Can We Use Tree Rings of Black Alder to Reconstruct Lake Levels? A Case Study for the Mecklenburg Lake District,Northeastern Germany

In this study, we explore the potential to reconstruct lake-level (and groundwater) fluctuations from tree-ring chronologies of black alder (Alnus glutinosa L.) for three study lakes in the Mecklenburg Lake District, northeastern Germany. As gauging records for lakes in this region are generally short, long-term reconstructions of lake-level fluctuations could provide valuable information on past hydrological conditions, which, in turn, are useful to assess dynamics of climate and landscape evolution. We selected black alder as our study species as alder typically thrives as riparian vegetation along lakeshores. For the study lakes, we tested whether a regional signal in lake-level fluctuations and in the growth of alder exists that could be used for long-term regional hydrological reconstructions, but found that local (i.e. site-specific) signals in lake level and tree-ring chronologies prevailed. Hence, we built lake/groundwater-level reconstruction models for the three study lakes individually. Two sets of models were considered based on (1) local tree-ring series of black alder, and (2) site-specific Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Indices (SPEI). Although the SPEI-based models performed statistically well, we critically reflect on the reliability of these reconstructions, as SPEI cannot account for human influence. Tree-ring based reconstruction models, on the other hand, performed poor. Combined, our results suggest that, for our study area, long-term regional reconstructions of lake-level fluctuations that consider both recent and ancient (e.g., archaeological) wood of black alder seem extremely challenging, if not impossible.     

Highly Invasive Listeria monocytogenes Strains Have Growth and Invasion Advantages in Strain Competition

Multiple Listeria monocytogenes strains can be present in the same food sample; moreover, infection with more than one L. monocytogenes strain can also occur. In this study we investigated the impact of strain competition on the growth and in vitro virulence potential of L. monocytogenes. We identified two strong competitor strains, whose growth was not (or only slightly) influenced by the presence of other strains and two weak competitor strains, which were outcompeted by other strains. Cell contact was essential for growth inhibition. In vitro virulence assays using human intestinal epithelial Caco2 cells showed a correlation between the invasion efficiency and growth inhibition: the strong growth competitor strains showed high invasiveness. Moreover, invasion efficiency of the highly invasive strain was further increased in certain combinations by the presence of a low invasive strain. In all tested combinations, the less invasive strain was outcompeted by the higher invasive strain. Studying the effect of cell contact on in vitro virulence competition revealed a complex pattern in which the observed effects depended only partially on cell-contact suggesting that competition occurs at two different levels: i) during co-cultivation prior to infection, which might influence the expression of virulence factors, and ii) during infection, when bacterial cells compete for the host cell. In conclusion, we show that growth of L. monocytogenes can be inhibited by strains of the same species leading potentially to biased recovery during enrichment procedures. Furthermore, the presence of more than one L. monocytogenes strain in food can lead to increased infection rates due to synergistic effects on the virulence potential.     

Opinions of UK Rescue Shelter and Rehoming Center Workers on the Problems Facing Their Industry

Animal shelters exist worldwide to care for and rehome unwanted or straying pets. Previous studies have examined why owners breed unwanted animals, or relinquish their pets to shelters. However, the views of shelter workers, who receive and care for these animals, have previously been largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of animal shelter workers on the problems facing their industry. A sampling frame was constructed, consisting of every identified shelter in the UK, and a postal questionnaire sent to each. This included two open questions, soliciting respondents’ views on their biggest problems, and inviting further comments. A total of 661 respondents replied to at least one question. Thematic analysis on the free text content was carried out, and basic and global themes identified. Respondents’ main concerns centered on a mismatch between the continuous demand for their services and their limited resources, which has worsened during the recent financial crisis. Respondents perceived a need for increased public awareness of the commitment involved in keeping a pet, and of controlling breeding by neutering. Points of intervention, such as education programs, were suggested. Coordinating efforts with others, including local authorities, landlords, and housing associations, and a potential role for veterinary professionals working in shelter medicine were all explored by respondents. Rehoming organizations play an important role in the management of pet overpopulation, and the views and beliefs of their workers form an important contribution to the dialogue surrounding this issue. Consideration of these perspectives may suggest alternative routes to address underlying causes and management of pet overpopulation.     

