Addition of iron does not ameliorate sulfide toxicity by sargassum influx to mangroves but dampens methane and nitrous oxide emissions.

Sargassum spp. strandings in the tropical Atlantic harm local ecosystems due to toxic sulfide levels. We conducted a mesocosm experiment to test the efficacy of iron(III) (hydr)oxides in (a) mitigating sulfide toxicity in mangroves resulting from Sargassum and (b) reducing potentially enhanced greenhouse gas emissions. Our results show that iron addition failed to prevent mangrove mortality caused by highly toxic sulfide concentrations, which reached up to 15,000 µmol l-1 in 14 days; timely removal may potentially prevent mangrove death. Sargassum-impacted mesocosms significantly increased methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide emissions, producing approximately 1 g CO2-equivalents m-2 h-1 during daylight hours, thereby shifting mangroves from sinks to sources of greenhouse gasses. However, iron addition decreased methane emissions by 62 % and nitrous oxide emissions by 57 %. This research reveals that Sargassum strandings have multiple adverse effects related to chemical and ecological dynamics in mangrove ecosystems, including greenhouse gas emissions.

Measuring maladaptive personality traits with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Screening Questionnaire using a common metrics approach.

The classification of personality disorder (PD) is undergoing a paradigm shift in which categorically defined specific PDs are being replaced by dimensionally defined maladaptive trait domains. To bridge the classificatory approaches, this study attempts to use items from the categorical PD model in DSM-IV to measure the maladaptive trait domains described in DSM-5 Section III/ICD-11. A general population sample comprising 1228 participants completed the Screening Questionnaire of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II (SCID-II-SQ), the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5), and the anankastia scale of the Personality Inventory for ICD-11 (PiCD). Using item response theory models and a psychometric linking technique, SCID-II-SQ items were evaluated for their contribution to measuring maladaptive trait domains. The best discriminating items were then selected to derive proxy scales. We found that convergent validity of these proxy scales was in a similar range to that of other self-report measures for PD, except for the proxy scale for PiCD anankastia. However, only the proxy scale for negative affectivity showed acceptable reliability that would allow its application in research settings. Future studies should seek to establish a common metric between specific PDs and maladaptive trait domains using self-report measures with higher specificity or semi-structured interviews.

A modular and multi-functional purification strategy that enables a common framework for manufacturing scale integrated and continuous biomanufacturing.

Biopharmaceutical manufacture is transitioning from batch to integrated and continuous biomanufacturing (ICB). The common framework for most ICB, potentially enables a global biomanufacturing ecosystem utilizing modular and multi-function manufacturing equipment. Integrating unit operation hardware and software from multiple suppliers, complex supply chains enabled by multiple customized single-use flow paths, and large volume buffer production/storage make this ICB vision difficult to achieve with commercially available manufacturing equipment. Thus, we developed SymphonX™, a downstream processing skid with advanced buffer management capabilities, a single disposable generic flow path design that provides plug-and-play flexibility across all downstream unit operations and a single interface to reduce operational risk. Designed for multi-product and multi-process cGMP facilities, SymphonX™ can perform stand-alone batch processing or ICB. This study utilized an Apollo™ X CHO-DG44 mAb-expressing cell line in a steady-state perfusion bioreactor, harvesting product continuously with a cell retention device and connected SymphonX™ purification skids. The downstream process used the same chemistry (resins, buffer composition, membrane composition) as our historical batch processing platform, with SymphonX™ in-line conditioning and buffer concentrates. We used surge vessels between unit operations, single-column chromatography (protein A, cation and anion exchange) and two-tank batch virus inactivation. After the first polishing step (cation exchange), we continuously pooled product for 6 days. These 6 day pools were processed in batch-mode from anion exchange to bulk drug substance. This manufacturing scale proof-of-concept ICB produced 0.54 kg/day of drug substance with consistent product quality attributes and demonstrated successful bioburden control for unit-operations undergoing continuous operation.

Mindreading measures misread? A multimethod investigation into the validity of self-report and task-based approaches.

