Search

Inspired by grassland biodiversity experiments studying the impact of plant diversity on primary productivity, the Crop Diversity Experiment set up in 2018 aimed at testing whether these biodiversity benefits also hold for annual crop systems and whether crop mixtures also achieved transgressive overyielding, i.e. yield in mixture that was higher than the most productive monoculture. The first three years of the experiment demonstrated that crop mixtures do not only increase yield compared to an average monoculture but often also compared to the highest yielding monoculture. The crop diversity effects were stronger under more stressful environmental conditions and were often achieved in mixtures with legume crops. However, we observed transgressive overyielding also under favourable conditions and in mixtures without legumes. With our investigation of the underlying mechanisms of the yield benefits we found both direct complementarities between crop species and indirect effects via other organisms. The former included chemical, spatial and temporal complementarity in N uptake, complementary root distribution leading to complementary water uptake, as well as spatial and temporal complementarity in light use. Among the indirect mechanisms we identified complementary suppression of weeds and more abundant plant growth-promoting microbes in crop mixtures, apart from complementarity in pest and disease suppression not yet studied in the Crop Diversity Experiment but demonstrated elsewhere. In consequence, the Crop Diversity Experiment supports not only the assumption that the ecological processes identified in biodiversity experiments also hold in crop systems, but that diversification of arable crop systems provides a valuable tool to sustainably produce food.

1. Higher plant species diversity decreases variability of plant community productivity. The stabilizing effect of plant diversity can result from species-specific responses to environmental fluctuations and from shifts in competitive hierarchies. Evolutionary adaptation of species to surrounding plant diversity could further decrease productivity variability. 2. We used a three-year dataset from a crop diversity experiment with seven species to assess the effect of crop diversity and selection history on temporal variability of yield. 3. We found contrasting patterns of temporal variability: Yield of species varied more in mixtures than in monocultures over years. However, at community-level, we found lower yield variability in crop mixtures compared to monocultures, although only in combination with fertilizer application under Mediterranean climate. Furthermore, we found that a mixture selection history can increase yield productivity and decrease its variability, although only in monocultures. This suggests that the interspecific interactions among crops in mixtures act as an evolutionary selective force, promoting niche complementarity. 4. Synthesis. Our results highlight the ecological and evolutionary role of plant interactions in crop mixtures, which can affect yield stability, while also reflecting on the importance of climate and resource availability in modifying the diversity-stability relationship., Journal of Ecology, 111 (6), ISSN:13652745, ISSN:0022-0477

Higher plant species diversity decreases variability of plant community productivity. The stabilizing effect of plant diversity can result from species-specific responses to environmental fluctuations and from shifts in competitive hierarchies. Evolutionary adaptation of species to surrounding plant diversity could further decrease productivity variability. We used a three-year dataset from a crop diversity experiment with seven species to assess the effect of crop diversity and selection history on temporal variability of yield. We found contrasting patterns of temporal variability: Yield of species varied more in mixtures than in monocultures over years. However, at community level, we found lower yield variability in crop mixtures compared to monocultures, although only in combination with fertilizer application under Mediterranean climate. Furthermore, we found that a mixture selection history can increase yield productivity and decrease its variability, although only in monocultures, suggesting that the interspecific interactions among crops in mixtures act as an evolutionary selective force which promotes niche complementarity.Our results highlight the ecological and evolutionary role of plant interactions in crop mixtures which can affect yield stability, while also reflecting on the importance of climate and resource availability in modifying the diversity-stability relationship.

Increasing biodiversity generally enhances productivity through selection and complementarity effects not only in natural, but also in agricultural, systems. However, the quest to explain why diverse cropping systems are more productive than monocultures remains a central goal in agricultural science. In a mesocosm experiment, we constructed monocultures, two- and four-species mixtures from eight crop species with or without fertilizer and both in temperate Switzerland and dry, Mediterranean Spain. We measured physical factors and plant traits and related these in structural equation models to selection and complementarity effects to explain seed yield differences between monocultures and mixtures. Increased crop diversity increased seed yield in Switzerland. This positive biodiversity effect was driven to almost the same extent by selection and complementarity effects, which increased with plant height and specific leaf area (SLA), respectively. Also, ecological processes driving seed yield increases from monocultures to mixtures differed from those responsible for seed yield increases through the diversification of mixtures from two to four species. Whereas selection effects were mainly driven by one species, complementarity effects were linked to larger leaf area per unit leaf weight. Seed yield increases due to mixture diversification were driven only by complementarity effects and were not mediated through the measured traits, suggesting that ecological processes beyond those measured in this study were responsible for positive diversity effects on yield beyond two-species mixtures. By understanding the drivers of positive biodiversity-productivity relationships, we can improve our ability to predict species combinations that enhance ecosystem functioning and can promote sustainable agricultural production., Ecological Applications, 32 (1), ISSN:1051-0761, ISSN:1939-5582

