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Abstract Escalations in wildfire activity are of significant global concern, particularly within vulnerable wetland ecosystems integral to natural carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation. Our understanding and management of future wildfire activity may be better contextualised through the study of historic and ancient fire records, independent of human influence. Methods of study include ‘geothermometry’ - approximating ancient fire intensity from temperature-dependent changes in the chemistry of fossil charcoal. Though well established in their relation to experimental charcoalification, these methods still fail to quantify the true intensity of ancient fires, as a measure of energy release. As a result, their applicability, and contributions to the characterisation of modern fire activity, remain uncertain. Here, we present a novel measure of wildfire energy release, as a proxy for true intensity, through the co-application of cone calorimetry and Raman spectroscopy of charcoal. By applying a range of wildfire heat fluxes to variable peatland fuel mixes, this research demonstrates the complexity in correlating fire behaviour and charcoal microstructure. Further statistical analyses suggest a correlation between spectroscopic results, measures of CO and CO2 release, and fire severity. This offers a principal measure of ancient wildfire intensity, consistent with modern practices in wildfire modelling, monitoring, and management.

Sponges (Phylum Porifera) are aquatic sessile metazoans found worldwide in marine and freshwater environments. They are significant in the animal tree of life as one of the earliest-branching metazoan lineages and as filter feeders play crucial ecological roles, particularly in coral reefs, but are susceptible to the effects of climate change. In the face of the current biodiversity crisis, genomic data is crucial for species conservation efforts and predicting their evolutionary potential in response to environmental changes. However, there is a limited availability of culturable sponge species with annotated high-quality genomes to further comprehensive insights into animal evolution, function, and their response to the ongoing global change. Despite the publication of a few high-quality annotated sponge genomes, there remains a gap in resources for culturable sponge species. To address this gap, we provide high quality draft genomes of the two congeneric aquarium species Tethya wilhelma and Tethya minuta, small ball-shaped demosponges that are easily maintained long-term in ex situ culture. As such, they offer promising opportunities as laboratory models to contribute to advancing our understanding of sponge biology and provide valuable resources for studying animal evolution, function, and responses to environmental challenges.

La Universidad del Valle de Bolivia tiene como política el cumplimiento del encargo social en todas sus asignaturas y en todo nivel brindando respuesta a las necesidades de la ciudadanía. En este sentido, el Taller de Arquitectura de último semestre de la carrera de Arquitectura y Urbanismo de la gestión 2022, ha desarrollado el proyecto “Centro de apoyo integral para mujeres en situación de violencia”, una propuesta que responde a una necesidad latente hasta la fecha para la ciudad de La Paz y como referente para otras ciudades de Bolivia, con el fin de prevenir los alarmantes índices de crecimiento de casos de violencia contra mujeres y feminicidios registrados en todo el país. El trabajo empleó una metodología con enfoque mixto (cualitativa y cuantitativa), además se combinó con las metodologías de proyectación paralela e investigación proyectual, por su proceso riguroso y sistemático para obtener información relevante para la toma de decisiones en el proceso proyectual. El objetivo del estudio fue comprender el complejo mundo de la experiencia vivida desde el punto de vista de todas las personas involucradas. El resultado de todo el proceso fue lograr una investigación sólida para llegar a proponer un proyecto con soluciones prácticas y efectivas en el diseño arquitectónico con la resolución de los problemas estudiados. El proyecto fue propuesto en el Macrodistrito Periférica, una de las zonas con mayor índice de casos y el cual contó con áreas de atención, prevención, protección y reinserción. Asimismo, el proyecto una vez concluido fue presentado al Concejo Municipal de La Paz de la Alcaldía paceña como una propuesta innovadora, recomendando que el presupuesto asignado a igualdad y equidad de género sea mejor ejecutada, así como también, para la implementación de este equipamiento, que coadyuvaría a todas las instituciones que trabajan en la prevención en todos los niveles gubernamentales.

Background: As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, infections continue to surge globally. Presently, the most effective strategies to curb the disease and prevent outbreaks involve fostering immunity, promptly identifying positive cases, and ensuring their timely isolation. Notably, there are instances where the SARS-CoV-2 virus remains infectious even after patients have completed their quarantine. Objective: Understanding viral persistence post-quarantine is crucial as it could account for localized infection outbreaks. Therefore, studying and documenting such instances is vital for shaping future public health policies. Design: This study delves into a unique case of SARS-CoV-2 persistence in a 60-year-old female healthcare worker with a medical history of hypertension and hypothyroidism. The research spans 55 days, marking the duration between her initial and subsequent diagnosis during Chile's first COVID-19 wave, with the analysis conducted using RT-qPCR. Results: Genomic sequencing-based phylogenetic analysis revealed that the SARS-CoV-2 detected in both Nasopharyngeal swab samples (NPSs) was consistent with the 20B clade of the Nextstrain classification, even after a 55-day interval. Conclusion: This research underscores the need for heightened vigilance concerning cases of viral persistence. Such instances, albeit rare, might be pivotal in understanding sporadic infection outbreaks that occur post-quarantine.

Un año más, mediante esta nota editorial, damos cuenta de las estadísticas y los principales avances de nuestra revista. En cuanto a las estadísticas editoriales, que se detallan en los apartados posteriores, podemos afirmar que son las de una revista consolidada: flujo nutrido y constante de trabajos recibidos/publicados, tasas de aceptación y rechazo proporcionadas, tiempos de gestión razonables y diversidad en las autorías. El logro más destacable del 2023 fue superar con éxito el proceso de evaluación de la Octava edición de Evaluación de la calidad editorial y científica de las revistas científicas españolas, comúnmente conocido como ‘Sello FECYT’…

Drone-based multispectral sensing is a valuable tool for dryland spatial ecology, yet there has been limited investigation of the reproducibility of measurements from drone-mounted multispectral camera array systems or the intercomparison between drone-derived measurements, field spectroscopy, and satellite data. Using radiometrically calibrated data from two multispectral drone sensors (MicaSense RedEdge (MRE) and Parrot Sequoia (PS)) co-located with a transect of hyperspectral measurements (tramway) in the Chihuahuan desert (New Mexico, USA), we found a high degree of correspondence within individual drone data sets, but that reflectance measurements and vegetation indices varied between field, drone, and satellite sensors. In comparison to field spectra, MRE had a negative bias, while PS had a positive bias. In comparison to Sentinel-2, PS showed the best agreement, while MRE had a negative bias for all bands. A variogram analysis of NDVI showed that ecological pattern information was lost at grains coarser than 1.8 m, indicating that drone-based multispectral sensors provide information at an appropriate spatial grain to capture the heterogeneity and spectral variability of this dryland ecosystem in a dry season state. Investigators using similar workflows should understand the need to account for biases between sensors. Modelling spatial and spectral upscaling between drone and satellite data remains an important research priority.

