Bird population declines and species turnover are changing the acoustic properties of spring soundscapes

Natural sounds, and bird song in particular, play a key role in building and maintaining our connection with nature, but widespread declines in bird populations mean that the acoustic properties of natural soundscapes may be changing. Using data-driven reconstructions of soundscapes in lieu of historical recordings, here we quantify changes in soundscape characteristics at more than 200,000 sites across North America and Europe. We integrate citizen science bird monitoring data with recordings of individual species to reveal a pervasive loss of acoustic diversity and intensity of soundscapes across both continents over the past 25 years, driven by changes in species richness and abundance. These results suggest that one of the fundamental pathways through which humans engage with nature is in chronic decline, with potentially widespread implications for human health and well-being.

Tailoring the properties of quantum dot-micropillars by ultrafast optical injection of free charge carriers

We review recent studies of cavity switching induced by the optical injection of free carriers in micropillar cavities containing quantum dots. Using the quantum dots as a broadband internal light source and a streak camera as detector, we track the resonance frequencies for a large set of modes with picosecond time resolution. We report a record-fast switch-on time constant (1.5 ps) and observe major transient modifications of the modal structure of the micropillar on the 10 ps time scale: mode crossings are induced by a focused symmetric injection of free carriers, while a lifting of several mode degeneracies is observed when off-axis injection breaks the rotational symmetry of the micropillar. We show theoretically and experimentally that cavity switching can be used to tailor the dynamic properties of the coupled QD-cavity system. We report the generation of ultrashort spontaneous emission pulses (as short as 6 ps duration) by a collection of frequency-selected QDs in a switched pillar microcavity. These pulses display a very small coherence length, attractive for ultrafast speckle-free imaging. Moreover, the control of QD-mode coupling on the 10 ps time scale establishes cavity switching as an appealing resource for quantum photonics.

Modellprojekt zur interdisziplinären universitären Lehre – Studierende der Medizin und der Psychologie lernen erstmals gemeinsam

Eine interdisziplinäre Zusammenarbeit ist in der medizinischen Versorgung chronisch erkrankter Patienten mit komplexen Erkrankungen erforderlich. Vor allem im Bereich der internistischen Rheumatologie ist eine interdisziplinäre Arbeit unerlässlich, um die komplexen somatischen und psychosozialen Aspekte einer chronischen Erkrankung zu berücksichtigen. Dennoch werden die Aspekte der interprofessionellen Arbeit im Studium der Medizin und Psychologie unzureichend thematisiert. Aus diesem Grund wurde ein Modellprojekt zur interdisziplinären universitären Lehre konzipiert, welches beide Fächer miteinander vereint. Die Veranstaltung wurde im Wintersemester 2019/20 erstmalig durchgeführt und stieß bei den Teilnehmer*innen auf positive Resonanz. Das Hauptziel der Veranstaltung ist die Implementierung interprofessioneller Arbeit in die Ausbildung des medizinischen Personals. Zusätzlich konnte das Fach der internistischen Rheumatologie den Studierenden nähergebracht werden.

The Red Sea Deep Water is a potent source of atmospheric ethane and propane

Non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) such as ethane and propane are significant atmospheric pollutants and precursors of tropospheric ozone, while the Middle East is a global emission hotspot due to  extensive oil and gas production. Here we compare in situ hydrocarbon measurements, performed around the Arabian Peninsula, with global model simulations that include current emission inventories (EDGAR) and state-of-the-art atmospheric circulation and chemistry mechanisms (EMAC model). While measurements of high mixing ratios over the Arabian Gulf are adequately simulated, strong underprediction by the model was found over the northern Red Sea. By examining the individual sources in the model and by utilizing air mass back-trajectory investigations and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis, we deduce that Red Sea Deep Water (RSDW) is an unexpected, potent source of atmospheric NMHCs. This overlooked underwater source is comparable with total anthropogenic emissions from entire Middle Eastern countries, and significantly impacts the regional atmospheric chemistry.

