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Vegetable production may be the source of excessive residual nitrate that is prone to leaching to waters. To ascertain the risk of nitrate leaching in water collection area, the content of soil mineral nitrogen (Nmin = N-NO3− + N-NH4+) down to 120 cm depth was monitored in the years 2013–2016 on vegetable farms along lower Jizera river (in the Czech Republic). The risk of nitrate leaching below 30, 60, 90 and 120 cm during winter period was simulated with a simple model. The depths represent the limits of effective root depth and N depletion of groups of vegetables and field crops. The average autumn mineral nitrogen content in the fields, during experimental years, ranged from 101 kg to 134 kg N·ha−1 in the 0–120 cm soil layer, 85 to 92% of which was in the form of nitrate. The calculated leaching of nitrate from the topsoil (0–30 cm) and shallow subsoil (0–60 cm) ranged from 27 to 41%, and from 7 to 14% of autumn content, respectively. The risk of leaching below 60 cm and 90 cm was near to none during the experimental years due to the exceptionally low precipitation. High nitrate content in subsoil layers below 60 cm constitutes risk of leaching and water pollution due to shallow root systems of many vegetables and potatoes in seasons with normal weather and higher water percolation.

The Indo–Pacific Pollen Database (IPPD) is the brainchild of the late professor Geoffrey Hope, who gathered pollen records from across the region to ensure their preservation for future generations of palaeoecologists. This noble aim is now being fulfilled by integrating the IPPD into the online Neotoma Paleoecology Database, making this compilation available for public use. Here we explore the database in depth and suggest directions for future research. The IPPD comprises 226 fossil pollen records, most postdating 20 ka but with some extending as far back as 50 ka or further. Over 80 % of the records are Australian, with a fairly even distribution between the different Australian geographical regions, with the notable exception being Western Australia, which is only represented by three records. The records are also well distributed in the modern climate space, with the largest gap being in drier regions due to preservation issues. However, many of the records contain few samples or have fewer than five chronology control points, such as radiocarbon, luminescence or Pb-210, for the younger sequences. Average deposition time for the whole database, counted as years per centimetre, is 64.8 yr cm−1, with 61 % of the records having a deposition time shorter than 50 yr cm−1. The slowest deposition time by geographical region occurs on Australia's east coast, while the fastest times are from the western Pacific. Overall, Australia has a slower deposition time than the rest of the Indo–Pacific region. The IPPD offers many exciting research opportunities to investigate past regional vegetation changes and associated drivers, including contrasting the impact of the first human arrival and European colonisation on vegetation. Examining spatiotemporal patterns of diversity and compositional turnover/rate of change, land cover reconstructions, and plant functional or trait diversity are other avenues of potential research, amongst many others. Merging the IPPD into Neotoma also facilitates inclusion of data from the Indo–Pacific region into global syntheses.

Temperature is a key parameter that influences the uptake and subsequent utilization of nitrogen by plants. Both suboptimal and supraoptimal temperatures can impair nutrient uptake. The close relatives of bread wheat provide a possible source for breeders to increase stress tolerance. The effect of the increasing temperature (5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 °C) on nitrate uptake and metabolism in five modern spring cultivars of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and two cultivars of emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccon Schrank), was monitored. Wheat plants were grown under controlled conditions in hydroponics. The parameters of Michaelis-Menten kinetics, maximum uptake rate (Vmax), the Michaelis constant (Km) and selected characteristics of nitrate metabolism, the activity of nitrate reductase (NR) and contents of nitrate in leaves were observed. The effect of temperature was significant for all studied traits except Km, while the cultivar factor was significant for Vmax, Km, NR and root/shoot ratio (R/S). Emmer wheat cultivar Rudico had significantly higher Vmax at 5, 15, 20 and 30 °C than all bread wheat cultivars, on average 7.07, in comparison with 4.09-4.43 μmol NO3-/g FW/h in bread wheat cultivars. Emmer wheat Rudico and Tapiruz had significantly higher Km (on average, 41.59 and 47.22 μM NO3-) than bread wheat cultivars (27.59-33.44 μM NO3-). Differences in the studied kinetic parameters of nitrate uptake offer the possibility of using T. dicoccon genotypes in breeding for better nitrogen use efficiency.

