Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Environ Manage 2021 Apr 10;289:112526. Epub 2021 Apr 10.

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, India.

Methane (CH) is a prominent Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and its global atmospheric concentration has increased significantly since the year 2007. Anthropogenic CH emissions are projected to be 9390 million metric tonnes by 2020. Here, we present the long-term changes in atmospheric methane over India and suggest possible alternatives to reduce soil emissions from paddy fields. Read More

Mar Environ Res 2021 Mar 26;168:105312. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, 117558, Singapore. Electronic address:

Stony corals are promising transplant candidates for the ecological engineering of artificial coastal defences such as seawalls as they attract and host numerous other organisms. However, seawalls are exposed to a wide range of environmental stressors associated with periods of emersion during low tide such as desiccation and changes in salinity, temperature, and solar irradiance. All of these variables have known deleterious effects on coral physiology, growth, and fitness. Read More

J Nat Prod 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, People's Republic of China.

Penitol A (), a new citrinin derivative with a rare tricyclic spiro skeleton, was isolated from a coral-derived strain of the fungus . In addition, penicitols E-I (-), five new citrinin analogues, were coisolated. Their structures were determined by an analysis of 1D/2D NMR and HRESIMS data, statistical DP4+ analyses based on DFT-GIAO NMR calculations, quantum chemistry ECD calculations, and a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. Read More

Int J Drug Policy 2021 Apr 9;94:103228. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Department of Sociology, University of Miami, 5202 University Drive, Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA. Electronic address:

The Botswana government has recently ramped up efforts to control alcohol consumption through various measures. These include the alcohol tax levy, reduction in trading hours for bars and other licenced premises and increased penalties for alcohol-related road offenses. Whilst these efforts have recently received considerable attention, the processes of alcohol policy development remain unknown and understudied. Read More

Public Health 2021 Mar 4;194:11-13. Epub 2021 Mar 4.

St. Michael's Hospital, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Toronto, ON, Canada; University of Toronto, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to examine the need for modified safety planning strategies in response to COVID-19-related increases in intimate partner violence (IPV) as the initial phase of adapting an IPV safety planning intervention in Toronto, Ontario.

Methods: A rapid, systematic review was conducted to elucidate existing safety planning strategies used during public health emergencies. These were supplemented with strategies from an expert panel. Read More

Glob Chang Biol 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center (Upper Eastern Gulf of Thailand), 58/5 Moo 8 Songklong Bangpakong, chachoengsao, Thailand, 24130.

Shallow reefs are a major feature of coral assemblages in the Andaman Sea. At Phuket, Thailand sheltered reefs are dominated by massive corals, together with an increasing abundance of branching species during favourable growth conditions. The growth of coral on these reefs is moderated by long-term increases in sea temperature and relative sea level but fluctuating decadal/intradecadal climate processes of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which modulate sea level and temperature, are the main drivers of coral cover. Read More

Ecol Evol 2021 Apr 11;11(7):3393-3406. Epub 2021 Mar 11.

Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division Red Sea Research Center (RSRC) and Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC) King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Thuwal Saudi Arabia.

Giant clams (Tridacninae) are important members of Indo-Pacific coral reefs and among the few bivalve groups that live in symbiosis with unicellular algae (Symbiodiniaceae). Despite the importance of these endosymbiotic dinoflagellates for clam ecology, the diversity and specificity of these associations remain relatively poorly studied, especially in the Red Sea. Here, we used the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) rDNA gene region to investigate Symbiodiniaceae communities associated with Red Sea clams. Read More

Ecol Evol 2021 Apr 9;11(7):3093-3109. Epub 2021 Mar 9.

Key Laboratory of Ocean and Marginal Sea Geology South China Sea Institute of Oceanology Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou China.