Chloromethane emissions in human breath

Chloromethane (CH₃Cl), currently the most abundant chlorinated organic compound in the atmosphere at around ~550 parts per trillion by volume (pptv), is considered responsible for approximately 16% of halogen-catalyzed stratospheric ozone destruction. Although emissions of CH₃Cl are known to occur from animals such as cattle, formation and release of CH₃Cl from humans has not yet been reported. In this study a pre-concentration unit coupled with a gas chromatograph directly linked to a mass spectrometer was used to precisely measure concentrations of CH₃Cl at the pptv level in exhaled breath from 31 human subjects with ages ranging from 3 to 87years. We provide analytical evidence that all subjects exhaled CH₃Cl in the range of 2.5 to 33 parts per billion by volume, levels which significantly exceed those of inhaled air by a factor of up to 60. If the mean of these emissions was typical for the world's population, then the global source of atmospheric CH₃Cl from humans would be around 0.66Ggyr^-1 (0.33 to 1.48Ggyr^-1), which is less than 0.03% of the total annual global atmospheric source strength. The observed endogenous formation of a chlorinated methyl group in humans might be of interest to biochemists and medical scientists as CH₃Cl is also known to be a potent methylating agent and thus, could be an important target compound in future medical research diagnostic programs.

Organic compounds in fluid inclusions of Archean quartz-Analogues of prebiotic chemistry on early Earth

The origin of life is still an unsolved mystery in science. Hypothetically, prebiotic chemistry and the formation of protocells may have evolved in the hydrothermal environment of tectonic fault zones in the upper continental crust, an environment where sensitive molecules are protected against degradation induced e.g. by UV radiation. The composition of fluid inclusions in minerals such as quartz crystals which have grown in this environment during the Archean period might provide important information about the first organic molecules formed by hydrothermal synthesis. Here we present evidence for organic compounds which were preserved in fluid inclusions of Archean quartz minerals from Western Australia. We found a variety of organic compounds such as alkanes, halocarbons, alcohols and aldehydes which unambiguously show that simple and even more complex prebiotic organic molecules have been formed by hydrothermal processes. Stable-isotope analysis confirms that the methane found in the inclusions has most likely been formed from abiotic sources by hydrothermal chemistry. Obviously, the liquid phase in the continental Archean crust provided an interesting choice of functional organic molecules. We conclude that organic substances such as these could have made an important contribution to prebiotic chemistry which might eventually have led to the formation of living cells.

How salt lakes affect atmospheric new particle formation: A case study in Western Australia

New particle formation was studied above salt lakes in-situ using a mobile aerosol chamber set up above the salt crust and organic-enriched layers of seven different salt lakes in Western Australia. This unique setup made it possible to explore the influence of salt lake emissions on atmospheric new particle formation, and to identify interactions of aqueous-phase and gas-phase chemistry. New particle formation was typically observed at enhanced air temperatures and enhanced solar irradiance. Volatile organic compounds were released from the salt lake surfaces, probably from a soil layer enriched in organic compounds from decomposed leaf litter, and accumulated in the chamber air. After oxidation of these organic precursor gases, the reaction products contributed to new particle formation with observed growth rates from 2.7 to 25.4nmh^-1. The presence of ferrous and ferric iron and a drop of pH values in the salt lake water just before new particle formation events indicated that organic compounds were also oxidized in the aqueous phase, affecting the new particle formation process in the atmosphere. The contribution of aqueous-phase chemistry to new particle formation is assumed, as a mixture of hundreds of oxidized organic compounds was characterized with several analytical techniques. This chemically diverse composition of the organic aerosol fraction contained sulfur- and nitrogen-containing organic compounds, and halogenated organic compounds. Coarse mode particles were analyzed using electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry was applied to analyze filter samples. A targeted mass spectral analysis revealed the formation of organosulfates from monoterpene precursors and two known tracers for secondary organic aerosol formation from atmospheric oxidation of 1,8-cineole, which indicates that a complex interplay of aqueous-phase and gas-phase oxidation of monoterpenes contributes to new particle formation in the investigated salt lake environment.

