Organic matter mitigates biotic impact of copper in fruit orchard soil.

Inorganic copper (Cu) fungicides and bactericides are widely used to control disease in fruit and vegetable crops and has led to widespread accumulation of the metal in soil beyond regulatory thresholds. We aimed to elucidate the impacts of Cu on soil health within cherry orchard soils in New Zealand, focusing on three biological indicators: earthworm behaviour, soil respiration, and plant growth. We sampled soils from four blocks of different ages within a single orchard, varying in amounts of accumulated soil Cu (7-263 mg kg) but also in Soil Organic Matter (SOM) content (3-10 %).

Revealing the Complex Interplay of Biostimulant Applications.

Some biostimulant products provide proven benefits to plant production, potentially offering more environmentally friendly, sustainable, and natural inputs into production systems. However, the transference and predictability of known benefits between different growth environments, application protocols, and management systems are fraught with difficulty. In this study, we carried out carefully controlled glasshouse and in vitro assays with applications of humic acids, protein hydrolysates, and seaweed extract to compare the variability of biostimulant effects and dosage-dependent variations across diverse conditions, encompassing a sufficient range to comprehensively assess their full spectrum of impacts.

Overexpression of FRA1 () Leads to Global Transcriptional Perturbations, Reduced Cellular Adhesion and Altered Cell Cycle Progression.

FRA1 () is a transcription factor and a member of the superfamily. FRA1 is expressed in most tissues at low levels, and its expression is robustly induced in response to extracellular signals, leading to downstream cellular processes. However, abnormal FRA1 overexpression has been reported in various pathological states, including tumor progression and inflammation.

Design and Preclinical Evaluation of a Novel B7-H4-Directed Antibody-Drug Conjugate, AZD8205, Alone and in Combination with the PARP1-Selective Inhibitor AZD5305.

Purpose: We evaluated the activity of AZD8205, a B7-H4-directed antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) bearing a novel topoisomerase I inhibitor (TOP1i) payload, alone and in combination with the PARP1-selective inhibitor AZD5305, in preclinical models.

Experimental Design: IHC and deep-learning-based image analysis algorithms were used to assess prevalence and intratumoral heterogeneity of B7-H4 expression in human tumors. Several TOP1i-ADCs, prepared with Val-Ala or Gly-Gly-Phe-Gly peptide linkers, with or without a PEG8 spacer, were compared in biophysical, in vivo efficacy, and rat toxicology studies.

Resilience of breadfruit agro-ecosystems in Hawai'i during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is interrupting domestic and global food supply chains resulting in reduced access to healthy diverse diets. Hawai'i has been described as a model social-ecological system and it has been suggested that indigenous agro-ecosystems have the potential to be highly productive and resilient under changing land-use and climate change disturbance. However, little research has yet been conducted exploring the disruption and resilience of agro-ecosystems in Hawai'i caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grasses procure key soil nutrients for clovers.

Rhizobial nitrogen fixation in legumes provides spillover benefits to neighbouring plants such as pasture grasses. Generally, it is understood to be unidirectional between plant functional groups, providing a benefit from legumes to grasses. We question whether bidirectional complementarity also exists in terms of exploiting the wider soil nutrient pool.

Plant Species Complementarity in Low-Fertility Degraded Soil.

The aim of this study was to investigate the compatibility of plants with contrasting root systems, in terms of procurement of limiting soil nutrients. Paired combinations of species of proteas and grasses were grown in a pot experiment using soil from a site with impoverished vegetation and degraded soil. The soil contained sufficient N but was low to deficient in P, Mn, S, Fe, and B.

Chemical Elements and the Quality of Mānuka () Honey.

Soil properties in the foraging range of honeybees influence honey composition. We aimed to determine relationships between the antimicrobial properties of New Zealand mānuka () honey and elemental concentrations in the honey, plants, and soils. We analyzed soils, plants, and fresh mānuka honey samples from the Wairarapa region of New Zealand for the chemical elements and the antimicrobial activity of the honey as indicated by methylglyoxal (MGO) and dihydroxyacetone (DHA).

The challenges of radioiodine treatment for incontinent paediatric patients with complex care needs.

Objective: A thyrotoxic paediatric patient with incontinence, autism and Down's syndrome was referred for radioiodine therapy. Here, the risk assessment methodology and measures taken to deliver a legally compliant treatment that was acceptable to the family are described.

Methods: Prior risk assessment indicated that the most active incontinence waste would require decay storage until it could be transported for disposal.

A comparison of manually populated radiology information system digital radiographic data with electronic dose management systems.

Objective: To assess the accuracy and agreement of radiology information system (RIS) kerma-area product (KAP) data with respect to automatically populated dose management system (DMS) data for digital radiography (DR).

Methods: All adult radiographic examinations over 12 months were exported from the RIS and DMS at three centres. Examinations were matched by unique identifier fields, and grouped by examination type.

Biowastes to augment the essential oil production of Leptospermum scoparium and Kunzea robusta in low-fertility soil.

