531 research outputs found
EU asylum policy must be fairer for those in need and must distribute burdens more equally among member states
The issue of migration into Europe has once again generated headlines, following a number of incidents in which migrants have drowned at sea off the coasts of Italy and Malta in attempts to reach the EU. Considering the state of current EU asylum policy, Georgia Mavrodi reviews the data on EU asylum migration. She argues that the system does not adequately protect those in need and that fundamental reform is required to achieve a fairer and more equitable common EU asylum policy
"Europeanising" national immigration policy: the case of Greece
Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht die nationale griechische Einwanderungspolitik, die sich, so die These des Autors, immer mehr europÀisiert hat. ZunÀchst wird auf die Auswirkungen der europÀischen Migrationspolitik auf die nationale Politik eingegangen, wobei vor allem die Rechte von Einwanderern aus Drittstaaten beleuchtet werden. Der Autor konzentriert sich auf die Auswirkungen im administrativen und rechtlichen Bereich. In einem ersten Schritt wird die griechische Einwanderungspolitik zwischen 1991 und 2005 nachgezeichnet. Im Anschluss daran werden die vielschichtigen VerÀnderungen betrachtet, die sich durch die EU-Mitgliedschaft ergeben haben. (ICD
Common EU policies on authorised immigration: past, present and future
Since the early 1990s, the metaphor of âFortress Europeâ has dominated the debates on the construction of a common EU immigration policy. While few would disagree with this framework during the initial years of the endeavour, by now it has become over-simplistic and it obscures the full picture of developments in this EU policy area. Since the late 2000s, chiefly on the basis of economic considerations, there has been a clear shift in the dominant approach of the common EU immigration policy towards recognising the need for and value of particular categories of international migrants in Europe. Consequently, the âFortressâ has opened some of its gates to allow and even facilitate entry of non-EU nationals into the EU according to the skills needed in the economies and labour markets of the member states. By contrast, the low-skilled or those who seek international protection still face difficulties in entering. This paper summarises trends in the construction of a common EU policy on authorised immigration and assesses recent developments in EU policy-making activity in this field. Finally, it proposes policy recommendations to be adopted in the immediate future in order to respond to existing issues in the management of immigration in the EU
Rhizosphere Microbial Communities of \u3ci\u3eSpartina alternifloa\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3eJuncus roemerianus\u3c/i\u3e From Restored and Natural Tidal Marshes on Deer Island, Mississippi
The U. S. Gulf of Mexico is experiencing a dramatic increase in tidal marsh restoration actions, which involves planting coastal areas with smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) and black needlerush (Juncus roemerianus) for erosion control and to provide habitat for fish and wildlife. It can take decades for sedimentary cycles in restored marshes to approach reference conditions, and the contribution of the sediment microbial communities to these processes is poorly elucidated. In this study, we addressed this gap by comparing rhizosphere microbiomes of S. alterniflora and J. roemerianus from two restored marshes and a natural reference marsh located at Deer Island, MS. Our results revealed that plants from the restored and reference areas supported similar microbial diversity indicating the rapid colonization of planted grasses with indigenous soil microbiota. Although close in composition, the microbial communities from the three studied sites differed significantly in the relative abundance of specific taxa. The observed differences are likely driven by the host plant identity and properties of sediment material used for the creation of restored marshes. Some of the differentially distributed groups of bacteria include taxa involved in the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur, and may influence the succession of vegetation at the restored sites to climax condition. We also demonstrated that plants from the restored and reference sites vary in the frequency of culturable rhizobacteria that exhibit traits commonly associated with the promotion of plant growth and suppression of phytopathogenic fungi. Our findings will contribute to the establishment of benchmarks for the assessment of the outcome of coastal restoration projects in the Gulf of Mexico and better define factors that affect the long-term resiliency of tidal marshes and their vulnerability to climate change
