To what extent is Denmark vulnerable to mineral supply shortage?

Mineral resources are building blocks of modern society and essential for progress and prosperity. Mankind has always depended on access to mineral raw materials, which have been a key factor for wealth, culture and development. Modern societies are characterised by a rapidly increasing demand for specialised mineral raw materials, determined by their stage of technological development, the number of consumers, and their standard of living. Generally, the availability of mineral raw materials has not, until recently, been considered an issue by the average consumer or by companies in the downstream end of the value chains, and mineral resources have not been part of the political agenda. In this context China’s control over rare-earth elements (REE) has been an eye opener to both industry and politicians worldwide, and has subsequently led to discussions about the possible exhaustion of finite resources and potential threats to the availability of raw materials caused by geopolitical tension and market restrictions

Route 360, New Roads for Communication

The authors argue that engaging with narrative techniques in technological developments in film has implications for our senses and perceptions of realities that we can’t necessarily anticipate. But it should not restrain us from communicating by using new technology. We can’t control the museum visitors’ experiences, in spite of our guiding theories and methods, but we certainly have responsibility for setting issues in motion. Some of the multiple connections, conjunctions and layers we create by bringing our methods and technology to the narratives of an exhibition only become evident for us after the production of audiovisual material. These lead us to reflect in hindsight, hoping to raise our awareness about the implications in future projects. We discuss how newer technologies like 360 VR video can ‘rattle’ us out of our sensorial comfort zone because of the unexpected character of the viewing experience. And how does this affect our sense of reality in re-creating it audiovisually? We also explore the multiple significance of framing and montage in relation to the production of two films, based on participatory methods.Les auteurs soutiennent que l'utilisation des techniques narratives développées grâce à l'évolution technologique du cinéma a des répercussions sur nos sens et nos perceptions des réalités que nous ne pouvons pas nécessairement prévoir. Mais cette évolution ne doit pas nous empêcher de communiquer en utilisant ces nouveaux moyens technologiques. Malgré nos théories et méthodes, nous ne pouvons pas contrôler l'expérience des visiteurs du musée, mais nous avons certainement la responsabilité de permettre aux interactions d'exister. Certaines des multiples connexions, conjonctions et strates de lecture que nous créons grâce aux méthodes et aux technologies dédiées aux récits ne deviennent évidentes pour nous qu'après la production du matériel audiovisuel. Cela nous amène à réfléchir rétrospectivement, dans l'espoir de prendre conscience des implications en vue de projets futurs. Nous abordons d'une part la manière dont les nouvelles technologies comme la vidéo 360 VR peut nous faire sortir de notre zone de confort sensoriel en raison du caractère inattendu de l'expérience visuelle et d'autre part la manière dont cela affecte notre sens de la réalité en la recréant audiovisuellement? Nous explorons également les multiples significations du cadrage et du montage dans le cadre de la production de deux films qui s'appuient sur des méthodes participatives.Los autores argumentan que interactuar con las técnicas narrativas de los avances tecnológicos del cine tiene repercusiones para nuestros sentidos y nuestras percepciones de realidades que no siempre podemos prever. Sin embargo, eso no nos debería impedir comunicarnos mediante las nuevas tecnologías. No podemos controlar las experiencias de quienes visitan los museos, a pesar de las teorías y los métodos que nos orientan, pero sí tenemos la responsabilidad de poner los temas en movimiento. Algunas de las numerosas conexiones, combinaciones y capas que creamos al llevar nuestros métodos y nuestra tecnología a las narrativas de una exposición solo se nos hacen evidentes después de la producción del material audiovisual. Estas nos llevan a reflexionar en retrospectiva, con la esperanza de concienciarnos sobre las repercusiones en proyectos futuros. Analizamos cómo las tecnologías más modernas, como el vídeo 360 VR, pueden sacarnos de nuestra zona de confort sensorial dado el carácter inesperado de la experiencia de visionado. ¿Y cómo afecta eso a nuestro sentido de la realidad al recrearla audiovisualmente? También exploramos la diferente trascendencia del encuadre y el montaje en relación con la producción de dos documentales basada en métodos participativos

Chenodeoxycholic acid stimulates glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion in patients after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

Postprandial secretion of glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) is enhanced after Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass (RYGB), but the precise molecular mechanisms explaining this remain poorly understood. Plasma concentrations of bile acids (BAs) increase after RYGB, and BAs may act as molecular enhancers of GLP‐1 secretion through activation of TGR5‐receptors. We aimed to evaluate GLP‐1 secretion after oral administration of the primary bile acid chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) and the secondary bile acid ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) (which are available for oral use) in RYGB‐operated participants. Eleven participants (BMI 29.1 ± 1.2, age 37.0 ± 3.2 years, time from RYGB 32.3 ± 1.1 months, weight loss after RYGB 37.0 ± 3.1 kg) were studied in a placebo‐controlled, crossover‐study. On three different days, participants ingested (1) placebo (water), (2) UDCA 750 mg, (3) CDCA 1250 mg (highest recommended doses). Oral intake of CDCA increased plasma concentrations of GLP‐1, C‐peptide, glucagon, peptide YY, neurotensin, total bile acids, and fibroblast growth factor 19 significantly compared with placebo (all P < 0.05 for peak and positive incremental area‐under‐the‐curve (piAUC)). All plasma hormone concentrations were unaffected by UDCA. Neither UDCA nor CDCA changed glucose, cholecystokinin or glucose‐dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) concentrations. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that the primary bile acid chenodeoxycholic acid is able to enhance secretion of gut hormones when administered orally in RYGB‐operated patients—even in the absence of nutrients

