Status and size of Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta populations in East Africa, with a first coastal breeding record

Several populations of Pied Avocet are understood to overlap in East Africa, yet the specific movements and size of each of them remains largely unclear. A review of current literature, combined with waterbird counts and recent citizen science data, suggests that potentially three populations occur in the region (Palaearctic, southern origin, and resident), and that the resident population is substantially smaller than previous estimates suggested. A new breeding record at the Kenyan coast, which only constitutes the fourth confirmed breeding location of Pied Avocet in Kenya and the first for the East African coast, demonstrates a potential overlap of Palaearctic migrants and East African residents, which may breed opportunistically along the coast. More resources are needed to carry out standardized and regular national monitoring counts in order to further elucidate the origin, movement, and numbers of Pied Avocets in East Africa

Multidisciplnary approach applied to activity analysis within a dynamic setting: driving light vehicles for postal delivery of mail and parcels

A complex activity different from personal driving, professional light vehicle driving is becoming increasingly important in the delivery/messaging sector faced with new consumption patterns. Sparsely studied, health risks other than road accidents were approached in an exploratory multidisciplinary study conducted in collaboration with the La Poste group. Its objective was to explore, in work situation, the different components of the mail/parcel delivery activity, and particularly the driving activity as a structuring part of the distribution activity. The methodological approach combining ergonomic analyses and a medical approach has revealed postural and psychological constraints as well as complaints mainly related to the characteristics of the distribution rounds. These findings contributed to the construction of an epidemiological study aimed to analyze risk factors related to driving light vehicles for postal delivery activities.Activité complexe différente de la conduite personnelle, la conduite professionnelle de véhicule léger prend une importance croissante dans le secteur de la livraison/messagerie confronté aux nouveaux modes de consommation. Peu étudiés, les risques pour la santé autres que les accidents de la route ont été approchés dans une étude exploratoire multidisciplinaire menée en collaboration avec le groupe La Poste. Son objectif a été d’explorer, en situation de travail, les différentes composantes de l’activité de distribution de courrier/colis, et particulièrement l’activité de conduite comme partie structurante de l’activité de distribution. La démarche méthodologique alliant des analyses ergonomiques et une approche médicale a mis en évidence des contraintes ainsi que des plaintes en relation principalement avec les caractéristiques des tournées de distribution. Ces résultats ont permis d’orienter la construction d’une étude épidémiologique visant à analyser les facteurs de risque spécifiques à la conduite de véhicule léger dans les activités de distribution.Actividad compleja diferente del manejo de un vehículo personal, la conducción profesional de vehículos ligeros es cada vez más importante en el sector de entrega/mensajería frente a nuevos patrones de consumo. Poco estudiados, los riesgos para la salud diferentes a los accidentes de tráfico se abordaron en un estudio exploratorio multidisciplinario realizado en colaboración con el grupo de servicios postales La Poste. El objetivo fue explorar, en situación de trabajo, los diferentes componentes de la actividad de entrega de correo/paquetería, y particularmente la actividad de conducción como una parte estructuradora de la actividad de distribución. El enfoque metodológico que combina el análisis ergonómico y un enfoque médico pusieron en evidencia las dificultades y las quejas relacionadas principalmente con las características de las rondas de distribución. Estos resultados permitieron orientar la construcción de un estudio epidemiológico destinado a analizar los factores de riesgo específicos en el manejo de vehículos livianos en actividades de distribución

ASPM-associated stem cell proliferation is involved in malignant progression of gliomas and constitutes an attractive therapeutic target

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>ASPM (<it>Abnormal Spindle-like Microcephaly associated</it>) over-expression was recently implicated in the development of malignant gliomas.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To better characterize the involvement of ASPM in gliomas, we investigated the mRNA expression in 175 samples, including 8 WHO Grade II, 75 WHO Grade III and 92 WHO Grade IV tumors. <it>Aspm </it>expression was strongly correlated with tumor grade and increased at recurrence when compared to the initial lesion, whatever the initial grade of the primary tumor. ASPM expression also increased over serial passages in gliomaspheres <it>in vitro </it>and in mouse xenografts <it>in vivo</it>. Lentivirus-mediated shRNA silencing of ASPM resulted in dramatic proliferation arrest and cell death in two different gliomasphere models.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data suggest that ASPM is involved in the malignant progression of gliomas, possibly through expansion of a cancer stem cell compartment, and is an attractive therapeutic target in glioblastoma multiforme.</p

The sac evolution imaging follow-up after endovascular aortic repair:An international expert opinion-based Delphi consensus study

Objective: Management of follow-up protocols after endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) varies significantly between centers and is not standardized according to sac regression. By designing an international expert-based Delphi consensus, the study aimed to create recommendations on follow-up after EVAR according to sac evolution. Methods: Eight facilitators created appropriate statements regarding the study topic that were voted, using a 4-point Likert scale, by a selected panel of international experts using a three-round modified Delphi consensus process. Based on the experts' responses, only those statements reaching a grade A (full agreement ≥75%) or B (overall agreement ≥80% and full disagreement &lt;5%) were included in the final document. Results: One-hundred and seventy-four participants were included in the final analysis, and each voted the initial 29 statements related to the definition of sac regression (Q1-Q9), EVAR follow-up (Q10-Q14), and the assessment and role of sac regression during follow-up (Q15-Q29). At the end of the process, 2 statements (6.9%) were rejected, 9 statements (31%) received a grade B consensus strength, and 18 (62.1%) reached a grade A consensus strength. Of 27 final statements, 15 (55.6%) were classified as grade I, whereas 12 (44.4%) were classified as grade II. Experts agreed that sac regression should be considered an important indicator of EVAR success and always be assessed during follow-up after EVAR. Conclusions: Based on the elevated strength and high consistency of this international expert-based Delphi consensus, most of the statements might guide the current clinical management of follow-up after EVAR according to the sac regression. Future studies are needed to clarify debated issues.</p

