Interactions between soil nitrogen (N) availability, fungal community composition, and soil organic matter (SOM) regulate soil carbon (C) dynamics in many forest ecosystems, but context dependency in ...these relationships has precluded general predictive theory. We found that ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi with peroxidases decreased with increasing inorganic N availability across a natural inorganic N gradient in northern temperate forests, whereas ligninolytic fungal saprotrophs exhibited no response. Lignin‐derived SOM and soil C were negatively correlated with ECM fungi with peroxidases and were positively correlated with inorganic N availability, suggesting decay of lignin‐derived SOM by these ECM fungi reduced soil C storage. The correlations we observed link SOM decay in temperate forests to tradeoffs in tree N nutrition and ECM composition, and we propose SOM varies along a single continuum across temperate and boreal ecosystems depending upon how tree allocation to functionally distinct ECM taxa and environmental stress covary with soil N availability.
Ectomycorrhizal fungi with peroxidases decline with increasing soil inorganic nitrogen availability. Lignin‐derived soil organic matter and total soil carbon are negatively correlated with ectomycorrhizal fungi with peroxidases, causing soil carbon storage to increase with increasing soil inorganic nitrogen. Naturally high soil inorganic nitrogen availability in temperate forests promotes soil carbon storage by reducing the decay of lignin‐derived soil organic matter by ectomycorrhizal fungi with peroxidases.
Understanding how genetic differences among soil microorganisms regulate spatial patterns in litter decay remains a persistent challenge in ecology. Despite fine root litter accounting for ~50% of ...total litter production in forest ecosystems, far less is known about the microbial decay of fine roots relative to aboveground litter. Here, we evaluated whether fine root decay occurred more rapidly where fungal communities have a greater genetic potential for litter decay. Additionally, we tested if linkages between decay and fungal genes can be adequately captured by delineating saprotrophic and ectomycorrhizal fungal functional groups based on whether they have genes encoding certain ligninolytic class II peroxidase enzymes, which oxidize lignin and polyphenolic compounds. To address these ideas, we used a litterbag study paired with fungal DNA barcoding to characterize fine root decay rates and fungal community composition at the landscape scale in northern temperate forests, and we estimated the genetic potential of fungal communities for litter decay using publicly available genomes. Fine root decay occurred more rapidly where fungal communities had a greater genetic potential for decay, especially of cellulose and hemicellulose. Fine root decay was positively correlated with ligninolytic saprotrophic fungi and negatively correlated with ECM fungi with ligninolytic peroxidases, likely because these saprotrophic and ectomycorrhizal functional groups had the highest and lowest genetic potentials for plant cell wall degradation, respectively. These fungal variables overwhelmed direct environmental controls, suggesting fungal community composition and genetic variation are primary controls over fine root decay in temperate forests at regional scales.
Artificial intelligence (AI) carries great potential for data-based process improvements in intralogistics of manufacturing companies. This paper provides a comprehensive catalog of ten AI use cases ...structured along the most relevant intralogistics processes. The catalog has been elaborated during several workshops in the research project IMAGINE and results from a systematic process analysis using e.g. OMEGA and material flow methods. Furthermore, all identified AI use cases are assessed regarding their effort-benefit ratio based on a survey with domain experts and AI experts of three involved manufacturing companies and two research institutes. Both the use case catalog and the assessment show promising AI applications in intralogistics and thus support decision-makers in the strategic planning and implementation of AI.
OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and accuracy of non-radioactive target lymph node (TLN) biopsy and targeted axillary dissection (TAD) in routine clinical practice.
...BACKGROUND DATA:TAD involves TLN biopsy (TLNB) and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and was recently introduced as a new standard for less invasive axillary staging in breast cancer (BC) patients undergoing neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST); however, clinical evidence is limited.
METHODS:The SenTa study is a prospective registry study conducted at 50 centers. Patients with invasive BC who underwent clip insertion into the most suspicious axillary lymph node (LN) were eligible. Axillary surgery was performed with or without SLNB, TLNB, and/or axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Main endpoints were the detection rate (DR) and false-negative rate (FNR) of TLNB and TAD after NST.
