scholarly journals Incorporating Species-Conditional Co-Occurrence When Selecting Indicator Species to Monitor Restoration after Mangrove Removal from the Siangshan Wetland, Taiwan

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1044
Author(s):  
Ta-Jen Chu ◽  
Chun-Han Shih ◽  
Yu-Ming Lu ◽  
Yi-Jia Shih ◽  
Jia-Qiao Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Indicator Species ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
City Government ◽  
Benthic Organisms ◽  
Population Responses ◽  
Ecological Information ◽  
Rehabilitation Strategy ◽  
Selection Of

This paper presents an approach for incorporating species-conditional co-occurrence into models used for the selection of marine indicator species. Mangrove invasion within the Siangshan Wetland in Hsinchu, Taiwan, has changed the original structures and functions of habitats for benthic organisms. The Hsinchu City Government ran a large-scale mangrove removal project from October 2015 to March 2016 to restore the wetland. From October 2015 to September 2016, we investigated the biological effects of mangrove removal on benthic crabs and their adjacent habitats. Density, number of species, Shannon–Weaver index (H′) and Palou’s evenness index (J′) were calculated and compared between mangrove and non-mangrove regions. The results showed that values for these attributes in the non-mangrove regions were higher than those of the mangrove regions. After mangrove removal, species returned to their original habitats and the related density increased significantly. Using conditional co-occurrence algorithms, we identified five indicator species (Mictyris brevidactylus, Macrophthalmus banzai, Uca arcuata, Uca lacteal and Uca borealis) with high co-occurrence probabilities, whose population responses provided direct evidence of the benefits of mangrove removal for wetland restoration. The results indicate that mangrove removal is an appropriate habitat rehabilitation strategy for benthic organisms, and that the chosen indicator species may provide valuable ecological information for coastal managers seeking to control the spread of mangroves.

scholarly journals Effects of mangrove removal on benthic organisms in the Siangshan Wetland in Hsinchu, Taiwan

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Chi Chen ◽  
Ta-Jen Chu ◽  
Ju-Der Wei ◽  
Chun-Han Shih
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Satellite Telemetry ◽  
Wiener Index ◽  
City Government ◽  
Benthic Organisms ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Rehabilitation Strategy ◽  
Structure And Functions ◽  
Mangrove Biomass ◽  
Mangrove Degradation

Mangrove degradation is a well-documented trend, but the spread of mangroves within the Siangshan Wetland in Hsinchu, Taiwan, runs contrary to that trend. The spread of mangroves changes the structure and functions of habitats for benthic organisms, causes infilling of estuaries and flooding and creates breeding grounds for small black mosquitoes. A large-scale mangrove-removal project was undertaken by the Hsinchu City Government from October 2015 to March 2016. They also investigated the consequences of mangrove removal on benthic organisms and adjacent habitats from October 2015 to September 2016, and the density, species count, Shannon–Wiener index (H′), and Pielou’s evenness index (J′) of the mangrove and non-mangrove regions were compared. In this study, we used satellite telemetry images to monitor fluctuations in mangrove density from 2006 to 2016. The non-mangrove region exhibited more variations than the mangrove region. After mangrove removal, species returned to their original habitats and noteworthy biological values significantly increased in the mangrove regions. This study presents evidence to argue that mangrove removal benefits benthic organisms. The results indicate that mangrove removal can be an appropriate habitat rehabilitation strategy for benthic organisms. The ecological findings of this study can inform coastal managers or other officials who seek to steward mangrove biomass.

Platelet Anti-Aggregating Activity and Tolerance of Clopidogrel in Atherosclerotic Patients

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (06) ◽  
pp. 0939-0943 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Boneu ◽  
G Destelle ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Platelet Aggregation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Bleeding Time ◽  
Antithrombotic Activity ◽  
Ambulatory Patients ◽  
Patients At Risk ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Ischemic Events ◽  
Large Scale Clinical Trial ◽  
Selection Of

