Floodplain restoration can enhance capacity for carbon sequestration by facilitating higher water tables, deposition of fine sediment, and increased input and residence time of organic matter. We measured floodplain soil organic carbon stocks in nine stream restoration projects across the western United States and compared them to nearby degraded and reference condition floodplains. Degraded floodplains had the lowest soil mean carbon stocks in the majority of floodplains measured (range 161-894 Mg C/ha), and reference stocks had the highest stocks (range 391-904 Mg C/ha) of those with statistically significant differences between the three categories. Across all sites measured, stream restoration sites, referred to as treatment sites, had stocks (range 203-1028 Mg C/ha) similar to degraded condition floodplains but the largest range. When modeled under degraded conditions, four out of nine of the treatment sites had significantly higher OC stocks than predicted. Climate and geologic variables are most influential in predicting carbon stocks, and floodplains in the interior western USA have the highest carbon stocks. As the demand for carbon sequestration increases due to climate change, ecologically responsible floodplain restoration provides a significant opportunity for carbon storage. However, despite the statistically significant relationships we observed in this dataset, the variations within the data in relation to degraded/treatment/reference categories illustrate the uncertainties in quantifying the effects of restoration on floodplain carbon stocks.

A document by SIVABALAKRISHNAN R. Click on the document to view its contents.

High levels of airborne dust, frequent dust storms and infrequent rain events are some of the reasons why soiling can drastically reduce the energy yield of photovoltaic modules in desert areas. There are ongoing and increasing efforts to identify appropriate and economically feasible strategies that can be used to mitigate soiling in deserts. Both innovative tracking with adapted resting positions during night and anti-soiling coatings (ASC) are considered as potential solutions to reduce soiling. In this study, the individual mitigation potential of both ASC and tracking routines as well as the combination of the two approaches are investigated. For this, outdoor exposure tests were carried out in desert region of Saudi Arabia. Coated and uncoated glass samples were tested in different tilt configurations: fixed, 1-axis tracking with horizontal stowage (facing the sky) and 1-axis tracking with vertical stowage during the night. Both methods indicate significant soiling reductions, especially for the combined solution of ASC and tracking with vertical night stowage, where soiling losses can be reduced by up to 85%. In addition, it has been shown that by adapting tracking, the relative ASC performance can be improved compared to fixed tilt or standard 1-axis tracking scenarios.

Despite recent advances in prophylactic vaccination, SARS-CoV-2 infections continue to cause significant morbidity. A better understanding of immune response differences between vaccinated individuals with and without later SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection is urgently needed. CoV-ADAPT is a prospective long-term study comparing humoral (anti-spike-RBD-IgG, neutralization capacity, avidity) and cellular (spike-induced T-cell interferon-γ release) immune responses in individuals vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 at four different time points (three before and one after third vaccination). In this cohort study, 62 fully vaccinated individuals presented with SARS‑CoV-2 breakthrough infections vs 151 without infection 3-7 months following third vaccination. Breakthrough infections significantly increased anti-spike-RBD-IgG (p<0.01), but not spike-directed T-cell interferon-γ release (TC), antibody neutralization capacity or avidity. Anti-spike-RBD-IgG and antibody avidity decreased with age (p<0.01) and females showed higher anti-spike-RBD-IgG (p<0.01), and a tendency towards higher antibody avidity (p=0.051). The association between humoral and cellular immune responses previously reported at various time points was lost in subjects after breakthrough infections (p=0.807). Finally, a machine-learning approach based on our large immunological data set (a total of 49 variables) from different time points was unable to predict breakthrough infections (AUC: 0.55). In conclusion, distinct differences in humoral vs cellular immune responses in fully vaccinated individuals with or without breakthrough infection could be demonstrated. Breakthrough infections predominantly drive the humoral response without boosting the cellular component. Breakthrough infections could not be predicted based on immunological data, which indicates a superior role of environmental factors (e.g. virus exposure) in individualized risk assessment.

A document by Niranjan Thapa. Click on the document to view its contents.

