Shifts in dominant tree mycorrhizal associations in response to anthropogenic impacts

Plant-fungal symbioses play critical roles in vegetation dynamics and nutrient cycling, modulating the impacts of global changes on ecosystem functioning. Here, we used forest inventory data consisting of more than 3 million trees to develop a spatially resolved “mycorrhizal tree map” of the contiguous United States. We show that abundances of the two dominant mycorrhizal tree groups—arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal trees—are associated primarily with climate. Further, we show that anthropogenic influences, primarily nitrogen (N) deposition and fire suppression, in concert with climate change, have increased AM tree dominance during the past three decades in the eastern United States. Given that most AM-dominated forests in this region are underlain by soils with high N availability, our results suggest that the increasing abundance of AM trees has the potential to induce nutrient acceleration, with critical consequences for forest productivity, ecosystem carbon and nutrient retention, and feedbacks to climate change

An integrated assessment of the potential impacts of climate change on Indiana forests

Forests provide myriad ecosystem services, many of which are vital to local and regional economies. Consequently, there is a need to better understand how predicted changes in climate will impact forests dynamics and the implications of such changes for society as a whole. Here we focus on the impacts of climate change on Indiana forests, which are representative of many secondary growth broadleaved forests in the greater Midwest region in terms of their land use history and current composition. We find that predicted changes in climate for the state – warmer and wetter winters/springs and hotter and potentially drier summers – will dramatically shape forest communities, resulting in new assemblages of trees and wildlife that differ from forest communities of the past or present. Overall, suitable habitat is expected to decline for 17-29 percent of tree species and increase for 43-52 percent of tree species in the state, depending on the region and climate scenario. Such changes have important consequences for wildlife that depend on certain tree species or have ranges with strong sensitivities to climate. Additionally, these changes will have potential economic impacts on Indiana industries that depend on forest resources and products (both timber and non-timber). Finally, we offer some practical suggestions on how management may minimize the extent of climate-induced ecological impacts, and highlight a case study from a tree planting initiative currently underway in the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area

Indiana\u27s Future Forests: A Report from the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment

Over the next century, rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns across the Midwest will likely have profound consequences for Indiana’s forests. Such changes include shifts in the distributions and abundances of trees, understory plants and wildlife, as well as changes to the environmental, economic and cultural benefits these forests provide. This report from the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment (IN CCIA) examines the direct and indirect impacts that climate change is expected to have on Indiana’s forests. The report specifically addresses forest regeneration, forest composition, tree growth and harvest, wildlife habitat and forest products

Understanding Electricity-Theft Behavior via Multi-Source Data

Electricity theft, the behavior that involves users conducting illegal operations on electrical meters to avoid individual electricity bills, is a common phenomenon in the developing countries. Considering its harmfulness to both power grids and the public, several mechanized methods have been developed to automatically recognize electricity-theft behaviors. However, these methods, which mainly assess users' electricity usage records, can be insufficient due to the diversity of theft tactics and the irregularity of user behaviors. In this paper, we propose to recognize electricity-theft behavior via multi-source data. In addition to users' electricity usage records, we analyze user behaviors by means of regional factors (non-technical loss) and climatic factors (temperature) in the corresponding transformer area. By conducting analytical experiments, we unearth several interesting patterns: for instance, electricity thieves are likely to consume much more electrical power than normal users, especially under extremely high or low temperatures. Motivated by these empirical observations, we further design a novel hierarchical framework for identifying electricity thieves. Experimental results based on a real-world dataset demonstrate that our proposed model can achieve the best performance in electricity-theft detection (e.g., at least +3.0% in terms of F0.5) compared with several baselines. Last but not least, our work has been applied by the State Grid of China and used to successfully catch electricity thieves in Hangzhou with a precision of 15% (an improvement form 0% attained by several other models the company employed) during monthly on-site investigation.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, WWW'20 full pape

Fast-Response Photonic Device Based on Organic-Crystal Heterojunctions Assembled into a Vertical-Yet-Open Asymmetric Architecture

