Global mercury concentrations in biota: their use as a basis for a global biomonitoring framework.

An important provision of the Minamata Convention on Mercury is to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the adopted measures and its implementation. Here, we describe for the first time currently available biotic mercury (Hg) data on a global scale to improve the understanding of global efforts to reduce the impact of Hg pollution on people and the environment. Data from the peer-reviewed literature were compiled in the Global Biotic Mercury Synthesis (GBMS) database (>550,000 data points).

Unravelling Chlamydia trachomatis diversity in Amhara, Ethiopia: MLVA-ompA sequencing as a molecular typing tool for trachoma.

Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide and is now largely confined to around 40 low- and middle-income countries. It is caused by Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct), a contagious intracellular bacterium. The World Health Organization recommends mass drug administration (MDA) with azithromycin for treatment and control of ocular Ct infections, alongside improving facial cleanliness and environmental conditions to reduce transmission.

Tropical Data: Approach and Methodology as Applied to Trachoma Prevalence Surveys.

Purpose: Population-based prevalence surveys are essential for decision-making on interventions to achieve trachoma elimination as a public health problem. This paper outlines the methodologies of Tropical Data, which supports work to undertake those surveys.

Methods: Tropical Data is a consortium of partners that supports health ministries worldwide to conduct globally standardised prevalence surveys that conform to World Health Organization recommendations.

Prevalence of trachoma in Somali region, Ethiopia: results from trachoma impact surveys in 50 woredas.

Background: Following interventions to eliminate trachoma in Somali region, Ethiopia, we aimed to re-estimate the prevalence of trachomatous trichiasis (TT) and trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) at woreda level and identify the factors associated with the disease.

Methods: We implemented cross-sectional community-based surveys in 50 trachoma-endemic woredas, using a standardized survey. Households were the secondary sampling unit.

Longitudinal changes in tear cytokines and antimicrobial proteins in trachomatous disease.

Background: Trachoma is a neglected tropical disease caused by ocular infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, where repeated infections and chronic inflammation can ultimately result in scarring, trichiasis and blindness. While scarring is thought to be mediated by a dysregulated immune response, the kinetics of cytokines and antimicrobial proteins in the tear film have not yet been characterised.

Methodology: Pooled tears from a Gambian cohort and Tanzanian cohort were semi-quantitatively screened using a Proteome Profiler Array to identify cytokines differentially regulated in disease.

The Prevalence of Trachomatous Trichiasis in People Aged 15 Years and Over in Six Evaluation Units of Gaoual, Labé, Dalaba and Beyla Districts, Guinea.

Purpose: Trachoma is a public health problem in 42 countries. Inflammation associated with repeated ocular infection with can cause the eyelid to scar and turn inwards, resulting in the eyelashes rubbing against the eyeball, known as trachomatous trichiasis (TT). In Guinea, baseline surveys conducted in 2013 reported inflammatory trachoma prevalences below the World Health Organization (WHO) threshold for elimination, but TT prevalences above threshold.

A systems serology approach to the investigation of infection-induced antibody responses and protection in trachoma.

Background: Ocular infections with serovars A-C cause the neglected tropical disease trachoma. As infection does not confer complete immunity, repeated infections are common, leading to long-term sequelae such as scarring and blindness. Here, we apply a systems serology approach to investigate whether systemic antibody features are associated with susceptibility to infection.

Sequence based HLA-DRB1, -DQB1 and -DPB1 allele and haplotype frequencies in The Gambia.

Class II HLA loci DRB1, DQB1 and DPB1 were typed for a total of 939 Gambian participants by locus-specific amplicon sequencing. Participants were from multiple regions of The Gambia and drawn from two studies: a family study aiming to identify associations between host genotype and trachomatous scarring (N = 796) and a cohort study aiming to identify correlates of immunity to trachoma (N = 143). All loci deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, likely due to the family-based nature of the study: 608 participants had at least one other family member included in the study population.

HLA-A, -B, -C, -DPB1, -DQB1 and -DRB1 allele frequencies of North Tanzanian Maasai.

Locus-specific amplicon sequencing was used to HLA type 336 participants of Maasai ethnicity at the HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, -DQB1 and -DPB1 loci. Participants were recruited from three study villages in North Tanzania, for the purpose of investigating risk factors for trachomatous scarring in children. Other than HLA-A, all loci significantly deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, possibly due to high relatedness between individuals: 238 individuals shared a house with at least one another participant.

