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Passiflora quadrangularis L. belongs to the family Passifloraceae which bears larger fruit with edible juicy mesocarp and pulp known as a good source of phytochemicals. Cultivation and plant management practices are known to influence the phytochemical compositions of agricultural produce. This study aimed to examine the influence of the cultivation practices on the antioxidant activities and secondary metabolites of the organically and conventionally grown P. quadrangularis. Findings revealed organically treated P. quadrangularis plants showed enhancement in their antioxidant properties and secondary metabolites profiles. Among the plant parts, leaves of P. quadrangularis grown organically possessed higher antioxidant activities compared to the conventional in all assays evaluated. The antioxidant activities in the edible parts of the P. quadrangularis fruit have also been enhanced through organic cultivation with significantly higher total phenolic content and DPPH in mesocarp, and the pulp showed higher total flavonoid content, DPPH and FRAP. This observation is supported by a higher level of vitamins and secondary metabolites in the samples. The secondary metabolites profile showed mesocarps were phenolic rich, the pulps were flavonoids rich while leaves showed good composition of phenolics, flavonoids and terpenoids with outstanding antioxidant activities. The common secondary metabolites for organically produced P. quadrangularis in different plant parts include 2-isopropyl-3-methoxycinnamic acid (mesocarp and pulp), myricetin isomers (pulp and leaves), and malvidin-3-O-arabinoside isomers (pulp and leaves). This study confirmed that organic cultivated P. quadrangularis possessed higher antioxidant activities contributed by its vitamins and secondary metabolites.

Concentrating fruit juices by freezing supports the maintenance of both nutrients and flavors. Development of the freezing concentration process has introduced equipment such as centrifuge or block freezing systems, which are suitable for large-scale commercial processing. However, the necessary characteristics of freeze concentration methods for juices include simplicity and low cost. This study examined the effects of different container shapes on the processes of freezing and melting. The shape of the container was found to be more important than the melting temperature, across a relatively large scale. Furthermore, the nutrient procyanidin B2 and saccharides were concentrated. The methods concentrated juice components under low cost conditions without complex equipment. This research thus not only offers benefits for commercial juice preparation but also provides new insight into effects of shape differences in concentration technologies.

Globally, the economic losses due to hard ticks infestation and the control of the associated diseases have been calculated at USD $13.9–18.7 billion per year. The economic impact is related to its direct damage to the skins, blood loss, anemia, severe immunological reactions and indirect losses that related to the effects of hemoparasites, cost of treatment for clinical cases and expenses incurred in the control of ticks. The current study evaluated the acaricidal activities of fennel Foeniculum vulgare essential oil and its main components; trans-anethole and fenchone; against R. annulatus. GC–MS analysis revealed that this oil contained 16 components representing 99.9% of the total identified compounds with E-anethole being the predominant component(64.29%), followed by fenchone (9.94%). The fennel oil and trans-anethole showed significant acaricidal activities. The LC50 of the fennel oil was attained at concentrations of 12.96% for adult ticks and 1.75% for tick larvae meanwhile the LC50 of trans-anethole was reached at concentrations of 2.36% for adult tick and 0.56% for tick larvae. On the contrary, fenchone showed no any significant adulticidal activities and its LC50 attained at a concentration of 9.11% for tick larvae. Regarding repellence activities, trans-anethole achieved 100% repellency at the concentration of 10% while fennel showed 86% repellency at the same concentration. Fenchone showed no repellency effect. Treatment of larvae with fennel, trans-anethole, and fenchone LC50 concentrations significantly inhibited the acetylcholinesterase activity. Meanwhile, glutathione s-transferase activity was significantly decreased in fennel treated larvae but no significant effect was found in the larvae of trans-anethole and fenchone groups. These results indicate that the acaricide effect of fennel oil may attributed to its high content of trans-anethole. This was supported by potent adulticidal, larvicidal, and repellency effects of trans-anethole against Rhipeciphalus annulatus tick and therefore it could be included in the list of acaricide of plant origin.

