Should rehabilitated hedgehogs be released in winter? A comparison of survival, nest use and weight change in wild and rescued animals

The rehabilitation of sick or injured wildlife and their subsequent release back into the wild is considered important, not only for the welfare of the individual animal but also for the conservation and management of endangered and threatened wildlife. The European hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus has declined by 25% in Britain over the last decade and is the most common mammal admitted to wildlife rehabilitation centres in Britain, with a large proportion of individuals admitted to gain body weight overwinter prior to release in the spring. Consequently, many thousands of hedgehogs are housed overwinter which incurs significant costs for rehabilitation centres, and has potentially animal welfare issues, such as, stress in captivity, reintroduction stress, increased mortality risk and impaired or altered behaviour. To determine if releasing rehabilitated hedgehogs during autumn and winter had an effect on their survival, body weight or nesting behaviour, we compared these factors between 34 rehabilitated hedgehogs with 23 wild hedgehogs across five sites in England over four different winters. Overwinter survival was high for both wild and rehabilitated hedgehogs, with a significant decrease in survival across both groups when hedgehogs became active post hibernation in spring. We found no differences in the survival rates up to 150 days post release, in weight change, or nest use between wild- and winter-released rehabilitated hedgehogs. Our results suggest that under the correct conditions, rehabilitated hedgehogs can be released successfully during winter, therefore avoiding or reducing time in captivity

Spektroskopski pristup ishrani i zaštiti ozime pšenice (Triticum aestivum L.)

Laboratory reflectance spectroscopy is a routine evaluation technique in many scientific areas. The objective is to present the capabilities of a portable spectro-radiometer which can be used both for field and laboratory examinations. In this study an ASD FieldSpec 3 Max spectro-radiometer was used in two different application forms to analyze the reflected electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of 350 to 2500 nm. The study introduces some preliminary results of nutrient sensitive changes in winter wheat spectra and brings on the necessity of high resolution spectral testing of insect luring, repelling illuminants.Laboratorijska refleksna spektroskopija je uobičajena tehnika evaluacije u mnogim naučnim oblastima. Cilj je da se predstave mogućnosti portabl spektro-radiometra koji može da se koristi kako za poljska, tako i za laboratorijska ispitivanja. U ovom istraživanju upotrebljen je spektro-radiometar ASD FieldSpec 3 Max u dve različite aplikacione forme za analizu reflektovanog elektromagnetnog zračenja u opsegu talasnih dužina od 350 do 2500 nm. U radu su predstavljeni neki preliminarni rezultati osetljivih promena nutrijenata u spektru ozime pšenice i doprinos neophodnosti visoke rezolucije spektralnog testiranja svetlećih tela za privlačenje i odbijanje insekata

Applying the diagnostic approach for the definition of soil functions – a pilot example on carbon sequestration and storage

Diagnostic units (horizons, properties and materials) are commonly applied in a number of international and national classification systems, including WRB, Soil Taxonomy, Hungarian and Irish systems. Diagnostic units can be established in the field, with laboratory analyses or derived from existing soil survey databases. These diagnostic units are designed to support the process of objective soil classification. The soil diagnostic units however carry important information by themselves and can be mapped and provide a better visualisation of the soil -landscape continuum, as and have been demonstrated in different projects (such as the e_SOTER). The LANDMARK project (EU 2020) has applied the diagnostic unit approach to explain five key soil functions evident in agricultural systems; 1) primary productivity, 2) water purification and regulation, 3) carbon storage and regulation, 4) provision of a habitat for biodiversity and 5) cycling of nutrients. Modelling the capacity of a soil to deliver multiple of these soils functions is the main approach of the LANDMARK project, with a focus at farm, regional and European scales. The diagnostic unit classes is one application currently being considered to define the functional behaviour of our soils. This presentation will use the e_SOTER database and maps to provide an example of how the diagnostic approach can be applied. The procedure will be demonstrated on a pilot area in Hungary exemplified for carbon related (sequestration and storage) and primary productivity functions

Development of Hungarian spectral library: Prediction of soil properties and applications

Updating soil information systems (SIS) requires advanced technologies to support the time and cost-effective and environment-friendly soil data. The use of mid- infrared (MIR) Spectroscopy as alternative to wet chemistry has been tested. The MIR spectral library is a useful technique for predicting soil attributes with high accuracy, efficiency, and low cost. The Hungarian MIR spectral library contained data on 2200 soil samples from 10 counties representing the first Soil Information and Mentoring System (SIMS) survey. Archived soil samples were prepared and scanned based on Diffuse Reflectance Infrared spectroscopy (DRIFT) technique and spectra data were saved in the fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer OPUS software. Preprocessed filtering methods, outlier detection methods and calibration sample selection methods were applied for spectral library. MIR calibration models were built for soil attributes using Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) method. Coefficient determination (R2), The Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) and Ratio of Performance to Deviation (RPD) were used to assess the goodness of calibration and validation models. MIR spectral library had the ability to significantly estimate soil properties such as SOC, CaCO3, sand, clay and silt through various scale models (national, county and soil type). The findings showed that our spectral library soil estimations are precise enough to provide information on national, county and soil type levels enabling a wide range of soil applications that demand huge amounts of data such as soil survey, precision agriculture and digital soil mapping

