Microbiota/Host Crosstalk Biomarkers: Regulatory Response of Human Intestinal Dendritic Cells Exposed to Lactobacillus Extracellular Encrypted Peptide

The human gastrointestinal tract is exposed to a huge variety of microorganisms, either commensal or pathogenic; at this site, a balance between immunity and immune tolerance is required. Intestinal dendritic cells (DCs) control the mechanisms of immune response/tolerance in the gut. In this paper we have identified a peptide (STp) secreted by Lactobacillus plantarum, characterized by the abundance of serine and threonine residues within its sequence. STp is encoded in one of the main extracellular proteins produced by such species, which includes some probiotic strains, and lacks cleavage sites for the major intestinal proteases. When studied in vitro, STp expanded the ongoing production of regulatory IL-10 in human intestinal DCs from healthy controls. STp-primed DC induced an immunoregulatory cytokine profile and skin-homing profile on stimulated T-cells. Our data suggest that some of the molecular dialogue between intestinal bacteria and DCs may be mediated by immunomodulatory peptides, encoded in larger extracellular proteins, secreted by commensal bacteria. These peptides may be used for the development of nutraceutical products for patients with IBD. In addition, this kind of peptides seem to be absent in the gut of inflammatory bowel disease patients, suggesting a potential role as biomarker of gut homeostasis

Modeling the economic impact of welfare interventions in fish farming—A case study from the UK rainbow trout industry

Actions that aim to improve animal welfare are likely to involve costs for the producer, although at the same time such actions may improve the profitability of production. In this article we introduce a quantitative bio-economical approach for estimating the economic consequences for improving animal welfare in the aquaculture industry; for farmers and the industry as a whole. The decision tool can be used with different welfare indicators, different species and production systems. It can be used to rank the economic consequences of different techniques that aim to improve welfare. We illustrate the decision tool with a case study relating to the use of triploids in rainbow trout farming. We highlight the probability how the benefits gained from changes in bio-economical productivity factors, and consumers' willingness to pay can overcome the costs associated with implementing a specific welfare intervention

A multi-disciplinary framework for bio-economic modeling in aquaculture: a welfare case study

This article summarizes the framework that translated data from multiple disciplines into a bio-economic decision tool for modeling the costs and benefits of improving fish welfare in commercial aquaculture. This decision tool formed the basis of a recent EU research project, BENEFISH which was funded via the European Commission's Sixth Framework (FP6) initiative. The bio-economic decision model can incorporate biological data, productivity data, micro (farm) and macro (industry) level economic data, and consumer marketing and business to business data. It can identify areas for potential added value that might be achieved by improving fish welfare across a range of species and husbandry systems within European aquaculture. This article provides a brief overview of the minimum data requirements for successfully modeling the bio-economic impacts of improvements in farmed fish welfare using the model developed during the BENEFISH project. It also highlights potential bottlenecks and the minimum prerequisites for each potential data set to be used for successful modeling

Kalankasvatuksen ympärille rakennettava yritysekosysteemi:SIBE-projektin tapaustutkimus

Tiivistelmä Kotimaisen kalatuotannon kauppatase on 400 miljoonaa euroa miinuksella. Kalan lisäksi vihanneksia, kasviksia, hedelmiä, marjoja ja sieniä tuodaan maahan merkittäviä määriä. Tuonnin arvo pelkästään vihanneksissa ja kasviksissa on lähes 200 miljoonaa euroa vuodessa. Lähellä tuotetulle kotimaiselle ruoalle on suuri kysyntä, jota vahvistavat entisestään uudet ruokatrendit. Perinteinen suomalainen alkutuotanto kärsii myös kannattavuusongelmista ja on osittain liian kapea-alaista. Kotimaisen ruoantuotannon kilpailukykyä voidaan parantaa mm. hyödyntämällä kiertotaloudellisia ratkaisuja ja puhtaita teknologioita sekä tehdä asioita tehokkaammin yhteistyössä koko arvoverkon eri toimijoiden kanssa. Hankkeen lähtökohtana oli Laitakarin Kala Oy:n suunnitelmat Oulusta 20 kilometriä pohjoiseen Haukiputaan Martinniemeen sijoitettavasta suuresta kalankasvattamosta. Tavanomaisen kalankasvattamon rakentamisen lisäksi hankkeessa tarkasteltiin mahdollisuuksia saada kalankasvatuksen rinnalle muita liiketoimintoja, jotka tukisivat toisiaan. Hankkeen lopputuloksena syntyi konsepti sini-sen biotalouden liiketoimintaekosysteemistä, sen arvoketjuista ja toimijoista sekä arviot materiaali- ja energiavirroista. Konseptia työstettiin hankkeen aikana yhteistyössä ekosysteemin potentiaalisten toimijoiden kanssa haastatteluissa sekä yhteisessä työpajatilaisuudessa. Hankkeen aikana osa mietityistä innovatiivisista ratkaisuista osoittautui vielä taloudellisesti kannattamattomiksi ja osasta saatavat hyödyt ovat perinteisiin ratkaisuihin verrattuna niin marginaalisia, että niitä ei ainakaan tällä hetkellä kannata lähteä toteuttamaan. Kasvihuoneviljelyn kohdalla suurimmaksi haasteeksi muodostui liiketoiminnasta kiinnostuneen yrittäjän löytäminen. Kalan ja kasvien tuotannon yhdistämisellä saatavat synergiaedut näyttävät olevan melko marginaalisia johtuen kummankin prosessin kannalta tehtävistä kompromisseista. Kohteeksi valittu kurkun ympärivuotinen kasvihuoneviljely on lisäksi niin energiaintensiivistä, ettei suljetun kierron ratkaisuilla konseptin sisällä kasvihuoneen energiantarpeen täyttäminen ole mahdollista. Vaikka osa suunnitelluista ratkaisuista vaikuttaa esiselvityksen perusteella olevan kannattamattomia tai symbioosietujen olevan ennakoitua pienemmät, ovat ne tuloksina silti arvokkaita ja voivat säästää yrittäjiä turhalta yrityksen ja erehdyksen kautta tapahtuvalta toiminnalta. Lisäksi tulokset osoittavat suuntaa aihepiirin tarvitsemalle T&K-toiminnalle

