Seasonal dynamics and diversity of Antarctic marine viruses reveal a novel viral seascape.

The Southern Ocean microbial ecosystem, with its pronounced seasonal shifts, is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Since viruses are key modulators of microbial abundance, diversity, and evolution, we need a better understanding of the effects of seasonality on the viruses in this region. Our comprehensive exploration of DNA viral diversity in the Southern Ocean reveals a unique and largely uncharted viral landscape, of which 75% was previously unidentified in other oceanic areas.

Evaluation of real-time fluorescence sensors and benchtop fluorescence for tracking and predicting sewage contamination in the Tijuana River Estuary at the US-Mexico border.

Cross-border flow of untreated sewage from Mexico into the USA via the Tijuana River is public health issue with negative consequences for coastal communities. Here we evaluate the potential application of fluorescence-based, submersible tryptophan-like (TRP) and humic-like (CDOM) fluorescence sensors for real-time tracking of wastewater pollution in an estuarine environment. Sonde fluorescence measurements were compared with benchtop fluorescence, fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentrations, and real-time specific conductivity measurements in the Tijuana River Estuary during dry and wet weather conditions, and with and without cross-border flow.

Identifying clusters of precipitation for the Brazilian Legal Amazon based on magnitude of trends and its correlation with sea surface temperature.

Prioritizing watershed management interventions relies on delineating homogeneous precipitation regions. In this study, we identify these regions in the Brazilian Legal Amazon based on the magnitude of Sen's Slope trends using annual precipitation data from September to August, employing the Google Earth Engine platform. Utilizing the silhouette method, we determine four distinct clusters representing zones of homogeneous precipitation patterns.

Improving otitis externa management in secondary care through a standardised treatment algorithm.

Objective: Otitis externa is a common condition managed by junior doctor-led ENT clinics in secondary/tertiary care, but no national guidelines exist for presentations in these settings. The aim of this study was to implement a treatment algorithm to support junior doctors and improve otitis externa management.

Methods: Baseline data were retrospectively collected for 16 weeks.

Transformation of Brazil's biomes: The dynamics and fate of agriculture and pasture expansion into native vegetation.

Land use and cover change (LUCC) in Brazil encompass a complex interplay of diverse factors across different biomes. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for informed decision-making and sustainable land management. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed LUCC patterns and drivers using 30 m resolution MapBiomas Collection 6.

Ecological Importance of Viral Lysis as a Loss Factor of Phytoplankton in the Amundsen Sea.

Whether phytoplankton mortality is caused by grazing or viral lysis has important implications for phytoplankton dynamics and biogeochemical cycling. The ecological relevance of viral lysis for Antarctic phytoplankton is still under-studied. The Amundsen Sea is highly productive in spring and summer, especially in the Amundsen Sea Polynya (ASP), and very sensitive to global warming-induced ice-melt.

GEMmaker: process massive RNA-seq datasets on heterogeneous computational infrastructure.

Background: Quantification of gene expression from RNA-seq data is a prerequisite for transcriptome analysis such as differential gene expression analysis and gene co-expression network construction. Individual RNA-seq experiments are larger and combining multiple experiments from sequence repositories can result in datasets with thousands of samples. Processing hundreds to thousands of RNA-seq data can result in challenges related to data management, access to sufficient computational resources, navigation of high-performance computing (HPC) systems, installation of required software dependencies, and reproducibility.

Salvage intratympanic steroid therapy for sudden sensorineural hearing loss: our real-life experience in 32 patients.

Objective: To examine the role of salvage intratympanic steroid injections in patients presenting with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss following a poor response to initial oral steroid treatment.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of patient records over the course of four years was conducted, and pure tone thresholds were reviewed before treatment, after oral steroid therapy and six weeks after intratympanic steroid injection therapy.

Results: After oral steroid therapy alone, there was a mean average threshold change of 6.

Land use and land cover changes and their impacts on surface-atmosphere interactions in Brazil: A systematic review.

Major land use and land cover changes (LULCC) have taken place in Brazil, including large scale conversion of forest to agriculture. LULCC alters surface-atmosphere interactions, changing the timing and magnitude of energy fluxes, impacting the partitioning of available energy, and therefore the climate and water balance. The objective of this work was to provide a detailed analysis of how LULCC has affected surface-atmosphere interactions over the Brazilian territory, particularly focusing on impacts on precipitation (P), evapotranspiration (ET), and atmospheric humidity (h).

