Background: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have revolutionised the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), but patients still experience treatment-limiting toxicities or therapeutic failure. Aims: To investigate real-world use and outcomes of imatinib in patients with CML in Australia. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of patients with CML commencing imatinib (2001-2018) was conducted across two sites. Prescribing patterns, tolerability outcomes, survival and molecular response were evaluated. Results: 86 patients received 89 imatinib treatments. Dose modifications were frequently observed (12-month rate of 58%). At last follow-up, 62 patients (5-year rate of 55%) had permanently discontinued imatinib treatment, of which 44 switched to another TKI (5-year rate of 46%). Within 3 months of starting imatinib, 43% (95% CI, 32–53%) of patients experienced imatinib-related grade ≥3 adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Higher comorbidity score, lower body weight, higher imatinib starting dose, and Middle Eastern or North African ancestry were associated with a higher risk of grade ≥ 3 ADR occurrence on multivariable analysis (MVA). Estimated overall survival and event-free survival rates at 3 years were 97% (95% CI, 92–100%) and 81% (95% CI, 72–92%), respectively. Cumulative incidence of major molecular response (MMR) at 3 years was 63% (95% CI, 50–73%). On MVA, imatinib starting dose, ELTS score, BCR-ABL1 transcript type, pre-existing pulmonary disease, and potential drug-drug interactions were predictive of MMR. Conclusion: Imatinib induced deep molecular responses that translated to good survival outcomes in a real-world setting, but was associated with a higher incidence of ADRs, dose modifications and treatment discontinuations than in clinical trials.

Based on the Crystal structure Analysis by Particle Swarm Optimization (CALYPSO) searching method and density functional theory (DFT), theoretical studies about structures, electronic and thermodynamic properties have been investigated systematically at the TPSSh/6-311+G(d) level for NiB2n0/- (n=7-11) clusters. Results found that the lowest energy structures possess a Ni atom-centered double ring tubular boron structures, NiB180/- except. Relative stabilities were analyzed via computing their vertical ionization potentials (VIP), vertical electronic affinity (VEA), adiabatic electronic affinity (AEA), HOMO-LUMO gaps and hardness. The infrared spectra, Raman spectra and photoelectron spectra were computationally simulated to facilitate their experimental characterizations. At last, aromatic properties (Nucleus independent chemical shift) and thermodynamic properties (enthalpy and entropy) with temperature were discussed in detailed for studied systems.

There is still debate in the virological community about whether the Omicron variant of the Sars-CoV-2 virus means its end as a pandemic virus and whether the endemic phase is already beginning-or not. We venture the hypothesis that Covid-19 is already a virus which is very similar to the four endemic seasonal coronaviruses and poses a relatively low risk to fully (3x) vaccinated individuals and to individuals who have recovered from infections with other Sars-CoV-2 variants in 2019 to 2022. For this reason, it would now make sense to develop vaccines and drugs that are effective against all known endemic human coronaviruses (hCoV), which are often lamentably misleadingly referred to as "cold viruses," rather than limiting new vaccines to the Omicron variant or to any other variant. Such a bold step would be a milestone in protecting the vulnerable population that has been at the mercy of classic hCoV viruses for centuries without effective protection.

Lupus anticoagulant hypoprothrombinemia síndrome (LAHPS) is a rare entity. A 54-year-old woman diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) present in August 2020 with cerebellar haemorrhage, coagulation factor II deficiency was found. After increasing corticosteroid dose and adjustment of immunosuppressive therapy FII levels increased. She has no presented new haemorrhagic events.

A document by Yuk Leung. Click on the document to view its contents.

The relationships among species diversity, functional diversity, functional redundancy, and community stability are central to community and ecosystem ecology. This paper examines plant communities at different stages of vegetation restoration in the Guizhou karst plateau to study the relationship among functional diversity, functional redundancy, and stability of plant communities. The most important results include the following. (1) Species diversity (SD), functional redundancy (FR), and stability (STB) gradually increased with restoration, and there were significant differences among the different stages; functional diversity (FD) increased at first and then decreased, and reached the highest level at the tree irrigation stage. (2) Plant height (PLH) and specific leaf area (SLA) were functional traits that affected the diversity and stability of the plant community, and PLH was positively correlated with plant community diversity and stability, while SLA was negatively correlated with plant community diversity and stability. (3) During the community recovery, FD and FR interacted to maintain stability. In the early and late stages of recovery, the effect of functional redundancy on stability was greater than that of functional diversity, but it was the opposite in the middle stages. (4) The tree irrigation stage is the likely point at which the species diversity of plant communities in karst areas reached saturation, and the growth rate of functional redundancy after species diversity saturation was greater than that before saturation.

