Spatial distribution of the emerging foodborne pathogen Arcobacter in the gastrointestinal tract of pigs

Pigs are important reservoirs for Arcobacter. Since 1978, Arcobacter species have been associated with reproduction disorders, but excretion by clinically healthy pigs has been frequently reported as well. Information on Arcobacter colonization of the porcine gastrointestinal tract is lacking. In the present study, gastrointestinal tracts of 12 pigs were collected, and the content and mucus of eight sections were examined. Arcobacters were enumerated and isolated by a selective quantitative and qualitative method, respectively, and identified by multiplex-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Their genetic diversity was examined by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Arcobacter species were isolated from at least two gastrointestinal sections of all pigs in levels up to 10(5) colony-forming units (CFU) g(-1) in content and 10(4) CFU g(-1) in mucus. Characterization of the isolates revealed a high degree of genotypic diversity. In general, the highest counts, and greatest species and strain diversity was obtained from the large intestine, and especially from the rectum. Though Arcobacter strains were mostly detected in one gastrointestinal section, several unique strains were also recovered from the content and/or mucus of various gastrointestinal sections of individual pigs. In the gastrointestinal tract, Arcobacter is present with species distributions, numbers, and strain heterogeneity comparable to those reported on porcine carcasses post slaughter, thus confirming the potential route of transmission to carcasses by fecal contamination during processing

Untargeted metabolomics to reveal red versus white meat‐associated gut metabolites in a prudent and western dietary context

Scope: To improve understanding of the epidemiological link between red and processed meat consumption and chronic diseases, more insight in the formation of metabolites during meat digestion is warranted.Methods and results: Untargeted MS-based metabolomics was applied to explore the impact of red and processed meat consumption (compared to chicken), combined with a prudent or Western dietary pattern. A pig feeding study (n=32), as a sentinel for humans, was conducted in a 2×2 factorial design for four weeks. The luminal content of the small intestine and colon of the pigs were collected to determine their metabolic fingerprints. Seventy-six unique metabolites (38 in small intestine, 32 in colon, and 6 in both intestinal compartments) contributing tothe distinct gut metabolic profiles of pigs fed either chicken or red and processed meat were (tentatively) identified. Consumption of red and processed meat resulted in higher levels of short-and medium-chain acylcarnitines and 3-dehydroxycarnitine, irrespective of dietary context, whereas long-chain acylcarnitines and monoacylglycerols were specifically associated with the red and processed-Western diet.Conclusion: The identification of red and processed meat-associated gut metabolites in this study contributes to the understanding of meat digestion in a complex but controlled dietary context and its potential health effect

The cyclin CYCA3;4 is a postprophase target of the APC/CCCS52A2 E3-ligase controlling formative cell divisions in Arabidopsis

The Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) controls unidirectional progression through the cell cycle by marking key cell cycle proteins for proteasomal turnover. Its activity is temporally regulated by the docking of different activating subunits, known in plants as CELL DIVISION PROTEIN 20 (CDC20) and CELL CYCLE SWITCH 52 (CCS52). Despite the importance of the APC/C during cell proliferation, the number of identified targets in the plant cell cycle is limited. Here, we used the growth and meristem phenotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana CCS52A2-deficient plants in a suppressor mutagenesis screen to identify APC/CCCS52A2 substrates or regulators, resulting in the identification of a mutant cyclin CYCA3;4 allele. CYCA3;4 deficiency partially rescues the ccs52a2-1 phenotypes, whereas increased CYCA3;4 levels enhance the ccs52a2-1 phenotypes. Furthermore, whereas CYCA3;4 proteins are promptly broken down after prophase in wild-type plants, they remain present in later stages of mitosis in ccs52a2-1 mutant plants, marking them as APC/CCCS52A2 substrates. Strikingly, increased CYCA3;4 levels result in aberrant root meristem and stomatal divisions, mimicking phenotypes of plants with reduced RETINOBLASTOMA-RELATED PROTEIN 1 (RBR1) activity. Correspondingly, RBR1 hyperphosphorylation was observed in CYCA3;4 gain-of-function plants. Our data thus demonstrate that an inability to timely destroy CYCA3;4 contributes to disorganized formative divisions, possibly in part caused by the inactivation of RBR1

