National assessment of threatened species using sparse data: IUCN Red List classification of Anatidae in Iran

Classifying the status of threatened species using tools such as the IUCN Red List is a critical step for identifying at-risk species, and for conservation planning at global and sub-global levels. The requirement for data on population trends, geographic ranges and population sizes has proved challenging to carry out at the national level, especially in countries with unstructured and spatially limited monitoring schemes and limited conservation resources. In this study, we investigated the repeatability of risk assessments made under the IUCN Red List guidelines for assessment at the national level. Specifically, we assessed the national threat status of breeding and non-breeding populations of Anatidae in Iran using population and distribution data. The variable quality of these data led to uncertainties in decision-making. To evaluate the impact of these uncertainties on population trend estimates, we generated a range of alternative possible threat categories under three scenarios of population trend estimation. For the non-breeding populations, for which long-term population data were available, we were able to classify 93% of species, 72% of which were placed in threatened categories. For the breeding populations, 78% of the species were categorized as Data Deficient. Of those species in data-sufficient categories, 67% were classified as threatened. We conclude that effective use of the IUCN categories and criteria at the national level is hampered in situations where monitoring schemes have a short history. Therefore, available data need to be complemented with some level of standardized data collection. We further make suggestions about efficient means of data collection in such cases and the importance of the use of modeling techniques prior to Red Listing and discuss the most useful IUCN criteria for threat categorization in such circumstances

An assessment of threats to Anatidae in Iran

The network of wetland systems in Iran provides valuable staging and wintering areas for waterbirds in the African-Western Eurasian flyways. The West Siberian/Caspian/Nile populations of Anatidae (ducks, geese and swans) regularly overwinter and stop over in Iran, and are considered an economically and culturally important group of birds in the country. Conservation of such migratory birds requires the identification of key threat factors impacting them throughout the flyway. Since documented data on the status and threats facing Anatidae in Iran are very scarce, in this paper, we attempted to determine the general population trends for the 26 Anatidae species in Iran, using annual waterbird census data, and to identify and score the most important threat factors affecting each species, by consulting the top ornithologists and professional birdwatchers in the country by means of a survey. Our results indicate that the most prevalent threats affecting all 26 species are dam construction, water management practices, and hunting. Our results provide the necessary material for Red List assessment of these species at the national level, an important tool for conservation priority setting within Iran and in the flyway

Increased Expression of Transforming Growth Factor-beta and Receptors in Primary Human Airway Fibroblasts from Chemical Inhalation Patients

The widespread use of sulfur mustard (SM) as a chemical warfare agent in the past century has proved its long-lasting toxic effects. Despite a lot of research over the past decades on Iranian veterans, there are still major gaps in the SM literature. Transforming growth factor (TGF-beta), a cytokine that affects many different cell processes, has an important role in the lungs of patients with some of chronic airway diseases, especially with respect to airway remodeling in mustard lung. Primary airway fibroblasts from epibronchial biopsies were cultured, and gene expression of TGF-beta 1, TGF-beta 2, TbR-I and TbR-II in fibroblasts of SM injured patients and controls were investigated. Expression of TGF-beta s and receptors was measured by RT-PCR. Protein level of TGF-beta 1 was surveyed by western blot. Our findings revealed that expression levels of TGF-beta 1, TGF-beta 2, TbR-I and TbR-II were upregulated in the airway fibroblasts of SM exposed patients in comparison with control samples. TGF-beta 1 expression was shown to be markedly increased in primary lung fibroblasts of chemically injured patients. Our novel data, suggested that over-expression of TGF-beta molecule and receptors in primary airway fibroblasts of mustard gas injured patients may be involved in progression of airway remodeling of these patients

Evidence for Histidine-Rich Protein 2 Immune Complex Formation in Symptomatic Patients in Southern Zambia

Background: Rapid diagnostic tests based on histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP2) detection are the primary tools used to detect Plasmodium falciparum malaria infections. Recent conflicting reports call into question whether α-HRP2 antibodies are present in human host circulation and if resulting immune complexes could interfere with HRP2 detection on malaria RDTs. This study sought to determine the prevalence of immune-complexed HRP2 in a low-transmission region of Southern Zambia. Methods: An ELISA was used to quantify HRP2 in patient sample DBS extracts before and after heat-based immune complex dissociation. A pull-down assay reliant on proteins A, G, and L was developed and applied for IgG and IgM capture and subsequent immunoprecipitation of any HRP2 present in immune complexed form. A total of 104 patient samples were evaluated using both methods. Results: Immune-complexed HRP2 was detectable in 17% (18/104) of all samples evaluated and 70% (16/23) of HRP2-positive samples. A majority of the patients with samples containing immune-complexed HRP2 had P. falciparum infections (11/18) and were also positive for free HRP2 (16/18). For 72% (13/18) of patients with immune-complexed HRP2, less than 10% of the total HRP2 present was in immune-complexed form. For the remaining samples, a large proportion (≥ 20%) of total HRP2 was complexed with α-HRP2 antibodies. Conclusions: Endogenous α-HRP2 antibodies form immune complexes with HRP2 in the symptomatic patient population of a low-transmission area in rural Southern Zambia. For the majority of patients, the percentage of HRP2 in immune complexes is low and does not affect HRP2-based malaria diagnosis. However, for some patients, a significant portion of the total HRP2 was in immune-complexed form. Future studies investigating the prevalence and proportion of immune-complexed HRP2 in asymptomatic individuals with low HRP2 levels will be required to assess whether α-HRP2 antibodies affect HRP2 detection for this portion of the transmission reservoir