Biogenesis of Y RNA-derived small RNAs is independent of the microRNA pathway

AbstractY RNAs are approximately 100 nucleotide long conserved cytoplasmic non-coding RNAs, which produce smaller RNA fragments during apoptosis. Here we show that these smaller RNA molecules are also produced in non-stressed cells and in a range of human cancerous and non-cancerous cell types. Recent reports have speculated that the cleavage products of Y RNAs enter the microRNA pathway. We tested this hypothesis and found that Y5 and Y3 RNA fragments are Dicer independent, they are in different complexes than microRNAs and that they are not co-immunoprecipitated with Ago2. Therefore we conclude that Y RNA fragments do not enter the microRNA pathway

Soil Spectroscopy: An Alternative to Wet Chemistry for Soil Monitoring

The soil science community is facing a growing demand of regional, continental, and worldwide databases in order to monitor the status of the soil. However, the availability of such data is very scarce. Cost-effective tools to measure soil properties for large areas (e.g., Europe) are required. Soil spectroscopy has shown to be a fast, cost-effective, environmental- friendly, nondestructive, reproducible, and repeatable analytical technique. The main aim of this paper is to describe the state of the art of soil spectroscopy as well as its potential to facilitating soil monitoring. The factors constraining the application of soil spectroscopy as an alternative to traditional laboratory analyses, together with the limits of the technique, are addressed. The paper also highlights that the widespread use of spectroscopy to monitor the status of the soil should be encouraged by (1) the creation of a standard for the collection of laboratory soil spectra, to promote the sharing of spectral libraries, and (2) the scanning of existing soil archives, reducing the need for costly sampling campaigns. Finally, routine soil analysis using soil spectroscopy would be beneficial for the end users by a reduction in analytical costs, and an increased comparability of results between laboratories. This ambitious project will materialize only through (1) the establishment of local and regional partnerships among existent institutions able to generate the necessary technical competence, and (2) the support of international organizations. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission are well placed to promote the use of laboratory and field spectrometers for monitoring the state of soils.JRC.H.5-Land Resources Managemen

Soil Spectroscopy: An Alternative to Wet Chemistry for Soil Monitoring

The soil science community is facing a growing demand of regional, continental, and worldwide databases in order to monitor the status of the soil. However, the availability of such data is very scarce. Cost-effective tools to measure soil properties for large areas(e.g., Europe) are required. Soil spectroscopy has shown to be a fast, cost-effective, environmental-friendly, nondestructive, reproducible, and repeatable analytical technique. The main aim of this paper is to describe the state of the art of soil spectroscopy as well as its potential to facilitating soil monitoring. The factors constraining the application of soil spectroscopy as an alternative to traditional laboratory analyses, together with thelimits of the technique, are addressed. The paper also highlights that the widespread use of spectroscopy to monitor the status of the soil should be encouraged by (1) the creation of a standard for the collection of laboratory soil spectra, to promote the sharing of spectral libraries, and (2) the scanning of existing soil archives, reducing the need for costly sampling campaigns. Finally, routine soil analysis using soil spectroscopy would be beneficial for the end users by a reduction in analytical costs, and an increased comparability of results between laboratories. This ambitious project will materialize only through (1) the establishment of local and regional partnerships among existent institutions able to generate the necessary technical competence and (2) the support of international organizations. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission are well placed to promote the use of laboratory and field spectrometers for monitoring the state of soils

The long non-coding RNA Morrbid regulates Bim and short-lived myeloid cell lifespan.

Neutrophils, eosinophils and \u27classical\u27 monocytes collectively account for about 70% of human blood leukocytes and are among the shortest-lived cells in the body. Precise regulation of the lifespan of these myeloid cells is critical to maintain protective immune responses and minimize the deleterious consequences of prolonged inflammation. However, how the lifespan of these cells is strictly controlled remains largely unknown. Here we identify a long non-coding RNA that we termed Morrbid, which tightly controls the survival of neutrophils, eosinophils and classical monocytes in response to pro-survival cytokines in mice. To control the lifespan of these cells, Morrbid regulates the transcription of the neighbouring pro-apoptotic gene, Bcl2l11 (also known as Bim), by promoting the enrichment of the PRC2 complex at the Bcl2l11 promoter to maintain this gene in a poised state. Notably, Morrbid regulates this process in cis, enabling allele-specific control of Bcl2l11 transcription. Thus, in these highly inflammatory cells, changes in Morrbid levels provide a locus-specific regulatory mechanism that allows rapid control of apoptosis in response to extracellular pro-survival signals. As MORRBID is present in humans and dysregulated in individuals with hypereosinophilic syndrome, this long non-coding RNA may represent a potential therapeutic target for inflammatory disorders characterized by aberrant short-lived myeloid cell lifespan. Nature 2016 Aug 15; 537(7619):239-243