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA; formerly known as Churg-Strauss syndrome) is classified as an anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated small vessel vasculitis. It is a multisystem disorder and can affect every organ system. EGPA is a rare disease, with an estimated prevalence of 1/70,000–100,000 in Europe. As its onset usually occurs in adulthood, data from paediatric patients are limited. We present here a very rare practical EGPA clinical case involving a paediatric patient. Presently, data on mepolizumab usage in paediatric patients are limited, with only a few case reports published.

A document by Bernardo Sousa-Pinto. Click on the document to view its contents.

The accuracy and precision of fungal molecular identification and classification are challenging, particularly in environmental metabarcoding approaches as these often trade accuracy for efficiency given the large data volumes at hand. In most ecological studies, only a single similarity cut-off value is used for sequence identification. This is not sufficient since the most commonly used DNA markers are known to vary widely in terms of inter- and intra-specific variability. We address this problem by presenting a new tool, dnabarcoder, to analyze and predict different local similarity cut-offs for sequence identification for different clades of fungi. For each similarity cut-off in a clade, a confidence measure is computed to evaluate the resolving power of the genetic marker in that clade. Experimental results showed that when analyzing a recently released filamentous fungal ITS DNA barcode dataset of CBS strains from the Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, the predicted local similarity cut-offs varied immensely between the clades of the dataset. In addition, most of them had a higher confidence measure than the global similarity cut-off predicted for the whole dataset. When classifying a large public fungal ITS dataset -- the UNITE database - against the barcode dataset, the local similarity cut-offs assigned fewer sequences than the traditional cut-offs used in metabarcoding studies. However, the obtained accuracy and precision were significantly improved.

In this paper, to investigate the synthetic effect of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and ART (antiretrovial therapy) on HIV transmission among MSM (men who have sex with men) in heterogenous environment, an realistic HIV epidemic model with spatial diffusion is established. Here, HIV infectious people are divided into three immunity based compartments, i.e., CD4+ T cell count less than 350, between 350 and 500, and more than 500, respectively. The basic reproduction number $R_0$ is established and proved as a threshold parameter: The global asymptotic stability of the disease-free steady state holds for $R_0<1$, and the disease will be present if $R_0>1$. Considering the substantial advantages of PrEP and ART in controlling HIV transmissions among MSM, the optimal control problem is presented for the case of positive constant diffusion coefficients, which minimize the total population of susceptible individual and HIV infected individual, the cost of PrEP and ART thearpy. As an illustration of our theoretical results, we conduct numerical simulations. We also conduct an optimal control case study where model parameters are estimated from the demographic and epidemiological data from China. This work suggests: (1) Spatial factors cannot be ignored during the HIV intervention; (2)Taking the PrEP intervention measure for HIV transmissions among MSM as early as possible will help to improve the control efficiency and reduces its cost; (3) Reducing the PrEP drug costs will promote the efficiency of PrEP treatment in preventing the spread of HIV among MSM.

Erythema nodosum (EN), the most form of panniculitis, is mainly caused by numerous infective (especially Beta-hemolytic streptococcal infections) and non-infective (especially sarcoidosis) diseases and drugs. EN associated with vaccines has been rarely reported. We describe herein, an original clinical observation of EN induced by BNT162b2, an mRNA vaccine. A 75-year-old woman presented with diffuse erythematous painful rounded nodular lesions, located symmetrically over her legs. Six days before, she had received the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine (BNT162b2 (Pfizer–BioNTech)), followed by a sudden asthenia, polyarthralgia, throbbing and edema over her lower limbs. She had been given the first dose of the same Covid-19 vaccine 29 days prior to the second without incident. General physical examination was normal. Skin examination showed multiple, erythematous tender, nodules, 10–30 mm in diameter, over the tibial area. Complete blood count, renal and hepatic tests, antistreptolysin O titer, antinuclear antibody, thyroid test and chest radiograph and PCR, were carried out, and found to be normal. Histopathology revealed infiltration of deep dermal vessels and subcutaneous fat with lymphomononuclear cells and neutrophils, consistent with erythema nodosum. Treatment with analgesics led to complete resolution of the lesion after three months. The patient has shown no relapse after follow-up for three months. In conclusion, to our knowledge, this is the first case of EN induced by the second dose of BNT162b2 (Pfizer–BioNTech) Covid-19 vaccine. It is important for clinicians to be aware of this rare, yet potential, adverse effect to this vaccine.

