Full system test and early preliminary acceptance Europe results for CRIRES+

CRIRES+ is the new high-resolution NIR echelle spectrograph intended to be operated at the platform B of VLT Unit telescope UT3. It will cover from Y to M bands (0.95-5.3um) with a spectral resolution of R = 50000 or R=100000. The main scientific goals are the search of super-Earths in the habitable zone of low-mass stars, the characterisation of transiting planets atmosphere and the study of the origin and evolution of stellar magnetic fields. Based on the heritage of the old adaptive optics (AO) assisted VLT instrument CRIRES, the new spectrograph will present improved optical layout, a new detector system and a new calibration unit providing optimal performances in terms of simultaneous wavelength coverage and radial velocity accuracy (a few m/s). The total observing efficiency will be enhanced by a factor of 10 with respect to CRIRES. An innovative spectro-polarimetry mode will be also offered and a new metrology system will ensure very high system stability and repeatability. Fiinally, the CRIRES+ project will also provide the community with a new data reduction software (DRS) package. CRIRES+ is currently at the initial phase of its Preliminary Acceptance in Europe (PAE) and it will be commissioned early in 2019 at VLT. This work outlines the main results obtained during the initial phase of the full system test at ESO HQ Garching

Does plant diversity affect the water balance of established grassland systems?

Evidence from experimental grasslands indicated that plant biodiversity modifies the water cycle but it is unclear if this is also true for established land-use systems. Therefore, we investigated how evapotranspiration (ETa), downward flux (DF), and upward flux (UF) in soil are related with land use and plant diversity in agriculturally managed grassland. In three Central European regions (“Biodiversity Exploratories”), we studied 29 grassland plots (50m x 50m; 9-11 plots per region) covering the land-use classes pasture, mown pasture, and meadow in at least triplicate per region. From 2010 to 2015, we measured soil moisture, meteorological conditions, plant species richness, cover and number of species in the functional groups of grasses, herbs, and legumes, aboveground biomass and root biomass on each plot. Annual ETa, DF, and UF were calculated for two soil layers with a soil water balance model and statistically analyzed for land-use and biodiversity effects with analysis of variance. Water fluxes were not significantly affected by land-use class. UF did not vary between plots with different species richness and plant functional group composition. DF from topsoil increased with increasing number of grass species. ETa from topsoil decreased with increasing species richness and with the number of herb or legume species, while ETa from subsoil increased. Our results demonstrate that plant diversity influences the soil depth partitioning of water use, but the complex drivers of this relationship in agriculturally managed grassland still need to be disentangled

Unique human immune signature of Ebola virus disease in Guinea.

Despite the magnitude of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa, there is still a fundamental lack of knowledge about the pathophysiology of EVD. In particular, very little is known about human immune responses to Ebola virus. Here we evaluate the physiology of the human T cell immune response in EVD patients at the time of admission to the Ebola Treatment Center in Guinea, and longitudinally until discharge or death. Through the use of multiparametric flow cytometry established by the European Mobile Laboratory in the field, we identify an immune signature that is unique in EVD fatalities. Fatal EVD was characterized by a high percentage of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells expressing the inhibitory molecules CTLA-4 and PD-1, which correlated with elevated inflammatory markers and high virus load. Conversely, surviving individuals showed significantly lower expression of CTLA-4 and PD-1 as well as lower inflammation, despite comparable overall T cell activation. Concomitant with virus clearance, survivors mounted a robust Ebola-virus-specific T cell response. Our findings suggest that dysregulation of the T cell response is a key component of EVD pathophysiology