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Skin epidermis secretes apical extracellular matrix (aECM) as a protective barrier from the external environment. The aECM is highly dynamic and constantly undergoes remodeling during animal development. How aECM dynamics is temporally regulated during development, and whether and how its mis-regulation may impact epidermal cell morphology or function remains to be fully elucidated. Here, we report that the conserved Zn-finger transcription factor BLMP-1/Blimp1, which regulates epidermal development in C. elegans, controls apical cell shape of the epidermis by downregulation of aECM remodeling. Loss of blmp-1 causes upregulation of genes essential for molting, including bus-8 and mlt-8, in adult, leading to an abnormal shape in the apical region of adult epidermal cells. The apical epidermal morphological defect is suppressed by reduction of bus-8 or mlt-8. BUS-8 is a key mannosyltransferase, which functions in glycosylation of N-linked glycoproteins; MLT-8 has a ganglioside GM2 lipid-binding domain and is implicated in signaling during molting, a process where the old cuticle is shed and synthesized anew. Overexpression of bus-8 or mlt-8 induces an apical epidermal cell defect as observed in blmp-1 mutants. MLT-8::GFP fusion protein is localized to lysosomes and secreted to aECM. BUS-8 is important for MLT-8 stability and lysosomal targeting, which may be regulated by BUS-8-mediated glycosylation of MLT-8 and function as a molting signaling cue in aECM remodeling. We propose that BLMP-1 represses MLT-8 expression and glycosylation in the epidermis to prevent inappropriate aECM remodeling, which is essential for maintenance of apical epidermal cell morphology during larva-to-adult transition.

Restaurant industry is continuously growing not only locally but internationally. As Filipino people love eating and travelling, restaurants located in different tourist spots became one of the trends today. For the owners of restaurants, customer satisfaction on their quality of service is important. This research explored the customer satisfaction on the service quality of the selected dining restaurants in the city of Tagaytay. The study used quantitative research design and was conducted in five restaurants such as Claw Daddy's, Kenny Rogers, Leslies, Mama Lou's and Mang Jose. There were 100 respondents in the study who were the guests of the restaurants (20 each) in which the researchers distributed questionnaire. The results of the study showed the customers have the highest level of satisfaction on the service quality of the selected restaurants as all the dimensions of service quality such as reliability, assurance, empathy, tangibles, and responsiveness got a weighted mean equivalent to the verbal interpretation of “Excellent”. With regards to the significant difference in each demographic profile, this study reveals that there is a significant difference on their perception on the service quality when grouped according to gender in reliability, assurance, and empathy. In terms of age, there is significant difference on the customers’ satisfaction specifically in assurance and tangibles. On the other hand, this study also reveals that there is no significant difference on the customer satisfaction to service quality when grouped according to their civil status, occupation, and educational attainment. Keywords: Service Quality, Restaurants, Customer Satisfaction, Tangible, Reliability, Responsiveness, Empathy, Asssurance. Title: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH THE SERVICE QUALITY OF SELECTED DINING RESTAURANTS IN TAGAYTAY CITY Author: Joung Hae Min R., Duenog Nerizza E., Mr. Mario Luis Jamoralin International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online) Vol. 11, Issue 1, January 2023 - March 2023 Page No: 113-128 Research Publish Journals Website: www.researchpublish.com Published Date: 15-February-2023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7643415 Paper Download Link (Source) https://www.researchpublish.com/papers/customer-satisfaction-with-the-service-quality-of-selected-dining-restaurants-in-tagaytay-city, International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online), Research Publish Journals, Website: www.researchpublish.com

