Agroecosystem Health Cards: A Practical Tool for Sustainable Management of Grasslands

The traditional grazing activity carried out for centuries in mountainous areas of the Basque Country (Northern Atlantic Spain) facilitated the presence of different extensive pasture habitats, such as those included in the Gorbeia Natural Park and surrounding valleys (43° 02’N, 2° 49’W). Currently, these pastures are highly valued due to the ecosystem services they provide. In this context, one of the main objectives of the LIFE-SOILMONTANA project (ref. LIFE 10 NAT/ES/579) is to develop a practical tool that allows grassland managers (farmers, scientists and authorities) to auto-evaluate the suitability of alternative agronomic practices in relation to the conservation of these ecosystem services through the conservation of their biodiversity, especially soil biodiversity

Oral vaccination of cattle with heat inactivated Mycobacterium bovis does not compromise bovine TB diagnostic tests

AbstractIn this study we investigated whether oral uptake of a heat inactivated M. bovis wildlife vaccine by domestic cattle induced systemic immune responses that compromised the use of tuberculin or defined antigens in diagnostic tests for bovine TB. Positive skin test and blood-based IFN-γ release assay (IGRA) results were observed in all calves vaccinated via the parenteral route (i.e. intramuscular). In contrast, no positive responses to tuberculin or defined antigens were observed in either the skin test or IGRA test when performed in calves vaccinated via the oral route. In conclusion, our results suggest that the heat inactivated M. bovis vaccine could be used to vaccinate wildlife in a baited form in conjunction with the following in cattle: (i) continuation of existing tuberculin skin testing or novel skin test formats based on defined antigens; and (ii) the use of IGRA tests utilizing tuberculin or defined antigens

Plasticity of an ultrafast interaction between nucleoporins and nuclear transport receptors.

The mechanisms by which intrinsically disordered proteins engage in rapid and highly selective binding is a subject of considerable interest and represents a central paradigm to nuclear pore complex (NPC) function, where nuclear transport receptors (NTRs) move through the NPC by binding disordered phenylalanine-glycine-rich nucleoporins (FG-Nups). Combining single-molecule fluorescence, molecular simulations, and nuclear magnetic resonance, we show that a rapidly fluctuating FG-Nup populates an ensemble of conformations that are prone to bind NTRs with near diffusion-limited on rates, as shown by stopped-flow kinetic measurements. This is achieved using multiple, minimalistic, low-affinity binding motifs that are in rapid exchange when engaging with the NTR, allowing the FG-Nup to maintain an unexpectedly high plasticity in its bound state. We propose that these exceptional physical characteristics enable a rapid and specific transport mechanism in the physiological context, a notion supported by single molecule in-cell assays on intact NPCs.We are grateful for helpful comments and various discussions with Cedric Debes, Martin Beck as well as the whole Lemke group. We thank Guillaume Bouvignies for help with relaxation dispersion experiments, and Damien Maurin for sample preparation. S.M. acknowledges funding from the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (BIF) and an EMBO long-term fellowship (ALTF 468-2014) and EC (EMBOCOFUND2012, GA-2012-600394) via Marie Curie Action. I.V.A. acknowledges a BIF short-term fellowship. J.C. and S.L.S. are supported by the Wellcome Trust. J.C. is a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow (WT/095195). E.A.L. is grateful to funds from the SFB1129 and the Emmy Noether program of the DFG, F.G. from the Klaus Tschira Foundation, and D.M. from the BIOMS program of Heidelberg University. We are also grateful to instrument access via the EMBL Pepcore facility.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2015.09.04

Tuberculosis detection in paratuberculosis vaccinated calves:New alternatives against interference

Paratuberculosis vaccination in cattle has been restricted due to its possible interference with the official diagnostic methods used in tuberculosis eradication programs. To overcome this drawback, new possibilities to detect Mycobacterium bovis infected cattle in paratuberculosis vaccinated animals were studied under experimental conditions. Three groups of 5 calves each were included in the experiment: one paratuberculosis vaccinated group, one paratuberculosis vaccinated and M. bovis infected group and one M. bovis infected group. The performance of the IFN-gamma release assay (IGRA) and the skin test using conventional avian and bovine tuberculins (A- and B-PPD) but also other more specific antigens (ESAT-6/CFP10 and Rv3615c) was studied under official and new diagnostic criteria. Regarding the IGRA of vaccinated groups, when A- and B-PPD were used the sensitivity reached 100% at the first post-challenge sampling, dropping down to 40-80% in subsequent samplings. The sensitivity for the specific antigens was 80-100% and the specificity was also improved. After adapting the diagnostic criteria for the conventional antigens in the skin test, the ability to differentiate between M. bovis infected and non-infected animals included in paratuberculosis vaccinated groups was enhanced. Taking for positive a relative skin thickness increase of at least 100%, the single intradermal test specificity and sensitivity yielded 100%. The comparative intradermal test was equally accurate considering a B-PPD relative skin increase of at least 100% and greater than or equal to that produced by A-PPD. Using the specific antigens as a proteic cocktail, the specificity and sensitivity reached 100% considering the new relative and absolute cut-offs in all experimental groups (Δ≥30% and Δmm ≥ 2, respectively). Results suggest that the interference caused by paratuberculosis vaccination in cattle could be completely overcome by applying new approaches to the official tuberculosis diagnostic tests

