Earlier occurrence and increased explanatory power of climate for the first incidence of potato late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans in Fennoscandia

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Ciutats

[p.4] "La culpa de tot és dels grans"[p.8] Què van fer les sargantanes i els dragons?[p.13] Desenvolupament urbà sostenible[p.21] Una dura lliçó per ser apresa[p.32] La ciutat com a aventura iniciàtica[p.37] Una competició per la sostenibilitat?[p.44] Entrevista a Salvador RuedaPeer Reviewe

Phonon spectra of pure and acceptor doped BaZrO3 investigated with visible and UV Raman spectroscopy

We report results from visible and UV Raman spectroscopy studies of the phonon spectra of a polycrystalline sample of the prototypical perovskite type oxide BaZrO3 and a 500 nm thick film of its Y-doped, proton conducting, counterpart BaZr0.8Y0.2O2.9. Analysis of the Raman spectra measured using different excitation energies (between 3.44 eV and 5.17 eV) reveals the activation of strong resonance Raman effects involving all lattice vibrational modes. Specifically, two characteristic energies were identified for BaZrO3, one around 5 eV and one at higher energy, respectively, and one for BaZr0.8Y0.2O2.9, above 5 eV. Apart from the large difference in spectral intensity between the non-resonant and resonant conditions, the spectra are overall similar to each other, suggesting that the vibrational spectra of the perovskites are stable when investigated using an UV laser as excitation source. These results encourage further use of UV Raman spectroscopy as a novel approach for the study of lattice vibrational dynamics and local structure in proton conducting perovskites, and open up for, e.g., time-resolved experiments on thin films targeted at understanding the role of lattice vibrations in proton transport in these kinds of materials

Establishment of reference values for plasma neurofilament light based on healthy individuals aged 5-90 years

The recent development of assays that accurately quantify neurofilament light, a neuronal cytoskeleton protein, in plasma has generated a vast literature supporting that it is a sensitive, dynamic, and robust biomarker of neuroaxonal damage. As a result, efforts are now made to introduce plasma neurofilament light into clinical routine practice, making it an easily accessible complement to its cerebrospinal fluid counterpart. An increasing literature supports the use of plasma neurofilament light in differentiating neurodegenerative diseases from their non-neurodegenerative mimics and suggests it is a valuable biomarker for the evaluation of the effect of putative disease-modifying treatments (e.g. in multiple sclerosis). More contexts of use will likely emerge over the coming years. However, to assist clinical interpretation of laboratory test values, it is crucial to establish normal reference intervals. In this study, we sought to derive reliable cut-offs by pooling quantified plasma neurofilament light in neurologically healthy participants (5-90 years) from eight cohorts. A strong relationship between age and plasma neurofilament light prompted us to define the following age-partitioned reference limits (upper 95th percentile in each age category): 5-17 years = 7 pg/mL; 18-50 years = 10 pg/mL; 51-60 years = 15 pg/mL; 61-70 years = 20 pg/mL; 70 + years = 35 pg/mL. The established reference limits across the lifespan will aid the introduction of plasma neurofilament light into clinical routine, and thereby contribute to diagnostics and disease-monitoring in neurological practice

Exploring the genetics of irritable bowel syndrome: A GWA study in the general population and replication in multinational case-control cohorts

OBJECTIVE: IBS shows genetic predisposition, but adequately powered gene-hunting efforts have been scarce so far. We sought to identify true IBS genetic risk factors by means of genome-wide association (GWA) and independent replication studies. DESIGN: We conducted a GWA study (GWAS) of IBS in a general population sample of 11\u2005326 Swedish twins. IBS cases (N=534) and asymptomatic controls (N=4932) were identified based on questionnaire data. Suggestive association signals were followed-up in 3511 individuals from six case-control cohorts. We sought genotype-gene expression correlations through single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-expression quantitative trait loci interactions testing, and performed in silico prediction of gene function. We compared candidate gene expression by real-time qPCR in rectal mucosal biopsies of patients with IBS and controls. RESULTS: One locus at 7p22.1, which includes the genes KDELR2 (KDEL endoplasmic reticulum protein retention receptor 2) and GRID2IP (glutamate receptor, ionotropic, delta 2 (Grid2) interacting protein), showed consistent IBS risk effects in the index GWAS and all replication cohorts and reached p=9.31 710(-6) in a meta-analysis of all datasets. Several SNPs in this region are associated with cis effects on KDELR2 expression, and a trend for increased mucosal KDLER2 mRNA expression was observed in IBS cases compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that general population-based studies combined with analyses of patient cohorts provide good opportunities for gene discovery in IBS. The 7p22.1 and other risk signals detected in this study constitute a good starting platform for hypothesis testing in future functional investigations. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions

Amyloid and tau cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in HIV infection

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Because of the emerging intersections of HIV infection and Alzheimer's disease, we examined cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers related of amyloid and tau metabolism in HIV-infected patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this cross-sectional study we measured soluble amyloid precursor proteins alpha and beta (sAPPα and sAPPβ), amyloid beta fragment 1-42 (Aβ_1-42), and total and hyperphosphorylated tau (t-tau and p-tau) in CSF of 86 HIV-infected (HIV+) subjects, including 21 with AIDS dementia complex (ADC), 25 with central nervous system (CNS) opportunistic infections and 40 without neurological symptoms and signs. We also measured these CSF biomarkers in 64 uninfected (HIV-) subjects, including 21 with Alzheimer's disease, and both younger and older controls without neurological disease.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>CSF sAPPα and sAPPβ concentrations were highly correlated and reduced in patients with ADC and opportunistic infections compared to the other groups. The opportunistic infection group but not the ADC patients had lower CSF Aβ_1-42in comparison to the other HIV+ subjects. CSF t-tau levels were high in some ADC patients, but did not differ significantly from the HIV+ neuroasymptomatic group, while CSF p-tau was not increased in any of the HIV+ groups. Together, CSF amyloid and tau markers segregated the ADC patients from both HIV+ and HIV- neuroasymptomatics and from Alzheimer's disease patients, but not from those with opportunistic infections.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Parallel reductions of CSF sAPPα and sAPPβ in ADC and CNS opportunistic infections suggest an effect of CNS immune activation or inflammation on neuronal amyloid synthesis or processing. Elevation of CSF t-tau in some ADC and CNS infection patients without concomitant increase in p-tau indicates neural injury without preferential accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau as found in Alzheimer's disease. These biomarker changes define pathogenetic pathways to brain injury in ADC that differ from those of Alzheimer's disease.</p

Large-scale association analyses identify host factors influencing human gut microbiome composition

To study the effect of host genetics on gut microbiome composition, the MiBioGen consortium curated and analyzed genome-wide genotypes and 16S fecal microbiome data from 18,340 individuals (24 cohorts). Microbial composition showed high variability across cohorts: only 9 of 410 genera were detected in more than 95% of samples. A genome-wide association study of host genetic variation regarding microbial taxa identified 31 loci affecting the microbiome at a genome-wide significant (P <5 x 10(-8)) threshold. One locus, the lactase (LCT) gene locus, reached study-wide significance (genome-wide association study signal: P = 1.28 x 10(-20)), and it showed an age-dependent association with Bifidobacterium abundance. Other associations were suggestive (1.95 x 10(-10) <P <5 x 10(-8)) but enriched for taxa showing high heritability and for genes expressed in the intestine and brain. A phenome-wide association study and Mendelian randomization identified enrichment of microbiome trait loci in the metabolic, nutrition and environment domains and suggested the microbiome might have causal effects in ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis

Skador i virkestorkar i betong. Byggnader och utrustning, råd vid reparation och nybyggnad

Torkningen av virke är kanske den mest kritiska operationen i ett sågverk; kvalitetsmässigt, kostnadsmässigt och kapacitetsmässigt. Själva torkhuset är därför en ytterst angelägen del i ett sågverks anläggningar och produktionsutrustning. Merparten av dessa torkhus är idag byggda i betong. Den miljö - det klimat - som uppstår i torkhuset under torkningsoperationen är ingen sinekur varken för betongen eller för maskin- och elutrustningen. Som en följd av detta, i kombination med ökade torktemperaturer, är många av landets virkestorkar behäftade med grava skador såväl i betongkonstruktioner som på maskin- och elutrustning. Rapporten har delats upp i distinkta kapitel beroende på att de i viss mån vänder sig till olika läsarkategorier. Sist i rapporten finns en bildbilaga