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Young animals are particularly vulnerable to environmental stressors that can impair growth and compromise survival. We used salivary cortisol, a glucocorticosteroid hormone, to measure possible stress response of moose calves in Alaska to the abundance of biting and non-biting flies relative to calf age, time of day, and ambient air temperature. We measured salivary cortisol in 5 captive calves up to 4 times daily on 25 days in June-August with corresponding on-host fly collections. We simultaneously collected 2,618 flies, of which 68% were moose flies (Haematobosca alcis), 13% coprophagous flies, 9% mosquitoes (Culicidae), 5% horse and deer flies (Tabanidae), and 2% black flies (Simuliidae). The proportion of moose flies increased steadily, representing nearly all flies by study end. Salivary cortisol levels were minimal and similar ( Key words: Alces alces, calves, cortisol, Diptera, flies, moose, stress, Moose (Alces alces) seldom avoid biting and nuisance flies (Diptera) despite persistent attacks from certain species such as the moose fly (Haematobosca alcis) (Benedict and Barboza 2022), a biting fly [...]

Morphogenesis requires embryonic cells to generate forces and perform mechanical work to shape their tissues. Incorrect functioning of these force fields can lead to congenital malformations. Understanding these dynamic processes requires the quantification and profiling of three-dimensional mechanics during evolving vertebrate morphogenesis. Here we describe elastic spring-like force sensors with micrometre-level resolution, fabricated by intravital three-dimensional bioprinting directly in the closing neural tubes of growing chicken embryos. Integration of calibrated sensor read-outs with computational mechanical modelling allows direct quantification of the forces and work performed by the embryonic tissues. As they displace towards the embryonic midline, the two halves of the closing neural tube reach a compression of over a hundred nano-newtons during neural fold apposition. Pharmacological inhibition of Rho-associated kinase to decrease the pro-closure force shows the existence of active anti-closure forces, which progressively widen the neural tube and must be overcome to achieve neural tube closure. Overall, our approach and findings highlight the intricate interplay between mechanical forces and tissue morphogenesis.

Moose (Alces alces) in boreal habitats feed and rest where they are exposed to Dipteran flies and the parasites they carry. We collected 31,905 flies during the summer from 12 habituated moose on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Moose flies, Haematobosca alcis(Snow), Diptera: Muscidae—a species that completes its entire life cycle on or around moose—accounted for 91% of flies collected; the reminder of the flies collected included mosquitoes (Culicidae), black flies (Simuliidae), and deer flies (Tabanidae). Flies impose physiological costs for moose, e.g., vectors for parasites such as Legworm (Onchocercaspp.) which causes sores on the hind legs of moose. We found that the number of sores present on the hind legs of moose is positively correlated with body fat, which suggests a correlation between gains of energy and damage from flies. We also found that the number of sores is negatively correlated with serum albumin, which is indicative of an inflammatory response and body protein being used to repair injuries from flies and parasites. The number or type of flies present on a Moose were not correlated with the concentration of corticosteroids in saliva or feces. Flies do not elicit a stress response in moose even though the costs of repairing wounds and resisting infections of those wounds likely reduce gains of protein from summer foraging. Moose can tolerate the injuries from biting flies with regular gains from summer foraging but exposure to insect-borne parasites poses a risk to reproduction and survival.Moose (Alces alces) in boreal habitats of Alaska are exposed to thousands of Dipteran flies throughout the summer months, with moose flies (Haematobosca alcis) making up the majority of fly residence on moose. Flies impose physiological costs such as tissue damage and loss of body protein, without eliciting a corticosteroid stress response in moose.

Esophageal squamous papilloma (ESP) is an uncommon, normally benign epithelial neoplasm with rare potential for malignant transformation. These lesions are oftentimes found incidentally on upper endoscopy and are typically managed with endoscopic excision, dissection, or ablation. However, there remains a paucity of published management guidelines in the current literature. We present a case of an older female who was found to have an extensive mid-esophageal ESP with recurrence despite endoscopic intervention. We highlight the multi-institutional management approach to her morphologically atypical ESP and the nuance involved in treating recurrent lesions of this type.

