Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests

The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (−9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater impact per °C in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth’s climate

Retrospective evaluation of whole exome and genome mutation calls in 746 cancer samples

Funder: NCI U24CA211006Abstract: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) curated consensus somatic mutation calls using whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), respectively. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, which aggregated whole genome sequencing data from 2,658 cancers across 38 tumour types, we compare WES and WGS side-by-side from 746 TCGA samples, finding that ~80% of mutations overlap in covered exonic regions. We estimate that low variant allele fraction (VAF < 15%) and clonal heterogeneity contribute up to 68% of private WGS mutations and 71% of private WES mutations. We observe that ~30% of private WGS mutations trace to mutations identified by a single variant caller in WES consensus efforts. WGS captures both ~50% more variation in exonic regions and un-observed mutations in loci with variable GC-content. Together, our analysis highlights technological divergences between two reproducible somatic variant detection efforts

A virtualidade da imagem do filme e o mundo como uma possibilidade. Desempenho pedagógico-pedagógico do cinema a partir de uma análise fenomenológica

Emilio Lledó said that the essence of education is "to show the world as a possibility". To go deeper into this statement from a phenomenological analysis of the virtuality of the film image is what we propose in our work. A philosophical approach to cinema reveals virtuality, understood phenomenologically and as an ontological feature of the film image, as its capacity to gain a space of neutrality (E. Husserl) in which the image itself is freed from commitments to the factual reality of the world. That is to say, the image of the cinema harbours the capacity to, far from presenting the world to us as it is in fact, to show us the world through the prism of possibility. These analyses will lead us to a double approach to cinema and its educational-pedagogical performance. On the one hand, we will show how the cinema is capable of bringing us closer to certain truths which, as possibilities of existence (Kundera), appeal to us universally. On the other hand, the filmic image will be shown to de-limit the margins of the world, launching us to think of the "world as a possibility" and, thus, to consider a creative, liberating and hospitable education based on film.Decía Emilio Lledó que la esencia de la educación es "mostrar el mundo como posibilidad". Profundizar en tal afirmación desde un análisis fenomenológico de la virtualidad de la imagen fílmica es lo que nos proponemos en nuestro trabajo. Una aproximación filosófica al cine nos revela la virtualidad, comprendida fenomenológicamente y en tanto rasgo ontológico de la imagen fílmica, como la capacidad de esta de ganar un espacio de neutralidad (E. Husserl) en el cual la propia imagen se ve liberada de compromisos con la realidad fáctica del mundo. Es decir, la imagen del cine alberga la capacidad de, lejos de presentarnos el mundo como este es de hecho, mostrarnos el mundo desde el prisma de la posibilidad. Estos análisis nos conducirán a una doble aproximación al cine y sus rendimientos educativos-pedagógicos. Por una parte, mostraremos cómo el cine es capaz de aproximarnos a ciertas verdades que, en tanto posibilidades de la existencia (Kundera), nos apelan universalmente. Por otra parte, la imagen fílmica se mostrará como des-limitadora de los márgenes del mundo, lanzándonos a pensar el "mundo como posibilidad" y, así, a considerar una educación creativa, liberadora y hospitalaria a partir del cine

The evolution of the telecommunications policy agenda: Forty years of articles in Telecommunications Policy

This paper investigates the evolution of the telecommunications policy agenda by means of text mining forty years –from 1976 to 2016– of papers in the journal Telecommunications Policy. Text mining techniques help identify the key topics, the dominant combinations of concepts and the main areas of research within this multidisciplinary –technical, economic, social, policy– discipline. In addition they depict an evolution of the policy agenda more nuanced than the conventional public service, pre-competition and post-liberalisation stages typical of telecommunications. Also, in combination with bibliometric information, the results display the relationships between areas of research and methodologies, countries and authors’ background, all together providing a deeper understanding of the past, present and future avenues for research in telecommunications policy