Well-annotated and contiguous genomes are an indispensable resource for understanding the evolution, development, and metabolic capacities of organisms. Sponges, an ecologically important non-bilaterian group of primarily filter-feeding sessile aquatic organisms, are underrepresented with respect to available genomic resources. Here we provide a high-quality and well-annotated genome of Aphrocallistes vastus, a glass sponge (Porifera: Hexactinellida) that forms large reef structures off the coast of British Columbia (Canada). We show that its genome is approximately 80 Mb, small compared to most other metazoans, and contains nearly 2500 nested genes, more than other genomes. Hexactinellida is characterized by a unique skeletal architecture made of amorphous silicon dioxide (SiO2), and we identified 419 differentially expressed genes between the osculum, i.e. the vertical growth zone of the sponge, and the main body. Among the upregulated ones, mineralization-related genes such as glassin, as well as collagens and actins, dominate the expression profile during growth. Silicateins, suggested being involved in silica mineralization, especially in demosponges, were not found at all in the A. vastus genome and suggests that the underlying mechanisms of SiO2 deposition in the Silicea sensu stricto (Hexactinellida + Demospongiae) may not be homologous.

Today’s cars can share data with other cars, automakers, and service providers. Shared data can help improve the driving experience, the performance of the car, and the traffic situations. Among all data-collection techniques, blockchain technology offers an immutable and secure solution to support data collection in the automotive industry. Despite its advantages, collecting auto data with blockchain still faces several challenges. Thus, the purpose of this study was to conduct a review of published articles that have addressed the challenges of adopting blockchain for data collection in the automotive industry. This paper allowed us to answer the predefined research question: “What are the challenges of using blockchain for data collection in the automotive industry as presented in the published literature?” The review included articles published from 2017 to January 2022, and from the screened records, 13 articles were analyzed in full-text form. The founded challenges were categorized into seven categories: connectivity, privacy, security attacks, scalability, performance, costs, and monetizing. This review will help researchers, car manufacturers, and third-party suppliers to assess the applicability of the blockchain for data collection.

En este artículo se presenta el diagnóstico de la situación de la calidad del servicio de la Transmisión en el Ecuador a partir del análisis de la información estadística del Sistema Nacional de Transmisión (SNT) y la evolución de los parámetros e indicadores de calidad establecidos en la regulación No. CONELEC – 003/08 Calidad del Transporte de Electricidad y del Servicio de Transmisión y Conexión en el Sistema Nacional Interconectado. Además de esto, bajo la consideración de que la regulación en referencia no ha sido modificada desde su aprobación en el año 2008 y que hoy en día se cuenta con una topología de red distinta, incluso con nuevos niveles de voltaje para el SNT, con base a los resultados obtenidos, se analizan aspectos que podrían considerarse para la actualización o reforma de la referida regulación. Para el efecto se estudiaron las normas IEEE y regulaciones internacionales de calidad de transmisión para identificar los índices y límites utilizados para su control a nivel mundial.

Con este bagaje, comenzamos 2023, un año en el que nuestra revista cumple un cuarto de siglo llevando a cabo la misión para la que fue concebida, misión que los distintos comités editoriales que hemos participado consideramos un acierto: contribuir a la transferencia de conocimiento útil para avanzar en la mejora de la salud de las personas trabajadoras

El proyecto consiste en la reconstitución planimétrica del Campo de Prisioneros Políticos de Río Chico, isla Dawson, Punta Arenas, en base a relatos y reuniones de trabajo con ex-presos, fotografías, diagramas y croquis del arquitecto y ex-preso Miguel Lawner. La importancia de este levantamiento es que el campo de Río Chico es la única edificación construida para este propósito en Chile durante la dictadura militar de Augusto Pinochet, siendo además el campamento de prisioneros políticos que, aunque desmantelado, fue el más austral del planeta, sin registro formal del mismo. El campo fue ocupado como punto estratégico de reclusión de los altos mandos del gobierno de Salvador Allende y de presos políticos de la Región de Magallanes. Se calcula que pasaron por el campo entre 600 a 800 detenidos.

The variant of concern (VOC) SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1529) has been described as a highly contagious variant but less virulent than the current variant being monitored (VBM) Delta (B.1.617.2), causing fewer cases of hospitalizations, symptomatology, and deaths associated with COVID-19 disease. Although the epidemiological comparison of both variants has been previously reported in other countries, no report indicates their behavior and severity of infection in Chile. In this work, we report for the first time the effect of the Omicron and Delta variants in a cohort of 588 patients from the Hospital de Urgencia Asistencia pública (HUAP), a high-complexity health center in Santiago, Chile. This report is framed at the beginning of Chile's third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a marked increase in the Omicron variant and a decrease in the circulating Delta variant. Our results indicated a similar proportion of patients with a complete vaccination schedule for both variants. However, the Delta variant was associated with a higher prevalence of hospitalization and more significant symptomatology associated with respiratory distress. On the other hand, our data suggest that vaccination is less effective in preventing infection by the Omicron variant. This antecedent, with a low severity but high contagiousness, suggests that the Omicron variant could even collapse the primary health care service due to the high demand for health care.

