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Although SARS-CoV-2 primarily targets the respiratory system, patients with and survivors of COVID-19 can suffer neurological symptoms 1 – 3 . However, an unbiased understanding of the cellular and molecular processes that are affected in the brains of patients with COVID-19 is missing. Here we profile 65,309 single-nucleus transcriptomes from 30 frontal cortex and choroid plexus samples across 14 control individuals (including 1 patient with terminal influenza) and 8 patients with COVID-19. Although our systematic analysis yields no molecular traces of SARS-CoV-2 in the brain, we observe broad cellular perturbations indicating that barrier cells of the choroid plexus sense and relay peripheral inflammation into the brain and show that peripheral T cells infiltrate the parenchyma. We discover microglia and astrocyte subpopulations associated with COVID-19 that share features with pathological cell states that have previously been reported in human neurodegenerative disease 4 – 6 . Synaptic signalling of upper-layer excitatory neurons—which are evolutionarily expanded in humans 7 and linked to cognitive function 8 —is preferentially affected in COVID-19. Across cell types, perturbations associated with COVID-19 overlap with those found in chronic brain disorders and reside in genetic variants associated with cognition, schizophrenia and depression. Our findings and public dataset provide a molecular framework to understand current observations of COVID-19-related neurological disease, and any such disease that may emerge at a later date. Single-nucleus transcriptomes of frontal cortex and choroid plexus samples from patients with COVID-19 reveal pathological cell states that are similar to those associated with human neurodegenerative diseases and chronic brain disorders.

Ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) permeates a variety of diseases and is a ubiquitous concern in every transplantation proceeding, from whole organs to modest grafts. Given its significance, efforts to evade the damaging effects of both ischemia and reperfusion are abundant in the literature and they consist of several strategies, such as applying pre-ischemic conditioning protocols, improving protection from preservation solutions, thus providing extended cold ischemia time and so on. In this review, we describe many of the latest pharmacological approaches that have been proven effective against IRI, while also revisiting well-established concepts and presenting recent pathophysiological findings in this ever-expanding field. A plethora of promising protocols has emerged in the last few years. They have been showing exciting results regarding protection against IRI by employing drugs that engage several strategies, such as modulating cell-surviving pathways, evading oxidative damage, physically protecting cell membrane integrity, and enhancing cell energetics.

We report on recent advances in the use of inexpensive polymer optical fibres (POFs) for sensing applications in avionics. The sensors analysed in this manuscript take advantage of the unique properties of polymers, such as high flexibility, elasticity, and sensitivity, and they range from strain, elongation, and vibration interrogators to level and temperature meters, leading to cost-effective techniques for structural health monitoring in aircraft structures. We also highlight recent power-supply methods using Power-over-POF in order to feed sensors remotely, and we discuss the constraints imposed by connectors on the performance of POF networks in aircrafts.

Agroforestry is a traditional land use system that may contribute to the solution of environmental problems in agriculture. Agroforestry is the practice of deliberately integrating woody vegetation (trees or shrubs) with crops and/or animal systems to benefit from the resulting ecological and economic interactions. Recent research indicates that a wider adoption of agroforestry principles and practices is a key means by which the global agri-food sector might achieve more sustainable methods of food and fiber production by producing both economic benefits for farmers and environmental benefits for society. Agroforestry provides numerous provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting ecosystem services and environmental benefits while promoting eco-intensification based on a more efficient use of the resources. Nevertheless, there is only little published recent information on the contribution of agroforestry to the environment in general and on climate change, carbon sequestration and forest fires in particular. In this special issue a number of articles are included that provide a kaleidoscope of the environmental benefits that agroforestry provides to the environment.

