Search

In Luxembourg, caddisflies have been systematically collected since the early Sixties. Three periods of exhaustive sampling may be distinguished: the Sixties; 1994 to 2002; and a long period from 2007 to the present time in the frame of the Water Framework Directive. Bearing in mind the uneven sampling procedure across periods, we aim to document changes in community composition and distribution through time including the nature of these changes (e.g. gains and losses of species). We hypothesise different trends of species gains and losses for specialist species in comparison to generalist species. Therefore, we propose a method to identify specialist and generalist species in our dataset. Historical data (1961 to 1968) lack information on precise locations and abundance of specimen collected. Consequently, cell grids of original distribution maps are used to compare caddisfly community assemblages along the three monitoring periods. We assess the changes that occur on presence/absence data in specific groups of species (i.e. cold-adapted, warm-adapted specialists and generalist species). Temporal β-diversity results reveal that survey intervals for each monitoring period are dominated by species losses when the comparison is restricted to cold-adapted species. On the other hand, warm-adapted and generalist species are increasing from the Sixties period when compared to the two next periods (1994–2002 and 2007–2020). However, the comparison of the most recent periods reveals species losses even for the warm-adapted and generalist species. This complex picture of caddisflies species losses and gains in different ways through time, amongst river types and in response to different pressures, is discussed.

Large amounts of lipids are stored inside lipid droplets by some microalgae. Since these lipids can be used to produce nutraceuticals and biodiesel in a sustainable way, research is developing on fast non-destructive methods to quantify and monitor the amount of lipids within microalgal cultures. In this paper, we have developed with digital holographic microscopy a fast quantitative method to assess the evolution of the lipid content inside the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum living cells. The method uses a specific processing of recorded hologram sequences based on the refocusing capability in digital holographic microscopy. In representative samples of the culture, inside living cells, each lipid droplet volume is evaluated. In those experiments, for each sample, more than one thousand lipid droplets are automatically analysed from a sequence of one hundred recorded holograms. We have validated the method thanks to correlative quantitative phase contrast–fluorescence imaging and extrapolated it to larger calibrated spherical refractive particles, to demonstrate the flexibility of the method.

In Belgium, the cooperative movement developed since the last quarter of the 19th century as the backbone of a socialist workers’ movement where the party form will be both the fruit of a grouping and the centralizing and leading force of the other components that are mutuals, unions and cooperatives. Cooperatives are at the heart of the development of socialism in Belgium and give it significant economic power. Beyond a logistical aspect, for the Belgian socialists « [The cooperative] appears (…) as a kind of embryonic realization of socialism, which prepares minds to conceive a social order very different from the current capitalist regime ». The Belgian cooperative movement adopted the principles laid down by Rochdale’s pioneers, but added an obligation to join the Belgian Workers' Party (POB) and to allocate part of the profits to socialist propaganda. This addition clearly differentiates the Belgian cooperative model from that of other countries. Another specificity is to have developed almost exclusively on the consumption model, the few production cooperatives feeding it.

We studied transition rates for the lowest 1/2+ and 5/2+ excited states of C17 through lifetime measurements with the GRETINA array using the recoil-distance method. The present measurements provide a model-independent determination of transition strengths giving the values of B(M1;1/2+→3/2g.s.+)=1.04-0.12+0.03×10-2μN2 and B(M1;5/2+→3/2g.s.+)=7.12-0.96+1.27×10-2μN2. The quenched M1 transition strength for the 1/2+→3/2g.s.+ transition, with respect to the 5/2+→3/2g.s.+ transition, has been confirmed with greater precision. The current data are compared to importance-truncated no-core shell model calculations addressing effects due to continuum and three-body forces.

We studied transition rates for the lowest 1/2+ and 5/2+ excited states of C17 through lifetime measurements with the GRETINA array using the recoil-distance method. The present measurements provide a model-independent determination of transition strengths giving the values of B(M1;1/2+→3/2g.s.+)=1.04-0.12+0.03×10-2μN2 and B(M1;5/2+→3/2g.s.+)=7.12-0.96+1.27×10-2μN2. The quenched M1 transition strength for the 1/2+→3/2g.s.+ transition, with respect to the 5/2+→3/2g.s.+ transition, has been confirmed with greater precision. The current data are compared to importance-truncated no-core shell model calculations addressing effects due to continuum and three-body forces.

The Hyperspherical Harmonics (HH) method is one of the most accurate techniques to solve the quantum mechanical problem for nuclear systems with a number of nucleons A ≤ 4. In particular, by applying the Rayleigh-Ritz or Kohn variational principle, both bound and scattering states can be addressed, using either local or non-local interactions. Thanks to this versatility, the method can be used to test the two- and three-nucleon components of the nuclear interaction. In the present review we introduce the formalism of the HH method, both for bound and scattering states. In particular, we describe the implementation of the method to study the A = 3 and 4 scattering problems. Second, we present a selected choice of results of the last decade, most representative of the latest achievements. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of what we believe will be the most significant developments within the HH method for the next 5–10 years.