Mindreading ability-also referred to as cognitive empathy or mentalizing-is typically conceptualized as a relatively stable dimension of individual differences in the ability to make accurate inferences about the mental states of others. This construct is primarily assessed using self-report questionnaires and task-based performance measures. However, the validity of these measures has been questioned: According to rival interpretations, mindreading tasks may capture general cognitive ability, whereas mindreading self-reports may capture perceived rather than actual mindreading ability. In this preregistered multimethod study involving 700 participants from the U.S. general population, we tested the validity of mindreading measures by examining the nomological network of self-reports and task-based methods using structural equation modeling. Specifically, we contrasted the empirical associations with theoretical predictions that assume mindreading measures are valid versus invalid. More consistent with rival interpretations, mindreading tasks showed a negligible latent correlation with mindreading self-reports (.05) and a large one with general cognitive ability (.85), whereas mindreading self-reports were specifically associated with perceived performance in mindreading tasks (.29). Also more consistent with rival interpretations, neither mindreading self-reports nor task-based measures showed positive unique associations with psychosocial functioning when controlling for general cognitive ability and general positive self-evaluation. Instead, negative unique associations emerged for both methods, although this effect was not robust for tasks. Overall, the results cast doubt on the validity of commonly used mindreading measures and support their rival interpretations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The PAncreatic Surgery Composite Endpoint PACE - Development and Validation of a Clinically Relevant Endpoint Requiring Lower Sample Sizes.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a composite endpoint in pancreatic surgery. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Single endpoints in prospective and randomized studies have become impractical due to their low frequency and the marginal benefit of new interventions. METHODS: Data from prospective studies were used to develop (n=1273) and validate (n=544) a composite endpoint based on postoperative pancreatic fistula, post-pancreatectomy hemorrhage as well as reoperation and reinterventions. All patients had pancreatectomies of different extents. The association of the developed PAncreatic surgery Composite Endpoint (PACE) with prolonged length of hospital stay (LOS) >75th percentile and mortality was assessed. A single-institution database was used for external validation (n = 2666). Sample size calculations were made for single outcomes and the composite endpoint. RESULTS: In the internal validation cohort, the PACE demonstrated an AUC of 78.0%, a sensitivity of 90.4% and a specificity of 67.6% in predicting a prolonged LOS. In the external cohort, the AUC was 76.9%, the sensitivity 73.8% and the specificity 80.1%. The 90-day mortality rate was significantly different for patients with a positive versus a negative PACE both in the development and internal validation cohort (5.1% vs 0.9%; P< 0.001), as well as in the external validation cohort (8.5% vs 1.2%, P< 0.001). The PACE enabled sample size reductions of up to 80.5% compared to single outcomes. CONCLUSION: The PACE performed well in predicting prolonged hospital stays and can be used as a standardized and clinically relevant endpoint for future prospective trials enabling lower sample sizes and therefore improved feasibility compared to single outcome parameters.

More is not always better: peat moss mixtures slightly enhance peatland stability.

Terrestrial wetland ecosystems challenge biodiversity-ecosystem function theory, which generally links high species diversity to stable ecosystem functions. An open question in ecosystem ecology is whether assemblages of co-occurring peat mosses contribute to the stability of peatland ecosystem processes. We conducted a two-species (Sphagnum cuspidatum, Sphagnum medium) replacement series mesocosm experiment to evaluate the resistance, resilience, and recovery rates of net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) under mild and deep water table drawdown. Our results show a positive effect of mild water table drawdown on NEE with no apparent role for peat moss mixture. Our study indicates that the carbon uptake capacity by peat moss mixtures is rather resilient to mild water table drawdown, but seriously affected by deeper drought conditions. Co-occurring peat moss species seem to enhance the resilience of the carbon uptake function (i.e. ability of NEE to return to pre-perturbation levels) of peat moss mixtures only slightly. These findings suggest that assemblages of co-occurring Sphagnum mosses do only marginally contribute to the stability of ecosystem functions in peatlands under drought conditions. Above all, our results highlight that predicted severe droughts can gravely affect the sink capacity of peatlands, with only a small extenuating role for peat moss mixtures.

Dissecting cell death pathways in fed-batch bioreactors.

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are widely used for production of biologics including therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. Cell death in CHO cells is a significant factor in biopharmaceutical production, impacting both product yield and quality. Apoptosis has previously been described as the major form of cell death occurring in CHO cells in bioreactors. However, these studies were undertaken when less was known about non-apoptotic cell death pathways. Here, we report the occurrence of non-apoptotic cell death in an industrial antibody-producing CHO cell line during fed-batch culture. Under standard conditions, crucial markers of apoptosis were not observed despite a decrease in viability towards the end of the culture; only by increasing stress within the system did we observe caspase activation indicative of apoptosis. In contrast, markers of parthanatos and ferroptosis were observed during standard fed-batch culture, indicating that these non-apoptotic cell death pathways contribute to viability loss under these conditions. These findings pave the way for targeting non-conventional cell death pathways to improve viability and biologic production in CHO cells.

