Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) are susceptible to smooth Brucella (s-Brucella) infection and may be exposed to such bacteria through the consumption of infected marine mammals, as implied by the finding of s-Brucella antibodies in polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Arctic foxes in Svalbard have not previously been investigated for s-Brucella antibodies, but such antibodies have been detected in Arctic ...

To document energy savings from retrofitting a building, a reliable baseline model is needed. The development and implementation of the baseline model is an important step in the measurement and verification (M&V) process. Usually, an energy analyst enters the stage, collects data, do the estimation and delivers the baseline model. The modeling work of the energy analyst is done on either a proprietary ...

Over several decades, the consideration of future consequences (CFC) construct has been used to explain and predict health behaviors. However, the reported associations between CFC and health behaviors are relatively weak, leading to the low explanatory power of the models. Recent research suggests that CFC can be a domain-specific construct. In this study, we explored the psychometric properties ...

Spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) can cause high mortality of fish. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GCC-3 exopolysaccharides (GCC-3 EPS) on zebrafish (Danio rerio) infected with SVCV and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Zebrafish were fed with a control diet or diet supplemented with 0.5% and 1% of GCC-3 EPS for 2 weeks. The results showed ...

Rural areas are often disadvantaged by their peripheral position, depopulation and the scarcity of primary services, but they also have specific characteristics, especially in terms of cultural capital, that can make them attractive as tourism destinations. Sustainable tourism paths can be developed through collaboration between various actors with complementary skills and areas of expertise, ...

Background: Buoyancy and balance are important parameters for slow-moving, low-metabolic, aquatic organisms. The extant coelacanths have among the lowest metabolic rates of any living vertebrate and can aford little energy to keep station. Previous observations on living coelacanths support the hypothesis that the coelacanth is neutrally buoyant and in close-to-perfect hydrostatic balance. However, ...

Vaccinium berries are regarded as “superfoods” owing to their high concentrations of anthocyanins, flavonoid metabolites that provide pigmentation and positively affect human health. Anthocyanin localization differs between the fruit of cultivated highbush blueberry (V. corymbosum) and wild bilberry (V. myrtillus), with the latter having deep red flesh coloration. Analysis of comparative ...

There is broad recognition by practicing taxonomists that the field is going through a crisis, which has been dubbed the “taxonomic impediment”. There are many aspects involved in said crisis, but publication practices in taxonomy are often neglected or relegated to the backseat. We provide an initial foray into this topic via a worldwide survey with taxonomists, spanning all botanical and ...

The importance of acetogens for H₂ turnover and overall anaerobic degradation in peatlands remains elusive. In the well-studied minerotrophic peatland fen Schlöppnerbrunnen, H₂-consuming acetogens are conceptualized to be largely outcompeted by iron reducers, sulfate reducers, and hydrogenotrophic methanogens in bulk peat soil. However, in root zones of graminoids, fermenters ...

The mammalian brain is characterized by high energy expenditure and small energy reserves, making it dependent on continuous vascular oxygen and nutritional supply. The brain is therefore extremely vulnerable to hypoxia. While neurons of most terrestrial mammals suffer from irreversible damage after only short periods of hypoxia, neurons of the deep-diving hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) show ...