(1) Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). (2) Methods: The aim was to identify the incidence, severity, and risk factors for AKI during the first 100 days after allo-HSCT; we performed a prospective observational study on 135 consecutive patients. (3) Results: The mean age was 38.3 ± 11.9 years (50.6% females), AKI developed in 93 patients (68.9%), the median time of appearance was 28 days, and the mean serum creatinine at the time of AKI was 1.8 ± 0.8 mg/dL. A total of 36 (38.7%) patients developed stage 1 AKI, 33 (35.5%) patients developed stage 2, and 24 (25.8%) patients developed stage 3; eight (8.6%) patients required temporary hemodialysis, and the mortality rate in these patients was 87.5%. Death was twice as frequent in the AKI subgroup, without statistical significance. Cyclosporine overdose (HR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.45–3.85, p = 0.001), tacrolimus overdose (HR = 4.72, 95% CI: 2.22–10.01, p < 0.001), acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) (HR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.13–3.40, p = 0.01), and CRP level (HR = 1.009, 95% CI: 1.007–1.10, p < 0.001) were independent risk factors for AKI. Sepsis (HR = 5.37, 95% CI: 1.75–16.48, p = 0.003) and sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (HR = 5.10, 95% CI: 2.02–12.85, p = 0.001) were found as independent risk factors for AKI stage 3. (4) Conclusions: AKI occurs with high incidence and increased severity after allo-HSCT. Careful monitoring of calcineurin inhibitors and proper management of sepsis may reduce this risk.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate mobilization outcomes with biosimilar pegfilgrastim versus filgrastim in association with chemotherapy as a mobilization strategy for lymphoma patients.In the current study we included 32 lymphoma patients that received mobilization therapy and PBSC harvesting at the Bone Marrow Transplantation Department of Fundeni Clinical Institute, Bucharest, Romania between January and December 2019.Pegfilgrastim had beneficial effect when compared to filgrastim in reducing grade IV neutropenia both in the univariate and multivariate logistic models. Additionally, similar efficacy, as mobilization rate, after both filgrastim and pegfilgrastim was observed and no differences were noted between the two groups considering the need for platelet or red blood cell support.The use of biosimilar pegfilgrastim is a viable alternative to filgrastim in PBSC mobilization for lymphoma patients.

Resource allocation to reproduction is a critical trait for plant fitness1,2. This trait, called harvest index in the agricultural context3,4,5, determines how plant biomass is converted to seed yield and consequently financial revenue from numerous major staple crops. While plant diversity has been demonstrated to increase plant biomass6,7,8, plant diversity effects on seed yield of crops are ambiguous9 and dependent on the production syndrome10. This discrepancy might be explained through changes in the proportion of resources invested in reproduction in response to changes in plant diversity, namely through changes in species interactions and microenvironmental conditions11,12,13,14. Here, we show that increasing crop plant diversity from monocultures over two- to four-species mixtures increased annual primary productivity, resulting in overall higher plant biomass and, to a lesser extent, higher seed yield in mixtures compared with monocultures. The difference between the two responses to diversity was due to a reduced harvest index of the eight tested crop species in mixtures, possibly because their common cultivars have been bred for maximum performance in monoculture. While crop diversification provides a sustainable measure of agricultural intensification15, the use of currently available cultivars may compromise larger gains in seed yield. We therefore advocate regional breeding programmes for crop varieties to be used in mixtures that should exploit complementarity16 among crop species. ISSN:2055-026X ISSN:2055-0278

