Contrasting signatures of distinct human water uses in regulated flow regimes

In the last century, about 50,000 dams have been constructed all around the world, and regulated rivers are now pervasive throughout the Earth\u2019s landscapes. Damming has produced global-scale alterations of the hydrologic cycle, inducing severe consequences on the ecological and morphological equilibrium of streams. However, a recognizable link between specific uses of reservoirs and their impact on flow regimes has not been disclosed yet. Here, extensive hydrological data are integrated with a physically-based model to investigate hydrological alterations downstream of 47 isolated dams in the Central Eastern U.S. Our results reveal a strong connection between the anthropogenic use and the hydrological impact of dams. Flood control reduces the temporal variability and spatial heterogeneity of river flows proportionally to the specific capacity allocated to mitigate floods (i.e., capacity scaled to the average inflow). Conversely, water supply increases the relative variability and regional heterogeneity of streamflows proportionally to the relative amount of withdrawn inflow. Accordingly, downstream of our multipurpose reservoirs the impact of regulation on streamflow variability is smoothed due to the compensating effect of flood control and water supply. Nevertheless, reservoirs with high storage capacity and overlapping uses produce regulated hydrographs that increase their unpredictability for larger aggregation periods and, thus, resemble an autocorrelated red noise. These findings suggest that the increase of freshwater demand could redefine the cumulative effects of dams at regional scale, reshaping the trajectories of eco-morphological alteration of dammed rivers

Exploring the Landscape of Innovative “from Food to Feed” Strategies: A Review

The identification of new strategies to prevent or at least reduce the volume of food waste needs to consider a wide range of solutions and priorities that EU policy is recently implementing. Based on the principles of the circular economy, one of the most promising solutions is to prevent food losses turning into waste by working synergistically on different action points. Amongst them, the strategy of repurposing food waste through conversion in a safe and sustainable feed product is acquiring huge interest amongst scientists and policy makers. In this context, the aim of the work is to depict the landscape of the existent solutions for the valorisation of food waste for animal feeding, through a systematic review of the literature, to answer the following three research questions: 1) To what extent is the interest of the academic research increasing, in line with the priorities of the international political agenda? 2) Which kinds of approaches have been used to explore this issue? 3) What type of solutions is the scientific literature able to propose to support policy makers in setting the strategies for the re‐use of food waste as animal feed? A set of keywords has been applied for the search in the “Topic” option of the Web of Science Core Collection resulting in 114 references. The application of filters for the identification of the relevant papers led to a final dataset composed of 31 scientific studies. Papers have been coded according to the nature of the study, namely theoretical or experimental, the source and the type of food waste considered, the type of technology used to process food waste (if any) and the destination of the final product. The literature suggests thatthe most positive aspect related to these practices is the low environmental impact, while the most critical issue regards compliance with the EU legal framework that is strictly dependent on the composition of the wasted food. The analysis revealed a growing interest in this field of research, with a great focus on the estimation of the environmental impact but few studies targeted on the assessment of the economic dimension