Identification of fossil corals is often limited due to poor preservation of external skeleton morphology, especially in the genus which is widespread across the Indo-Pacific. Based on skeleton characteristics from thin section, we here develop a link between the internal skeleton structure and external morphology. Ten characteristics were summarized to distinguish and five related genera, including the type and differentiation of corallites, the skeleton nature of corallites (septa, columellae, dissepiments, wall), and calcification centers within septa. Read More

Front Microbiol 2021 25;12:620458. Epub 2021 Mar 25.

Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States.

Dysbiosis of coral microbiomes results from various biotic and environmental stressors, including interactions with important reef fishes which may act as vectors of opportunistic microbes via deposition of fecal material. Additionally, elevated sea surface temperatures have direct effects on coral microbiomes by promoting growth and virulence of opportunists and putative pathogens, thereby altering host immunity and health. However, interactions between these biotic and abiotic factors have yet to be evaluated. Read More

Front Psychol 2021 26;12:647912. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Department of Educational and Psychological Studies, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, United States.

Fowers et al. (2017) recently made a general argument for virtues as the characteristics necessary for individuals to flourish, given inherent human limitations. For example, people can flourish by developing the virtue of friendship as they navigate the inherent (healthy) human dependency on others. Read More

Int J Ment Health 2021 6;50(1):53-77. Epub 2020 Oct 6.

University of Michigan, School of Social Work, Ann Arbor, MI.

Despite the rapid growth of the Black Caribbean population in the United States, we know little about the presentation and prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) among these groups. This study examines the demographic correlates and the effect of racial discrimination on OCD symptoms among a nationally-representative sample of Black Caribbean and African American adults ( = 5,191). Drawing on the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form (CIDI-SF) for OCD, we examine two types of obsessions (harm and contamination) and four types of compulsions (repeating, washing, ordering, and counting). Read More

Dermatol Surg 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Skin Associates of South Florida, Coral Gables, Florida; John H. Joseph Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beverly Hills, California; Dermatology, SkinCare Physicians, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts; Charlottesville Medical Research, Charlottesville, Virginia; Cosmetic Laser Dermatology and University of California-San Diego, San Diego, California; Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, Tennessee Clinical Research Center, Nashville, Tennessee; Juva Skin & Laser Center, New York, New York; The Education & Research Foundation, Lynchburg, Virginia; Cosmetic Surgery, Skin Specialists P.C., Omaha, Nebraska; Research, Mercy Health Research, Washington, Missouri; Research and Development, Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc, Malvern, Pennsylvania; Medical Affairs, Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc, Malvern, Pennsylvania; Biostatistics, Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc, Malvern, Pennsylvania; and Bass Plastic Surgery PLLC, New York, New York.

Background: Fibrous septae play a role in contour alterations associated with cellulite.

Objective: To assess collagenase clostridium histolyticum-aaes (CCH) for the treatment of cellulite.

Materials And Methods: Two identically designed phase 3, double-blind, randomized studies (RELEASE-1 and RELEASE-2) were conducted. Read More

Nat Commun 2021 04 9;12(1):2138. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Biology Department, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.

It is largely unknown how South America's Andean forests affect the global carbon cycle, and thus regulate climate change. Here, we measure aboveground carbon dynamics over the past two decades in 119 monitoring plots spanning a range of >3000 m elevation across the subtropical and tropical Andes. Our results show that Andean forests act as strong sinks for aboveground carbon (0. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2021 Mar 26;782:146738. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Edifício ECOMARE, Estrada do Porto de Pesca Costeira, 3830-565 Gafanha da Nazaré, Portugal; Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Seestrasse 79, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland.

Climate warming is causing rapid spatial expansion of ocean warm pools from equatorial latitudes towards the subtropics. Sedentary coral reef inhabitants in affected areas will thus be trapped in high temperature regimes, which may become the "new normal". In this study, we used clownfish Amphiprion ocellaris as model organism to study reef fish mechanisms of thermal adaptation and determine how high temperature affects multiple lipid aspects that influence physiology and thermal tolerance. Read More

Steroids 2021 Apr 6:108831. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, CAS, Guangzhou 510301, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 510301, China. Electronic address:

Four new steroids derivatives, namely arthriniumsteroids A - D (1-4), together with two known compounds, were isolated from the soft coral-derived fungus Simplicillium lanosoniveum SCSIO41212. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and by comparison with those reported in the literature. The absolute configuration of 2 was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Read More

Br J Clin Psychol 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA.

