bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Targeted therapy in lung cancer: Are we closing the gap in years of life lost?
Authors: Benjamin David J. , Haslam Alyson , Gill Jenny , Prasad Vinay
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that harbor driver mutations are associated with a cancer diagnosis at a younger age. While targeted therapies provide deep remissions and durable benefit in a subset of patients, it is unclear whether targeted therapies bridge the gap in years of life lost (YLL) in these younger NSCLC patients with targetable mutations in comparison to generally older NSCLC patients without actionable driver mutations.

Materials and Methods

Retrospective cross‐sectional study using landmark trials leading to the approval of targeted therapies in NSCLC with actionable mutations. We evaluated all targeted therapies as well as chemotherapy and IO regimens for the treatment of NSCLC through FDA Oncology Announcements and NCCN Guidelines for NSCLC (version 4.2021).

Results

We estimated the YLL for each driver mutation, cumulative median duration of response (DOR) with targeted therapies by mutation type, and percentage of estimated improvement in YLL from NSCLC targeted therapies. The median ages at diagnosis (in years) for patients whose tumors express targetable mutations were: 47.6 (NTRK); 52.0 (ALK); 62.0 (HER2); 57.0 (ROS1); 61.4 (RET); 63.0 (BRAF); 69.0 (EGFR); and 72.0 (MET). For comparison, the median age at diagnosis for patients without driver mutations, regardless of PD‐L1 status was 71 years. The median DOR (in years) for patients whose tumors express the same mutations include: 0.9 (NTRK); 3.9 (ALK); 0.6 (HER2); 6.2 (ROS1); 2.2 (RET); 1.5 (BRAF); 3.1 (EGFR); and 2.4 (MET). The median DOR for patients without driver mutations was 1.2 years. The cumulative estimated survival time (years; median age at diagnosis plus the median DOR or OS) for patients whose tumors express targetable mutations were: 48.5 (NTRK); 55.9 (ALK); 62.6 (HER2); 63.2 (ROS1); 63.6 (RET); 64.5 (BRAF); 72.1 (EGFR); and 74.4 (MET). The cumulative estimated survival time for patients without driver mutations, regardless of PD‐L1 status, was 72.2 years of age. We calculated the number of years NSCLC is diagnosed earlier in patients with targetable mutations as follows: 23.4 (NTRK), 19 (ALK), 14 (ROS1), 11 (EGFR), 9.6 (RET), 9 (HER2), and 8 (BRAF). The percent difference (%) ameliorated in YLL by mutation type is as follows: 44.3 (ROS1), 28.2 (EGFR), 22.9 (RET), 20.5 (ALK), 18.8 (BRAF), 6.4 (HER2), and 3.7 (NTRK).

Conclusion

Although targeted therapies have paved the way for significant progress toward providing a survival benefit to many young patients with advanced NSCLC with actionable mutations, it is evident that these therapies still leave a wide gap in the YLL in these younger patients compared to generally older individuals with advanced NSCLC without targetable mutations.
Find out how to build and lead successful teams
Authors: Simula Brandy L.
Published: March 2022

Building and leading successful teams requires a set of professional skills that hinge on intentional practices and strategies.
Did university's search of fraternity students violate their constitutional rights?
Authors: Lyerly Eric
Published: March 2022

Three students at Indiana University, Bloomington, decided to pledge Beta Theta Pi fraternity. The students, like all students at the university, were required to carry a university identification card as a condition of their attendance.
Enzyme Inhibition Properties and Molecular Docking Studies of 4‐Sulfonate Containing Aryl α‐Hydroxyphosphonates Based Hybrid Molecules
Authors: Şahin İrfan , Bingöl Zeynebe , Onur Sultan , Güngör Seyit Ali , Köse Muhammet , Gülçin İlhami , Tümer Ferhan
Published: March 2022

In this study, a series of new hybrid molecules containing two important functional groups on the same skeleton were designed. 4‐Hydroxybenzaldehyde and its two different derivatives were converted into their respective sulphonates by interacting with tosylchloride and methanesulfonyl chloride. Then, the desired molecules were synthesized by adding diethoxyphosphonate to the aldehyde group. Also, novel synthesis of hybrid compounds (4a–c and 5a–c) were tested toward some metabolic enzymes like carbonic anhydrase I and II isoenzymes (hCA I and hCA II) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme. The synthesis of hybrid compounds (4a–c and 5a–c) showed Ki values of in range of 25.084±4.73‐69.853±15.19 nM against hCA I, 32.325±1.67–82.761±22.73 nM against hCA II and 1.699±0.25 and 3.500±0.91 nM against AChE. For these compounds, compound 4c showed maximum inhibition effect against hCA I and hCA II isoenzymes and compound 5b showed maximum inhibition effect against AChE enzyme. By performing docking studies of the most active compounds for their binding modes and interactions were determined.
Exploration of Potent Cytotoxic Molecules from Fungi in Recent Past to Discover Plausible Anticancer Scaffolds
Authors: Shevkar Chaitrali , Pradhan Pranali , Armarkar Ashwini , Pandey Komal , Kalia Kiran , Paranagama Priyani , Kate Abhijeet S.
Published: March 2022

