A collaboratively derived environmental research agenda for Galapagos

Galápagos is one of the most pristine archipelagos in the world and its conservation relies upon research and sensible management. In recent decades both the interest in, and the needs of, the islands have increased, yet the funds and capacity for necessary research have remained limited. It has become, therefore, increasingly important to identify areas of priority research to assist decision-making in Galápagos conservation. This study identified 50 questions considered priorities for future research and management. The exercise involved the collaboration of policy makers, practitioners and researchers from more than 30 different organisations. Initially, 360 people were consulted to generate 781 questions. An established process of preworkshop voting and three rounds to reduce and reword the questions, followed by a two-day workshop, was used to produce the final 50 questions. The most common issues raised by this list of questions were human population growth, climate change and the impact of invasive alien species. These results have already been used by a range of organisations and politicians and are expected to provide the basis for future research on the islands so that its sustainability may be enhanced. </jats:p

Estudio Radiológico de Adenoma Hipofisiario en paciente masculino. Informe de Caso

Pituitary adenomas are tumors that originate in the adenohypophysis, which is the anterior portion of the pituitary gland. These tumors account for approximately 10 to 15 percent of all tumors affecting the central nervous system. Pituitary adenomas can be classified according to their size into two distinct categories: those that are considered microadenomas, which are less than 1 centimeter in size, and those that are known as macroadenomas, which are larger than 1 centimeter in size. In relation to hormone production, these organisms or glands can be classified as secretory, meaning that they produce and release hormones into the bloodstream, or as non-secretory, meaning that they do not carry out this function of hormone secretion. Microadenomas account for approximately 40% of all adenomas found in the pituitary gland. Because of their small size, the clinical symptoms that these microadenomas can cause are generally a consequence of the hormone production that results from their activity. Keywords: pituitary adenoma, prolactinoma, radiological study.Los adenomas hipofisarios son tumores que se originan en la adenohipófisis, que es la porción anterior de la glándula pituitaria. Estos tumores representan aproximadamente entre el 10 y el 15 por ciento de todos los tumores que afectan al sistema nervioso central. Los adenomas hipofisarios se pueden clasificar de acuerdo a sus dimensiones en dos categorías distintas: aquellos que son considerados microadenomas, los cuales tienen un tamaño inferior a 1 centímetro, y aquellos que son conocidos como macroadenomas, que superan ese tamaño y miden más de 1 centímetro. En relación con la producción de hormonas, estos organismos o glándulas pueden clasificarse como secretores, es decir, que producen y liberan hormonas al torrente sanguíneo, o como no secretores, lo que significa que no llevan a cabo esta función de secreción hormonal. Los microadenomas representan aproximadamente el 40% de todos los adenomas que se encuentran en la hipófisis. Debido a su reducido tamaño, los síntomas clínicos que estos microadenomas pueden causar son generalmente consecuencia de la producción de hormonas que se deriva de su actividad. Palabras claves: adenoma hipofisiario, prolactinoma, estudio radiológico. Abstract Pituitary adenomas are tumors that originate in the adenohypophysis, which is the anterior portion of the pituitary gland. These tumors account for approximately 10 to 15 percent of all tumors affecting the central nervous system. Pituitary adenomas can be classified according to their size into two distinct categories: those that are considered microadenomas, which are less than 1 centimeter in size, and those that are known as macroadenomas, which are larger than 1 centimeter in size. In relation to hormone production, these organisms or glands can be classified as secretory, meaning that they produce and release hormones into the bloodstream, or as non-secretory, meaning that they do not carry out this function of hormone secretion. Microadenomas account for approximately 40% of all adenomas found in the pituitary gland. Because of their small size, the clinical symptoms that these microadenomas can cause are generally a consequence of the hormone production that results from their activity. Keywords: pituitary adenoma, prolactinoma, radiological study. Información del manuscrito:Fecha de recepción: 10 de abril de 2024.Fecha de aceptación: 25 de junio de 2024.Fecha de publicación: 10 de julio de 2024

The Spatio-Temporal Cloud Frequency Distribution in the Galapagos Archipelago as Seen from MODIS Cloud Mask Data

