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[Cu(NN 1 ) 2 ]ClO 4 is a copper (I) complex, where NN 1 is an imine ligand 6-((quinolin-2-ylmethylene) amino)-2H-chromen-2-one obtained by derivatization of natural compound coumarin, developed for the treatment of infectious diseases that affect salmonids. In previous research, we showed that the Cu(I) coordination complex possesses antibacterial activity against Flavobacterium psychrophilum , providing protection against this pathogen in rainbow trout during challenge assays (with an RPS of 50%). In the present study, the effects of administering [Cu(NN 1 ) 2 ]ClO 4 to Oncorhynchus mykiss over a 60-days period were evaluated with regard to systemic immune response and its potential to alter intestinal microbiota composition. In O. mykiss , an immunostimulatory effect was evident at days 30 and 45 after administration, resulting in an increment of transcript levels of IFN-γ, IL-12, TNF-α, lysozyme and perforin. To determine whether these immunomodulatory effects correlated with changes in the intestinal microbiota, we analyzed the metagenome diversity by V4 16S rRNA sequencing. In O. mykiss , both [Cu(NN 1 ) 2 ]ClO 4 and commercial antibiotic florfenicol had comparable effects at the phylum level, resulting in a predominance of proteobacteria and firmicutes. Nonetheless, at the genus level, florfenicol and [Cu(NN 1 ) 2 ]ClO 4 complex exhibited distinct effects on the intestinal microbiota of O. mykiss . In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that [Cu(NN 1 ) 2 ]ClO 4 is capable of stimulating the immune system at a systemic level, while inducing alterations in the composition of the intestinal microbiota in O. mykiss ., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Parra, Aldabaldetrecu, Arce, Soto-Aguilera, Vargas, Guerrero, Tello and Modak.)

Introduction: Gastric cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancer worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and the Global Cancer Statistics (GLOBOCAN) reported an age standardized global incidence rate of 9.2 per 100,000 individuals for gastric cancer in 2022, with a mortality rate of 6.1. Despite considerable progress in precision oncology through the efforts of international consortia, understanding the genomic features and their influence on the effectiveness of anti-cancer treatments across diverse ethnic groups remains essential. Methods: Our study aimed to address this need by conducting integrated in silico analyses to identify actionable genomic alterations in gastric cancer driver genes, assess their impact using deleteriousness scores, and determine allele frequencies across nine global populations: European Finnish, European non-Finnish, Latino, East Asian, South Asian, African, Middle Eastern, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Amish. Furthermore, our goal was to prioritize targeted therapeutic strategies based on pharmacogenomics clinical guidelines, in silico drug prescriptions, and clinical trial data. Results: Our comprehensive analysis examined 275,634 variants within 60 gastric cancer driver genes from 730,947 exome sequences and 76,215 whole-genome sequences from unrelated individuals, identifying 13,542 annotated and predicted oncogenic variants. We prioritized the most prevalent and deleterious oncogenic variants for subsequent pharmacogenomics testing. Additionally, we discovered actionable genomic alterations in the ARID1A, ATM, BCOR, ERBB2, ERBB3, CDKN2A, KIT, PIK3CA, PTEN, NTRK3, TP53 , and CDKN2A genes that could enhance the efficacy of anti-cancer therapies, as suggested by in silico drug prescription analyses, reviews of current pharmacogenomics clinical guidelines, and evaluations of phase III and IV clinical trials targeting gastric cancer driver proteins. Discussion: These findings underline the urgency of consolidating efforts to devise effective prevention measures, invest in genomic profiling for underrepresented populations, and ensure the inclusion of ethnic minorities in future clinical trials and cancer research in developed countries., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Echeverría-Garcés, Ramos-Medina, Vargas, Cabrera-Andrade, Altamirano-Colina, Freire, Montalvo-Guerrero, Rivera-Orellana, Echeverría-Espinoza, Quiñones and López-Cortés.)

Piscirickettsia salmonis is the pathogen that most affects the salmon industry in Chile. Large quantities of antibiotics have been used to control it. In search of alternatives, we have developed [Cu(NN 1 ) 2 ]ClO 4 where NN 1 = 6-((quinolin-2-ylmethylene)amino)-2H-chromen-2-one. The antibacterial capacity of [Cu(NN 1 ) 2 ]ClO 4 was determined. Subsequently, the effect of the administration of [Cu(NN 1 ) 2 ]ClO 4 on the growth of S. salar , modulation of the immune system and the intestinal microbiota was studied. Finally, the ability to protect against a challenge with P. salmonis was evaluated. The results obtained showed that the compound has an MIC between 15 and 33.9 μg/mL in four isolates. On the other hand, the compound did not affect the growth of the fish; however, an increase in the transcript levels of IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-1β, CD4, lysozyme and perforin was observed in fish treated with 40 μg/g of fish. Furthermore, modulation of the intestinal microbiota was observed, increasing the genera of beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bacillus as well as potential pathogens such as Vibrio and Piscirickettsia . Finally, the treatment increased survival in fish challenged with P. salmonis by more than 60%. These results demonstrate that the compound is capable of protecting fish against P. salmonis , probably by modulating the immune system and the composition of the intestinal microbiota.

Aquaculture is a growing industry worldwide, but it faces challenges related to animal health. These challenges include infections by parasites, bacteria, and viral pathogens. These harmful pathogens have devastating effects on the industry, despite efforts to control them through vaccination and antimicrobial treatments. Unfortunately, these measures have proven insufficient to address the sanitary problems, resulting in greater environmental impact due to the excessive use of antimicrobials. In recent years, probiotics have emerged as a promising solution to enhance the performance of the immune system against parasitic, bacterial, and viral pathogens in various species, including mammals, birds, and fish. Some probiotics have been genetically engineered to express and deliver immunomodulatory molecules. These promote selective therapeutic effects and specific immunization against specific pathogens. This review aims to summarize recent research on the use of probiotics in fish aquaculture, with a particular emphasis on genetically modified probiotics. In particular, we focus on the advantages of using these microorganisms and highlight the main barriers hindering their widespread application in the aquaculture industry.

