Potential Hotspot Areas Research Articles

Comparative Genomics of Eight Complete Chloroplast Genomes of Phyllostachys Species

(1) Background: The genus Phyllostachys belongs to the subfamily Bambusoideae within the family Gramineae. Bamboos of this genus are distinguished by their remarkable genetic traits, including exceptional resistance to both cold and drought conditions. These species possess considerable economic, ecological, and aesthetic value, finding extensive use in forestry and landscape design across China. (2) Methods: This study employed Illumina’s second-generation sequencing technology to sequence the chloroplast genomes of eight Phyllostachys species, followed by their assembly and annotation. (3) Results: The chloroplast genomes of the genus exhibit a characteristic tetrad structure with an average sequence length of 139,699 bp and an average GC content of 38.9%. A total of 130 genes have been annotated across eight bamboo species, comprising 75 protein-coding genes, 28 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. Global alignment and nucleotide polymorphism analyses indicate that the chloroplast genome of Phyllostachys is highly conserved overall. The boundaries of the four chloroplast regions are relatively conserved and exhibit minimal differences. Among these regions, three coding region genes—atpH, trnQ-UUG, and petB—and five non-coding regions—rpl32-trnL-UAG, rpl14-rpl16, rpl22-rps19, rps12-clpP, and trnR-UCU-trnM-CAU—exhibit high polymorphism and can be used as potential hotspot areas for subsequent research. A total of 266 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci were identified by SSR analysis in the chloroplast genomes of eight bamboo species; the largest number of mononucleotide repeats was 154, predominantly consisting of A/T. Codon bias in the chloroplast genomes of the eight bamboo species indicates a preference for codons ending with A and U. Additionally, the UUA codon, which encodes leucine (Leu), is positioned between codons encoding phenylalanine (Phe), lysine (Lys), leucine (Leu), serine (Ser), and tyrosine (Tyr), indicating certain differences among these species. (4) Conclusions: This study aims to offer novel insights into the population genetics, phylogenetic relationships, and evolutionary patterns of Phyllostachys.

Modelling Distribution of Onthophagus Species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Sarawak

Dung beetles (Genus: Onthophagus) are members of the family Scarabaeidae and the subfamily Scarabaeinae. Despite their small size and unattractive appearance, dung beetles play an important role in the ecosystem, and they are widely recognised as one of the most effective bioindicators of ecosystem health. Although there has been an increase in dung beetle studies in Peninsular Malaysia, there are very few ecological studies of dung beetles conducted in Sarawak, despite being the largest state of Malaysia. Therefore, this study aims to provide recent information on the distributions of dung beetles from the genus Onthophagus in Sarawak. A total of 32 occurrences data for eight selected Onthophagus species representing 11 localities were successfully recorded. All analyses were performed using the Maximum Entropy Modelling Version 3.4.4 (MaxEnt) and Quantum Geographic Information Systems 3.28.2 (QGIS) software. It is revealed that most dung beetles’ distributions are strongly influenced by temperature and precipitation which suggests its capabilities as a bioindicator to identify high biodiversity areas. In conclusion, this study could be beneficial to identify the potential hotspot areas for biodiversity conservation and effective management practices in Sarawak.

Using Local Ecological Knowledge to Search for Non-Native Species in Natura 2000 Sites in the Central Mediterranean Sea: An Approach to Identify New Arrivals and Hotspot Areas.

The management of biological invasions is among the most urgent of global challenges and requires a significant monitoring effort to obtain the information needed to take the appropriate decisions. To complement standard monitoring, citizen science is increasingly being used. Within citizen science, the approach of collecting and investigating Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) proved to be useful in the monitoring of non-native species. A LEK survey was carried out in 10 Sicilian and Maltese Natura 2000 sites in order to help in the early detection of non-native species. The survey was addressed to local fishers and SCUBA divers in order to investigate the occurrence of 24 selected marine non-native species and to identify potential hotspot areas of invasion through the use of six indicators: the occurrence of newly introduced nonindigenous species, the cumulative impacts of invasive alien species (CIMPAL) and the relative importance of species on the cumulative impacts (D1, D2, D3, and D4). The respondents confirmed the presence of 22 species since the year 2000 and reported 10 new ones registered in the investigated areas. The highest CIMPAL value was observed in two Sicilian Natura 2000 sites (ITA090028 and ITA040014) and the lowest on the western coast of Malta (MT0000101, MT0000102, MT0000103, and MT0000104) The four top-priority species according to indicators D1-D4 were Caulerpa cylindracea, C. taxifolia, Siganus luridus and S. rivulatus. The study produced a valid and useful scientific output to suggest and address management strategies to monitor the establishment of the non-native species.

