Disclinations, dislocations and continuous defects: a reappraisal

Disclinations, first observed in mesomorphic phases, are relevant to a number of ill-ordered condensed matter media, with continuous symmetries or frustrated order. They also appear in polycrystals at the edges of grain boundaries. They are of limited interest in solid single crystals, where, owing to their large elastic stresses, they mostly appear in close pairs of opposite signs. The relaxation mechanisms associated with a disclination in its creation, motion, change of shape, involve an interplay with continuous or quantized dislocations and/or continuous disclinations. These are attached to the disclinations or are akin to Nye's dislocation densities, well suited here. The notion of 'extended Volterra process' takes these relaxation processes into account and covers different situations where this interplay takes place. These concepts are illustrated by applications in amorphous solids, mesomorphic phases and frustrated media in their curved habit space. The powerful topological theory of line defects only considers defects stable against relaxation processes compatible with the structure considered. It can be seen as a simplified case of the approach considered here, well suited for media of high plasticity or/and complex structures. Topological stability cannot guarantee energetic stability and sometimes cannot distinguish finer details of structure of defects.Comment: 72 pages, 36 figure

Tuberculosis in Swiss captive Asian elephants: microevolution of Mycobacterium tuberculosis characterized by multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis and whole-genome sequencingle-number tandem-repeat analysis and whole-genome sequencing

Zoonotic tuberculosis is a risk for human health, especially when animals are in close contact with humans. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was cultured from several organs, including lung tissue and gastric mucosa, of three captive elephants euthanized in a Swiss zoo. The elephants presented weight loss, weakness and exercise intolerance. Molecular characterization of the M. tuberculosis isolates by spoligotyping revealed an identical profile, suggesting a single source of infection. Multilocus variable-number of tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) elucidated two divergent populations of bacteria and mixed infection in one elephant, suggesting either different transmission chains or prolonged infection over time. A total of eight M. tuberculosis isolates were subjected to whole-genome sequence (WGS) analysis, confirming a single source of infection and indicating the route of transmission between the three animals. Our findings also show that the methods currently used for epidemiological investigations of M. tuberculosis infections should be carefully applied on isolates from elephants. Moreover the importance of multiple sampling and analysis of within-host mycobacterial clonal populations for investigations of transmission is demonstrated

Winter-Hardy Vs. Freeze-Killed Cover Crop Mixtures Before Maize On An Organic Farm With Reduced Soil Cultivation

The advantages and disadvantages of a winter-hardy vs. a freeze-killed cover crop (CC) mixture were studied on an organic farm in Lower Austria in two consecutive experiments. Effects on soil inorganic nitrogen contents, weed density and the yield of a following maize crop were assessed. The winter-hardy compared to freeze-killed CC mixture, both consisting of legumes and non-legumes, reduced soil nitrate contents over winter, leading to a reduced nitrate leaching risk, whereas the yield of a following grain maize crop was not significantly affected. Weed density was high in both CC treatments, presumably due to a reduced, non-inverting soil cultivation before maize, and higher in the winter-hardy CC treatment at one of the assessment dates. Combined with an adapted soil cultivation, both winter-hardy and freeze-killed CC mixtures were suitable CCs before grain maize

Mycobacterium microti Infections in Free-Ranging Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)

Infections with Mycobacterium microti, a member of the M. tuberculosis complex, have been increasingly reported in humans and in domestic and free-ranging wild animals. At postmortem examination, infected animals may display histopathologic lesions indistinguishable from those caused by M. bovis or M. caprae, potentially leading to misidentification of bovine tuberculosis. We report 3 cases of M. microti infections in free-ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus) from western Austria and southern Germany. One diseased animal displayed severe pyogranulomatous pleuropneumonia and multifocal granulomas on the surface of the pericardium. Two other animals showed alterations of the lungs and associated lymph nodes compatible with parasitic infestation. Results of the phylogenetic analysis including multiple animal strains from the study area showed independent infection events, but no host-adapted genotype. Personnel involved in bovine tuberculosis–monitoring programs should be aware of the fastidious nature of M. microti, its pathogenicity in wildlife, and zoonotic potential

The SARS-coronavirus-host interactome

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are important human and animal pathogens that induce fatal respiratory, gastrointestinal and neurological disease. The outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002/2003 has demonstrated human vulnerability to (Coronavirus) CoV epidemics. Neither vaccines nor therapeutics are available against human and animal CoVs. Knowledge of host cell proteins that take part in pivotal virus-host interactions could define broad-spectrum antiviral targets. In this study, we used a systems biology approach employing a genome-wide yeast-two hybrid interaction screen to identify immunopilins (PPIA, PPIB, PPIH, PPIG, FKBP1A, FKBP1B) as interaction partners of the CoV non-structural protein 1 (Nsp1). These molecules modulate the Calcineurin/NFAT pathway that plays an important role in immune cell activation. Overexpression of NSP1 and infection with live SARS-CoV strongly increased signalling through the Calcineurin/NFAT pathway and enhanced the induction of interleukin 2, compatible with late-stage immunopathogenicity and long-term cytokine dysregulation as observed in severe SARS cases. Conversely, inhibition of cyclophilins by cyclosporine A (CspA) blocked the replication of CoVs of all genera, including SARS-CoV, human CoV-229E and -NL-63, feline CoV, as well as avian infectious bronchitis virus. Non-immunosuppressive derivatives of CspA might serve as broad-range CoV inhibitors applicable against emerging CoVs as well as ubiquitous pathogens of humans and livestock

