Geographically Structured Growth decline of Rear-Edge Iberian Fagus sylvatica Forests After the 1980s Shift Toward a Warmer Climate

Warming-related growth decrease on southern Fagus sylvatica forests has been observed in different regions; however, whether it is a generalized fact or not remains unclear. Here we investigate the geographical pattern on growth response of the southwestern European beech forests to the warming climate shift which started in the 1980s. We sampled 15 beech forests (215 trees) across four climatically contrasting regions (Mediterranean, Pyrenean, low- and high-elevation Atlantic areas) near the southern distribution limit of the species in the Iberian Peninsula. Dendrochronological analyses were carried out to evaluate the growth of European beech since the 1950s. Growth responses quantified as pointer years, abrupt growth changes and long-term growth trends were compared between periods (before and after the 1980s climate shift), geographical regions and tree sizes. Analyses of the studied variables indicated a growth decrease in basal area increment after the climate shift in three of the four studied regions. Pyrenean stands were not negatively influenced by the climate shift, although an increase in the frequency of negative brupt growth changes was also found there. Growth after the climate shift presented divergent patterns depending on the geographical region. Although Mediterranean and Atlantic stands presented different indicators of constrained growth, Pyrenean stands showed rising long-term growth trends. Such results suggest that regional characteristics differentially determine the growth response of the southern European beech forests to recent warming periods. Iberian beech forests located at the Pyrenees would benefit from forecasted warming conditions, whereas Atlantic and Mediterranean forests would be more prone to suffer warming-related growth decline

The Power Board of the KM3NeT Digital Optical Module: Design, Upgrade, and Production

The KM3NeT Collaboration is building an underwater neutrino observatory at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, consisting of two neutrino telescopes, both composed of a three-dimensional array of light detectors, known as digital optical modules. Each digital optical module contains a set of 31 three-inch photomultiplier tubes distributed over the surface of a 0.44 m diameter pressure- resistant glass sphere. The module also includes calibration instruments and electronics for power, readout, and data acquisition. The power board was developed to supply power to all the elements of the digital optical module. The design of the power board began in 2013, and ten prototypes were produced and tested. After an exhaustive validation process in various laboratories within the KM3NeT Collaboration, a mass production batch began, resulting in the construction of over 1200 power boards so far. These boards were integrated in the digital optical modules that have already been produced and deployed, which total 828 as of October 2023. In 2017, an upgrade of the power board, to increase reliability and efficiency, was initiated. The validation of a pre-production series has been completed, and a production batch of 800 upgraded boards is currently underway. This paper describes the design, architecture, upgrade, validation, and production of the power board, including the reliability studies and tests conducted to ensure safe operation at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea throughout the observatory’s lifespan

Comprehensive reanalysis for CNVs in ES data from unsolved rare disease cases results in new diagnoses

: We report the results of a comprehensive copy number variant (CNV) reanalysis of 9171 exome sequencing datasets from 5757 families affected by a rare disease (RD). The data reanalysed was extremely heterogeneous, having been generated using 28 different enrichment kits by 42 different research groups across Europe partnering in the Solve-RD project. Each research group had previously undertaken their own analysis of the data but failed to identify disease-causing variants. We applied three CNV calling algorithms to maximise sensitivity, and rare CNVs overlapping genes of interest, provided by four partner European Reference Networks, were taken forward for interpretation by clinical experts. This reanalysis has resulted in a molecular diagnosis being provided to 51 families in this sample, with ClinCNV performing the best of the three algorithms. We also identified partially explanatory pathogenic CNVs in a further 34 individuals. This work illustrates the value of reanalysing ES cold cases for CNVs