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Accurate estimates of forest aboveground biomass density (AGBD) are essential to guide mitigation strategies for climate change. NASA's Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) project delivers full-waveform LiDAR data and provides a unique opportunity to improve AGBD estimates. However, global GEDI estimates (GEDI-L4A) have some constraints, such as lack of full coverage of AGBD maps and scarcity of training data for some biomes, particularly in arid areas. Moreover, uncertainties remain about the type of GEDI footprint that best penetrates the canopy and yields accurate vegetation structure metrics. This study estimates forest biomass of arid and semi-arid zones in two stages. First, a model was fitted to predict AGBD by relating GEDI and field data from different vegetation types, including xeric shrubland. Second, different footprint qualities were evaluated, and their AGBD was related to images from Sentinel-1 and -2 satellites to produce a wall-to-wall map of AGBD. The model fitted with field data and GEDI showed adequate performance (%RMSE = 45.0) and produced more accurate estimates than GEDI-L4A (%RMSE = 84.6). The wall-to-wall mapping model also performed well (%RMSE = 37.0) and substantially reduced the underestimation of AGBD for arid zones. This study highlights the advantages of fitting new models for AGBD estimation from GEDI and local field data, whose combination with satellite imagery yielded accurate wall-to-wall AGBD estimates with a 10 m resolution. The results of this study contribute new perspectives to improve the accuracy of AGBD estimates in arid zones, whose role in climate change mitigation may be markedly underestimated.

Presentación del dossier escrito por el editor invitado, José Domingo Schievenini Stefanoni.

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Los manglares son ecosistemas prioritarios para la conservación. Proveen diversos servicios ecosistémicos y son clave para el ciclo vital de muchas especies. Sin embargo, se encuentran amenazados por diversas actividades productivas y por fenómenos naturales como los huracanes, que impactan las costas causando daños en la vegetación. Monitorear los efectos del impacto de huracanes en las zonas de manglar es una tarea compleja, ya que son necesarios muchos recursos para acceder a los sitios devastados y para realizar evaluaciones en grandes superficies. Por ello, los datos de sensores remotos representan herramientas con un gran potencial para el estudio de las zonas más vulnerables. El objetivo principal de este estudio fue evaluar el impacto producido por el huracán Lorena que golpeó el archipiélago de Espíritu Santo, localizado en Baja California Sur, México, en el verano del año 2019. Se utilizaron imágenes del satélite Sentinel-2 tomadas antes (09/09/2019) y después (24/09/2019) del paso del huracán, con las cuales se calcularon cuatro índices de vegetación (IV) relacionados con la actividad fotosintética y el contenido de humedad del dosel. De igual forma, se calculó ΔIV para cada índice, que representa la reducción proporcional del valor del IV después del impacto. Los resultados generales mostraron un incremento de los valores de los cuatro IV en el área de estudio, lo cual podría explicarse por la velocidad del viento relativamente baja y el aporte de agua por la precipitación asociada al huracán Lorena. Sin embargo, los IV utilizados tuvieron una respuesta diferenciada, lo que demuestra la importancia de utilizar más de un indicador en los estudios que evalúen el impacto de fenómenos naturales en la vegetación costera.

Wood fuel from the agroforestry sector is one of the main strategies cited by the EU for reducing energetic dependance on foreign markets. Its sustainability, both economic and environmental, can be improved through the optimization of harvesting and chipping operations. This study was focused on the dynamic and energetic balance of the chipping phase carried out by a chipper operated by the power-take-off (PTO) of a medium-power tractor. Both machines were equipped with sensors for real-time monitoring of fuel consumption, PTO torque and speed, trunk diameter and working time during the comminution of 61 poplar trees grown in a medium rotation coppice system. The data analysis was carried out on the entire dataset (about 29,000 records) without considering their belonging to different trees. By means of proper data ordinations, it has been possible to define all the intervals in which the chipping stopped (e.g., between two trees) and to exclude them from the intervals of actual chipping. This has allowed forcomputation of operative and actual working time, as well as of the basic power required to operate the chipper and the power for actual chipping. Subsequently, the parameter values observed during actual chipping were related to the cutting diameters measured at the same instant. Subsequently, the dataset was divided according to seven diameter classes, and, for each class, the descriptive statistical indices of working time, work productivity, CO2 emissions, energy requirement and fuel consumption were calculated. Eventually, the correlation between the variations in trunk diameter and other parameters was verified both on the whole dataset and based on the class average values. The analysis made it possible to identify the conditions of greatest efficiency for the chipper. More generally, the method could help to increase the accuracy of measurements aimed at characterizing the performance of chippers from the point of view of dynamic energy requirements as well as in relation to different wood species.