[Correlation between antibodies against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus and pathological-anatomical organ findings in slaughter pigs at farm level]

OBJECTIVE

The porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) worldwide causes important economic losses in pig production. Its causative agent, the PRRS virus (PRRSV), is one of the most frequently detected infectious agents in relation to respiratory diseases in pigs in Austria. We investigated the correlation between the PRRSV status of pig farms, determined by detection of PRRSV antibodies in the serum of slaughter pigs, and the prevalence of pathological-anatomical lung lesions in slaughter pigs of the respective farms.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Between December 1, 2011 and April 16, 2012, a total of 1056 serum samples of slaughter pigs from 66 pig farms were collected at an Austrian abattoir. The presence of PRRSV antibodies was tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in each sample and the PRRSV status of the respective farms was determined. No PRRSV vaccination was performed on any of the farms. In addition, the pathological-anatomical lung lesions of all slaughter pigs of the 66 farms that were slaughtered between September 1, 2011 and December 11, 2012 were recorded by authorized veterinarians at the abattoir. The prevalence of lung lesions and pleuritis in PRRSV-positive and unsuspected farms was compared and statistically interpreted.

RESULTS

Slaughter pigs of PRRSV positive farms had a significantly higher prevalence of severe lung lesions and pleuritis visceralis and parietalis than slaughter pigs of PRRSV unsuspected farms. Pigs of combined farms (nursery and fattening unit at the same location) displayed a tendency for more moderate and severe lung lesions than pigs of exclusive fattening farms.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

In the present study, the PRRSV status of pig farms displayed a significant influence on the prevalence of lung lesions in the slaughter pigs. Findings untypical for PRRS, including pleuritis, were also found significantly more often on those farms. This leads to the conclusion that other primary and/or secondary infections are involved, which can be exacerbated by the immunosuppressive effect of the PRRSV. There was a tendency for combined farms to be more severely affected than fattening farms.

Selection of multiple umbrella species for functional and taxonomic diversity to represent urban biodiversity

Surrogates, such as umbrella species, are commonly used to reduce the complexity of quantifying biodiversity for conservation purposes. The presence of umbrella species is often indicative of high taxonomic diversity; however, functional diversity is now recognized as an important metric for biodiversity and thus should be considered when choosing umbrella species. We identified umbrella species associated with high taxonomic and functional biodiversity in urban areas in Switzerland. We analyzed 39,752 individuals of 574 animal species from 96 study plots and 1397 presences of 262 plant species from 58 plots. Thirty-one biodiversity measures of 7 taxonomic groups (plants, spiders, bees, ground beetles, lady bugs, weevils and birds) were included in within- and across-taxa analyses. Sixteen measures were taxonomical (species richness and species diversity), whereas 15 were functional (species traits including mobility, resource use, and reproduction). We used indicator value analysis to identify umbrella species associated with single or multiple biodiversity measures. Many umbrella species were indicators of high biodiversity within their own taxonomic group (from 33.3% in weevils to 93.8% in birds), to a lesser extent they were indicators across taxa. Principal component analysis revealed that umbrella species for multiple measures of biodiversity represented different aspects of biodiversity, especially with respect to measures of taxonomic and functional diversity. Thus, even umbrella species for multiple measures of biodiversity were complementary in the biodiversity aspects they represented. Thus, the choice of umbrella species based solely on taxonomic diversity is questionable and may not represent biodiversity comprehensively. Our results suggest that, depending on conservation priorities, managers should choose multiple and complementary umbrella species to assess the state of biodiversity.