Genetic insights into the microevolutionary dynamics and early introductions of human monkeypox virus in Mexico.

The recent global outbreak of mpox, caused by monkeypox virus (MPV) emerged in Europe in 2022 and rapidly spread to over 40 countries. The Americas are currently facing the highest impact, reporting over 50,000 cases by early 2023. In this study, we analyzed 880 MPV isolates worldwide to gain insights into the evolutionary patterns and initial introduction events of the virus in Mexico. We found that MPV entered Mexico on multiple occasions, from the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Canada, and subsequently spread locally in different regions of Mexico. Additionally, we show that MPV has an open pangenome, highlighting the role of gene turnover in shaping its genomic diversity, rather than single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which do not contribute significantly to genome diversity. Although the genome contains multiple SNPs in coding regions, these remain under purifying selection, suggesting their evolutionary conservation. One notable exception is amino acid position 63 of the protein encoded by the Cop-A4L gene, which is intricately related to viral maturity, which we found to be under strong positive selection. Ancestral state reconstruction indicated that the ancestral state at position 63 corresponds to the amino acid valine, which is present only in isolates of clade I. However, the isolates from the current outbreak contained threonine at position 63. Our findings contribute new information about the evolution of monkeypox virus.

A One-Health environmental risk assessment of contaminants of emerging concern in London's waterways throughout the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic had huge impacts on global urban populations, activity and health, yet little is known about attendant consequences for urban river ecosystems. We detected significant changes in occurrence and risks from contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in waterways across Greater London (UK) during the pandemic. We were able to rapidly identify and monitor large numbers of CECs in n = 390 samples across 2019-2021 using novel direct-injection liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry methods for scalable targeted analysis, suspect screening and prioritisation of CEC risks. A total of 10,029 measured environmental concentrations (MECs) were obtained for 66 unique CECs. Pharmaceutical MECs decreased during lockdown in 2020 in the R. Thames (p ≤ 0.001), but then increased significantly in 2021 (p ≤ 0.01). For the tributary rivers, the R. Lee, Beverley Brook, R. Wandle and R. Hogsmill were the most impacted, primarily via wastewater treatment plant effluent and combined sewer overflows. In the R. Hogsmill in particular, pharmaceutical MEC trends were generally correlated with NHS prescription statistics, likely reflecting limited wastewater dilution. Suspect screening of âˆ¼ 1,200 compounds tentatively identified 25 additional CECs at the five most impacted sites, including metabolites such as O-desmethylvenlafaxine, an EU Watch List compound. Lastly, risk quotients (RQs) ≥ 0.1 were calculated for 21 compounds across the whole Greater London freshwater catchment, of which seven were of medium risk (RQ ≥ 1.0) and three were in the high-risk category (RQ ≥ 10), including imidacloprid (RQ = 19.6), azithromycin (15.7) and diclofenac (10.5). This is the largest spatiotemporal dataset of its kind for any major capital city globally and the first for Greater London, representing âˆ¼ 16 % of the population of England, and delivering a foundational One-Health case study in the third largest city in Europe across a global pandemic.

Habitat complexity drives food web structure along a dynamic mangrove coast.

Structurally complex habitats, such as mangrove forests, allow for rich assemblages of species that benefit from the provided space, volume and substrate. Changes in habitat complexity can affect species abundance, diversity and resilience. In this study, we explored the effects of habitat complexity on food web networks in four developmental stages of mangrove forests with differing structural complexities: climax > degrading > colonizing > bare, by analyzing food web structure, stable isotopes and habitat complexity. We found that food webs became gradually more biodiverse (species richness: +119 %), complex (link density: +39 %), and robust (connectance: -35 %) in climax versus bare stages with increasing complexity of the mangrove forest (i.e., number of trees, leaf cover, and pneumatophore densities). This study shows that habitat complexity drives food web network structure in dynamic mangrove forests. We recommend restoration practitioners to use this food web network approach to quantify habitat restoration successes complementary to traditional biodiversity metrics.

Partner choice and cooperation in social dilemmas can increase resource inequality.

