A new species of Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) from white-sand forests of central Amazonia, Brazil
The white-sand ecosystems in the Solimões-Negro Interfluve are among the less studied in Amazonia. Recent herpetological surveys conducted west of Manaus, Brazil (central Amazonia) indicate that white-sand forests host a unique anuran fauna comprising habitat specialized and endemic species. In the present study we describe a new species of rain frog belonging to the Pristimantis unistrigatus species group from the white-sand forest locally called “campinarana” (thin-trunked forests with canopy height below 20 m). The new species is phylogenetically close to rain frogs from western Amazonian lowlands (P. delius, P. librarius, P. matidiktyo and P. ockendeni). It differs from its closest relatives mainly by its size (male SVL of 17.3–20.1 mm, n = 16; female SVL of 23.2–26.5 mm, n = 6), presence of tympanum, tarsal tubercles and dentigerous processes of vomers, its translucent groin without bright colored blotches or marks, and by its advertisement call (composed of 5–10 notes, call duration of 550–1,061 ms, dominant frequency of 3,295–3,919 Hz). Like other anuran species recently discovered in the white-sand forests west of Manaus, the new species seems to be restricted to this peculiar ecosystem.
Mônico et al. (2023) A new species of Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) from white-sand forests of central Amazonia, Brazil. PeerJ 11:e15399 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15399
Reliability of sonographic measurements of the ulnar collateral ligament: a multi-rater prospective study
Background The use of sonography is a cost-effective and reliable method to evaluate upper extremity superficial tissue structural integrity and pathology. Establishing the measurement reliability of widely used diagnostic ultrasound evaluation for musculoskeletal assessment is paramount enhance accurate clinical evaluations. The objective of this study was to establish the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of select ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) thickness measures at two distinct anatomical locations in intercollegiate baseball athletes using ultrasound imaging (USI). Methods This was a prospective cohort study conducted in a university research laboratory and included a total of 17 NCAA Division I baseball athletes (age 20.4 ± 1.43, height = 183.63 cm ± 6.27 cm, mass = 89.28 kg ± 8.24 kg). Two trained clinicians measured UCL mid-substance and apex thickness in the throwing extremity, prospectively, on 5 occasions at 1-month intervals during rest. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) (model 3,3), associated standard error of measurement, and 95% minimal detectable change in thickness were derived. Results Intrarater reliability estimates for operator 1 were 0.90–0.98 (mid-substance) and 0.91–0.99 (apex). Operator 2’s values were 0.92–0.97 and 0.93–0.99, respectively. The standard error of measurement (SEM) ranged from 0.045–0.071 cm (mid-substance) and 0.023–0.067 cm (apex). The minimal detectable difference (MDD95) was 0.12–0.20 cm (mid-substance) and 0.07–0.19 cm (apex). Interrater reliability was 0.86–0.96 (mid-substance) and 0.79–0.98 (apex); most ICCs were >0.90. Measurement of UCL thickness at two locations demonstrated very good to excellent reliability with high precision. Using this protocol, two evaluators can obtain consistent UCL measurement at two positions. This finding has significant implications for the clinical evaluation of superficial tissue pathology of the same individual by two experienced practitioners.
Felton et al. (2023) Reliability of sonographic measurements of the ulnar collateral ligament: a multi-rater prospective study. PeerJ 11:e15418 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15418
Assessment of aquatic food web and trophic niche as a measurement of recovery function in restored mangroves in the Southern Gulf of Mexico
Mangroves are coastal wetlands with high biodiversity and productivity, with great interaction with coastal environments. In the face of worldwide mangrove loss, restoration projects attempt to recover ecosystem composition and functioning over time. Our objective was to examine and compare the food webs in mangrove areas with different restoration times and in a reference mangrove in Términos Lagoon, Mexico. We estimated the trophic structure, identified the carbon resources that maintain aquatic consumers through the analysis of stable isotopes, and compared the trophic niche of the restored mangroves with the reference mangrove. We analyzed environmental variables, trophic structure, and contributions of resources during three seasons: rainy, dry, and “nortes”. Environmental changes and food structure changed in response to regional seasons. Bayesian mixing models indicated that food webs varied seasonally as a response to the primary productivity developed at Términos Lagoon. As expected, the assimilation of C3 plants in the reference mangrove was highest, as a primary (“nortes” season) and secondary resource (dry and rainy seasons). The restored mangroves depended mainly on allochthonous resources (seagrass, epiphytes, and phytoplankton). The assimilation of these resources highlighted the importance of connectivity and the input of sources of carbon from nearby coastal environments. Trophic niche analysis showed that the area with longer restoration time was more similar to the reference mangrove, which is evidence of the importance and efficacy of the restoration process, as well as the restoration of the ecosystem function over time.