Soil CO 2 efflux represents a complex interplay of biological and physical processes that result in the production and transfer of CO 2 from soils to the atmosphere. Temperature has been widely recognized as a critical factor regulating soil CO 2 efflux and is commonly utilized in deterministic empirical models to predict this important flux for the carbon cycle. This study introduces the Bernstein copula-based cosimulation (BCC) as a data-driven probabilistic approach to model the temperature-soil CO 2 efflux relationship. The BCC accounts for the joint probability distribution and temporal dependence of soil CO 2 efflux, which are often overlooked in deterministic models. The BCC was implemented as a proof of concept using two years of data on soil CO 2 efflux conditioned by soil temperature in a temperate forest. The BBC accurately reproduced the original probability distribution, temporal dependency, and temperature-soil CO 2 efflux relationship. Our findings show that a deterministic method, such as the commonly employed exponential relationship between soil CO 2 efflux and temperature, is limited for comprehensively capturing the intricate nature of the temperature-soil CO 2 efflux relationship. This is due to the confounding and interacting effects of environmental drivers beyond temperature, which are not fully accounted for in such a deterministic approach. Furthermore, the BCC revealed that the probability density between the joint cumulative probability of temperature and soil CO 2 efflux is not constant, which raises the concern that deterministic approaches introduce incorrect assumptions for estimating temperature-soil CO 2 relationship. In conclusion, we propose that probabilistic approaches hold promise for effectively depicting dependency relationships for soil CO 2 efflux modeling, and for improving predictions of the effects of weather variability and climate change., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Tidal salt marshes produce and emit CH 4 . Therefore, it is critical to understand the biogeochemical controls that regulate CH 4 spatial and temporal dynamics in wetlands. The prevailing paradigm assumes that acetoclastic methanogenesis is the dominant pathway for CH 4 production, and higher salinity concentrations inhibit CH 4 production in salt marshes. Recent evidence shows that CH 4 is produced within salt marshes via methylotrophic methanogenesis, a process not inhibited by sulfate reduction. To further explore this conundrum, we performed measurements of soil-atmosphere CH 4 and CO 2 fluxes coupled with depth profiles of soil CH 4 and CO 2 pore water gas concentrations, stable and radioisotopes, pore water chemistry, and microbial community composition to assess CH 4 production and fate within a temperate tidal salt marsh. We found unexpectedly high CH 4 concentrations up to 145,000 μmol mol -1 positively correlated with S 2- (salinity range: 6.6-14.5 ppt). Despite large CH 4 production within the soil, soil-atmosphere CH 4 fluxes were low but with higher emissions and extreme variability during plant senescence (84.3 ± 684.4 nmol m -2  s -1 ). CH 4 and CO 2 within the soil pore water were produced from young carbon, with most Δ 14 C-CH 4 and Δ 14 C-CO 2 values at or above modern. We found evidence that CH 4 within soils was produced by methylotrophic and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Several pathways exist after CH 4 is produced, including diffusion into the atmosphere, CH 4 oxidation, and lateral export to adjacent tidal creeks; the latter being the most likely dominant flux. Our findings demonstrate that CH 4 production and fluxes are biogeochemically heterogeneous, with multiple processes and pathways that can co-occur and vary in importance over the year. This study highlights the potential for high CH 4 production, the need to understand the underlying biogeochemical controls, and the challenges of evaluating CH 4 budgets and blue carbon in salt marshes., (© 2023 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Pharmacogenomics (PGx) is considered an emergent field in developing countries. Research on PGx in the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) region remains scarce, with limited information in some populations. Thus, extrapolations are complicated, especially in mixed populations. In this paper, we reviewed and analyzed pharmacogenomic knowledge among the LAC scientific and clinical community and examined barriers to clinical application. We performed a search for publications and clinical trials in the field worldwide and evaluated the contribution of LAC. Next, we conducted a regional structured survey that evaluated a list of 14 potential barriers to the clinical implementation of biomarkers based on their importance. In addition, a paired list of 54 genes/drugs was analyzed to determine an association between biomarkers and response to genomic medicine. This survey was compared to a previous survey performed in 2014 to assess progress in the region. The search results indicated that Latin American and Caribbean countries have contributed 3.44% of the total publications and 2.45% of the PGx-related clinical trials worldwide thus far. A total of 106 professionals from 17 countries answered the survey. Six major groups of barriers were identified. Despite the region's continuous efforts in the last decade, the primary barrier to PGx implementation in LAC remains the same, the "need for guidelines, processes, and protocols for the clinical application of pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics". Cost-effectiveness issues are considered critical factors in the region. Items related to the reluctance of clinicians are currently less relevant. Based on the survey results, the highest ranked (96%-99%) gene/drug pairs perceived as important were CYP2D6 /tamoxifen, CYP3A5 /tacrolimus, CYP2D6 /opioids, DPYD /fluoropyrimidines, TMPT /thiopurines, CYP2D6 /tricyclic antidepressants, CYP2C19 /tricyclic antidepressants, NUDT15 /thiopurines, CYP2B6 /efavirenz, and CYP2C19 /clopidogrel. In conclusion, although the global contribution of LAC countries remains low in the PGx field, a relevant improvement has been observed in the region. The perception of the usefulness of PGx tests in biomedical community has drastically changed, raising awareness among physicians, which suggests a promising future in the clinical applications of PGx in LAC., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Salas-Hernández, Galleguillos, Carrasco, López-Cortés, Redal, Fonseca-Mendoza, Esperón, González-Martínez, Lares-Asseff, Lazarowski, Loera-Castañeda, Remírez, Martínez, Vargas, Rios-Santos, Macho, Cayún, Perez, Gutierrez, Cerpa, Leiva, Calfunao, Xajil, Sandoval, Suárez, Gonzalez, Echeverría-Garcés, Sullón-Dextre, Cordero-García, Morales, Avendaño, Sánchez, Bastone, Lara, Zuluaga-Arias, Soler, Da Luz, Burgueño-Rodríguez, Vital, Reyes-Reyes, Huaccha, Ariza, Tzul, Rendón, Serrano, Acosta, Motta-Pardo, Beltrán-Angarita, Brand, Jiménez, Hidalgo-Lozada, Romero-Prado, Escobar-Castro, Umaña-Rivas, Vivas, Lagos, Martínez, Quesada, Calfio, Arias, Lavanderos, Cáceres, Salazar-Granara, Varela and Quiñones.)

Objectives: Maternal protein-caloric restriction during lactation can malprogram offspring into having a lean phenotype associated with metabolic dysfunction in early life and adulthood. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between nutritional stress, maternal behavior and metabolism, milk composition, and offspring parameters. Additionally, we focused on the role of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivation during lactation., Methods: Dams were fed a low-protein diet (4% protein) during the first 2 wk of lactation or a normal-protein diet (20% protein) during all lactation. Analyses of dams, milk, and offspring were conducted on postnatal days (PD) 7, 14, and 21., Results: Body weight and food intake decreased in dams, which was associated with reduced fat pad stores and increased corticosterone levels at PD 14. The stressed low-protein diet dams demonstrated alterations in behavior and offspring care. Despite nutritional deprivation, dams adapted their metabolism to provide adequate energy supply through milk; however, we demonstrated elevated corticosterone and total fat levels in milk at PD 14. Male offspring also showed increased corticosterone at PD 7, associated with a lean phenotype and alterations in white and brown adipose tissue morphology at PD 21., Conclusion: Exposure to protein-caloric restriction diet of dams during lactation increased the glucocorticoid levels in dams, milk, and offspring, which is associated with alterations in maternal behavior and milk composition. Thus, glucocorticoids and milk composition may play an important role in metabolic programming induced by maternal undernutrition., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Butyrate is a microbiota-produced metabolite, sensed by host short-chain fatty acid receptors FFAR2 (Gpr43), FFAR3 (Gpr41), HCAR2 (Gpr109A), and Histone deacetylase (HDAC) that promotes microbiota-host crosstalk. Butyrate influences energy uptake, developmental and immune response in mammals. This microbial metabolite is produced by around 79 anaerobic genera present in the mammalian gut, yet little is known about the role of butyrate in the host-microbiota interaction in salmonid fish. To further our knowledge of this interaction, we analyzed the intestinal microbiota and genome of Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ), searching for butyrate-producing genera and host butyrate receptors. We identified Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria as the main butyrate-producing bacteria in the salmon gut microbiota. In the Atlantic salmon genome, we identified an expansion of genes orthologous to FFAR2 and HCAR2 receptors, and class I and IIa HDACs that are sensitive to butyrate. In addition, we determined the expression levels of orthologous of HCAR2 in the gut, spleen, and head-kidney, and FFAR2 in RTgutGC cells. The effect of butyrate on the Atlantic salmon immune response was evaluated by analyzing the pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines response in vitro in SHK-1 cells by RT-qPCR. Butyrate decreased the expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β and increased anti-inflammatory IL-10 and TGF-β cytokines. Butyrate also reduced the expression of interferon-alpha, Mx, and PKR, and decreased the viral load at a higher concentration (4 mM) in cells treated with this molecule before the infection with Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV) by mechanisms independent of FFAR2, FFAR3 and HCAR2 expression that probably inhibit HDAC. Moreover, butyrate modified phosphorylation of cytoplasmic proteins in RTgutGC cells. Our data allow us to infer that Atlantic salmon have the ability to sense butyrate produced by their gut microbiota via different specific targets, through which butyrate modulates the immune response of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines and the antiviral response., Competing Interests: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.” “The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results”., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Introduction: Protein restriction during lactation can induce metabolic dysfunctions and has a huge impact on the offspring's phenotype later in its life. We tested whether the effects of a maternal low-protein diet (LP) in rats can be transmitted to the F2 generation and increase their vulnerability to dietary insults in adulthood., Methods: Female Wistar rats (F0) were fed either a low-protein diet (LP; 4% protein) during the first 2 weeks of lactation or a normal-protein diet (NP; 23% protein). The female offspring (F1 generation) were maintained on a standard diet throughout the experiment. Once adulthood was reached, female F1 offspring from both groups (i.e., NP-F1 and LP-F1) were bred to proven males, outside the experiment, to produce the F2 generation. Male F2 offspring from both groups (NP-F2 and LP-F2 groups) received a standard diet until 60 days old, at which point they received either a normal fat (NF; 4.5% fat) or a high fat diet (HF; 35% fat) for 30 days., Results: At 90 days old, LPNF-F2 offspring had increased lipogenesis and fasting insulinemia compared to NPNF-F2, without alteration in insulin sensitivity. HF diet caused increased gluconeogenesis and displayed glucose intolerance in LPHF-F2 offspring compared to LPNF-F2 offspring. Additionally, the HF diet led to damage to lipid metabolism (such as steatosis grade 3), higher body weight, fat pad stores, and hepatic lipid content., Discussion: We concluded that an F0 maternal protein restricted diet during lactation can induce a transgenerational effect on glucose and liver metabolism in the F2 generation, making the offspring's liver more vulnerable to nutritional injury later in life., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Vargas, Martins, Matiusso, Casagrande, Zara, Huppes de Souza, Horst, Sieklicki, Becker, Lucredi, Comar, Malta and Mathias.)

