Application of Norway Spruce Leaf Extract in Oily Skin Care:A Mechanism and Clinical Study

Oily skin,a facial skin condition,appears shiny and greasy and is a source of common skin disorders such as acne vulgaris and seborrheic dermatitis.Moreover,oily skin can lead to depression,distress,and so on,which can be detrimental to social interactions.In this study,the effect of Norway spruce leaf extract(NSLE)on the management of oily skin was investigated both in vitro and in vivo,focusing on its sebum-controlling and anti-inflammatory properties.The in vitro results showed that the NSLE significantly reduced neutral lipids in linoleic acid(LA)-induced human SZ95 sebocytes in a dose-dependent manner(P<0.05).Additionally,the 2.5%NSLE was able to reduce the lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced elevation of nitric oxide(NO)levels in RAW264.7 cells(P<0.05).The human efficacy evaluation showed that the emulsion containing 2.5%NSLE had a significant sebum-controlling effect,the skin sebum content decreased by 29.3%after 7 days.Furthermore,the results also indicated a notable improvement in skin glossiness and lightness(P<0.05)after two weeks of application,compared to baseline.In conclusion,NSLE effectively enhances the skin health of oily skin by reducing sebum production and inhibiting inflammation.This study provided evidence for NSLE as a natural and effective ingredient in skincare products for individuals with oily skin.

Drought can favour the growth of small in relation to tall trees in mature stands of Norway spruce and European beech

Background: Climate change triggered many studies showing that trends and events of environmental conditions can reduce but also accelerate growth at the stand and individual tree level. However, it is still rather unknown how climate change modifies the growth partitioning between the trees in forest stands.Methods: Based on long-term girth-tape measurements in mature monospecific and mixed-species stands of Norway spruce(Picea abies(L.) Karst.) and European beech(Fagus sylvatica L.) we traced the effect of the severe droughts in 2003 and 2015 from the stand down to the tree level.Results: Stand growth of Norway spruce decreased by about 30% in the once-in-a-century drought 2015, while European beech was much more drought resistant. Water availability generally amplified size-asymmetric growth partitioning. Especially in case of Norway spruce water availability primarily fostered the growth of predominant trees, whereas drought favoured the growth of small trees at the expense of the predominant ones. We could not detect significant differences between mixed and monospecific stands in this regard.Conclusions: The drought-induced reallocation of growth in favour of small trees in case of spruce may result from its isohydric character. We hypothesize that as small trees are shaded, they can benefit from the reduced water consumption of their sun-exposed taller neighbours. In case of beech, as an anisohydric species, tall trees suffer less and smaller trees benefit less under drought. The discussion elaborates the consequences of the water dependent growth allocation for forest monitoring, growth modelling, and silviculture.

Incorporating shape constraints in generalized additive modelling of the height-diameter relationship for Norway spruce

Background： Measurements of tree heights and diameters are essential in forest assessment and modelling. Tree heights are used for estimating timber volume, site index and other important variables related to forest growth and yield, succession and carbon budget models. However, the diameter at breast height （dbh） can be more accurately obtained and at lower cost, than total tree height. Hence, generalized height-diameter （h-d） models that predict tree height from dbh, age and other covariates are needed. For a more flexible but biologically plausible estimation of covariate effects we use shape constrained generalized additive models as an extension of existing h-d model approaches. We use causal site parameters such as index of aridity to enhance the generality and causality of the models and to enable predictions under projected changeable climatic conditions. Methods： We develop unconstrained generalized additive models （GAM） and shape constrained generalized additive models （SCAM） for investigating the possible effects of tree-specific parameters such as tree age, relative diameter at breast height, and site-specific parameters such as index of aridity and sum of daily mean temperature during vegetation period, on the h-d relationship of forests in Lower Saxony, Germany. Results： Some of the derived effects, e.g. effects of age, index of aridity and sum of daily mean temperature have significantly non-linear pattern. The need for using SCAM results from the fact that some of the model effects show partially implausible patterns especially at the boundaries of data ranges. The derived model predicts monotonically increasing levels of tree height with increasing age and temperature sum and decreasing aridity and social rank of a tree within a stand, The definition of constraints leads only to marginal or minor decline in the model statistics like AIC An observed structured spatial trend in tree height is modelled via 2-dimensional surface fitting. Conclusions： We demonstrate that the SCAM approach allows optimal regression modelling flexibility similar to the standard GAM but with the additional possibility of defining specific constraints for the model effects. The longitudinal character of the model allows for tree height imputation for the current status of forests but also for future tree height prediction.

