Anker Higgins (subwayhill7)

asses and latent biological processes. To our knowledge, this study is the first method that incorporates prior knowledge into the clustering analysis of scRNA-seq data.Ecological stoichiometry can reveal nutrient cycles in soil and plant ecosystems and their interactions. However, the ecological stoichiometry characteristics of leaf-litter-soil system of dominant grasses, shrubs and trees are still unclear as are their intrinsic relationship during vegetation restoration. This study selected three dominant plant types of grasses (Imperata cylindrica (I. cylindrica) and Artemisiasacrorum (A.sacrorum)), shrubs (Sophora viciifolia (S. viciifolia) and Hippophae rhamnoides (H. rhamnoides)) and trees (Quercus liaotungensis (Q. liaotungensis) and Betula platyphylla (B. platyphylla)) in secondary forest areas of the Chinese Loess Plateau to investigate ecological stoichiometric characteristics and their intrinsic relationships in leaf-litter-soil systems. The results indicated that N concentration and NP ratios in leaf and litter were highest in shrubland; leaf P concentration in grassland was highest and litter in forestland had the highest P concentration. Soil C, N and P concentrations were highest in forestland (P 0.5), but the soil P concentration was significantly correlated with litter P concentration (P less then 0.05). These finding enhance understanding of nutrient limitations in different plant communities during vegetation restoration and provide insights for better management of vegetation restoration.Caribbean coral reefs provide essential ecosystem services to society, including fisheries, tourism and shoreline protection from coastal erosion. However, these reefs are also exhibiting major declining trends, leading to the evolution of novel ecosystems dominated by non-reef building taxa, with potentially altered ecological functions. In the search for effective management strategies, this study characterized coral reefs in front of a touristic beach which provides economic benefits to the surrounding coastal communities yet faces increasing anthropogenic pressures and conservation challenges. Haphazard photo-transects were used to address spatial variation patterns in the reef's benthic community structure in eight locations. Statistically significant differences were found with increasing distance from the shoreline, reef rugosity, Diadema antillarum density, among reef locations, and as a function of recreational use. Nearshore reefs reflected higher percent macroalgal cover, likely due to increased exposure from both recreational activities and nearby unsustainable land-use practices. However, nearshore reefs still support a high abundance of the endangered reef-building coral Orbicella annularis, highlighting the need to conserve these natural shoreline protectors. There is an opportunity for local stakeholders and regulatory institutions to collaboratively implement sea-urchin propagation, restoration of endangered Acroporid coral populations, and zoning of recreational densities across reefs. Our results illustrate vulnerable reef hotspots where these management interventions are needed and recommend guidelines to address them. To assess the patterns and incidence of child and adolescent injury and explore associations with household deprivation and child characteristics in a low-income urban setting. Cross-sectional household survey in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Data collection took place during July 2009. Injuries requiring medical attention were recorded with a one month period of recall. A total of 1,968 households representing 3,927 children and adolescents were visited by health workers. Gender-, age-, and type-specific injury incidence was compiled. Odds ratios were calculated to measure associations with child injury, perceived deprivation, household characteristics and child characteristics. One household in five reported injuries. The estimated incidence was 3.2