Search Results (13)

Large-scale land restoration projects require on-the-ground monitoring and evidence-based evaluation. This study, part of the World Bank Burundi Landscape Restoration and Resilience Project (in French: Projet de Restauration et de Résilience du Paysage du Burundi-PRRPB), examines the impact of slow-forming terraces on surface conditions and erosion in Isare (Mumirwa) and Buhinyuza (Eastern Depressions), Burundi. Slow-forming, or progressive, terraces were installed on 16 December 2022 (Isare) and 30 December 2022 (Buhinyuza), featuring ditches and soil bunds to enhance soil and water conservation. Twelve plots were established, with 132 measurement pins, of which 72 were in non-terraced plots (n_PT) and 60 were in terraced plots (PT). Monthly measurements, conducted until May 2023, assessed erosion reduction, surface conditions, roughness, and soil thickness. Terracing reduced soil loss by 54% in Isare and 9% in Buhinyuza, though sediment accumulation in ditches was excessive, especially in n_PT. Anti-erosion ditches improved surface stability by reducing slope length, lowering erosion and runoff. Covered Surface (CoS%) exceeded 95%, while Opened Surface (OS%) and Bare Surface (BS%) declined significantly. At Isare, OS% dropped from 97% to 80%, and BS% from 96% to 3% in PT. Similar trends appeared in Buhinyuza. Findings highlight PRRPB effectiveness in this short-term timeframe, and provide insights for soil conservation in steep-slope regions of Central Africa. Full article

Water management in arid regions faces significant challenges due to limited water resources and increasing competition among sectors. Climate change (CC) exacerbates these issues, highlighting the need for advanced modeling tools to predict trends and guide sustainable resource management. This study employs Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) software to develop a Decision Support System (DSS) to evaluate the impact of climate change and water management strategies on the Triassic aquifer of “Sahel El Ababsa” in southeast Tunisia up to 2050. The reference scenario (SC0) assumes constant climatic and socio-economic conditions as of 2020. CC is modeled under RCP4.5 (SC1.0) and RCP8.5 (SC2.0). Additional scenarios include Seawater Desalination Plants (SDPs) (SC3.0 and SC4.0), water harvesting techniques (SC5.0) to highlight their impact on the recharge, and irrigation management strategies (SC6.0). All these scenarios were further developed under the “SC1.0” scenario to assess the impact of moderate CC. The initial aquifer storage is estimated at 100 Million cubic meters (Mm³). Under (SC0), storage would decrease by 76%, leaving only 23.7 Mm³ by 2050. CC scenarios (SC1.0, SC2.0) predict about a 98% reduction. The implementation of the Zarat SDP (SC3.0) would lead to a 45% improvement compared to reference conditions by the end of the simulation period, while its extension (SC4.0) would result in a 69.5% improvement. Under moderate CC, these improvements would be reduced, with SC3.1 showing a 59% decline and SC4.1 a 35% decline compared to the reference scenario. The WHT scenario (SC5.0) demonstrated a 104% improvement in Triassic aquifer storage by 2050 compared to the reference scenario. However, under CC (SC5.1), this improvement would be partially offset, leading to a 29% decline in aquifer storage. The scenario maintaining stable agricultural demand from the Triassic aquifer under CC (SC6.1) projected an 83% decrease in storage. Conversely, the total “Irrigation Cancellation” scenario (SC7.1) under CC showed a significant increase in aquifer storage, reaching 59.3 Mm³ by 2050—an improvement of 250% compared to the reference scenario. The study underscores the critical need for alternative water sources for irrigation and integrated management strategies to mitigate future water scarcity. Full article