Aphelenchoides besseyi is a plant-parasitic nematode (PPN) in the Aphelenchoididae family capable of infecting more than 200 plant species. A. besseyi is also a species complex with strains exhibiting varying pathogenicity to plants. We present the genome and annotations of six Aphelenchoides species, four of which belonged to the A. besseyi species complex. Most Aphelenchoides genomes have a size of 44.7-47.4 Mb and are amongst the smallest in clade IV, with the exception of A. fujianensis, which has a size of 143.8 Mb and is the largest. Phylogenomic analysis successfully delimited the species complex into A. oryzae and A. pseudobesseyi and revealed a reduction of transposon elements in the last common ancestor of Aphelenchoides. Synteny analyses between reference genomes indicated that three chromosomes in A. besseyi were derived from fission and fusion events. A systematic identification of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) genes across 27 representative nematodes allowed us to identify two major episodes of acquisition corresponding to the last common ancestor of clade IV or major PPNs, respectively. These genes were mostly lost and differentially retained between clades or strains. Most HGT events were acquired from bacteria, followed by fungi, and also from plants; plant HGT was especially prevalent in Bursaphelenchus mucronatus. Our results comprehensively improve the understanding of horizontal gene transfer in nematodes.

Aphelenchoides besseyiis a plant-parasitic nematode (PPN) in the Aphelenchoididae family capable of infecting more than 200 plant species.A. besseyiis also a species complex with strains exhibiting varying pathogenicity to plants. We present the genome and annotations of sixAphelenchoidesspecies, four of which belonged to theA. besseyispecies complex. MostAphelenchoidesgenomes have a size of 44.7-47.4 Mb and are amongst the smallest in clade IV, with the exception ofA. fujianensis, which has a size of 143.8 Mb and is the largest. Phylogenomic analysis successfully delimited the species complex intoA. oryzaeandA. pseudobesseyiand revealed a reduction of transposon elements in the last common ancestor ofAphelenchoides. Synteny analyses between reference genomes indicated that three chromosomes inA. besseyiwere derived from fission and fusion events. A systematic identification of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) genes across 27 representative nematodes allowed us to identify two major episodes of acquisition corresponding to the last common ancestor of clade IV or major PPNs, respectively. These genes were mostly lost and differentially retained between clades or strains. Most HGT events were acquired from bacteria, followed by fungi, and also from plants; plant HGT was especially prevalent inBursaphelenchus mucronatus. Our results comprehensively improve the understanding of horizontal gene transfer in nematodes.

Following the introduction of cattle, exotic dung beetles (Coleoptera: Aphodiidae, Geotrupidae, Scarabaeidae) were imported into the Antipodes (Australia and New Zealand) and North America (primarily the United States) to accelerate the degradation of cattle dung on pastures. The history of dung beetle introductions between the two regions is similar but has not previously been assessed: this is important as new introductions are continuing in the regions. Here, we review these introduction programs, report on their current status, and discuss methodological advances. In doing so, we examine the accidental introduction of exotic (i.e., adventive) species and the contribution of both deliberately introduced and adventive species to endemic dung beetle faunas. Further, we provide a list of pest and parasite species whose populations can be reduced by dung beetle activity. We also identify a combined total of 37 introduced and 47 adventive dung beetle species that have become established in the Antipodes and North America, with exotic species dominating dung beetle assemblages from pasture habitats. Climatic and edaphic matches, the size of founding populations, abiotic and biotic stressors, and the time of year when releases are made are all critical determinants that affect the success of dung beetle introduction programs. Finally, we discuss opportunities, plus the risks and challenges associated with dung beetle introductions. We hope that this review will aid in the success of future introduction programs, either to enhance ecosystem services in areas that they are needed, or potentially to reestablish native species in regions where they have been extirpated.

The Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC) comprises fungal pathogens responsible for mortality in a diverse range of animals and plants, but their genome diversity and transcriptome responses in animal pathogenicity remain to be elucidated. We sequenced and compared six chromosome-level FSSC clade 3 genomes of aquatic animal and plant host origins and revealed a spectrum of conservation patterns in chromosomes categorised into three compartments: core, fast-core (FC), and lineage-specific (LS). Each chromosome type varied in structural architectures, with FC and LS chromosomes containing significantly higher proportions of repetitive elements and methylation levels than core chromosomes, with genes exhibiting higher dN/dS and enriched in functions related to pathogenicity and niche expansion. Mesosynteny were detected between FC chromosomes of Fusarium genomes, indicating that these chromosomes were present in a common ancestor that predated FSSC species. These findings provide evidence that genome compartmentalisation was the outcome of multi-speed evolution amongst FSSC chromosomes. We further demonstrated that F. falciforme and F. keratoplasticum are opportunistic pathogens by inoculating Pelodiscus sinensis eggs and identified differentially expressed genes also associated with plant pathogenicity. These included the most upregulated genes encoding the CFEM (Common in Fungal Extracellular Membrane) domain. The study establishes genomic resources and an animal model for fungal pathogens of trans-kingdom hosts.

Nematodes are highly abundant animals with diverse habitats and lifestyles. Some are free-living while others parasitize animals or plants, and among the latter, infection abilities change across developmental stages to infect hosts and complete life cycles. Although parasitism has independently arisen multiple times over evolutionary history, common pressures of parasitism—such as adapting to the host environment, evading and subverting the host immune system, and changing environments across life cycles—have led phenotypes and developmental stages among parasites to converge. To determine the relationship between transcriptome evolution and morphological divergences among nematodes, we compared 48 transcriptomes of different developmental stages across eight nematode species. The transcriptomes were clustered broadly into embryo, larva, and adult stages, suggesting that gene expression is conserved to some extent across the entire nematode life cycle. Such patterns were partly accounted for by tissue-specific genes—such as those in oocytes and the hypodermis—being expressed at different proportions. Although nematodes typically have 3-5 larval stages, the transcriptomes for these stages were found to be highly correlated within each species, suggesting high similarity among larval stages across species. For the Caenorhabditis elegans-C. briggsae and Strongyloides stercoralis-S. venezuelensis comparisons, we found that around 50% of genes were expressed at multiple stages, whereas half of their orthologues were also expressed in multiple but different stages. Such frequent changes in expression have resulted in concerted transcriptome evolution across adjacent stages, thus generating species-specific transcriptomes over the course of nematode evolution. Our study provides a first insight into the evolution of nematode transcriptomes beyond embryonic development.

Additional file 2: Fig. S1. Genome features in FSSC assemblies. Fig. S2. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) phylogeny tree of FSSC. Fig. S3. Genome phylogeny of Fusarium species. Fig. S4. Orthologue sharing amongst Fusarium chromosome. Fig. S5. FSSC genome synteny. Fig. S6. Synteny between F. vanettenii Fs6 and FVANE. Fig. S7. Location of FSSC-specific genes across genomes. Fig. S8. Selection level in FSSC chromosomes. Fig. S9. Orthogroup number comparison between F. falciforme Fu3 and F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopercisi 4287. Fig. S10. Syntenic dotplot between FSSC and non-FSSC species. Fig. S11. Methylation level of each chromosome in FSSC. Fig. S12. Methylation analysis of F. keratoplasticum LHS11. Fig. S13. Methylation analysis of Fusarium sp. Ph1. Fig. S14. Methylation analysis of F. vanettenii Fs6. Fig. S15. Gene density in 10 kb window per chromosome or chromosome types. Fig. S16. Host attraction assay. Fig. S17. Scanning electron microscopy images. Fig. S18. Chinese soft-shelled turtle P. sinensis egg inoculated with conidia of F. falciforme Fu3 or F. keratoplasticum Fu6. Fig. S19. Principal component analyses of pathogens’ gene expression pattern of inoculated samples. Fig. S20. Principal component analyses of pathogens’ gene expression pattern of all samples. Fig. S21. Correlation plots of log2 normalized transcript per million (TPM) of one-to-one orthologous gene of F. falciforme Fu3 and F. keratoplasticum Fu6. Fig. S22. Distribution of all differentially expressed genes of FSSC pathogens during egg inoculation experiment. Fig. S23. Gene expression pattern of the animal host P. sinensis.

Additional file 3. Extended Results and Methods.