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Subterranean termites cause serious damage to wooden structures and manmade structures on the ground. In order to eliminate whole colonies, the baiting has been widely used. However, this method has the disadvantage that the bait stations must be installed in the entire surrounding space, including the damaged site and must be intercepted by termites. In this study, how the installation location of the bait station affected the bait spreading was explored. Tunnel patterns were generated using an agent-based model, and non-bait-infected and bait-infected termites were introduced in the tunnels. The bait was stochastically transferred based on the encounters of non-bait- and bait-infected termites. To characterize bait spreading dynamics, the time for the proportion of bait infected-termites to reach 30%, 90%, and 100% of the total population was measured. These times were denoted as T 03 , T 09 , and T 10 , respectively. Simulation results showed that as the installation site of bait stations, r , approached zero, the spreading of bait started quickly, while T 09 and T 10 were minimum at r = 40 and 50, respectively. After T 09 , the remaining non-bait-infected termites were spatially divided into two groups, near the nest and tunnel ends. Termites near the tunnel ends tended to survive without infection for longer time, causing the difference in the r value. The results gave an insight into the bait station installation to effectively spread the bait. Disadvantages and advantages of this model were discussed, and suggestions to make the simulation model more realistic were provided. • I simulated the situation where hundreds of termites traveled in their tunnel. • I showed that there is a place for a bait station to remove the entire termite colony faster. • I showed the potential to improve the baiting method more efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Damper and field windings are critical components of wound field synchronous motors (WFSM), where failure can lead to forced outage of the motor and industrial process. Due to the relatively rare presence of WFSMs in industry compared to induction motors, research on fault detection techniques for WFSMs is not as active. Rotor fault detection in WFSMs is also difficult, as synchronous operation leaves damper bars inactive during steady state operation while a small number of shorted field windings do not cause noticeable asymmetry. Therefore, most of the field-wide accepted tests rely on off-line testing or visual inspection of the rotor, or require airgap flux measurements, which necessitate motor disassembly and/or installation of sensors. Hence non-intrusive test methods which do not require motor disassembly are sorely needed to guarantee continued operation of the motor and industrial process. In this article, novel test methods based on the use of the leakage flux measured via search coils placed externally on the motor frame are proposed. A non-intrusive method for detecting and distinguishing damper and field winding faults during motor starting is devised from the time and frequency domain analysis of leakage flux and current. The methods are verified via experimental testing on a 30-kW salient pole WFSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motor current signature analysis (MCSA) has been accepted in the field as a reliable means of detecting faults in the rotor cage of induction motors. However, there are many limitations to MCSA-based detection for other types of faults including rotor eccentricity and load defects. Recently, there has been increasing interest in airgap or leakage flux monitoring as an alternative to replace or complement MCSA. Flux monitoring can provide a reliable means of detecting rotor faults since anomalies in the rotor magnetomotive force or airgap can be directly observed. In this article, a new method based on monitoring the attenuation of rotor rotational frequency sidebands in the flux spectra is proposed for reliable detection and classification of rotor cage and eccentricity faults. It is also shown that flux monitoring can provide detection of rotor faults that is insensitive to the load defects. An experimental study under controlled broken bar, eccentricity, misalignment, and load unbalance conditions are given to support the claims. The results show that rotor cage, eccentricity, and load defects can be detected and distinguished for cases where MCSA alone is ineffective. A comparative evaluation between the proposed flux monitoring method and existing methods (MCSA, vibration analysis) is also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The roles of autophagy-related proteins as diagnostic or monitoring biomarkers in Parkinson’s disease (PD) have not been clearly elucidated. We recruited 32 patients with early-stage PD and 28 control subjects, and evaluated parkinsonian motor symptoms and dopamine transporter imaging data. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of LC3B, Beclin1, and LAMP-2 were estimated using ELISAs, and CSF levels of ATG5, ATG7, and p62 were examined by immunoblotting. Additionally, we also assessed the levels of α-synuclein, total tau, and phosphorylated tau in CSF using ELISAs. Significant differences in the levels of LC3B, LAMP-2, and Beclin1 were observed between the PD and control groups. Using 29.8 pg/mL as the cut-off value for a diagnostic biomarker of PD, CSF LC3B levels exhibited high sensitivity (96.9%) and specificity (89.3%) with an area under the curve of 0.982. Furthermore, LC3B was significantly correlated with the asymmetry index in the caudate and putamen, as estimated by a semi-quantitative analysis of [18F] N-(3-fluoropropyl)-2β-carbon ethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane (FP-CIT) positron emission tomography (PET). CSF levels of LC3B represented a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of early-stage PD in patients. Based on our findings, molecular biological changes in PD are associated with dysregulation of the lysosomal autophagy pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the accumulation of protein inclusions and the loss of dopaminergic neurons. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain-stimulating technique that has demonstrated promising results in clinical studies of PD. Despite accumulating evidence indicating that tDCS exerts a protective effect, the mechanism underlying its activity remains unknown. In the present study, we first investigated the neuroprotective effect of tDCS in a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD mouse model and then evaluated the effect of tDCS on the autophagy pathway. tDCS improved behavioral alterations, increased tyrosine hydroxylase protein levels and suppressed α-synuclein protein levels in MPTP-treated mice. MPTP-treated mice subjected to tDCS also had lower levels of autophagy-related proteins, such as microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 and AMP-activated protein kinase, and higher levels of mechanistic target of rapamycin and p62. In addition, the protein levels of phosphoinositide 3-kinase and brain-derived neurotrophic factor were higher, and the levels of unc-51-like kinase 1 were lower in MPTP-treated mice subjected to tDCS. Our findings suggest that tDCS protected against MPTP-induced PD in a mouse model by modulating autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lately, the monitoring and analysis of the induction motor stray flux has been a modern trend and significant research work was accomplished. Most papers have focused on the monitoring of rotor electrical faults around the fundamental stray flux signature, imitating in this way the traditional motor current signature analysis (MCSA). However, such signatures may still have some disadvantages leading to false alarms. This is the motivation behind the use of alternative signatures, such as in this particular case and the mechanical frequency. The existence of the mechanical frequency in the stator current is still the best signature for detection of the mixed rotor eccentricity fault and load imbalances. Even healthy motors present this harmonic due to some low-level inherent eccentricity and inherent load oscillations. Despite that, it will be shown for the first time in this article that the mechanical frequency associated harmonics in the stray flux is possible to originate purely from rotor electrical faults. Those signatures present significant sensitivity to the broken bar fault severity. Moreover, they are advantageous for low load operation compared to traditional signatures. Finally, the sidebands of the mechanical frequency related harmonics are very sensitive to the broken rotor bar fault while quite immune to the number of the rotor bars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detection of rotor cage faults in induction motors based on motor current signature analysis (MCSA) is being extensively applied in the field for preventing forced outage of the motor and industrial process. Although MCSA is very effective for detecting broken bars that are adjacent to each other, it can fail if the broken bars are nonadjacent, which is common for applications with frequent starts. If multiple broken bars are spread out at locations where the rotor “electrical” asymmetry is canceled, the presence of broken bars is difficult to detect with MCSA. A false indication can lead to a catastrophic-forced outage, but the only known means of detecting this type of fault in the field is through rotor visual inspection. In this article, the feasibility of detecting nonadjacent broken rotor bars from the rotor rotational frequency sideband components in the internal and external search coil measurements during steady state and motor starting is evaluated. Experimental testing on a 7.5-hp induction motor shows that nonadjacent broken bars can be reliably detected from the analysis of flux measurements for cases where MCSA and all other electrical tests fail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facilitating efficient resource transfer requires building an optimized transportation network which balances cost minimization with benefit maximization. For animals which forage for food located remotely, optimizing their transportation networks is critically related to survival. This process often involves finding and using the shortest route to save time and energy. Subterranean termites forage for wood resources by excavating underground foraging networks for search and transport. Because termites have no prior knowledge of food location during the food searching phase, establishment of a short tunnel between the nest and feeding site is difficult at the beginning of foraging. Thus, finding a short route should logically follow initial food discovery. However, it remains elusive as to how subterranean termites find the shortest route for food transportation. We simulated different scenarios using Coptotermes formosanus by providing different shapes and distances of pre-formed tunnels (straight, detour, and detour + twisting arenas) to food, where food items were located at a fixed distance from the arena entrance. Termites in the straight arena continuously used the pre-formed tunnel, showing negligible branching efforts. However, termites in the detour and detour + twisting arenas followed the pre-formed tunnel only for the initial few hours before excavating many branching tunnels. This branching activity ultimately resulted in termites finding shorter commuting routes than the pre-formed tunnels. In addition, the shortest established routes were widened over time. This study demonstrated that C. formosanus could actively alter tunnel networks to minimize the cost in food transportation by using short and wide tunnels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An individual-based model simulating termite food transport was constructed. • Termites may adopt a bucket brigade or direct deposition mode strategy depending on traffic jams. • Food transfer frequency and tunnel curvature play an important role in food transport efficiency. From an evolutionary perspective, it is inferred that termites evolved to build tunneling patterns in a way that optimizes search and transport efficiency. So far, there have been many studies on search efficiency, but few studies on transport efficiency due to the difficulty of direct observation under the field condition. To overcome the difficulty, we developed an individual-based model to simulate the transport process. The model was characterized by four variables: (1) the frequency of food transfer (P T), (2) the loss of food during transfer (P L), (3) the effect of tunnel curvature (P C), and (4) the number of individuals participating in the transport (N 0). We explored the effect of the variables on the efficiency of food transport (E). When the distance between the food site and the nest was short, food transport with P T = 0 was advantageous for high E , whereas for long and narrow tunnels with high traffic jam frequency, transport with P T > 0 could be rather advantageous for the increase of E. Another finding was that P T had the greatest effect on E , followed by P L , and third on P C. N 0 had the least impact. In the discussion section, we discussed strategies that termites could take to optimize E with respect to the findings and presented ideas worth exploring experimentally. In addition, we briefly mentioned how the model could be improved to be more realistic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pole drop test is the most common test for detecting inter-turn insulation failure in the rotor field winding of salient pole synchronous machines. Shorted field turns are detected by comparing the voltage drop across each rotor pole with ac voltage applied to the field winding terminals. It is a simple and effective test that is usually performed with the rotor inserted for convenience and high sensitivity. In this work, the influence of rotor