The increased incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has become a global phenomenon that could be related to adoption of a Western life-style. Westernization of dietary habits is partly ...characterized by enrichment with the ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) arachidonic acid (AA), which entails risk for developing IBD. Glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) protects against lipid peroxidation (LPO) and cell death termed ferroptosis. We report that small intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) in Crohn's disease (CD) exhibit impaired GPX4 activity and signs of LPO. PUFAs and specifically AA trigger a cytokine response of IECs which is restricted by GPX4. While GPX4 does not control AA metabolism, cytokine production is governed by similar mechanisms as ferroptosis. A PUFA-enriched Western diet triggers focal granuloma-like neutrophilic enteritis in mice that lack one allele of Gpx4 in IECs. Our study identifies dietary PUFAs as a trigger of GPX4-restricted mucosal inflammation phenocopying aspects of human CD.
Recent studies have shown that species in the genus
Myotis have evolved a number of convergent morphological traits, many of which are more related to their mode of food procurement than to their ...phylogeny. Surprisingly, the biogeographic origins of these species are a much better predictor of phylogenetic relationships, than their morphology. In particular, a monophyletic clade that includes all New World species was apparent, but only a third of the 38 species have been analysed. In order to better understand the evolution of this clade, we present phylogenetic reconstructions of 17 Nearctic and 13 Neotropical species of
Myotis compared to a number of Old World congeners. These reconstructions are based on mitochondrial cytochrome
b (1140
bp), and nuclear Rag 2 genes (1148
bp). Monophyly of the New World clade is strongly supported in all analyses. Two Palaearctic sister species, one from the west (
M. brandtii) and one from the east (
M. gracilis), are embedded within the New World clade, suggesting that they either moved across the Bering Strait, or that they descended from the same ancestor that reached the New World. An emerging feature of these phylogenetic reconstructions is that limited faunal exchanges have occurred, including between the North and South American continents, further emphasizing the importance of biogeography in the radiation of
Myotis. A fossil-calibrated, relaxed molecular-clock model was used to estimate the divergence time of New World lineages to 12.2
±
2.0 MYA. Early diversification of New World
Myotis coincides with the sharp global cooling of the Middle Miocene. Radiation of the temperate-adapted
Myotis may have been triggered by these climatic changes. The relative paucity of species currently found in South America might result from a combination of factors including the early presence of competitors better adapted to tropical habitats.
We discriminate between different SiLabs IEEE 802.15.4 2.4GHz RF sources using the Ettus Labs USRP1 Software-Defined Radio. The wireless fingerprinting method implemented on the USRP1 device exploits ...differences in the phase attributes of demodulated data samples. The method does not require the use of expensive spectrum analyzer equipment and the associated high sampling and processing rates with such equipment. Instead, data sample inputs are used, sampled at a rate of 4MHz. This makes implementation using real Wireless Sensor Network nodes feasible and allows wireless fingerprints to be gathered inside each node in a network. This is important since wireless fingerprints degrade over distance, making distributed implementations more attractive. With our method, the USRP1 classifies accurately over a wide range of network conditions, including time and transmission distance. Performance is also stable for different receiving devices. We achieve average classification accuracies of 99.6% at short range, 95.3% at medium range, and 81.9% at long range when classifying a limited sample of five devices from the same manufacturer.
At the end of October 2012, Hurricane Sandy moved from the Caribbean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean and entered the United States not far from New York. Along its track, Sandy caused more than 200 ...fatalities and severe losses in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Haiti, Cuba, and the US. This paper demonstrates the capability and potential for near-real-time analysis of catastrophes. It is shown that the impact of Sandy was driven by the superposition of different extremes (high wind speeds, storm surge, heavy precipitation) and by cascading effects. In particular the interaction between Sandy and an extra-tropical weather system created a huge storm that affected large areas in the US. It is examined how Sandy compares to historic hurricane events, both from a hydro-meteorological and impact perspective. The distribution of losses to different sectors of the economy is calculated with simple input-output models as well as government estimates. Direct economic losses are estimated about USD 4.2 billion in the Caribbean and between USD 78 and 97 billion in the US. Indirect economic losses from power outages is estimated in the order of USD 16.3 billion. Modelling sector-specific dependencies quantifies total business interruption losses between USD 10.8 and 15.5 billion. Thus, seven years after the record impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Sandy is the second costliest hurricane in the history of the United States.
•Single day samples detected 10% less shedding than cumulative sampling over 3 days.•Horses with colic shed significantly more C. difficile but not C. perfringens.•Prevalence in horses with diarrhea ...was 8% for both Clostridium species.•Alpha diversity did not differ between C. difficile shedders and non-shedders.•Limited differences were seen on LEfSE analysis and in beta diversity indices.
Overgrowth of enteric clostridia in dysbiosis in horses with colic is presumed but scarcely investigated. The objective was to provide prevalence data of Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens in horses with and without gastrointestinal disease in Switzerland, and investigate microbiota differences between C. difficile shedders and non-shedders.