Transit riders’ feedback provided in ridership surveys, customer relationship management (CRM) channels, and, in more recent times, through social media, is key for transit agencies to better gauge the efficacy of their services and initiatives. Getting a holistic understanding of riders’ experience through the feedback shared in those instruments is often challenging, mostly because of the open-ended, unstructured nature of text feedback. In this paper, we propose leveraging traditional transit CRM feedback to develop and deploy a transit-topic-aware large language model (LLM) capable of classifying open-ended text feedback to relevant transit-specific topics. First, we utilize semi-supervised learning to engineer a training dataset of 11 broad transit topics detected in a corpus of 6 years of customer feedback provided to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. We then use this dataset to train and thoroughly evaluate a language model based on the RoBERTa architecture. We compare our LLM—MetRoBERTa—with classical machine learning approaches utilizing keyword-based and lexicon representations. Our model outperforms those methods across all evaluation metrics, providing an average topic classification accuracy of 90%. Finally, we provide a value proposition of this work demonstrating how the language model, alongside additional text processing tools, can be applied to add structure to open-ended text sources of feedback such as Twitter. The framework and results we present provide a pathway for an automated, generalizable approach for ingesting, visualizing, and reporting transit riders’ feedback at scale, enabling agencies to better understand and improve customer experience.

•We studied 33 blood samples from bats from Misiones (Argentina).•Bartonellaspp. were found on Artibeus lituratus, Desmodus rotundus, Carollia perspicillata, and Myotis nigricans.•Phylogenetic analysis shows seven genotypes of Bartonella.

In this work, properties related to antioxidant-potential mechanisms (such as the bond dissociation enthalpy, BDE, for the homolytic cleavage of the O–H bond and ionization energies, IEs) were determined for phenol, pyrocatechol, and gallic acid (GA). Both the protonated and deprotonated forms of GA were investigated. The Feller–Peterson–Dixon (FPD) composite method was employed with a variety of computational approaches, i.e., density functional theory, Möller–Plesset perturbation theory, and coupled-cluster-based methods, in combination with large correlation consistent basis sets with extrapolation to the complete basis set limit and consideration of core electron correlation effects. FPD results were compared to experimental and computational data available in the literature, presenting good agreement. For example, the FPD BDE (298 K) obtained for phenol, which was based on valence-correlated MP2/CBS calculations with contributions from correlating all electrons, was determined to be 87.56 kcal/mol, a value that is 0.42 kcal/mol lower than the result obtained in the most recent experiments, 87.98 ± 0.62. Calibration against coupled-cluster calculations was also carried out for phenol. We expect that the outcomes gathered here may help in establishing a general protocol for computational chemists that are interested in determining antioxidant-related properties for phenolic compounds with considerable accuracy as well as to motivate future IE measurements (particularly for GA) to be accomplished in the near future.

The large-scale conversion of N2and H2into NH3(refs. 1,2) over Fe and Ru catalysts3for fertilizer production occurs through the Haber–Bosch process, which has been considered the most important scientific invention of the twentieth century4. The active component of the catalyst enabling the conversion was variously considered to be the oxide5, nitride2, metallic phase or surface nitride6, and the rate-limiting step has been associated with N2dissociation7–9, reaction of the adsorbed nitrogen10and also NH3desorption11. This range of views reflects that the Haber–Bosch process operates at high temperatures and pressures, whereas surface-sensitive techniques that might differentiate between different mechanistic proposals require vacuum conditions. Mechanistic studies have accordingly long been limited to theoretical calculations12. Here we use X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy—capable of revealing the chemical state of catalytic surfaces and recently adapted to operando investigations13of methanol14and Fischer–Tropsch synthesis15—to determine the surface composition of Fe and Ru catalysts during NH3production at pressures up to 1 bar and temperatures as high as 723 K. We find that, although flat and stepped Fe surfaces and Ru single-crystal surfaces all remain metallic, the latter are almost adsorbate free, whereas Fe catalysts retain a small amount of adsorbed N and develop at lower temperatures high amine (NHx) coverages on the stepped surfaces. These observations indicate that the rate-limiting step on Ru is always N2dissociation. On Fe catalysts, by contrast and as predicted by theory16, hydrogenation of adsorbed N atoms is less efficient to the extent that the rate-limiting step switches following temperature lowering from N2dissociation to the hydrogenation of surface species.

