High-carbon wood ash biochar enhances native tree survival and growth on sand-capped mine tailings.

Use of waste wood biomass for bioenergy produces wood ash as a by-product; this ash is typically landfilled, but can potentially play an important role in soil improvement and forest restoration. In particular, high-carbon wood ash biochar (HCWAB) could supply nutrients, improve substrate water-holding capacity and pH, and emulate the ecosystem benefits of wildfire residues. Thickened tailings sites at metal mines across Canada are subject to stringent restoration regulations that entail planting of native trees to promote rapid reforestation.

Phytotoxicity and hormesis in common mobile organic compounds in leachates of wood-derived biochars.

Unlabelled: Although addition of pyrolyzed organic materials (biochars) to soil generally results in increased growth and physiological performance of plants, neutral and negative responses have also commonly been detected. Toxicity of organic compounds generated during pyrolysis, sorbed by biochars, and then released into the soil solution, has been implicated as a possible mechanism for such negative effects. Conversely, water-soluble biochar constituents have also been suggested to have "hormetic" effects (positive effects on plants at low concentrations); however, no specific compounds responsible have been identified.

Large, sustained soil CO efflux but rapid recovery of CH oxidation in post-harvest and post-fire stands in a mixedwood boreal forest.

The net effect of forest disturbances, such as fires and harvesting, on soil greenhouse gas fluxes is determined by their impacts on both biological and physical factors, as well as the temporal dynamics of these effects post-disturbance. Although harvesting and fire may have distinct effects on soil carbon (C) dynamics, the temporal patterns in soil CO and CH fluxes and the potential differences between types of disturbances, remain poorly characterized in boreal forests. In this study, we measured soil CO and CH fluxes using a off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy system in snow-free seasons over two years in post-harvest and post-fire chronosequence sites within a mixedwood boreal forest in northwestern Ontario, Canada.

Biochar and vegetation effects on discharge water quality from organic-substrate green roofs.

Green roofs have been increasingly used to improve stormwater management, but poor vegetation performance on roof systems, varying with vegetation type, can degrade discharge quality. Biochar has been suggested as an effective substrate additive for green roofs to improve plant performance and discharge quality. However, research on the effects of biochar and vegetation on discharge quality in the long term is lacking and the underlying mechanisms involved are unclear.

Consistent patterns of common species across tropical tree communities.

Trees structure the Earth's most biodiverse ecosystem, tropical forests. The vast number of tree species presents a formidable challenge to understanding these forests, including their response to environmental change, as very little is known about most tropical tree species. A focus on the common species may circumvent this challenge.

The Effects of Oral Probiotics on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM): A Clinical Trial Systematic Literature Review.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains a global health concern. Emerging clinical trial (CT) evidence suggests that probiotic intervention may promote a healthy gut microbiome in individuals with T2DM, thereby improving management of the disease. This systematic literature review summarizes thirty-three CTs investigating the use of oral probiotics for the management of T2DM.

Biochar effects on NTFP-enriched secondary forest growth and soil properties in Amazonian Ecuador.

Deforestation in the Amazon has resulted in large areas of depleted soils on abandoned pastures and agricultural sites that present a restoration challenge central to protecting biodiversity and ecosystem function in the region. Biochar - charcoal made from waste materials - can improve soil physical, chemical, and biological properties, but the few tropical field trials to date do not give consistent results regarding tree growth. This study presents three years of soil performance and tree growth of a secondary forest shading nontimber forest product (NTFP) plantations of Ocotea quixos (Lauraceae), Myroxylon balsamum (Fabaceae), and their mixture.

Biochar Benefits Green Infrastructure: Global Meta-Analysis and Synthesis.

Urbanization has degraded ecosystem services on a global scale, and cities are vulnerable to long-term stresses and risks exacerbated by climate change. Green infrastructure (GI) has been increasingly implemented in cities to improve ecosystem functions and enhance city resilience, yet GI degradation or failure is common. Biochar has been recently suggested as an ideal substrate additive for a range of GI types due to its favorable properties; however, the generality of biochar benefits the GI ecosystem function, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

High-carbon wood ash biochar for mine tailings restoration: A field assessment of planted tree performance and metals uptake.

Unique properties of biochar render it appealing for revegetating and decontaminating historic, barren, and chemically complex mine tailings. Bottom ash from bioenergy facilities can contain high levels of charcoal residue, and thus qualify as a type of biochar; the wide availability of this material at low cost makes it of particular interest in the context of tailings remediation. Nevertheless, bottom ash is variable and often contains residual toxic metal/loids that could be phytoabsorbed into plant tissues.

Biochar-biofertilizer combinations enhance growth and nutrient uptake in silver maple grown in an urban soil.

Declining tree health status due to pollutant impacts and nutrient imbalance is widespread in urban forests; however, chemical fertilizer use is increasingly avoided to reduce eutrophication impacts. Biochar (pyrolyzed organic waste) has been advocated as an alternative soil amendment, but biochar alone generally reduces plant N availability. The combination of biochar and either organic forms of N or Plant Growth Promoting Microbes (PGPMs) as biofertilizers may address these challenges.

High-frequency irreversible electroporation improves survival and immune cell infiltration in rodents with malignant gliomas.

Background: Irreversible electroporation (IRE) has been previously investigated in preclinical trials as a treatment for intracranial malignancies. Here, we investigate next generation high-frequency irreversible electroporation (H-FIRE), as both a monotherapy and a combinatorial therapy, for the treatment of malignant gliomas.

Methods: Hydrogel tissue scaffolds and numerical modeling were used to inform H-FIRE pulsing parameters for our orthotopic tumor-bearing glioma model.