Se analiza la firma del acuerdo de paz entre las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) y el gobierno de este país en 2016 sobre la base de la construcción de un entramado analítico que combina los modelos del concepto de madurez del conflicto de Christopher Mitchell y los aspectos favorecedores y obstructores en las negociaciones de paz. Se revisan las negociaciones previas entre la guerrilla y las administraciones anteriores que no lograron la firma de un acuerdo de paz en el siglo XX con el fin de comprender logros, errores y lecciones aprendidas. Además se aborda la administración de Juan Manuel Santos en un escenario que mezcla factores propios de la estructura y la agencia para ampliar el potencial explicativo del concepto utilizado. Se concluye que la madurez del conflicto en Colombia es un proceso que rebasa la versión de derrota militar de la insurgencia y la aproxima a una igualación estratégica que vio en la firma de un acuerdo de paz una oportunidad de alcanzar los objetivos y de responder, al menos parcialmente, a los intereses de los principales actores confrontados

Vaccine administration is one of the most efficient ways to control the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the appearance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants can avoid the immunity generated by vaccines. Thus, in patients with a complete vaccine schedule, the infection by SARS-CoV-2 may cause severe, mild, and asymptomatic manifestations of the disease. In this case report, we describe for the first time the clinical symptoms of four patients (three symptomatic; one asymptomatic) from Santiago of Chile, with a complete vaccination schedule with two doses of CoronaVac (Sinovac Life Science) infected with the variant of interest (VOI) B.1.621 (Mu). They were compared with four unvaccinated patients, who had a higher prevalence of symptoms after infection compared to vaccinated patients. In the CoronaVac-vaccinated group, an 80-year-old patient who registered various comorbidities required Invasive mechanical ventilation for 28 days with current home medical recovery discharge. By contrast, in the unvaccinated group, a 71-year-old presented more symptoms with more than 45 days of Invasive mechanical ventilation, which continues to date, presenting greater lung damage than the vaccinated hospitalized patient. This first report evidence differences in the clinical symptomatology of patients vaccinated and non-vaccinated infected with the VOI B.1.621 (Mu) and suggest the protective effects of CoronaVac against this variant.

Las infraestructuras de paz, desde su génesis en la administración de Belisario Betancur, en Colombia, han sido grupos de presión de carácter privado y mixto en menor medida, que están en una constante lucha por constituirse como un actor político con un grado mayor de institucionalización, valiéndose de la movilización social de manera pacífica. Estos grupos de presión a diferencia de los partidos, solo pretenden influir el sistema político. Se concluye que las infraestructuras de paz, han transitado de ser un grupo de presión a un actor político con participación directa y necesidades puntuales en el posconflicto

In order to provide information about the diversity and distribution of Eudocima species in Colombia, 261 specimens deposited in entomological collections were examined and identified. We found seven of the eight species of Eudocima recorded in the Neotropics: E. anguina, E. colubra, E. collusoria, E. memorans and E. serpentifera, all being recorded for the first time from the country. We provide a list of the species, comments on the biology and distribution data, illustrations of the adults, and keys for species identification.

In 2022 we resampled normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) along a 100 m transect in tundra near Utqiagvik, AK that had been previously measured through the 2000–2002 growing seasons, providing an opportunity to examine a 20 year NDVI change at a 1 m resolution in a region that is experiencing increased warming and precipitation over this period. Multidecadal NDVI change was spatially variable across the transect with nearly half of the transect showing greening, about a third not showing conclusive change, and about 20% browning. In wet areas, greening (increased NDVI) was associated with increased green leaf area index, while in drier areas greening was related to changes in species cover. Browning was not related to change in species cover and appeared to be due to increased coverage of standing dead material in graminoid dominated canopies. These types of detailed observations provide insights into the interpretation of satellite based NDVI trends and emphasize the importance of microtopography and hydrology in mediating vegetation change in a warming Arctic.

ABSTRACT Beneath the seafloor, microbial life subsists in isolation from the surface world under persistent energy limitation. The nature and extent of genomic evolution in subseafloor microbes have been unknown. Here, we show that the genomes of Thalassospira bacterial populations cultured from million-year-old subseafloor sediments evolve in clonal populations by point mutation, with a relatively low rate of homologous recombination and elevated numbers of pseudogenes. Ratios of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions correlate with the accumulation of pseudogenes, consistent with a role for genetic drift in the subseafloor strains but not in type strains of Thalassospira isolated from the surface world. Consistent with this, pangenome analysis reveals that the subseafloor bacterial genomes have a significantly lower number of singleton genes than the type strains, indicating a reduction in recent gene acquisitions. Numerous insertion-deletion events and pseudogenes were present in a flagellar operon of the subseafloor bacteria, indicating that motility is nonessential in these million-year-old subseafloor sediments. This genomic evolution in subseafloor clonal populations coincided with a phenotypic difference: all subseafloor isolates have a lower rate of growth under laboratory conditions than the Thalassospira xiamenensis type strain. Our findings demonstrate that the long-term physical isolation of Thalassospira, in the absence of recombination, has resulted in clonal populations whereby reduced access to novel genetic material from neighbors has resulted in the fixation of new mutations that accumulate in genomes over millions of years. IMPORTANCE The nature and extent of genomic evolution in subseafloor microbial populations subsisting for millions of years below the seafloor are unknown. Subseafloor populations have ultralow metabolic rates that are hypothesized to restrict reproduction and, consequently, the spread of new traits. Our findings demonstrate that genomes of cultivated bacterial strains from the genus Thalassospira isolated from million-year-old abyssal sediment exhibit greatly reduced levels of homologous recombination, elevated numbers of pseudogenes, and genome-wide evidence of relaxed purifying selection. These substitutions and pseudogenes are fixed into the population, suggesting that the genome evolution of these bacteria has been dominated by genetic drift. Thus, reduced recombination, stemming from long-term physical isolation, resulted in small clonal populations of Thalassospira that have accumulated mutations in their genomes over millions of years.

El escenario actual ha limitado fuertemente la realización de actividades presenciales, por lo que una parte significativa del quehacer docente ha sido soportado en base a diversas Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (TIC), generando además un espacio para explorar e innovar en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Bajo este contexto, en este trabajo se propone una innovación metodológica para la asignatura Metrología, que considera el uso de tecnologías virtuales para la realización de laboratorios de medición en reemplazo de los laboratorios presenciales. Para ello se diseñó e implementó una experiencia piloto con 22 estudiantes y se evaluó la efectividad del uso de herramientas virtuales. Para la evaluación se implementó una encuesta cuyos resultados mostraron que los estudiantes valoran positivamente el uso de instrumentos virtuales y el apoyo con plataformas educacionales para alcanzar los resultados de aprendizaje, pero manifiestan como desventaja los problemas de conectividad y la ausencia del contacto social con los profesores y demás estudiantes. Se espera que en un futuro las herramientas virtuales puedan ser incorporadas en forma definitiva en el programa de asignatura como un complemento de las actividades presenciales, y además puedan ser replicadas transversalmente en los planes de estudio de ingeniería.