West Nile virus (WNV) is the primary mosquito-borne disease in the United States and has had case reports every year since its introduction in 1999. As such, it is critical that we characterize the distribution of WNV vectors. Estimates of Culex tarsalisCoquillett species distribution, a major WNV vector, are scarce. We used ensemble distribution modeling to estimate habitat suitability for this species across the contiguous United States by consolidating presence data from four publicly available mosquito trapping data servers. The central plains region and much of the western US were estimated to have high habitat suitability. We identified multiple metrics of temperature and precipitation to be important in predicting the occurrence of Cx. tarsalisin a given geographic area. Furthermore, we observed habitat suitability for Cx. tarsalisto be significantly higher in areas with a high incidence of West Nile neuroinvasive disease compared to areas with low WN disease incidence, suggesting that Cx. tarsalisis present in regions with a high incidence of disease.

The APOE4allele is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The contribution of microglial APOE4 to AD pathogenesis is unknown, although APOE has the most enriched gene expression in neurodegenerative microglia (MGnD). Here, we show in mice and humans a negative role of microglial APOE4 in the induction of the MGnD response to neurodegeneration. Deletion of microglial APOE4restores the MGnD phenotype associated with neuroprotection in P301S tau transgenic mice and decreases pathology in APP/PS1 mice. MGnD–astrocyte cross-talk associated with β-amyloid (Aβ) plaque encapsulation and clearance are mediated via LGALS3 signaling following microglial APOE4deletion. In the brains of AD donors carrying the APOE4allele, we found a sex-dependent reciprocal induction of AD risk factors associated with suppression of MGnD genes in females, including LGALS3, compared to individuals homozygous for the APOE3allele. Mechanistically, APOE4-mediated induction of ITGB8–transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) signaling impairs the MGnD response via upregulation of microglial homeostatic checkpoints, including Inpp5d, in mice. Deletion of Inpp5din microglia restores MGnD–astrocyte cross-talk and facilitates plaque clearance in APP/PS1 mice. We identify the microglial APOE4–ITGB8–TGFβ pathway as a negative regulator of microglial response to AD pathology, and restoring the MGnD phenotype via blocking ITGB8–TGFβ signaling provides a promising therapeutic intervention for AD.

Bioderived and biodegradable electronics have the capability to reduce significantly waste electrical and electronics equipment (WEEE) and can also be applied to other sectors, where degradation to benign by-products is essential, such as marine, farming, or health monitoring. Herein, the authors report biodegradable thin-film transistors (TFTs) arrays based on zinc oxide (ZnO) active layer using molybdenum (Mo) source, drain, and gate electrodes. The developed TFTs were fabricated at room temperature onto a planarized biodegradable substrate surface and achieved an ${I}_{\text {on}}/{I}_{\text {off}}$ ratio of $\sim 4\times 10^{{6}}$ , a threshold voltage of $\sim $ 2.3 V, a field-effect mobility in the saturation region of 1.3 cm $^{{2}}\cdot \text{V}^{-{1}}\cdot \text{s}^{-{1}}$ , and a subthreshold swing of 0.3 $\text{V}\cdot $ dec $^{-{1}}$ and show stable device performance under stability tests. Based upon the successful fabrication of the ZnO TFT array, the demonstration of a UV sensor (phototransistors mode) and simple logic circuits (inverter and both NAND and NOR gate circuits) are presented. Furthermore, a method to “control” the transience was implemented by using a printed heater that could accelerate the decomposition of material, which opens potential avenue for material recovery and zero waste products.