Biochar mitigates allelopathic effects in temperate trees.

Many invasive and some native tree species in North America exhibit strong allelopathic effects that may contribute to their local dominance. Pyrogenic carbon (PyC; including soot, charcoal, and black carbon) is produced by the incomplete combustion of organic matter and is widespread in forest soils. Many forms of PyC have sorptive properties that can reduce the bioavailability of allelochemicals.

Biochar granulation reduces substrate erosion on green roofs.

Unlabelled: Green roofs are exposed to high winds and harsh environmental conditions that can degrade vegetation and erode substrate material, with negative consequences to ecosystem services. Biochar has been promoted as an effective substrate additive to enhance plant performance, but unprocessed biochars are susceptible to wind and water erosion. Applications of granulated biochars or chemical dust suppressants are suggested as a means to mitigate biochar and substrate erosion; however, research on biochar type and chemical dust suppressant use on biochar and substrate erosion is lacking.

Biochar granulation, particle size, and vegetation effects on leachate water quality from a green roof substrate.

Biochar, due to its favourable physiochemical properties, has been promoted as an ideal substrate additive on green roofs, with potential benefits to hydrological function. However, biochar is susceptible to water erosion, which may result in biochar loss and water pollution. The use of granulated biochars or biochars in large particle sizes could potentially alleviate biochar erosion loss, but effects on leachate quality have not been investigated.

Biochar granulation enhances plant performance on a green roof substrate.

Green roofs have been widely promoted as a means to enhance ecosystem services in cities, but roofs present a harsh growing environment for plants. Biochar is suggested to be a highly beneficial substrate additive for green roof systems due to its low weight, high nutrient and water retention capacity, and recalcitrance. However, biochar is susceptible to wind and water erosion, which may result in biochar loss and negative environmental impacts.

Post-processing of biochars to enhance plant growth responses: a review and meta-analysis.

Unlabelled: A number of processes for post-production treatment of "raw" biochars, including leaching, aeration, grinding or sieving to reduce particle size, and chemical or steam activation, have been suggested as means to enhance biochar effectiveness in agriculture, forestry, and environmental restoration. Here, I review studies on post-production processing methods and their effects on biochar physio-chemical properties and present a meta-analysis of plant growth and yield responses to post-processed vs. "raw" biochars.

Carbon fractions in the world's dead wood.

A key uncertainty in quantifying dead wood carbon (C) stocks-which comprise ~8% of total forest C pools globally-is a lack of accurate dead wood C fractions (CFs) that are employed to convert dead woody biomass into C. Most C estimation protocols utilize a default dead wood CF of 50%, but live tree studies suggest this value is an over-estimate. Here, we compile and analyze a global database of dead wood CFs in trees, showing that dead wood CFs average 48.

Asynchronous carbon sink saturation in African and Amazonian tropical forests.

Structurally intact tropical forests sequestered about half of the global terrestrial carbon uptake over the 1990s and early 2000s, removing about 15 per cent of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. Climate-driven vegetation models typically predict that this tropical forest 'carbon sink' will continue for decades. Here we assess trends in the carbon sink using 244 structurally intact African tropical forests spanning 11 countries, compare them with 321 published plots from Amazonia and investigate the underlying drivers of the trends.

Temporal Characterization of Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption with High-Frequency Electroporation.

Treatment of intracranial disorders suffers from the inability to accumulate therapeutic drug concentrations due to protection from the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Electroporation-based therapies have demonstrated the capability of permeating the BBB, but knowledge of the longevity of BBB disruption (BBBD) is limited. In this study, we quantify the temporal, high-frequency electroporation (HFE)-mediated BBBD in an in vivo healthy rat brain model.

Isocitrate Lyase and Succinate Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase Mediate the Synthesis of α-Ketoglutarate in .

Glycerol is an important by-product of the biodiesel industry and its transformation into value-added products like keto acids is being actively pursued in order to improve the efficacy of this renewable energy sector. Here, we report that the enhanced production of α-ketoglutarate (KG) effected by in a mineral medium supplemented with manganese (Mn) is propelled by the increased activities of succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH), γ-aminobutyric acid aminotransaminase (GABAT), and isocitrate lyase (ICL). The latter generates glyoxylate and succinate two key metabolites involved in this process.

Porous graphitic biocarbon and reclaimed carbon fiber derived environmentally benign lightweight composites.

Bamboo-derived biocarbon (BA900) and wood-derived biocarbon (THOC700) have exhibited graphite-like characteristics through transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy analysis. Lightweight composites of biocarbons were manufactured by a mechanism of shear controlled melt-phase mixing, ensuring the preservation of biocarbon pore structures and simultaneously taking full advantage of low density polyolefin substrates. Effective tensile strength was improved by approximately 10% in the polypropylene-based bamboo carbon composite, whereas no appreciable improvement was observed in the tensile and impact strength of bamboo-derived biocarbon formulations compared to neat polymer.

Dose-dependence of growth and ecophysiological responses of plants to biochar.

Charcoal is a ubiquitous legacy of wildfire in terrestrial systems that often contributes to rapid revegetation following disturbance; the use of charcoal soil amendments, or "biochars", to promote plant growth has received recent research attention and increasing applied use. Despite its widespread use, well-resolved quantitative estimates of dose-response relationships for biochar effects on plant growth are nonexistent, and studies of biochar dosage effects on plant ecophysiology are minimal. We investigated the effects of biochar dosage on plant growth and ecophysiology in a glasshouse experiment involving two common early-successional plants, Abutilon theophrasti and Trifolium repens.