Fungal viruses unveiled : a comprehensive review of my coviruses

DATA AVAILABILITY: No new data was created or analyzed in this study. Data sharing is not applicable to this article.Mycoviruses (viruses of fungi) are ubiquitous throughout the fungal kingdom and are currently classified into 23 viral families and the genus botybirnavirus by the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). The primary focus of mycoviral research has been on mycoviruses that infect plant pathogenic fungi, due to the ability of some to reduce the virulence of their host and thus act as potential biocontrol against these fungi. However, mycoviruses lack extracellular transmission mechanisms and rely on intercellular transmission through the hyphal anastomosis, which impedes successful transmission between different fungal strains. This review provides a comprehensive overview of mycoviruses, including their origins, host range, taxonomic classification into families, effects on their fungal counterparts, and the techniques employed in their discovery. The application of mycoviruses as biocontrol agents of plant pathogenic fungi is also discussed.National Research Foundation of South Africahttps://www.mdpi.com/journal/virusesBiochemistryForestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI)GeneticsMicrobiology and Plant Patholog

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 < 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

Trustworthy migrant-centric apps and other ICT tools: Data protection as the last line of defence

The potential of deploying smartphone applications (apps) and other information communication technologies (ICTs) in the sphere of migration has gained significant attention in the last decade. Take, for example, tailored apps and their fundamental role in fostering migrants’ socio-economic integration in society. However, their deployment requires the processing of migrants’ personal data which holds specific human rights and data protection implications for individuals living in vulnerable situations. This contribution highlights the importance of implementing the key principles of data protection by design and by default into the design of apps developed for migrants’ integration, taking the approach that data protection is one of the last lines of defence for vulnerable individuals. It focuses on how the implementation of data protection principles can encourage transparency, increase migrants’ awareness of data protection rights and foster trust in the technology. We provide an example of their practical implementation in the REBUILD project and the efforts taken to ensure the apps created enable the integration of migrants without exposing them to harms associated with the processing of their personal data. We conclude that every initiative developing apps and other ICTs to support migrants should do so whilst embedding data protection principles into their design

The Transcription Factor Encyclopedia

Here we present the Transcription Factor Encyclopedia (TFe), a new web-based compendium of mini review articles on transcription factors (TFs) that is founded on the principles of open access and collaboration. Our consortium of over 100 researchers has collectively contributed over 130 mini review articles on pertinent human, mouse and rat TFs. Notable features of the TFe website include a high-quality PDF generator and web API for programmatic data retrieval. TFe aims to rapidly educate scientists about the TFs they encounter through the delivery of succinct summaries written and vetted by experts in the field. TFe is available at http://www.cisreg.ca/tfe .Medical Genetics, Department ofMedicine, Faculty ofMolecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Centre forScience, Faculty ofNon UBCReviewedFacult

Beyond team types and taxonomies: a dimensional scaling conceptualization for team description

Research on teams has prompted the development of many alternative taxonomies but little consensus on how to differentiate team types. We show that there is greater consensus on the underlying dimensions differentiating teams than there is on how to use those dimensions to generate categorical team types. We leverage this literature to create a conceptual framework for differentiating teams that relies on a dimensional scaling approach with three underlying constructs: skill differentiation, authority differentiation, and temporal stability