In the last decades, the Rif area in Morocco has been frequently affected by soil erosion due to intense rainfall events. In order to help farmers improve their lives and avoid damages caused by this phenomenon, a management project (the MCA Project) aiming to grow fruit trees has been realized. The objective of this study was to evaluate, in three provinces of Morocco, the effect on the hydrological response of selected erosion control management techniques combined with olive tree plantations. The investigated variables were the final infiltration (If), the imbibition of rainwater (Pi), the runoff coefficient (Kr), and the soil detachment (D). In particular, for each investigated soil utilization, three replications of a rain simulation test (80 mm/h) and soil sampling were conducted. Results for surface conditions demonstrate that under vegetation in matorral and fallow, the surface is covered at more than 75% with a high content of organic matter (OM) at 4.5% and 2.6%, respectively. Despite the compaction observed in those land uses, the surface area opened exceeded 90% in the study area. Regarding the soils physical properties, they were rich in silt at more than 40%; the rate of porosity is high where bulk density is low. At the Taounate site, low porosity was at 62% in fallow and at 55% in plowing, with high densities of 1.01 g/cm² and 1.2 g/cm², respectively. Tests also demonstrate that vegetation has an important role in moisture conservation in the depths of 0 to 10 cm at all sites with macroagregate stability (MA%) compared to plowing sites. In terms of soil hydrology, vegetation reduces the runoff because, under matorral (it was at 0%), it avoids soil erosion. Full article

Loss of CDH1/Cadherin-1 is a common step towards the acquisition of an abnormal epithelial phenotype. In gastric cancer (GC), mutation and/or downregulation of CDH1/Cadherin-1 is recurrent in sporadic and hereditary diffuse GC type. To approach the molecular events downstream of CDH1/Cadherin-1 alterations and their relevance in gastric carcinogenesis, we queried public databases for genetic and DNA methylation data in search of molecular signatures with a still-uncertain role in the pathological mechanism of GC. In all GC subtypes, modulated genes correlating with CDH1/Cadherin-1 aberrations are associated with stem cell and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition pathways. A higher level of genes upregulated in CDH1-mutated GC cases is associated with reduced overall survival. In the diffuse GC (DGC) subtype, genes downregulated in CDH1-mutated compared to cases with wild type CDH1/Cadherin-1 resulted in being strongly intertwined with the DREAM complex. The inverse correlation between hypermethylated CpGs and CDH1/Cadherin-1 transcription in diverse subtypes implies a common epigenetic program. We identified nonredundant protein-encoding isoforms of 22 genes among those differentially expressed in GC compared to normal stomach. These unique proteins represent potential agents involved in cell transformation and candidate therapeutic targets. Meanwhile, drug-induced and CDH1/Cadherin-1 mutation-related gene expression comparison predicts FIT, GR-127935 hydrochloride, amiodarone hydrochloride in GC and BRD-K55722623, BRD-K13169950, and AY 9944 in DGC as the most effective treatments, providing cues for the design of combined pharmacological treatments. By integrating genetic and epigenetic aspects with their expected functional outcome, we unveiled promising targets for combinatorial pharmacological treatments of GC. Full article

Symbiotic associations between bacteria and ciliate protists are rather common. In particular, several cases were reported involving bacteria of the alphaproteobacterial lineage Rickettsiales, but the diversity, features, and interactions in these associations are still poorly understood. In this work, we characterized a novel ciliate protist strain originating from Brazil and its associated Rickettsiales endosymbiont by means of live and ultrastructural observations, as well as molecular phylogeny. Though with few morphological peculiarities, the ciliate was found to be phylogenetically affiliated with Pseudokeronopsis erythrina, a euryhaline species, which is consistent with its origin from a lagoon with significant spatial and seasonal salinity variations. The bacterial symbiont was assigned to “Candidatus Trichorickettsia mobilis subsp. hyperinfectiva”, being the first documented case of a Rickettsiales associated with urostylid ciliates. It resided in the host cytoplasm and bore flagella, similarly to many, but not all, conspecifics in other host species. These findings highlight the ability of “Candidatus Trichorickettsia” to infect multiple distinct host species and underline the importance of further studies on this system, in particular on flagella and their regulation, from a functional and also an evolutionary perspective, considering the phylogenetic proximity with the well-studied and non-flagellated Rickettsia. Full article

