Carbon Stocks and Fluxes in Tropical Lowland Dipterocarp Rainforests in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

Deforestation in the tropics is an important source of carbon C release to the atmosphere. To provide a sound scientific base for efforts taken to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD+) good estimates of C stocks and fluxes are important. We present components of the C balance for selectively logged lowland tropical dipterocarp rainforest in the Malua Forest Reserve of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Total organic C in this area was 167.9 Mg C ha−1±3.8 (SD), including: Total aboveground (TAGC: 55%; 91.9 Mg C ha−1±2.9 SEM) and belowground carbon in trees (TBGC: 10%; 16.5 Mg C ha−1±0.5 SEM), deadwood (8%; 13.2 Mg C ha−1±3.5 SEM) and soil organic matter (SOM: 24%; 39.6 Mg C ha−1±0.9 SEM), understory vegetation (3%; 5.1 Mg C ha−1±1.7 SEM), standing litter (<1%; 0.7 Mg C ha−1±0.1 SEM) and fine root biomass (<1%; 0.9 Mg C ha−1±0.1 SEM). Fluxes included litterfall, a proxy for leaf net primary productivity (4.9 Mg C ha−1 yr−1±0.1 SEM), and soil respiration, a measure for heterotrophic ecosystem respiration (28.6 Mg C ha−1 yr−1±1.2 SEM). The missing estimates necessary to close the C balance are wood net primary productivity and autotrophic respiration

Data-Driven Analysis of COVID-19 Reveals Persistent Immune Abnormalities in Convalescent Severe Individuals

Severe SARS-CoV-2 infection can trigger uncontrolled innate and adaptive immune responses, which are commonly associated with lymphopenia and increased neutrophil counts. However, whether the immune abnormalities observed in mild to severely infected patients persist into convalescence remains unclear. Herein, comparisons were drawn between the immune responses of COVID-19 infected and convalescent adults. Strikingly, survivors of severe COVID-19 had decreased proportions of NKT and Vδ2 T cells, and increased proportions of low-density neutrophils, IgA+/CD86+/CD123+ non-classical monocytes and hyperactivated HLADR+CD38+ CD8+ T cells, and elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as hepatocyte growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor A, long after virus clearance. Our study suggests potential immune correlates of “long COVID-19”, and defines key cells and cytokines that delineate true and quasi-convalescent states

The genetic architecture of type 2 diabetes

The genetic architecture of common traits, including the number, frequency, and effect sizes of inherited variants that contribute to individual risk, has been long debated. Genome-wide association studies have identified scores of common variants associated with type 2 diabetes, but in aggregate, these explain only a fraction of heritability. To test the hypothesis that lower-frequency variants explain much of the remainder, the GoT2D and T2D-GENES consortia performed whole genome sequencing in 2,657 Europeans with and without diabetes, and exome sequencing in a total of 12,940 subjects from five ancestral groups. To increase statistical power, we expanded sample size via genotyping and imputation in a further 111,548 subjects. Variants associated with type 2 diabetes after sequencing were overwhelmingly common and most fell within regions previously identified by genome-wide association studies. Comprehensive enumeration of sequence variation is necessary to identify functional alleles that provide important clues to disease pathophysiology, but large-scale sequencing does not support a major role for lower-frequency variants in predisposition to type 2 diabetes

Bancassurance-historical perspective, growth and future outlook.

The close relationship between banks and insurers is evident. Their relationship has intensified with the blurring of the traditional barriers between these two financial institutions. It has resulted in a transformation of the financial industry. Banks faced with declining profitability seek to maintain their revenue through increasing their fee-based income through insurance. The insurance sector is one of the major areas of diversification. Insurance companies are fearful of losing ground as this is perceived as an encroachment. They are often urged to set up their own distribution systems to avoid the banks appropriating their policyholders.BUSINES

Pre-enrichment planting C balance for the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment.

<p>The area is located in selectively logged forest of the Malua Forest Reserve. All components are given as mean ± SEM Mg C ha⁻¹, except for C fluxes (*), which are reported as Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Values in parenthesis indicate the percentage of single C stocks to total organic C (167.9 Mg C ha⁻¹).</p

Comparison of basal area, volume and selected stocks and fluxes related to C turnover processes.

<p>Means ± SEM from selectively logged forest (Sabah Biodiversity Experiment) and unlogged forest sites (Danum Valley, except for soil respiration reported from Lambir Hills, Sarawak, North Borneo). Difference (± SED) is reported with the corresponding t-value and level of significance. SDW: Standing deadwood, TAGC: Total aboveground carbon.</p>a<p>Gale 2000.</p>b<p>Green <i>et al.</i> 2005.</p>c<p>Burghouts <i>et al.</i> 1992.</p>d<p>Katayama <i>et al.</i> 2009.</p

Total aboveground C stocks (TAGC) and basal area in selectively logged an unlogged forest.

<p>All species (square), dipterocarps (circle) and pioneer species only (triangle) (mean ± SEM; n = 4). Decreases in dipterocarp basal area but not in carbon stocks were compensated by the pioneers.</p

Map of Sabah and forest quality map of Malua Forest Reserve.

<p>(A) Allocated production forest is shown across Sabah (light green, also including Malua Forest Reserve). The study sites (marked in red) are located in the Malua Forest Reserve and the Danum Valley Conservation Area (dark green). (B) Forest quality map of the Malua Forest Reserve (visual interpretation of aerial photographs, 1∶17,500). The boundary of the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment (500 ha) is outlined (red). Forest classification is based on number of trees ≥60 cm DBH derived from crown size. Cloud forest: >16 trees ha⁻¹, Moderate: 9–16 trees ha⁻¹, Poor: 5–8 trees ha⁻¹, Very Poor: 1–4 trees ha⁻¹, Shrubs/Bare Land/Grassland: none, Plantation: Oil palm monoculture.</p

Soil C depth profile.

<p>Measured soil organic C (SOC) and bulk density with depth for the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment (Saner 2009). Overlayed points are soil organic C typical of the Kretam soil association (SFD 2008), which is found at Malua Forest Reserve. The line is a smoothed loess curve of mean SOC (±95% CI).</p

Across study comparison of basal area, aboveground biomass and C.

<p>Mean (plus or minus one SEM) are shown for basal area (m² ha⁻¹), total aboveground biomass (TAGB Mg ha⁻¹), and total aboveground carbon (TAGC Mg C ha⁻¹) assessed at Danum Valley Conservation Area and nearby selectively logged areas including the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment. Berry 2010 (circle): selectively logged measurements were taken 18 years after harvest; Pinard 1996 (triangle) and Tangki 2008 (diamond): 20 years after harvest; this study (quadrat): 22 years after harvest. All unlogged measurements are from Danum Valley Convervation Area except Pinard 1996 which were taken on unlogged Ulu Segama forest. Note that Berry 2010 (logged and unlogged) and Pinard 1996 (logged) did not specify basal area.</p