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Objetivo: Este estudo tem por objetivo mensurar o Grau de Uso Corporativo e Repercussão nas Mídias Sociais (GUCRMS) e verificar se este indicador é um bom preditor da avaliação de serviços realizada pelos consumidores.Método: Realizamos um levantamento das interações online – entre consumidores e estabelecimentos comerciais - de bares e restaurantes do Jardim Paulista em mídias sociais de grande impacto. Foram analisados os dados obtidos de 92 estabelecimentos e quatro plataformas de mídia social: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter e TripAdvisor. Os dados foram analisados de forma descritiva, por meio do cálculo de indicadores, por meio da análise de clusters e análise de regressão linear.Principais resultados: Os resultados obtidos indicam que o Facebook possui a maior representatividade, seguido pelo Instagram e o Twitter. As interações por parte dos usuários se dão por meio de curtidas, comentários e compartilhamentos. A forma pela qual os usuários do Instagram mais se manifestam é por curtidas, enquanto, no Facebook, isso ocorre por meio de comentários e, no Twitter, por compartilhamentos. Foi possível identificar que a maior parte da amostra possui GUCRMS baixo, porém, de forma geral, toda a amostra possui boas avaliações feitas pelos clientes no TripAdvisor.Contribuições teóricas: Concluímos que o índice GUCRMS não é capaz de influenciar a avaliação de clientes sobre os produtos e serviços, apesar de exercer importante papel como meio de divulgação da marca e canal de comunicação direta com o consumidor.Relevância: As mídias sociais ganharam espaço e representatividade nos últimos anos, sendo consideradas como importante ferramenta de marketing e comunicação para as organizações. Utilizadas não apenas pela sociedade em geral, mas também pelas organizações, essas mídias tornaram-se um importante canal de conexão com os consumidores. Diante desta realidade, entender a relação entre as interações sociais e as avaliações de desempenho torna-se relevante academicamente e gerencialmente.

Background 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (DIMBOA), the main benzoxazinoid found in corn, elicits variable larval responses from different pest moths. For the widespread and highly polyphagous Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), the fall-armyworm (FAW), DIMBOA acts as a feeding stimulant and improves larval growth at low concentrations. The FAW present two host plant-related strains, corn and rice strains, related to host preference on corn and other Graminae or rice. Based on both host preference and strain divergence of the FAW on corn, a cereal containing DIMBOA, and rice, lacking this compound, we question if corn and rice strains larvae respond equally toward DIMBOA. We evaluated differential expression in the transcriptome of both midgut and fat body larval tissues of the two strains reared on either DIMBOA-enriched artificial diet or control diet and inferred Bayesian networks. Results We found differences in performance between corn and rice strain larvae reared on DIMBOA, as well as several differentially regulated contigs annotated as esterases, peptidases, transferases and reductases, all of them known for being related to responses of lepidopterans and other insects to DIMBOA. We also found a UDP-glucuronosyltransferase very similar to others found in many lepidopterans occupying a central hub within a transferase Bayesian network, suggesting that it is essential to an effective response to DIMBOA in FAW. Conclusion Our results suggest that there is an intrinsic cost for FAW rice strain larvae to metabolize corn-originated hydroxamic acids, which could have resulted in the partial host-associated genetic isolation found at FAW field populations.