1. IntroductionChikungunya fever is a persistent joint pain disease caused by mosquito-borne arboviruses: chikungunya virus (CHIKV). In Chikungunya fever, inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, Il-17, IL-22, and IL-23 ［1,2］ are involved in chronic joint pain, but there are no reports on whether IL-36 is specified as a cause of joint pain. This case study compares the changes in IL-36α and β levels during infected chikungunya fever and the recovery. This article highlights the relationship between chikungunya fever and IL-36.

Aflatoxin and other mycotoxin contamination are major threats to global food security and present an urgent need to secure the global food crop against spoilage by mycotoxigenic fungi. Cocoa material is noted for naturally low aflatoxin contamination. This study was designed to assess the potential for harnessing cocoa-associated filamentous fungi for the biocontrol of aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus. The candidate fungi were isolated from fermented cocoa beans collected from four cocoa-growing areas in Ghana. Molecular characterization included ITS-sequencing for identification and PCR to determine mating type. Effects of the candidate isolates on growth and aflatoxin-production by an aflatoxigenic A. flavus isolate (BANGA1) were assessed. Aflatoxin production was monitored by UV fluorescence and quantified by ELISA. Thirty-six filamentous fungi were cultured and identified as Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Lichtheimia or Trichoderma spp. isolates. The isolates generally interacted negatively with BANGA1 growth and aflatoxin production. The A. niger and A. aculeatus biocontrol candidates showed the strongest colony antagonism (54–94%) and reduction in aflatoxin production (12–50%) on agar. In broth, the A. niger isolates reduced aflatoxin production by up to 97%. Metabolites from the A. niger isolates showed the strongest inhibition of growth by BANGA1 and inhibited aflatoxin production. Four of the candidate isolates belonged to the MAT1-1 mating type and 12 identified as MAT1-2. This may be indicative of the potential for genetic recombination events between fungi in the field, and finding which is particularly relevant to the risk posed by A. flavus biocontrol measures that rely on atoxigenic A. flavus strains.

Catheter ablation represents nowadays a cornerstone for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. However, the benefit-risk ratio of this procedure still needs to be significantly improved. Many strategies have been proposed for this goal. Increased experience of operators and technological advances appear to be crucial points. Very important in this scenario is improving patients selection for ablation, as well. The blooming of artificial intelligence and machine learning represents a solid promise in many fields of medicine. Even in the field of atrial fibrillation cure they could prove to have a strong impact. Further prospective studies will surely help to define the real role of these techonologies in the treatment of atrial fibrillation.

Background First Few “X” (FFX) studies provide evidence to guide public health decision making and resource allocation. The adapted WHO Unity FFX protocol for COVID-19 was implemented to gain an understanding of the clinical, epidemiological, virological, and household transmission dynamics of the first cases of COVID-19 infection detected in Juba, South Sudan. Methods Laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases were identified through the national surveillance system, and an initial visit was conducted with eligible cases to identify all close contacts. Consenting cases and close contacts were enrolled between June 2020 and December 2020. Demographic, clinical information and biological samples were taken at enrolment and 14–21 days post-enrolment for all participants. Results Twenty-nine primary cases and 82 contacts were included in analyses. Most primary cases (n=23/29, 79.3%) and contacts (n=61/82, 74.4%) were male. Many primary cases (n=18/29, 62.1%) and contacts (n=51/82, 62.2%) were seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 at baseline. The secondary attack rate among susceptible contacts was 12.9% (4/31; 95% CI: 4.9%–29.7%). All secondary cases and most (72%) primary cases were asymptomatic. Reported symptoms included coughing (n=6/29, 20.7%), fever or history of fever (n=4/29, 13.8%), headache (n=3/29, 10.3%) and shortness of breath (n=3/29, 10.3%). Of 38 cases, two were hospitalised (5.3%) and one died (2.6%). Conclusions These findings were used to develop the South Sudanese Ministry of Health surveillance and contract tracing protocols, informing local COVID-19 case definitions, follow-up protocols and data management systems. This investigation demonstrates that rapid FFX implementation is critical in understanding the emerging disease and informing response priorities.