Fungi are known to produce diverse scaffolds possessing unique biological activities, however, to date, no molecule discovered from a fungal source has reached the market as an anti‐cancer drug. Every year number of cytotoxic molecules of fungal origin are getting published and critical analysis of those compounds is necessary to identify the potent ones. A review mentioning the best cytotoxic fungal metabolites and their status in the drug development was published in 2014. In this report, we have included 176 cytotoxic molecules isolated from fungi after 2014 and categorized them according to their potencies such as IC50 values below 1 μM, 1–5 μM, and 5–10 μM. The emphasis was given to those 42 molecules which have shown IC50 less than 1 μM and discussed to a great extent. This review shall provide potent scaffolds of fungal origin which can be given priority in the development as a drug candidate for cancer therapeutics.
Short duration phantosmia changes in a post‐COVID‐19 patient in Bangladesh
Authors: Amin Mohammad Ashraful , Nahin Sabrina , Fardous Jannatul , Rozars Md Faisal Kabir , Hawlader Mohammad Delwer Hossain
Published: March 2022

Phantosmia is a condition in perceived odors that do not exist. Given the high outlook and swift recovery of COVID‐19‐induced olfactory dysfunction, the emphasis should be on patients presenting with a poor prognosis who might receive from early management to avoid sequelae such as olfactory dysfunction‐related phantosmia.
Necrotizing pneumonia caused by methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Hiramatsu Toshiki , Tobino Kazunori
Published: March 2022

We report a fatal case of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)‐induced necrotizing pneumonia that was refractory to adequate vancomycin treatment (trough value, 13.1 µg/ml), drainage of hydropneumothorax, and veno‐arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Despite appropriate treatment, MRSA infection can cause rapidly progressive disease with a high‐case fatality rate.
Colorless Magnetic Colloidal Particles Based on an Amorphous Metal‐Organic Framework Using Holmium as the Metal Species.
Authors: Fujita Yuta , Kohaku Kotona , Komiyama Nao , Ujiie Kazuya , Masu Hyuma , Kojima Takashi , Wadati Hiroki , Kanoh Hirofumi , Kishikawa Keiki , Kohri Michinari
Published: March 2022

Holmium (Ho) is a lanthanide element with a high magnetic moment. Here, we create an amorphous metal‐organic framework (MOF) that has no long‐range periodic order but retains the basic components of MOF by using isophthalic acid as an organic linker and Ho as a metal species. The resulting spherical Ho‐MOF particles disperse well in a solvent and exhibit excellent magnetic properties in response to magnets. Since Ho has almost no coloring, Ho‐MOF particles are a colorless magnetic material, unlike conventional iron oxide particles. Taking advantage of the colorless property, the selective adsorption of dyes on Ho‐MOF particles can be easily visually confirmed by magnetically separating the particles. In addition, present versatile processes that enable adaptation of lanthanide elements other than Ho enable the development of colorless multifunctional MOF particles.
Bioequivalence of Esaxerenone Conventional Tablet and Orally Disintegrating Tablet: Two Single‐Dose Crossover Studies in Healthy Japanese Men
Authors: Kurata Akifumi , Eto Takashi , Tsutsumi Junko , Igawa Yoshiyuki , Nishikawa Yasuhiro , Ishizuka Hitoshi
Published: March 2022

We assessed the bioequivalence of a single dose of 5‐mg of esaxerenone administered as an orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) with the conventional oral tablet in healthy Japanese men. This single‐center, open‐label, randomized, two‐drug, two‐stage crossover, single‐dose study was conducted in two parts. In study 1, both formulations were taken with water. In study 2, only the ODT formulation was taken without water. The primary outcome was the evaluation of bioequivalence of the ODT and conventional tablet using the pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the plasma concentration–time curve to the last quantifiable time (AUClast). Plasma concentrations were measured using a validated liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method and PK parameters were calculated by noncompartmental analysis. The ratios of the geometric least‐squares mean (2‐sided 90% confidence intervals [90%CIs]) for ODT with (study 1) and without (study 2) water to the conventional tablet were 1.03 (1.00–1.07) and 1.01 (0.96–1.06) for Cmax and 1.03 (1.00–1.07) and 0.96 (0.94–0.98) for AUClast, respectively. The 90%CIs fell within the predefined bioequivalence range of 0.80–1.25. Treatment‐emergent adverse events were similar between both formulations. In conclusion, esaxerenone 5‐mg ODT taken with or without water was bioequivalent to a single 5‐mg conventional oral tablet.
Do takeover threats influence corporate social responsibility? Evidence from hostile takeover vulnerability
Authors: Wongsinhirun Nopparat , Chatjuthamard Pattanaporn , Jiraporn Pornsit , Phiromswad Piyachart
Published: March 2022

