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Coral cover and species responses to heat exposure vary across contemporary Western Atlantic reefs
Abstract Ocean warming threatens the persistence of tropical corals and the biologically diverse ecosystems they sustain. While field-based studies on heat impact have predominantly focused on quantifying coral bleaching, a symptom of thermal stress, less attention has been given to understanding trends in coral mortality, a critical metric for assessing and predicting the long-term effects of rising temperatures. Consequently, the relationships between varying heat exposures and resultant coral cover changes remain poorly quantified. Such trends are challenging to establish in the Tropical and Subtropical Western Atlantic (TWA), because climate change impacts are compounded by local anthropogenic and natural disturbances. Additionally, many coral communities have already been substantially altered, with those remaining dominated by relatively resilient species. This study addresses this issue by quantifying coral cover loss as a function of maximum Degree Heating Weeks (DHW) exposure using observed in-situ coral cover changes across reefs in the TWA. Of the five locations assessed (the Florida Keys, Dry Tortugas, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and the East and West Flower Garden Banks), all exhibited significant declines in mean coral cover with increasing DHW exposure. Rates ranged from 0.3% to 2.4% annual loss in relative mean cover per unit DHW, with spatial variability largely reflecting pre-impact system conditions and variations in the life-history traits of geographically distinct coral assemblages (e.g., Puerto Rico vs East and West Flower Garden Banks). Variation in responses to DHW among species was also observed across locations. By establishing site-specific coral loss parameters, this study contributes to our understanding of how future coral cover may evolve under escalating thermal stress in the TWA. It also provides practical guidance for targeted restoration by identifying species that have fared comparatively well across locations, grounding efforts in what is possible under current and future conditions rather than idealised historical baselines.
Recessive variants in the intergenic NOS1AP-C1orf226 locus cause monogenic kidney disease responsive to anti-proteinuric treatment
Subclade B3 and D3 enterovirus D68 among children with severe community-acquired pneumonia in China, 2021 to 2024
Improved multiscale attention based deep learning approach for automated sugarcane leaf disease detection using BSRI data
Multidimensional defect identification of semiconductors in nonequilibrium
In silico drug sensitivity predicts subgroup-specific therapeutics in medulloblastoma patients
Machine learning-based risk prediction model development for acute kidney injury in type 2 myocardial infarction patients
Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in County Jails — Outcomes after Release
The relative contribution of close-proximity contacts, shared classroom exposure and indoor air quality to respiratory virus transmission in schools
Abstract Close-proximity interactions are considered a key risk factor for respiratory virus transmission, but their importance relative to shared space and air quality remains unclear. We conducted a six-week longitudinal study in a Swiss secondary school (67 students, aged 14–15). We detected 87 infections in saliva samples and recorded absences to identify plausible transmissions, excluding implausible ones through genomic analysis. Time in close proximity (within 1.5 metres) was measured using wearable sensors and air quality via CO 2 monitors. Students spent 21.2 minutes per day in close proximity (interquartile range 7.8–44.2) and 5.3 hours in shared classrooms (IQR 3.8–6.2), during which air quality was suboptimal for 1.9 hours (IQR 1.2–3.0). Using pairwise survival models, we found that transmission was more likely within than between classes. Close proximity was modestly associated with higher transmission risk overall (rate ratio 1.16 per doubling daily time, 95%-CI 1.01–1.33), while time in shared classrooms (RR 3.17, 95%-CI 1.96–5.17) and suboptimal air quality (RR 1.90 95%-CI 1.23–2.94) also predicted within-class risk. Prolonged exposure in shared, poorly ventilated spaces, which potentially includes several infectious sources, drives respiratory virus transmission more than close contact.
Nomogram for predicting post-transarterial chemoembolization survival in recurrent patients with hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma
Dynamic impact of bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters on systemic and mucosal antibody and T cell immunity
Abstract COVID-19 vaccines were updated to address immune escape from variants of concern (VOC). We explored the impact of ancestral/BA.1 bivalent mRNA booster vaccination (Autumn 2022) on peripheral and nasal antibody and T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 in an observational cohort of 133 healthcare workers, building on previous longitudinal vaccination studies. We demonstrate that maintenance of antibody and T-cell responses up to eighteen months following the third vaccine is at least partially driven by intercurrent infection. Boosting with the bivalent vaccine increases the breadth of circulating and nasal antibodies to spike, which waned over time but was still detectable six months post-dose. T-cell responses are well maintained and highly cross-reactive to VOCs irrespective of booster vaccination. Vaccination strongly boosted nasal IgG, but this was short-lived compared to circulating antibodies. Overall, ongoing COVID-19 vaccination provides benefit, boosting immunity in individuals who have not been recently infected, but new strategies may be needed to provide longer-term nasal immunity.
Subcutaneous Dirofilariasis
Acetyl-CoA carboxylase maintains energetic balance for functional oogenesis
Climate change may increase the suitable habitats for invasive freshwater cichlids in a Neotropical basin
Modifying landing mat properties elicits different lower limb biomechanical responses in gymnasts and non-gymnasts
Abstract This study examined vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) and lower-limb kinematics during drop landings on different gymnastics mat types. Responses were compared between skilled female gymnasts (n = 11) and untrained young females (n = 11). Participants completed six standardized drop landings on a FIG-certified mat, a gymnastics carpet, and three custom-designed mats (TYPE 1–3) varying in layer number and material properties. Kinetic and kinematic data were collected for each trial. A two-way mixed ANOVA examined the effects of mat type and group. Both mat characteristics and participant background significantly influenced landing biomechanics. This included VGRF max , time to VGRF max , peak ankle and knee joint angles, and peak knee angular velocity. The FIG-certified mat produced the lowest peak forces and the longest time to peak. The carpet surface generated the highest peaks and shortest times. Softer mid-layers, as in TYPE 2, were associated with more favourable force profiles. Stiffer constructions transmitted higher loads. Gymnasts exhibited consistent plantarflexed initial contact, reduced knee flexion, and lower knee range of motion across surfaces. This reflects a joint-stiffening strategy likely developed through training. Non-gymnasts adopted deeper, more compliant landings and adjusted more to softer mats. These findings highlight the role of mat structure and user experience in shaping landing biomechanics. The results underscore the importance of biomechanical analysis in landing mat development to enhance safety across skill levels.