Paramecium (Ciliophora) systematics is well studied, and about twenty morphological species have been described. The morphological species may include several genetic species. However, molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that the species diversity within Paramecium could be even higher and has raised a problem of cryptic species whose statuses remain uncertain. In the present study, we provide the morphological and molecular characterization of two novel Paramecium species. While Paramecium lynni n. sp., although morphologically similar to P. multimicronucleatum, is phylogenetically well separated from all other Paramecium species, Paramecium fokini n. sp. appears to be a cryptic sister species to P. multimicronucleatum. The latter two species can be distinguished only by molecular methods. The number and structure of micronuclei, traditionally utilized to discriminate species in Paramecium, vary not only between but also within each of the three studied species and, thus, cannot be considered a reliable feature for species identification. The geographic distribution of the P. multimicronucleatum and P. fokini n. sp. strains do not show defined patterns, still leaving space for a role of the geographic factor in initial speciation in Paramecium. Future findings of new Paramecium species can be predicted from the molecular data, while morphological characteristics appear to be unstable and overlapping at least in some species. Full article

Breast cancer stage at diagnosis, patient age and molecular tumor subtype influence disease progression. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between these factors and survival in breast cancer patients among the Italian population using data from the AIRTUM national database. We enrolled women with primary breast cancer from 17 population-based cancer registries. Patients were subdivided into older (>69 years), middle (50–69 years) and younger age groups (<50 years) and their primary tumors categorized into four molecular subtypes based on hormone receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status. There were 8831 patients diagnosed between 2010 and 2012 included. The most represented age group was 50–69 years (41.7%). In 5735 cases the molecular subtype was identified: HER2–/HR+ was the most frequent (66.2%) and HER2+/HR− the least (6.2%). Of the 390 women with metastases at diagnosis, 38% had simultaneous involvement of multiple sites, independent of age and molecular profile. In women with a single metastatic site, bone (20% of cases), liver (11%), lung (7%) and brain (3%) were the most frequent. In the studied age groups with different receptor expression profiles, the tumor metastasized to target organs with differing frequencies, affecting survival. Five-year survival was lowest in women with triple-negative (HER2−/HR–) tumors and women with brain metastases at diagnosis. Full article

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly become a global pandemic with lung disease representing the main cause of morbidity and mortality. Conventional chest-X ray (CXR) and ultrasound (US) are valuable instruments to assess the extent of lung involvement. We investigated the relationship between CXR scores on admission and the level of medical care required in patients with COVID-19. Further, we assessed the CXR-US correlation to explore the role of ultrasound in monitoring the course of COVID-19 pneumonia. Clinical features and CXR scores were obtained at admission and correlated with the level of intensity of care required [high- (HIMC) versus low-intensity medical care (LIMC)]. In a subgroup of patients, US findings were correlated with clinical and radiographic parameters. On hospital admission, CXR global score was higher in HIMCs compared to LIMC. Smoking history, pO₂ on admission, cardiovascular and oncologic diseases were independent predictors of HIMC. The US score was positively correlated with FiO₂ while the correlation with CXR global score only trended towards significance. Our study identifies clinical and radiographic features that strongly correlate with higher levels of medical care. The role of lung ultrasound in this setting remains undetermined and needs to be explored in larger prospective studies. Full article