Decision-making during NHEJ: a network of interactions in human Polμ implicated in substrate recognition and end-bridging

Human Polμ is a DNA polymerase belonging to the X family that has been implicated in the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway during repair of double-strand breaks in DNA. Loop1 is a flexible piece of Polμ which has a critical role during terminal transferase and end-joining activities: it acts as a pseudo-template when the template strand is discontinuous or unavailable, whilst diffusing away if present to avoid steric clashes. Mutational analysis and inspection of the 3D structures available allowed us to identify a network of residues in charge of sensing the presence or absence of discontinuities in the template strand, which will in turn determine the final position adopted by Loop1. This network is formed by the previously uncharacterized thumb mini-loop (NSH motif) and the positively charged helix N, which contribute to the correct positioning of Loop1 and to juxtapose the discontinuous template strand during NHEJ of incompatible ends. Accordingly, single mutation of specific conserved residues in these motifs, whilst irrelevant in most of the cases for gap filling, largely affected terminal transferase and end-joining activities. Other point mutations in the ‘hinges’ of Loop1, such as residues Phe³⁸⁵ or Phe³⁸⁹, corroborated the flexibility requirements of this motif.     

Cued to Act on Impulse: More Impulsive Choice and Risky Decision Making by Women Susceptible to Overeating after Exposure to Food Stimuli

There is increasing evidence that individual differences in tendency to overeat relate to impulsivity, possibly by increasing reactivity to food-related cues in the environment. This study tested whether acute exposure to food cues enhanced impulsive and risky responses in women classified on tendency to overeat, indexed by scores on the three factor eating questionnaire disinhibition (TFEQ-D), restraint (TFEQ-R) and hunger scales. Ninety six healthy women completed two measures of impulsive responding (delayed discounting, DDT and a Go No-Go, GNG, task) and a measure of risky decision making (the balloon analogue risk task, BART) as well as questionnaire measures of impulsive behaviour either after looking at a series of pictures of food or visually matched controls. Impulsivity (DDT) and risk-taking (BART) were both positively associated with TFEQ-D scores, but in both cases this effect was exacerbated by prior exposure to food cues. No effects of restraint were found. TFEQ-D scores were also related to more commission errors on the GNG, while restrained women were slower on the GNG, but neither effect was modified by cue exposure. Overall these data suggest that exposure to food cues act to enhance general impulsive responding in women at risk of overeating and tentatively suggest an important interaction between tendency for impulsive decision making and food cues that may help explain a key underlying risk factor for overeating.     

Effect of previous supramaximal work on lacticaemia during supra-anaerobic threshold exercise

Twelve male and female subjects (eight trained, four untrained) exercised for 30 min on a treadmill at an intensity of maximal O2 consumption (% VO2max) 90.0%, SD 4.7 greater than the anaerobic threshold of 4 mmol.l-1 (Than = 83.6% VO2max, SD 8.9). Time-dependent changes in blood lactate concentration [( lab]) during exercise occurred in two phases: the oxygen uptake (VO2) transient phase (from 0 to 4 min) and the VO2 steady-state phase (4-30 min). During the transient phase, [lab] increased markedly (1.30 mmol.l-1.min-1, SD (0.13). During the steady-state phase, [lab] increased slightly (0.02 mmol.l-1.min-1, SD 0.06) and when individual values were considered, it was seen that there were no time-dependent increases in [lab] in half of the subjects. Following hyperlacticaemia (8.8 mmol.l-1, SD 2.0) induced by a previous 2 min of supramaximal exercise (120% VO2max), [lab] decreased during the VO2 transient (-0.118 mmol.l-1.min-1, SD 0.209) and steady-state (-0.088 mmol.l-1.min-1, SD 0.103) phases of 30 min exercise (91.4% VO2max, SD 4.8). In conclusion, it was not possible from the Than to determine the maximal [lab] steady state for each subject. In addition, lactate accumulated during previous supramaximal exercise was eliminated during the VO2 transient phase of exercise performed at an intensity above the Than. This effect is probably largely explained by the reduction in oxygen deficit during the transient phase. Under these conditions, the time-course of changes in [lab] during the VO2 steady state was also affected.