Wetlands cover a small portion of the world, but have disproportionate influence on global carbon (C) sequestration, carbon dioxide and methane emissions, and aquatic C fluxes. However, the underlying biogeochemical processes that affect wetland C pools and fluxes are complex and dynamic, making measurements of wetland C challenging. Over decades of research, many observational, experimental, and analytical approaches have been developed to understand and quantify pools and fluxes of wetland C. Sampling approaches range in their representation of wetland C from short to long timeframes and local to landscape spatial scales. This review summarizes common and cutting-edge methodological approaches for quantifying wetland C pools and fluxes. We first define each of the major C pools and fluxes and provide rationale for their importance to wetland C dynamics. For each approach, we clarify what component of wetland C is measured and its spatial and temporal representativeness and constraints. We describe practical considerations for each approach, such as where and when an approach is typically used, who can conduct the measurements (expertise, training requirements), and how approaches are conducted, including considerations on equipment complexity and costs. Finally, we review key covariates and ancillary measurements that enhance the interpretation of findings and facilitate model development. The protocols that we describe to measure soil, water, vegetation, and gases are also relevant for related disciplines such as ecology. Improved quality and consistency of data collection and reporting across studies will help reduce global uncertainties and develop management strategies to use wetlands as nature-based climate solutions., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13157-023-01722-2., Competing Interests: Competing InterestsThe authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

Background and Aim: Canine vector-borne diseases represent an important issue for the welfare and health of animals, but also have great zoonotic potential. These diseases are caused by bacteria, nematodes such as filariae, and other parasites such as Leishmania spp. Given the difficulty in differentiating common microfilariae in dogs by microscopy and serological methods, molecular techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing should be valuable for reaching a reliable diagnosis. This study aimed to use microscopy and PCR to identify the microfilarial species in dogs from Valle del Cauca, Colombia, and a possible association with Leishmania infantum parasites., Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 270 dogs from Pradera and Florida municipalities. Microfilariae were detected in dogs by optical microscopy and amplification with 5.8S-ITS2-28S . Species identification was achieved through the amplification of the gene cytochrome oxidase I ( COX1 )., Results: Microscopic detection of microfilariae was possible in 4.81% (13/270) of the dogs. In addition, by PCR of COX1 and Sanger sequencing of ITS2 , Acanthocheilonema reconditum was identified as the circulating microfilarial species in 12 dogs, coinfecting with the species L. infantum ( Leishmania donovani complex)., Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on A. reconditum and L. infantum mixed infection in dogs in Colombia, particularly in the Valle del Cauca., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © Pérez-Ramírez, et al.)

Objective: To investigate the effect of pre and postnatal exposure to a glyphosate-based herbicide on glucose metabolism and liver histology in adult F1 mice offspring., Methods: Female mice (C57Bl/6) received 0.5% of glyphosate (Roundup Original DI®) in drinking water or purified water (Glyphosate Group and Control Group respectively) during pregnancy and lactation. Offspring (F1) were submitted to glucose and insulin tolerance tests and euthanized on postnatal day 150. Body and plasma parameters, and liver histology were analyzed., Results: Exposure to glyphosate reduced maternal body weight gain during pregnancy and lactation, with no impacts on litter size. Pre and postnatal exposure to glyphosate did not affect body parameters but increased glucose tolerance on postnatal day 60. In spite of glucose tolerance normalization by postnatal day 143, this effect was associated with higher insulin sensitivity relative to mice in the Control-F1 Group. Mice in the Glyphosate-F1 Group had mild and moderate lobular inflammation in the liver., Conclusion: Maternal exposure to glyphosate affected insulin sensitivity and caused hepatic inflammation in adult F1 mice offspring.

The terrestrial carbon cycle is a major source of uncertainty in climate projections. Its dominant fluxes, gross primary productivity (GPP), and respiration (in particular soil respiration, R S ), are typically estimated from independent satellite-driven models and upscaled in situ measurements, respectively. We combine carbon-cycle flux estimates and partitioning coefficients to show that historical estimates of global GPP and R S are irreconcilable. When we estimate GPP based on R S measurements and some assumptions about R S :GPP ratios, we found the resulted global GPP values (bootstrap mean [Formula: see text] Pg C yr -1 ) are significantly higher than most GPP estimates reported in the literature ([Formula: see text] Pg C yr -1 ). Similarly, historical GPP estimates imply a soil respiration flux (Rs GPP , bootstrap mean of [Formula: see text] Pg C yr -1 ) statistically inconsistent with most published R S values ([Formula: see text] Pg C yr -1 ), although recent, higher, GPP estimates are narrowing this gap. Furthermore, global R S :GPP ratios are inconsistent with spatial averages of this ratio calculated from individual sites as well as CMIP6 model results. This discrepancy has implications for our understanding of carbon turnover times and the terrestrial sensitivity to climate change. Future efforts should reconcile the discrepancies associated with calculations for GPP and Rs to improve estimates of the global carbon budget., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Tidal marshes store large amounts of carbon; however, little is known about the patterns, magnitudes, and biophysical drivers that regulate CO 2 efflux from these ecosystems. Due to harsh environmental conditions (e.g., flooding), it is difficult to measure continuous soil CO 2 efflux in tidal marshes. These data are necessary to inform empirical and process-based models and to better quantify carbon budgets. We performed automated (30 min) and manual (bi-monthly) soil CO 2 efflux measurements, for ~20 months, at two sites in a temperate tidal marsh: tall Spartina (TS; dominated by S. cynosuroides) and short Spartina (SS; dominated by S. alterniflora). These measurements were coupled with water quality, canopy spectral reflectance, and meteorological measurements. There were no consistent diel patterns of soil CO 2 efflux, suggesting a decoupling of soil CO 2 efflux with diel variations in temperature and tides (i.e., water level) showing a hysteresis effect. Mean soil CO 2 efflux was significantly higher at SS (2.15 ± 1.60 μmol CO 2 m -2  s -1 ) than at TS (0.55 ± 0.80 μmol CO 2 m -2  s -1 ), highlighting distinct biogeochemical spatial variability. At the annual scale, air temperature explained >50% of the variability in soil CO 2 efflux at both sites; and water level and salinity were secondary drivers of soil CO 2 efflux at SS and TS, respectively. Annual soil CO 2 efflux varied from 287-876 to 153-211 g C m -2 y -1 at SS and TS, respectively, but manual measurements underestimated the annual flux by <67% at SS and <23% at TS. These results suggest that measuring and modeling diel soil CO 2 efflux variability in tidal marshes may be more challenging than previously expected and highlight large discrepancies between manual and automated soil CO 2 efflux measurements. New technical approaches are needed to implement long-term automated measurements of soil CO 2 efflux across wetlands to properly estimate the carbon balance of these ecosystems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The exchange of multiple greenhouse gases (i.e., CO 2 and CH 4 ) between tree stems and the atmosphere represents a knowledge gap in the global carbon cycle. Stem CO 2 and CH 4 fluxes vary across time and space and are unclear, which are their individual or shared drivers. Here we measured CO 2 and CH 4 fluxes at different stem heights combining manual (biweekly; n = 678) and automated (hourly; n > 38,000) measurements in a temperate upland forest. All trees showed CO 2 and CH 4 emissions despite 20% of measurements showing net CH 4 uptake. Stem CO 2 fluxes presented clear seasonal trends from manual and automated measurements. Only automated measurements captured the high temporal variability of stem CH 4 fluxes revealing clear seasonal trends. Despite that temporal integration, the limited number of automated chambers made stand-level mean CH 4 fluxes sensitive to "hot spots," resulting in mean fluxes with high uncertainty. Manual measurements provided better integration of spatial variability, but their lack of temporal variability integration hindered the detection of temporal trends and stand-level mean fluxes. These results highlight the potential bias of previous studies of stem CH 4 fluxes solely based on manual or automated measurements. Stem height, temperature, and soil moisture only explained 7% and 11% of the stem CH 4 flux variability compared to 42% and 81% for CO 2 (manual and automated measurements, respectively). This large unexplained variability, in combination with high CH 4 concentrations in the trees' heartwood, suggests that stem CH 4 fluxes might be more influenced by gas transport and diffusivity through the wood than by drivers of respiratory CO 2 flux, which has crucial implications for developing process-based ecosystem models. We postulate that CH 4 is likely originated within tree stems because of lack of a consistent vertical pattern in CH 4 fluxes, evidence of CH 4 production in wood incubations, and low CH 4 concentration in the soil profile but high concentrations within the trees' heartwood., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

