Lund Science (Sweden)

Water has long been a strategic resource in the semi-arid landscapes of Mesopotamia, a region spanning Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers form the lifeline of societies. As water scarcity intensifies due to a combination of climatic stressors and anthropogenic pressures, the governance of transboundary rivers has become critical for ensuring health, food security, and regional stability. The stakes are particularly high in this basin, where upstream–downstream asymmetries shape political relations and exacerbate vulnerabilities.The long-standing dispute between Turkey, the upstream hegemon, and Syria, a downstream user, has deepened in the past decade with the emergence of a de facto Kurdish administration in northern and eastern Syria along Turkey’s southern border. This political reality adds complexity to water governance, intersecting with security concerns and competing narratives of resource control. Despite the centrality of water in these dynamics, empirical verification of water availability and flow remains limited. Data scarcity, driven by sparse in-situ measurements and restricted access to hydrological information, hampers assessment of scarcity and its implications for conflict and cooperation.Against this backdrop, this study examines whether upstream reservoir dynamics at the Atatürk Dam in Turkey are reflected in storage variations at the downstream Tishrin reservoir in Syria, and whether these hydrologic changes are accompanied by detectable signals in agricultural activity. We compiled multi-year satellite-derived time series for both reservoirs and nearby agricultural zones, including reservoir surface water level, precipitation, temperature, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and NDVI-based vegetation activity. Variables were harmonized to a common monthly scale and prepared for anomaly-based analysis to reduce seasonal confounding.A qualitative review of the time series indicates baseline hydroclimatic contrasts between the two study regions. Precipitation, soil moisture, and baseline NDVI appear lower in the Tishrin-side agricultural area than in the Atatürk-side agricultural area, suggesting a more water-limited system and greater sensitivity to variability in water availability. These background differences provide context for downstream vulnerability but do not explain the temporal structure of reservoir storage fluctuations and associated vegetation anomalies. The reservoir and vegetation time series suggest downstream dynamics are constrained within a lower-productivity envelope, consistent with stronger exposure to moisture stress and limits in irrigation reliability.To move from qualitative evidence to attribution, we test whether upstream and downstream reservoir dynamics are coupled once hydroclimatic controls are considered. We use time-series comparison and statistical controls to separate signals linked to reservoir operations from those attributable to regional climate variability, drawing on precipitation, temperature, evapotranspiration, and soil moisture as contextual drivers. We then investigate whether vegetation activity across surrounding agricultural areas covaries with local reservoir conditions and hydroclimatic stress, using NDVI anomalies as an integrated measure of crop response. Finally, land use/land cover trajectories will be evaluated to place short-term variability in a longer-term landscape context, with mapping consistency to ensure apparent shifts in cultivation are not conflated with classification artifacts. This integrated satellite-based framework offers a robust, adaptable basis for evaluating transboundary water-management influences on downstream storage and agricultural conditions in a politically complex setting.

Ozone a short-lived pollutant contributing to the warming of the lower atmosphere. Increased level of ozone can lead to local warming and may impose adverse effect on human and ecosystem health. Although Sweden is not a major source of ozone precursors, its surface ozone levels can be influenced by long-range transport, climate-driven feedbacks, and changes in local anthropogenic and biogenic emissions. Over past decade Sweden has experienced a significant rise in temperature, consistent with the broader Arctic warming trends. Therefore, aim of the present study is to investigate long term trends of surface ozone in Sweden using CAMS reanalysis dataset from 2004 to 2023. Present study utilized the CAMS Formaldehyde (HCHO) and Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at surface to analyze the ozone sensitivity. The ratio of secondary HCHO to NO2 used as the tracer to analyze O3-NOx-VOC sensitivities in Swedish region. HCHO/NO₂ ratio acts as a diagnostic tool because it reflects the relative abundance of VOC-derived radicals versus NOx. This ratio enables identification of ozone formation regimes NOx-limited, VOC-limited, or transitional. From results a statistically significant increasing trend is observed for the surface ozone with a magnitude greater than 0.3 ppbv per year across the Northern Sweden. Decreasing trend for NO2 and increasing trend for HCHO across the Northern Sweden is not statistically significant at 5% significance level. HCHO/NO2 ratio less than 1 across the southern and central part of Sweden indicates that the surface ozone production is more sensitive to VOCs levels, whereas along the Norland region ratio lies between 1 and 2 that suggests that the ozone sensitivity along the Northern Sweden region lies in a transitional regime. Present study findings suggest that surface ozone production in majority of the urban areas in Sweden is sensitive to VOC-limited regime, only rural areas of Northern Sweden lies in transitional regime shift from VOC-limited to NOx-limited. Increasing level of surface ozone results from increased anthropogenic and biogenic emissions that indicates production of surface ozone in Sweden becoming more sensitive to VOCs levels. This study offers information corresponding to ozone production sensitivities to support the strategic management decisions.

<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> Future hydrological droughts in reservoir-regulated regions remain unclear due to the complex interactions between climate change and reservoir operation. Existing studies usually make simple empirical assumptions about historical reservoir operation patterns to explore the role of climate change and reservoir operation on hydrological drought without even considering the role of optimal reservoir operation policies. Here, we take the upper Hanjiang River basin (UHRB) in China as a typical example to project its future hydrological drought evolutions using various standard streamflow indices (i.e., SSI-1, SSI-3, and SSI-12) and to quantify the role of each relevant factor. A new <span>LSTM+Reservoir</span> that combines a long and short-term memory (LSTM)-based hydrological model with a physics-guided LSTM reservoir model is used to perform future projections using the meteorological outputs of five bias-corrected global climate models (GCMs) under three shared socioeconomic CMIP6 pathways (SSP126, SSP370, and SSP585). The results indicate that future climate change over the UHRB tends to reduce natural streamflow and exacerbate hydrological droughts, especially in the far-future period (2071&ndash;2100) under the SSP585 scenario. The operation of Ankang reservoir can mitigate drought frequency, duration, and severity for short-term SSI-1 and SSI-3 but fails for long-term SSI-12. Additionally, optimal reservoir operating policies that aim to maximize hydropower generation and pow generation guarantee rate can well reconcile the trade-off between short-term hydrological drought and hydropower benefits, which underscores the necessity of future reservoir operation improvements.

