The complexity of risks posed by climate change and possible adaptations for crop production has called for integrated assessment and modelling (IAM) approaches linking biophysical and economic ...models. This paper attempts to provide an overview of the present state of crop modelling to assess climate change risks to food production and to which extent crop models comply with IAM demands. Considerable progress has been made in modelling effects of climate variables, where crop models best satisfy IAM demands. Demands are partly satisfied for simulating commonly required assessment variables. However, progress on the number of simulated crops, uncertainty propagation related to model parameters and structure, adaptations and scaling are less advanced and lagging behind IAM demands. The limitations are considered substantial and apply to a different extent to all crop models. Overcoming these limitations will require joint efforts, and consideration of novel modelling approaches.
•Extreme events and future climate uncertainty represent risk for food production.•Crop models are largely able to simulate crop response to climate factors.•Adaptations are best evaluated in integrated assessment models (IAM).•Key limitations for crop models in IAM are low data availability and integration.•Cross-scale nature of IAM suggests novel modelling approaches are needed.
The assessment of percutaneous absorption of molecules is a very important step in the evaluation of any dermal or transdermal drug delivery system. In order to perform percutaneous drug absorption ...studies, it is essential that the methods are standardized and that the integrity of the skin is monitored and maintained to ensure that the data obtained are valid and relevant. Reproducible data on percutaneous absorption in humans are as well required to predict the systemic risk from dermal exposure to chemicals, such as hazardous substances at the workplace, agrochemicals and cosmetic ingredients. In vitro and animal models provide important tools for screening a series of drug formulations, evaluation of skin permeation enhancing properties and mechanism of action of the carrier systems and estimation of rank of skin transport for a series of drug molecules. In this review, we have summarized in vitro testing of skin absorption using static Franz-type diffusion cells.
Two new compounds containing decavanadate ions in the role of bridging ligands coordinated to copper centers, (2-
hepH
+
)
2{Cu(H
2O)
2(O,N-2
-hep)}
2(V
10O
28)·6H
2O (2
-hepH
+
=
...2-(2-hydroxyethyl)pyridinium; 2
-hep
=
2-(2-hydroxyethyl)pyridine) and {Cu(2
-amp)
2(H
2O)
2H
2V
10O
28}·4H
2O (
amp
=
2-(aminomethyl)pyridine), have been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, IR and NMR spectroscopy and X-ray structure determination.
Display omitted
► Two new compounds with coordinated decavanadate anion. ► The shortest Cu–O(decavanadate) bond found until now. ► Trinuclear unit in both compounds consisting of bridging decavanadate ligand and two copper complexes.
Two new compounds containing decavanadate ions coordinated to copper centers, (2-
hepH
+
)
2{Cu(H
2O)
2(O,N-2
-hep)}
2V
10O
28·6H
2O (2
-hepH
+
=
2-(2-hydroxyethyl)pyridinium; 2
-hep
=
2-(2-hydroxyethyl)pyridine) (
1), {Cu(2
-amp)
2(H
2O)}
2H
2V
10O
28·4H
2O (
amp
=
2-(aminomethyl)pyridine) (
2), have been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses and IR spectroscopy. The structure of
1 consists of trinuclear units {Cu(H
2O)
2(O,N-2
-hep)}
2V
10O
28
2−, 2
-hepH
+
cations and molecules of water of crystallization. A trinuclear unit {Cu(2
-amp)
2(H
2O)}
2H
2V
10O
28 is a principal part also in the structure of
2, but the bonds of decavanadate group to the copper complexes are much weaker than in
1.
The timing of maturity of grapes depends on the weather conditions during the growing season. This study relies on the dependence of harvest dates on the air temperature and dry/wet conditions. ...Recorded observations show that increases in air temperature and dryness are associated with earlier grape harvests. Documentary data of grape harvests from the Bohemian wine-growing region (mainly northwest of Prague) were combined with mean Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) series starting in 1841 and ordinary least square regression with subsequent scaling to reconstruct the mean SPEI values for this area for April to August from 1499 to 2012. The reconstructed SPEI series explains 75% of the drought variability since 1841. All dry years that were detected by the reconstructed April–August SPEI values correlate well with years of excellent and good red wine of vintage quality for 1499–1840. A comparison of the reconstructed series with other SPEI reconstructions from the Czech Lands (the recent Czech Republic) based on documentary and instrumental data shows good agreement. The results demonstrate that grape harvest series may be used as a proxy for drought reconstruction in the central European region.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, It was necessary to ensure an optimal nutritional status of the human body and maintain a normal body weight. This can be achieved with a balanced diet, which covers all ...the necessary nutrients for the body in an appropriate amount with respect to age, sex, physiological state and physical activity according to the recommended dietary allowances (RDA). The goal of our work was to quantify the amount and composition of food in accordance with nutritional recommendations with an emphasis on crisis situations such as COVID-19 pandemic. Using the nutritional software Alimenta 4.3e (Food Research Institute, Bratislava, Slovakia), we compiled bi-weekly menus in accordance with RDA for four selected physiological groups that are most represented in the Slovak population. The recipes were also the basis for defining the amount of food needed for a period of 14 days, reflecting the length of the quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The defined amounts of food for selected physiological groups can serve as health-promoting food basket, which has been absent for a long time in the Slovakia.