[Serological detection of emerging viral infections in wild boars from different hunting regions of Southern Germany]

OBJECTIVE

Wild boars represent a possible virus reservoir for notifiable diseases of farm animals, including Aujeszky's disease (AD) and classical swine fever (CSF). Monitoring of the epidemiological situation in the wild boar population is especially relevant in countries that are officially free from these diseases. Apart from OIE-notifiable diseases, other viral agents that are widely distributed and play a significant role in farm animals, such as the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), porcine circovirus type2 (PCV-2), and swine influenza virus (SIV), are sporadically detected in wild boars. Thus, the wild boar population is a potential source for maintenance of these infections in farm animals. The aim of this study was therefore to test for antibodies to the indicated emerging viral infections in wild boars in several hunting regions of Southern Germany.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Blood serum of 94 shot wild boars from 19 hunting regions in Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg were collected. Antibodies to AD virus (ADV), CSF virus (CSFV), PRRSV, SIV (H1N1) (all by IDEXX ELISA) and PCV-2 (IgM and IgG by Ingenasa ELISA) in blood serum were determined.

RESULTS

Antibodies to ADV were detected in four animals (4.2%), to PRRSV in one animal (1.2%), to SIV (H1N1) in two animals (2.1%) and to PCV-2 (IgG) in 15 animals (16.0%) of which three animals also had antibodies to PCV-2 (IgM) (3.2%). CSFV antibodies were not detected in the examined wild boars.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Compared to other studies in several European and American states, the seroprevalence to the tested emerging diseases was low in this study. Nevertheless, the wild boar population may still be a virus reservoir and therefore a source of infection for domestic pigs. This is especially important in the case of notifiable diseases, like AD and CSF. Therefore, a continuous monitoring of those diseases in the wild boar population would be advisable.

Serologische Erfassung von viralen Infektionskrank heiten in der Wildschweinpopulation verschiedener Jagdgebiete Süddeutschlands

Gegenstand und Ziel: Wildschweine gelten als mögliches Virusreservoir für anzeigepflichtige Tierseuchen wie Aujeszky‘sche Krankheit (AD) und Europäische Schweinepest (ESP). Die Überwachung der epidemiologischen Situation in der Wildschweinpopulation ist daher von großer Bedeutung für die Tierseuchenprophylaxe bei Nutztieren. Aber auch in Hausschweinebeständen weit verbreitete virale Erreger wie das Virus des Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRSV), das porzine Circovirus Typ 2 (PCV-2) und das Schweineinfluenzavirus (SIV) können bei Wildschweinen immer wieder nachgewiesen werden. Ziel der Untersuchung war festzustellen, ob bei Wildschweinen in einzelnen Jagdrevieren Süddeutschlands Antikörper gegen die genannten Infektionskrankheiten vorkommen. Material und Methoden: Bei 94 Serum proben von erlegten Wildschweinen aus Bayern, Rheinland-Pfalz und Baden-Württemberg wurden mittels ELISA Antikörper gegen das ESP-Virus (ESPV), das AD-Virus (ADV), PRRSV, SIV (H1N1) und PCV-2 bestimmt. Ergebnisse: Antikörper gegen ADV wurden bei vier Tieren (4,2%) gefunden, gegen PRRSV bei einem Tier (1,2%), gegen SIV (H1N1) bei zwei Tieren (2,1%) und gegen PCV-2 (IgG) bei 15 Tieren (16,0%), wobei drei dieser 15 Wildschweine (3,2%) zusätzlich IgM-Antikörper gegen PCV-2 aufwiesen. Antikörper gegen ESPV ließen sich nicht nachweisen. Schlussfolgerung und klinische Relevanz: Die Seroprävalenz gegen die untersuchten Viruserkrankungen war bei den Wildschweinen in dieser Studie im Vergleich zu europäischen und amerikanischen Untersuchungen relativ gering. Nachweise sind dennoch möglich und die Rolle der Wildschweinpopulation als Virusreservoir sowie die Notwendigkeit eines umfassenden Wildschweinmonitorings werden dadurch bestätigt.