Actualmente, los consumidores de fruta son altamente exigentes tanto en la calidad externa como interna de la fruta. En el aspecto externo, exigen ausencia de daños causados por plagas y/o enfermedades con énfasis en aquellas consideradas cuarentenarias como es Mancha Negra (MN) causada por el hongo Guignardia citricarpa Kiely. Con respecto a los aspectos internos, se considera que debe tener alta calidad organoléptica y, sobre todo, tener mínimos residuos de plaguicidas. Para contribuir con ambos objetivos, se están realizando desde hace varios años tratamientos para optimizar la dosis de fungicidas y volúmenes aplicados a lotes con frutas con destino de exportación. A tal efecto se han realizado ensayos por tres años para el ajuste del volumen de caldo a aplicar por hectárea en función del tamaño de los árboles aplicando la fórmula del TRV (“Tree Row Volume”) en un lote de naranja Valencia (Citrus sinensis L. Osb.) con alta incidencia de (MN). Los ensayos consistieron en la utilización de picos inyectores de aire ID instalados en turbinas de alto volumen con el fin de reducir el volumen total de caldo de modo similar al logrado con la tecnología de bajo volumen. Los resultadosobtenidos en diferentes campañas con picos ID en tratamientos reducidos al 50% en volumen ejercieron un muy buen control de la enfermedad sin diferencias significativas con respecto a los tratamientos de alto volumen convencionales. Esta estrategia permite optimizar la utilización de equipos existentes con el beneficiodel ahorro de agua, insumos y, además, sustentable con el ambiente.

Abstract Background Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is a complex malignancy that owing to its heterogeneity and poor prognosis poses many challenges to diagnosis, prognosis and patient treatment. DNA methylation is an important mechanism of epigenetic regulation involved in normal development and cancer. It is a very stable and specific modification and therefore in principle a very suitable marker for epigenetic phenotyping of tumors. Here we present a genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of NSCLC samples and paired lung tissues, where we combine MethylCap and next generation sequencing (MethylCap-seq) to provide comprehensive DNA methylation maps of the tumor and paired lung samples. The MethylCap-seq data were validated by bisulfite sequencing and methyl-specific polymerase chain reaction of selected regions. Results Analysis of the MethylCap-seq data revealed a strong positive correlation between replicate experiments and between paired tumor/lung samples. We identified 57 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) present in all NSCLC tumors analyzed by MethylCap-seq. While hypomethylated DMRs did not correlate to any particular functional category of genes, the hypermethylated DMRs were strongly associated with genes encoding transcriptional regulators. Furthermore, subtelomeric regions and satellite repeats were hypomethylated in the NSCLC samples. We also identified DMRs that were specific to two of the major subtypes of NSCLC, adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. Conclusions Collectively, we provide a resource containing genome-wide DNA methylation maps of NSCLC and their paired lung tissues, and comprehensive lists of known and novel DMRs and associated genes in NSCLC.

Manganese porphyrins reportedly exhibit synergic effects when combined with irradiation. However, an in-depth understanding of intratumoral heterogeneity and immune pathways, as affected by Mn porphyrins, remains limited. Here, we explored the mechanisms underlying immunomodulation of a clinical candidate, MnTnBuOE-2-PyP5+ (BMX-001, MnBuOE), using single-cell analysis in a murine carcinoma model. Mice bearing 4T1 tumors were divided into four groups: control, MnBuOE, radiotherapy (RT), and combined MnBuOE and radiotherapy (MnBuOE/RT). In epithelial cells, the epithelial–mesenchymal transition, TNF-α signaling via NF-кB, angiogenesis, and hypoxia-related genes were significantly downregulated in the MnBuOE/RT group compared with the RT group. All subtypes of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) were clearly reduced in MnBuOE and MnBuOE/RT. Inhibitory receptor–ligand interactions, in which epithelial cells and CAFs interacted with CD8+ T cells, were significantly lower in the MnBuOE/RT group than in the RT group. Trajectory analysis showed that dendritic cells maturation-associated markers were increased in MnBuOE/RT. M1 macrophages were significantly increased in the MnBuOE/RT group compared with the RT group, whereas myeloid-derived suppressor cells were decreased. CellChat analysis showed that the number of cell–cell communications was the lowest in the MnBuOE/RT group. Our study is the first to provide evidence for the combined radiotherapy with a novel Mn porphyrin clinical candidate, BMX-001, from the perspective of each cell type within the tumor microenvironment.