Longitudinal height-diameter curves for Norway spruce, Scots pine and silver birch in Norway based on shape constraint additive regression models

Background： Generalized height-diameter curves based on a re-parameterized version of the Korf function for Norway spruce （Piceo abies （L.） Karst.）, Scots pine （Pinus sylvestris L.） and silver birch （Betula pendula Roth） in Norwa are presented. The Norwegian National Forest Inventory （NFI） is used as data base for estimating the model parameters. The derived models are developed to enable spatially explicit and site sensitive tree height imputatio in forest inventories as well as future tree height predictions in growth and yield scenario simulations. Methods： Generalized additive mixed models （gamm） are employed to detect and quantify potentially non-linear effects of predictor variables. In doing so the quadratic mean diameter serves as longitudinal covariate since stand ag as measured in the NFI, shows only a weak correlation with a stands developmental status in Norwegian forests. Additionally the models can be locally calibrated by predicting random effects if measured height-diameter pairs are available. Based on the model selection of non-constraint models, shape constraint additive models （scare） were fit tc incorporate expert knowledge and intrinsic relationships by enforcing certain effect patterns like monotonicity. Results： Model comparisons demonstrate that the shape constraints lead to only marginal differences in statistical characteristics but ensure reasonable model predictions. Under constant constraints the developed models predict increasing tree heights with decreasing altitude, increasing soil depth and increasing competition pressure of a tree. / two-dimensional spatially structured effect of UTM-coordinates accounts for the potential effects of large scale spatial correlated covariates, which were not at our disposal. The main result of modelling the spatially structured effect is lower tree height prediction for coastal sites and with increasing latitude. The quadratic mean diameter affects both the level and the slope of the height-diameter curve and both effects are positive. Conclusions： In this investigation it is assumed that model effects in additive modelling of height-diameter curves which are unfeasible and too wiggly from an expert point of view are a result of quantitatively or qualitatively limited data bases. However, this problem can be regarded not to be specific to our investigation but more general since growth and yield data that are balanced over the whole data range with respect to all combinations of predictor variables are exceptional cases. Hence, scare may provide methodological improvements in several applications by combining the flexibility of additive models with expert knowledge.

Crown Morphology of Norway Spruce from Usual Tree Measurements

The crown morphology of Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst) was studied from 617 sample trees. In order to model branch and crown descriptors the linear and nonlinear regression methods were extensively used. Results show that the branch length can be fairly well predicted from the distance to the apex of the tree and that the branch spread has a high correlation with the branch length and the insertion angle. Models have been set up to predict the crown ratio, height to the base of the living crown, height to the first living branch and the height to the first dead branch from the usual whole-tree measurements, namely diameter at breast height total height and total age.

Checking of Radially Sawn Scots Pine and Norway Spruce Wood

In exterior use, wood is subjected to weathering that causes checking and other deterioration in the appearance and technical properties. We studied quantitatively the surface checking of radially and tangentially sawn specimens of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.) wood in a cyclic climate chamber test. The results strongly suggested that the sawing direction determines the checking performance of both Scots pine and Norway spruce wood. The radial surface of Scots pine specimens had 62% less checks than the tangential one, and the cumulative area of checks was 74% smaller. For Norway spruce, the respective figures were: 83% less in the check number and 91% less in the check area. Different from pine, in spruce specimens the checks of radial surface were significantly smaller. Thus, spruce timber gained clearly more about radial sawing pattern. The effect of annual ring width was similar for pine and spruce: the reduction in annual growth worsened the checking. The increase in density worsened the checking of spruce but did not change the performance of pine. In pine wood, the increase of heartwood proportion reduced the fluctuation of moisture content and the formation of checks.