Scoping Paper on Floods and Economics

Floods constitute a significant risk to human health, economic activity, cultural heritage and the environment in Europe. Flood risk is expected to even increase. The reason for this is mainly twofold. Firstly, climate change is likely to increase the magnitude and frequency of floods because of the expected increase in extreme rainfall events on the one hand and sea level rise on the other hand. Secondly, there is also a marked increase in the number of people and economic assets located in flood risk area. As a result it is believed flooding has the potential to undermine the EU’s drive towards sustainable development and a competitive economy. Flood management has predominantly been about ‘preventing flooding’. Floods, however, are part of nature and will continue to exist. Flood protection is never absolute. It is neither technically feasible nor economically affordable to prevent all properties from flooding. Therefore, a risk-based approach is taken to achieve the best results possible using the budget and resources available. Flood management should seek to limit flood risk, but not at all cost. The costs should be reasonable compared to the expected benefits. The way flood problems are tackled often starts from a wrong perspective; focussing too much on local protection, neglecting the broader picture. The way forward is to adopt a coordinated, long-term and integrated basin level approach. In order to manage the flood problem in an optimal way flood risks of all kind have to be assessed and mapped; covering impacts to economic, social, cultural and ecological receptors. This report aims at identifying and drafting practices and methods for assessing flood risks and the benefits of flood risk management measures, such as damage avoided, as well as other aspects of economic assessments, to support decision making in the framework of flood risk management. In anticipation to all of the above the Directive 2007/60/EC on the assessment and management of flood risks, hereafter referred to as the Floods Directive, sets out a framework for an efficient and effective flood risk management. The Floods Directive aims at the reduction of the adverse consequences for human health, the environment, cultural heritage and economic activity. The Floods Directive has important links with Directive 2000/60/EC which establishes a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, better known as the Water Framework Directive. Measures implemented in the framework of the Water Framework Directive may also promote flood risk reduction by e.g. the restoration of wetlands and flood plains. Because of the synergy between both Directives some Member States have already considered flood risk management related aspects in their first River Basin Management Plans. The Water Framework Directive requires the development and selection of cost-effective programmes of measures. Similar economic considerations are also important in the framework of the Floods Directive. The thinking and work on economics that has been done with regard to the implementation of the Water Framework Directive shall therefore also be considered in this context. Care shall be taken to ensure that the efforts on flood related economics rather promote synergies than overlap with the work carried out for the Water Framework Directive. The successful and effective implementation of the Floods Directive raises a number of shared technical challenges for the Member States, the Commission, the Candidate and EEA Countries as well as stakeholders. The shared challenges with the implementation of the Floods Directive are addressed by Working group F on Floods of the Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) for the Water Framework Directive. An important issue with regard to the Floods Directive concerns the requirement to "take into account relevant aspects such as cost and benefits" when developing flood management plans. The role of economics in the implementation of the Flood Directive will be tackled in a thematic workshop that is organised within the framework of the activities of Working group F on Floods and will be held in October 2010. The present scoping paper on floods and economics is prepared in function of this workshop. This paper will also serve as input for a living reference document ‘flood risk management, economics and decision making support’ that aims bringing together good practices on flood risk management and economics. A questionnaire circulated to EU Member States via WG F will further contribute to substantiating this paper prior to the workshop.nrpages: 72status: publishe

De transitie van België naar een koolstofarme samenleving. De uitdagingen voor tewerkstelling, vorming en opportuniteiten voor KMO’s

Dit project kadert in een coherent geheel van studies in opdracht van de Federale Overheids- Dienst Volksgezondheid Veiligheid van de Voedselketen en Leefmilieu (FOD VVVL) over de overgang naar een koolstofarme Belgische samenleving, die de overgangsproblematiek vanuit verschillende invalshoeken benaderen en die toelaten dat België zich verder voorbereidt door, in overleg met de gewesten en de stakeholders, de meest geschikte beleidsmaatregelen in te voeren. De hier voorliggende studie focust op de uitdagingen op het vlak van competentieontwikkeling, vorming en opleiding en de rol van kmo’s binnen deze transitie en wil een stand van zaken schetsen van de huidige initiatieven die genomen worden, van de visie van de verschillende stakeholders en ten slotte kijken naar een aantal Europese voorbeelden. Om hieruit lacunes en mogelijkheden voor synergieën te identificeren en zo te kunnen dienen als inspiratiebron voor concrete initiatieven en beleidsmaatregelen.nrpages: 167status: publishe

Development of a management tool for the equal evaluation of economic, social and ecological effects of adaptation scenarios for attenuating the effects of climate change induced flooding

Climate change is expected to influence river flooding which may have important implications for socio-economic and ecological systems. Changed flood risks require a proper policy. Water managers need to develop and select those adaptation scenarios that maximise welfare. Doing so requires addressing various challenges; integrating climate change effects in flood modelling, development of assessment methods for flood risk to social and ecological systems, development of methodologies for the assessment of non-flood related impacts from adaptation scenarios and, finally, integrating all effects, both positive and negative, related to an adaptation scenario in a comprehensive decision framework. The ADAPT project, which is financed by the Belgian Science Policy (BELSPO), aims to tackle these challenges by the development of a practical methodology, for assisting decision making about adaptation scenarios for attenuating the effects of climate change induced flooding, that builds on the integrated evaluation of economic, social as well as ecological effects. The study builds on two case studies, located in the two major Belgian river basins, for both the development and the illustration of the methodology.status: publishe

Naar een evenwaardige beoordeling van ecologische, economische en sociale effecten van de toename aan overstromingen door de klimaatverandering: het ADAPT-verhaal

Hoewel er nog veel onzekerheid bestaat over de gevolgen van de klimaatverandering zullen deze, in de afwezigheid van een doordacht adaptatiebeleid, substantieel zijn. De overheid ziet zich geconfronteerd met beperkte middelen, waadoor adaptatiemaatregelen moeten verantwoord worden op basis van hun kosteneffectiviteit. De gevolgen van de klimaatverandering grijpen in op alle facetten van de maatschappij en onze leefomgeving. Een adaptatiestrategie dient dus gestoeld te zijn op een integrale analyse waarbij maatschappelijke kosten-baten analyses (MKBA’s) en multi-criteria analyses (MCA’s) vaak worden aangewend voor de presentatie van de voor- en nadelen van een project. Zowel deze integrale analyse als deze afwegingsinstrumenten kennen nog belangrijke verbeterpunten. Dit artikel beschrijft deze problematiek en presenteert de doelstellingen en leerpunten uit het ADAPT-project. Het project beoogt de ontwikkeling van een beleidsinstrument voor de evenwaardige beoordeling van geïntegreerde maatregelen tegen de ecologische,economische en sociale effecten van de toename van overstromingen door de klimaatverandering.status: publishe