Missing symbionts – emerging pathogens? Microbiome management for sustainable agriculture

Plant diversification and co-evolution shaped the plant microbiome and vice versa. This resulted in a specific composition of the plant microbiome and a strong connection with the host in terms of functional interplay. Symbionts are part of the microbiota, and important for the plant’s germination and growth, nutrition, as well as stress protection. However, human activities in the Anthropocene are linked to a significant shift of diversity, evenness and specificity of the plant microbiota. In addition, and very importantly, many plant symbionts are missing or no longer functional. It will require targeted microbiome management to support and reintroduce them. In future agriculture, we should aim at replacing harmful chemicals in the field, as well as post-harvest, by using precision microbiome engineering. This is because the plant microbiome is connected across systems and crucial for human and planetary health. This commentary aims to inspire holistic studies for the development of solutions for sustainable agriculture in framework of the One Health and the Planetary Health concepts

Microbiome-based biotechnology for reducing food loss post harvest

Microbiomes have an immense potential to enhance plant resilience to various biotic and abiotic stresses. However, intrinsic microbial communities respond to changes in their host's physiology and environment during plant's life cycle. The potential of the inherent plant microbiome has been neglected for a long time, especially for the postharvest period. Currently, close to 50% of all produced fruits and vegetables are lost either during production or storage. Biological control of spoilage and storage diseases is still lacking sufficiency. Today, novel multiomics technologies allow us to study the microbiome and its responses on a community level, which will help to advance current classic approaches and develop more effective and robust microbiome-based solutions for fruit and vegetable storability, quality, and safety

Fragmentable Heterogeneous Cocatalysts for the Metallocene-Catalyzed Polymerization of Olefins, II [1]. Preparation, Characterization and Testing of the Cocatalysts and Microscopic Evaluation of the Polyethylene

Surface modified silica were reacted with different aluminiumalkyls AlR2R’ (R = Me, Et, i-Bu, R’ = H, Me, Et, i-Bu), oligomeric methylaluminoxane (MAO) and combinations of both, to yield heterogeneous cocatalysts. These cocatalyts were employed to polymerize ethylene using zirconocene dichloride as the catalyst. The polymerization activity profiles have been recorded and compared with the information gained from the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the polymers. The fragmentation of the heterogeneous cocatalyts upon polymerization has been demonstrated. The degree of fragmentation and the polymerization activity depend on the preparation of the silica supports and on the preparation of the heterogeneous cocatalysts using these supports. The most reactive, fragmentable heterogeneous cocatalysts show polymerization activities slightly higher than MAO in homogeneous solution and almost 1.5 times higher than commercially available MAO on silica (=MAO on Sylopol).BMBF, 03C0295, Verbundprojekt: Heterogene und homogene Cokatalysatoren und Katalysatoren für die OlefinpolymerisationDFG, GRK 352, Synthetische, mechanistische und reaktionstechnische Aspekte von Metallkatalysatore

Fragmentable Heterogeneous Cocatalysts for the Metallocene-Catalyzed Polymerization of Olefins, I. Surface Modification of Silica and Characterization of the Resulting Carriers

Surface modification of pre-dried spherical silica nano-particles with diameters of 235 nm and 10 to 20 nm and of commercially available non-spherical silica materials using various aminoalkyltrialkoxysilanes and α-ω-bis(alkoxysilyl)organyls (organyl = alkanediyl, aminoalkanediyl, polyether, polysiloxane) has been performed in suspension in solvents with water. The quantity of water has a dominating influence, as compared to the amounts and the ratios of silanes employed, on the surface morphology of the modified silicas. The morphologies observed range from weakly linked aggregates of spherical particles to large agglomerates covered by thick irregular layers of organopolysiloxane, as demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy. These carriers can be modified further with organoaluminium compounds to yield heterogeneous cocatalysts for the polymerization of ethylene.BMBF, 03C0295, Verbundprojekt: Heterogene und homogene Cokatalysatoren und Katalysatoren für die OlefinpolymerisationDFG, GRK 352, Synthetische, mechanistische und reaktionstechnische Aspekte von Metallkatalysatore

