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  1. Mishra M, Chand P, Beja SK, Santos CAG, Silva RMD, Ahmed I, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2023 Jun 01;875:162488.
    PMID: 36858239 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162488
    The eastern coast of India is one of the regions where most of the population resides in urban areas in the low-elevation coastal zone, making it vulnerable to frequent extreme weather events. The objectives of this study are to assess the short- to long-term shoreline changes of the Odisha coast, to understand how anthropogenic influences, and particularly extreme natural events, affect these changes, and to predict shoreline changes for 2050. This study utilized multi-temporal/spectral/spatial resolution satellite images and a digital shoreline analysis (DSAS) tool to appraise the short- (at five/six-year intervals) and long-term (1990-2019) shoreline dynamics along the coastal part of Odisha over the past three decades (1990-2019). The long-term shoreline analysis shows that the mean shoreline change is about 0.67 m/year and highlights that 52.47 % (227.4 km), 34.70 % (150.4 km), and 12.83 % (55.6 km) of the total Odisha coastline exhibit erosion, accretion, and stability, respectively. During the short-term analysis, the 2000-2005 period had the highest percentage of erosion (64.27 %), followed by the 2005-2010 period with an erosional trend of 59.06 %. The 1995-2000 period showed an accretion trend, whereas, during the last period, i.e., 2015-2019, the percentage of transects depicting erosion and accretion was almost similar. In 2050, 55.85 % of the transects are expected to show accretion, while 44.15 % would show erosion or a constant trend. The study identified the hotspots of coastal erosion along delineated study zones by synthesizing data from previous studies as well. The regional analysis of shoreline change along the Odisha coast would not only provide coastal managers with critical information on shoreline dynamics but also draw attention to vulnerable areas linked to shoreline dynamicity along the coast.
  2. Frize M, Lhotska L, Marcu LG, Stoeva M, Barabino G, Ibrahim F, et al.
    Gend Work Organ, 2021 Apr 28.
    PMID: 34230783 DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12690
    The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people, including those in the fields of science and engineering, to work from home. The new working environment caused by the pandemic is assumed to have a different impact on the amount of work that women and men can do from home. Particularly, if the major burden of child and other types of care is still predominantly on the shoulders of women. As such, a survey was conducted to assess the main issues that biomedical engineers, medical physicists (academics and professionals), and other similar professionals have been facing when working from home during the pandemic. A survey was created and disseminated worldwide. It originated from a committee of International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine (IUPESM; Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group) and supported by the Union. The ethics clearance was received from Carleton University. The survey was deployed on the Survey Monkey platform and the results were analyzed using IBM SPSS software. The analyses mainly consisted of frequency of the demographic parameters and the cross-tabulation of gender with all relevant variables describing the impact of work at home. A total of 921 responses from biomedical professions in 76 countries were received: 339 males, 573 females, and nine prefer-not-to-say/other. Regarding marital/partnership status, 85% of males were married or in partnership, and 15% were single, whereas 72% of females were married or in partnership, and 26% were single. More women were working from home during the pandemic (68%) versus 50% of men. More men had access to an office at home (68%) versus 64% for women. The proportion of men spending more than 3 h on child care and schooling per day was 12%, while for women it was 22%; for household duties, 8% of men spent more than 3 h; for women, this was 12.5%. It is interesting to note that 44% of men spent between 1 and 3 h per day on household duties, while for women, it was 55%. The high number of survey responses can be considered excellent. It is interesting to note that men participate in childcare and household duties in a relatively high percentage; although this corresponds to less hours daily than for women. It is far more than can be found 2 and 3 decades ago. This may reflect the situation in the developed countries only-as majority of responses (75%) was received from these countries. It is evident that the burden of childcare and household duties will have a negative impact on the careers of women if the burden is not more similar for both sexes. It is important to recognize that a change in policies of organizations that hire them may be required to provide accommodation and compensation to minimize the negative impact on the professional status and career of men and women who work in STEM fields.