Theory suggests that the market for corporate control, which constitutes an important external governance mechanism, may substitute for internal governance. Consistent with this notion, using a novel measure of takeover vulnerability primarily based on state legislation, we investigate the effect of the takeover market on corporate social responsibility performance. Using a sample of 9200 firms in the USA, the study finds that an exogenous increase in takeover protection decreases corporate social responsibility, consistent with the managerial myopia theory that managers tend to be myopic when more exposed to hostile takeover threats, making investments that show results in the short run at the expense of long‐term projects. Furthermore, corporate social responsibility is harder to evaluate due to information asymmetry and tends to be discounted in the short run. Additional robustness checks confirm the results, including fixed‐effects and random‐effects regressions, propensity score matching and instrumental‐variable analysis. Our results are unlikely driven by endogeneity.
A Coupled Ketoreductase‐Diaphorase Assay for the Detection of Polyethylene Terephthalate‐Hydrolyzing Activity
Authors: Gimeno‐Pérez María , Finnigan James D. , Echeverria Coro , Charnock Simon J. , Hidalgo Aurelio , Mate Diana M.
Published: March 2022

In the last two decades, several PET‐degrading enzymes from already known microorganisms or metagenomic sources have been discovered to face the growing environmental concern of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) accumulation. However, there is a limited number of high‐throughput screening protocols for PET‐hydrolyzing activity that avoid the use of surrogate substrates. Herein, a microplate fluorescence screening assay was described. It was based on the coupled activity of ketoreductases (KREDs) and diaphorase to release resorufin in the presence of the products of PET degradation. Six KREDs were identified in a commercial panel that were able to use the PET building block, ethylene glycol, as substrate. The most efficient KRED, KRED61, was combined with the diaphorase from Clostridium kluyveri to monitor the PET degradation reaction catalyzed by the thermostable variant of the cutinase‐type polyesterase from Saccharomonospora viridis AHK190. The PET degradation products were measured both fluorimetrically and by HPLC, with excellent correlation between both methods.
Design of 0.1‐mV zero‐g and 200‐μg/√Hz capacitance accelerometer with high sensitivity readout circuit with time‐to‐digital convertor applied to finger tremor of neurodegenerative disease
Authors: Lin Wei‐Cheng , Chang Ming‐Chiu , Liao Chien‐Hung , Hsieh Chun‐Ting
Published: March 2022

Finger tremors occur in the early stage of brain disease such Parkinson's syndrome and dementia and are usually detected using inertial sensors such as triaxial gyroscopes or triaxial accelerometer to detect the finger tremor. But finger tremoring is a low‐acceleration and low‐frequency oscillation, and conventional gyroscopes and accelerometer cannot be used for the finger tremor detection. In this paper, we design and implement a single‐axis capacitance MEMS accelerometer, and a readout circuit with a Class AB amplifier with chopper technique and a time‐to‐digital convertor circuit with 1 bit for movement direction count and 8 bits for movement duration count. The proposed accelerometer and readout circuit can achieve 0.1‐mV low offset drift and 53‐mg offset at zero‐g, 200‐μg/√Hz noise density, and 720‐mV/g sensitivity. Mounting the proposed MEMS sensor on tremor index finger, measurement from time‐to‐digital convertor circuit shows twice time durations and a distinct count of changes in tremor finger movement. Monitoring movement durations through the proposed time‐to‐digital convertor circuit, it enables the clinicians to understand in a simple way whether finger tremors are associated with early dementia or Parkinson's syndrome, rather than just conventional amplitude voltage.
Patterns of genomic and allochronic strain divergence in the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith)
Authors: Tessnow Ashley E. , Raszick Tyler J. , Porter Patrick , Sword Gregory A.
Published: March 2022

Speciation is the process through which reproductive isolation develops between distinct populations. Because this process takes time, speciation studies often necessarily examine populations within a species that are at various stages of divergence. The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), is comprised of two strains (R = Rice & C = Corn) that serve as a novel system to explore population divergence in sympatry. Here, we use ddRADSeq data to show that fall armyworm strains in the field are largely genetically distinct, but some interstrain hybridization occurs. Although we detected F1 hybrids of both R‐ and C‐strain maternal origin, only hybrids with R‐strain mtDNA were found to contribute to subsequent generations, possibly indicating a unidirectional barrier to gene flow. Although these strains have been previously defined as “host plant‐associated,” we recovered an equal proportion of R‐ and C‐strain moths in fields dominated by C‐strain host plants. As an alternative to host‐associated divergence, we tested the hypothesis that differences in nightly activity patterns could account for reproductive isolation by genotyping temporally collected moths. Our data indicates that strains exhibit a significant shift in the timing of their nightly activities in the field. This divergence in phenology creates a prezygotic reproductive barrier that likely maintains the genetic isolation between strains. Thus, we conclude that it may be ecologically inaccurate to refer to the C‐ and R‐ strain as “host‐associated” and they should more appropriately be considered “allochronic strains.”
Reproductive consequences of transient pathogen exposure across host genotypes and generations
Authors: Ordovás‐Montañés María , Preston Gail M. , Drew Georgia C. , Rafaluk‐Mohr Charlotte , King Kayla C.
Published: March 2022

