Whole Crop Cereal Silage in Dairy Production

Whole-crop cereal silages (WCCS) are used to some extent in Sweden, but knowledge about the use of this feed for high yielding dairy cows is scarce. The crop is often harvested at different stages of maturity, from heading to yellow ripeness, which gives forages that differ in chemical composition. The purpose of this trial was to compare intake and milk production of dairy cows fed a WCCS based on barley harvested at three different stages of maturity

Relative Importance of Nitric Oxide Physical Drivers in the Lower Thermosphere

Nitric oxide (NO) observations from the Solar Occultation for Ice Experiment and Student Nitric Oxide Explorer satellite instruments are investigated to determine the relative importance of drivers of short‐term NO variability. We study the variations of deseasonalized NO anomalies by removing a climatology, which explains between approximately 70% and 90% of the total NO budget, and relate them to variability in geomagnetic activity and solar radiation. Throughout the lower thermosphere geomagnetic activity is the dominant process at high latitudes, while in the equatorial region solar radiation is the primary source of short‐term NO changes. Consistent results are obtained on estimated geomagnetic and radiation contributions of NO variations in the two data sets, which are nearly a decade apart in time. The analysis presented here can be applied to model simulations of NO to investigate the accuracy of the parametrized physical drivers

Showing Their True Colors? How EU Flag Display Affects Perceptions of Party Elites’ European Attachment

Evidence suggests that incidental national flag exposure activates nationalistic feelings and that incidental exposure to the EU flag can affect citizen attachments to Europe. However, we know little about what inferences citizens make based on the EU flag when they see it displayed by parties in an electoral context. To test the expectation that this display affects citizens’ evaluations of party elites’ EU attachment, we conducted a large-scale experiment embedded in a Swedish survey in which respondents were exposed to communications from one of the two main Swedish parties, containing or not containing the image of the flag. We find that simple visual display does little to move perceptions. However, if citizens perceive that a particular party displayed the flag, then they are more likely to evaluate its party elites as more attached to Europe

HER2-positive tumors imaged within 1 hour using a site-specifically 11C-labeled sel-tagged affibody molecule

A rapid, reliable method for distinguishing tumors or metastases that overexpress human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) from those that do not is highly desired for individualizing therapy and predicting prognoses. In vivo imaging methods are available but not yet in clinical practice; new methodologies improving speed, sensitivity, and specificity are required. METHODS: A HER2-binding Affibody molecule, Z(HER2:342), was recombinantly fused with a C-terminal selenocysteine-containing tetrapeptide Sel-tag, allowing site-specific labeling with either (11)C or (68)Ga, followed by biodistribution studies with small-animal PET. Dosimetry data for the 2 radiotracers were compared. Imaging of HER2-expressing human tumor xenografts was performed using the (11)C-labeled Affibody molecule. RESULTS: Both the (11)C- and (68)Ga-labeled tracers initially cleared rapidly from the blood, followed by a slower decrease to 4-5 percentage injected dose per gram of tissue at 1 h. Final retention in the kidneys was much lower (>5-fold) for the (11)C-labeled protein, and its overall absorbed dose was considerably lower. (11)C-Z(HER2:342) showed excellent tumor-targeting capability, with almost 10 percentage injected dose per gram of tissue in HER2-expressing tumors within 1 h. Specificity was demonstrated by preblocking binding sites with excess ligand, yielding significantly reduced radiotracer uptake (P = 0.002), comparable to uptake in tumors with low HER2 expression. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, the Sel-tagging technique is the first that enables site-specific (11)C-radiolabeling of proteins. Here we present the finding that, in a favorable combination between radionuclide half-life and in vivo pharmacokinetics of the Affibody molecules, (11)C-labeled Sel-tagged Z(HER2:342) can successfully be used for rapid and repeated PET studies of HER2 expression in tumors.VetenskapsrådetPublishe

Galectin-3 shapes toxic alpha-synuclein strains in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative and progressive disorder characterised by intracytoplasmic inclusions called Lewy bodies (LB) and degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Aggregated α-synuclein (αSYN) is known to be the main component of the LB. It has also been reported to interact with several proteins and organelles. Galectin-3 (GAL3) is known to have a detrimental function in neurodegenerative diseases. It is a galactose-binding protein without known catalytic activity and is expressed mainly by activated microglial cells in the central nervous system (CNS). GAL3 has been previously found in the outer layer of the LB in post-mortem brains. However, the role of GAL3 in PD is yet to be elucidated. In post-mortem samples, we identified an association between GAL3 and LB in all the PD subjects studied. GAL3 was linked to less αSYN in the LB outer layer and other αSYN deposits, including pale bodies. GAL3 was also associated with disrupted lysosomes. In vitro studies demonstrate that exogenous recombinant Gal3 is internalised by neuronal cell lines and primary neurons where it interacts with endogenous αSyn fibrils. In addition, aggregation experiments show that Gal3 affects spatial propagation and the stability of pre-formed αSyn fibrils resulting in short, amorphous toxic strains. To further investigate these observations in vivo, we take advantage of WT and Gal3KO mice subjected to intranigral injection of adenovirus overexpressing human αSyn as a PD model. In line with our in vitro studies, under these conditions, genetic deletion of GAL3 leads to increased intracellular αSyn accumulation within dopaminergic neurons and remarkably preserved dopaminergic integrity and motor function. Overall, our data suggest a prominent role for GAL3 in the aggregation process of αSYN and LB formation, leading to the production of short species to the detriment of larger strains which triggers neuronal degeneration in a mouse model of PD

