Ceased grazing management changes the ecosystem services of semi-natural grasslands

Understanding how drivers of change affect ecosystem services (ES) is of great importance. Indicators of ES can be developed based on biophysical measures and be used to investigate the service flow from ecosystems to socio-ecological systems. However, the ES concept is multivariate and the use of normalized composite indicators reduces complexity and facilitates communication between science and policy. The aim of this study is to analyze how land use change affects ES and species richness and how the effects are modified by environmental factors by using composite indicators based on biophysical indicators. Using multivariate and regression analyses, we analyze the effect of grazing management abandonment in semi-natural grasslands in Norway on six ES: nutrient cycling, pollination, forage quality, aesthetics and global and regional climate regulation in addition to species richness along soil and climate gradients. Nutrient cycling, forage quality, regional climate regulation, aesthetics and species richness are larger in managed compared to abandoned grasslands. There are trade-offs among ES as different management strategies provide various ES and these trade-offs vary along environmental gradients. Management policies that aim to conserve ES need to have conservation goals that are context dependent, should recognize ES trade-offs and be adapted to local conditions

Precision determination of band offsets in strained InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells by C-V-profiling and Schroedinger-Poisson self-consistent simulation

The results of measurements and numerical simulation of charge carrier distribution and energy states in strained quantum wells In_xGa_{1-x}As/GaAs (0.06 < x < 0.29) by C-V-profiling are presented. Precise values of conduction band offsets for these pseudomorphic QWs have been obtained by means of self-consistent solution of Schroedinger and Poisson equations and following fitting to experimental data. For the conduction band offsets in strained In_xGa_{1-x}As/GaAs - QWs the expression DE_C(x) = 0.814x - 0.21x^2 has been obtained.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figures, RevTeX

Oligosaccharides from placenta: early diagnosis of feline mannosidosis

AbstractHigh-pressure liquid chromatography analysis of oligosaccharides from placentas allowed the diagnosis of α-mannosidosis in three litters of kittens. The chromatography also afforded a detailed comparison of the oligosaccharide pattern and levels in placenta, liver, brain, urine and ocular fluid of the affected animals. In all cases, two series of compounds were observed, with one or two residues of N-acetylglucosamine at the reducing terminus, respectively, and between two and nine mannose residues. This pattern is unlike that of human mannosidosis, and resembles that of ruminants, except that the major oligosaccharide contains three mannose residues instead of two

Orchestration of signaling by structural disorder in class 1 cytokine receptors

Background:Class 1 cytokine receptors (C1CRs) are single-pass transmembrane proteins responsible for transmitting signals between the outside and the inside of cells. Remarkably, they orchestrate key biological processes such as proliferation, differentiation, immunity and growth through long disordered intracellular domains (ICDs), but without having intrinsic kinase activity. Despite these key roles, their characteristics remain rudimentarily understood.Methods:The current paper asks the question of why disorder has evolved to govern signaling of C1CRs by reviewing the literature in combination with new sequence and biophysical analyses of chain properties across the family.Results:We uncover that the C1CR-ICDs are fully disordered and brimming with SLiMs. Many of these short linear motifs (SLiMs) are overlapping, jointly signifying a complex regulation of interactions, including network rewiring by isoforms. The C1CR-ICDs have unique properties that distinguish them from most IDPs and we forward the perception that the C1CR-ICDs are far from simple strings with constitutively bound kinases. Rather, they carry both organizational and operational features left uncovered within their disorder, including mechanisms and complexities of regulatory functions.Conclusions:Critically, the understanding of the fascinating ability of these long, completely disordered chains to orchestrate complex cellular signaling pathways is still in its infancy, and we urge a perceptional shift away from the current simplistic view towards uncovering their full functionalities and potential

Detection of Active Matriptase using a Biotinylated Chloromethyl Ketone Peptide

Matriptase is a member of the family of type II transmembrane serine proteases that is essential for development and maintenance of several epithelial tissues. Matriptase is synthesized as a single-chain zymogen precursor that is processed into a two-chain disulfide-linked form dependent on its own catalytic activity leading to the hypothesis that matriptase functions at the pinnacle of several protease induced signal cascades. Matriptase is usually found in either its zymogen form or in a complex with its cognate inhibitor hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor 1 (HAI-1), whereas the active non-inhibited form has been difficult to detect. In this study, we have developed an assay to detect enzymatically active non-inhibitor-complexed matriptase by using a biotinylated peptide substrate-based chloromethyl ketone (CMK) inhibitor. Covalently CMK peptide-bound matriptase is detected by streptavidin pull-down and subsequent analysis by Western blotting. This study presents a novel assay for detection of enzymatically active matriptase in living human and murine cells. The assay can be applied to a variety of cell systems and species