To maximize fitness upon pathogenic infection, host organisms might reallocate energy and resources among life‐history traits, such as reproduction and defense. The fitness costs of infection can result from both immune upregulation and direct pathogen exploitation. The extent to which these costs, separately and together, vary by host genotype and across generations is unknown. We attempted to disentangle these costs by transiently exposing wild isolates and a lab‐domesticated strain of Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes to the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, using exposure to heat‐killed pathogens to distinguish costs due to immune upregulation and pathogen exploitation. We found that host nematodes exhibit a short‐term delay in offspring production when exposed to live and heat‐killed pathogen, but their lifetime fecundity (total offspring produced) recovered to control levels. We also found genetic variation between host isolates for both cumulative offspring production and magnitude of fitness costs. We further investigated whether there were maternal pathogen exposure costs (or benefits) to offspring and revealed a positive correlation between the magnitude of the pathogen‐induced delay in the parent's first day of reproduction and the cost to offspring population growth. Our findings highlight the capacity for hosts to recover fecundity after transient exposure to a pathogen.
Host and geographic barriers shape the competition, coexistence, and extinction patterns of influenza A (H1N1) viruses
Authors: Cheng Chaoyuan , Holyoak Marcel , Xu Lei , Li Jing , Liu Wenjun , Stenseth Nils Chr. , Zhang Zhibin
Published: March 2022

The influenza virus mutates and spreads rapidly, making it suitable for studying evolutionary and ecological processes. The ecological factors and processes by which different lineages of influenza compete or coexist within hosts through time and across geographical space are poorly known. We hypothesized that competition would be stronger for influenza viruses infecting the same host compared to different hosts (the Host Barrier Hypothesis), and for those with a higher cross‐region transmission intensity (the Geographic Barrier Hypothesis). Using available sequences of the influenza A (H1N1) virus in GenBank, we identified six lineages, twelve clades, and several replacement events. We found that human‐hosted lineages had a higher cross‐region transmission intensity than swine‐hosted lineages. Co‐occurrence probabilities of lineages infecting the same host were lower than those infecting different hosts, and human‐hosted lineages had lower co‐occurrence probabilities and genetic diversity than swine‐hosted lineages. These results show that H1N1 lineages infecting the same host or with high cross‐region transmission rates experienced stronger competition and extinction pressures than those infecting different hosts or with low cross‐region transmission. Our study highlights how host and geographic barriers shape the competition, extinction, and coexistence patterns of H1N1 lineages and clades.
Rare, common, alien and native species follow different rules in an understory plant community
Authors: Reeve Sarah , Deane David C. , McGrannachan Chris , Horner Gillis , Hui Cang , McGeoch Melodie
Published: March 2022

Biological invasions are a leading threat to biodiversity globally. Increasingly, ecosystems experience multiple introductions, which can have significant effects on patterns of diversity. The way these communities assemble will depend partly on whether rare and common alien species respond to environmental predictors in the same manner as rare and common native species, but this is not well understood. To examine this question across four national parks in south‐eastern Australia, we sampled the understory plant community of eucalypt‐dominated dry forest subject to multiple plant introductions. The drivers of diversity and turnover in alien and native species of contrasting frequency of occurrence (low, intermediate, and high) were each tested individually. We found alien species diversity and turnover were both strongly associated with abiotic conditions (e.g., soil pH), while distance had little influence because of the greater extent of occurrence and more homogeneous composition of common aliens. In contrast, native species diversity was not associated with abiotic conditions and their turnover was as strongly influenced by distance as by abiotic conditions. In both alien and native species, however, the most important predictors of turnover changed with frequency of occurrence. Although local coexistence appears to be facilitated by life history trade‐offs, species richness of aliens and natives was negatively correlated and native species might face greater competition in areas with more neutral soils (e.g., pH > ~5.5) where alien richness and relative frequency were both highest. We conclude that diversity and turnover in the generally more widespread alien species are mainly driven by species sorting along an environmental gradient associated with pH and nutrient availability, whereas turnover of native species is driven by more neutral processes associated with dispersal limitation. We show alien and native plant species respond to different environmental factors, as do rare and common species within each component.
A community and functional comparison of coral and reef fish assemblages between four decades of coastal urbanisation and thermal stress
Authors: Cook Katie M. , Yamagiwa Hirotaka , Beger Maria , Masucci Giovanni Diego , Ross Stuart , Lee Hui Yian Theodora , Stuart‐Smith Rick D. , Reimer James Davis
Published: March 2022

Urbanized coral reefs experience anthropogenic disturbances caused by coastal development, pollution, and nutrient runoff, resulting in turbid, marginal conditions in which only certain species can persist. Mortality effects are exacerbated by increasingly regular thermal stress events, leading to shifts towards novel communities dominated by habitat generalists and species with low structural complexity.

There is limited data on the turnover processes that occur due to this convergence of anthropogenic stressors, and how novel urban ecosystems are structured both at the community and functional levels. As such, it is unclear how they will respond to future disturbance events.