C 4 plants frequently experience high light and high temperature conditions in the field, which reduce growth and yield. However, the mechanisms underlying these stress responses in C 4 plants have been under-explored, especially the coordination between mesophyll (M) and bundle sheath (BS) cells. We investigated how the C 4 model plant Setaria viridis responded to a four-hour high light or high temperature treatment at photosynthetic, transcriptomic, and ultrastructural levels. Although we observed a comparable reduction of photosynthetic efficiency in high light or high temperature treated leaves, detailed analysis of multi-level responses revealed important differences in key pathways and M/BS specificity responding to high light and high temperature. We provide a systematic analysis of high light and high temperature responses in S. viridis, reveal different acclimation strategies to these two stresses in C 4 plants, discover unique light/temperature responses in C 4 plants in comparison to C 3 plants, and identify potential targets to improve abiotic stress tolerance in C 4 crops., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

In salmon farming, viruses are responsible for outbreaks that produce significant economic losses for which there is a lack of control tools other than vaccines. Type I interferon has been successfully used for treating some chronic viral infections in humans. However, its application in salmonids depends on the proper design of a vehicle that allows its massive administration, ideally orally. In mammals, administration of recombinant probiotics capable of expressing cytokines has shown local and systemic therapeutic effects. In this work, we evaluate the use of Lactococcus lactis as a type I Interferon expression system in Atlantic salmon, and we analyze its ability to stimulate the antiviral immune response against IPNV, in vivo and in vitro . The interferon expressed in L. lactis , even though it was located mainly in the bacterial cytoplasm, was functional, stimulating Mx and PKR expression in CHSE-214 cells, and reducing the IPNV viral load in SHK-1 cells. In vivo , the oral administration of this L. lactis producer of Interferon I increases Mx and PKR expression, mainly in the spleen, and to a lesser extent, in the head kidney. The oral administration of this strain also reduces the IPNV viral load in Atlantic salmon specimens challenged with this pathogen. Our results show that oral administration of L. lactis producing Interferon I induces systemic effects in Atlantic salmon, allowing to stimulate the antiviral immune response. This probiotic could have effects against a wide variety of viruses that infect Atlantic salmon and also be effective in other salmonids due to the high identity among their type I interferons., Competing Interests: Authors MT and AS were employed by the company IctioBiotic SpA and ActivaQ S.A., respectively. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Muñoz, González-Lorca, Parra, Soto, Valdes, Sandino, Vargas, González and Tello.)

Soil respiration (Rs), the efflux of CO 2 from soils to the atmosphere, is a major component of the terrestrial carbon cycle, but is poorly constrained from regional to global scales. The global soil respiration database (SRDB) is a compilation of in situ Rs observations from around the globe that has been consistently updated with new measurements over the past decade. It is unclear whether the addition of data to new versions has produced better-constrained global Rs estimates. We compared two versions of the SRDB (v3.0 n = 5173 and v5.0 n = 10,366) to determine how additional data influenced global Rs annual sum, spatial patterns and associated uncertainty (1 km spatial resolution) using a machine learning approach. A quantile regression forest model parameterized using SRDBv3 yielded a global Rs sum of 88.6 Pg C year -1 , and associated uncertainty of 29.9 (mean absolute error) and 57.9 (standard deviation) Pg C year -1 , whereas parameterization using SRDBv5 yielded 96.5 Pg C year -1 and associated uncertainty of 30.2 (mean average error) and 73.4 (standard deviation) Pg C year -1 . Empirically estimated global heterotrophic respiration (Rh) from v3 and v5 were 49.9-50.2 (mean 50.1) and 53.3-53.5 (mean 53.4) Pg C year -1 , respectively. SRDBv5's inclusion of new data from underrepresented regions (e.g., Asia, Africa, South America) resulted in overall higher model uncertainty. The largest differences between models parameterized with different SRDVB versions were in arid/semi-arid regions. The SRDBv5 is still biased toward northern latitudes and temperate zones, so we tested an optimized global distribution of Rs measurements, which resulted in a global sum of 96.4 ± 21.4 Pg C year -1 with an overall lower model uncertainty. These results support current global estimates of Rs but highlight spatial biases that influence model parameterization and interpretation and provide insights for design of environmental networks to improve global-scale Rs estimates., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

While wetlands are the largest natural source of methane (CH 4 ) to the atmosphere, they represent a large source of uncertainty in the global CH 4 budget due to the complex biogeochemical controls on CH 4 dynamics. Here we present, to our knowledge, the first multi-site synthesis of how predictors of CH 4 fluxes (FCH4) in freshwater wetlands vary across wetland types at diel, multiday (synoptic), and seasonal time scales. We used several statistical approaches (correlation analysis, generalized additive modeling, mutual information, and random forests) in a wavelet-based multi-resolution framework to assess the importance of environmental predictors, nonlinearities and lags on FCH4 across 23 eddy covariance sites. Seasonally, soil and air temperature were dominant predictors of FCH4 at sites with smaller seasonal variation in water table depth (WTD). In contrast, WTD was the dominant predictor for wetlands with smaller variations in temperature (e.g., seasonal tropical/subtropical wetlands). Changes in seasonal FCH4 lagged fluctuations in WTD by ~17 ± 11 days, and lagged air and soil temperature by median values of 8 ± 16 and 5 ± 15 days, respectively. Temperature and WTD were also dominant predictors at the multiday scale. Atmospheric pressure (PA) was another important multiday scale predictor for peat-dominated sites, with drops in PA coinciding with synchronous releases of CH 4 . At the diel scale, synchronous relationships with latent heat flux and vapor pressure deficit suggest that physical processes controlling evaporation and boundary layer mixing exert similar controls on CH 4 volatilization, and suggest the influence of pressurized ventilation in aerenchymatous vegetation. In addition, 1- to 4-h lagged relationships with ecosystem photosynthesis indicate recent carbon substrates, such as root exudates, may also control FCH4. By addressing issues of scale, asynchrony, and nonlinearity, this work improves understanding of the predictors and timing of wetland FCH4 that can inform future studies and models, and help constrain wetland CH 4 emissions., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Lactic acid bacteria are a powerful vehicle for releasing of cytokines and immunostimulant peptides at the gastrointestinal level after oral administration. However, its therapeutic application against pathogens that affect rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon has been little explored. Type II interferon in Atlantic salmon activates the antiviral response, protecting against viral infection, but its role against bacterial infection has not been tested in vivo. In this work, through the design of a recombinant lactic acid bacterium capable of producing Interferon gamma from Atlantic salmon, we explore its role against bacterial infection and the ability to stimulate systemic immune response after oral administration of the recombinant probiotic. Recombinant interferon was active in vitro , mainly stimulating IL-6 expression in SHK-1 cells. In vivo , oral administration of the recombinant probiotic produced an increase in IL-6, IFNγ and IL-12 in the spleen and kidney, in addition to stimulating the activity of lysozyme in serum. The challenge trials indicated that the administration of the IFNγ-producing probiotic doubled the survival in fish infected with F. psychrophilum . In conclusion, our results showed that the oral administration of lactic acid bacteria producing IFNγ managed to stimulate the immune response at a systemic level, conferring protection against pathogens, showing a biotechnological potential for its application in aquaculture., Competing Interests: Author MT was employed by company Ictio Biotechnologies SA. The authors declare that the research carried out as well as the results present in this work have been in common agreement with Ictio Biotechnologies SA and the licensee Ictiobiotic SpA. Part of these results have been included in the patent application number 2897-2017 requested in the Chilean industrial property registry (INAPI). The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Santibañez, Paine, Parra, Muñoz, Valdes, Zapata, Vargas, Gonzalez and Tello.)