Soria-Barreto et al. (2023) Assessment of aquatic food web and trophic niche as a measurement of recovery function in restored mangroves in the Southern Gulf of Mexico. PeerJ 11:e15422 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15422
Isoscapes of remnant and restored Hawaiian montane forests reveal differences in biological nitrogen fixation and carbon inputs
Deforestation and subsequent land-use conversion has altered ecosystems and led to negative effects on biodiversity. To ameliorate these effects, nitrogen-fixing (N2-fixing) trees are frequently used in the reforestation of degraded landscapes, especially in the tropics; however, their influence on ecosystem properties such as nitrogen (N) availability and carbon (C) stocks are understudied. Here, we use a 30-y old reforestation site of outplanted native N2-fixing trees (Acacia koa) dominated by exotic grass understory, and a neighboring remnant forest dominated by A. koa canopy trees and native understory, to assess whether restoration is leading to similar N and C biogeochemical landscapes and soil and plant properties as a target remnant forest ecosystem. We measured nutrient contents and isotope values (δ15N, δ13C) in soils, A. koa, and non-N2-fixing understory plants (Rubus spp.) and generated δ15N and δ13C isoscapes of the two forests to test for (1) different levels of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and its contribution to non-N2-fixing understory plants, and (2) the influence of historic land conversion and more recent afforestation on plant and soil δ13C. In the plantation, A. koa densities were higher and foliar δ15N values for A. koa and Rubus spp. were lower than in the remnant forest. Foliar and soil isoscapes also showed a more homogeneous distribution of low δ15N values in the plantation and greater influence of A. koa on neighboring plants and soil, suggesting greater BNF. Foliar δ13C also indicated higher water use efficiency (WUEi) in the plantation, indicative of differences in plant-water relations or soil water status between the two forest types. Plantation soil δ13C was higher than the remnant forest, consistent with greater contributions of exotic C4-pasture grasses to soil C pools, possibly due to facilitation of non-native grasses by the dense A. koa canopy. These findings are consequential for forest restoration, as they contribute to the mounting evidence that outplanting N2-fixing trees produces different biogeochemical landscapes than those observed in reference ecosystems, thereby influencing plant-soil interactions which can influence restoration outcomes.
Wall et al. (2023) Isoscapes of remnant and restored Hawaiian montane forests reveal differences in biological nitrogen fixation and carbon inputs. PeerJ 11:e15468 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15468
Pollution and health risk assessment of rare earth elements in Citrus sinensis growing soil in mining area of southern China
Background Analyzing the pollution and health risk of rare earth elements (REEs) in crop-growing soils around rare earth deposits can facilitate the improvement of REE mining-influenced area. In this study, pollution status, fraction and anomaly, plant accumulation characteristics, and potential risks of REEs (including heavy and light rare earth elements, HREEs and LREEs) in C. sinensis planting soil near ion-adsorption deposits in southern Ganzhou were analyzed. The influence of the soil environment on REEs in soil and fruit of C. sinensis was also explored. Methods The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and ecological risk index(RI) were used to analyze the pollution potential and ecological risks of REEs in soils, respectively. Health risk index and translocation factor (TF) were applied to analyze the accumulation and health risks of REEs in fruit of C. sinensis. The influence of soil factors on REEs in soil and fruit of C. sinensis were determined via correlation and redundancy analysis. Results Comparison with background values and assessment of Igeo and RI indicated that the soil was polluted by REEs, albeit at varying degrees. Fractionation between LREEs and HREEs occurred, along with significant positive Ce anomaly and negative Eu anomaly. With TF values < 1, our results suggest that C. sinensis has a weak ability to accumulate REEs in its fruit. The concentrations of REEs in fruit differed between LREEs and HREEs, with content of HREE in fruit ordered as Jiading > Anxi > Wuyang and of LREE in fruit higher in Wuyang. Correlation and redundancy analysis indicated that K2O, Fe2O3 and TOC are important soil factors influencing REE accumulation by C. sinensis, with K2O positively related and Fe2O3 and TOC negatively related to the accumulation process.