Here, we examine the patterns of coral reef community change and determine whether ecosystem functions provided by specialist species are lost post‐disturbance. We present a comparison of community and functional trait‐based changes for scleractinian coral genera and reef fish species assemblages subject to coastal development, coastal modification, and mass bleaching between two time periods, 1975–1976 and 2018, in Nakagusuku Bay, Okinawa, Japan.

We observed an increase in fish habitat generalists, a dominance shift from branching to massive/sub‐massive corals and increasing site‐based coral genera richness between years. Fish and coral communities significantly reassembled, but functional trait‐based multivariate space remained constant, indicating a turnover of species with similar traits. A compression of coral habitat occurred, with shallow (<5 m) and deep (>8 m) coral genera shifting towards the mid‐depths (5–8 m).

We show that although reef species assemblages altered post disturbance, new communities retained similar ecosystem functions. This result could be linked to the stressors experienced by urban reefs, which reflect those that will occur at an increasing frequency globally in the near future. Yet, even after shifts to disturbed communities, these fully functioning reef systems may maintain high conservation value.
Ecological impacts of photosynthetic light harvesting in changing aquatic environments: A systematic literature map
Authors: Hintz Nils Hendrik , Schulze Brian , Wacker Alexander , Striebel Maren
Published: March 2022

Underwater light is spatially as well as temporally variable and directly affects phytoplankton growth and competition. Here we systematically (following the guidelines of PRISMA‐EcoEvo) searched and screened the published literature resulting in 640 individual articles. We mapped the conducted research for the objectives of (1) phytoplankton fundamental responses to light, (2) effects of light on the competition between phytoplankton species, and (3) effects of climate‐change‐induced changes in the light availability in aquatic ecosystems. Among the fundamental responses of phytoplankton to light, the effects of light intensity (quantity, as measure of total photon or energy flux) were investigated in most identified studies. The effects of the light spectrum (quality) that via species‐specific light absorbance result in direct consequences on species competition emerged more recently. Complexity in competition arises due to variability and fluctuations in light which effects are sparsely investigated on community level. Predictions regarding future climate change scenarios included changes in in stratification and mixing, lake and coastal ocean darkening, UV radiation, ice melting as well as light pollution which affect the underwater light‐climate. Generalization of consequences is difficult due to a high variability, interactions of consequences as well as a lack in sustained timeseries and holistic approaches. Nevertheless, our systematic literature map, and the identified articles within, provide a comprehensive overview and shall guide prospective research.
Combined influence of food availability and agricultural intensification on a declining aerial insectivore
Authors: Garrett Daniel R. , Pelletier Fanie , Garant Dany , Bélisle Marc
Published: March 2022

Aerial insectivores show worldwide population declines coinciding with shifts in agricultural practices. Increasing reliance on certain agricultural practices is thought to have led to an overall reduction in insect abundance that negatively affects aerial insectivore fitness. The relationship between prey availability and the fitness of insectivores may thus vary with the extent of agricultural intensity. It is therefore imperative to quantify the strength and direction of these associations. Here we used data from an 11‐year study monitoring the breeding of Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) and the availability of Diptera (their main prey) across a gradient of agricultural intensification in southern Québec, Canada. This gradient was characterized by a shift in agricultural production, whereby landscapes composed of forage and pastures represented less agro‐intensive landscapes and those focusing on large‐scale arable row crop monocultures, such as corn (Zea mays) or soybean (Glycine max) that are innately associated with significant mechanization and agro‐chemical inputs, represented more agro‐intensive landscapes. We evaluated the landscape characteristics affecting prey availability and how this relationship influences the fledging success, duration of the nestling period, fledgling body mass, and wing length as these variables are known to influence the population dynamics of this species. Diptera availability was greatest within predominately forested landscapes, while within landscapes dominated by agriculture, it was marginally greater in less agro‐intensive areas. Of the measured fitness and body condition proxies, both fledging success and nestling body mass were positively related to prey availability. The impact of prey availability varied across the agricultural gradient as fledging success improved with increasing prey levels within forage landscapes yet declined in more agro‐intensive landscapes. Finally, after accounting for prey availability, fledging success was lowest, nestling periods were the longest, and wing length of fledglings were shortest within more agro‐intensive landscapes. Our results highlight the interacting roles that aerial insect availability and agricultural intensification have on the fitness of aerial insectivores, and by extension how food availability may interact with other aspects of breeding habitats to influence the population dynamics of predators.
Floral turnover and climate drive seasonal bee diversity along a tropical elevation gradient
Authors: Dzekashu Fairo F. , Yusuf Abdullahi A. , Pirk Christian W. W. , Steffan‐Dewenter Ingolf , Lattorff H. Michael G. , Peters Marcell K.
Published: March 2022

