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Ensuring connectivity is crucial to protect landscapes but it requires knowledge about how animals use ecosystems throughout the year. However, animal movements remain largely unknown in biodiversity hotspots, even for species that fulfill key ecological roles, as is the case of hummingbirds in the Andes. In the complex topography of mountain slopes, movement of these avian pollinators may occur either between habitat patches with asynchronous plant blooms or across ecosystems that are located within the same elevation bands or along altitudinal gradients. Here, we used two decades (2000–2020) of records from citizen science data and boosted regression trees to predict monthly distributions for 55 hummingbird species in the Andes. We identified shifts in altitudinal distribution between contiguous months and calculated changes in the proportion of predicted distributions occupied by ecosystem types. Our findings reveal substantial altitudinal movement and differences in the proportion of ecosystem types utilized throughout the year that had not been previously reported for several species. Yet the magnitude of altitudinal and ecosystem shifts varies between hummingbird clades, and in some cases changes in the proportion of ecosystem types within estimated distributions occurs with little variation in altitude. All ecosystems across the Andes show temporal changes in hummingbird occurrence, but these are higher in natural landscapes compared to croplands or urban areas. Finally, we used phylogenetic logistic regression to test whether altitudinal and ecosystem shifts affect population trends. We found that higher ecosystem seasonality is more strongly associated with decreasing populations in comparison to altitudinal shifts. Altogether, our study reveals complex patterns of movement in hummingbirds and highlights the importance of ecological connectivity across different ecosystem types. More generally, it demonstrates the opportunity of using citizen science data to increase understanding about species' seasonal occurrences, so that landscapes can be better managed to protect animal movement. Keywords: boosted regression trees, eBird, ecological connectivity, species distribution models

Incorporating brentuximab vedotin into the treatment of advanced-stage classic Hodgkin's lymphoma improves outcomes in adult and pediatric patients. However, brentuximab vedotin increases the toxic effects of treatment in adults, more than half of pediatric patients who receive the drug undergo consolidative radiation, and relapse remains a challenge. Programmed death 1 blockade is effective in Hodgkin's lymphoma, including in preliminary studies involving previously untreated patients. We conducted a phase 3, multicenter, open-label, randomized trial involving patients at least 12 years of age with stage III or IV newly diagnosed Hodgkin's lymphoma. Patients were randomly assigned to receive brentuximab vedotin with doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (BV+AVD) or nivolumab with doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (N+AVD). Prespecified patients could receive radiation therapy directed to residual metabolically active lesions. The primary end point was progression-free survival, defined as the time from randomization to the first observation of progressive disease or death from any cause. Of 994 patients who underwent randomization, 970 were included in the intention-to-treat population for efficacy analyses. At the second planned interim analysis, with a median follow-up of 12.1 months, the threshold for efficacy was crossed, indicating that N+AVD significantly improved progression-free survival as compared with BV+AVD (hazard ratio for disease progression or death, 0.48; 99% confidence interval [CI], 0.27 to 0.87; two-sided P = 0.001). Owing to the short follow-up time, we repeated the analysis with longer follow-up; with a median follow-up of 2.1 years (range, 0 to 4.2 years), the 2-year progression-free survival was 92% (95% CI, 89 to 94) with N+AVD, as compared with 83% (95% CI, 79 to 86) with BV+AVD (hazard ratio for disease progression or death, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.30 to 0.65). Overall, 7 patients received radiation therapy. Immune-related adverse events were infrequent with nivolumab; brentuximab vedotin was associated with more treatment discontinuation. N+AVD resulted in longer progression-free survival than BV+AVD in adolescents and adults with stage III or IV advanced-stage classic Hodgkin's lymphoma and had a better side-effect profile. (Funded by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health and others; S1826 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03907488.).

