Forests are key components of European multifunctional landscapes and supply numerous forest ecosystem services (FES) fundamental to human well-being. The sustainable provision of FES has the ...potential to provide responses to major societal challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, or rural development. To identify suitable strategies for the future sustenance of FES, we performed a solution scanning exercise with a group of transdisciplinary forest and FES experts from different European regions. We identified and prioritized fifteen major challenges hindering the balanced provision of multiple FES and identified a series of potential solutions to tackle each of them. The most prominent challenges referred to the increased frequency and impacts of extreme weather events and the normative mindset regarding forest management. The respective solutions pointed to the promotion of forest resilience via climate-smart forestry and mainstreaming FES-oriented management through a threefold strategy focusing on education, awareness raising, and networking. In a subsequent survey, most solutions were assessed as highly effective, transferable, monitorable, and with potential for being economically efficient. The implementation of the solutions could have synergistic effects when applying the notion of leverage points. Seven emerging pathways towards the sustainable supply of FES have been identified. These pathways build on each other and are organized based on their potential for transformation: (1) shifting forest management paradigms towards pluralistic ecosystem valuation; (2) using integrated landscape approaches; (3) increasing forest resilience; (4) coordinating actions between forest-related actors; (5) increasing participation in forest planning and management; (6) continuous, open, and transparent knowledge integration; and (7) using incentive-based instruments to support regulating and cultural FES. These pathways can contribute to the implementation of the new EU Forestry Strategy to support the balanced supply of multiple FES.
Graphical abstract
The increasing number of participants in study-abroad programs coupled with conflicting evidence about learning from these experiences motivated this study. I meta-analyzed 72 study-abroad ...investigations (N = 7,820) reporting on three learning areas: cognitive or language acquisition, affective or multicultural attitudes, and behavioral or intercultural adaptation. Meta-analytic results ranged from large (cognitive δ = 0.975) to mid- (attitude, δ = 0.457; behavioral, δ = 0.649) effect sizes with no 95% confidence intervals including zero values. To contrast learning abroad to efforts at home, I conducted a second meta-analysis (19 studies, N = 3,740) on similar affective and behavioral outcomes in at-home instruction. I also benchmarked against an existing meta-analysis on language acquisition (Plonsky, 2011). I found that outcomes from studying abroad surpass what Plonsky reports for cognitive learning at home (δ = 0.55) and what the meta-analysis for at-home instruction shows for affective (δ = 0.253) and behavioral (δ = 0.532) learning. I also found that two features of study-abroad programs—type of immersion and program content—moderate the effectiveness of studying abroad. In the Discussion section, I interpret findings in light of the current stream of research and provide recommendations for future study-abroad experiences.
Gaia Early Data Release 3 Lindegren, L.; Klioner, S. A.; Hernández, J. ...
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
05/2021, Letnik:
649
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Context. Gaia
Early Data Release 3 (
Gaia
EDR3) contains results for 1.812 billion sources in the magnitude range
G
= 3–21 based on observations collected by the European Space Agency
Gaia
satellite ...during the first 34 months of its operational phase.
Aims.
We describe the input data, the models, and the processing used for the astrometric content of
Gaia
EDR3, as well as the validation of these results performed within the astrometry task.
Methods.
The processing broadly followed the same procedures as for
Gaia
DR2, but with significant improvements to the modelling of observations. For the first time in the
Gaia
data processing, colour-dependent calibrations of the line- and point-spread functions have been used for sources with well-determined colours from DR2. In the astrometric processing these sources obtained five-parameter solutions, whereas other sources were processed using a special calibration that allowed a pseudocolour to be estimated as the sixth astrometric parameter. Compared with DR2, the astrometric calibration models have been extended, and the spin-related distortion model includes a self-consistent determination of basic-angle variations, improving the global parallax zero point.
Results. Gaia
EDR3 gives full astrometric data (positions at epoch J2016.0, parallaxes, and proper motions) for 1.468 billion sources (585 millionwith five-parameter solutions, 882 million with six parameters), and mean positions at J2016.0 for an additional 344 million.Solutions with five parameters are generally more accurate than six-parameter solutions, and are available for 93% of the sources brighter than the 17th magnitude. The median uncertainty in parallax and annual proper motion is 0.02–0.03 mas at magnitude
G
= 9–14, and around 0.5 mas at
G
= 20. Extensive characterisation of the statistical properties of the solutions is provided, including the estimated angular power spectrum of parallax bias from the quasars.
Tissue adhesives do not normally perform well on tissues that are covered with blood or other bodily fluids. Here we report the design, adhesion mechanism and performance of a paste that ...haemostatically seals tissues in less than 15 s, independently of the blood-coagulation rate. With a design inspired by barnacle glue (which strongly adheres to wet and contaminated surfaces owing to adhesive proteins embedded in a lipid-rich matrix), the paste consists of a blood-repelling hydrophobic oil matrix containing embedded microparticles that covalently crosslink with tissue surfaces on the application of gentle pressure. It slowly resorbs over weeks, sustains large pressures (approximately 350 mm Hg of burst pressure in a sealed porcine aorta), makes tough (interfacial toughness of 150-300 J m
) and strong (shear and tensile strengths of, respectively, 40-70 kPa and 30-50 kPa) interfaces with blood-covered tissues, and outperforms commercial haemostatic agents in the sealing of bleeding porcine aortas ex vivo and of bleeding heart and liver tissues in live rats and pigs. The paste may aid the treatment of severe bleeding, even in individuals with coagulopathies.