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after allogeneic stem cell transplantation; however, its incidence and outcome in patients transplanted for multiple myeloma (MM) is unknown. We evaluated the incidence, severity, and risk factors for AKI within the first 30 days after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for MM. We prospectively followed 185 consecutive patients with MM, without chronic renal replacement therapy, who underwent ASCT; 12.5% of patients had MM‐associated amyloidosis. AKI occurred in 19 (10.3%) patients, 8 ± 3 days after ASCT, with 18 patients (9.7%) stage 1 and one patient (0.6%) stage 2 AKI. The development of AKI was not associated with reduced overall survival and recovery of kidney function was evident in 68.4% of patients at 3 months. In Cox regression analysis, preexisting–chronic kidney disease (HR 7.01, CI 95% 2.04‐24.09; P = 0.002), serum beta2 microglobulin (HR 3.05, CI 95% 1.10‐8.44; P = 0.03), and mucositis grade 3/4 (HR 1.29, CI 95% 1.08‐1.53; P = 0.003) were independent risk factors for AKI. Our results suggest that AKI occurs with low incidence and reduced severity after ASCT for MM. Prophylactic measures in patients with preexisting–kidney failure may further reduce this risk.

Intercropping, i.e., the simultaneous cultivation of different crops on the same field, has demonstrated yield advantages compared to monoculture cropping. These yield advantages have often been attributed to complementary resource use, but few studies quantified the temporal complementarity of nutrient acquisition and biomass production. Our understanding of how nutrient uptake rates of nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) and biomass accumulation change throughout the growing season and between different neighbors is limited. We conducted weekly destructive harvests to measure temporal trajectories of N and P uptake and biomass production in three crop species (oat, lupin, and camelina) growing either as isolated single plants, in monocultures or as intercrops. Additionally, we quantified organic acid exudation in the rhizosphere and biological N2-fixation of lupin throughout the growing season. Logistic models were fitted to characterize nutrient acquisition and biomass accumulation trajectories. Nutrient uptake and biomass accumulation trajectories were curtailed by competitive interactions, resulting in earlier peak rates and lower total accumulated nutrients and biomass compared to cultivation as isolated single plants. Different pathways led to overyielding in the two mixtures. The oat–camelina mixture was characterized by a shift from belowground temporal niche partitioning of resource uptake to aboveground competition for light during the growing season. The oat–lupin mixture showed strong competitive interactions, where lupin eventually overyielded due to reliance on atmospheric N and stronger competitiveness for soil P compared to oat. Synthesis: This study demonstrates temporal shifts to earlier peak rates of plants growing with neighbors compared to those growing alone, with changes in uptake patterns suggesting that observed temporal shifts in our experiment were driven by competitive interactions rather than active plant behavior to reduce competition. The two differing pathways to overyielding in the two mixtures highlight the importance of examining temporal dynamics in intercropping systems to understand the underlying mechanisms of overyielding., Frontiers in Plant Science, 12, ISSN:1664-462X

Implementing sustainable weed control strategies is a major challenge in agriculture. Intercropping offers a potential solution to control weed pressure by reducing the resources available for weeds; however, available research on the relationship between crop diversity and weed pressure and its consequences for crop yield is not yet fully conclusive. In this study, we performed an extensive intercropping experiment using eight crop species and 40 different species mixtures to examine how crop diversity affects weed communities and how the subsequent changes in weeds influence crop yield. Mesocosm experiments were carried out under field conditions in Switzerland and in Spain, which differ drastically in terms of climate, soil and weed community, and included monocultures, two- and four-species mixtures, and a control treatment without crops. Weed communities were assessed in terms of biomass, species number and evenness, and community composition. Results indicate that intercropping reduces weed biomass and diversity in Spain but not in Switzerland. In Switzerland, despite the lack of a crop diversity effect on weeds, crop yield increased with crop species number. Moreover, in Switzerland, where soil resources were abundant, increasing crop yield correlated with reduced weed biomass. In Spain, where water and nutrients were limited, crop yield was not related to weed biomass or diversity. The presented research applies plant community ecology in the context of agricultural crop production systems. We demonstrate that, in our study, increased crop yield in mixtures was not due to increased weed suppression in diverse crop communities, and so must be the result of other ecological processes. We further show that crop–weed relationships vary across environmental conditions; more specifically, our study shows that weeds are less detrimental to crop yield in harsher environments compared to benign abiotic conditions, where alternative strategies are needed to control weed pressure and ensure the yield benefits provided by intercropping. ISSN:1051-0761 ISSN:1939-5582