Fecal samples were taken from healthy horses (n = 103), horses with colic (n = 98) and horses with diarrhea (n = 151). Colic horses were sampled on three days. Selective enrichment culture and molecular typing for C. difficile and C. perfringens was performed. Microbiota differences between horses with colic shedding (n = 7) and not shedding (n = 7) C. difficile were assessed using metagenomic sequencing.
The cumulative prevalence (19% C. difficile; 16% C. perfringens) was higher compared to single day samples (1–10% C. difficile; 3–8% C. perfringens, all p < 0.003). Horses with colic shed significantly more C. difficile (p < 0.001) but not C. perfringens (p = 0.09) compared to healthy horses. Prevalence in horses with diarrhea was 8% for both Clostridium species. There were no significant microbiota differences between C. difficile shedders and non-shedders with regards to relative abundance on any phylogenetic level, and alpha diversity. Limited differences were seen on LEfSE analysis and in beta diversity indices.
Multiple fecal samples should be taken when investigating shedding of enteric clostridia. As horses with colic shed more enteric clostridia compared to healthy horses special biosecurity protocols for horses with colic should be considered in hospitals. Differences in microbiota composition between C. difficile shedders and non-shedders were limited. Further studies on the role of dysbiosis in C. difficile are needed.
•Development of a single-step plant continuously producing potable water.•Investigations on separation of ice from water and thus the purification effect.•Invention of a new screw conveyor with ...optimized design for a higher ice mass flow.•Small-scale plant for self-sufficient supply of potable water in remote areas.•Comparison of Nusselt correlations for a scraped surface crystallizer (SSC)•Proof of pressing as working post-treatment step for freeze desalination.
Freeze desalination as a sustainable concept to produce potable water can be a useful and an additional method to overcome the water crisis, especially with ongoing global warming in focus. Therefore, a scraped surface crystallizer in combination with a post-treatment pressing cone has been built on a laboratory scale to investigate any dependencies of ice purity and throughput on operational conditions. Furthermore, a new designed screw conveyor and an additionally installed force sensor led to a better understanding of mass flow, mass fraction and ice purity. Changing the mean coolant temperature and rotational speed of the screw showed their influences on the ability to separate brine from ice and thus on the overall efficiency of the test plant. The influence of one parameter can be compensated by adjusting another, which leaves more flexibility for the operator of such a plant. Additionally, several Nusselt correlations were checked for suitability as helpful tools to design an upscale.
Potable water production is an essential but energy intensive process and usually requires many chemicals. Furthermore, small-scale plants are not yet available because of the problems associated ...with downscaling the thermal evaporation or reverse osmosis processes. Freeze crystallization is an alternative, especially for the self-sufficiency of potable water in remote areas. The use of a crystallizer and a separate press in combination with a perforated pressing mold has shown that the desalination of saltwater can be achieved by pressing the ice only; no additional washing step is necessary. A pressing force of 37.4 kN (100 bar) and a holding time of 180 s were found to be sufficient. Therefore, these parameters were used to design a single-step plant, which also showed good results in the case of ion expulsion. Nonetheless, the variation in the test parameters showed their influence on crystal growth and crystal purity and demonstrated the need to find the optimal design parameters for future continuously operating systems.
•Development of a single-step plant continuously producing potable water•Small-scale plant for self-sufficient supply in remote areas•Comparison of Nusselt correlations for a scraped surface crystallizer•Prove of pressing as post-treatment step for freeze desalination
Producing potable water is an important but cost- and energy-intensive process. Small scale machines for insular solutions are not yet available. Whereas drinking water is regulated to a maximum ...concentration of 0.05wt% sodium chloride, sea water normally ranges from 3wt% NaCl to more than 4wt% NaCl. Freeze crystallization therefore can provide an energy- and cost-effective way to utilize small equipment as a good compromise between energy consumption and low maintenance effort. Because of this, different methods were investigated with respect to their desalination effect, ice growth and implementability. One method was a cooled plate in which dependencies of throughput and ice purity were tested as a function of operation conditions. Another procedure was heterogeneous heat transfer via droplets of non-miscible organic fluids. The last method was classical suspension crystallization were a vessel is cooled down and stirred to produce ice from a solution. Because no pure ice could be produced directly, centrifuging and pressing were investigated for ice purification post-treatment. To prove the whole concept, natural samples from the Atlantic Ocean were desalinated. The final result is that independent from the used freezing process all ice could be desalinated combining the ice production with adjacent mechanical drainage.
A set of relaxation experiments using the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) atmospheric model is used to analyze the severe European winter of 1962/1963. We argue that the ...severe winter weather was associated with a wave train that originated in the tropical Pacific sector (where weak La Niña conditions were present) and was redirected towards Europe, a process we suggest was influenced by the combined effect of the strong easterly phase of the Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation (QBO) and unusually strong easterly winds in the upper equatorial troposphere that winter. A weak tendency towards negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) conditions in December, associated with extratropical sea‐surface temperature and sea‐ice anomalies, might have acted as a favourable preconditioning. The redirection of the wave train towards Europe culminated in the stratospheric sudden warming at the end of January 1963. We argue that in February the sudden warming event helped maintain the negative NAO regime, allowing the severe weather to persist for a further month. A possible influence from the Madden–Julian Oscillation, as well as a role for internal atmospheric variability, is noted.
PDF