The functional capacity of highly proliferative cell populations changes with age. Here, we report that the proliferative capacity of canine lung mesenchymal stromal cells (LMSCs) declines with increasing age of the donor. However, other functional changes such as reduced autophagy, reduced migration/wound healing, increased production of reactive oxygen species, and increased senescence are not significantly altered with increasing age. Furthermore, transcriptomic profiling suggests minimal age-related changes. These data suggest that the reduced proliferative capacity of lung LMSCs isolated from aging donors may be associated with reversible cell cycle arrest (quiescence), rather than irreversible cell cycle arrest (senescence). Similar findings have been reported in other systems, including neural and muscle stem cells that are associated with low turnover-rate tissues.

Premise The selection of Arabidopsis as a model organism played a pivotal role in advancing genomic science. The competing frameworks to select an agricultural‐ or ecological‐based model species were rejected, in favor of building knowledge in a species that would facilitate genome‐enabled research. Methods Here, we examine the ability of models based on Arabidopsis gene expression data to predict tissue identity in other flowering plants. Comparing different machine learning algorithms, models trained and tested on Arabidopsis data achieved near perfect precision and recall values, whereas when tissue identity is predicted across the flowering plants using models trained on Arabidopsis data, precision values range from 0.69 to 0.74 and recall from 0.54 to 0.64. Results The identity of belowground tissue can be predicted more accurately than other tissue types, and the ability to predict tissue identity is not correlated with phylogenetic distance from Arabidopsis. k‐nearest neighbors is the most successful algorithm, suggesting that gene expression signatures, rather than marker genes, are more valuable to create models for tissue and cell type prediction in plants. Discussion Our data‐driven results highlight that the assertion that knowledge from Arabidopsis is translatable to other plants is not always true. Considering the current landscape of abundant sequencing data, we should reevaluate the scientific emphasis on Arabidopsis and prioritize plant diversity. Resumen Premisa La selección de Arabidopsis como organismo modelo desempeñó un papel fundamental en el avance de la ciencia genómica. Se descartaron los marcos de referencia que proponían seleccionar una especie modelo basada en criterios agrícolas o ecológicos, en favor de profundizar en el conocimiento de en una especie que promueve la investigación enfocada en el genoma. Métodos Aquí, examinamos la capacidad de los modelos basados en datos de expresión génica de Arabidopsis para predecir la identidad del tejido en otras plantas con flores. Comparando diferentes algoritmos de aprendizaje automático, los modelos entrenados y probados con datos de Arabidopsis alcanzaron valores de precisión y recuperación casi perfectos. De manera contrastante, cuando se predice la identidad del tejido en todas las plantas con flores utilizando modelos entrenados con datos de Arabidopsis, los valores de precisión oscilan entre 0,69 y 0,74 y los de recuperación entre 0,54 y 0,64. Resultados La identidad del tejido subterráneo puede predecirse con mayor exactitud que otros tipos de tejido, y la capacidad de predecir la identidad del tejido no está correlacionada con la distancia filogenética de Arabidopsis. El algoritmo k‐nearest neighbors es el más exitoso y sugiere que las firmas de expresión génica, más que los genes marcadores, son más valiosas para crear modelos en plantas de predicción de tejidos y de tipos celulares. Discusión Nuestros resultados sustentados en datos demuestran que no siempre se cumple la afirmación de que el conocimiento de Arabidopsis es traducible a otras plantas. Teniendo en cuenta el panorama actual de abundantes datos de secuenciación, deberíamos reevaluar el énfasis científico en Arabidopsis y priorizar la diversidad vegetal.

Malaria in pregnancy threatens birth outcomes and the health of women and their newborns. This is also the case in low transmission areas, such as Colombia, where Plasmodium vivax is the dominant parasite species. Within the Colombian health system, which underwent major reforms in the 90s, malaria treatment is provided free of charge to patients. However, patients still incur costs, such as transportation and value of time lost due to the disease. We estimated such costs among 40 pregnant women with clinical malaria (30% Plasmodium falciparum, 70% Plasmodium vivax) in the municipality of Tierralta, Northern Colombia. In a cross-sectional study, women were interviewed after an outpatient or inpatient laboratory confirmed malaria episode. Women were asked to report all types of cost incurred before (including prevention), during and immediately after the contact with the health facility. Median total cost was over 16US$ for an outpatient visit, rising to nearly 30US$ if other treatments were sought before reaching the health facility. Median total inpatient cost was 26US$ or 54US$ depending on whether costs incurred prior to admission were excluded or included. For both outpatients and inpatients, direct costs were largely due to transportation and indirect costs constituted the largest share of total costs. Estimated costs are likely to represent only one of the constraints that women face when seeking treatment in an area characterized, at the time of the study, by armed conflict, displacement, and high vulnerability of indigenous women, the group at highest risk of malaria. Importantly, the Colombian peace process, which culminated with the cease-fire in August 2016, may have a positive impact on achieving universal access to healthcare in conflict areas. The current study can inform malaria elimination initiatives in Colombia.

