Natural gas and oil consumption are projected (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2019) to increase globally and domestically through 2040. According to the report released by the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA, 2015), extraction and transportation of natural resources will require establishment of thousands of kilometres of new pipeline infrastructures. As an inevitable consequence, installation of underground pipelines implicates extensive soil disturbance with adverse effects on soil physical properties through soil compaction and mixing of topsoil and subsoil because of construction right-of-way (ROW) activities (Naeth,

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Recent advances in agronomy include better understanding of biodiversity in the ecosystem and mechanisms of interactions between crop species. Intercropping encompasses two or more crop species growing together. Enhanced biodiversity in intercropping systems can increase productivity, stability, resilience, and resource-use efficiency of the intercropped species compared with sole-cropping. Feasibility of different wheatrapeseed intercropping patterns were evaluated under three nitrogen fertilizer rates (0, 60, and 120 kg N ha −1) across two experimental years. Besides sole-cropping of wheat (1:0) and rapeseed (0:1), three patterns of wheatrapeseed intercropping were arranged in different ratios, including 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3. Rapeseed growth and development were influenced highly by inter-annual weather variability, which resulted in a low yield in the second year of the experiment. Total cropping system performance, as indicated by dry matter (per plant and per unit area) and grain yield production, increased with adding N fertilizer, especially in the drier year. Additional N fertilizer could only compensate the yield loss due to intercropping in that year. In terms of individual crop production, sole-cropping of wheat was superior to all intercrops under the environmental conditions of the Pannonian region. Overall, among wheat-rapeseed intercropping patterns, the ratio of 3:1 had advantages over the other intercropping patterns in terms of productivity and interspecies competition across contrasting years.

Thermal behavior of modern processors is a first-order design constraint. However, accurate estimation of thermal behavior is time consuming, and techniques for accelerating performance simulations often yield inaccurate results when directly applied to thermal simulation, or do not reduce the thermal computation at all. This paper is the first to propose thermal sampling techniques. It can be integrated with existing phase-based and statistical-based architectural simulator sampling. The resulting simulator can perform accurate performance, power, and thermal characterization at close to 30 MIPS, on average, instead of 5 MIPS for the fastest sampling technique without thermal-aware sampling.

9The Gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is an 10 important human pathogen. It can either asymptomatically colonize the nasopharynx or spread 11 to other tissues to cause mild to severe diseases. Nasopharyngeal colonization is a 12 prerequisite for all pneumococcal diseases. We describe a molecular pathway utilized by 13 pneumococcus to adhere to host cells and promote colonization. We demonstrate that the 14 secreted peptide VP1 enhances pneumococcal attachment to epithelial cells. Transcriptional 15 studies reveal that VP1 triggers the expression of operons involved in the transport and 16 metabolism of hyaluronic acid (HA), a glycosaminoglycan present in the host extracellular 17 matrix. Genetic experiments in the pneumococcus reveal that HA processing locus (HAL) 18 promotes attachment. Further, overexpression of HAL genes in the Dvp1 background, reveal 19 that the influence of VP1 on attachment is mediated via its effect on HA. In addition, VP1 also 20 enhances degradation of the HA polymer, in a process that depends on the HAL genes. siRNA 21 experiments to knockdown host HA synthesis support this conclusion. In these knockdown 22 that connects nutrient availability, population-level signaling, adhesion, biofilm formation, 32 colonization, and virulence. 33 4 AUTHOR SUMMARY 34Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is a major human pathogen. This 35 bacterium asymptomatically colonizes the human upper respiratory tract from where it can 36 disseminate to other tissues causing mild to severe disease. Colonization is a prerequisite for 37 dissemination and disease, such that the molecules that control colonization are high-value 38 candidates for therapeutic interventions. Pneumococcal colonization is a population-level 39 response, which requires attachment to host cells and biofilm development. VP1 is a signaling 40 peptide, highly induced in the presence of host cells and in vivo, promotes biofilm 41 development, and serves as a potent virulence determinant. In this study, we build on the 42 molecular mechanism of VP1 function to reveal novel bacterial and host molecules that 43 enhance adherence and colonization. Our findings suggest that host hyaluronic acid serves as 44 an anchor for pneumococcal cells, and that genes involved in the transport and metabolism of 45 HA promote adherence. These genes are triggered by VP1, which in turn, is controlled by 46 regulators that respond to nutrient status of the host. Finally, our results are strongly supported 47 50The Gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (also known as the 51 pneumococcus) is an important human pathogen. A recent global study on lower respiratory 52 infections determined that the pneumococcus contributed to morbidity more than all other 53 etiologies combined: it was responsible for an estimated 1.18 million deaths (1,2). This 54 pathogen can either asymptomatically colonize the nasopharynx or spread to other tissues to 55 cause mild to severe diseases. It can spread to the middle ear and sinus, leadi...