Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-distance assessment of patch profitability through volatile infochemicals by the parasitoids Cotesia glomerata and C. rubecula (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).

Using two closely related larval parasitoids (Cotesiaspp.) ofPieriscaterpillars we tested the hypothesis that parasitoids are capable of assessing patch profitability from a distance by showing differential responses to odors from plants infested with different host densities. We furthermore tested whether experience improves this assessment process. The effect of host densities on the olfactory responses of naive and experienced females was studied in two-choice wind tunnel experiments. Naive females ofCotesia glomerataandC. rubeculadiscriminated between odors from plants with high and low densities. Responsiveness of naive females to odors from host-infested leaves increased with an increase in the total number of feeding hosts. InC. glomeratasensitivity to low host densities increased after experience. The effect of multiple oviposition experiences ofC. glomerataon different plants with different host densities was measured in two-choice situations. Females indeed use experienced host density of a patch as a cue to establish a preference, but the sequence of the experienced host densities influences the behavior to a great extent. The first experience does not entirely fix their behavior. ForC. glomerata,the retention time of learned odors was 3 days. This study illustrates the importance of quantitative differences in infochemicals to host-foraging decisions from a distance. It further demonstrates how experience can modify the parasitoid's response to variation in resource availability.
The Assembly and Organization of the α5 and α7 Helices from the Pore-forming Domain of Bacillusthuringiensis δ-Endotoxin

The pore-forming domain of Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal CryIIIA δ-endotoxin contains two helices, α5 and α7, that are highly conserved within all different Cry δ-endotoxins. To gain information on the mode of action of δ-endotoxins, we have used a spectrofluorimetric approach and characterized the structure, the organization state, and the ability to self-assemble and to co-assemble within lipid membranes of α5 and α7. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy revealed that α7 adopts a predominantly α-helical structure in methanol, similar to what has been found for α5, and consistent with its structure in the intact molecule. The hydrophobic moment of α7 is higher than that calculated for α5; however, α7 has a lesser ability to permeate phospholipids as compared to α5. Binding experiments with 7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole-4-yl (NBD)-labeled peptide demonstrated that α7 binds to phospholipid vesicles with a partition coefficient in the order of 104M−1 similar to α5, but with reduced kinetics and in a noncooperative manner, as opposed to the fast kinetics and cooperativity found with α5. Resonance energy transfer measurements between fluorescently labeled pairs of donor (NBD)/acceptor (rhodamine) peptides revealed that, in their membrane-bound state, α5 self-associates but α7 does not, and that α5 coassembles with α7 but not with an unrelated membrane bound α-helical peptide. Furthermore, resonance energy transfer experiments, using α5 segments, specifically labeled in either the N- or C-terminal sides, suggest a parallel organization of α5 monomers within the membranes. Taken together the results are consistent with an umbrella model suggested for the pore forming activity of δ-endotoxin (Li, J., Caroll, J., and Ellar, D. J.(1991) Nature 353, 815-821), where α5 has transmembrane localization and may be part of the pore lining segment(s) while α7 may serve as a binding sensor that initiates the binding of the pore domain to the membrane.
Croton suassunae (Euphorbiaceae): A New Dioecious Species from Northeastern Brazil

Abstract During a taxonomic revision of Croton sect. Lasiogyne in Brazil, a new species was found that is described and illustrated here. Croton suassunae clearly belongs to C. sect. Lasiogyne and is morphologically similar to C. tricolor and C. limae. Its distribution, habitat, phenology, and informal conservation status are presented, as well as an identification key and a table describing the differences between that species and its closest relatives. The discovery of C. suassunae adds dioecious plants and bifid styles to the concept of C. sect. Lasiogyne.
Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential on Ocular, Cervical, and Soleus Muscles to Assess the Extent of Neurological Impairment in HTLV-1 Infection

