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Melia dubia (Cav.) is one of the most promising agroforestry multipurpose tree species. However, there is a shortage of this quality planting material due to its low germination ability. Our study assessed six different presowing treatments, namely, soaking in tap water for 24 h, soaking in a cow dung slurry for 7 days (CDS), scarification with 50 % H2SO4 for 5 min, soaking in 200 ppm gibberellic acid (GA3) for 24 h, and soaking in CDS + H2SO4, GA3 + H2SO4 or the control (no application), for enhancing seed germination and growth in Melia dubia during 2019–20 in the Indo-Gangetic Plains region. STAR version 2.0.1 was used to analyze the observed data using one-way ANOVA. The results of this study showed that different treatments substantially impacted the germination and growth of Melia dubia. Compared with those of untreated seeds (control), the germination percentage of seeds treated with cow dung slurry significantly increased by 49 %, the biomass percentage significantly increased by 25 %, and the vigor index significantly increased by 79 %. In conclusion, our study revealed that treating Melia dubia seeds with cow dung slurry for a period of 7 days enhances germination and seedling growth and is also cost-effective for nursery managers and farmers due to the absence of associated costs.

In the last few decades, revegetation strategies for ecosystem restoration have received great attention in dryland studies, especially those related to the restoration and revegetation of native desert plants to combat land degradation. Long-term monitoring and assessment are critical for the restoration programs to track the progress of the restoration program goals. The effectiveness and success of monitoring depend on the selected methods with respect to spatial and temporal scales. Traditional methods for vegetation monitoring are time-consuming, expensive, and require considerable labor efforts (manpower) in terms of field measurements, collecting samples, lab analysis, and the difficulty of accessing some study areas. Thus, satellite remote sensing images have been widely used to monitor land degradation and restoration programs using multispectral and hyperspectral sensors and indices such as NDVI, which is the most popular index for vegetation monitoring. However, such techniques showed many limitations when used in arid ecosystems, especially for seasonal vegetation assessments, which could mislead the monitoring and assessment of the restoration projects. This paper discusses lessons learned from previous research work, including the limitations of using satellite remote sensing in arid ecosystems and the use of UAV methods to overcome these issues and challenges to provide more accurate outcomes for seasonal assessment of vegetation in arid landscapes.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Dietary fiber has been used in other clinical populations to improve mineral disorders, but there is limited data in chronic kidney disease, despite the high prevalence of mineral and bone disorder (known as CKD-MBD). Our objective was to evaluate the effect of dietary fiber based on viscosity and fermentability on CKD-MBD outcomes. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: 22-week-old male CKD rats (mild-to-moderate CKD) were randomly assigned to receive one of four fiber treatments (10% w/w each) based on fermentability and viscosity: 1) Cellulose (-fermentability, -viscosity), 2) Inulin (+fermentability, -viscosity), 3) Psyllium husk (-fermentability, +viscosity), or 4) Pectin (+ fermentability, +viscosity). Treatments lasted 10 weeks, and rats were euthanized at 32 weeks of age (kidney failure). Rats were placed in metabolic cages for 3 consecutive days the last week before euthanasia for mineral balance. At euthanasia, blood, tibia, heart, and aorta were collected for CKD-MBD assessment. Additional tissues collected included kidneys and all intestinal segments. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Our preliminary data indicates that weight trajectories and survival were similar between treatment groups. At 33 weeks of age, kidney weight index (an indirect measurement of kidney function as this animal model develops polycystic kidneys) was lower in the psyllium-treated rats compared to all of the other treatments. Plasma phosphorus was lower with Psyllium and Pectin compared to Cellulose-treated rats. Left ventricular mass index was lower in the Inulin, Psyllium, and Pectin-treated rats compared to the Cellulose-treated rats. Ongoing tissue analyses include biochemical markers of mineral and bone metabolism (parathyroid hormone, fibroblast growth factor-23, and phosphorus balance), bone parameters (dynamic histomorphometry and microCT), and cardiovascular calcification. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our preliminary data indicate that dietary fiber based on fermentability and viscosity impacts CKD-MBD outcomes and may be an innovative, low-cost intervention that can be trialed in people with CKD for the prevention and treatment of CKD-MBD.