–Rickettsia parkeries una causa de rickettsiosis en Misiones, Argentina.–El diagnóstico diferencial mejora la detección de rickettsiosis en zonas de arbovirus.–Este hallazgo aporta a la epidemiología y al conocimiento médico regional.

In this study, the performance of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) generators working with seawater and with hot exhaust gas in a combined cycle was computationally investigated. The flow and electric potential coupled governing equations were solved using a commercial computational fluid dynamics code. For seawater applications, 2 geometries were studied: square-cross-section duct and helical channel. For both geometries, the influence of the magnetic field intensity, the flow rate and external electric circuit resistance on the device performance were analyzed. The energy structure of the MHD flow for the helical MHD generator was also analyzed. Finally, a combined power cycle equipped with the investigated MHD generators was studied to evaluate its effects on the thermal efficiency of the combined cycle. The results showed that the helical geometry resulted in 10, 30 and 44 times more electric power produced than the square-cross-section duct for Reynolds numbers of 104, 105and 106, respectively. An analysis of the energy structure in the helical MHD flow indicated that variations in the magnetic field modified the conversion of mechanical energy into electrical power and lost due to viscous and turbulence effects. It is also shown that for Reynolds numbers of 105and 106, viscous and turbulence effects dissipate 60% of the mechanical energy lost in the MHD generator, independently of the Hartman number. The results of the MHD-based combined power cycle analysis revealed that the use of the MHD generator improved the thermal efficiency of the combined cycle around 24%, reaching values of 67.5% and 67.3%.

Predicting multiple heterogeneous biological and medical targets is a challenge for traditional deep learning models. In contrast to single-task learning, in which a separate model is trained for each target, multi-task learning (MTL) optimizes a single model to predict multiple related targets simultaneously. To address this challenge, we propose the Multi-gate Mixture-of-Experts with Exclusivity (MMoEEx). Our work aims to tackle the heterogeneous MTL setting, in which the same model optimizes multiple tasks with different characteristics. Such a scenario can overwhelm current MTL approaches due to the challenges in balancing shared and task-specific representations and the need to optimize tasks with competing optimization paths. Our method makes two key contributions: first, we introduce an approach to induce more diversity among experts, thus creating representations more suitable for highly imbalanced and heterogenous MTL learning; second, we adopt a two-step optimization (Finn et al., 2017 and Lee et al., 2020) approach to balancing the tasks at the gradient level. We validate our method on three MTL benchmark datasets, including UCI-Census-income dataset, Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC-III) and PubChem BioAssay (PCBA).

Arrangements between physicians and hospitals are not new. The two parties have been conjuring up creative methods and entering into innovative arrangements to profit and serve their communities for decades; [...]

The corporate scandals that have occurred since the turn of the century have created increased pressure to strengthen the integrity of corporate America and have fostered the development of effective [...]

Flies and other arthropods mechanically transmit multiple pathogens and a recent experimental study demonstrated house flies, Musca domesticaL. (Diptera: Muscidae), can mechanically transmit SARS-CoV-2. The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of mechanical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by domestic insects and their potential as a xenosurveillance tool for detection of the virus. Flies were trapped in homes where at least one confirmed human COVID-19 case(s) resided using sticky and liquid-baited fly traps placed inside and outside the home in the Texas counties of Brazos, Bell, and Montgomery, from June to September 2020. Flies from sticky traps were identified, pooled by taxa, homogenized, and tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). Liquid traps were drained, and the collected fluid similarly tested after RNA concentration. We processed the contents of 133 insect traps from 40 homes, which contained over 1,345 individual insects of 11 different Diptera families and Blattodea. These individuals were grouped into 243 pools, and all tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Fourteen traps in seven homes were deployed on the day that cat or dog samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by nasal, oral, body, or rectal samples. This study presents evidence that biting and nonbiting flies and cockroaches (Blattodea) are not likely to contribute to mechanical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 or be useful in xenosurveillance for SARS-CoV-2.

