Biologically based engineering strategies for remediation of eutrophic shallow lakes: a model study for the Lake Chao in China

Für die Nutzung von eutrophierten Flachseen ist die Prognose der Wasserqualität in diesen Seen von besonderer Bedeutung. In der Arbeit wird der Einfluss der ufernahen Bepflanzung mit Schilf- und Makrophytenbeständen auf die Wasserqualität eines eutrophierten Flachsees modelliert. Die Nährstoffaufnahme der Makrophyten und die Reduzierung der Eutrophierung stehen im komplexen Zusammenhang. Über die Reduzierung des Gesamtphosphors kann in einem phosphorlimitierten Ökosystem die Blaualgenentwicklung beeinflusst werden. Aufbauend auf bestehenden Methoden zur Bestimmung der Biomasseentwicklung von Makrophyten und deren Einfluss auf den Wasserkörper wird ein hydrodynamisches Modell unter Berücksichtigung der Makrophyten auf die Gerinnereibung weiterentwickelt und auf die Modellierung von Schilfbeständen erweitert. Das in dieser Arbeit entwickelte Modell zur Prognose der Wassergüte wurde auf den Chaosee in der Provinz Anhui, China angewendet. Der eutrophe Flachsee wird u. a. für die Trinkwas-serversorgung genutzt, die aufgrund regelmäßiger Blaualgenblüten in den heißen Sommermonaten immer wieder eingestellt werden muss. Messdaten, die für die Modellierung nicht in ausreichender zeitlicher Auflösung vorlagen, wurden durch Literaturangaben und durch Daten, die mit einem dafür erstellten Neuronalen Netz anhand anderer vorhandener Parameter generiert wurden, ergänzt. Aufbauend auf den Modellergebnissen werden neue Strategien zur Sanierung eines eutrophierten Flachsees hinsichtlich ihrer Wirksamkeit untersucht. Es werden Strategien zur Reduzierung des Trophiegrades und zur Verhinderung des Eintrags von Blaualgen in das Rohwasser entwickelt. Für die Verwendung des Rohwassers zur Trinkwasserversorgung wird als Zielgröße der von der WHO empfohlene Grenzwert für die Microcystin-Konzentration im Trinkwasser von 1 µg/l angestrebt. Mit einem für das Schilfwachstum und den unterschiedlichen Ansprüchen der wasserwirtschaftlicher Nutzungen des Chaosees angepassten Wasserstand wird die maximale Assimilationsleistung des Schilfs bezüglich des Gesamtphosphors aufgezeigt. Über die Reduzierung des Gesamtphosphors kann in einem phosphorlimitierten Ökosystem die Blaualgenentwick-lung gesteuert werden, was im Modell über eine Reduzierung des Trophiegrades belegt wird. Zur Reduzierung der durch Blaualgen produzierten Toxinkonzentration werden Maßnahmen entwickelt und deren Wirkungen mit dem Modell belegt. Dazu gehört die Optimierung der Rohwasserentnahme für die Trinkwasserversorgung wie auch die zusätzliche Verminderung anthropogener Phosphoreinträge durch überschlägig dimensionierte Vorsperren. Anhand der Reaktionen des Ökosystems wird ein Alarmplan für Bevölkerung und Behörden mit Nutzungseinschränkungen, technischen Maßnahmen, sowie einem begleitenden, speziell für Blaualgenblüten entwickelten Monitoringprogramm bis zum Rückgang der Blaualgenblü-te erstmals vorgeschlagen.The prediction of water quality is of particular importance for the utilization of eutrophic shallow lakes. The influence of litoral planting with reed and macrophytes on the water quality of an eutrophic shallow lake and its modelling is shown in this paper. The assimilation of nutrients by macrophytes is associated with the reduction of eutrophication in a complex connection. The development of blue-green algae can be influenced by the reduction of total phosphorus in a phosphorus limited ecosystem. A hydrodynamic model is developed by using existing methods for the growth of the macrophytes biomass and their influence on the water body and the ecosystem. This model is extended by modules for the reed population which consider the roughness of the macrophytes to the channel friction. The model for predicting the water quality, which is developed in this study, is applied to Lake Chaohu in the Anhui Province, China. This eutrophic shallow lake is used for drinking water supply. The water intake is suspended during hot summer months due to periodical blooms of blue-green algae. For water quality parameters no records of adequate temporal resolution are available. Thus, the data has been completed with values from the literature and with data generated by a neural network. The coverage of the lake surface by macrophytes and the water level varied in different scenarios simulated by the model. Based on the results of the model new strategies for the remediation of any eutrophic shallow lake in consideration are investigated in respect to their effectivity. Strategies are developed in order to reduce the trophic status and to prevent the blue-green algae from entering the water intake. The WHO threshold for Microcystin concentration in drinking water of 1 µg/l is set as the target value for the use of raw water. Considering a water level adapted for reed growth and the multiple requirements for the water management of Lake Chaohu, the maximum assimilation activity of the reed can be achieved with regard to reduction of total phosphorus. The development of blue-green algae can be controlled in a phosphorus limited ecosystem by reduction of total phosphorus. The model proves the decrease of the trophic status. Measures are developed for the reduction of the concentration of toxin produced by blue-green algae; their effectivity is shown by application of the model. The scenario of different remediation measures results in an optimization of raw water intake for drinking water supply as well as in the additional reduction of phosphorus import by pre-dams. A novel alarm plan for the public, based on the ecosystem’s reactions, is proposed. The alarm plan comprises restrictions of the water usage, technical measures and a special monitoring programme for blue-green algae, which is operated until a decrease of the blue-green algae bloom is observed