Wetland methane (CH 4 ) emissions ([Formula: see text]) are important in global carbon budgets and climate change assessments. Currently, [Formula: see text] projections rely on prescribed static temperature sensitivity that varies among biogeochemical models. Meta-analyses have proposed a consistent [Formula: see text] temperature dependence across spatial scales for use in models; however, site-level studies demonstrate that [Formula: see text] are often controlled by factors beyond temperature. Here, we evaluate the relationship between [Formula: see text] and temperature using observations from the FLUXNET-CH 4 database. Measurements collected across the globe show substantial seasonal hysteresis between [Formula: see text] and temperature, suggesting larger [Formula: see text] sensitivity to temperature later in the frost-free season (about 77% of site-years). Results derived from a machine-learning model and several regression models highlight the importance of representing the large spatial and temporal variability within site-years and ecosystem types. Mechanistic advancements in biogeochemical model parameterization and detailed measurements in factors modulating CH 4 production are thus needed to improve global CH 4 budget assessments.

The volcanic soils of Chiloé Island, Chile, have physical and chemical characteristics that affect their productivity. We report here a 16S rRNA gene analysis that characterizes the predominant microbial communities in volcanic soils of Chiloé either in the presence or absence of fertilization. The major phyla identified were Proteobacteria , Acidobacteria , and Actinobacteria ., (Copyright © 2021 Vargas et al.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Turfgrass is an important component of the urban landscape frequently considered as an alternative land cover to offset anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. However, quantitative information of the potential to directly remove CO 2 from the atmosphere by turfgrass systems is lacking, especially in the tropics. Most assessments have considered the carbon accumulated by grass shoots and soil, but not the release of CO 2 to the atmosphere by soil respiration (i.e., soil CO 2 efflux). Here, we measured at high-temporal resolution (30-min) soil CO 2 efflux, production, and storage rate for nearly three years in a residential lawn of Singapore. Furthermore, we quantified the carbon capture related to biomass production and CO 2 emissions from fossil fuel consumption associated with maintenance activities (e.g., mowing equipment). Warm and humid conditions resulted in relatively constant rates of soil CO 2 efflux, CO 2 storage in soil, and aboveground biomass production (3370, 652, 1671 Mg CO 2 km -2 yr -1 ; respectively), while the systematic use of mowing machinery emitted 27 Mg CO 2 km -2 yr -1 . Soil CO 2 efflux and CO 2 mowing emissions represent carbon losses to the atmosphere, while CO 2 storage in soil and biomass productivity represent gains of carbon into the ecosystem. Under a steady state in which soil CO 2 losses are only compensated by atmospheric CO 2 uptake by photosynthesis, an ideal clipping waste disposal management, in which no CO 2 molecule returns to the atmosphere (i.e., clippings are not burnt), and a 3-week mowing regime, this site can act as a sink of 2296 Mg CO 2 km -2 yr -1 . In the scenario of incinerating all clippings, the lawn acts as an emission source of 1046 Mg CO 2 km -2 yr -1 . Thus, management practices that reduce mowing frequency together with clipping disposal practices that minimize greenhouse gas emissions are needed to make urban lawns a potential natural solution to mitigate global environmental change., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Globally, soils store two to three times as much carbon as currently resides in the atmosphere, and it is critical to understand how soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and uptake will respond to ongoing climate change. In particular, the soil-to-atmosphere CO 2 flux, commonly though imprecisely termed soil respiration (R S ), is one of the largest carbon fluxes in the Earth system. An increasing number of high-frequency R S measurements (typically, from an automated system with hourly sampling) have been made over the last two decades; an increasing number of methane measurements are being made with such systems as well. Such high frequency data are an invaluable resource for understanding GHG fluxes, but lack a central database or repository. Here we describe the lightweight, open-source COSORE (COntinuous SOil REspiration) database and software, that focuses on automated, continuous and long-term GHG flux datasets, and is intended to serve as a community resource for earth sciences, climate change syntheses and model evaluation. Contributed datasets are mapped to a single, consistent standard, with metadata on contributors, geographic location, measurement conditions and ancillary data. The design emphasizes the importance of reproducibility, scientific transparency and open access to data. While being oriented towards continuously measured R S , the database design accommodates other soil-atmosphere measurements (e.g. ecosystem respiration, chamber-measured net ecosystem exchange, methane fluxes) as well as experimental treatments (heterotrophic only, etc.). We give brief examples of the types of analyses possible using this new community resource and describe its accompanying R software package., (© 2020 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Filifolinone is an aromatic geranyl derivative, a natural compound isolated from Heliotropum sclerocarpum , which has immunomodulatory effects on Atlantic salmon, upregulating cytokines involved in Th1-type responses through a mechanism that remains unknown. In this work, we determined whether the immunomodulatory effects of filifolinone depend on the host microbiotic composition. We evaluated the effect of filifolinone on immune genes and intestinal microbiotic composition of normal fish and fish previously treated with bacitracin/neomycin. Filifolinone induced the early expression of IFN-α1 and TGF-β, followed by the induction of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IFN-γ. A pre-treatment with antibiotics modified this effect, mainly changing the expression of IL-1β and IFN-γ. The evaluation of microbial diversity shows that filifolinone modifies the composition of intestinal microbiota, increasing the abundance of immunostimulating organisms like yeast and firmicutes. We identified 69 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) associated with filifolinone-induced IFN-γ. Our results indicate that filifolinone stimulates the immune system in two ways, one dependent on fish microbiota and the other not. To our knowledge, this is the first report of microbiota-dependent immunostimulation in Salmonids.

Between the land and ocean, diverse coastal ecosystems transform, store, and transport material. Across these interfaces, the dynamic exchange of energy and matter is driven by hydrological and hydrodynamic processes such as river and groundwater discharge, tides, waves, and storms. These dynamics regulate ecosystem functions and Earth's climate, yet global models lack representation of coastal processes and related feedbacks, impeding their predictions of coastal and global responses to change. Here, we assess existing coastal monitoring networks and regional models, existing challenges in these efforts, and recommend a path towards development of global models that more robustly reflect the coastal interface.

Autumn canopy phenological transitions are increasing in length as a consequence of climate change. Here, we assess how well hyperspectral indices in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths predict nitrogen (N) concentrations in lower-canopy leaves in the autumn phenological transition as they are generally understudied in leaf trait research. Using a Bayesian framework, we tested how well published indices are able to predict N concentrations in Fagus grandifolia Ehrh., Liriodendron tulipifera L., and Betula lenta L. from mid-summer through senescence, and how related the indices are to autumn phenological change. No indices were able to determine a trend in differences in N in mid-summer leaves. Indices that included wavelengths in the green and NIR ranges were the first indices able to detect a trend and had among the highest correlations with N concentration in both the last green collection and the senescing collection. Models were unique when indices were fit to data from different phenophases. Indices that focused on only the red edge (i.e., the sharp increase in reflectance between the red and NIR wavelengths) had the strongest explanatory power across the autumn phenological transition, but had less explanatory power for individual collections. These indices, as well as those that have been correlated with chlorophyll (CCI) and carotenoids (PRI), were the strongest descriptors of autumn progression. This study provides insights on challenges and capabilities to monitor a leaf's N concentration throughout and across canopy senescence.