Addressing noise in co-expression network construction.

Gene co-expression networks (GCNs) provide multiple benefits to molecular research including hypothesis generation and biomarker discovery. Transcriptome profiles serve as input for GCN construction and are derived from increasingly larger studies with samples across multiple experimental conditions, treatments, time points, genotypes, etc. Such experiments with larger numbers of variables confound discovery of true network edges, exclude edges and inhibit discovery of context (or condition) specific network edges.

Effect of methionine chelated Zn and Mn and corn particle size on Large White male turkey live performance and carcass yields.

Most turkey research has been conducted with a regular corn particle size set through phase-feeding programs. This study's first objective was to determine the effect of increasing corn particle size through the feed phases on performance, processing yield, and feed milling energy usage in Large White commercial male turkey production. Zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) are essential microminerals for animals' healthy growth.

Viral lysis modifies seasonal phytoplankton dynamics and carbon flow in the Southern Ocean.

Phytoplankton form the base of marine food webs and are a primary means for carbon export in the Southern Ocean, a key area for global pCO drawdown. Viral lysis and grazing have very different effects on microbial community dynamics and carbon export, yet, very little is known about the relative magnitude and ecological impact of viral lysis on natural phytoplankton communities, especially in Antarctic waters. Here, we report on the temporal dynamics and relative importance of viral lysis rates, in comparison to grazing, for Antarctic nano- and pico-sized phytoplankton of varied taxonomy and size over a full productive season.

Named Data Networking for Genomics Data Management and Integrated Workflows.

Advanced imaging and DNA sequencing technologies now enable the diverse biology community to routinely generate and analyze terabytes of high resolution biological data. The community is rapidly heading toward the petascale in single investigator laboratory settings. As evidence, the single NCBI SRA central DNA sequence repository contains over 45 petabytes of biological data.

The use of lateral flow immunoassays for the detection of fentanyl in seized drug samples and postmortem urine.

The opioid crisis has continued to progress in the United States and the rest of the world. As this crisis continues, there is a pressing need for a rapid and cost-effective method for detecting fentanyl. Recent studies have suggested that lateral flow immunoassays (LFIs) could fill this technology gap.

A Fixed Cohort Field Study of Gene Expression in Circulating Leukocytes From Dairy Cows With and Without Mastitis.

Specifically designed gene expression studies can be used to prioritize candidate genes and identify novel biomarkers affecting resilience against mastitis and other diseases in dairy cattle. The primary goal of this study was to assess whether specific peripheral leukocyte genes expressed differentially in a previous study of dairy cattle with postpartum disease, also would be expressed differentially in peripheral leukocytes from a diverse set of different dairy cattle with moderate to severe clinical mastitis. Four genes were selected for this study due to their differential expression in a previous transcriptomic analysis of circulating leukocytes from dairy cows with and without evidence of early postpartum disease.

A novel ensemble computational intelligence approach for the spatial prediction of land subsidence susceptibility.

Land subsidence (LS) is a significant problem that can cause loss of life, damage property, and disrupt local economies. The Semnan Plain is an important part of Iran, where LS is a major problem for sustainable development and management. The plain represents the changes occurring in 40% of the country.

Draft Whole-Genome Sequences of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Derivatives of a Bacillus anthracis ΔANR Strain Lacking pXO1 and pXO2 Plasmids.

Mutants of an attenuated (ΔANR) strain conferring increasing levels of ciprofloxacin resistance have been described. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of the parent strain (ΔANR pXO1, pXO2) and its derivatives conferring low (step 1; 0.5 μg/ml), medium (step 2; 8 to 16 μg/ml), and high (step 3; 32 to 64 μg/ml) levels of ciprofloxacin resistance.

The Accuracy of iPhone Applications to Monitor Environmental Noise Levels.

Objective: The Control of Noise at Work Regulations came into force in Great Britain in 2005, requiring all work environments to be monitored for potentially harmful noise exposure levels. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a number of iPhone phone applications (apps) (Apple, Cupertino, CA) to accurately measure noise exposure, which may prove effective when a specialist-calibrated sound level meter is not readily available.

Methods: Suitable apps were identified using the search terms noise and decibel through the App Store (Apple).