The SARS-Coronavirus-Host Interactome: Identification of Cyclophilins as Target for Pan-Coronavirus Inhibitors

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are important human and animal pathogens that induce fatal respiratory, gastrointestinal and neurological disease. The outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002/2003 has demonstrated human vulnerability to (Coronavirus) CoV epidemics. Neither vaccines nor therapeutics are available against human and animal CoVs. Knowledge of host cell proteins that take part in pivotal virus-host interactions could define broad-spectrum antiviral targets. In this study, we used a systems biology approach employing a genome-wide yeast-two hybrid interaction screen to identify immunopilins (PPIA, PPIB, PPIH, PPIG, FKBP1A, FKBP1B) as interaction partners of the CoV non-structural protein 1 (Nsp1). These molecules modulate the Calcineurin/NFAT pathway that plays an important role in immune cell activation. Overexpression of NSP1 and infection with live SARS-CoV strongly increased signalling through the Calcineurin/NFAT pathway and enhanced the induction of interleukin 2, compatible with late-stage immunopathogenicity and long-term cytokine dysregulation as observed in severe SARS cases. Conversely, inhibition of cyclophilins by cyclosporine A (CspA) blocked the replication of CoVs of all genera, including SARS-CoV, human CoV-229E and -NL-63, feline CoV, as well as avian infectious bronchitis virus. Non-immunosuppressive derivatives of CspA might serve as broad-range CoV inhibitors applicable against emerging CoVs as well as ubiquitous pathogens of humans and livestock

Collected. Bought. Looted? Provenance Research at the Weltkulturenmuseum Frankfurt

The question of how objects arrived in a museum has by now become an integral part of academic discussion. For several years, ethnological museums have also placed greater emphasis on the history of their collections and investigated the paths of their items. German museums face a two-fold challenge in this endeavour, since both the acquisitions during colonial times and those during the Nazi period need to be critically questioned. Sometimes these areas overlap, for example when objects from colonial regions were purchased under conditions of Nazi occupation. The complexity of the subject is illustrated by the wealth of current research projects, conferences and publications about provenance research in ethnological collections. A critical reappraisal of the collection is also a major research focus at the Weltkulturen Museum in Frankfurt. Initial results will be presented in the exhibition entitled “Collected. Bought. Looted?”, due to open in the museum in August 2018. To emphasize the entanglement between the National Socialist era and the colonial period, the article will present case studies of acquisitions from both backgrounds

Significance of abrasion patterns in Recent pectinoid bivalve shells

Abrasion, a taphonomic process of three-dimensional alteration and destruction of skeletal morphology after death of the animal and abidance in the Taphonomic Active Zone (TAZ), causes characteristic alteration and destruction patterns in Recent and fossil bivalve shells. We describe abrasion in shells of the Recent bivalves Aequipecten opercularis (Linnaeus) and Mimachlamys varia (Linnaeus) from high-energy macrotidal sandy beaches of Brittany (western France), the Algarve (Portugal) and Wales (UK). Following a revised, comprehensive description of the original shell morphology characteristic external and internal alteration is documented. We demonstrate that taxonomically relevant characters are reduced, altered considerably or even obliterated by abrasive processes which make a correct identification of the respective specimen difficult or impossible. Fracture specimens of abraded and non-abraded shells were analysed to test the role of shell microstructure within the abrasion process. Examples of abrasion in fossils are compared with the Recent material. Knowledge and consideration of abrasion patterns should avoid that new taxa, especially in the fossil record, are established on the basis of abrasion stages

Bohemicardia hainense (Maurer) revisted: insights into ontogeny and variability of a Devonian hippocardiid rostroconch (Conocardiida: Hippocardiidae)

Re-examination of type material and abundant specimens enable the reinstatement of 'Conocardium hainense Maurer, 1885', a species erroneously synonymised with Babinicardia clathrata by Rogalla and Amler. Based on the completely reconstructed morphology, C. hainense can be assigned to the genus Bohemicardia within the Hippocardiidae of the Hippocardioidea. About 600 specimens from a single locality available for study including a wide range of ontogenetic stages allow documentation of allometric growth, with shell width increasing faster than shell height. Protoconchs are not preserved, leaving the development from larval stages to early juveniles unrecorded. The large number of specimens confirms a rather narrow range of morphological variation within the taxon. Based on the preservation of the rarely observed external shell layer, conclusions on shell shape, presence of a hood and external shell ornamentation of the taxon are possible. The material confirms that recognising different shell layer architecture in conocardiid rostroconchs is a prerequisite for specific identification and basic taxonomy