Urban Organic Farming in Austria with the concept of Selbsternte ("self -harvest"): An agronomic and socio-economic analysis

In Vienna, consultants, organic farmers and green-minded consumers have developed a new concept of urban organic farming, called Selbsternte (`self-harvest'). Organic farmers prepare a plot of arable land (the Selbsternte plot) and sow or plant rows composed of 18-23 plant species. In mid-May the plots are divided into subplots that contain 2-6m of every sown species and are rented to so-called self-harvesters for a period of about 136 days. In 2002 Selbsternte was being practiced at 15 plots in Vienna or in neighboring cities, represented by 861 subplots, with a total area of 68,740m2, and managed by 12 organic farmers for 861 registered self-harvesters. At the Roter Berg plot, experimental subplots were established to evaluate yields and the value of the harvested produce, and interviews were conducted with 27 self-harvesters, the eight Selbsternte farmers and one Selbsternte consultant. The experimental subplots were managed in two different ways, namely, `with low intensity' (LIS) and `with high intensity' (HIS; meaning additional harrowing, mulching and sowing of additional plants). At the LIS 24.2 h and at the HIS 38.9 h of work were invested over 51 days. Monetary investment was US$184 for the LIS and US$259 for the HIS subplots. The total harvest of fresh produce was: 163 kg/subplot for LIS and 208 kg/subplot for HIS subplots. The total value of the harvest at the HIS was US$364 for conventional and US$766 for organic prices. All self- arvesters saw the rental of a subplot and the work as an activity of leisure. More than half of the self-harvesters reported `trying something new' at their subplots. The most frequently mentioned innovation for them was growing an unknown species. Twenty-five self-harvesters sowed 54 different, additional plant species. The motivating factors in establishing Selbsternte plots, as reported by all the farmers, were, primarily, better relations with consumers and work diversifcation, and only then were economic factors a consideration. The contribution of Selbsternte to income varied at the farms, being between 0 and 30% of the total farm income. As a main success factor, all of the farmers reported a close relationship between the self-harvesters and the farmers. Selbsternte subplots can be understood as small experimental stations where self-harvesters merge traditional horticultural techniques with urban ideas on permaculture, sustainable land use and participatory farming. Selbsternte has potential value for the improvement of urban agriculture, but also for the development of organic farming in general

A motif-based search in bacterial genomes identifies the ortholog of the small RNA Yfr1 in all lineages of cyanobacteria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Non-coding RNAs (ncRNA) are regulators of gene expression in all domains of life. They control growth and differentiation, virulence, motility and various stress responses. The identification of ncRNAs can be a tedious process due to the heterogeneous nature of this molecule class and the missing sequence similarity of orthologs, even among closely related species. The small ncRNA Yfr1 has previously been found in the <it>Prochlorococcus/Synechococcus </it>group of marine cyanobacteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we show that screening available genome sequences based on an RNA motif and followed by experimental analysis works successfully in detecting this RNA in all lineages of cyanobacteria. Yfr1 is an abundant ncRNA between 54 and 69 nt in size that is ubiquitous for cyanobacteria except for two low light-adapted strains of <it>Prochlorococcus</it>, MIT 9211 and SS120, in which it must have been lost secondarily. Yfr1 consists of two predicted stem-loop elements separated by an unpaired sequence of 16–20 nucleotides containing the ultraconserved undecanucleotide 5'-ACUCCUCACAC-3'.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Starting with an ncRNA previously found in a narrow group of cyanobacteria only, we show here the highly specific and sensitive identification of its homologs within all lineages of cyanobacteria, whereas it was not detected within the genome sequences of <it>E. coli </it>and of 7 other eubacteria belonging to the alpha-proteobacteria, chlorobiaceae and spirochaete. The integration of RNA motif prediction into computational pipelines for the detection of ncRNAs in bacteria appears as a promising step to improve the quality of such predictions.</p

Identification of cyanobacterial non-coding RNAs by comparative genome analysis

BACKGROUND: Whole genome sequencing of marine cyanobacteria has revealed an unprecedented degree of genomic variation and streamlining. With a size of 1.66 megabase-pairs, Prochlorococcus sp. MED4 has the most compact of these genomes and it is enigmatic how the few identified regulatory proteins efficiently sustain the lifestyle of an ecologically successful marine microorganism. Small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) control a plethora of processes in eukaryotes as well as in bacteria; however, systematic searches for ncRNAs are still lacking for most eubacterial phyla outside the enterobacteria. RESULTS: Based on a computational prediction we show the presence of several ncRNAs (cyanobacterial functional RNA or Yfr) in several different cyanobacteria of the Prochlorococcus-Synechococcus lineage. Some ncRNA genes are present only in two or three of the four strains investigated, whereas the RNAs Yfr2 through Yfr5 are structurally highly related and are encoded by a rapidly evolving gene family as their genes exist in different copy numbers and at different sites in the four investigated genomes. One ncRNA, Yfr7, is present in at least seven other cyanobacteria. In addition, control elements for several ribosomal operons were predicted as well as riboswitches for thiamine pyrophosphate and cobalamin. CONCLUSION: This is the first genome-wide and systematic screen for ncRNAs in cyanobacteria. Several ncRNAs were both computationally predicted and their presence was biochemically verified. These RNAs may have regulatory functions and each shows a distinct phylogenetic distribution. Our approach can be applied to any group of microorganisms for which more than one total genome sequence is available for comparative analysis

