Heparan sulphate mediates swine vesicular disease virus attachment to the host cell

Heparan sulphate (HS) has been found to serve as receptor for initial cell binding of numerous viruses. Different glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), including heparin and HS, were analysed for their ability to bind swine vesicular disease virus (SVDV), a picornavirus with close homology to human coxsackie B5 virus. Binding of SVDV was established by heparin-affinity chromatography. In addition, infection of IB-RS-2 epithelial porcine cells was inhibited by treating the virus with soluble HS, heparin, and chondroitin sulphate B (CS-B), as well as by enzymic digestion of cell surface GAGs. Analysis of the infection course showed that SVDV uses cellular HS for its binding to the cell surface and that this interaction occurs during attachment of the virus, prior to its internalization into the cell. Sequence analysis of SVDV variants selected for their lack of sensitivity to heparin inhibition in vitro led to the identification of two residues (A2135V and 11 266K) potentially involved in heparin/HS interaction. The location of these residues in a three-dimensional model shows that they are clustered in a well-exposed region of the capsid, providing a physical mechanism that could account for the heparin-binding phenotype

wild birds in Serbia during 2012: first isolation and characterisation of WNV strains from Serbia

Monitoring West Nile virus (WNV) infection i

Sublittoral soft bottom communities and diversity of Mejillones Bay in northern Chile (Humboldt Current upwelling system)

The macrozoobenthos of Mejillones Bay (23°S; Humboldt Current) was quantitatively investigated over a 7-year period from austral summer 1995/1996 to winter 2002. About 78 van Veen grab samples taken at six stations (5, 10, 20 m depth) provided the basis for the analysis of the distribution of 60 species and 28 families of benthic invertebrates, as well as of their abundance and biomass. Mean abundance (2,119 individuals m-2) was in the same order compared to a previous investigation; mean biomass (966 g formalin wet mass m-2), however, exceeded prior estimations mainly due to the dominance of the bivalve Aulacomya ater. About 43% of the taxa inhabited the complete depth range. Mean taxonomic Shannon diversity (H', Log e) was 1.54 ± 0.58 with a maximum at 20 m (1.95 ± 0.33); evenness increased with depth. The fauna was numerically dominated by carnivorous gastropods, polychaetes and crustaceans (48%). About 15% of the species were suspensivorous, 13% sedimentivorous, 11% detritivorous, 7% omnivorous and 6% herbivorous. Cluster analyses showed a significant difference between the shallow and the deeper stations. Gammarid amphipods and the polychaete family Nephtyidae characterized the 5-mzone, the molluscs Aulacomya ater, Mitrella unifasciata and gammarids the intermediate zone, while the gastropod Nassarius gayi and the polychaete family Nereidae were most prominent at the deeper stations. The communities of the three depth zones did not appear to be limited by hypoxia during non-El Niño conditions. Therefore, no typical change in community structure occurred during El Niño 1997–1998, in contrast to what was observed for deeper faunal assemblages and hypoxic bays elsewhere in the coastal Humboldt Current system

Large Electric Dipole Moments of Heavy Neutrinos

In many models of CP violation, the electric dipole moment (EDM) of a heavy charged or neutral lepton could be very large. We present an explicit model in which a heavy neutrino EDM can be as large as $10^{-16}$ e-cm, or even a factor of ten larger if fine-tuning is allowed, and use an effective field theory argument to show that this result is fairly robust. We then look at the production cross section for these neutrinos, and by rederiving the Bethe-Block formula, show that they could leave an ionization track. It is then noted that the first signature of heavy neutrinos with a large EDM would come from $e^+e^-\to \bar{N}N\gamma$, leading to a very large rate for single photon plus missing energy events, and the rate and angular distribution are found. Finally, we look at some astrophysical consequences, including whether these neutrinos could constitute the UHE cosmic rays and whether their decays in the early universe could generate a net lepton asymmetry.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figure

IFNL4 ss469415590 polymorphism is associated with unfavourable clinical and immunological status in HIV-infected individuals

AbstractThe IFNL4 ss469415590 polymorphism, in high linkage disequilibrium with the IL28B rs12979860 variant, has been associated with hepatitis C virus clearance. We evaluated whether ss469415590 is associated with clinical and immunovirological parameters in human immunodeficiency virus-infected subjects. We found an independent association of the IFNL4 ss469415590 polymorphism with higher prevalence of AIDS-defining illnesses and lower CD4 T cell numbers. These results suggest the existence of common host defence mechanisms against different viral infections

