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Relationships between biodiversity and multiple ecosystem functions (that is, ecosystem multifunctionality) are context-dependent. Both plant and soil microbial diversity have been reported to regulate ecosystem multifunctionality, but how their relative importance varies along environmental gradients remains poorly understood. Here, we relate plant and microbial diversity to soil multifunctionality across 130 dryland sites along a 4,000 km aridity gradient in northern China. Our results show a strong positive association between plant species richness and soil multifunctionality in less arid regions, whereas microbial diversity, in particular of fungi, is positively associated with multifunctionality in more arid regions. This shift in the relationships between plant or microbial diversity and soil multifunctionality occur at an aridity level of ∼0.8, the boundary between semiarid and arid climates, which is predicted to advance geographically ∼28% by the end of the current century. Our study highlights that biodiversity loss of plants and soil microorganisms may have especially strong consequences under low and high aridity conditions, respectively, which calls for climate-specific biodiversity conservation strategies to mitigate the effects of aridification. Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships may vary with climate. Here, the authors study relationships of plant and soil microbial diversity with soil nutrient multifunctionality in 130 dryland sites in China, finding a shift towards greater importance of soil microbial diversity in arid conditions.

Background Plants accomplish multiple functions by the interrelationships between functional traits. Clarifying the complex relationships between plant traits would enable us to better understand how plants employ different strategies to adapt to the environment. Although increasing attention is being paid to plant traits, few studies focused on the adaptation to aridity through the relationship among multiple traits. We established plant trait networks (PTNs) to explore the interdependence of sixteen plant traits across drylands. Results Our results revealed significant differences in PTNs among different plant life-forms and different levels of aridity. Trait relationships for woody plants were weaker, but were more modularized than for herbs. Woody plants were more connected in economic traits, whereas herbs were more connected in structural traits to reduce damage caused by drought. Furthermore, the correlations between traits were tighter with higher edge density in semi-arid than in arid regions, suggesting that resource sharing and trait coordination are more advantageous under low drought conditions. Importantly, our results demonstrated that stem phosphorus concentration (SPC) was a hub trait correlated with other traits across drylands. Conclusions The results demonstrate that plants exhibited adaptations to the arid environment by adjusting trait modules through alternative strategies. PTNs provide a new insight into understanding the adaptation strategies of plants to drought stress based on the interdependence among plant functional traits.

Determining response patterns of plant leaf elements to environmental variables would be beneficial in understanding plant adaptive strategies and in predicting ecosystem biogeochemistry processes. Despite the vital role of microelements in life chemistry and ecosystem functioning, little is known about how plant microelement concentrations, especially their bioconcentration factors (BCFs, the ratio of plant to soil concentration of elements), respond to large-scale environmental gradients, such as aridity, soil properties and anthropogenic activities, in drylands. The aim of the present study was to fill this important gap. We determined leaf microelement BCFs by measuring the concentrations of Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn in soils from 33 sites and leaves of 111 plants from 67 species across the drylands of China. Leaf microelement concentrations were maintained within normal ranges to satisfy the basic requirements of plants, even in nutrient-poor soil. Aridity, soil organic carbon (SOC) and electrical conductivity (EC) had positive effects, while soil pH had a negative effect on leaf microelement concentrations. Except for Fe, aridity affected leaf microelement BCFs negatively and indirectly by increasing soil pH and SOC. Anthropogenic activities and soil clay contents had relatively weak impacts on both leaf microelement concentrations and BCFs. Moreover, leaf microelement concentrations and BCFs shifted with thresholds at 0.89 for aridity and 7.9 and 8.9 for soil pH. Woody plants were positive indicator species and herbaceous plants were mainly negative indicator species of leaf microelement concentrations and BCFs for aridity and soil pH. Our results suggest that increased aridity limits the absorption of microelements by plant leaves and enhances leaf microelement concentrations. The identification of indicator species for the response of plant microelements to aridity and key soil characteristics revealed that woody species in drylands were more tolerant to environmental changes than herbaceous species.