The contribution of seasonality in species communities to elevational diversity of tropical insects remains poorly understood. We here assessed seasonal patterns and drivers of bee diversity in the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot, Kenya, to understand the contribution of seasonality to elevational biodiversity patterns. Bee species and plant species visited by bees were recorded on 50 study plots in regrowth vegetation across four major seasons along two elevation gradients from 525 to 2530 m above sea level. Bees were sampled by transect walks using sweep nets and aspirators. We examined how local species richness (α‐diversity) and seasonal changes in local species communities (β‐diversity) contribute to species richness across seasons (γ‐diversity) along elevation gradients. Using a multimodel inference framework, we identified the contribution of climate and floral seasonality to elevational patterns in bee diversity. We found that both α‐ and γ‐diversity decreased with elevation. Seasonal β‐diversity decreased with elevation and the high turnover of species across seasons contributed to a considerably higher γ‐ than α‐diversity on study plots. A combination of seasonality in climate and the seasonal turnover of floral resources best explained the seasonality in bee species communities (seasonal β‐diversity). We, therefore, conclude that, despite the more stable, and favorable climatic conditions in the tropics (in comparison to temperate regions), climatic seasonality and its influence on bees' floral resources largely determined seasonal patterns of bee species diversity along elevation gradients on tropical mountains.
Community stability is related to animal diversity change
Authors: Jarzyna Marta A. , Norman Kari E. A. , LaMontagne Jalene M. , Helmus Matthew R. , Li Daijiang , Parker Stephanie M. , Perez Rocha Mariana , Record Sydne , Sokol Eric R. , Zarnetske Phoebe L. , Surasinghe Thilina D.
Published: March 2022

Understanding the drivers of community stability in times of increasing anthropogenic pressure is an urgent issue. Biodiversity is known to promote community stability, but studies of the biodiversity–stability relationship rarely consider the full complexity of biodiversity change. Furthermore, finding generalities that hold across taxonomic groups and spatial and temporal scales remains challenging because most investigations have narrow taxonomic, spatial, and temporal scopes. We used organismal data collected through the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) at sites across the contiguous United States to evaluate linkages between community stability and biodiversity change for four taxonomic groups: small mammals, ground beetles, fish, and freshwater macroinvertebrates. We defined community stability as constancy of aggregate species' abundance. We quantified change in biodiversity as (1) dissimilarity in community taxonomic and functional composition and species replacement and richness change components of that dissimilarity and (2) change in species' abundance distributions as captured by change in species rank, richness, and evenness. We found that community stability increased with species replacement and with contribution of species replacement to overall dissimilarity for all taxonomic groups, but declined with increasing change in species richness and evenness. This is consistent with the notion that temporal fluctuations in species abundance can help stabilize community properties. We also found that community stability was highest when change in community functional composition was either lower or higher than expected given reshuffling of each community's taxonomic composition. This suggests that long‐term community stability can result from fluctuations of functionally similar species in assemblages with high taxonomic reshuffling. On the contrary, the functional uniqueness of fluctuating species compensates for lower taxonomic reshuffling to drive stabilization of community properties. Our study provides an initial assessment of the relationship between community stability and biodiversity change and illustrates the utility of fine temporal resolution data collected across ecosystems and biomes to understand the general mechanisms underlying biodiversity–stability relationships.
Effective and feasible mechanisms to support native invertebrate pollinators in agricultural landscapes: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Aslan Clare E. , Haubensak Karen A. , Grady Kevin C.
Published: March 2022

Pollinator declines have emerged as a major conservation concern across a wide diversity of systems and taxa worldwide. In response to these concerns, active efforts to conserve pollinators are increasingly considered in agricultural landscape design and management, natural area management, and public land decision‐making. An important conservation challenge is translating these efforts to feasible recommendations that agriculturalists across a diversity of systems and contexts can employ to support pollinator communities. In order to develop such a toolbox for agriculturalists, we conducted a meta‐analysis to examine feasible management practices, tools, or decisions, employed in agricultural landscapes, that directly impact pollinator forage and nest site resources. Our search terms netted a total of 743 unique references; from this, we developed a dataset of 209 unique records, derived from 89 unique references, for inclusion in our meta‐analysis. We found that across all treatments aimed at boosting pollinators, there were significant increases in bee abundance, bee species richness, and overall pollinator abundance and visitation rate. We also found specifically that across all study types, the following practices resulted in positive changes in pollinator community responses: reduced distance to natural areas, reduced regional intensity of human modification, increased quantity and quality of pollinator resources within a focal system, plantings adjacent to agricultural areas, and the use of nonconventional agricultural practices. The most consistent pollinator response to treatments was bee species richness, which was significantly increased by plantings adjacent to agricultural areas, distance from natural areas, and quantity and diversity of pollinator resources. Bee species richness also decreased with intensity of human modification. These findings are presented in a toolbox for agriculturalists, containing evidence‐based actions and outcomes to assist practitioners in decision‐making specific to pollinator habitat improvement that could be actionable in the near term.
Invasion of a non‐native forb reduces flammability in a fire‐dependent ecosystem
Authors: Barnes Alexander G. , Kane Jeffrey M. , McKenzie David A. , Koerner Brenda A.
Published: March 2022

