Search

Inter-rows in vineyards are commonly tilled in order to control weeds and/or to conserve water. While impacts of tillage on earthworms are well studied in arable systems, very little is known from vineyards. In an experimental vineyard, the impact of four reduced tillage methods on earthworms was examined: rotary hoeing, rotary harrowing, grubbing and no tillage. According to an erosion prevention programme, tillage was applied every other inter-row only while alternating rows retained vegetated. Earthworms were extracted from the treated inter-rows 10, 36, 162 and 188 days after tillage. Across dates, tillage methods had no effect on overall earthworm densities or biomass. Considering each sampling date separately, earthworm densities were affected only at day 36 after tillage leading to lower densities under rotary hoeing (150.7 ± 42.5 worms/m2) and no tillage (117.3 ± 24.8 worms/m2) than under rotary harrowing (340.0 ± 87.4 worms/m2) and grubbing (242.7 ± 43.9 worms/m2). Time since tillage significantly increased earthworm densities or biomass, and affected soil moisture and temperature. Across sampling dates, earthworm densities correlated positively with soil moisture and negatively with soil temperature; individual earthworm mass increased with increasing time since tillage. It was concluded that reduced tillage in vineyards has little impact on earthworms when applied in spring under dry soil conditions.

A fast track “Hot Start” process was implemented to launch the European Bank for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (EBiSC) to provide early release of a range of established control and disease linked human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines. Established practice amongst consortium members was surveyed to arrive at harmonised and publically accessible Standard Operations Procedures (SOPs) for tissue procurement, bio-sample tracking, iPSC expansion, cryopreservation, qualification and distribution to the research community. These were implemented to create a quality managed foundational collection of lines and associated data made available for distribution. Here we report on the successful outcome of this experience and work flow for banking and facilitating access to an otherwise disparate European resource, with lessons to benefit the international research community. eTOC: The report focuses on the EBiSC experience of rapidly establishing an operational capacity to procure, bank and distribute a foundational collection of established hiPSC lines. It validates the feasibility and defines the challenges of harnessing and integrating the capability and productivity of centres across Europe using commonly available resources currently in the field.

The mammalian genome is punctuated by CpG islands (CGIs), which differ sharply from the bulk genome by being rich in G + C and the dinucleotide CpG. CGIs often include transcription initiation sites and display ‘active’ histone marks, notably histone H3 lysine 4 methylation. In embryonic stem cells (ESCs) some CGIs adopt a ‘bivalent’ chromatin state bearing simultaneous ‘active’ and ‘inactive’ chromatin marks. To determine whether CGI chromatin is developmentally programmed at specific genes or is imposed by shared features of CGI DNA, we integrated artificial CGI-like DNA sequences into the ESC genome. We found that bivalency is the default chromatin structure for CpG-rich, G + C-rich DNA. A high CpG density alone is not sufficient for this effect, as A + T-rich sequence settings invariably provoke de novo DNA methylation leading to loss of CGI signature chromatin. We conclude that both CpG-richness and G + C-richness are required for induction of signature chromatin structures at CGIs.

Holz war in der Vergangenheit ein wichtiger Bestandteil des täglichen Lebens. Er begleitete die Menschen als Brennholz, Bauholz oder Werkholz und wurde mit großem Wissen und viel Erfahrung eingesetzt. Man versuchte ihn optimal zu nutzen, das heißt Verluste bei der Verarbeitung so gering als möglich zu halten und jede Holzart ihren Eigenschaften entsprechend einzusetzen. Das Ziel unserer Arbeiten war nachzuweisen, welche Holzarten in der Vergangenheit in Österreich genutzt und wie diese eingesetzt wurden. In sechs österreichischen Museen wurden insgesamt 48 unterschiedliche Holzarten nachgewiesen und deren Eigenschaften auf Grund ihrer Verwendung beschrieben. Die am häufigsten verwendete und gleichzeitig universell eingesetzte Holzart ist die Rotbuche (Fagus sylvatica), gefolgt von Fichte (Picea abies). Doch es folgen schon rasch unerwartete Arten in der Reihenfolge wie Birke (Betula spp.), Hasel (Corylus avellana) und Kornelkirsche (Cornus mas). In den meisten Fällen wurden die aus derartigen Analysen resultierenden Ergebnisse durch die historische Literatur bestätigt, lediglich die Nutzung der Holzart Berberitze weist auf mögliche Unterschiede zwischen Expertenwissen und Gebrauchswissen hin: So wurden etwa Rechenzähne mehrheitlich aus Berberitzenholz gefertigt, jedoch ist dieser Hinweis im Großteil der Literatur nicht zu finden. Auf Grund des Holzartenspektrums in der untersuchten historischen Fachliteratur wurde die Analyse und Beschreibung auf insgesamt 60 Holzarten ausgeweitet. +++ Wood was an important part of everyday life in the past. People were using it with great knowledge and experience, be it as raw material, timber, or fire wood. The main aim was to use it optimally – that is, to keep losses during processing as small as possible and to use each wood species according to its characteristics. Our research goal was to determine how many species were in use in former days in Austria, and for which purposes. In six Austrian museums, a total of 48 different wood species have been determined, and their properties have been described under consideration of the utilization described. Beech wood (Fagus sylvatica) was found most often and was used universally, followed by Norway spruce (Picea abies). But there were some unexpected species found with high counts, like birch (Betula spp.), hazelwood (Corylus avellana) and cornelian cherry (Cornus mas). In most cases the results of such analyzes were confirmed by the historical literature, only the use of barberry wood indicates possible differences between expert knowledge and traditions: A high portion of rake-teeth were made of barberry wood, which is not mentioned in most of the historical books. Due to the analyses of historical literature the whole set of described species was set to 60.