Abstract Background Musculoskeletal pain (MSP) is the leading cause of years lived with disability. In consequence, to reduce MSP and its associated sickness absence is a major challenge. Previous interventions have been developed to reduce MSP and improve return to work of workers with MSP, but combined approaches and exhaustive evaluation are needed. The objective of the INTEVAL_Spain project is to evaluate the effectiveness of a multifaceted intervention in the workplace to prevent and manage MSP in nursing staff. Methods The study is designed as a two-armed cluster randomized controlled trial with a late intervention control group. The hospital units are the clusters of randomization and participants are nurses and aides. An evidence-based multi-component intervention was designed combining participatory ergonomics, case management and health promotion. Both the intervention and the control groups receive occupational health care as usual. Data are collected at baseline, and after six and 12 months. The primary outcomes are prevalence of MSP and incidence and duration of sickness absence due to MSP. Secondary outcomes are work role functioning and organizational preventive culture. The intervention process will be assessed through quantitative indicators of recruitment, context, reach, dose supplied, dose received, fidelity and satisfaction, and qualitative approaches including discussion groups of participants and experts. The economic evaluation will include cost-effectiveness and cost-utility, calculated from the societal and the National Health System perspectives. Discussion Workplace health programs are one of the best options for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. The main feature of this study is its multifaceted, multidisciplinary and de-medicalized intervention, which encompasses three evidence-based interventions and covers all three levels of prevention, which have not been previously unified in a single intervention. Also, it includes a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the intervention process, health results, and economic impact. This study could open the possibility of a new paradigm for the prevention and management of MSP and associated sickness absence approach at the workplace. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN15780649 Retrospectively registered 13th July 2018.

Despite the many benefits of blockchain technology in higher education, this technology is not widely adopted by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Therefore, instead of providing additional motives for adopting blockchain technology, this research tries to understand what factors discourage HEIs from merging blockchain with their procedures. The methodology used for this research is based upon qualitative research using 14 interviews with administrative and academic staff from the European Union (EU) and Canada. Our findings based on our empirical data revealed 15 key challenges to blockchain adoption by HEIs that are classified based on the technology, organization, and environment (TOE) framework. Theoretically, this study contributes to the body of knowledge relating to blockchain technology adoption. Practically, this research is expected to aid HEIs to assess the applicability of blockchain technology and pave the way for the widespread adoption of this technology in the educational field.

Blockchain is one of the latest innovations that is increasingly attracting the attention of various stakeholders in different fields, including the education sector. This is primarily due to its attractive features, such as decentralization, transparency, traceability, security, and reliability. Despite its advantages, blockchain still faces several challenges, and the acceptance rate of this technology is still low. Thus, the purpose of this study was to conduct a review of published articles that have discussed the challenges of adopting blockchain in the education sector. The review contained scientific papers published from 2017 to 2022 and, from the screened records, 32 articles were analyzed in full-text form. In this review, 14 challenges were reported and classified, based on the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework. In addition, this review showed that organizational and environmental barriers received little attention in the literature, compared to technological barriers.

Enzymes of the α-carbonic anhydrase gene family (CAs) are essential for the deposition of calcium carbonate biominerals. In calcareous sponges (phylum Porifera, class Calcarea), specific CAs are involved in the formation of calcite spicules, a unique trait and synapomorphy of this class. However, detailed studies on the CA repertoire of calcareous sponges exist for only two species of one of the two Calcarea subclasses, the Calcaronea. The CA repertoire of the second subclass, the Calcinea, has not been investigated so far, leaving a considerable gap in our knowledge about this gene family in Calcarea. Here, using transcriptomic analysis, phylogenetics, and in situ hybridization, we study the CA repertoire of four additional species of calcareous sponges, including three from the previously unsampled subclass Calcinea. Our data indicate that the last common ancestor of Calcarea had four ancestral CAs with defined subcellular localizations and functions (mitochondrial/cytosolic, membrane-bound, and secreted non-catalytic). The evolution of membrane-bound and secreted CAs involved gene duplications and losses, whereas mitochondrial/cytosolic and non-catalytic CAs are evidently orthologous genes. Mitochondrial/cytosolic CAs are biomineralization-specific genes recruited for biomineralization in the last common ancestor of calcareous sponges. The spatial–temporal expression of these CAs differs between species, which may reflect differences between subclasses or be related to the secondary thickening of spicules during biomineralization that does not occur in all species. With this study, we extend the understanding of the role and the evolution of a key biomineralization gene in calcareous sponges.

Objective: To perform a European survey of the evidence needs and training demands of insurance medicine professionals related to professional tasks and evidence-based practice. Design: International survey. Subjects: Professionals working in insurance medicine. Methods: Experts designed an online questionnaire including 26 questions related to 4 themes: evidence needs; training demands; evidence-seeking behaviour; and attitudes towards evidence-based medicine. Descriptive statistics were presented by country/conference and the total sample. Results: A total of 782 participants responded. Three-quarter of participants experienced evidence needs at least once a week, related to mental disorders (79%), musculoskeletal disorders (67%) and occupational health (65%). Guidelines (76%) and systematic reviews (60%) were the preferred types of evidence and were requested for assessment of work capacity (64%) and prognosis of return-to-work (51%). Evidence-based medicine was thought to facilitate decision-making in insurance medicine (95%). Fifty-two percent of participants felt comfortable finding, reading, interpreting, and applying evidence. Countries expressed similar needs for reviews on typical topics. Conclusion: This study reveals evidence gaps in key areas of insurance medicine, supporting the need for further research, guidelines and training in evidence-based insurance medicine. Importantly, insurance medicine professionals should recognize that evidence-based practice is crucial in producing high-quality assessments.

BackgroundConvalescent plasma (CP), despite limited evidence on its efficacy, is being widely used as a compassionate therapy for hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of early CP therapy in COVID-19 progression.Methods and findingsThe study was an open-label, single-center randomized clinical trial performed in an academic medical center in Santiago, Chile, from May 10, 2020, to July 18, 2020, with final follow-up until August 17, 2020. The trial included patients hospitalized within the first 7 days of COVID-19 symptom onset, presenting risk factors for illness progression and not on mechanical ventilation. The intervention consisted of immediate CP (early plasma group) versus no CP unless developing prespecified criteria of deterioration (deferred plasma group). Additional standard treatment was allowed in both arms. The primary outcome was a composite of mechanical ventilation, hospitalization for >14 days, or death. The key secondary outcomes included time to respiratory failure, days of mechanical ventilation, hospital length of stay, mortality at 30 days, and SARS-CoV-2 real-time PCR clearance rate. Of 58 randomized patients (mean age, 65.8 years; 50% male), 57 (98.3%) completed the trial. A total of 13 (43.3%) participants from the deferred group received plasma based on clinical aggravation. We failed to find benefit in the primary outcome (32.1% versus 33.3%, odds ratio [OR] 0.95, 95% CI 0.32-2.84, p > 0.999) in the early versus deferred CP group. The in-hospital mortality rate was 17.9% versus 6.7% (OR 3.04, 95% CI 0.54-17.17 p = 0.246), mechanical ventilation 17.9% versus 6.7% (OR 3.04, 95% CI 0.54-17.17, p = 0.246), and prolonged hospitalization 21.4% versus 30.0% (OR 0.64, 95% CI, 0.19-2.10, p = 0.554) in the early versus deferred CP group, respectively. The viral clearance rate on day 3 (26% versus 8%, p = 0.204) and day 7 (38% versus 19%, p = 0.374) did not differ between groups. Two patients experienced serious adverse events within 6 hours after plasma transfusion. The main limitation of this study is the lack of statistical power to detect a smaller but clinically relevant therapeutic effect of CP, as well as not having confirmed neutralizing antibodies in donor before plasma infusion.ConclusionsIn the present study, we failed to find evidence of benefit in mortality, length of hospitalization, or mechanical ventilation requirement by immediate addition of CP therapy in the early stages of COVID-19 compared to its use only in case of patient deterioration.Trial registrationNCT04375098.

Octocorallia (class Anthozoa, phylum Cnidaria) is a group of calcifying corals displaying a wide diversity of mineral skeletons. This includes skeletal structures composed of different calcium carbonate polymorphs (aragonite and calcite). This represents a unique feature among anthozoans, as scleractinian corals (subclass Hexacorallia), main reef builders and focus of biomineralization research, are all characterized by an aragonite exoskeleton. From an evolutionary perspective, the presence of aragonitic skeletons in Octocorallia is puzzling as it is observed in very few species and has apparently originated during a Calcite sea (i.e., time interval characterized by calcite-inducing seawater conditions). Despite this, octocorals have been systematically overlooked in biomineralization studies. Here we review what is known about octocoral biomineralization, focusing on the evolutionary and biological processes that underlie calcite and aragonite formation. Although differences in research focus between octocorals and scleractinians are often mentioned, we highlight how strong variability also exists between different octocoral groups. Different main aspects of octocoral biomineralization have been in fact studied in a small set of species, including the (calcitic) gorgonian Leptogorgia virgulata and/or the precious coral Corallium rubrum. These include descriptions of calcifying cells (scleroblasts), calcium transport and chemistry of the calcification fluids. With the exception of few histological observations, no information on these features is available for aragonitic octocorals. Availability of sequencing data is also heterogeneous between groups, with no transcriptome or genome available, for instance, for the clade Calcaxonia. Although calcite represents by far the most common polymorph deposited by octocorals, we argue that studying aragonite-forming could provide insight on octocoral, and more generally anthozoan, biomineralization. First and foremost it would allow to compare calcification processes between octocoral groups, highlighting homologies and differences. Secondly, similarities (exoskeleton) between Heliopora and scleractinian skeletons, would provide further insight on which biomineralization features are driven by skeleton characteristics (shared by scleractinians and aragonitic octocorals) and those driven by taxonomy (shared by octocorals regardless of skeleton polymorph). Including the diversity of anthozoan mineralization strategies into biomineralization studies remains thus essential to comprehensively study how skeletons form and evolved within this ecologically important group of marine animals.

Se presenta el caso de una paciente de 64 años con síntomas inespecíficos, de 7 meses de evolución, de diplopía y proptosis unilateral. Al examen físico muestra una marcada limitación de la abducción del recto lateral, pero en la resonancia magnética se observa principalmente un engrosamiento del recto medio. Se hace diagnóstico de oftalmopatía distiroidea por lectura de neurorradiólogo. Por no mejoría de la paciente con el tratamiento y continuidad de sus síntomas, se pide una relectura de la resonancia, en la que se encuentran signos de una fístula carotidocavernosa. El diagnóstico de proptosis es un reto en oftalmología. En general está causada por una oftalmopatía distiroidea, pero se debe pensar en otros diagnósticos en pacientes con signos inusuales y sin mejoría con el tratamiento estándar.

ABSTRACT How microbial metabolism is translated into cellular reproduction under energy-limited settings below the seafloor over long timescales is poorly understood. Here, we show that microbial abundance increases an order of magnitude over a 5 million-year-long sequence in anoxic subseafloor clay of the abyssal North Atlantic Ocean. This increase in biomass correlated with an increased number of transcribed protein-encoding genes that included those involved in cytokinesis, demonstrating that active microbial reproduction outpaces cell death in these ancient sediments. Metagenomes, metatranscriptomes, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing all show that the actively reproducing community was dominated by the candidate phylum “Candidatus Atribacteria,” which exhibited patterns of gene expression consistent with fermentative, and potentially acetogenic, metabolism. “Ca. Atribacteria” dominated throughout the 8 million-year-old cored sequence, despite the detection limit for gene expression being reached in 5 million-year-old sediments. The subseafloor reproducing “Ca. Atribacteria” also expressed genes encoding a bacterial microcompartment that has potential to assist in secondary fermentation by recycling aldehydes and, thereby, harness additional power to reduce ferredoxin and NAD+. Expression of genes encoding the Rnf complex for generation of chemiosmotic ATP synthesis were also detected from the subseafloor “Ca. Atribacteria,” as well as the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway that could potentially have an anabolic or catabolic function. The correlation of this metabolism with cytokinesis gene expression and a net increase in biomass over the million-year-old sampled interval indicates that the “Ca. Atribacteria” can perform the necessary catabolic and anabolic functions necessary for cellular reproduction, even under energy limitation in millions-of-years-old anoxic sediments. IMPORTANCE The deep subseafloor sedimentary biosphere is one of the largest ecosystems on Earth, where microbes subsist under energy-limited conditions over long timescales. It remains poorly understood how mechanisms of microbial metabolism promote increased fitness in these settings. We discovered that the candidate bacterial phylum “Candidatus Atribacteria” dominated a deep-sea subseafloor ecosystem, where it exhibited increased transcription of genes associated with acetogenic fermentation and reproduction in million-year-old sediment. We attribute its improved fitness after burial in the seabed to its capabilities to derive energy from increasingly oxidized metabolites via a bacterial microcompartment and utilize a potentially reversible Wood-Ljungdahl pathway to help meet anabolic and catabolic requirements for growth. Our findings show that “Ca. Atribacteria” can perform all the necessary catabolic and anabolic functions necessary for cellular reproduction, even under energy limitation in anoxic sediments that are millions of years old.