This study analyzes tide transformation in the Guadalquivir estuary (SW Spain). When fresh water discharges are less than 40 m3/s, the estuary is tidally‐dominated (flood‐dominated) and well mixed. Under such conditions, the estuary can be divided into three stretches, each characterized by a different tide propagation process. In the first stretch of 25 km, the dominant process is diffusion. In the next stretch, approximately over 35 km length, convergence and friction processes are in balance. At the head of the estuary, in the last stretch, the tidal motion is partially standing because of tidal reflection on the Alcalá del Río dam, located 110 km upstream from the estuary mouth. The reflection coefficient R varies with the frequency; for diurnal constituents its magnitude ∣RD∣ is 0.25; this value increases in the case of semi‐diurnal (∣RS∣ ≈ 0.40), and quarter‐diurnal constituents (∣RQ∣ ≈ 0.65), and reaches its minimum at the sixth‐diurnal components (∣RX∣ ≈ 0.10). The tidal reflection can generate residual currents that have consequences in the bed morphology. Furthermore, when the fresh water discharges are greater than 400 m3/s, the estuary is fluvially‐dominated and the water level can be calculated as the linear superposition of tide and river contributions. However, superposition arguments do not hold for currents at any point in the estuary. Key Points The prominent tidal reflection at the head controls estuarine morphohydrodynamics The estuary is divided into 3 stretches based on the dominant tidal processes Three years of hydrodynamic data from 29 moorings were analyzed

Poor diet quality and obesity, especially abdominal obesity, have been associated with systemic inflammation. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) is an available and inexpensive inflammation biomarker. The aim of the present study was to determine the association of dietary patterns and obesity with an inflammatory state. A group of 1747 Spanish noninstitutionalized older adults individuals were included, and a food-frequency questionnaire was applied. The Global Food Score (GFS) and Healthy Eating Index for Spanish population (SHEI) were calculated. Weight, height and waist (WC) and hip circumferences were measured, and BMI, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) determined. In addition, body-fat percentage was measured by bioimpedance. NLR was calculated (NLR ≥ p80: 2.6; 2.8 and 2.4 as inflammatory status in the entire population, men and women, respectively). The men with inflammatory status presented significative higher values of WC, WHtR, WHR, and body-fat percentage (101.82 ± 10.34 cm, 0.61 ± 0.06, 0.98 ± 0.06, and 31.68 ± 5.94%, respectively) than those with better inflammatory status (100.18 ± 10.22 cm, 0.59 ± 0.06, 0.97 ± 0.07, and 30.31 ± 6.16%, respectively). Those males with worse inflammatory state had lower scores for protein foods (OR = 0.898 (0.812–0.993); p = 0.037). The women with NLR ≥ 2.4 had higher WHtR and WHR (0.62 ± 0.09 and 0.91 ± 0.09) than those with NLR < 2.4 (0.60 ± 0.08 and 0.90 ± 0.08). In multiple linear regression analysis, NLR was positively related with WHtR and negatively related with SHEI score (β = 0.224 ± 0.094; R2 = 0.060; p < 0.05 and β = −0.218 ± 0.101; R2 = 0.061; p < 0.05), adjusting by sex, age, marital status, education level, smoking, hours of sleeping and inflammatory diseases. In women, the higher the SHEI and GFS scores were and the better meeting the aims of cereal and vegetable servings, the less the odds of inflammatory status (OR = 0.970 (0.948–0.992); p = 0.008; OR = 0.963 (0.932–0.995); p = 0.024; OR = 0.818 (0.688–0.974); p = 0.024 and OR = 0.829 (0.730–0.942); p = 0.004, respectively). WHtR and quality of diet is related to the inflammation status in older adults regardless to the sex.

This paper explores the use of a mixture model for determining the marginal distribution of hydrological variables, consisting of a truncated central distribution that is representative of the central or main‐mass regime, which for the cases studied is a lognormal distribution, and of two generalized Pareto distributions for the maximum and minimum regimes, representing the upper and lower tails, respectively. The thresholds defining the limits between these regimes and the central regime are parameters of the model and are calculated together with the remaining parameters by maximum likelihood. After testing the model with a simulation study we concluded that the upper threshold of the model can be used when applying the peak over threshold method. This will yield an automatic and objective identification of the threshold presenting an alternative to existing methods. The model was also applied to four hydrological data series: two mean daily flow series, the Thames at Kingston (United Kingdom), and the Guadalfeo River at Orgiva (Spain); and two daily precipitation series, Fort Collins (CO, USA), and Orgiva (Spain). It was observed that the model improved the fit of the data series with respect to the fit obtained with the lognormal (LN) and, in particular, provided a good fit for the upper tail. Moreover, we concluded that the proposed model is able to accommodate the entire range of values of some significant hydrological variables. Key Points A PDF for the entire range of values of some hydrological variables Automatic selection of the threshold required for applying the POT method Improved methodology for uncertainty estimation of the threshold