This study analyses the moderator influence of the crowding perception about relations between the utilitarian or hedonic value perception, impulsive buying and the satisfaction customer locals and tourists in the retail context of tourist city. The choice of this scenario was motivated by the lack of research evaluating the buying relations when the high people’s density is observed in environments that crowding consumers accustomed or not to human density. The work contributes to the advancement of studies on crowding to analyze the phenomenon in tourism environment by assessing the influence of context and to consumer habit in to their reactions you human density. It was realized survey with residents and tourists. Dates were analyzed using structural equation modeling multigroup. In general, it was concluded that the tourists don’t suffer from the crowding in significantly store environment, unlike the residents who show discomfort with this phenomenon.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the influence of the company’s reputation and individual consumer involvement in the relationship between satisfaction, loyalty and willingness to pay more for a product. Design/methodology/approach The method used is quantitative, by means of a survey with real consumers of automotive services of two vehicle dealerships, whose data were analyzed through linear regression analysis and conditional analysis of moderation. Findings The authors have identified that the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty and between loyalty and willingness to pay more for a product is entirely moderated by the (high) reputation of the brand and the (high) individual involvement of the consumer. Practical implications The study contributes to marketing managers as it demonstrates effect of brand reputation and involvement. Therefore, it is understood that these variables need to be considered in satisfaction surveys, as it has been proven that satisfaction alone cannot explain the variables of business performance (loyalty and willingness to pay). Originality/value The greatest innovation of this study is the identification of the total moderation between stated satisfaction and loyalty and between satisfaction and willingness to pay more. It has been demonstrated that high levels of brand reputation coupled with high levels of consumer involvement account for the fully dependent variables.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to pave the path for further quantitative research in the field of analytics in marketing based on capabilities literature, it analyzed state of the art about Analytics and Marketing in the context of Resource-Based View and capabilities literature.Design/methodology/approach: It is a bibliometric and an applied review that shows the relationship between the subfields. We used some cluster analyses to provide a scheme for tracking this literature intersection for beginners and experienced researchers.Findings: After the adaptive analytics capabilities proposition, the paper is concluded with a discussion of pathways in Marketing and Strategy literature indicating possible endogenous, exogenous, and covariate constructs for moderation/mediation mechanism studies agenda.Research implications: It was developed a nomological network for construct choice process aiming for future studies of the emerging relationship between Marketing, Analytics, and Capabilities using updated and relevant constructs references.Originality/value: From the foundations of Analytics and Marketing intersection, we gave objective trends and constructs to develop a future agenda that can intertwine the subfields using the power of dynamic capabilities literature. Objetivo: O propósito do presente artigo é pavimentar o caminho de futuras pesquisas quantitativas no campo de analytics em marketing, contextualizado com base na Visão Baseada em Recursos e na literatura sobre Capabilidades Dinâmicas.Método/Abordagem: Constitui-se como uma revisão aplicada de cunho bibliométrico sobre o relacionamento entre as subáreas. Utilizamos análises de cluster para prover um mapeamento esquemático da interseção dessas literaturas para pesquisadores iniciantes e experientes.Resultados: Após propor as capabilidades analíticas adaptativas, são sugeridos caminhos de avanço científico nas literaturas de marketing e estratégia, indicando possíveis construtos endógenos, exógenos e covariáveis para uma agenda de pesquisa voltada para situações de moderação e mediação.Implicações teóricas e metodológicas: Foi construída uma rede nomológica que interliga o relacionamento emergente entre marketing, analytics e capabilidades dinâmicas que auxilia na escolha de construtos atualizados e relevantes para estudos quantitativos futuros.Originalidade/valor: Destaca-se o alicerce da relação entre analytics e marketing, e assim são elucidadas as tendências de pesquisa e construtos objetivos otimizados para realização de pesquisas futuras sob a ótica das capabilidades dinâmicas.

Objective: it discusses the judiciary´s performance antecedents in Brazil. It based its model on the work of Dimitrova-Grajzl, Grajzl, Sustersic, and Zajc (2012) about the Slovenian courts.Design: performance, human capital, expenditures, investment in new technologies, and caseload is measured using OLS, PLS-SEM, IPMA, and quadratic regression using CNJ data.Findings: The quantitative results show workforce profiles in details, the linear relationship, and the moderating effect of workload as not significant, while its quadratic effect enriches the discussion about productivity.Originality: the results and the methodological path and data caveats are opportunities for future works to explain the ambiguities when performance is compared using Dimitrova-Grajzl´s and present work models.

Background Closely related hybridizing species are ideal systems for identifying genomic regions underlying adaptive divergence. Although gene expression plays a central role in determining ecologically-based phenotypic differences, few studies have inferred the role of gene expression for adaptive divergence in Neotropical systems. In this study, we conduct genome-wide expression analysis alongside soil elemental analysis in sympatric and allopatric populations of Epidendrum fulgens and E. puniceoluteum (Orchidaceae), which occur in contrasting adjacent habitats in the Neotropical coastal plains. Results These species were highly differentiated by their gene expression profiles, as determined by 18–21% of transcripts. Gene ontology (GO) terms associated with reproductive processes were enriched according to comparisons between species in both allopatric and sympatric populations. Species showed differential expression in genes linked to salt and waterlogging tolerance according to comparisons between species in sympatry, and biological processes related to environmental stimulus appeared as representative among those transcripts associated with edaphic characteristics in each sympatric zone. Hybrids, in their turn, were well differentiated from E. fulgens, but exhibited a similar gene expression profile to flooding-tolerant E. puniceolutem. When compared with parental species, hybrids showed no transcripts with additive pattern of expression and increased expression for almost all transgressive transcripts. Conclusions This study sheds light on general mechanisms promoting ecological differentiation and assortative mating, and suggests candidate genes, such as those encoding catalase and calcium-dependent protein kinase, underling adaptation to harsh edaphic conditions in the Neotropical coastal plains. Moreover, it demonstrates that differential gene expression plays a central role in determining ecologically-based phenotypic differences among co-occurring species and their hybrids.