Storm surges can substantially alter the water level and salinity in tidal salt marshes. Little is known about how changes experienced during storm surges affect greenhouse gas emissions (GHG; CO 2 , CH 4 , N 2 O) from tidal salt marsh soils. Understanding how storm surges influence ecosystem processes is critical for evaluating the ecosystem's sensitivity to sea level rise. To explore how hurricane-induced changes in salinity affect GHG emissions, we exposed intact soil mesocosms (0-9 cm depth) from a Mid-Atlantic temperate salt marsh to pulse changes in salinity experienced at the site before, during, and after Hurricane Joaquin in 2015. Soil temperature, oxygen, and water level were kept constant to avoid confounding effects throughout the experiment. Automated measurements (hourly resolution) of soil GHG emissions were recorded in control (i.e., no salinity changes) and treatment mesocosms, and combined with soil pore water chemistry (i.e., SO 4 2- , S 2- , Fe 2+ , TN b , redox potential, pH) to characterize the biogeochemical responses. Using mixed effects models, we found that the role of different biogeochemical processes, such as sulfur cycling, changed throughout the experiment, underscoring the complex nature of GHG emissions in tidal salt marsh soils. Overall, soils subjected to a salinity decrease had greater GHG emissions than control soils, which were maintained at 17 ppt. The treatment soils had a 24% and 23% increase in global warming potential (20- and 100-year scenarios, respectively) indicating that storm surges can produce pulses of GHG emissions. However, both CH 4 and N 2 O emissions returned to baseline values (following hysteresis responses) when initial conditions were reestablished. The results support the fact that tidal salt marshes are resilient ecosystems, as soil GHG emissions recovered relatively quickly from the pulse event., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Annual soil moisture estimates are useful to characterize trends in the climate system, in the capacity of soils to retain water and for predicting land and atmosphere interactions. The main source of soil moisture spatial information across large areas (e.g., continents) is satellite-based microwave remote sensing. However, satellite soil moisture datasets have coarse spatial resolution (e.g., 25-50 km grids); and large areas from regional-to-global scales have spatial information gaps. We provide an alternative approach to predict soil moisture spatial patterns (and associated uncertainty) with higher spatial resolution across areas where no information is otherwise available. This approach relies on geomorphometry derived terrain parameters and machine learning models to improve the statistical accuracy and the spatial resolution (from 27km to 1km grids) of satellite soil moisture information across the conterminous United States on an annual basis (1991-2016). We derived 15 primary and secondary terrain parameters from a digital elevation model. We trained a machine learning algorithm (i.e., kernel weighted nearest neighbors) for each year. Terrain parameters were used as predictors and annual satellite soil moisture estimates were used to train the models. The explained variance for all models-years was >70% (10-fold cross-validation). The 1km soil moisture grids (compared to the original satellite soil moisture estimates) had higher correlations (improving from r2 = 0.1 to r2 = 0.46) and lower bias (improving from 0.062 to 0.057 m3/m3) with field soil moisture observations from the North American Soil Moisture Database (n = 668 locations with available data between 1991-2013; 0-5cm depth). We conclude that the fusion of geomorphometry methods and satellite soil moisture estimates is useful to increase the spatial resolution and accuracy of satellite-derived soil moisture. This approach can be applied to other satellite-derived soil moisture estimates and regions across the world., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Tree stems exchange carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide with the atmosphere. The biophysical mechanisms controlling these fluxes are not fully understood, and consequently are not included in process-based models. We highlight advances and opportunities that will allow quantification of the role of these plant structures in the local-to-global balance of greenhouse gases (GHGs)., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Tree stems from wetland, floodplain and upland forests can produce and emit methane (CH 4 ). Tree CH 4 stem emissions have high spatial and temporal variability, but there is no consensus on the biophysical mechanisms that drive stem CH 4 production and emissions. Here, we summarize up to 30 opportunities and challenges for stem CH 4 emissions research, which, when addressed, will improve estimates of the magnitudes, patterns and drivers of CH 4 emissions and trace their potential origin. We identified the need: (1) for both long-term, high-frequency measurements of stem CH 4 emissions to understand the fine-scale processes, alongside rapid large-scale measurements designed to understand the variability across individuals, species and ecosystems; (2) to identify microorganisms and biogeochemical pathways associated with CH 4 production; and (3) to develop a mechanistic model including passive and active transport of CH 4 from the soil-tree-atmosphere continuum. Addressing these challenges will help to constrain the magnitudes and patterns of CH 4 emissions, and allow for the integration of pathways and mechanisms of CH 4 production and emissions into process-based models. These advances will facilitate the upscaling of stem CH 4 emissions to the ecosystem level and quantify the role of stem CH 4 emissions for the local to global CH 4 budget., (© 2018 No claim to original US government works New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.)

Tree stems exchange CO 2 , CH 4 and N 2 O with the atmosphere but the magnitudes, patterns and drivers of these greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes remain poorly understood. Our understanding mainly comes from static-manual measurements, which provide limited information on the temporal variability and magnitude of these fluxes. We measured hourly CO 2 , CH 4 and N 2 O fluxes at two stem heights and adjacent soils within an upland temperate forest. We analyzed diurnal and seasonal variability of fluxes and biophysical drivers (i.e., temperature, soil moisture, sap flux). Tree stems were a net source of CO 2 (3.80 ± 0.18 µmol m -2 s -1 ; mean ± 95% CI) and CH 4 (0.37 ± 0.18 nmol m -2 s -1 ), but a sink for N 2 O (-0.016 ± 0.008 nmol m -2 s -1 ). Time series analysis showed diurnal temporal correlations between these gases with temperature or sap flux for certain days. CO 2 and CH 4 showed a clear seasonal pattern explained by temperature, soil water content and sap flux. Relationships between stem, soil fluxes and their drivers suggest that CH 4 for stem emissions could be partially produced belowground. High-frequency measurements demonstrate that: a) tree stems exchange GHGs with the atmosphere at multiple time scales; and b) are needed to better estimate fluxes magnitudes and understand underlying mechanisms of GHG stem emissions.

Purpose: The objective of the study was to describe the initial clinical and electroencephalographic findings in children with late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (LINCL)., Method: The clinical charts of 35 patients seen between 1990 and 2016 were reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 (G1) consisting of 12 patients with NCL type 2 (CLN2) disease confirmed by enzymatic activity in dried blood spots on filter paper and/or genetic studies, and Group 2 (G2) consisting of 23 patients with a diagnosis of LINCL based on pathology studies by muscle biopsy., Results: Mean age at symptom onset was 3 years in G1 and 3.4 years in G2. Symptoms at onset were epilepsy in 58%, language delay in 34%, and gait disturbances in 8% of patients in G1 and epilepsy in 52.1%, language delay in 26%, gait disturbances in 17.4%, and loss of visual acuity in 4.5% in G2. The most common seizure types in G1 patients were myoclonic in 3/7, generalized tonic-clonic in 2/7, focal motor in 1/7, and febrile seizures in 1/7; in G2 patients they were myoclonic in 5/12, generalized tonic-clonic in 3/12, myoclonic-atonic in 2/12, and febrile seizures in 2/12. A photoparoxysmal response to intermittent photic stimulation (IPS) was found in the initial EEG in 9/12 patients in G1 (mean age 3.8 years) and in 10/13 patients in G2 (mean age 3.9 years)., Conclusions: There were no significant differences between both groups. Seizures, especially myoclonic, are the most common symptom at onset followed by language delay and gait disturbances. Low-frequency IPS is a useful study that may help facilitate the diagnosis of the disease., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Global soils store at least twice as much carbon as Earth's atmosphere 1,2 . The global soil-to-atmosphere (or total soil respiration, R S ) carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) flux is increasing 3,4 , but the degree to which climate change will stimulate carbon losses from soils as a result of heterotrophic respiration (R H ) remains highly uncertain 5-8 . Here we use an updated global soil respiration database 9 to show that the observed soil surface R H :R S ratio increased significantly, from 0.54 to 0.63, between 1990 and 2014 (P = 0.009). Three additional lines of evidence provide support for this finding. By analysing two separate global gross primary production datasets 10,11 , we find that the ratios of both R H and R S to gross primary production have increased over time. Similarly, significant increases in R H are observed against the longest available solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence global dataset, as well as gross primary production computed by an ensemble of global land models. We also show that the ratio of night-time net ecosystem exchange to gross primary production is rising across the FLUXNET2015 12 dataset. All trends are robust to sampling variability in ecosystem type, disturbance, methodology, CO 2 fertilization effects and mean climate. Taken together, our findings provide observational evidence that global R H is rising, probably in response to environmental changes, consistent with meta-analyses 13-16 and long-term experiments 17 . This suggests that climate-driven losses of soil carbon are currently occurring across many ecosystems, with a detectable and sustained trend emerging at the global scale.

Purpose: Duodeno-jejunal bypass (DJB) operation improves glucose homeostasis in morbid obesity, independently of weight loss or reductions in adiposity, through mechanisms not yet fully elucidated. Herein, we evaluated the effects of DJB upon glucose homeostasis, endocrine pancreatic morphology, and β-cell responsiveness to potentiating agents of cholinergic and cAMP pathways, in western diet (WD) obese rats, at 2 months after operation., Methods: From 8 to 18 weeks of age male Wistar rats fed on a WD. After this period, a sham (WD Sham group) or DJB (WD DJB) operations were performed. At 2 months after operation glucose homeostasis was verified., Results: Body weight was similar between WD DJB and WD Sham rats, but WD DJB rats showed a decrease in Lee index, retroperitoneal and perigonadal fat pads. Also, WD DJB rats displayed reduced fasting glycemia and insulinemia, and increased insulin-induced Akt activation in the gastrocnemius. Islets from WD DJB rats secreted less amounts of insulin, in response to activators of the cholinergic (carbachol and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate) and cAMP (forskolin and 3-isobutyl-1-methyl-xantine) pathways. Islets of WD DJB rats had higher sintaxin-1 protein content than WD Sham, but without modification in muscarinic-3 receptor, protein kinase (PK)-Cα, and (PK)-Aα protein amounts. In addition, islets of WD DJB animals showed reduction in islets and β-cell masses., Conclusion: DJB surgery improves fasting glycemia and insulin action in skeletal muscle. Better endocrine pancreatic morphofunction was associated, at least in part, with the regulation of the cholinergic and cAMP pathways, and improvements in syntaxin-1 islet protein content induced by DJB.