Identifying and sharing per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances hot-spot areas and exposures in drinking water

Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water is widely recognized as a public health concern. Decision-makers who are responsible for managing PFAS drinking water risks lack the tools to acquire the information they need. In response to this need, we provide a detailed description of a Kentucky dataset that allows decision-makers to visualize potential hot-spot areas and evaluate drinking water systems that may be susceptible to PFAS contamination. The dataset includes information extracted from publicly available sources to create five different maps in ArcGIS Online and highlights potential sources of PFAS contamination in the environment in relation to drinking water systems. As datasets of PFAS drinking water sampling continue to grow as part of evolving regulatory requirements, we used this Kentucky dataset as an example to promote the reuse of this dataset and others like it. We incorporated the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles by creating a Figshare item that includes all data and associated metadata with these five ArcGIS maps.

Geographical and ecological analyses of multiple myeloma in Denmark: Identification of potential hotspot areas and impact of urbanisation.

The aetiology of multiple myeloma (MM) is unknown but various environmental exposures are suspected as risk factors. We present the first paper analysing the geographical distribution of MM in Denmark at the municipal level to investigate variations that could be explained by environmental exposures. Patients diagnosed with MM in Denmark during 2005-2020 were identified from nationwide registries and grouped into the 98 Danish municipalities based on residence. The age- and sex-standardised incidence rate (SIR) of each municipality was compared to the national incidence in a funnel plot with 95% control limits. Differences in SIRs of rural, suburban, and urban areas were evaluated with incidence rate ratios. In total, 5243 MM patients were included. Overall, we found a heterogeneous geographical distribution of MM and a potential hotspot in southern Denmark. This hotspot contains three municipalities with SIRs above the 95% control limit assuming considerably higher rate of MM compared to the national incidence rate. A significant higher SIR was found in rural areas compared to urban areas. The geographical distribution of MM in Denmark indicates that the risk of developing MM depends on place of residence probably due to environmental factors.

Hotspots and super-spreaders: Modelling fine-scale malaria parasite transmission using mosquito flight behaviour.

Malaria hotspots have been the focus of public health managers for several years due to the potential elimination gains that can be obtained from targeting them. The identification of hotspots must be accompanied by the description of the overall network of stable and unstable hotspots of malaria, especially in medium and low transmission settings where malaria elimination is targeted. Targeting hotspots with malaria control interventions has, so far, not produced expected benefits. In this work we have employed a mechanistic-stochastic algorithm to identify clusters of super-spreader houses and their related stable hotspots by accounting for mosquito flight capabilities and the spatial configuration of malaria infections at the house level. Our results show that the number of super-spreading houses and hotspots is dependent on the spatial configuration of the villages. In addition, super-spreaders are also associated to house characteristics such as livestock and family composition. We found that most of the transmission is associated with winds between 6pm and 10pm although later hours are also important. Mixed mosquito flight (downwind and upwind both with random components) were the most likely movements causing the spread of malaria in two out of the three study areas. Finally, our algorithm (named MALSWOTS) provided an estimate of the speed of malaria infection progression from house to house which was around 200-400 meters per day, a figure coherent with mark-release-recapture studies of Anopheles dispersion. Cross validation using an out-of-sample procedure showed accurate identification of hotspots. Our findings provide a significant contribution towards the identification and development of optimal tools for efficient and effective spatio-temporal targeted malaria interventions over potential hotspot areas.