Introduction: Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (VEMP) can be used to test central vestibular pathways from the midbrain to the lumbar spine, according to the muscle tested. Purpose: to compare the spinal cord alteration in individuals with HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM) and with HTLV-1-asymptomatic infection using the VEMP recorded from different muscles. Methods: VEMP was recorded in 90 individuals of whom 30 had HAM, 30 were HTLV-1 asymptomatic carriers, and 30 negative controls. VEMP was recorded in the oculomotor muscle (oVEMP), testing the vestibulo-ocular reflex, and in the cervical muscle (cVEMP) and soleus muscle (sVEMP), testing the vestibulospinal reflex, respectively, in the cervical and in the lumbar spinal level. The type of stimulation was auditory for oVEMP and cVEMP, and galvanic for sVEMP. The compared variables were the latencies of the electrophysiological waves. Results: HTLV-1-asymptomatic group was similar to the controls regarding oVEMP (p = 0.461), but different regarding cVEMP (p < 0.001) and sVEMP (p < 0.001). HAM group has presented the worst latencies and was different from the HTLV-1-asymptomatic group in the VEMP of all the tested muscles (p < 0.001). The concomitant occurrence of VEMP alterations in the three recorded muscles of the same individual was found in 2 (6.7%) asymptomatic carriers and in 20 (66.7%) patients with HAM (p = 0.001). The analysis of VEMP alteration per group and per muscle has showed that, in HTLV-1-asymptomatic group, oVEMP was altered in 3 (10.0%) individuals, cVEMP in 10 (33.3%) and sVEMP in 13 (43.3%). In HAM group, oVEMP was altered in 23 (76.6%) individuals, cVEMP in 27 (90%), and sVEMP in 30 (100%). Conclusion: HTLV-1-neurological damage has followed an ascendant progression beginning at the lumbar spine in the stage of a clinically asymptomatic infection, whereas HAM has affected not only the spine, but also the midbrain.
Comparing the effects of Benzyladenine and meta-Topolin on sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) micropropagation.

Micropropagation of aromatic plants reveals an effective way of obtaining high volume, virus-free plant material of uniform quality. The application of meta -Topolin ( m T) (N 6 -(2-hydroxybenzyl) adenine-9-riboside) and aromatic cytokinin as Benzyladenine (BAP) in the micro propagation of sweet basil ( Ocimum basilicum L.) was tested for the first time and plant growth parameters assessed to determine the optimum level of these cytokinins. Additionally, the rate of root-growth inhibition due to these two cytokinins was also assessed. Our results show that 1 mg/l (4.43 m M) BAP and 0.5 mg/l (2.07 m M) m T produced the most favourable effects on new shoot developments. Meta -Topolin was shown to increase the quality of the plants and in comparison with BAP fewer distortions were observed. No significant differences in root-growth inhibition between the m T and BAP were detected.
Automated Electrochemical Glucose Biosensor Platform as an Efficient Tool Toward On-Line Fermentation Monitoring: Novel Application Approaches and Insights

Monitoring and control of fermentation processes remain a crucial challenge for both laboratory and industrial-scale experiments. Reliable identification and quantification of the key process parameters in on-line mode allow operation of the fermentation at optimal reactor efficiency, maximizing productivity while minimizing waste. However, state-of-the-art fermentation on-line monitoring is still limited to a number of standard measurements such as pH, temperature and dissolved oxygen, as well as off-gas analysis as an advanced possibility. Despite the availability of commercial biosensor-based platforms that have been established for continuous monitoring of glucose and various biological variables within healthcare, on-line glucose quantification in fermentation processes has not been implemented yet to a large degree. For the first time, this work presents a complete study of a commercial flow-through-cell with integrated electrochemical glucose biosensors (1st generation) applied in different media, and importantly, at- and on-line during a yeast fed-batch fermentation process. Remarkably, the glucose biosensor–based platform combined with the developed methodology was able to detect glucose concentrations up to 150 mM in the complex fermentation broth, on both cell-free and cell-containing samples, when not compromised by oxygen limitations. This is four to six-fold higher than previously described in the literature presenting the application of biosensors predominately toward cell-free fermentation samples. The automated biosensor platform allowed reliable glucose quantification in a significantly less resource and time (<5 min) consuming manner compared to conventional HPLC analysis with a refractive index (RI) detector performed as reference measurement. Moreover, the presented biosensor platform demonstrated outstanding mechanical stability in direct contact with the fermentation medium and accurate glucose quantification in the presence of various electroactive species. Coupled with the developed methodology it can be readily considered as a simple, robust, accurate and inexpensive tool for real-time glucose monitoring in fermentation processes.
IL-17 Induced Autophagy Regulates Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Fibrosis in Severe Asthmatic Bronchial Fibroblasts

