Gamma-delta mycosis fungoides in a posttransplant patient

Mycosis fungoides (MF) is a clonal T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder of the skin that accounts for an estimated 50% to 60% of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) cases.1,2 The gamma-delta (gd) subtype of MF (GD-MF) is a rare variant, with only a few cases reported in the literature and only 1 in a patient after solid organ transplant.3 Here we present a case of GD-MF developing after liver transplantation in an older man

Magnitude and predictability of ph fluctuations shape plastic responses to ocean acidification

16 pages, 5 figures, supplemental material https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/suppl/10.1086/712930.-- Data and Code Availability: All raw data and referenced supplemental files in this article have been deposited in the Dryad Digital Repository (https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tqjq2bvxc; Bitter et al. 2020). All code associated with statistical analyses and figure generation for this article are publicly available at GitHub (https://github.com/MarkCBitter/pHFluctuation_Plasticity) and Zenodo (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4306829; Bitter 2020)Phenotypic plasticity is expected to facilitate the persistence of natural populations as global change progresses. The attributes of fluctuating environments that favor the evolution of plasticity have received extensive theoretical investigation, yet empirical validation of these findings is still in its infancy. Here, we combine high-resolution environmental data with a laboratory-based experiment to explore the influence of habitat pH fluctuation dynamics on the plasticity of gene expression in two populations of the Mediterranean mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis. We linked differences in the magnitude and predictability of pH fluctuations in two habitats to population-specific gene expression profiles in ambient and stressful pH treatments. Our results demonstrate population-based differentiation in gene expression plasticity, whereby mussels native to a habitat exhibiting a large magnitude of pH fluctuations with low predictability display reduced phenotypic plasticity between experimentally imposed pH treatments. This work validates recent theoretical findings on evolution in fluctuating environments, suggesting that the predictability of fluctuating selection pressures may play a predominant role in shaping the phenotypic variation observed across natural populationsM.C.B. was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program grant (1746045) and a Department of Education grant (P200A150101). L.K. was supported by a National Science Foundation grant (OCE-1521597), which provided research support for this work. This research was also supported in part by the University of Chicago’s France and Chicago Collaborating in the Sciences program to C.A.P. and M.C.B.With the funding support of the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S), of the Spanish Research Agency (AEI)Peer reviewe

In situ airborne measurements of atmospheric and sea surface parameters related to offshore wind parks in the German Bight

Between 6 September 2016 and 15 October 2017, meteorological measurement flights were conducted above the German Bight in the framework of the project WIPAFF (Wind Park Far Field). The scope of the measurements was to study long-range wakes with an extent larger than 10 km behind entire wind parks, and to investigate the interaction of wind parks and the marine atmospheric boundary layer. The research aircraft Dornier 128 of the Technische Universität (TU) Braunschweig performed in total 41 measurement flights during different seasons and different stability conditions. The instrumentation consisted of a nose boom with sensors for measuring the wind vector, temperature and humidity, and additionally sensors for characterizing the water surface, a surface temperature sensor, a laser scanner and two cameras in the visible and infrared wavelength range. A detailed overview of the aircraft, sensors, data post-processing and flight patterns is provided here. Further, averaged profiles of atmospheric parameters illustrate the range of conditions. The potential use of the data set has been shown already by first publications. The data are publicly available in the world data centre PANGAEA (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.902845; Bärfuss et al., 2019a)

The Enigmatic Esx Proteins:Looking Beyond Mycobacteria

Bacteria export proteins across membranes using a range of transport machineries. Type VII secretion systems (T7SSs), originally described in mycobacteria, are now known to be widespread across diverse bacterial phyla. Recent studies have characterized secretion components and mechanisms of type VII secretion in pathogenic and environmental bacteria. A variety of functions have been attributed to T7SS substrates, including interactions with eukaryotes and with other bacteria. Here, we evaluate the growing body of knowledge on T7SSs, with focus on the nonmycobacterial systems, reviewing their phylogenetic distribution, structure and function in diverse settings

A quantitative analysis of complexity of human pathogen-specific CD4 T cell responses in healthy M. tuberculosis infected South Africans

Author Summary: Human pathogen-specific immune responses are tremendously complex and the techniques to study them ever expanding. There is an urgent need for a quantitative analysis and better understanding of pathogen-specific immune responses. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is one of the leading causes of mortality due to an infectious agent worldwide. Here, we were able to quantify the Mtb-specific response in healthy individuals with Mtb infection from South Africa. The response is highly diverse and 66 epitopes are required to capture 80% of the total reactivity. Our study also show that the majority of the identified epitopes are restricted by multiple HLA alleles. Thus, technical advances are required to capture and characterize the complete pathogen-specific response. This study demonstrates further that the approach combining identified epitopes into "megapools" allows capturing a large fraction of the total reactivity. This suggests that this technique is generally applicable to the characterization of immunity to other complex pathogens. Together, our data provide for the first time a quantitative analysis of the complex pathogen-specific T cell response and provide a new understanding of human infections in a natural infection setting