Several lines of evidence point towards the central role of interleukin 23 (IL-23) as a crucial inflammatory mediator in the pathogenesis of spondyloarthritis-a group of inflammatory arthritic diseases whose symptoms span the skin, gastrointestinal tract and joints. While therapeutic blockade of IL-23 proved successful in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, psoriatic skin disease and peripheral spondyloarthritis it failed in patients suffering from spondyloarthritis with predominantly axial involvement. Here we review state-of-the-art discoveries on IL-23 signalling pathways across target tissues involved in spondyloarthritis. We discuss the discrepancies in resident IL-23 responding cells and their downstream activities across skin, gut and joint that shape the unique immunological landscape of spondyloarthritis.

Frass (fine powdery refuse or fragile perforated wood produced by the activity of boring insects) of larvae of the European house borer (EHB) and of drywood termites was tested as a natural and novel feedstock for 3D-printing of wood-based materials. Small particles produced by the drywood termite Incisitermes marginipennis and the EHB Hylotrupes bajulus during feeding in construction timber, were used. Frass is a powdery material of particularly consistent quality that is essentially biologically processed wood mixed with debris of wood and faeces. The filigree-like particles flow easily permitting the build-up of wood-based structures in a layer wise fashion using the Binder Jetting printing process. The quality of powders produced by different insect species was compared along with the processing steps and properties of the printed parts. Drywood termite frass with a Hausner Ratio HR = 1.1 with ρBulk = 0.67 g/cm3 and ρTap = 0.74 g/cm3 was perfectly suited to deposition of uniformly packed layers in 3D printing. We suggest that a variety of naturally available feedstocks could be used in environmentally responsible approaches to scientific material sciences/additive manufacturing.

A synthetic microbial consortium called Effective Microorganisms (EM) consists mainly of photosynthetic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria and yeast. Various effects of EM∙XGOLD, a health drink produced by EM, on life cycle of Dictyostelium discoideum were described previously. Here, we report our attempt to identify the active principle, termed EMF, that brought about the observed effects. Throughout the purification processes, the presence of the active principle was monitored by promoted fruiting body formation. By liquid-liquid separation the activity was recovered in aqueous phase, which, after concentration, was further subjected to reverse-phase column chromatography. No activity was detected in any eluant, while almost all the activity was recovered in residual insoluble material. The application of conventional organic chemistry procedures to the residual fraction did not lead to any informative results. Acid treatment of the insoluble material produced air bubbles, suggesting it to be composed of some inorganic carbonate. Viewed under scanning electronmicroscope, the residue revealed spherical particles of μm size range. Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) Spectroscopy pointed to the existence, on the surface of the particles, of magnesium and, to a certain extent, of potassium. In separate experiments, acid treatment and alkali neutralization of EM∙XGOLD completely wiped out the stimulatory activity of fruiting body formation. These lines of evidence indicate these Mg, K-containing microparticles to be an active principle of EM culture extract. How these particles exert their effect is currently under intensive investigation.

Annually, agricultural activity produces an enormous amount of plant biomass by-product. Many studies have reported the biomethane potential of agro-industrial wastes, but only a few studies have investigated applying the substrates in both batch and continuous mode. Tomato is one of the most popular vegetables globally; its processing releases a substantial amount of by-product, such as stems and leaves. This study examined the BMP of tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum Mill. L. cv. Alfred) waste. A comparative test revealed that the BMPs of corn stover, tomato waste,and their combination were approximately the same, around 280 mL methane/g Volatile Solid. In contrast, the relative biogas production decreased in the presence of tomato waste in a continuous mesophilic anaerobic digestion system; the daily biogas productions were 860 ± 80, 290 ± 50, and 570 ± 70 mL biogas/gVolatile Solid/day in the case of corn stover, tomato waste, and their mixture, respectively. The methane content of biogas was around 46–48%. The fermentation parameters of the continuous AD experiments were optimal in all cases; thus, TW might have an inhibitory effect on the microbial community. Tomato plant materials contain e.g. flavonoids, glycoalkaloids (such as tomatine and tomatidine), etc. known as antimicrobial and antifungal agents. The negative effect of tomatine on the biogas yield was confirmed in batch fermentation experiments. Metagenomic analysis revealed that the tomato plant waste caused significant rearrangements in the microbial communities in the continuously operated reactors. The results demonstrated that tomato waste could be a good mono-substrate in batch fermentations or a co-substrate with corn stover in a proper ratio in continuous anaerobic fermentations for biogas production. These results also point to the importance of running long-term continuous fermentations to test the suitability of a novel biomass substrate for industrial biogas production.