RESULTS:Between 2017 and 2018, 548 consecutive BC patients underwent clip placement into biopsy-confirmed positive LNs. After NST (n = 473), the clipped TLN was intraoperatively resected in 329 of 423 patients (77.8%, 95% confidence interval CI74.0 to 82.0). TAD was successful in 199 of 229 patients (DR86.9%, 95% CI81.8 to 91.0), the SLN and TLN were identical in 129 patient (64.8%). FNRs were 7.2% (8 of 111, 95% CI3.1 to 13.6) for TLNB followed by ALND (n = 203) and 4.3% (2 of 46, 95% CI0.5 to 14.8) for TAD followed by ALND (n = 77).
CONCLUSIONS:The SenTa study demonstrates the feasibility of TAD in a real-world cohort of BC patients. Our findings are of great importance for de-escalation of surgical strategies.
Objective
To investigate correlates in hippocampal subfield volume and verbal and visual memory function in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), mild amnestic cognitive impairment (MCI) and ...heathy participants (HP).
Methods
50 right-handed participants were included in this study; 11 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), 18 patients with mild amnestic cognitive impairment (MCI) and 21 healthy participants (HP). Verbal memory performance was evaluated via the verbal memory test (VLMT) and visual memory performance via the diagnosticum for cerebral damage (DCM). Hippocampal subfield volumes of T1-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans were computed with FreeSurfer version 7.1. Stepwise correlation analyses were performed between the left hippocampal subfield volumes and learning, free recall, consolidation and recognition performance scores of the VLMT as well as between right hippocampal subfield volumes and visual memory performance.
Results
The volume of the left subicular complex was highly correlated to learning performance (
β
= 0.284;
p
= 0.042) and free recall performance in the VLMT (
β
= 0.434;
p
= 0.001). The volume of the left CA3 subfield showed a significant correlation to the consolidation performance in the VLMT (
β
= 0.378;
p
= 0.006) and recognition performance in the VLMT (
β
= 0.290;
p
= 0.037). There was no significant correlation identified between the right hippocampal subfields and the visual memory performance.
Conclusion
The results of this study show verbal memory correlates with hippocampal subfields and support the role of left subiculum and left CA2/CA3 in verbal memory performance.
We report detailed functional MRI (fMRI) analyses in a patient with reflex seizures elicited by driving along a specific rural crossroad or by watching a video thereof. Semiology consisted of ...epigastric aura, followed by a sensory seizure of the left hand and sporadic automotor seizures. The right amygdala‐region (rh‐amygdala) was surgically and electroclinically confirmed as the epileptogenic zone. Presurgical task‐fMRI was performed, during which videos of the driving along that specific crossroad (IC), of another crossroad (NC) or noise were presented. Independent component analysis was conducted, and one component was used to aid in selection of a seed region within the rh‐amygdala for subsequent psychophysiological interaction analysis (PPI). Here, the following regions showed stronger connectivity with the rh‐amygdala seed during the IC condition compared to NC: right > left visual cortex, bilateral insulae, and right secondary somatosensory cortex (S2), potentially explaining epigastric aura and left somatosensory seizure semiology. Contralateral analyses did not reproduce these results. Overall, the ictogenic stimulus elicited enhanced connectivity of the epileptogenic rh‐amygdala with visual cortex and further regions of potential seizure spread (S2, insula) as a putative mechanism of ictogenesis. Our results highlight the potential of PPI in the analysis of stimulus‐dependent networks in patients with reflex epilepsies to gain insight into seizure generation.
The purpose of this article is to assess the implications of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) accession of eight Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) on their share of EMU-12 imports. ...Overcoming biases related to endogeneity, omitted variables and sample selection, our results indicate that the common currency has boosted intra-EMU imports by 7%. Under the assumption that the same relationship between the explanatory variables and imports will hold for EMU-CEEC trade, we intend to predict the future impact of the Euro. Our findings suggest that except for the least integrated countries, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, all CEECs can expect increases in the EMU-12 import share.
China wird als Außenhandelspartner der EU zunehmend bedeutend. Welche Produkte werden gehandelt? Wie kam es zu Handelskonflikten? Welche Chancen und Risiken gibt es im Außenhandel mit China? Welche ...Handelsstrategie sollte die Europäische Union gegenüber China verfolgen?
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