SummaryThe anti-aggregating activity of five rising doses of clopidogrel has been compared to that of ticlopidine in atherosclerotic patients. The aim of this study was to determine the dose of clopidogrel which should be tested in a large scale clinical trial of secondary prevention of ischemic events in patients suffering from vascular manifestations of atherosclerosis [CAPRIE (Clopidogrel vs Aspirin in Patients at Risk of Ischemic Events) trial]. A multicenter study involving 9 haematological laboratories and 29 clinical centers was set up. One hundred and fifty ambulatory patients were randomized into one of the seven following groups: clopidogrel at doses of 10, 25, 50,75 or 100 mg OD, ticlopidine 250 mg BID or placebo. ADP and collagen-induced platelet aggregation tests were performed before starting treatment and after 7 and 28 days. Bleeding time was performed on days 0 and 28. Patients were seen on days 0, 7 and 28 to check the clinical and biological tolerability of the treatment. Clopidogrel exerted a dose-related inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation and bleeding time prolongation. In the presence of ADP (5 \lM) this inhibition ranged between 29% and 44% in comparison to pretreatment values. The bleeding times were prolonged by 1.5 to 1.7 times. These effects were non significantly different from those produced by ticlopidine. The clinical tolerability was good or fair in 97.5% of the patients. No haematological adverse events were recorded. These results allowed the selection of 75 mg once a day to evaluate and compare the antithrombotic activity of clopidogrel to that of aspirin in the CAPRIE trial.

Large-scale vegetation mapping of the Pinega river valley (the surroundings of Golubino village, Arkhangelsk oblast)

2018 ◽  
pp. 19-39
Author(s):  
M. A. Makarova
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Indicator Species ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Vegetation Mapping ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Floodplain Forests ◽  
Floodplain Vegetation ◽  
Wet Meadows ◽  
Arkhangelsk Oblast

Geobotanical survey of floodplain natural complexes near gypsum outcrops in the Pinega river valley was done in 2015. Large-scale geobotanical map of the key polygon (scale 1 : 30 000) was composed. Typological units of vegetation were selected on the basis of the composition of dominant species and groups of indicator species. Homogeneous and heterogeneous territorial units of vegetation (serial series, combinations, environmental series) were used. 53 mapped unit types (25 homogeneous types and 28 heterogeneous types) were recognized. The floodplain vegetation consists of 17 homogeneous types of plant communities, 3 series, 14 combinations and 6 ecological series. The sites of old floodplain forests, such as willow forests with Urtica sondenii rare in the Arkhangelsk region and oxbow wet meadows with Scolochloa festucacea were identified.

Alexandria, Kom el-Dikka. Fieldwork in the 2019 season

2020 ◽  
pp. 469-496
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Majcherek
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Geometric Design ◽  
Late Antique ◽  
Construction Work ◽  
Floor Tiles ◽  
Stone Material ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Late Roman

The report offers an account of archaeological and conservation work carried out at the site. Excavations in the central part of the site (Sector F) were continued for the fourth season in a row. Exploration of remains of early Roman houses led to the discovery of a well preserved multicolored triclinium mosaic floor with a floral and geometric design. A large assemblage of fragments of polychrome marble floor tiles, recorded in the house collapse, showed the scale of importation of decorative stone material from various regions of the Mediterranean. Overlying the early Roman strata was direct evidence of intensive construction work carried out in the vicinity in the form of large-scale kilnworks, supplying lime most probably for the building of the late Roman bath and cistern. Included in the presentation is a brief review of the limited conservation work that was conducted in the complex of late antique auditoria.

scholarly journals Methodology for Determining the Location of River Ports on a Modernized Waterway Based on Non-Cost Criteria: A Case Study of the Odra River Waterway

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3571
Author(s):  
Bogusz Wiśnicki ◽  
Dorota Dybkowska-Stefek ◽  
Justyna Relisko-Rybak ◽  
Łukasz Kolanda
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Multicriteria Decision Making ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Optimal Selection ◽  
Investment Projects ◽  
Odra River ◽  
Research Problems ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Construction Works

The paper responds to research problems related to the implementation of large-scale investment projects in waterways in Europe. As part of design and construction works, it is necessary to indicate river ports that play a major role within the European transport network as intermodal nodes. This entails a number of challenges, the cardinal one being the optimal selection of port locations, taking into account the new transport, economic, and geopolitical situation that will be brought about by modernized waterways. The aim of the paper was to present an original methodology for determining port locations for modernized waterways based on non-cost criteria, as an extended multicriteria decision-making method (MCDM) and employing GIS (Geographic Information System)-based tools for spatial analysis. The methodology was designed to be applicable to the varying conditions of a river’s hydroengineering structures (free-flowing river, canalized river, and canals) and adjustable to the requirements posed by intermodal supply chains. The method was applied to study the Odra River Waterway, which allowed the formulation of recommendations regarding the application of the method in the case of different river sections at every stage of the research process.

scholarly journals BonMOLière: Small-Sized Libraries of Readily Purchasable Compounds, Optimized to Produce Genuine Hits in Biological Screens across the Protein Space