Abstract Background Approximately 80% of all described extant sponge species belong to the class Demospongiae. Yet, despite their diversity and importance, accurate divergence times are still unknown for most demosponge clades. The estimation of demosponge divergence time is key to answering fundamental questions on the origin of Demospongiae, their diversification and historical biogeography. Molecular sequence data alone is not informative on an absolute time scale, and therefore needs to be “calibrated” with additional data such as fossils. Here, we calibrate the molecular data with the fossilized birth-death model, which compared to strict node dating, allows for the inclusion of young and old fossils in the analysis of divergence time. We use desma-bearing sponges, a diverse group of demosponges that form rigid skeletons and have a rich and continuous fossil record dating back to the Cambrian (~500 Ma), to date the demosponge radiation and constrain the timing of key evolutionary events, like the transition from marine to freshwater habitats. To infer a dated phylogeny of Demospongiae we assembled the mitochondrial genomes of six desma-bearing demosponges from reduced-representation genomic libraries. The total dataset included 33 complete demosponge mitochondrial genomes and 30 fossils. Results Our study supports a Neoproterozoic origin of Demospongiae. Novel age estimates for the split of freshwater and marine sponges dating back to the Carboniferous and the previously assumed recent (~18 Ma) diversification of freshwater sponges is supported. Moreover, we provide detailed age estimates for a possible diversification of Tetractinellidae (~315 Ma), the Astrophorina (~240 Ma), the Spirophorina (~120 Ma) and the family Corallistidae (~188 Ma) all of which are considered as key groups for dating the Demospongiae due to their extraordinary rich and continuous fossil history. Conclusion This study provides novel insights into the evolution of Demospongiae. Observed discrepancies of our dated phylogeny with their putative first fossil appearance dates are discussed for selected sponge groups. For instance, a Carboniferous origin of the order Tetractinellida seems to be too late, compared to their first appearance in the fossil record in the Middle Cambrian. This would imply that Paleozoic spicule forms are not homologous to post-Paleozoic forms.

El pueblo de Tepoztlán enfrenta distintos disyuntivas en la defensa de su territorio, en sus formas de organización social y en la autonomía de su organización comunitaria, frente a sucesivos proyectos de infraestructura y urbanización. Los movimientos sociales surgidos de la localidad son presentados como ejemplo de resistencia y lucha desde la organización local. Sin embargo, una parte de sus pobladores han asumido como parte de su economía la venta de terrenos, principalmente para la construcción de viviendas, así como también para la expansión de servicios al turismo y la gentrificación. Con base en el análisis de las actas de las asambleas comunitarias de 2015, en las que se ratifican los acuerdos de compra-venta de terrenos, se confirma su legitimidad al interior de la comunidad en tanto se adscriban a su marco normativo local: los denominados usos y costumbre. Concluimos que la defensa de su territorio y la venta de terrenos son compatibles en tanto el poder local así lo determine, y esto les permita equilibrar sus relaciones con el entorno socioeconómico. Abstract Tepoztlan village faces different dilemmas in the defense of its territory, the forms of social organization and autonomy in its community organization, in front of successive infrastructure and urbanization projects. The social movements that have emerged from the locality have been exposed as examples of resistance and struggle from community organization. However, their inhabitants have assumed the sale of parcels, principally to housing use, as well as the expansion of services to tourism and gentrification as part of their economy. Based on the analysis of the records of the community assemblies of 2015, in which they ratify the land purchase and sale agreements, its legitimacy within the community is confirmed, as long as it adheres to its local normative framework: known as usos y costumbres. We conclude that the community management of its territory and the sale of land are compatible as long as the local powe

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review was to investigate the effectiveness of workplace return-to-work (RTW) interventions delivered at very early stages (

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2005359.].

Placozoans are a phylum of nonbilaterian marine animals currently represented by a single described species, Trichoplax adhaerens, Schulze 1883. Placozoans arguably show the simplest animal morphology, which is identical among isolates collected worldwide, despite an apparently sizeable genetic diversity within the phylum. Here, we use a comparative genomics approach for a deeper appreciation of the structure and causes of the deeply diverging lineages in the Placozoa. We generated a high-quality draft genome of the genetic lineage H13 isolated from Hong Kong and compared it to the distantly related T. adhaerens. We uncovered substantial structural differences between the two genomes that point to a deep genomic separation and provide support that adaptation by gene duplication is likely a crucial mechanism in placozoan speciation. We further provide genetic evidence for reproductively isolated species and suggest a genus-level difference of H13 to T. adhaerens, justifying the designation of H13 as a new species, Hoilungia hongkongensis nov. gen., nov. spec., now the second described placozoan species and the first in a new genus. Our multilevel comparative genomics approach is, therefore, likely to prove valuable for species distinctions in other cryptic microscopic animal groups that lack diagnostic morphological characters, such as some nematodes, copepods, rotifers, or mites.

Animals have a carefully orchestrated relationship with oxygen. When exposed to low environmental oxygen concentrations, and during periods of increased energy expenditure, animals maintain cellular oxygen homeostasis by enhancing internal oxygen delivery, and by enabling the anaerobic production of ATP. These low-oxygen responses are thought to be controlled universally across animals by the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). We find, however, that sponge and ctenophore genomes lack key components of the HIF pathway. Since sponges and ctenophores are likely sister to all remaining animal phyla, the last common ancestor of extant animals likely lacked the HIF pathway as well. Laboratory experiments show that the marine sponge Tethya wilhelma maintains normal transcription under oxygen levels down to 0.25% of modern atmospheric saturation, the lowest levels we investigated, consistent with the predicted absence of HIF or any other HIF-like pathway. Thus, the last common ancestor of all living animals could have metabolized aerobically under very low environmental oxygen concentrations.

