Severe shortage of donor hearts has increased the mortality of patients on the transplant waiting list. However, donor hearts with valvular dysfunction are rarely used. Utilizing donor hearts with valvular lesions that can be repaired or replaced at the time of transplant will decrease waitlist mortality and offer many patients a second chance in life.

LetterDelta or Omicron BA.1/2-neutralizing antibody levels and T-cell reactivity after triple-vaccination or infectionTo the editor,In Germany, SARS-CoV-2 infections in fall 2021 were caused by the Delta variant of concern (VOC B.1.617.2), which was completely replaced by the Omicron VOC (BA.1, B.1.529.1/BA.2, B.1.529.2) in winter. Meanwhile, the BA.2 sublineage dominates, apparently having a selection advantage1.We studied the kinetics of anti-spike (S) protein IgG and Delta neutralizing antibodies (NA) as well as the release of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) from SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cells in 152 individuals (117 women, 35 men, median age 41 years) who received two doses of vector vaccine (AstraZeneca, AZD, N=34), mRNA vaccine (BioNTech or Moderna, mRNA, N=62), or a combination of both (N=56) followed by an mRNA vaccine boost (N=81). In a subset of 15 age- and gender-matched vaccinees and in ten triple-vaccinated and two unvaccinated patients with previous BA.1 infection, the Delta- and Omicron BA.1/BA.2 NAs and T-cell reactivity were examined. For comparison, variant-specific antibody responses of unvaccinated patients after infection with Alpha- (N=10) or Beta VOCs (N=1) were included.Within 279 days after the second vaccination, a decrease in anti-S IgG concentrations (Figures S 1A-C) and Delta NA titers (Figure 1A) was measured regardless of the immunization regimen. The booster vaccination led to a significant increase of anti-S IgG concentrations (Figures S1 D-F) and of Delta NA titers (Figure 1B). The IgG levels and Delta NAs reached four weeks after the mRNA vaccine booster were 1.3 - 1.7-fold higher than after the second mRNA dose, but this difference was significant only for IgG (Figures 1A, C; Figures S 1A-C, G-I). The release of IFN-γ as a measure of SARS-CoV-2 T-cell reactivity was demonstrated for months after second vaccination. In contrast to the Delta NA levels, IFN-γ concentrations were independent of the underlying vaccination schedule and increased slightly after the third immunization (Figures 1D, E). The parameters of humoral and cellular immunity decreased again after the booster vaccination (Figures 1C, F; Figures S 1G-I).As reported by others 1-4, NAs to Omicron BA.1 were induced by the mRNA vaccine booster, but also against the predominant BA.2 sublineage, which was previously unclear. The BA.2 NA geometric mean titer (GMT) was higher than the BA.1 NA GMT (Figure 2A). With respect to the results presented in Figures 1C and 2B, we suspect that NAs against the Omicron VOC will decline rapidly after booster vaccination alone. High NA titers against Omicron BA.1/BA.2 and against Delta VOC were exclusively observed in triple-vaccinated individuals two to three weeks after Omicron breakthrough infection (Figure 2A). This indicates broadened immunity covering additional viral variants and may also explain why few BA.2 infections have occurred in this group of individuals to date 5. Because Omicron is a distinct serotype 6, only NAs against this VOC were detectable in two unvaccinated BA.1-infected individuals (Figure 2A), while unvaccinated Alpha- and Beta VOC patients developed isolated NAs against the antigenically more related Delta VOC (Figure S 2A). Accordingly, both BA.1 patients had very low IgG levels against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of a Wuhan-like virus (Figure S 2B), whereas IgGs against the higher preserved nucleocapsidprotein were barely affected (Figures S 2C, D). The results of a surrogate neutralization assay confirmed very limited humoral immunity after Omicron infection alone (Figure S 2E).The increase of IFN-γ release by mRNA booster vaccination was moderate (Figures 1D, E), while the breakthrough infection insignificantly increased IFN-γ release by a factor of 1.9 - 2.6 (Figure 2C).In conclusion, the importance of pre-existing vaccine-induced immunity is clearly demonstrated. The booster vaccination with the conventional mRNA vaccine resulted in measurable BA.1/BA.2 NAs. However, a multivalent vaccine could induce higher titers, which could provide better protection.