Gravitational lensing of transient neutrino sources by black holes

In this work we study gravitational lensing of neutrinos by Schwarzschild black holes. In particular, we analyze the case of a neutrino transient source associated with a gamma-ray burst lensed by a supermassive black hole located at the center of an interposed galaxy. We show that the primary and secondary images have an angular separation beyond the resolution of forthcoming km-scale detectors, but the signals from each image have time delays between them that in most cases are longer than the typical duration of the intrinsic events. In this way, the signal from different images can be detected as separate events coming from the very same location in the sky. This would render an event that otherwise might have had a low signal-to-noise ratio a clear detection, since the probability of a repetition of a signal from the same direction is negligible. The relativistic images are so faint and proximate that are beyond the sensitivity and resolution of the next-generation instruments.Comment: 9 pages; v2: improved version, new references added. Accepted for publication in Physics Letters

Muon-Pair and Tau-Pair Production in Two-Photon Collisions at LEP

The QED processes e^+ e^- -> e^+ e^- \mu^+ \mu^- and e^+ e^- -> e^+ e^- \tau^+ \tau^- are studied with the L3 detector at LEP using an untagged data sample collected at centre-of-mass energies 161 GeV < sqrt{s} < 209 GeV. The tau-pairs are observed through the associated decay of one tau into e\nu\nu and the other into \pi\pi\nu . The cross sections are measured as a function of sqrt{s}. For muon pairs, the cross section of the \gamma\gamma -> \mu^+\mu^- process is also measured as a function of the two-photon centre-of-mass energy for 3 GeV < W_{\gamma\gamma} < 40 GeV. Good agreement is found between these measurements and the O(\alpha^4) QED expectations. In addition, limits on the anomalous magnetic and electric dipole moments of the tau lepton are extracted

Evaluating the extent and impact of the extreme Storm Gloria on Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows

Extreme storms can trigger abrupt and often lasting changes in ecosystems by affecting foundational (habitat-forming) species. While the frequency and intensity of extreme events are projected to increase under climate change, its impacts on seagrass ecosystems remain poorly documented. In January 2020, the Spanish Mediterranean coast was hit by Storm Gloria, one of the most devastating recent climate events in terms of intensity and duration. We conducted rapid surveys of 42 Posidonia oceanica meadows across the region to evaluate the extent and type of impact (burial, unburial and uprooting). We investigated the significance of oceanographic (wave impact model), geomorphological (latitude, depth, exposure), and structural (patchiness) factors in predicting impact extent and intensity. The predominant impact of Storm Gloria was shoot unburial. More than half of the surveyed sites revealed recent unburial, with up to 40 cm of sediment removed, affecting over 50 % of the meadow. Burial, although less extensive, was still significant, with 10–80 % of meadow cover being buried under 7 cm of sediment, which is considered a survival threshold for P. oceanica. In addition, we observed evident signs of recently dead matte in some meadows and large amounts of detached drifting shoots on the sea bottom or accumulated as debris on the beaches. Crucially, exposed and patchy meadows were much more vulnerable to the overall impact than sheltered or continuous meadows. Given how slow P. oceanica is able to recover after disturbances, we state that it could take from decades to centuries for it to recoup its losses. Seagrass ecosystems play a vital role as coastal ecological infrastructure. Protecting vulnerable meadows from anthropogenic fragmentation is crucial for ensuring the resilience of these ecosystems in the face of the climate crisis.This study was funded by the CSIC project “Effects of storm Gloria on the western Mediterranean meadows (202030E052) and “Storms of change: as phenomena extreme weather alters Mediterranean coastal ecosystems, their services and their perception by society" (PID2020-113745RB-I00), state program of I+D+I Oriented to the Challenges of the Society and within the framework of the activities of the Spanish Government through the "Maria de Maeztu Centre of Excellence” accreditation to IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) (CEX2021-001198). We want to thank the SPAS (Society of Fishing and Underwater Activities of Mataró) and the Mataró City Council, which has financed 25 years of the Alguer de Mataró project