Global quieting of high-frequency seismic noise due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures

Human activity causes vibrations that propagate into the ground as high-frequency seismic waves. Measures to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread changes in human activity, leading to a months-long reduction in seismic noise of up to 50%. The 2020 seismic noise quiet period is the longest and most prominent global anthropogenic seismic noise reduction on record. While the reduction is strongest at surface seismometers in populated areas, this seismic quiescence extends for many kilometers radially and hundreds of meters in depth. This provides an opportunity to detect subtle signals from subsurface seismic sources that would have been concealed in noisier times and to benchmark sources of anthropogenic noise. A strong correlation between seismic noise and independent measurements of human mobility suggests that seismology provides an absolute, real-time estimate of population dynamics

Sacrifice and solidarity: a qualitative study of family experiences of death and bereavement in critical care settings during the pandemic

BackgroundPandemic-related restrictions are expected to continue to shape end-of-life care and impact the experiences of dying hospitalised patients and their families.ObjectiveTo understand families' experiences of loss and bereavement during and after the death of their loved one amidst the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic.DesignQualitative descriptive study.SettingThree acute care units in a Canadian tertiary care hospital.ParticipantsFamily members of 28 hospitalised patients who died from March-July 2020.Main outcome measuresQualitative semistructured interviews conducted 6-16 months after patient death inquired about family experiences before and beyond the death of their loved one and garnered suggestions to improve end-of-life care.ResultsPandemic restrictions had consequences for families of dying hospitalised patients. Most family members described an attitude of acquiescence, some framing their experience as a sacrifice made for the public good. Families appreciated how clinicians engendered trust in the name of social solidarity while trying to mitigate the negative impact of family separation. However, fears about the patient's experience of isolation and changes to postmortem rituals also created despair and contributed to long-lasting grief.ConclusionProfound loss and enduring grief were described by family members whose final connections to their loved one were constrained by pandemic circumstances. Families observed solidarity among clinical staff and experienced a sense of unity with staff, which alleviated some distress. Their suggestions to improve end-of-life care given pandemic restrictions included frequent, flexible communication, exceptions for family presence when safe, and targeted efforts to connect patients whose isolation is intensified by functional impairment or limited technological access.Trial registration numberNCT04602520; Results

Mutations in PIK3R1 cause SHORT syndrome

SHORT syndrome is a rare, multisystem disease characterized by short stature, anterior-chamber eye anomalies, characteristic facial features, lipodystrophy, hernias, hyperextensibility, and delayed dentition. As part of the FORGE (Finding of Rare Disease Genes) Canada Consortium, we studied individuals with clinical features of SHORT syndrome to identify the genetic etiology of this rare disease. Whole-exome sequencing in a family trio of an affected child and unaffected parents identified a de novo frameshift insertion, c.1906_1907insC (p.Asn636Thrfs(∗)18), in exon 14 of PIK3R1. Heterozygous mutations in exon 14 of PIK3R1 were subsequently identified by Sanger sequencing in three additional affected individuals and two affected family members. One of these mutations, c.1945C>T (p.Arg649Trp), was confirmed to be a de novo mutation in one affected individual and was also identified and shown to segregate with the phenotype in an unrelated family. The other mutation, a de novo truncating mutation (c.1971T>G [p.Tyr657(∗)]), was identified in another affected individual. PIK3R1 is involved in the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) signaling cascade and, as such, plays an important role in cell growth, proliferation, and survival. Functional studies on lymphoblastoid cells with the PIK3R1 c.1906_1907insC mutation showed decreased phosphorylation of the downstream S6 target of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway. Our findings show that PIK3R1 mutations are the major cause of SHORT syndrome and suggest that the molecular mechanism of disease might involve downregulation of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway

Crop Updates 2006 - Geraldton

This session covers twenty six papers from different authors 2006 Seasonal Outlook, David Stephens and Michael Meuleners, Department of Agriculture 2006 Wheat Market Outlook, Tony Smith, Plum Grove Commodity Trading Solutions Will Budgets Change in 2006? Peter Tozer, Department of Agriculture Wheat varieties – what does the industry need and how do we get closer? David Bowran Department of Agriculture Performance of Wheat Varieties in National Variety Testing (NVT) WA, Peter Burges, Agritech Crop Research Survey of lupin root health (in major production areas), Geoff Thomas, Bill MacLeod, Ken Adcock, Katie Bell, Ciara Beard and Anne Smith, Department of Agriculture Managing root disease under intensive cropping, Bill MacLeod, and Vivien Vanstone, Department of Agriculture Investigation into the adequacy OF SEALED FARM SILOS IN Western Australia to control phosphine-resistant Rhyzopertha dominica, C.R. Newman, Department of Agriculture Phosure – Extending the Life of Phosphine, Gabrielle Coupland and Ern Kostos, Cooperative Bulk Handling IWM performs over 5 years in 33 focus paddocks, Peter Newman and Glenn Adam, Department of Agriculture Maintaining wheat and lupin yields using phase pastures and shielded sprayers to manage increasing herbicide resistance, Caroline Peek, Nadine Eva, Chris Carter and Megan Abrahams, Department of Agriculture Can sheep selectively graze weeds out of crops? A model for using sheep rather than chemicals, Tim Wiley, Department of Agriculture and Dean Revell, CSIRO Livestock Environmental Protection (Clearing of Native Vegetation) Regulations 2004, Anne Finlay, Department of Environment What lies beneath? – Understanding constraints to productivity below the soil surface, Stephen Davies and Chris Gazey, Department of Agriculture, Bob Gilkes, Dan Evans and Tania Liaghati, University of Western Australia Phoma blight (P. schneiderae), a risk for WA lupins? Geoff Thomas and Mark Sweetingham, Department of Agriculture The 2005 Wheat streak mosaic virus epidemic in New South Wales and the threat posed to the Western Australian wheat industry, Roger Jones and Nichole Burges, Department of Agriculture Zone Management for fun and Profit, Department of Agriculture, Tony Rosser and Owen Mann, Great Northern Rural Annual Ryegrass Toxicity (ARGT) – How to manage the Risk, Marnie Thomas, Department of Agriculture The future of lupin varieties, Wayne Parker, Department of Agriculture Analysis of a wheat-pasture rotation in the 330mm annual rainfall zone using the STEP model, Andrew Blake and Caroline Peek, Department of Agriculture Value Added Opportunities for Lupins in High Value Feed and Food Markets, Jason Craig and Mark Tucek, Cooperative Bulk Handling An overview of the potential for a Biofuels Industry in Western Australia, Anne Wilkins and Nathan Hancock, Department of Agriculture The GMO Picture – a Reality Check, Dr Sue Sutherland, Department of Agriculture Nitrogen applied in splits rather than all applied at seeding returns higher gross income from wheat cropped on a leaching sandy soil at Muresk (Central agricultural region), Darshan Sharma, Department of Agriculture and Lionel Martin, Muresk Institute, Curtin University of Technology Potassium response in cereal cropping within the medium rainfall central wheatbelt, Jeff Russell, Department of Agriculture, Angie Roe and James Eyres Farm Focus consultants Western Region Barley Variety Guide2006, Alaina Smith, Blakely Paynter and Andrea Hills, Department of Agricultur

Additional file 1: of Spinocerebellar ataxia type 29 due to mutations in ITPR1: a case series and review of this emerging congenital ataxia

Table S1. SCA29 Questionnaire. Table S2. Assessment of pathogenicity for ITPR1 variants identified in this study. (DOCX 1606 kb