Twenty-Two Years of Warming, Fertilisation and Shading of Subarctic Heath Shrubs Promote Secondary Growth and Plasticity but Not Primary Growth

Most manipulation experiments simulating global change in tundra were short-term or did not measure plant growth directly. Here, we assessed the growth of three shrubs (Cassiope tetragona, Empetrum hermaphroditum and Betula nana) at a subarctic heath in Abisko (Northern Sweden) after 22 years of warming (passive greenhouses), fertilisation (nutrients addition) and shading (hessian fabric), and compare this to observations from the first decade of treatment. We assessed the growth rate of current-year leaves and apical stem (primary growth) and cambial growth (secondary growth), and integrated growth rates with morphological measurements and species coverage. Primary- and total growth of Cassiope and Empetrum were unaffected by manipulations, whereas growth was substantially reduced under fertilisation and shading (but not warming) for Betula. Overall, shrub height and length tended to increase under fertilisation and warming, whereas branching increased mostly in shaded Cassiope. Morphological changes were coupled to increased secondary growth under fertilisation. The species coverage showed a remarkable increase in graminoids in fertilised plots. Shrub response to fertilisation was positive in the short-term but changed over time, likely because of an increased competition with graminoids. More erected postures and large, canopies (requiring enhanced secondary growth for stem reinforcement) likely compensated for the increased light competition in Empetrum and Cassiope but did not avoid growth reduction in the shade intolerant Betula. The impact of warming and shading on shrub growth was more conservative. The lack of growth enhancement under warming suggests the absence of long-term acclimation for processes limiting biomass production. The lack of negative effects of shading on Cassiope was linked to morphological changes increasing the photosynthetic surface. Overall, tundra shrubs showed developmental plasticity over the longer term. However, such plasticity was associated clearly with growth rate trends only in fertilised plots

A functional variant in the Stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene promoter enhances fatty acid desaturation in pork

There is growing public concern about reducing saturated fat intake. Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) is the lipogenic enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of oleic acid (18:1) by desaturating stearic acid (18:0). Here we describe a total of 18 mutations in the promoter and 3′ non-coding region of the pig SCD gene and provide evidence that allele T at AY487830:g.2228T>C in the promoter region enhances fat desaturation (the ratio 18:1/18:0 in muscle increases from 3.78 to 4.43 in opposite homozygotes) without affecting fat content (18:0+18:1, intramuscular fat content, and backfat thickness). No mutations that could affect the functionality of the protein were found in the coding region. First, we proved in a purebred Duroc line that the C-T-A haplotype of the 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (g.2108C>T; g.2228T>C; g.2281A>G) of the promoter region was additively associated to enhanced 18:1/18:0 both in muscle and subcutaneous fat, but not in liver. We show that this association was consistent over a 10-year period of overlapping generations and, in line with these results, that the C-T-A haplotype displayed greater SCD mRNA expression in muscle. The effect of this haplotype was validated both internally, by comparing opposite homozygote siblings, and externally, by using experimental Duroc-based crossbreds. Second, the g.2281A>G and the g.2108C>T SNPs were excluded as causative mutations using new and previously published data, restricting the causality to g.2228T>C SNP, the last source of genetic variation within the haplotype. This mutation is positioned in the core sequence of several putative transcription factor binding sites, so that there are several plausible mechanisms by which allele T enhances 18:1/18:0 and, consequently, the proportion of monounsaturated to saturated fat.This research was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (AGL2009-09779 and AGL2012-33529). RRF is recipient of a PhD scholarship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (BES-2010-034607). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of manuscript

Hierarchical and singular bases for finite methods

Hierarchical basis function families that incorporate singular behavior to model fields with corner singularities are reviewed. These families are of the additive kind, and combine a traditional polynomial-complete representation with additional singular terms that incorporate general exponents that may be adjusted for the specific wedge angle of interest. A few results are reported to validate the benefits of using such bases when dealing with two-dimensional structures with corners meshed with triangular cells.4 page(s

Efficient delivery of audiovisual content to mobile devices combining 5G broadcast and CDN technologies

The ‘5G Broadcast profile’ defined under the umbrella of 3GPP specifications, also known as FeMBMS, offers a new set of opportunities enabling innovative services and creating an impulse for advances of the entire media sector. Indeed, content providers and broadcast operators are actively involved in several worldwide research projects investigating to what extent 5G can represent the new paradigm in the media landscape for large-scale TV content delivery towards personal consumer devices. In this respect, the present paper aims at providing a comprehensive overview of an extensive trial showing the potentialities of the cutting-edge combination of 5G Broadcast and CDN technologies for linear broadcast and broadband distribution. The considered use cases refer to specific "Live Events": TV contents, including live streams captured by means of a 5G remote production and VR360 content for full immersive experiences, are distributed via 5G Broadcast to handheld devices and vehicular infotainment systems, implementing seamless switching between broadcast and broadband delivery to offer an uninterrupted viewer experience

Effect of Lactobacillus reuteri LRE02-Lactobacillus rhamnosus LR04 combination and gastrointestinal functional disorders in an Emergency Department pediatric population

OBJECTIVE: Probiotics are living microorganisms that, when administered per os in adequate amounts, may confer a health benefit on the host by the regularization of an unbalanced gastroenteric microbiota. The objective of this study was to evaluate treatment effectiveness, safety, and palatability of a probiotic\u2019s combination (Lactobacillus reuteri LRE02-DSM 23878 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus LR04-DSM 16605) in a pediatric Emergency Department setting with functional gastrointestinal disorders. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three groups were enrolled: children with functional abdominal pain; children with gastroenteritis; children with gas colic. Self-reporting sheets were delivered to each patient/parent after probiotics treatment. The primary outcome was to evaluate the evolution of clinical conditions in enrolled children. RESULTS: The outcomes showed a statistical difference among children treated with probiotics and those who did not. In the functional abdominal pain group, 58.2% of patients had a moderate symptoms improvement and 33.5% had a complete disappearance of symptoms, while in the gas colic group, 68.2% of the infants had a moderate improvement and 23.2% had a complete resolution. In the gastroenteritis group, stool consistency and number of evacuations improved in children who took probiotic administration as well. CONCLUSIONS: Probiotics therapy, at the recommended dosage of five drops per day for 15 days, is associated with symptoms improvement. Moreover, the use of probiotics led to a stool consistency\u2019s normalization in a shorter time, evaluated with BSS. A randomized trial is needed to confirm these results

Il Mulino and the East-West Ideological Confrontation: From Destalinization to 1968

The chapter focuses on the group of intellectuals gathered around the journal Il Mulino and on their vision of democracy and democratic reformism: a vision shaped by their diverse cultural backgrounds, their appraisal of Cold War realities and their belief in the increasing “planetary” dimension of international relations. As well as their belief in the fundamental role of intellectuals to inspire political change, the authors explore Il Mulino’s myth of a worldwide “frontier” of democracy, especially during the years of Kennedy’s presidency. The chapter finally draws attention on the crisis of the journal’s cultural project in the second half of the 1960s when these intellectuals were challenged by the deteriorating high hopes of the reformist’s wave and uncertainties about the détente