Quantifying the spatiotemporal evolution of the in-use steel stock in countries along the Belt and Road

Urban development has advanced the accumulation of steel resources from the natural environment to urban structures, thereby aggravating the deterioration of the natural environment and increasing concern for the circular economy. Accurately understanding the spatiotemporal evolution of urban steel stocks is necessary to better maintain sustainable socioeconomic development. This paper constructs the consistency and continuity of multisource nighttime light (NTL) data and the results of modelled in-use steel stock (IUSS) in the Belt and Road (B&R) areas at a 1 km resolution. The multiscale IUSS spatiotemporal evolution in the B&R areas was quantified using geographic information analysis methods. The results revealed that the evolution of IUSS in the southern and northern parts of the B&R has significant differences. From 1992 to 2004, the evolutionary state of the IUSS showed drastic changes, while an overall trend of balanced development was maintained from 2004 to 2019. High-intensity IUSS is mainly concentrated in China, Russia, and India, and wealth level is the primary factor driving the development of IUSS. Combining the results of the development state analysis and spatial correlation analysis shows that central India and central and western China are potential hotspot areas for the flow of steel resources in the future. The results of this study can help develop differentiated and refined management strategies for the flow of anthropogenic steel resources.

Evaluation Schoolyard Wind Comfort Changes Due to Rapid Developments: Case Study of Nanjing, China

(1) Background: Evaluation of wind environments regarding pedestrian comfort may unveil potential hotspot areas, particularly in the context of the rapid urban development in China since the 1990s. (2) Method: With primary schools in Nanjing as case studies, the authors simulated the wind environment of schoolyards with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach and evaluated relevant wind comfort criteria. (3) Results: The study showed that the comfortable wind environment of schoolyards generally expanded in three primary schools in summer and winter, and wind speed and the comfortable wind level decreased in some outdoor schoolyard spaces. The results also indicate that the mean wind speed of the schoolyards did not linearly correlate to the building density either within or outside the schools. An increase in the building height of the primary schools could improve the wind comfort of the schoolyard, but the increased building height in the vicinity may worsen the wind comfort in the schools. Meanwhile, a lift-up or step-shaped building design for schools can improve wind comfort in schoolyards. (4) Conclusions: This study provided simulated results and an approach for urban designers to evaluate and improve the wind environment for school children’s outdoor activities.

Priming effect of autochthonous organic matter on enhanced degradation of 17α-ethynylestradiol in water-sediment system of one eutrophic lake

Climate change and increasing eutrophication are expected to increase the release of autochthonous organic matter (OM) to sediments, where most contaminants are transformed or mineralized in freshwater lakes. This study sought to evaluate how cyanobacteria- and macrophyte-derived OM (COM and MOM) affected the microbial attenuation of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in the sediment from eutrophic Lake Taihu in China. In two months of water-sediment microcosm experiments, the input of COM and MOM both promoted EE2 degradation more strongly than humic acids, and the degradation efficiency was significantly and positively correlated with the cometabolism of increasing organic carbon in sediments (P < 0.001). The enhanced degradation was explained by responses of indigenous bacterial community to OM amendment as a priming effect. The immediate breakdown of biodegradable components such as proteinaceous substances in COM and MOM remarkably augmented the metabolic activity of bacteria in terms of the stimulated activity of extracellular enzymes including fluorescein diacetate and dehydrogenase, as well as the elevated production of proteins and polysaccharides in extracellular polymeric substances. In the meantime, the bacterial community composition was reshaped toward a more eutrophic state, leading to the clear upregulation of metabolic function genes of organic carbon and xenobiotics. Correlation-based network analysis further determined the strong facilitative coordination between the community members and the compositional variability of OM in the cometabolism. These results suggest that cyanobacterial blooms-dominated zones are potential hotspot areas for steroid estrogen attenuation, a finding of significance for the control and management of complex pollution in freshwater lakes.