The Dynamics of Rapid Adaptation to Ocean Acidification in the Mediterranean Mussel

Global climate change has intensified the need to assess if, and how, natural populations adapt to abrupt shifts in their environment. The tempo of adaptation in natural systems has been the subject of theoretical and empirical investigation for decades. Recent evidence from genome-wide sequencing approaches has indicated that evolution may proceed at a pace previously deemed theoretically impossible. Such studies, however, have largely observed these processes in the context of model systems, and the extent to which these patterns will hold in ecologically-relevant species subject to the dramatic environmental perturbations associated with global change is unclear. Accordingly, this thesis investigates the capacity for, and mechanisms by which, the Mediterranean mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, may rapidly adapt to expected declines in global seawater pH. Reductions in seawater pH constitute a global change stressor impacting marine species globally, with anticipated impacts altering the structure and services of numerous ecological communities. Due to its experimental tractability, as well as its ecological and economic importance, M. galloprovincialis has become a model-species for exploring the physiological and morphological impacts of low pH seawater. Yet, the extent to which evolution may offset observed phenotypic consequences is unknown. To address this knowledge gap the present thesis explores the following: (i) the processes shaping and maintaining variation in low pH tolerance across the species’ native range; (ii) the extent to which the standing variation within natural populations of M. galloprovincialis can facilitate the magnitude of evolution necessary for persistence under global change conditions; and (iii) the molecular basis of low pH adaptation in marine bivalves and beyond. My results elucidate how contemporary gradients in pH variability shape distinct patterns of low pH plasticity across natural populations. Furthermore, my findings demonstrate that the standing variation within natural populations is sufficient for rapid adaptation to even extreme reductions in seawater pH. Lastly, I provide mechanistic links between the molecular mechanisms influenced by shifts in the external seawater pH environment and fitness-related abnormalities observed in M. galloprovincialis, a finding that likely explains observed low pH sensitivity across a broad range of marine metazoans. This thesis thus lends to our conceptual understanding regarding the dynamics of rapid adaptation in natural populations, while explicitly informing the management of an ecologically and economically important marine species as global change progresses

GBAS concepts for flexible approach procedures

Satellite based Navigation Systems (Global Navigation Satellite System GNSS) will become a major element in the navigation infrastructure of the future. In addition to classical en-route and terminal navigation, where GNSS is increasingly used, approach and landing procedures are being developed and implemented based on GNSS. To meet the requirements of integrity, accuracy, continuity and availability for precision approach and landing operations, augmentation systems are needed. Currently there are two augmentation systems for these periods of flight available: Ground Based Augmentation Systems (GBAS) and Space Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS). This paper will focus on GBAS research projects conducted by the Technische Universität (TU) Braunschweig, Institute of Flight Guidance (IFF), and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Braunschweig, Institute of Flight Guidance (FL). While TU Braunschweig is working mainly in the domain of navigation technology (both ground and airborne) DLR (namely Robert Geister) is concentrating on the procedure design and implementation of special approach procedures

Industrielle Mikroplastikemissionen - Handlungsempfehlungen

EmiStop ist ein Projekt, welches in der Initiative „Plastik in der Umwelt“ des Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung über drei Jahre die Eintragspfade von Mikroplastik (ausgenommen Fasern und Rezyklate) in der kunststoffproduzierenden und -verarbeitenden Industrie sowie der zwischengeschalteten Logistik mit Fokus auf das Wassermanagement und die (Ab)Wasserinfrastruktur untersucht hat. In enger Zusammenarbeit mit einzelnen Betriebsstandorten und Industrieverbänden sowie durch Betriebsbegehungen, Probenahmen und Laboranalysen wurden angepasste Probenahmestrategien und -methoden, analytische Verfahren für Mikroplastik sowie Maßnahmen zur Vermeidung des Eintrags von Mikroplastik in die Umwelt entwickelt. Ein Projektergebnis stellen diese Handlungsempfehlungen für Akteur:innen aus der Industrie dar. Sie sollen als Leitfaden dienen, um Mikroplastikemissionen in die Umwelt an Betriebsstandorten zu vermeiden oder zu vermindern