess current and future water availability versus current and future water demands from different economic sectors. Before future challenges can be addressed, a thorough analysis of current water resources is needed. The scope of this study is an analysis of current water resources in Europe and Africa, and matching water supply and water demand from various sectors. Several attempts already have been made to assess European, African and global water resources. Recently, Haddeland et al. (2011) produced a multimodel estimate of the global terrestrial water balance at 0.5o spatial resolution. This has been achieved within the Global Water Availability Assessment (GWAVA), developed in the context of the EU-funded WATCH project (https://gateway.ceh.ac.uk ). Within another EU-funded project GLOWASIS (Global Water Scarcity Information System), Utrecht University and Deltares develop a global water scarcity map also at 0.5o spatial resolution, to be finished Dec 2012 (http://glowasis.eu ). First results are published in Van Beek et al (2011). JRC is partner in this project to benchmark the global product with the higher resolution European and African assessments. A further study was conducted by Hoekstra and Mekonnen (2011), assessing global water scarcity for the world’s major river basins. Other available information on global water resources are available from: • FAO, Aquastat portal http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/globalmaps/index.stm • UNEP: http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/freshwater-availability-groundwater-and-river-flow • Cleaningwater: http://cleaningwater.se/whats-new/geographical-distribution • IWMI Institute: http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/WAtlas/Default.aspx • World Resources Institute: http://earthtrends.wri.org/maps_spatial/maps_detail_static.php?map_select=265&theme=4 • Monde diplomatique: http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/cartes/disponibiliteeau • GRID-Arendal (Africa): http://www.grida.no/publications/vg/africa/ • EEA (Europe): http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/annual-water-availability-per-capita-by-country-2001 In general however, the analysis done in the products described above is done at national scales, at relatively coarse spatial resolution (0.5o), and using water demand data from the year 2000 or before, because more recent data are not yet available. The scope of the study presented here, is to carry out an higher spatial resolution analysis for Europe (5 km ~ 0.05o) and Africa (0.1o), using a daily timescale for modelling, and using for Europe new JRC analysis of water uses for irrigation, livestock, industry and energy, and domestic purposes. The analysis is carried out using the JRC LISFLOOD hydrological simulation model, supported by several other available models (EPIC, LUMP).JRC.H-Institute for Environment and Sustainability (Ispra

Inflammation-Mediated Regulation of MicroRNA Expression in Transplanted Pancreatic Islets

Nonspecific inflammation in the transplant microenvironment results in β-cell dysfunction and death influencing negatively graft outcome. MicroRNA (miRNA) expression and gene target regulation in transplanted islets are not yet well characterized. We evaluated the impact of inflammation on miRNA expression in transplanted rat islets. Islets exposed in vitro to proinflammatory cytokines and explanted syngeneic islet grafts were evaluated by miRNA arrays. A subset of 26 islet miRNAs was affected by inflammation both in vivo and in vitro. Induction of miRNAs was dependent on NF-κB, a pathway linked with cytokine-mediated islet cell death. RT-PCR confirmed expression of 8 miRNAs. The association between these miRNAs and mRNA target-predicting algorithms in genome-wide RNA studies of β-cell inflammation identified 238 potential miRNA gene targets. Several genes were ontologically associated with regulation of insulin signaling and secretion, diabetes, and islet physiology. One of the most activated miRNAs was miR-21. Overexpression of miR-21 in insulin-secreting MIN6 cells downregulated endogenous expression of the tumor suppressor Pdcd4 and of Pclo, a Ca2+ sensor protein involved in insulin secretion. Bioinformatics identified both as potential targets. The integrated analysis of miRNA and mRNA expression profiles revealed potential targets that may identify molecular targets for therapeutic interventions

High feasibility and antileukemic efficacy of fludarabine, cytarabine, and idarubicin (FLAI) induction followed by risk-oriented consolidation: A critical review of a 10-year, single-center experience in younger, non M3 AML patients

About 105 consecutive acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients treated with the same induction-consolidation program between 2004 and 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Median age was 47 years. The first induction course included fludarabine (Flu) and high-dose cytarabine (Ara-C) plus idarubicin (Ida), with or without gemtuzumab-ozogamicin (GO) 3 mg/m2 (FLAI-5). Patients achieving complete remission (CR) received a second course without fludarabine but with higher dose of idarubicin. Patients not achieving CR received an intensified second course. Patients not scheduled for early allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (HSCT) where planned to receive at least two courses of consolidation therapy with Ara-C. Our double induction strategy significantly differs from described fludarabine-containing regimens, as patients achieving CR receive a second course without fludarabine, to avoid excess toxicity, and Ara-C consolidation is administrated at the reduced cumulative dose of 8 g/m2 per cycle. Toxicity is a major concern in fludarabine containing induction, including the recent Medical Research Council AML15 fludarabine, cytarabine, idaraubicin and G-CSF (FLAG-Ida) arm, and, despite higher anti-leukemic efficacy, only a minority of patients is able to complete the full planned program. In this article, we show that our therapeutic program is generally well tolerated, as most patients were able to receive subsequent therapy at full dose and in a timely manner, with a 30-day mortality of 4.8%. The omission of fludarabine in the second course did not reduce efficacy, as a CR rate of 83% was achieved and 3-year disease-free survival and overall survival (OS) were 49.6% and 50.9%, respectively. Our experience shows that FLAI-5/Ara-C + Ida double induction followed by risk-oriented consolidation therapy can result in good overall outcome with acceptable toxicity. Am. J. Hematol. 91:755\u2013762, 2016. \ua9 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

A promoter-proximal transcript targeted by genetic polymorphism controls E-cadherin silencing in human cancers.

Long noncoding RNAs are emerging players in the epigenetic machinery with key roles in development and diseases. Here we uncover a complex network comprising a promoter-associated noncoding RNA (paRNA), microRNA and epigenetic regulators that controls transcription of the tumour suppressor E-cadherin in epithelial cancers. E-cadherin silencing relies on the formation of a complex between the paRNA and microRNA-guided Argonaute 1 that, together, recruit SUV39H1 and induce repressive chromatin modifications in the gene promoter. A single nucleotide polymorphism (rs16260) linked to increased cancer risk alters the secondary structure of the paRNA, with the risk allele facilitating the assembly of the microRNA-guided Argonaute 1 complex and gene silencing. Collectively, these data demonstrate the role of a paRNA in E-cadherin regulation and the impact of a noncoding genetic variant on its function. Deregulation of paRNA-based epigenetic networks may contribute to cancer and other diseases making them promising targets for drug discovery