We performed a monocentric, retrospective real-world analysis (RWA) to evaluate the feasibility and the main results of an autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT)-based program in a cohort of 90 newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients aged > 65 years who were deemed eligible to such program on the basis of a simplified frailty score. Seventy-six patients received at least one ASCT and 14 patients received also the second. Median progression-free survival was 42 months and overall survival was 84 months. These results compare well with those of other RWAs, and pave the way to further improvements upon incorporation of an anti-CD38+ monoclonal antibody in the ASCT programs.

Data capturing multiple axes of tree size and shape, such as a tree's stem diameter, height and crown size, underpin a wide range of ecological research-from developing and testing theory on forest structure and dynamics, to estimating forest carbon stocks and their uncertainties, and integrating remote sensing imagery into forest monitoring programmes. However, these data can be surprisingly hard to come by, particularly for certain regions of the world and for specific taxonomic groups, posing a real barrier to progress in these fields. To overcome this challenge, we developed the Tallo database, a collection of 498,838 georeferenced and taxonomically standardized records of individual trees for which stem diameter, height and/or crown radius have been measured. These data were collected at 61,856 globally distributed sites, spanning all major forested and non-forested biomes. The majority of trees in the database are identified to species (88%), and collectively Tallo includes data for 5163 species distributed across 1453 genera and 187 plant families. The database is publicly archived under a CC-BY 4.0 licence and can be access from: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6637599. To demonstrate its value, here we present three case studies that highlight how the Tallo database can be used to address a range of theoretical and applied questions in ecology-from testing the predictions of metabolic scaling theory, to exploring the limits of tree allometric plasticity along environmental gradients and modelling global variation in maximum attainable tree height. In doing so, we provide a key resource for field ecologists, remote sensing researchers and the modelling community working together to better understand the role that trees play in regulating the terrestrial carbon cycle.

Forests that regrow naturally on abandoned fields are important for restoring biodiversity and ecosystem services, but can they also preserve the distinct regional tree floras? Using the floristic composition of 1215 early successional forests (≤20 years) in 75 human-modified landscapes across the Neotropic realm, we identified 14 distinct floristic groups, with a between-group dissimilarity of 0.97. Floristic groups were associated with location, bioregions, soil pH, temperature seasonality, and water availability. Hence, there is large continental-scale variation in the species composition of early successional forests, which is mainly associated with biogeographic and environmental factors but not with human disturbance indicators. This floristic distinctiveness is partially driven by regionally restricted species belonging to widespread genera. Early secondary forests contribute therefore to restoring and conserving the distinctiveness of bioregions across the Neotropical realm, and forest restoration initiatives should use local species to assure that these distinct floras are maintained.

Los bosques nativos de Uruguay brindan importantes servicios ecosistémicos. A pesar de esto, son escasos los mapas con la distribución espacial de atributos de la vegetación en el país. El objetivo de este estudio fue obtener mapas con la distribución espacial de la biomasa aérea y la riqueza de especies que muestren zonas con altas concentraciones de ambas variables, fundamentales para la mitigación del cambio climático y la conservación la biodiversidad. El área de estudio comprende la ecorregión Cuenca Sedimentaria Gondwánica. Para la estimación de la biomasa aérea y la riqueza de especies se utilizaron Modelos Lineales Generalizados, donde las variables de respuesta fueron calculadas utilizando datos de campo del Inventario Forestal Nacional. Las variables explicativas en el modelo se obtuvieron con información espectral, de retrodispersión y de textura derivada de Sentinel-2, y ALOS PALSAR; así como de datos ambientales, de topografía y clima. El modelo para la estimación de biomasa presentó una devianza explicada (D2) de 0,25, mientras que el de riqueza de especies la D2 fue 0,19. Para evaluar ambos modelos se realizaron validaciones cruzadas, obteniendo un R2 de 0,25 para biomasa y de 0,20 para riqueza de especies, con un error cuadrático medio relativo de 45,8 % y de 32,5 %, respectivamente. El mapa bivariado con la distribución conjunta de la riqueza de especies y la biomasa aérea muestra que existe una correlación positiva entre ambas variables en el 63,8 % de la superficie de bosque nativo de la ecorregión. Los resultados de este trabajo podrían ser utilizados tanto para el mantenimiento de los almacenes de carbono, como para la conservación de la biodiversidad.