The advent of corporate liability disasters in recent years created significant ongoing pressure to strengthen honesty and integrity and promote compliant and ethical behavior in corporate America. This, in turn, [...]

The article discusses the vital role played by the rifle squad on the battlefield as an enemy location sensor and increasing skills of the squad leader for transmission of target location.

Increasing the speed of the electric motor can significantly improve the power density of the powertrain of EVs (Electric Vehicles), resulting in a smaller size and thus weight and cost advantages. Achieving acceptable NVH behavior becomes more difficult at higher speeds, partly because the excitation frequencies of the gears cover a wider frequency range and therefore higher natural frequencies can also be directly excited. In the Speed4E joint research project, a high-speed electromechanical powertrain was developed, manufactured, and tested to investigate the main challenges on the NVH- and efficiency-behavior of high-speed powertrains. The high-speed design of the Speed4E drivetrain results in maximum electric motor speeds of up to 50,000 rpm, combined with a torque of up to 45 Nm at the transmission input shafts. This study presents the experimental results on the vibration behavior of the high-speed planetary gearbox, a comparison with the corresponding results of a highly efficient calculation method of the gearbox vibration excitation, and the theoretical background of the calculation method is presented. The results indicate the potential to improve the vibration behavior of high-speed drives in EVs and provide a deep understanding of the challenges associated with high speeds.

Many health care providers have instituted corporate compliance programs in response to historical enforcement of the health care fraud and abuse laws by state and federal government authorities. Other providers [...]

School racial segregation in the US has risen steadily since the 1990s, propelled by Supreme Court decisions rolling back the legacy of Brown v. Board. Quasi-experimental research has shown this resegregation harms Black students' health. However, whether individual or family characteristics (e.g., higher family incomes) are protective against segregation's health harms—or whether segregation is more damaging in regions of the US with fewer public sector investments—remains unclear. We leverage the quasi-random timing of school districts being released from Brown-era integration plans to examine heterogeneity in the association between resegregation and Black students' health.

"It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable." Moliere How well do you know your third-p arty consult ant? [...]

Housing may be at once the most powerful and underused tool at our disposal to improve population health. Using examples from the USA, we argue that current levels of housing insecurity are the result of clear and inequitable policy choices, leading to the entrenchment of health inequities—particularly, across race and class. Solutions to housing insecurity must, therefore, be structural. The COVID-19 pandemic has opened a window of opportunity for these structural housing policy reforms. Through justice- and action-oriented research, health researchers can inform the development and implementation of housing policies that advance health equity. We offer a series of recommendations to better position our field to achieve this goal.

Substantive and procedural issues relating to the simultaneous civil and criminal prosecutions of white collar criminals are surveyed, with an emphasis on discovery requests and disclosure requirements. Both civil, or administrative, and criminal discovery machinery and defendants' rights to refuse production requests and opportunity to enforce government disclosure requirements are addressed. Particular treatment is given to disclosure of grand jury materials and constitutional limits on prosecutorial power.

Das Mammakarzinom ist die am häufigsten von ossärer Metastasierung betroffene Tumorentität. Klinisch apparent werden Knochenmetastasen typischerweise aufgrund von Schmerzen oder pathologischen Frakturen, dann meist in fortgeschrittenen Stadien im Sinne einer disseminierten oder Oligometastasierung. Tumorzellen selbst wie auch entsprechende Systemtherapien wirken sich auf den Knochenstoffwechsel aus. Osteoprotektion dient der Prävention und der Therapie von knochenbezogenen Ereignissen im metastasierten Stadium, von therapiebedingtem Knochendichteverlust sowie der Prognoseverbesserung in der adjuvanten Situation. Die wichtigsten Therapiesäulen sind Bisphosphonate bzw. Antikörper gegen RANKL („receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand“), Radiatio, chirurgische Intervention sowie Radionuklidtherapie. Auch supportive Maßnahmen, z. B. im Sinne einer angemessenen Schmerztherapie, dürfen nicht fehlen. Eine adäquate Therapiewahl ist eine Herausforderung und sollte in interdisziplinärer Zusammenarbeit beschlossen werden.