We appreciate the commentary by Mrakic-Sposta et al [...]

Many chronic conditions such as cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, type-2 diabetes, obesity, peripheral/coronary artery disease and auto-immune diseases are associated with low-grade inflammation. Closely related to inflammation is oxidative stress (OS), which can be either causal or secondary to inflammation. While a low level of OS is physiological, chronically increased OS is deleterious. Therefore, valid biomarkers of these signalling pathways may enable detection and following progression of OS/inflammation as well as to evaluate treatment efficacy. Such biomarkers should be stable and obtainable through non-invasive methods and their determination should be affordable and easy. The most frequently used inflammatory markers include acute-phase proteins, essentially CRP, serum amyloid A, fibrinogen and procalcitonin, and cytokines, predominantly TNFα, interleukins 1β, 6, 8, 10 and 12 and their receptors and IFNγ. Some cytokines appear to be disease-specific. Conversely, OS—being ubiquitous—and its biomarkers appear less disease or tissue-specific. These include lipid peroxidation products, e.g., F2-isoprostanes and malondialdehyde, DNA breakdown products (e.g., 8-OH-dG), protein adducts (e.g., carbonylated proteins), or antioxidant status. More novel markers include also –omics related ones, as well as non-invasive, questionnaire-based measures, such as the dietary inflammatory-index (DII), but their link to biological responses may be variable. Nevertheless, many of these markers have been clearly related to a number of diseases. However, their use in clinical practice is often limited, due to lacking analytical or clinical validation, or technical challenges. In this review, we strive to highlight frequently employed and useful markers of inflammation-related OS, including novel promising markers.

Large amounts of lipids are stored inside lipid droplets by some microalgae. Since these lipids can be used to produce nutraceuticals and biodiesel in a sustainable way, research is developing on fast non-destructive methods to quantify and monitor the amount of lipids within microalgal cultures. In this paper, we have developed with digital holographic microscopy a fast quantitative method to assess the evolution of the lipid content inside the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum living cells. The method uses a specific processing of recorded hologram sequences based on the refocusing capability in digital holographic microscopy. In representative samples of the culture, inside living cells, each lipid droplet volume is evaluated. In those experiments, for each sample, more than one thousand lipid droplets are automatically analysed from a sequence of one hundred recorded holograms. We have validated the method thanks to correlative quantitative phase contrast-fluorescence imaging and extrapolated it to larger calibrated spherical refractive particles, to demonstrate the flexibility of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resonance energies and widths of the P -wave states of helium and of the positronium ion are studied under the hypothesis that their constituting particles interact trough pure or screened Coulomb forces. The resonances are investigated by combining the Lagrange-mesh method and the complex scaling method. This approach is proved to be efficient: rather simple to implement, fast, and accurate. The obtained results improve by several orders of magnitude the best literature results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ondina - Ondine is the property of Universidad de Zaragoza and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Globalization has led to the introduction of thousands of alien species worldwide. With growing impacts by invasive species, understanding the invasion process remains critical for predicting adverse effects and informing efficient management. Theoretically, invasion dynamics have been assumed to follow an "invasion curve" (S‐shaped curve of available area invaded over time), but this dynamic has lacked empirical testing using large‐scale data and neglects to consider invader abundances. We propose an "impact curve" describing the impacts generated by invasive species over time based on cumulative abundances. To test this curve's large‐scale applicability, we used the data‐rich New Zealand mud snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum, one of the most damaging freshwater invaders that has invaded almost all of Europe. Using long‐term (1979–2020) abundance and environmental data collected across 306 European sites, we observed that P. antipodarum abundance generally increased through time, with slower population growth at higher latitudes and with lower runoff depth. Fifty‐nine percent of these populations followed the impact curve, characterized by first occurrence, exponential growth, then long‐term saturation. This behaviour is consistent with boom‐bust dynamics, as saturation occurs due to a rapid decline in abundance over time. Across sites, we estimated that impact peaked approximately two decades after first detection, but the rate of progression along the invasion process was influenced by local abiotic conditions. The S‐shaped impact curve may be common among many invasive species that undergo complex invasion dynamics. This provides a potentially unifying approach to advance understanding of large‐scale invasion dynamics and could inform timely management actions to mitigate impacts on ecosystems and economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two related basic helix-loop-helix, TAL1 and LYL1, and their cofactor LIM-only-2 protein (LMO2) are present in blood and endothelial cells. While their crucial role in early hematopoiesis is well established, their function in endothelial cells and especially in angiogenesis is less understood. Here, we identified ANGIOPOIETIN-2 (ANG-2), which encodes a major regulator of angiogenesis, as a direct transcriptional target of TAL1, LYL1 and LMO2. Knockdown of any of the three transcription factors in human blood and lymphatic endothelial cells caused ANG-2 mRNA and protein down-regulation. Transient transfections showed that the full activity of the ANG-2 promoter required the integrity of a highly conserved Ebox-GATA composite element. Accordingly, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that TAL1, LYL1, LMO2 and GATA2 occupied this region of ANG-2 promoter in human endothelial cells. Furthermore, we showed that LMO2 played a central role in assembling TAL1-E47, LYL1-LYL1 or/and LYL1-TAL1 dimers with GATA2. The resulting complexes were able to activate endogenous ANG-2 expression in endothelial cells as well as in non-endothelial cells. Finally, we showed that ANG-2 gene activation during angiogenesis concurred with the up-regulation of TAL1 and LMO2. Altogether, we identified ANG-2 as a bona fide target gene of LMO2-complexes with TAL1 and/or LYL1, highlighting a new function of the three hematopoietic factors in the endothelial lineage.