Biowastes are unwanted materials of biological origin. They include biosolids, dairy shed effluent, and sawdust. When applied to soil, biowastes can provide plant nutrients, but also introduce heavy metals, pathogens, or xenobiotics.

Response of a Pioneering Species ( J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.) to Heterogeneity in a Low-Fertility Soil.

Root foraging may increase plant nutrient acquisition at the cost of reducing the total volume of soil explored, thereby reducing the chance of the roots encountering additional patches. Patches in soil seldom contain just one nutrient: the patch may also have distinct textural, hydrological, and toxicological characteristics. We sought to determine the characteristics of root foraging by a pioneering species, , using pot trials and rhizobox experiments with patches of biosolids.

Evaluation of Pyrrolobenzodiazepine-Loaded Nanoparticles: A Targeted Drug Delivery Approach.

We describe the development and evaluation of pyrrolobenzodiazepines (PBDs) in poly(dl-lactide-co-glycolide) and lipid nanoparticle drug delivery systems. We have established that the partition coefficient (LogP) of PBD is a key influencer of the encapsulation efficiency in nanoparticle systems, with higher LogP values associated with higher encapsulation efficiencies toward increased drug payload delivery and better antitumor efficacy. Cytotoxicity assays demonstrated that compounds with higher LogP values demonstrated higher 50% inhibitory concentration values than the free drug.

Fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology of phyllodes tumour and fibroadenoma: A cytomorphological study of 104 cases.

Background: The cytomorphological features in the distinction between phyllodes tumour (PT) and fibroadenoma (FA) on fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) remains challenging because of the biphasic nature of these lesions and the rarity of PT.

Methods: FNAB smears of histologically confirmed PT (N = 26) and FA (N = 78) cases were retrieved from a retrospective database interrogation from the Department of Cytology/Tissue Pathology, ICPMR Pathology West (Cerner Millennium) in Westmead Hospital. For each case, two smears were selected, de-identified and independently reviewed by four observers comprising two cytologists and two cytopathologists.

Hepatic selective internal radiation therapy: how well does pretreatment 99mTc-macroaggregated albumin activity distribution and quantification agree with post-therapy bremsstrahlung imaging?

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the agreement of pretreatment Tc-macroaggregated albumin imaging performed for selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) workup with Y percentage lung shunt (PLS) and regional hepatic distribution in subsequent post-therapy bremsstrahlung imaging.

Patients And Methods: Planar images were used to calculate PLS. The significant Y bremsstrahlung scatter required background correction.

Host Plant Selection by the Wheat Bug, Nysius huttoni (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) on a Range of Potential Trap Plant Species.

The wheat bug, Nysius huttoni L. is an endemic New Zealand pest. The seedlings of forage brassicas are highly susceptible to direct feeding damage by this insect, and this can reduce plant establishment.

Lithium as an emerging environmental contaminant: Mobility in the soil-plant system.

Contamination of soil with lithium (Li) is likely to increase due to its wider dispersal in the environment, associated in particular, with the disposal of the now ubiquitous Li-ion batteries. There is, however, a paucity of information on the behaviour of Li in the soil-plant system. We measured the sorption of added Li to soil, and uptake of Li by food and fodder species.

Potential Environmental Benefits from Blending Biosolids with Other Organic Amendments before Application to Land.

Biosolids disposal to landfill or through incineration is wasteful of a resource that is rich in organic matter and plant nutrients. Land application can improve soil fertility and enhance crop production but may result in excessive nitrate N (NO-N) leaching and residual contamination from pathogens, heavy metals, and xenobiotics. This paper evaluates evidence that these concerns can be reduced significantly by blending biosolids with organic materials to reduce the environmental impact of biosolids application to soils.

The potential of L. scoparium, K. robusta and P. radiata to mitigate N-losses in silvopastural systems.

Silvopastoral systems aim to enhance economic, cultural and social principles by sustainably combining forest management with agriculture. In these typically high-nitrogen (N) environments, plant species selection can profoundly influence N fluxes. For grazed pastures, plants may be exposed to urine patches that have received the equivalent of up to 1000 kg N ha.

Response of Leptospermum scoparium, Kunzea robusta and Pinus radiata to contrasting biowastes.

The myrtaceae family has a cosmopolitan distribution and includes the Australasian native species Leptospermum scoparium (mānuka) and Kunzea robusta (kānuka), which are of economic interest for the production of high-value honey and essential oils. Potentially, these species could be established on low-fertility or degraded soils that have been amended with biowastes, including biosolids and sawdust. We aimed to determine the effect of these biowastes on nitrate leaching and the growth and chemical composition of these plant species compared to Pinus radiata (pine), a common forestry species.

Impacts of Endemic Earthworms (Megascolecidae) in Biosolids-Amended Soil.

Biosolids can be a valuable fertilizer for agriculture and in ecological restoration, although there are concerns about contaminants. Earthworm activity, including vermicomposting of biosolids, may influence the efficacy of their use. We investigated how two New Zealand endemic anecic species of (cf.