How other Europeans assess the dangers of leaving the EU

Public support for the EU rose after the referendum, while Jean-Claude Juncker has painted a starry picture of the Union's prospects without Britain. In effect, writes Catherine E De Vries, the UK is a guinea pig for Eurosceptics on the rest of the continent. Consequently, national leaders have every incentive to make Brexit as arduous as possible for the UK. Parties like the AfD are watching

Novel Membrane Adsorbers with Grafted Zwitterionic Polymers Synthesized by Surface-Initiated ATRP and Their Salt-Modulated Permeability and Protein Binding Properties

A novel zwitterionic polymer functionalized porous membrane adsorber was obtained by grafting poly­(N,N-dimethyl-N-methacryloyloxyethyl-N-(3-sulfopropyl) ammonium betaine) (polySPE) to poly­(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) track-etched membrane surface via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The ATRP conditions were optimized, the thus established grafting was well-controlled, and the degree of grafting could be adjusted. Functionalized membranes with a degree of grafting of about 3.5 μg/cm² relative to the specific surface area showed almost zero values of zeta potential estimated from the trans-membrane streaming potential measurements. Typical “anti-polyelectrolyte” effect was observed for the polySPE grafted membranes. Flux through the membrane was reduced by adding chaotropic chloride and perchlorate salts to the solution which extended the polySPE chains grafted on the membrane pore wall. Perchlorate salt exhibited much stronger effect on polySPE chain conformation than chloride salt and for a membrane with a degree of grafting of 2.7 μg/cm², even 2 mM KClO₄ could extend the thickness of the polymer layer to more than two times (∼43 nm) of that in pure water (∼20 nm). On the contrary, small amounts of kosmotropic ions (10 mM SO₄^2‑) further “salted out” the polySPE chains and led to a slightly increased flux. PolySPE grafted PET membranes with different degree of grafting were then used as membrane adsorber for protein binding. Human IgG was used as model protein and the binding capacity was evaluated under both static (no convective flow through the membrane) and dynamic conditions (flow-through conditions). Static adsorption experiments showed that IgG could be loaded to the membrane at medium salt concentration and 85–95% of bound protein could be eluted at either low (zero) or very high salt concentrations. Dynamic flow-through experiments then revealed the influences of salt concentration and salt type on IgG binding. Effects of two chaotropic salts, NaCl and NaClO₄, were evaluated. Slight but not negligible binding of IgG from pure water was suppressed by adding NaCl. IgG binding was then increased in the NaCl concentration range of 100–500 mM and reached a maximum binding capacity value at about 500 mM. Further increase of NaCl concentration led to a decreased binding again. KClO₄ showed similar effects onto IgG binding, but this salt functions in a much lower and much narrower concentration range. All results with respect to grafted layer swelling and protein binding followed the empirical Hofmeister series

The Effects of Saline Water Drip Irrigation on Tomato Yield, Quality, and Blossom-End Rot Incidence --- A 3a Case Study in the South of China

<div><p>Saline water resources are abundant in the coastal areas of south China. Most of these resources still have not been effectively utilized. A 3-year study on the effects of saline water irrigation on tomato yield, quality and blossom-end rot (BER) was conducted at different lower limits of soil matric potential (-10 kPa, -20 kPa, -30 kPa, -40 kPa and -50 kPa). Saline water differing in electrical conductivity (EC) (3 dS/m, 4 dS/m, 4.5 dS/m, 5 dS/m and 5.5 dS/m) was supplied to the plant after the seedling establishment. In all three years, irrigation water with 5.5 dS/m salinity reduced the maximum leaf area index (LAI_m) and chlorophyll content the most significantly when compared with other salinity treatments. However, compared with the control treatment (CK), a slight increase in LAI_m and chlorophyll content was observed with 3~4 dS/m salinity. Saline water improved tomato quality, including fruit density, soluble solid, total acid, vitamin C and the sugar-acid ratio. There was a positive relationship between the overall tomato quality and salinity of irrigation water, as analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA). The tomato yield decreased with increased salinity. The 5.5 dS/m treatment reduced the tomato yield (Y_t) by 22.4~31.1%, 12.6~28.0% and 11.7~27.3%, respectively in 2012, 2013 and 2014, compared with CK. Moreover, a significant (P≤0.01) coupling effect of salinity and soil matric potential on Y_t was detected. Saline water caused Y_t to increase more markedly when the lower limit of soil matric potential was controlled at a relatively lower level. The critical salinity level that produced significant increases in the BER_i was 3 dS/m~4 dS/m. Following the increase in BER_i under saline water irrigation, marketable tomato yield (Y_m) decreased by 8.9%~33.8% in 2012, 5.1%~30.4% in 2013 and 10.1%~32.3% in 2014 compared with CK. In terms of maintaining the Y_t and Y_m, the salinity of irrigation water should be controlled under 4 dS/m, and the lower limit of soil matric potential should be greater than -20 kPa.</p></div