Isomeric fission yield ratios for odd-mass Cd and In isotopes using the phase-imaging ion-cyclotron-resonance technique

Isomeric yield ratios for the odd-A isotopes of 119–127Cd and 119–127In from 25-MeV proton-induced fission on natural uranium have been measured at the JYFLTRAP double Penning trap, by employing the phase-imaging ion-cyclotron-resonance technique. With the significantly improved mass resolution of this novel method isomeric states separated by 140 keV from the ground state, and with half-lives of the order of 500 ms, could be resolved. This opens the door for obtaining new information on low-lying isomers, which are important for nuclear structure, fission, and astrophysics. In the present work the experimental isomeric yield ratios are used for the estimation of the root-mean-square angular momentum Jrms of the primary fragments. The results show a dependency on the number of unpaired protons and neutrons, where the odd-Z In isotopes carry larger angular momenta. The deduced values of Jrms display a linear relationship when compared with the electric quadrupole moments of the fission products.peerReviewe

Production of Sn and Sb isotopes in high-energy neutron-induced fission of natU

The first systematic measurement of neutron-induced fission yields has been performed at the upgraded IGISOL-4 facility at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. The fission products from high-energy neutron-induced fission of nat U were stopped in a gas cell filled with helium buffer gas, and were online separated with a dipole magnet. The isobars, with masses in the range A = 128-133 , were transported to a tape-implantation station and identified using γ -spectroscopy. We report here the relative cumulative isotopic yields of tin (Z = 50) and the relative independent isotopic yields of antimony (Z = 51). Isomeric yield ratios were also obtained for five nuclides. The yields of tin show a staggered behaviour around A = 131 , not observed in the ENDF/B-VII.1 evaluation. The yields of antimony also contradict the trend from the evaluation, but are in agreement with a calculation performed using the GEF model that shows the yield increasing with mass in the range A = 128-133.peerReviewe

First isomeric yield ratio measurements by direct ion counting and implications for the angular momentum of the primary fission fragments

We report the first experimental determination of independent isomeric yield ratios using direct ion counting with a Penning trap, which offered such a high resolution in mass that isomeric states could be separated. The measurements were performed at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line (IGISOL) facility at the University of Jyväskylä. The isomer production ratios of 81Ge, 96,97Y, 128,130Sn, and 129Sb in the 25-MeV proton-induced fission of natU and 232Th were studied. Three isomeric pairs (81Ge, 96Y, and 129Sb) were measured for the first time for the natU(p,f) reaction, while all the reported yield ratios for the 232Th(p,f) reaction were determined for the first time. The comparison of the experimentally determined isomeric yield ratios with data available in the literature shows a reasonable agreement, except for the case of 130Sn for unspecified reasons. The obtained results were also compared with the gef model, where good agreement can be noticed in most cases for both reactions. Serious discrepancies can only be observed for the cases of 96,97Y for both reactions. Moreover, based on the isomeric yield ratios, the root-mean-square angular momenta (Jrms) of the fission fragments after scission were estimated using the talys code. The experimentally determined isomeric yield ratios, and consequently the deduced Jrms, for 130Sn are significantly lower compared to 128Sn for both fissioning systems. This can be attributed to the more spherical shape of the fragments that contribute to the formation of 130Sn, due to their proximity to the N=82 shell closure. The values of Jrms for 129Sb are higher than 128Sn for both reactions, despite the same neutron number of both nuclides (N=78), indicating the odd-Z effect where fission fragments with odd-Z number tend to bear larger angular momentum than even-Z fragments. The isomer production ratio for the isotopes of Sn is more enhanced in the natU(p,f) reaction than in 232Th(p,f). The opposite is observed for 96Y and 97Y. These discrepancies might be associated to different scission shapes of the fragments for the two fission reactions, indicating the impact that the different fission modes can have on the isomeric yield ratios.peerReviewe

Climate change in the Baltic Sea:2021 fact sheet

Abstract Climate change effects on the Baltic Sea environment are manifold. It is for example expected that water temperature and sea level will rise, and sea ice cover will decrease. This will affect ecosystems and biota; for example, range shifts are expected for a number of marine species, benthic productivity will decrease, and breeding success of ringed seals will be reduced. The impacts will hence affect the overall ecosystem function and also extend to human uses of the sea; trawling will follow the fish towards southern areas, aquaculture will likely face a shift towards species diversification, and the value of most ecosystem services is expected to change — to name a few. This Climate Change Fact Sheet provides the latest scientific knowledge on how climate change is currently affecting the Baltic Sea and how it is expected to develop in the foreseeable future. It is aimed at guiding policy makers to take climate change into account, but also to the general public. Updated Baltic Sea Climate Change Fact Sheets are expected to be published approximately every seven years