Updated List Research Articles

The benthic marine algae of the Maldives: historical insights into their diversity and distribution

Abstract In tropical ecosystems worldwide, benthic marine algae are important primary producers and habitat providers for many juvenile fish and invertebrate species. Calcified species are known to provide structural support to their respective communities, thus enhancing the overall system’s productivity. In the Republic of the Maldives, algae are an important yet currently poorly studied biological resource. We reviewed the literature around algal diversity and distribution across Maldivian atolls and compiled an extensive and updated taxonomic list. The list contains 353 species, of which 31 are Cyanobacteria, 26 Phaeophyceae, 109 Chlorophyta, and 187 Rhodophyta. Algal collections have been reported from 12 out of 20 atolls, and these mostly occurred during 20th century expeditions. The taxonomic status of 110 species has changed since first reported. While several species have been documented from the country, identifications have thus far almost solely relied on morphological assessments. Many of the reported algal groups require molecular confirmation. This suggests that benthic algal diversity from the Maldives is likely an underestimate. Since anthropogenic activities can significantly alter algal community dynamics, a baseline understanding of algal diversity is necessary to determine how such shifts affect the ecosystem as a whole, thus underpinning future management and conservation efforts.

Complicating the Innovative Model of a High-Tech IT Company

This paper examines the combined impact of significant modern trends on competitive processes in the IT industry. These trends include industry digitalization, the use of artificial intelligence tools in software engineering, and the concept of an IT company without physical offices and with fully virtualized production processes. The determination of the level of influence of these trends on the European information technology market is based on the author's research from 2020-2023. It is already obvious that the combination of these trends has a serious impact on the industry, but this impact continues to grow, which requires the management of IT companies to manage timely changes at the strategic level. The article offers an updated list of signs of an IT company achieving high-tech status, defines elements of a corporate strategy that allow using related advantages, and presents tactical steps for implementing timely changes. The article also presents a fundamental route for an IT company to achieve the status of a promising high-tech company with a global level of competitiveness.

The Odonata of the Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, Mato Grosso state, Brazil, with an updated species list for the state

The Odonata of the Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, Mato Grosso state, Brazil, with an updated species list for the state

Updated diversity and taxonomy of the fern genus Abrodictyum C. Presl (Hymenophyllaceae, Polypodiidae) in Asia, Australasia and Oceania

ABSTRACT Previous works indicate that the fern genus Abrodictyum (Hymenophyllaceae) comprises between 17 and 26 species in Asia, Australasia and Oceania. To clarify the diversity of the genus within this broad region, a taxonomic review was carried out via an in-depth examination of literature data, online databases and herbarium material. The result is an updated list of 18 distinct species, 2 varieties and 1 forma, including a corrected list of synonyms and the updated distribution of the taxa. The potential synonymisation between two species (A. clathratum and A. idoneum) is discussed and an identification key is proposed.

Leveraging diverse genomic data to guide equitable carrier screening: Insights from gnomAD v.4.1.0.

Analysis of exome data from the latest release of the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD v.4.1.0) revealed a significant carrier burden of pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants in genes associated with autosomal-recessive conditions across diverse ancestral populations. Carrier screening panels are routinely offered to reproductive partners to inform their risk of having an affected child. Current guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) recommend screening for genes with a carrier frequency of at least 1/200 and associated with moderate/severe conditions. Here, we systematically analyzed >700,000 gnomAD v.4.1.0 exomes spanning eight ancestries to estimate the carrier frequency of P/LP variants in 2,987 genes associated with autosomal-recessive conditions. After expert curation for clinical severity, we identified 286 genes meeting the criteria for carrier screening. The number of genes exceeding the 1/200 threshold varied across populations, with 40 in the South Asian ancestry and up to 119 in the Ashkenazi Jewish population. Simulations showed that pan-ethnic screening panels offer advantages for individuals of diverse or admixed ancestry, while ancestry-specific panels may be preferable for genetically homogeneous populations. This study leveraged the most comprehensive genomic dataset to date to provide an updated candidate gene list for equitable carrier screening across diverse populations. Our findings highlight the need for continued expansion of genomic resources to better understand rare disease risk and inform screening efforts in underrepresented groups.

New records and an updated list of reptiles from Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam.