THE DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH TREND OF USING DSAS TOOL FOR SHORELINE CHANGE ANALYSIS: A SCIENTOMETRIC ANALYSIS

The sensitivity of research on shoreline monitoring of coastal erosion is justified due to high density population, climate changes impacts, and intensified development, which are squeezing the ecosystem of coastal zones around the world. The budding fields of optical remote sensing such source medium and high-resolution satellite imagery in conjunction with avenue programming of Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) are widely used extended tools for analyzing the rate of coastal erosion and deposition. Although, there is a geometric growth in the research published documents in the last decades after the start of DSAS in 1990, but its broad insight into global peer groups, its scientometrics, pattern and trends in research activities in monitoring coastal erosion or shoreline change is missing. To breach this gap, 99 bibliographic records published in the Web of Science core collection for the period of 1994–2019 were analyzed using the VOSviewer software. Further, the analysis about global insight of research activities using DSAS in shoreline change analysis focused on (i) general scientometric characteristics of published output, (ii) experts in research themes and their cooperation, (iii) publishable journal list, (iv) institutional distribution and international collaboration, and (v) potential hotspot areas. This systematic analysis of the theme, graphically using rigorous scientmetric tools, will help coastal researchers to visualize the current research trends and prospective guideline for future research. The output of the present study will provide a robust road map to early carrier researchers for their advance inquiry in these fields in coming days.

THE DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH TREND OF USING DSAS TOOL FOR SHORELINE CHANGE ANALYSIS: A SCIENTOMETRIC ANALYSIS

The sensitivity of research on shoreline monitoring of coastal erosion is justified due to high density population, climate changes impacts, and intensified development, which are squeezing the ecosystem of coastal zones around the world. The budding fields of optical remote sensing such source medium and high-resolution satellite imagery in conjunction with avenue programming of Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) are widely used extended tools for analyzing the rate of coastal erosion and deposition. Although, there is a geometric growth in the research published documents in the last decades after the start of DSAS in 1990, but its broad insight into global peer groups, its scientometrics, pattern and trends in research activities in monitoring coastal erosion or shoreline change is missing. To breach this gap, 99 bibliographic records published in the Web of Science core collection for the period of 1994–2019 were analyzed using the VOSviewer software. Further, the analysis about global insight of research activities using DSAS in shoreline change analysis focused on (i) general scientometric characteristics of published output, (ii) experts in research themes and their cooperation, (iii) publishable journal list, (iv) institutional distribution and international collaboration, and (v) potential hotspot areas. This systematic analysis of the theme, graphically using rigorous scientmetric tools, will help coastal researchers to visualize the current research trends and prospective guideline for future research. The output of the present study will provide a robust road map to early carrier researchers for their advance inquiry in these fields in coming days.

Seasonal trends in whale shark Rhincodon typus sightings in an established tourism site in the Gulf of California, Mexico.

The number of individual whale shark Rhincodon typus sightings registered October 2015-March 2018 in Bahia de La Paz, Mexico, ranged from 73 to 129 animals per season (total 1662), with the majority of them identified as males. Density plot maps showed high correlations in sightings between sample seasons and revealed potential hotspot areas. Our study provides an essential baseline of information for the management of whale shark conservation and the associated touristic activities in the region.

Spatial Variations in Utilization of Modern Contraceptives in Ethiopia

Background: Even though modern contraceptives are known to be important for fertility control, utilization of these services varies across different geographical areas. A geographically linked data analysis using population and health facility data is important to investigate and map the use of family planning services. Thus, this study aimed to assess the spatial patterns of modern contraceptive use and to identify its associated factors among married women in Ethiopia. Method: A secondary data analysis of the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey and the 2014 Ethiopian Service Provision Assessment was conducted. A multilevel analysis was conducted to identify the potential factors associated with the use of modern contraceptives among married women in Ethiopia using the SAS GLIMMIX procedure. Furthermore, a spatial analysis was done to identify the potential hot spot areas of modern contraceptive prevalence rates using ArcGIS. Results: Being exposed to family planning messages, having a higher number of living children, husbands'/partners' education level, and wealth were strongly associated with increased use of modern contraceptives. More importantly, a one unit increase in the mean score of health facilities' readiness to provide short-term modern contraceptives in a typical region was associated with a 20 fold increase in the odds of modern contraceptive use. 24.47% of the variation in the use of modern contraception was accounted for by location. Moreover, the spatial analysis found that Addis Ababa and the Amhara region had high clusters of modern contraceptive use rates as compared to clusters of low contraceptive use rates in the Afar and Somali regions. Conclusion: There were significant variations in the use of modern contraceptives across the different regions of Ethiopia. Therefore, regions with low contraceptive rates and high fertility rates should be targeted for scaling up and tailoring of services to the lifestyles of the population of those regions. Funding: Not applicable. Declaration of Interest: The authors declared that they have no competing interests. Ethical Approval: Ethical approval was obtained from the Human Research Ethics Committee, The University of Newcastle. We also got the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) and the Measure DHS program approval to access the datasets.

