Sensitivity of European glaciers to precipitation and temperature - two case studies

A nonlinear backpropagation network (BPN) has been trained with high-resolution multiproxy reconstructions of temperature and precipitation (input data) and glacier length variations of the Alpine Lower Grindelwald Glacier, Switzerland (output data). The model was then forced with two regional climate scenarios of temperature and precipitation derived from a probabilistic approach: The first scenario ("no change”) assumes no changes in temperature and precipitation for the 2000-2050 period compared to the 1970-2000 mean. In the second scenario ("combined forcing”) linear warming rates of 0.036-0.054°C per year and changing precipitation rates between −17% and +8% compared to the 1970-2000 mean have been used for the 2000-2050 period. In the first case the Lower Grindelwald Glacier shows a continuous retreat until the 2020s when it reaches an equilibrium followed by a minor advance. For the second scenario a strong and continuous retreat of approximately −30m/year since the 1990s has been modelled. By processing the used climate parameters with a sensitivity analysis based on neural networks we investigate the relative importance of different climate configurations for the Lower Grindelwald Glacier during four well-documented historical advance (1590-1610, 1690-1720, 1760-1780, 1810-1820) and retreat periods (1640-1665, 1780-1810, 1860-1880, 1945-1970). It is shown that different combinations of seasonal temperature and precipitation have led to glacier variations. In a similar manner, we establish the significance of precipitation and temperature for the well-known early eighteenth century advance and the twentieth century retreat of Nigardsbreen, a glacier in western Norway. We show that the maritime Nigardsbreen Glacier is more influenced by winter and/or spring precipitation than the Lower Grindelwald Glacie

Enterovirus, parechovirus, adenovirus and herpes virus type 6 viraemia in fever without source

To evaluate the potential associations between fever without a source (FWS) in children and detection of human enterovirus (HEV), human parechovirus (HPeV), adenovirus (AdV) and human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6) in the plasma; and to assess whether the detection of viruses in the plasma is associated with a reduced risk of serious bacterial infection (SBI) and antibiotic use

Viremia as a predictor of absence of serious bacterial infection in children with fever without source

Unlabelled: Most children with fever without source (FWS) require diagnostic laboratory tests to exclude a serious bacterial infection (SBI), often followed by admission and empirical antibiotics. As febrile children with a viral infection are less likely to have a SBI, identifying patients with systemic viral infection could contribute to exclude SBI. We evaluated whether the presence of virus in the blood could be used as a biomarker to rule out SBI. Children &lt; 3 years old with FWS were prospectively enrolled and had real-time (reverse-transcription) PCR performed on the blood for adenovirus, enterovirus, parechovirus, and HHV6. 20/135 patients had SBI, and in 47/135, at least one virus was detected in the blood. Viremia had a higher sensitivity and negative predictive value (90% and 96%) to rule out SBI compared to CRP (65% and 93%) and PCT (55% and 90%). The odds ratio (OR) for the presence of SBI among non-viremic patients was 5.8 (p = 0.0225), compared to 5.5 for CRP ≥ 40 mg/l (p = 0.0009) and 3.7 for PCT ≥ 0.5 ng/mL (0.0093). This remained significant after adjusting for CRP and PCT (OR 5.6 and 5.9, respectively; p = 0.03 for both). Area under the ROC curve for CRP and PCT were 0.754 and 0.779, respectively, but increased to 0.803 and 0.832, respectively, when combined with viremia. Conclusion: The presence of viremia had a better performance than commonly used biomarkers to rule-out SBI and could potentially be used in conjunction with CRP and/or PCT in the evaluation of children with FWS. Larger studies should evaluate the role of point-of-care testing of viruses by (revere-transcription) PCR in the plasma in management algorithms of children with FWS. What is known: • Most children with FWS have a viral infection, but up to 15% have a SBI; most require laboratory tests, and many admission and empirical antibiotics. • Children with a viral infection are less likely to have a SBI. What is new: • Children with a systemic viral infection are less likely to have an SBI. • Viremia is a better predictor of absence of SBI than commonly used biomarkers and could potentially be used in conjunction with CRP and/or PCT in the evaluation of children with FWS.</p

Catalytic biorefining of plant biomass to non-pyrolytic lignin bio-oil and carbohydrates through hydrogen transfer reactions

Through catalytic hydrogen transfer reactions, a new biorefining method results in the isolation of depolymerized lignin—a non‐pyrolytic lignin bio‐oil—in addition to pulps that are amenable to enzymatic hydrolysis. Compared with organosolv lignin, the lignin bio‐oil is highly susceptible to further hydrodeoxygenation under low‐severity conditions and therefore establishes a unique platform for lignin valorization by heterogeneous catalysis. Overall, the potential of a catalytic biorefining method designed from the perspective of lignin utilization is reported

Targeting Hidden Pathogens: Cell-Penetrating Enzybiotics Eradicate Intracellular Drug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is a major concern in human health care, mostly due to the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance. Intracellular localization of S. aureus plays a key role in recurrent infections by protecting the pathogens from antibiotics and immune responses. Peptidoglycan hydrolases (PGHs) are highly specific bactericidal enzymes active against both drug-sensitive and -resistant bacteria. However, PGHs able to effectively target intracellular S. aureus are not yet available. To overcome this limitation, we first screened 322 recombineered PGHs for staphylolytic activity under conditions found inside eukaryotic intracellular compartments. The most active constructs were modified by fusion to different cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), resulting in increased uptake and enhanced intracellular killing (reduction by up to 4.5 log units) of various S. aureus strains (including methicillin-resistant S. aureus [MRSA]) in different tissue culture infection models. The combined application of synergistic PGH-CPP constructs further enhanced their intracellular efficacy. Finally, synergistically active PGH-CPP cocktails reduced the total S. aureus by more than 2.2 log units in a murine abscess model after peripheral injection. Significantly more intracellular bacteria were killed by the PGH-CPPs than by the PGHs alone. Collectively, our findings show that CPP-fused PGHs are effective novel protein therapeutics against both intracellular and drug-resistant S. aureus.ISSN:2150-7511ISSN:2161-212