Familial forms of bone marrow defects are rare disorders and description of new cases are valuable opportunities to clarify the molecular machinery that triggers hematopoiesis and blood formation, as well as risk to malignant transformation. We investigated the genetic scenario and possible patterns of transmission in a rare case of familial myeloid disorder with a history of exposure to pesticides. Blood counts of two proband sisters, age 41 and 42, revealed mild anemia, neutrophilia and thrombocytopenia with bone marrow finding mimicking primary myelofibrosis in the cellular phase. We analyzed the coding regions of 78 myeloid neoplasms-related genes and 16 encoding xenobiotic metabolizing genes using Next-Generation Sequencing. The GATA1 variant c.788C > T, p.T263M, located in the C-terminal zinc finger domain of GATA1, was detected in the DNA of the two sisters. The screening of the other kindreds also revealed the p.T263M variant in the mother and two daughters with the same bone marrow disorder. This is the first report of an alteration in the GATA1 CF domain causing anemia, thrombocytopenia and megakaryocyte proliferation with mild myelofibrosis, correlating a new GATA1 germline variant with myeloid disorder.

The crisis of confidence in Brazil creates a scenario that can influence relations between the attributes of the retailer and consumers. Consumer assessments can be adjusted to economic confidence, leading to more utilitarian values or decreasing the hedonic value of buying experiences. Thus, it is necessary to understand the intervention of economic confidence in the responses of consumers to the attractiveness factors of a retail cluster. We conducted an analysis on the extent to which attribute assessments and crowding perception, hedonic and utility value, and satisfaction, interact with economic confidence, and satisfaction to influence performance and repurchase intention. A survey was carried out in the purchase environment with 300 consumers (region of Rua 25 de Março, São Paulo). Hypotheses were tested by PLS and Process. The mediating role of the economic trust between hedonic value and satisfaction was evidenced, proving adjustment of the hedonic value with the decrease of confidence. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed in the conclusions. RESUMO A crise de confiança do Brasil cria um cenário que pode influenciar relações entre atributos do aglomerado varejista e consumidores. As avaliações dos consumidores podem ser ajustadas à confiança econômica, levando a valores mais utilitários, ou diminuição do valor hedônico das experiências de compra. Assim se faz necessário entender a interveniência da confiança econômica nas respostas dos consumidores aos fatores de atratividade de um aglomerado varejista. Foi analisado em que medida as avaliações dos atributos e a percepção de crowding, de valor hedônico e utilitário e satisfação, interagem com a confiança econômica e satisfação para influenciar o desempenho e a intenção de recompra. Foi realizado um survey no ambiente de compra com 300 consumidores (região da Rua 25 de Março, São Paulo). As hipóteses foram testadas por PLS e Process. Evidenciou-se a mediação da confiança econômica entre valor hedônico e satisfação, comprovando ajuste do valor hedônico com a diminuição da confiança. Contribuições teóricas e práticas são discutidas nas conclusões.