The clinical and biological significance of the newly described SCLC subtypes, SCLC-A, SCLC-N, SCLC-Y, and SCLC-P, defined by the dominant expression of transcription factors ASCL1, NeuroD1, YAP1, and POU2F3, respectively, remain to be established.

We present a benchmark investigation on the O–H bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) and ionization potential (IP) for gallic acid (GA), a widely known polyphenolic antioxidant. These properties were determined in the gas-phase and in water through the use of density functional theory (DFT), second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), coupled-cluster with single and double excitations (CCSD), and coupled-cluster with single and double excitations as well as perturbative inclusion of triples (CCSD(T)). The 6-311++G(df,p), cc-pVDZ, aug-cc-pVDZ, cc-pVTZ, and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets were used. Regarding DFT functionals, the M06-2X provided the best agreement for the BDEs when compared to the corresponding CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ results; M06-2X was also found to be the most suitable for probing the IP for the protonated forms of GA while LC-ωPBE was the most reliable in the case of deprotonated GA. Given that these properties represent important descriptors for examining mechanisms related to the antioxidant potential of a given polyphenol, we hope that the present work can serve as a guide for computational chemists venturing in the field.

ABSTRACTMethylation induces epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes in human lung cancer. Inhibition of DNA methyltransferases by decitabine (DAC) can demethylate and activate epigenetically silenced tumor suppressor genes. Epigenetic therapy using DAC should be an attractive strategy for lung cancer therapy. FBW7 is a tumor suppressor that functions as an Mcl-1 E3 ligase to degrade Mcl-1 by ubiquitination. Here we discovered that treatment of various human lung cancer cells with DAC resulted in activation of FBW7 expression, decreased levels of Mcl-1 protein, and growth inhibition. DAC-activated FBW7 expression promoted Mcl-1 ubiquitination and degradation leading to a significant reduction in the half-life of Mcl-1 protein. Mechanistically, treatment of lung cancer cells or lung cancer xenografts with DAC induced the conversion of the FBW7 gene from a methylated form to an unmethylated form, which was associated with the increased expression of FBW7 and decreased expression of Mcl-1 in vitroand in vivo. DAC suppressed lung cancer growth in a dose-dependent manner in vivo. Combined treatment with DAC and a Bcl2 inhibitor, venetoclax, exhibited strong synergistic potency against lung cancer without normal tissue toxicity. These findings uncover a novel mechanism by which DAC suppresses tumor growth by targeting the FBW7/Mcl-1 signaling pathway. Combination of DAC with Bcl2 inhibitor venetoclax provides more effective epigenetic therapy for lung cancer.

The tendency of using herbs extracts or natural compounds extracted from herbs for preventing or treating different illnesses, including cancer, continues to be an alternative to drug use. Many studies of plant compounds aimed at finding substances with selective cytotoxicity on abnormal cells. Phenolic compounds, as important secondary metabolites from plants, are one of them. In this review, the recent literature data from the past five years about anticancer/antitumor effect of flavonoids and tannins extracted from medicinal plants are surveyed. The cytostatic/antitumor effects of the individual compounds extracted from plants and/or of the plants' polyphenolic extracts are considered, in order to point out the most significant constituents or plants with anticancer potential. The most important results concerning these compounds and their derivatives in cancer prevention and treatment, the importance of their chemical structure, their mechanism of action in vitro and in vivo, and some bioavailability aspects are discussed.

