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The Mediterranean region is one of the most responsive areas to climate change and was identified as a major “hot-spot” based on global climate change analyses. This study provides insight into local climate changes in the Mediterranean region under the scope of the InTheMED project, which is part of the PRIMA programme. Precipitation and temperature were analyzed in an historical period and until the end of this century for five pilot sites, located between the two shores of the Mediterranean region. We used an ensemble of 17 Regional Climate Models, developed in the framework of the EURO-CORDEX initiative, under two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). Over the historical period, the temperature presents upward trends, which are statistically significant for some sites, while precipitation does not show significant tendencies. These trends will be maintained in the future as predicted by the climate models projections: all models indicate a progressive and robust warming in all study areas and moderate change in total annual precipitation, but some seasonal variations are identified. Future changes in droughts events over the Mediterranean region were studied considering the maximum duration of the heat waves, their peak temperature, and the number of consecutive dry days. All pilot sites are expected to increase the maximum duration of heat waves and their peak temperature. Furthermore, the maximum number of consecutive dry days is expected to increase for most of the study areas.

Cassava common mosaic virus (CsCMV) is a potexvirus that impairs chloroplast and metabolism, causing significant yield losses to cassava crops. Crop yield depends on diel rhythms, influencing carbon allocation and growth, and sugar signaling also impacting light–dark rhythms. This study aimed to elucidate the early impact of CsCMV infection on diel carbon allocation, metabolism, and defense mechanisms in both source and sink cassava leaves before storage root bulking. Soluble sugar and starch concentrations were examined over a 24-h cycle (16:8 photoperiod) in CsCMV-infected plants. The expression of an array of genes—carbohydrate metabolism, SnRK1 activity marker, defense, circadian marker—was analyzed at ZT6, ZT16 and ZT24/ZT0. In CsCMV-infected source leaves, at ZT6, sucrose increased whereas glucose, fructose and sucrose rose at night. An increase in Suc:hexose ratio and upregulation of SnRK1 activity marker genes and PR1 transcripts were found in infected leaves, suggesting a combination of altered carbon metabolism and defense response mechanisms against the viral infection. GIGANTEA, a clock-controlled gene, showed a reduced expression in infected leaves at ZT6 and ZT24/ZT0, suggesting a circadian phase shift compared with uninfected control plants. Additionally, starch mobilization transcripts were downregulated at ZT24/ZT0, though starch content remained unchanged during the 24-h cycle. In sink leaves, a transient peak of maltose (ZT6) was observed. Our findings suggest that CsCMV disrupts the plant's natural rhythms of sugar metabolism and allocation. Spikes in sucrose levels may serve as infection signals in the internal daily clock of the plant, influencing plant responses during the cassava-CsCMV interaction.

This paper shows a comparison between experiments carried out in a laboratory-scale sandbox where the migration of a dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL), hydrofluoroether (HFE-7100), in a saturated porous medium was investigated, and validation was performed using high-resolution shock-capturing numerical simulations to resolve the nonlinear governing coupled partial differential equations of a three-phase immiscible fluid flow. The contaminant was released using a colored fluid as a tracer for a fixed time and pressures different from the atmospheric one into the saturated zone, first by using a column laboratory experiment, and then a sandbox-scale example with a hydraulic gradient. A digital image analysis procedure was used to determine the saturation distribution of the contaminant during its migration. These results are compared with the values determined for a DNAPL migration in a similar porous media through a numerical simulation. They show good agreement with the experimental results and also show that CactusHydro can follow the migration of a plume evolution very precisely and can also be used to evaluate the effects and environmental impacts deriving from leaks of DNAPL in saturated zones.

Individuals with COPD may present reduced peripheral muscle strength, leading to impaired mobility. Comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) should include strength training, in particular to lower limbs. Furthermore, simple tools for the assessment of peripheral muscle performance are required. To assess the peripheral muscle performance of COPD patients by the sit-to-stand test (STST), as compared to the one-repetition maximum (1-RM), considered as the gold standard for assessing muscle strength in non-laboratory situations, and to evaluate the responsiveness of STST to a PR program. Sixty moderate-to-severe COPD inpatients were randomly included into either the specific strength training group or into the usual PR program group. Patients were assessed on a 30-second STST and 1-minute STST, 1-RM, and 6-minute walking test (6MWT), before and after PR. Bland-Altman plots were used to evaluate the agreement between 1-RM and STST. The two groups were not different at baseline. In all patients, 1-RM was significantly related to the 30-second STST (r=0.48, P<0.001) and to 1-minute STST (r=0.36, P=0.005). The 30-second STST was better tolerated in terms of the perceived fatigue (P=0.002) and less time consuming (P<0.001) test. In the specific strength training group significant improvements were observed in the 30-second STST (P<0.001), 1-minute STST (P=0.005), 1-RM (P<0.001), and in the 6MWT (P=0.001). In the usual PR program group, significant improvement was observed in the 30-second STST (P=0.042) and in the 6MWT (P=0.001). Our study shows that in stable moderate-to-severe inpatients with COPD, STST is a valid and reliable tool to assess peripheral muscle performance of lower limbs, and is sensitive to a specific PR program.