  3. Mishra M, Acharyya T, Kar D, Debanath M, Santos CAG, Silva RMD, et al.
    Mar Pollut Bull, 2021 Nov;172:112881.
    PMID: 34454383 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112881
    In this study, we have analyzed how geo-ecological cues for endangered Olive Ridley turtles' mass nesting behavior got modified by impact of four severe cyclones during 2010-2019 that made landfall in the vicinity of Rushikulya estuary, which is one of the largest mass nesting congregation (arribada) sites in the world. Analyzing last 10 years of shoreline dynamics, we show that even the slightest modification in beach morphology influenced their nesting behavior in Rushikulya rookery. Shoreline change analysis showed periodic phases of high/low erosion and the northward longshore sediment movement, which becomes impeded by the southern spit, the length of which increased by about 1800 m. During the analyzed period, the nesting behavior of Olive Ridley turtle was greatly influenced by changes in land use and land cover pattern around the Rushikulya rookery. Such reductions in tree cover and marshy land areas were majorly driven by anthropogenic activities and extreme weather events, such as cyclones. We also report increased mortality of turtles, no or false mass nesting events due to significant loss and/or erosion of the nesting sites due to cyclones. The results indicate that conservation of Olive Ridley turtles should be more holistic, or ecosystem centric, rather than species centric. It is important to maintain the ecological integrity of their habitat for highly synchronized mass nesting event and eventually their survival.
  4. Lim WC, Marques Da Costa ME, Godefroy K, Jacquet E, Gragert L, Rondof W, et al.
    Front Immunol, 2023;14:1265469.
    PMID: 38318504 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1265469
    The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system is a major factor controlling cancer immunosurveillance and response to immunotherapy, yet its status in pediatric cancers remains fragmentary. We determined high-confidence HLA genotypes in 576 children, adolescents and young adults with recurrent/refractory solid tumors from the MOSCATO-01 and MAPPYACTS trials, using normal and tumor whole exome and RNA sequencing data and benchmarked algorithms. There was no evidence for narrowed HLA allelic diversity but discordant homozygosity and allele frequencies across tumor types and subtypes, such as in embryonal and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma MYCN and 11q subtypes, and high-grade glioma, and several alleles may represent protective or susceptibility factors to specific pediatric solid cancers. There was a paucity of somatic mutations in HLA and antigen processing and presentation (APP) genes in most tumors, except in cases with mismatch repair deficiency or genetic instability. The prevalence of loss-of-heterozygosity (LOH) ranged from 5.9 to 7.7% in HLA class I and 8.0 to 16.7% in HLA class II genes, but was widely increased in osteosarcoma and glioblastoma (~15-25%), and for DRB1-DQA1-DQB1 in Ewing sarcoma (~23-28%) and low-grade glioma (~33-50%). HLA class I and HLA-DR antigen expression was assessed in 194 tumors and 44 patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) by immunochemistry, and class I and APP transcript levels quantified in PDXs by RT-qPCR. We confirmed that HLA class I antigen expression is heterogeneous in advanced pediatric solid tumors, with class I loss commonly associated with the transcriptional downregulation of HLA-B and transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) genes, whereas class II antigen expression is scarce on tumor cells and occurs on immune infiltrating cells. Patients with tumors expressing sufficient HLA class I and TAP levels such as some glioma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma and non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft-tissue sarcoma cases may more likely benefit from T cell-based approaches, whereas strategies to upregulate HLA expression, to expand the immunopeptidome, and to target TAP-independent epitopes or possibly LOH might provide novel therapeutic opportunities in others. The consequences of HLA class II expression by immune cells remain to be established. Immunogenetic profiling should be implemented in routine to inform immunotherapy trials for precision medicine of pediatric cancers.
  5. Marques Da Costa ME, Zaidi S, Scoazec JY, Droit R, Lim WC, Marchais A, et al.
    Commun Biol, 2023 Sep 18;6(1):949.