Present-day agriculture faces multiple challenges, including ongoing climate change that is at many locations combined with soil degradation. The deterioration of soil properties through ...unsustainable agricultural practices and changing climate could lead to a fall in productivity beyond the point of no return with devastating effects on ecosystem services in large areas. Identifying areas with the highest hazard levels should therefore be a top priority. The key hazards for agricultural land in the Czech Republic considered in this study include the occurrence of water stress in the topsoil layer during both the first and second half of the growing season, the proportion of fast-drying soils, the risk of sheet and ephemeral gully erosion and the risk of local floods originating primarily from agricultural land. The results clearly marked regions where primary attention should be given to reduce the level of the hazards and/or to increase cropping capacity. These regions were found to be concentrated in the southeastern and northwestern lowland areas. Typical areas with the highest hazard levels were identified: regions with low precipitation and a high proportion of soils with a degraded or naturally occurring low water-holding capacity, and those with steeper than average slopes and terrain configurations in relatively large catchment areas that have urbanized countryside landscapes located at their lower elevations. Despite some limitations, the methods presented in this paper can be applied generally as the first step in developing strategies for efficient reduction of hazard levels.
Diabetes mellitus is known to produce various cell-damaging events and thereby underlie heart dysfunction and remodeling. However, very little is known about its inflammation-associated ...pathomechanisms due to necrosis-like cell death. For this purpose, we aimed to investigate signaling pathways of necroptosis and pyroptosis, known to produce plasma membrane rupture with the resultant promotion of inflammation. One-year old Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats did not exhibit significant heart dysfunction as revealed by echocardiographic measurement. On the other hand, there was a decrease in heart rate due to diabetes. Immunoblotting analysis showed that the left ventricles of ZDF rats overexpress neither the main necroptotic proteins including receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIP3) and mixed lineage domain kinase-like pseudokinase (MLKL), nor the pyroptotic regulators including NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 protein (NLRP3), caspase-1, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta and the N-terminal gasdermin D (GSDMD-N). On the other hand, the increased activation of the RIP3 kinase due to phosphorylation was found in such hearts. In summary, we showed for the first time that the activation of cardiac RIP3 is upregulated due to disturbances in glucose metabolism which, however, did not proceed to necrosis-like cell death. These data can indicate that the activated RIP3 might also underlie other pleiotropic, non-necroptotic signaling pathways under basal conditions.
The aim of the study was to determine whether hypertensive glaucoma (HTG) with different types of treatment leads to significant damage in any of the evaluated parameters.
The sample, consisting of ...36 HTG patients (72 eyes), was divided into three subgroups: In the first group, patients were treated with combination therapy (latanoprost + timolol, latanoprost + dorzolamide + timolol, dorzolamide + timolol). The group consisted of seven women and five men, with an average age of 64 years (49-81). In the second group, patients were treated with beta-blockers (carteolol, betaxolol, timolol). The group consisted of five women and five men, with an average age of 62 years (27-77). In the third group, patients were treated with prostaglandins (latanoprost, bimatoprost). The group consisted of eleven women and three men, with an average age of 61 years (61-78). Criteria for inclusion in the study were visual acuity of 1.0 with a possible correction of less than ±3 dioptres, approximately the same changes in the visual fields of all patients, an intraocular pressure (IOP) of less than 18 mmHg, and no other ocular or neurological disease. The retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) on the optic nerve target and vessel density (VD) was measured using an Avanti RTVue XR from Optovue. We determined the values of VD in whole image (WI) and VD of peripapillary (PP). In both cases, we then measured all vessels (VDa) and small vessels (VDs). The visual field was examined by means of a fast threshold glaucoma program with a Medmont M 700 instrument. In addition to the sum of sensitivities in apostilbs (asb) in the range of 0-22 degrees, the overall visual field defect (OD) was also evaluated. The statistical analysis was carried out using a multivariate regression model with adjustment for age and gender. The measured values of the third group were taken as baseline.
In the statistical analysis, we have found differences in visual field in the combination treatment group (p = 0.0006) and differences were recorded for RNFL in the beta-blocker group (p = 0.04).
PDF