Unravelling the impact of anthropogenic regulation on river flow regimes

In the last century, more than 45,000 large dams have been constructed all around the world to sustain population growth and economic development, so that unregulated rivers are now rare in most regions of the Earth. Damming of rivers has produced global-scale alterations of the hydrologic cycle, inducing severe consequences on the ecological and morphological equilibrium of streams. Nevertheless, the construction of new dams has been also proposed to mitigate the risks related to natural and human induced changes in climate drivers, which threaten the sustainability of anthropogenic water uses. The existing literature has documented that hydrological regimes of regulated reaches are typically characterized by a reduced temporal variability and spatial heterogeneity of streamflows. However, whether specific types of anthropogenic uses of reservoirs could generate distinctive, contrasting impacts on flow regimes has not been disclosed yet. Additionally, very little is known about the combined contribution of river regulation and hydroclimatic variability to flow regime alterations in engineered rivers. In this thesis, extensive hydrologic data and theoretical analyses are used to investigate hydrological alterations downstream of 47 dams in the Central Eastern US, spanning a wide range of climatic conditions and water uses. Results reveal a strong connection between the anthropogenic use and the hydrological impact of dams. Whereas flood control smooths the temporal and spatial heterogeneity of river flows, water supply is able to increase the relative variability and regional heterogeneity of streamflows. Accordingly, the magnitude of hydrological alteration downstream of flood control dams is reduced when these structures are also operated for water supply, because of the compensation effect generated by overlapping uses. Despite the significant and distinct impacts of dams on the frequency distribution of downstream flows, clustering of catchment based on climatic signatures leads to hydrologically coherent classes in term of both regulated and unregulated river flows, thus revealing that climate signatures are typically visible also downstream of dams. Furthermore, the analysis shows that temporal patterns of regulated flow regimes are controlled by the inter-annual variability of natural discharges upstream of dams, as long as reservoirs obey to time-invariant operating schemes driven by the underlying specific water uses. These findings represent a critical step forward for scientists and water managers. In view of the increasing trend of global freshwater demand and the uncertain impact of climate change on human freshwater exploitation, especially reservoirs will help promoting the anthropogenic exploitation of freshwater. Nevertheless, the current patterns of water consumption could generate a shift in the cumulative effects of dams at global scale, reshaping the trajectories of regulated streamflows and of eco-morphological alterations of dammed rivers. Moreover, reservoirs as they are currently operated are not helpful in enhancing the long-term stability of flow regimes in downstream reaches, unless new self-adapting dynamic regulation strategies are implemented.Nel corso del XX secolo, più di 45000 grandi dighe sono state costruite in tutto il mondo per supportare l’aumento demografico e lo sviluppo economico. In tal modo i corsi d’acqua naturali sono diventati rari nella maggior parte delle regioni del mondo. La costruzione di dighe ha comportato l’alterazione del ciclo idrologico a scala globale, con significative conseguenze sull’equilibrio ecologico e geomorfologico dei fiumi. Tuttavia, la messa in opera di nuove infrastrutture idrauliche è stata anche proposta per mitigare i rischi collegati al cambiamento climatico, il quale rappresenta una seria minaccia per la sostenibilità dello sfruttamento antropico della risorsa idrica. La letteratura esistente ha evidenziato come il regime idrologico in corsi d’acqua regolati sia tipicamente caratterizzato da una ridotta variabilità temporale e eterogeneità spaziale dei deflussi. Ciononostante, ad oggi, non è noto se esista una relazione tra l’utilizzo antropico dei serbatoi e l’impatto che essi generano sui regimi idrologici. Inoltre, non si conosce come la regolazione antropica e le fluttuazioni idroclimatiche interagiscano nel modellare il regime dei deflussi a valle delle dighe. In questo studio, l’analisi delle serie temporali di portata è stata combinata ad analisi modellistiche e teoriche al fine di investigare le alterazioni idrologiche a valle di 47 dighe situate nella parte centro-orientale degli Stati Uniti. Tali strutture abbracciano diverse zone climatiche e diversi utilizzi della risorsa idrica. I risultati rivelano che esiste un’importante connessione tra le funzioni per cui è utilizzato un serbatoio e l’impatto che esso genera sul regime idrologico. La laminazione delle piene determina una riduzione della variabilità temporale e spaziale dei deflussi; al contrario, l’approvvigionamento idrico favorisce l’aumento della variabilità temporale dei regimi idrologici, generando un processo di diversificazione del grado di variabilità delle portate in alveo. A causa dell’effetto distinto e compensatore della laminazione delle piene e dell’approvvigionamento idrico, l’entità delle alterazioni dovute a strutture per la laminazione delle piene si riduce quando tra gli utilizzi è presente anche l’approvvigionamento idrico. Nonostante l’impatto delle dighe sui regimi idrologici sia tutt’altro che trascurabile, la classificazione sulla base di caratteristiche climatiche dei siti oggetto di studio permette di ottenere gruppi idrologicamente omogenei considerando sia i regimi naturali sia a valle dei serbatoi, sottolineando dunque come l’impronta climatica sia visibile anche a valle delle dighe. Inoltre, l’analisi mostra che le dinamiche temporali dei regimi regolati vengono controllate dalla variabilità inter-annuale tipica dei deflussi naturali a monte delle dighe. Questo è dovuto agli schemi statici a cui è soggetta la regolazione antropica, che dipendono unicamente dall’utilizzo del serbatoio. I risultati ottenuti in questa tesi assumono particolare rilievo nell’ambito di una corretta gestione della risorsa idrica. A fronte del costante aumento del fabbisogno mondiale d’acqua e dell’incontrollabile impatto dei cambiamenti climatici sullo sfruttamento della risorsa idrica, le dighe acquisiranno un ruolo strategico. Tuttavia, la crescente domanda d’acqua potrebbe rimodellare l’impatto antropico sui regimi idrologici, favorendo un potenziale cambiamento dell’effetto cumulativo delle dighe a scala globale. Inoltre, l’attuale gestione dei serbatoi sembra essere inadatta al fine di mitigare le fluttuazioni dei regimi idrologici, al cui scopo sarebbe necessario attuare delle strategie di regolazione dinamica

