title: PeerJ description: Articles published in PeerJ link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=1275 creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ language: en title: In situ growth and bioerosion rates of Lophelia pertusa in a Norwegian fjord and open shelf cold-water coral habitat link: https://peerj.com/articles/7586 last-modified: 2019-09-24 description: Coral reef resilience depends on the balance between carbonate precipitation, leading to reef growth, and carbonate degradation, for example, through bioerosion. Changes in environmental conditions are likely to affect the two processes differently, thereby shifting the balance between reef growth and degradation. In cold-water corals estimates of accretion-erosion processes in their natural habitat are scarce and solely live coral growth rates were studied with regard to future environmental changes in the laboratory so far, limiting our ability to assess the potential of cold-water coral reef ecosystems to cope with environmental changes. In the present study, growth rates of the two predominant colour morphotypes of live Lophelia pertusa as well as bioerosion rates of dead coral framework were assessed in different environmental settings in Norwegian cold-water coral reefs in a 1-year in situ experiment. Net growth (in weight gain and linear extension) of live L. pertusa was in the lower range of previous estimates and did not significantly differ between inshore (fjord) and offshore (open shelf) habitats. However, slightly higher net growth rates were obtained inshore. Bioerosion rates were significantly higher on-reef in the fjord compared to off-reef deployments in- and offshore. Besides, on-reef coral fragments yielded a broader range of individual growth and bioerosion rates, indicating higher turnover in live reef structures than off-reef with regard to accretion–bioerosion processes. Moreover, if the higher variation in growth rates represents a greater variance in (genetic) adaptations to natural environmental variability in the fjord, inshore reefs could possibly benefit under future ocean change compared to offshore reefs. Although not significantly different due to high variances between replicates, growth rates of orange branches were consistently higher at all sites, while mortality was statistically significantly lower, potentially indicating higher stress-resistance than the less pigmented white phenotype. Comparing the here measured rates of net accretion of live corals (regardless of colour morphotype) with net erosion of dead coral framework gives a first estimate of the dimensions of both processes in natural cold-water coral habitats, indicating that calcium carbonate loss through bioerosion amounts to one fifth to one sixth of the production rates by coral calcification (disregarding accretion processes of other organisms and proportion of live and dead coral framework in a reef). With regard to likely accelerating bioerosion and diminishing growth rates of corals under ocean acidification, the balance of reef accretion and degradation may be shifted towards higher biogenic dissolution in the future. creator: Janina V. Büscher creator: Max Wisshak creator: Armin U. Form creator: Jürgen Titschack creator: Kerstin Nachtigall creator: Ulf Riebesell uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7586 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2019 Büscher et al. title: Estimating flowering transition dates from status-based phenological observations: a test of methods link: https://peerj.com/articles/7720 last-modified: 2019-09-24 description: The scale of phenological research has expanded due to the digitization of herbarium specimens and volunteer based contributions. These data are status-based, representing the presence or absence of a specific phenophase. Modelling the progress of plant dormancy to growth and reproduction and back to dormancy requires estimating the transition dates from these status-based observations. There are several methods available for this ranging from statistical moments using the day of year to newly introduced methods using concepts from other fields. Comparing the proficiency of different estimators is difficult since true transition dates are rarely known. Here I use a recently released dataset of in-situ flowering observations of the perennial forb Echinacea angustifolia. In this dataset, due to high sampling frequency and unique physiology, the transition dates of onset, peak, and end of flowering are known to within 3 days. I used a Monte Carlo analysis to test eight different estimators across two scales using a range of sample sizes and proportion of flowering presence observations. I evaluated the estimators accuracy in predicting the onset, peak, and end of flowering at the population level, and predicting onset and end of flowering for individual plants. Overall, a method using a Weibull distribution performed the best for population level onset and end estimates, but other estimators may be more appropriate when there is a large amount of absence observations relative to presence observations. For individual estimates a method using the midway point between the first flower presence and most prior