Abstract Introduction：Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for aortic dissection which lesion affected the aortic arch. Conventional surgical methods usually use unilateral cerebral perfusion by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) to maintain the perfusion of the brain, and the reconstruction of arch branches must be performed under CPB. Unilateral cerebral perfusion with prolonged CPB may lead to complications of cerebral hypoperfusion. We propose a new technique that can accomplish aortic arch branches replacement without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass and maintain bilateral cerebral perfusion at all times. Materials and Methods: From January 2018 to July 2021, we performed the new technique in 23 patients. Furthermore, we performed a retrospective analysis with patients undergoing conventional surgery during the same period, comparing perioperative data and follow-up data between two groups. Result: The CPB time, deep hypothermic circulatory arrest time and aortic cross-clamping time of new technique group was significantly shorter than conventional group. Other perioperative data and follow-up data were not statistically different. Discussion: Simplified arch-first technique can significantly shorten CPB, aortic cross-clamping and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest time. The technique is theoretically safer because it can better protect the cerebral perfusion during the operation. The short-term efficacy of this technique is the same as that of conventional surgery, and it is more convenient for surgeons to operate. Conclusions: Compared with the conventional method, the simplified arch-first technique is non-inferior, friendly in operation and safer in theory, and is worthy of promotion. Key words: Aortic dissection; Arch-first; Cardiopulmonary bypass; Aortic arch reconstruction

Charcot foot or neurogenic osteoarthropathy, is a serious complication of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The association between false aneurysm and Charcot foot is yet uncommon, and has not been reported through the literature. We describe a case of false aneurysm in a Charcot foot in a 55-year-old patient.

Desertification is a major threat to biodiversity in arid areas of the world, in part because many organisms in these regions are already existing at or near the limits of their movement and physiology. Here, we used molecular data to investigate patterns of persistence and dispersal in an ecologically and economically important carpenter bee (Xylocopa grisescens Lepeletier) found throughout the semiarid Caatinga region of Brazil. We used a genome-wide approach (Restriction-site associated DNA sequencing, RAD-seq) to gather genetic data (>83,000 SNPs) from bees sampled from eight sites within an arid region subject to desertification in Northeastern Brazil. We observed low levels of population genetic diversity and differentiation across the study region, despite data collection from sites up to 300 km distant. Additionally, we detected evidence of a relatively severe genetic bottleneck occurring an estimated 60 years ago. Our data suggest that population genetic patterns of X. grisescens have been shaped by human-mediated changes in the Caatinga, but these patterns have also been heavily influenced by biological characteristics of this species, such as their relatively high capacity for movement.

With the help of the Meir-Keeler contraction method and the Mann-type method, two adaptive inertial iterative schemes are introduced for finding solutions of the split variational inclusion problem in Hilbert spaces. The strong convergence of the suggested algorithms are guaranteed by a new stepsize criterion that does not require calculation of the bounded linear operator norm. Some numerical experiments and applications in signal recovery problems are given to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithms.