Antecedentes: Los mapas de bosques perturbados son útiles para identificar afectaciones sobre la biodiversidad y los servicios ecosistémicos. Los métodos que emplean únicamente datos espectrales para detectar las perturbaciones a nivel regional tienen limitaciones. El conocimiento de expertos y el análisis de fragmentación puede mejorar la estimación. Preguntas: ¿Cuál es la distribución de los bosques perturbados en una región de alta biodiversidad? ¿Qué tipos de vegetación y regiones son las más afectadas? Descripción de los datos: imágenes satelitales SPOT 2015, Sentinel-2 de 2019. Se colectó información de la vegetación en 653 sitios. Además, se usaron datos de herbario, censos agrícolas y del Inventario Nacional Forestal. Lugar y fecha del estudio: Estado de Chiapas, durante 2018-2022. Métodos: Se elaboró un mapa híbrido de los tipos de vegetación enfatizando la identificación de bosques secundarios, también se realizó un análisis de fragmentación y se calculó la biomasa leñosa por tipo de bosque. Resultados: El 40 % de la superficie del Estado mantiene una cobertura arbórea; pero solo en el 12 % no se aprecia perturbación; la mayor parte de los bosques no perturbados se encuentran en tres regiones: Selva Lacandona, Sierra Madre y Planicie del Golfo. En general la biomasa de los bosques perturbados es significativamente menor que la de su contraparte madura. Conclusiones: En Chiapas la distribución de los bosques en buen estado de conservación está restringida; casi la mitad de ellos se encuentran fuera de las ANP, por lo que es imperativo promover estrategias adicionales para su manejo y conservación.

Abstract Background Phelan–McDermid syndrome (PMS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by developmental delay, intellectual disability, and autistic-like behaviors and is primarily caused by haploinsufficiency of SHANK3 gene. Currently, there is no specific treatment for PMS, highlighting the need for a better understanding of SHANK3 functions and the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms in the brain. We hypothesize that SHANK3 haploinsufficiency may lead to alterations in the inhibitory system, which could be linked to the excitatory/inhibitory imbalance observed in models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Investigation of these neuropathological features may shed light on the pathogenesis of PMS and potential therapeutic interventions. Methods We recorded local field potentials and visual evoked responses in the visual cortex of Shank3∆11−/− mice. Then, to understand the impact of Shank3 in inhibitory neurons, we generated Pv-cre+/− Shank3 Fl/Wt conditional mice, in which Shank3 was deleted in parvalbumin-positive neurons. We characterized the phenotype of this murine model and we compared this phenotype before and after ganaxolone administration. Results We found, in the primary visual cortex, an alteration of the gain control of Shank3 KO compared with Wt mice, indicating a deficit of inhibition on pyramidal neurons. This alteration was rescued after the potentiation of GABAA receptor activity by Midazolam. Behavioral analysis showed an impairment in grooming, memory, and motor coordination of Pv-cre+/− Shank3 Fl/Wt compared with Pv-cre+/− Shank3 Wt/Wt mice. These deficits were rescued with ganaxolone, a positive modulator of GABAA receptors. Furthermore, we demonstrated that treatment with ganaxolone also ameliorated evocative memory deficits and repetitive behavior of Shank3 KO mice. Limitations Despite the significant findings of our study, some limitations remain. Firstly, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the link between Shank3 deletion in PV neurons and behavioral alterations need further investigation. Additionally, the impact of Shank3 on other classes of inhibitory neurons requires further exploration. Finally, the pharmacological activity of ganaxolone needs further characterization to improve our understanding of its potential therapeutic effects. Conclusions Our study provides evidence that Shank3 deletion leads to an alteration in inhibitory feedback on cortical pyramidal neurons, resulting in cortical hyperexcitability and ASD-like behavioral problems. Specifically, cell type-specific deletion of Shank3 in PV neurons was associated with these behavioral deficits. Our findings suggest that ganaxolone may be a potential pharmacological approach for treating PMS, as it was able to rescue the behavioral deficits in Shank3 KO mice. Overall, our study highlights the importance of investigating the role of inhibitory neurons and potential therapeutic interventions in neurodevelopmental disorders such as PMS.