Evidence for host–microbiome co-evolution in apple

Plants evolved in association with a diverse community of microorganisms. The effect of plant phylogeny and domestication on host–microbiome co‐evolutionary dynamics are poorly understood. Here we examined the effect of domestication and plant lineage on the composition of the endophytic microbiome of 11 Malus species, representing three major groups: domesticated apple (M. domestica), wild apple progenitors, and wild Malus species. The endophytic community of M. domestica and its wild progenitors showed higher microbial diversity and abundance than wild Malus species. Heirloom and modern cultivars harbored a distinct community composition, though the difference was not significant. A community‐wide Bayesian model revealed that the endophytic microbiome of domesticated apple is an admixture of its wild progenitors, with clear evidence for microbiome introgression, especially for the bacterial community. We observed a significant correlation between the evolutionary distance of Malus species and their microbiome. This study supports co‐evolution between Malus species and their microbiome during domestication. This finding has major implications for future breeding programs and our understanding of the evolution of plants and their microbiomes

The microbiome and resistome of apple fruits alter in the post-harvest period

BACKGROUND : A detailed understanding of antimicrobial resistance trends among all human-related environments is key to combat global health threats. In food science, however, the resistome is still little considered. Here, we studied the apple microbiome and resistome from diferent cultivars (Royal Gala and Braeburn) and sources (freshly harvested in South Africa and exported apples in Austrian supermarkets) by metagenomic approaches, genome reconstruction and isolate sequencing. RESULTS : All fruits harbor an indigenous, versatile resistome composed of 132 antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) encoding for 19 diferent antibiotic classes. ARGs are partially of clinical relevance and plasmid-encoded; however, their abundance within the metagenomes is very low (≤0.03%). Post-harvest, after intercontinental transport, the apple microbiome and resistome was signifcantly changed independently of the cultivar. In comparison to fresh apples, the post-harvest microbiome is characterized by higher abundance of Enterobacteriales, and a more diversifed pool of ARGs, especially associated with multidrug resistance, as well as quinolone, rifampicin, fosfomycin and aminoglycoside resistance. The association of ARGs with metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) suggests resistance interconnectivity within the microbiome. Bacterial isolates of the phyla Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria served as representatives actively possessing multidrug resistance and ARGs were confrmed by genome sequencing. CONCLUSION : Our results revealed intrinsic and potentially acquired antimicrobial resistance in apples and strengthen the argument that all plant microbiomes harbor diverse resistance features. Although the apple resistome appears comparatively inconspicuous, we identifed storage and transport as potential risk parameters to distribute AMR globally and highlight the need for surveillance of resistance emergence along complex food chains.Additional fle 1: List of ARGs following short read-based resistome analysis, quality results of metagenome assembly, binned genomes, and assembled genomes of isolated bacteria, diversity and abundance estimates of 16S rRNA amplicon analysis, bacterial taxonomic composition, and table of ARGs constituting the shared and storage-specifc apple resistome.Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF)https://environmentalmicrobiome.biomedcentral.comdm2022Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Exploring planets and asteroids with 6DoF sensors: Utopia and realism

A 6 degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) sensor, measuring three components of translational acceleration and three components of rotation rate, provides the full history of motion it is exposed to. In Earth sciences 6DoF sensors have shown great potential in exploring the interior of our planet and its seismic sources. In space sciences, apart from navigation, 6DoF sensors are, up to now, only rarely used to answer scientific questions. As a first step of establishing 6DoF motion sensing deeper into space sciences, this article describes novel scientific approaches based on 6DoF motion sensing with substantial potential for constraining the interior structure of planetary objects and asteroids. Therefore we estimate 6DoF-signal levels that originate from lander–surface interactions during landing and touchdown, from a body’s rotational dynamics as well as from seismic ground motions. We discuss these signals for an exemplary set of target bodies including Dimorphos, Phobos, Europa, the Earth’s Moon and Mars and compare those to self-noise levels of state-of-the-art sensors