How predation and landscape fragmentation affect vole population dynamics

Background: Microtine species in Fennoscandia display a distinct north-south gradient from regular cycles to stable populations. The gradient has often been attributed to changes in the interactions between microtines and their predators. Although the spatial structure of the environment is known to influence predator-prey dynamics of a wide range of species, it has scarcely been considered in relation to the Fennoscandian gradient. Furthermore, the length of microtine breeding season also displays a north-south gradient. However, little consideration has been given to its role in shaping or generating population cycles. Because these factors covary along the gradient it is difficult to distinguish their effects experimentally in the field. The distinction is here attempted using realistic agent-based modelling. Methodology/Principal Findings: By using a spatially explicit computer simulation model based on behavioural and ecological data from the field vole (Microtus agrestis), we generated a number of repeated time series of vole densities whose mean population size and amplitude were measured. Subsequently, these time series were subjected to statistical autoregressive modelling, to investigate the effects on vole population dynamics of making predators more specialised, of altering the breeding season, and increasing the level of habitat fragmentation. We found that fragmentation as well as the presence of specialist predators are necessary for the occurrence of population cycles. Habitat fragmentation and predator assembly jointly determined cycle length and amplitude. Length of vole breeding season had little impact on the oscillations. Significance: There is good agreement between our results and the experimental work from Fennoscandia, but our results allow distinction of causation that is hard to unravel in field experiments. We hope our results will help understand the reasons for cycle gradients observed in other areas. Our results clearly demonstrate the importance of landscape fragmentation for population cycling and we recommend that the degree of fragmentation be more fully considered in future analyses of vole dynamics

Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy of Chlorophyll a: Solvent Dependent Spectral Evolution

The interaction of the monomeric chlorophyll Q-band electronic transition with solvents of differing physical-chemical properties is investigated through two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2DES). Chlorophyll constitutes the key chromophore molecule in light harvesting complexes. It is well-known that the surrounding protein in the light harvesting complex fine-tunes chlorophyll electronic transitions to optimize energy transfer. Therefore, an understanding of the influence of the environment on the monomeric chlorophyll electronic transitions is important. The Q-band 2DES is inhomogeneous at early times, particularly in hydrogen bonding polar solvents, but also in nonpolar solvents like cyclohexane. Interestingly this inhomogeneity persists for long times, even up to the nanosecond time scale in some solvents. The reshaping of the 2DES occurs over multiple time scales and was assigned mainly to spectral diffusion. At early times the reshaping is Gaussian-like, hinting at a strong solvent reorganization effect. The temporal evolution of the 2DES response was analyzed in terms of a Brownian oscillator model. The spectral densities underpinning the Brownian oscillator fitting were recovered for the different solvents. The absorption spectra and Stokes shift were also properly described by this model. The extent and nature of inhomogeneous broadening was a strong function of solvent, being larger in H-bonding and viscous media and smaller in nonpolar solvents. The fastest spectral reshaping components were assigned to solvent dynamics, modified by interactions with the solute

Nature, Origin, Potential Composition, and Climate Impact of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL)

Satellite observations from SAGE II and CALIPSO indicate that summertime aerosol extinction has more than doubled in the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL) since the late 1990s. Here we show remote and in-situ observations, together with results from a chemical transport model (CTM), to explore the likely composition, origin, and radiative forcing of the ATAL. We show in-situ balloon measurements of aerosol backscatter, which support the high levels observed by CALIPSO since 2006. We also show in situ measurements from aircraft, which indicate a predominant carbonaceous contribution to the ATAL (Carbon/Sulfur ratios of ~2- 10), which is supported by the CTM results. We show that the peak in ATAL aerosol lags by ~1 month the peak in CO from MLS, associated with deep convection over Asia during the summer monsoon. This suggests that secondary formation and growth of aerosols in the upper troposphere on monthly timescales make a significant contribution to ATAL. Back trajectory calculations initialized from CALIPSO observations provide evidence that deep convection over India is a significant source for ATAL through the vertical transport of pollution to the upper troposphere

The polygenic nature of telomere length and the anti-ageing properties of lithium

Telomere length is a promising biomarker for age-related disease and a potential anti-ageing drug target. Here, we study the genetic architecture of telomere length and the repositioning potential of lithium as an anti-ageing medication. LD score regression applied to the largest telomere length genome-wide association study to-date, revealed SNP-chip heritability estimates of 7.29%, with polygenic risk scoring capturing 4.4% of the variance in telomere length in an independent cohort (p = 6.17 × 10-5). Gene-enrichment analysis identified 13 genes associated with telomere length, with the most significant being the leucine rich repeat gene, LRRC34 (p = 3.69 × 10-18). In the context of lithium, we confirm that chronic use in a sample of 384 bipolar disorder patients is associated with longer telomeres (p = 0.03). As complementary evidence, we studied three orthologs of telomere length regulators in a Caenorhabditis elegans model of lithium-induced extended longevity and found all transcripts to be affected post-treatment (p  0.05). Consequently, this suggests that lithium may be catalysing the activity of endogenous mechanisms that promote telomere lengthening, whereby its efficacy eventually becomes limited by each individual's inherent telomere maintenance capabilities. Our work indicates a potential use of polygenic risk scoring for the prediction of adult telomere length and consequently lithium's anti-ageing efficacy