SummaryIncreasing biodiversity generally enhances productivity through selection and complementarity effects not only in natural but also in agricultural systems. However, explaining why diversity enhances productivity remains a central goal in agricultural science.In a field experiment, we constructed monocultures, 2- and 4-species mixtures from eight crop species with and without fertilizer and both in temperate Switzerland and semi-arid Spain. We measured environmental factors and plant traits and related these in structural equation models to selection and complementarity effects to explain yield differences between monocultures and mixtures.Increased crop diversity increased yield in Switzerland. This positive biodiversity effect was driven to almost same extents by selection and complementarity effects, which increased with plant height and C:N ratio, respectively. Also, ecological processes driving yield increases from monocultures to mixtures differed from those responsible for yield increases through the diversification of mixtures.While selection effects were mainly driven by one species, complementarity effects were linked to higher productivity per unit N. Yield increases due to mixture diversification were driven only by complementarity and were not mediated through the measured traits, suggesting that ecological processes beyond those measured in this study were responsible for positive diversity effects on yield beyond 2-species mixtures.

Resource allocation to reproduction is a critical trait for plant fitness1,2. This trait, called harvest index in the agricultural context3–5, determines how plant biomass is converted to seed yield and consequently financial revenue of numerous major staple crops. While plant diversity has been demonstrated to increase plant biomass6–8, plant diversity effects on seed yield of crops are ambiguous9. This discrepancy could be explained through changes in the proportion of resources invested into reproduction in response to changes in plant diversity, namely through changes of species interactions and microenvironmental conditions10–13. Here we show that increasing crop plant diversity from monoculture over 2- to 4-species mixtures increased annual primary productivity, resulting in overall higher plant biomass and, to a lesser extent, higher seed yield in mixtures compared with monocultures. The difference between the two responses to diversity was due to a reduced reproductive effort of the eight tested crop species in mixtures, possibly because their common cultivars have been bred for maximum performance in monoculture. While crop diversification provides a sustainable measure of agricultural intensification14, the use of currently available cultivars may compromise larger gains in seed yield. We therefore advocate regional breeding programs for crop varieties to be used in mixtures that should exploit facilitative interactions15 among crop species.

Implementing sustainable weed control strategies is a major challenge in agriculture. Intercropping offers a potential solution to control weed pressure by reducing the niche space available for weeds; however, available research on the relationship between crop diversity and weed pressure, and its consequences on crop yield is not fully conclusive yet. In this study, we performed an extensive intercropping experiment using eight crop species and 40 different species mixtures to examine how crop diversity affects weed communities and how the subsequent changes in weeds influence crop yield. Field experiments were carried out in Switzerland and in Spain, which differ drastically in terms of climate and soil, and included monocultures, 2- and 4-species mixtures, and a control treatment without crops. Weed communities were assessed in terms of biomass, species richness and evenness, and community composition. Results indicate that intercropping per se does not reduce weed performance or diversity, but crop species composition does. In particular, the presence of cereals in crop mixtures significantly reduced weed biomass and diversity. Despite the lack of crop diversity effect on weeds, crop yield increased with crop species richness, particularly in Switzerland. Moreover, in Switzerland, where soil resources were abundant, increasing crop yield correlated with increased weed suppression and reduced weed diversity. In Spain, where water and nutrients were limited, crop yield was not related to weed biomass or diversity. Synthesis and applications: We demonstrate that in our study, increased crop yield in mixtures was not due to increased weed suppression in diverse crop communities, but must be the result of other ecological processes. We also show that crop-weed relationships vary across environmental conditions, which emphasizes the need for a better understanding of weed communities' assembly mechanisms, as well as locally adapted weed management strategies.