Atrazine characterization: An update on uses, monitoring, effects, and environmental impact, for the development of regulatory policies in Argentina.

Atrazine (ATZ) is the third most widely used herbicide in Argentina (10 000 t year ) and is approved for sugar cane, flax, corn, sorghum, and tea. An assessment of the ATZ environmental impacts was conducted at the request of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Argentina. A review of 541 national and international technical and scientific reports and a survey among agricultural technicians, applicators, and producers was done.

Enhancing Scientific Support for the Stockholm Convention's Implementation: An Analysis of Policy Needs for Scientific Evidence.

The Stockholm Convention is key to addressing the global threats of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to humanity and the environment. It has been successful in identifying new POPs, but its national implementation remains challenging, particularly by low- and middle-income Parties. Concerted action is needed to assist Parties in implementing the Convention's obligations.

Feasibility and effectiveness of daily temperature screening to detect COVID-19 in a prospective cohort at a large public university.

Background: Many persons with active SARS-CoV-2 infection experience mild or no symptoms, presenting barriers to COVID-19 prevention. Regular temperature screening is nonetheless used in some settings, including university campuses, to reduce transmission potential. We evaluated the potential impact of this strategy using a prospective university-affiliated cohort.

Plastic Impacts in Argentina: a Critical Research Review Contributing to the Global Knowledge.

Purpose Of Review: Plastic pollution research has experienced exponential growth in the last decade; however, Argentina concentrates more than 70% of their research in the last 4 years. This review compiles regional research on plastic pollution in water, soil, sediment, air and organisms in Argentina. It discusses current sampling, quantification, and plastics identification methodologies while analyzing levels, gaps, and opportunities.

Assessing threats, regulations, and strategies to abate plastic pollution in LAC beaches during COVID-19 pandemic.

Plastic use and production have dramatically increased globally over the past 65 years with the improvement of life quality by the daily use of plastic products. Still, around 50% of the plastic produced is disposable products that generate substantial waste. Several reports pointed out the adverse effects of plastic litter in coastal environments in recent years, emphasizing single-use plastics (SUP).

Characterizing dislocation loops in irradiated polycrystalline Zr alloys by X-ray line profile analysis of powder diffraction patterns with satellites.

This work extends the convolutional multiple whole profile (CMWP) line profile analysis (LPA) procedure to determine the total dislocation density and character of irradiation-induced dislocation loops in commercial polycrystalline Zr specimens. Zr alloys are widely used in the nuclear industry as fuel cladding materials in which irradiation-induced point defects evolve into dislocation loops. LPA has long been established as a powerful tool to determine the density and nature of lattice defects in plastically deformed materials.

Piloting an integrated SARS-CoV-2 testing and data system for outbreak containment among college students: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Colleges and universities across the country are struggling to develop strategies for effective control of COVID-19 transmission as students return to campus.

Methods And Findings: We conducted a prospective cohort study with students living on or near the UC Berkeley campus from June 1st through August 18th, 2020 with the goal of providing guidance for campus reopening in the safest possible manner. In this cohort, we piloted an alternative testing model to provide access to low-barrier, high-touch testing and augment student-driven testing with data-driven adaptive surveillance that targets higher-risk students and triggers testing notifications based on reported symptoms, exposures, or other relevant information.

Strain localisation and failure at twin-boundary complexions in nickel-based superalloys.

Twin boundaries (TBs) in Ni-based superalloys are vulnerable sites for failure in demanding environments, and a current lack of mechanistic understanding hampers the reliable lifetime prediction and performance optimisation of these alloys. Here we report the discovery of an unexpected γ″ precipitation mechanism at TBs that takes the responsibility for alloy failure in demanding environments. Using multiscale microstructural and mechanical characterisations (from millimetre down to atomic level) and DFT calculations, we demonstrate that abnormal γ″ precipitation along TBs accounts for the premature dislocation activities and pronounced strain localisation associated with TBs during mechanical loading, which serves as a precursor for crack initiation.

Recovery of trace evidence in forensic archaeology and the use of alternate light sources (ALS).

The effectiveness of alternate light source (ALS) to fluoresce bone and other materials is well-attested to in a laboratory setting but rarely, if ever, has it been used in field excavation. This study examined the recovery rates of fragmentary bone, fabric, and metal, both with and without the use of an ALS, through practical and controlled excavation experiments with multiple users. All archaeology, including forensic archaeology and crime scene investigation more generally, should account for trace evidence.