MAXIMUM ENTROPY MODEL FOR PREDICTION OF SMALL PELAGIC FISHING GROUNDS IN THE JAVA SEA

Optimalisasi penangkapan ikan pelagis kecil di Laut Jawa masih dapat ditingkatkan dengan pengembangan sistem informasi daerah penangkapan ikan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memprediksi daerah penangkapan ikan pelagis kecil dengan menggunakan model Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt). Data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah data lingkungan berupa suhu permukaan laut (SPL) dan salinitas permukaan laut tahun 2018 di Laut Jawa yang diunduh dari Google Earth Engine melalui RStudio dan data posisi kapal penangkap ikan yang diunduh dari VIIRS Boat Detection (VBD). Model MaxEnt menunjukkan kinerja yang baik dengan nilai AUC 0,849. Kurva respons menunjukkan probabilitas tertinggi distribusi ikan berada pada SPL pada kisaran 27,0 – 31,0 oC, dan salinitas 32 – 34 psu. Peta prediksi daerah penangkapan ikan yang dihasilkan dengan pemodelan MaxEnt berupa peta kesesuaian habitat menunjukkan bahwa parameter salinitas berpengaruh sebesar 94,5% dan SPL sebesar 5,5%. Peta kesesuaian habitat ikan menunjukkan bahwa mayoritas koordinat kapal penangkapan berada pada nilai Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) 0,5 – 0,8. Daerah potensial penangkapan ikan pelagis kecil terkonsentrasi di wilayah tengah dan utara Laut Jawa mendekati perairan selatan Pulau Kalimantan.The optimization of small pelagic fishing in the Java Sea can still be improved by the development of fishing area information systems. This study aims to predict small pelagic fishing grounds using the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model. The data used in this study are environmental data in the form of sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface salinity year 2018 in the Java Sea downloaded from Google Earth Engine via RStudio and fishing vessel position data downloaded from VIIRS Boat Detection (VBD). The MaxEnt model showed good performance with an AUC value of 0.849. The response curve shows the highest probability of fish distribution being at SST in the range of 27.0 – 31.0 oC, and salinity of 32 – 34 psu. The predicted map of fishing areas produced by MaxEnt modeling in the form of a habitat suitability map showed that parameter salinity had an effect of 94.5% and SST of 5.5%. Peta fish habitat suitability shows that the majority of fishing vessel coordinates are at the Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) value of 0.5 – 0.8. Small pelagic fishing areas are concentrated in the central and northern regions of the Java Sea approaching the southern waters of Borneo Island

Public health equity in refugee situations

Addressing increasing concerns about public health equity in the context of violent conflict and the consequent forced displacement of populations is complex. Important operational questions now faced by humanitarian agencies can to some extent be clarified by reference to relevant ethical theory. Priorities of service delivery, the allocation choices, and the processes by which they are arrived at are now coming under renewed scrutiny in the light of the estimated two million refugees who fled from Iraq since 2003

Inhibition of cervical cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo with dual shRNAs

RNA interference (RNAi)-based gene silencing is widely used in laboratories for gene function studies and also holds a great promise for developing treatments for diseases. However, in vivo delivery of RNAi therapy remains a key issue. Lentiviral vectors have been employed for stable gene transfer and gene therapy and therefore are expected to deliver a stable and durable RNAi therapy. But this does not seem to be true in some disease models. Here, we showed that lentivirus delivered short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) against human papillomavirus (HPV) E6/E7 oncogenes were effective for only 2 weeks in a cervical cancer model. However, using this vector to carry two copies of the same shRNA or two shRNAs targeting at two different but closely related genes (HPV E6 and vascular endothelial growth factor) was more effective at silencing the gene targets and inhibiting cell or even tumor growth than their single shRNA counterparts. The cancer cells treated with dual shRNA were also more sensitive to chemotherapeutic drugs than single shRNA-treated cells. These results suggest that a multi-shRNA strategy may be a more attractive approach for developing an RNAi therapy for this cancer. Cancer Gene Therapy (2011) 18, 219-227; doi: 10.1038/cgt.2010.72; published online 19 November 201

Controversies surrounding human papilloma virus infection, head & neck vs oral cancer, implications for prophylaxis and treatment

