Distance and Regional Effects on the Value of Wild Bee Conservation

Many wild bee species are threatened across Europe, and with them the pollination function they provide. While numerous studies have assessed the value of bees as pollinators of crops, little is known about the non-marked value of bees. Using a choice modelling experiment, we examine these non-market values in Germany by identifying citizens’ willingness to pay (WTP) for wild bee conservation initiatives in four states. Effects of distance, state and regional affiliation are scrutinised, as previous research found these to affect respondents’ choices. Random parameter logit and latent class models are used to capture preference heterogeneity. Overall, we find strong support of wild bee conservation and a clear preference for improvement relative to the status quo, particularly in natural areas and for rare or endangered species. The yearly WTP for conservation initiatives ranges from 227 to 447€ per household. Our results show distance and regional effects on WTP. Initiatives in respondents’ home states are preferred, and increasing distance to initiatives in other states result in a slightly reduced WTP. Additionally, we observe regional preferences within an eastern and a western home region. These preferences are not explainable by socio-demographic characteristics, home state or distance and probably linked to social and cultural affiliations. We conclude that for widespread support in society and effective conservation initiatives, policy proposals must address this spatial heterogeneity from distance and regional effects. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their extensive and valuable comments on this manuscript. The authors would further like to thank Julian Sagebiel from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences for his support in the analysis of the survey data. They thank Alice Rogowski, Bennet Bergmann, Helena Leinweber, Jan Peters, Jean Paul Moreaux, Thomas Prossliner, as well as the focus groups participants for their valuable comments on the early version of the questionnaire. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. C.M., B.D. and C.R. thank the Danish National Research Foundation for its support of the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate (Grant No. DNRF96)

Semi-kinematic mount of the FIREBALL large optics

In the context of the NASA CNES FIREBALL balloon borne experiment, we present the design of a semi-kinematic mount to hold the 1 meter class mirrors of this mission. To maintain these large optics in a reasonable mass and price budgets we choose thin ULE mirrors with a thickness over diameter ratio of 1/16. Such thin mirrors require a multi support mount to reduce self weight deflection. Classical multi support mount used for ground based telescope would not survive the level of shock observed in a balloon experiment either at parachute opening or landing. To firmly maintain these mirrors in several points without noticeably deforming them we investigated the design of a two stages semi-kinematic mount composed of 24 monopods. We present the detailed design of this innovative mirror mount, the finite element modeling with the deduced optical wavefront deformation. During the FIREBALL integration and flight campaign in July 2007 at CSBF, we confirmed the validity of the mechanical concept by obtaining an image quality well within the required specifications. Variants of this approach are potentially applicable to large thin mirrors on ground-based observatories

APRIL is overexpressed in cancer: link with tumor progression

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>BAFF and APRIL share two receptors – TACI and BCMA – and BAFF binds to a third receptor, BAFF-R. Increased expression of BAFF and APRIL is noted in hematological malignancies. BAFF and APRIL are essential for the survival of normal and malignant B lymphocytes, and altered expression of BAFF or APRIL or of their receptors (BCMA, TACI, or BAFF-R) have been reported in various B-cell malignancies including B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We compared the expression of <it>BAFF, APRIL, TACI and BAFF-R </it>gene expression in 40 human tumor types – brain, epithelial, lymphoid, germ cells – to that of their normal tissue counterparts using publicly available gene expression data, including the Oncomine Cancer Microarray database.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found significant overexpression of <it>TACI </it>in multiple myeloma and thyroid carcinoma and an association between TACI expression and prognosis in lymphoma. Furthermore, <it>BAFF and APRIL </it>are overexpressed in many cancers and we show that <it>APRIL </it>expression is associated with tumor progression. We also found overexpression of at least one proteoglycan with heparan sulfate chains (HS), which are coreceptors for APRIL and TACI, in tumors where APRIL is either overexpressed or is a prognostic factor. APRIL could induce survival or proliferation directly through HS proteoglycans.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Taken together, these data suggest that APRIL is a potential prognostic factor for a large array of malignancies.</p

Higher-precision radial velocity measurements with the SOPHIE spectrograph using octagonal-section fibers

High-precision spectrographs play a key role in exoplanet searches using the radial velocity technique. But at the accuracy level of 1 m.s-1, required for super-Earth characterization, stability of fiber-fed spectrograph performance is crucial considering variable observing conditions such as seeing, guiding and centering errors and, telescope vignetting. In fiber-fed spectrographs such as HARPS or SOPHIE, the fiber link scrambling properties are one of the main issues. Both the stability of the fiber near-field uniformity at the spectrograph entrance and of the far-field illumination on the echelle grating (pupil) are critical for high-precision radial velocity measurements due to the spectrograph geometrical field and aperture aberrations. We conducted tests on the SOPHIE spectrograph at the 1.93-m OHP telescope to measure the instrument sensitivity to the fiber link light feeding conditions: star decentering, telescope vignetting by the dome,and defocussing. To significantly improve on current precision, we designed a fiber link modification considering the spectrograph operational constraints. We have developed a new link which includes a piece of octagonal-section fiber, having good scrambling properties, lying inside the former circular-section fiber, and we tested the concept on a bench to characterize near-field and far-field scrambling properties. This modification has been implemented in spring 2011 on the SOPHIE spectrograph fibers and tested for the first time directly on the sky to demonstrate the gain compared to the previous fiber link. Scientific validation for exoplanet search and characterization has been conducted by observing standard stars.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, Proceedings of SPIE 201