Crystalline dioctyl-3,4,9,10-perylenedicarboximide nanowires and 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl) pentacene microplates are integrated into a vertical-yet-open asymmetrical heterojunction for the realization of a high-performance organic photovoltaic detector, which shows fast photoresponse, ultrahigh signal-to-noise ratio, and high sensitivity to weak light

A nanomesh scaffold for supramolecular nanowire optoelectronic devices

Supramolecular organic nanowires are ideal nanostructures for optoelectronics because they exhibit both efficient exciton generation as a result of their high absorption coefficient and remarkable light sensitivity due to the low number of grain boundaries and high surface-to-volume ratio. To harvest photocurrent directly from supramolecular nanowires it is necessary to wire them up with nanoelectrodes that possess different work functions. However, devising strategies that can connect multiple nanowires at the same time has been challenging. Here, we report a general approach to simultaneously integrate hundreds of supramolecular nanowires of N,N′-dioctyl-3,4,9,10-perylenedicarboximide (PTCDI-C8) in a hexagonal nanomesh scaffold with asymmetric nanoelectrodes. Optimized PTCDI-C8 nanowire photovoltaic devices exhibit a signal-to-noise ratio approaching 107, a photoresponse time as fast as 10 ns and an external quantum efficiency >55%. This nanomesh scaffold can also be used to investigate the fundamental mechanism of photoelectrical conversion in other low-dimensional semiconducting nanostructures

Microarchitecture and Nanomechanical Properties of Trabecular Bone After Strontium Administration in Osteoporotic Goats

Strontium (Sr) ralenate is a new agent used for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. As a bone-seeking element, 98% of Sr is deposited in the bone and teeth after oral ingestion. However, the effect of Sr treatment on bone microarchitecture and bone nanomechanical properties remains unclear. In this study, 18 osteoporotic goats were divided into four groups according to the treatment regimen: control, calcium alone (Ca), calcium and Sr at 24 mg/kg (Ca + 24Sr), and calcium and Sr at 40 mg/kg (Ca + 40Sr). The effects of Sr administration on bone microarchitecture and nanomechanical properties of trabecular bones were analyzed with micro-CT and nanoindentation test, respectively. Serum Sr levels increased six- and tenfold in the Ca + 24Sr and Ca + 40Sr groups, respectively. Similarly, Sr in the bone increased four- and sixfold in these two groups. Sr administration significantly increased trabecular bone volume fraction, trabecular thickness, and double-labeled new bone area. Sr administration, however, did not significantly change the nanomechanical properties of trabecular bone (elastic modulus and hardness). The data suggested that Sr administration increased trabecular bone volume and improved the microarchitecture while maintaining the intrinsic tissue properties in the osteoporotic goat model

Ethnic Differences in Body Composition and Obesity Related Risk Factors: Study in Chinese and White Males Living in China

The purpose of this cross-sectional observational study was to identify ethnic differences in body composition and obesity-related risk factors between Chinese and white males living in China. 115 Chinese and 114 white male pilots aged 28–63 years were recruited. Fasting body weight, height and blood pressure were measured following standard procedures. Whole-body and segmental body composition were measured using an 8-contact electrode bioimpedance analysis (BIA) system. Fasting serum glucose, fasting plasma total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides (TG) were assessed using automatic biochemistry analyzer. After adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI), Chinese males had significantly higher percentage of body fat (PBF) both with respect to whole body (Chinese: 23.7%±0.2% vs. Whites: 22.4%±0.2%) and the trunk area (Chinese: 25.0%±0.3% vs. Whites: 23.2%±0.3%) compared to their white counterparts. At all BMIs, Chinese males had significantly higher fasting glucose levels (Chinese: 5.7±1.0 mmol/L vs. Whites: 5.2±1.0 mmol/L) but lower high-density lipoprotein levels (Chinese: 0.8±1.0 mmol/L vs. Whites: 1.0±1.0 mmol/L) than white males. In addition, a marginally significantly higher diastolic blood pressure was found among Chinese men than that among white men (Chinese: 80±1.0 mmHg vs. Whites: 77±1.0 mmHg). Chinese males had more body fat and a greater degree of central fat deposition pattern than that seen in white males in the present study. Furthermore, data on blood pressure, fasting glucose and blood lipids suggest that Chinese men may be more prone to obesity-related risk factors than white men