The surgical management of prolapse has undergone a meandering path, with innovation, controversy and legislation all being encountered en route. Some of the dust is now settling with respect to the role of mesh implant surgery, and whilst it continues to have albeit a contracted role, there is very much a new direction set on native tissue and non-mesh repairs with the advent of techniques such as laparoscopic suture hysteropexy, cervicopexy and colporrhaphy.The authors of this paper present the largest series of women undergoing autologous fascia sacrocolpopexy for the treatment of moderate-severe prolapse. Learning from the past, two key questions that must always be answered when evaluating any new procedure are safety and efficacy. For both these measures, the authors show encouraging results comparable with current gold-standard, mesh augmented repairs.The use of autologous fascia has been well established to treat women with urinary incontinence -the pubovaginal / rectus fascial sling (Mcguire EJ et al . Pubovaginal sling procedure for stress incontinence. J Urol.  1978;119:82–4) – the use of which has resurged following the widespread suspension of synthetic sling procedures. Reports of autologous fascial support of the vaginal vault however are limited to a few short-term case series.This series involves 132 women, followed up for a median of 2.2 years; the authors present five-year data with comparable success rates to those reported in the landmark CARE study (Nygaard I, et al. Long-term outcomes following abdominal sacrocolpopexy for pelvic organ prolapse.JAMA . 2013 May 15;309(19):2016-24) without the complication of mesh erosion.The mixed bag of patient types and concomitant surgery in this study underscores the myriad of pathology and presenting symptoms to the pelvic floor surgeon; sadly, this reality hinders forensic evaluation of the single procedure. It is noted that around three-quarters of the women in the study were having primary prolapse surgery, with a similar proportion undergoing some form of hysterectomy coupled with autologous fascial vault support. Other sacrocolpopexy series have involved women the majority who have already had primary procedures, are without a uterus and represent an already failed and perhaps more difficult to successfully treat group (Maher C, et al. Surgery for women with apical vaginal prolapse. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Oct 1;10(10):CD012376.) The addition of a hysterectomy, as well as the harvesting of autologous fascia inevitably means a lengthening of procedure time compared to those usually quoted for women undergoing laparoscopic vault suspension procedures of hysteropexy or sacrocolpopexy.The complexities of pelvic floor patients and their symptoms mean that additionally nearly 2/3 of the patients had Burch colposuspensions performed at the time of index surgery. The unpredictability of pelvic floor surgery on bladder symptoms is amply demonstrated by around 1/3 of women complaining of stress incontinence and a third suffering overactive bladder symptoms following the procedure. It’s clear that functional improvements do not always go hand in hand with anatomical correction for the pelvic floor patient.Many women remain alarmed by the adverse reports of mesh augmentation surgery in gynaecology (Izett-Kay ML, et al ’What research was carried out on this vaginal mesh?’ Health-related concerns in women following mesh-augmented prolapse surgery: a thematic analysis. BJOG . 2021 Jan;128(1):131-139). Contemporary best practice involves distilling out irrefutable principles such as recognising the importance of appropriate apical support which is usually optimally achieved abdominally, as well as an awareness of risks of surgery, careful counselling regarding mesh and being able to offer evidence-based alternatives. This paper provides valuable long-term data for a further promising meshless surgical technique.

Welcome to this Special Issue of River Research and Applications, entitled Voicing Rivers. As an editorial group, it has been a great privilege to read and consider responses to our call for contributions and share with readers, authors and reviewers involved in this journey. We invited proposals for articles and creative work to focus on stories of, by, from and for rivers, from a variety of perspectives. This Special Issue has been a collaborative project involving nearly 20 rivers and over 50 people. We thank contributors, reviewers and the River Research and Applications journal editorial and production team.