Cooperation is more likely when individuals can choose their interaction partner. However, partner choice may be detrimental in unequal societies, in which individuals differ in available resources and productivity, and thus in their attractiveness as interaction partners. Here we experimentally examine this conjecture in a repeated public goods game. Individuals (n = 336), participating in groups of eight participants, are assigned a high or low endowment and a high or low productivity factor (the value that their cooperation generates), creating four unique participant types. On each round, individuals are either assigned a partner (assigned partner condition) or paired based on their self-indicated preference for a partner type (partner choice condition). Results show that under partner choice, individuals who were assigned a high endowment and high productivity almost exclusively interact with each other, forcing other individuals into less valuable pairs. Consequently, pre-existing resource differences between individuals increase. These findings show how partner choice in social dilemmas can amplify resource inequality.

International Comparison, Risk Assessment, and Prioritisation of 26 Endocrine Disrupting Compounds in Three European River Catchments in the UK, Ireland, and Spain.

Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) constitute a wide variety of chemistries with diverse properties that may/can pose risks to both humans and the environment. Herein, a total of 26 compounds, including steroids, flame retardants, and plasticizers, were monitored in three major and heavily urbanized river catchments: the R. Liffey (Ireland), the R. Thames (UK), and the R. Ter (Spain), by using a single solid-phase extraction liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPE-LC-MS/MS) method. Occurrence and frequency rates were investigated across all locations over a 10-week period, with the highest concentration obtained for the flame retardant tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) at 4767 ng∙L-1 in the R. Thames in Central London. Geographical variations were observed between sites and were partially explained using principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). In particular, discrimination between the R. Ter and the R. Thames was observed based on the presence and concentration of flame retardants, benzotriazole, and steroids. Environmental risk assessment (ERA) across sites showed that caffeine, a chemical marker, and bisphenol A (BPA), a plasticizer, were classified as high-risk for the R. Liffey and R. Thames, based on relative risk quotients (rRQs), and that caffeine was classified as high-risk for the R. Ter, based on RQs. The total risks at each location, namely ΣRQriver, and ΣrRQriver, were: 361, 455, and 723 for the rivers Liffey, Thames, and Ter, respectively. Caffeine, as expected, was ubiquitous in all 3 urban areas, though with the highest RQ observed in the R. Ter. High contributions of BPA were also observed across the three matrices. Therefore, these two compounds should be prioritized independently of location. This study represents a comprehensive EDC monitoring comparison between different European cities based on a single analytical method, which allowed for a geographically independent ERA prioritization to be performed.

Polishing wastewater effluent using plants: floating plants perform better than submerged plants in both nutrient removal and reduction of greenhouse gas emission.

While research on aquatic plants used in treatment wetlands is abundant, little is known about the use of plants in hydroponic ecological wastewater treatment, and its simultaneous effect on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Here, we assess the effectiveness of floating and submerged plants in removing nutrients and preventing GHG emissions from wastewater effluent. We grew two species of floating plants, Azolla filiculoides and Lemna minor, and two species of submerged plants, Ceratophyllum demersum and Callitriche platycarpa, on a batch of domestic wastewater effluent without any solid substrate. In these systems, we monitored nitrogen and phosphorus removal and fluxes of CO2, CH4 and N2O, for 2 weeks. In general, floating plants produced the most biomass, whereas submerged plants were rapidly overgrown by filamentous algae. Floating plants removed nutrients most efficiently; both floating species removed 100% of the phosphate while Lemna also removed 97-100% of the inorganic nitrogen, as opposed to a removal of 81-88% in submerged plants with algae treatments. Moreover, aquaria covered by floating plants had roughly three times higher GHG uptake than the treatments with submerged plants or controls without plants. Thus, effluent polishing by floating plants can be a promising avenue for climate-smart wastewater polishing.

Identification of the Sequence and the Length of Telomere DNA.

Telomeres are essential nucleoprotein structures at the very ends of linear eukaryote chromosomes. They shelter the terminal genome territories against degradation and prevent the natural chromosome ends from being recognized by repair mechanisms as double-strand DNA breaks.There are two basic characteristics of telomeric DNA, its sequence and its length. The telomere sequence is important as a "landing area" for specific telomere-binding proteins, which function as signals and moderate the interactions required for correct telomere function. While the sequence forms the proper "landing surface" of telomeric DNA, its length is similarly important. Too short or exceptionally long telomere DNA cannot perform its function properly. In this chapter, methods for the investigation of these two basic telomere DNA characteristics are described, namely, telomere motif identification and telomere length measurement.

Wetscapes: Restoring and maintaining peatland landscapes for sustainable futures.