Graphene electrodes and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are two emerging material systems that have individually shown highly promising properties in electrochemical applications. To date, however, it has not been tested whether the combination of graphene and DESs can yield synergistic effects in electrochemistry. We therefore study the electrochemical behavior of a defined graphene monolayer of centimeter-scale, which was produced by chemical vapor deposition and transferred onto insulating SiO2/Si supports, in the common DES choline chloride/ethylene glycol (12CE) under typical electrochemical conditions. We measure the graphene potential window in 12CE and estimate the apparent electron transfer kinetics of an outer-sphere redox couple. We further explore the applicability of the 12CE electrolyte to fabricate nanostructured metal (Zn) and metalloid (Ge) hybrids with graphene by electrodeposition. By comparing our graphene electrodes with common bulk glassy carbon electrodes, a key finding we make is that the two-dimensional nature of the graphene electrodes has a clear impact on DES-based electrochemistry. Thereby, we provide a first framework toward rational optimization of graphene–DES systems for electrochemical applications.

ABSTRACTThe aim of this work was to report the detection of a putative novel Ehrlichiastrain associated with the tick Amblyomma triste. Free-living adult ticks determined as A. tristewere collected by drag-sampling in Argentina and Uruguay. Molecular detection of Ehrlichiaagents was performed targeting three different loci: 16S rRNA gene, dsbgene and a fragment of groESLheat shock operon. In total, 164 adults of A. triste(38 from INTA E.E.A Delta del Paraná in Argentina and 126 from Toledo Chico in Uruguay) were analyzed. One tick (0.6%) collected in INTA E.E.A. Delta del Paraná (Argentina) was positive. The phylogenetic analyses show that the Ehrlichiastrain found in this study (named Ehrlichiasp. strain Delta) represents an independent lineage within the genus Ehrlichia, close to E. chaffeensisand E. muris. This is also the first report of an Ehrlichiaagent infecting the tick A. triste. The medical and veterinary significance of Ehrlichiasp. strain Delta remains to be demonstrated. However, it is important to mention that adults of A. tristeare aggressive to humans and domestic mammals. Therefore, the potential role of A. tristein the transmission of Ehrlichiaagents to humans or domestic animals across its distributional range should be highlighted, even more considering that Ehrlichiasp. strain Delta is phylogenetically related to the zoonotic E. chaffeensis, which is recognized as pathogenic to both humans and animals.

Effective mosquito surveillance and management depend on a thorough understanding of the biology and feeding patterns unique to species and sex. Given that a propensity to sugar feed is necessary for some mosquito surveillance and newer control strategies, we sought to document the amount of total sugar in wild Aedes aegypti(L.) and Culex quinquefasciatus(Say) captured from five different locations in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of South Texas over 2 yr. We used Biogents Sentinel 2 (BGS2) traps in year 1 and aspirators, BGS2, and CDC resting traps in years 2 and 3 to collect adult mosquitoes. The hot anthrone test was used to quantify total sugar content in each mosquito. Additionally, the cold and hot anthrone tests were used to distinguish fructose content from total sugars for mosquitoes captured in 2019. Overall, Ae. aegyptifemales had significantly lower total sugar content than Ae. aegyptimales as well as both sexes of Cx. quinquefasciatus. However, the percentage of Ae. aegyptipositive for fructose consumption was four to eightfold higher than Ae. aegyptipreviously reported in other regions. The difference between locations was significant for males of both species, but not for females. Seasonality and trapping method also revealed significant differences in sugar content of captured mosquitoes. Our results reinforce that sugar feeding in female Ae. aegyptiis less than Cx. quinquefasciatus, although not absent. This study provides necessary data to evaluate the potential effectiveness of sugar baits in surveillance and control of both Ae. aegyptiand Cx. quinquefasciatusmosquitoes.

Based on density functional theory (DFT) electronic structure calculations with dispersion correction, we propose new reaction pathways in which no extra reaction step is necessary to account for the formation of 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridynol (TCP) within the process of tropospheric OH-initiated unimolecular decomposition of chlorpyrifos (CLP) and chlorpyrifos-methyl (CLPM). Chlorpyrifos and its analogous compound are among the most used organophosphorus pesticides worldwide, and their unimolecular decomposition in the troposphere is a dominant process of removal in the gas phase. The reaction pathways that we put forward have turned out to be the most exergonic ones among the three possible routes for the attack of the hydroxyl radical to the thiophosphoryl (P═S) bond of both CLP and CLPM. The results showed that the reaction is thermodynamically controlled with the formation of P-bonded adducts via a six-membered ring. The unimolecular decomposition of such reactive intermediates takes place with small energy barriers (less than 3 kcal mol–1) and is distinguished by hydrogen transfer to the nitrogen atom of the aromatic ring, resulting in the formation of 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) and dialkyl phosphate radical (DAP·) product complexes in a single step.