Landslides are common in tropical and subtropical regions with hilly terrains and heavy rainstorms, which cause significant economic, ecological, and social impacts. Natural forest succession is usually slow on landslide scars due to poor soil structure and the lack of seeds of woody plant seeds, and often comes with a higher risk of repeated landslide. Ecological forest restoration has recently been suggested as an effective alternative to restore the exposed landslide scars, however, a comprehensive study to identify effective landslide restoration strategies remains lacking, particularly associated with seed treatment methods and species selection. Here we evaluated the effectiveness of different seed coating treatments of both pioneer and later successional tree species of different seed sizes on seed germination in a one-year study on three landslides in Hong Kong. Our results show that bare seeds had germination rates of 17 to 67% across all selected species (n=7). Biochar-dominant seed coating formulation boosted an additional 9.33 (SE= 0.04) in seed germination rate, while the clay-dominant seed coating formulation did not show significant effect on germination. Our results also show that medium and large-seeded non-pioneer species have significantly higher germination rates than pioneer species. These results collectively suggest that direct seeding using a biochar seed coat is a manageable and useful method to enhance tree seed germination—an essential first step to restore the forests after landslide disturbances in Hong Kong, with potential to be extended to other humid tropical and subtropical forests.

Oleogelation is an efficient way to structure oil and reduce saturated fatty acids of lipid products. Multi-component gels are of particularly interest attributed to the ability to tune gel properties by alteration of the component proportions. In this study, monoacylglycerol (MAG) and diacylglycerol (DAG) are used as gelator mixture and the influence of the ratio of these two crystalline particles on the characteristics of oleogels was investigated. The crystallization and melting behavior, solid fat content (SFC), crystal morphology, polymorphism and mechanical properties of the oleogels were characterized. The oleogels with higher gelator level displayed higher oil binding ability and shorter crystal formation time. The oleogels with higher MAG ratio exhibited more blade-like crystals, and the mixed oleogels with MAG: DAG of 3:7 and 5:5 showed altered crystal morphology with finer crystal size and reduced crystallization enthalpies possibly due to the increased nucleation seeds promoted by MAG. The oleogels with high MAG level showed lower equilibrium SFC during isothermal crystallization but faster crystallization rate, higher hardness and elasticity. Therefore, by changing the ratio of DAG with MAG, the crystallization profile and rheological properties of oleogels can be tailored and used as traditional solid fat substitutes in lipid-based products.

Ecological models are extensively and increasingly used in support of environmental policy and decision making. Dynamic Bayesian Networks (DBN) as a tool for conservation have been demonstrated to be a valuable tool for providing a systematic and intuitive approach to integrating data and other critical information to help guide the decision-making process. However, data for a new ecosystem are often sparse. In this case, a general DBN developed for similar ecosystems could be applicable, but this may require the adaptation of key elements of the network. The research presented in this paper focused on a case study to identify and implement guidelines for model adaptation. We adapted a general DBN of a seagrass ecosystem to a new location where nodes were similar, but the conditional probability tables varied. We focused on two species of seagrass (Zostera noltei and Z. marina) located in Arcachon Bay, France. Expert knowledge was used to complement peer-reviewed literature to identify which components needed adjustment including parameterisation and quantification of the model and desired outcomes. We adopted both linguistic labels and scenario-based elicitation to elicit from experts the conditional probabilities used to quantify the DBN. Following the proposed guidelines, the model structure of the DBN was retained, but the conditional probability tables were adapted for nodes that characterised the growth dynamics in Zostera spp. population located in Arcachon Bay, as well as the seasonal variation on their reproduction. Particular attention was paid to the light variable as it is a crucial driver of growth and physiology for seagrasses. Our guidelines provide a way to adapt a general DBN to specific ecosystems to maximise model reuse and minimise re-development effort. Especially important from a transferability perspective are guidelines for ecosystems with limited data, and how simulation and prior predictive approaches can be used in these contexts.

Indiscriminate fire is rampant throughout subtropical South and Southeast Asian grasslands. However, very little is known about the role of fire and pyric herbivory on the functioning of highly productive subtropical monsoon grasslands lying within Cwa-climatic region. We collected grass samples from 60 m x 60 m plots and determined vegetation physical and chemical properties at regular 30-day intervals from April to July 2020, starting from 30 days after fire to assess post-fire regrowth forage quality. We counted pellet groups for the same four months from 2 m x 2 m quadrats that were permanently marked with pegs along the diagonal of each 60 m x 60 m plot to estimate grazing intensity to the progression of post-fire regrowth. We observed strong and significant reductions in crude protein (mean value 9.1 to 4.1 [55% decrease]) and phosphorus (mean value 0.2 to 0.11 [45% decrease]) in forage collected during different time intervals i.e., from 30 days to 120 days after fire. Mesofaunal deer utilised the burned areas extensively for a short period, i.e., up to two months after fire when the burned areas contained short grasses with a higher level of crude protein and phosphorus. Grazing intensity of chital (Axis axis) to post-fire regrowth differed significantly over time since fire, with higher intensity of use at 30 days after fire. Grazing intensity of swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) did not differ significantly until 90 days after fire, however, decreased significantly after 90 days since fire. Large-scale indiscriminate single event fires thus may not fulfil nutritional requirements of all species in mesofaunal deer community in these subtropical monsoon grasslands. We recommend for a spatio-temporal manipulation of fire to reinforce grazing feedback and to yield for the longest possible period a reasonably good food supply for the conservation of mesofaunal deer.

