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The United States invests billions of dollars annually to perform stream restoration projects, yet few studies have investigated the effects this ecosystem manipulation has on nutrient cycling and associated water quality. Water quality improvement remains a substantial motivation for mitigating catchment-scale disturbances, especially in urban streams. Various urban land use practices impact the transfer and transport of nutrients such as soluble reactive phosphorus, ammonium, and nitrate plus nitrite from land into the streams and rivers. The uptake length (S w ), or the distance a dissolved nutrient travels downstream within a stream reach, can be measured using short-term nutrient injections, where shorter uptake lengths suggest greater nutrient retention. This study evaluated the efficacy of using nutrient injection experiments as a monitoring tool to assess nutrient retention efficiency in first-order urban restored (RES) and urban unrestored (URE) stream reaches within the Piedmont ecoregion of South Carolina during the winter and summer seasons of 2022. Results suggested that the lack of fine sediment, such as silt and clay, may affect the nutrient cycling of phosphorus. The total nitrogen:total phosphorus ratio indicated the stream was phosphorus-limited during the experiments. The mean soluble reactive phosphorus uptake length throughout the study was shorter in RES than URE, suggesting that the restored reach was more efficient in retaining dissolved phosphorus. During summer injection, RES observed the shortest soluble reactive phosphorus uptake length of 77 m, while URE marked the longest uptake length of 3059 m during the same period. However, during winter injections, the URE segment had both the shortest and longest uptake lengths. In summer, RES exhibited noticeably shorter ammonium uptake lengths, while ammonium uptake lengths could not be calculated in URE. The presence of engineered pools in RES assisted in nutrient dynamics and helped trap nutrients, particularly soluble reactive phosphorus and ammonium, and could be prioritized in stream restoration efforts. Preliminary results from this study could provide helpful insights into the effectiveness of stream restoration and in-stream structures on nutrient dynamics, although further research is needed.

Conservation easement (CE) use in the U.S. and globally has expanded over the past 40 years in fringe areas adjacent to urbanization, and this article examines their spatial manifestation in twelve physically and socially heterogeneous, high growth metropolitan U.S. counties within six states. Augmenting previous CE studies relying on single spatial statistical tests, we employed multiple spatial statistics for a more complete picture of CE spatial clustering over time. Our results show nuanced associational—but not causal—spatial relationships between CEs. Ripley’s K and Average Nearest Neighbor results display distinct clustering patterns across most counties over time despite county disparity and CE difference. Global Moran’s I results show that CE size impacts the clustering. Notably, the CEs with a first designated biological purpose did not cluster based on size. Counties with governmental oversight in CE placement lacked a consistent clustering typology, suggesting that other factors have greater influence on CE spatial expression. The results illustrate the importance of using multiple spatial statistical tests to accurately reveal relationships between phenomena across space, as CE clustering affects systematic conservation planning and precision in the hazard model of land development, promotes environmental management responses to climate change biome shifts, and potentially limits development.

Aberrant signaling through insulin (Ins) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF1) receptors contribute to the risk and advancement of many cancer types by activating cell survival cascades. Similarities between these pathways have thus far prevented the development of pharmacological interventions that specifically target either Ins or IGF1 signaling. To identify differences in early Ins and IGF1 signaling mechanisms, we developed a dual receptor (IGF1R & InsR) computational response model. The model suggested that ribosomal protein S6 kinase (RPS6K) plays a critical role in regulating MAPK and Akt activation levels in response to Ins and IGF1 stimulation. As predicted, perturbing RPS6K kinase activity led to an increased Akt activation with Ins stimulation compared to IGF1 stimulation. Being able to discern differential downstream signaling, we can explore improved anti-IGF1R cancer therapies by eliminating the emergence of compensation mechanisms without disrupting InsR signaling.