The structure and diversity of plant communities respond to changes in landscape structure and vary with spatial scale, stand age and plant size. Therefore, it is important to identify the scale (grain size and extent) at which secondary forest attributes of large and/or small plants and landscape structure are more closely associated. We performed multi-scale analyses in which different grain sizes and extents were assessed to determine the most appropriate spatial scale for assessing the association of large/small tree aboveground biomass and species richness with successional age and landscape structure using regression analysis. AGB and species richness were more strongly associated with landscape structure when large grain sizes (500 m2) were used, with R2 values between 0.31 and 0.43. Variation in AGB and species richness was explained primarily by successional age and landscape structure, respectively. At large extents, successional age was related to the AGB of large trees (R2 = 0.43); at intermediate extents, landscape structure was related to the species richness of large trees (R2 = 0.31). The approach and results of this study may facilitate the identification of appropriate areas and scales for the maintenance or restoration of tree diversity, carbon storage, and the provision of ecosystem services in tropical dry forests.

A wide variety of enterprises, corporations, communications service providers (CSPs), and experts have highlighted the difficulty of managing modern networks. These networks exhibit high-impact technological innovations, such as cloud computing, mobility, new traffic profiles, network functions virtualization (NFV), the Internet of things (IoT), Big Data, among others. Network automation is a methodology in which physical and virtual network devices are automatically configured, provisioned, managed, and tested using software. Large enterprises such as Cisco, Juniper, Red Hat, and VMWare offer proprietary solutions for network automation. Additionally, the number of tools assisting in network automation has recently increased. Taken together, these developments have changed the way administrators build and manage networks. In this regard, most large communications operators are now working and moving toward truly autonomous networks that will eventually require an intensive use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Advances in the area show that three specific segments —CSPs, Cloud Providers, and Enterprises— are all at different stages of automation maturity. Over time, network automation is expected to reach smaller organizations as well. This paper presents a specialized, detailed and current technical study on the state of the art in network automation, highlighting the trends observed in information technology (IT) environments, enterprises and communications operators —which are closely involved in this technology—, and concludes with a discussion on automation tools.

Optimization is a mathematical discipline or tool suitable for minimizing or maximizing a function. It has been largely used in every scientific field to solve problems where it is necessary to find a local or global optimum. In the engineering field of localization, optimization has been adopted too, and in the literature, there are several proposals and applications that have been presented. In the first part of this article, the optimization problem is presented by considering the subject from a purely theoretical point of view and both single objective (SO) optimization and multi-objective (MO) optimization problems are defined. Additionally, it is reported how local and global optimization problems can be tackled differently, and the main characteristics of the related algorithms are outlined. In the second part of the article, extensive research about local and global localization algorithms is reported and some optimization methods for local and global optimum algorithms, such as the Gauss–Newton method, Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Differential Evolution (DE), and so on, are presented; for each of them, the main concept on which the algorithm is based, the mathematical model, and an example of the application proposed in the literature for localization purposes are reported. Among all investigated methods, the metaheuristic algorithms, which do not exploit gradient information, are the most suitable to solve localization problems due to their flexibility and capability in solving non-convex and non-linear optimization functions.

Coffee is one of the most important agricultural commodities. Agroforestry systems (AFS) are increasingly used in coffee cultivation because of environmental benefits, adaptability of the systems, and economic profits. However, identifying the spatial distribution of AFS through remote sensing continues to be challenging. The current systematic review focuses on the accuracies obtained and the computational methods and satellite data used in mapping coffee AFS between 2000 and 2020. To facilitate the analysis, we ordered the mapped AFS into five classes according to their density and species composition of shade trees. The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to evaluate significative differences among classes. Both shade-tree densities and species composition affected the accuracy level. The worst results were obtained in AFS retaining many woody species from the original forest and high tree density (user accuracy [Formula: see text]0.5). About the methods, maximum likelihood was the most widely used with very variable results; some non-parametric methods such as CART, ISODATA, RF, SMA, and SVM presented consistently high accuracy ([Formula: see text]0.75). High spatial resolution multispectral imagery was suitable for mapping AFS; very few studies were found with radar imagery, so it would be desirable to increase its use combined with optical data.