802.1X, MACsec, and IPsec are widespread network security mechanisms that control network access and add encryption and authentication to L2 and L3 networking. They are standardized by IEEE and IETF, and are part of most open-source and commercial network hardware and software appliances. However, lots of manual configuration is needed for their application in traditional networks. In this work, we present P4sec, a three-tier control architecture for automated configuration of these security protocols in networks with multiple sites. P4sec leverages P4-programmable switches and operates them through distributed controllers. We briefly introduce data plane programming with P4 and give an overview of 802.1X, MACsec, and IPsec. We explain the three-tier control architecture P4sec and validate it by a prototype which is published under the Apache v2 license on GitHub. Finally, we discuss opportunities and challenges.

In this work, we present P4TG, a P4-based traffic generator (TG) which runs on the programmable Intel Tofino $^{\mathrm{ TM}}$ ASIC. In generation mode, P4TG is capable of generating traffic up to 1 Tb/s split across 10x 100 Gb/s ports. Thereby it measures rates directly in the data plane. Generated traffic may be fed back from the output to the input ports, possibly through other equipment, to record packet loss, packet reordering, and sampled inter-arrival times (IATs) and round trip times (RTTs). In analysis mode, P4TG measures rates on the input ports, samples IATs, and forwards traffic through its output ports. Existing software or P4-based traffic generators either lack the required accuracy, do not support high data rates, or do not provide sufficiently integrated measurement capabilities. We compare P4TG’s performance with the one of the software TG TRex and the hardware TG EXFO. P4TG’s code is provided on GitHub.

Invasive alien crayfish threaten the diversity of freshwater ecosystems and native crayfish fauna. In Europe, this is largely due to transmission of the crayfish plague to susceptible native crayfish. Many invasive species tolerate crayfish plague, but the infection still has the potential to reduce the fitness of a tolerant host due to energy trade-offs between immune response maintenance and life-history traits, such as growth and reproduction. In combination with other unfavourable conditions, such a response could alter further invasion success of an otherwise successful crayfish invader. We examined whether repeated infection with one of the most virulent haplogroups of crayfish plague agent (Aphanomyces astaci) affects growth or survival of the juvenile marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis). Juveniles were exposed to i) two levels of pathogen concentrations, and ii) two different feeding regimes under the higher pathogen concentration. In all performed trials, repeated infection reduced growth rates, while the combination of recurring infection and food limitation significantly increased mortality. The average energy cost of the immune response was estimated at 12.07 J/day for individuals weighing 0.3 grams. Since infections were frequent and pathogen concentrations high, results suggest that marbled crayfish is resistant to A. astaci pathogen and its survival is only affected by adding the stress of food limitation. The survival of almost half of the individuals exposed to high pathogen loads and extreme food limitation indicates that chronic infection by crayfish plague is unlikely to be an important factor impeding invasion success of the marbled crayfish, even under harsh conditions. Our results add to the growing body of evidence that marbled crayfish has potential to become one of the most successful freshwater invaders.

Abstract Condensation and sublimation of ices at the surface of the planet is a key part of both the Martian H2O and CO2 cycles, either from a seasonal or diurnal aspect. While most of the ice is located within the polar caps, surface frost is known to be formed during nighttime down to equatorial latitudes. Here, we use data from the Emirates Mars Infrared Spectrometer onboard the Emirates Mars Mission to monitor the diurnal and seasonal evolution of the ices at the surface of Mars over almost one Martian year. The unique local time coverage provided by the instrument allows us to observe the apparition of equatorial CO2 frost in the second half of the Martian night around the equinoxes, to its sublimation at sunrise.