Unravelling the impact of anthropogenic regulation on river flow regimes

In the last century, more than 45,000 large dams have been constructed all around the world to sustain population growth and economic development, so that unregulated rivers are now rare in most regions of the Earth. Damming of rivers has produced global-scale alterations of the hydrologic cycle, inducing severe consequences on the ecological and morphological equilibrium of streams. Nevertheless, the construction of new dams has been also proposed to mitigate the risks related to natural and human induced changes in climate drivers, which threaten the sustainability of anthropogenic water uses. The existing literature has documented that hydrological regimes of regulated reaches are typically characterized by a reduced temporal variability and spatial heterogeneity of streamflows. However, whether specific types of anthropogenic uses of reservoirs could generate distinctive, contrasting impacts on flow regimes has not been disclosed yet. Additionally, very little is known about the combined contribution of river regulation and hydroclimatic variability to flow regime alterations in engineered rivers. In this thesis, extensive hydrologic data and theoretical analyses are used to investigate hydrological alterations downstream of 47 dams in the Central Eastern US, spanning a wide range of climatic conditions and water uses. Results reveal a strong connection between the anthropogenic use and the hydrological impact of dams. Whereas flood control smooths the temporal and spatial heterogeneity of river flows, water supply is able to increase the relative variability and regional heterogeneity of streamflows. Accordingly, the magnitude of hydrological alteration downstream of flood control dams is reduced when these structures are also operated for water supply, because of the compensation effect generated by overlapping uses. Despite the significant and distinct impacts of dams on the frequency distribution of downstream flows, clustering of catchment based on climatic signatures leads to hydrologically coherent classes in term of both regulated and unregulated river flows, thus revealing that climate signatures are typically visible also downstream of dams. Furthermore, the analysis shows that temporal patterns of regulated flow regimes are controlled by the inter-annual variability of natural discharges upstream of dams, as long as reservoirs obey to time-invariant operating schemes driven by the underlying specific water uses. These findings represent a critical step forward for scientists and water managers. In view of the increasing trend of global freshwater demand and the uncertain impact of climate change on human freshwater exploitation, especially reservoirs will help promoting the anthropogenic exploitation of freshwater. Nevertheless, the current patterns of water consumption could generate a shift in the cumulative effects of dams at global scale, reshaping the trajectories of regulated streamflows and of eco-morphological alterations of dammed rivers. Moreover, reservoirs as they are currently operated are not helpful in enhancing the long-term stability of flow regimes in downstream reaches, unless new self-adapting dynamic regulation strategies are implemented

Investigation of RSL09 gene function in rishirilide biosynthesis in Streptomyces bottropensis

Rishirilide is an important secondary metabolite which takes part to type II polyketides. The chemical structure and the biosynthetic pathway are already known, but nothing in deep is known about RSL09 and it's role in rishirilide production. In this work the aim of RSL09 has been investigated in the biosynthetic pathway of rishirilide

Serological survey of Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection in commercially reared rabbit does in Northern Italy

The aim of the study was to carry out a serological survey of Encephalitozoon cuniculi in commercially reared rabbit does (Oryctolagus cuniculi) in Veneto region (Northern Italy). Two hundred and sixty blood samples from 13 farms were examined by a carbon immunoassay (CIA test) to detect the presence of antibodies anti-E. cuniculi. All sampled rabbit does were clinically healthy. Seropositivity against E. cuniculi was found in 196/260 (75.4%) sera and in all the sampled farms (100%). Logistic regression analysis showed that the size of the farm had no statistically significant effect on E. cuniculi positivity; whereas rabbits of the hybrid X showed a higher seropositivity (p < 0.01) than rabbits belonging to other commercial breeds. Moreover, the age seemed to influence the seropositivity (p < 0.05). This serological survey showed a high prevalence of E. cuniculi infection suggesting that this parasite may be endemic in industrial rabbitries in Northern Italy

