Disturbance legacies and shifting trajectories: Marsh soil strength and shoreline erosion a decade after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Marsh resilience post disturbance is strongly dependent on the belowground dynamics affecting the emergent plants aboveground. We investigated the long-term impacts at the marsh-water interface in coastal wetlands of south Louisiana after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill with a combination of fieldwork (2010-2018) and spatial analysis (1998-2021). Data were collected on shoreline erosion rates, marsh platform elevation heights and cantilever overhang widths, and soil strength up to 1 m depth.

Total ammonia and coliform concentrations at the end of the Mississippi River from 1900 to 2019.

Total ammonia (TA) concentrations (NH NH) at four locations at the terminal end of the Mississippi River, the largest river on the North American continent, were assembled to examine trends and relationships with point and non-point loadings from 1980 to 2019 and compared to values in 1900 to 1901. TA concentrations were lowest in 1900 to 1901, highest in 1980 and then declined, and then rose slightly in the last 2 decades. Variations in individual measurements and in situ temperature are indirectly related because of the influence temperature has on ammonia solubility and protein degradation rates.

Variability in the discharge of the Mississippi River and tributaries from 1817 to 2020.

There are conflicting predictions of climate change effects and landuse on the discharge of the Mississippi River-the largest river in North America. Are discharges becoming higher or lower, and if they did change, then when? To address these uncertainties I compiled a two-hundred-year long dataset of the annual average, minimum, and maximum discharges at five stations draining the Mississippi River watershed: at Clinton, IA, Herman, MO, St. Louis, MO, Louisville, KY, and Vicksburg, MS.

Meta-analysis of salt marsh vegetation impacts and recovery: a synthesis following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Marine oil spills continue to be a global issue, heightened by spill events such as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the largest marine oil spill in US waters and among the largest worldwide, affecting over 1,000 km of sensitive wetland shorelines, primarily salt marshes supporting numerous ecosystem functions. To synthesize the effects of the oil spill on foundational vegetation species in the salt marsh ecosystem, Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus, we performed a meta-analysis using data from 10 studies and 255 sampling sites over seven years post-spill. We examined the hypotheses that the oil spill reduced plant cover, stem density, vegetation height, aboveground biomass, and belowground biomass, and tracked the degree of effects temporally to estimate recovery time frames.

Seeking a Role for Translational Control by Alternative Polyadenylation in .

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) represents an important mechanism for regulating isoform-specific translation efficiency, stability, and localisation. Though some progress has been made in understanding its consequences in metazoans, the role of APA in the model organism cerevisiae remains a relative mystery because, despite abundant studies on the translational state of mRNA, none differentiate mRNA isoforms' alternative 3'-end. This review discusses the implications of alternative polyadenylation in using other organisms to draw inferences.

Linking Families and Teens: Randomized Controlled Trial Study of a Family Communication and Sexual Health Education Program for Rural Youth and Their Parents.

Purpose: This study describes the results of an impact evaluation of the Linking Families and Teens (LiFT) program, a 5-hour program for families in rural communities. LiFT's goal is to reduce unplanned teen pregnancies by increasing family connectedness and youth's self-efficacy, knowledge, and sexual health skills.

Methods: LiFT was externally evaluated using a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Estuarine oiling increases a long-term decline in mussel growth.

The ribbed mussel, Geukensia granosissima, cycles nutrients, contributes to soil stability, and can be a major component of predator-prey communities in salt marshes. Mussels were exposed to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and salt marshes remain contaminated eight years later. We hypothesized that the oiled mussels had reduced annual growth, altered population size frequency, and perhaps changed valve morphometrics.

Genetic and pharmacological evidence for kinetic competition between alternative poly(A) sites in yeast.

Most eukaryotic mRNAs accommodate alternative sites of poly(A) addition in the 3' untranslated region in order to regulate mRNA function. Here, we present a systematic analysis of 3' end formation factors, which revealed 3'UTR lengthening in response to a loss of the core machinery, whereas a loss of the Sen1 helicase resulted in shorter 3'UTRs. We show that the anti-cancer drug cordycepin, 3' deoxyadenosine, caused nucleotide accumulation and the usage of distal poly(A) sites.

Characterization of common phytoplankton on the Louisiana shelf.

Phytoplankton and accompanying environmental data (temperature, salinity, secchi depth, stratification, and inorganic nutrients) were analyzed from 672 surface water samples (0 to 1.5 m depth) collected from 95 stations located on the Louisiana shelf between April 1990 and August 2011. Phytoplankton were identified to the lowest practical taxonomic unit from glutaraldehyde-preserved samples using epifluorescent microscopy and reported as cells L.

The Panoramic ECAP Method: Estimating Patient-Specific Patterns of Current Spread and Neural Health in Cochlear Implant Users.

The knowledge of patient-specific neural excitation patterns from cochlear implants (CIs) can provide important information for optimizing efficacy and improving speech perception outcomes. The Panoramic ECAP ('PECAP') method (Cosentino et al. 2015) uses forward-masked electrically evoked compound action-potentials (ECAPs) to estimate neural activation patterns of CI stimulation.

High-altitude cerebral edema: its own entity or end-stage acute mountain sickness?

High-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) and acute mountain sickness (AMS) are neuropathologies associated with rapid exposure to hypoxia. However, speculation remains regarding the exact etiology of both HACE and AMS and whether they share a common mechanistic pathology. This review outlines the basic principles of HACE development, highlighting how edema could develop from ) a progression from cytotoxic swelling to ionic edema or ) permeation of the blood brain barrier (BBB) with or without ionic edema.

