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Predicting areas of severe biomass loss and increased N leaching risk under climate change is critical for applying appropriate adaptation measures to support more sustainable agricultural systems. The frequency of annual severe biomass loss for winter wheat and its coincidence with an increase in N leaching in a temperate region in Germany was estimated including the error from using soil and climate input data at coarser spatial scales, using the soil-crop model CoupModel. We ran the model for a reference period (1980–2010) and used climate data predicted by four climate model(s) for the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5. The annual median biomass estimations showed that for the period 2070–2100, under the RCP8.5 scenario, the entire region would suffer from severe biomass loss almost every year. Annual incidence of severe biomass loss and increased N leaching was predicted to increase from RCP4.5 to the 8.5 scenario. During 2070–2100 for RCP8.5, in more than half of the years an area of 95% of the region was projected to suffer from both severe biomass loss and increased N leaching. The SPEI3 predicted a range of 32 (P3 RCP4.5) to 55% (P3 RCP8.5) of the severe biomass loss episodes simulated in the climate change scenarios. The simulations predicted more severe biomass losses than by the SPEI index which indicates that soil water deficits are important in determining crop losses in future climate scenarios. There was a risk of overestimating the area where “no severe biomass loss + increased N leaching” occurred when using coarser aggregated input data. In contrast, underestimation of situations where “severe biomass loss + increased N leaching” occurred when using coarser aggregated input data. Larger annual differences in biomass estimations compared to the finest resolution of input data occurred when aggregating climate input data rather than soil data. The differences were even larger when aggregating both soil and climate input data. In half of the region, biomass could be erroneously estimated in a single year by more than 40% if using soil and climate coarser input data. The results suggest that a higher spatial resolution of especially climate input data would be needed to predict reliably annual estimates of severe biomass loss and N leaching under climate change scenarios.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is frequently accompanied by reproductive health challenges in females and males alike. Progression of CKD is associated with escalating impairment of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, which facilitates evolving ovarian, testicular, and sexual dysfunction. Common clinical reproductive health complications in CKD include abnormal menstruation, impaired sexual health, and reduced fertility. Though sex-specific factors, such as sex hormones and gonadal function, have a strong influence on reproductive health outcomes in CKD, a person's gender and gendered experience also have important implications. Institutionalized gender, gendered perceptions of health, and health care-seeking behaviors, as well as adherence to medical care, all have critical effects on reproductive health in CKD. This review endeavors to explore the implications of both sex and gender on overall reproductive health in individuals living with CKD.

International audience; Due to the more frequent use of crop models at regional and national scale, the effects of spatial data input resolution have gained increased attention. However, little is known about the influence of variability in crop management on model outputs. A constant and uniform crop management is often considered over the simulated area and period. This study determines the influence of crop management adapted to climatic conditions and input data resolution on regional-scale outputs of crop models. For this purpose, winter wheat and maize were simulated over 30 years with spatially and temporally uniform management or adaptive management for North Rhine-Westphalia ((similar to)34 083 km(2)), Germany. Adaptive management to local climatic conditions was used for 1) sowing date, 2) N fertilization dates, 3) N amounts, and 4) crop cycle length. Therefore, the models were applied with four different management sets for each crop. Input data for climate, soil and management were selected at five resolutions, from 1 x 1 km to 100 x 100 km grid size. Overall, 11 crop models were used to predict regional mean crop yield, actual evapotranspiration, and drainage. Adaptive management had little effect (< 10% difference) on the 30-year mean of the three output variables for most models and did not depend on soil, climate, and management resolution. Nevertheless, the effect was substantial for certain models, up to 31% on yield, 27% on evapotranspiration, and 12% on drainage compared to the uniform management reference. In general, effects were stronger on yield than on evapotranspiration and drainage, which had little sensitivity to changes in management. Scaling effects were generally lower than management effects on yield and evapotranspiration as opposed to drainage. Despite this trend, sensitivity to management and scaling varied greatly among the models. At the annual scale, effects were stronger in certain years, particularly the management effect on yield. These results imply that depending on the model, the representation of management should be carefully chosen, particularly when simulating yields and for predictions on annual scale.

Population ageing and shrinking are demographic phenomena with far-reaching implications for sustainability in the current context of extensive and rapid urbanization. This Perspective rationalizes their interface by (a) identifying the challenges and opportunities that ageing and shrinking urban populations will have for implementing the sustainable development goals (SDGs), and (b) discussing some emerging interventions to capitalise on the opportunities and reduce the challenges to achieving sustainability. We argue that a diverse set of context-specific technological, socioeconomic, institutional and governance interventions would be needed to leverage effectively the opportunities and minimize the risks posed by ageing and shrinking urban populations for long-term sustainability.

QC 20210623

The Strategic Choice of Measures (SCM) approach aims to integrate different perspectives and identify measures to adapt new infrastructure projects to their local context at an early stage of Swedish transport planning. SCM is a loosely structured framework for collaboration between actors from, e.g., municipalities and the Swedish Transport Administration, in order to facilitate the coordination of transport planning and land use planning. This paper aims to explore the consideration of environmental aspects in early-stage transport planning by analyzing the SCM approach. An explorative research approach is applied based on literature studies, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group interview. The result shows that in the SCM process, environmental aspects such as noise and air pollution generated by road traffic in urban areas, engage the actors, whereas aspects related to landscape and water were perceived as poorly addressed and received less attention. The consideration of environmental aspects in the SCM process is affected by the local and national authorities&rsquo, different interests and the competences involved. To consolidate environmental aspects in early transport planning, these aspects need to be explicitly addressed in the SCM guidelines and the link between the SCM and preceding and following planning stages needs to be strengthened.