Introduction: Since development of pediatric intensive care units, children have increasingly and appropriately been treated for complex surgical conditions such as laryngotracheal stenosis. Building coordinated airway teams to achieve acceptable results is still a challenge. Objective: To describe patient demographics and surgical outcomes during the first 8 years of a pediatric airway reconstruction team. Methods: Retrospective chart review of children submitted to open airway reconstruction in a tertiary university healthcare facility during the first eight years of an airway team formation. Results: In the past 8 years 43 children underwent 52 open airway reconstructions. The median age at surgery was 4.1 years of age. Over half of the children (55.8%) had at least one comorbidity and over 80% presented Grade III and Grade IV subglottic stenosis. Other airway anomalies occurred in 34.8% of the cases. Surgeries performed were: partial and extended cricotracheal resections in 50% and laryngotracheoplasty with anterior and/or posterior grafts in 50%. Postoperative dilatation was needed in 34.15% of the patients. Total decannulation rate in this population during the 8-year period was 86% with 72% being decannulated after the first procedure. Average follow-up was 13.6 months. Initial grade of stenosis was predictive of success for the first surgery (p = 0.0085), 7 children were submitted to salvage surgeries. Children with comorbidities had 2.5 greater odds (95% CI 1.2–4.9, p = 0.0067) of unsuccessful surgery. Age at first surgery and presence of other airway anomalies were not significantly associated with success. Conclusions: The overall success rate was 86%. Failures were associated with higher grades of stenosis and presence of comorbidities, but not with patient age or concomitant airway anomalies. Resumo: Introdução: Com o desenvolvimento de unidades de terapia intensiva pediátrica, o tratamento de crianças para situações cirúrgicas complexas, como a estenose laringotraqueal, tem sido cada vez mais adequado. Montar equipes coordenadas de via aérea para alcançar resultados aceitáveis ainda é um desafio. Objetivo: Descrever os dados demográficos e os resultados cirúrgicos dos pacientes durante os primeiros oito anos de uma equipe de reconstrução de via aérea pediátrica. Método: Revisão retrospectiva de prontuários de crianças submetidas à reconstrução aberta de via aérea em uma unidade de saúde universitária de nível terciário durante os primeiros oito anos de desenvolvimento de uma equipe de vias aéreas. Resultados: Nos últimos 8 anos, 43 crianças foram submetidas a 52 reconstruções abertas de vias aéreas. A mediana de idade na cirurgia foi de 4,1 anos. Mais da metade das crianças (55,8%) apresentavam pelo menos uma comorbidade e mais de 80% apresentavam estenose subglótica Grau III e Grau IV. Outras anomalias das vias aéreas ocorreram em 34,8% dos casos. As cirurgias feitas foram: ressecções cricotraqueais parciais e estendidas em 50% e laringotraqueoplastia com enxertos anterior e/ou posterior em 50%. A dilatação pós-operatória foi necessária em 34,15% dos pacientes. A taxa de decanulação total nesta população durante o período de 8 anos foi de 86%, com 72% dos pacientes decanulados após o primeiro procedimento. O seguimento médio foi de 13,6 meses. O grau inicial de estenose foi preditivo de sucesso para a primeira cirurgia (p = 0,0085), 7 crianças foram submetidas a cirurgias de resgate. Crianças com comorbidades apresentaram uma probabilidade 2,5 vezes maior (IC95% 1,2-4,9, p = 0,0067) de cirurgias sem sucesso. A idade na primeira cirurgia e presença de outras anomalias das vias aéreas não foram significantemente associadas ao sucesso. Conclusões: A taxa global de sucesso foi de 86%. As falhas foram associadas a graus maiores de estenose e a presença de comorbidades, mas não com a idade do paciente ou anomalias concomitantes das vias aéreas. Keywords: Laryngotracheal reconstruction, Subglottic stenosis, Pediatric airway, Tracheostomy, Palavras-chave: Reconstrução laringotraqueal, Estenose subglótica, Via Aérea Pediátrica, Traqueostomia

When dissociative social groups are in a shared shopping environment, the formation of dual attitudes occurs in a divergent way, leading to antagonistic responses from consumers. Dual attitudes are conscious (explicit and self-declared) and unconscious (implicit) attitudes that we develop toward the same object of attitude. Explicitly, people are in favor of the social groups they encounter, whereas implicitly, consumers are unfavorable to retail. This study identifies the formation of dual attitudes in retail, its predictive capacity, and the moderation of pro-social behaviors, mainly mitigating the negative effects of unfavorable attitudes. The influence of dissociative social groups on the formation and predictive capacity of dual attitudes was observed through two studies. In addition, the empathy moderation was identified by reducing negative evaluations, both in laboratory tests and in empirical study in a supermarket, in the city of Sao Paulo. Finally, we discuss theoretical implications for the study of consumer behavior, and the practices for retail managers.