Identification and evolution of a plant cell wall specific glycoprotein glycosyl transferase, ExAD

Extensins are plant cell wall glycoproteins that act as scaffolds for the deposition of the main wall carbohydrate polymers, which are interlocked into the supramolecular wall structure through intra- and inter-molecular iso-di-tyrosine crosslinks within the extensin backbone. In the conserved canonical extensin repeat, Ser-Hyp(4), serine and the consecutive C4-hydroxyprolines (Hyps) are substituted with an α-galactose and 1–5 β- or α-linked arabinofuranoses (Arafs), respectively. These modifications are required for correct extended structure and function of the extensin network. Here, we identified a single Arabidopsis thaliana gene, At3g57630, in clade E of the inverting Glycosyltransferase family GT47 as a candidate for the transfer of Araf to Hyp-arabinofuranotriose (Hyp-β1,4Araf-β1,2Araf-β1,2Araf) side chains in an α-linkage, to yield Hyp-Araf(4) which is exclusively found in extensins. T-DNA knock-out mutants of At3g57630 showed a truncated root hair phenotype, as seen for mutants of all hitherto characterized extensin glycosylation enzymes; both root hair and glycan phenotypes were restored upon reintroduction of At3g57630. At3g57630 was named Extensin Arabinose Deficient transferase, ExAD, accordingly. The occurrence of ExAD orthologs within the Viridiplantae along with its’ product, Hyp-Araf(4), point to ExAD being an evolutionary hallmark of terrestrial plants and charophyte green algae

The Swarm Initial Field Model for the 2014 geomagnetic field

Data from the first year of ESA's Swarm constellation mission are used to derive the Swarm Initial Field Model (SIFM), a new model of the Earth's magnetic field and its time variation. In addition to the conventional magnetic field observations provided by each of the three Swarm satellites, explicit advantage is taken of the constellation aspect by including east-west magnetic intensity gradient information from the lower satellite pair. Along-track differences in magnetic intensity provide further information concerning the north-south gradient. The SIFM static field shows excellent agreement (up to at least degree 60) with recent field models derived from CHAMP data, providing an initial validation of the quality of the Swarm magnetic measurements. Use of gradient data improves the determination of both the static field and its secular variation, with the mean misfit for east-west intensity differences between the lower satellite pair being only 0.12 nT

European mushroom assemblages are darker in cold climates

Abstract: Thermal melanism theory states that dark-colored ectotherm organisms are at an advantage at low temperature due to increased warming. This theory is generally supported for ectotherm animals, however, the function of colors in the fungal kingdom is largely unknown. Here, we test whether the color lightness of mushroom assemblages is related to climate using a dataset of 3.2 million observations of 3,054 species across Europe. Consistent with the thermal melanism theory, mushroom assemblages are significantly darker in areas with cold climates. We further show differences in color phenotype between fungal lifestyles and a lifestyle differentiated response to seasonality. These results indicate a more complex ecological role of mushroom colors and suggest functions beyond thermal adaption. Because fungi play a crucial role in terrestrial carbon and nutrient cycles, understanding the links between the thermal environment, functional coloration and species’ geographical distributions will be critical in predicting ecosystem responses to global warming

European mushroom assemblages are darker in cold climates

Abstract: Thermal melanism theory states that dark-colored ectotherm organisms are at an advantage at low temperature due to increased warming. This theory is generally supported for ectotherm animals, however, the function of colors in the fungal kingdom is largely unknown. Here, we test whether the color lightness of mushroom assemblages is related to climate using a dataset of 3.2 million observations of 3,054 species across Europe. Consistent with the thermal melanism theory, mushroom assemblages are significantly darker in areas with cold climates. We further show differences in color phenotype between fungal lifestyles and a lifestyle differentiated response to seasonality. These results indicate a more complex ecological role of mushroom colors and suggest functions beyond thermal adaption. Because fungi play a crucial role in terrestrial carbon and nutrient cycles, understanding the links between the thermal environment, functional coloration and species’ geographical distributions will be critical in predicting ecosystem responses to global warming

Global monitoring of antimicrobial resistance based on metagenomics analyses of urban sewage

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious threat to global public health, but obtaining representative data on AMR for healthy human populations is difficult. Here, we use meta-genomic analysis of untreated sewage to characterize the bacterial resistome from 79 sites in 60 countries. We find systematic differences in abundance and diversity of AMR genes between Europe/North-America/Oceania and Africa/Asia/South-America. Antimicrobial use data and bacterial taxonomy only explains a minor part of the AMR variation that we observe. We find no evidence for cross-selection between antimicrobial classes, or for effect of air travel between sites. However, AMR gene abundance strongly correlates with socio-economic, health and environmental factors, which we use to predict AMR gene abundances in all countries in the world. Our findings suggest that global AMR gene diversity and abundance vary by region, and that improving sanitation and health could potentially limit the global burden of AMR. We propose metagenomic analysis of sewage as an ethically acceptable and economically feasible approach for continuous global surveillance and prediction of AMR.Peer reviewe