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.     

Winter Conditions and Land Cover Structure the Subnivium,A Seasonal Refuge beneath the Snow

In seasonally snow-covered environments, many organisms endure winter by using the subnivium, a below-snow thermally stable seasonal refugium. Because the insulation of snow is dependent on snow depth and density, the stability of temperatures within the subnivium varies across land cover types. Additionally, across much of the Northern Hemisphere snow extent, depth and duration are generally decreasing while snow density is increasing due to climate change. These changes are likely to destabilize the thermal profile of the subnivium, although they have not yet been quantified. To explore the effects of land cover and climate change on the subnivium, we measured snow pack characteristics (depth and density), and ambient and subnivium temperatures from three different land cover types (prairie, deciduous forest, and coniferous forest) and within a micro-greenhouse (2.5 x 2.5 x 2 m) that maintained a temperature of 5°C warmer than outdoor ambient temperatures, and automatically opened during snow events throughout the winter of 2013/14. We found that the mean daily subnivium temperature was significantly colder in the deciduous cover type than the prairie cover type, and that prairie had higher maximum subnivium temperatures than both of the other cover types. Our climate change simulation revealed that, although ambient temperatures within the micro-greenhouse were 5°C warmer than outside the greenhouse, the daily minimum subnivium temperature was significantly lower inside the greenhouse. Our findings suggest that climate change could have considerable effects on the refuge quality of the subnivium, and that some cover types appear to be more susceptible to these effects than others.     

Legionella pneumophila in Cooling Towers: Fluctuations in Counts, Determination of Genetic Variability by Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE), and Persistence of PFGE Patterns

The concentrations of Legionella pneumophila in cooling towers may vary considerably over short periods of time, producing significant fluctuations throughout the year. Despite genetic variability, in small geographical areas the same indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns may be shared among different cooling towers and persist over time.     

Factors affecting male-production in Hydatina

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Factors affecting male-production in Hydatina

     

T cell activation by coxsackievirus B4 antigens in type 1 diabetes mellitus: evidence for selective TCR Vbeta usage without superantigenic activity.

Numerous clinical and epidemiological studies link enteroviruses such as the Coxsackie virus group with the autoimmune disease type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM). In addition, there are reports that patients with type 1 DM are characterized by skewing of TCR Vbeta chain selection among peripheral blood and intraislet T lymphocytes. To examine these issues, we analyzed TCR Vbeta chain-specific up-regulation of the early T cell activation marker, CD69, on CD4 T cells after incubation with Coxsackievirus B4 (CVB4) Ags. CD4 T cells bearing the Vbeta chains 2, 7, and 8 were the most frequently activated by CVB4. Up-regulation of CD69 by different TCR families was significantly more frequent in new onset type 1 DM patients (p = 0.04), 100% of whom (n = 8) showed activation of CD4 T cells bearing Vbeta8, compared with 50% of control subjects (n = 8; p = 0.04). T cell proliferation after incubation with CVB4 Ags required live, nonfixed APCs, suggesting that the selective expansion of CD4 T cells with particular Vbeta chains resulted from conventional antigen processing and presentation rather than superantigen activity. Heteroduplex analysis of TCR Vbeta chain usage after CVB4 stimulation indicated a relatively polyclonal, rather than oligo- or monoclonal response to viral Ags. These results provide evidence that new-onset patients with type 1 DM and healthy controls are primed against CVB4, and that CD4 T cell responses to the virus have a selective TCR Vbeta chain usage which is driven by viral Ags rather than a superantigen.     

Helicobacter pylori treatment: antibiotics or probiotics

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - Treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection is important for the management of gastrointestinal disorders such as peptic ulcer and gastric cancer. Due to the...