Enhanced Electrochemical Capacity of Spherical Co-Free Li1.2_{1.2}Mn0.6_{0.6}Ni0.2_{0.2}O2_{2} Particles after a Water and Acid Treatment and its Influence on the Initial Gas Evolution Behavior

Li-rich layered oxides (LRLO) with specific energies beyond 900 Wh kg$^{−1}$ are one promising class of high-energy cathode materials. Their high Mn-content allows reducing both costs and the environmental footprint. In this work, Co-free Li$_{1.2}$Mn$_{0.6}$Ni$_{0.2}$O$_{2}$ was investigated. A simple water and acid treatment step followed by a thermal treatment was applied to the LRLO to reduce surface impurities and to establish an artificial cathode electrolyte interface. Samples treated at 300 °C show an improved cycling behavior with specific first cycle capacities of up to 272 mAh g$^{−1}$, whereas powders treated at 900 °C were electrochemically deactivated due to major structural changes of the active compounds. Surface sensitive analytical methods were used to characterize the structural and chemical changes compared to the bulk material. Online DEMS measurements were conducted to get a deeper understanding of the effect of the treatment strategy on O$_2$ and CO$_2$ evolution during electrochemical cycling

Interleukin-6: a local pain trigger?

Pain management in conditions of chronic inflammation is a clinical challenge, and increasing our understanding of the mechanisms driving this type of pain is important. In the previous issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy, Boettger and colleagues examine the role of IL-6 in antigen-induced arthritis using the IL-6 neutralizing soluble glycoprotein 130 and link IL-6 to a pathophysiological role in the generation of pain, independent of the proinflammatory properties of IL-6. The findings presented in this study add to a growing body of evidence highlighting the role of IL-6 in the induction and maintenance of pain

Structure and relaxations in liquid and amorphous Selenium

We report a molecular dynamics simulation of selenium, described by a three-body interaction. The temperatures T_g and T_c and the structural properties are in agreement with experiment. The mean nearest neighbor coordination number is 2.1. A small pre-peak at about 1 AA^-1 can be explained in terms of void correlations. In the intermediate self-scattering function, i.e. the density fluctuation correlation, classical behavior, alpha- and beta-regimes, is found. We also observe the plateau in the beta-regime below T_g. In a second step, we investigated the heterogeneous and/or homogeneous behavior of the relaxations. At both short and long times the relaxations are homogeneous (or weakly heterogeneous). In the intermediate time scale, lowering the temperature increases the heterogeneity. We connect these different domains to the vibrational (ballistic), beta- and alpha-regimes. We have also shown that the increase in heterogeneity can be understood in terms of relaxations

Prefrontal cortex gyrification index in twins: an MRI study

Cortical development and folding seems to be under environmental as well as genetic control. The aim of our study was to estimate the genetic influence on gyrification and cortical volumes, comparing prefrontal gyrification index (GI) in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs, and unrelated pairs. Twenty-four subjects (6 pairs of MZ and 6 pairs of DZ twins) were included in this study. Prefrontal cortical folding (gyrification) was measured by an automated and manual version of the gyrification index (A-GI, M-GI) according to previously published protocols. MR-imaging was performed and 3 representative slices were selected from coronar MR-imaging scans. The volumes of the total brain, temporal lobes, prefrontal lobes, and cerebellum were analyzed, too. To evaluate similarity in GI, absolute differences in GI, and brain volumes as well as intraclass correlations of twin pairs were compared with regard to twin status. Finally, a control group of unrelated pairs was assembled from the first two study groups and analyzed. Compared to unrelated pairs, twin pairs exhibited more similarity concerning different brain volumes and a trend to more similarity concerning A-GI. MZ twins did not present more similarity concerning GI (automatically and manually measured) and volume measurements compared to DZ twins. Different factors, like intrauterine factors, postnatal development conditions, and especially environmental factors might account for the differences between related and unrelated pairs. The nonexistence of a pronounced similarity in MZ twins compared to DZ twins concerning prefrontal GI raises questions about the extent of genetic influence on GI

The Challenge of Regulation in a Minimal Photoautotroph: Non-Coding RNAs in Prochlorococcus

Prochlorococcus, an extremely small cyanobacterium that is very abundant in the world's oceans, has a very streamlined genome. On average, these cells have about 2,000 genes and very few regulatory proteins. The limited capability of regulation is thought to be a result of selection imposed by a relatively stable environment in combination with a very small genome. Furthermore, only ten non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), which play crucial regulatory roles in all forms of life, have been described in Prochlorococcus. Most strains also lack the RNA chaperone Hfq, raising the question of how important this mode of regulation is for these cells. To explore this question, we examined the transcription of intergenic regions of Prochlorococcus MED4 cells subjected to a number of different stress conditions: changes in light qualities and quantities, phage infection, or phosphorus starvation. Analysis of Affymetrix microarray expression data from intergenic regions revealed 276 novel transcriptional units. Among these were 12 new ncRNAs, 24 antisense RNAs (asRNAs), as well as 113 short mRNAs. Two additional ncRNAs were identified by homology, and all 14 new ncRNAs were independently verified by Northern hybridization and 5′RACE. Unlike its reduced suite of regulatory proteins, the number of ncRNAs relative to genome size in Prochlorococcus is comparable to that found in other bacteria, suggesting that RNA regulators likely play a major role in regulation in this group. Moreover, the ncRNAs are concentrated in previously identified genomic islands, which carry genes of significance to the ecology of this organism, many of which are not of cyanobacterial origin. Expression profiles of some of these ncRNAs suggest involvement in light stress adaptation and/or the response to phage infection consistent with their location in the hypervariable genomic islands