flower absence, within 7 days, is the best option as long as the restriction does not limit the final sample size. Otherwise, the Weibull method is adequate for individual estimates as well. These methods allow practitioners to effectively utilize the large amount of status-based phenological observations currently available. creator: Shawn D. Taylor uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7720 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2019 Taylor title: ViralPlaque: a Fiji macro for automated assessment of viral plaque statistics link: https://peerj.com/articles/7729 last-modified: 2019-09-24 description: Plaque assay has been used for a long time to determine infectious titers and characterize prokaryotic and eukaryotic viruses forming plaques. Indeed, plaque morphology and dimensions can provide information regarding the replication kinetics and the virulence of a particular virus. In this work, we present ViralPlaque, a fast, open-source and versatile ImageJ macro for the automated determination of viral plaque dimensions from digital images. Also, a machine learning plugin is integrated in the analysis algorithm for adaptation of ViralPlaque to the user’s needs and experimental conditions. A high correlation between manual and automated measurements of plaque dimensions was demonstrated. This macro will facilitate reliable and reproducible characterization of cytolytic viruses with an increased processing speed. creator: Marco Cacciabue creator: Anabella Currá creator: Maria I. Gismondi uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7729 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2019 Cacciabue et al. title: Transcriptomic responses of hypothalamus to acute exercise in type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats link: https://peerj.com/articles/7743 last-modified: 2019-09-24 description: The hypothalamus has an integral role in energy homeostasis regulation, and its dysfunctions lead to the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Physical activity positively affects the prevention and treatment of T2D. However, there is not much information on the adaptive mechanisms of the hypothalamus. In this study, RNA sequencing was used to determine how acute exercise affects hypothalamic transcriptome from both type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) and control Wistar rats with or without a single session of running (15 m/min for 60 min). Through pairwise comparisons, we identified 957 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 726, 197, and 98 genes were found between GK and Wistar, exercised GK and GK, and exercised Wistar and Wistar, respectively. The results of Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment revealed that lipid metabolism-related terms and pathways were enriched in GK and exercised GK rats, and nervous system related terms and pathways were enriched in exercised GK and Wistar rats. Furthermore, 45 DEGs were associated with T2D and related phenotypes according to the annotations in the Rat Genome Database. Among these 45 DEGs, several genes (Plin2, Cd36, Lpl, Wfs1, Cck) related to lipid metabolism or the nervous system are associated with the exercise-induced benefits in the hypothalamus of GK rats. Our findings might assist in identifying potential therapeutic targets for T2D prevention and treatment. creator: Shuying Fu creator: Yuhuan Meng creator: Shudai Lin creator: Wenlu Zhang creator: Yuting He creator: Lizhen Huang creator: Hongli Du uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7743 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2019 Fu et al. title: Characterizing gene tree conflict in plastome-inferred phylogenies link: https://peerj.com/articles/7747 last-modified: 2019-09-24 description: Evolutionary relationships among plants have been inferred primarily using chloroplast data. To date, no study has comprehensively examined the plastome for gene tree conflict. Using a broad sampling of angiosperm plastomes, we characterize gene tree conflict among plastid genes at various time scales and explore correlates to conflict (e.g., evolutionary rate, gene length, molecule type). We uncover notable gene tree conflict against a backdrop of largely uninformative genes. We find alignment length and tree length are strong predictors of concordance, and that nucleotides outperform amino acids. Of the most commonly used markers, matK, greatly outperforms rbcL; however, the rarely used gene rpoC2 is the top-performing gene in every analysis. We find that rpoC2 reconstructs angiosperm phylogeny as well as the entire concatenated set of protein-coding chloroplast genes. Our results suggest that longer genes are superior for phylogeny reconstruction. The alleviation of some conflict through the use of nucleotides suggests that stochastic and systematic error is likely the root of most of the observed conflict, but further research on biological conflict within plastome is warranted given documented cases of heteroplasmic recombination. We suggest that researchers should filter genes for topological concordance when performing downstream comparative analyses on phylogenetic data, even when using chloroplast genomes. creator: Joseph F. Walker creator: Nathanael Walker-Hale creator: Oscar M. Vargas creator: Drew A. Larson creator: Gregory W. Stull uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7747 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2019 Walker et al. title: Efficacy of Paclitaxel plus TS1 against previously treated EGFR mutated non-small cell lung cancer link: https://peerj.com/articles/7767 last-modified: 2019-09-24 description: BackgroundLater line chemotherapy (≥2nd lines) such as Docetaxel or immunotherapy is frequently used. As the life expectancy of lung cancer patients is getting longer, we need to provide more treatment options. Other treatment options are not well documented except for Doxetaxel and immunotherapy. Therefore, the efficacy of paclitaxel plus TS1 (TTS1) is warranted.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the chart records of our non-small cell lung cancer patients who were treated between 2010 and 2013. Clinical characteristics, type of tumor, EGFR mutation status, and treatment response to first-line EGFR-TKI therapy and efficacy of TTS1, were collected.ResultsTwenty eight patients were enrolled in this study. No patients archived complete response and seven patients had partial response (ORR: 25%). The disease control rate was 60.7% (17/28). The progression free survival (PFS) was 4.0 months and overall survival (OS) was 15.8 months. Of them, 17 had EGFR mutations, eight EGFR wild type, and three were unknown EGFR status. After TTS1 treatment, patients with EGFR mutations had better PFS (4.9 months vs. 1.8 months) and OS (15.5 months vs. 7.2 months) compared with those of EGFR wild type.ConclusionsTTS1 are effective later line chemotherapy, especially in tumor EGFR mutated patients. Paclitaxel plus TS1 is another treatment of choice for NSCLC patients before a more effective treatment strategy is found. creator: Yen-Han Tseng creator: Jen-Fu Shih creator: Heng-Sheng Chao creator: Yuh-Min Chen uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7767 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2019 Tseng et al. title: Paenibacillus strains with nitrogen fixation and multiple beneficial properties for promoting plant growth link: https://peerj.com/articles/7445 last-modified: 2019-09-23 description: Paenibacillus is a large genus of Gram-positive, facultative anaerobic, endospore-forming bacteria. The genus Paenibacillus currently comprises more than 150 named species, approximately 20 of which have nitrogen-fixation ability. The N2-fixing Paenibacillus strains have potential uses as a bacterial fertilizer in agriculture. In this study, 179 bacterial strains were isolated by using nitrogen-free medium after heating at 85 °C for 10 min from 69 soil samples collected from different plant rhizospheres in different areas. Of the 179 bacterial strains, 25 Paenibacillus strains had nifH gene encoding Fe protein of nitrogenase and showed nitrogenase activities. Of the 25 N2-fixing Paenibacillus strains, 22 strains produced indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). 21 strains out of the 25 N2-fixing Paenibacillus strains inhibited at least one of the 6 plant pathogens Rhizoctonia cerealis, Fusarium graminearum, Gibberella zeae, Fusarium solani, Colletotrichum gossypii and Alternaria longipes. 18 strains inhibited 5 plant pathogens and Paenibacillus sp. SZ-13b could inhibit the growth of all of the 6 plant pathogens. According to the nitrogenase activities, antibacterial capacities and IAA production, we chose eight strains to inoculate wheat, cucumber and tomato. Our results showed that the 5 strains Paenibacillus sp. JS-4, Paenibacillus sp. SZ-10, Paenibacillus sp. SZ-14, Paenibacillus sp. BJ-4 and Paenibacillus sp. SZ-15 significantly promoted plant growth and enhanced the dry weight of plants. Hence, the five strains have the greater potential to be used as good candidates for biofertilizer to facilitate sustainable development of agriculture. creator: Xiaomeng Liu creator: Qin Li creator: Yongbin Li creator: Guohua Guan creator: Sanfeng Chen uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7445 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2019 Liu et al. title: Evaluation of the effects of the green nanoparticles zinc oxide on monosodium glutamate-induced toxicity in the brain of rats link: https://peerj.com/articles/7460 last-modified: 2019-09-23 description: BackgroundMonosodium glutamate (MSG) is used extensively as a food additive in the diets of many countries around the world.Aim of the studyOur aim was to determine the effects of green zinc oxide nanoparticles on MSG-induced oxidative damage, neurotransmitter changes, and histopathological alternation in the cerebral cortexes of rats.MethodsMSG was administered orally at two doses of 6 and 17.5 mg/kg body weight. The higher dose was associated with a significant decline in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, as well as the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glutathione (GSH) in the cerebral cortex of rats.ResultsThe administration of zinc oxide nanoparticles/green tea extract (ZnO NPs/GTE) to 17.5 mg/kg MSG-treated rats was associated with significant improvements in all parameters previously shown