Objective: To select markers that improve predictive power through machine learning among various vaginal microbiota and develop an excellent prediction algorithm that combines clinical information. Design, setting and population: A multicenter case-control study with 150 Korean pregnant women. Methods: Cervicovaginal fluid were collected from pregnant women during mid-pregnancy. Their demographic profiles, white blood cell count, and cervical length were recorded, and the microbiome profiles of the cervicovaginal fluid were analyzed. The subjects were randomly divided into a training and a test set. A univariate analysis was performed to select markers using seven statistical tests. Using the selected markers, machine learning models were used to build prediction models. Main outcome measures: The preterm birth prediction model showed sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 83% (AUC=0.84). Results: The test area under the curve of the logistic regression model was 0.72 with the 17 microbiome markers. When analyzed by combining white blood cell count and cervical length, the random forest model showed the test area under the curve of 0.84. The GUIDE model confirmed that the association with preterm birth was high when Prevotella and Ureaplasma increased, which could also be explained by the fact that as the number of Peptoniphilus increased, the association with preterm birth was higher. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that several candidate bacteria could be used as potential predictors for preterm birth, and that the predictive rate can be increased through a machine learning model employing a combination of cervical length and white blood cell count information.

Objective: To study the outcomes of new pregnancies after previous complete uterine rupture. Design: Descriptive study based on population data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway, the Patient Administration System, and medical records. Sample: Maternities with previous complete uterine rupture in Norway during the period 1967–2011 (N=72), extracted from 2 455 797 maternities. Method: We measured the rate of new complete ruptures and partial ruptures, as well as the maternal and perinatal outcomes of these pregnancies. The characteristics of both previous ruptures and new ruptures were described. Results: Among 72 maternities, there were thirty-seven with previous ruptures in the lower segment (LS) and 35 outside the LS. We found three new complete ruptures and six uneventful partial ruptures, resulting in a rate of 4.2% and 8.3%, respectively. All three complete ruptures occurred preterm in scars outside the LS. The rate of new complete rupture was 0% in those with previous rupture in the LS, and 8.6% in previous ruptures outside the LS. The corrected perinatal mortality was 1.3%, and prematurity (<37 weeks) was high (36.1%); this was noticed even in the absence of new ruptures and was mostly iatrogenic. Two hysterectomies were performed in the absence of rupture and two cases had abnormal invasive placenta. Conclusion: The prognosis for pregnancies after previous complete uterine rupture is favorable. Prematurity is a problem caused by both obstetrician and mother anxiety, so the timing of delivery is most challenging. Careful counseling, vigilance for symptoms, and immediate delivery are most important.

DEATH AND SEVERE MORBIDITY IN ISOLATED PERIVIABLE SMALL-FOR-GESTATIONAL-AGE FETUSESBy Meler et alDescriptive title:Middle cerebral artery Doppler improves risk stratification of SGA babies at a peri-viable gestationMini-commentary by Lawrence ImpeySmall for gestational age (SGA) babies identified before 26 weeks are a heterogenous group but the largest contributor is ‘isolated’ SGA’. Most are ‘constitutionally’ small, but placental issues are common. Traditionally, the ultrasound Doppler parameters used to identify the most at risk are the umbilical artery (UA) and uterine artery (UtA). This paper (Meler et al, BJOG, 2022) challenges the dogma that MCA Doppler in early onset-SGA babies is of limited use, reporting an 87% detection rate for a 14% false positive rate for UA and MCA together in predicting a severe composite adverse outcome (CAO).The analysis uses Doppler findings at referral, thereby reducing but not eliminating the ‘intervention paradox’, common to many analyses, whereby an ‘abnormal’ finding’s association with an outcome is altered because it leads to intervention.The group is defined by local centiles and only comprises those referred but, by including both apparently FGR and SGA babies, is less subject to selection bias. Because of the high risk nature and size of this cohort, the frequency of adverse outcomes is adequate for analysis of a severe CAO (20.4%), of death (15.4%) or long term morbidity that is sufficiently serious and includes postnatal follow up (minimum 9 months).The role of MCA Doppler with placental failure is poorly understood. Near term, as part of the cerebroplacental ratio (CPR), it helps identify the at-risk SGA baby (Veglia et al, UOG, 2018), and even some at-risk normally grown babies. Earlier, however, the role of UA Doppler is clear (Alfirevic et al, Cochrane, 2017). That MCA Doppler adds predictive value at diagnosis is important because it will allow enable more appropriate counselling, follow up and potentially better timing of iatrogenic birth.What does the analysis make of UtA Doppler and the ductus venosus (DV)? It is surprising (Allen et al, UOG 2016) that the former was not predictive, but as its role is well established, this could be the subject of intervention bias. Mild abnormalities (PI>95th c) of the DV were not useful, but severe ones, occurring late in the deterioration in FGR, will still be useful to time iatrogenic birth (Lees et al, Lancet, 2015).MCA Doppler in referred small peri-viable babies improves risk stratification, a process central to maternity care. The ‘checklist’ approach to risk must be replaced by models using continuous variables (as opposed to cut offs of ‘abnormal’) of multiple independent risk factors: as with aneuploidy screening. Only then can we better identify high risk (sensitivity) whilst not over-medicalising pregnancy (specificity). Developing this is complex, not least because of the rarity and gestation-dependence of serious perinatal events and because of the presence of the intervention paradox in large datasets. Nevertheless, the Tommy’s app (https://www.tommys.org/) is a welcome start. Such screening is likely to need to be staged, and this analysis demonstrates one risk factor potentially worth including following a 20 week scan.

