Magic™ Anti-PGR (Phospho S190) monoclonal antibody, clone 1154

The global warming effects put in danger global water availability and make necessary to decrease water wastage, e.g., by monitoring global irrigation. Despite this, global irrigation information is scarce due to the absence of a solid estimation technique. In this study, we applied an innovative approach to retrieve irrigation water from high spatial and temporal resolution Soil Moisture (SM) data obtained from an advanced sensor based on Proximal Gamma-Ray (PGR) spectroscopy, in a field located in Emilia Romagna (Italy). The results show that SM is a key variable to obtain information about the amount of water applied to plants, with Pearson correlation between observed and estimated daily irrigation data ranges from 0.88 to 0.91 by using different calibration methodology. With the aim of reproducing the working conditions of satellites measuring soil moisture, we sub-sampled SM hourly time series at larger time steps. The results demonstrated that the methodology is still capable to perform the daily (weekly) irrigation estimation with Pearson Correlation around 0.6 (0.7) if the time step is not greater than 36 (48) hours.

Hormonal regulation controls mammary gland (MG) development. Therefore some hormone-related factors can disrupt the early phases of MGs development, making the gland more susceptible to long term modifications in its response to circulating hormones. Endocrine disruptors, such as bisphenol A (BPA), are able to cause alterations in hormone receptor expression, leading to changes in the cell proliferation index, which may expose the tissue to neoplastic alterations. Thus, we evaluated the variations in hormone receptor expression in the MG of 6-month old Mongolian gerbils exposed to BPA and 17 beta estradiol during the perinatal period. Receptors for estrogen alpha (ER alpha), beta (ER beta), progesterone (PGR), prolactin (PRL-R), and co-localization of connexin 43 (Cx43) and ER alpha in gerbils were analyzed, and serum concentrations of estradiol and progesterone were assessed. No alterations in body, liver, and ovary-uterus complex weights were observed. However, there was an increase in epithelial ER alpha expression in the 17 beta estradiol (E2) group and in PGR in the BPA group. Although immunohistochemistry did not show alterations in ER beta expression, western blotting revealed a decrease in this protein in the BPA group. PRL-R was more present in epithelial cells in the vehicle control (VC), E2, and BPA groups in comparison to the intact control group. Cx43 was more frequent in E2 and BPA groups, suggesting a protective response from the gland against possible malignancy. Serum concentration of estradiol reduced in VC, E2, and BPA groups, confirming that alterations also impacts steroid levels. Consequently, perinatal exposure to BPA and the reference endogenous estrogen, 17 beta estradiol, are able to increase the tendency of endocrine disruption in MG in a long term manner, since repercussions are observed even 6 months after exposure.