scholarly journals Soil hydrology drives ecological niche differentiation in a native prairie microbiome

2019 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James S Griffin ◽  
Loren A Haug ◽  
Vivien A Rivera ◽  
Liliana M Hernandez Gonzalez ◽  
John J Kelly ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT While the impacts of soil moisture on soil microbiome diversity and composition are well characterized, the influence of hydrological regime has been overlooked. As precipitation patterns are altered by climate change, understanding the impact of soil hydrology on community structure and function is critical. In this work, water level was continuously monitored for over a year in a Midwestern prairie-wetland at 10 cm depth increments up to a depth of 120 cm in 10 locations. We analyzed microbiome composition and edaphic factors in soil cores collected from this unique spatially distributed, longitudinal data set. We demonstrate that the fraction of time that each sample was inundated explains more variability in diversity and composition across this site than other commonly assessed edaphic factors, such as soil pH or depth. Finally, we show that these compositional changes influence abundance of ammonia oxidizers. The observed patterns in community composition and diversity are fundamentally regulated by the interaction of water with a structured landscape, particularly an elevated sand ridge characterized by drier conditions and a lower-lying wetland with more clayey soils. Similar processes are generally expected to influence the biogeography of many terrestrial environments, as morphology, hydrology and soil properties generally co-vary.

Author(s):  
K.B. Isbekov ◽  
E.V. Kulikov ◽  
S.Zh. Asylbekova

The article deals with the relationship between the hydrological regime of water bodies and the efficiency of fish reproduction. The hydrological regime of water bodies in years of different water content influences the reproduction and, accordingly, the quantitative and qualitative composition of ichthyocenoses. The easiest way to assess the efficiency of fish reproduction is by such an indicator as the productivity of juveniles, i.e. the number of juvenile fish per unit area or volume. The material for this work was carried out in large fishing reservoirs of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the process of fishery research (2013–2018). Comparison of hydrological parameters and productivity of juveniles by years shows their relationship. Correlation coefficient between water content (runoff) of the river Zhaiyk and juvenile yield +0.73 (data set for 11 years, reliable for the level of significance p = 0.01). The yield of juvenile fish from Lake Balkhash has a high correlative dependence on the inflow of water into the lake (r = +0.826) (massif 2013–2018, reliable for the level of significance p = 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the productivity of juvenile fish in the Kapshagai reservoir has an average degree of dependence on water content (average annual level) (r = +0.641, reliable for the level of significance p = 0.05). Regular relationships between the water regime and the efficiency of reproduction (productivity of juveniles) of fish have been established. The efficiency of natural reproduction of commercial fish species in modern conditions of the water regime, water withdrawal for economic needs and the impact of fishing is significantly reduced, but with the implementation of the reclamation measures proposed in the work, its partial restoration is possible.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 987
Author(s):  
Ting-Chung Liu ◽  
Hui-Mei Peng ◽  
Seth Wollney ◽  
Chang-Hui Shen

Organic cultivation can improve soil fertility and biodiversity through the preservation of soil organic matter. Meanwhile, greenhouse cultivation can provide a controlled environment and therefore enables the management of every aspect of plant growth. In recent years, the combination of organic and greenhouse cultivation has slowly become a popular option in tropical regions to prevent the unpredictable impact of weather. Although it is known that organic cultivation significantly increases the density and species of microorganisms, the impact of soil microbiome on short-term vegetable growth under organic greenhouse cultivation is still not elucidated. In this study, we examined soil physiochemical properties as well as the rhizosphere microbiome from healthy and diseased mustard plants under organic greenhouse cultivation. Through next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis, our results revealed that the rhizosphere microbiome structure of healthy mustard plants was significantly different from those of the diseased mustard plants under organic greenhouse cultivation. Our findings suggest that soil microbiome composition can influence the growth of the vegetable significantly. As such, we have shown the impact of soil microbiome on vegetable growth under organic greenhouse cultivation and provide a possible strategy for sustainable agriculture.


Crisis ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuan-Ying Lee ◽  
Chung-Yi Li ◽  
Kun-Chia Chang ◽  
Tsung-Hsueh Lu ◽  
Ying-Yeh Chen