Norway spruce(Picea abies) laccases:Characterization of a laccase in a lignin-forming tissue culture

Secondarily thickened cell walls of water-conducting vessels and tracheids and support-giving sclerenchyma cells contain lignin that makes the cell walls water impermeable and strong. To what extent laccases and peroxidases contribute to lignin biosynthesis in muro is under active evaluation. We performed an in silico study of Norway spruce （Picea abies （L.） Karst.） laccases utilizing available genomic data. As many as 292 laccase encoding sequences （genes, gene fragments, and pseudogenes） were detected in the spruce genome. Out of the 112 genes annotated as laccases, 79 are expressed at some level. We isolated five fun-length laccase cDNAs from developing xylem and an extracellular lignin-forming cell culture of spruce. In addition, we purified and biochemically characterized one culture medium laccase from the lignin-forming cell culture. This laccase has an acidic pH optimum （pH 3.8-4.2） for coniferyl alcohol oxidation. It has a high affinity to coniferyl alcohol with an apparent Km value of 3.5μM; however, the laccase has a lower catalytic efficiency （Vmax/Km） for coniferyl alcohol oxidation compared with some purified culture medium peroxidases. The properties are discussed in the context of the information already known about laccases/coniferyl alcohol oxidases of coniferous plants.

Cell Wall Lignin is Polymerised by Class Ⅲ Secretable Plant Peroxidases in Norway Spruce

Class Ⅲ secretable plant peroxidases occur as a large family of genes in plants with many functions and probable redundancy. In this review we are concentrating on the evidence we have on the catalysis of lignin polymerization by class Ⅲ plant peroxidases present in the apoplastic space in the xylem of trees. Some evidence exists on the specificity of peroxidase isozymes in lignin polymerization through substrate specificity studies, from antisense mutants in tobacco and poplar and from tissue and cell culture lines of Norway spruce （Picea abies） and Zinnia elegans. In addition, real time （RT-）PCR results have pointed out that many peroxidases have tissue specific expression patterns in Norway spruce. Through combining information on catalytic properties of the enzymes, on the expression patterns of the corresponding genes, and on the presence of monolignols and hydrogen peroxide in the apoplastic space, we can show that specific peroxidases catalyze lignin polymerization in the apoplastic space of Norway spruce xylem.

Behavior of Decayed Spruce (Picea abies) during Kraft Pulping

This study indicated that by applying an improved classification system to decayed large-diameter Norway spruce(Picea abies)wood,its use as raw material for kraft pulping without loss of pulp quality could be essentially increased.This is based on the fact that although the cooking yield of decayed spruce material which has been sorted according to these new recommendations is somewhat lower and Kappa number higher than those of sound wood material,the greatest part of the decayed stem(the outer part of the stem)contains long-fiber wood material which produces pulp of good quality.Therefore,large-diameter spruce logs can also be separately used,for example,in the manufacture of reinforcement pulp.

The effects of data aggregation on long-term projections of forest stands development

Forest management planning often relies on Airborne Laser Scanning(ALS)-based Forest Management Inventories(FMIs)for sustainable and efficient decision-making.Employing the area-based(ABA)approach,these inventories estimate forest characteristics for grid cell areas(pixels),which are then usually summarized at the stand level.Using the ALS-based high-resolution Norwegian Forest Resource Maps(16 m×16 m pixel resolution)alongside with stand-level growth and yield models,this study explores the impact of three levels of pixel aggregation(standlevel,stand-level with species strata,and pixel-level)on projected stand development.The results indicate significant differences in the projected outputs based on the aggregation level.Notably,the most substantial difference in estimated volume occurred between stand-level and pixel-level aggregation,ranging from-301 to+253 m^(3)·ha^(-1)for single stands.The differences were,on average,higher for broadleaves than for spruce and pine dominated stands,and for mixed stands and stands with higher variability than for pure and homogenous stands.In conclusion,this research underscores the critical role of input data resolution in forest planning and management,emphasizing the need for improved data collection practices to ensure sustainable forest management.