Drug delivery to the tumor site and minimizing adverse effects on surrounding tissues remains a fundamental issue. In this study, pH and radiation-responsive PLGA-PEG-PLGA amphiphilic copolymers were terminally conjugated with hydrophobic tryptophan (Try), tyrosine (Tyr), or histidine (His) amino acids (aa). To synthesize the tri-copolymers, PEG was employed as an initiator and Sn (Oct) 2 as a catalyst. In this system, micelles were developed with an inner core comprised of hydrophobic blocks (PLGA and Try/Tyr/His) and PEG as a hydrophilic corona to improve the stability. The rise in DOX fluorescence intensity and particle size shift because of light and pH stimulation supported structural destabilization of the micelle. Try-PLGA-PEG-PLGA-Try and Tyr-PLGA-PEG-PLGA-Tyr micelles had negligible cytotoxicity (more than 90% cell viability at 100 g/mL) when incubated with NIH-3T3 and HeLa cell lines using MTT assays. DOX-loaded micelles (Try/Tyr), on the other hand, had a greater impact on HeLa cells, with roughly 30% of cells were survived at a maximum DOX dosage (10 g/mL). The cellular uptake experiment further verified that DOX-loaded micelles were internalized in the cytoplasm and nucleus of cancer cells. Therefore, the prepared copolymer systems have the potential to be employed as stimuli-responsive carriers for the delivery of anti-cancer drugs.

Pine wilt disease (PWD) cause by pine wood nematodes (PWN, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) is an epidemic forest disease that seriously threatens the world’s forest resources and human ecological environment. Predicting the potential geographical distribution of PWD in China under climate change and studying the impact of climate change on the distribution of PWD using the MaxEnt model can provide a basis for high - efficiency quarantine, supervision, and timely prevention and control. In our study, the ENMeval data package was used to optimize the parameter setting of the MaxEnt model based on 647 geographical distribution locations of PWD and seven climate factors, the potential distribution areas of PWD under current and future climate conditions (2050s, 2070s) were simulated and predicted, and the dominant environmental factors affecting the geographical distribution of PWD were analyzed. The results showed that the value of AICc of the Akaike information criterion was 0, and the prediction accuracy was good when the feature combination (FC) was LQHPT and the regularization multiplier (RM) was 0.5. The results showed that the main climate factors affecting the distribution of PWD were temperature (max temperature of warmest month (bio5), mean temperature of driest quarter (bio9), rainfall (coefficient of variation of precipitation seasonality (bio14) and precipitation of wettest quarter (bio16). The prediction results of the MaxEnt model showed that the area of the total suitable habitat and highly suitable habitat will expand significantly in 2050 and 2070, and the potential distribution of PWD will tend to spread to high latitude and altitude.

