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The statistical analysis of omics data poses a great computational challenge given their ultra–high-dimensional nature and frequent between-features correlation. In this work, we extended the iterative sure independence screening (ISIS) algorithm by pairing ISIS with elastic-net (Enet) and 2 versions of adaptive elastic-net (adaptive elastic-net (AEnet) and multistep adaptive elastic-net (MSAEnet)) to efficiently improve feature selection and effect estimation in omics research. We subsequently used genome-wide human blood DNA methylation data from American Indian participants in the Strong Heart Study (n  = 2235 participants; measured in 1989-1991) to compare the performance (predictive accuracy, coefficient estimation, and computational efficiency) of ISIS-paired regularization methods with that of a bayesian shrinkage and traditional linear regression to identify an epigenomic multimarker of body mass index (BMI). ISIS-AEnet outperformed the other methods in prediction. In biological pathway enrichment analysis of genes annotated to BMI-related differentially methylated positions, ISIS-AEnet captured most of the enriched pathways in common for at least 2 of all the evaluated methods. ISIS-AEnet can favor biological discovery because it identifies the most robust biological pathways while achieving an optimal balance between bias and efficient feature selection. In the extended SIS R package, we also implemented ISIS paired with Cox and logistic regression for time-to-event and binary endpoints, respectively, and a bootstrap approach for the estimation of regression coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flowers of most Piperales do not reward pollinators. However, a few mutualistic pollination relationships have been proposed among the perianth-bearing species. To test the hypothesis of a mutualistic relationship between Prosopanche and beetle pollinators, we studied the pollination biology of three species (P. americana , P. bonacinae , P. panguanensis). For all three species, we recorded flower visitors and flower volatile organic compounds (VOCSs). In addition, for P. americana we investigated flower phases, thermogenesis, visitors' behaviour, and viability of transported pollen. Using a behavioural experiment, we identified the role of flower heat and fragrance in pollinator attraction. We recorded Neopocadius nitiduloides and Lasiodactylus sp. sap beetles (Nitidulidae) as main pollinators and Hydnorobius hydnorae and H. helleri weevils (Belidae) as occasional pollinators. Thermogenic female flowers heat up to 8°C above the ambient temperature. Flowers only trap the small-sized sap beetles. Methyl-3-methyl-2-butenoate dominated the VOC profile. This was a powerful attractant for sap beetles in controlled bioassays. We conclude that pollination in Prosopanche is mutualistic. This was observed through a pollinator-size-based access limit to the stigmatic chamber and a strong olfactory attractant. Mutualism in Prosopanche therefore contrasts with that of most perianth-bearing Piperales, suggesting it is a novel pollination relationship in early-diverging angiosperms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Warps have often been used to explain disc properties, but well-characterized examples are important due to their role in disc evolution. Scattered light images of discs with central gaps have revealed sharp warps, such that the outer rings are shadowed by tilted inner discs. The near-infrared intensity drops along the ring around T-Tauri star DoAr 44 have been interpreted in terms of a central warp. We report new ALMA observations of DoAr 44 in the continuum at 230 and 350 GHz (at ∼10 au), along with a new epoch of Spectro Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch (SPHERE)/Infrared Dual-band Imager and Spectrograph differential polarized imaging taken during excellent weather conditions. The ALMA observations resolve the ring and confirm the decrements proposed from deconvolution of coarse 336 GHz data. The scattered light image constrains the dips, which correspond to a misaligned inner disc with a relative inclination ξ = 21.4  |$^{+6.7}_{-8.3}$|  deg. The SPHERE intensity profile shows a morphological change compared to a previous epoch that may be interpreted as a variable orientation of the inner disc, from ξ ∼ 30 deg to ξ ∼ 20 deg. The intensity dips probably correspond to temperature decrements, as their mm-spectral index, |$\alpha ^{230 \textrm {GHz}}_{350 \textrm {GHz}} \sim$|  2.0 ± 0.1, is indicative of optically thick emission. The azimuth of the two temperature decrements are leading clockwise relative to the infrared-dips, by η = 14.95 deg and η = 7.92 deg. For a retrograde disc, such shifts are expected from a thermal lag and imply gas surface densities of Σg = 117 ± 10 g cm−2 and Σg = 48 ± 10 g cm−2. A lopsided disc, with contrast ratio f r = 2.4 ± 0.5, is also consistent with the large continuum crescent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the global importance of species with C4 photosynthesis, there is a lack of consensus regarding C4 performance under fluctuating light. Contrasting hypotheses and experimental evidence suggest that C4 photosynthesis is either less or more efficient in fixing carbon under fluctuating light than the ancestral C3 form. Two main issues have been identified that may underly the lack of consensus: neglect of evolutionary distance between selected C3 and C4 species and use of contrasting fluctuating light treatments. To circumvent these issues, we measured photosynthetic responses to fluctuating light across 3 independent phylogenetically controlled comparisons between C3 and C4 species from Alloteropsis, Flaveria, and Cleome genera under 21% and 2% O2. Leaves were subjected to repetitive stepwise changes in light intensity (800 and 100 µmol m-2 s-1 photon flux density) with 3 contrasting durations: 6, 30, and 300 s. These experiments reconciled the opposing results found across previous studies and showed that (i) stimulation of CO2 assimilation in C4 species during the low-light phase was both stronger and more sustained than in C3 species; (ii) CO2 assimilation patterns during the high-light phase could be attributable to species or C4 subtype differences rather than photosynthetic pathway; and (iii) the duration of each light step in the fluctuation regime can strongly influence experimental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Extracellular particles (EPs) are the focus of a rapidly growing area of exploration due to the widespread interest in understanding their roles in health and disease. However, despite the general need for EP data sharing and established community standards for data reporting, no standard repository for EP flow cytometry data captures rigor and minimum reporting standards such as those defined by MIFlowCyt-EV (https://doi.org/10.1080/20013078.2020.1713526). We sought to address this unmet need by developing the NanoFlow Repository. Results We have developed The NanoFlow Repository to provide the first implementation of the MIFlowCyt-EV framework. Availability and implementation The NanoFlow Repository is freely available and accessible online at https://genboree.org/nano-ui/. Public datasets can be explored and downloaded at https://genboree.org/nano-ui/ld/datasets. The NanoFlow Repository's backend is built using the Genboree software stack that powers the ClinGen Resource, specifically the Linked Data Hub (LDH), a REST API framework written in Node.js, developed initially to aggregate data within ClinGen (https://ldh.clinicalgenome.org/ldh/ui/about). NanoFlow's LDH (NanoAPI) is available at https://genboree.org/nano-api/srvc. NanoAPI is supported by a Node.js Genboree authentication and authorization service (GbAuth), a graph database called ArangoDB, and an Apache Pulsar message queue (NanoMQ) to manage data inflows into NanoAPI. The website for NanoFlow Repository is built with Vue.js and Node.js (NanoUI) and supports all major browsers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycobacterium canettii is a causative agent of tuberculosis in humans, along with the members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Frequently used as an outgroup to the M. tuberculosis complex in phylogenetic analyses, M. canettii is thought to offer the best proxy for the progenitor species that gave rise to the complex. Here, we leverage whole-genome sequencing data and biologically relevant population genomic models to compare the evolutionary dynamics driving variation in the recombining M. canettii with that in the nonrecombining M. tuberculosis complex, and discuss differences in observed genomic diversity in the light of expected levels of Hill--Robertson interference. In doing so, we highlight the methodological challenges of estimating recombination rates through traditional population genetic approaches using sequences called from populations of microorganisms and evaluate the likely mis-inference that arises owing to a neglect of common model violations including purifying selection, background selection, progeny skew, and population size change. In addition, we compare performance when full within-host polymorphism data are utilized, versus the more common approach of basing analyses on within-host consensus sequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change may have an adverse effect on feed production. Hydroponic fodders produced in controlled environments are alternative feeds that may be used for dairy cattle. The objective of this study was to evaluate in-situ dry matter ruminal degradability of hydroponic fodders and corn silage. Two rumen-canulated lactating Holstein cows were used in a complete randomized block design with four treatments and 9 times (0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 240 h). Treatments were corn silage (CS), hydroponic sprouts of barley, wheat, and triticale. Quadruplicate samples were placed in Dacron bags (10 x 20 cm, 50 μm porosity) and incubated in the rumen. After incubation, samples were washed and dried in an air-forced oven set at 60°C for 48 h and DM recovery was weighted. Ingredients nutrient composition were CS (32.3% NDF, 8.4% CP, and 41.6% starch, 1.3% WSC; % of DM), barley (34.3% NDF, 17.1% CP, and 4.2% starch, 32.9% WSC; % of DM), wheat (23.7% NDF, 23.3% CP, and 8.5% starch, 32.7% WSC; % of DM), triticale (20.0% NDF, 16.2% CP, and 21.7% starch, 33.2% WSC; % of DM). Model included fixed effects of treatment and random effects of cow and replicate(cow). Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS. Degradation fractions were calculated based on DM disappearance. There were treatment effects (P < 0.01) on fraction A (degradable), fraction B (potentially degradable), fraction C (undegradable), effective ruminal degradability (ERD), and rate of degradation (kd: %/h). Fraction A was greater for triticale (74.1%) compared with wheat (70.2%), CS (63.1%), and barley (55.0%). Fraction B was greater for barley (28.5%) compared with CS (23.2%), wheat (19.1%), and triticale (13.9%). Fraction C was less for wheat (10.6%) than triticale (12.0%), CS (13.7%), and barley (16.4%). The ERD was greater for wheat (90.8%) compared with triticale (89.0%), CS (88.0%), and barley (85.6%). The kd for barley (2.4%) was less than triticale (4.9%). The kd for CS (1.8%) was less than triticale (4.9%). Overall, triticale had the greatest fraction A, barley had the greatest fraction B, and wheat had the least fraction C and the greatest ERD and kd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim was to determine whether the method used to estimate truly digestible neutral detergent fiber (tdNDF) affects calculated concentrations of total digestible nutrients (TDN 1x ) and net energy of lactation (NE L3x ) of canola meal (CM). Samples were collected from 12 CM processing plants in Canada over 4 yr (2011 to 2014, n = 47) and analyzed for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), ash, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), lignin (ADL), and neutral detergent insoluble CP (NDICP). Ruminal in situ incubation of CM samples was performed at 0, 24, 48, 96, and 288 h to determine NDF fractions (A, B, and C), effective ruminal NDF digestibility (ERNDFD), and indigestible NDF (iNDF) of CM. Three tdNDF-estimation methods were evaluated: 1) National Research Council (NRC) = 0.75 × (NDF − NDICP − ADL) × {1− [ADL/ (NDF − NDICP)]0.667}; 2) iNDF = 0.75 × (NDF − NDICP − NDF remaining after 288 h in situ); and 3) ERNDFD estimated from in situ NDF digestion kinetics. Resulting tdNDF values were used for calculation of TDN1x and NEL3x according to NRC (2001) equations. Data were analyzed with MIXED procedure of SAS 9.4 to determine the effect of processing plant on chemical composition, NDF degradation kinetics and NEL3x of CM. Effect of tdNDF estimation method on calculated TDN1x and NEL3x of CM was also evaluated. Model for analysis of processing plant included the fixed effect of plant and the random effect of year (plant) as replication, while analysis of tdNDF methods included the fixed effect of tdNDF estimation method and the random effects of processing plant and of year(plant) as replication. There was an effect of processing plant on DM (P = 0.03), CP (P < 0.01), EE (P < 0.01), and NDF (P < 0.01) of CM. Processing plant also had an effect on NDF fractions A (P < 0.01) and B (P = 0.02) but did not affect fraction C and ERNDFD. The tdNDF estimation method had an effect on tdNDF (P < 0.01), TDN1x (P < 0.01), and NEL3x (P < 0.01) of CM, yielding average NEL3x values of 1.72, 1.87, and 2.07 Mcal/kg for NRC, iNDF, and ERNDFD, respectively. Our results indicate that calculated energy concentration of CM according to NRC (2001) equations varies depending on the method used for estimation of tdNDF. Further research will be needed to determine the most accurate estimation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roots are the anchorage organs of plants, responsible for water and nutrient uptake, exhibiting high plasticity. Root architecture is driven by the interactions of biomolecules, including transcription factors and hormones that are crucial players regulating root plasticity. Multiple transcription factor families are involved in root development; some, such as ARFs and LBDs, have been well characterized, whereas others remain less well investigated. In this review, we synthesize the current knowledge about the involvement of the large family of homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) transcription factors in root development. This family is divided into four subfamilies (I–IV), mainly according to structural features, such as additional motifs aside from HD-Zip, as well as their size, gene structure, and expression patterns. We explored and analyzed public databases and the scientific literature regarding HD-Zip transcription factors in Arabidopsis and other species. Most members of the four HD-Zip subfamilies are expressed in specific cell types and several individuals from each group have assigned functions in root development. Notably, a high proportion of the studied proteins are part of intricate regulation pathways involved in primary and lateral root growth and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different sources of cobalt in a lactating dairy cow diet on in vitro ruminal fermentation. All diets provided the same amount of supplemental Co (1 mg per kg of diet DM) included in a premix with a targeted inclusion level of 2.5% of diet DM. Treatments were cobalt carbonate (CON), and three alternative Co sources; alternative source 1 (AS1), alternative source 2 (AS2), and alternative source 3 (AS3). Eight dual-flow continuous culture fermenters were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square. Experimental periods were 10 d (7 d adaptation and 3 d sample collection). Composite samples of daily effluents were collected and analyzed for NH3-N, lactate, and VFA concentration as well as for nutrient digestibility. Samples of ruminal content were collected from each fermenter at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 h after feeding to determine lactate, NH3-N, and pH kinetics. All data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS and the repeated variable of time was included for pH, lactate, and NH3-N. There were neither treatment effects nor interactions between treatment and time for pH, NH3-N, and lactate concentrations, indicating a similar Co kinetics across treatments. With regards to lactate pool, we did not observe treatment effects for L-lactate; however, we observed treatment effects for D-lactate and total-lactate as seen in Table 1. Analyses of total and individual VFA, N utilization, and nutrient degradation are still undergoing, hence, it is possible that Co sources have effects on ruminal fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although inducible heterologous expression systems have been available since the birth of recombinant DNA technology, the diversity of genetic devices and their coming together in the corresponding vectors often result in a lack of reproducibility and interoperability. In an effort to increase the predictability of expression of genes of interest in a variety of possible bacterial hosts, we propose a composition standard for debugging and reassembling all regulatory parts that participate in the performance of such devices. As a case study, we addressed the n -octane and dicyclopropyl ketone-inducible PalkB promoter of the alkane biodegradation pOCT plasmid of Pseudomonas putida. The standardized expression module included an edited alkS transcription factor divergently expressed and separated from PalkB by a synthetic buffer segment. The DNA sequence of the alkS gene was modified to alleviate the catabolite repression exerted by several carbon and nitrogen sources through the Crc/Hfq complex of some hosts. The PalkB promoter and the alkS variants were then formatted as Standard European Vector Architecture cargoes, and their activity in P. putida was quantified with fluorescent and luminescent reporters. Despite considerable editing of the DNA sequences involved, the thereby refactored module basically kept the functioning parameters of the original configuration. The same qualities were inspected when the system was passed to Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We argue that the application of the compositional standard thereby implemented in the AlkS/ PalkB module to other