The CEOS Feasibility Study for an aquatic ecosystem imaging spectrometer

The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) response to the Group on Earth Observations System of Systems (GEOSS) Water Strategy developed under the auspices of the Water Strategy Implementation Study Team was endorsed by CEOS at the 2015 Plenary. As one of the actions, CSIRO has taken the lead on recommendation C.10: A feasibility assessment to determine the benefits and technological difficulties of designing a hyperspectral satellite mission focused on water quality measurements. More specifically this report is a highlevel feasibility assessment of the benefits and technological difficulties of designing a hyperspectral satellite mission focused on biogeochemistry of inland, estuarine, deltaic and near coastal waters as well as mapping macrophytes, macroalgae , seagrasses and coral reefs at significantly higher spatial resolution than 250 m, which is the maximum spatial resolution of dedicated current aquatic sensors such as Sentinel3 and future planned aquatic sensors such as the Coastal Ocean Color Imager (COCI – 100 m res). Further, the GEO Community of Practice Aquawatch suggested that alternative approaches, involving augmenting designs of spaceborne sensors for terrestrial and ocean colour applications to allow improved inland, near coastal waters and benthic applications, could offer an alternative pathway to addressing the same underlying science questions. Accordingly, this study also analizes the benefits and technological difficulties of this option as part of the highlevel feasibility study

Experimental Mycobacterium bovis infection in three white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum):Susceptibility, clinical and anatomical pathology

Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis is endemic in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) population in the Kruger National Park and other conservation areas in South Africa. The disease has been diagnosed in a total of 21 free ranging or semi-free ranging wildlife species in the country with highly variable presentations in terms of clinical signs as well as severity and distribution of tuberculous lesions. Most species are spillover or dead-end hosts without significant role in the epidemiology of the disease. White rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) are translocated from the Kruger National Park in substantial numbers every year and a clear understanding of their risk to manifest overt tuberculosis disease and to serve as source of infection to other species is required. We report the findings of experimental infection of three white rhinoceroses with a moderately low dose of a virulent field isolate of Mycobacterium bovis. None of the animals developed clinical signs or disseminated disease. The susceptibility of the white rhinoceros to bovine tuberculosis was confirmed by successful experimental infection based on the ante mortem isolation of M. bovis from the respiratory tract of one rhinoceros, the presence of acid-fast organisms and necrotizing granulomatous lesions in the tracheobronchial lymph nodes and the detection of M. bovis genetic material by PCR in the lungs of two animals

Design Considerations for an Aquatic Ecosystem Imaging Spectrometer: Results of a CEOS Feasibility Study

Many Earth observing sensors have been designed, built and launched with primary objectives of either terrestrial or ocean remote sensing applications. Often the data from these sensors are also used for freshwater, estuarine and coastal water quality observations and bathymetry and benthic mapping. However, such land and ocean specific sensors are not designed for these complex aquatic environments and consequently are not likely to perform as well as a dedicated sensor would. As a CEOS action, CSIRO and DLR have taken the lead on a feasibility assessment to determine the benefits and technological difficulties of designing an Earth observing satellite mission focused on the biogeochemistry of inland, estuarine, deltaic and near coastal waters as well as mapping macrophytes, macro-algae, sea grasses and coral reefs. These environments need higher spatial resolution than current and planned ocean colour sensors offer and need higher spectral resolution than current and planned land Earth observing sensors offer (with the exception of several R&D type imaging spectrometry satellite missions). The results indicate that a dedicated sensor of (non-oceanic) aquatic ecosystems could be a multispectral sensor with ~26 bands in the 380-780 nm wavelength range for retrieving the aquatic ecosystem variables as well as another 15 spectral bands between 360-380 nm and 780-1400 nm for removing atmospheric and air-water interface effects. These requirements are very close to defining an imaging spectrometer with spectral bands between 360 and 1000 nm (suitable for Si based detectors), possibly augmented by a SWIR imaging spectrometer. In that case the spectral bands would ideally have 5 nm spacing and FWHM, although it may be necessary to go to 8 nm wide spectral bands (between 380 to 780nm where the fine spectral features occur -mainly due to photosynthetic or accessory pigments) to obtain enough signal to noise. The spatial resolution of such a global mapping mission would be between ~17 and ~33 m enabling imaging of the vast majority of water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, lagoons, estuaries etc.) large than 0.2 ha and ~25% of river reaches globally (at ~17 m resolution) whilst maintaining sufficient radiometric resolution

