Abstract
Glaciers in high-altitude mountain regions are retreating rapidly due to global warming, exposing deglaciated soils to extreme environmental conditions, and microbial colonization. However, ...knowledge about chemolithoautotrophic microbes, which play important roles in the development of oligotrophic deglaciated soils prior to plant colonization, remains elusive in deglaciated soils. Using real-time quantitative PCR and clone library methods, the diversity and succession of the chemolithoautotrophic microbial community harboring the cbbM gene across a 14-year deglaciation chronosequence on the Tibetan Plateau were determined. The abundance of the cbbM gene remained stable for the first 8 years after deglaciation and then increased significantly, ranging from 105 to 107 gene copies g−1 soil (P < 0.001). Soil total carbon increased gradually to 5-year deglaciation and then decreased. While total nitrogen and total sulfur levels were low throughout the chronosequence. Chemolithoautotrophs were related to Gammaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria, with the former dominating early deglaciated soils and the latter dominating older deglaciated soils. The diversity of chemolithoautotrophs was high in mid-age deglaciated soils (6-year-old) and was low in early (3-year-old) and older deglaciated soils (12-year-old). Our findings revealed that chemolithoautotrophic microbes colonize deglaciated soils quickly and follow a clear successional pattern across recently deglaciated chronosequences.
Chemolithoautotrophic microbes colonize deglaciated soils quickly and follow a clear successional pattern across recently deglaciated chronosequences.
This paper examines the impact on Factor of Safety (FS) value due to the variation in distributed load (L
D
), Crest length (C
L
), shear strength (τ), and shear stress (σ) both in seismic and ...non-seismic conditions. The main purpose of this paper is to develop correlations between these parameters, which can be used in any slope stability analysis design project. Forty number of analyses are performed by considering different soil material properties. Slope stability analysis is performed using Slide software and correlations are developed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software as well as with the help of Microsoft Excel. The analysis results indicate that the seismic slope stability analysis gives optimum value for slope FS and therefore it is highly recommended to perform and give preference to seismic slope stability analysis of any soil slope to compute and recommend FS value. The main novelty of this paper are the eight new correlations. These correlations can be used in slope stability projects like earthfill dams design, embankments, or any slope design project or case study to know about the slope factor of safety in detail.
Assessment and analysis of soil slope stability is an important part of geotechnical engineering at all times. This paper examines the assessment of soil slope stability in fine-grained soils. The ...effect of change in shear strength (τ), shear stress (σ) and slope angle (β) on the factor of safety has been studied. It correlates shear strength with slope angle and shear stress by considering the horizontal seismic coefficients in both saturated and unsaturated conditions. The slope failure surface was considered a circular slip surface. Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) and Slide, numerical modeling software and limit equilibrium slope stability analysis software, respectively, are used to find out the correlations between the three basic parameters. The slope angle varied from 70 to 88 degrees, which are the most critical values for slope angles, and a total of 200 analyses were performed. τ, β and σ are correlated, and the correlations are provided in the results section. The results indicate that the correlations developed between the parameters have a very close relationship. The applicability of the developed equations is above 99%. These correlations are applicable in any type of soil slope stability analysis, where the value of shear strength and factor of safety is required with the variation of slope angle and shear stress.
The effective utilization of slag-based Silicon fertilizer (silicate fertilizer) in agriculture to improve crop productivity and to mitigate environmental consequences turns it into a high value ...added product in sustainable agriculture. Despite the integral role of soil microbiome in agricultural production and virtually all ecosystem processes, our understanding of the microbial role in ecosystem functions and agricultural productivity in response to the silicate fertilizer amendment is, however, elusive. In this study, using 16S rRNA gene and ITS amplicon illumina sequencing and a functional gene microarray, i.e., GeoChip 5, we report for the first time the responses of soil microbes and their functions to the silicate fertilizer amendment in two different geographic races of Oryza sativa var. Japonica (Japonica rice) and var. Indica (Indica rice). The silicate fertilizer significantly increased soil pH, photosynthesis rate, nutrient (i.e., C, Si, Fe, P) availability and crop productivity, but decreased N availability and CH4 and N2O emissions. Moreover, the silicate fertilizer application significantly altered soil bacterial and fungal community composition and increased abundance of functional genes involved in labile C degradation, C and N fixation, phosphorus utilization, CH4 oxidation, and metal detoxification, whereas those involve in CH4 production and denitrification were decreased. The changes in the taxonomic and functional structure of microbial communities by the silicate fertilizer were mostly regulated by soil pH, plant photosynthesis, and nutrient availability. This study provides novel insights into our understanding of microbial functional processes in response to the silicate fertilizer amendment in rice cropping systems and has important implications for sustainable rice production.