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a rare and aggressive mature T-cell malignancy caused by the human T lymphoma virus I (HTLV-I) affecting 3&ndash, 5% of HTLV-1 carriers and is usually diagnosed in endemic regions. Romania is a region with high prevalence of HTLV-1 infection and ATLL and with low median age at diagnosis for aggressive types. We performed a retrospective analysis of post-transplant outcome in the first Romanian patients with ATLL receiving hematopoietic stem cell allotransplant. The study population included eight patients (three males, five females), with median age of 39.5 (range 26&ndash, 57), with acute (one case) and lymphoma type (seven cases) that received peripheral stem cells (PBSC) from matched related (MRD) and unrelated donors (MUD) after reduced intensity conditioning. Graft versus host disease (GVHD) developed in six patients. Relapse occurred in four cases (50%) at a median time of 5-months post-transplant. Six patients died: four cases with disease-related deaths and two patients with GVHD-related deaths. The median survival post-transplant was 19.5 months (range 2.3&ndash, 44.2 months). The post-transplant survival at 1-year was 62.5%, at 2-years 50%, and at 3-years 37.5%. In our opinion allogeneic transplant improves outcome in aggressive type ATLL.

Introduction: Adult T lymphoma (ATL) is a rare and aggressive disease shown to be consistently caused by the human T lymphoma virus I (HTLV-I). It generally occurs in Japan and Africa, with a low incidence in Europe. Romania is an exception to this rule, presenting an endemic representation of ATL. Aim: The aim of this study was to present our experience with allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) for ATL. Methods: The current study was a retrospective analysis of the ATL cases that received alloSCT in the Fundeni Clinical Institute. The patients were included between January 2016 to April 2019. Results: A total of 7 patients were included in the present study, out of which 2 (28%) presented the acute form, while the rest presented the lymphomatous form. Four (57%) patients presented extranodal involvement, with 3 of those (75%), showing skin involvement. Of note, all patients presenting skin involvement also had bone marrow involvement. Thus, skin involvement was associated with a more advanced disease. Graft versus host disease (GvHD) was present in 4 (57%) patients, two of which were acute GvHD and two, chronic GvHD. Interestingly, the two patients that relapsed presented either acute or chronic GvHD, showing that the graft versus lymphoma (GVL) effect that can be observed in other lymphoma types is not observed in this cohort. Another noticeable observation is the fact that 4 out of the 6 patients tested for HTLV-I at 6 months post alloSCT presented a positive HTLV-I viral load. This event occurred, although, at 30 days, all patients presented 100% donor chimerism and the donor samples were negative for HTLV-I. This shows a possible imperfect jump of the HTLV-I from the recipient to the donor T lymphocytes or the possibility of a reinfection. Three (43%) patients presented a response less than complete remission (CR) after the first line of therapy, two of which progressed to death. The two deaths occurred at 14 and 15 months from the diagnosis, with the other follow-up periods in the cohort being higher than 26 months with the exception of one patient that had a follow-up of 6.8 moths from diagnosis. These two aforementioned patients were also the only ones to relapse thus far. Conclusion: For ATL, alloSCT represents a viable and potentially curative approach when used in chemosensitive disease. This being said, there are clear differences from other lymphomas, ATL having to be considered separately. Disclosures Tanase: Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol Myers: Consultancy. Hermine:Novartis: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; AB Science: Consultancy, Equity Ownership, Honoraria, Research Funding.

This article studies comparatively the property restitution policies of Eastern and Western Balkan countries, focusing mostly on internal and external constraints to a permanent solution. The role of the European Court of Human Rights is analyzed in depth, as well as the subtle shift of policy of the EU institutions from the earlier Eastern Balkan accession to the Western Balkans one. While the situation of property restitution in South-Eastern Europe provides clear evidence that Europeanization helps transformation, particularly if the EU openly assumes the role of a transformation agent, it also highlights the limits of its power.

This paper surveys the South-East European experience in this key area of transformation: the establishing of a secure basis for property rights by the post communist regime. We ask what determined the a given country´s choice of a specific policy towards restitution, and what the consequences were: what, in addition, made European institutions involve themselves in this domestic problem and what the impact was of their intervention. Ultimately, we are concerned with the interplay of the process of Europeanization with the process of transformation. Our policy analysis presents first a survey of the problem in both the Eastern and Western Balkans in order to understand the path dependencies leading to the restitution policies of countries there and the interplay between domestic and external (European) factors in the formulation of domestic policies towards property restitution in the Balkans. We then analyze in detail the growing role of the European institutions, particularly ECtHR in the process of formulation and implementation of such policies, to review at last the challenges facing the EU property restitution policy towards the Balkan countries.