Despite the high morbidity and severe consequences of epidermolysis bullosa (EB), current treatments remain inadequate, lacking efficacy and the ability to target the microbial and inflammatory components of EB wounds. In this first-in-human open-label, single-arm study—part 3 of a 3-part Phase 1 clinical trial—we examined the safety, tolerability, and systemic exposure of topically applied TCP-25, a thrombin-derived C-terminal peptide with demonstrated anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and wound-healing properties in murine and porcine infection models. Five patients with inherited recessive dystrophic EB received TCP-25 gel, applied to a 50-cm2 primary wound treatment area, which was compared with a reference wound treatment area which received standard wound care alone. TCP-25 gel was also applied to a 50-cm2 secondary wound treatment area of a higher age or in a more complicated area. TCP-25 gel was administered at escalating doses of 7.25 mg, 14.5 mg, 21.5 mg, and 43.0 mg, 3 times per week over 4 consecutive 1-week treatment periods. For the primary safety endpoint, 11 adverse events were recorded, 10 unlikely related to treatment and mild or moderate in severity, with one possibly linked to gel adhesion. Additionally, no abnormal local reactions were observed in any wound treated with TCP-25, nor in any reference wound, compared to expected wound healing outcomes. For the secondary endpoint, we did not observe any systemic plasma uptake of TCP-25 in any participant. In an exploratory analysis, we observed a steady reduction in open wound size in TCP-25-treated primary wounds, culminating in a median reduction of 76% from baseline to Day 29. Reference wounds exhibited variable changes in wound size, including some increases in size at earlier time points. Secondary wounds that were treated with TCP-25 also decreased steadily, reaching a median open wound size reduction of 78% on day 29. Additionally, TCP-25 demonstrated potential efficacy in accelerating wound healing. Topical TCP-25 gel was safe and well tolerated and showed no systemic uptake in patients with dystrophic EB, demonstrating promising effects on wound healing. Clinical trial NCT05378997 was registered 2022–05-12 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05378997) and amended 2024–02-12 to include Part-3 on dystrophic EB. The amendment was prospectively registered at EudraCT (2021-004728-14).

The Compound Semiconductor Week 2024 (CSW2024) was held in Lund, Sweden, from 3 to 6 May 2024. CSW is a yearly conference covering optical, electronic and materials aspects of compound semiconductor devices, such as GaAs, InP and GaN. The conference was very well attended, with 199 participants from 22 countries. A total of 169 abstracts were submitted, resulting in 84 oral and 75 poster presentations. The conference topics included materials epitaxy, fabrication and characterization, device technology and applications, nanostructures and quantum physics and technology innovations. CSW2024 had two plenary presentations and 25 invited presentations. The first plenary talk was given by Nadine Collaert from IMEC with the title “Connecting the Dots - Heterogeneous Integration, III-V, and the Future of Connectivity”. The second plenary was by Srabanti Chowdhury from Stanford, with “Powering up with Gallium Nitride technologies”. It is our pleasure to publish the CSW2024 special issue of physica status solidi (a) and (b). A total of 10 articles were accepted, with 7 articles for pss (a) and 3 for pss (b) (DOI 10.1002/pssb.202400368, 10.1002/pssb.202400446, 10.1002/pssb.202400447), all covering different aspects of the conference. Finally, we would like to acknowledge all committee members, sponsors, and the publication team behind physica status solidi for their excellent support of CSW2024. Conference Chair: Lars-Erik Wernersson, Lund University Program Chair: Erik Lind, Lund University Local Chair: Knut Deppert, Lund University Guest Editors: Erik Lind, Lars-Erik Wernersson and Magnus Borgström, Lund University

ABSTRACTAimAlthough evidence supporting mother‐newborn couplet care continues to grow, its clinical integration remains inconsistent due to ongoing barriers. This study aimed to describe current practices of mother‐newborn couplet care in Danish obstetric and neonatal departments.MethodsA national cross‐sectional survey was conducted in all Danish neonatal and obstetric departments. An online questionnaire identified organisational structures, collaboration between departments, and interprofessional education. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively, while qualitative responses were evaluated using content analysis.ResultsThe response rate was 91% (n = 31/34). Maternal treatment and care provided in neonatal departments were reported as “always” by 33% of respondents, “often” by 44%, and “sometimes” by 17%. Neonatal treatment and care provided in obstetric departments were reported as “always” by 22% of respondents, “often” by 33%, and “sometimes” by 28%. The clinical integration of couplet care depended on the level of medical needs for both. Key barriers included organisational and structural challenges and a lack of formalised interprofessional education.ConclusionThe findings highlight the current situation of reducing mother–newborn separation through couplet care. Most Danish departments report that mothers and newborns can often be cared for together. However, organisational and structural barriers still prevent the integration of mother–newborn couplet care.

In this work we find a unifying scheme for the known explicit complex-valued eigenfunctions on the classical compact Riemannian symmetric spaces. For this we employ the well-known Cartan embedding for those spaces. This also leads to the construction of new eigenfunctions on the quaternionic Grassmannians.