In arid areas prone to desertification and soil erosion, the effectiveness of radical bench terracing in reducing drought risk is dependent on its correct implementation. However, the relationship between proper terracing implementation and the landscape capacity of holding soil moisture is still not understood. Moreover, spatial patterns of Soil Water Content (SWC) within the same terraced hillslope are weakly studied. The present paper analyses SWC variations in four newly implemented terraced sites in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. In all sites, terraced areas show SWC significantly higher than non-terraced ones, with the lower part of the terraced hillslope more humid than the others. A Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) analysis highlighted significant dependency of SWC from the date of analysis, the position in the terraced slope, and its significant positive correlation with the percent of Water Stable Aggregates (WSA) analyzed at the study sites. Since high soil disturbance induces low soil aggregates stability, this result shows how low soil disturbance can significantly increase SWC of radical terraces. Overall, the results of the present paper testify the good performances of bench terraces in Northern Ethiopia in terms of soil water conservation, and can represent a benchmark study informing future terracing implementation in some arid and semi-arid agricultural areas of the world. Full article

The “Valles Cruceños” rural region plays a fundamental role for securing food and other resources for the neighboring, and fast sprawling, city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia). Due to the increasing pressure on its natural resources, the region is affected by progressive and severe environmental degradation, as many other rural regions in South and Central America. In this situation, sound policies and governance for sustainable land management are weak and not supported by data and scientific research outputs. With the present study, we aim at developing a novel and practical integrated hazard analysis methodology, supporting the evidence-based understanding of hazard patterns and informing risk assessment processes in the urban-rural continuum. Firstly, the main environmental hazards affecting the area were identified via questionnaire campaigns, held by the staff of local municipalities. Focusing on the hazards mostly perceived by the inhabitants of the region, including deforestation, water pollution and precipitation changes, hazard maps were created by using multiple environmental hazards indicators. An integrated hazard map was then built in a GIS environment, after a pair-wise comparison process. The maps represent a first baseline for the analysis of the present status of natural resources in “Valles Cruceños” area, and the proposed approach can be scaled up for integrated environmental hazards analysis in similar areas of Latin America. Full article

Italian dry-stone wall terracing represents one of the most iconic features of agricultural landscapes across Europe, with sites listed among UNESCO World Heritage Sites and FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS). The analysis of microclimate modifications induced by alterations of hillslope and by dry-stone walls is of particular interest for the valuation of benefits and drawbacks of terraces cultivation, a global land management technique. The aim of this paper is to perform a thermal characterization of a dry-stone wall terraced vineyard in the Chianti area (Tuscany, Italy), to detect possible microclimate dynamics induced by dry-stone terracing. The aerial surveys were carried out by using two sensors, in the Visible (VIS) and Thermal InfraRed (TIR) spectral range, mounted on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), with two different flights. Our results reveal that, in the morning, vineyard rows close to dry-stone walls have statistically lower temperatures with respect to the external ones. In the afternoon, due to solar insulation, temperatures raised to the same value for each row. The results of this early study, jointly with the latest developments in UAV and sensor technologies, justify and encourage further analyses on local climatic modifications in terraced landscapes. Full article

The expansion of cities is an emerging and critical issue for the future of the planet. Water is one of the most important resources provided by urban and peri-urban landscapes, as it is directly or indirectly connected with the quality of the environment and life. Santa Cruz de la Sierra is the leading city in Bolivia (and the second in Latin America) in regard to population growth and soil sealing. Water is available to the city mostly from the Piraí River basin, and is expected to be totally inadequate to support such powerful urban development. The project Aguacruz, which is financed by the Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development, aimed to (1) restructure and harmonize existing data on the landscape ecology, hydrological features, and functional aspects of the Piraí River; (2) build hydrological scenarios for the future of the basin by introducing a landscape ecology approach, and (3) involve stakeholders and local actors in decision-making processes oriented to increase the resilience of the urban–rural landscape of the Piraì River and the city of Santa Cruz. SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tools) tested five scenarios through simulating different landscape settings, from the current previsions for urban expansion to a sound implementation of green infrastructures, agroforestry, and regreening. The results indicate that integrated actions in rural–urban systems can lead to a substantial reversal of the trend toward a decline in water supply for the city. From a governance and planning perspective, the proposed actions have been configured as to induce (i) integrated waterscape ecological planning; and (ii) the preparation and approval of departmental regulations for the incorporation of green infrastructures in the municipalities. Full article