Drivers of tree regeneration in coniferous monocultures during conversion to mixed forests in Central Europe – Implications for forest restoration management

In Central Europe,anthropogenic coniferous monocultures have been subject to conversion to more diverse mixed forests since the 1990s,however,they are still abundant across many forest landscapes.Artificial and natural tree regeneration both play a key role during conversion by determining the species composition and structure of the future forests.Many abiotic and biotic factors can potentially influence the regeneration process and its specific combinations or interactions may be different among tree species and its developmental stages.Here,we aimed to identify and quantify the effect of the most important drivers on the density of the most abundant regenerating tree species(i.e.,Norway spruce and European beech),as well as on species and structural diversity of the tree regeneration.We studied tree regeneration in four former monospecific coniferous stand types(i.e.,Norway spruce,Scots pine,European larch,and Douglas fir)in Southwest Germany that have been under conversion to mixed forests since the 1990s.We sampled tree regeneration in four growth height classes together with a variety of potentially influencing factors on 108 sampling plots and applied multivariate analyses.We identified light availability in the understorey,stand structural attributes,browsing pressure,and diaspore source abundance as the most important factors for the density and diversity of tree regeneration.Particularly,we revealed speciesspecific differences in drivers of regeneration density.While spruce profited from increasing light availability and decreasing stand basal area,beech benefited either from a minor reduction or more strikingly from an increase in overstorey density.Increasing diaspore source abundance positively and a high browsing pressure negatively affected both species equally.Our results suggest that humus and topsoil properties were modified during conversion,probably due to changes in tree species composition and silvicultural activities.The species and structural diversity of the tree regeneration benefitted from increasing light availability,decreasing stand basal area,and a low to moderate browsing pressure.We conclude that forest managers may carefully equilibrate among the regulation of overstorey cover,stand basal area,and browsing pressure to fulfil the objectives of forest conversion,i.e.,establishing and safeguarding a diverse tree regeneration to promote the development of mature mixed forests in the future.

Effect of gap size and forest type on mineral nitrogen forms under different soil properties

Gaps play a key role in forest ecosystem development and result from either natural processes or targeted forest management activities.The aim of this study was to investigate the interrelationships of soil properties in each of three forest types and two treatments,and to identify factors that influence levels of soil mineral nitrogen forms.The relation between mineral nitrogen and factors of soil parameters and stand type(European beech,Norway spruce,mixed stand)categories were investigated.The spruce forest type stored significant nitrogen in both mineral forms of nitrogen.Moreover,there was a significant linear dependence between N-NO3^-(nitrate anion)concentrations and cation exchange capacity(CEC)parameters such as base cation contents(S-CEC)and potential ureolytic activities(UreasePot),as well as between N-NH4^+(ammonium cation)concentrations and both hydrolytic acidities(Ha-CEC)and ureolytic activities.The dependence of N-NO3^-concentrations on S-CEC contents and UreasePot was negative,especially in adjacent stand.The dependence of N-NH4^+concentrations on Ha-CEC and UreasePot was week in the beech and mixed forest types while it was significantly positive in the spruce forest type.

Index of Atmospheric Purity reflects the ecological conditions better than the environmental pollution in the Carpathian forests

The Index of Atmospheric Purity(IAP)is a popular tool used for the assessment of air quality in polluted urban areas,on the basis of phytosociological data of epiphytic lichen communities.We hypothesized that this indicator could also be used in less polluted forest areas to determine the quality of ecological conditions for lichens.The aim of the present study was to verify the use of IAP method in the assessment of environmental pollution,and alternatively for the assessment of general ecological conditions in protected mountain forests of Gorce National Park(Polish Western Carpathians)based on the epiphytic lichen biota associated with Picea abies.The spatial distribution of IAP values on monitored sites in GNP was compared with:1)spatial distribution of accumulated sulfur,nitrogen,selected heavy metals,and total heavy metals in Hypogymnia physodes thalli in 1993 and 2018(30 sites),2)mean ecological indicator values characterizing species requirements for light(L),substrate reaction(R)and nutrients(N),in 1993,2013 and 2018(33 sites).Generalized linear model and redundancy analysis were performed for disclosing most influencing factors affecting lichen communities.The study revealed a few negligible relationships between IAP values and accumulation of such elements as Ni,Mn,Cd,and Cr in both monitoring periods.Simultaneously,IAP can be useful for the identification of forest areas with a high degree of naturalness.