The accumulation of fibroblasts, their synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and their innate resistance to apoptosis are characteristics of subepithelial fibrosis observed in severe asthma. Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is an important regulator of airway remodeling in asthma. However, the contribution of IL-17 to the pro-fibrotic phenotype of bronchial fibroblasts is not well-characterized. In this study, we investigated whether IL-17 induced autophagy regulates mitochondrial and pro-fibrotic function in bronchial fibroblasts. The primary cultured bronchial fibroblasts isolated from non-asthmatic (NHBF) and severe asthmatic (DHBF) subjects were treated with IL-17 in order to ascertain its effect on mitochondrial function, mitochondrial quality control, and apoptosis using immunoblotting and flow cytometric analyses. At baseline, DHBF exhibited higher levels of mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis compared to NHBF. Immunohistochemical evaluation of bronchial biopsies showed intense PINK1 immunoreactivity in severe asthma than in control. IL-17 intensified the mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired the mitochondrial quality control machinery in NHBF and DHBF. Moreover, IL-17 augmented a pro-fibrotic and anti-apoptotic response in both group of fibroblasts. Inhibition of autophagy using bafilomycin-A1 reduced PINK1 expression in NHBF and restored the IL-17 mediated changes in PINK1 to their basal levels in DHBF. Bafilomycin-A1 also reversed the IL-17 associated fibrotic response in these fibroblasts, suggesting a role for IL-17 induced autophagy in the induction of fibrosis in bronchial fibroblasts. Taken together, our findings suggest that IL-17 induced autophagy promotes mitochondrial dysfunction and fibrosis in bronchial fibroblasts from both non-asthmatic and severe asthmatic subjects. Our study provides insights into the therapeutic potential of targeting autophagy in ameliorating fibrosis, particularly in severe asthmatic individuals.
Ancient Patrilineal Lines and Relatively High ECAY Diversity Preserved in Indigenous Horses Revealed With Novel Y-Chromosome Markers

Extremely low nucleotide diversity of modern horse Y-chromosome has been reported, and only poor phylogenetic resolution could be resulted from limited Y-chromosome markers. In this study, three types of horse Y-chromosome markers, including Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), copy number variants (CNVs), and allele-specific CNVs, were developed by screening more than 300 male horses from 23 indigenous Chinese horse populations and 4 imported horse breeds. Fourteen segregating sites including a novel SNP in the AMELY gene were found in approximately 53 kb of male-specific Y-chromosome sequences. CNVs were detected at 11 of 14 sites, while allele-specific CNVs at 6 polymorphic sites in repeated fragments were also determined. The phylogenetic analyses with the SNPs identified in this study and previously published 51 SNPs obtained mainly from European horses showed that indigenous Chinese horses exhibit much deeper divergence than European and Middle Eastern horses, while individuals of Chinese horses with the C allele of the AMELY gene constituted the most ancient group. Via SNPs, CNVs, and allele-specific CNVs, much higher diversity of paternal lines can be detected than those identified with merely SNPs. Our results indicated that there are ancient paternal horse lines preserved in southwestern China, which sheds new light on the domestication and immigration of horses, and suggest that the priorities of the conservation should be given to the ancient and rare paternal lines. These three marker types provided finer phylogenetic resolution of horse patrilineal lines, and the strategies used in the present study also provide valuable reference for the genetic studies of other mammalian patrilineages.
Disentangling the Taxonomic Variations within the High-Andean Complex Gomphrena meyeniana (Gomphrenoideae, Amaranthaceae)

Abstract Gomphrena meyeniana is an extremely variable species from the Andean highlands, which has attracted the attention of many botanists because it is the world's highest-elevation C4 eudicot and because of its wide morphological variability. It has the typical high-Andean plant morphology, with small leaves tightly clustered on a thick rootstock. The large range of morphological variation within this species coupled with the varying opinions on the existence of several species or infra-specific taxa and the lack of molecular information has made the clarification of the G. meyeniana complex a challenge. Our approach was to perform broad molecular sampling to identify the phylogenetic position of G. meyeniana within Gomphrena and to perform a multivariate analysis to objectively differentiate taxa based on morphological characters. The ITS and trnL-F regions were analyzed individually and in combination using Bayesian inference and maximum parsimony methods. To analyze the morphological characters we performed a clustering method (partitioning around medoids with the Gower's dissimilarity algorithm). The molecular analyses supported the monophyly of the G. meyeniana complex, but did not support segregation into varieties. The morphological analyses supported recognition of three varieties that can be easily distinguished by three simple characters: the presence of leaves on the flowering shoot, the habit of the flowering shoot, and the pilosity of the sepals. The varieties of G. meyeniana accepted here are G. meyeniana var. meyeniana, G. meyeniana var. caulescens, and G. meyeniana var. flaccida. A dichotomous key to identify the infra-specific taxa is here presented and illustrated. Gomphrena meyeniana var. tucumanensis and G. meyeniana var. conwayi are synonymized with G. meyeniana var. caulescens and G. meyeniana var. meyeniana, respectively.
Plant metacommunity structure remains unchanged during biodiversity loss in English woodlands