The maximum leaf area index (LAI_m) produced by tomato plants subjected to soil and water salinity treatments across the 3 years.

<p>Note: The values of LAI_m in three years are means of 3 replications. In the same column and in the same year, means followed by the same letter (a, b) do not differ significantly at the 5% level by LSD.</p><p>The maximum leaf area index (LAI_m) produced by tomato plants subjected to soil and water salinity treatments across the 3 years.</p

The incidence of blossom-end rot (BER_i) of tomato irrigated with saline waters of different electrical conductivity (EC) values across the 3 years.

<p>(At the same EC of irrigation water, the values of tomato BER incidence are the means from the five soil matric potential treatments. In the same year, means followed by the same letter do not differ significantly at the 5% level according to a LSD test. Each value is the mean ± SD).</p

Dates of transplanting, treatment, first harvest, and harvest duration.

<p>Dates of transplanting, treatment, first harvest, and harvest duration.</p

Histological and anatomical structure of the nasal cavity of Bama minipigs

<div><p>Objective</p><p>The nasal mucosa is equipped with abundant lymphatic tissues, serving as the first line of defense against invasion by microorganisms. In this study, we characterized the features of the nasal mucosa of Bama minipigs (<i>Sus scrofa domestica</i>) via histological analysis.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Five cross sections (I, II, III, IV, and V) were obtained from the distal end of the nasal cavity toward the pharynx (along the cavity axis) and examined. Specifically, CD3⁺ T cells, immunoglobulin A (IgA)⁺ cells, and M cells were detected by immunohistochemistry, while dendritic cells (DCs) were detected by immunofluorescence. The distribution of goblet cells was determined by periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining.</p><p>Results</p><p>The nasal cavity of Bama minipigs can be divided into three parts: the regio vestibularis (I, II), regio respiratoria (III, IV), and regio olfactoria (V). Lymphoid tissue was present at random locations in the nasal cavity. Abundant lymphoid tissue was located in the roof of the nasopharyngeal meatus and was continuous with the lymphoid tissue of the pharynx. The distribution of CD3⁺ T cells, IgA⁺ cells, M cells, and DCs increased distally in the nasal cavity.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>The present work comprises a histological study of the nasal cavity of Bama minipigs, and will be beneficial for understanding the mechanisms of immunity in these animals after nasal vaccination.</p></div

Precipitation in different tomato growth stages in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

<p>Precipitation in different tomato growth stages in 2012, 2013 and 2014.</p

The marketable yield (Y_m) of tomato irrigated with saline waters of different EC across the 3 years (Under the same EC of irrigation water, values of Y_m are the means of the five soil matric potential treatments.

<p>In the same year, means followed by the same letter do not differ significantly at the 5% level according to a LSD test. Each value is the mean ± SD).</p

The quality indexes of tomatoes with different treatments across the 3 years.

<p>Note: The values of the quality indexes in the three years are means of 3 replications. In the same column and in the same year, means followed by the same letter (a, b) do not differ significantly at the 5% level according to an LSD test. Each value is the mean ± SD (n = 3).</p><p>The quality indexes of tomatoes with different treatments across the 3 years.</p