Comparison of Nanopore and Synthesis-Based Next-Generation Sequencing Platforms for SARS-CoV-2 Variant Monitoring in Wastewater.

Shortly after the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many countries implemented sewage sentinel systems to monitor the circulation of the virus in the population. A fundamental part of these surveillance programs is the variant tracking through sequencing approaches to monitor and identify new variants or mutations that may be of importance. Two of the main sequencing platforms are Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies. Here, we compare the performance of MiSeq (Illumina) and MinION (Oxford Nanopore Technologies), as well as two different data processing pipelines, to determine the effect they may have on the results. MiSeq showed higher sequencing coverage, lower error rate, and better capacity to detect and accurately estimate variant abundances than MinION R9.4.1 flow cell data. The use of different variant callers (LoFreq and iVar) and approaches to calculate the variant proportions had a remarkable impact on the results generated from wastewater samples. Freyja, coupled with iVar, may be more sensitive and accurate than LoFreq, especially with MinION data, but it comes at the cost of having a higher error rate. The analysis of MinION R10.4.1 flow cell data using Freyja combined with iVar narrows the gap with MiSeq performance in terms of read quality, accuracy, sensitivity, and number of detected mutations. Although MiSeq should still be considered as the standard method for SARS-CoV-2 variant tracking, MinION's versatility and rapid turnaround time may represent a clear advantage during the ongoing pandemic.

[Differences and mechanisms on water use of Pinus sylvestris var mongolica forests with different origins]. / 不同起源樟子松林水分利用的差异及机制.

Determining the differences of water use characteristics of a tree species with different origins (natural forests and introduced plantations) is significantly important for forest sustainable management. Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica is an important tree species of afforestation in the 'Three North' project in China. In this study, with Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica from two origins, we monitored the sap flow velocity of sapwood (Js) of trees by thermal dissipation sap flow probes, and analyzed the relationship between water transportation and the environmental factors during the growing season. The results showed that under the typical sunny day, daily sap flow velocity (Js-daily) of trees from plantations was significantly higher than that from natural forests. The mean value of Js-daily was 132.98 and 114.86 cm·d-1 for the two origins, respectively. Trees from plantations showed higher water transportation potential than natural forests. Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) mainly showed the driving effect on the water use process of trees from natural forests. In the plantations, there was an obvious threshold effect, and the inflection point of VPD was about 1.91 kPa, with the boundary function of Js-hour increased to the maximum of 17.88 cm·h-1. Atmospheric driven transpiration potential (Js-hour/VPD) of P. sylvestris var. mongolica trees with two origins decreased with the aggravation of soil drought, but sensitivity to drought was higher in the plantations than in the natural forests, suggesting the strong ability of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica to regulate water use process.

The latest anatomical discovery: the parathyroid glands or Glandulae parathyreoideae of Owen-Sandström-Gley.

In 1852, Owen, a prominent British anatomist, described the parathyroid glands. While dissecting a rhinoceros, he noted a small compact yellow body, attached to the thyroid. Virchow and later Remak described the human parathyroids around 1960, but credit for the first complete description goes to the Sandström in 1980. More than a decade later Gley, showed that it was the removal of the parathyroids that accounted for the tetany that followed thyroidectomy. The association of parathyroid pathology and skeletal abnormalities was made in 1914 by Erdheim and Schlagenhaufer, and Mandl, was the first surgeon to successfully treat a case of osteitis fibrosa by surgical removal of a parathyroid adenoma in 1925. The most extensive work on hyperparathyroidism was done in the 1930s by Albright form Boston, who described parathyroid hyperplasia, and differentiated between primary, secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism. Progresses in anatomy, physiology and surgery of the parathyroid glands, have contributed to various effective modalities of diagnosis and treatment.

En 1852, Owen, un destacado anatomista británico, describió las glándulas paratiroides. Mientras realizaba la disección de un rinoceronte indio, observó un pequeño cuerpo amarillo compacto, unido a la tiroides. Virchow, y más tarde Remak, describieron las paratiroides humanas alrededor de 1860, pero el crédito por la primera descripción completa es para Sandström en 1880. Más de una década después, Gley demostró que era la eliminación de las paratiroides lo que explicaba la tetania después de la tiroidectomía. La asociación de la patología paratiroidea y las anomalías esqueléticas fue establecida en 1914 por Erdheim y Schlagenhaufer, y Mandl fue el primer cirujano en tratar con éxito un caso de osteítis fibrosa mediante la extirpación quirúrgica de un adenoma paratiroideo en 1925. El trabajo más extenso sobre el hiperparatiroidismo fue realizado en la década de 1930 por Albright, en Boston, quien describió la hiperplasia paratiroidea y la diferenció del hiperparatiroidismo primario, secundario y terciario. Los avances en anatomía, fisiología y cirugía de las glándulas paratiroides han contribuido a diversas modalidades efectivas de diagnóstico y tratamiento.

De Elton Mayo a Ivar Oddone: redescobrir a instrução ao sósia / From Elton Mayo to Ivar Oddone: rediscovering the instruction to the double

O presente texto foi publicado originalmente como prefácio de uma obra de Yves Clot em homenagem a Ivar Oddone. Decidimos publicá-lo no formato de artigo, com a autorização do autor, por considerarmos que traz importantes e atuais contribuições para o campo do trabalho em intercruzamento com diversas teorias: Clínica da Atividade, Ergologia, Ergonomia, Saúde do Trabalhador, dentre outras. Neste texto, Yves Clot retoma aspectos significativos da obra de Ivar Oddone e tece reflexões sobre aspectos originais dessa, nem sempre considerados pelos estudiosos da área. Assim, faz uma análise comparativa com as propostas apresentadas por Elton Mayo, as quais se sagraram como importante ferramenta para o desenvolvimento do capitalismo industrial sob a suposta égide do enaltecimento do aspecto humano nas situações de trabalho. Ao contrário das concepções e práticas de Mayo, que foram efetivamente voltadas para o aumento da produtividade das empresas e, portanto, para a exploração dos trabalhadores, Oddone buscou reconhecer e valorizar o saber dos operários, com o intuito de que esse se configurasse como um contrapoder ao ampliar o seu poder de agir na situação de trabalho, aspectos que são amplamente discutidos por Clot no texto que ora apresentamos.¹

This text was initially published as a preface written by Yves Clot in honor of Ivar Oddone. We decided to publish it as an article, authorized by the author, as we believe that it brings important and current contributions to the field of work, in interseccion with several theories: Clinic of Activity, Ergology, Ergonomics, Worker's Health, among others. In this text, Yves Clot takes up highlights of Ivar Oddone's work and produces reflections about its original aspects, not always considered by experts in the field. Thus, he makes a comparative analysis with those aspects and the proposals presented by Elton Mayo, which have become an important tool for the development of industrial capitalism under the supposed appreciation of the human sides in work situations. Contrary to Mayo's conceptions and practices, which were aimed at increasing the productivity of companies and, therefore, at the exploitation of workers, Oddone sought to recognize and value the knowledge of workers, intending that this was used as a kind of counterpower, by expanding its power to act in the work situation, points that are widely discussed by Clot in the text that we present now.