Disentangling nematode and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community effect on the growth of range-expanding Centaurea stoebe in original and new range soil

Plant and Soil - Cover crops can provide multiple agroecosystem services to crops produced in conservation agriculture systems. South African grain producers in the Mediterranean climate region are...     

Metabolomics of prolonged fasting in humans reveals new catabolic markers

Fasting is one of the simplest metabolic challenges that can be performed in humans. We here report for the first time a comprehensive analysis of the human ??fasting metabolome?? obtained from analysis of plasma and urine samples in a small cohort of healthy volunteers, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gas chromatography- and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS and LC-MS). Intra- and inter-individual variation of metabolites was on measurement of four overnight fasting samples collected from each volunteer over a four week period. One additional sample per volunteer was collected following a prolonged fasting period of 36?h. Amongst a total of 377 quantified entities in plasma around 44% were shown to change significantly in concentration when volunteers extended fasting from 12 to 36?h. In addition to known markers (plasma free fatty acids, glycerol, ketone bodies) that reflect changes in the body??s fuel management under fasting conditions a wide range of ??new?? entities such as ??-aminobutyrate as well as other amino and keto acids were identified as fasting markers. Based on multiple correlations amongst the metabolites and selected hormones in plasma such as leptin or insulin-like-growth-factor-1 (IGF-1), a robust metabolic network with coherent regulation of a wide range of metabolites could be identified. The metabolomics approach described here demonstrates the plasticity of human metabolism and identifies new and robust markers of the fasting state.     

The impact of CO2 on collection of Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) and Culex quinquefasciatus Say by BG-Sentinel(r) traps in Manaus,Brazil

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is an important component for activating and attracting host-seeking mosquitoes. The BG-Sentinel^(r) trap is a well-established monitoring tool for capturing Culicidae, but CO₂ role for the trap effectiveness has not been evaluated in highly urbanised areas. The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of BG-Sentinel traps baited with and without CO₂ for capturing urban mosquitoes. Fifteen areas were selected within the city of Manaus, Brazil, where four BG-Sentinels were operated for 24 h, two of them with CO₂ and two without CO₂. Captured Aedes aegypti females were dissected for the determination of their parity status. A significantly higher proportion of traps (from 32-79%) were positive for female Ae. aegypti when using the BG-Sentinel with CO₂ (χ² = 11.0271, p ≤ 0.001). Catches of female Culex spp were six times higher in CO₂ traps (Mann-Whitney U test = 190.5; p = 0.001). Parity rates were similar for both traps. This study showed that CO₂ has primarily an enhancing effect on the efficacy of BG-Sentinel for capturing Culex spp in Manaus. For Ae. aegypti, the positivity rate of the trap was increased, when CO₂ was added.     

All‐Hydrocarbon MEA for PEM Water Electrolysis Combining Low Hydrogen Crossover and High Efficiency

Hydrocarbon ionomers bear the potential to significantly lower the material cost and increase the efficiency of proton‐exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWE). However, no fully hydrocarbon membrane electrode assembly (MEA) with a performance comparable to Nafion‐MEAs has been reported. PEMWE‐MEAs are presented comprising sPPS as membrane and electrode binder reaching 3.5 A cm^?2 at 1.8 V and thus clearly outperforming state‐of‐the‐art Nafion‐MEAs (N115 as membrane, 1.5 A cm^?2 at 1.8 V) due to a significantly lower high frequency resistance (57 ± 4 mΩ cm² vs 161 ± 7 mΩ cm²). Additionally, pure sPPS‐membranes show a three times lower gas crossover (<0.3 mA cm^?2) than Nafion N115‐membranes (>1.1 mA cm^?2) in a fully humidified surrogate test. Furthermore, more than 80 h of continuous operation is shown for sPPS‐MEAs in a preliminary durability test (constant current hold at 1 A cm^?2 at 80 °C). These results rely on the unique transport properties of sulfonated poly(phenylene sulfone) (sPPS) that combines high proton conductivity with low gas crossover.     

Three-dimensional Nuclear Telomere Organization in Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is preceded by monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Up to date, it is difficult to predict an individual's time to disease progression and the treatment response. To examine whether the nuclear telomeric architecture will unravel some of these questions, we carried out. Three-dimensional (3D) telomere analysis on samples from patients diagnosed with MGUS and MM, as well as from patients who went into relapse. Telomere signal intensity, number of telomere aggregates, nuclear volume, and the overall nuclear telomere distribution (a/c ratio) were analyzed. The telomeric profiles allowed for the differentiation of the disease stages. The telomeric profiles of myeloma cells obtained from blood and bone marrow aspirates were identical. Based on this study, we discuss the use of 3D telomere profiling as a potential future tool for risk stratification and personalized treatment decisions.