Ocean acidification is considered as one of the major threats for coral reefs at a global scale. Marine calcifying organisms, including stony corals, are expected to be the most affected by the predicted decrease of the surface water pH at the end of the century. The severity of the impacts on coral reefs remains as a matter of controversy. Although previous studies have explored the physiological response of stony corals to changes in pH, the response of the holobiont (i.e., the coral itself plus its symbionts) remains largely unexplored. In the present study, we assessed the changes in overall gene expression of the coral Montipora digitata and its microalgal symbionts after a short (3 days) and a longer (42 days) exposure to low pH (7.6). The short-term exposure to low pH caused small differences in the expression level of the host, impacting mostly genes associated with stress response in other scleractinians. Longer exposure to low pH resulted in no significant changes in gene expression of treated vs. control coral hosts. Gene expression in the eukaryotic symbionts remained unaltered at both exposure times. Our findings suggest resilience, in terms of gene expression, of the M. digitata holobiont to pH decrease, as well as capability to acclimatize to extended periods of exposure to low pH.

Las relaciones establecidas entre las comunidades campesinas e indígenas con el agua forman parte constitutiva de su cultura y su comprensión del mundo. Los grupos sociales transforman su entorno y se lo apropian, estableciendo diversos modos de organización social por el agua que les permiten aprovecharla de forma coordinada y cooperativa. Para lograrlo construyen marcos normativos que regulan su acceso, su distribución y aprovechamiento, mayoritariamente como un recurso de uso común (Ostrom, 2000). La organización social por el agua se articula no sólo con las prácticas agrícolas y el uso consuntivo para las necesidades domésticas, sino de igual manera con diversos aspectos de la vida comunitaria, como es la organización en barrios, la asamblea del pueblo, las relaciones económicas y de poder, así como aspectos simbólicos y el conocimiento construido por generaciones. Aquí se analizan los usos comunitarios del agua en Tetela del Volcán, Morelos, y la manera en que se entrelazan con aspectos culturales y las relaciones de poder.

This report describes pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema in a bull with paralytic rabies. The bull displayed severe swelling in the head, neck, chest and forelimbs extending to the ventrum, including the prepuce, 7 days after the development of neurological signs. At necropsy, extensive subcutaneous emphysema was observed in the neck region, abdominal wall and proximal forelimbs. The lungs failed to collapse and had severe emphysema with bullae. Rabies was suspected due to an ongoing outbreak at the farm and was confirmed by histologic lesions and immunohistochemistry. Similar to humans, pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema should be considered as an unusual complication of rabies in cattle.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate whether associations of psychological risk factors with the incidence and persistence of disabling musculoskeletal pain differ from those for non-disabling musculoskeletal pain. METHODS: As part of the international Cultural and Psychosocial Influences in Disability (CUPID) study, 1105 Spanish nurses and office workers were asked at baseline about health beliefs concerning pain, mental health, and somatizing tendency. Musculoskeletal pain in the past months at ten anatomical sites (back, neck, and left and right shoulder, elbow, wrist/hand, and knee) was ascertained at baseline and one year later. Pain was classed as disabling if it made ≥1 specified everyday activities difficult or impossible. Multilevel multinomial logistic regression modeling was used to explore associations of baseline risk factors with pain outcomes at follow-up, conditioned on pain status at baseline. RESULTS: A total of 971 participants (87.9%) completed follow-up. Among anatomical sites that were pain-free at baseline, the development of disabling musculoskeletal pain was predicted by pessimistic beliefs about pain prognosis [odds ratio (OR) 1.5, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.0–2.1], poor mental health (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.3–3.0), and somatizing tendency (OR 4.0, 95% CI 2.5–6.4). Adverse beliefs about prognosis were also associated with the transition from non-disabling to disabling musculoskeletal pain (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.1–12.5) and the persistence of disabling musculoskeletal pain (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.2–5.5), which was already present at baseline. Associations with non-disabling musculoskeletal pain were weaker and less consistent. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that established psychological risk factors relate principally to the disability that arises from musculoskeletal pain.

Population outbreaks of the corallivorous crown-of-thorns seastar (COTS), Acanthaster ‘planci’ L., are among the most important biological disturbances of tropical coral reefs. Over the past 50 years, several devastating outbreaks have been documented around Guam, an island in the western Pacific Ocean. Previous analyses have shown that in the Pacific Ocean, COTS larval dispersal may be geographically restricted to certain regions. Here, we assess the genetic structure of Pacific COTS populations and compared samples from around Guam with a number of distant localities in the Pacific Ocean, and focused on determining the degree of genetic structure among populations previously considered to be isolated. Using microsatellites, we document substantial genetic structure between 14 localities from different geographical regions in the Pacific Ocean. Populations from the 14 locations sampled were found to be structured in three significantly differentiated groups: (1) all locations immediately around Guam, as well as Kingman Reef and Swains Island; (2) Japan, Philippines, GBR and Vanuatu; and (3) Johnston Atoll, which was significantly different from all other localities. The lack of genetic differentiation between Guam and extremely distant populations from Kingman Reef and Swains Island suggests potential long-distance dispersal of COTS in the Pacific.

Somatising tendency, defined as a predisposition to worry about common somatic symptoms, is importantly associated with various aspects of health and health-related behaviour, including musculoskeletal pain and associated disability. To explore its epidemiological characteristics, and how it can be specified most efficiently, we analysed data from an international longitudinal study. A baseline questionnaire, which included questions from the Brief Symptom Inventory about seven common symptoms, was completed by 12,072 participants aged 20-59 from 46 occupational groups in 18 countries (response rate 70%). The seven symptoms were all mutually associated (odds ratios for pairwise associations 3.4 to 9.3), and each contributed to a measure of somatising tendency that exhibited an exposure-response relationship both with multi-site pain (prevalence rate ratios up to six), and also with sickness absence for non-musculoskeletal reasons. In most participants, the level of somatising tendency was little changed when reassessed after a mean interval of 14 months (75% having a change of 0 or 1 in their symptom count), although the specific symptoms reported at follow-up often differed from those at baseline. Somatising tendency was more common in women than men, especially at older ages, and varied markedly across the 46 occupational groups studied, with higher rates in South and Central America. It was weakly associated with smoking, but not with level of education. Our study supports the use of questions from the Brief Symptom Inventory as a method for measuring somatising tendency, and suggests that in adults of working age, it is a fairly stable trait.