Objectives: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition marked by recurrent and distressing thoughts, images, and urges accompanied by repetitive physical or mental rituals. An emerging line of work suggests that emotion may be an important consideration when looking at the role of impulsivity across the spectrum of psychopathology, including OCD. The current study examined the relationship between obsessive-compulsive symptomatology (OCS) and impulsive cognitive and behavioural reactions to emotion using a multi-study, multi-method approach. Read More

Chem Biodivers 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Mersin Universitesi, Biotechnology, Çiftlikköy Kampüsü Fen Edeb. Fakültesi Biyoteknoloji Bölümü, 33310, Mersin, TURKEY.

Biochar is an organic material and high in carbon content, besides its use for energy purposes, it is also a material that serves the purpose of improving soil fertility, organic matter content of soils and removing heavy metals from water and soil. This study aims to investigate the antimicrobial effects of biochar whose beneficial effects on agricultural productivity has been proven by different studies. Scientific literature concerning the antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral effects of the apricot seed and olive seed biochar is limited. Read More

Biotechnol Bioeng 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.

A complex cellular cascade characterizes the pathophysiological response following spinal cord injury (SCI) limiting regeneration. Biomaterial and stem cell combination therapies together have shown synergistic effects, compared to the independent benefits of each intervention, and represent a promising approach towards regaining function after injury. In this study, we combine our polyethylene glycol (PEG) cell delivery platform with lentiviral-mediated overexpression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-10 to improve mouse embryonic day 14 (E14) spinal progenitor transplant survival. Read More

Qual Health Res 2021 Apr 9:10497323211003542. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.

South Florida agricultural regions, home to Latinx immigrant farmworkers, report higher rates of late-stage breast cancer diagnosis than national, state, and county-level averages. We conducted a community-based qualitative study on the needs, health knowledge gaps, barriers to breast cancer screening, and the role of community health workers (CHWs) in supporting the community's access to early detection services. We conducted three CHW focus groups (FGs) ( = 25) and in-depth interviews ( = 15), two FGs ( = 18) and in-depth interviews ( = 3) with farmworker community members, and informal interviews with cancer clinicians ( = 7). Read More

Front Microbiol 2021 23;12:631853. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India.

In an attempt to study the antibacterial, antivirulence and antibiofilm potentials of bacteria residing the tissue and surface mucus layers of the pristine corals, we screened a total of 43 distinct bacterial morphotypes from the coral sp. Among the isolates, strain CBMGL12 with showed antibacterial, antivirulence and antibiofilm activity against multidrug resistant pathogenic strains of (reference strain: MTCC96; community-acquired methicillin resistant strain: CA-MRSA). Extracellular products (ECP) from the coral-associated bacterium were solvent extracted, fractionated by chromatographic techniques such as silica column and HPLC-UV with concomitant bioassays guiding the fractionation of metabolites. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Apr 8;11(1):7722. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195-2400, USA.

Coral reef ecosystems support significant biological activities and harbor huge diversity, but they are facing a severe crisis driven by anthropogenic activities and climate change. An important behavioral trait of the coral holobiont is coral motion, which may play an essential role in feeding, competition, reproduction, and thus survival and fitness. Therefore, characterizing coral behavior through motion analysis will aid our understanding of basic biological and physical coral functions. Read More

BMC Public Health 2021 04 8;21(1):687. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Anastasia Mosquito Control District, 120 EOC Drive, St. Augustine, FL, 32092, USA.

