Hydro-socio-economic implications for water management strategies: the case of Roussillon coastal aquifer

In many Mediterranean coastal areas, agriculture, drinking water supply, tourism and industry strongly depend on the available groundwater resources. As a result of the significant economic development during the last three decades along the coast, abstractions from coastal aquifers have increased tremendously, frequently leading to overexploitation and saltwater intrusion. Geological, hydrogeological and socio-economical studies as a multidisciplinary approach on a coastal Mediterranean aquifer- the Roussillon - have been carried out in order to design effective water management strategies on areas sensitive to seawater intrusion risk. Geology provides geometry and architecture of the different aquifers, hydrogeology assess the seawater intrusion risk while socio-economic study includes consulting the stakeholders with the aim of suggesting water management and policy option acceptable to the majority of population. This paper then highlights the economic interests at stake, diversity of viewpoints expressed by stakeholders and political dimension of the issue, which are likely to be encountered for all similar situations on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea.GESTION DE L'EAU;STRATEGIE;HYDROGEOLOGIE;SOCIOLOGIE;ECONOMIE;MER MEDITERRANEE;ROUSSILLON

Transitioning out of Open Access: A Closer Look at Institutions for Management of Groundwater Rights in France, California, and Spain

[EN] Many regions around the world are transitioning out of open access to groundwater resources in order to tackle over extraction by irrigated agriculture. However, the state has limited capacities to regulate effectively agricultural groundwater use. This paper evaluates how users and public authorities can co-manage groundwater extraction by agriculture. Based on Schlager and Ostrom¿s ¿bundle of rights¿ framework, the paper examines how decisions over access and use of groundwater resources are made in France, Spain and California. The three cases share a common strive to involve groundwater users in decisions over how to reduce over extraction of groundwater resources. However, different choices were made regarding the institutional set-up for user involvement in allocation decisions. The paper presents the diversity of institutional arrangements influencing groundwater allocations in the three cases, and the relative involvement and power of users and public authorities over these institutions. The papers show the different ways in which ¿comanagement¿ may be made operational for managing agricultural groundwater use.This research benefited from funding of the EU H2020 RURECO project (grant agreement 750553) and from Montpellier University I-Site MUSE. This study has also received funding from the eGROUNDWATER project (GA n. 1921), part of the PRIMA programme supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programmeRouillard, J.; Babbitt, C.; Pulido-Velazquez, M.; Rinaudo, J. (2021). Transitioning out of Open Access: A Closer Look at Institutions for Management of Groundwater Rights in France, California, and Spain. Water Resources Research. 57(4):1-20. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR028951S12057

INTEGRATING MULTIBAND PHOTOGRAMMETRY, SCANNING, AND GPR FOR BUILT HERITAGE SURVEYS: THE FAÇADES OF CASTELLO DEL VALENTINO

The conservation of built heritage is a complex process that necessitates co-operative efforts. Holistic, integrated documentation constitutes a crucial step towards conservation by contributing to diagnosis and by extension to the effective decision-making about the required preventive and restorative interventions. It involves the recording of interdisciplinary data to produce objective diagnostical conclusions concerning the state of preservation. Although the developments in close-range sensing techniques allow increasingly accurate and rich data recording for heritage building condition surveys, the problem of combining them (to allow integrated processing) often remains unsolved. This is particularly true when surveys include vastly heterogenous documentation data. This work aims to discuss methodologies and implications of such integrations through a monumental heritage survey case—the Castello del Valentino in Turin (Italy). Visible-spectrum and infrared imagery is combined with photogrammetric techniques, terrestrial LiDAR, and microwave measurements conducted on the historical façades’ surfaces, to examine the comprehensiveness of the data fusion results, as well as conclusions that can be drawn regarding previous interventions and the current condition of the monument

Metric documentation of cultural heritage: Research directions from the Italian gamher project

GAMHer is a collaborative project that aims at exploiting and validating Geomatics algorithms, methodologies and procedures in the framework of new European regulations, which require a more extensive and productive use of digital information, as requested by the Digital Agenda for Europe as one of the seven pillars of the Europe 2020 Strategy. To this aim, GAMHer focuses on the need of a certified accuracy for surveying and monitoring projects with photogrammetry and laser scanning technologies, especially when used in a multiscale approach for landscape and built heritage documentation, conservation, and management. The approach used follows a multi-LoD (level of detail) transition that exploits GIS systems at the landscape scale, BIM technology and "point cloud based" 3d modelling for the scale of the building, and an innovative BIM/GIS integrated approach to foster innovation, promote users' collaboration and encourage communication between users. The outcomes of GAMHer are not intended to be used only by a community of Geomatics specialists, but also by a heterogeneous user community that exploit images and laser scans in their professional activities

Hydro-socio-economic implications for water management strategies: the case of Roussillon coastal aquifer

In many Mediterranean coastal areas, agriculture, drinking water supply, tourism and industry strongly depend on the available groundwater resources. As a result of the significant economic development during the last three decades along the coast, abstractions from coastal aquifers have increased tremendously, frequently leading to overexploitation and saltwater intrusion. Geological, hydrogeological and socio-economical studies as a multidisciplinary approach on a coastal Mediterranean aquifer- the Roussillon - have been carried out in order to design effective water management strategies on areas sensitive to seawater intrusion risk. Geology provides geometry and architecture of the different aquifers, hydrogeology assess the seawater intrusion risk while socio-economic study includes consulting the stakeholders with the aim of suggesting water management and policy option acceptable to the majority of population. This paper then highlights the economic interests at stake, diversity of viewpoints expressed by stakeholders and political dimension of the issue, which are likely to be encountered for all similar situations on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea

Bone strain index as a predictor of further vertebral fracture in osteoporotic women: An artificial intelligence-based analysis

Background Osteoporosis is an asymptomatic disease of high prevalence and incidence, leading to bone fractures burdened by high mortality and disability, mainly when several subsequent fractures occur. A fragility fracture predictive model, Artificial Intelligence-based, to identify dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) variables able to characterise those patients who are prone to further fractures called Bone Strain Index, was evaluated in this study. Methods In a prospective, longitudinal, multicentric study 172 female outpatients with at least one vertebral fracture at the first observation were enrolled. They performed a spine X-ray to calculate spine deformity index (SDI) and a lumbar and femoral DXA scan to assess bone mineral density (BMD) and bone strain index (BSI) at baseline and after a follow-up period of 3 years in average. At the end of the follow-up, 93 women developed a further vertebral fracture. The further vertebral fracture was considered as one unit increase of SDI. We assessed the predictive capacity of supervised Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to distinguish women who developed a further fracture from those without it, and to detect those variables providing the maximal amount of relevant information to discriminate the two groups. ANNs choose appropriate input data automatically (TWIST-system, Training With Input Selection and Testing). Moreover, we built a semantic connectivity map usingthe Auto Contractive Map to provide further insights about the convoluted connections between the osteoporotic variables under consideration and the two scenarios (further fracture vs no further fracture). Results TWIST system selected 5 out of 13 available variables: age, menopause age, BMI, FTot BMC, FTot BSI. With training testing procedure, ANNs reached predictive accuracy of 79.36%, with a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 83.72%. The semantic connectivity map highlighted the role of BSI in predicting the risk of a further fracture. Conclusions Artificial Intelligence is a useful method to analyse a complex system like that regarding osteoporosis, able to identify patients prone to a further fragility fracture. BSI appears to be a useful DXA index in identifying those patients who are at risk of further vertebral fractures. Copyright

Efficacy of a coordinated strategy for containment of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria carriage in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the context of an active surveillance program

Background: Antimicrobial resistance in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients is a threat, due to the frequent use of antimicrobial treatment and invasive devices in fragile babies. Since 2014 an active surveillance program of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) carriage has been in place in the five NICUs of Palermo, Italy. In 2017 an increase in the prevalence of MDR-GNB, and in particular of extended-spectrum β-lactamases-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-KP), was observed in “Civico” hospital NICU. Aim: To assess the impact of a coordinated intervention strategy in achieving long-lasting reduction of MDR-GNB prevalence in the NICU. Methods: Rectal swabs were obtained monthly and processed to detect MDR-GNB using standard methods. MDR-GNB were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Since November 2017 the following intervention measures were applied: (a) two-months intensification of sample collection; (b) stakeholders meetings; (c) improvement of prevention measures and antimicrobial policies. Findings: During the intensified microbiological surveillance MDR-GNB and ESBL-KP were detected in rectal swabs (34.8%; 23.2%), nasal swabs (24.6%; 14.5%), oral swabs (14.5%; 5.4%), milk samples (32.1%; 17.9%), pacifiers swabs (30.8%; 17.9%) and from sub-intensive room surfaces. Thirteen ESBL-KP strains isolated from clinical and environmental samples showed identical PFGE patterns. The prevalence of MDR-GNB and ESBL-KP carriage significantly decreased in the year after intervention compared to the previous year (20.6% vs 62.2%; p < 0.001 and 11.1% vs 57.8%; p < 0.001). MDR-GNB were not detected at all for three months and ESBL-KP for five months. Multivariate analysis of the principal exposure variables showed that admission in the post-intervention period significantly reduced the risk of MDR-GNB carriage (adj-OR = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.076–0.629; p < 0.001). Conclusions: MDR-GNB broadly circulate in NICU setting, they can colonize different body sites and spread through various vehicles. A coordinated strategy of multiple interventions with active cooperation between epidemiologists and clinicians in the NICU can effectively reduce their circulation and in particular the carriage of the most dangerous ESBL-KP strains

Surveillance of Multidrug-Resistant Pathogens in Neonatal Intensive Care Units of Palermo, Italy, during SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a topic of concern, especially in high-level care departments like neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The systematic use of an “active” epidemiological surveillance system allows us to observe and analyze any changes in microbial distribution, limiting the risk of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) development. Methods: We have conducted a longitudinal observational study in the five NICUs of Palermo, comparing the “pre-pandemic period” (March 2014–February 2020) with the “pandemic” one (March 2020–February 2022). The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the cumulative prevalence of carriage from multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria in the cumulative NICUs (NICU C). Results: During the “pre-pandemic period”, 9407 swabs were collected (4707 rectal, 4700 nasal); on the contrary, during the “pandemic period”, a total of 2687 swabs were collected (1345 rectal, 1342 nasal). A statistically significant decrease in MDR-Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) carriage prevalence was detected during the pandemic. At the same time, there was a general worsening of the carriage of carbapenemase-forming MDR-GNB (CARBA-R+) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) during the pandemic period. A significant reduction in methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) carriage was detected too. Conclusions: The surveillance of MDRO carriage in NICUs is fundamental for limiting the social and economic burden of HAIs