Human activities shape global patterns of decomposition rates in rivers.

Rivers and streams contribute to global carbon cycling by decomposing immense quantities of terrestrial plant matter. However, decomposition rates are highly variable and large-scale patterns and drivers of this process remain poorly understood. Using a cellulose-based assay to reflect the primary constituent of plant detritus, we generated a predictive model (81% variance explained) for cellulose decomposition rates across 514 globally distributed streams.

The history of Coast Salish "woolly dogs" revealed by ancient genomics and Indigenous Knowledge.

Ancestral Coast Salish societies in the Pacific Northwest kept long-haired "woolly dogs" that were bred and cared for over millennia. However, the dog wool-weaving tradition declined during the 19th century, and the population was lost. In this study, we analyzed genomic and isotopic data from a preserved woolly dog pelt from "Mutton," collected in 1859.

Leaf defenses of subtropical deciduous and evergreen trees to varying intensities of herbivory.

Generally, deciduous and evergreen trees coexist in subtropical forests, and both types of leaves are attacked by numerous insect herbivores. However, trees respond and defend themselves from herbivores in different ways, and these responses may vary between evergreen and deciduous species. We examined both the percentage of leaf area removed by herbivores as well as the percentage of leaves attacked by herbivores to evaluate leaf herbivore damage across 14 subtropical deciduous and evergreen tree species, and quantified plant defenses to varying intensities of herbivory.

Plant sex influences on riparian communities and ecosystems.

Over the past several decades, we have increased our understanding of the influences of plant genetics on associated communities and ecosystem functions. These influences have been shown at both broad spatial scales and across many plant families, creating an active subdiscipline of ecology research focused on genes-to-ecosystems connections. One complex aspect of plant genetics is the distinction between males and females in dioecious plants.

Cost analysis and cost effectiveness of a subsidized community supported agriculture intervention for low-income families.

Background: The food system has a dynamic influence on disparities in food security and diet-related chronic disease. Community supported agriculture (CSA) programs, in which households receive weekly shares of produce from a local farmer during the growing season, have been examined as a possible food systems-based approach for improving diet and health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to estimate the cost of implementing and participating in a multi-component subsidized community supported agriculture intervention and calculate cost-effectiveness based on diet and food security impacts.

Breed, parity, and days in milk affect risk of tongue rolling in dairy cows.

Stereotypic behaviors are repetitive, invariant movements with no obvious biological function. Tongue rolling (TR) is a common stereotypic behavior in cattle, characterized by a repeated circular movement of the tongue inside or outside of the mouth. We assessed TR in adult lactating dairy cows (from 45 to 305 d in milk; DIM) on a large commercial US dairy comprised of Jersey and Jersey-Holstein crosses (n = 8,158 cows).

The influence of weevil herbivory on leaf litter chemistry in dioecious willows.

Leaf litter inputs can influence the structure and function of both terrestrial and adjacent aquatic ecosystems. Dioecy and herbivory are two factors that together have received little attention, yet have the potential to affect the quantity, quality, and timing of riparian litterfall, litter chemistry, and litter decomposition processes. Here, we explore litter chemistry differences for the dioecious Sitka willow ( Sanson ex.

Engaging Scientific Diasporas in STEAM Education: The Case of Science Clubs Colombia.

Currently, there is limited insight on the role that scientific diasporas can play in STEAM education in Latin America. Here, we present the Science Clubs Colombia (Clubes de Ciencia Colombia-SCC) program, a pioneering STEAM capacity-building initiative led by volunteer scientists to engage youth and children from underserved communities in science. The program brings together researchers based in Colombia and abroad to lead intensive project-based learning workshops for young students in urban and rural areas.

An Evaluation of the Subjective Experience of Receiving Reiki: Qualitative Results from a Pragmatic Effectiveness Study.

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the subjective experience of Reiki in a large sample. The study design was a single-arm pragmatic effectiveness trial with qualitative questions completed post-Reiki session. The study took place at private Reiki practices across the United States.

Participation in cost-offset community-supported agriculture by low-income households in the USA is associated with community characteristics and operational practices.

Objective: Subsidised or cost-offset community-supported agriculture (CO-CSA) connects farms directly to low-income households and can improve fruit and vegetable intake. This analysis identifies factors associated with participation in CO-CSA.

Design: Farm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids (F3HK) provided a half-price, summer CO-CSA plus healthy eating classes to low-income households with children.

The effects of different doses of inhaled bacteriophage therapy for Pseudomonas aeruginosa pulmonary infections in mice.

Objectives: Inhaled phage therapy has been revisited as a potential treatment option for respiratory infections caused by multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa; however, there is a distinct gap in understanding the dose-response effect. The aim of this study was to investigate the dose-response effect of Pseudomonas-targeting phage PEV31 delivered by the pulmonary route in a mouse lung infection model.

Methods: Neutropenic BALB/c mice were infected with multidrug-resistant P.

Tethering Natural Capital and Cultural Capital for a More Sustainable Post-COVID-19 World.