Abstract Aims: The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate clinical efficacy of Aloe vera (AV) as a supplement to scaling and root planing (SRP) for conventional dental treatment . Methods: A comprehensive and systematic search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted before August 2021 was carried out in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science. Twelve studies met the eligibility criteria to be synthesized in the qualitative analysis, and four eligible publications were included in the meta-analysis. A meta-analysis was performed to quantitatively evaluate the periodontal parameters. Results: Four studies were included. Adjunctive AV treatment reduced PPD (MD: -0.71;-1.32/-0.09) at 6 months and PPD (MD: -1.39;-3.02/0.23) at 12 months in respect to the control group at 6 months. Adjunctive AV treatment reduced CAL (MD: -0.64;-1.13/-0.15) at 6 months and CAL (MD: -1.62;-2.79/-0.44) at 12 months in respect to the control group. Conclusions：The adjunctive use of Aloe vera in SRP results in improved treatment outcomes, compared with SRP alone/placebo. However the evidence was not strong enough to safely base any clinical recommendation, further investigation is needed to establish the clinical efficacy of Aloe vera. Keywords: periodontal treatment; Aloe vera; periodontitis; meta-analysis; periodontal disease; systematic review

The establishment of biological soil crusts is widely perceived as a main method to control ecological environment in arid and semi-arid regions. However, artificial biocrusts are insufficient to face with some stress from environment by using traditional established methods. Hence in this study, kaolin, a common clay mineral, was introduced as a stabilizer by mixing with Microcoleus steenstruppi of different mass ratios for inoculating onto sand to establish artificial biocrust. The results showed that the addition of kaolin exhibited a significantly positive effect on promoting biocrust formation, and accelerating the biocrust development. Moreover, the artificial biocrust from 1:500 (algae:kaolin) inoculant achieved the best performances with coverage of 98%, and thickness of 5.62 mm after 86 days of incubation. The highest contents of chlorophyll a, exopolysaccharides, and soluble protein were also observed in 1:500 mass ratio of algae:kaolin throughout the biocrust development process. As for the water retention performances, the results of contact angle, water drop penetration time (WDPT), and repellency index (RI) illustrated that biocrusts improve water utilization in kaolin-treated groups by delaying the time of water infiltration, especially in 1:500 group. After 86 days post inoculation, a series of common bacteria appeared in the biocrusts such as actinobacteria and acidobacteria and decomposed metabolites from cyanobacteria as energy source to supply their own life activities. This study gains new insights on clay minerals on biocrust development and puts forward a new approach for rapid artificial biocrust establishment to reverse desertification.

Recent findings suggest that immune functions do not unidirectionally deteriorate with age but that a potentially adaptive remodelling where functions of the immune system get down regulated while others get upregulated with age could also occur. Scarce in wild populations, longitudinal studies are yet necessary to properly understand the patterns and consequences of age variations of the immune system in the wild. In the meanwhile, it is challenging to understand if the observed variations in immune parameters with age are due to changes at the within-individual level or to selective (dis)appearance of individuals with peculiar immune phenotypes. Thanks to a long-term and longitudinal monitoring of a wild population of Alpine marmots, we aimed to understand within- and between-individual variation in the immune phenotype with age, in order to improve our knowledge about the occurrence and the evolutionary consequence of such age-variations in the wild. To do so, we recorded the age-specific leukocyte concentration and profile in repeatedly sampled dominant individuals. We then tested whether the potential changes with age were more likely due to within-individual variations and/or selective (dis)appearance. Finally, we investigated if the leukocyte concentration and profiles were correlated to the probability of death at a given age. The leukocyte concentration was stable with age, but the lymphocyte count decreased, while the neutrophil count increased, over the course of an individual’s life. Moreover, between individuals of the same age, individuals with fewer lymphocytes but more neutrophils were more likely to die. Therefore, selective disappearance seems to play an important role in the age variations of the immune parameters in this population. Further investigations linking age variations in immune phenotype to individual fitness are needed to understand whether remodelling of the immune system with age could or could not be adaptive.