An overview of recent achievements and development of genomic resources in the Fagaceae is provided, with major emphasis on the genera Castanea and Quercus. The Fagaceae is a large plant family comprising more than 900 species belonging to 8–10 genera. Using a wide range of molecular markers, population genetics and gene diversity surveys were the focus of many studies during the past 20 years. This work set the stage for investigations in genomics beginning in the early 1990s and facilitated the application of genetic and quantitative trait loci mapping approaches. Transferability of markers across species and comparative mapping have indicated tight macrosynteny between Quercus and Castanea. Omic technologies were more recently developed and the corresponding resources are accessible via electronic and physical repositories (expressed sequence tag sequences, single-nucleotide polymorphisms, candidate genes, cDNA clones, bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries) that have been installed in North America and Europe. BAC libraries and physical maps were also constructed in Castanea and Quercus and provide the necessary resources for full nuclear genome sequencing projects that are currently under way in Castanea mollissima (Chinese chestnut) and Quercus robur (pedunculate oak).

Graphical AbstractDiagram illustrating site-specific and depth-specific dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition changes. It features four soil types: Peat, Peaty Gleysol, Podzol, and Cambisol, each with processes like anaerobic preservation and microbial processing. Depth-specific changes are shown with arrows, indicating how shared compounds' abundance alters with depth. The right side shows surface water flow.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a key component in the carbon and energy cycling of soil and aquatic ecosystems. Tracking DOM composition through soil profiles provides insight into the processes driving its transport and transformation. However, there is a lack of studies investigating whether DOM composition in deeper mineral soil is driven by topsoil inputs, or if processes during soil passage cause a rather uniform DOM quality irrespective of the source. Understanding the topsoil influence on subsoil DOM and depth-dependent transformation patterns is crucial for the transfer to and its fate within aquatic ecosystems. To address this knowledge gap, we examined the compositional features of DOM sampled in situ along depth profiles of four contrasting soil types (Peat, peaty Gleysol, Cambisol, Podzol) in a mountainous catchment (Ore Mountains, Germany). A combination of pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and UV and fluorescence spectroscopy was used to characterize the molecular properties of DOM and similarities across the different soils and depths were achieved by Bray-Curtis dissimilarity analysis. Results revealed site-specific decreases in similarity with depth, driven by soil processes that progressively alter DOM composition. In Peat, composition remained rather similar between D1 and D2 or D3 (57-59%), likely due to constantly anoxic conditions that inhibit oxidative degradation and transformation of DOM. In the peaty Gleysol, moderate transformations were observed (41-59% similarity), likely driven by alternating redox conditions and sorptive interactions. The strongest compositional changes occurred in the Cambisol with similarity between D1 and D3 reaching 18%, suggesting microbial processing in conjunction with sorptive interactions with the mineral phase. In the Podzol, the formation of organo-metal complexes promoted selective preservation of aromatic structures. The site-specific processes led to decreases in both the number and abundance of identified shared compounds with depth, contrasting the assumption of DOM similarity across different soil types. Despite the changes with depth, subsoil DOM composition in Peat, peaty Gleysol, and Podzol still retained some imprint of topsoil sources. This study highlights how site-specific biotic and abiotic processing generates unique DOM composition that shape organic matter cycling in soils and its ecological implications in aquatic systems.

The antifungal activity and possible mode of action of pinocembrin isolated from propolis against Penicillium italicum were investigated. Pinocembrin exhibited strong antifungal activity against P. italicum in a dose-dependent manner. Respiration rates of P. italicum during spore germination and mycelial growth were significantly inhibited when exposure to pinocembrin. The respirations of mitochondria in state 2 and state 3 from mycelia were significantly inhibited in the presence of this compound. The phosphorylated adenosine nucleotides levels in hyphae of P. italicum treated with pinocembrin were significantly low and energy charge value became unstable. Unltrastructure of hyphae was seriously damaged with pinocembrin incubation for 24 h, which was further confirmed by the increase of relative ionic leakage and soluble protein loss of P. italicum mycelia treated with pinocembrin. It was concluded that pinocembrin inhibited the mycelial growth of P. italicum by interfering energy homeostasis and cell membrane damage of the pathogen. Pinocembrin would be a promising bioactive compound for treatment of P. italicum infections on postharvest citrus fruit.