Molluscs are an important component of the mangrove ecosystem, and the vertical distributions of molluscan species in this ecosystem are primarily dictated by tidal inundation. Thus, sea-level rise (SLR) may have profound effects on mangrove mollusc communities. Here, we used two dynamic empirical models based on measurements of surface elevation change, sediment accretion and zonation patterns of molluscs to predict changes in molluscan spatial distributions in response to different sea-level rise rates in the mangrove forests of Zhenzhu Bay (Guangxi, China). The change in surface elevation was 4.76–9.61 mm a−1 during the study period (2016–2020), and the magnitude of surface-elevation change decreased exponentially as original surface elevation increased. Based on our model results, we predicted that mangrove molluscs might successfully adapt to a low rate of SLR (marker-horizon model: 2–4.57 mm a−1; plate model: 2–5.20 mm a−1) by 2100, with molluscs moving seaward and those in the lower intertidal zones expanding into newly available zones. However, as SLR rate increased (marker-horizon model: 4.57–8.14 mm a−1; plate model: 5.20–6.88 mm a−1), our models predicted that surface elevations would decrease beginning in the high intertidal zones and gradually spreading to the low intertidal zones. Finally, at high rates of SLR (marker-horizon model: 8.14–16.00 mm a−1; plate model: 6.88–16.00 mm a−1), surface elevations were predicted to decrease across the elevation gradient, with molluscs moving landward and species in higher intertidal zones would be blocked by landward barriers. Tidal inundation and the consequent increase in interspecific competition and predation pressure were predicted to threaten the survival of many molluscan groups in higher intertidal zones, especially species at the landward edge of the mangroves. Thus, future efforts to conserve mangrove floral and faunal diversity should prioritize species restricted to landward mangrove areas.

In this study, the plant communities at five succession stages (herbage, herbage-shrub, shrub, tree-shrub, and tree) in the Zhenning Karst Plateau area of Guizhou were examined. The changes of plant functional characteristics in different succession stages were analyzed, as was the relationship between functional traits and environmental factors. The main results include the following. (1) During the succes-sion process, plant height, leaf dry matter mass, leaf area, leaf nitrogen content, and leaf phosphorus content gradually increased, whereas leaf thickness and specific leaf area decreased, and leaf C:P ratio and leaf N:P ratios did not change significantly. (2) Soil organic matter, soil total nitrogen, soil total phosphorus, soil C:N, soil C:P, and soil C:K increased at first and then decreased, reaching a peak at the tree-shrub stage. Soil total potassium fluctuated and soil bulk density gradually decreased and reached the lowest value at the tree-shrub stage. (3) Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that the plant community shifted from a nutri-ent-poor soil environment to a nutrient-rich environment. Soil total phosphorus, soil C:K, soil organic mat-ter, soil C:N, and soil bulk density were the key environmental factors affecting the change of functional traits. (4) Structural equation modeling suggests that that specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen content had more sensitive responses to soil nutrient resources and environmental factors, respectively.

Global change drivers such as anthropogenic nutrient inputs simultaneously alter biodiversity, species composition, and ecosystem functions such as aboveground biomass. These changes are interconnected by complex feedbacks among extinction, colonization, and shifting relative abundance. Here, we use a novel temporal application of the Price equation to quantify the functional contributions of species that are lost, gained, and persist under ambient and experimental nutrient addition in 59 global grasslands. Under ambient conditions, compositional and biomass turnover was high, but species losses (i.e., local extinctions) were balanced by gains (i.e. colonization). There was biomass loss associated with species loss under fertilization. Few species were gained in fertilized conditions over time but those that were, and species that persisted, contributed to net biomass gains, outweighing biomass loss. These components of community change are key to understanding the relationship between change in composition, diversity and functioning.