A coordinated response to environmental drivers amongst individual functional traits is central to the plant strategy concept. However, whether the trait co-ordination observed at the global scale ...occurs at other ecological scales (especially within species) remains an open question. Here, for sapling communities of two tropical dry forest types in Costa Rica, we show large differences amongst traits in the relative contribution of species turnover and intraspecific variation to their directional changes in response to environmental changes along a successional gradient. We studied the response of functional traits associated with the leaf economics spectrum and drought tolerance using intensive sampling to analyse inter- and intra-specific responses to environmental changes and ontogeny. Although the overall functional composition of the sapling communities changed during succession more through species turnover than through intraspecific trait variation, their relative contributions differed greatly amongst traits. For instance, community mean specific leaf area changed mostly due to intraspecific variation. Traits of the leaf economics spectrum showed decoupled responses to environmental drivers and ontogeny. These findings emphasise how divergent ecological mechanisms combine to cause great differences in changes of individual functional traits over environmental gradients and ecological scales.
Leishmaniasis is the world's second deadliest parasitic disease after malaria, and current treatment of the different forms of this disease is far from satisfactory. Alkylphospholipid analogs (APLs) ...are a family of anticancer drugs that show antileishmanial activity, including the first oral drug (miltefosine) for leishmaniasis and drugs in preclinical/clinical oncology trials, but their precise mechanism of action remains to be elucidated.
Here we show that the tumor cell apoptosis-inducer edelfosine was the most effective APL, as compared to miltefosine, perifosine and erucylphosphocholine, in killing Leishmania spp. promastigotes and amastigotes as well as tumor cells, as assessed by DNA breakdown determined by flow cytometry. In studies using animal models, we found that orally-administered edelfosine showed a potent in vivo antileishmanial activity and diminished macrophage pro-inflammatory responses. Edelfosine was also able to kill Leishmania axenic amastigotes. Edelfosine was taken up by host macrophages and killed intracellular Leishmania amastigotes in infected macrophages. Edelfosine accumulated in tumor cell mitochondria and Leishmania kinetoplast-mitochondrion, and led to mitochondrial transmembrane potential disruption, and to the successive breakdown of parasite mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. Ectopic expression of Bcl-XL inhibited edelfosine-induced cell death in both Leishmania parasites and tumor cells. We found that the cytotoxic activity of edelfosine against Leishmania parasites and tumor cells was associated with a dramatic recruitment of FOF1-ATP synthase into lipid rafts following edelfosine treatment in both parasites and cancer cells. Raft disruption and specific FOF1-ATP synthase inhibition hindered edelfosine-induced cell death in both Leishmania parasites and tumor cells. Genetic deletion of FOF1-ATP synthase led to edelfosine drug resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast.
The present study shows that the antileishmanial and anticancer actions of edelfosine share some common signaling processes, with mitochondria and raft-located FOF1-ATP synthase being critical in the killing process, thus identifying novel druggable targets for the treatment of leishmaniasis.
Malotas (b), a new eucrite from an old fall Saavedra, Marcela E.; Roszjar, Julia; Riebe, My E. I. ...
Meteoritics & planetary science,
November 2022, 2022-11-00, 20221101, Letnik:
57, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
On the night of June 22, 1931 at 4 h 30 min, a fireball was seen in the vicinity of Malotas, Argentina. During the atmospheric trajectory (southwest to northeast), it experienced several ...fragmentation events. After the fall, a piece was given to Professor Juan A. Olsacher (National University of Córdoba City, Argentina), who collected some further pieces. One of those samples was officially classified as an H5 ordinary chondrite termed Malotas. The present work focuses on the study of another two pieces rediscovered recently in the Museo de Mineralogía y Geología Dr. Alfred Stelzner in Cordoba City, Argentina. The first piece turned out to be an achondritic meteorite termed Malotas (b). Petrographic features, chemical composition, and oxygen isotopes point to a monomict basaltic eucrite belonging to the Stannern‐trend chemical subgroup of eucrites. The occurrence of anorthitic plagioclase veins in clinopyroxene, veinlet apatite, irregular‐shaped pockets of silica and troilite and porous silica signal metasomatism and thermal annealing before a late thermal event took place after brecciation. The latter was possibly recorded in the nominal U/Th‐4He ages of 1.2–3.4 Ga detected in this work, whereas nominal K‐Ar gas retention ages are within the range 3.5–4.2 Ga and may have escaped late thermal modifications. The second piece is classified as an L5 chondrite. The different cosmic ray exposure ages of 3, ~50, and 27 Ma determined for the H5 and L5 chondrites and the eucrite samples, respectively, might signal a common fall as a result of the breakup of a polymict meteoroid.