The effects of aggregating soil data (DAE) by areal majority of soil mapping units was explored for regional simulations with the soil-vegetation model CoupModel for a region in Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia). DAE were analysed for wheat yield, drainage, soil carbon mineralisation and nitrogen leaching below the root zone. DAE were higher for soil C mineralization and N leaching than for yield and drainage and were strongly related to the presence of specific soils within the study region. These soil types were associated to extreme simulated output variables compared to the mean variable in the region. The spatial aggregation of these key functional soils within sub-regions additionally influenced the DAE. A spatial analysis of their spatial pattern (i.e. their presence/absence, coverage and aggregation) can help in defining the appropriate grid resolution that would minimize the error caused by aggregating soil input data in regional simulations.

The potential of modified spring barley crops with improved nitrogen (N) use efficiency to reduce nitrogen (N) leaching and to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) storage was assessed at the regional scale. This was done using simulation model applications designed for reporting according to the Helcom (Helsinki Commission) and Kyoto protocols. Using model simulations based on modified crops N dynamics and SOC were assessed for three agro-ecological regions (latitudes ranging 55°20′–60°40′ N) in Sweden over a 20-year period. The modified N use properties of spring barley were implemented in the SOILNDB model (simulating soil C, N, water and heat, and plant N dynamics) by changing the parameters for root N uptake efficiency and plant N demand within a range given by previous model applications to different crops. A doubling of the daily N uptake efficiency and increased N demand (by ca 30%) reduced N leaching by 24%–31%, increased plant N content by 9%–12%, depending on region. The effects of the mo...

Background/Aims: Men with terminal renal failure are often infertile. Anti-müllerian hormone (AMH), a marker of Sertoli cell function, is decreased among men with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Recently, a microRNA, miR-155, has been shown to be a potential marker for subfertility. We studied miR-155 and semen parameters in patients with CKD who were not yet on dialysis. We also aimed to study possible associations between AMH, miR-155, and semen parameters to evaluate them as markers of fertility. Methods: Thirty male patients with CKD 1–4 as well as 18 healthy controls were enrolled. Results: Serum levels of miR-155 were significantly higher among men with CKD stages 1–2 (4.51 ± 3.81 [p = 0.01]) and stages 3–4 (2.75 ± 1.77 [p = 0.006]) than in controls (1.09 ± 0.44). Sperm concentration was significantly lower among men with CKD 3–4 (42 ± 29) ×106/mL compared to controls (88 ± 42) ×106/mL (p = 0.011). High levels of miR-155 were associated with a relatively low sperm concentration (p = 0.02) and with a low total sperm number (p = 0.005). Low AMH levels were associated with a decreased percentage of motile sperm cells (p = 0.02). Conclusions: We conclude that men with stage 3–4 CKD had lower sperm concentrations than healthy fertile men and that increased serum miR-155 in men with stage 1–4 CKD was associated with semen parameters that indicate subfertility. Low AMH levels were associated with a low percentage of the total number of motile sperm cells. miR-155 and AMH may be potential markers of subfertility in men with CKD.

Population ageing and shrinking are demographic phenomena with far-reaching implications for sustainability in the currentcontext of extensive and rapid urbanization. This Perspective rationalizes their interface by (a) identifying the challenges andopportunities that ageing and shrinking urban populations will have for implementing the sustainable development goals (SDGs),and (b) discussing some emerging interventions to capitalise on the opportunities and reducethechallengestoachievingsustainability. We argue that a diverse set of context-specific technological, socioeconomic, institutional and governanceinterventions would be needed to leverage effectively the opportunities and minimize the risks posed by ageing and shrinkingurban populations for long-term sustainability.

Plant breeding is a powerful tool for improving nitrogen (N) uptake efficiency and thus reducing the environmental impact relating to crop production. This study evaluated the environmental impact of current barley production systems in two Swedish agricultural areas (South and East) compared with scenarios with improved N uptake efficiency at two levels, in which the fraction of mineral N available for daily crop uptake was increased by 50 and 100%. Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was used to quantify energy use, global warming potential (GWP) and acidification and eutrophication potentials along the production chain for spring barley with differing N uptake efficiency, but similar N application rate. The functional unit, to which all energy use and emissions were related, was 1 Mg barley grain. Energy use, GWP and acidification proved to be higher for the East production system, mainly due to lower yield, while eutrophication was higher for South. The two impacts most affected by improved N uptake efficiency were eutrophication and GWP, with GWP decreasing due to a combination of higher yield, soil carbon sequestration and lower indirect emissions of N 2 O due to lower N leaching. Accounting for land savings due to increased yield, reducing the pressure to transform land elsewhere, would further lower the carbon footprint. Potential eutrophication per Mg grain was reduced by 15% in the production system with the highest N uptake efficiency in southern Sweden. Crops with improved N uptake efficiency can thus be an important complementary measure for reducing N losses to water, provided that the N application rate does not increase. However, incentives for farmers to maintain or even lower the N application rate might be required. Using simulation modelling is a promising approach for assessment of expected effects of improved crop varieties when no long-term experimental data are available. However, advanced crop models are required to better reflect the effect of plant breeding on e.g. expected yield. Future model development should involve expertise in plant breeding, plant physiology and dynamic crop and soil modelling.