Landscape Genetics: A Toolbox for Studying Vector-Borne Diseases

Landscape genetics aims to quantify the effect of landscape on gene flow. Broadly, the approach involves measuring genetic variation, quantifying landscape heterogeneity, and statistically testing the link between both genetic variation and landscape heterogeneity. This approach has been widely used by conservation biologists, for example to identify barriers restricting movement in threatened populations. More recently, landscape genetics has been used to study the epidemiology of infectious diseases, such as chronic wasting disease, raccoon rabies, and malaria. This method can be useful to identifying potential hotspot areas of disease movement for targeted public health interventions and containment of disease and drug resistance. However, vector-borne disease epidemiology is particularly complex, as it is affected by the movement of both the vector and human or vertebrate host. This feature could potentially inhibit the ability to detect the effect of landscape on gene flow, since the ecology of vectors and hosts are likely different and potentially conflicting. Here, we provide a summary of the latest innovations in the field of landscape genetics with a focus on those that could help increase the power to detect landscape effects in vector-borne human disease studies. We also provide a recommended framework for studying vector-borne diseases using a landscape genetics approach. Landscape genetics has the potential to be a powerful tool for the field of vector-borne disease epidemiology, but has so far been underutilized. The provided synthesis of tools and considerations for conducting a landscape genetics study of a vector-borne disease aim to bridge the gap between the two disciplines.

Cumulative Risk Assessment in the Lorraine Region: A Framework to Characterize Environmental Health Inequalities.

The study explores spatial data processing methods and the associated impact on the characterization and quantification of a combined health risk indicator at a regional scale and at fine resolution. To illustrate the methodology of combining multiple publicly available data sources, we present a case study of the Lorraine region (France), where regional stakeholders were involved in the global procedures for data collection and organization. Different indicators are developed by combining technical approaches for assessing and characterizing human health exposure to chemical substances (in soil, air and water) and noise risk factors. The results permit identification of pollutant sources, determinants of exposure, and potential hotspot areas. A test of the model’s assumptions to changes in sub-indicator spatial distribution showed the impact of data transformation on identifying more impacted areas. Cumulative risk assessment permits the combination of quantitative and qualitative evaluation of health risks by including stakeholders in the decision process, helping to define a subjective conceptual analysis framework or assumptions when uncertainties or knowledge gaps operate.

CRAF Phase 1, a framework to identify coastal hotspots to storm impacts

Low-frequency high-impact storms can cause flood and erosion over large coastal areas, which in turn can lead to a significant risk to coastal occupation, producing devastation and immobilising cities and even countries. It is therefore paramount to evaluate risk along the coast at a regional scale through the identification of storm impact hotspots. The Coastal Risk Assessment Framework Phase 1 (CRAF1) is a screening process based on a coastal-index approach that assesses the potential exposure of every kilometre along the coast to previously identified hazards. CRAF1 integrates both hazard (e.g. overwash, erosion) and exposure indicators to create a final Coastal Index (CI). The application of CRAF1 at two contrasting case studies (Ria Formosa, Portugal and the Belgian coast), validated against existing information, demonstrates the utility and reliability of this framework on the identification of hotspots. CRAF1 represents a powerful and useful instrument for coastal managers and/or end-users to identify and rank potential hotspot areas in order to define priorities and support disaster reduction plans.