Declining bacteria, lead, and sulphate, and rising pH and oxygen in the lower Mississippi River.

Various air and water pollution issues in the US were confronted in the last 60 years using national policy legislation, notably the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act. I examine changes in the concentrations of bacteria, oxygen, lead, and sulphate at the terminus of the Mississippi River before and after these pollution abatement efforts. Microbial concentrations increased or were stable from 1909 to 1980 but decreased about 3 orders of magnitude after the 1970s, while the average oxygen content increased.

Application of Bayesian Active Learning to the Estimation of Auditory Filter Shapes Using the Notched-Noise Method.

Time-efficient hearing tests are important in both clinical practice and research studies. This particularly applies to notched-noise tests, which are rarely done in clinical practice because of the time required. Auditory-filter shapes derived from notched-noise data may be useful for diagnosis of the cause of hearing loss and for fitting of hearing aids, especially if measured over a wide range of center frequencies.

Patient-centred care: The patients' perspective - A mixed-methods pilot study.

Background: Patient centredness is a broad concept, a moral philosophy. Patient-centred care can be viewed as the actions of patient-centredness. One of the most pertinent actions that a healthcare practitioner can utilise to deliver patient-centred care is empathic communication.

Development of a Deep Neural Network for Speeding Up a Model of Loudness for Time-Varying Sounds.

The "time-varying loudness" (TVL) model of Glasberg and Moore calculates "instantaneous loudness" every 1 ms, and this is used to generate predictions of short-term loudness, the loudness of a short segment of sound, such as a word in a sentence, and of long-term loudness, the loudness of a longer segment of sound, such as a whole sentence. The calculation of instantaneous loudness is computationally intensive and real-time implementation of the TVL model is difficult. To speed up the computation, a deep neural network (DNN) was trained to predict instantaneous loudness using a large database of speech sounds and artificial sounds (tones alone and tones in white or pink noise), with the predictions of the TVL model as a reference (providing the "correct" answer, specifically the loudness level in phons).

Effects of Purple Seed Stain on Seed Quality and Composition in Soybean.

Purple seed stain disease, caused by (), is a major concern in soybean ( (L.)) in Mississippi, USA, due to its effects on seed quality, reducing soybean seed grade and potential market price at elevators. Therefore, investigating the effects of purple seed stain (PSS) on seed quality (germination and vigor) and seed composition (nutrition) is critical.

Unraveling the Gordian Knot: Eight testable hypotheses on the effects of nutrient enrichment on tidal wetland sustainability.

The position of tidal wetlands at the land-sea interface makes them especially vulnerable to the effects of nutrient discharges and sea level rise (SLR). Experimental studies of coastal wetland nutrient additions report conflicting results among and within habitats, highlighting the importance of site-specific factors, and how spatial and temporal scaling modulates responses. This suite of influences as SLR accelerates creates a "Gordian Knot" that may compromise coastal habitat integrity.

Requirement for cleavage factor II in the control of alternative polyadenylation in breast cancer cells.

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) determines stability, localization and translation potential of the majority of mRNA in eukaryotic cells. The heterodimeric mammalian cleavage factor II (CF II) is required for pre-mRNA 3' end cleavage and is composed of the RNA kinase hClp1 and the termination factor hPcf11; the latter protein binds to RNA and the RNA polymerase II carboxy-terminal domain. Here, we used siRNA mediated knockdown and poly(A) targeted RNA sequencing to analyze the role of CF II in gene expression and APA in estrogen receptor positive MCF7 breast cancer cells.

The resilience of coastal marshes to hurricanes: The potential impact of excess nutrients.

Hurricanes pose an increasing threat to coastal environments as the intensity and severity of hurricanes are predicted to increase under the changing climate. Coastal wetlands are effective nature-based defenses of coastal cities against storms. However, the ecosystems themselves are also susceptible to the impacts of hurricanes, which are highly complex and not fully understood.

Comment on "Legacy nitrogen may prevent achievement of water quality goals in the Gulf of Mexico".

Van Meter (Reports, 27 April 2018, p. 427) warn that achieving nitrogen reduction goals in the Gulf of Mexico will take decades as a result of legacy nitrogen effects. We discuss limitations of the modeling approach and demonstrate that legacy effects ranging from a few years to decades are equally consistent with observations.

Supporting Spartina: Interdisciplinary perspective shows Spartina as a distinct solid genus.

In 2014, a DNA-based phylogenetic study confirming the paraphyly of the grass subtribe Sporobolinae proposed the creation of a large monophyletic genus Sporobolus, including (among others) species previously included in the genera Spartina, Calamovilfa, and Sporobolus. Spartina species have contributed substantially (and continue contributing) to our knowledge in multiple disciplines, including ecology, evolutionary biology, molecular biology, biogeography, experimental ecology, biological invasions, environmental management, restoration ecology, history, economics, and sociology. There is no rationale so compelling to subsume the name Spartina as a subgenus that could rival the striking, global iconic history and use of the name Spartina for over 200 yr.

Feedback of coastal marshes to climate change: Long-term phenological shifts.

Coastal marshes are important carbon sinks facing serious threats from climatic stressors. Current research reveals that the growth of individual marsh plants is susceptible to a changing climate, but the responses of different marsh systems at a landscape scale are less clear. Here, we document the multi-decadal changes in the phenology and the area of the extensive coastal marshes in Louisiana, USA, a representative of coastal ecosystems around the world that currently experiencing sea-level rise, temperature warming, and atmospheric CO increase.