Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Greek Version of the SARC-F for evaluating sarcopenia in Greek older adults

Objective:To translate and validate into Greek, the SARC-F questionnaire, a screening tool for sarcopenia.Methods:Questionnaire was back-translated and culturally adapted into Greek according to guidelines proposed by the World Health Organization. A convenience sample of 197 Greek elderly people (71.6±7.8 years, 68.5% women) was recruited, 64 of which were classified as persons at risk of sarcopenia according to the SARC-F. Internal consistency, test-retest and inter-rater reliability were evaluated. Validity (sensitivity, specificity, predictive positive value and predictive negative value) was assessed against the definition from the European Working Group of Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2), which is considered gold standard. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis was also performed to calculate the area under the curve.Results:SARC-F demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.93) and excellent inter-rater and test-retest reliability, with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.91 (95% CI 0.79-0.96), and 0.93 (95% CI 0.91-0.95), respectively. According to the definition of sarcopenia from the EWGSOP2, 53 (26.85) participants were identified as probable sarcopenic and 23 (11.6%) as sarcopenic. Sensitivity of the tool for sarcopenia was 34.4 and specificity was 93.2. Positive predictive values were 26.4 and negative predictive values were 66.6%.Conclusion:Τhe SARC-F was successfully adapted into Greek language. The Greek SARC-F revealed low sensitivity but high specificity with EWGSOP2 sarcopenia definitions, indicating that it can detect with precision the absence of sarcopenia.     

Interface processes between protected and unprotected areas: A global review and ways forward

Land‐use changes and the expansion of protected areas (PAs) have amplified the interaction between protected and unprotected areas worldwide. In this context, ‘interface processes' (human–nature and cross‐boundary interactions inside and around PAs) have become central to issues around the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. This scientific literature review aimed to explore current knowledge and research gaps on interface processes regarding terrestrial PAs. At first, 3,515 references related to the topic were extracted through a standardized search on the Web of Science and analyzed with scientometric techniques. Next, a full‐text analysis was conducted on a sample of 240 research papers. A keyword analysis revealed a wide diversity of research topics, from ‘pure' ecology to sociopolitical research. We found a bias in the geographical distribution of research, with half the papers focusing on eight countries. Additionally, we found that the spatial extent of cross‐boundary interactions was rarely assessed, preventing any clear delimitation of PA interactive zones. In the 240 research papers we scanned, we identified 403 processes that were studied. The ecological effects of PAs were well documented and appeared to be positive overall. In contrast, the effects of PAs on local communities were understudied and, according to the literature focusing on these, were very variable according to local contexts. Our findings highlight key research advances on interface processes, especially regarding the ecological outcomes of PAs, the influence of human activities on biodiversity, and PA governance issues. In contrast, main knowledge gaps concern the spatial extent of interactive zones, as well as the interactions between local people and conservation actions and how to promote synergies between them. While the review was limited to terrestrial PAs, its findings allow us to propose research priorities for tackling environmental and socioeconomic challenges in the face of a rapidly changing world.     

Shortlisting SARS‐CoV‐2 Peptides for Targeted Studies from Experimental Data‐Dependent Acquisition Tandem Mass Spectrometry Data

Detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is a crucial tool for fighting the COVID‐19 pandemic. This dataset brief presents the exploration of a shotgun proteomics dataset acquired on SARS‐CoV‐2 infected Vero cells. Proteins from inactivated virus samples were extracted, digested with trypsin, and the resulting peptides were identified by data‐dependent acquisition tandem mass spectrometry. The 101 peptides reporting for six viral proteins were specifically analyzed in terms of their analytical characteristics, species specificity and conservation, and their proneness to structural modifications. Based on these results, a shortlist of 14 peptides from the N, S, and M main structural proteins that could be used for targeted mass‐spectrometry method development and diagnostic of the new SARS‐CoV‐2 is proposed and the best candidates are commented.     

Paternity tests support a diallelic self‐incompatibility system in a wild olive (Olea europaea subsp. laperrinei,Oleaceae)

Self‐incompatibility (SI) is the main mechanism that favors outcrossing in plants. By limiting compatible matings, SI interferes in fruit production and breeding of new cultivars. In the Oleeae tribe (Oleaceae), an unusual diallelic SI system (DSI) has been proposed for three distantly related species including the olive (Olea europaea), but empirical evidence has remained controversial for this latter. The olive domestication is a complex process with multiple origins. As a consequence, the mixing of S‐alleles from two distinct taxa, the possible artificial selection of self‐compatible mutants and the large phenological variation of blooming may constitute obstacles for deciphering SI in olive. Here, we investigate cross‐genotype compatibilities in the Saharan wild olive (O. e. subsp. laperrinei). As this taxon was geographically isolated for thousands of years, SI should not be affected by human selection. A population of 37 mature individuals maintained in a collection was investigated. Several embryos per mother were genotyped with microsatellites in order to identify compatible fathers that contributed to fertilization. While the pollination was limited by distance inside the collection, our results strongly support the DSI hypothesis, and all individuals were assigned to two incompatibility groups (G1 and G2). No self‐fertilization was observed in our conditions. In contrast, crosses between full or half siblings were frequent (ca. 45%), which is likely due to a nonrandom assortment of related trees in the collection. Finally, implications of our results for orchard management and the conservation of olive genetic resources are discussed.     

Reduction in the metabolic levels due to phenotypic plasticity in the Pyrenean newt,Calotriton asper,during cave colonization

According to theories on cave adaptation, cave organisms are expected to develop a lower metabolic rate compared to surface organisms as an adaptation to food scarcity in the subterranean environments. To test this hypothesis, we compared the oxygen consumption rates of the surface and subterranean populations of a surface‐dwelling species, the newt Calotriton asper, occasionally found in caves. In this study, we designed a new experimental setup in which animals with free movement were monitored for several days in a respirometer. First, we measured the metabolic rates of individuals from the surface and subterranean populations, both maintained for eight years in captivity in a natural cave. We then tested individuals from these populations immediately after they were caught and one year later while being maintained in the cave. We found that the surface individuals that acclimated to the cave significantly reduced their oxygen consumption, whereas individuals from the subterranean population maintained in the cave under a light/dark cycle did not significantly modify their metabolic rates. Second, we compared these metabolic rates to those of an obligate subterranean salamander (Proteus anguinus), a surface aquatic Urodel (Ambystoma mexicanum), and a fish species (Gobio occitaniae) as references for surface organisms from different phyla. As predicted, we found differences between the subterranean and surface species, and the metabolic rates of surface and subterranean C. asper populations were between those of the obligate subterranean and surface species. These results suggest that the plasticity of the metabolism observed in surface C. asper was neither directly due to food availability in our experiments nor the light/dark conditions, but due to static temperatures. Moreover, we suggest that this adjustment of the metabolic level at a temperature close to the thermal optimum may further allow individual species to cope with the food limitations of the subterranean environment.     

Assessment of the lipid production potential of six benthic diatom species grown in airlift photobioreactors

Journal of Applied Phycology - In recent years diatoms have emerged as a major algal source for the production of bioactive compounds. Marine diatoms grow quickly and can store high amount of...