The purpose of this paper is to improve understanding of the causal relationship of crowding in variable loyalty via customer satisfaction in retail purchasing processes. And also conduct tests to examine the implications of customer satisfaction mediation between crowding and consumer loyalty.To verify the hypotheses generated in the light of the theory, we performed a cross-sectional survey involving 486 college students. Data analysis through structural equation modeling (SEM) with partial least squares estimation indicated that the direct effect between perceived crowding and loyalty is mediated declared satisfaction. With this, the main contribution of this study is to corroborate the theoretical position that there can be positive consumer response to retail environments with high human density.

The perception of crowding, understood as an individual's response to crowds, can be observed in retail environments and influences positive and negative emotions. In this research we test the mediating effect of coping – rational strategies adopted to deal with negative emotions – in the relationship between negative emotions (resulting from crowding perception) and consumer behavior (measured by impulse purchase and satisfaction). The findings related to coping explain to what extent there is a positive response to human density in the retail environment. For this, a theoretical model was developed which includes the relationships among perception of crowding, positive and negative emotions, and consumer behavior. The model enhances the understanding of the crowding phenomenon by including relationships mediated by an oppositional strategy (coping dimension) between negative emotions and consumer behaviors. To test the theoretical model, a survey was conducted with 456 respondents and hypothesis tests using structural equation modeling. It was evidenced that crowding perception has more robust effects on negative emotions than positive emotions. It is emphasized that with the inclusion of opposition mediation, the weak direct relationship between negative emotions and behaviors, becomes a positive relationship between negative emotion and impulse purchase, and negative emotion and satisfaction. In addition to the theoretical contributions of the tested model, future research and managerial implications are proposed at the end of the article. Resumo A percepção de crowding, entendida como a resposta individual à aglomeração pode ser observada em um ambiente de varejo e influenciar as emoções positivas e negativas. Nesta pesquisa propõe-se testar o efeito mediador do coping - estratégias racionais adotadas para lidar com emoções negativas - na relação entre emoções negativas, consequentes da percepção de crowding, e comportamento de consumidores (mensurados por compra por impulso e satisfação). Os achados referentes ao efeito de coping contribuem para explicar em que medida há resposta positiva à densidade humana em ambiente de varejo. Para isso, foi desenvolvido um modelo teórico com a relação da percepção de crowding, emoções positivas e negativas e comportamento do consumidor. O modelo incrementa o entendimento do fenômeno de crowding quando inclui relações mediadas pela oposição (dimensão de coping) entre emoção negativa e comportamento do consumidor. Para testar o modelo teórico foi realizado um survey com 456 respondentes e os testes de hipótese com a utilização de modelagem de equações estruturais. Foi evidenciado que percepção de crowding tem efeitos mais robustos nas emoções negativas que nas emoções positivas. Destaca-se que com a inclusão da mediação de oposição, a relação fraca entre a emoção negativa e comportamentos, na relação direta torna-se positiva entre emoção negativa e compra por impulso, e emoção negativa e satisfação. Além das contribuições teóricas do modelo testado, futuras pesquisas e implicações gerenciais são propostas no final do artigo. Resumen La percepción de hacinamiento, entendida como la respuesta individual a la aglomeración puede ser observada en un entorno de comercio minorista e influir en las emociones positivas y negativas. En este estudio se analiza el efecto mediador del afrontamiento – estrategias racionales adoptadas para hacer frente a las emociones negativas – en la relación entre las emociones negativas, oriundas de la percepción de crowding, y el comportamiento de consumidores (medidos por la compra por impulso y satisfacción). Los hallazgos sobre el efecto de coping contribuyen para explicar en qué medida existe una respuesta positiva a la densidad humana en el ambiente de venta al por menor. Se ha desarrollado un modelo teórico con enfoque en la relación de la percepción de crowding, emociones positivas y negativas y comportamiento del consumidor. El modelo incrementa la comprensión del fenómeno de crowding al incluir relaciones mediadas por la oposición (dimensión de coping) entre emoción negativa y comportamiento del consumidor. Para probar el modelo teórico y la hipótesis, se ha llevado a cabo un survey con 456 encuestados y se han aplicado los modelos de ecuaciones estructurales. Se ha demostrado que la percepción de crowding tiene efectos más sólidos sobre las emociones negativas que en las emociones positivas. Es de destacar que, con la inclusión de la mediación de oposición, la relación débil entre la emoción negativa y el comportamiento, en la relación directa, se convierta en positiva entre emoción negativa y la compra por impulso, y emoción negativa y satisfacción. Además de las contribuciones teóricas del modelo puesto a prueba, se proponen al final del artículo sugerencias para futuras investigaciones e implicaciones de gestión.