An emerging approach to limit rice uptake and grain As targets the shared root-uptake pathway between As(III) and Si. We amended rice paddy mesocosms with Si-rich rice residues (husk and husk char) or silicate fertilizer to evaluate the impact of different Si sources on rice uptake of Si and As including As speciation in grain under background soil As. For a systems-approach, we also measured plant biomass, rice yield, porewater chemistry, mesocosm-scale CH 4 and CO 2 fluxes, plant concentrations of nutrients and metals, and root Fe plaque mineralogy. Relative to the control, Si-rich amendments increased plant Si and proportion of ferrihydrite on root plaque, decreased root-to-shoot Mn transfer and As uptake, and shifted grain As from inorganic to organic As. The charred husk treatment, which resulted in the most Si accumulation in rice shoots, most decreased plant As and grain As. Husk treatment led to the highest CH 4 emissions, but all treatments had lower CH 4 emissions than has been reported for straw treatments. Collectively, Si-rich amendments performed similarly across several biogeochemical benchmarks, with charred husk best restricting plant As, suggesting these amendments can be used to reduce toxicity of As from rice grain while maintaining yield., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To present a retrospective study of 13 children with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS), also known as benign rolandic epilepsy (BRE), associated with generalized spikes and waves as the only EEG manifestation at onset., Method: Charts of children with typical clinical criteria of BRE electroclinically followed-up between February 2000 and February 2015 were reviewed., Results: Among 309 patients who met the electroclinical criteria of BRE, we identified 13 children who presented with the typical clinical manifestations but who, on the EEG, only had generalized paroxysms at onset that continued along the course of the syndrome. Generalized spike-and-wave discharges were observed in all patients when awake and during sleep (100%). During the evolution no particular electroclinical pattern was observed. The patients responded well to antiepileptic drugs, such as valproic acid and levetiracetam. Outcome was good in all patients., Conclusions: We found evidence that patients with BRE may have generalized EEG discharges at onset as the sole manifestation lasting throughout the course of the syndrome. In some, focal paroxysms developed later. The course was benign. In our group of patients, clinical features and evolution were similar to those of typical cases of BRE. Response to valproic acid and levetiracetam was found to be particularly good., (Copyright © 2018 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Two foundational questions about sustainability are "How are ecosystems and the services they provide going to change in the future?" and "How do human decisions affect these trajectories?" Answering these questions requires an ability to forecast ecological processes. Unfortunately, most ecological forecasts focus on centennial-scale climate responses, therefore neither meeting the needs of near-term (daily to decadal) environmental decision-making nor allowing comparison of specific, quantitative predictions to new observational data, one of the strongest tests of scientific theory. Near-term forecasts provide the opportunity to iteratively cycle between performing analyses and updating predictions in light of new evidence. This iterative process of gaining feedback, building experience, and correcting models and methods is critical for improving forecasts. Iterative, near-term forecasting will accelerate ecological research, make it more relevant to society, and inform sustainable decision-making under high uncertainty and adaptive management. Here, we identify the immediate scientific and societal needs, opportunities, and challenges for iterative near-term ecological forecasting. Over the past decade, data volume, variety, and accessibility have greatly increased, but challenges remain in interoperability, latency, and uncertainty quantification. Similarly, ecologists have made considerable advances in applying computational, informatic, and statistical methods, but opportunities exist for improving forecast-specific theory, methods, and cyberinfrastructure. Effective forecasting will also require changes in scientific training, culture, and institutions. The need to start forecasting is now; the time for making ecology more predictive is here, and learning by doing is the fastest route to drive the science forward., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Soil organic matter (SOM) supports the Earth's ability to sustain terrestrial ecosystems, provide food and fiber, and retains the largest pool of actively cycling carbon. Over 75% of the soil organic carbon (SOC) in the top meter of soil is directly affected by human land use. Large land areas have lost SOC as a result of land use practices, yet there are compensatory opportunities to enhance productivity and SOC storage in degraded lands through improved management practices. Large areas with and without intentional management are also being subjected to rapid changes in climate, making many SOC stocks vulnerable to losses by decomposition or disturbance. In order to quantify potential SOC losses or sequestration at field, regional, and global scales, measurements for detecting changes in SOC are needed. Such measurements and soil-management best practices should be based on well established and emerging scientific understanding of processes of C stabilization and destabilization over various timescales, soil types, and spatial scales. As newly engaged members of the International Soil Carbon Network, we have identified gaps in data, modeling, and communication that underscore the need for an open, shared network to frame and guide the study of SOM and SOC and their management for sustained production and climate regulation., (© 2017 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Flooding is a major disturbance that impacts aquatic ecosystems and the ecosystem services that they provide. Predicted increases in global flood risk due to land use change and water cycle intensification will likely only increase the frequency and severity of these impacts. Extreme flooding events can cause loss of life and significant destruction to property and infrastructure, effects that are easily recognized and frequently reported in the media. However, flooding also has many other effects on people through freshwater aquatic ecosystem services, which often go unrecognized because they are less evident and can be difficult to evaluate. Here, we identify the effects that small magnitude frequently occurring floods (< 10-year recurrence interval) and extreme floods (> 100-year recurrence interval) have on ten aquatic ecosystem services through a systematic literature review. We focused on ecosystem services considered by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment including: (1) supporting services (primary production, soil formation), (2) regulating services (water regulation, water quality, disease regulation, climate regulation), (3) provisioning services (drinking water, food supply), and (4) cultural services (aesthetic value, recreation and tourism). The literature search resulted in 117 studies and each of the ten ecosystem services was represented by an average of 12 ± 4 studies. Extreme floods resulted in losses in almost every ecosystem service considered in this study. However, small floods had neutral or positive effects on half of the ecosystem services we considered. For example, small floods led to increases in primary production, water regulation, and recreation and tourism. Decision-making that preserves small floods while reducing the impacts of extreme floods can increase ecosystem service provision and minimize losses.

Global-scale studies suggest that dryland ecosystems dominate an increasing trend in the magnitude and interannual variability of the land CO 2 sink. However, such analyses are poorly constrained by measured CO 2 exchange in drylands. Here we address this observation gap with eddy covariance data from 25 sites in the water-limited Southwest region of North America with observed ranges in annual precipitation of 100-1000 mm, annual temperatures of 2-25°C, and records of 3-10 years (150 site-years in total). Annual fluxes were integrated using site-specific ecohydrologic years to group precipitation with resulting ecosystem exchanges. We found a wide range of carbon sink/source function, with mean annual net ecosystem production (NEP) varying from -350 to +330 gCm -2 across sites with diverse vegetation types, contrasting with the more constant sink typically measured in mesic ecosystems. In this region, only forest-dominated sites were consistent carbon sinks. Interannual variability of NEP, gross ecosystem production (GEP), and ecosystem respiration (R eco ) was larger than for mesic regions, and half the sites switched between functioning as C sinks/C sources in wet/dry years. The sites demonstrated coherent responses of GEP and NEP to anomalies in annual evapotranspiration (ET), used here as a proxy for annually available water after hydrologic losses. Notably, GEP and R eco were negatively related to temperature, both interannually within site and spatially across sites, in contrast to positive temperature effects commonly reported for mesic ecosystems. Models based on MODIS satellite observations matched the cross-site spatial pattern in mean annual GEP but consistently underestimated mean annual ET by ~50%. Importantly, the MODIS-based models captured only 20-30% of interannual variation magnitude. These results suggest the contribution of this dryland region to variability of regional to global CO 2 exchange may be up to 3-5 times larger than current estimates., (Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.)