Interplay of muscle architecture, morphology, and quality in influencing human sprint cycling performance: A systematic review

Background: This systematic review aimed to discern the relationships between muscle morphology, architecture, and quality with sprint cycling performance while considering the multifaceted nature of these relationships across diverse studies. Methods: Employing the PRISMA guidelines, an exhaustive search was performed across four primary databases: MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL Complete, and SPORTDiscus. The Methodological Index For Non-Randomised Studies (MINORS) was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Out of 3971 initially identified records, only 10 studies met the eligibility criteria. Results: These investigations underscored the robust relationship of quadriceps muscle volume with peak power output (R2 from 0.65 to 0.82), suggesting its pivotal role in force production. In muscle architecture, the pennation angle and fascicle length showed varied associations with performance. Furthermore, muscle quality, as denoted by echo intensity, showed preliminary evidence of a potential inverse relationship with performance. The methodological quality assessment revealed varied scores, with the most consistent reporting on the aim, endpoints, and inclusion of consecutive patients. However, limitations were observed in the prospective calculation of study size and unbiased assessment of study endpoints. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that muscle volume is a major determinant of sprint cycling performance. Muscle architecture and quality also impact performance, although in a more intricate way. The review calls for standardised methodologies in future research for a more comprehensive understanding and comparability of results. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023432824 (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=432824)

Differences in skin test reactions to official and defined antigens in guinea pigs exposed to non-tuberculous and tuberculous bacteria

The single and comparative intradermal tuberculin tests (SITT and CITT) are official in vivo tests for bovine tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis using bovine and avian purified protein derivatives (PPD-B and PPD-A). Infection with bacteria other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) can result in nonspecific reactions to these tests. We evaluated the performance of the skin test with PPDs and new defined antigens in the guinea pig model. A standard dose (SD) of Rhodococcus equi, Nocardia sp., M. nonchromogenicum, M. monacense, M. intracellulare, M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis, M. avium subsp. avium, M. avium subsp. hominissuis, M. scrofulaceum, M. persicum, M. microti, M. caprae and M. bovis, and a higher dose (HD) of M. nonchromogenicum, M. monacense, M. intracellulare, M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis were tested using PPD-B, PPD-A, P22, ESAT-6-CFP-10-Rv3615c peptide cocktail long (PCL) and fusion protein (FP). The SD of R. equi, Nocardia sp., M. nonchromogenicum, M. monacense, M. intracellulare and M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis did not cause any reactions. The HD of M. nonchromogenicum, M. monacense, M. intracellulare, and M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis and the SD of M. avium subsp. hominissuis, M. scrofulaceum and M. persicum, caused nonspecific reactions (SIT). A CITT interpretation would have considered M. avium complex and M. scrofulaceum groups negative, but not all individuals from M. nonchromogenicum HD, M. monacense HD and M. persicum SD groups. Only animals exposed to M. bovis and M. caprae reacted to PCL and FP. These results support the advantage of complementing or replacing PPD-B to improve specificity without losing sensitivity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Towards Semantic Interoperability Standards based on Ontologies

The paper is structured as follows: Section 2 introduces semantic interoperability and its benefits; Section 3 provides industry requirements for semantic interoperability practice; Section 4 describes various initiatives for ontology-driven interoperability; Section 5 explains the various life cycles for ontology-driven interoperability; and finally, Section 6 provides recommendations on ontology-based semantic interoperability.This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreements No.732240 (SynchroniCity) and No. 688467 (VICINITY); from ETSI under Specialist Task Forces 534, 556, and 566. This work is partially funded by Hazards SEES NSF Award EAR 1520870, and KHealth NIH 1 R01 HD087132-01