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission recently returned a sample of rocks and dust collected from asteroid Bennu. We analyzed the highest-resolution thermal data obtained by the OSIRIS-REx Thermal Emission Spectrometer (OTES) to gain insight into the thermal and physical properties of the sampling site, including rocks that may have been sampled, and the immediately surrounding Hokioi Crater. After correcting the pointing of the OTES data sets, we find that OTES fortuitously observed two dark rocks moments before they were contacted by the spacecraft. We derived thermal inertias of 100–150 (±50) J m ^−2 K ^−1 s ^−1/2 for these two rocks—exceptionally low even compared with other previously analyzed dark rocks on Bennu (180–250 J m ^−2 K ^−1 s ^−1/2 ). Our simulations indicate that monolayer coatings of sand- to pebble-sized particles, as observed on one of these rocks, could significantly reduce the apparent thermal inertia and largely mask the properties of the substrate. However, the other low-thermal-inertia rock that was contacted is not obviously covered in particles. Moreover, this rock appears to have been partially crushed, and thus potentially sampled, by the spacecraft. We conclude that this rock may be highly fractured and that it should be sought in the returned sample to better understand its origin in Bennu’s parent body and the relationship between its thermal and physical properties.

The carbon (C) fixed by crops, which is exported with harvest and retained as postharvest residues in a field, is important for calculating the C balance. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of water availability on the C content in whole wheat plants. In a three-year field trial, the weights of grain, straw, chaff, stubble, and roots of two cultivars of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and one cultivar of einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum L.) and their carbon contents were determined in water stress, irrigation, and rain-fed control treatments. The water availability, year, and cultivar had a significant influence on the C content in aboveground plant parts, but the effect of water on grain C was weak. The C content decreased with irrigation and increased with drought, but the differences were small (at most, 3.39% in chaff). On average, the C contents of grain, straw, chaff, and roots reached 45.0, 45.7, 42.6, and 34.9%, respectively. The amount of C exported with grain and left on the field in the form of postharvest residues depended on the weight of the total biomass and the ratio of grain to straw and residue. Whole plant C yield reached 8.99, 7.46, and 9.65 t ha−1 in rain-fed control, stressed, and irrigated treatments, respectively, and 8.91, 9.45, and 7.47 t ha−1 in Artix, Butterfly, and Rumona, respectively. Irrigation significantly increased the C content in grain and straw (but not in chaff, stubble, and roots) in comparison with water shortage conditions. On average, a grain yield of 1 t ha−1 corresponded to an average export of 0.447–0.454 t C ha−1 in the grain of all cultivars and inputs of 0.721, 0.832, and 2.207 t C ha−1 of residue to the soil in the form of straw and postharvest residue in the two cultivars of common wheat and one of einkorn. The results of the study provided reliable data for the calculation of the C balance of wheat under conditions of different water availability.

Abstract Premise Pollen collected by honey bees from different plant species often differs in color, and this has been used as a basis for plant identification. The objective of this study was to develop a new, low‐cost protocol to sort pollen pellets by color using high‐energy violet light and visible light to determine whether pollen pellet color is associated with variations in plant species identity. Methods and Results We identified 35 distinct colors and found that 52% of pollen subsamples (n = 200) were dominated by a single taxon. Among these near‐pure pellets, only one color consistently represented a single pollen taxon (Asteraceae: Cichorioideae). Across the spectrum of colors spanning yellows, oranges, and browns, similarly colored pollen pellets contained pollen from multiple plant families ranging from two to 13 families per color. Conclusions Sorting pollen pellets illuminated under high‐energy violet light lit from four directions within a custom‐made light box aided in distinguishing pellet composition, especially in pellets within the same color.