Background Our main purpose was to evaluate the expression of plastic and evolved genes involved in ecological speciation in the noctuid moth Spodoptera frugiperda, the fall armyworm (FAW); and to demonstrate how host plants might influence lineage differentiation in this polyphagous insect. FAW is an important pest of several crops worldwide, and it is differentiated into host plant-related strains, corn (CS) and rice strains (RS). RNA-Seq and transcriptome characterization were applied to evaluate unbiased genetic expression differences in larvae from the two strains, fed on primary (corn) and alternative (rice) host plants. We consider that genes that are differently regulated by the same FAW strain, as a response to different hosts, are “plastic”. Otherwise, differences in gene expression between the two strains fed on the same host are considered constitutive differences. Results Individual performance parameters (larval and pupal weight) varied among conditions (strains vs. hosts). A total of 3657 contigs was related to plastic response, and 2395 contigs were differentially regulated in the two strains feeding on preferential and alternative hosts (constitutive contigs). Three molecular functions were present in all comparisons, both down- and up-regulated: oxidoreductase activity, metal-ion binding, and hydrolase activity. Conclusions Metabolization of foreign chemicals is among the key functions involved in the phenotypic variation of FAW strains. From an agricultural perspective, high plasticity in families of detoxifying genes indicates the capacity for a rapid response to control compounds such as insecticides.

Atitudes duplas, uma mais refletida (consciente) e outra mais impulsiva (inconsciente, ou automática) podem ser desenvolvidas em relação a um mesmo objeto de atitude. Ao mesmo tempo, a maior parte das pesquisas em comportamento do consumidor no varejo estuda as influências de marketing e do ambiente sobre o consumidor, e poucos estudos observam as influências que os próprios consumidores exercem entre si. O varejo é um espaço compartilhado em que as atitudes duplas podem ser observadas, sob as influências sociais. Este trabalho propõe um modelo conceitual para estudo de fenômenos de consumo no varejo que estejam sujeitos a divergência de avaliações conscientes e inconscientes dos consumidores. Estabelecemos ainda proposições teóricas fundamentadas no modelo conceitual em um campo de pesquisa que ainda é pouco desenvolvido no âmbito de marketing. Soma a isso o potencial dos fenômenos estudados por meio de processos duplos de formação e mudança de atitudes produzirem conclusões complementares ou até diferentes para pesquisadores e gestores., Dual attitudes, one more refletive (conscious) and one more impulsive (unconscious, or automatic) can be developed in relation to the same object of attitude. At the same time, most retail consumer behavior research studies marketing and environmental influences on the consumer, and few studies look at the influences consumers themselves exert on each other. Retailing is a shared space in which dual attitudes can be observed, under social influences. This paper proposes a conceptual model for the study of consumer phenomena in retail that are subject to divergence of conscious and unconscious evaluations of the consumers. We also establish theoretical propositions based on the conceptual model in a field of research that is still little developed in the scope of marketing. Add to this the potential of the phenomena studied through dual processes of formation and attitude change to produce complementary or even different conclusions for researchers and managers.

Ticks vector diverse pathogenic bacteria that are important to identify in public health and veterinary contexts. Technological advances in high throughput sequencing have given an unprecedented opportunity to comprehensively characterize bacterial associates of ticks, but recent studies have used different 16S rRNA variable regions and sequence read lengths with little consideration of whether they reveal the same bacterial diversity. We compare the effectiveness of bacterial surveys using three library preparations across nine 16S variable regions and a set of 12 tick specimens (Acari: Ixodidae). We identify the bacterial assemblages present in extractions from wild-collected Ixodes scapularis from two regions of Canada, and provide the first microbiome survey for Ixodes angustus. Four bacterial families accounted for most diversity, with Rickettsiaceae being replaced as most common by Enterobacteriaceae or Pseudomonadaceae in some I. scapularis, and Francisellaceae being most abundant in I. angustus. The commercially available Ion 16S kit, based on 6 amplicons representing 16S regions V2, V3, V4, V67, V8 and V9, gave the most comprehensive estimates of bacterial families, with the Ion V4 amplicon generally giving the highest estimated diversity. Sequencing of the V4 amplicon by the MR DNA commercial service also provided cost effective assays of tick microbiomes that were within the range of results from the Ion 16S kit. Subtraction of the number of reads found in an extraction control sample lowered estimates of the number of bacterial families by approximately half. Our study shows that diversity patterns obtained from 16S microbiome surveys depend on the amplicon and protocol used, demonstrating that more than one marker region is needed to provide reliable inferences.