Admixture, the creation of individuals with combined genomic material from multiple differentiated source populations, is now known to be a dominant evolutionary force. Admixture increases polymorphism and can generate novel phenotypes and selection pressures, often leading to both novel adaptation and reproductively isolated hybrid taxa. When a large variety of recombinant types and admixture proportions between two source populations exist, both geographic and genomic cline analysis are suitable methods for inferring biased, restricted, or excessive gene flow at individual loci into the foreign genomic background. Hence, cline analysis can provide evidence for reproductive isolation, selection across an environmental transition, balancing selection, and adaptive introgression, in natural hybridizing populations. Of the two cline methods, genomic cline analysis has fewer assumptions and is suitable in a wider variety of circumstances. Here, I introduce gghybrid, an R package for Bayesian estimation of genome-wide hybrid index and locus-specific genomic clines using bi-allelic data, suitable for both small and large datasets. gghybrid uses Buerkle's likelihood formula to estimate hybrid index and Fitzpatrick's logit-logistic genomic cline function to infer restricted, extreme, or biased gene flow. It employs the commonly available Structure file format for data input, is highly parallelizable, and allows use of admixture proportions estimated from other software. Parameters can be pooled across test subjects, or their values fixed, and model comparison carried out using both AIC and waic. Here, I describe the functions, pipeline, and statistical properties of gghybrid.

Since water deficit (WD) and ultraviolet radiation (UV) trigger similar protective mechanisms in plants, we tested the hypothesis that UV modulates grassland acclimation to WD, mainly through changes in the root/shoot (R/S) ratio, enhances the ability of grassland to acquire water from the soil and hence affects its productivity. We also tested the potential of spectral reflectance and thermal imaging for monitoring the impacts of WD and UV on grassland production parameters. The experimental plots were manipulated by lamellar shelters allowing precipitation to pass through or to exclude it. The lamellas were either transmitting or blocking the UV. The results show that WD resulted in a significant decrease in above-gound biomass (AB). In contrast, below-ground biomass (BB), R/S ratio and total biomass (TB) increased significantly in response to WD, especially in UV exclusion treatment. UV exposure had a significant effect on AB and BB, but only in the last year of the experiment. The differences in the effect of WD between years show that the effect of precipitation removal is largely influenced by the potential evapotranspiration (PET) in a given year and hence mainly by air temperatures, while the resulting effect on production parameters is best correlated with the water balance given by the difference between precipitation and PET. Canopy temperature and selected spectral reflectance indices showed a significant response to WD and also significant relationships with morphological (AB, R/S) and biochemical (C/N ratio) parameters. In particular, the vegetation indices NDVI and RDVI provided the best correlations of biomass changes caused by WD and thus the highest potential to remotely sens drought effects on terrestrial vegetation.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been adopted to support patients with acute severe cardiac or pulmonary failure that is potentially reversible and unresponsive to conventional management. In the presence of pulmonary embolism, mesenteric ischemia (MI) can present as a life-threatening disorder that leads to intestinal ischemia. Due to the nature and acuity of these conditions, determining adequate perfusion upon surgical intervention is challenging for the operating surgeon, especially in the presence of cardiogenic shock despite ECMO support. Indocyanine green fluorescent angiography (ICG-FA) has proven to be useful for real-time vascular perfusion assessment, which may potentially decrease the rate of development of perfusion-related complications. The case report here-in presented, breaks the paradigm of performing noncardiac surgical procedures on ECMO support via a pioneering visual aid technique. Learning objective Indocyanine green fluorescent angiography (ICG-FA) is a promising visual trans-operatory technique providing real-time feedback for the adequate identification and assessment of target tissue/organs. The high morbidity and mortality rates associated to MI and CS – particularly when concomitantly present – hinders salvage surgical therapy. The use of acute ECMO provides stabilization yet lacks any curative solutions. This case report highlights the importance of adequate surgical intervention under extracorporeal life support in the presence of both CS and MI. To the authors’ knowledge, said approach has never been attempted, yet trails a promising therapy for the improvement of associated mortality rates.

