Contributors to the January Issue/Notes

Notes by John H. Merryman, John E. Cosgrove, Edward J. Flattery, James D. Sullivan, Lawrence Turner, John O\u27Rorke, Thomas Broden, George S. Stratigos, Richard H. Keen, and J. Barrett Guthrie

A multidisciplinary approach to landslide monitoring in the Arctic: Case study of the March 2018 ML 1.9 seismic event near the Karrat 2017 landslide

The landslide of 17 June 2017 at Karrat Fjord, central West Greenland, triggered a tsunami that caused four fatalities. The catastrophe highlighted the need for a better understanding of landslides in Greenland and initiated a recent nation-wide landslide screening project led by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS; see also Svennevig (2019) this volume). This paper describes an approach for compiling freely available data to improve GEUS’ capability to monitor active landslides in remote areas of the Arctic in near real time. Data include seismological records, space borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data and multispectral optical satellite imagery. The workflow was developed in 2018 as part of a collaboration between GEUS and scientists from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). This methodology provides a model through which GEUS will be able to monitor active landslides and provide relevant knowledge to the public and authorities in the event of future landslides that pose a risk to human life and infrastructure in Greenland. We use a minor event on 26 March 2018, near the site of the Karrat 2017 landslide, as a case study to demonstrate 1) the value of multidisciplinary approaches and 2) that the area around the landslide has continued to be periodically active since the main landslide in 2017

Transcriptomic analysis of the temporal host response to skin infestation with the ectoparasitic mite Psoroptes ovis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infestation of ovine skin with the ectoparasitic mite <it>Psoroptes ovis </it>results in a rapid cutaneous immune response, leading to the crusted skin lesions characteristic of sheep scab. Little is known regarding the mechanisms by which such a profound inflammatory response is instigated and to identify novel vaccine and drug targets a better understanding of the host-parasite relationship is essential. The main objective of this study was to perform a combined network and pathway analysis of the <it>in vivo </it>skin response to infestation with <it>P. ovis </it>to gain a clearer understanding of the mechanisms and signalling pathways involved.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Infestation with <it>P. </it>ovis resulted in differential expression of 1,552 genes over a 24 hour time course. Clustering by peak gene expression enabled classification of genes into temporally related groupings. Network and pathway analysis of clusters identified key signalling pathways involved in the host response to infestation. The analysis implicated a number of genes with roles in allergy and inflammation, including pro-inflammatory cytokines (<it>IL1A, IL1B, IL6, IL8 </it>and <it>TNF</it>) and factors involved in immune cell activation and recruitment (<it>SELE, SELL, SELP, ICAM1, CSF2, CSF3, CCL2 </it>and <it>CXCL2</it>). The analysis also highlighted the influence of the transcription factors NF-kB and AP-1 in the early pro-inflammatory response, and demonstrated a bias towards a Th2 type immune response.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study has provided novel insights into the signalling mechanisms leading to the development of a pro-inflammatory response in sheep scab, whilst providing crucial information regarding the nature of mite factors that may trigger this response. It has enabled the elucidation of the temporal patterns by which the immune system is regulated following exposure to <it>P. ovis</it>, providing novel insights into the mechanisms underlying lesion development. This study has improved our existing knowledge of the host response to <it>P. ovis</it>, including the identification of key parallels between sheep scab and other inflammatory skin disorders and the identification of potential targets for disease control.</p