eccentricity on the pole drop test is analyzed. It is shown that anomalies in the airgap can interfere with the pole drop test to cause false positive indications. Alternative test options immune to false indications are also suggested in this letter. The analysis and test options for screening false indications due to eccentricity are verified on 4 and 6 pole, 5, 5.5, and 30 kVA synchronous machines under emulated fault conditions. It is shown that eccentricity interferes with the pole drop test and that testing under dc excitation is immune to eccentricity although the sensitivity is lower, which are not reported elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broken damper bars and shorted field winding turns degrade the starting and running performance of industrial wound field synchronous motors (WFSMs), and can lead to a forced outage of the motor and driven process. Testing of WFSM rotor windings mainly relies on offline tests, which cannot be performed frequently and are known to lack reliability. Shorted turns in the field winding can be detected online from the airgap flux measurement, but require a sensor to be installed on the stator bore. In this article, new test methods for detecting and classifying damper and field winding faults based on electrical signals are proposed. The proposed methods can provide remote testing at motor standstill and during the motor starting transient without disassembling the motor. Test results on a 30 kW, salient pole WFSM show that both test methods can provide reliable detection and classification of damper and field winding faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online detection of rotor and load faults in permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) based on spectrum analysis of current or vibration is not capable of identifying the root cause of the fault, since all faults produce identical fault signatures. The sensitivity of fault detection also depends on the motor and controller design making fault detection unreliable. In addition, operation under variable frequency and load limits the effectiveness of spectrum analysis based methods. In this article, airgap flux monitoring is investigated as an alternative for providing reliable identification of rotor and load faults in PMSMs. Based on the analysis of airgap flux under partial and uniform demagnetization, dynamic eccentricity, and load unbalance, an airgap search coil voltage based method for detection and classification of the faults is proposed. The claims made in the article are verified through experimental testing on an IPMSM under emulated fault conditions along with a comparison to vibration and current spectra-based detection. It is shown that the proposed method provides reliable online identification of the faults for cases where conventional spectrum analysis based methods fail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been active research in fault diagnosis of permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) with the recent increase in reliability-critical PMSM applications. Most of the research efforts are focused on the motor current signature analysis (MCSA), as it allows remote online detection of the rotor and load defects using the current measurement available in the drive. A critical limitation of MCSA or vibration analysis is their inability to distinguish the type of rotor or load defect. It is crucial for the maintenance engineer to identify the type of defect since the course of action for continued operation differs depending on the fault. In this letter, a simple automated test method for identifying mass unbalance using vibration measurement commonly available in motor drive systems is proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified on a PMSM under emulated PM demagnetization, dynamic eccentricity, and mass unbalance conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partial discharge (PD) due to high dv/dt pulsewidth modulation has been identified as one of the leading causes of insulation failure in low voltage (LV) variable frequency drive (VFD) fed motors with random wound stator windings. With the recent increase in electrical stress with faster risetime wide bandgap power semiconductor devices and higher dc link voltage for higher efficiency and power density of the system, PD-induced insulation failures are expected to increase. Since LV motor insulation is not resistant to PD, an increasing number of VFD motors are being qualified for PD-free operation. However, the PD inception voltage of qualified motors decreases with insulation aging making LV motors susceptible to failure. In this article, an offline standstill test method is proposed for automated inverter-embedded PD testing under impulse excitation. The main concept is to perform the impulse PD test using the VFD at increased voltage levels for providing advanced warning of PD activity for preventing forced outage of VFD motors. Options for application of increased impulse test voltage and automated detection of PD for implementing the proposed concept are presented. Testing on an 800 V VFD driven motor shows that the proposed method can provide automated impulse PD testing whenever the motor is at standstill to warn the end user of impending PD activity that can lead to failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pole drop test is the most widely applied off-line test for detecting shorted turns in the field winding of salient pole synchronous motors. It is a simple test where the voltage drop (or inductance) of the poles are compared to detect the presence of shorted turns. Although it does not require special test equipment, false indications due to sensitivity problems are common. In this letter, the voltage and inductance distribution between the poles are analyzed under shorted field turn conditions. Some practical insight for enhancing the sensitivity and reliability of the pole drop test are given based on the qualitative analysis and experimental testing on a 30 kVA synchronous motor with shorted field turns. It is shown that the sensitivity of the test is significantly higher when the test is performed with the rotor inserted, which is not reported elsewhere. It is also shown that the reliability of the test can be improved by observing the voltage or inductance in poles adjacent to the pole suspected with shorted turns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been active research on motor current signature analysis (MCSA) for over the last 30+ years, as it can provide remote monitoring of rotor and load defects using the current sensor available in the motor control center. However, many years of experience has shown that 1) rotor eccentricity and load defects cannot be distinguished and 2) false rotor cage fault indications are common in the field. There is a recent trend toward integrating “smart” self-diagnostics in electric machines through embedded sensors, especially in applications such as submersible pumps or nuclear plants