Draft Genome Sequences of Strains \u3ci\u3eSalinicola socius\u3c/i\u3e SMB35\u3csup\u3eT\u3c/sup\u3e, \u3ci\u3eSalinicola\u3c/i\u3e sp. MH3R3-1 and \u3ci\u3eChromohalobacter\u3c/i\u3e sp. SMB17 From the Verkhnekamsk Potash Mining Region of Russia
Halomonads are moderately halophilic bacteria that are studied as models of prokaryotic osmoadaptation and sources of enzymes and chemicals for biotechnological applications. Despite the progress in understanding the diversity of these organisms, our ability to explain ecological, metabolic, and biochemical traits of halomonads at the genomic sequence level remains limited. This study addresses this gap by presenting draft genomes of Salinicola socius SMB35T, Salinicola sp. MH3R3â1 and Chromohalobacter sp. SMB17, which were isolated from potash mine tailings in the Verkhnekamsk salt deposit area of Russia. The analysis of these genomes confirmed the importance of ectoines and quaternary amines to the capacity of halomonads to tolerate osmotic stress and adapt to hypersaline environments. The study also revealed that Chromohalobacter and Salinicola share 75â90% of the predicted proteome, but also harbor a set of genus-specific genes, which in Salinicola amounted to approximately 0.5 Mbp. These genus-specific genome segments may contribute to the phenotypic diversity of the Halomonadaceae and the ability of these organisms to adapt to changing environmental conditions and colonize new ecological niches
Biocontrol and Plant Growth-Promoting Activity of Rhizobacteria From Chinese Fields With Contaminatd Soils
The aim of this study was to inventory the types of plant growthâpromoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) present in the rhizosphere of plants grown in soils contaminated with heavy metals, recalcitrant organics, petroleum sewage or salinity in China. We screened 1223 isolates for antifungal activity and about 24% inhibited Rhizoctonia solani or Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Twentyâfour strains inhibitory to R.âsolani, Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici and/or S.âsclerotiorum and representing the dominant morphotypes were assayed for PGPR activity. Seven strains contained phlD, prnD, pltC or phzF genes and produced the antibiotics 2,4âdiacetylphloroglucinol, pyrrolnitrin, pyoluteorin and phenazines respectively. Six strains contained acdS, which encodes 1âaminocyclopropaneâ1âcarboxylic acid deaminase. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA and phlD, phzF and acdS genes demonstrated that some strains identified as Pseudomonas were similar to model PGPR strains Pseudomonas protegensâ
Pfâ5, Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens 30â84 and P.âbrassicacearumâ
Q8r1â96. Pseudomonas protegensâ and P.âchlororaphisâlike strains had the greatest biocontrol activity against Rhizoctonia root rot and takeâall of wheat. Pseudomonas protegens and P.âbrassicacearumâlike strains showed the greatest promotion of canola growth. Our results indicate that strains from contaminated soils are similar to wellâdescribed PGPR found in agricultural soils worldwide
Relationships between Root Pathogen Resistance, Abundance and Expression of Pseudomonas Antimicrobial Genes, and Soil Properties in Representative Swiss Agricultural Soils
Strains of Pseudomonas that produce antimicrobial metabolites and control soilborne plant diseases have often been isolated from soils defined as disease-suppressive, i.e., soils, in which specific plant pathogens are present, but plants show no or reduced disease symptoms. Moreover, it is assumed that pseudomonads producing antimicrobial compounds such as 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG) or phenazines (PHZ) contribute to the specific disease resistance of suppressive soils. However, pseudomonads producing antimicrobial metabolites are also present in soils that are conducive to disease. Currently, it is still unknown whether and to which extent the abundance of antimicrobials-producing pseudomonads is related to the general disease resistance of common agricultural soils. Moreover, virtually nothing is known about the conditions under which pseudomonads express antimicrobial genes in agricultural field soils. We present here results of the first side-by-side comparison of 10 representative Swiss agricultural soils with a cereal-oriented cropping history for (i) the resistance against two soilborne pathogens, (ii) the abundance of Pseudomonas bacteria harboring genes involved in the biosynthesis of the antimicrobials DAPG, PHZ, and pyrrolnitrin on roots of wheat, and (iii) the ability to support the expression of these genes on the roots. Our study revealed that the level of soil disease resistance strongly depends on the type of pathogen, e.g., soils that are highly resistant to Gaeumannomyces tritici often are highly susceptible to Pythium ultimum and vice versa. There was no significant correlation between the disease resistance of the soils, the abundance of Pseudomonas bacteria carrying DAPG, PHZ, and pyrrolnitrin biosynthetic genes, and the ability of the soils to support the expression of the antimicrobial genes. Correlation analyses indicated that certain soil factors such as silt, clay, and some macro- and micronutrients influence both the abundance and the expression of the antimicrobial genes. Taken together, the results of this study suggests that pseudomonads producing DAPG, PHZ, or pyrrolnitrin are present and abundant in Swiss agricultural soils and that the soils support the expression of the respective biosynthetic genes in these bacteria to various degrees. The precise role that these pseudomonads play in the general disease resistance of the investigated agricultural soils remains elusive
