D4.1: Online Knowledge Platform

The OK-Net Arable project has launched a platform aimed at filling the gap in the exchange of information between farmers across Europe. Farmers’ needs were taken into account at every stage of development in order to make it easy for them to use. The platform is available in 10 languages (English, Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, French, German, Hungarian, Italian and Latvian) and the solutions are divided according to the most relevant topics in organic arable farming: Soil quality and fertility, nutrient management, pest and disease control, weed management and solutions for specific crops. Not only can farmers and advisors find solutions and engage with each other, they can also propose solutions. The intention is that this will help fill the current gap in the exchange of farmers’ knowledge

Organic Eprints – helping research results go to work

Research results regarding organic food and farming from Europe have become easily accessible – and so can results from the rest of the world. The Open Access archive Organic Eprints (www.orgprints.org) has developed since the start in 2002 so that it now includes more than 14,000 items, has 27,000 registered users and more than 200,000 visits per month. The archive is open for all to use and registered users can deposit their research publications from refereed journals as well as non-refereed sources. Organisations, research facilities, research programmes and projects are also presented in the archive. Organic Eprints is the largest database in the world with publications about Organic Agriculture & Food Systems research. It can be utilized for entering papers for conferences as seen for the Organic World Congress 2014 and 2008

Study of Bioengineered Zebra Fish Olfactory Receptor 131-2: Receptor Purification and Secondary Structure Analysis

How fishes are able to detect trace molecules in large bodies of water is not understood. It is plausible that they use olfactory receptors to detect water-soluble compounds. How the zebra fish Danio Rerio, an organism with only 98 functional olfactory receptors, is able to selectively detect and recognize numerous compounds in water remains a puzzling phenomenon. We are interested in studying the biochemical and molecular mechanisms of olfaction in fish. Here, we report on the study of a bioengineered zebra fish olfactory receptor OR131-2, affinity-purified from a HEK293S tetracycline-inducible system. This receptor was expressed and translocated to the cell plasma membrane as revealed by confocal microscopy. Circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that the purified zebra fish receptor folded into an α-helical structure, as observed for other G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Our study shows that it is possible to produce viable quantities of the zebra fish olfactory receptor. This will not only enable detailed structural and functional analyses, but also aid in the design of biosensor devices in order to detect water-soluble metabolites or its intermediates, which are associated with human health.Singapore. Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnolog

Marine polymer-gels’ relevance in the atmosphere as aerosols and ccn

Marine polymer gels play a critical role in regulating ocean basin scale biogeochemical dynamics. This brief review introduces the crucial role of marine gels as a source of aerosol particles and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in cloud formation processes, emphasizing Arctic marine microgels. We review the gel’s composition and relation to aerosols, their emergent properties, and physico-chemical processes that explain their change in size spectra, specifically in relation to aerosols and CCN. Understanding organic aerosols and CCN in this context provides clear benefits to quantifying the role of marine nanogel/microgel in microphysical processes leading to cloud formation. This review emphasizes the DOC-marine gel/aerosolized gel-cloud link, critical to developing accurate climate models

Near-surface profiles of aerosol number concentration and temperature over the Arctic Ocean

Temperature and particle number concentration profiles were measured at small height intervals above open and frozen leads and snow surfaces in the central Arctic. The device used was a gradient pole designed to investigate potential particle sources over the central Arctic Ocean. The collected data were fitted according to basic logarithmic flux-profile relationships to calculate the sensible heat flux and particle deposition velocity. Independent measurements by the eddy covariance technique were conducted at the same location. General agreement was observed between the two methods when logarithmic profiles could be fitted to the gradient pole data. In general, snow surfaces behaved as weak particle sinks with a maximum deposition velocity <i>v</i><sub>d</sub> = 1.3 mm s<sup>−1</sup> measured with the gradient pole. The lead surface behaved as a weak particle source before freeze-up with an upward flux <i>F</i><sub>c</sub> = 5.7 × 10<sup>4</sup> particles m<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>, and as a relatively strong heat source after freeze-up, with an upward maximum sensible heat flux <i>H</i> = 13.1 W m<sup>−2</sup>. Over the frozen lead, however, we were unable to resolve any significant aerosol profiles

Near-surface profiles of aerosol number concentration and temperature over the Arctic Ocean

Temperature and particle number concentration profiles were measured at small height intervals above open and frozen leads and snow surfaces in the central Arctic. The device used was a gradient pole designed to investigate potential particle sources over the central Arctic Ocean. The collected data were fitted according to basic logarithmic flux-profile relationships to calculate the sensible heat flux and particle deposition velocity. Independent measurements by the eddy covariance technique were conducted at the same location. General agreement was observed between the two methods when logarithmic profiles could be fitted to the gradient pole data. In general, snow surfaces behaved as weak particle sinks with a maximum deposition velocity vd = 1.3 mm s−1 measured with the gradient pole. The lead surface behaved as a weak particle source before freeze-up with an upward flux Fc = 5.7 × 104 particles m−2 s−1, and as a relatively strong heat source after freeze-up, with an upward maximum sensible heat flux H = 13.1 W m−2. Over the frozen lead, however, we were unable to resolve any significant aerosol profiles

Aerosol number size distributions from 3 to 500 nm diameter in the arctic marine boundary layer during summer and autumn