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•Silicate fertilization increased abundance of genes involved in labile C degradation.•Silicate fertilization increased gene abundance for C and N fixation.•Silicate fertilization significantly decreased gene (mcrA) abundance for methanogen.•It significantly increased gene (pmoA) abundance for methanotroph.•Silicate fertilization significantly increased metal detoxifying gene abundance.
Liver fibrosis and fibrosis-associated hepatocarcinogenesis are driven by chronic inflammation and are leading causes of morbidity and death worldwide. SYK signaling regulates critical processes in ...innate and adaptive immunity, as well as parenchymal cells. We discovered high SYK expression in the parenchymal hepatocyte, hepatic stellate cell (HSC), and the inflammatory compartments in the fibrotic liver. We postulated that targeting SYK would mitigate hepatic fibrosis and oncogenic progression. We found that inhibition of SYK with the selective small molecule inhibitors Piceatannol and PRT062607 markedly protected against toxin-induced hepatic fibrosis, associated hepatocellular injury and intra-hepatic inflammation, and hepatocarcinogenesis. SYK inhibition resulted in increased intra-tumoral expression of the p16 and p53 but decreased expression of Bcl-xL and SMAD4. Further, hepatic expression of genes regulating angiogenesis, apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, and cellular senescence were affected by targeting SYK. We found that SYK inhibition mitigated both HSC trans-differentiation and acquisition of an inflammatory phenotype in T cells, B cells, and myeloid cells. However, in vivo experiments employing selective targeted deletion of SYK indicated that only SYK deletion in the myeloid compartment was sufficient to confer protection against fibrogenic progression. Targeting SYK promoted myeloid cell differentiation into hepato-protective TNFα
CD206
phenotype downregulating mTOR, IL-8 signaling and oxidative phosphorylation. Collectively, these data suggest that SYK is an attractive target for experimental therapeutics in treating hepatic fibrosis and oncogenesis.
In temperate rice paddy fields, winter cover cropping and its biomass application are strongly recommended to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stock and decrease global warming potential (GWP). ...However, its biomass application may increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly methane (CH4), during flooded rice cultivation. To evaluate the effect of cover cropping and its biomass application on the annual net GWP in a mono-rice cultivation system, we evaluated the emission rates of CH4, nitrous oxide (N2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2) under different cover cropping during the fallow and rice-growing seasons. In cover cropping treatments, barley, hairy vetch, and a barley and hairy vetch mixture were cultivated as winter cover crops without fertilization during the fallow season. Moreover, the total aboveground biomass was incorporated as a green manure one week before rice transplanting. The recommended levels of chemical fertilizers were applied for rice cultivation in the control treatment (NPK) for comparison. The emission rates of CH4, soil respiration, and N2O gases were simultaneously monitored once a week using the closed-chamber method. However, the soil respiration fluxes included only soil respiration and excluded soil C sequestration through cover cropping and its biomass recycling. The net ecosystem C budget (NECB), which is defined as the difference between the total organic C input and output, was estimated to ascertain the pure soil respiration emission fluxes by mass balance approach. Finally, the net GWP was compared among treatments for the two cultivation seasons. During the dry fallow season, cover cropping significantly increased the soil respiration, and this treatment mineralized C loss significantly increased the seasonal net GWP. In comparison, the cover crop biomass application as green manure increased the soil C balance (NECB) during the rice growing season but more significantly increased the CH4 emission. As a result, the cover cultivation and its biomass application greatly increased the annual net GWP scale upon cover cropping rice paddy soil. Therefore, soil management practices that can decrease CH4 emission during rice cultivation should be adopted in cover cropping of the rice paddy soil.
•Cover cropping was very effective to increase soil C stock in rice paddy.•Cover crop biomass application increased more highly CH4 emission during rice cultivation.•Cover cropping increased more highly the annual net GWP value than soil C stock.
Identification of potential landslides and evaluation of landside risk during impounding and operation are deemed necessary to ensure the safety of the project operations. The scope of the current ...studies for the accomplishment of the aforementioned purposes is to review of published materials, interpretation of satellite images and topographic maps, site reconnaissance and preparation of geological map and preliminary assessment of hazard and risk of identified landslides. The interpretations presented herein are based on study of satellite (Quick Bird Google TM Earth) images, Survey of Pakistan (SOP) sheets, previously published geological maps and reports pertaining to the project area followed by ground verification in the field. This paper presents a preliminary assessment of the reservoir slopes, briefly discussing physiography, geology, potential and active reservoir landslides and a preliminary landslides risk assessment. The conclusions and recommendations provided at the end of this report summarises the studies conducted, potential and active landslides, their subsequent risk assessment and further need of detailed studies.