Assessing changes in global fire regimes

PAGES, Past Global Changes, is funded by the Swiss Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences and supported in kind by the University of Bern, Switzerland. Financial support was provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation award numbers 1916565, EAR-2011439, and EAR-2012123. Additional support was provided by the Utah Department of Natural Resources Watershed Restoration Initiative. SSS was supported by Brigham Young University Graduate Studies. MS was supported by National Science Centre, Poland (grant no. 2018/31/B/ST10/02498 and 2021/41/B/ST10/00060). JCA was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101026211. PF contributed within the framework of the FCT-funded project no. UIDB/04033/2020. SGAF acknowledges support from Trond Mohn Stiftelse (TMS) and University of Bergen for the startup grant ‘TMS2022STG03’. JMP participation in this research was supported by the Forest Research Centre, a research unit funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia I.P. (FCT), Portugal (UIDB/00239/2020). A.-LD acknowledge PAGES, PICS CNRS 06484 project, CNRS-INSU, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, University of Bordeaux DRI and INQUA for workshop support.Background The global human footprint has fundamentally altered wildfire regimes, creating serious consequences for human health, biodiversity, and climate. However, it remains difficult to project how long-term interactions among land use, management, and climate change will affect fire behavior, representing a key knowledge gap for sustainable management. We used expert assessment to combine opinions about past and future fire regimes from 99 wildfire researchers. We asked for quantitative and qualitative assessments of the frequency, type, and implications of fire regime change from the beginning of the Holocene through the year 2300. Results Respondents indicated some direct human influence on wildfire since at least ~ 12,000 years BP, though natural climate variability remained the dominant driver of fire regime change until around 5,000 years BP, for most study regions. Responses suggested a ten-fold increase in the frequency of fire regime change during the last 250 years compared with the rest of the Holocene, corresponding first with the intensification and extensification of land use and later with anthropogenic climate change. Looking to the future, fire regimes were predicted to intensify, with increases in frequency, severity, and size in all biomes except grassland ecosystems. Fire regimes showed different climate sensitivities across biomes, but the likelihood of fire regime change increased with higher warming scenarios for all biomes. Biodiversity, carbon storage, and other ecosystem services were predicted to decrease for most biomes under higher emission scenarios. We present recommendations for adaptation and mitigation under emerging fire regimes, while recognizing that management options are constrained under higher emission scenarios. Conclusion The influence of humans on wildfire regimes has increased over the last two centuries. The perspective gained from past fires should be considered in land and fire management strategies, but novel fire behavior is likely given the unprecedented human disruption of plant communities, climate, and other factors. Future fire regimes are likely to degrade key ecosystem services, unless climate change is aggressively mitigated. Expert assessment complements empirical data and modeling, providing a broader perspective of fire science to inform decision making and future research priorities.Peer reviewe

Rubin-Euclid Derived Data Products:Initial Recommendations

This report is the result of a joint discussion between the Rubin and Euclid scientific communities. The work presented in this report was focused on designing and recommending an initial set of Derived Data products (DDPs) that could realize the science goals enabled by joint processing. All interested Rubin and Euclid data rights holders were invited to contribute via an online discussion forum and a series of virtual meetings. Strong interest in enhancing science with joint DDPs emerged from across a wide range of astrophysical domains: Solar System, the Galaxy, the Local Volume, from the nearby to the primaeval Universe, and cosmology

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome associated with COVID-19: An Emulated Target Trial Analysis.

RATIONALE: Whether COVID patients may benefit from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) compared with conventional invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect of ECMO on 90-Day mortality vs IMV only Methods: Among 4,244 critically ill adult patients with COVID-19 included in a multicenter cohort study, we emulated a target trial comparing the treatment strategies of initiating ECMO vs. no ECMO within 7 days of IMV in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (PaO2/FiO2 <80 or PaCO2 ≥60 mmHg). We controlled for confounding using a multivariable Cox model based on predefined variables. MAIN RESULTS: 1,235 patients met the full eligibility criteria for the emulated trial, among whom 164 patients initiated ECMO. The ECMO strategy had a higher survival probability at Day-7 from the onset of eligibility criteria (87% vs 83%, risk difference: 4%, 95% CI 0;9%) which decreased during follow-up (survival at Day-90: 63% vs 65%, risk difference: -2%, 95% CI -10;5%). However, ECMO was associated with higher survival when performed in high-volume ECMO centers or in regions where a specific ECMO network organization was set up to handle high demand, and when initiated within the first 4 days of MV and in profoundly hypoxemic patients. CONCLUSIONS: In an emulated trial based on a nationwide COVID-19 cohort, we found differential survival over time of an ECMO compared with a no-ECMO strategy. However, ECMO was consistently associated with better outcomes when performed in high-volume centers and in regions with ECMO capacities specifically organized to handle high demand. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P &lt; 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men