promoter/regulator pairs will enable more complex genetic programming in non-model bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichomes and the cuticle are two specialized structures of the aerial epidermis that are important for plant organ development and interaction with the environment. In this study, we report that Arabidopsis thaliana plants affected in the function of the class I TEOSINTE BRANCHED 1, CYCLOIDEA, PCF (TCP) transcription factors TCP14 and TCP15 show overbranched trichomes in leaves and stems and increased cuticle permeability. We found that TCP15 regulates the expression of MYB106, a MIXTA-like transcription factor involved in epidermal cell and cuticle development, and overexpression of MYB106 in a tcp14 tcp15 mutant reduces trichome branch number. TCP14 and TCP15 are also required for the expression of the cuticle biosynthesis genes CYP86A4 , GPAT6 , and CUS2 , and of SHN1 and SHN2, two AP2/EREBP transcription factors required for cutin and wax biosynthesis. SHN1 and CUS2 are also targets of TCP15, indicating that class I TCPs influence cuticle formation acting at different levels, through the regulation of MIXTA-like and SHN transcription factors and of cuticle biosynthesis genes. Our study indicates that class I TCPs are coordinators of the regulatory network involved in trichome and cuticle development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aerial epidermis of plants plays a major role in environmental interactions, yet the development of the cellular components of the aerial epidermis—trichomes, stomata, and pavement cells—is still not fully understood. We have performed a detailed screen of the leaf epidermis in two generations of the well-established Solanum lycopersicum cv M82 × Solanum pennellii ac. LA716 introgression line (IL) population using a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Quantification of trichome and stomatal densities in the ILs revealed four genomic regions with a consistently low trichome density. This study also found ILs with abnormal proportions of different trichome types and aberrant trichome morphologies. This work has led to the identification of new, unexplored genomic regions with roles in trichome formation in tomato. This study investigated one interval in IL2-6 in more detail and identified a new function for the transcription factor SlMixta - like in determining trichome patterning in leaves. This illustrates how these SEM images, publicly available to the research community, provide an important dataset for further studies on epidermal development in tomato and other species of the Solanaceae family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The within‐host evolutionary dynamics of tuberculosis (TB) remain unclear, and underlying biological characteristics render standard population genetic approaches based upon the Wright‐Fisher model largely inappropriate. In addition, the compact genome combined with an absence of recombination is expected to result in strong purifying selection effects. Thus, it is imperative to establish a biologically relevant evolutionary framework incorporating these factors in order to enable an accurate study of this important human pathogen. Further, such a model is critical for inferring fundamental evolutionary parameters related to patient treatment, including mutation rates and the severity of infection bottlenecks. We here implement such a model and infer the underlying evolutionary parameters governing within‐patient evolutionary dynamics. Results demonstrate that the progeny skew associated with the clonal nature of TB severely reduces genetic diversity and that the neglect of this parameter in previous studies has led to significant mis‐inference of mutation rates. As such, our results suggest an underlying de novo mutation rate that is considerably faster than previously inferred, and a progeny distribution differing significantly from Wright‐Fisher assumptions. This inference represents a more appropriate evolutionary null model, against which the periodic effects of positive selection, associated with drug‐resistance for example, may be better assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association of low-level exposure to metals and metal mixtures with cardiovascular incidence in the general population has rarely been studied. We flexibly evaluated the association of urinary metals and metal mixtures concentrations with cardiovascular diseases in a representative sample of a general population from Spain.Methods: Urine antimony (Sb), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), vanadium (V) and zinc (Zn) were measured in 1171 adults without clinical cardiovascular diseases, who participated in the Hortega Study. Cox proportional hazard models were used for evaluating the association between single metals and cardiovascular incidence. We used a Probit extension of Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR-P) to handle metal mixtures in a survival setting.Results: In single-metal models, the hazard ratios [confidence intervals (CIs)] of cardiovascular incidence, comparing the 80th to the 20th percentiles of metal distributions, were 1.35 (1.06, 1.72) for Cu, 1.43 (1.07, 1.90) for Zn, 1.51 (1.13, 2.03) for Sb, 1.46 (1.13, 1.88) for Cd, 1.64 (1.05, 2.58) for Cr and 1.31 (1.01, 1.71) for V. BKMR-P analysis was confirmatory of these findings, supporting that Cu, Zn, Sb, Cd, Cr and V are related to cardiovascular incidence in the presence of the other metals. Cd and Sb showed the highest posterior inclusion probabilities.Conclusions: Urine Cu, Zn, Sb, Cd, Cr and V were independently associated with increased cardiovascular risk at levels relevant for the general population of Spain. Urine metals in the mixture were also jointly associated with cardiovascular incidence, with Cd and Sb being the most important components of the mixture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Bilinguals may be able to retain similar levels of cognitive functioning given age and/or Alzheimer's Disease-related neurodegeneration, compared to monolinguals. Many studies have yielded equivocal findings that may be explained by within-group differences among bilinguals, such as frequency of language use. The current study aimed to clarify the role of frequency of bilingual language use (i.e. active versus passive) in the association of brain structure and memory. We hypothesized that active bilinguals would demonstrate better memory performance compared to passive bilinguals and monolinguals, and that active bilingualism would buffer the effects of temporal lobe integrity on memory. Participants and Method In a longitudinal aging study, 217 older Hispanic adults (Age M = 74 years, SD = 6; 70% women) underwent neuropsychological evaluation and 1.5T MR imaging. Bilingualism was determined by self-reported use of English and Spanish. Active bilinguals reported using both languages daily. Multiple regression tested main effects and interactions of bilingualism and entorhinal cortical thickness on semantic and episodic memory, adjusted for age, sex/gender, and education. Results Bilingualism was associated with better semantic memory(F[2,209] = 6.25, p =.002) but not with episodic memory(F[2,209)] = 0.34, p =.71). There was a significant bilingualism X entorhinal cortical thickness interaction on semantic memory (β = -.26, p =.02), indicating that active bilinguals were better able to maintain cognitive functioning with lower cortical thickness, compared to passive bilinguals and monolinguals. Conclusions Active bilingualism may protect semantic memory against cortical thinning of the entorhinal cortex. Future studies will explore whether this relationship remains after accounting for additional environmental and sociocultural factors (e.g. immigrant status) that influence the ability or opportunity to become bilingual, and whether active bilingualism affects cognitive trajectory in late life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The merging of two divergent genomes in a hybrid is believed to trigger a "genomic shock", disrupting gene regulation and transposable element (TE) silencing. Here, we tested this expectation by comparing the pattern of expression of transposable elements in their native and hybrid genomic context. For this, we sequenced the transcriptome of the Arabidopsis thaliana genotype Col-0, the A. lyrata genotype MN47 and their F1 hybrid. Contrary to expectations, we observe that the level of TE expression in the hybrid is strongly correlated to levels in the parental species. We detect that at most 1.1% of expressed transposable elements belonging to two specific subfamilies change their expression level upon hybridization. Most of these changes, however, are of small magnitude. We observe that the few hybrid-specific modifications in TE expression are more likely to occur when TE insertions are close to genes. In addition, changes in epigenetic histone marks H3K9me2 and H3K27me3 following hybridization do not coincide with TEs with changed expression. Finally, we further examined TE expression in parents and hybrids exposed to severe dehydration stress. Despite the major reorganization of gene and TE expression by stress, we observe that hybridization does not lead to