Abstract Chronic kidney disease (CKD)–mineral bone disorder (CKD‐MBD) leads to fractures and cardiovascular disease. Observational studies suggest beneficial effects of dietary fiber on both bone and cardiovascular outcomes, but the effect of fiber on CKD‐MBD is unknown. To determine the effect of fiber on CKD‐MBD, we fed the Cy/+ rat with progressive CKD a casein‐based diet of 0.7% phosphate with 10% inulin (fermentable fiber) or cellulose (non‐fermentable fiber) from 22 weeks to either 30 or 32 weeks of age (~30% and ~15% of normal kidney function; CKD 4 and 5). We assessed CKD‐MBD end points of biochemistry, bone quantity and quality, cardiovascular health, and cecal microbiota and serum gut‐derived uremic toxins. Results were analyzed by two‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to evaluate the main effects of CKD stage and inulin, and their interaction. The results showed that in CKD animals, inulin did not alter kidney function but reduced the increase from stage 4 to 5 in serum levels of phosphate and parathyroid hormone, but not fibroblast growth factor‐23 (FGF23). Bone turnover and cortical bone parameters were similarly improved but mechanical properties were not altered. Inulin slowed progression of aorta and cardiac calcification, left ventricular mass index, and fibrosis. To understand the mechanism, we assessed intestinal microbiota and found changes in alpha and beta diversity and significant changes in several taxa with inulin, together with a reduction in circulating gut derived uremic toxins such as indoxyl sulfate and short‐chain fatty acids. In conclusion, the addition of the fermentable fiber inulin to the diet of CKD rats led to a slowed progression of CKD‐MBD without affecting kidney function, likely mediated by changes in the gut microbiota composition and lowered gut‐derived uremic toxins. © 2023 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Mangrove forests in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are facing multiple threats from natural and anthropogenic-driven land use change stressors, contributing to altered ecosystem conditions. Remote sensing tools can be used to monitor mangroves, measure mangrove forest-and-tree-level attributes and vegetation indices at different spatial and temporal scales that allow a detailed and comprehensive understanding of these important ecosystems. Using a systematic literature approach, we reviewed 58 remote sensing-based mangrove assessment articles published from 2010 through 2022. The main objectives of the study were to examine the extent of mangrove distribution and cover, and the remotely sensed data sources used to assess mangrove forest/tree attributes. The key importance of and threats to mangroves that were specific to the region were also examined. Mangrove distribution and cover were mainly estimated from satellite images (75.2%), using NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) derived from Landsat (73.3%), IKONOS (15%), Sentinel (11.7%), WorldView (10%), QuickBird (8.3%), SPOT-5 (6.7%), MODIS (5%) and others (5%) such as PlanetScope. Remotely sensed data from aerial photographs/images (6.7%), LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) (5%) and UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)/Drones (3.3%) were the least used. Mangrove cover decreased in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait between 1996 and 2020. However, mangrove cover increased appreciably in Qatar and remained relatively stable for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the same period, which was attributed to government conservation initiatives toward expanding mangrove afforestation and restoration through direct seeding and seedling planting. The reported country-level mangrove distribution and cover change results varied between studies due to the lack of a standardized methodology, differences in satellite imagery resolution and classification approaches used. There is a need for UAV-LiDAR ground truthing to validate country-and-local-level satellite data. Urban development-driven coastal land reclamation and pollution, climate change-driven temperature and sea level rise, drought and hypersalinity from extreme evaporation are serious threats to mangrove ecosystems. Thus, we encourage the prioritization of mangrove conservation and restoration schemes to support the achievement of related UN Sustainable Development Goals (13 climate action, 14 life below water, and 15 life on land) in the GCC countries.