Blood-testis barrier (BTB) creates a particular compartment in the seminiferous epithelium. Contacting Sertoli cell-Sertoli cell plasma membranes possess specialized junction proteins which present a complex dynamic of formation and dismantling. Thus, these specialized structures facilitate germ cell movement across the BTB. Junctions are constantly rearranged during spermatogenesis while the BTB preserves its barrier function. Imaging methods are essential to studying the dynamic of this sophisticated structure in order to understand its functional morphology. Isolated Sertoli cell cultures cannot represent the multiple interactions of the seminiferous epithelium and in situ studies became a fundamental approach to analyze BTB dynamics. In this review, we discuss the contributions of high-resolution microscopy studies to enlarge the body of morphofunctional data to understand the biology of the BTB as a dynamic structure. The first morphological evidence of the BTB was based on a fine structure of the junctions, which was resolved with Transmission Electron Microscopy. The use of conventional Fluorescent Light Microscopy to examine labelled molecules emerged as a fundamental technique for elucidating the precise protein localization at the BTB. Then laser-scanning confocal microscopy allowed the study of three-dimensional structures and complexes at the seminiferous epithelium. Several junction proteins, like the transmembrane, scaffold and signaling proteins, were identified in the testis using traditional animal models. BTB morphology was analyzed in different physiological conditions as the spermatocyte movement during meiosis, testis development, and seasonal spermatogenesis, but also structural elements, proteins, and BTB permeability were studied. Under pathological, pharmacological, or pollutant/toxic conditions, there are significant studies that provide high-resolution images which help to understand the dynamic of the BTB. Notwithstanding the advances, further research using new technologies is required to gain information on the BTB. Super-resolution light microscopy is needed to provide new research with high-quality images of targeted molecules at a nanometer-scale resolution. Finally, we highlight research areas that warrant future studies, pinpointing new microscopy approaches and helping to improve our ability to understand this barrier complexity.

Potential benefits and costs of agroforestry practices have been analysed by experts, but few studies have captured farmers’ perspectives on why agroforestry might be adopted on a European scale. This study provides answers to this question, through an analysis of 183 farmer interviews in 14 case study systems in eight European countries. The study systems included high natural and cultural value agroforestry systems, silvoarable systems, high value tree systems, and silvopasture systems, as well as systems where no agroforestry practices were occurring. A mixed method approach combining quantitative and qualitative approaches was taken throughout the interviews. Narrative thematic data analysis was performed. Data collection proceeded until no new themes emerged. Within a given case study, i.e. the different systems in different European regions, this sampling was performed both for farmers who practice agroforestry and farmers who did not. Results point to a great diversity of agroforestry practices, although many of the farmers are not aware of the term or concept of agroforestry, despite implementing the practice in their own farms. While only a few farmers mentioned eligibility for direct payments in the CAP as the main reason to remove trees from their land, to avoid the reduction of the funded area, the tradition in the family or the region, learning from others, and increasing the diversification of products play the most important role in adopting or not agroforestry systems.

Within the ovary, the obturator bridges the pathway of the pollen tube from the style to the ovule. Despite its widespread presence among flowering plants, its function has only been studied in a handful of species, and the molecules involved in pollen tube-obturator cross-talk have not been explored hitherto. This work evaluates the involvement of glucans and glycoproteins on pollen tube growth in the obturator of apple flowers ( Malus × domestica) . Pollen tube kinetics were sequentially examined in the pistil and related to changes occurring on the obturator using histochemistry and inmunocytochemistry. To discriminate between changes in the obturator induced by pollen tubes from those developmentally regulated, both pollinated and unpollinated pistils were examined. Pollen tube growth rates were slow in the stigma, faster in the style and slow again in the ovary. The arrival of pollen tubes at the obturator was concomitant with the secretion of proteins, saccharides and glycoprotein epitopes belonging to extensins and arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs). While some of these secretions - extensins and AGPs labelled by JIM13 - were developmentally regulated, others - AGPs labelled by JIM8 - were elicited by the presence of pollen tubes. Following pollen tube passage, all these glycoproteins were depleted. The results show a timely secretion of glycoproteins on the obturator surface concomitant with pollen tube arrival at this structure. The fact that their secretion is depleted following pollen tube passage strongly suggests their role in regulating pollen tube access to the ovule. Remarkably, both the regulation of the secretion of the different glycoproteins, as well as their association with the performance of pollen tubes exhibit similarities with those observed in the stigma, in line with their common developmental origin.