Benthic remineralization under future Arctic conditions and evaluating the potential for changes in carbon sequestration in warming sediments.

Benthic (seafloor) remineralization of organic material determines the fate of carbon in the ocean and its sequestration. Bottom water temperature and labile carbon supply to the seafloor are expected to increase in a warming Arctic and correspondingly, benthic remineralization rates. We provide some of the first experimental data on the response of sediment oxygen demand (SOD), an established proxy for benthic remineralization, to increased temperature and/or food supply across a range of Arctic conditions and regimes.

Psychological distress and related factors regarding COVID-19 among the ancillary hospital staff: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at the front line of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak response. They have faced great risks to both physical and mental health. We aimed to assess the psychological effect of COVID-19 among ancillary hospital staff.

Seafloor warm water temperature anomalies impact benthic macrofauna communities of a high-Arctic cold-water fjord.

Amid the alarming atmospheric and oceanic warming rates taking place in the Arctic, western fjords around the Svalbard archipelago are experiencing an increased frequency of warm water intrusions in recent decades, causing ecological shifts in their ecosystems. However, hardly anything is known about their potential impacts on the until recently considered stable and colder northern fjords. We analyzed macrobenthic fauna from four locations in Rijpfjorden (a high-Arctic fjord in the north of Svalbard) along its axis, sampled intermittently in the years 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2017.

Bacterial symbiont diversity in Arctic seep Oligobrachia siboglinids.

Background: High latitude seeps are dominated by Oligobrachia siboglinid worms. Since these worms are often the sole chemosymbiotrophic taxon present (they host chemosynthetic bacteria within the trophosome organ in their trunk region), a key question in the study of high latitude seep ecology has been whether they harbor methanotrophic symbionts. This debate has manifested due to the mismatch between stable carbon isotope signatures of the worms (lower than -50‰ and usually indicative of methanotrophic symbioses) and the lack of molecular or microscopic evidence for methanotrophic symbionts.

The phylogeography and ecology of frenulate species suggest a generalist chemosynthesis-based fauna in the arctic.

We used ancient DNA (aDNA) extraction methods to sequence museum voucher samples of a frenulate siboglinid polychaete described from a northern Norwegian fjord over fifty years ago. Our sequencing results indicate a genetic match with the cryptic seep species, (99% pairwise identity for 574 bp mtCOI fragments) Due to its similarity with , the identity of has been a matter of debate since its description, which we have now resolved. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that chemosynthesis-based siboglinids, that constitute the bulk of the biomass at Arctic seeps are not seep specialists.

Human rabies control in the era of post-COVID-19: a call for action.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a sharp increase in rabies cases and deaths. Rabies outbreaks are being reported worldwide. Multiple disruptions in Rabies control occurred during the pandemic, significantly affecting lower-income countries.

Community health workers willingness to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials and intention to vaccinate: A cross-sectional survey in India.

Background: Vaccine hesitancy is of considerable concern as it threatens the great potential of a vaccine against COVID-19. This study aims to determine factors associated with community health workers' willingness to participate in clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine, and their vaccination intention, in India.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 377 community health workers using self-administered anonymous questionnaire during the lockdown periods in India.

Emotional intelligence and perceived stress among undergraduate students of arts and science colleges in Puducherry, India: A cross-sectional study.

Background: The concept of emotional intelligence has gained great popularity in the last few decades. With significant rise in stress and other emotional disturbances among students, it becomes necessary to determine whether high emotional intelligence could help manage perceived stress better. This study aims to assess emotional intelligence and perceived stress among undergraduate students of Arts and Science colleges, to determine the association of emotional intelligence with perceived stress, academic performance, and selected socio-demographic factors.

Frenulate siboglinids at high Arctic methane seeps and insight into high latitude frenulate distribution.

Frenulate species were identified from a high Arctic methane seep area on Vestnesa Ridge, western Svalbard margin (79°N, Fram Strait) based on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (mtCOI). Two species were found: , and a new, distinct, and undescribed species. The new species adds to the cryptic species complex found at high latitude methane seeps in the north Atlantic and the Arctic.

Image based quantitative comparisons indicate heightened megabenthos diversity and abundance at a site of weak hydrocarbon seepage in the southwestern Barents Sea.

Background: High primary productivity in the midst of high toxicity defines hydrocarbon seeps; this feature usually results in significantly higher biomass, but in lower diversity communities at seeps rather than in the surrounding non-seep benthos. Qualitative estimates indicate that this dichotomy does not necessarily hold true in high latitude regions with respect to megafauna. Instead, high latitude seeps appear to function as local hotspots of both megafaunal diversity and abundance, although quantitative studies do not exist.

Atypical biological features of a new cold seep site on the Lofoten-Vesterålen continental margin (northern Norway).

A newly discovered cold seep from the Lofoten-Vesterålen margin (Norwegian Sea) is dominated by the chemosymbiotrophic siboglinid Oligobrachia haakonmosbiensis like other high latitude seeps, but additionally displays uncharacteristic features. Sulphidic bottom water likely prevents colonization by cnidarians and sponges, resulting in fewer taxa than deeper seeps in the region, representing a deviation from depth-related trends seen among seeps elsewhere. O.

Cryptic frenulates are the dominant chemosymbiotrophic fauna at Arctic and high latitude Atlantic cold seeps.

We provide the first detailed identification of Barents Sea cold seep frenulate hosts and their symbionts. Mitochondrial COI sequence analysis, in combination with detailed morphological investigations through both light and electron microscopy was used for identifying frenulate hosts, and comparing them to Oligobrachia haakonmosbiensis and Oligobrachia webbi, two morphologically similar species known from the Norwegian Sea. Specimens from sites previously assumed to host O.