Excitatory repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation applied to the right inferior frontal gyrus has no effect on motor or cognitive impulsivity in healthy adults

Background: Impulsivity is a multi-faceted concept. It is a crucial feature of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Three subtypes of impulsivity have been identified: motor, temporal, and cognitive impulsivity. Existing evidence suggests that the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) plays a crucial role in impulsivity, and such a role has been elucidated using inhibitory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). There is a dearth of studies using excitatory rTMS at the rIFG, an important gap in the literature this study aimed to address. Methods: Twenty healthy male adults completed a single-blind sham-controlled randomised crossover study aimed at assessing the efficacy of rTMS in the neuromodulation of impulsivity. This involved delivering 10-Hz excitatory rTMS to the rIFG at the intensity of 100% motor threshold with 900 pulses per session. Trait impulsivity was measured at baseline using the Barrett Impulsiveness Scale and UPPS-P Impulsiveness Scale. The Stop Signal Task (SST) and Information Sampling Task (IST), administered before andafter rTMS sessions, were used as behavioural measures of impulsivity. Results: No significant changes on any measures from either SST or IST after active rTMS at the rIFG compared to the sham-controlled condition were found. Conclusions: Excitatory rTMS applied to the rIFG did not have a statistically significant effect on response inhibition and reflective/cognitive impulsivity. Further research is required before drawing firm conclusions. This may involve a larger sample of highly impulsive individuals, a different stimulation site or a different TMS modality such as theta burst stimulation

The effects of rTMS on impulsivity in normal adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Impulsivity is a multi-dimensional construct that is regarded as a symptom of many psychiatric disorders. Harm resulting from impulsive behaviour can be substantial for the individuals concerned, people around them and the society they live in. Therefore, the importance of developing therapeutic interventions to target impulsivity is paramount. Aims and methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature from AMED, Embase, Medline, and PsycINFO databases on the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in healthy adults to modulate different subdomains (motor, temporal and reflection) of impulsivity. Results: The results indicated that rTMS has distinct effects on different impulsivity subdomains. It has a significant, albeit small, effect on modulating motor impulsivity (g = 0.30, 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.43, p < .001) and a moderate effect on temporal impulsivity (g = 0.59, 95% CI, 0.32 to 0.86, p < .001). Subgroup analyses (e.g., excitatory vs. inhibitory rTMS, conventional rTMS vs. theta burst stimulation, analyses by stimulation sites, and type of outcome measure used) identified key parameters associated with the effects of rTMS on motor and temporal impulsivity. Age, sex, stimulation intensity and the number of pulses were not significant moderators for effects of rTMS on motor impulsivity. Due to lack of sufficient data to inform a meta-analysis, it has not been possible to assess the effects of rTMS on reflection impulsivity. Conclusions: The present findings provide preliminary evidence that rTMS can be used to modulate motor and temporal impulsivity in healthy individuals. Further studies are required to extend the use of rTMS to modulate impulsivity in those at most risk of engaging in harmful behaviour as a result of impulsivity, such as patients with offending histories and those with a history of self-harming behaviour

EOSC Support Office Austria: Visions, needs and requirements for research data and practices. An interview with Birgit Wassermann.

In 2015 the vision of a federated system of infrastructures supporting research by providing an open multi-disciplinary environment to publish, find and re-use data, tools and services led to the launch of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). Against this background, bodies such as the EOSC Association on the European level and the EOSC Support Office Austria on the national one have been established. Within this framework and since research has always been at the heart of EOSC, we are eliciting visions, needs and requirements for research data and practices from researchers who are located at public universities in Austria. Let’s see what Birgit Wassermann, a microbiome researcher, has to say