Impact of natural disturbance, forest management and vegetation cover on topsoil biochemical characteristics of Tatra Mts.(Slovakia)

Perturbations caused by windstorms usually lead to the harvesting and clearcutting of fallen trees and wood debris,especially in the areas of managed forest ecosystems.Induced shifts in soils due to management practices play a crucial role in the restoration and maintaining of key ecosystem services.This paper focuses on topsoil chemical properties in relation to vegetation type(trees,shrubs and herbs)evolving at windstorm damaged(in 2004)areas with former Norway spruce(Picea abies)forests in the Tatra Mts.region(Slovakia).We assessed the content of topsoil organic matter fractions(extractives,holocellulose(HC)and lignin(Lig)),carbon in microbial biomass(Cmic),soil organic matter(SOM)and the content of elements N,C,H and S.The study plots represent different types of post-windthrow disturbance history/regime:wooden debris extraction(EXT),wooden debris not extracted(NEX),wooden debris extraction followed by wildfire(FIR),affected by the windstorm in 2014 with the subsequent wooden debris extraction(REX)and unaffected(REF).Our results revealed significant differences among sites in the content of dichloromethane extractives(EXT vs.REX and FIR),acetone extractives(NEX vs.EXT,FIR and REF),ethanol extractives(FIR vs.EXT,NEX and REF),water extractives(FIR vs.REX,NEX)and Cmic(EXT vs.NEX,FIR and REF).The topsoil of Vaccinium myrtillus and Picea abies showed a higher ratio of C/N,N/Lig,and Lig/HC compared to Rubus idaeus,Avenella flexuosa,Calamagrostis villosa,and Larix decidua.The content of N,C,H and S varied between topsoil with shrubs(Vaccinium myrtillus,Rubus idaeus)and grasses(Avenella flexuosa,Calamagrostis villosa).A positive correlation between soil organic matter(SOM)and polar extractives(r=0.81)and a negative correlation between SOM and HC(r=-0.83)was revealed.The carbon content in microbial biomass(Cmic)is positively correlated with acid soluble lignin(ASL)(r=0.85).We also identified a strong correlation between Klason lignin(KL)and the Lig/HC ratio(r=0.97).

Influence of environmental predispositions on temperate mountain forest damage at different spatial scales during alternating drought and flood periods:case study in Hruby Jeseník Mts.(Czech Republic)

Mountain forests are more prone to environmental predispositions(EPs)than submountain ones.While remote sensing of mountain forests enables instantaneous damage mapping,the investigation of the causes requires field data.However,a local field or regionally modeled environmental characteristics influence remote data evaluation differently.This study focused on the evaluation of EPs effects damaging mountain forests between various spatial resolutions during environmental change.The evaluation was divided into managed and natural forests in the Hruby Jeseník Mts.(Czech Republic;240-1491 m a.s.l.;50.082°N,17.231°E).Damage was assessed through the discrimination analysis of the normalised difference vegetation index(NDVI)by MODIS VI during alternating drought and flood periods 2003-2014.The local environmental influence was assessed using the discrimination function(DF)separability of forest damage in the training sets.The regional influence was assessed through map algebra estimated via the DF and a forest decline spatial model based on EPs from differences between risk growth conditions and biomass fuzzy sets.Management,EPs and soil influenced forest NDVI at different levels.The management afflicted the NDVI more than the EPs.The EPs afflicted the NDVI more than the soil groups.Strong winters and droughts had a greater influence on the NDVI than the flood events,with the winter of 2005/2006 inverting the DF direction,and the 2003 drought increasing differences in managed forest biomass and decreasing differences in natural forest biomasses.More than 50% of declining managed forests in the training sets occurred on Leptosols,Podzols and Histosols.On a regional scale,the soil influence was eliminated by multiple predispositions.The EPs influenced 96% of natural forest and 65% of managed forest,though managed forest damage was more evident.The mountain forest NDVI decline was dependent on both management and risk predispositions.