Head & Neck Cancer (HNC) represents the sixth most common malignancy worldwide and it is historically linked to well-known behavioural risk factors, i.e., tobacco smoking and/or the alcohol consumption. Recently, substantial evidence has been mounting that Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is playing an increasing important role in oral cancer. Because of the attention and clamor surrounding oral HPV infection and related cancers, as well as the use of HPV prophylactic vaccines, in this invited perspective the authors raise some questions and review some controversial issues on HPV infection and its role in HNC, with a particular focus on oral squamous cell carcinoma

Transforming growth factor-β and breast cancer: Tumor promoting effects of transforming growth factor-β

The transforming growth factor (TGF)-βs are potent growth inhibitors of normal epithelial cells. In established tumor cell systems, however, the preponderant experimental evidence suggests that TGF-βs can foster tumor-host interactions that indirectly support the viability and/or progression of cancer cells. The timing of this 'TGF-β switch' during the progressive transformation of epithelial cells is not clear. More recent evidence also suggests that autocrine TGF-β signaling is operative in some tumor cells, and can also contribute to tumor invasiveness and metastases independent of an effect on nontumor cells. The dissociation of antiproliferative and matrix associated effects of autocrine TGF-β signaling at a transcriptional level provides for a mechanism(s) by which cancer cells can selectively use this signaling pathway for tumor progression. Data in support of the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which TGF-β signaling can accelerate the natural history of tumors will be reviewed in this section

Peripuberty stress leads to abnormal aggression, altered amygdala and orbitofrontal reactivity and increased prefrontal MAOA gene expression.

Although adverse early life experiences have been found to increase lifetime risk to develop violent behaviors, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these long-term effects remain unclear. We present a novel animal model for pathological aggression induced by peripubertal exposure to stress with face, construct and predictive validity. We show that male rats submitted to fear-induction experiences during the peripubertal period exhibit high and sustained rates of increased aggression at adulthood, even against unthreatening individuals, and increased testosterone/corticosterone ratio. They also exhibit hyperactivity in the amygdala under both basal conditions (evaluated by 2-deoxy-glucose autoradiography) and after a resident-intruder (RI) test (evaluated by c-Fos immunohistochemistry), and hypoactivation of the medial orbitofrontal (MO) cortex after the social challenge. Alterations in the connectivity between the orbitofrontal cortex and the amygdala were linked to the aggressive phenotype. Increased and sustained expression levels of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene were found in the prefrontal cortex but not in the amygdala of peripubertally stressed animals. They were accompanied by increased activatory acetylation of histone H3, but not H4, at the promoter of the MAOA gene. Treatment with an MAOA inhibitor during adulthood reversed the peripuberty stress-induced antisocial behaviors. Beyond the characterization and validation of the model, we present novel data highlighting changes in the serotonergic system in the prefrontal cortex-and pointing at epigenetic control of the MAOA gene-in the establishment of the link between peripubertal stress and later pathological aggression. Our data emphasize the impact of biological factors triggered by peripubertal adverse experiences on the emergence of violent behaviors

Research to Consider While Effectively Re-Designing Child Welfare Services

An intense appetite for reforming and transforming child welfare services in the United States is yielding many new initiatives. Vulnerable children and families who become involved with child welfare clearly deserve higher quality and more effective services. New policies, programs, and practices should be built on sound evidence. Reforms based on misunderstandings about what the current data show may ultimately harm families. This review highlights 10 commonly held misconceptions which we assert are inconsistent with the best available contemporary evidence. Implications for better alignment of evidence and reform are discussed

Research to Consider while Effectively Re-Designing Child Welfare Services: A Response to Commentaries

Barth et al. (2021) published an article in this journal identifying ten topics in the field of child welfare that are frequently discussed among professionals, advocates, and researchers in an effort to shape discussions of practice and policy reform. Concerned that these discussions are often poorly informed by the research evidence, Barth et al. intended to offer a corrective to these common, erroneous narratives. The Editor-in-Chief, Bruce Thyer, asked for suggestions for commentators and then invited some number of respondents to offer their perspectives on the original article. Here, we respond to each of the submitted papers, highlighting areas of agreement, and addressing other topics where we—sometimes sharply—disagree. We welcome an ongoing, fact-based, respectful dialogue to help shape child welfare reform. Efforts to improve the child welfare system are urgently needed; we stand by our view that large-scale practice and policy reform, in particular, must be guided by the best available research evidence