Thanh Hoa Province is located in North Central Vietnam and the Province contains a large area of 393,361.33 hectares of natural forest. A complexity of landforms has given this Province a high level of biodiversity potential. However, the reptile fauna of Thanh Hoa Province is still underestimated. Previous studies documented 111 species of reptiles from this Province. As a result of our field surveys in Pu Luong and Xuan Lien Nature Reserves, we report five species of reptiles for the first time from Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, namely Plestiodontamdaoensis, Scincelladevorator (Scincidae), Elaphetaeniura, Pareasmacularius and Pseudoxenodonmacrops (Colubridae), with novel data about morphological characteristics. In addition, we provide an updated checklist of 116 species of reptiles from Thanh Hoa Province. The reptile fauna of Thanh Hoa Province also contains a number of species of conservation concern: 22 species listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam, 22 species listed in the IUCN Red List, 18 species listed in the Vietnam Governmental Decree No. 84; and 21 species listed in CITES appendices.

GPS telemetry facilitates the identification of forage plant species for endangered Carnaby’s cockatoos (Zanda latirostris) at inland breeding sites and post-breeding dispersal locations in Western Australia

Carnaby’s cockatoos (Zanda latirostris) are an endangered species that has experienced major loss of habitat over the past century. Proponents seeking land clearing approval that may impact Carnaby’s cockatoos need to provide detailed habitat assessment. However, the current forage species list is outdated and generally restricted to the Swan Coastal Plain rather than the Carnaby’s full distribution range. This study provides an updated forage list, including the Swan Coastal Plain and much of the Carnaby’s breeding and non-breeding areas outside this region. Carnaby’s cockatoos were captured and satellite tagged, at five breeding sites in the wheatbelt and Great Southern areas in Western Australia (between 2017 and 2022). Spatial data collected from the tags facilitated the identification of forage plants used by Carnaby’s cockatoos. A total of 44 ‘new’ native plant species were identified as Carnaby’s cockatoo forage species, including five genera that have not previously been recorded. The updated forage list will inform proponents and regulators on the potential use of habitat patches by Carnaby’s cockatoos, aiding the referral process and enabling the protection and conservation of important and diminishing habitat resources.

A mechanistic integration of hypoxia signaling with energy, redox and hormonal cues.

Oxygen deficiency (hypoxia) occurs naturally in many developing plant tissues but can become a major threat during acute flooding stress. Consequently, plants as aerobic organisms must rapidly acclimate to hypoxia and the associated energy crisis to ensure cellular and ultimately organismal survival. In plants, oxygen sensing is tightly linked with oxygen-controlled protein stability of group VII ETHYLENE-RESPONSE FACTORs (ERFVII) which, when stabilized under hypoxia, act as key transcriptional regulators of hypoxia-responsive genes (HRGs). Multiple signaling pathways feed into hypoxia signaling to fine-tune cellular decision making under stress. First, ATP shortage upon hypoxia directly affects the energy status and adjusts anaerobic metabolism. Secondly, altered redox homeostasis leads to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) accumulation, evoking signaling and oxidative stress acclimation. Finally, the phytohormone ethylene promotes hypoxia signaling to improve acute stress acclimation, while hypoxia signaling in turn can alter ethylene, auxin, abscisic acid, salicylic acid and jasmonate signaling to guide development and stress responses. In this Update, we summarize the current knowledge on how energy, redox and hormone signaling pathways are induced under hypoxia and subsequently integrated at the molecular level to ensure stress-tailored cellular responses. We show that some HRGs are responsive to changes in redox, energy and ethylene independently of the oxygen status, and propose an updated HRG list that is more representative for hypoxia marker gene expression. We discuss the synergistic effects of hypoxia, energy, redox and hormone signaling and their phenotypic consequences in the context of both environmental and developmental hypoxia.

JAX-Fluids 2.0: Towards HPC for differentiable CFD of compressible two-phase flows

In our effort to facilitate machine learning-assisted computational fluid dynamics (CFD), we introduce the second iteration of JAX-Fluids. JAX-Fluids is a Python-based fully-differentiable CFD solver designed for compressible single- and two-phase flows. In this work, the first version is extended to incorporate high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities. We introduce a parallelization strategy utilizing JAX primitive operations that scales efficiently on GPU (up to 512 NVIDIA A100 graphics cards) and TPU (up to 1024 TPU v3 cores) HPC systems. We further demonstrate stable parallel computation of automatic differentiation gradients across extended integration trajectories. The new code version offers enhanced two-phase flow modeling capabilities. In particular, a five-equation diffuse-interface model is incorporated which complements the level-set sharp-interface model. Additional algorithmic improvements include positivity-preserving limiters for increased robustness, support for stretched Cartesian meshes, refactored I/O handling, comprehensive post-processing routines, and an updated list of state-of-the-art high-order numerical discretization schemes. We verify newly added numerical models by showcasing simulation results for single- and two-phase flows, including turbulent boundary layer and channel flows, air-helium shock bubble interactions, and air-water shock drop interactions.