The metacommunity concept provides important insights into large-scale patterns and dynamics of distributions of interacting species. However, temporal change of metacommunity structure is little studied and has not been previously analysed in the context of biodiversity change. As metacommunity structure is determined by multiple species distributions, it is expected to change as a result of biodiversity loss. To examine this process, we analysed structural change of a southern English woodland metacommunity at two points in time, seven decades apart. During this interval, the metacommunity lost β-diversity through taxonomic homogenization. We performed an ‘elements of metacommunity structure’ (EMS) analysis to examine metacommunity structure, based upon three structural elements: coherence (i.e. gaps in species range along a structuring gradient), spatial turnover (replacements), and species range boundary clumping. We predicted that metacommunity structure would decrease in spatial turnover and thus become more nested over time. We tested for change in individual structural elements with z-scores and examined the role of spatial and environmental variables as potential structuring mechanisms through correlation with EMS ordination axes. Our results demonstrated that the metacommunity had a Clementsian structure that was maintained over time. Despite no change in broad structure, coherence and species range boundary clumping increased. Spatial turnover increased along the first structuring gradient but decreased on the second gradient. We hypothesise that this difference between gradients may reflect the presence of competing processes affecting spatial turnover. The mechanisms of biological structuring involved both environmental and spatial factors at the scale of the individual woodland. Therefore, our results suggest that broad metacommunity structure would not be a good landscape-scale indicator for conservation status. Conversely, knowledge that metacommunity structure does not change over time could assist in long-term conservation strategy because fundamental metacommunity structural processes are resistant to environmental change.
A New Species of Croton (Euphorbiaceae) from a Madagascan Lineage Discovered in Coastal Kenya

Abstract Croton kinondoensis, a new species from Kenya, is described and illustrated here with photographs. It is found in the sacred Kaya Kinondo Forest, one of the last remaining coastal forests patches in Kenya. Its morphology and systematic position based on ITS and trnL-F DNA sequence data clearly place it within the Adenophorus Group of Croton, a clade of ca. 15 species otherwise known only from Madagascar and the Comoros Archipelago. Its closest affinities appear to lie with Croton mayottae, from the island of Mayotte, and C. menabeensis, from northwestern Madagascar. This new species likely represents an independent dispersal of Croton from Madagascar to mainland Africa.
The Core Gut Microbiome of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae Raised on Low-Bioburden Diets

An organism’s gut microbiome handles most of the metabolic processes associated with food intake and digestion but can also strongly affect health and behavior. A stable microbial core community in the gut provides general metabolic competences for substrate degradation and is robust against extrinsic disturbances like changing diets or pathogens. Black Soldier Fly larvae (BSFL; Hermetia illucens) are well known for their ability to efficiently degrade a wide spectrum of organic materials. The ingested substrates build up the high fat and protein content in their bodies that make the larvae interesting for the animal feedstuff industry. In this study, we subjected BSFL to three distinct types of diets carrying a low bioburden and assessed the diets’ impact on larval development and on the composition of the bacterial and archaeal gut community. No significant impact on the gut microbiome across treatments pointed us to the presence of a predominant core community backed by a diverse spectrum of low-abundance taxa. Actinomyces spp. , Dysgonomonas spp. , and Enterococcus spp. as main members of this community provide various functional and metabolic skills that could be crucial for the thriving of BSFL in various environments. This indicates that the type of diet could play a lesser role in guts of BSFL than previously assumed and that instead a stable autochthonous collection of bacteria provides the tools for degrading of a broad range of substrates. Characterizing the interplay between the core gut microbiome and BSFL helps to understand the involved degradation processes and could contribute to further improving large-scale BSFL rearing.
Effect of Co-solution of Carbon Precursor and Activating Agent on the Textural Properties of Highly Porous Activated Carbon Obtained by Chemical Activation of Lignin With H3PO4

This work analyzes the effect of co-solution of carbon precursor and activating agent on the textural and surface chemistry properties of highly nanoporous activated carbons obtained by chemical activation of Alcell lignin with phosphoric acid. The success of this methodology highlights the possibility of directly using the liquors produced in organosolv process (Alcell) to prepare activated carbons by chemical activation with phosphoric acid. Co-solutions of lignin and phosphoric acid were submitted to a two steps thermal treatment, which consisted of a first oxidative treatment in air at 200°C, followed by a thermal treatment in N2 at 400°C, where activation of the oxidized lignin with phosphoric acid took place. A lignin-derived activated carbon with very high apparent surface area (2550 m2/g) and pore volume (1.30 cm3/g) was obtained with an initial phosphoric acid to lignin mass ratio of 2. Up to now, this is one of the highest values of apparent surface area reported not only for activated carbons prepared from lignin, but even for porous carbons prepared by chemical activation of other lignocellulosic materials with phosphoric acid. The use of lignin and phosphoric acid co-solution provided larger and more homogeneous effective interactions between the carbon precursor and the activating agent, by the formation of phosphate esters in the lignin matrix, which seems to be a key factor in the subsequent treatments: promoting crosslinking reactions in the carbonaceous matrix during the oxidative treatment in air at 200°C and enhancing the development of a wide porosity during the following activation thermal treatment.