A systematic investigation is presented which examines the structural chemistry of anhydrous and hydrous ternary hexavalent uranium and neptunium dinitrato, trinitrato, and tetranitrato complexes. Using slow evaporation methods under acidic conditions the uranium and neptunium nitrate complexes γ-K[UO2(NO3)3], K2[UO2-cis-(NO3)4], [NpO2(NO3)2(H2O)2]·4H2O, and Cs[NpO2(NO3)3] have been synthesized and their structures refined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. γ-K[UO2(NO3)3] adopts an orthorhombic structure in space group Pbcaconsisting of antiparallel aligned [UO2(NO3)3]−moieties. K2[UO2-cis-(NO3)4] adopts a monoclinic structure in space group P21/cconsisting of [UO2(NO3)4]2–moieties with two monodentate and two bidentate nitrate ligands that are arranged in a cisconfiguration about the uranyl, UO22+, center. Previous investigations have only identified transvariants of this monoclinic structure, and this is the first report of the cisform and also the occurrence of geometric isomerism in uranyl nitrates. [NpO2(NO3)2(H2O)2]·4H2O adopts an orthorhombic structure in space group Cmc21consisting of parallel aligned [NpO2(NO3)2(H2O)2] moieties that are in a transconfiguration with respect to the bidentate nitrate ligands. Cs[NpO2(NO3)3] adopts a hexagonal structure in space group R3cconsisting of parallel aligned [NpO2(NO3)3]−moieties. It was found that despite using a Np(V) nitrate solution as the starting reagent, Np(VI) nitrate structures were consistently recovered under acidic conditions. These observations are discussed and rationalized with respect to standard reduction potentials, particularly how redox conditions and acidity affect the oxidation state of Np and subsequent structure formation. The structures uncovered in this investigation are discussed comparatively and systematically in detail with other reported anhydrous and hydrous ternary hexavalent uranium and neptunium dinitrato, trinitrato, and tetranitrato complexes, particularly with respect to how synthesis conditions, including pH and geometric isomerism, affect the structural chemistry.

The use of stable isotope enrichment to mark mosquitoes has provided a tool to study the biology of vector species. In this study, we evaluated isotopic marking of Aedes aegypti(L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) in a laboratory setting. We determined the optimal dosage for marking adult Ae. aegyptimosquitoes with 13C and 15N. Additionally, Ae. aegyptimosquitoes were single and dually marked with 13C and 15N for up to 60 d postemergence without changes to adult body size or transgenerational marking. This report adds to the growing literature that explores the use of alternative marking methods for ecological and vector biology studies.

The recent proliferation of new Creand CreERrecombinase lines provides researchers with a diverse toolkit to study microglial gene function. To determine how best to apply these lines in studies of microglial gene function, a thorough and detailed comparison of their properties is needed. Here, we examined four different microglial CreERlines (Cx3cr1YFP-CreER(Litt), Cx3cr1CreER(Jung), P2ry12CreER, and Tmem119CreER), focusing on (1) recombination specificity, (2) leakiness (the degree of tamoxifen-independent recombination in microglia and other cells), (3) the efficiency of tamoxifen-induced recombination, (4) extraneural recombination (the degree of recombination in cells outside of the CNS, particularly myelo/monocyte lineages), and (5) off-target effects in the context of neonatal brain development. We identify important caveats and strengths for these lines, which will provide broad significance for researchers interested in performing conditional gene deletion in microglia. We also provide data emphasizing the potential of these lines for injury models that result in the recruitment of splenic immune cells.