Peatlands are among the world's most carbon-dense ecosystems and hotspots of carbon storage. Although peatland drainage causes strong carbon emissions, land subsidence, fires and biodiversity loss, drainage-based agriculture and forestry on peatland is still expanding on a global scale. To maintain and restore their vital carbon sequestration and storage function and to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement, rewetting and restoration of all drained and degraded peatlands is urgently required. However, socio-economic conditions and hydrological constraints hitherto prevent rewetting and restoration on large scale, which calls for rethinking landscape use. We here argue that creating integrated wetscapes (wet peatland landscapes), including nature preserve cores, buffer zones and paludiculture areas (for wet productive land use), will enable sustainable and complementary land-use functions on the landscape level. As such, transforming landscapes into wetscapes presents an inevitable, novel, ecologically and socio-economically sound alternative for drainage-based peatland use.

Restoring gradual land-water transitions in a shallow lake improved phytoplankton quantity and quality with cascading effects on zooplankton production.

Land-water transition areas play a significant role in the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. However, anthropogenic pressures are posing severe threats on land-water transition areas, which leads to degradation of the ecological integrity of many lakes worldwide. Enhancing habitat complexity and heterogeneity by restoring land-water transition areas in lake systems is deemed a suitable method to restore lakes bottom-up by stimulating lower trophic levels. Stimulating productivity of lower trophic levels (phytoplankton, zooplankton) generates important food sources for declining higher trophic levels (fish, birds). Here, we study ecosystem restoration project Marker Wadden in Lake Markermeer, The Netherlands. This project involved the construction of a 700-ha archipelago of five islands in a degrading shallow lake, aiming to create additional sheltered land-water transition areas to stimulate food web development from its base by improving phytoplankton quantity and quality. We found that phytoplankton quantity (chlorophyll-a concentration) and quality (inversed carbon:nutrient ratio) in the shallow waters inside the Marker Wadden archipelago were significantly improved, likely due to higher nutrient availabilities, while light availability remained sufficient, compared to the surrounding lake. Higher phytoplankton quantity and quality was positively correlated with zooplankton biomass, which was higher inside the archipelago than in the surrounding lake due to improved trophic transfer efficiency between phytoplankton and zooplankton. We conclude that creating new land-water transition areas can be used to increase light and nutrient availabilities and thereby enhancing primary productivity, which in turn can stimulate higher trophic levels in degrading aquatic ecosystems.

Enhanced selectivity for acidic contaminants in drinking water: From suspect screening to toxicity prediction.

A novel analytical workflow for suspect screening of organic acidic contaminants in drinking water is presented, featuring selective extraction by silica-based strong anion-exchange solid-phase extraction, mixed-mode liquid chromatography-high resolution accurate mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), peak detection, feature reduction and compound identification. The novel use of an ammonium bicarbonate-based elution solvent extended strong anion-exchange solid-phase extraction applicability to LC-HRMS of strong acids. This approach performed with consistently higher recovery and repeatability (88 ± 7 % at 500 ng L-1), improved selectivity and lower matrix interference (mean = 12 %) over a generic mixed-mode weak anion exchange SPE method. In addition, a novel filter for reducing full-scan features from fulvic and humic acids was successfully introduced, reducing workload and potential for false positives. The workflow was then applied to 10 London municipal drinking water samples, revealing the presence of 22 confirmed and 37 tentatively identified substances. Several poorly investigated and potentially harmful compounds were found which included halogenated hydroxy-cyclopentene-diones and dibromomethanesulfonic acid. Some of these compounds have been reported as mutagenic in test systems and thus their presence here requires further investigation. Overall, this approach demonstrated that employing selective extraction improved detection and helped shortlist suspects and potentially toxic chemical contaminants with higher confidence.

Deep reptilian evolutionary roots of a major avian respiratory adaptation.

Vertebral ribs of the anterior thorax in extant birds bear bony prongs called uncinate processes, which improve the mechanical advantage of mm. appendicocostales to move air through the immobile lung and pneumatic air sacs. Among non-avian archosaurs, broad, cartilaginous uncinate processes are present in extant crocodylians, and likely have a ventilatory function. Preserved ossified or calcified uncinate processes are known in several non-avian dinosaurs. However, whether other fossil archosaurs possessed cartilaginous uncinate processes has been unclear. Here, we establish osteological correlates for uncinate attachment to vertebral ribs in extant archosaurs, with which we inferred the presence of uncinate processes in at least 19 fossil archosaur taxa. An ancestral state reconstruction based on the infer distribution suggests that cartilaginous uncinate processes were plesiomorphically present in Dinosauria and arguably in Archosauria, indicating that uncinate processes, and presumably their ventilatory function, have a deep evolutionary history extending back well beyond the origin of birds.