Relationships Between Root Pathogen Resistance, Abundance and Expression of \u3ci\u3ePseudomonas\u3c/i\u3e Antimicrobial Genes, and Soil Properties in Representative Swiss Agricultural Soils
Strains of Pseudomonas that produce antimicrobial metabolites and control soilborne plant diseases have often been isolated from soils defined as disease-suppressive, i.e., soils, in which specific plant pathogens are present, but plants show no or reduced disease symptoms. Moreover, it is assumed that pseudomonads producing antimicrobial compounds such as 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG) or phenazines (PHZ) contribute to the specific disease resistance of suppressive soils. However, pseudomonads producing antimicrobial metabolites are also present in soils that are conducive to disease. Currently, it is still unknown whether and to which extent the abundance of antimicrobials-producing pseudomonads is related to the general disease resistance of common agricultural soils. Moreover, virtually nothing is known about the conditions under which pseudomonads express antimicrobial genes in agricultural field soils. We present here results of the first side-by-side comparison of 10 representative Swiss agricultural soils with a cereal-oriented cropping history for (i) the resistance against two soilborne pathogens, (ii) the abundance of Pseudomonas bacteria harboring genes involved in the biosynthesis of the antimicrobials DAPG, PHZ, and pyrrolnitrin on roots of wheat, and (iii) the ability to support the expression of these genes on the roots. Our study revealed that the level of soil disease resistance strongly depends on the type of pathogen, e.g., soils that are highly resistant to Gaeumannomyces tritici often are highly susceptible to Pythium ultimum and vice versa. There was no significant correlation between the disease resistance of the soils, the abundance of Pseudomonas bacteria carrying DAPG, PHZ, and pyrrolnitrin biosynthetic genes, and the ability of the soils to support the expression of the antimicrobial genes. Correlation analyses indicated that certain soil factors such as silt, clay, and some macro- and micronutrients influence both the abundance and the expression of the antimicrobial genes. Taken together, the results of this study suggests that pseudomonads producing DAPG, PHZ, or pyrrolnitrin are present and abundant in Swiss agricultural soils and that the soils support the expression of the respective biosynthetic genes in these bacteria to various degrees. The precise role that these pseudomonads play in the general disease resistance of the investigated agricultural soils remains elusive
Destruction of Opportunistic Pathogens Via Polymer Nanoparticle-Mediated Release of Plant-Based Antimicrobial Payloads
The synthesis of antimicrobial thymol/carvacrolâloaded polythioether nanoparticles (NPs) via a oneâpot, solventâfree miniemulsion thiolâene photopolymerization process is reported. The active antimicrobial agents, thymol and carvacrol, are employed as âsolventsâ for the thiolâene monomer phase in the miniemulsion to enable facile high capacity loading (â50% w/w), excellent encapsulation efficiencies (\u3e95%), and elimination of all postpolymerization purification processes. The NPs serve as high capacity reservoirs for slowârelease and delivery of thymol/carvacrolâcombination payloads that exhibit inhibitory and bactericidal activity (\u3e99.9% kill efficiency at 24 h) against gramâpositive and gramânegative bacteria, including both saprophytic (Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922) and pathogenic species (E. coli ATCC 43895, Staphylococcus aureus RN6390, and Burkholderia cenocepacia K56â2). This report is among the first to demonstrate antimicrobial efficacy of essential oilâloaded nanoparticles against B. cenocepacia â an innately resistant opportunistic pathogen commonly associated with debilitating respiratory infections in cystic fibrosis. Although a model platform, these results point to promising pathways to particleâbased delivery of plantâderived extracts for a range of antimicrobial applications, including active packaging materials, topical antiseptics, and innovative therapeutics
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