where motor inspection is difficult. The objective of this article is to evaluate airgap flux measurement as an option for providing sensitive and reliable monitoring of motor and load defects. A new method based on the analysis of the airgap flux search coil voltage during motor starting is proposed for reliable detection and classification of rotor cage, eccentricity, and mechanical defects in the load. Experimental testing is provided to verify the claims made on the proposed method, for cases where MCSA fails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The damper (or amortisseur) winding of synchronous motors (SMs) is a critical component required for starting the motor. Several cases of the forced outage of industrial processes due to the starting failure of salient-pole SMs caused by damper bar failure have recently been reported. The detection of broken damper bars is difficult since they are active only during rotor acceleration, and offline visual inspection is the only means of testing available in the field. It was recently shown that the broken damper bars can be detected from the airgap flux, but this requires the installation of airgap flux sensors inside the motor. In this article, a method based on the analysis of the stator starting current is proposed for detecting broken damper bars. In addition, an electrical detection method based on signal injection from the motor terminals is proposed. The new methods have been devised to provide remote testing from the motor control center without motor disassembly required in existing tests. Finite-element analysis (1 MW) and experimental testing (30 kW) performed on salient-pole SMs with emulated broken damper bars show that the proposed methods can provide the sensitive and reliable detection of damper bar failures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, is both an economically impactful pest and a successful invader. One method of subterranean termite control is baiting. According to the label, baits are installed surrounding the structure at a uniform interval distance of ≈3 m. However, homeowners and pest control professionals are often concerned that termites may bypass bait stations and have access to the structure. To address this concern, we experimentally duplicated field conditions using a large planar arena (3.6 m × 1.1 m) to study the optimal distribution of bait stations based on colony-wide foraging activity. We installed 2 bait stations 3 m apart as per label instructions and introduced C. formosanus colonies to allow them to explore the arena by tunneling through the sand. In this real-scale arena, all termite colonies intercepted a bait station in an average of 21 (± 8 SD) days. We assumed that termites could find bait faster if there were more bait stations by overlaying additional hypothetical baits closer than per label instruction, but the improvement was incremental, requiring 4 times more stations (0.45 m interval) to obtain a significant difference. We also revealed the characteristic behavior after intercepting bait stations, termites created a burst of tunnels that radiated from the bait station. These branching tunnels averaged 16 cm in length, suggesting immediate interceptions of additional auxiliary stations placed within 16 cm of an active station. These findings contribute to our understanding on how subterranean termites intercept inground bait stations., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Dementia is a syndrome exhibiting progressive impairments on cognition and behavior beyond the normal course of aging, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the neurodegenerative diseases known to cause dementia. We investigated the effect of KGC07EH, the 30% ethanol extract of Euonymus hamiltonianus, against amyloid-β (Aβ) production and cognitive dysfunction in dementia models. KGC07EH was treated on Hela cells expressing the Swedish mutant form of amyloid precursor protein (APP), and the AD triple transgenic (3× TG) mice were given KGC07EH orally during 11-14 months of age (100 and 300 mg/kg/day). SH-SY5Y cell line was used to test KGC07EH on scopolamine-induced elevation of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. ICR mice were intraperitoneally injected with scopolamine, and KGC07EH was administered orally (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks. KGC07EH treatment decreased Aβ, sAPPβ-sw, and sAPPβ-wt levels and APP protein expressions while sAPPα was increased in Swedish mutant-transfected HeLa cells. KGC07EH treatment also significantly reduced the accumulation of Aβ plaques and tau tangles in the brain of 3× TG mice as well as improving the cognitive function. In SH-SY5Y cells cultured with scopolamine, KGC07EH dose-dependently attenuated the increase of AChE activity. KGC07EH also improved scopolamine-induced learning and memory impairment in scopolamine-injected mice, and in their cerebral cortex and hippocampus, the expression levels of p-ERK, p-CREB, p-Akt, and BDNF were attenuated. KGC07EH inhibits APP processing and Aβ production both in vitro and in vivo, while enhancing acetylcholine signaling and cognitive dysfunction which are the major symptoms of dementia., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: To control subterranean termite pests, chitin synthesis inhibitor (CSI) baits have been widely applied. Despite CSI baits having low impacts on the environment, they require a lengthy time period to eliminate colonies. 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) was proposed to speed up the baiting process as it showed faster mortality than CSI baits. However, the efficacy of 20E has previously not been tested at the colony level prior to applying in the field., Results: We compared the effect of 20E, 20E + noviflumuron, noviflumuron and untreated control using colonies of Coptotermes formosanus. Our result revealed that both 20E and 20E + noviflumuron did not accelerate colony elimination and termite activity remained relatively stable during the observation periods. To determine the limited effects of 20E, we further investigated feeding duration and consumption amount of 20E with different concentrations (control, 100 and 1000 ppm) for 10 days. Termites ceased feeding after 1 day in 100 and 1000 ppm treatment and 100% mortality was observed within 10 days in 1000 ppm 20E, while mortality in the 100 ppm 20E treated group was much lower than that in the 1000 ppm group. Furthermore, no termites molted in the control and termites died from hyperecdysonism in 1000 ppm 20E treatment, whereas about 20% of termites molted in 100 ppm 20E., Conclusion: This study demonstrated that 20E may not be suitable as a sole active ingredient to accelerate elimination of a subterranean termite colony, while CSI baits and lower concentrations of 20E may reduce the lengthy time period in colony elimination. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Reticulitermes speratus (Kolbe) is economically important pest in East Asia including Korea, Japan, and China where they infest wooden structures in urban areas. Previously, it has been reported that R. speratus consists of 5 subspecies, R. speratus kyushuensis Morimoto, R. speratus speratus Kolbe, R. speratus leptolabralis Morimoto, R. speratus okinawanus Morimoto, R. speratus yaeyamanus Morimoto, while only R. speratus kyushuensis was recorded in Korea in the past. However, it remains elusive if different subspecies of R. speratus other than R. speratus kyushuensis are present in Korea. In this study, we report the first record of R. speratus speratus from Korea, which was verified using soldier morphology and molecular characteristics obtained from a mitochondrial gene. R. speratus speratus Kolbe, 1885 (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) are found in several provinces, mainly southern regions in Korea, whereas R. speratus kyushuensis are distributed throughout the country. Our morphological comparison showed that R. speratus speratus can be distinguishable from R. speratus kyushuensis by the ratio of the posterior postmentum width to length. In the molecular comparison, R. speratus speratus revealed genetic differences of 3.06% (range 2.60-4.10%) from R. speratus kyushuensis using cytochrome oxidase subunit II gene sequences., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Agarperoxinols A and B ( 1-2 ), two naturally occurring humulene-type sesquiterpenoids with an unprecedented tricyclic 6/6/7 ring, were discovered from the agarwood of Aquilaria malaccensis . Their structures were unambiguously determined by various spectroscopic data, experimental ECD calculations, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Agarperoxinol B showed significant and dose-dependent neuroinflammatory inhibitory effects on various proinflammatory mediators, including NO, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β, and suppressed iNOS and COX-2 enzymes in LPS-activated microglial cells. A mechanistic study demonstrated that agarperoxinol B remarkably inhibited the phosphorylation of the Akt and JNK signaling pathways. Agarperoxinol B also significantly reduced the expression of the microglial markers Iba-1, COX-2, and TNF-α in the mouse cerebral cortex. Our findings introduce a bioactive compound from natural products that decreases proinflammatory factor production and has application for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Background: Stake surveys and in-ground monitoring stations have been widely used to study field populations of many subterranean termite species, but thus far they have never been intercepted by the invasive Asian subterranean termite, Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann), in southeastern Florida. To investigate the reasons for the inability of C. gestroi to intercept these in-ground monitoring devices, we compared its tunnel geometry with that of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Two-year-old incipient colonies of both species confined in simulated structural infestations were connected to planar arenas containing four wooden discs., Results: Coptotermes formosanus colonies constructed more abundant and more complex tunnel networks and intercepted more wooden discs than C. gestroi. C. formosanus propagated shorter primary tunnels and longer secondary tunnels with more branching frequency than C. gestroi, and probably adopted an area searching strategy to search for food in an area before moving on to other areas. In comparison, C. gestroi used a distance searching strategy by constructing linear and long primary tunnels to search for food at distance., Conclusions: Because tunnels of C. gestroi were less abundant and they tend to travel straight for some distance, they may have bypassed survey stakes or in-ground monitoring stations that are sparsely distributed in soil. The tunnel geometry of C. gestroi may explain why none of these in-ground monitoring devices has been intercepted by this species in southeastern Florida. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and C. gestroi (Wasmann) are economically important structural pests in urban areas. Due to anthropogenic activity, both species have been introduced into the United States, with their respective invasive ranges now overlapping in Florida, and the two species have the capability to hybridize. The potential for structural damage from subterranean termite colonies primarily depends on colony size. However, long-term colony growth and wood consumption capabilities of hybrid Coptotermes colonies remain to be investigated, to determine the potential pest status of field-established hybrid colonies. In this study, we investigated long-term colony development over four years to determine if aging hybrid colonies display vigor in terms of colony growth. In addition, we compared wood consumption rate of hybrid colonies to compare their potential impact as structural pests with the two parental species. In aging colonies (four-year-old), both hybrid mating types displayed a colony growth equivalent to C. formosanus. However, the wood consumption rates of four-year-old colonies of the two parental Coptotermes species and their hybrids were similar, indicating equal damaging potential. We also found multiple secondary reproductives in hybrid colonies, even in the presence of primary reproductives, which may favor their potential establishment and spread. Although hybrid colonies or hybrid alates have yet to be detected in the field, our results suggest that such hybrid colonies would be an additional termite threat in the future if they were established in the field., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide, and accumulating evidence indicates that mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with progressive deterioration in PD patients. Previous studies have shown that sinapic acid has a neuroprotective effect, but its mechanisms of action remain unclear. The neuroprotective effect of sinapic acid was assayed in a PD mouse model generated by the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) as well as in SH-SY5Y cells. Target protein expression was detected by western blotting. Sinapic acid treatment attenuated the behavioral defects and loss of dopaminergic neurons in the PD models. Sinapic acid also improved mitochondrial function in the PD models. MPTP treatment increased the abundance of mitochondrial fission proteins such as dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) and phospho-Drp1 Ser616. In addition, MPTP decreased the expression of the REV-ERB α protein. These changes were attenuated by sinapic acid treatment. We used the pharmacological REV-ERB α inhibitor SR8278 to confirmation of protective effect of sinapic acid. Treatment of SR8278 with sinapic acid reversed the protein expression of phospho-Drp1 Ser616 and REV-ERB α on MPTP-treated mice. Our findings demonstrated that sinapic acid protects against MPTP-induced PD and these effects might be related to the inhibiting abnormal mitochondrial fission through REV-ERB α.

