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1. FlyBase: a guided tour of highlighted features

   https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/iyac035  

   Gramates, L Sian; Agapite, Julie; Attrill, Helen; Calvi, Brian R; Crosby, Madeline A; dos Santos, Gilberto; Goodman, Joshua L; Goutte-Gattat, Damien; Jenkins, Victoria K; Kaufman, Thomas; et al (March 2022, Genetics)

   Wood, V (Ed.)

   Abstract FlyBase provides a centralized resource for the genetic and genomic data of Drosophila melanogaster. As FlyBase enters our fourth decade of service to the research community, we reflect on our unique aspects and look forward to our continued collaboration with the larger research and model organism communities. In this study, we emphasize the dedicated reports and tools we have constructed to meet the specialized needs of fly researchers but also to facilitate use by other research communities. We also highlight ways that we support the fly community, including an external resources page, help resources, and multiple avenues by which researchers can interact with FlyBase. 

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2. Points to Consider When Establishing and Rearing Culex Mosquitoes in the Laboratory

   https://doi.org/10.1101/pdb.top107823  

   Meuti, Megan E; Siperstein, Alden; Wolkoff, Matthew (August 2023, Cold Spring Harbor Protocols)

   Culexmosquitoes transmit several pathogens to humans and animals, including viruses that cause West Nile fever and St. Louis encephalitis and filarial nematodes that cause canine heartworm and elephantiasis. Additionally, these mosquitoes have a cosmopolitan distribution and provide interesting models for understanding population genetics, overwintering dormancy, disease transmission, and other important and ecological questions. However, unlikeAedesmosquitoes that produce eggs that can be stored for weeks at a time, no obvious “stopping” point exists in the development ofCulexmosquitoes. Therefore, these mosquitoes require nearly continuous care and attention. Here, we describe some general considerations when rearing laboratory colonies ofCulexmosquitoes. We highlight different methods so that readers may choose what works best for their experimental needs and laboratory infrastructure. We hope that this information will enable additional scientists to conduct laboratory research on these important disease vectors. 

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3. Harmonizing model organism data in the Alliance of Genome Resources

   https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/iyac022  

   Agapite, Julie; Albou, Laurent-Philippe; Aleksander, Suzanne A; Alexander, Micheal; Anagnostopoulos, Anna V; Antonazzo, Giulia; Argasinska, Joanna; Arnaboldi, Valerio; Attrill, Helen; Becerra, Andrés; et al (February 2022, Genetics)

   Wood, V (Ed.)

   Abstract The Alliance of Genome Resources (the Alliance) is a combined effort of 7 knowledgebase projects: Saccharomyces Genome Database, WormBase, FlyBase, Mouse Genome Database, the Zebrafish Information Network, Rat Genome Database, and the Gene Ontology Resource. The Alliance seeks to provide several benefits: better service to the various communities served by these projects; a harmonized view of data for all biomedical researchers, bioinformaticians, clinicians, and students; and a more sustainable infrastructure. The Alliance has harmonized cross-organism data to provide useful comparative views of gene function, gene expression, and human disease relevance. The basis of the comparative views is shared calls of orthology relationships and the use of common ontologies. The key types of data are alleles and variants, gene function based on gene ontology annotations, phenotypes, association to human disease, gene expression, protein–protein and genetic interactions, and participation in pathways. The information is presented on uniform gene pages that allow facile summarization of information about each gene in each of the 7 organisms covered (budding yeast, roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, fruit fly, house mouse, zebrafish, brown rat, and human). The harmonized knowledge is freely available on the alliancegenome.org portal, as downloadable files, and by APIs. We expect other existing and emerging knowledge bases to join in the effort to provide the union of useful data and features that each knowledge base currently provides. 

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4. All-hazards dataset mined from the US National Incident Management System 1999–2020

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-01955-0  

   St. Denis, Lise A.; Short, Karen C.; McConnell, Kathryn; Cook, Maxwell C.; Mietkiewicz, Nathan P.; Buckland, Mollie; Balch, Jennifer K. (December 2023, Scientific Data)

   Abstract This paper describes a dataset mined from the public archive (1999–2020) of the US National Incident Management System Incident Status Summary (ICS-209) forms (a total of 187,160 reports for 35,170 incidents, including 34,478 wildland fires). This system captures detailed daily/regular information on incident development and response, including social and economic impacts. Most (98.4%) reports are wildland fire-related, with other incident types including hurricane, hazardous materials, flood, tornado, search and rescue, civil unrest, and winter storms. The archive, although publicly available, has been difficult to use for research due to multiple record formats, inconsistent data entry, and no clean pathway from individual reports to high-level incident analysis. Here, we describe the open-source, reproducible methods used to produce a science-grade version of the data, including formal connections made to other published wildland fire data products. Among other applications, this integrated and spatially augmented dataset enables exploration of the daily progression of the most costly, damaging, and deadly environmental-hazard events in recent US history. 

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5. Building International Capacity for Citizen Scientist Engagement in Mosquito Surveillance and Mitigation: The GLOBE Program’s GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper

   https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13070624  

   Low, Russanne D.; Schwerin, Theresa G.; Boger, Rebecca A.; Soeffing, Cassie; Nelson, Peder V.; Bartlett, Dan; Ingle, Prachi; Kimura, Matteo; Clark, Andrew (July 2022, Insects)

   The GLOBE Program’s GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper is a no-cost citizen scientist data collection tool compatible with Android and iOS devices. Available in 14 languages and 126 countries, it supports mosquito vector surveillance, mitigation, and education by interested individuals and as part of participatory community surveillance programs. For low-resource communities where mosquito control services are inadequate, the Mosquito Habitat Mapper supports local health action, empowerment, and environmental justice. The tangible benefits to human health supported by the Mosquito Habitat Mapper have encouraged its wide adoption, with more than 32,000 observations submitted from 84 countries. The Mosquito Habitat Mapper surveillance and data collection tool is complemented by an open database, a map visualization interface, data processing and analysis tools, and a supporting education and outreach campaign. The mobile app tool and associated research and education assets can be rapidly deployed in the event of a pandemic or local disease outbreak, contributing to global readiness and resilience in the face of mosquito-borne disease. Here, we describe the app, the Mosquito Habitat Mapper information system, examples of Mosquito Habitat Mapper deployment in scientific research, and the outreach campaign that supports volunteer training and STEM education of students worldwide. 

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