CLA + memory T cells constitute a small subset of human memory T cells. Circulating skin-homing T cells participate in several aspects of atopic dermatitis, such as Staphylococcus aureus involvement in inflammation, the abnormal Th2 immune response, biomarkers, clinical aspects of the patients, pruritus, and the mechanism of action of targeted therapies. Superantigens, IL-13, IL-31, pruritus, CCL17 and early effects on dupilumab-treated patients have in common that they are related to CLA + T cell response in patients. The function of CLA + T cells is closely related to the role of T cells belonging to the skin-associated lymphoid tissue and could be a reason why they reflect different mechanisms of atopic dermatitis. The goal of this review is to gather all this translational information of atopic dermatitis pathology.

Background: Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) has evolved to be an integral part of ablative therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF), however, recurrence rates of AF remain high even after complete wide area circumferential PVI. In recent years adjunct posterior wall isolation (PWI) has been performed in patients with more persistent forms of AF but the benefits remain unclear. Aim: The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of adjunct posterior wall isolation in reducing recurrence rate of AF using cryoballoon ablation (CBA). Methods: We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, Clinicaltrials.gov and Cochrane CENTRAL. We included studies comparing PVI to PVI + PWI in patients with persistent AF undergoing CBA. After data extraction and quality assessment of the studies, we assessed recurrence rates of atrial tachy-arrhythmias (AF, atrial flutter, and atrial tachycardia) as well as total ablation time and procedural adverse events. Risk ratio (RR), mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using Review Manager. Results: Concomitant PWI demonstrated significant decrease in recurrence risk of AF (RR 0.48; 95% CI 0.36-0.64; p < 0.00001) as well as all atrial arrhythmias (RR 0.57; 95% CI 0.47-0.70; p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in adverse events between both groups (RR 1.05; 95% CI 0.43-2.56; p = 0.91), whereas total ablation time was significantly increased in PVI + PWI group (MD 22.67, 95% CI, 7.61-37.73, p = 0.003). Conclusion: Adjunct PWI when compared to PVI alone decreases recurrence rates of atrial tachy-arrhythmias after CBA of persistent AF.

Purpose Chemodenervation with botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNTA) is the preferred method for focal spasticity management among various treatment options. While BoNTA injection is considered safe, its widespread use and increasing evidence raise safety concerns. Case In this paper, we present a patient with central pontine myelinolysis, a rare disease, who developed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) on the third day after BoNTA application to the spastic gastrocnemius muscle group and required intubation in the intensive care unit due to this complication. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first case reported in the literature to develop an acute pulmonary complication after BoNTA injection into spastic lower extremity muscles.

A document by Hansheng Liang. Click on the document to view its contents.

Ontogenetic color change in animals is an interesting evolution-related phenomenon that has been studied by evolutionary biologists for decades. However, the performance of quantitative and continuous color measurements throughout the life cycle of animals is a challenge. To understand the rhythm of change in tail color and sexual dichromatism, we used a spectrometer to measure the tail color of blue-tailed skink (Plestiodon elegans) from birth to sexual maturity. Lab color space was selected due to its simple, fast, and accurate and depends on the visual sense of the observer for measuring the tail color of skinks. A strong relationship was observed between color indexes (values of L*, a*, b*) and growth time of skink. The luminance of tail color decreased from juveniles to adults in both sexes. Moreover, we observed differences in color rhythms between the sexes, which may be influenced by different behavioral strategies employed by them. This study provides continuous measurements of change in tail color in skinks from juveniles to adults and offers insights into their sex-based differences. Our findings explain the potential factors that drive dichromatism between the sexes of lizards and is expected to serve as a reference for future studies that explore possible mechanisms of ontogenetic color change in reptiles.