Elaborate task allocation is key to the ecological success of eusocial insects. Termite colonies are known for exhibiting age polyethism, with older instars more likely to depart the reproductive center to access food. However, it remains unknown how termites retain this spatial structure against external disturbances. Here we show that a subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki combines age polyethism and behavioral flexibility to maintain a constant worker proportion at the food area. Since this termite inhabits multiple wood pieces by connecting them through underground tunnels, disastrous colony splitting events can result in the loss of colony members. We simulated this via weekly removal of all individuals at the food area. Our results showed that termites maintained a worker proportion of ~ 20% at the food area regardless of changes in total colony size and demographic composition, where younger workers replaced food acquisition functions to maintain a constant worker proportion at the food area. Food consumption analysis revealed that the per-capita food consumption rate decreased with younger workers, but the colony did not compensate for the deficiency by increasing the proportion of workers at the feeding site. These results suggest that termite colonies prioritize risk management of colony fragmentation while maintaining suitable food acquisition efficiency with the next available workers in the colony, highlighting the importance of task allocation for colony resiliency under fluctuating environments., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Foraging in group living animals such as social insects, is collectively performed by individuals. However, our understanding on foraging behavior of subterranean termites is extremely limited, as the process of foraging in the field is mostly concealed. Because of this limitation, foraging behaviors of subterranean termites were indirectly investigated in the laboratory through tunnel geometry analysis and observations on tunneling behaviors. In this study, we tracked subsets of foraging workers from juvenile colonies of Coptotermes formosanus (2-yr-old) to describe general foraging behavioral sequences and to find how foraging workers allocate time between the foraging site (food acquisition or processing) and non-foraging site (food transportation)., Results: Once workers entered into the foraging site, they spent, on average, a significantly longer time at the foraging site than the non-foraging site. Our clustering analysis revealed two different types of foraging workers in the subterranean termite based on the duration of time they spent at the foraging site and their foraging frequency. After entering the foraging site, some workers (cluster 1) immediately initiated masticating wood fragments, which they transferred as food boluses to recipient workers at the foraging site. Conversely, the recipient workers (cluster 2) moved around after entering the foraging site and received food from donating workers., Conclusions: This study provides evidence of task specialization within foraging cohorts in subterranean termites., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

In collective animal motion, coordination is often achieved by feedback between leaders and followers. For stable coordination, a leader's signals and a follower's responses are hypothesized to be attuned to each other. However, their roles are difficult to disentangle in species with highly coordinated movements, hiding potential diversity of behavioural mechanisms for collective behaviour. Here, we show that two Coptotermes termite species achieve a similar level of coordination via distinct sets of complementary leader-follower interactions. Even though C. gestroi females produce less pheromone than C. formosanus , tandem runs of both species were stable. Heterospecific pairs with C. gestroi males were also stable, but not those with C. formosanus males. We attributed this to the males' adaptation to the conspecific females; C. gestroi males have a unique capacity to follow females with small amounts of pheromone, while C. formosanus males reject C. gestroi females as unsuitable but are competitive over females with large amounts of pheromone. An information-theoretic analysis supported this conclusion by detecting information flow from female to male only in stable tandems. Our study highlights cryptic interspecific variation in movement coordination, a source of novelty for the evolution of social interactions.

Extracellular beta amyloid (Aβ) plaques are the neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Accordingly, reducing Aβ levels is considered a promising strategy for AD prevention. 3'-O-acetyl-24-epi-7,8-didehydrocimigenol-3-O-β-D-xylopryranoside significantly decreased the Aβ production and this effect was accompanied with reduced sAPPβ production known as a soluble ectodomain APP fragment through β-secretases in HeLa cells overexpressing amyloid precursor proteins (APPs). This compound also increased the level of sAPPα, which is a proteolytic fragment of APP by α-secretases. In addition, 3'-O-acetyl-24-epi-7,8-didehydrocimigenol-3-O-β-D-xylopryranoside decreased the protein level of β-secretases, but the protein levels of A disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) family, especially ADAM10 and ADAM17, are increased. Thus, 3'-O-acetyl-24-epi-7,8-didehydrocimigenol-3-O-β-D-xylopryranoside could be useful in the development of AD treatment in the aspect of amyloid pathology.

Effective active ingredients in toxicant bait formulations must be non-deterrent to insect feeding behavior at lethal concentrations. This study evaluated feeding deterrence for Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, C. gestroi (Wasmann), and Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) when provided access to cellulose impregnated with various concentrations of the insect molting hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). Termites were exposed to 20E concentrations of 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 ppm and to noviflumuron at 5000 ppm in a 24 h choice-test, and the mass of substrate consumption from treated and untreated media pads was compared for each treatment. 20E feeding deterrence was detected at 500, 1000 and 2000 ppm for C. gestroi , and at 2000 ppm for C. formosanus . No significant differences in consumption of treated and untreated substrate was detected at any concentration for R. flavipes . Potential methods for reducing deterrence are discussed.

Termite colony size can influence its foraging activity, reproductive maturity, and, for pest species, potential for structural damage. Estimating colony size of subterranean termite species in field conditions has been challenging owing to their extensive foraging territory and their cryptic nesting habit and has primarily relied on mark-recapture methods. With laboratory-reared colonies in individual containers, determining colony size can be achieved by processing all termites from the nest material, which can be labor intensive and partially destructive. However, with the recent rise in the need of large laboratory colonies for use in colony-wide experimental protocols, there was an imperative to develop a procedure to estimate initial colony sizes without imposing a major stress on colonies before an experiment. In this study, the average daily wood consumption of whole colonies was used to infer the colony size of two Coptotermes, Wasmann (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) species and their hybrids in laboratory-rearing conditions. Correlations between the daily wood consumption and several demographic variables within colonies were established. Linear models varied across all species mating types with R2 values greater than 0.8 for all demographic variables. For colonies from all mating combinations, Pearson's correlation coefficient values were greater than 0.94 between their daily wood consumption and both the number of workers and total number of termites, and greater than 0.91 between daily wood consumption and colony mass. Therefore, in colonies with fixed laboratory conditions, their average daily wood consumption determination, which is nondestructive on colonies, can be used to infer colony size of subterranean termites., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2020.)