    PMID: 37723198 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05320-0
    Pediatric patients with recurrent and refractory cancers are in most need for new treatments. This study developed patient-derived-xenograft (PDX) models within the European MAPPYACTS cancer precision medicine trial (NCT02613962). To date, 131 PDX models were established following heterotopical and/or orthotopical implantation in immunocompromised mice: 76 sarcomas, 25 other solid tumors, 12 central nervous system tumors, 15 acute leukemias, and 3 lymphomas. PDX establishment rate was 43%. Histology, whole exome and RNA sequencing revealed a high concordance with the primary patient's tumor profile, human leukocyte-antigen characteristics and specific metabolic pathway signatures. A detailed patient molecular characterization, including specific mutations prioritized in the clinical molecular tumor boards are provided. Ninety models were shared with the IMI2 ITCC Pediatric Preclinical Proof-of-concept Platform (IMI2 ITCC-P4) for further exploitation. This PDX biobank of unique recurrent childhood cancers provides an essential support for basic and translational research and treatments development in advanced pediatric malignancies.
  6. Nater A, Mattle-Greminger MP, Nurcahyo A, Nowak MG, de Manuel M, Desai T, et al.
    Curr Biol, 2017 Nov 20;27(22):3487-3498.e10.
    PMID: 29103940 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.09.047
    Six extant species of non-human great apes are currently recognized: Sumatran and Bornean orangutans, eastern and western gorillas, and chimpanzees and bonobos [1]. However, large gaps remain in our knowledge of fine-scale variation in hominoid morphology, behavior, and genetics, and aspects of great ape taxonomy remain in flux. This is particularly true for orangutans (genus: Pongo), the only Asian great apes and phylogenetically our most distant relatives among extant hominids [1]. Designation of Bornean and Sumatran orangutans, P. pygmaeus (Linnaeus 1760) and P. abelii (Lesson 1827), as distinct species occurred in 2001 [1, 2]. Here, we show that an isolated population from Batang Toru, at the southernmost range limit of extant Sumatran orangutans south of Lake Toba, is distinct from other northern Sumatran and Bornean populations. By comparing cranio-mandibular and dental characters of an orangutan killed in a human-animal conflict to those of 33 adult male orangutans of a similar developmental stage, we found consistent differences between the Batang Toru individual and other extant Ponginae. Our analyses of 37 orangutan genomes provided a second line of evidence. Model-based approaches revealed that the deepest split in the evolutionary history of extant orangutans occurred ∼3.38 mya between the Batang Toru population and those to the north of Lake Toba, whereas both currently recognized species separated much later, about 674 kya. Our combined analyses support a new classification of orangutans into three extant species. The new species, Pongo tapanuliensis, encompasses the Batang Toru population, of which fewer than 800 individuals survive. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
  7. Crous PW, Wingfield MJ, Burgess TI, Hardy GESJ, Gené J, Guarro J, et al.
    Persoonia, 2018 Dec;40:240-393.
    PMID: 30505003 DOI: 10.3767/persoonia.2018.40.10
    Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Australia, Chaetopsina eucalypti on Eucalyptus leaf litter, Colletotrichum cobbittiense from Cordyline stricta × C. australis hybrid, Cyanodermella banksiae on Banksia ericifolia subsp. macrantha, Discosia macrozamiae on Macrozamia miquelii, Elsinoë banksiigena on Banksia marginata, Elsinoë elaeocarpi on Elaeocarpus sp., Elsinoë leucopogonis on Leucopogon sp., Helminthosporium livistonae on Livistona australis, Idriellomyces eucalypti (incl. Idriellomyces gen. nov.) on Eucalyptus obliqua, Lareunionomyces eucalypti on Eucalyptus sp., Myrotheciomyces corymbiae (incl. Myrotheciomyces gen. nov., Myrotheciomycetaceae fam. nov.), Neolauriomyces eucalypti (incl. Neolauriomyces gen. nov., Neolauriomycetaceae fam. nov.) on Eucalyptus sp., Nullicamyces eucalypti (incl. Nullicamyces gen. nov.) on Eucalyptus leaf litter, Oidiodendron eucalypti on Eucalyptus maidenii, Paracladophialophora cyperacearum (incl. Paracladophialophoraceae fam. nov.) and Periconia cyperacearum on leaves of Cyperaceae, Porodiplodia livistonae (incl. Porodiplodia gen. nov., Porodiplodiaceae fam. nov.) on Livistona australis, Sporidesmium melaleucae (incl. Sporidesmiales ord. nov.) on Melaleuca sp., Teratosphaeria sieberi on Eucalyptus sieberi, Thecaphora australiensis in capsules of a variant of Oxalis exilis. Brazil, Aspergillus serratalhadensis from soil, Diaporthe pseudoinconspicua from Poincianella pyramidalis, Fomitiporella pertenuis on dead wood, Geastrum magnosporum on soil, Marquesius aquaticus (incl. Marquesius gen. nov.) from submerged decaying twig and leaves of unidentified plant, Mastigosporella pigmentata from leaves of Qualea parviflorae, Mucor souzae from soil, Mycocalia aquaphila on decaying wood from tidal detritus, Preussia citrullina as endophyte from leaves of Citrullus lanatus, Queiroziella brasiliensis (incl. Queiroziella gen. nov.) as epiphytic yeast on leaves of Portea leptantha, Quixadomyces cearensis (incl. Quixadomyces gen. nov.) on decaying bark, Xylophallus clavatus on rotten wood. Canada, Didymella cari on Carum carvi and Coriandrum sativum. Chile, Araucasphaeria foliorum (incl. Araucasphaeria gen. nov.) on Araucaria araucana, Aspergillus tumidus from soil, Lomentospora valparaisensis from soil. Colombia, Corynespora pseudocassiicola on Byrsonima sp., Eucalyptostroma eucalyptorum on Eucalyptus pellita, Neometulocladosporiella eucalypti (incl. Neometulocladosporiella gen. nov.) on Eucalyptus grandis × urophylla, Tracylla eucalypti (incl. Tracyllaceae fam. nov., Tracyllalales ord. nov.) on Eucalyptus urophylla. Cyprus, Gyromitra anthracobia (incl. Gyromitra subg. Pseudoverpa) on burned soil. Czech Republic, Lecanicillium restrictum from the surface of the wooden barrel, Lecanicillium testudineum from scales of Trachemys scripta elegans. Ecuador, Entoloma yanacolor and Saproamanita quitensis on soil. France, Lentithecium carbonneanum from submerged decorticated Populus branch. Hungary, Pleuromyces hungaricus (incl. Pleuromyces gen. nov.) from a large Fagus sylvatica log. Iran, Zymoseptoria crescenta on Aegilops triuncialis. Malaysia, Ochroconis musicola on Musa sp. Mexico, Cladosporium michoacanense from soil. New Zealand , Acrodontium metrosideri on Metrosideros excelsa, Polynema podocarpi on Podocarpus totara, Pseudoarthrographis phlogis (incl. Pseudoarthrographis gen. nov.) on Phlox subulata. Nigeria, Coprinopsis afrocinerea on soil. Pakistan, Russula mansehraensis on soil under Pinus roxburghii. Russia, Baorangia alexandri on soil in deciduous forests with Quercus mongolica. South Africa, Didymocyrtis brachylaenae on Brachylaena discolor. Spain, Alfaria dactylis from fruit of Phoenix dactylifera, Dothiora infuscans from a blackened wall, Exophiala nidicola from the nest of an unidentified bird, Matsushimaea monilioides from soil, Terfezia morenoi on soil. United Arab Emirates, Tirmania honrubiae on soil. USA, Arxotrichum wyomingense (incl. Arxotrichum gen. nov.) from soil, Hongkongmyces snookiorum from submerged detritus from a fresh water fen, Leratiomyces tesquorum from soil, Talaromyces tabacinus on leaves of Nicotiana tabacum. Vietnam, Afroboletus vietnamensis on soil in an evergreen tropical forest, Colletotrichum condaoense from Ipomoea pes-caprae. Morphological and culture characteristics along with DNA barcodes are provided.
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