Experimental Mycobacterium bovis infection in three white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) : susceptibility, clinical and anatomical pathology

Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis is endemic in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) population in the Kruger National Park and other conservation areas in South Africa. The disease has been diagnosed in a total of 21 free ranging or semi-free ranging wildlife species in the country with highly variable presentations in terms of clinical signs as well as severity and distribution of tuberculous lesions. Most species are spillover or dead-end hosts without significant role in the epidemiology of the disease. White rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) are translocated from the Kruger National Park in substantial numbers every year and a clear understanding of their risk to manifest overt tuberculosis disease and to serve as source of infection to other species is required. We report the findings of experimental infection of three white rhinoceroses with a moderately low dose of a virulent field isolate of Mycobacterium bovis. None of the animals developed clinical signs or disseminated disease. The susceptibility of the white rhinoceros to bovine tuberculosis was confirmed by successful experimental infection based on the ante mortem isolation of M. bovis from the respiratory tract of one rhinoceros, the presence of acid-fast organisms and necrotizing granulomatous lesions in the tracheobronchial lymph nodes and the detection of M. bovis genetic material by PCR in the lungs of two animals.S1 Table. Macroscopic, culture, molecular, and histological findings in experimentally infected rhinoceros PB1.S2 Table. Macroscopic, culture, molecular, and histological findings in experimentally infected rhinoceros PB2.S3 Table. Macroscopic, culture, molecular, and histological findings in experimentally infected rhinoceros PB4.S4 Table. Macroscopic, culture, molecular, and histological findings in 11 control rhinoceroses.The NRF, South African MRC and SANParks.http://www.plosone.orgam2017Veterinary Tropical Disease

Characterization of lesions in lungs and lymph nodes of three experimentally infected white rhinoceroses.

<p>Characterization of lesions in lungs and lymph nodes of three experimentally infected white rhinoceroses.</p

(a-c). Histological illustration of infectious agents in white rhinoceros lung.

<p>(a) A single fine short acid fast bacterial rod consistent with Mycobacteria (black arrow) in a multinucleate giant cell in a granuloma in the tracheobronchial lymph node (PB1, Ziehl Neelsen, x400). (b) A syncytial cell (black arrowhead) consistent with viral etiology associated with acute interstitial pneumonia (PB2, H&E, x400). (c) Nematode larval section (double arrowhead) associated with subacute lymphoplasmacytic (#) and eosinophilic (°) pneumonia (PB2, H&E, x100).</p

(a-f). Characterization of histological lung lesions in white rhinoceroses.

<p>(a) Acute inflammation: acute ulcerative bronchitis with necrosis (n) and neutrophils (*) in the lumen (PB2, H&E, x200). (b) Subacute inflammation: lymphoplasmacytic (#) and histiocytic (^) interstitial pneumonia (PB2, H&E, x200). (c) Subacute inflammation with necrosis: interstitial pneumonia from with central necrosis (PB2, H&E, x100). (d) Chronic pulmonary granuloma with a capsule (white arrow) and mineralized (m) cellular and inflammatory debris in the center (PB2, H&E, x40). (e) A chronic pulmonary inflammatory focus with a capsule and central mineralized material and a fibrous nodule (white arrowhead) with a few inflammatory cells in the center (PB1, H&E, x40). (f) Fibrous nodule (black arrowhead) consisting only of mature collagen (PB1, H&E, x100).</p

Indications of Radiation Damage in Ferredoxin Microcrystals using High-Intensity X-FEL Beams

Proteins that contain metal cofactors are expected to be highly radiation sensitive since the degree of X-ray absorption correlates with the presence of high-atomic-number elements and X-ray energy. To explore the effects of local damage in serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX), Clostridium ferredoxin was used as a model system. The protein contains two [4Fe-4S] clusters that serve as sensitive probes for radiation-induced electronic and structural changes. High-dose room-temperature SFX datasets were collected at the Linac Coherent Light Source of ferredoxin microcrystals. Difference electron density maps calculated from high-dose SFX and synchrotron data show peaks at the iron positions of the clusters, indicative of decrease of atomic scattering factors due to ionization. The electron density of the two [4Fe-4S] clusters differs in the FEL data, but not in the synchrotron data. Since the clusters differ in their detailed architecture, this observation is suggestive of an influence of the molecular bonding and geometry on the atomic displacement dynamics following initial photoionization. The experiments are complemented by plasma code calculations