Upregulation of PKD1L2 provokes a complex neuromuscular disease in the mouse

Following a screen for neuromuscular mouse mutants, we identified ostes, a novel N-ethyl N-nitrosourea-induced mouse mutant with muscle atrophy. Genetic and biochemical evidence shows that upregulation of the novel, uncharacterized transient receptor potential polycystic (TRPP) channel PKD1L2 (polycystic kidney disease gene 1-like 2) underlies this disease. Ostes mice suffer from chronic neuromuscular impairments including neuromuscular junction degeneration, polyneuronal innervation and myopathy. Ectopic expression of PKD1L2 in transgenic mice reproduced the ostes myopathic changes and, indeed, caused severe muscle atrophy in Tg(Pkd1l2)/Tg(Pkd1l2) mice. Moreover, double-heterozygous mice (ostes/+, Tg(Pkd1l2)/0) suffer from myopathic changes more profound than each heterozygote, indicating positive correlation between PKD1L2 levels and disease severity. We show that, in vivo, PKD1L2 primarily associates with endogenous fatty acid synthase in normal skeletal muscle, and these proteins co-localize to costameric regions of the muscle fibre. In diseased ostes/ostes muscle, both proteins are upregulated, and ostes/ostes mice show signs of abnormal lipid metabolism. This work shows the first role for a TRPP channel in neuromuscular integrity and disease

Factors associated with depressive mood at the onset of multiple sclerosis - an analysis of 781 patients of the German NationMS cohort

Background: Depression has a major impact on the disease burden of multiple sclerosis (MS). Analyses of overlapping MS and depression risk factors [smoking, vitamin D (25-OH-VD) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection] and sex, age, disease characteristics and neuroimaging features associated with depressive symptoms in early MS are scarce.Objectives: To assess an association of MS risk factors with depressive symptoms within the German NationMS cohort.Design: Cross-sectional analysis within a multicenter observational study.Methods: Baseline data of n = 781 adults with newly diagnosed clinically isolated syndrome or relapsing-remitting MS qualified for analysis. Global and region-specific magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-volumetry parameters were available for n = 327 patients. Association of demographic factors, MS characteristics and risk factors [sex, age, smoking, disease course, presence of current relapse, expanded disability status scale (EDSS) score, fatigue (fatigue scale motor cognition), 25-OH-VD serum concentration, EBV nuclear antigen-1 IgG (EBNA1-IgG) serum levels] and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II, BDI-II) was tested as a primary outcome by multivariable linear regression. Non-parametric correlation and group comparison were performed for associations of MRI parameters and depressive symptoms.Results: Mean age was 34.3 years (95% confidence interval: 33.6-35.0). The female-to-male ratio was 2.3:1. At least minimal depressive symptoms (BDI-II > 8) were present in n = 256 (32.8%), 25-OH-VD deficiency (<20 ng/ml) in n = 398 (51.0%), n = 246 (31.5%) participants were smokers. Presence of current relapse [coefficient (c) = 1.48, p = 0.016], more severe fatigue (c = 0.26, p < 0.0001), lower 25-OH-VD (c = -0.03, p = 0.034) and smoking (c = 0.35, p = 0.008) were associated with higher BDI-II scores. Sex, age, disease course, EDSS, month of visit, EBNA1-IgG levels and brain volumes at baseline were not.Conclusion: Depressive symptoms need to be assessed in early MS. Patients during relapse seem especially vulnerable to depressive symptoms. Contributing factors such as fatigue, vitamin D deficiency and smoking, could specifically be targeted in future interventions and should be investigated in prospective studies