Abstract. Background: We investigated the age at exposure to parental suicide and the risk of subsequent suicide completion in young people. The impact of parental and offspring sex was also examined. Method: Using a cohort study design, we linked Taiwan's Birth Registry (1978–1997) with Taiwan's Death Registry (1985–2009) and identified 40,249 children who had experienced maternal suicide (n = 14,431), paternal suicide (n = 26,887), or the suicide of both parents (n = 281). Each exposed child was matched to 10 children of the same sex and birth year whose parents were still alive. This yielded a total of 398,081 children for our non-exposed cohort. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to compare the suicide risk of the exposed and non-exposed groups. Results: Compared with the non-exposed group, offspring who were exposed to parental suicide were 3.91 times (95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.10–4.92 more likely to die by suicide after adjusting for baseline characteristics. The risk of suicide seemed to be lower in older male offspring (HR = 3.94, 95% CI = 2.57–6.06), but higher in older female offspring (HR = 5.30, 95% CI = 3.05–9.22). Stratified analyses based on parental sex revealed similar patterns as the combined analysis. Limitations: As only register-­based data were used, we were not able to explore the impact of variables not contained in the data set, such as the role of mental illness. Conclusion: Our findings suggest a prominent elevation in the risk of suicide among offspring who lost their parents to suicide. The risk elevation differed according to the sex of the afflicted offspring as well as to their age at exposure.


Author(s):  
Gražina ŽIBIENĖ ◽  
Alvydas ŽIBAS ◽  
Goda BLAŽAITYTĖ

The construction of dams in rivers negatively affects ecosystems because dams violate the continuity of rivers, transform the biological and physical structure of the river channels, and the most importantly – alter the hydrological regime. The impact on the hydrology of the river can occur through reducing or increasing flows, altering seasonality of flows, changing the frequency, duration and timing of flow events, etc. In order to determine the extent of the mentioned changes, The Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration (IHA) software was used in this paper. The results showed that after the construction of Angiriai dam, such changes occurred in IHA Parameters group as: the water conditions of April month decreased by 31 %; 1-day, 3-days, 7-days and 30-days maximum flow decreased; the date of minimum flow occurred 21 days later; duration of high and low pulses and the frequency of low pulses decreased, but the frequency of high pulses increased, etc. The analysis of the Environmental Flow Components showed, that the essential differences were recorded in groups of the small and large floods, when, after the establishment of the Šušvė Reservoir, the large floods no longer took place and the probability of frequency of the small floods didn’t exceed 1 time per year.


2013 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 40-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Young ◽  
Philip Davignon ◽  
Margaret B. Hansen ◽  
Mark A. Eggen

ABSTRACT Recent media coverage has focused on the supply of physicians in the United States, especially with the impact of a growing physician shortage and the Affordable Care Act. State medical boards and other entities maintain data on physician licensure and discipline, as well as some biographical data describing their physician populations. However, there are gaps of workforce information in these sources. The Federation of State Medical Boards' (FSMB) Census of Licensed Physicians and the AMA Masterfile, for example, offer valuable information, but they provide a limited picture of the physician workforce. Furthermore, they are unable to shed light on some of the nuances in physician availability, such as how much time physicians spend providing direct patient care. In response to these gaps, policymakers and regulators have in recent years discussed the creation of a physician minimum data set (MDS), which would be gathered periodically and would provide key physician workforce information. While proponents of an MDS believe it would provide benefits to a variety of stakeholders, an effort has not been attempted to determine whether state medical boards think it is important to collect physician workforce data and if they currently collect workforce information from licensed physicians. To learn more, the FSMB sent surveys to the executive directors at state medical boards to determine their perceptions of collecting workforce data and current practices regarding their collection of such data. The purpose of this article is to convey results from this effort. Survey findings indicate that the vast majority of boards view physician workforce information as valuable in the determination of health care needs within their state, and that various boards are already collecting some data elements. Analysis of the data confirms the potential benefits of a physician minimum data set (MDS) and why state medical boards are in a unique position to collect MDS information from physicians.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-173
Author(s):  
Spenser Robinson ◽  
A.J. Singh

This paper shows Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified hospitality properties exhibit increased expenses and earn lower net operating income (NOI) than non-certified buildings. ENERGY STAR certified properties demonstrate lower overall expenses than non-certified buildings with statistically neutral NOI effects. Using a custom sample of all green buildings and their competitive data set as of 2013 provided by Smith Travel Research (STR), the paper documents potential reasons for this result including increased operational expenses, potential confusion with certified and registered LEED projects in the data, and qualitative input. The qualitative input comes from a small sample survey of five industry professionals. The paper provides one of the only analyses on operating efficiencies with LEED and ENERGY STAR hospitality properties.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-202
Author(s):  
Ahmed Rachid El-Khattabi ◽  
T. William Lester

The use of tax increment financing (TIF) remains a popular, yet highly controversial, tool among policy makers in their efforts to promote economic development. This study conducts a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of Missouri’s TIF program, specifically in Kansas City and St. Louis, in creating economic opportunities. We build a time-series data set starting 1990 through 2012 of detailed employment levels, establishment counts, and sales at the census block-group level to run a set of difference-in-differences with matching estimates for the impact of TIF at the local level. Although we analyze the impact of TIF on a wide set of indicators and across various industry sectors, we find no conclusive evidence that the TIF program in either city has a causal impact on key economic development indicators.