Plants need water and energy for their growth and reproduction. However, how water and energy availability influence dryland plant diversity along the aridity gradient in water-limited regions is still lacking. Hence, quantitative analyses were conducted to evaluate the relative importance of water and energy to dryland plant diversity based on 1039 quadrats across 184 sites in China’s dryland. The results indicated that water availability and the water–energy interaction were pivotal to plant diversity in the entire dryland and consistent with the predictions of the water–energy dynamic hypothesis. The predominance of water limitation on dryland plant diversity showed a weak trend with decreasing aridity, while the effects of energy on plants were found to be significant in mesic regions. Moreover, the responses of different plant lifeforms to water and energy were found to vary along the aridity gradient. In conclusion, the study will enrich the limited knowledge about the effects of water and energy on plant diversity (overall plants and different lifeforms) in the dryland of China along the aridity gradient.

Convergence is commonly caused by environmental filtering, severe climatic conditions and local disturbance. The basic aim of the present study was to understand the pattern of leaf traits across diverse desert plant species in a common garden, in addition to determining the effect of plant life forms (PLF), such as herb, shrub and subshrub, phylogeny and soil properties on leaf traits. Six leaf traits, namely carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), δ13C and leaf water potential (LWP) of 37 dominant desert plant species were investigated and analyzed. The C, N, K and δ13C concentrations in leaves of shrubs were found higher than herbs and subshrubs; however, P and LWP levels were higher in the leaves of subshrubs following herbs and shrubs. Moreover, leaf C showed a significant positive correlation with N and a negative correlation with δ13C. Leaf N exhibited a positive correlation with P. The relationship between soil and plant macro-elements was found generally insignificant but soil C and N exhibited a significant positive correlation with leaf P. Taxonomy showed a stronger effect on leaf C, N, P and δ13C than soil properties, explaining >50% of the total variability. C3 plants showed higher leaf C, N, P, K and LWP concentration than C4 plants, whereas C4 plants had higher δ13C than C3 plants. Legumes exhibited higher leaf C, N, K and LWP than nonlegumes, while nonlegumes had higher P and δ13C concentration than legumes. In all the species, significant phylogenetic signals (PS) were detected for C and N and nonsignificant PS for the rest of the leaf traits. In addition, these phylogenetic signals were found lower (K-value < 1), and the maximum K-value was noted for C (K = 0.35). The plants of common garden evolved and adapted themselves for their survival in the arid environment and showed convergent variations in their leaf traits. However, these variations were not phylogenetics-specific. Furthermore, marks of convergence found in leaf traits of the study area were most likely due to the environmental factors.

Many industrialized nations have created their own standards for determining and grading the dangers posed by ground-borne vibration, notably in terms of human irritation. Excessive vibrations created by trains have an impact not only on individuals, but also on sensitive machinery and buildings. The authority as well as practitioners have critical responsibilities in managing and accessing vibrations. This study discusses the differences between the standard and the limit of vibrations caused by trains that can irritate people. The local standard guideline was compared to the standards used by the US, Norway, Sweden, California, Germany, and the Netherlands. This study was mainly interested in the limitations of vibration velocity in residential settings.

In the face of rising the threat of resistant pathogens, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) offer a viable alternative to the current challenge due to their broad-spectrum activity. This study focuses on enhancing the efficacy of temporin-SHa derived NST-2 peptide (1), which is known for its antimicrobial and anticancer activities. We synthesized new analogs of 1 using three strategies, i.e., retro analog preparation, lysine addition/substitution, and levofloxacin conjugation. Analogs were tested in terms of their antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities. Analog 2, corresponding to retro analog of NST-2, was found to be more active but also more hemolytic, reducing its selectivity index and therapeutic potential. The addition of lysine (in analog 3) and lysine substitution (in analog 7) reduced the hemolytic effect resulting in safer peptides. Conjugation with levofloxacin on the lysine side chain (in analogs 4 and 5) decreased the hemolytic effect but unfortunately also the antimicrobial and anticancer activities of the analogs. Oppositely, conjugation with levofloxacin at the N-terminus of the peptide via the β-alanine linker (in analogs 6 and 8) increased their antimicrobial and anticancer activity but also their hemolytic effect, resulting in less safe/selective analogs. In conclusion, lysine addition/substitution and levofloxacin conjugation, at least at the N-terminal position through the β-alanine linker, were found to enhance the therapeutic potential of retro analogs of NST-2 whereas other modifications decreased the activity or increased the toxicity of the peptides.