Fire and grazing are two of the most common global disturbances that maintain and promote many grassland ecosystems worldwide. The presence of non‐native, invasive plant species can alter fire regimes through changes in fuel properties that affect native vegetation in many ecosystems and are a leading threat to biodiversity and ecosystem function. Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata), a non‐native, invasive forb frequently present in many North American tallgrass prairies, may reduce flammability by altering the fuel bed moisture and structural characteristics to reduce fire in this fire‐dependent ecosystem. The goal of this research was to examine the influence of sericea lespedeza on fuel bed structure, moisture, and flammability compared to native grassland fuels. Fuel bed burning trials, conducted in a controlled laboratory setting, tested for the effect of fuel load mass of native grass and sericea lespedeza litter, proportion of sericea fuel load, and fuel moisture content on flammability metrics. Regardless of moisture content, sericea lespedeza reduced flammability and reduced maximum fire temperatures by as much as 500°C. Sericea lespedeza poses a major threat to North American tallgrass prairies by decreasing flammability of fuel beds through increased fuel bed density and moisture retention.
Forest structure and seasonally inundated grassland shape tropical mammal communities under moderate disturbance
Authors: Masseloux Juliana , Le Quy Tan , Burr Jessica , Gerber Brian D.
Published: March 2022

Tropical biodiversity is threatened globally by anthropogenic disturbances, particularly forest degradation and overhunting. Where large mammals have been extirpated, smaller bodied “mesomammals” may play an important ecological role (e.g., as seed dispersers). However, these species are disproportionally affected by overhunting for wildlife trade markets and are routinely understudied as they tend to be rare, cryptic, and nocturnal. Few studies have examined spatiotemporal responses to anthropogenic disturbance by mesomammals at the community level, which may identify imbalances within an ecosystem that could threaten species persistence. We deployed camera traps throughout Cat Tien National Park (i.e., Nam Cat Tien area), southern Vietnam, to (1) identify long‐term changes in terrestrial mesomammal richness and (2) evaluate the effects of forest structure and anthropogenic disturbance on an 18‐species mesomammal community within a historically disturbed tropical forest using hierarchical Bayesian community occupancy models. We found that site occupancy was driven by the interaction between distance to seasonally inundated grassland and absolute forest cover (basal area per hectare). This may be due to the combination of intact forest benefits (refuge from predators and hunters, denning sites) and early successional grassland resources (forage quality), as well as high levels of tolerance for disturbed forest among the largely generalist mesomammal community of Nam Cat Tien. We found no negative effects of current anthropogenic factors at the community level. However, we did find that four disturbance‐tolerant small carnivores have been extirpated since the 1990s and continued human presence in the park suggests that hunting and snaring remain an acute threat to native mesomammals. Without continued efforts to address the unsustainable harvest of wildlife, Southeast Asian's remaining mesomammals are at risk of extirpation despite resilience to moderate levels of disturbance.
An evaluation of the efficacy of shell hash for the mitigation of intertidal sediment acidification
Authors: Doyle Bridget , Bendell Leah I.
Published: March 2022

Our objectives were twofold: (1) to determine whether the addition of shell hash to intertidal sediments would mitigate porewater acidification and (2) whether its effectiveness was dependent on the type of sediment as described by organic matter (OM) and particle grain size (PGS). Field experiments were conducted at two sites within Burrard Inlet, British Columbia; Maplewood Mudflats (MM), high in OM and silt and Whey‐ah‐Wichen/Cates Park (WAW), low in OM and an equal PGS among very coarse, coarse, fine sand, and silt. Shell hash was added to triplicate treatment plots matched with triplicate controls at each site and porewater pH measured at flood and ebb tide over eight tidal cycles. Sampling occurred during June and July when tidal cycles were at their maximum inundation and exposure. Porewater pH was significantly greater for ebb versus flood tide and also between sites with MM significantly lower (7.59) as compared to WAW (8.03). Although pH was not mitigated by the shell hash, for WAW, variation in pH was reduced as compared to MM, as indicated by coefficients of variation over the 6‐week sampling period. We suggest that the application of shell hash to reduce the impact of ocean acidification (OA) on intertidal sediments will be site dependent. The combined processes of eutrophication in sediments with high OM and respiration of infauna, especially at high densities, could act in concert with OA to create an intertidal region unsuitable for bivalve larvae settlement and development.
Identifying management‐driven dynamics in vegetation cover: Applying the Compere framework to Cooper Creek, Australia
Authors: Donohue Randall J. , Mokany Karel , McVicar Tim R. , O'Grady Anthony P.
Published: March 2022