Semantic IoT Solutions - A Developer Perspective

Semantic technologies have recently gained significant support in a number of communities, in particular the IoT community. An important problem to be solved is that, on the one hand, it is clear that the value of IoT increases significantly with the availability of information from a wide variety of domains. On the other hand, existing solutions target specific applications or application domains and there is no easy way of sharing information between the resulting silos. Thus, a solution is needed to enable interoperability across information silos. As there is a huge heterogeneity regarding IoT technologies on the lower levels, the semantic level is seen as a promising approach for achieving interoperability (i.e. semantic interoperability) to unify IoT device description, data, bring common interaction, data exploration, etc.This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreements No.732240 (SynchroniCity) and No. 688467 (VICINITY); from ETSI under Specialist Task Forces 534, 556, 566 and 578. This work is partially funded by Hazards SEES NSF Award EAR 1520870, and KHealth NIH 1 R01 HD087132-01

Allelic overload and its clinical modifier effect in Bardet-Biedl syndrome

Bardet–Biedl syndrome (BBS) is an autosomal recessive ciliopathy characterized by extensive inter- and intra-familial variability, in which oligogenic interactions have been also reported. Our main goal is to elucidate the role of mutational load in the clinical variability of BBS. A cohort of 99 patients from 77 different families with biallelic pathogenic variants in a BBS-associated gene was retrospectively recruited. Human Phenotype Ontology terms were used in the annotation of clinical symptoms. The mutational load in 39 BBS-related genes was studied in index cases using different molecular and next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches. Candidate allele combinations were analysed using the in silico tools ORVAL and DiGePred. After clinical annotation, 76 out of the 99 cases a priori fulfilled established criteria for diagnosis of BBS or BBS-like. BBS1 alleles, found in 42% of families, were the most represented in our cohort. An increased mutational load was excluded in 41% of the index cases (22/54). Oligogenic inheritance was suspected in 52% of the screened families (23/45), being 40 tested by means of NGS data and 5 only by traditional methods. Together, ORVAL and DiGePred platforms predicted an oligogenic effect in 44% of the triallelic families (10/23). Intrafamilial variable severity could be clinically confirmed in six of the families. Our findings show that the presence of more than two alleles in BBSassociated genes correlated in six families with a more severe phenotype and associated with specific findings, highlighting the role of the mutational load in the management of BBS casesInstituto de Salud Carlos III | Ref. PI15/00049Instituto de Salud Carlos III | Ref. PI16/00425Instituto de Salud Carlos III | Ref. PI19/00321Instituto de Salud Carlos III | Ref. PI19/00332CIBERER | Ref. 07/06/0036IIS-FJD BioBank | Ref. PT13/0010/0012Comunidad de Madrid | Ref. B2017/BMD-3721Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431G-2019/06Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C-2018/54ISCIII | Ref. FI17/00192Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte | Ref. FPU 19/00175ISCIII | Ref. CP16/0011

Attosecond state-resolved carrier motion in quantum materials probed by soft x-ray XANES

Recent developments in attosecond technology led to table-top x-ray spectroscopy in the soft x-ray range, thus uniting the element- and state-specificity of core-level x-ray absorption spectroscopy with the time resolution to follow electronic dynamics in real-time. We describe recent work in attosecond technology and investigations into materials such as Si, SiO2, GaN, Al2O3, Ti, and TiO2, enabled by the convergence of these two capabilities. We showcase the state-of-the-art on isolated attosecond soft x-ray pulses for x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy to observe the 3d-state dynamics of the semi-metal TiS2 with attosecond resolution at the Ti L-edge (460 eV). We describe how the element- and state-specificity at the transition metal L-edge of the quantum material allows us to unambiguously identify how and where the optical field influences charge carriers. This precision elucidates that the Ti:3d conduction band states are efficiently photo-doped to a density of 1.9 x 1021 cm 3. The light-field induces coherent motion of intra-band carriers across 38% of the first Brillouin zone. Lastly, we describe the prospects with such unambiguous real-time observation of carrier dynamics in specific bonding or anti-bonding states and speculate that such capability will bring unprecedented opportunities toward an engineered approach for designer materials with pre-defined properties and efficiency. Examples are composites of semiconductors and insulators like Si, Ge, SiO2, GaN, BN, and quantum materials like graphene, transition metal dichalcogens, or high-Tc superconductors like NbN or LaBaCuO. Exiting are prospects to scrutinize canonical questions in multi-body physics, such as whether the electrons or lattice trigger phase transitions