Resumen Introducción Aunque siempre se ha afirmado el valor de los animales en la promoción del bienestar y la salud del ser humano, solo recientemente su papel terapéutico en medicina se ha ...convertido en el foco de investigación especializada. Las intervenciones asistidas por animales pueden dividirse en actividades asistidas por animales, terapia asistida por animales y programas de animales de servicio. Objetivo El objetivo de esta revisión es analizar las publicaciones realizadas entre 2001 y 2012 en las revistas médicas más importantes, relacionadas con el campo de la rehabilitación de las enfermedades neurológicas, y discutir estos hallazgos a la luz de lo que pueda ser de interés para la neurología. Discusión Se seleccionaron un total de 23 artículos de intervenciones en el campo de la parálisis cerebral infantil, trastornos generalizados del desarrollo, esclerosis múltiple, lesión medular, accidente cerebrovascular y trastornos mentales. Los principales resultados terapéuticos fueron: mejoría en la Gross Motor Function y en el manejo del miembro superior (parálisis cerebral infantil); aumento de la socialización y el contacto con el medio ambiente, reducción del estrés y la ansiedad y sentimientos de soledad (trastornos generalizados del desarrollo y trastornos mentales); disminución de la espasticidad y mejoría del equilibrio (esclerosis múltiple, lesión medular, accidente cerebrovascular). Conclusiones Estas intervenciones asistidas con un tipo de animales muy limitado utilizadas en grupos clínicos neurológicos muy específicos muestran cada vez más pruebas científicas, como método complementario a otras terapias ya existentes. En estas enfermedades, se necesitan más estudios de alta calidad metodológica que permitan definir los programas más apropiados para la aplicación terapéutica.
•A method of habitat assessment from Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems is proposed.•Ultra-high resolution RGB images can identify internal structure of wetland habitats.•Pixel size and phenology are ...key issues for woody/non-woody vegetation discrimination.
This work presents a methodology based on Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) RGB imagery for the analysis and characterization of the structure and condition of complex habitat mosaics of high conservation value in mountain wetlands. Structure from Motion (SfM) image reconstruction techniques were applied on a collection of RGB photographs to derive ultra-high resolution (2,5 cm) digital surface models and ortho-mosaics. Geographical object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) was used for the automatic discrimination of vegetation types for habitat condition assessment via multi-scale object-oriented classifications integrating machine-learning classification techniques with other decision rules. In particular, four vegetation classes were assessed, namely woody vegetation (scrub plants higher than 10 cm), bog herbaceous vegetation, non-bog herbaceous vegetation (as part of wet heathland vegetation mosaics) and areas with scarce or no vegetation (rocky habitats and areas of bare ground). The outputs of the classification were validated against field data of detailed vegetation coverage survey. Results allowed us the automatic and accurate discrimination of habitat types with different management demands, e.g. wet heaths against bogs, as well as the diagnosis of structural characteristics critical for their conservation, such as the ratio of cover herbaceous/woody species or the presence of erosion features.
Summary
Background
Although incrimination of the intestinal microbiota in the pathogenesis of IBD is widely accepted, few data are available about the role of specific bacteria. Potentially, ...Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, bacteria with anti‐inflammatory properties, might be deficient in ulcerative colitis (UC).
Aim
To quantify F. prausnitzii in the faecal microbiota of UC patients in remission and determine its relationship with relapse.
Methods
A cross‐sectional study included 116 UC patients in remission, 29 first‐degree relatives and 31 healthy controls. A subset of eighteen patients, recruited during the first month of remission, underwent a 1‐year follow‐up. Total bacteria and F. prausnitzii were measured by quantitative Real Time PCR (qPCR, copies/g). Calprotectin was determined as inflammatory index (μg/g).
Results
We found that F. prausnitzii was reduced in patients (median, IQR: 1.4 × 108, 5.1 × 107–4.5 × 108) and relatives (1.7 × 108, 9.3 × 107–5.1 × 108) vs. controls (6.5 × 108, 3.7 × 108–1.6 × 109, P < 0.0001). Moreover, low counts of F. prausnitzii were associated with less than 12 months of remission (8.0 × 107, 2.0 × 107–3.5 × 108 vs. 2.1 × 108, 1.0 × 108–7.9 × 108, P < 0.001) and more than 1 relapse/year (8.0 × 107, 3.2 × 107–3.8 × 108 vs. 1.9 × 108, 6.8 × 107–6.0 × 108, P < 0.01). When patients were followed up, F. prausnitzii increased steadily until reaching similar levels to those of controls if remission persisted (2.9 × 108, 9.3 × 106–1.2 × 109; calprotectin: 76, 19–212), whereas it remained low if patients relapsed (2.2 × 108, 1.4 × 106–3.3 × 108; calprotectin: 1760, 844–3662 P < 0.05 vs. controls).
Conclusions
Defective gut colonisation by F. prausnitzii occurred in UC patients during remission and in their unaffected relatives. The recovery of the F. prausnitzii population after relapse is associated with maintenance of clinical remission.
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