Trait loci analysis, a classic procedure in quantitative (quantitative trait loci, QTL) and qualitative (Mendelian trait loci, MTL) genetics, continues to be the most important approach in studies of gene labeling in Prunus species from the Rosaceae family. Since 2011, the number of published Prunus QTLs and MTLs has doubled. With increased genomic resources, such as whole genome sequences and high-density genotyping platforms, trait loci analysis can be more readily converted to markers that can be directly utilized in marker-assisted breeding. To provide this important resource to the community and to integrate it with other genomic, genetic, and breeding data, a global review of the QTLs and MTLs linked to agronomic traits in Prunus has been performed and the data made available in the Genome Database for Rosaceae. We describe detailed information on 760 main QTLs and MTLs linked to a total of 110 agronomic traits related to tree development, pest and disease resistance, flowering, ripening, and fruit and seed quality. Access to these trait loci enables the application of this information in the post-genomic era, characterized by the availability of a high-quality peach reference genome and new high-throughput DNA and RNA analysis technologies.

Background The mountainous region between the Caucasus and China is considered to be the center of domestication for grapevine. Despite the importance of Central Asia in the history of grape growing, information about the extent and distribution of grape genetic variation in this region is limited in comparison to wild and cultivated grapevines from around the Mediterranean basin. The principal goal of this work was to survey the genetic diversity and relationships among wild and cultivated grape germplasm from the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Mediterranean basin collectively to understand gene flow, possible domestication events and adaptive introgression. Results A total of 1378 wild and cultivated grapevines collected around the Mediterranean basin and from Central Asia were tested with a set of 20 nuclear SSR markers. Genetic data were analyzed (Cluster analysis, Principal Coordinate Analysis and STRUCTURE) to identify groups, and the results were validated by Nei’s genetic distance, pairwise F ST analysis and assignment tests. All of these analyses identified three genetic groups: G1, wild accessions from Croatia, France, Italy and Spain; G2, wild accessions from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia; and G3, cultivars from Spain, France, Italy, Georgia, Iran, Pakistan and Turkmenistan, which included a small group of wild accessions from Georgia and Croatia. Wild accessions from Georgia clustered with cultivated grape from the same area ( proles pontica ), but also with Western Europe ( proles occidentalis ), supporting Georgia as the ancient center of grapevine domestication. In addition, cluster analysis indicated that Western European wild grapes grouped with cultivated grapes from the same area, suggesting that the cultivated proles occidentalis contributed more to the early development of wine grapes than the wild vines from Eastern Europe. Conclusions The analysis of genetic relationships among the tested genotypes provided evidence of genetic relationships between wild and cultivated accessions in the Mediterranean basin and Central Asia. The genetic structure indicated a considerable amount of gene flow, which limited the differentiation between the two subspecies. The results also indicated that grapes with mixed ancestry occur in the regions where wild grapevines were domesticated.

Green and blue molds, caused by Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium italicum, respectively, are economically important postharvest diseases of citrus fruits. In this study, Chinese propolis ethyl acetate extract (PEAE) was evaluated to control P. digitatum and P. italicum on postharvest citrus fruits. The results indicated PEAE strongly inhibited mycelia growth and induced hyphae prominent abnormal morphological alterations. Also, PEAE had strong detrimental effect on spore germination of the tested pathogens in a concentrationdependent manner. For in vivo tests, PEAE could both reduce decay caused by P. digitatum and P. italicum respectively in wound-inoculated fruit and naturally infected fruit; meanwhile, no negative influences on the overall quality of the citrus fruits were observed with PEAE treatment. Therefore, PEAE could be used as a natural antifungal agent to control citrus blue and green mold.