The c subunits, which constitutes the c-ring apparatus of the F 1F O-ATPase, could be the main components of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP). The well-known modulator of the mPTP formation and opening is the cyclophilin D (CyPD), a peptidyl-prolyl cis- trans isomerase. On the loop, which connects the two hairpin α-helix of c subunit, is present the unique proline residue (Pro 40) that could be a biological target of CyPD. Indeed, the proline cis- trans isomerization might provide the switch that interconverts the open/closed states of the pore by pulling out the c-ring lipid plug.

Introduction: Hematologic complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection are well described in hospitalized adults with correlation to adverse outcomes. Information published in children has been limited. Methods: An international multi-centered retrospective registry was established to collect data on the clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 or multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in hospitalized children between February 1, 2020 – May 31, 2021. This sub-study focused on hematologic manifestations. Study variables included patient demographics, comorbidities, clinical presentation, course, laboratory parameters, management, and outcomes. Results: Nine hundred and eighty-five children were enrolled and 915 (93%) had clinical information available; 385 (42%) had symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection upon admission, 288 had MIS-C (31.4%) and 242 (26.4%) had alternate diagnosis with SARS-CoV-2 identified incidentally. During hospitalization, 10 children (1%) experienced a thrombotic event, 16 (1.7%) had hemorrhage and 2 (0.2%) had both thrombotic and hemorrhagic episodes. Significant prothrombotic comorbidities included congenital heart disease (p-value = 0.007), central venous catheter (p = 0.04) in children with primary SARS-CoV-2 infection; and obesity (p-value= 0.002), cytokine storm (p= 0.012) in those with MIS-C. Significant pro- hemorrhagic conditions included age > 10 years (p = 0.04), CVC (p= 0.03) in children with primary SARS-CoV-2infection; and thrombocytopenia (0.001), cytokine storm (0.02) in those with MIS-C. Eleven patients died (1.2 %) with no deaths attributed to thrombosis or hemorrhage Conclusion: Thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications are uncommon in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection and observed with underlying co-morbid conditions. Understanding the complete spectrum of hematologic complications in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection or MIS-C requires ongoing multi-center studies.

Hydropeaking as the most prominent feature of flow alterations resulting from hydropower plants has received attention worldwide. Ramifications of hydropower on the downstream river systems mainly focus on hydrological regimes or long-term water quality changes. Exceptional knowledge is expected on the sub-daily changes of water qualities in the downstream river reach that is affected by the hydropeaking. In this study, we investigate the dynamics of hydropeaking and thermopeaking at the outlet of the Three Gorges Dam TGD using a high temporal resolution dataset, and inspect its association with water chemistry indices. Hourly measurements are analysed for the downstream station Yunchi , and compared with the upstream station Nanjinguan. The results show that along with water temperature, water quality indices such as dissolved oxygen, total Phosphorus, total nitrogen, PH, and electricity conductivity all show evident ‘peaking’ phenomenon in a short time. These divergent variations, however, are not valid for non-hydropeaking affected indicators including turbidity, permanganate index, and ammonia nitrogen. These hydropeaking-induced perturbations are mitigated by the flood control operation from July to September. This study demonstrates that water quality indices are sensitive to hydropeaking and thermopeaking with respect to the magnitude of change and the seasonal component during a year. The results provide additional evidence for the environmental impacts of hydropower regulation on the receiving river reach, and bridge the gap between hydropeaking studies and thermopeaking, and study water qualities variations that were seldom connected from the same temporal perspective in river research.

Pollinators are important both ecologically and economically, with the majority of flowering plants and many of the world's crop species relying on animal pollination---the majority of which is provided by bees. However, documented pollinator population decline threatens ecosystem functioning and human well-being. As such, conservation methods such as augmented pollinator habitat are becoming popular tools to combat pollinator losses. In our study, we evaluate an initiative to plant pollinator habitat at all North Carolina agricultural research stations to ensure that these efforts result in improved bee communities. From 2016 to 2018, we found significant increases in bee abundance and community diversity. These increases depended on the quality of habitat, with plots with higher cover and more plant diversity supporting larger, more diverse bee communities. Although the habitat positively supported bee communities, we found that overall habitat quality degraded over the course of our study. This points to the need of regular upkeep and maintenance of pollinator habitat in order for it to appropriately support bee communities. Future long-term studies on pollinators will be important as natural fluctuations in bee populations may limit findings and many knowledge gaps on native bees still persist.