Background and aims Zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) deficiencies are the most important forms of malnutrition globally, and caused mainly by low dietary intake. Wheat, a major staple food crop, is inherently low in these micronutrients. Identifying new QTLs for high grain Zn (GZn) and Fe (GFe) will contribute to improved micronutrient density in wheat grain. Methods Using two recently developed RIL mapping populations derived from a wild progenitor of a tetraploid population \"Saricanak98 × MM5/4\" and an hexaploid population \"Adana99 × 70,711\", multi-locational field experiments were conducted over 2 years to identify genomic regions associated with high grain Zn (GZn) and grain Fe (GFe) concentrations. Additionally, a greenhouse experiment was conducted by growing the \"Saricanak98 × MM5/4\" population in a Zn-deficient calcareous soil to determine the markers involved in Zn efficiency (ZnEff) of the genotypes (expressed as the ratio of shoot dry weight under Zn deficiency to Zn fertilization) and its relation to GZn. The populations were genotyped by using DArT markers. Results Quantitative trait loci (QTL) for high GFe and GZn concentrations in wheat grains were mapped in the both RIL mapping populations. Two major QTLs for increasing GZn were stably detected on chromosomes 1B and 6B of the tetra-and hexaploid mapping populations, and a GZn QTL on chromosome 2B co-located with grain GFe, suggesting simultaneous improvement of GFe and GZn is possible. In the greenhouse experiment, the RILs exhibited substantial genotypic variation for Zn efficiency ratio, ranging from 31 % to 90 %. Two QTL for Zn efficiency were identified on chromosomes 6A and 6B. There was no association between Zn efficiency and grain Zn concentration among the genotypes. The results clearly show that Zn efficiency and Zn accumulation in grain are governed by different genetic mechanisms. Conclusion Identification of some consistent genomic regions such as 1B and 6B across two different mapping populations suggest these genomic regions might be the useful regions for further marker development and use in biofortification breeding programs.

Human activities contribute to the degradation of water quality on the Galapagos Islands, affecting human health and Galapagos’ fragile ecosystem. Despite the numerous resources vested in water management, programs have yet to achieve measurable improvements in water quality. To identify the governance mechanisms and barriers to improving water quality, we applied a two-pronged strategy: a collaborative, bottom-up compilation and prioritization of technical specialists and stakeholders’ concerns, and an evaluation of top-down government plans. The comparison of priorities and programs shows four major themes that require attention: barriers to better governance, community involvement, research, and policy. The islands lack a transparent method for accountability of the funds designated for water management, the efficacy of implementation, and results and progress beyond government periods. Government projects have included limited public participation, resulting in projects that do not meet stakeholder’s needs and concerns. Furthermore, the majority of the programs have not been completed within the timeline or budgets allocated. We recommend implementing a participatory governance mechanism that responds to each island’s context, balances socioecological and policy priorities and evaluates past projects to have adequate benchmarking, mitigating a planning fallacy. All programs should be accompanied by a transparent monitoring system that ensures accountability and evaluates water quality programs’ efficiency and effectiveness, according to goals and indicators developed collaboratively. This research may aid practitioners in small island developing states (SIDS) around the globe that are struggling with similar water management and governance issues and who may benefit from taking a bottom-up and top-down approach to assessing technical specialists’ and local stakeholders’ concerns in relation to past, present and future government programs.