Environmental Contamination and Remediation
Lai et al. (2023) Pollution and health risk assessment of rare earth elements in Citrus sinensis growing soil in mining area of southern China. PeerJ 11:e15470 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15470
Neutrophil extracellular trap burden correlates with the stenosis of coronary atherosclerosis
Background Coronary atherosclerosis diseases (CADs) are associated with chronic inflammation. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are a type of novel proinflammatory cytokines whose levels are dramatically elevated in acute coronary syndrome. We conducted this study to further evaluate the association between circulating NET-associated markers and CAD in Chinese adults. Methods A total of 174 patients with CAD and 55 healthy controls were screened using percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary computed tomography angiography. Blood lipid levels, blood glucose levels, and blood cell counts were determined using commercial kits. Serum levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neutrophil elastase (NE) were measured using ELISA. Double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) in serum was quantified using the Quant-iT PicoGreen assay. We also compared the circulating NET levels with various parameters in the study subjects. Results The levels of serum NET markers, dsDNA, MPO, and NE, were significantly elevated in patients with CAD, particularly in the severe group, consistent with the increase in neutrophil counts. The levels of NET markers correlated with the risk factors of AS, increasing with the number of risk factors. NET markers were identified as independent risk factors for severe coronary stenosis and also as predictors of severe CAD. Conclusion NETs may be related to AS and serve as indicators or predictors of stenosis in patients with severe CAD.
Wang et al. (2023) Neutrophil extracellular trap burden correlates with the stenosis of coronary atherosclerosis. PeerJ 11:e15471 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15471
Ecodatacube.eu: analysis-ready open environmental data cube for Europe
The article describes the production steps and accuracy assessment of an analysis-ready, open-access European data cube consisting of 2000–2020+ Landsat data, 2017–2021+ Sentinel-2 data and a 30 m resolution digital terrain model (DTM). The main purpose of the data cube is to make annual continental-scale spatiotemporal machine learning tasks accessible to a wider user base by providing a spatially and temporally consistent multidimensional feature space. This has required systematic spatiotemporal harmonization, efficient compression, and imputation of missing values. Sentinel-2 and Landsat reflectance values were aggregated into four quarterly averages approximating the four seasons common in Europe (winter, spring, summer and autumn), as well as the 25th and 75th percentile, in order to retain intra-seasonal variance. Remaining missing data in the Landsat time-series was imputed with a temporal moving window median (TMWM) approach. An accuracy assessment shows TMWM performs relatively better in Southern Europe and lower in mountainous regions such as the Scandinavian Mountains, the Alps, and the Pyrenees. We quantify the usability of the different component data sets for spatiotemporal machine learning tasks with a series of land cover classification experiments, which show that models utilizing the full feature space (30 m DTM, 30 m Landsat, 30 m and 10 m Sentinel-2) yield the highest land cover classification accuracy, with different data sets improving the results for different land cover classes. The data sets presented in the article are part of the EcoDataCube platform, which also hosts open vegetation, soil, and land use/land cover (LULC) maps created. All data sets are available under CC-BY license as Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFFs (ca. 12 TB in size) through SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog (STAC) and the EcoDataCube data portal.