Aboriginal peoples have managed Australian landscapes for millennia; however, deep-time paleoecological evidence of the nature of landscape modification remains rare. The Fleurieu Group of islands in Bass Strait was one of the areas actively used by Aboriginal people in lutruwita (Tasmania), until forced dispossession of their lands due to European colonization occurred over 230 years ago, with subsequent land use including leaseholder pastoralism and nature conservation. There are emerging opportunities for greater input from Aboriginal people into land management of the islands now and into the future. This investigation of the long-term human–island ecosystem interactions in the area is aimed at providing a greater understanding of the impact of land-use changes on biodiversity and ecosystem change through time. Holocene multi-proxy paleoecological records from the islands show periods of low to high intensity land use, with the highest intensity periods occurring around 8500–6500 BP and the last 2000 years. Aboriginal land use in the past ∼2000 BP promoted a complex mosaic biodiverse landscape and provides a baseline for current and future land management on the islands and elsewhere in Tasmania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endovascular mechanical thrombectomy, combined with a tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), is efficacious as a standard care for qualifying ischemic stroke patients. However, > 50% of thrombectomy patients still have poor outcomes. Manganese porphyrins, commonly known as mimics of superoxide dismutases, are potent redox-active catalytic compounds that decrease oxidative/nitrosative stress and in turn decrease inflammatory responses, mitigating therefore the secondary injury of the ischemic brain. This study investigates the effect of intracarotid MnTnBuOE-2-PyP5+ (BMX-001) administration on long-term, 28-day post-stroke recovery in a clinically relevant setting. The 90 min of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion was performed in young, aged, male, female, and spontaneous hypertension rats. All physiological parameters, including blood pressure, blood gas, glucose, and temperature, were well controlled during ischemia. Either BMX-001 or a vehicle solution was infused through the carotid artery immediately after the removal of filament, mimicking endovascular thrombectomy, and was followed by 7 days of subcutaneous injection. Neurologic deficits and infarct volume were assessed at 28 days in a blinded manner. The effects of BMX-001 on the carotid arterial wall and blood–brain barrier permeability and its interaction with t-PA were assessed in normal rats. There were no intra-group differences in physiological variables. BMX-001-treated stroke rats regained body weight earlier, performed better in behavioral tests, and had smaller brain infarct size compared to the vehicle-treated group. No vascular wall damage and blood–brain barrier permeability changes were detected after the BMX-001 infusion. There was no drug interaction between BMX-001 and t-PA. Intracarotid BMX-001 infusion was safe, and it significantly improved stroke outcomes in rats. These findings indicate that BMX-001 is a candidate drug as an adjunct treatment for thrombectomy procedure to further improve the neurologic outcomes of thrombectomy patients. This study warrants further clinical investigation of BMX-001 as a new stroke therapy.

13C discrimination (Δ13C) has been used in research as an indicator of water availability in crops; however, few data are available concerning fruit trees. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of irrigation on the Δ13C values of apple leaves. We assumed that Δ13C would increase with irrigation intensity. The Δ13C of apple trees (Malus domestica) cv. ‘Red Jonaprince’ was determined in the years 2019–2022. Leaf samples were collected in spring, in June, at the beginning of the irrigation campaign, and in autumn, in September, following the harvest. The irrigation doses were applied to replenish the water consumption, 0% (ET0), 50% (ET50), 75% (ET75), and 100% (ET100), of the calculated evapotranspiration (ET) levels. In November, the leaves collected from different positions on the shoots were sampled, assuming the Δ13C signature would reflect the changes occurring in the water supply during their growth. The irrigation rates had a significant effect on the Δ13C of the leaves when the data for the spring and summer months were pooled. On average, Δ13C increased from 20.77‰ and 20.73‰ for ET0 and ET50, respectively, to 20.80‰ and 20.95‰ for ET75 and ET100, respectively. When the data obtained for the spring and summer months were analysed separately, the effect of irrigation was weak (p < 0.043). The Δ13C value was always higher for treatment ET100 than treatment ET0, for individual experimental years and terms; however, the differences were minor and mostly insignificant. The leaf position had a strong significant effect on Δ13C; the values gradually decreased from the leaves growing from two-years-old branches (22.50‰) to the youngest leaves growing at the top of the current year’s shoots (21.07‰). This order was similar for all the experimental years. The results of the experiment suggest that 13C discrimination in apples is affected not only by water availability during growth, but also by the use of C absorbed in previous years.

