Development of a harmonized risk mitigation toolbox dedicated to environmental risks of pesticides in farmland in Europe: outcome of the MAgPIE workshop

Risk mitigation measures are a key component in designing conditions of use of pesticides in crop protection. A 2-step workshop was organized under the auspices of SETAC and the European Commission and gathered risk assessors and risk managers of 21 European countries, industry, academia and agronomical advisors/extension services, in order to provide European regulatory authorities with a toolbox of risk mitigation measures designed to reduce environmental risks of pesticides used in agriculture, and thus contribute to a better harmonization within Europe in the area.The workshop gathered an inventory of the risk mitigation tools for pesticides being implemented or in development in European countries. The inventory was discussed in order to identify the most promising tools for a harmonized toolbox in the European area. The discussions concerned the level of confidence in the technical data on which the tools identified rely, possible regulatory hurdles, expectations as regards the implementation of these tools by farmers and links with risk assessment. Finally, this workshop was a first step towards a network gathering all stakeholders, i.e. experts from national authorities, research sector, industry and farmers, to share information and further develop this toolbox. This paper presents an outline of the content of the toolbox with an emphasis on spray drift reducing techniques, in line with the discussions ongoing in the SPISE workshop

Trait Variation Along Elevation Gradients in a Dominant Wood Shrub is Population-Specific and Driven by Plasticity

Elevation gradients are frequently used as space-for-time substitutions to infer species’ trait responses to climate change. However, studies rarely investigate whether trait responses to elevation are widespread or population specific within a species, and the relative genetic and plastic contributions to such trait responses may not be well understood. Here, we examine plant trait variation in the dominant woody shrub, Rhododendron maximum, along elevation gradients in three populations in the South Central Appalachian Mountains, USA, in both field and common garden environments. We ask the following: (1) do plant traits vary along elevation? (2) do trait responses to elevation differ across populations, and if so, why? and (3) does genetic differentiation or phenotypic plasticity drive trait variation within and among populations? We found that internode length, shoot length, leaf dry mass, and leaf area varied along elevation, but that these responses were generally unique to one population, suggesting that trait responses to environmental gradients are population-specific. A common garden experiment identified nogenetic basis to variation along elevation or among populations in any trait, suggesting that plasticity drives local and regional trait variation and may play a key role in the persistence of plant species such as R. maximum with contemporary climate change. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of examining multiple locations in future elevation studies and indicate that, for a given plant species, the magnitude of trait responses to global climate change may vary by location

Balanced electron-hole transport in spin-orbit semimetal SrIrO3 heterostructures

Relating the band structure of correlated semimetals to their transport properties is a complex and often open issue. The partial occupation of numerous electron and hole bands can result in properties that are seemingly in contrast with one another, complicating the extraction of the transport coefficients of different bands. The 5d oxide SrIrO3 hosts parabolic bands of heavy holes and light electrons in gapped Dirac cones due to the interplay between electron-electron interactions and spin-orbit coupling. We present a multifold approach relying on different experimental techniques and theoretical calculations to disentangle its complex electronic properties. By combining magnetotransport and thermoelectric measurements in a field-effect geometry with first-principles calculations, we quantitatively determine the transport coefficients of different conduction channels. Despite their different dispersion relationships, electrons and holes are found to have strikingly similar transport coefficients, yielding a holelike response under field-effect and thermoelectric measurements and a linear, electronlike Hall effect up to 33 T.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Properties of helium bubbles in covalent systems at the nanoscale: A combined numerical and experimental study

International audienceThe properties of nanometric-sized helium bubbles in silicon have been investigated using both spatially resolved electron-energy-loss spectroscopy combined with a recently developed method, and molecular-dynamics simulations. The experiments allowed for an accurate determination of size, aspect ratio, and helium density for a large number of single bubbles, whose diameters ranged from 6 to 20 nm. Very high helium densities, from 60 to 180 He nm −3 , have been measured depending on the conditions, in stark contrast with previous investigations of helium bubbles in metal with similar sizes. To supplement experiments on a smaller scale, and to obtain insights into the silicon matrix state, atomistic calculations have been performed for helium bubbles in the diameter range 1-13 nm. Molecular-dynamics simulations revealed that the maximum attainable helium density is critically related to the strength of the silicon matrix, which tends to yield by amorphization at the highest density levels. Calculations give helium density values for isolated single bubbles that are typically lower than measurements. However, excellent agreement is recovered when the interactions between bubbles and the presence of helium interstitials in the matrix are taken into account. Both experiments and numerical simulations suggest that the Laplace-Young law cannot be used to predict helium density in nanometric-sized bubbles in a covalent material such as silicon