Spatial and Geographic Information Science
Witjes et al. (2023) Ecodatacube.eu: analysis-ready open environmental data cube for Europe. PeerJ 11:e15478 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15478
Influence of geographic origin and tissue type on the medicinal chemical compounds of Semiliquidambar cathayensis
Semiliquidambar cathayensis is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine owing its high concentrations of polyphenol, triterpenoidic acid, and flavonoids. This study aimed to explore the impact of geographical origin and tissue type on the contents of chemical compounds of S. cathayensis, as determined by colorimetric and chromatographic methods. Therefore, we quantitively evaluated chemical compounds found in the tissues of various organs of plants collected in six different regions. Overall, we found that geographical origin affected the content of medicinal compounds in S. cathayensis leaves, with plants from Jingzhou county showing the best therapeutic potential. However, no specific correlation was observed with latitude. It is noteworthy that the amount of paeoniflorin and other compounds can be used as biomarkers of geographical origin and tissue type. Most medicinal compounds accumulated mainly in the leaves, whereas ursolic and oleanolic acids accumulated in the roots. These results show that the comprehensive medicinal value of the leaves of S. cathayensis in Jingzhou county is the highest, but the root should be selected first to collect oleanolic acid and ursolic acid.
Tian et al. (2023) Influence of geographic origin and tissue type on the medicinal chemical compounds of Semiliquidambar cathayensis. PeerJ 11:e15484 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15484
Fasudil may alleviate alcohol-induced astrocyte damage by modifying lipid metabolism, as determined by metabonomics analysis
Alcohol dependence is a chronic, relapsing encephalopathy characterized by compulsive craving for alcohol, loss of control over alcohol use, and the presence of negative emotions and physical discomfort when alcohol is unavailable. Harmful use of alcohol is one of the greatest risk factors for death, illness, and disability. Rho kinase inhibitors have neuroprotective effects. This study used metabonomics analysis to assess untreated astrocytes, astrocytes exposed to 75 mmol/L of alcohol, and astrocytes exposed to 75 mmol/L of alcohol and treated with 15 µg/mL fasudil for 24 h. One of the clearest differences between the alcohol-exposed and fasudil-treated alcohol-exposed groups was the abundance of lipids and lipid-like molecules, although glycerophospholipid metabolism was comparable in both groups. Our findings show that fasudil may alleviate alcohol-induced astrocyte damage by modifying lipid metabolism, providing a new approach for preventing and treating alcohol dependence.
Zhao et al. (2023) Fasudil may alleviate alcohol-induced astrocyte damage by modifying lipid metabolism, as determined by metabonomics analysis. PeerJ 11:e15494 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15494
Temporal and inter-individual changes in the integrated biochemical condition of the gonads of female swordfish (Xiphias gladius) from the Southeastern Pacific Ocean
The integrated biochemical condition (IBC) of gonads is closely related to the reproductive success of highly migratory marine species. The IBC of gonads can be influenced not only by size and/or age, but also by environmental conditions. Here, female swordfish, Xiphias gladius, that migrate to temperate regions with a marked seasonality (e.g., the Southeastern Pacific Ocean, SEPO) were compared in relation to the IBCs (lipids, proteins, glucose and, fatty acid profiles) of their gonads; individuals with two body size ranges and distinct degrees of sexual maturity were evaluated, and considered as: small and/or virginal (SV: <170 cm lower jaw fork-length (LJFL), oocyte size (OS) <0.08 mm) vs large and/or maturing females (LM: >190 cm LJFL, OS >0.133 mm). This comparison was conducted in two environmentally contrasting seasons (winter vs spring). Our results showed that the gonadosomatic index (GSI) was significantly higher in LM than SV. Lipid contents varied significantly between seasons and body sizes. The highest lipid concentrations were recorded in the spring in large females. No significant differences were found when comparing the protein and glucose contents of the two evaluated seasons or body size ranges of the studied females. In turn, the fatty acid (FA) profiles of female gonads significantly varied for both seasons and body size ranges. A high content of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were recorded in female gonads in the spring. The SFAs C16:0 and C18:0, the MUFA C18:1n9, and the essential PUFA C22:6n3 were the main contributors to the observed differences between spring and winter. These results could be used as indicators of the nutritional condition and health status of swordfish individuals. Hence, the IBC of female swordfish gonads have great potential to aid in estimating survival rates and stock abundances of this species. The integration of this information constitutes an asset in fishery management models with an ecosystem approach.
Guzmán-Rivas et al. (2023) Temporal and inter-individual changes in the integrated biochemical condition of the gonads of female swordfish (Xiphias gladius) from the Southeastern Pacific Ocean. PeerJ 11:e15524 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15524