Hard-sphere confinement is used to study helium atoms under pressure. The confined-helium Schrödinger equation is solved with a high accuracy by a Lagrange-mesh method.

The 3He(α, γ)7Be and 3H(α, γ)7Li astrophysical S factors are evaluated at low collision energies (less than 2.5 MeV in the centre-of-mass frame) within the no-core shell model with continuum using a renormalized chiral nucleon-nucleon interaction.

Red blood cells (RBCs) in pathological situations undergo biochemical and conformational changes, leading to alterations in rheology involved in cardiovascular events. The shape of RBCs in volunteers and stable and exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients was analyzed. The effects of RBC spherization on platelet transport (displacement in the flow field caused by their interaction with RBCs) were studied in vitro and by numerical simulations. RBC spherization was observed in COPD patients compared with volunteers. In in vitro experiments at a shear rate of 100 s−1, treatment of RBCs with neuraminidase induced greater sphericity, which mainly affected platelet aggregates without changing aggregate size. At 400 s−1, neuraminidase treatment changes both the size of the aggregates and the number of platelet aggregates. Numerical simulations indicated that RBC spherization induces an increase of the platelet mean square displacement, which is traditionally linked to the platelet diffusion coefficient. RBCs of COPD patients are more spherical than healthy volunteers. Experimentally, RBC spherization induces increased platelet transport to the wall. Additional studies are needed to understand the link between the effect of RBCs on platelet transport and the increased cardiovascular events observed in COPD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) accumulation is a major cardiometabolic risk factor, associated with increased inflammation. Oxidative stress (OS) is also associated with inflammation and cardiometabolic issues, yet mainly through general obesity. Both OS and obesity were linked to vitamin D deficiency. Objectives: To investigate whether OS increase is associated with VAT accumulation in youth, and whether in the presence of VAT accumulation, a higher vitamin D status is associated with lower OS. Methods: One hundred and fifty‐eight youth with overweight/obesity, 7 to 17 years old, were recruited (Pediatric Clinic, Luxembourg). We assessed visceral and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissues by magnetic resonance imaging, OS by DNA/RNA oxidative damage with ELISA and vitamin D by high‐performance liquid chromatography. Results: VAT was the body fat compartment the most strongly associated with OS (RPearson: 0.298; P < 10−4). The general linear (GLM) models assessing the relationship between OS, VAT and vitamin D concentrations showed that "Log10 OS = (0.003 × VAT) + 3.911 (R2adjusted: 0.083; P‐value < 10−4)"; "Log10 OS = (0.003 × VAT) – (0.156 × log10 vitamin D) + 4.110 (R2adjusted: 0.101; P‐value < 10−4)". After back‐transformation of the log‐values into normal values, the GLM showed that, for a person with an average value of VAT (40.7 cm2), a 10 cm2 increase in VAT would increase OS by approx. 771.833 pg/mL, after age, gender, Tanner stage and physical activity adjustment. An approximate increase of 9 ng/mL of vitamin D would counterbalance this negative effect of increased VAT. Conclusion: Dietary strategies improving vitamin D status should be investigated to tackle VAT and OS increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 3 He( α , γ ) 7 Be and 3 H( α , γ ) 7 Li astrophysical S factors are calculated within the no-core shell model with continuum using a renormalized chiral nucleon–nucleon interaction. The 3 He( α , γ ) 7 Be astrophysical S factors agree reasonably well with the experimental data while the 3 H( α , γ ) 7 Li ones are overestimated. The seven-nucleon bound and resonance states and the α + 3 He/ 3 H elastic scattering are also studied and compared with experiment. The low-lying resonance properties are rather well reproduced by our approach. At low energies, the s -wave phase shift, which is non-resonant, is overestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]