Urban forests provide direct and indirect benefits to human well-being that are increasingly captured in residential property values. Remote Sensing (RS) can be used to measure a wide range of forest and vegetation parameters that allows for a more detailed and better understanding of their specific influences on housing prices. Herein, through a systematic literature review approach, we reviewed 89 papers (from 2010 to 2022) from 21 different countries that used RS data to quantify vegetation indices, forest and tree parameters of urban forests and estimated their influence on residential property values. The main aim of this study was to understand and provide insights into how urban forests influence residential property values based on RS studies. Although more studies were conducted in developed (n = 55, 61.7%) than developing countries (n = 34, 38.3%), the results indicated for the most part that increasing tree canopy cover on property and neighborhood level, forest size, type, greenness, and proximity to urban forests increased housing prices. RS studies benefited from spatially explicit repetitive data that offer superior efficiency to quantify vegetation, forest, and tree parameters of urban forests over large areas and longer periods compared to studies that used field inventory data. Through this work, we identify and underscore that urban forest benefits outweigh management costs and have a mostly positive influence on housing prices. Thus, we encourage further discussions about prioritizing reforestation and conservation of urban forests during the urban planning of cities and suburbs, which could support UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and urban policy reforms.

Abstract Chronic kidney disease (CKD) leads to musculoskeletal impairments that are impacted by muscle metabolism. We tested the hypothesis that 10-weeks of voluntary wheel running can improve skeletal muscle mitochondria activity and function in a rat model of CKD. Groups included (n = 12–14/group): (1) normal littermates (NL); (2) CKD, and; (3) CKD-10 weeks of voluntary wheel running (CKD-W). At 35-weeks old the following assays were performed in the soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL): targeted metabolomics, mitochondrial respiration, and protein expression. Amino acid-related compounds were reduced in CKD muscle and not restored by physical activity. Mitochondrial respiration in the CKD soleus was increased compared to NL, but not impacted by physical activity. The EDL respiration was not different between NL and CKD, but increased in CKD-wheel rats compared to CKD and NL groups. Our results demonstrate that the soleus may be more susceptible to CKD-induced changes of mitochondrial complex content and respiration, while in the EDL, these alterations were in response the physiological load induced by mild physical activity. Future studies should focus on therapies to improve mitochondrial function in both types of muscle to determine if such treatments can improve the ability to adapt to physical activity in CKD.

Protecting and enhancing forest carbon sinks is considered a natural solution for mitigating climate change. However, the increasing frequency, intensity, and duration of droughts due to climate change can threaten the stability and growth of existing forest carbon sinks. Extreme droughts weaken plant hydraulic systems, can lead to tree mortality events, and may reduce forest diversity, making forests more vulnerable to subsequent forest disturbances, such as forest fires or pest infestations. Although early warning metrics (EWMs) derived using satellite remote sensing data are now being tested for predicting post-drought plant physiological stress and mortality, applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are yet to be explored extensively. Herein, we provide twenty-four prospective approaches classified into five categories: (i) physiological complexities, (ii) site-specific and confounding (abiotic) factors, (iii) interactions with biotic agents, (iv) forest carbon monitoring and optimization, and (v) technological and infrastructural developments, for adoption, future operationalization, and upscaling of UAV-based frameworks for EWM applications. These UAV considerations are paramount as they hold the potential to bridge the gap between field inventory and satellite remote sensing for assessing forest characteristics and their responses to drought conditions, identifying and prioritizing conservation needs of vulnerable and/or high-carbon-efficient tree species for efficient allocation of resources, and optimizing forest carbon management with climate change adaptation and mitigation practices in a timely and cost-effective manner.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: To compare the effects of dietary fiber supplementation based on fermentability and viscosity on phosphorus fractional absorption and the gut microbiome in a rat model of chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD). METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: 25-week-old Cy/+ male rats (CKD hereafter) will be randomly assigned to receive one of four fiber treatments (10% w/w each) based on fermentability and viscosity: 1) Cellulose (-fermentability, -viscosity), 2) inulin (+fermentability, -viscosity), 3) psyllium husk (-fermentability, +viscosity), or 4) pectin (+ fermentability, +viscosity). Diets will be formulated with a semipurified diet containing 0.7% phosphorus. Treatments will last for 10 weeks, and rats will be euthanized at 35 weeks of age, where animals have reached kidney failure. Intravenous and oral 33P will be used for intestinal phosphorus fractional absorption and cecal/fecal samples will be obtained at euthanasia for microbiome assessment using shotgun metagenomics. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Our preliminary data show that fermentable dietary fiber (inulin) impacted phosphorus homeostasis by increasing the circulating levels of fibroblast growth factor-23 (a bone-derived hormone that increases phosphorus excretion in urine) and lowering circulating levels of phosphorus in the Cy/+ male rat model of progressive chronic kidney disease. We hypothesize that dietary fiber impacts phosphorus absorption in gut microbiome-dependent and independent mechanisms. For example, fermentable fiber enhances the production of short-chain fatty acids, lowering the intraluminal pH, and enhancing mineral solubility and absorption. Meanwhile, viscous fibers may encapsulate minerals limiting their absorption if these fibers are non-fermentable. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Hyperphosphatemia, or high circulating phosphorus, is a major factor in the pathogenesis of CKD-MBD. Treatment of hyperphosphatemia is focused on reducing intestinal absorption. However, available therapies vary in their efficacy and focus on phosphorus absorption in the small intestine, ignoring the possible impact of the large intestine.