Soil respiration (Rs) has been usually measured during daylight hours using manual chambers. This approach assumes that measurements made during a typical time interval (e.g., 9 to 11 am) represent the mean daily value; locally, this may not always be correct and could result in systematic bias of daily and annual Rs budgets. We propose a simple method, based on the temporal stability concept, to determine the most appropriate time of the day for manual measurements to capture a representative mean daily Rs value. We introduce a correction factor to adjust for biases due to non-optimally timed sampling. This approach was tested in a semiarid shrubland using 24 hr campaigns using two treatments: trenched plots and plots with shrubs. In general, we found optimum times were at night and potential biases ranged from -29 to + 40% in relation to the 24 hr mean of Rs, especially in trenched plots. The degree of bias varied between treatments and seasons, having a greater influence during the wet season when efflux was high than during the dry season when efflux was low. This study proposes a framework for improving local Rs estimates that informs how to decrease temporal uncertainties in upscaling to the annual total.

Incorporation of silica-rich rice husk residue into flooded paddy soil decreases arsenic uptake by rice. However, the impact of this practice on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and elemental cycling is unresolved particularly as amended soils experience recurrent flooding and drying cycles. We evaluated the impact of pre-incubated silica-rich rice residue incorporation to soils on pore water chemistry and soil GHG fluxes (i.e., CO 2 , CH 4 , N 2 O) over a flooding and drying cycle typical of flooded rice cultivation. Soils pre-incubated with rice husk had 4-fold higher pore water Si than control and 2-fold higher than soils pre-incubated with rice straw, whereas the pore water As and Fe concentrations in soils amended with pre-incubated straw and husk were unexpectedly similar (maximum ~0.85μM and ~450μM levels, respectively). Pre-incubation of residues did not affect Si but did affect the pore water levels of As and Fe compared to previous studies using fresh residues where straw amended soils had higher As and Fe in pore water. The global warming potential (GWP) of soil GHG emissions decreased in the order straw (612±76g CO 2 -eqm -2 )>husk (367±42gCO 2 -eqm -2 )>ashed husk=ashed straw (251±26 and 278±28gCO 2 -eqm -2 )>control (186±23gCO 2 -eqm -2 ). The GWP increase due to pre-incubated straw amendment was due to: a) larger N 2 O fluxes during re-flooding; b) smaller contributions from larger CH 4 fluxes during flooded periods; and c) higher CH 4 and CO 2 fluxes at the onset of drainage. In contrast, the GWP of the husk amendment was dominated by CO 2 and CH 4 emissions during flooded and drainage periods, while ashed amendments increased CO 2 emissions particularly during drainage. This experiment shows that ashed residues and husk addition minimizes GWP of flooded soils and enhances pore water Si compared to straw addition even after pre-incubation., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Widespread tree mortality associated with drought has been observed on all forested continents and global change is expected to exacerbate vegetation vulnerability. Forest mortality has implications for future biosphere-atmosphere interactions of carbon, water and energy balance, and is poorly represented in dynamic vegetation models. Reducing uncertainty requires improved mortality projections founded on robust physiological processes. However, the proposed mechanisms of drought-induced mortality, including hydraulic failure and carbon starvation, are unresolved. A growing number of empirical studies have investigated these mechanisms, but data have not been consistently analysed across species and biomes using a standardized physiological framework. Here, we show that xylem hydraulic failure was ubiquitous across multiple tree taxa at drought-induced mortality. All species assessed had 60% or higher loss of xylem hydraulic conductivity, consistent with proposed theoretical and modelled survival thresholds. We found diverse responses in non-structural carbohydrate reserves at mortality, indicating that evidence supporting carbon starvation was not universal. Reduced non-structural carbohydrates were more common for gymnosperms than angiosperms, associated with xylem hydraulic vulnerability, and may have a role in reducing hydraulic function. Our finding that hydraulic failure at drought-induced mortality was persistent across species indicates that substantial improvement in vegetation modelling can be achieved using thresholds in hydraulic function.

This paper describes the technical development and accuracy assessment of the most recent and improved version of the SoilGrids system at 250m resolution (June 2016 update). SoilGrids provides global predictions for standard numeric soil properties (organic carbon, bulk density, Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), pH, soil texture fractions and coarse fragments) at seven standard depths (0, 5, 15, 30, 60, 100 and 200 cm), in addition to predictions of depth to bedrock and distribution of soil classes based on the World Reference Base (WRB) and USDA classification systems (ca. 280 raster layers in total). Predictions were based on ca. 150,000 soil profiles used for training and a stack of 158 remote sensing-based soil covariates (primarily derived from MODIS land products, SRTM DEM derivatives, climatic images and global landform and lithology maps), which were used to fit an ensemble of machine learning methods-random forest and gradient boosting and/or multinomial logistic regression-as implemented in the R packages ranger, xgboost, nnet and caret. The results of 10-fold cross-validation show that the ensemble models explain between 56% (coarse fragments) and 83% (pH) of variation with an overall average of 61%. Improvements in the relative accuracy considering the amount of variation explained, in comparison to the previous version of SoilGrids at 1 km spatial resolution, range from 60 to 230%. Improvements can be attributed to: (1) the use of machine learning instead of linear regression, (2) to considerable investments in preparing finer resolution covariate layers and (3) to insertion of additional soil profiles. Further development of SoilGrids could include refinement of methods to incorporate input uncertainties and derivation of posterior probability distributions (per pixel), and further automation of spatial modeling so that soil maps can be generated for potentially hundreds of soil variables. Another area of future research is the development of methods for multiscale merging of SoilGrids predictions with local and/or national gridded soil products (e.g. up to 50 m spatial resolution) so that increasingly more accurate, complete and consistent global soil information can be produced. SoilGrids are available under the Open Data Base License.

Background: The low-numbered 14-chromosome karyotype of marsupials has falsified the fusion hypothesis claiming ancestrality from a 22-chromosome karyotype. Since the 14-chromosome condition of the relict Dromiciops gliroides is reminecent of ancestrality, its interstitial traces of past putative fusions and heterochromatin banding patterns were studied and added to available marsupials' cytogenetic data. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and self-genomic in situ hybridization (self-GISH) were used to detect telomeric and repetitive sequences, respectively. These were complemented with C-, fluorescent banding, and centromere immunodetection over mitotic spreads. The presence of interstitial telomeric sequences (ITS) and diploid numbers were reconstructed and mapped onto the marsupial phylogenetic tree., Results: No interstitial, fluorescent signals, but clearly stained telomeric regions were detected by FISH and self-GISH. Heterochromatin distribution was sparse in the telomeric/subtelomeric regions of large submetacentric chromosomes. Large AT-rich blocks were detected in the long arm of four submetacentrics and CG-rich block in the telomeric regions of all chromosomes. The ancestral reconstructions both ITS presence and diploid numbers suggested that ITS are unrelated to fusion events., Conclusion: Although the lack of interstitial signals in D. gliroides' karyotype does not prove absence of past fusions, our data suggests its non-rearranged plesiomorphic condition.

Ulex europaeus (gorse) is an invasive shrub deemed as one of the most invasive species in the world. U. europaeus is widely distributed in the south-central area of Chile, which is considered a world hotspot for biodiversity conservation. In addition to its negative effects on the biodiversity of natural ecosystems, U. europaeus is one of the most severe pests for agriculture and forestry. Despite its importance as an invasive species, U. europaeus has been little studied. Although information exists on the potential distribution of the species, the interaction of the invasion process with the spatial dynamic of the landscape and the landscape-scale factors that control the presence or absence of the species is still lacking. We studied the spatial and temporal dynamics of the landscape and how these relate to U. europaeus invasion in south-central Chile. We used supervised classification of satellite images to determine the spatial distribution of the species and other land covers for the years 1986 and 2003, analysing the transitions between the different land covers. We used logistic regression for modelling the increase, decrease and permanence of U. europaeus invasion considering landscape variables. Results showed that the species covers only around 1 % of the study area and showed a 42 % reduction in area for the studied period. However, U. europaeus was the cover type which presented the greatest dynamism in the landscape. We found a strong relationship between changes in land cover and the invasion process, especially connected with forest plantations of exotic species, which promotes the displacement of U. europaeus. The model of gorse cover increase presented the best performance, and the most important predictors were distance to seed source and landscape complexity index. Our model predicted high spread potential of U. europaeus in areas of high conservation value. We conclude that proper management for this invasive species must take into account the spatial dynamics of the landscape within the invaded area in order to address containment, control or mitigation of the invasion.