Glycation-Driven Inflammation: COVID-19 Severity in Pregnant Women and Perinatal Outcomes

The link between being pregnant and overweight or obese and the infectivity and virulence of the SARS CoV-2 virus is likely to be caused by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein glycosylation, which may work as a glycan shield. Methylglyoxal (MGO), an important advanced glycation end-product (AGE), and glycated albumin (GA) are the results of poor subclinical glucose metabolism and are indices of oxidative stress. Forty-one consecutive cases of SARS-CoV-2-positive pregnant patients comprising 25% pre-pregnancy overweight women and 25% obese women were recruited. The aim of our study was to compare the blood levels of MGO and GA in pregnant women with asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection with pregnant women without SARS-CoV-2 infection with low risk and uneventful pregnancies and to evaluate the relative perinatal outcomes. The MGO and GA values of the SARS-CoV-2 cases were statistically significantly higher than those of the negative control subjects. In addition, the SARS-CoV-2-positive pregnant patients who suffered of moderate to severe COVID-19 syndrome had higher values of GA than those infected and presenting with mild symptoms or those with asymptomatic infection. Premature delivery and infants of a small size for their gestational age were overrepresented in this cohort, even in mild-asymptomatic patients for whom delivery was not indicated by the COVID-19 syndrome. Moreover, ethnic minorities were overrepresented among the severe cases. The AGE&ndash;RAGE oxidative stress axis on the placenta and multiple organs caused by MGO and GA levels, associated with the biological mechanisms of the glycation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, could help to explain the infectivity and virulence of this virus in pregnant patients affected by being overweight or obese or having gestational diabetes, and the increased risk of premature delivery and/or low newborn weight

Risk of stillbirth in singleton fetuses with advancing gestational age at term: A 10-year experience of late third trimester prenatal screenings of 50,000 deliveries in a referral center in northern Italy.

BackgroundThe risk of intrauterine death (IUD) at term varies from less than one to up to three cases per 1,000 ongoing pregnancies. The cause of death is often largely undefined. Protocols and criteria to prevent and define the rates and causes of stillbirth are the subjects of important scientific and clinical debates. We examined the gestational age and rate of stillbirth at term in a 10-year period at our maternity hub to evaluate the possible favorable impact of a surveillance protocol on maternal and fetal well-being and growth.Methods and findingsOur cohort included all women with singleton pregnancies resulting in early term to late term birth at our maternity hub between 2010 and 2020, with the exclusion of fetal anomalies. As per our protocol for monitoring term pregnancies, all women underwent near term to early term maternal and fetal well-being and growth surveillance. If risk factors were identified, outpatient monitoring was initiated and early- or full-term induction was indicated. Labor was induced at late term (41+0-41+4 weeks of gestation), if it did not occur spontaneously. We retrospectively collected, verified, and analyzed all cases of stillbirth at term. The incidence of stillbirth at each week of gestation, was calculated by dividing the number of stillbirths observed that week by the number of women with ongoing pregnancies in that same week. The overall rate of stillbirth per 1000 was also calculated for the entire cohort. Fetal and maternal variables were analyzed to assess the possible causes of death.ResultsA total of 57,561 women were included in our study, of which 28 cases of stillbirth (overall rate, 0.48 per 1000 ongoing pregnancies; 95% CI: 0.30-0.70) were identified. The incidence of stillbirth in the ongoing pregnancies measured at 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41 weeks of gestation was 0.16, 0.30, 0.11, 0.29, and 0.0 per 1000, respectively. Only three cases occurred after 40+0 weeks of gestation. Six patients had an undetected small for gestational age fetus. The identified causes included placental conditions (n = 8), umbilical cord conditions (n = 7), and chorioamnionitis (n = 4). Furthermore, the cases of stillbirth included one undetected fetal abnormality (n = 1). The cause of fetal death remained unknown in eight cases.ConclusionsIn a referral center with an active universal screening protocol for maternal and fetal prenatal surveillance at near and early term, the rate of stillbirth was 0.48 per 1000 in singleton pregnancies at term in a large, unselected population. The highest incidence of stillbirth was observed at 38 weeks of gestation. The vast majority of stillbirth cases occurred before 39 weeks of gestation and 6 of 28 cases were SGA, and the median percentile of the remaining case was the 35th