increased disorganization of TE expression in the hybrid. Although our study did not examine TE transposition activity in hybrids, the examination of the transcriptome shows that TE expression is globally robust to hybridization. The term "genomic shock" is perhaps not appropriate to describe transcriptional modification in a viable hybrid merging divergent genomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) is a destructive agricultural pest and the subject of exclusion efforts in many countries. Suppression and eradication of invasive populations to prevent its establishment is facilitated by the release of sterile males using the sterile insect technique (SIT). In SIT release areas, it is critical to accurately discriminate between released sterile males and wild individuals to detect extremely rare invasive individuals in areas inundated with millions of sterile male flies. Current methods for discrimination exist but are not always definitive, and a more reliable method is necessary. To address this, we developed a genotyping assay that can be used to discriminate between sterile males from the SIT strain and wild individuals. This was achieved by identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) linked to the maintained traits that facilitate male-only releases, white pupae (wp) and temperature-sensitive lethal (tsl), via QTL mapping. This resulted in the identification of one SNP that was in near-perfect linkage disequilibrium between genotype at this locus and the pupal color phenotype. Medfly from many SIT colonies and wild individuals from across its geographic range were genotyped for this locus, and results show its consistency in identifying SIT flies. In addition, linkage and QTL mapping of wp and tsl have larger impacts as they can serve as foundational tools to identify the genetic basis of traits that facilitate the separation of males from female flies, which can be used to develop SIT programs in related species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capsaicinoids are responsible for the hot taste of chili peppers. They are restricted to the genus Capsicum and are synthesized by the acylation of the aromatic compound vanillylamine (derived from the phenylpropanoid pathway) with a branched-chain fatty acid by the catalysis of the putative enzyme capsaicinoid synthase. R2R3-MYB transcription factors have been reported in different species of plants as regulators of structural genes of the phenylpropanoid pathway; therefore, we hypothesized that MYB genes might be involved in the regulation of the biosynthesis of pungent compounds. In this study, an R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene, designated CaMYB31, was isolated and characterized in Capsicum annuum 'Tampiqueño 74'. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that CaMYB31 could be involved in secondary metabolism, stress and plant hormone responses, and development. CaMYB31 expression analysis from placental tissue of pungent and nonpungent chili pepper fruits showed a positive correlation with the structural genes Ca4H, Comt, Kas, pAmt, and AT3 expression and also with the content of capsaicin and dihydrocapsacin during fruit development. However, CaMYB31 also was expressed in vegetative tissues (leaves, roots, and stems). Moreover, CaMYB31 silencing significantly reduced the expression of capsaicinoid biosynthetic genes and the capsaicinoid content. Additionally, CaMYB31 expression was affected by the plant hormones indoleacetic acid, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, and gibberellic acid or by wounding, temperature, and light, factors known to affect the production of capsaicinoids. These findings indicate that CaMYB31 is indeed involved in the regulation of structural genes of the capsaicinoid biosynthetic pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In plants, fruit maturation and oxidative stress can induce small heat shock protein (sHSP) synthesis to maintain cellular homeostasis. Although the tomato reference genome was published in 2012, the actual number and functionality of sHSP genes remain unknown. Using a transcriptomic (RNA-seq) and evolutionary genomic approach, putative sHSP genes in the Solanum lycopersicum (cv. Heinz 1706) genome were investigated. A sHSP gene family of 33 members was established. Remarkably, roughly half of the members of this family can be explained by nine independent tandem duplication events that determined, evolutionarily, their functional fates. Within a mitochondrial class subfamily, only one duplicated member, Solyc08g078700, retained its ancestral chaperone function, while the others, Solyc08g078710 and Solyc08g078720, likely degenerated under neutrality and lack ancestral chaperone function. Functional conservation occurred within a cytosolic class I subfamily, whose four members, Solyc06g076570, Solyc06g076560, Solyc06g076540, and Solyc06g076520, support ~57% of the total sHSP RNAm in the red ripe fruit. Subfunctionalization occurred within a new subfamily, whose two members, Solyc04g082720 and Solyc04g082740, show heterogeneous differential expression profiles during fruit ripening. These findings, involving the birth/death of some genes or the preferential/plastic expression of some others during fruit ripening, highlight the importance of tandem duplication events in the expansion of the sHSP gene family in the tomato genome. Despite its evolutionary diversity, the sHSP gene family in the tomato genome seems to be endowed with a core set of four homeostasis genes: Solyc05g014280, Solyc03g082420, Solyc1 1 g020330, and Solyc06g076560, which appear to provide a baseline protection during both fruit ripening and heat shock stress in different tomato tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrasting scenarios have been proposed to explain how resource heterogeneity influences group living or sociality. First, sociality may result from individuals in larger groups attaining net fitness benefits by monopolizing access to resources ("resource-defense" hypothesis). Second, sociality may be the fitness-neutral outcome of multiple individuals using a territory with sufficient resources to sustain a group of conspecifics ("resourcedispersion" hypothesis). While previous studies have tended to support the resource-dispersion hypothesis, these analyses have typically examined only 1 or a few predictions, making it difficult to distinguish between the 2 alternatives. We conducted a 4-year field study of Octodon degus to quantify the effects of spatial heterogeneity in food and refuge distributions on group size and 2 components of reproductive success (per capita number of offspring, offspring survival) in this plural breeding and communal rearing rodent. We found only a small effect of heterogeneity of food resources on group size; the effect food resource distribution on group territory size varied across years. Group size did not vary with spatial variation in group territory size and quality. Importantly, there was no covariation between group size and quality of an individual's territory (i.e., a measure of individual access to resources), or between this measure of territory quality and reproductive success, implying no resourcebased benefits to social degus. Overall, our results were more consistent with fitness-neutral relationships among spatial heterogeneity of resources, sociality, and territory size. The resource-dispersion hypothesis, however, did not provide a complete explanation for degu socioecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurocysticercosis is caused by the establishment of Taenia solium cysticerci in the central nervous system. It is considered that, during co-evolution, the parasite developed strategies to modulate the host's immune response. The action mechanisms of regulatory T cells in controlling the immune response in neurocysticercosis are studied in this work. Higher blood levels of regulatory T cells with CD4+CD45RO+forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3)high and CD4+CD25highFoxP3+CD95high phenotype and of non-regulatory CD4+CD45RO+FoxP3med T cells were found in neurocysticercosis patients with respect to controls. Interestingly, regulatory T cells express higher levels of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4), lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3), programmed death 1 (PD-1) and glucocorticoid-induced tumour necrosis factor receptor (GITR), suggesting a cell-to-cell contact mechanism with dendritic cells. Furthermore, higher IL-10 and regulatory T cell type 1 (Tr1) levels were found in neurocysticercosis patients' peripheral blood, suggesting that the action mechanism of regulatory T cells involves the release of immunomodulatory cytokines. No evidence was found of the regulatory T cell role in inhibiting the proliferative response. Suppressive regulatory T cells from neurocysticercosis patients correlated negatively with late activated lymphocytes (CD4+CD38+). Our results suggest that, during neurocysticercosis, regulatory T cells could control the immune response, probably by a cell-to-cell contact with dendritic cells and interleukin (IL)-10 release by Tr1, to create an immunomodulatory environment that may favour the development of T. solium cysticerci and their permanence in the central nervous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY QUESTION: Is pretreatment with misoprostol useful in insertion of intrauterine contraceptives (IUCs) after insertion failure at the first attempt? SUMMARY ANSWER: Pretreatment with intravaginal administration of 200 mcg of misoprostol after IUC insertion failure 10 and 4 h before the second attempt of IUC placement was significantly better than placebo at facilitating the insertion of an IUC. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: One of the reasons for low use of IUCs is the concept that insertion is difficult. Misoprostol was used in several randomized clinical trials (RCT) before IUC insertion to facilitate the insertion. In general, the results showed no significant differences when compared with placebo. However, most previous studies have been carried out among unselected women whereas the present study is among women with previous insertion failure. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This was a double blind RCT conducted between February 2013 and October 2014. Participants were 104 women who requested an insertion of an IUC and the insertion failed at the first attempt. After insertion failure, the women received a sealed envelope with misoprostol or placebo. The randomization system (1: 1) in one block size was computer-generated. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: The study was conducted at a tertiary care centre. The women were instructed to insert vaginally one tablet of misoprostol 200 mg (Prostokos, Hebron, Cariacica, PE, Brazil)or placebo 10 and 4 h before the woman returned to the clinic for a new insertion attempt. The outcomes were successful IUC insertion and the use of a cervical dilator immediately prior to the insertion procedure. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: A total of 2639 women requested the insertion of an IUC during the study period. The IUC was inserted at the first attempt in 2535 women (96%) and 104 women in whom we were unable to insert the device were eligible to participate in the RCT. Four women declined and 100 women were randomized (55 for the misoprostol group and 45 for the placebo group). From the 100 participating women, the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) was chosen by 55 and 37 women and the TCu380A intrauterine device (Cu-IUD) was chosen by none and 8 women in the misoprostol and placebo group, respectively. Seven and three women allocated to misoprostol and placebo, respectively, never returned to the clinic after randomization. We placed the IUC in 42 (87.5%) out of the 48 women and in 26 (61.9%) out of the 42 women randomized to misoprostol and placebo, respectively (P = 0.0066). Regarding the Evaluable Population the relative risk (RR) of successful insertions was 1.41 (95% confidence interval (CI) for absolute difference (8.2, 43.0), P = 0.0066); in the Intent-to-Treat Population the RR (95% CI) was 1.32 (0.3, 36.9). Multiple regression analysis showed that the significant variables associated with the insertion failure were the number of Caesarean section ≥1 (P = 0.020) and the use of placebo (P = 0.026). Dilators were used in 21 (43.7%) out of the 48 and 21 (50%) out of the 42 women randomized to misoprostol and placebo, respectively (P = 0.804). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The limitations were that the majority of the women chose the LNG-IUS, and consequently the data for the Cu-IUD were limited, and there was a small number of nulligravidas. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The results show that IUC insertion difficulties and failures are not common. Pretreatment with intravaginal misoprostol facilitated IUC insertion after failure of insertion at the first attempt, and insertion failure was associated with number of Caesarean sections. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This study received partial financial support from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), grant # 2012/10085-0, and from the National Research Council (CNPq), grant #573747/2008-3. All the TCu380A IUDs were donated by Injeflex, São Paulo, Brazil, and all the LNG-IUS were donated by the International Contraceptive Access Foundation (ICA), Turku, Finland. Both donations were provided in the form of unrestricted grants. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest associated with this study. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrial.gov NCT01754649. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: arterial stiffening is a marker of vascular ageing and an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. A potential mechanism linking cardiovascular disease to chronic kidney disease might be the change in arterial elasticity. We aim to determine the association between renal function and arterial stiffness in older subjects.Design: cross-sectional study.Setting: Rotterdam study, a population-based cohort study.Subjects: we included 3,279 subjects from 1997 to 1999 with a mean age of 71.9 years.Methods: estimation of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was used to assess renal function. Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) and carotid distensibility coefficient were used as measures of arterial stiffness.Results: each standard deviation increase in eGFR, adjusting for age and sex, was associated with 0.14 m/s lower PWV [95% confidence interval (CI): −0.23, −0.05]. Further adjustments for socio-demographic and cardiovascular risk factors did not change the association (β: −0.16 m/s; 95% CI: −0.26, −0.06). There was a linear association between mean values of PWV and quartiles of glomerular filtration rate (P for trend = 0.006). There was no association between decreased renal function and carotid distensibility. There was no statistical difference in the strength of the association between renal function and PWV in subgroups of participants with and without cardiovascular risk factors.Conclusions: in this large population-based study of elderly subjects, our findings suggest that renal impairment is associated with aortic stiffness. This association is independent of cardiovascular risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: arterial stiffening is a marker of vascular ageing and an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. A potential mechanism linking cardiovascular disease to chronic kidney disease might be the change in arterial elasticity. We aim to determine the association between renal function and arterial stiffness in older subjects.Design: cross-sectional study.Setting: Rotterdam study, a population-based cohort study.Subjects: we included 3,279 subjects from 1997 to 1999 with a mean age of 71.9 years.Methods: estimation of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was used to assess renal function. Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) and carotid distensibility coefficient were used as measures of arterial stiffness.Results: each standard deviation increase in eGFR, adjusting for age and sex, was associated with 0.14 m/s lower PWV [95% confidence interval (CI): −0.23, −0.05]. Further adjustments for socio-demographic and cardiovascular risk factors did not change the association (β: −0.16 m/s; 95% CI: −0.26, −0.06). There was a linear association between mean values of PWV and quartiles of glomerular filtration rate (P for trend = 0.006). There was no association between decreased renal function and carotid distensibility. There was no statistical difference in the strength of the association between renal function and PWV in subgroups of participants with and without cardiovascular risk factors.Conclusions: in this large population-based study of elderly subjects, our findings suggest that renal impairment is associated with aortic stiffness. This association is independent of cardiovascular risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present line and continuum observations made with the Submillimeter Array of the young stellar object Barnard 5 - IRS1 located in the Perseus molecular cloud. Our 12CO(2–1) line observations resolve the high-velocity bipolar north-east–south-west outflow associated with this source. We find that the outflowing gas shows different structures at three different velocity regimes, in both lobes, resulting in a spider-like morphology. In addition to the low-velocity, cone-like (wide-angle) lobes that have previously been observed, we report the presence of intermediate-velocity parabolic shells emerging very close to the Class I protostar, as well as high-velocity molecular bullets that appear to be associated with the optical/IR jet emanating from this source. These compact high-velocity features reach radial velocities of about 50 km s−1 away from the cloud velocity. We interpret that the peculiar spider-like morphology is a result of the molecular material being entrained by a wind with both a collimated jet-like component and a wide-angle component. We suggest that the outflow is in a transitional evolutionary phase between a mostly jet-driven flow and an outflow in which the entrainment is dominated by the wide-angle wind component. We also detect 1300 μm continuum emission at the position of the protostar, which likely arises from the dusty envelope and disc surrounding the protostar. Finally, we report the detection of 13CO(2–1) and SO(65–54) emission arising from the outflow and the location of the young stellar object. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intergenerational effects can have either adaptive or nonadaptive impacts on offspring performance. Such effects are likely to be of ecological and evolutionary importance in animals with extended parental care, such as birds, mammals and some insects. Here, we studied the effects of exposure to microbial competition during early development on subsequent reproductive success in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, an insect with elaborate parental care. We found that exposure to high levels of microbial competition both during a female's larval development and during her subsequent reproduction resulted in females rearing smaller broods than those exposed to lower levels of microbial competition. To determine whether these differences arose before or after offspring hatching, a cross-fostering experiment was conducted. Our results demonstrate that the impact of larval competition with microbes for resources extends into adult life and can negatively affect subsequent generations via impacts on the quality of parental care provided after hatching. However, we also find evidence for some positive effects of previous microbial exposure on prehatch investment, suggesting that the long-term results of competition with microbes may include altering the balance of parental investment between prehatch and post-hatch care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global biodiversity and ecosystem service models typically operate independently. Ecosystem service projections may therefore be overly optimistic because they do not always account for the role of biodiversity in maintaining ecological functions. We review models used in recent global model intercomparison projects and develop a novel model integration framework to more fully account for the role of biodiversity in ecosystem function, a key gap for linking biodiversity changes to ecosystem services. We propose two integration pathways. The first uses empirical data on biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships to bridge biodiversity and ecosystem function models and could currently be implemented globally for systems and taxa with sufficient data. We also propose a trait-based approach involving greater incorporation of biodiversity into ecosystem function models. Pursuing both approaches will provide greater insight into biodiversity and ecosystem services projections. Integrating biodiversity, ecosystem function, and ecosystem service modeling will enhance policy development to meet global sustainability goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents of many species care for their offspring by protecting them from a wide range of environmental hazards, including desiccation, food shortages, predators, competitors, and parasites and pathogens. Currently, little is known about the mechanisms and fitness consequences of parental defences against bacterial pathogens and competitors. Here, we combine approaches from microbiology and behavioural ecology to investigate the role and mechanistic basis of antibacterial secretions applied to carcasses by parents of the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. This species rears its larvae on vertebrate carcasses, where larvae suffer significant fitness costs due to competition with bacterial decomposers. We first confirm that anal secretions produced by parents are potently bactericidal and that their effects are specific to gram-positive bacteria. Next, we identify the source of bacterial killing as a secreted lysozyme and show that its concentration changes throughout the breeding cycle. Finally, we show that secreted lysozyme is crucial for larval development, increasing survival by nearly two-fold compared to offspring reared in its absence. These results demonstrate for the first time that anal secretions applied to carrion is a form of parental care and expand the mechanistic repertoire of defences used by parent insects to protect dependent offspring from microbial threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decreased renal function has been observed in diseases with intravascular haemolysis, including paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH). However, the mechanisms via which haemoglobin enhances renal damage in this pathology are not fully known. We report a case of acute renal failure associated to PNH and extensive haemosiderin deposits in tubular cells. Renal biopsy also revealed a strong immunostaining of CD163 (a haemoglobin scavenger receptor expressed in macrophages) and oxidative stress markers (NADPH-p22 phox and haeme oxigenase-1) in areas with deposits of iron. This fact provides evidence for a pathogenic role for free haemoglobin in tubulointerstitial renal injury in human PNH disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because T-regulatory cells (Tregs) can harmfully impair HIV-specific responses or beneficially limit immune activation, we compared the number of Tregs in lymph nodes from 48 HIV+ patients and 106 HIV- subjects. By using a microscope counting grid, we found that the mean ± SD number of Tregs in lymph nodes was 3 times greater in HIV+ males than HIV+ females (23.5 ± 20.7 vs 7.8 ± 7.7; P = .0006) and almost twice as great in HIV+ males than HIV- males (23.5 ± 20.7 vs 13.5 ± 15.5; P = .04). There were fewer Tregs in HIV+ females than in HIV- females (mean ± SD, 7.8 ± 7.7 vs 13.4 ± 13.3; P = .04). HIV+ males compared with HIV+ females had higher viral loads (VLs) and lower peripheral blood (PB) CD4 cell counts (mean ± SD, 239,841 ± 307,494 vs 73,038 ± 146,763 copies/mL and 262 ± 207 vs 466 ± 278/mm3; P = .02 and P = .01, respectively). Our data show that Tregs in lymph nodes from HIV+ patients are positively correlated with VL and negatively correlated with PB CD4 counts. These findings suggest that Tregs might impair an HIV-specific immune response, which could be modified by sex, or, alternatively, an increased VL causes increased Tregs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: ischaemic cerebrovascular small vessel disease (SVD) is a prevalent and under-diagnosed condition that triggers vascular cognitive impairment (VCI).Objective: to describe the neuropsychological and clinical profiles in SVD (Binswanger's disease, BD; lacunar state, LS) from the clinician's perspective at the VCI stage.Methods: a total of 1257 patients admitted to a tertiary center with a diagnosis of stroke, neuroradiological vascular disease, cognitive impairment/dementia, during a 13-year period were investigated. We prospectively assessed cognition in a subset of 141 patients with VCI (LS n = 28, BD n = 69, large vessel disease—LVD—n = 44) with MMSE, CAMDEX-H, WAIS-R, EXIT-25 and Trail making test.Results: executive dysfunction (ECD) (n = 89, 91.7% versus n = 10, 22.7%; P < 0.001) and gait disturbances (n = 74, 76.3% versus n = 15, 34.1%; P < 0.001) characterized SVD. Prior strokes (n = 9, 9.3% versus n = 23, 52.3%; P < 0.001) and embologenous cardiopathy (n = 39, 40.2% versus n = 28, 63.6%; P < 0.04) featured LVD cases. BD was defined by hypertension (n = 52, 75.4% versus n = 30, 44.1%; P < 0.001), ECD (n = 65, 94.2% versus n = 34, 47.2%; P < 0.001) and VCI onset with cognitive impairment but not strokes (n = 44, 63.8% versus n = 34, 50%; P < 0.01).Conclusions: ECD and a frontal gait are SVD's clinical landmarks in our sample. LS and BD cases share a similar cognitive profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diverse chemical and physical agents can alter cellular functions associated with oxidative metabolism, thus stimulating the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNI) in planktonic bacterial physiology. However, more research is necessary to determine the precise role of cellular stress in biofilm. The present study was designed to address the issues of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation with respect to the generation of oxidative and nitrosative stress. We studied three pathogenic S. aureus clinical strains and an ATCC strain exposed to a different range of culture conditions (time, temperature, pH, reduction and atmospheric conditions) using quantitative methods of biofilm detection. We observed that cellular stress could be produced inside biofilms, thereby affecting their growth, resulting in an increase of ROS and RNI production, and a decrease of the extracellular matrix under unfavorable conditions. These radical oxidizers could then accumulate in an extracellular medium and thus affect the matrix. These results contribute to a better understanding of the processes that enable adherent biofilms to grow on inert surfaces and lead to an improved knowledge of ROS and RNI regulation, which may help to clarify the relevance of biofilm formation in medical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on a study related to the development of a molecular diagnostic marker for the identification of Scirthrips dorsalis (S. dorsalis), an invasive pest. It further informs that Scirthrips pose a potential threat to the U.S. agriculture and trade with an estimated loss of 5.98 billion dollar upon chilli thrips infestation. It mentions that several molecular techniques have been developed for species diagnosis due to their minute size and cryptic behavior.