Background: The stay-at-home orders imposed in early April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in various states complicated mosquito control activities across the United States (US), and Florida was no exception. Mosquito control programs are the first line of defense against mosquito-borne pathogens. The purpose of this study was to examine the capabilities of Florida mosquito programs to implement key mosquito measures during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Read More

J Environ Manage 2021 Apr 5;289:112495. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

Green Engineering & Resources Research Group (GER), Departamento de Química e Ingeniería de Procesos y Recursos, ETSIIT, Universidad de Cantabria, Avda. de Los Castros 46, 39005, Santander, Cantabria, Spain. Electronic address:

This study quantifies the degree of pollution and assess the ecological risk of As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, V and Zn in sediments and soils of the Limoncocha Biological Reserve (Ecuador), identified as a Ramsar site with high ecological and socioeconomic value. The hydrologic system of the Reserve is mainly formed by two rivers that drain into the Limoncocha lagoon, which occupies only five percent of the protected area but support a high anthropic influence. Local statistical baseline of studied potentially toxic elements is established using cumulative frequency method, and Al is selected as reference element due to the good correlation with the studied elements. Read More

PLoS One 2021 8;16(4):e0248953. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Life Science and Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America.

Model systems approaches search for commonality in patterns underlying biological diversity and complexity led by common evolutionary paths. The success of the approach does not rest on the species chosen but on the scalability of the model and methods used to develop the model and engage research. Fine-tuning approaches to improve coral cell cultures will provide a robust platform for studying symbiosis breakdown, the calcification mechanism and its disruption, protein interactions, micronutrient transport/exchange, and the toxicity of nanoparticles, among other key biological aspects, with the added advantage of minimizing the ethical conundrum of repeated testing on ecologically threatened organisms. Read More

J Am Coll Health 2021 Apr 8:1-9. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and Counseling, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA.

To understand college students' experiences with substance use at electronic music events (EME), including harm-reduction strategies and receptivity to educational intervention. A purposeful sample of undergraduate students at a private Southeastern university was recruited from April 2019 to May 2019 using online advertising and in-person tabling. A qualitative, descriptive research design utilizing semistructured focus groups. Read More

Ecotoxicology 2021 Apr 8. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China.

Seagrasses constitute a significant part of coral reef ecosystems, representing high primary productivity and one of the most important coastal habitats in marine ecosystems. Though seagrasses possess irreplaceable ecological services to the marine environment, taxonomical ambiguity still exists due to similar morphological characters and phenotypic plasticity. As an emerging technology, DNA barcoding can effectively identify cryptic species using a short orthologous DNA region. Read More

Arch Microbiol 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Vibrio fluvialis is a halophilic bacterium frequently found in estuarine and coastal waters environments. The strain 362.3 was isolated from Mussismilia braziliensis coral of Abrolhos Bank. Read More

PeerJ 2021 25;9:e11100. Epub 2021 Mar 25.

The Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.

Global climate change is causing increasing variability and extremes in weather worldwide, a trend set to continue. In recent decades both anomalously warm and cold seawater temperatures have resulted in mass coral bleaching events. Whilst corals' response to elevated temperature has justifiably attracted substantial research interest, coral physiology under cold water stress is relatively unfamiliar. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Apr 7;11(1):7661. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan.

An encrusting sponge, Terpios hoshinota, has the potential to infect all species of stony corals in shallow reefs and killing them. It caused a decline in coral coverage in two south-eastern islands of Taiwan. We proposed two hypotheses to examine how the sponges kill the corals, namely, light blocking and toxins, and tested by in-situ experiments. Read More

Nanotechnology 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, CHINA.

Schiff base formation reaction is highly dynamic, and the microstructure of Schiff-base polymers is greatly affected by reaction kinetics. Herein, a series of Schiff-base cross-linked polymers (SPs) with different morphologies are synthesized through adjusting the specie and amount of catalysts. Nitrogen/oxygen co-doped hierarchical porous carbon nanoparticles (HPCNs), with tunable morphology, specific surface area (SSA) and pore porosity, are obtained after one-step carbonization. Read More