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 7773
Author(s):  
Neann Mathai ◽  
Conrad Stork ◽  
Johannes Kirchmair
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Computational Approach ◽  
Large Sets ◽  
Compound Libraries ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Protein Space ◽  
High Chance ◽  
Large Scale Screening ◽  
Early Drug ◽  
Selection Of

Experimental screening of large sets of compounds against macromolecular targets is a key strategy to identify novel bioactivities. However, large-scale screening requires substantial experimental resources and is time-consuming and challenging. Therefore, small to medium-sized compound libraries with a high chance of producing genuine hits on an arbitrary protein of interest would be of great value to fields related to early drug discovery, in particular biochemical and cell research. Here, we present a computational approach that incorporates drug-likeness, predicted bioactivities, biological space coverage, and target novelty, to generate optimized compound libraries with maximized chances of producing genuine hits for a wide range of proteins. The computational approach evaluates drug-likeness with a set of established rules, predicts bioactivities with a validated, similarity-based approach, and optimizes the composition of small sets of compounds towards maximum target coverage and novelty. We found that, in comparison to the random selection of compounds for a library, our approach generates substantially improved compound sets. Quantified as the “fitness” of compound libraries, the calculated improvements ranged from +60% (for a library of 15,000 compounds) to +184% (for a library of 1000 compounds). The best of the optimized compound libraries prepared in this work are available for download as a dataset bundle (“BonMOLière”).

scholarly journals A therapeutic vascular conduit to support in vivo cell-secreted therapy

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward X. Han ◽  
Hong Qian ◽  
Bo Jiang ◽  
Maria Figetakis ◽  
Natalia Kosyakova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Graft ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Therapeutic Protein ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Delivery Platform ◽  
Stage Renal Disease ◽  
End Stage

AbstractA significant barrier to implementation of cell-based therapies is providing adequate vascularization to provide oxygen and nutrients. Here we describe an approach for cell transplantation termed the Therapeutic Vascular Conduit (TVC), which uses an acellular vessel as a scaffold for a hydrogel sheath containing cells designed to secrete a therapeutic protein. The TVC can be directly anastomosed as a vascular graft. Modeling supports the concept that the TVC allows oxygenated blood to flow in close proximity to the transplanted cells to prevent hypoxia. As a proof-of-principle study, we used erythropoietin (EPO) as a model therapeutic protein. If implanted as an arteriovenous vascular graft, such a construct could serve a dual role as an EPO delivery platform and hemodialysis access for patients with end-stage renal disease. When implanted into nude rats, TVCs containing EPO-secreting fibroblasts were able to increase serum EPO and hemoglobin levels for up to 4 weeks. However, constitutive EPO expression resulted in macrophage infiltration and luminal obstruction of the TVC, thus limiting longer-term efficacy. Follow-up in vitro studies support the hypothesis that EPO also functions to recruit macrophages. The TVC is a promising approach to cell-based therapeutic delivery that has the potential to overcome the oxygenation barrier to large-scale cellular implantation and could thus be used for a myriad of clinical disorders. However, a complete understanding of the biological effects of the selected therapeutic is absolutely essential.

scholarly journals Predicting Shifts in Land Suitability for Maize Cultivation Worldwide Due to Climate Change: A Modeling Approach

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 295
Author(s):  
Yuan Gao ◽  
Anyu Zhang ◽  
Yaojie Yue ◽  
Jing’ai Wang ◽  
Peng Su
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Land Suitability ◽  
Large Scale Assessment ◽  
Scale Assessment ◽  
Maize Cultivation ◽  
Large Scale Screening ◽  
Selection Of

Suitable land is an important prerequisite for crop cultivation and, given the prospect of climate change, it is essential to assess such suitability to minimize crop production risks and to ensure food security. Although a variety of methods to assess the suitability are available, a comprehensive, objective, and large-scale screening of environmental variables that influence the results—and therefore their accuracy—of these methods has rarely been explored. An approach to the selection of such variables is proposed and the criteria established for large-scale assessment of land, based on big data, for its suitability to maize (Zea mays L.) cultivation as a case study. The predicted suitability matched the past distribution of maize with an overall accuracy of 79% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.72. The land suitability for maize is likely to decrease markedly at low latitudes and even at mid latitudes. The total area suitable for maize globally and in most major maize-producing countries will decrease, the decrease being particularly steep in those regions optimally suited for maize at present. Compared with earlier research, the method proposed in the present paper is simple yet objective, comprehensive, and reliable for large-scale assessment. The findings of the study highlight the necessity of adopting relevant strategies to cope with the adverse impacts of climate change.

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