Computational models based on recent maps of the RBC proteome suggest that mature erythrocytes may harbor targets for common drugs. This prediction is relevant to RBC storage in the blood bank, in which the impact of small molecule drugs or other xenometabolites deriving from dietary, iatrogenic, or environmental exposures ("exposome") may alter erythrocyte energy and redox metabolism and, in so doing, affect red cell storage quality and posttransfusion efficacy. To test this prediction, here we provide a comprehensive characterization of the blood donor exposome, including the detection of common prescription and over-the-counter drugs in blood units donated by 250 healthy volunteers in the Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study III Red Blood Cell-Omics (REDS-III RBC-Omics) Study. Based on high-throughput drug screenings of 1366 FDA-approved drugs, we report that approximately 65% of the tested drugs had an impact on erythrocyte metabolism. Machine learning models built using metabolites as predictors were able to accurately predict drugs for several drug classes/targets (bisphosphonates, anticholinergics, calcium channel blockers, adrenergics, proton pump inhibitors, antimetabolites, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and mTOR), suggesting that these drugs have a direct, conserved, and substantial impact on erythrocyte metabolism. As a proof of principle, here we show that the antacid ranitidine - though rarely detected in the blood donor population - has a strong effect on RBC markers of storage quality in vitro. We thus show that supplementation of blood units stored in bags with ranitidine could - through mechanisms involving sphingosine 1-phosphate-dependent modulation of erythrocyte glycolysis and/or direct binding to hemoglobin - improve erythrocyte metabolism and storage quality.

BackgroundCigarette smoking is a frequent habit across blood donors (approx. 13% of the donor population), that could compound biologic factors and exacerbate oxidant stress to stored red blood cells (RBCs).Study design and methodsAs part of the REDS-III RBC-Omics (Recipient Epidemiology Donor Evaluation Study III Red Blood Cell-Omics) study, a total of 599 samples were sterilely drawn from RBC units stored under blood bank conditions at Storage Days 10, 23, and 42 days, before testing for hemolysis parameters and metabolomics. Quantitative measurements of nicotine and its metabolites cotinine and cotinine oxide were performed against deuterium-labeled internal standards.ResultsDonors whose blood cotinine levels exceeded 10 ng/mL (14% of the tested donors) were characterized by higher levels of early glycolytic intermediates, pentose phosphate pathway metabolites, and pyruvate-to-lactate ratios, all markers of increased basal oxidant stress. Consistently, increased glutathionylation of oxidized triose sugars and lipid aldehydes was observed in RBCs donated by nicotine-exposed donors, which were also characterized by increased fatty acid desaturation, purine salvage, and methionine oxidation and consumption via pathways involved in oxidative stress-triggered protein damage-repair mechanisms.ConclusionRBCs from donors with high levels of nicotine exposure are characterized by increases in basal oxidant stress and decreases in osmotic hemolysis. These findings indicate the need for future clinical studies aimed at addressing the impact of smoking and other sources of nicotine (e.g., nicotine patches, snuff, vaping, secondhand tobacco smoke) on RBC storage quality and transfusion efficacy.

The recent elections in Paraguay, held on April 30, once again gave victory to the Colorado Party, which has remained in power, with a small hiatus, for more than seven decades. The new president, Santiago Peña, is a protégé of former President Horacio Cartes, sanctioned by the United States for considering him "significantly corrupt." The US sanctions, which en-trenched the Colorados in a nationalist discourse, were added, during the campaign, to geopolitical issues such as relations with Taiwan or the change of embassy from Tel Aviv to Jeru-salem, in addition to definitions on Mercosur or relations with Venezuela.

Arctic ground squirrels provide a unique model to investigate metabolic responses to hibernation in mammals. During winter months these rodents are exposed to severe hypothermia, prolonged fasting, and hypoxemia. In the light of their role in oxygen transport/off-loading and owing to the absence of nuclei and organelles (and thus de novo protein synthesis capacity), mature red blood cells have evolved metabolic programs to counteract physiological or pathological hypoxemia. However, red blood cell metabolism in hibernation has not yet been investigated. Here we employed targeted and untargeted metabolomics approaches to investigate erythrocyte metabolism during entrance to torpor to arousal, with a high resolution of the intermediate time points. We report that torpor and arousal promote metabolism through glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway, respectively, consistent with previous models of oxygen-dependent metabolic modulation in mature erythrocytes. Erythrocytes from hibernating squirrels showed up to 100-fold lower levels of biomarkers of reperfusion injury, such as the pro-inflammatory dicarboxylate succinate. Altered tryptophan metabolism during torpor was here correlated to the accumulation of potentially neurotoxic catabolites kynurenine, quinolinate, and picolinate. Arousal was accompanied by alterations of sulfur metabolism, including sudden spikes in a metabolite putatively identified as thiorphan (level 1 confidence)-a potent inhibitor of several metalloproteases that play a crucial role in nociception and inflammatory complication to reperfusion secondary to ischemia or hemorrhage. Preliminary studies in rats showed that intravenous injection of thiorphan prior to resuscitation mitigates metabolic and cytokine markers of reperfusion injury, etiological contributors to inflammatory complications after shock.