This study evaluates the natural attenuation of chlorinated hydrocarbons as remediation action in a contaminated site downtown the city of Parma (Italy). To achieve this goal, a combination of new investigation methods (bio-molecular analysis, compound specific isotope analysis, phytoscreening) has been proposed. The approach (named circular multi step) allows to: fully understand the phenomena that occur at the study site, design new investigation activities, and manage best practices. Consequently, each step of the approach improves the conceptual and numerical models with new knowledge. The activities carried out at the study site allowed to detect a contamination of perchloroethylene in a large part of the city of Parma and, of main importance, underneath a kindergarten. The results of the study did not show significant natural attenuation of chlorinated hydrocarbons and that the detected contamination could refer to the same unknown contaminant source. Furthermore, the innovative phytoscreening technique was applied to assess the presence of chlorinated hydrocarbons at the ground level. The plume spread was estimated through numerical modeling starting from potential contaminant sources. This study enhances the knowledge of groundwater flow and contamination in Parma and allows authorities to design new investigation/reclamation activities through management actions.

This study investigates the hydraulic heterogeneity of the alluvial aquifer underneath the dam and the stilling basin of a flood protection structure in Northern Italy. The knowledge of the interactions between the water in the reservoir upstream of the dam and the groundwater levels is relevant for the stability of the structure. A Bayesian Geostatistical Approach (BGA) combined with a groundwater flow model developed in MODFLOW 2005 has been used to estimate the hydraulic conductivity (HK) field in a context of a highly parameterized inversion. The transient hydraulic heads collected in 14 monitoring points represent the calibration dataset; these observations are the results of the hydraulic stresses induced by the variations of the lake stage upstream of the dam (natural stimuli). The geostatistical inversion was performed by means of a computer code, bgaPEST, developed according to the free PEST software concept. The results of the inversion show a moderate degree of heterogeneity of the estimated HK field, consistent with the alluvial nature of the aquifer and the other information available. The calibrated groundwater model is useful for simulating the interactions between the reservoir and the studied aquifer under different flood scenarios and for forecasting the hydraulic head levels due to strong flood events. The use of natural stimuli is useful for obtaining information for aquifer heterogeneity characterization.

In recent years, there has been increased interest in the vascular component of airway remodelling in chronic bronchial inflammation, such as asthma and COPD, and in its role in the progression of disease. In particular, the bronchial mucosa in asthmatics is more vascularised, showing a higher number and dimension of vessels and vascular area. Recently, insight has been obtained regarding the pivotal role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in promoting vascular remodelling and angiogenesis. Many studies, conducted on biopsies, induced sputum or BAL, have shown the involvement of VEGF and its receptors in the vascular remodelling processes. Presumably, the vascular component of airway remodelling is a complex multi-step phenomenon involving several mediators. Among the common asthma and COPD medications, only inhaled corticosteroids have demonstrated a real ability to reverse all aspects of vascular remodelling. The aim of this review was to analyze the morphological aspects of the vascular component of airway remodelling and the possible mechanisms involved in asthma and COPD. We also focused on the functional and therapeutic implications of the bronchial microvascular changes in asthma and COPD.

Environmental stress demands precise coordination among organelles to maintain cellular homeostasis. In Arabidopsis, high light (HL) exposure triggers chloroplast‐dependent remodeling of mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) morphology specifically in adaxial and abaxial epidermal cells, but not in mesophyll cells. Live‐cell imaging reveals that HL rapidly suppresses mitochondrial motility, followed by fusion‐driven elongation and ER cisternal expansion. Inhibition of photosynthetic, but not mitochondrial, electron transport abolishes these changes, confirming chloroplast activity as the upstream trigger. Pharmacological analyses show that exogenous H2O2 induces mitochondrial elongation, whereas calcium chelation blocks both H2O2‐ and HL‐induced responses, demonstrating that chloroplast‐derived H2O2 activates a Ca2+ flux essential for remodeling. Proteomic and functional studies identify the Ca2+‐binding GTPase MIRO1 as a central integrator of this pathway. MIRO1 overexpression mimics HL‐induced morphodynamics, while mutations disrupting its Ca2+‐binding or acetylation motifs abolish the response, establishing Ca2+‐dependent MIRO1 activity as a prerequisite for remodeling. Together, these findings reveal an epidermis‐specific, light‐responsive network in which chloroplast‐derived H2O2 initiates Ca2+ signaling through MIRO1 to coordinate mitochondrial and ER remodeling—a spatially restricted mechanism of organellar communication and stress adaptation at the plant–environment interface. High light exposure triggers an epidermis‐specific remodeling of mitochondria and ER in Arabidopsis, driven by chloroplast‐derived signals. Live‐cell imaging shows that HL rapidly suppresses mitochondrial motility, followed by fusion‐driven elongation and ER cisternal expansion. MIRO1 emerges as a key mediator, linking chloroplast activity to dynamic interorganellar restructuring at the plant–environment interface.

Comprehensive information about the spatial distribution of the subsurface hydraulic properties is crucial to model groundwater flow, to predict solute transport in aquifers and to design remediation actions. In this work, a Bayesian Geostatistical approach, as implemented in bgaPEST, was adopted to estimate the hydraulic properties of a well field located at the Campus of Science and Technology of the University of Parma (Northern Italy), in a contest of a highly parameterized inversion. Head data, collected by means of multi frequency oscillatory pumping tests, were used to both estimate the hydraulic parameters and validate the results. The groundwater flow processes were modelled by means of MODFLOW 2005 and an adjoint-state formulation of the same software was used to efficiently calculate the sensitivity matrix, required by the inverse procedure. The Bayesian Geostatistical approach estimated the hydraulic conductivity and specific storage fields, handling a large number of parameters. The results of the inversion are consistent with the alluvial nature of the investigated aquifer and the preliminary traditional pumping tests carried out at the site.

This Special Issue focuses on recent advances and future developments in the modeling (both conceptual and numerical) of flow and transport in karst aquifers [...]