Drivers travel at speed they assumed to be comfortable to achieve prevailing conditions and road geometry. The relationship between road geometrical design and speed of travelling vehicle is very prominent especially when travelling at the horizontal curve of a roadway. Crash events on horizontal curve are higher by the range of 1.5 and 4 times compared to the tangent sections. This is because speed varies according to the perception of constrain imparted to the drivers by the road geometrical design. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between design speeds, operating speeds, and speed limits while drivers negotiate the horizontal curve. Furthermore, this study also investigates the behaviour of driver manoeuvre on the horizontal curve under mesopic and photopic visions. The speed data measurement was based on spot speed data at specific points and locations using the laser gun detector. The study was carried out by analysing the speed characteristics during daytime at three different segments along the horizontal curve (i.e. transition at entering of curve, middle of curve, and transition at leaving of curve). Apart from that, the difference in the mean speed on the contrast sensitivity under mesopic and photopic conditions was determined via t-test. It discovered that vehicles travelling on transition entering the curve tend to travel at higher speed than on the middle of curve and on transition leaving the curve. Based on the preliminary finding, further testing on middle of curve at night time was carried out to find significant effect under mesopic and photopic visual conditions. The research also found that the existing speed limit of the selected road stretches was lower than the 85th percentile speed. The 85th percentile speed is a commonly used measure to decide the speed limit on a road.

Objective: To find out the frequency of intra-operative awareness and to compare the effect of Sevoflurane plus Dexmedetomidine with only Dexmedetomidine infusion in preventing awareness during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Adult Cardiac Surgery and Anesthesiology department, Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology/National Institute of Heart Diseases, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from May to Nov 2023. Methodology: Eighty patients who underwent elective cardiac surgery (valvular and CABG) on Cardiopulmonary Bypass  under general anesthesia irrespective of age and gender were recruited through non-probability consecutive sampling with non-random allocation of study participants. Patients were divided into S Group (Sevoflurane plus Dexmedetomidine Group) and D Group (Dexmedetomidine Group). Modified Brice questionnaire was used to assess awareness after 24 hours of surgery. Chi-square and t-test were applied to compare the study variables among study groups. p <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: A total of 80 patients, who underwent cardiac surgery were recruited. Out of which 40(50.0%) were included in S group and 40(50.0%) were included in D group. 67(83.7%) were males and 13(16.3%) were females. Mean age of the study participants was 59.98±6.85 years. Comparison of study groups showed that 4(10.0%) patients from group-D and 3(7.50%) patients of group-S experienced awareness during surgery (p=1.00). Mean Cardiopulmonary Bypass time was significantly different among study groups (p=0.02) Conclusion: Patients in S-group experienced slightly less awareness as compared to the patients in D-group but the difference was not statistically significant concluding the fact that Dexmedetomidine is sufficient to avoid awareness 

Objective: To compare two techniques of activated clotting time (ACT) measurement by two different devices to evaluate the correlation and agreement between these techniques at different points of time during cardiac surgery. Study Design: Comparative Cross-sectional Study. Study settings: Cardiac Anesthesia Department, Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology and National Institute of Heart Diseases, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Feb 2022 to Apr 2022. Methodology: 100 patients undergoing CABG surgery on pump were included by non-probability consecutive sampling technique. Two devices operating on different techniques of measurement were used to measure ACT at four different points of time during surgery. Same sample was used to measure ACT from both devices. Data was collected and analysed by SPSS V.20.0. Pearson's chi square test and paired sample t-test were applied to measure the significance. Linear regression analysis was done to find correlation and Bland Altman plot was used for checking agreement between ACT values from both devices.p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Out of 100, male patients were 79 and female patients were 21. Their mean age was 54.18±11.91 years and mean weight was 79.06±18.49 kg. Moderate positive correlation was found with Pearson r value of 0.55. There was poor agreement between the ACTs measured by two devices. On average Hem R measures ACT 63.54±50.83 seconds higher than Hem JSP. Average mean and median values for Hem R group are 400.03±59.39 sec and 397.75sec respectively and for Hem JSP group are 336.49±44.63 sec and 340.5 sec respectively. Conclusion: There is moderate positive correlation but poor agreement between the values of ACT measured by Hem R and Hem JSP due to different techniques of measurement so these should not be used interchangeably.