Kluyveromyces marxianus CCT 7735 shows potential for producing ethanol from lactose; however, its low ethanol tolerance is a drawback for its industrial application. The first aim of this study was to obtain four ethanol-tolerant K. marxianus CCT 7735 strains (ETS1, ETS2, ETS3, and ETS4) by adaptive laboratory evolution. The second aim was to select among them the strain that stood out and to evaluate metabolic changes associated with the improved ethanol tolerance in this strain. The ETS4 was selected for displaying a specific growth rate higher than the parental strain under ethanol stress (122%) and specific ethanol production rate (0.26 g/g/h) higher than those presented by the ETS1 (0.22 g/g/h), ETS2 (0.17 g/g/h), and ETS3 (0.17 g/g/h) under non-stress condition. Further analyses were performed with the ETS4 in comparison with its parental strain in order to characterize metabolic changes. Accumulation of valine and metabolites of the citric acid cycle (isocitric acid, citric acid, and cis-aconitic acid) was observed only in the ETS4 subjected to ethanol stress. Their accumulation in this strain may have been important to increase ethanol tolerance. Furthermore, the contents of fatty acid methyl esters and ergosterol were higher in the ETS4 than in the parental strain. These differences likely contributed to enhance ethanol tolerance in the ETS4. KEY POINTS: • K. marxianus ethanol-tolerant strains were selected by adaptive laboratory evolution. • Valine and metabolites of the TCA cycle were accumulated in the ETS4. • High contents of fatty acids and ergosterol contributed to enhance ethanol tolerance.

A dataset of gene expression from Spodoptera frugiperda, a highly generalist pest moth, was used to understand how gene regulation is related to larval host plant preference. Transcriptomic data of corn and rice strains of S. frugiperda larvae, reared on different diets, were analysed with three different approaches of gene network inference, namely co-expression, weighted co-expression and Bayesian networks, since each methodology provides a different visualization of the data. Using these approaches, it was possible to identify two loosely interconnected co-expression networks, one of them responsible for fast response to herbivory and anti-herbivory mechanisms and the other related to housekeeping genes, which present slower response to environmental variations. Integrating different levels of information such as gene expression patterns, gene assembly, transcriptomics, relationship among genes and phenotypes, functional relationships, among other information, enabled a wider visualization of S. frugiperda response to diet stimuli. The biological properties in the proposed networks are here described and discussed, as well as patterns of gene expression related to larval performance attributes.

Peptidase inhibitors (PIs) are essential proteins involved in plant resistance to herbivorous insects, yet many insect species are able to escape the negative effects of these molecules. We compared the effects of acute and chronic ingestion of soybean peptidase inhibitors (SPIs) on Spodoptera frugiperda and Diatraea saccharalis, two Lepidoptera species with different sensitivities to SPI ingestion. We analyzed the trypsin and chymotrypsin gene expression profiles in both species. Acute exposure of S. frugiperda to the inhibitors activated seven genes (SfChy5, SfChy9, SfChy19, SfChy22, SfTry6, SfTry8, and SfTry10), whereas chronic exposure activated 16 genes (SfChy2, SfChy4, SfChy5, SfChy8, SfChy9, SfChy11, SfChy12, SfChy15, SfChy17, SfChy21, SfChy22, SfTry6, SfTry8, SfTry9, SfTry10, and SfTry12). By contrast, the challenge of D. saccharalis with SPIs did not differentially induce the expression of trypsin- or chymotrypsin-encoding genes, with the exception of DsChy7. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of S. frugiperda trypsin protein sequences revealed two gene clades: one composed of genes responsive to the SPIs and a second composed of the unresponsive genes. D. saccharalis trypsin proteins were clustered nearest to the S. frugiperda unresponsive genes. Overall, our findings support a hypothesized mechanism of resistance of Noctuidae moths to SPIs, involving gene number expansion of trypsin and chymotrypsin families and regulation of gene expression, which could also explain the variable susceptibility between S. frugiperda and D. saccharalis to these plant inhibitors.