The world faced stark challenges during the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. Large forces such as climate change, cultural ethnocentrism and racism, and increasing wealth inequality continue to ripple through communities harming community well-being. While the global pandemic caused by COVID-19 exacerbated these forces, lessons across the globe have been captured that inform the field of community well-being long-after the end of the pandemic.

The genetic basis of phage susceptibility, cross-resistance and host-range in .

Though bacteriophages (phages) are known to play a crucial role in bacterial fitness and virulence, our knowledge about the genetic basis of their interaction, cross-resistance and host-range is sparse. Here, we employed genome-wide screens in serovar Typhimurium to discover host determinants involved in resistance to eleven diverse lytic phages including four new phages isolated from a therapeutic phage cocktail. We uncovered 301 diverse host factors essential in phage infection, many of which are shared between multiple phages demonstrating potential cross-resistance mechanisms.

Supplying the pandemic response: The importance of public procurement.

The rapid global transmission of COVID-19 has demonstrated many weaknesses in government procurement of essential supplies. In the United States, these problems have been particularly evident, as systemic fragmentation through federalism has frustrated a coordinated response. Rather than working together, states and localities are competing over limited medical resources, while the federal government has not stepped in to alleviate burdens on the lower tiers of government.

Community supported agriculture plus nutrition education improves skills, self-efficacy, and eating behaviors among low-income caregivers but not their children: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Adults and children in the U.S. consume inadequate quantities of fruit and vegetables (FV), in part, due to poor access among households with lower socioeconomic status.

Strategies for Nonpolar Aerosol Collection and Heavy Metals Analysis of Inhaled Cannabis Products.

The rapid growth of inhalable cannabis concentrates raises questions about the safety of acute and chronic exposure to these aerosol mixtures. Due to the nonpolar nature of the aerosol mixture created from cannabis vapor cartridges, traditional aqueous-based capture methods used in e-cigarette or tobacco cigarette studies for analysis of metals are insufficient. Moreover, hydrophobic cannabis concentrates are not miscible with dilute aqueous acids and therefore not ideal for metal spiking unlike electronic nicotine delivery systems.

Hydrogel formulations containing non-ionic polymers for topical delivery of bacteriophages.

Hydrogel is an attractive delivery vehicle for phages as it keeps the wound moist, acts as a protective barrier and facilitates wound healing process. The aim of this study was to formulate biologically stable phage hydrogels that enable controlled release of infective phages. Pseudomonas-targeting phages, PEV1 (myovirus) and PEV31 (podovirus) were formulated in hydrogels (10 PFU/g) consisting of non-ionic polymers, including hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), polyethylene oxide (PEO), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP).

Efficacy assessment of PEV2 phage on Galleria mellonella larvae infected with a Pseudomonas aeruginosa dog otitis isolate.

Pseudomonas (P.) aeruginosa is the most frequently isolated Gram-negative bacteria in dog otitis. Antimicrobial resistance is particularly prevalent in P.

Fruit and Vegetable Intake Assessed by Repeat 24 h Recalls, but Not by A Dietary Screener, Is Associated with Skin Carotenoid Measurements in Children.

Accurate measurement of fruit and vegetable (FV) intake is important for nutrition surveillance and evaluation of dietary interventions. We compared two tools for reporting FV intake to objective measurement of skin carotenoids among children. FV cups/day was assessed by repeated 24 h dietary recalls (24H FV) and the National Cancer Institute's All-Day Fruit and Vegetable Screener (NCI FV).

Phage cocktail powder for Pseudomonas aeruginosa respiratory infections.

Phage cocktail broadens the host range compared with a single phage and minimizes the development of phage-resistant bacteria thereby promoting the long-term usefulness of inhaled phage therapy. In this study, we produced a phage cocktail powder by spray drying three Pseudomonas phages PEV2 (podovirus), PEV1 and PEV20 (both myovirus) with lactose (80 wt%) and leucine (20 wt%) as excipients. Our results showed that the phages remained viable in the spray dried powder, with little to mild titer reduction (ranging from 0.

Synergistic activity of phage PEV20-ciprofloxacin combination powder formulation-A proof-of-principle study in a P. aeruginosa lung infection model.

Combination treatment using bacteriophage and antibiotics is potentially an advanced approach to combatting antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections. We have recently developed an inhalable powder by co-spray drying Pseudomonas phage PEV20 with ciprofloxacin. The purpose of this study was to assess the in vivo effect of the powder using a neutropenic mouse model of acute lung infection.

Pharmacokinetics and Time-Kill Study of Inhaled Antipseudomonal Bacteriophage Therapy in Mice.

Inhaled bacteriophage (phage) therapy is a potential alternative to conventional antibiotic therapy to combat multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections. However, pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of phages are fundamentally different from antibiotics and the lack of understanding potentially limits optimal dosing. The aim of this study was to investigate the PK and PD profiles of antipseudomonal phage PEV31 delivered by pulmonary route in immune-suppressed mice.