A taxonomic monograph of subfamily Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Western Himalaya.

We investigated the scolytine fauna of the West Himalayan region of India. The present study combines field samples, museum specimens, and published data to catalog the scolytine diversity. We recognize 57 scolytine species from 15 tribes and 25 genera. Five new species Cryphalus himalayensis sp. nov., Dryocoetes asperatus sp. nov., Ernoporus squamosus sp. nov., Scolytoplatypus denticauda sp. nov., and Hypothenemus ficivorus sp. nov. are described from the region. Previously reported and inadequately characterized species are imaged and redescribed. Two new Indian records, seven new regional records, and fifteen new host records are reported. Keys to genera and photographs of each species are provided to facilitate identification. Mitochondrial COX-1 sequences were generated from some Himalayan species and sequences from GenBank were utilized for comparison with other related species. The current monographic study includes an overview of each species' taxonomic diagnosis, range, and host plants. Furthermore, an updated list of 165 scolytine species, distributed in the Himalaya but excluding its eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh, is also provided.

Using biodiversity databases to assess vascular plant diversity in Protected Areas: a case study of Parque Estadual do Forno Grande, Brazil.

The Parque Estadual do Forno Grande is a fully protected area in the southern Espírito Santo State, Brazil. It belongs to the Atlantic Forest domain, with predominantly dense, ombrophilous, seasonal semi-deciduous forests and herbaceous/shrubby vegetation on rock outcrops. The area is recognised as highly important for conservation, designated as a priority biological area for protecting the Atlantic Forest's biodiversity. Although the importance of Protected Areas in conserving the Atlantic Forest biodiversity is unquestionable, it is crucial to understand the floristic patterns within these regions to develop effective conservation strategies. We utilised national online databases to compile species lists containing relevant information about their biodiversity. The updated list of vascular plants recorded in the Parque Estadual do Forno Grande is available in the "Catálogo de Plantas das Unidades de Conservação do Brasil" and it is presented here with further information on richness, endemism and conservation status. The Parque Estadual do Forno Grande harbours 958 species of vascular plants, of which 79.2% are angiosperms, 18.4% are ferns and 2.4% are lycophytes. Amongst these species, 44% are endemic to the Atlantic Forest. There are 58 threatened species, of which six are Critically Endangered, 39 are Endangered and 13 are Vulnerable. Amongst the threatened species, 51 are endemic to the Atlantic Forest. The number of records and the species richness in this area are notably high for Atlantic Forest standards. Our findings suggest that floristic inventories of Brazilian Protected Areas are a key contribution to the general perception of how much we still do not know about our flora. It also highlights the necessity of supporting floristic surveys in poorly-known areas, especially those remaining as forest remnants.

Review on Academia Hub: Android Application for Student Attendance System

Until today, most lecturers in universities are found still using the conventional methods of taking students’ attendance either by calling out the student names or by passing around an attendance sheet for students to sign confirming their presence. In addition to the time-consuming issue, such method is also at higher risk of having students cheating about their attendance, especially in a large classroom. Therefore, a method of taking attendance by employing an application running on the Android platform is proposed in this paper. This application, once installed can be used to download the students list from a designated web server. Based on the downloaded list of students, the device will then act like a scanner to scan each of the student cards one by one to confirm and verify the student’s presence. The device’s camera will be used as a sensor that will read the barcode printed on the students’ cards. The updated attendance list is then uploaded to an online database and can also be saved as a file to be transferred to a PC later on. This system will help to eliminate the current problems, while also promoting a paperless environment at the same time. Since this application can be deployed on lecturers’ own existing Android devices, no additional hardware cost is required

A new species of genus Homotechnes Candèze, 1882 from Guangxi, China (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Hypnoidinae).

Homotechnes choui sp. nov., a new species from Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated. An updated key and list of Chinese Homotechnes species, with corrected or supplementary distribution data, are provided.