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R) causes damage to cardiomyocytes through oxidative stress and apoptosis. We investigated the cardioprotective effects of MnTnBuOE-2-PyP5+ (BMX-001), a superoxide dismutase mimic, in an in vitro model of I/R injury in H9c2 cardiomyocytes. We found that BMX-001 protected against hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced oxidative stress, as evident by a significant reduction in intracellular and mitochondrial superoxide levels. BMX-001 pre-treatment also reduced H/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis, as marked by a reduction in TUNEL-positive cells. We further demonstrated that BMX-001 pre-treatment significantly improved mitochondrial function, particularly O2 consumption, in mouse adult cardiomyocytes subjected to H/R. BMX-001 treatment also attenuated cardiolipin peroxidation, 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) level, and 4-HNE adducted proteins following H/R injury. Finally, the pre-treatment with BMX-001 improved cell viability and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in H9c2 cells following H/R injury. Our findings suggest that BMX-001 has therapeutic potential as a cardioprotective agent against oxidative stress-induced H/R damage in H9c2 cardiomyocytes.

In a three-year experiment (2019–2021), the roots of 7-year-old apple trees (Malus domestica cv. ‘Red Jonaprince’) grown under drip irrigation were studied. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of irrigation on root density at different depths and distances from the trunk. The working hypothesis assumed that irrigation significantly affects the total length of apple roots. The irrigation treatments corresponding to the calculated water evapotranspiration (ET100), 50% of the calculated ET (ET50), a control (ET0, no irrigation, under rainfed conditions), and a treatment using double-drip lines (2Drops) were monitored. Soil cores were collected in spring and autumn. The total length of the roots (TRLt) and the length of new vital roots (TRLv) to a depth of 80 cm were evaluated. The effects of treatments were mostly insignificant for the TRLt; only in the dry season in 2019 were the TRLt values of the irrigated treatments (ET50 and ET100) significantly higher, 18.67 km·m−2 and 17.45 km·m−2, in comparison to 11.16 km·m−2 for the ET0, at a 10 cm distance from the tree trunk. The irrigation treatments had a statistically significant effect on the TRLv values near the trunk in 2019 and 2020, while in autumn 2020 and 2021, irrigation significantly affected the TRLv at greater distances from the tree trunk. In summary, the irrigation treatments mostly had no significant effect on the total root length. However, an effect of irrigation on the root length of new vital roots was observed at certain sampling dates and distances from the trunk.

Aquaculture provides more than 50% of all seafood for human consumption. This important industrial sector is already under pressure from climate-change-induced shifts in water column temperature, nutrient loads, precipitation patterns, microbial community composition, and ocean acidification, all affecting fish welfare. Disease-related risks are also shifting with important implications for risk from vibriosis, a disease that can lead to massive economic losses. Adaptation to these pressures pose numerous challenges for aquaculture producers, policy makers, and researchers. The dataset AqADAPT aims to help the development of management and adaptation tools by providing (i) measurements of physicochemical (temperature, salinity, total dissolved solids, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, transparency, total nitrogen, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, total phosphorus, total particulate matter, particulate organic matter, and particulate inorganic matter) and microbiological (heterotrophic (total) bacteria, fecal indicators, and Vibrio abundance) parameters of seawater and (ii) biochemical determination of culturable bacteria in two locations near floating cage fish farms in the Adriatic Sea. Water sampling was conducted seasonally in two fish farms (Cres and Vrgada) and corresponding reference (control) sites between 2019 and 2021 of four vertical layers for a total of 108 observations: the surface, 6 m, 12 m, and the bottom.