What Is Important in Selecting Phlebiopsis gigantea Strain for Commercial Use？

Phlebiopsis gigantea strains registered in the European Union as biocontrol agents against root rot in forests （four from Great Britain and two from Finland） were compared using Ward＇s method with reference to： （l） similarity of DNA-random amplified microsatellite （RAMS） ladders, （2） cellulase and peroxidase production and （3） acceleration of dry mass wood loss in Norway spruce The activity of the enzymes was tested in the initial phase of wood decay （30 d after inoculation） and indicated as the most active isolates： VFI0 and FCl5 for cellulase and FC16 and VFI0 for peroxidase production. The assessment of loss of wood six months after inoculation indicated isolate FC 15 as the most active. P. gigantea isolates similar in terms of enzyme activity indicated different patterns ofDNA microsatellite loci. At the same time, DNA-RAMS revealed similarities in isolates with different abilities to produce enzymes. However, some similarities and differences between isolates according to wood decay were found. No plain relationships between molecular characteristics and enzyme activity of the strains tested were observed. The results differentiated activity of tested isolates and suggested benefits of selecting P. gigantea strains for commercial use basing mainly on the assessment of wood loss activity.

The Diversity of the Environmental Impact in Kurzeme

The analysis of environmental impact effects on forest ecosystems has a theoretical and practical nature. Many methods have been developed to determine characteristics and intensity of this impact. Methodologically, they can be divided into three groups： environmental parameter, bioindicative and combined methods. To evaluate the environmental impact a combined method was used in this study, it was based on trees as the bioindicators and their response reactions, and environmental parameter analysis. In this study the bioindicator was Norway spruce （Picea abies （L.） Karst.）, whose response reaction was used to explain total impact volumes of environmental factors in different places in the region of Kurzeme and try to interpret the causes of these differences. As the bioindicators criterion was used response reaction of Norway spruce during a period of 20 years, which was expressed with cumulative and annual additional volume increment, and was depending on the location of the stand and its morphometric characteristics. The empirical material was collected in Kurzeme region in 28 sample plots that are located on two transects and in one reference stand. For the evaluation the widths of the last 40 year growth rings were measured. To express the environmental impact in Kurzeme region a multiple regression model was developed, which explains the environmental impact in the volume of 68.2%, the rest part can be explained by the local conditions of each stand. It must be noted that methodology used in this study is very sensitive, thus, each of the nuances in the dynamics of volume＇s annual reduced additional increments has biological and ecological cause.

Changes in fine root biomass of Picea abies forests:predicting the potential impacts of climate change

Aims the impact of global warming on belowground processes,espe-cially on fine root production,is poorly understood in comparison with its aboveground counterpart.Methods Here,we compiled 227 measurements to assess the influence of temperature and precipitation on fine root biomass of Norway spruce(Picea abies[L.]Karst)forest ecosystems in the Eurasia boreal region.Important Findings We found that fine root biomass decreased significantly with lati-tudes.there was a biomass increase of 0.63 Mg ha−1 and 0.32 Mg ha−1 for fine roots<2 and<1 mm in diameter,respectively,with 1°C increase of mean annual temperature.there was an increase of 0.5 and 0.1 Mg ha−1 per 100 mm year−1 precipitation for the two size classes of fine roots.If the adaption of root production can match the pace of global warming and water is not a limiting factor for plant growth,fine root biomass would be expected to increase by 40-140%in response to the predicted increase in tem-perature(3-10°C)over the next century.Our analyses highlighted the strongly positive influences of temperature and precipitation on belowground function,suggesting that predicted future climate change could substantially enhance belowground biomass in the boreal region where the greatest warming is anticipated.this potential increase of belowground biomass,coupled with aboveground biomass,may provide a better understanding of climate-ecosystem feedbacks.