“Letter to the Editor: Cardiac Surgery in patients with atrial isomerism : Long-term results and outcomes.”Dr Sara AhmedShalamar medical college, Lahore, PakistanDr Muhammad SohaibAllama Iqbal medical college, Lahore, Pakistan.

Glacial and proglacial erosion are important sediment sources in a river basin. The retreat of many glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau has important implications on the supply of fresh water and sediment dynamics for downstream river basins. Despite the importance of water and sediment dynamics at these catchments, existing quantification of suspended sediment fluxes from glacial catchments on the Tibetan Plateau is limited due to poor accessibility and challenging environments. This study presents the results of in-situ investigations of water discharge and suspended sediment fluxes from the Ming Yong glacial catchment in Yunnan, Southwest China, between August 2013 and July 2017. The results show that the variation in water discharge and suspended sediment was highly seasonal. The variation of average suspended sediment concentration was large – 69±45 mg/L; 119±104 mg/L; 94±97 mg/L in 2013, 2015, 2016, respectively. We estimate that the sediment yield from Ming Yong catchment was highly variable ranging from 1104 t/km 2/year in 2013to 2281 t/ km 2/year in 2016, with 65-78% of the total annual sediment load occurring during summer (June to August). These annual variations in the sediment yield can be attributed largely to precipitation patterns, or otherwise, extreme melting events. This study has provided a benchmark dataset that can be used for further works that investigate the impact of climate change on sediment dynamics in glacierized catchments in the Tibetan Plateau. Subsequently, the study let us better understand the increasing sediment supply to the Upper Mekong River from glacierized catchments.

Species-level taxonomy is derived from methodological sources (data and techniques) that assess the existence of spatio-temporal evolutionary lineages via various species concepts. These concepts determine if observed lineages are independent given a particular methodology supposedly connected to ontology, which relates the metaphysical concept to what “kind” of thing a species is. Often, species concepts fail to link methodology and practice back to ontology. This lack of coherence is in part responsible for the persistence of the rank of subspecies, which in modern usage often functions as a placeholder between the evolutionary events of divergence or collapse. Thus, prospective events like lineage merger or collapse determine if a subspecies is subsumed into an existing species, or achieves species rank given unknowable future information. This is conditioned on evidence that the lineage already has a detectably distinct evolutionary history. Ranking these lineages as subspecies seems attractive given the observation that many lineages do not exhibit intrinsic reproductive isolation. We argue that the use of subspecies is indefensible on philosophical and empirical grounds. Ontologically, the rank of subspecies is either identical to that of species or undefined in the context of evolutionary lineages representing spatio-temporally defined individuals. Some species concepts more inclined to consider subspecies, like the Biological Species Concept, are disconnected from ontology and do not consider genealogical history. Even if ontology is ignored, methods addressing reproductive isolation are often indirect and fail to capture the range of scenarios linking gene flow to species identity over space and time. The use of subspecies and reliance on reproductive isolation as a basis for an operational species concept can also conflict with ethical issues governing the protection of species. We provide a way forward for recognizing and naming species that links theoretical and operational species concepts regardless of the magnitude of reproductive isolation.