1 Gravel beaches in the Mediterranean ecoregion represent an economically important and unique habitat type. Yet, burgeoning tourism, intensive coastal development and artificial nourishment of beaches may jeopardize their ecological communities. To date, species that reside on gravel beaches and the consequences of beach alterations are poorly understood, which hampers the development of a sustainable coastal tourism industry along the region’s shorelines. 2 Using a simple collection method based on dredging buckets through the intertidal section of beaches, we quantified the microhabitat association of two sympatric clingfish species in the genus Gouania at seven natural and an artificial gravel beach based on sediment characteristics. We hypothesized that slender (G. pigra) and stout (G. adriatica) morphotypes would partition interstitial niche space based on sediment size, which may affect the vulnerability of the species to changes in gravel beach composition due to coastal development. 3 We detected substantial differences in gravel composition within and among the sampled beaches which suggests scope for microhabitat partitioning in Gouania. Indeed, we found significant relationships between species identity and the presence/absence and abundance of individuals in hauls based on their positioning on PC1. 4 Our results suggest that modifications of gravel beaches through coastal development, including beach nourishment, intensifying coastal erosion, or artificial beach creation, may have detrimental consequences for the two species if sediment types or sizes are altered. We posit that, given the simplicity and efficacy of our sampling method and the sensitivity of Gouania species to prevailing gravel composition, the genus could serve as an important indicator for gravel beach management in the Mediterranean ecoregion.

Site-occupancy modeling is widely used in ecology but its application is still limited in paleoecology, where incomplete detection is routine. Here, we make extensive expansions to an earlier multispecies occupancy model used to estimate the dynamics of relative species abundance in fossil communities. These expansions include incorporating counts of individuals at sites, explicitly allowing for the inclusion of specimens assignable to genus- but not species-level, a situation common in paleontology, and modelling regional presence/absence. We provide simulations to check the performance of this new model, as well as simulations to quantify the benefits of using individual count data versus subsample occupancy data and model estimates versus face-value (raw) estimates, respectively. We also provide an empirical case study using occupancy data from a community of marine benthic colonial animals preserved in the Pleistocene of New Zealand. We find that the new model performs well, especially when it comes to recovering relative abundance dynamics and that it is well worth the effort to both collect individual count data and to include individuals unidentified to species-level in the site-occupancy modelling framework. This extended model can be widely applied in paleoecological settings and is necessary when both the average and uncertainty values of relative abundance dynamics need to be robustly estimated.

There is limited and conflicting data regarding loss of immunity in childhood cancer survivors who did not undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This retrospective study included 28 childhood cancer survivors whose treatment consisted of at least 3 months of chemotherapy. Decreased seropositivity for measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, tetanus, and hepatitis B was found in patients across all categories of malignancy compared to the general population. Results were more pronounced for those with hematological malignancies. This study indicates that pediatric cancer survivors, especially those with hematological malignancies, may have greater loss of protective antibodies from primary vaccinations.

Objective: A qualitative study sought to understand the transition experiences of United States (U.S.) military Service members found “unfit for duty” following medical and physical evaluation boards (MEBs and PEBs). Methods: Confidential telephone interviews were conducted with 25 current and prior Service members. Participants were asked to share their experiences before, during, and after the MEB and PEB processes. To that end, interview questions were designed to gather the following types of transition experiences: (1) health conditions experienced during the medical disability evaluation process; (2) reactions to being recommended for separation, (3) transition-related stress and challenges, and (4) coping strategies. Salient themes were identified across chronological narratives. Results: Conditions that participants’ experienced included debilitating physical (e.g., injury) and/or mental health (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder) conditions. In response to the “unfit for duty” notice, some participants reported emotional distress (e.g., anxiety, sadness, anger) connected to a sense of uncertainty about the future. Other participants reported relief connected to a sense of progression toward their medical disability claim status. Transition stress included the length of the MEB/PEB process, impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the process, experiences of financial stress, impact on family life, and the compounded effect of these stressors on emotional distress, including depression and suicidal thoughts. Participants reported using adaptive (e.g., psychotherapy) and maladaptive (e.g., excessive drinking) strategies to cope with stress. Conclusions: The notable emotional distress and transition stress experienced by Service members found “unfit for duty” highlight the need for increased support and interventions to facilitate adaptive coping strategies during this vulnerable period.