The timing and spatiotemporal patterning of Neanderthal disappearance

The timing ofNeanderthal disappearance and the extent to which they overlapped with the earliest incoming anatomically modern humans (AMHs) in Eurasia are key questions in palaeoanthropology.Determining the spatiotemporal relationship between the two populations is crucial if we are to understand the processes, timing and reasons leading to the disappearance of Neanderthals and the likelihood of cultural and genetic exchange. Serious technical challenges, however, have hindered reliable dating of the period, as the radiocarbon method reaches its limit at 50,000 years ago. Here we apply improved accelerator mass spectrometry 14C techniques to construct robust chronologies from 40 key Mousterian and Neanderthal archaeological sites, ranging fromRussia to Spain. Bayesian agemodelling was used to generate probability distribution functions to determine the latest appearancedate. Weshow that theMousterian ended by 41,030\u201339,260 calibrated years BP (at 95.4%probability) across Europe. We also demonstrate that succeeding \u2018transitional\u2019 archaeological industries, one ofwhich has been linked with Neanderthals (Chatelperronian), end at a similar time. Our data indicate that the disappearance of Neanderthals occurred at different times in different regions. Comparing the data with results obtained from the earliest dated AMH sites in Europe, associated with the Uluzzian technocomplex5, allows us to quantify the temporal overlap between the two human groups. The results reveal a significant overlap of 2,600\u20135,400 years (at 95.4%probability). This has important implications formodels seeking to explain the cultural, technological and biological elements involved in the replacement of Neanderthals byAMHs. A mosaic of populations in Europe during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition suggests that there was ample time for the transmission of cultural and symbolic behaviours, as well as possible genetic exchanges, between the two groups

Sex differences in oncogenic mutational processes

Funder: Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100002790Funder: Genome Canada (Génome Canada); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/100008762Funder: Canada Foundation for Innovation (Fondation canadienne pour l'innovation); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000196Funder: Terry Fox Research Institute (Institut de Recherche Terry Fox); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100004376Abstract: Sex differences have been observed in multiple facets of cancer epidemiology, treatment and biology, and in most cancers outside the sex organs. Efforts to link these clinical differences to specific molecular features have focused on somatic mutations within the coding regions of the genome. Here we report a pan-cancer analysis of sex differences in whole genomes of 1983 tumours of 28 subtypes as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium. We both confirm the results of exome studies, and also uncover previously undescribed sex differences. These include sex-biases in coding and non-coding cancer drivers, mutation prevalence and strikingly, in mutational signatures related to underlying mutational processes. These results underline the pervasiveness of molecular sex differences and strengthen the call for increased consideration of sex in molecular cancer research

Sex differences in oncogenic mutational processes

Sex differences have been observed in multiple facets of cancer epidemiology, treatment and biology, and in most cancers outside the sex organs. Efforts to link these clinical differences to specific molecular features have focused on somatic mutations within the coding regions of the genome. Here we report a pan-cancer analysis of sex differences in whole genomes of 1983 tumours of 28 subtypes as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium. We both confirm the results of exome studies, and also uncover previously undescribed sex differences. These include sex-biases in coding and non-coding cancer drivers, mutation prevalence and strikingly, in mutational signatures related to underlying mutational processes. These results underline the pervasiveness of molecular sex differences and strengthen the call for increased consideration of sex in molecular cancer research.Sex differences have been observed in multiple facets of cancer epidemiology, treatment and biology, and in most cancers outside the sex organs. Efforts to link these clinical differences to specific molecular features have focused on somatic mutations within the coding regions of the genome. Here we report a pan-cancer analysis of sex differences in whole genomes of 1983 tumours of 28 subtypes as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium. We both confirm the results of exome studies, and also uncover previously undescribed sex differences. These include sex-biases in coding and non-coding cancer drivers, mutation prevalence and strikingly, in mutational signatures related to underlying mutational processes. These results underline the pervasiveness of molecular sex differences and strengthen the call for increased consideration of sex in molecular cancer research.Peer reviewe