There is much interest in understanding how population demography impacts upon social evolution. Here, we consider the impact of rate and pattern of dispersal upon a classic social evolutionary trait – the sex ratio. We recover existing analytical results for individual dispersal, and we extend these to allow for budding dispersal. In particular, while a cancelling of relatedness and kin competition effects means that the sex ratio is unaffected by the rate of individual dispersal, we find that a decoupling of relatedness and kin competition means that budding dispersal favours increasingly female-biased sex ratios. More generally, our analysis illustrates the relative ease with which biological problems involving class structure can be solved using a kin selection approach to social evolution theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After 11·5 ka of quiescence (24·5–13 ka), the Nevado de Toluca volcano started a 2500 year period of activity. This period was characterized by a dome destruction event at 13 ka, a small Plinian event at 12·1 ka, and a large Plinian eruption at 10·5 ka. About 10 km3 of magma was erupted that was homogeneous in composition (63·3–65·7 SiO2 wt % whole-rock) and in mineralogy. Pumice consists of plagioclase (An30–59) > orthopyroxene (En56–59) > hornblende ≫ Fe–Ti oxides + rare apatite (in opx) + biotite, set in a rhyolitic matrix (72–76 SiO2 wt %). 40Ar/39Ar analysis of single biotite crystals yielded ages (0·81–4·7 Ma), that do not correspond to eruption ages. The biotite represents partially assimilated xenocrysts, which could have resided in the magma for only a short period of time. Mineral chemical data, coupled with hydrothermal experiments, indicate that prior to eruption the dacitic magma stagnated at a depth of 4·5–6 km below the summit at water pressures of 160–210 MPa and a temperature of 824 ± 12°C on the basis of Fe–Ti oxide thermometry, and under water-saturated conditions. To stabilize a homogeneous magma body of >10 km3 at 824°C in the upper crust, we propose that reheating of the dacitic reservoir by hotter magma batches was able to maintain the equilibrium between the temperature of the magma and the assimilation of wall-rock over a period of 2500 years. Based on similarities among the juvenile products, we suggest that the three eruptions were fed from the same magma body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The validity, importance and relevance of randomized controlled trials depend on identifying an appropriate target population, ensuring adequate power, careful attention to the details of randomization and blinding, and selection of an endpoint that is important to the target population. With efficacy trials more than effectiveness trials, additional constraints are needed to reduce the variability that is typical of clinical practice: a narrowly defined sample, unvarying pre-randomization procedures and post-randomization treatments and follow-up that are as identical as possible for all patients. Efficacy trials comparing ovarian stimulation protocols should have strict protocol definitions, specific concomitant medications and minimal variability between centres with respect to stimulation goals and dose adjustments. Additionally, there should be narrowly defined criteria for administration of chorionic gonadotrophin, type of luteal support, embryo transfer and freezing policies. The goal of efficacy trials is to minimize the variability that is extrinsic to the comparison. When efficacy has been proven, effectiveness trials are needed to determine whether the effect of the new intervention is robust in the variability of typical clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cites a study on the use of atomic spectrometry in the determination of metal content in Valerian root phytopharmaceutical derivatives. Utilization of phytochemicals containing Valerian as mild sleep-inducing agents; Investigation on the elemental composition of a number of different marks of Valeriana officinalis roots commercially available in Argentinian market; Consumption of Valerian root derivatives as home remedies and raw material for the pharmaceutical industries.

This paper situates community development and sustainable livelihoods approaches as forms of strategic thinking based on different value orientations within the development policy sphere. The two approaches are presented as part of a continuum in the field of development; however in their differences we see reflected a critical shift in the relationship between the state, the market and people. Despite these differences, what they both share is a dismissal of the value contestations that underpin people's livelihood interests and experiences. This argument is illustrated with a case from Bolivia, which demonstrates that any policy capacity to act at a local level today must involve a willingness to tackle issues of value contestation and the impacts of globalization. This raises the question of how policy values relate to the complexities of the everyday practicalities of livelihoods and livelihood discontinuities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the Local Group galaxy that is most similar to the Milky Way (MW). The similarities between the two galaxies make M31 useful for studying integrated properties common to spiral galaxies. We use the data from the recent QUIJOTE-MFI Wide Survey, together with new raster observations focused on M31, to study its integrated emission. The addition of raster data improves the sensitivity of QUIJOTE-MFI maps by almost a factor 3. Our main interest is to confirm if anomalous microwave emission (AME) is present in M31, as previous studies have suggested. To do so, we built the integrated spectral energy distribution of M31 between 0.408 and 3000 GHz. We then performed a component separation analysis taking into account synchrotron, free–free, AME, and thermal dust components. AME in M31 is modelled as a log-normal distribution with maximum amplitude, A AME, equal to 1.03 ± 0.32 Jy. It peaks at |${\nu _{\rm AME}}=17.2\pm 3.2{\rm \, GHz}{}$| with a width of W AME = 0.58 ± 0.16. Both the Akaike and Bayesian information criteria find the model without AME to be less than 1 per cent as probable as the one taking AME into consideration. We find that the AME emissivity per 100  |$\mu$| m intensity in M31 is |${\epsilon _{\rm AME}^{\rm 28.4\, GHz}}=9.6\pm 3.1\,\mu$| K MJy−1 sr, similar to that of the MW. We also provide the first upper limits for the AME polarization fraction in an extragalactic object. M31 remains the only galaxy where an AME measurement has been made of its integrated spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maximizing food intake while minimizing risk is an important trade-off in the foraging behavior of most animals. In general, foragers are vulnerable and the ability to trade off benefits (food quantity) against costs (risk of being killed) may provide a considerable ecological advantage. Despite the increasing number of studies, the effects of food quantity and mortality risk signals on resource selection in eusocial insect is not well understood. Here, we investigated the combination of distinct levels of food quantity and the intensity of alarm signal on resource selection of a Neotropical termite, Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky) (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae). Manipulative bioassays with binary and multiple choices were conducted over time to check the recruitment of termite groups among resources containing different levels of food quantity and alarm signals. Overall, our results showed that regardless of food quantity, termites avoid a food source if there is even a small amount of alarm signal. This work contributes to a better understanding of habitat use by termite species. Furthermore, it shows for the first time the combined effects of food quantity and alarm signals on the resource selection of an important ecological and economic termite species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental effects, such as stellar fly-bys and external irradiation, are thought to affect the evolution of protoplanetary discs in clustered star formation. Previous Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) images at 225 GHz of the ISO-Oph 2 binary revealed a peculiar morphology in the disc of the primary, perhaps due to a possible fly-by with the secondary. Here, we report on new ALMA continuum observations of this system at 97.5, 145, and 405 GHz, which reveal strong morphological variations. Multifrequency positional alignment allows us to interpret these spectral variations in terms of underlying physical conditions. ISO-Oph 2A is remarkably offset from the centroid of its ring, at all frequencies, and the disc is lopsided, pointing at gravitational interactions. However, the dust temperature also varies in azimuth, with two peaks whose direction connects with HD 147889, the earliest-type star in the Ophiuchus complex, suggesting that it is the dominant heat source. The stellar environment of ISO-Oph 2 appears to drive both its density structure and its thermal balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After binding to nascent primary microRNA (miRNA) transcripts (pri-miRNAs), the miRNA biogenesis protein HYPONASTIC LEAVES 1 (HYL1) acts as a scaffold that recruits the HIGH EXPRESSION OF OSMOTICALLY RESPONSIVE GENE15 (HOS15)–HISTONE DEACETYLASE9 (HDA9) complex to regulate the expression and processing of miRNAs in response to abscisic acid (ABA). The regulation of microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis is crucial for maintaining plant homeostasis under biotic and abiotic stress. The crosstalk between the RNA polymerase II (Pol-II) complex and the miRNA processing machinery has emerged as a central hub modulating transcription and cotranscriptional processing of primary miRNA transcripts (pri-miRNAs). However, it remains unclear how miRNA-specific transcriptional regulators recognize MIRNA loci. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) HIGH EXPRESSION OF OSMOTICALLY RESPONSIVE GENE15 (HOS15)–HISTONE DEACETYLASE9 (HDA9) complex is a conditional suppressor of miRNA biogenesis, particularly in response to abscisic acid (ABA). When treated with ABA, hos15/hda9 mutants show enhanced transcription of pri-miRNAs that is accompanied by increased processing, leading to overaccumulation of a set of mature miRNAs. Moreover, upon recognition of the nascent pri-miRNAs, the ABA–induced recruitment of the HOS15–HDA9 complex to MIRNA loci is guided by HYPONASTIC LEAVES 1 (HYL1). The HYL1–dependent recruitment of the HOS15–HDA9 complex to MIRNA loci suppresses expression of MIRNAs and processing of pri-miRNA. Most importantly, our findings indicate that nascent pri-miRNAs serve as scaffolds for recruiting transcriptional regulators, specifically to MIRNA loci. This indicates that RNA molecules can act as regulators of their own expression by causing a negative feedback loop that turns off their transcription, providing a self-buffering system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals in social species may mate with multiple opposite-sex individuals, including members of the same or different social groups. This variation may be linked to genetic benefits, where multiple mating decreases risk of inbreeding. Multiple mating may also be constrained by the sociospatial setting through its effect on availability of mates. Because multiple mating with individuals from same or different groups may determine sex-specific fitness effects, we also examined how multiple ma [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientists building the Tree of Life face an overwhelming challenge to categorize phenotypes (e.g., anatomy, physiology) from millions of living and fossil species. This biodiversity challenge far outstrips the capacities of trained scientific experts. Here we explore whether crowdsourcing can be used to collect matrix data on a large scale with the participation of nonexpert students, or "citizen scientists." Crowdsourcing, or data collection by nonexperts, frequently via the internet, has enabled scientists to tackle some large-scale data collection challenges too massive for individuals or scientific teams alone. The quality of work by nonexpert crowds is, however, often questioned and little data have been collected on how such crowds performon complex tasks such as phylogenetic character coding. We studied a crowd of over 600 nonexperts and found that they could use images to identify anatomical similarity (hypotheses of homology) with an average accuracy of 82% compared with scores provided by experts in the field. This performance pattern held across the Tree of Life, from protists to vertebrates. We introduce a procedure that predicts the difficulty of each character and that can be used to assign harder characters to experts and easier characters to a nonexpert crowd for scoring. We test this procedure in a controlled experiment comparing crowd scores to those of experts and showthat crowds can produce matrices with over 90% of cells scored correctly while reducing the number of cells to be scored by experts by 50%. Preparation time, including image collection and processing, for a crowdsourcing experiment is significant, and does not currently save time of scientific experts overall. However, if innovations in automation or robotics can reduce such effort, then large-scale implementation of our method could greatly increase the collective scientific knowledge of species phenotypes for phylogenetic tree building. For the field of crowdsourcing, we provide a rare study with ground truth, or an experimental control that many studies lack, and contribute new methods on how to coordinate the work of experts and nonexperts. We show that there are important instances in which crowd consensus is not a good proxy for correctness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AtHB1 is an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) homeodomain-leucine zipper transcription factor that participates in hypocotyl elongation under short-day conditions. Here, we show that its expression is posttranscriptionally regulated by an upstream open reading frame (uORF) located in its 5' untranslated region. This uORF encodes a highly conserved peptide (CPuORF) that is present in varied monocot and dicot species. The Arabidopsis uORF and its maize (Zea mays) homolog repressed the translation of the main open reading frame in cis, independent of the sequence of the latter. Published ribosome footprinting results and the analysis of a frame-shifted uORF, in which the repression capability was lost, indicated that the uORF causes ribosome stalling. The regulation exerted by the CPuORF was tissue specific and did not act in the absence of light. Moreover, a photosynthetic signal is needed for the CPuORF action, since plants with uncoupled chloroplasts did not show uORF-dependent repression. Plants transformed with the native AtHB1 promoter driving AtHB1 expression did not show differential phenotypes, whereas those transformed with a construct in which the uORF was mutated exhibited serrated leaves, compact rosettes, and, most significantly, short nondehiscent anthers and siliques containing fewer or no seeds. Thus, we propose that the uncontrolled expression of AtHB1 is deleterious for the plant and, hence, finely repressed by a translational mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant responses to herbivore attack are regulated by phytohormonal networks. To date, the role of the auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in this context is not well understood. We quantified and manipulated the spatiotemporal patterns of IAA accumulation in herbivore-attacked Nicotiana attenuata plants to unravel its role in the regulation of plant secondary metabolism. We found that IAA is strongly, rapidly, and specifically induced by herbivore attack. IAA is elicited by herbivore oral secretions and fatty acid conjugate elicitors and is accompanied by a rapid transcriptional increase of auxin biosynthetic YUCCA-like genes. IAA accumulation starts 30 to 60 s after local induction and peaks within 5 min after induction, thereby preceding the jasmonate (JA) burst. IAA accumulation does not require JA signaling and spreads rapidly from the wound site to systemic tissues. Complementation and transport inhibition experiments reveal that IAA is required for the herbivore-specific, JA-dependent accumulation of anthocyanins and phenolamides in the stems. In contrast, IAA does not affect the accumulation of nicotine or 7-hydroxygeranyllinalool diterpene glycosides in the same tissue. Taken together, our results uncover IAA as a rapid and specific signal that regulates a subset of systemic, JA-dependent secondary metabolites in herbivore-attacked plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between reactive oxygen species ( ROS) production and conidial infectivity in Beauveria bassiana. Methods and Results Beauveria bassiana Bb 882.5 was cultured in solid-state culture ( SSC) using rice under three oxygen conditions (21%, or pulses at 16 and 26%). Hydrophobicity was determined using exclusion phase assay. Bioassays with larvae or adults of Tenebrio molitor allowed the measurements of infectivity parameters. A fluorometric method was used for ROS quantification (superoxide and total peroxides). NADPH oxidase ( NOX) activity was determined by specific inhibition. Conidial hydrophobicity decreased by O2 pulses. Mortality of larvae was only achieved with conidia harvested from cultures under 21% O2; whereas for adult insects, the infectivity parameters deteriorated in conidia obtained after pulses at 16 and 26% O2. At day 7, ROS production increased after 16 and 26% O2 treatments. NOX activity induced ROS production at early stages of the culture. Conclusion Modification of atmospheric oxygen increases ROS production, reducing conidial quality and infectivity. Significance and Impact of the Study This is the first study in which conidial infectivity and ROS production in B. bassiana has been related, enhancing the knowledge of the effect of O2 pulses in B. bassiana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]