to be altered by MSG. The higher dose of MSG induced significant histopathological variation in brain tissue. Co-treatment of rats with ZnO NPs/GTE and MSG-HD inhibited the reduction of neurotransmitters and acetylcholinesterase by MSG.ConclusionsZnO NPs/GTE have the potential to protect against oxidative stress and neuronal necrosis induced by MSG-HD. ZnO NPs/GTE conferred a greater benefit than the control treatment or ZnO NPs or GTE administered separately. creator: Reham Z. Hamza creator: Fawziah A. Al-Salmi creator: Nahla S. El-Shenawy uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7460 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2019 Hamza et al. title: California air resources board forest carbon protocol invalidates offsets link: https://peerj.com/articles/7606 last-modified: 2019-09-23 description: The commercial asset value of sequestered forest carbon is based on protocols employed globally; however, their scientific basis has not been validated. We review and analyze commercial forest carbon protocols, claimed to have reduced net greenhouse gas emissions, issued by the California Air Resources Board and validated by the Climate Action Reserve (CARB-CAR). CARB-CAR forest carbon offsets, based on forest mensuration and model simulation, are compared to a global database of directly measured forest carbon sequestration, or net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of forest CO2. NEE is a meteorologically based method integrating CO2 fluxes between the atmosphere, forest and soils and is independent of the CARB-CAR methodology. Annual carbon accounting results for CAR681 are compared with NEE for the Ameriflux site, Howland Forest Maine, USA, (Ho-1), the only site where both methods were applied contemporaneously, invalidating CARB-CAR protocol offsets. We then test the null hypothesis that CARB-CAR project population data fall within global NEE population values for natural and managed forests measured in the field; net annual gC m−2yr−1 are compared for both protocols. Irrespective of geography, biome and project type, the CARB-CAR population mean is significantly different from the NEE population mean at the 95% confidence interval, rejecting the null hypothesis. The CARB-CAR population exhibits standard deviation ∼5× that of known interannual NEE ranges, is overcrediting biased, incapable of detecting forest transition to net positive CO2 emissions, and exceeds the 5% CARB compliance limit for invalidation. Exclusion of CO2 efflux via soil and ecosystem respiration precludes a valid net carbon accounting result for CARB-CAR and related protocols, consistent with our findings. Protocol invalidation risk extends to vendors and policy platforms such as the United Nations Program on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) and the Paris Agreement. We suggest that CARB-CAR and related protocols include NEE methodology for commercial forest carbon offsets to standardize methods, ensure in situ molecular specificity, verify claims of carbon emission reduction and harmonize carbon protocols for voluntary and compliance markets worldwide. creator: Bruno D.V. Marino creator: Martina Mincheva creator: Aaron Doucett uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7606 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2019 Marino et al. title: Effect of radiotherapy on the gut microbiome in pediatric cancer patients: a pilot study link: https://peerj.com/articles/7683 last-modified: 2019-09-23 description: The incidence of pediatric cancer is lower than that of adult cancer worldwide. However, the former has detrimental side effects on the health of individuals, even after the cancer is cured, due to the impact of treatment on development. Recently, correlations have been made between the gut microbiome and cancer in several studies but only on adult participants. There is always a complication of dealing with pediatric cancer treatment protocols because they usually include a combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and intensive prophylactic antibiotics. In the current study, a pilot study was conducted to analyze ten fecal samples from three pediatric cancer patients, suffering from rhabdomyosarcoma near their pelvic region, and two healthy individuals. A correlation between microbial composition and response to treatment was reported, in which the responders had generally a lower microbial diversity compared to non-responders. In addition, nucleotide changes and deletions in the tested 16S rRNA sequences post radiotherapy were detected. Despite the small sample size used in the experiments due to the uncommon rhabdomyosarcoma in children, the results can help in understanding the influence of radiotherapy on the gut microbiome in pediatric cancer patients. More work with larger sample size and different cancer types need to be conducted to understand the influence of radiotherapy on gut microbiome to mitigate the deleterious impact of radiation on treated children. creator: Nourhan Sahly creator: Ahmed Moustafa creator: Mohamed Zaghloul creator: Tamer Z. Salem uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7683 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2019 Sahly et al.