Wild bees form diverse communities that pollinate plants in both native and agricultural ecosystems making them both ecologically and economically important. The growing evidence of bee declines has sparked increased interest in monitoring bee community and population dynamics using standardized methods. Here, we studied the dynamics of bee biodiversity within and across years by monitoring wild bees adjacent to four apple orchard locations in Southern Pennsylvania, USA. We collected bees using passive Blue Vane traps continuously from April to October for six years amassing over 26,000 bees representing 144 species. We quantified total abundance, richness, diversity, composition, and phylogenetic structure. There were large seasonal changes in all measures of biodiversity with month explaining an average of 72% of the variation in our models. Changes over time were less dramatic with years explaining an average of 44% of the variation in biodiversity metrics. We found declines in all measures of biodiversity especially in the last 3 years. Analyses of population trends over time for the 40 most abundant species indicate that about one third of species showed at least some evidence for declines in abundance. Bee family explained variation in species-level seasonal patterns but we found no consistent family-level patterns in declines, though bumble bees and sweat bees were groups that declined the most. Overall, our results show that season-wide standardized sampling across multiple years can reveal nuanced patterns in bee biodiversity, phenological patterns of bees, and population trends over time of many co-occurring species. These datasets could be used to quantify the relative effects that different aspects of environmental change have on bee communities and to help prioritize conservation efforts.

Chesnaux (2018) distinguished between the pressure front displacement pulse and the groundwater displacement during a pumping test in a confined aquifer. The physical interpretation of the expression that Chesnaux (2018) adopted for the radial distance traveled by the pressure front is explored. It is shown that the expression adopted by Chesnaux (2018) is an implicit statement regarding the magnitude of the head change caused by pumping. The statement is consistent with the integrated effect of a continuous sequence of pulses. Alternative expressions for the migration of the pressure front and celerity are derived that are consistent with the conception of the migration of a pulse.

Channel banks can contribute a significant proportion of fine-grained (<63 µm) sediment to rivers, thereby also contributing to riverine total particulate phosphorus loads. Improving water quality through better agricultural practices alone can be difficult since the contributions from non-agricultural sources, including channel banks, can generate a ‘spatial mismatch’ between the efficacy of best management applied on farms and the likelihood of meeting environmental objectives. Our study undertook a reconnaissance survey (n=76 sites each with 3 profiles sampled) to determine the total phosphorus (TP) concentrations of channel banks across England and to determine if TP content can be predicted using readily accessible secondary data. TP concentrations adjacent field topsoils and local soil soil type/texture and geological parent material were examined as potential predictors of bank TP. Carbon and nitrogen content were also analysed to explore the impacts of organic matter content on measured TP concentrations. The results suggest that channel bank TP concentrations are primarily controlled by parent material rather than adjacent topsoils, but significant local variability in concentrations prevents the prediction of bank TP content using mapped soil type or geology. A median TP concentration of 873 mg kg -1 was calculated for the middle section of the sampled channel bank profiles, with a 25 th percentile of 675 mg kg -1, and 75 th percentile of 1159 mg kg -1. Using these concentrations and, in comparison with previously published estimates, the estimated number of inland WFD waterbodies in England for which channel bank erosion contributes >20% of the riverine total PP load increased from 15 to 25 (corresponding range of 17 to 35 using the 25 th and 75 th percentiles of measured TP concentrations). Collectively, these 25 waterbodies account for 0.2% of the total inland WFD waterbody area comprising England.

Diestramima is only distributed in the Oriental realm, and mainly in China. Because they are apterous, these insects are good materials for studying biogeography. In this study, we reconstruct the phylogeny tree of Diestramima species based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference based on six genes, and use fossil-based molecular dating and ancestral range estimation to reconstruct the dispersal route. The results of molecular system are highly consistent with the morphological characteristics of these species. The distribution area of a species has an important influence on their interspecific differentiation. Dating and historical biogeography analyses suggest an early Miocene origin of the genus. Some ancestors of the genus Diestramima have been distributed in Guangxi, Yunnan province and other regions of China at this time. In the late Miocene, the genus Diestramima dispersed from the low mountain and hilly areas of Guizhou, Guizhou and Hunan to inland China. With the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the drop in temperature in the Neogene leading to the divergence within this genus. Diestramima gradually spread from Guangxi and Yunnan to Chinese inland area. Quaternary glaciation determines their current geographical distribution pattern. Southeast Asia is the most likely original place of the genus Diestramima.