ABSTRACT Chronic kidney disease‐mineral and bone disorder (CKD‐MBD) increases cardiovascular calcification and skeletal fragility in part by increasing systemic oxidative stress and disrupting mineral homeostasis through secondary hyperparathyroidism. We hypothesized that treatments to reduce reactive oxygen species formation and reduce parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels would have additive beneficial effects to prevent cardiovascular calcification and deleterious bone architecture and mechanics before end‐stage kidney disease. To test this hypothesis, we treated a naturally progressive model of CKD‐MBD, the Cy/+ rat, beginning early in CKD with the NADPH oxidase (NOX1/4) inhibitor GKT‐137831 (GKT), the preclinical analogue of the calcimimetic etelcalcetide, KP‐2326 (KP), and their combination. The results demonstrated that CKD animals had elevated blood urea nitrogen, PTH, fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), and phosphorus. Treatment with KP reduced PTH levels compared with CKD animals, whereas GKT treatment increased C‐terminal FGF23 levels without altering intact FGF23. GKT treatment alone reduced aortic calcification and NOX4 expression but did not alter the oxidative stress marker 8‐OHdG in the serum or aorta. KP treatment reduced aortic 8‐OHdG and inhibited the ability for GKT to reduce aortic calcification. Treatments did not alter heart calcification or left ventricular mass. In the skeleton, CKD animals had reduced trabecular bone volume fraction and trabecular number with increased trabecular spacing that were not improved with either treatment. The cortical bone was not altered by CKD or by treatments at this early stage of CKD. These results suggest that GKT reduces aortic calcification while KP reduces aortic oxidative stress and reduces PTH, but the combination was not additive. © 2022 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

The assessment of forest aboveground biomass (AGB) can contribute to reducing uncertainties associated with the amount and distribution of terrestrial carbon. The Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) was launched on September 15th, 2018 and will provide data which will offer the possibility of assessing AGB and forest carbon at multiple spatial scales. The primary goal of this study was to develop an approach for utilizing data similar to ICESat-2’s land-vegetation along track product (ATL08) to generate wall-to-wall AGB maps. Utilizing simulated daytime and nighttime ICESat-2 data from planned ICESat-2 tracks over vegetation conditions in south-east Texas, we investigated the integration of Landsat data and derived products for AGB model and map production. Linear regression models were first used to relate simulated photon-counting lidar (PCL) metrics for 100 m segments along ICESat-2 tracks to reference airborne lidar-estimated AGB over Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF) in south-east Texas. Random Forest (RF) was then used to create AGB maps from predicted AGB estimates and explanatory data consisting of spectral metrics derived from Landsat TM imagery and land cover and canopy cover data from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). Using RF, AGB and AGB uncertainty maps produced at 30 m spatial resolution represented three data scenarios; (1) simulated ICESat-2 PCL vegetation product without the impact of noise (no noise scenario), (2) simulated ICESat-2 PCL vegetation product from data with noise levels associated with daytime operation of ICESat-2 (daytime scenario), and (3) simulated ICESat-2 PCL vegetation product from data with noise levels associated with nighttime operation of ICESat-2 (nighttime scenario). The RF models exhibited moderate accuracies (0.42 to 0.51) with RMSE values between 19 Mg/ha to 20 Mg/ha with a separate test set. The adoption of a combinatory approach of simulated ICESat-2 and Landsat data could be implemented at larger spatial scales and in doing so, ancillary data such as climatic and topographic variables may be examined for improving AGB predictions.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have started to receive more attention in the ecological field in the past 15 years, as they provide very high-resolution imagery that ranges from meters to millimeters. Very high-resolution multispectral imagery obtained from UAVs can help in assessing and monitoring native desert vegetation. Thus, this study use UAVs to develop a method to estimate the biomass and carbon stock of native desert shrubs. The method integrates different techniques and software to monitor native plants' coverage, biomass, and carbon stock. The techniques used in this work are also applicable for other native desert shrubs in the region and could support ecosystem managers in assessing and monitoring arid ecosystems and restoration and revegetation programs. A three-stage image and data management are discussed, including: (1) fieldwork and image acquisition using UAVs, (2) image pre-processing, and (3) image processing using different techniques and software. • Determining shrub biomass is not restricted to multispectral data only but could be applicable for RGB data since it mainly depends on the DSM and DTM. • Allometric parameters could help in estimating desert shrub biomass which could be measured easily and rapidly using UAV imagery. • SVM Supervised classification could help in distinguishing between native shrubs and grasses.