Cimicifuga dahurica has traditionally been used as an antipyretic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory agent and as a treatment for uterine and anal prolapse. This study has investigated the potential beneficial effects of this medicinal plant and its components on Alzheimer's disease (AD) with a focus on amyloid beta (Aβ) production and scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice. An ethanol extract from C. dahurica roots decreased Aβ production in APP-CHO cells [Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cells stably expressing amyloid precursor protein (APP)], as determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis. Then, the compounds isolated from C. dahurica were tested for their antiamyloidogenic activities. Four compounds ( 1 - 4 ) efficiently interrupted Aβ generation by suppressing the level of β-secretase in APP-CHO cells. Moreover, the in vivo experimental results demonstrated that compound 4 improved the cognitive performances of mice with scopolamine-induced disruption on behavioral tests and the expression of memory-related proteins. Taken together, these results suggest that C. dahurica and its constituents are potential agents for preventing or alleviating the symptoms of AD.

Subterranean termite nests are located underground and termites forage out by constructing tunnels to reach food resources, and tunneling behavior is critical in order to maximize the foraging efficiency. Excavation, transportation, and deposition behavior are involved in the tunneling, and termites have to move back and forth to do this. Although there are three sequential behaviors, excavation has been the focus of most previous studies. In this study, we investigated the deposition behavior of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, in experimental arenas having different widths (2, 3, and 4 mm), and characterized the function of deposited particles. We also simulated moving distance of the termites in different functions. Our results showed that total amounts of deposited particles were significantly higher in broad (4 mm width) than narrow (2 mm) tunnels and most deposited particles were observed near the tip of the tunnel regardless of tunnel widths. In addition, we found that deposited particles followed a quadratic decrease function, and simulation results showed that moving distance of termites in this function was the shortest. The quadratic decrease function of deposited particles in both experiment and simulation suggested that short moving distance in the decrease quadratic function is a strategy to minimize moving distance during the deposition behavior., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interests., (© 2020 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

As a social insect, termites have different castes and division of labor in a colony. Investigating the social behavior of subterranean termites is a challenge due to the cryptic nature and large colony size. Planar arenas are commonly used to study these termites under laboratory conditions, and have provided several advantages. However, there is no means to designate areas such as a royal chamber or central nest from foraging sites because reproductives can move freely across arenas. In this study, we examined the minimum passing size of different castes of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae), in order to develop a reproductive excluder and correlated minimum passing size with head widths and heights. We found that workers and soldiers of C. formosanus were able to pass through a gap greater than or equal to 0.7 mm. Our results showed that there are significant differences in the head width and height based on castes and head height was more critical than head width to determine passing size. We further confirmed feasibilities of the reproductive excluders using incipient colonies of C. formosanus. Confining reproductives using the excluder in laboratory experiments will provide more chances to study the royal chamber and central nest independently of foraging sites., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the accumulation of protein inclusions and the loss of dopaminergic neurons. Abnormal mitochondrial homeostasis is thought to be important for the pathogenesis of PD. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a noninvasive brain stimulation technique, constitutes a promising approach for promoting recovery of various neurological conditions. However, little is known about its mechanism of action. The present study elucidated the neuroprotective effects of tDCS on the mitochondrial quality control pathway in a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD mouse model. We used the MPTP-induced neurotoxicity in vivo model. Mice were stimulated for 5 consecutive days with MPTP treatment. After observation of behavioral alteration using the rotarod test, mice were sacrificed for the measurement of the PD- and mitochondrial quality control-related protein levels in the substantia nigra. tDCS improved the behavioral alterations and changes in tyrosine hydroxylase levels in MPTP-treated mice. Furthermore, tDCS attenuated mitochondrial damage, as indicated by diminished mitochondrial swelling and mitochondrial glutamate dehydrogenase activity in the MPTP-induced PD mouse model. MPTP significantly increased mitophagy and decreased mitochondrial biogenesis-related proteins. These changes were attenuated by tDCS. Furthermore, MPTP significantly increased fission-related protein dynamin-related protein 1 with no effect on fusion-related protein mitofusin-2, and tDCS attenuated these changes. Our findings demonstrated the neuroprotective effect of anodal tDCS on the MPTP-induced neurotoxic mouse model through suppressing excessive mitophagy and balancing mitochondrial dynamics. The neuroprotective effect of anodal tDCS with modulation of mitochondrial dynamics provides a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PD., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Laboratory studies of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) often employ the use of field-collected foraging populations of individuals as defined colonies. The biological relevance of this practice is often called into question, because these colonies lack a full composition of reproductive castes and brood, which may have physiological and behavioral consequences. Rearing intact laboratory colonies can be done; however, it is time-consuming and labor-intensive. The artificial fusion of field-collected foraging populations with a young, laboratory-reared incipient colony may provide whole, intact colonies for laboratory research. The current study measures survivorship of fused colonies using laboratory-reared complete incipient colonies ranging in age from 0 to 5 mo, fused with 100 workers and 10 soldiers from field-collected populations of different colonial origin. Results indicate that 60% of colony fusion was successful when the incipient colony introduced is 5 mo of age. This method of colony fusion will provide researchers with intact colonies using minimal resources., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The roles of autophagy-related proteins as diagnostic or monitoring biomarkers in Parkinson's disease (PD) have not been clearly elucidated. We recruited 32 patients with early-stage PD and 28 control subjects, and evaluated parkinsonian motor symptoms and dopamine transporter imaging data. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of LC3B, Beclin1, and LAMP-2 were estimated using ELISAs, and CSF levels of ATG5, ATG7, and p62 were examined by immunoblotting. Additionally, we also assessed the levels of α-synuclein, total tau, and phosphorylated tau in CSF using ELISAs. Significant differences in the levels of LC3B, LAMP-2, and Beclin1 were observed between the PD and control groups. Using 29.8 pg/mL as the cut-off value for a diagnostic biomarker of PD, CSF LC3B levels exhibited high sensitivity (96.9%) and specificity (89.3%) with an area under the curve of 0.982. Furthermore, LC3B was significantly correlated with the asymmetry index in the caudate and putamen, as estimated by a semi-quantitative analysis of [ 18 F] N-(3-fluoropropyl)-2β-carbon ethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane (FP-CIT) positron emission tomography (PET). CSF levels of LC3B represented a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of early-stage PD in patients. Based on our findings, molecular biological changes in PD are associated with dysregulation of the lysosomal autophagy pathway.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the accumulation of protein inclusions and the loss of dopaminergic neurons. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain-stimulating technique that has demonstrated promising results in clinical studies of PD. Despite accumulating evidence indicating that tDCS exerts a protective effect, the mechanism underlying its activity remains unknown. In the present study, we first investigated the neuroprotective effect of tDCS in a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD mouse model and then evaluated the effect of tDCS on the autophagy pathway. tDCS improved behavioral alterations, increased tyrosine hydroxylase protein levels and suppressed α-synuclein protein levels in MPTP-treated mice. MPTP-treated mice subjected to tDCS also had lower levels of autophagy-related proteins, such as microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 and AMP-activated protein kinase, and higher levels of mechanistic target of rapamycin and p62. In addition, the protein levels of phosphoinositide 3-kinase and brain-derived neurotrophic factor were higher, and the levels of unc-51-like kinase 1 were lower in MPTP-treated mice subjected to tDCS. Our findings suggest that tDCS protected against MPTP-induced PD in a mouse model by modulating autophagy.