Diversidad y conservación de los murciélagos de Cusco, Perú

In this work, we present an updated list of bats from the Cusco department, based on the review of scientific collections, databases, and published research. Our data show that Cusco is one of the regions with the highest bat diversity in the country, recording seven families, 55 genera, and 114 species, nearly 60% of those recorded for Peru. This diversity includes two of the nine endemic species registered in Peru: Mormopterus phrudus and Anoura javieri. According to Peruvian legislation, five species are categorized as threatened, while six species are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Additionally, 10 species are considered common, and 27 are classified as rare. The density map of records indicates that the highest concentration of records is in the La Convención province and identifies four areas with information gaps: 1) Southeast of Cusco, 2) Southwest, encompassing the provinces of Chumbivilcas and Espinar, 3) Northwest of La Convención, and 4) Northeast of La Convención. The list provides species data at the provincial level, highlighting information gaps and updates on species distribution across ecoregions, besides is included the distribution maps of all species.

Two new records of sea anemones (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Actiniaria) from the Eastern Pacific coast of El Salvador

Two species of the genus Actinostella Duchassaing, 1850 are documented for the first time on the coasts of El Salvador: A. bradleyi (Verrill, 1869) and A. californica (McMurrich, 1893). Both species are briefly described, and images of live specimens showing their main external features are provided, as well as images of histological sections showing some taxonomic characteristics of their internal anatomy. These two species are distinguished from each other primarily by the number of tentacles, the number of mesentery pairs, the arrangement of gametogenic tissue, and some differences in their cnidom. The record of these two species in El Salvador increases the number of sea anemones recorded for the country to 12. Additionally, an updated list of sea anemone species documented in El Salvador is provided.

Service delivery in postpandemic period for routine childhood immunization in Assam following capacity building with BRIDGE IPC Skill tool.

For COVID-19 pandemic and associated factors, around 25 million children missed routine immunization in 2021. NFHS-5 for Assam reported 67% coverage with routine immunization in 2019-21 which is below national average (77%) and lowest among Indian States/UTs. Lack of knowledge and skill among provider can reduce coverage. To address vaccine hesitancy and demand generation for routine immunization, BRIDGE IPC Skills (Boosting Routine Immunization Demand Generation) training in routine immunization for frontline workers considered an effective tool. To estimate the service delivery in postpandemic period for routine childhood immunization in Assam following capacity building with a BRIDGE IPC Skill tool. This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted among immunization service providers from April 2022 to March 2023, where training coverage of service providers on BRIDGE IPC Skill was assessed. Comparison was made between functionalities of trained services by service providers with untrained ones. A total of 2312 session sites were visited, of which 67.7% of frontline workers were trained, while 32.3% were not trained. Alternate vaccine delivery was present in 58.5%. Updated due list was present in 64.1% vs 29.8% in trained and untrained sites. Significant association was found between delivery of key message and status of frontline worker on BRIDGE IPC Skill training. Capacity building of frontline workers on BRIDGE IPC Skill can boost efficiency of frontline workers and may facilitate in addressing gaps that EXIST between health care system and community.

Chain community pharmacists’ requests for patient information during routine care

BackgroundTo optimize service provision, community pharmacists need information (e.g., laboratory values and updated medication lists), which can be difficult to obtain. Contacting prescriber offices is a common approach to obtain information but is often ineffective. Health information exchange (HIE) is one potential solution to this problem, and recent survey research has identified the information needs of independent pharmacists that could be addressed through HIE. However, the information needs of chain community pharmacists are unknown. ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to characterize the patient information requests made by chain community pharmacists during routine practice. MethodsThis electronic card study captured cross-sectional observational data on patient information requests made by chain pharmacists in central Indiana during routine practice. Only one pharmacist meeting eligibility criteria per pharmacy could submit data. Pharmacists were randomized to a two-week data collection period. In real-time, pharmacists recorded the following: type of information requested, reason for request, information source, whether initial or follow up request, modality of communication, and the time required to make the request. Data analysis occurred via descriptive statistics. The Indiana University Institutional Review Board approved all study procedures. ResultsNineteen of the 33 eligible pharmacists (57.6%) consented to the study. Most participants held a PharmD degree (78.9%) and were the pharmacy manager (89.5%) at their location. Updated medication orders/lists (41.3%) and insurance (33.3%) were the most common type of requested information and was primarily used for prescription clarification/filling (93.4%). The prescriber office (53.6%), as well as the patient/caregiver (39.8%), were the most frequent source of this information. Requests were largely completed by telephone (61.2%) and averaged 6.0 minutes (SD: 4.8). ConclusionCommunity pharmacists require key patient data during routine practice. There is a need to develop mechanisms, like HIE, to address gaps in needed information in the community pharmacy setting, regardless of the offered services.