Papua New Guinea is a country in Oceania that hosts unique rain forests and forest ecosystems which are crucial for sequestering atmospheric carbon, conserving biodiversity, supporting the livelihood of indigenous people, and underpinning the timber market of the country. As a result of urban sprawl, agricultural expansion, and illegal logging, there has been a tremendous increase in land-use land cover (LULC) change happening in the country in the past few decades and this has triggered massive deforestation and forest degradation. However, only a few studies have ventured into quantifying the long-term trends and their associated spatial patterns—and have often presented contrasting responses. Herein, we intended to assess the extent of deforestation and the rate of urbanization that happened in the past 33 years (1987–2020) in the Bumbu river basin in Papua New Guinea using satellite imagery—for the years 1987, 2002, 2010, and 2020—and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. On performing image classification, land use maps were developed and later compared with Google Earth’s high-resolution satellite images for accuracy assessment purposes. For probing into the spatial aspects of the land-use change issues, the study area was divided into four urban zones and four forest zones according to the four main cardinal directions centered in the urban and forest area centers of the 1987 image; subsequently, the rate of urban area expansion in each urban zone was separately calculated. From our preliminary analysis and literature survey, we observed several hurdles regarding the classification of regenerative forests and mixed pixels and gaps in LULC studies that have happened in Papua New Guinea to date. Through this communication paper, we aim to disseminate our preliminary results, which highlight a rapid increase in urban extent from 14.39 km2 in 1987 to 23.06 km2 in 2020 accompanied by a considerable decrease in forest extent from 76.29 km2 in 1987 to 59.43 km2 in 2020; this observation favors the presumption that urban and agricultural land expansion is happening at the cost of forest cover. Moreover, strategies for addressing technical issues and for integrating land-use change with various socioeconomic and environmental variables are presented soliciting feedback.

Accurate measures of forest structural parameters are essential to forest inventory and growth models, managing wildfires, and modeling of carbon cycle. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) fills the gap between tree scale manual measurements and large scale airborne LiDAR measurements by providing accurate below crown information through non-destructive methods. This study developed innovative methods to extract individual tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and crown width of trees in East Texas. Further, the influence of scan settings, such as leaf-on/leaf-off seasons, tree distance from the scanner, and processing choices, on the accuracy of deriving tree measurements were also investigated. DBH was retrieved by cylinder fitting at different height bins. Individual trees were extracted from the TLS point cloud to determine tree heights and crown widths. The R-squared value ranged from 0.91 to 0.97 when field measured DBH was validated against TLS derived DBH using different methods. An accuracy of 92% (RMSE = 1.51 m) was obtained for predicting tree heights. The R-squared value was 0.84 and RMSE was 1.08 m when TLS derived crown widths were validated using field measured crown widths. Examples of underestimations of field measured forest structural parameters due to tree shadowing have also been discussed in this study. The results from this study will benefit foresters and remote sensing studies from airborne and spaceborne platforms, for map upscaling or calibration purposes, for aboveground biomass estimation, and prudent decision making by the forest management.