Statins have been reported to have neuroprotective effects through anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, and statin can also modulate autophagic signaling in an oxygen-toxicity models. Therefore, we investigated the effects of statin on autophagy markers and evaluated the neuroprotective effect of rosuvastatin against rotenone-induced neurotoxicity. As an in vitro model of Parkinson's disease(PD) we adopted the rotenone-induced neurotoxicity model in SH-SY5Y cells. Cell viability was measured using the MTT assay, and to detect the expression of LC3 and α-synuclein, immunofluorescence analysis was performed. Intracellular signaling proteins associated with autophagy were explored via immunoblotting. Treatment with rosuvastatin alone increased the levels of mTOR-independent/upstream autophagy markers, including Beclin-1 and AMPK. Rotenone treatment of SH-SY5Y cells reduced their viability and α-synuclein expression; simultaneous exposure to rosuvastatin significantly restored these parameters. Rotenone enhanced mTOR expression and suppressed Beclin-1 expression, indicating suppression of the autophagic system. However, combined treatment with rosuvastatin also restored the Beclin-1 expression and decreased mTOR expression. We demonstrated the neuroprotective effect of statin in SH-SY5Y cells against rotenone-induced neurotoxicity, as well as the modulation of ɑ-synuclein expression. The neuroprotective mechanism is likely to be associated with enhanced autophagy. The neuroprotective effect of statin on rotenone-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity with modulation of autophagy provides a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PD., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background and Purpose: Fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) is a fatal clinical syndrome that results in excessive inflammation and hepatocyte death. Mitochondrial dysfunction is considered to be a possible mechanism of FHF. Afzelin, a flavonol glycoside found in Houttuynia cordata Thunberg, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The present study elucidated the cytoprotective mechanisms of afzelin against D-galactosamine (GalN)/LPS induced FHF, particularly focusing on mitochondrial quality control and dynamics., Experimental Approach: Mice were administered afzelin i.p. 1 h before receiving GalN (800 mg·kg -1 )/LPS (40 μg·kg -1 ), and they were then killed 5 h after GalN/LPS treatment., Key Results: Afzelin improved the survival rate and reduced the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase and pro-inflammatory cytokines in GalN/LPS-treated mice. Afzelin attenuated the mitochondrial damage, as indicated by diminished mitochondrial swelling and mitochondrial glutamate dehydrogenase activity in GalN/LPS-treated mice. Afzelin enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis, as indicated by increased levels of PPAR-γ coactivator 1α, nuclear respiratory factor 1 and mitochondrial transcription factor A. Afzelin also decreased the level of mitophagy-related proteins, parkin and PTEN-induced putative kinase 1. Furthermore, while GalN/LPS significantly increased the level of fission-related protein, dynamin-related protein 1, and decreased the level of fusion-related protein, mitofusin 2; these effects were attenuated by afzelin., Conclusions and Implications: Our findings demonstrated that afzelin protects against GalN/LPS-induced liver injury by enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis, suppressing excessive mitophagy and balancing mitochondrial dynamics., (© 2016 The British Pharmacological Society.)

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the immediate effect of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation on muscle tone and muscle stiffness in stroke patients. [ Subjects and Methods] The subjects consisted of 15 patients with chronic stroke (stroke group) and 15 healthy persons (healthy group). We measured the effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation intervention on the lower extremity using a muscle tone measurement device; this detected changes in muscle tone and stiffness in the lower extremity muscles. [Results] Measurements taken before the intervention showed that, on average, the lower extremity muscles of the stroke group showed abnormally increased muscle tone and stiffness compared to the lower extremity muscles of the healthy group. After the intervention, the average muscle tone and stiffness in the lower extremity muscles of the stroke group decreased, but this change was insignificant, and the differences between the two groups were also insignificant. [Conclusion] Based on the findings of this study, we recommend proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation treatment of both affected and non-affected sides to decrease the abnormally increased muscle tone and stiffness in the lower extremity muscles of chronic stroke patients.