2017 ◽  
Vol 727 ◽  
pp. 447-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Dai ◽  
Hua Yan ◽  
Jian Jian Yang ◽  
Jun Jun Guo

To evaluate the aging behavior of high density polyethylene (HDPE) under an artificial accelerated environment, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to establish a non-dimensional expression Z from a data set of multiple degradation parameters of HDPE. In this study, HDPE samples were exposed to the accelerated thermal oxidative environment for different time intervals up to 64 days. The results showed that the combined evaluating parameter Z was characterized by three-stage changes. The combined evaluating parameter Z increased quickly in the first 16 days of exposure and then leveled off. After 40 days, it began to increase again. Among the 10 degradation parameters, branching degree, carbonyl index and hydroxyl index are strongly associated. The tensile modulus is highly correlated with the impact strength. The tensile strength, tensile modulus and impact strength are negatively correlated with the crystallinity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yahya Albalawi ◽  
Jim Buckley ◽  
Nikola S. Nikolov

AbstractThis paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of data pre-processing and word embedding techniques in the context of Arabic document classification in the domain of health-related communication on social media. We evaluate 26 text pre-processings applied to Arabic tweets within the process of training a classifier to identify health-related tweets. For this task we use the (traditional) machine learning classifiers KNN, SVM, Multinomial NB and Logistic Regression. Furthermore, we report experimental results with the deep learning architectures BLSTM and CNN for the same text classification problem. Since word embeddings are more typically used as the input layer in deep networks, in the deep learning experiments we evaluate several state-of-the-art pre-trained word embeddings with the same text pre-processing applied. To achieve these goals, we use two data sets: one for both training and testing, and another for testing the generality of our models only. Our results point to the conclusion that only four out of the 26 pre-processings improve the classification accuracy significantly. For the first data set of Arabic tweets, we found that Mazajak CBOW pre-trained word embeddings as the input to a BLSTM deep network led to the most accurate classifier with F1 score of 89.7%. For the second data set, Mazajak Skip-Gram pre-trained word embeddings as the input to BLSTM led to the most accurate model with F1 score of 75.2% and accuracy of 90.7% compared to F1 score of 90.8% achieved by Mazajak CBOW for the same architecture but with lower accuracy of 70.89%. Our results also show that the performance of the best of the traditional classifier we trained is comparable to the deep learning methods on the first dataset, but significantly worse on the second dataset.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Glaspole ◽  
Francesco Bonella ◽  
Elena Bargagli ◽  
Marilyn K. Glassberg ◽  
Fabian Caro ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) predominantly affects individuals aged > 60 years who have several comorbidities. Nintedanib is an approved treatment for IPF, which reduces the rate of decline in forced vital capacity (FVC). We assessed the efficacy and safety of nintedanib in patients with IPF who were elderly and who had multiple comorbidities. Methods Data were pooled from five clinical trials in which patients were randomised to receive nintedanib 150 mg twice daily or placebo. We assessed outcomes in subgroups by age < 75 versus ≥ 75 years, by < 5 and ≥ 5 comorbidities, and by Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) ≤ 3 and > 3 at baseline. Results The data set comprised 1690 patients. Nintedanib reduced the rate of decline in FVC (mL/year) over 52 weeks versus placebo in patients aged ≥ 75 years (difference: 105.3 [95% CI 39.3, 171.2]) (n = 326) and < 75 years (difference 125.2 [90.1, 160.4]) (n = 1364) (p = 0.60 for treatment-by-time-by-subgroup interaction), in patients with < 5 comorbidities (difference: 107.9 [95% CI 65.0, 150.9]) (n = 843) and ≥ 5 comorbidities (difference 139.3 [93.8, 184.8]) (n = 847) (p = 0.41 for treatment-by-time-by-subgroup interaction) and in patients with CCI score ≤ 3 (difference: 106.4 [95% CI 70.4, 142.4]) (n = 1330) and CCI score > 3 (difference: 129.5 [57.6, 201.4]) (n = 360) (p = 0.57 for treatment-by-time-by-subgroup interaction). The adverse event profile of nintedanib was generally similar across subgroups. The proportion of patients with adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation was greater in patients aged ≥ 75 years than < 75 years in both the nintedanib (26.4% versus 16.0%) and placebo (12.2% versus 10.8%) groups. Similarly the proportion of patients with adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation was greater in patients with ≥ 5 than < 5 comorbidities (nintedanib: 20.5% versus 15.7%; placebo: 12.1% versus 10.0%). Conclusions Our findings suggest that the effect of nintedanib on reducing the rate of FVC decline is consistent across subgroups based on age and comorbidity burden. Proactive management of adverse events is important to reduce the impact of adverse events and help patients remain on therapy. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00514683, NCT01335464, NCT01335477, NCT02788474, NCT01979952.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document