Marco Capodiferro

The aim of my work is to assess contamination levels of: (a) environmental media with which the studied population comes into contact, such as air, soil, water, settled dust and (b) several food items either through the food web (metals, pesticides, POPs) or through food contact materials (plasticizers). This will include use of data that are (a) measured (from the partner repository in Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, France and Spain) as well as (b) modelled through the multimedia environmental and probabilistic exposure modelling platform INTEGRA ((a) pre-conception; (b) pregnancy; (c) birth and perinatal period; (d) infancy before 3 years of age; (e) childhood (school children); (f) adolescence; (g) adulthood before 40 years; (h) 55-65 years; (i) 75-80 years (per gender, 85 years in women); (j) >80-5 years of age)[1]. The latter will also be used for assessing individual aggregate (multiple pathways and routes) and cumulative (multiple compounds) exposure in a 1700-strong representative cohort from all participating countries and studies. Extrapolation to larger population groups will be done through hierarchical population modelling. Data on location, activity patterns, nutritional habits and consumer products use of the cohort participants will be collected through personalized sensors (GPS, activity and personal exposure sensors in the form of wearable bracelets and use of mobile phone cameras). Due to the substantial technical and ethical hurdles involved in collecting real individual space-time movement data for larger populations, movement and interaction behaviour will be simulated via agent-based models (ABM) informed by sensor web data fusion based on the data collected by the NEUROSOME cohort participants. ABMs organise social behaviours to understand the dynamics of real-world systems by simulating individuals (agents) and their interactions with other agents and the environment as part of a larger complex system. The probability distributions necessary for hierarchical modelling-based extrapolation will be derived based on the emerging behaviour of the agent-based system. Regarding lifetime exposure, assessment will be focused on ten critical stage [2] that have been identified as important in the onset and progress of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.

[1] Sarigiannis D, Karakitsios S, Handakas E, Simou K, Solomou E, Gotti A. Integrated exposure and risk characterization of bisphenol-A in Europe. Food and Chemical Toxicology 2016; 98: 134-147.
[2] (a) pre-conception; (b) pregnancy; (c) birth and perinatal period; (d) infancy before 3 years of age; (e) childhood (school children); (f) adolescence; (g) adulthood before 40 years; (h) 55-65 years; (i) 75-80 years (per gender, 85 years in women); (j) >80-5 years of age.

The aim of my work is to assess contamination levels of: (a) environmental media with which the studied population comes into contact, such as air, soil, water, settled dust and (b) several food items either through the food web (metals, pesticides, POPs) or through food contact materials (plasticizers). This will include use of data that are (a) measured (from the partner repository in Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, France and Spain) as well as (b) modelled through the multimedia environmental and probabilistic exposure modelling platform INTEGRA ((a) pre-conception; (b) pregnancy; (c) birth and perinatal period; (d) infancy before 3 years of age; (e) childhood (school children); (f) adolescence; (g) adulthood before 40 years; (h) 55-65 years; (i) 75-80 years (per gender, 85 years in women); (j) >80-5 years of age)[1]. The latter will also be used for assessing individual aggregate (multiple pathways and routes) and cumulative (multiple compounds) exposure in a 1700-strong representative cohort from all participating countries and studies. Extrapolation to larger population groups will be done through hierarchical population modelling. Data on location, activity patterns, nutritional habits and consumer products use of the cohort participants will be collected through personalized sensors (GPS, activity and personal exposure sensors in the form of wearable bracelets and use of mobile phone cameras). Due to the substantial technical and ethical hurdles involved in collecting real individual space-time movement data for larger populations, movement and interaction behaviour will be simulated via agent-based models (ABM) informed by sensor web data fusion based on the data collected by the NEUROSOME cohort participants. ABMs organise social behaviours to understand the dynamics of real-world systems by simulating individuals (agents) and their interactions with other agents and the environment as part of a larger complex system. The probability distributions necessary for hierarchical modelling-based extrapolation will be derived based on the emerging behaviour of the agent-based system. Regarding lifetime exposure, assessment will be focused on ten critical stage [2] that have been identified as important in the onset and progress of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.

[1] Sarigiannis D, Karakitsios S, Handakas E, Simou K, Solomou E, Gotti A. Integrated exposure and risk characterization of bisphenol-A in Europe. Food and Chemical Toxicology 2016; 98: 134-147.
[2] (a) pre-conception; (b) pregnancy; (c) birth and perinatal period; (d) infancy before 3 years of age; (e) childhood (school children); (f) adolescence; (g) adulthood before 40 years; (h) 55-65 years; (i) 75-80 years (per gender, 85 years in women); (j) >80-5 years of age.