Information Technology to Support Improved Care For Chronic Illness

BackgroundIn populations with chronic illness, outcomes improve with the use of care models that integrate clinical information, evidence-based treatments, and proactive management of care. Health information technology is believed to be critical for efficient implementation of these chronic care models. Health care organizations have implemented information technologies, such as electronic medical records, to varying degrees. However, considerable uncertainty remains regarding the relative impact of specific informatics technologies on chronic illness care.ObjectiveTo summarize knowledge and increase expert consensus regarding informatics components that support improvement in chronic illness care.DesignA systematic review of the literature was performed. "Use case" models were then developed, based on the literature review, and guidance from clinicians and national quality improvement projects. A national expert panel process was conducted to increase consensus regarding information system components that can be used to improve chronic illness care.ResultsThe expert panel agreed that informatics should be patient-centered, focused on improving outcomes, and provide support for illness self-management. They concurred that outcomes should be routinely assessed, provided to clinicians during the clinical encounter, and used for population-based care management. It was recommended that interactive, sequential, disorder-specific treatment pathways be implemented to quickly provide clinicians with patient clinical status, treatment history, and decision support.ConclusionsSpecific informatics strategies have the potential to improve care for chronic illness. Software to implement these strategies should be developed, and rigorously evaluated within the context of organizational efforts to improve care

Large expert-curated database for benchmarking document similarity detection in biomedical literature search

Document recommendation systems for locating relevant literature have mostly relied on methods developed a decade ago. This is largely due to the lack of a large offline gold-standard benchmark of relevant documents that cover a variety of research fields such that newly developed literature search techniques can be compared, improved and translated into practice. To overcome this bottleneck, we have established the RElevant LIterature SearcH consortium consisting of more than 1500 scientists from 84 countries, who have collectively annotated the relevance of over 180 000 PubMed-listed articles with regard to their respective seed (input) article/s. The majority of annotations were contributed by highly experienced, original authors of the seed articles. The collected data cover 76% of all unique PubMed Medical Subject Headings descriptors. No systematic biases were observed across different experience levels, research fields or time spent on annotations. More importantly, annotations of the same document pairs contributed by different scientists were highly concordant. We further show that the three representative baseline methods used to generate recommended articles for evaluation (Okapi Best Matching 25, Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency and PubMed Related Articles) had similar overall performances. Additionally, we found that these methods each tend to produce distinct collections of recommended articles, suggesting that a hybrid method may be required to completely capture all relevant articles. The established database server located at https://relishdb.ict.griffith.edu.au is freely available for the downloading of annotation data and the blind testing of new methods. We expect that this benchmark will be useful for stimulating the development of new powerful techniques for title and title/abstract-based search engines for relevant articles in biomedical research.Peer reviewe

Biological Earth observation with animal sensors

Space-based tracking technology using low-cost miniature tags is now delivering data on fine-scale animal movement at near-global scale. Linked with remotely sensed environmental data, this offers a biological lens on habitat integrity and connectivity for conservation and human health; a global network of animal sentinels of environmen-tal change

Aberrant development of neuromuscular junctions in glycosylation-defective Large(myd) mice

Mice deficient in the glycosyltransferase Large are characterized by severe muscle and central nervous system abnormalities. In this study, we show that the formation and maintenance of neuromuscular junctions in Large(myd) mice are greatly compromised. Neuromuscular junctions are not confined to the muscle endplate zone but are widely spread and are frequently accompanied by exuberant nerve sprouting. Nerve terminals are highly fragmented and binding of α-bungarotoxin to postsynaptic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) is greatly reduced. In vitro, Large(myd) myotubes are responsive to agrin but produce aberrant AChR clusters, which are larger in area and less densely packed with AChRs. In addition, AChR expression on the cell surface is diminished suggesting that AChR assembly or transport is defective. These results together with the finding that O-linked glycosylation at neuromuscular junctions of Large(myd) mice is compromised indicate that the action of Large is necessary for proper neuromuscular junction development

Subspecies-specific sequence detection for differentiation of Mycobacterium abscessus complex

Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABC) is a taxonomic group of rapidly growing, nontuberculous mycobacteria that are found as etiologic agents of various types of infections. They are considered as emerging human pathogens. MABC consists of 3 subspecies - M. abscessus subsp. bolletti, M. abscessus subsp. massiliense and M. abscessus subsp. abscessus. Here we present a novel method for subspecies differentiation of M. abscessus named Subspecies-Specific Sequence Detection (SSSD). This method is based on the presence of signature sequences present within the genomes of each subspecies of MABC. We tested this method against a virtual database of 1505 genome sequences of MABC. Further, we detected signature sequences of MABC in 45 microbiological samples through DNA hybridization. SSSD showed high levels of sensitivity and specificity for differentiation of subspecies of MABC, comparable to those obtained by rpoB sequence typing