Clouds play an important role in the climate system; nonetheless, the relationship between climate change in general and regional cloud occurrence is not yet well understood. This particularly holds for remote areas such as the iconic Galapagos archipelago in Ecuador. As a first step towards a better understanding, we analyzed the spatio-temporal patterns of cloud cover over Galapagos. We found that cloud frequency and distribution exhibit large inter- and intra-annual variability due to the changing influence of climatic drivers (trade winds, sea surface temperature, El Niño/La Niña events) and spatial variations due to terrain characteristics and location within the archipelago. The highest cloud frequencies occur in mid-elevations on the slopes exposed to the southerly trade winds (south-east slopes). Towards the highlands ( >900 m a.s.l), cloud frequency decreases, with a sharp leap towards high-level crater areas mainly on Isabela Island that frequently immerse into the trade inversion layer. With respect to the diurnal cycle, we found a lower cloud frequency over the islands in the evening than in the morning. Seasonally, cloud frequency is higher during the hot season (January–May) than in the cool season (June–December). However, spatial differences in cloudiness were more pronounced during the cool season months. We further analyzed two periods beyond average atmospheric forcing. During El Niño 2015, the cloud frequency was higher than usual, and differences between altitudes and aspects were less pronounced. La Niña 2007 led to negative anomalies in cloud frequency over the islands, with intensified differences between altitude and aspect

The Spatio-Temporal Cloud Frequency Distribution in the Galapagos Archipelago as Seen from MODIS Cloud Mask Data

Clouds play an important role in the climate system; nonetheless, the relationship between climate change in general and regional cloud occurrence is not yet well understood. This particularly holds for remote areas such as the iconic Galapagos archipelago in Ecuador. As a first step towards a better understanding, we analyzed the spatio-temporal patterns of cloud cover over Galapagos. We found that cloud frequency and distribution exhibit large inter- and intra-annual variability due to the changing influence of climatic drivers (trade winds, sea surface temperature, El Niño/La Niña events) and spatial variations due to terrain characteristics and location within the archipelago. The highest cloud frequencies occur in mid-elevations on the slopes exposed to the southerly trade winds (south-east slopes). Towards the highlands ( >900 m a.s.l), cloud frequency decreases, with a sharp leap towards high-level crater areas mainly on Isabela Island that frequently immerse into the trade inversion layer. With respect to the diurnal cycle, we found a lower cloud frequency over the islands in the evening than in the morning. Seasonally, cloud frequency is higher during the hot season (January–May) than in the cool season (June–December). However, spatial differences in cloudiness were more pronounced during the cool season months. We further analyzed two periods beyond average atmospheric forcing. During El Niño 2015, the cloud frequency was higher than usual, and differences between altitudes and aspects were less pronounced. La Niña 2007 led to negative anomalies in cloud frequency over the islands, with intensified differences between altitude and aspect.DFG, 455480427, DynAmics of PRecipitation in transition: The Water source for the Galapagos ArchIpelago under Climate Change - DARWI

A collaboratively derived environmental research agenda for Galápagos

Galápagos is one of the most pristine archipelagos in the world and its conservation relies upon research and sensible management. In recent decades both the interest in, and the needs of, the islands have increased, yet the funds and capacity for necessary research have remained limited. It has become, therefore, increasingly important to identify areas of priority research to assist decision-making in Galápagos conservation. This study identified 50 questions considered priorities for future research and management. The exercise involved the collaboration of policy makers, practitioners and researchers from more than 30 different organisations. Initially, 360 people were consulted to generate 781 questions. An established process of preworkshop voting and three rounds to reduce and reword the questions, followed by a two-day workshop, was used to produce the final 50 questions. The most common issues raised by this list of questions were human population growth, climate change and the impact of invasive alien species. These results have already been used by a range of organisations and politicians and are expected to provide the basis for future research on the islands so that its sustainability may be enhanced

Psychiatric disorders converge on common pathways but diverge in cellular context, spatial distribution, and directionality of genetic effects

Psychiatric conditions share common genes, but mechanisms that differentiate diagnoses remain unclear. We present a multidimensional framework for functional analysis of rare copy number variants (CNVs) across 6 diagnostic categories, including schizophrenia (SCZ), autism (ASD), bipolar disorder (BD), depression (MDD), PTSD, and ADHD (N = 574,965). Using gene-set burden analysis (GSBA), we tested duplication (DUP) and deletion (DEL) burden across 2,645 functional gene sets defined by the intersections of pathways, cell types, and cortical regions. While diagnoses converge on shared pathways, mixed-effects modeling revealed divergence of pathway effects by cell type, brain region, and gene dosage. Factor analysis identified latent dimensions aligned with clinical axes. A primary factor (F1) captured reciprocal dose-dependent effects of DUP and DEL in SCZ reflecting positive and negative effects in excitatory versus inhibitory neurons and association versus sensory cortex. SCZ and ASD were both strongly aligned with F1 but with opposing directionalities. Orthogonal factors highlighted neuronal versus non-neuronal effects in mood disorders (F2) and differential spatial distributions of DEL effects in ADHD and MDD (F3). High-impact CNVs at 16p11.2 and 22q11.2 were enriched for combinations of cell-type-specific genes involved in pathways consistent with our broader findings. These results reveal molecular and cellular mechanisms that are broadly shared across psychiatric traits but differ between diagnostic categories in context and directionality