Spider, bee, and bird communities in cities are shaped by environmental control and high stochasticity

Spatially organized distribution patterns of species and communities are shaped by both autogenic processes (neutral mechanism theory) and exogenous processes (niche theory). In the latter, environmental variables that are themselves spatially organized induce spatial structure in the response variables. The relative importance of these processes has not yet been investigated in urban habitats. We compared the variance explained by purely spatial, spatially structured environmental, and purely environmental components for the community composition of spiders (Araneae), bees (Apidae), and birds (Aves) at 96 locations in three Swiss cities. Environmental variables (topography, climate, land cover, urban green management) were measured on four different radii around sampling points (< 10 m, 50 m, 250 m, 1000 m), while Moran's eigenvector maps (MEMs) acted as spatial variables. All three taxonomic groups showed weak spatial structure. Spider communities reacted to very fine-scaled environmental changes of lawn and meadow management and climate. Bird community composition was determined by woody plants as well as solar radiation at all radii, the scale of the influence varying among species. Bee communities were weakly explained by isolated variables only. Our results suggest that the anthropogenic structuring of urban areas has disrupted the spatial organization of environmental variables and inhibited the development of biotic spatial processes. The near absence of spatial structure may therefore be a feature typical of urban species assemblages, resulting in urban community composition mainly influenced by local environmental variables. Urban environments represent a close-knit mosaic of habitats that are regularly disturbed. Species communities in urban areas are far from equilibrium. Our analysis also suggests that urban communities need to be considered as being in constant change to adapt to disturbances and changes imposed by human activities.

Creatine Kinase and Aspartate Aminotransferase in Cows as Indicators for Endometritis

The aim of the study was to prove a correlation between creatine kinase (CK; EC 2.7.3.2.) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST; EC 2.6.1.1.) activities in serum and the severity of endometritis. We (i) determined clinical and clinical-chemical (CK, AST, bilirubin) parameters on 87 cows with abomasal displacement (DA), (ii) measured CK, AST and glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH; EC 1.4.1.2.) in serum and uterine tissue samples in 10 slaughter cows, and (iii) compared the serum reaction (CK, AST, bilirubin) of six healthy, non-pregnant cows after an inter-auterine application of a mild irritating 0.2% peroxyacetic acid (Uterofertil) with that of four healthy cows after an intrauterine application of 0.9% sodium chloride solution. Uterine tissue contains high activities of CK (2940 +/- 1140 U/g protein) and AST (159 +/- 25 U/g protein). Cows with DA have increased serum CK and AST activities, which correlate with the degree of endometritis. The DA without endometritis also comes along with slightly increased CK (quartiles 181, 259 and 288 U/l) and AST (101, 138 and 199 U/l) activities. In pregnant cows these activities are higher than in non-pregnant cows. Irritation of the uterus with Uterofertil leads to increased serum CK but not AST. After the exclusion of evaluated CK as a result of muscular damage or hypocalcaemia, this enzyme can be used as a screening parameter in the diagnosis of endometritis. In each clinical case it is necessary to determine if increased AST activities are muscle-, liver- or uterus-dependent.

[The behavior of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in serum of cows with abomasal displacement (DA)]

After surgical reposition of displaced organs (abomasum, uterus, intestines) restoration of blood flow and oxygen supply generates oxygen radicals and other reactive oxygen species. SOD indicates radical stress of the organism. Subject of the study was the question if SOD can be detected in blood serum samples of cows and if there are differences in SOD activity between healthy cows and cows with Dislocatio abomasi (DA). We also wanted to investigate the influence of breed "Schwarzbunte" with DA (16 left/5 rights). The samples were drawn before and 1, 3 and 24 post op. Ten healthy cows of the same breed were also examined (2 weeks and 4-6 weeks after calving). There are no significant differences between the SOD activity of healthy cows and cows with DA, but the SOD activity of cows with left DA is significant lower than the activity of cows with right DA. Post op. SOD activity decreases; 24 h after surgery cows with left but not with right DA show an increase of SOD activity similar to values before surgery. There is a close positive correlation between SOD activity and protein concentration as well as negative correlation to concentration of free fatty acids after surgery. The behaviour of SOD activity shows that the surgical replacement of the displaced abomasum can generate a depression of the antioxidative capacity of the organism.