Semi-kinematic mount of the FIREBALL large optics

In the context of the NASA CNES FIREBALL balloon borne experiment, we present the design of a semi-kinematic mount to hold the 1 meter class mirrors of this mission. To maintain these large optics in a reasonable mass and price budgets we choose thin ULE mirrors with a thickness over diameter ratio of 1/16. Such thin mirrors require a multi support mount to reduce self weight deflection. Classical multi support mount used for ground based telescope would not survive the level of shock observed in a balloon experiment either at parachute opening or landing. To firmly maintain these mirrors in several points without noticeably deforming them we investigated the design of a two stages semi-kinematic mount composed of 24 monopods. We present the detailed design of this innovative mirror mount, the finite element modeling with the deduced optical wavefront deformation. During the FIREBALL integration and flight campaign in July 2007 at CSBF, we confirmed the validity of the mechanical concept by obtaining an image quality well within the required specifications. Variants of this approach are potentially applicable to large thin mirrors on ground-based observatories

Differential effects of lenalidomide during plasma cell differentiation.

Thalidomide, lenalidomide and pomalidomide have greatly improved the outcome of patients with multiple myeloma. However, their effects on plasma cells, the healthy counterpart of myeloma cells, are unknown. Here, we investigated lenalidomide effects on normal human plasma cell generation using an in vitro model. Lenalidomide inhibited the generation of pre-plasmablasts and early plasma cells, while it moderately affected plasmablast production. It also reduced the expression level of Ikaros, Aiolos, and IRF4 transcription factors, in plasmablasts and early plasma cells. This suggests that their differential sensitivity to lenalidomide is not due to a difference in Ikaros or Aiolos degradation. Lenalidomide also inhibited long-lived plasma cell generation, but did not impair their long-term survival once generated. This last observation is in agreement with the finding that lenalidomide treatment for 3-18 months did not affect the bone marrow healthy plasma cell count in allografted patients with multiple myeloma. Our findings should prompt to investigate whether lenalidomide resistance in patients with multiple myeloma could be associated with the emergence of malignant plasmablasts or long-lived plasma cells that are less sensitive to lenalidomide

Carbon-nitrogen interactions in European forests and semi-natural vegetation - Part 2: Untangling climatic, edaphic, management and nitrogen deposition effects on carbon sequestration potentials

The effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition (N$_{dep}$) on carbon (C) sequestration in forests have often been assessed by relating differences in productivity to spatial variations of N$_{dep}$ across a large geographic domain. These correlations generally suffer from covariation of other confounding variables related to climate and other growth-limiting factors, as well as large uncertainties in total (dry+wet) reactive nitrogen (N$_{r}$) deposition.We propose a methodology for untangling the effects of N$_{dep}$ from those of meteorological variables, soil water retention capacity and stand age, using a mechanistic forest growth model in combination with eddy covariance CO$_{2}$ exchange fluxes from a Europe-wide network of 22 forest flux towers. Total N$_{r}$ deposition rates were estimated from local measurements as far as possible. The forest data were compared with data from natural or semi-natural, non-woody vegetation sites. The response of forest net ecosystem productivity to nitrogen deposition (dNEP= dN$_{dep}$) was estimated after accounting for the effects on gross primary productivity (GPP) of the co-correlates by means of a meta-modelling standardization procedure, which resulted in a reduction by a factor of about 2 of the uncorrected, apparent dGPP/dN$_{dep}$ value. This model-enhanced analysis of the C and N$_{dep}$ flux observations at the scale of the European network suggests a mean overall dNEP/dN$_{dep}$ response of forest lifetime C sequestration to N$_{dep}$ of the order of 40–50 g C per g N, which is slightly larger but not significantly different from the range of estimates published in the most recent reviews. Importantly, patterns of gross primary and net ecosystem productivity versus N$_{dep}$ were non-linear, with no further growth responses at high N$_{dep}$ levels (N$_{dep}$ >2.5–3 gNm$^{-2}$ yr$^{-1}$) but accompanied by increasingly large ecosystem N losses by leaching and gaseous emissions. The reduced increase in productivity per unit N deposited at high N$_{dep}$ levels implies that the forecast increased N$_{r}$ emissions and increased Ndep levels in large areas of Asia may not positively impact the continent’s forest CO$_{2}$ sink. The large level of unexplained variability in observed carbon sequestration efficiency (CSE) across sites further adds to the uncertainty in the dC/dN response