BACKGROUND Anthrax, a global re-emerging zoonotic disease in recent years is enzootic in mainland China. Despite its significance to the public health, spatiotemporal distributions of the disease in human and livestock and its potential driving factors remain poorly understood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Using the national surveillance data of human and livestock anthrax from 2005 to 2013...

In a multi-strata agroforestry system in the central Amazon near Manaus, we studied the root activity distribution of different fruit trees and a legume cover crop in comparison to monocultures and a secondary forest site. Uptake of applied P, P and N from 0.1, 0.6 and 1.5 m depth was compared in both the dry and wet season. The results obtained with P were similar to those with N but showed a ...

To understand the importance of plants in structuring the vertical distributions of soil nutrients, we explored nutrient distributions in the top meter of soil for more than 10,000 profiles across a range of ecological conditions. Hypothesizing that vertical nutrient distributions are dominated by plant cycling relative to leaching, weathering dissolution, and atmospheric deposition, we examine...

Analyzing the dynamics of soil particle-size distributions (PSDs), soil nutrients, and erodibility are very important for understanding the changes of soil structure and quality after long-term land-use conversion. We applied multifractal Rényi spectra (Dq) and singularity spectra (f(α)) to characterize PSDs 35 years after conversions from cropland to shrubland with Caragana microphylla (shrubl...

BACKGROUND Many patients suffer from recurrent Staphylococcus aureus infections, but there are few data examining recurrence predictors. METHODS We followed adults and children after treatment for S. aureus skin infections and their household contacts in Los Angeles and Chicago. We surveyed subjects for S. aureus body colonization, household fomite contamination, and behavioral and clinical f...

This article is the second of a three-part series that investigates the application of the ventilation equations to designing and testing cleanrooms. This part is concerned with the decay equation. The recovery test, described in ISO 14644-3 (2005) is discussed, and improvements recommended. The application of the decay equation to the ‘clean up’ requirement given in the EU GGMP (2008) is also ...

The flow of transgenes into landraces and wild relatives is an important biosafety concern. The case of transgene flow into local maize varieties in Mexico (the center of origin of maize) has been intensively debated over the past 15 years, including legal, political, and environmental disputes fanned by the existence of a significant scientific controversy over the methods used for the detecti...

Soils contain an increasing number of different pollutants, which are often released into the environment by human activity. Among “new” potential pollutants plastics and microplastics. “Recognized” such as heavy metals, geogenic anthropogenic origin, now meet purely contaminants plastic particles. Those can especially in floodplain landscapes soils, because their function a temporary sink for ...

Phosphorus (P) can leach from topsoil in inorganic and organic forms. While some evidence has shown P (orthophosphate) to depth soils, less is known of dissolved (DOP). This not helped by a paucity DOP data for groundwater. We hypothesized that species would greater amounts at faster rate through aquifer gravels than orthophosphate. applied superphosphate with or without dung low P-sorption soi...

Turmeric is mainly grown as monocrop or intercrop in wet and intermediate zones of Sri Lanka. However, promoting the dry zone turmeric cultivation under intensive irrigation proper shade conditions could address increased demand for locally produced create an extra potential exportation. Therefore, it essential urgent need to find out feasibility growing semi-arid areas. Thus, this study focus ...