Background and Aims
The recruitment and activation of inflammatory cells in the liver delineates the transition from hepatic steatosis to steatohepatitis (SH).
Approach and Results
We found that in ...SH, γδT cells are recruited to the liver by C‐C chemokine receptor (CCR) 2, CCR5, and nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain‐containing protein 2 signaling and are skewed toward an interleukin (IL)‐17A+ phenotype in an inducible costimulator (ICOS)/ICOS ligand–dependent manner. γδT cells exhibit a distinct Vγ4+, PD1+, Ly6C+CD44+ phenotype in SH. Moreover, γδT cells up‐regulate both CD1d, which is necessary for lipid‐based antigens presentation, and the free fatty acid receptor, CD36. γδT cells are stimulated to express IL‐17A by palmitic acid and CD1d ligation. Deletion, depletion, and targeted interruption of γδT cell recruitment protects against diet‐induced SH and accelerates disease resolution.
Conclusions
We demonstrate that hepatic γδT cells exacerbate SH, independent of IL‐17 expression, by mitigating conventional CD4+ T‐cell expansion and modulating their inflammatory program by CD1d‐dependent vascular endothelial growth factor expression.
The genomic miscellany of malaria parasites can help inform the intensity of malaria transmission and identify potential deficiencies in malaria control programs. This study was aimed at ...investigating the genomic miscellany, allele frequencies, and MOI of P. falciparum infection.
A total of 85 P. falciparum confirmed isolates out of 100 were included in this study that were collected from P. falciparum patients aged 4 months to 60 years in nine districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Parasite DNA was extracted from 200µL whole blood samples using the Qiagen DNA extraction kit following the manufacturer's instructions. The polymorphic regions of msp-1, msp-2 and glurp loci were genotyped using nested PCR followed by gel electrophoresis for amplified fragments identification and subsequent data analysis.
Out of 85 P. falciparum infections detected, 30 were msp-1 and 32 were msp-2 alleles specific. Successful amplification occurred in 88.23% (75/85) isolates for msp-1, 78.9% (67/85) for msp-2 and 70% (60/85) for glurp gene. In msp-1, the K1 allelic family was predominantly prevalent as 66.66% (50/75), followed by RO33 and MAD20. The frequency of samples with single infection having only K1, MAD20 and RO33 were 21.34% (16/75), 8% (6/75), and 10.67% (8/75), respectively. In msp-2, both the FC27 and 3D7 allelic families revealed almost the same frequencies as 70.14% (47/67) and 67.16% (45/67), respectively. Nine glurp RII region alleles were identified in 60 isolates. The overall mean multiplicity of infection for msp genes was 1.6 with 1.8 for msp-1 and 1.4 for msp-2, while for glurp the MOI was 1.03. There was no significant association between multiplicity of infection and age groups (Spearman's rank coefficient = 0.050; P = 0.6) while MOI and parasite density correlated for only msp-2 allelic marker.
The study showed high genetic diversity and allelic frequency with multiple clones of msp-1, msp-2 and glurp in P. falciparum isolates in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. In the present study the genotype data may provide valuable information essential for monitoring the impact of malaria eradication efforts in this region.
Controlled-release effervescent floating bilayer tablets reduce dosage frequency and improve patient compliance with enhanced therapeutic outcomes. Generally, two different tablets of clarithromycin ...and esomeprazole, respectively, are given for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection and it might be worth incorporating both in a single tablet. In the current study, controlled-release floating bilayer tablets of clarithromycin and esomeprazole (F1−F4) were developed with different rates of polymeric materials by a direct compression method. During the formulation, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was performed for possible interactions between drugs and excipients. No interactions between drugs and excipients were noted. Moreover, the bilayer tablets’ thickness, diameter, friability, hardness, weight variation, dissolution, and percent purity were found within the acceptable limits. The floating lag time and total floating time of all formulations were found to be < 25 s and 24 h, respectively. The release of both the clarithromycin and esomeprazole started at the same time from the controlled-release floating bilayer tablets by anomalous non-Fickian diffusion, and the polymeric materials extended the drug release rate up to 24 h. In the case of F1, the results approached ideal zero-order kinetics. The dissolution profiles of the tested and reference tablet formulations were compared, but no significant differences were observed. It can be concluded that such controlled-release effervescent floating bilayer tablets can be efficiently used in clinical practice to reduce dosage frequency and increase patient compliance with continuous drug release for 24 h, which ultimately might enhance therapeutic efficacy.
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