The observed spatial and temporal dynamics in landscape and ecosystem resources are the net effects of natural processes and management activities. Monitoring the impact that humans have on these resources requires that these two sources of variability be partitioned, removing the natural variability to reveal variability due to management activities. Here, we present Compere, a relative benchmarking framework for monitoring the management‐driven impacts on ecosystem resources. The framework identifies locations in a region that share similar biophysical properties to a target location. Taking an attribute of interest, it then compares the value of the target location with those of all its biophysically equivalent locations, with any differences being attributed to variations in management. We provide an example application of Compere, using satellite‐derived vegetation cover data to examine the impact of hydrocarbon extraction activities on land condition (as described by vegetation cover) across the 490,000‐km2 Cooper Creek region in arid central Australia. Validation was performed by comparing land condition estimates to known disturbance patterns across the region. We found that the establishment of well sites was associated with between 12% and 41% decreases in land condition but that condition recovered to original levels by 6 years after establishment. We also found that fires had much larger and longer lasting effects on land condition across these landscapes, indicating that mining‐related activities that change fire patterns are likely to affect land condition most. Compere is a generic, flexible framework, providing a new capability for monitoring management impacts on multiple types of ecosystem resources.
A patch‐dynamic metacommunity perspective on the persistence of mutualistic and antagonistic bipartite networks
Authors: Liao Jinbao , Bearup Daniel , Strona Giovanni
Published: March 2022

The structure of interactions between species within a community plays a key role in maintaining biodiversity. Previous studies found that the effects of these structures might vary substantially depending on interaction type, for example, a highly connected and nested architecture stabilizes mutualistic communities, while the stability of antagonistic communities is enhanced in modular and weakly connected structures. Here we show that, when network dynamics are modeled using a patch‐dynamic metacommunity framework, the qualitative differences between antagonistic and mutualistic systems disappear, with nestedness and modularity interacting to promote metacommunity persistence. However, the interactive effects are significantly weaker in antagonistic metacommunities. Our model also predicts an increase in connectance, nestedness, and modularity over time in both types of interaction, except in antagonistic networks, where nestedness declines. At steady state, we find a strong negative correlation between nestedness and modularity in both mutualistic and antagonistic metacommunities. These predictions are consistent with the structural trends found in a large data set of real‐world antagonistic and mutualistic communities.
Why do citizens engage in climate action? A comprehensive framework of individual conditions and a proposed research approach
Authors: Mees Heleen L. P.
Published: March 2022

According to many policy makers and scientists, citizen‐led initiatives such as community renewable energy initiatives, have the potential to contribute to the transformation towards a sustainable and carbon neutral society. Citizens can co‐produce public services together, such as clean energy provision for themselves and their communities. Despite this proclaimed potential, actual citizen engagement in climate action is still low. Moreover, there is a limited holistic and systematic understanding of what drives citizens to jointly co‐produce a climate service, as relevant insights are scattered over different bodies of literature. This article contributes to filling this knowledge gap by proposing a novel, comprehensive framework with which the individual conditions under which citizens are willing, able and feel responsible to co‐produce a climate service can be systematically explored. This so‐called motivation‐capacity‐ownership (MCO) framework integrates eight relevant conditions under three dimensions: Motivational, capacity‐related, and ownership‐related conditions. Based on a literature review, the eight conditions are elaborated upon for community renewable energy initiatives. It is argued that all eight conditions matter, but that their weight may vary depending on the different policy and institutional contexts, and that therefore different combinations of the eight conditions may determine whether a citizen participates in an initiative. Researchers are invited to test the validity of the framework for different types of community renewable energy initiatives in different institutional and geographical contexts, for which a research approach is proposed. In light of the rise of citizen initiatives for all kinds of sustainability issues, the framework could also be tested for enhancing its validity and refinement for citizen‐led sustainability initiatives more broadly.
Different activation of MAPKs and Akt/GSK3β after preload vs. afterload elevation
Authors: Hartmann Nico , Preuß Lena , Mohamed Belal A. , Schnelle Moritz , Renner Andre , Hasenfuß Gerd , Toischer Karl
Published: March 2022

Aims

Pressure overload (PO) and volume overload (VO) lead to concentric or eccentric hypertrophy. Previously, we could show that activation of signalling cascades differ in in vivo mouse models. Activation of these signal cascades could either be induced by intrinsic load sensing or neuro‐endocrine substances like catecholamines or the renin‐angiotensin‐aldosterone system.

Methods and results

We therefore analysed the activation of classical cardiac signal pathways [mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) (ERK, p38, and JNK) and Akt‐GSK3β] in in vitro of mechanical overload (ejecting heart model, rabbit and human isolated muscle strips). Selective elevation of preload in vitro increased AKT and GSK3β phosphorylation after 15 min in isolated rabbit muscles strips (AKT 49%, GSK3β 26%, P < 0.05) and in mouse ejecting hearts (AKT 51%, GSK49%, P < 0.05), whereas phosphorylation of MAPKs was not influenced by increased preload. Selective elevation of afterload revealed an increase in ERK phosphorylation in the ejecting heart (43%, P < 0.05), but not in AKT, GSK3β, and the other MAPKs. Elevation of preload and afterload in the ejecting heart induced a significant phosphorylation of ERK (95%, P < 0.001) and showed a moderate increased AKT (P = 0.14) and GSK3β (P = 0.21) phosphorylation, which did not reach significance. Preload and afterload elevation in muscles strips from human failing hearts showed neither AKT nor ERK phosphorylation changes.

Conclusions

Our data show that preload activates the AKT–GSK3β and afterload the ERK pathway in vitro, indicating an intrinsic mechanism independent of endocrine signalling.