Big data analytics and firm performance: a systematic review

The literature on big data analytics and firm performance is still fragmented and lacking in attempts to integrate the current studies' results. This study aims to provide a systematic review of contributions related to big data analytics and firm performance. The authors assess papers listed in the Web of Science index. This study identifies the factors that may influence the adoption of big data analytics in various parts of an organization and categorizes the diverse types of performance that big data analytics can address. Directions for future research are developed from the results. This systematic review proposes to create avenues for both conceptual and empirical research streams by emphasizing the importance of big data analytics in improving firm performance. In addition, this review offers both scholars and practitioners an increased understanding of the link between big data analytics and firm performance

A Case for Humans-in-the-Loop: Decisions in the Presence of Erroneous Algorithmic Scores

The increased use of algorithmic predictions in sensitive domains has been accompanied by both enthusiasm and concern. To understand the opportunities and risks of these technologies, it is key to study how experts alter their decisions when using such tools. In this paper, we study the adoption of an algorithmic tool used to assist child maltreatment hotline screening decisions. We focus on the question: Are humans capable of identifying cases in which the machine is wrong, and of overriding those recommendations? We first show that humans do alter their behavior when the tool is deployed. Then, we show that humans are less likely to adhere to the machine's recommendation when the score displayed is an incorrect estimate of risk, even when overriding the recommendation requires supervisory approval. These results highlight the risks of full automation and the importance of designing decision pipelines that provide humans with autonomy.Comment: Accepted at ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (ACM CHI), 202

Investigating the Impact of Collagen-Chitosan Derived from Scomberomorus Guttatus and Shrimp Skin on Second-Degree Burn in Rats Model

Background: The present study focused on burning as one of the main causes of mortality with detrimental economic and social effects in the world. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of collagen-chitosan gel extracted from Scomberomorus guttatus and shrimp skin in the treatment of second degree burn healing among rats. Materials & method: To fulfill the purpose of the study, chitosan and collagen were extracted respectively from shrimp and Scomberomorus guttatus skin waste by the acid-based method and were evaluated by using Pico Tag, SDS-PAGE. The burn wound healing efficiency of marine collagen-chitosan gel was examined in vivo using rats. Three different ratios of collagen and chitosan blend (Col-CH, 1:3, 1:1 and 3:1) were prepared to obtain the most effective Col-CH gel for burn wound healing and were compared to the animals treated with silver sulfadiazine ointment. Healing burn wound was studied by measuring wound surface area with Image J and histopathologic examination was carried out based on the mean of epithelialization, fibroblastic cells, acute and chronic inflammatory cells, angiogenesis, structure collagen and the amount of collagen on days 15 and 25 post-burn. Results: The results of SDS-PAGE indicated that the extracted collagen was type I and it was composed of two α (α1 and α2) chains. Amino acid analysis showed a much higher glaycin content in extracted collagen which amounted to one-third of the total amino. The wound surface measurement showed a significant reduction in wound size in the group treated with Col-CH (3:1) compared to silver-sulfadiazine treated group on 15th and 25th days. Histopathological findings represented a high score in epithelialization, collagen, collagen structure, fibroblast cell and a decrease in inflammatory cells infiltration in Col-CH (3:1) treated group on 25th day. The most obvious finding of the present study is that chitosan-collagen gel (3:1) represented a better efficacy compared to sulfadiazine in burn wound healing on day 25 post-burn. © 2021 The Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicin

The interplay of wind and uplift facilitates over-water flight in facultative soaring birds.

Flying over the open sea is energetically costly for terrestrial birds. Despite this, over-water journeys of many birds, sometimes hundreds of kilometres long, are uncovered by bio-logging technology. To understand how these birds afford their flights over the open sea, we investigated the role of atmospheric conditions, specifically wind and uplift, in subsidizing over-water flight at a global scale. We first established that ΔT, the temperature difference between sea surface and air, is a meaningful proxy for uplift over water. Using this proxy, we showed that the spatio-temporal patterns of sea-crossing in terrestrial migratory birds are associated with favourable uplift conditions. We then analysed route selection over the open sea for five facultative soaring species, representative of all major migratory flyways. The birds maximized wind support when selecting their sea-crossing routes and selected greater uplift when suitable wind support was available. They also preferred routes with low long-term uncertainty in wind conditions. Our findings suggest that, in addition to wind, uplift may play a key role in the energy seascape for bird migration that in turn determines strategies and associated costs for birds crossing ecological barriers such as the open sea