Autophagic tubes: vacuolar invaginations involved in lateral membrane sorting and inverse vesicle budding

Many intracellular compartments of eukaryotic cells do not adopt a spherical shape, which would be expected in the absence of mechanisms organizing their structure. However, little is known about the principles determining the shape of organelles. We have observed very defined structural changes of vacuoles, the lysosome equivalents of yeast. The vacuolar membrane can form a large tubular invagination from which vesicles bud off into the lumen of the organelle. Formation of the tube is regulated via the Apg/Aut pathway. Its lumen is continuous with the cytosol, making this inverse budding reaction equivalent to microautophagocytosis. The tube is highly dynamic, often branched, and defined by a sharp kink of the vacuolar membrane at the site of invagination. The tube is formed by vacuoles in an autonomous fashion. It persists after vacuole isolation and, therefore, is independent of surrounding cytoskeleton. There is a striking lateral heterogeneity along the tube, with a high density of transmembrane particles at the base and a smooth zone devoid of transmembrane particles at the tip where budding occurs. We postulate a lateral sorting mechanism along the tube that mediates a depletion of large transmembrane proteins at the tip and results in the inverse budding of lipid-rich vesicles into the lumen of the organelle.

Cell-free reconstitution of microautophagic vacuole invagination and vesicle formation

Many organelles change their shape in the course of the cell cycle or in response to environmental conditions. Lysosomes undergo drastic changes of shape during microautophagocytosis, which include the invagination of their boundary membrane and the subsequent scission of vesicles into the lumen of the organelle. The mechanism driving these structural changes is enigmatic. We have begun to analyze this process by reconstituting microautophagocytosis in a cell-free system. Isolated yeast vacuoles took up fluorescent dyes or reporter enzymes in a cytosol-, ATP-, and temperature-dependent fashion. During the uptake reaction, vacuolar membrane invaginations, called autophagic tubes, were observed. The reaction resulted in the transient formation of autophagic bodies in the vacuolar lumen, which were degraded upon prolonged incubation. Under starvation conditions, the system reproduced the induction of autophagocytosis and depended on specific gene products, which were identified in screens for mutants deficient in autophagocytosis. Microautophagic uptake depended on the activity of the vacuolar ATPase and was sensitive to GTPgammaS, indicating a requirement for GTPases and for the vacuolar membrane potential. However, microautophagocytosis was independent of known factors for vacuolar fusion and vesicular trafficking. Therefore, scission of the invaginated membrane must occur via a novel mechanism distinct from the homotypic fusion of vacuolar membranes.

[Etiology and prophylaxis of reperfusion injuries]

In recent years the importance of oxyradicals in clinical veterinary medicine is incessantly grown. An important example in cattle breeding is the displaced abomasum in dairy cows. The antioxidative status of the animals is representable by means of the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the blood. Post operationem the activity of SOD decreased very fast. In cows with left abomasal displacement this activity increased within 24 hours to the starting level, but in cows with right abomasal displacement the SOD-activity in this period increased only insignificantly. Because of the low level of SOD-activity in blood serum the measuring should take place in erythrocyte lysate. Today there are many possibilities of therapeutical intervention of reperfusion injury, but their clinical efficiency has to be ascertained. The treatment of cows with displaced abomasum with ascorbate, tocopherole or prednisolone before the replacement of the abomasum shows first success in terms of the antioxidative and metabolic status.