Tropical forests hold large stocks of carbon in biomass and face pressures from changing climate and anthropogenic disturbance. Forests' capacity to store biomass under future conditions and accumulate biomass during regrowth after clearance are major knowledge gaps. Here we use chronosequence data, satellite observations and a C-cycle model to diagnose woody C dynamics in two dry forest ecotypes (semi-deciduous and semi-evergreen) in Yucatán, Mexico. Woody biomass differences between mature semi-deciduous (90 MgC ha−1) and semi-evergreen (175 MgC ha−1) forest landscapes are mostly explained by differences in climate (c. 60%), particularly temperature, humidity and soil moisture effects on production. Functional variation in foliar phenology, woody allocation, and wood turnover rate explained c. 40% of biomass differences between ecotypes. Modeling experiments explored varied forest clearance and regrowth cycles, under a range of climate and CO2 change scenarios to 2100. Production and steady state biomass in both ecotypes were reduced by forecast warming and drying (mean biomass 2021–2100 reduced 16–19% compared to 2001–2020), but compensated by fertilisation from rising CO2. Functional analysis indicates that trait adjustments amplify biomass losses by 70%. Experiments with disturbance and recovery across historically reported levels indicate reductions to mean forest biomass stocks over 2021–2100 similar in magnitude to climate impacts (10–19% reductions for disturbance with recovery). Forest disturbance without regrowth amplifies biomass loss by three- or four-fold. We conclude that vegetation functional differences across the Yucatán climate gradient have developed to limit climate risks. Climate change will therefore lead to functional adjustments for all forest types. These adjustments are likely to magnify biomass reductions caused directly by climate change over the coming century. However, the range of impacts of land use and land use change are as, or more, substantive than the totality of direct and indirect climate impacts. Thus the carbon storage of Yucatan's forests is highly vulnerable both to climate and land use and land use change. Our results here should be used to test and enhance land surface models use for dry forest carbon cycle assessment regionally and globally. A single plant functional type approach for modeling Yucatán's forests is not justified.

Autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (aPBSCT) provides optimal outcomes in POEMS syndrome but the definition of the best treatment before aPBSCT remains to be defined because of the rarity of the disease and the heterogeneity of published case series. We collected clinical and laboratory data of patients with POEMS syndrome undergoing aPBSCT from 1998 to 2020 in ten Italian centers. The primary endpoint of the study was to evaluate the impact of prior therapies and mobilization regimen on outcome. We divided the patients into three groups: patients who did not receive any treatment before transplant (15 patients, group A: front-line), patients pre-treated with other agents (14 patients, group B) and patients treated with cyclophosphamide as their mobilizing regimen (16 patients, group C). The three groups did not show differences in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics. All 45 patients underwent aPBSCT after a high-dose melphalan conditioning regimen, with a median follow-up of 77 months (range, 37-169 months). The responses were not statistically different between the three groups (P=0.38). Progression-free and overall survival rates at 6 years were: 70% (95% confidence interval: 55-85%) and 91% (95% confidence interval: 82-99) 65%, respectively, and did not differ between the three groups. The cumulative incidence of transplant-related mortality and relapse was 4% and 36%, respectively. In conclusion, in a relatively large number of patients with POEMS syndrome, undergoing an autologous transplant, pre-treatment and disease status at transplant did not appear to have an impact on major transplant outcomes.

The emergence of a new type of far right movements embodies some-thing quite different from the conventional right-wing politics of the 80s or 90s. The thesis of this article is that we are facing more than just new forms of conservative reaction; the new right-wingers chal-lenge the left on the disputed field of social nonconformism in a con-text in which the image of the "decadence of the West" resonates again. This political-cultural complex functions a lot like a rhizome, that is, as a structure without a center, without lines of pyramidal or arbores-cent subordination, without root or trunk, and without predefined artic-ulating joints. Both the new political forces and the circulation of meaning on the Internet are giving shape to a new kind of anti-progressive reaction, with a transgressive spirit as one of its most con-noted elements. While any idea of a thinkable future is in crisis, at least in the West, retro-utopias, conspirative paranoia and certain forms of re-sentment tend to multiply and draw from various sources of indigna-tion. Some key words (cultural marxism, wokeism, new inquisition, etc.) contribute to the construction of discourses in which the left is as-signed to the side of the elites while the reactionary right represents the working masses.