Although monitoring of animal populations for informed decision making is fundamental for the conservation and management of biodiversity, monitoring programs are not widely implemented. In addition, monitoring plans often represent an economic burden for many conservation organizations. Here we report on the monitoring of five focal species of mammals in the Tilarán mountain range, Costa Rica. We used a participatory approach in which trained rangers of four institutions conducted trail surveys in an area of ca 50,000ha to determine the presence/absence of the paca (Cuniculus paca), collared peccary (Pecari tajacu), tapir (Tapirus bairdii), jaguar (Panthera onca) and puma (Puma concolor) using track collections. Permanent transects of 3 km were sampled on the same day every month in 2000-01 (141 km) and 2009-10 (303 km). Four of the five focal species were registered in our sampling. One of the most valuable outcomes of the study was the initiative of the rangers to train community members to participate in the monitoring plan. We believe that this participatory approach not only has great potential for the integration of rangers in long term monitoring, but also the incorporation of citizen science-based programs. Multi-institutional collaboration for species monitoring could reduce costs and increase the sampling effort.

Las imágenes de resonancia magnética potenciadas en difusión y tractografía pueden emplearse en el estudio de las malformaciones congénitas del sistema nervioso central asociadas a anormalidades en los tractos de sustancia blanca. Presentamos un paciente con holoprosencefalia semilobar en quien la imagen potenciada en difusión y la tractografía demostró falla de la inducción ventral del prosencéfalo y fusión anormal de varios fascículos de la sustancia blanca en el cerebro y en el tallo encefálico. De esta forma, las anormalidades de los fascículos de la sustancia blanca en casos de holoprosencefalia se pueden identificar por medio de las imágenes potenciadas en difusión y tractografía fasciculografía.

Para el tratamiento de la enfermedad carotídea se recomienda como primera elección la endarterectomía, reservándose la angioplastia stent para pacientes con riesgo quirúrgico, por sus comorbilidades o por la localización de la estenosis. Objetivo: Evaluar la morbimortalidad y los beneficios de la terapia endovascular: angioplastia y stent, para el tratamiento de la estenosis carotídea en pacientes tratados, durante un período de 12 años. Materiales y métodos: Entre septiembre de 1996 y mayo de 2008 se realizaron 174 angioplastias e implantación de stent en 148 pacientes (26 de los cuales fueron tratados por estenosis bilateral). Resultados y discusión: Los resultados mostraron una morbimortalidad de 2% que es menor o igual a lo reportado en la literatura mundial.

Entre 1990 y 2003, la cuenca Lerma-Chapala sobrellevó varios años de sequía severa que redujeron el lago de Chapala a 14% de su volumen total, lo que puso en riesgo el abasto de agua potable para Guadalajara y generó una gran tensión por su distribución entre usos y regiones de la cuenca. La solución trazada por el gobierno consiste en transferir agua del uso agrícola al urbano-industrial; una vía para lograrlo es generar ahorros de agua mediante la tecnificación del riego, otra es el intercambio de volúmenes o derechos de agua. Se han hecho considerables esfuerzos por cambiar la tecnología de riego, sin que esto tenga todavía las consecuencias buscadas a nivel de cuenca. Aquí se analiza la situación socioeconómica de varios sistemas de riego que se abastecen sobre todo del agua superficial, en los cuales ha tratado de actuar la política del agua. Con base en esto se afirma la necesidad de establecer negociaciones específicas por el agua que reconozcan la diversidad socioeconómica y de estrategias de uso de este recurso.

In Mexico, the hydraulic mission, the centralisation of water control, and the growth of the federal hydraulic bureaucracy (hydrocracy) recursively shaped and reinforced each other during the 20th century. The hydraulic mission entails that the state, embodied in an autonomous hydrocracy, takes the lead in water resources development to capture as much water as possible for human uses. The hydraulic mission was central to the formation of Mexico’s hydrocracy, which highly prized its autonomy. Bureaucratic rivals, political transitions, and economic developments recurrently challenged the hydrocracy’s degree of autonomy. However, driven by the argument that a single water authority should regulate and control the nation’s waters, the hydrocracy consistently managed to renew its, always precarious, autonomy at different political moments in the country’s history. The legacy of the hydraulic mission continues to inform water reforms in Mexico, and largely explains the strong resilience of the Mexican hydrocracy to 'deep' institutional change and political transitions. While the emphasis on infrastructure has lessened, the hydrocracy has actively renewed its control over water decisions and budgets and has played a remarkably constant, hegemonic role in defining and shaping Mexico’s water laws, policies and institutions.

The approximately 350 demosponge species that have been described from Antarctica represent a faunistic component distinct from that of neighboring regions. Sponges provide structure to the Antarctic benthos and refuge to other invertebrates, and can be dominant in some communities. Despite the importance of sponges in the Antarctic subtidal environment, sponge DNA barcodes are scarce but can provide insight into the evolutionary relationships of this unique biogeographic province.We sequenced the standard barcoding COI region for a comprehensive selection of sponges collected during expeditions to the Ross Sea region in 2004 and 2008, and produced DNA-barcodes for 53 demosponge species covering about 60% of the species collected. The Antarctic sponge communities are phylogenetically diverse, matching the diversity of well-sampled sponge communities in the Lusitanic and Mediterranean marine provinces in the Temperate Northern Atlantic for which molecular data are readily available. Additionally, DNA-barcoding revealed levels of in situ molecular evolution comparable to those present among Caribbean sponges. DNA-barcoding using the Segregating Sites Algorithm correctly assigned approximately 54% of the barcoded species to the morphologically determined species.A barcode library for Antarctic sponges was assembled and used to advance the systematic and evolutionary research of Antarctic sponges. We provide insights on the evolutionary forces shaping Antarctica's diverse sponge communities, and a barcode library against which future sequence data from other regions or depth strata of Antarctica can be compared. The opportunity for rapid taxonomic identification of sponge collections for ecological research is now at the horizon.

Sponges (Phylum Porifera) are aquatic sessile metazoans found worldwide in marine and freshwater environments. They are significant in the animal tree of life as one of the earliest-branching metazoan lineages and as filter feeders play crucial ecological roles, particularly in coral reefs, but are susceptible to the effects of climate change. In the face of the current biodiversity crisis, genomic data is crucial for species conservation efforts and predicting their evolutionary potential in response to environmental changes. However, there is a limited availability of culturable sponge species with annotated high-quality genomes to further comprehensive insights into animal evolution, function, and their response to the ongoing global change. Despite the publication of a few high-quality annotated sponge genomes, there remains a gap in resources for culturable sponge species. To address this gap, we provide high quality draft genomes of the two congeneric aquarium species Tethya wilhelma and Tethya minuta, small ball-shaped demosponges that are easily maintained long-term in ex situ culture. As such, they offer promising opportunities as laboratory models to contribute to advancing our understanding of sponge biology and provide valuable resources for studying animal evolution, function, and responses to environmental challenges.