Holocene geochemical footprint from Semiarid alpine wetlands in southern Spain

Here we provide the geochemical dataset that our research group has collected after 10 years of investigation in the Sierra Nevada National Park in southern Spain. These data come from Holocene sedimentary records from four alpine sites (ranging from ∼2500 to ∼3000 masl): two peatlands and two shallow lakes. Different kinds of organic and inorganic analyses have been conducted. The organic matter in the bulk sediment was characterised using elemental measurements and isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (EA-IRMS). Leaf waxes in the sediment were investigated by means of chromatography with flame-ionization detection and mass spectrometry (GC-FID, GC-MS). Major, minor and trace elements of the sediments were analysed with atomic absorption (AAS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), as well as X-ray scanning fluorescence. These data can be reused by environmental researchers and soil and land managers of the Sierra Nevada National Park and similar regions to identify the effect of natural climate change, overprinted by human impact, as well as to project new management policies in similar protected areas.Universidad de Granada. Departamento de Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaJunta de Andalucía: Grupos de investigación RNM190 y RNM309Junta de Andalucía: Proyecto P11-RNM-7332España, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad: Proyecto CGL2013-47038-RRamón y Cajal Fellowship: RYC-2015-18966Small Research Grant by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of ScotlandMarie Curie Intra-European Fellowship of the 7th Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration of the European Commission: NAOSIPUK. Grant Number: PIEF-GA-2012-62302

Development of a new ‘ultrametric’ method for assessing spawning progression in female teleost serial spawners

The collection and presentation of accurate reproductive data from wild fish has historically been somewhat problematic, especially for serially spawning species. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to develop a novel method of assessing female spawning status that is robust to variation in oocyte dynamics between specimens. Atlantic cod (Barents Sea stock) were used to develop the new ‘ultrametric’ method, that is based on the progressive depletion of the vitellogenic oocyte pool relative to the rather constant previtellogenic oocyte (PVO) pool. Fish were subsequently partitioned into one of four categories that accurately reflected changes in their oocyte size frequency distribution characteristics and gonadosomatic index throughout spawning. The ultrametric method overcomes difficulties associated with presence of bimodal oocyte distributions, oocyte tails, lack of clear hiatus region, and presence of free ova, and can be implemented at a single sampling point. Much of the workflow is fully automated, and the technique may circumvent the need for histological analysis depending on the desired outcome. The ultrametric method differs from the traditional autodiametric method in that PVOs can be separated by ultrasonication and then enumerated, and ovarian homogeneity is not a mandatory requirement per se. The method is designed for determinate spawners but might be extended to include indeterminate spawners

Implication of TRIMalpha and TRIMCyp in interferon-induced anti-retroviral restriction activities

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>TRIM5α is a restriction factor that interferes with retroviral infections in a species-specific manner in primate cells. Although TRIM5α is constitutively expressed, its expression has been shown to be up-regulated by type I interferon (IFN). Among primates, a particular case exists in owl monkey cells, which express a fusion protein between TRIM5 and cyclophilin A, TRIMCyp, specifically interfering with HIV-1 infection. No studies have been conducted so far concerning the possible induction of TRIMCyp by IFN. We investigated the consequences of IFN treatment on retroviral restriction in diverse primate cells and evaluated the implication of TRIM5α or TRIMCyp in IFN-induced anti-retroviral activities.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>First, we show that human type I IFN can enhance TRIM5α expression in human, African green monkey and macaque cells, as well as TRIMCyp expression in owl monkey cells. In TRIM5α-expressing primate cell lines, type I IFN has little or no effect on HIV-1 infection, whereas it potentates restriction activity against N-MLV in human and African green monkey cells. In contrast, type I IFN treatment of owl monkey cells induces a great enhancement of HIV-1 restriction, as well as a strain-tropism independent restriction of MLV. We were able to demonstrate that TRIM5α is the main mediator of the IFN-induced activity against N-MLV in human and African green monkey cells, whereas TRIMCyp mediates the IFN-induced HIV-1 restriction enhancement in owl monkey cells. In contrast, the type I IFN-induced anti-MLV restriction in owl monkey cells is independent of TRIMCyp expression.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Together, our observations indicate that both TRIM5α and TRIMCyp are implicated in IFN-induced anti-retroviral response in primate cells. Furthermore, we found that type I IFN also induces a TRIMCyp-independent restriction activity specific to MLV in owl monkey cells.</p

NRSF and BDNF polymorphisms as biomarkers of cognitive dysfunction in adults with newly-diagnosed epilepsy

Cognitive dysfunction is a common comorbidity in people with epilepsy, but its causes remain unclear. It may be related to the etiology of the disorder, the consequences of seizures, or the effects of antiepileptic drug treatment. Genetics may also play a contributory role. We investigated the influence of variants in the genes encoding neuron-restrictive silencer factor (NRSF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), proteins previously associated with cognition and epilepsy, on cognitive function in people with newly diagnosed epilepsy. A total of 82 patients who had previously undergone detailed neuropsychological assessment were genotyped for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the NRSF and BDNF genes. Putatively functional SNPs were included in a genetic association analysis with specific cognitive domains, including memory, psychomotor speed, and information processing. Cross-sectional and longitudinal designs were used to explore genetic influences on baseline cognition at diagnosis and change from baseline over the first year since diagnosis, respectively. We found a statistically significant association between genotypic variation and memory function at both baseline (NRSF: rs1105434, rs2227902 and BDNF: rs1491850, rs2030324, rs11030094) and in our longitudinal analysis (NRSF: rs2227902 and BDNF: rs12273363). Psychomotor speed was also associated with genotype (NRSF rs3796529) in the longitudinal assessment. In line with our previous work on general cognitive function in the healthy aging population, we observed an additive interaction between risk alleles for the NRSF rs2227902 (G) and BDNF rs6265 (A) polymorphisms which was again consistent with a significantly greater decline in delayed recall over the first year since diagnosis. These findings support a role for the NRSF–BDNF pathway in the modulation of cognitive function in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy