Seismic imaging of medieval dike remains in the Wadden Sea (North Frisia, Germany)

Dikes protected cultural lands along the Wadden Sea coast in medieval North Frisia. Remains of dikes must be found to reconstruct the drowned and lost landscapes. Certain imprints in sediment layers due to former load can be linked to eroded dikes. Sediment echosounding provides sections of these imprints and reveals dike courses. Medieval dikes have been traced at Hallig Südfall and south of Sylt

Barge or tjalk? A wreck investigation in the tidal flats of North Frisia

We present a case study on the applicability of geophysical methods to map shipwrecks in the coastal zone. We present results of magnetic gradiometry, electromagnetic induction, and photogrammetry

In silico Design of a Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Glycoprotein Multi-Epitope Antigen for Vaccine Development

No licensed vaccine is available to prevent the severe tick-borne disease Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), caused by the CCHF virus (CCHFV). This study sought to show that a combination of computational methods and data from published literature can inform the design of a multi-epitope antigen for CCHFV with immunogenic potential. Cytotoxic and helper T-cell epitopes on the CCHFV glycoprotein precursor (GPC) were evaluated with bioinformatic servers. These data were combined with work from previous studies to identify potentially immunodominant regions of the GPC. Regions of the GPC were selected for generation of a model multi-epitope antigen in silico , and the percentage residue identity and similarity of each region were compared across sequences representing the widespread geographical and ecological distribution of CCHFV. Eleven multi-epitope regions were joined with flexible linkers in silico to generate a model multi-epitope antigen, termed EPIC , which included 812 (75.7%) of all predicted epitopes. EPIC was predicted to be antigenic by two independent bioinformatic servers, thus suggesting that multi-epitope antigens should be explored further for CCHFV vaccine development. The results presented herein provide information on potential targets within the CCHFV GPC for guiding future vaccine development

Hyperbola detection with Retinanet: application to new sites and scalability

The application of Retinanet to new datasets detected about half of the hyperbola present. Combining the detections from images with different aspect ratios results in better performance. The aspect ratio of the images is a crucial factor for detection

Multi-Coil FD-EMI in Tidal Flat Areas: Prospection and Ground Truthing at a 17th Century Wooden Ship Wreckage

We present a case study of multi-coil frequency-domain electromagnetic (FD-EMI) prospection of a wooden ship wreckage from the 17th century. The wreckage is buried in a sandbar in the German part of the tidal flat area of the North Sea. Furthermore, the wreckage was excavated in advance and covered again after investigation. This ground truthing background and the position of the wreckage makes it a unique investigation object to test the feasibility of FD-EMI for prospecting wooden archaeological objects in the high conductive sediments of tidal flat areas. Our results reveal the shape and position of the wreckage in terms of conductivity maps. The resulting signal change caused by the wreckage in conductivity is only 10% of the value of the water-saturated sandy background, respectively, making a cautious process necessary, including a precise height correction. The data, furthermore, reveals a sensitivity to the vertical shape of the wreckage and thus sufficient depth sensitivity, but with reduced sensing depth. The study highlights the great potential of EMI for both in situ heritage management and archaeological research in the Wadden Sea

Recovery of West Nile Virus Envelope Protein Domain III Chimeras with Altered Antigenicity and Mouse Virulence

ABSTRACT Flaviviruses are positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses responsible for millions of human infections annually. The envelope (E) protein of flaviviruses comprises three structural domains, of which domain III (EIII) represents a discrete subunit. The EIII gene sequence typically encodes epitopes recognized by virus-specific, potently neutralizing antibodies, and EIII is believed to play a major role in receptor binding. In order to assess potential interactions between EIII and the remainder of the E protein and to assess the effects of EIII sequence substitutions on the antigenicity, growth, and virulence of a representative flavivirus, chimeric viruses were generated using the West Nile virus (WNV) infectious clone, into which EIIIs from nine flaviviruses with various levels of genetic diversity from WNV were substituted. Of the constructs tested, chimeras containing EIIIs from Koutango virus (KOUV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), and Bagaza virus (BAGV) were successfully recovered. Characterization of the chimeras in vitro and in vivo revealed differences in growth and virulence between the viruses, with in vivo pathogenesis often not being correlated with in vitro growth. Taken together, the data demonstrate that substitutions of EIII can allow the generation of viable chimeric viruses with significantly altered antigenicity and virulence. IMPORTANCE The envelope (E) glycoprotein is the major protein present on the surface of flavivirus virions and is responsible for mediating virus binding and entry into target cells. Several viable West Nile virus (WNV) variants with chimeric E proteins in which the putative receptor-binding domain (EIII) sequences of other mosquito-borne flaviviruses were substituted in place of the WNV EIII were recovered, although the substitution of several more divergent EIII sequences was not tolerated. The differences in virulence and tissue tropism observed with the chimeric viruses indicate a significant role for this sequence in determining the pathogenesis of the virus within the mammalian host. Our studies demonstrate that these chimeras are viable and suggest that such recombinant viruses may be useful for investigation of domain-specific antibody responses and the more extensive definition of the contributions of EIII to the tropism and pathogenesis of WNV or other flaviviruses

GP38 as a Vaccine Target for Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne virus that causes severe hemorrhagic disease in humans. There is a great need for effective vaccines and therapeutics against CCHFV for humans, as none are currently internationally approved. Recently, a monoclonal antibody against the GP38 glycoprotein protected mice against lethal CCHFV challenge. To show that GP38 is required and sufficient for protection against CCHFV, we used three inactivated rhabdoviral-based CCHFV-M vaccines, with or without GP38 in the presence or absence of the other CCHFV glycoproteins. All three vaccines elicited strong antibody responses against the respective CCHFV glycoproteins. However, only vaccines containing GP38 showed protection against CCHFV challenge in mice; vaccines without GP38 were not protective. The results of this study establish the need for GP38 in vaccines targeting CCHFV-M and demonstrate the efficacy of a CCHFV vaccine candidate based on an established vector platform

Gut Microbiota in Human Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Differs from Non-Diabetic Adults

Recent evidence suggests that there is a link between metabolic diseases and bacterial populations in the gut. The aim of this study was to assess the differences between the composition of the intestinal microbiota in humans with type 2 diabetes and non-diabetic persons as control. was highly enriched in diabetic compared to non-diabetic persons (P = 0.02) and positively correlated with plasma glucose (P = 0.04).The results of this study indicate that type 2 diabetes in humans is associated with compositional changes in intestinal microbiota. The level of glucose tolerance should be considered when linking microbiota with metabolic diseases such as obesity and developing strategies to control metabolic diseases by modifying the gut microbiota

Combining teaching and research: a BIP on geophysical and archaeological prospection of North Frisian medieval settlement patterns

We performed a research-oriented EU Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program (BIP) with participants from four countries focused on North Frisian terp settlements from Roman Iron Age and medieval times. We show that the complex terp structure and environment can be efficiently prospected using combined magnetic and EMI mapping, and seismic and geoelectric profiling and drilling. We found evidence of multiple terp phases and a harbor at the Roman Iron Age terp of Tofting. In contrast, the medieval terp of Stolthusen is more simply constructed, probably uni-phase. The BIP proved to be a suitable tool for high-level hands-on education adding value to the research conducted in on-going projects