Aerosol physics measurements made onboard the Swedish icebreaker Oden in the late Summer and early Autumn of 1991 during the International Arctic Ocean Expedition (IAOE-91) have provided the first data on the size distribution of particles in the Arctic marine boundary layer (MBL) that cover both the number and mass modes of the size range from 3 to 500 nm diameter. These measurements were made in conjunction with atmospheric gas and condensed phase chemistry measurements in an effort to understand a part of the ocean-atmosphere sulfur cycle. Analysis of the particle physics data showed that there were three distinct number modes in the submicrometric aerosol in the Arctic MBL. These modes had geometric mean diameters of around 170 nm. 45 nm and 14 nm referred to as accumulation, Aitken and ultrafine modes, respectively. There were clear minima in number concentrations between the modes that appeared at 20 to 30 nm and at 80 to 100 nm. The total number concentration was most frequently between 30 and 60 particles cm-3 with a mean value of around 100 particles cm-3, but the hourly average concentration varied over two to three orders of magnitude during the 70 days of the expedition. On average, the highest concentration was in the accumulation mode that contained about 45% of the total number, while the Aitken mode contained about 40%. The greatest variability was in the ultrafine mode concentration which is indicative of active, earby sources (nucleation from the gas phase) and sinks; the Aitken and accumulation mode concentrations were much less variable. The ultrafine mode was observed about two thirds of the time and was dominant 10% of the time. A detailed description and statistical analysis of the modal aerosol parameters is presented here

User guide for Organic Eprints in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech and Turkish

This user guide (or "screenshot manual") is a collection of screenshots from Organic Eprints at www.orgprints.org with instructions on how to use the archive. The guide shows how to register, browse, search, save searches and deposit documents by showing screenshots with short, instructive comments. The user guide has been translated into English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech and Turkish, and these language versions are also available here. (The orgprints.org site is available in English and German.) We encourage translations of this user guide into additional languages. For those who wish to do so, the source file (Word) is also made avaialable here. Please contact the authors, or ICROFS (www.icrofs.org), if you wish to translate the user guide

Overview of the atmospheric research program during the International Arctic Ocean Expedition of 1991 (IAOE-91) and its scientific results

The broad aim of the Atmospheric program of the International Arctic Ocean Expedition (IAOE-91) was to test the hypothesis that marine biogenically produced dimethyl sulfide (DMS) gas can exert a significant global climatic control. The hypothesis states that DMS is transferred to the atmosphere and is oxidised to form airborne particles. Some of these grow large enough to act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) which help determine cloud droplet concentration. The latter has a strong influence on cloud albedo and hence on the radiation balance of the area affected. In summer, the central Arctic is a specially favourable region for studying the natural sulfur cycle in that the open waters surrounding the pack ice are the only significant sources of DMS and there are almost no anthropogenic particle sources. Concentrations of seawater and atmospheric DMS decreased at about the same rate during the period of measurements, (1 August to 6 October, latitudes 75°N to 90°N) spanning about three orders of magnitude. Methane sulfonate and nonsea salt sulfate in the submicrometer particles, which may be derived from atmospheric DMS, also decreased similarly, suggesting that the first part of the hypothesis under test was true. Influences on cloud droplet concentration and radiation balance could not be measured. Size-resolved aerosol chemistry showed a much lower proportion of methane sulfonate to be associated with supermicrometer particles than has been found elsewhere. Its molar ratio to nonsea salt sulfate suggested that the processes controlling the particulate chemistry do not exhibit a net temperature dependence. Elemental analysis of the aerosol also revealed the interesting possibility that debris from Siberian rivers transported on the moving ice represent a fairly widespread source of supermicrometer crustal material within the pack ice. Highly resolved measurements of aerosol number size distributions were made in the diameter range 3 nm to 500 nm. 3 distinct modal sizes were usually present, the “ultrafine”, “Aitken” and “accumulation” modes centred on 14, 45 and 170 nm diameter, respectively. The presence of ultrafine particles, implying recent production, was more frequent than has been found in lower latitude remote marine areas. Evidence suggests that they were mixed to the surface from higher levels. Sudden and often drastic changes in aerosol concentration and size distribution were surprisingly frequent in view of the relatively slowly changing meteorology of the central Arctic during the study period and the absence of strong pollution sources. They were most common in particles likely to have taken part in cloud formation (> 80 nm diameter). 2 factors appear to have been involved in these sudden changes. The 1st was the formation of vertical gradients in aerosol concentration due to interactions between particles and clouds or favoured regions for new particle production during periods of stability. The 2nd was sporadic localised breakdowns of the stability, bringing changed particle concentrations to the measurement level. Probable reasons for these sporadic mixing events were indicated by the structure of the Marine Boundary Layer (MBL) investigated with high resolution rawinsondes. Low level jets were present about 60% of the time, producing conditions conductive to turbulence and shear-induced waves. It is concluded that an even more detailed study of meteorological processes in the MBL in conjunction with more highly time-resolved measurements of gas-aerosol physics and chemistry appears to be essential in any future research aimed at studying the indirect, cloud mediated, effect of aerosol particles

Parenting Stress Undermines Mother-Child Brain-to-Brain Synchrony: A Hyperscanning Study

Synchrony refers to the coordinated interplay of behavioural and physiological signals that reflect the bi-directional attunement of one partner to the other's psychophysiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral state. In mother-child relationships, a synchronous pattern of interaction indicates parental sensitivity. Parenting stress has been shown to undermine mother-child behavioural synchrony. However, it has yet to be discerned whether parenting stress affects brain-to-brain synchrony during everyday joint activities. Here, we show that greater parenting stress is associated with less brain-to-brain synchrony in the medial left cluster of the prefrontal cortex when mother and child engage in a typical dyadic task of watching animation videos together. This brain region overlaps with the inferior frontal gyrus, the frontal eye field, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which are implicated in inference of mental states and social cognition. Our result demonstrates the adverse effect of parenting stress on mother-child attunement that is evident at a brain-to-brain level. Mother-child brain-to-brain asynchrony may underlie the robust association between parenting stress and poor dyadic co-regulation. We anticipate our study to form the foundation for future investigations into mechanisms by which parenting stress impairs the mother-child relationship