Search results for "Regional development"
showing 10 items of 144 documents
Effects of climate change and land use intensification on regional biological soil crust cover and composition in southern Africa
2022
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) form a regular and relevant feature in drylands, as they stabilize the soil, fix nutrients, and influence water cycling. However, biocrust forming organisms have been shown to be dramatically vulnerable to climate and land use change occurring in these regions. In this study, we used Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data of biocrust-dominated pixels (NDVIbiocrust) obtained from hyperspectral and LANDSAT-7 data to analyse biocrust development over time and to forecast future NDVIbiocrust development under different climate change and livestock density scenarios in southern Africa. We validated these results by analysing the occurrence and compo…
Two consecutive Wolbachia ‐mediated mitochondrial introgressions obscure taxonomy in Palearctic swallowtail butterflies (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae)
2019
Swallowtail butterflies (Papilionidae) are among the most spectacular and well-known Lepidoptera in the European fauna, but their systematics is not fully elucidated. A notable case is that of Iphiclides feisthamelii which, after more than 180 years since description, still has a debated status, being often considered as a subspecies of Iphiclides podalirius. To elucidate the relationship between the two taxa and the evolutionary processes that led to their separation, we combine mitochondrial and nuclear DNA (mtDNA and nDNA) data, Wolbachia screening, genitalia morphology and wing UV reflectance. Our results show that the two taxa clearly differ in male and female genital morphology, male …
Seasonal differences in drivers of species richness of waders in inland wetlands of La Mancha Húmeda Biosphere Reserve
2018
This study forms part of the doctoral thesis of M. S. S. G., supported by a grant from Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior, Brazil. This study was jointly supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of the Government of Spain (MINECO) and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) ‘One way to make Europe’, through the projects: ‘CLIMAWET’ – Climate change mitigation and adaptation in the main types of Iberian Mediterranean wetlands: carbon budget and response models of species and habitats (CGL2015‐69557‐R); and ‘ECOLAKE’ – Ecological patterns in endorheic lakes: keys to their conservation (CGL2012‐38909).
Mycotoxins in maize: mitigation actions, with a chain management approach
2020
Maize is the principal staple food/feed crop exposed to mycotoxins, and the co-occurrence of multiple mycotoxins and their metabolites has been well documented. This review presents the infection cycle, ecology, and plant-pathogen interactions of Aspergillus and Fusarium species in maize, and current knowledge on maize chain management to mitigate the occurrence of aflatoxins and fumonisins. Preventive actions include at pre-harvest, as part of cropping systems, at harvest, and at postharvest, through storage, processing, and detoxification to minimize consumer exposure. Preventive actions in the field have been recognized as efficient for reducing the entrance of mycotoxins into production…
A common SNP in the UNG gene decreases ovarian cancer risk in BRCA2 mutation carriers
2018
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DNA glycosylase genes involved in the base excision repair (BER) pathway can modify breast and ovarian cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. We previously found that SNP rs34259 in the uracil-DNA glycosylase gene (UNG) might decrease ovarian cancer risk in BRCA2 mutation carriers. In the present study, we validated this finding in a larger series of familial breast and ovarian cancer patients to gain insights into how this UNG variant exerts its protective effect. We found that rs34259 is associated with significant UNG downregulation and with lower levels of DNA damage at telomeres. In addition, we found that this SNP is associated with…
Simultaneous Boron Ion‐Channel/Growth Factor Receptor Activation for Enhanced Vascularization
2018
[EN] Boron ion is essential in metabolism and its concentration is regulated by ion-channel NaBC1. NaBC1 mutations cause corneal dystrophies such as Harboyan syndrome. Here we propose a 3D molecular model for NaBC1 and show that simultaneous stimulation of NaBC1 and vascular growth factor receptors (VEGFR) promote angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo with ultra-low concentrations of VEGF. We show Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC) organization into tubular structures indicative of vascularization potential. Enhanced cell sprouting was found only in the presence of VEGF and boron, effect abrogated after blocking NaBC1. We demonstrate that stimulated NaBC1 promotes angiogenesis via P…
Seafood Consumption, Omega-3 Fatty Acids Intake, and Life-Time Prevalence of Depression in the PREDIMED-Plus Trial.
2018
Background: The aim of this analysis was to ascertain the type of relationship between fish and seafood consumption, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (&omega
Material Deprivation: a Case of Latvia
2021
Material deprivation has recently gained prominence as a topic of debate as its proliferation is raising throughout Europe in particular in the countries hit hardest by financial and economic turbulences what leads to the gap in material deprivation levels throughout Europe. The aim of the study is to analyze material deprivation in the regions of Latvia. Research methods used in preparation of the paper: scientific publication and previous conducted research results analysis, analysis of anonimised data of EU-SILC survey results and European Central Bank conducted survey on Household income and expenses survey results, results are compared with the results of other EU countries. Survey ano…
Drone arc routing problems
2018
[EN] In this article, we present some drone arc routing problems (Drone ARPs) and study their relation with well-known postman ARPs. Applications for Drone ARPs include traffic monitoring by flying over roadways, infrastructure inspection such as by flying along power transmission lines, pipelines or fences, and surveillance along linear features such as coastlines or territorial borders. Unlike the postmen in traditional ARPs, drones can travel directly between any two points in the plane without following the edges of the network. As a consequence, a drone route may service only part of an edge, with multiple routes being used to cover the entire edge. Thus the Drone ARPs are continuous o…
Evolutionary and phenotypic characterization of spike mutations in a new SARS-CoV-2 Lineage reveals two Variants of Interest
2021
Molecular epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 aims to monitor the appearance of new variants with the potential to change the virulence or transmissibility of the virus. During the first year of SARS-CoV-2 evolution, numerous variants with possible public health impact have emerged. We have detected two mutations in the Spike protein at amino acid positions 1163 and 1167 that have appeared independently multiple times in different genetic backgrounds, indicating they may increase viral fitness. Interestingly, the majority of these sequences appear in transmission clusters, with the genotype encoding mutations at both positions increasing in frequency more than single-site mutants. This genetic outco…