O uso das técnicas bibliométricas é uma prática frequente nas pesquisas em ciências sociais aplicadas. Sua aplicação auxilia no entendimento de novas temáticas, podendo auxiliar na identificação de tendências para pesquisas futuras. O objetivo deste artigo foi apresentar as características de uma pesquisa bibliométricas e os benefícios de sua utilização, com o intuito de auxiliar novos pesquisadores a terem maior familiaridade com essa técnica, por meio de um exemplo didático abordando a temática de priming e propaganda.

The root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) is one of most devastating pathogens that attack the common bean crop. Although there is evidence that some cultivars have race-specific resistance against M. incognita, these resistance sources have not proved effective, and nematodes are able to circumvent the host’s defense system. We constructed RNA-seq based libraries and used a high-throughput sequencing platform to analyze the plant responses to M. incognita. Assessments were performed at 4 and 10 days after inoculation corresponding to the stages of nematode penetration and giant cell development, respectively. Large-scale transcript mapping to the common bean reference genome (G19833) resulted in the identification of 27,195 unigenes. Of these, 797 host genes were found to be differentially expressed. The functional annotation results confirm the complex interplay between abiotic and biotic stress signaling pathways. High expression levels of the wounding-responsive genes were observed over the interaction. At early response, an overexpression of the N gene, a TIR-NBS-LRR resistance gene, was understood as a host attempt to overcome the pathogen attack. However, the repression of heat shock proteins resulted in a lack of reactive oxygen species accumulation and absence of a hypersensitive response. Furthermore, the host basal response was broken by the repression of the ethylene/jasmonate pathway later in the response, resulting in a continuous compatible process with consequent plant susceptibility.

The oriental fruit moth Grapholita molesta is one of the major pests of stone and pome fruit species in Brazil. Here, we applied 1226 SNPs obtained by genotyping-by-sequencing to test whether host species associations or other factors such as geographic distance structured populations of this pest. Populations from the main areas of occurrence of G. molesta were sampled principally from peach and apple orchards. Three main clusters were recovered by neighbor-joining analysis, all defined by geographic proximity between sampling localities. Overall genetic structure inferred by a nonhierarchical amova resulted in a significant ΦST value = 0.19109. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that SNPs gathered by genotyping-by-sequencing can be used to infer genetic structure of a pest insect in Brazil; moreover, our results indicate that those markers are very informative even over a restricted geographic scale. We also demonstrate that host plant association has little effect on genetic structure among Brazilian populations of G. molesta; on the other hand, reduced gene flow promoted by geographic isolation has a stronger impact on population differentiation.

Trypsins and chymotrypsins are well-studied serine peptidases that cleave peptide bonds at the carboxyl side of basic and hydrophobic L-amino acids, respectively. These enzymes are largely responsible for the digestion of proteins. Three primary processes regulate the activity of these peptidases: secretion, precursor (zymogen) activation and substrate-binding site recognition. Here, we present a detailed phylogenetic analysis of trypsins and chymotrypsins in three orders of holometabolous insects and reveal divergent characteristics of Lepidoptera enzymes in comparison with those of Coleoptera and Diptera. In particular, trypsin subsite S1 was more hydrophilic in Lepidoptera than in Coleoptera and Diptera, whereas subsites S2-S4 were more hydrophobic, suggesting different substrate preferences. Furthermore, Lepidoptera displayed a lineage-specific trypsin group belonging only to the Noctuidae family. Evidence for facilitated trypsin auto-activation events were also observed in all the insect orders studied, with the characteristic zymogen activation motif complementary to the trypsin active site. In contrast, insect chymotrypsins did not seem to have a peculiar evolutionary history with respect to their mammal counterparts. Overall, our findings suggest that the need for fast digestion allowed holometabolous insects to evolve divergent groups of peptidases with high auto-activation rates, and highlight that the evolution of trypsins led to a most diverse group of enzymes in Lepidoptera.