Medicación pediátrica de alto riesgo: propuesta de listado a través de la técnica de consenso interdisciplinar

IntroductionPediatric patients are more likely to experience medication-related errors and serious associated harms. The identification of high-risk medications (HRM) and their study in special populations, such as children with excess body weight, is a part of safety improvement strategies. ObjectiveTo generate, through a consensus technique structured by an interdisciplinary group of pediatricians and hospital pharmacists, an operational and updated list of HRM for hospital use in children over 2 years of age. The document was part of a collaboration project between the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacists and the Spanish Society of Pediatric Hospital Medicine. MethodsThe study was carried out in two sequential phases: a) preparation of a preliminary list of HRM through bibliographic review and b) subsequent application of the double-round Delphi method to agree on a definitive list of HRM. The results obtained were validated by calculating the probability of chance agreement and the modified Kappa statistic for each drug. ResultsThe original list obtained by bibliographic review included 26 pharmacological classes and 96 drugs. Of the total of 37 experts, 32 (86.4%) completed both rounds of the Delphi. The final consensus list of HRM incorporated 24 pharmacological classes and 100 drugs. The modified Kappa statistic reflected a high percent agreement (94.9%) in the consensus reached by the participants. ConclusionThis list can establish a tool for future studies and interventions to improve the safety of medications in general pediatric population, as well as in high-risk subgroups, such as pediatric patients with excess body weight.

Kimboza, a Small Lowland Forest With an Outstanding Herpetofauna Diversity in East Africa.

The Eastern Arc Mountains (EAM) and Coastal forests of Tanzania are renowned for harboring large number of threatened and endemic vertebrate species, yet most of these areas have been partially studied. The Kimboza Nature Forest Reserve (KNFR) is a small forest which is in transition between the EAM and Coastal forests, and among the poorly surveyed areas for amphibians and reptiles. We conducted systematic surveys across the KNFR in 2012 and between 2020 and 2023 using a range of approaches with the aim of establishing a comprehensive and updated list of reptile and amphibian species and assess the contribution of EAM and Coastal forests to the KNFR's herpetofauna. We identified 77 species, 29 amphibians and 48 reptiles, substantially updating previous species lists. Three of these species (Kinyongia magomberae, Trachylepis boulengeri and Philothamnus macrops) represent range extensions from previously known ranges. Fourteen species are endemic to East Africa, 11 of them being restricted to Tanzania. These results make the KNFR the richest forest reserve for herpetofauna per square km in Tanzania, and most similar in its composition to the Coastal, rather than Eastern Arc forests. With the caveats concerning taxonomic uncertainties and the inequalities of sampling intensity across the region, this study shows that the KNFR is an important area that deserves conservation attention. The KNFR, like other Coastal forests, is under significant pressure from anthropogenic activities which call for an urgent action to protect this small but rich forest.

Causative genes of intrinsic hybrid incompatibility in animals and plants: What we have learned about speciation from the molecular perspective

Abstract Intrinsic hybrid incompatibility is one of the important reproductive isolating mechanisms between species. Several genes causing intrinsic hybrid incompatibilities have been identified over the last few decades. Information on these causative genes and mutations of intrinsic hybrid incompatibilities helps us answer several important evolutionary questions regarding the plausibility of classic theoretical models of intrinsic hybrid incompatibilities, the evolutionary driving forces involved, and the repeatability of molecular mechanisms across taxa. Here, we made an updated list of the causative genes of intrinsic hybrid incompatibilities in animals and plants. Although several empirical cases are consistent with the classic two-locus Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibility (DMI) model, there are many cases in which epistatic interactions are more complex. Animals and plants appear to share several molecular mechanisms of intrinsic hybrid incompatibility. In both animals and plants, many causative genes evolve under genomic conflicts. Some taxonomic differences may result from inherent physiological differences. As most studies are biased toward a limited number of model organisms, further studies on natural systems across diverse taxa are necessary for the quantitative assessment of these patterns in nature.