Diffuse hydrological mass transport through catchments: scenario analysis of coupled physical and biogeochemical uncertainty effects

Abstract. This paper quantifies and maps the effects of coupled physical and biogeochemical variability on diffuse hydrological mass transport through and from catchments. It further develops a scenario analysis approach and investigates its applicability for handling uncertainties about both physical and biogeochemical variability and their different possible cross-correlation. The approach enables identification of conservative assumptions, uncertainty ranges, as well as pollutant/nutrient release locations and situations for which further investigations are most needed in order to reduce the most important uncertainty effects. The present scenario results provide different statistical and geographic distributions of advective travel times for diffuse hydrological mass transport. The geographic mapping can be used to identify potential hotspot areas with large mass loading to downstream surface and coastal waters, as well as their opposite, potential lowest-impact areas within the catchment. Results for alternative travel time distributions show that neglect or underestimation of the physical advection variability, and in particular of those transport pathways with much shorter than average advective solute travel times, can lead to substantial underestimation of pollutant and nutrient loads to downstream surface and coastal waters. This is particularly true for relatively high catchment-characteristic product of average attenuation rate and average advective travel time, for which mass delivery would be near zero under assumed transport homogeneity but can be orders of magnitude higher for variable transport conditions. A scenario of high advection variability, with a significant fraction of relatively short travel times, combined with a relevant average biogeochemical mass attenuation rate, emerges consistently from the present results as a generally reasonable, conservative assumption for estimating maximum diffuse mass loading, when the prevailing physical and biogeochemical variability and cross-correlation are uncertain.

A Study on the Spatial Analysis Model to Decide Medical Institutions/Mental Health Centers for Disaster Victims

The National Emergency Management Agency of South Korea has established a Disaster Victims Psychology Support Center. The Disaster Victims Psychology Support Center can enable victims who got psychological damage from disasters to return to their daily lives through healing activity, field visits and advice of experts. The previous Psychology Support Center System managed the information of disaster victims through an independent database. However, this paper proposes a system that is developed to identify medical institutions and mental health centers within a distance of radius, based on the potential Hot-Spot areas of disaster victims using the GIS Systems. The proposed system can efficiently support selection of appropriate institutions for disaster victims using their location and age, classification of damage, and damaged parts of the body. Also, this spatial analysis can assist to decide on a policy based on the location of disaster victims and the extent of damage. Therefore, this paper can provide the required information to support decision making based on the concentrated areas for disaster victims.

Genetic diversity in Puccinia striiformis Westend. f.sp. tritici revealed by pathogen genome-specific repetitive sequence

DNA fingerprinting was used to examine genetic variation in populations of Puccinia striiformis Westend. f.sp. tritici, an obligate fungus that causes wheat stripe rust, using as a probe a moderately repetitive DNA sequence PSR331 that shows species specificity in the genome of this pathogen. One hundred and sixty isolates sampled from six provinces throughout China were examined for genetic variation over 26 putative genetic loci defined by PSR331 and the restriction enzyme BglII. Because of the dikaryotic nature of this fungus, DNA fingerprints can not differentiate heterozygotes from homozygotes. We refer to the PSR DNA fingerprints as phenotypes rather than genotypes. Phenotypic diversity analysis revealed a high level of genetic variation. A total of 97 phenotypes was detected among 160 isolates. Phenotypic diversity varied among regions, ranging from 0.3742 in Shaanxi to 0.9380 in Gansu, as calculated with the normalized Shannon's index. Genetic subdivision analysis revealed a low level of genetic differentiation (GST = 0.0084) among regions (Gansu, Henan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces) as well as within regions (Gansu and Sichuan provinces). This, together with the detection of the same phenotypes among regions, provided the molecular evidence for gene flow in P. striiformis f.sp. tritici. The results support conclusions from virulence surveys that Tianshui of southern Gansu is probably the most important "hotspot" area with respect to the potential to generate and maintain virulence variation. DNA polymorphism analysis also detected potential hotspot areas in addition to southern Gansu. This may result in more difficulties in management of genetic variation and thus the potential virulence variation in P. striiformis f.sp. tritici as well as providing opportunities for searching disease resistance factors.Key words: genetic diversity, Puccinia striiformis, DNA fingerprinting, virulence variation.