International audience; The fermentation of dietary fibre (DF) leads to the production of bioactive metabolites, the most volatile ones being excreted in the breath. The aim of this study was to analyze the profile of exhaled breath volatile metabolites (BVM) and gastrointestinal symptoms in healthy volunteers after a single ingestion of maltodextrin (placebo) versus chitin-glucan (CG), an insoluble DF previously shown to be fermented into short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) by the human microbiota in vitro. Maltodextrin (4.5 g at day 0) or CG (4.5 g at day 2) were added to a standardized breakfast in fasting healthy volunteers (n = 15). BVM were measured using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) throughout the day. A single ingestion of 4.5 g CG did not induce significant gastrointestinal discomfort. Untargeted metabolomics analysis of breath highlighted that 13 MS-fragments (among 408 obtained from ionizations of breath) discriminated CG versus maltodextrin acute intake in the posprandial state. The targeted analysis revealed that CG increased exhaled butyrate and 5 other BVM - including the microbial metabolites 2,3-butanedione and 3-hydroxybutanone - with a peak observed 6 h after CG intake. Correlation analyses with fecal microbiota (Illumina 16S rRNA sequencing) spotlighted Mitsuokella as a potential genus responsible for the presence of butyric acid, triethylamine and 3-hydroxybutanone in the breath. In conclusion, measuring BMV in the breath reveals the microbial signature of the fermentation of DF after a single ingestion. This protocol allows to analyze the time-course of released bioactive metabolites that could be proposed as new biomarkers of DF fermentation, potentially linked to their biological properties. Trial registration: Clinical Trials NCT03494491. Registered 11 April 2018 - Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03494491.

Despite the development of effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, epidemiological control of the virus is still challenging due to slow vaccine rollouts, incomplete vaccine protection to current and emerging variants, and unwillingness to get vaccinated. Therefore, frequent testing of individuals to identify early SARS-CoV-2 infections, contact-tracing and isolation strategies remain crucial to mitigate viral spread. Here, we describe WHotLAMP, a rapid molecular test to detect SARS-CoV-2 in saliva. WHotLAMP is simple to use, highly sensitive (3.6 viral RNA copies per microliter of saliva) and specific, as well as inexpensive, making it ideal for frequent screening. Moreover, WHotLAMP does not require toxic chemicals or specialized equipment and thus can be performed in point-of-care settings, and may also be adapted for resource-limited environments or home use. While applied here to SARS-CoV-2, WHotLAMP can be modified to detect other pathogens, making it adaptable for other diagnostic assays, including for use in future outbreaks.

As a means of obtaining reproducible and accurate numbers of larvae for laboratory rearing, we tested a large-particle flow-cytometer type device called the ‘Automated Particle Counter’ (APC). The APC is a gravity-fed, self-contained unit that detects changes in light intensity caused by larvae passing the detector in a water stream and controls dispensing by stopping the flow when the desired number has been reached. We determined the accuracy (number dispensed compared to the target value) and precision (distribution of number dispensed) of dispensing at a variety of counting sensitivity thresholds and larva throughput rates (larvae per second) using < 1-day old Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti larvae. All measures were made using an APC algorithm called the ‘Smoothed Z-Score’ which allows the user to define how many standard deviations (Z scores) from the baseline light intensity a particle’s absorbance must exceed to register a count. We dispensed a target number of 100 An. gambiae larvae using Z scores from 2.5–8 and observed no difference among them in the numbers dispensed for scores from 2.5–6, however, scores of 7 and 8 under-counted (over-dispensed) larvae. Using a Z score ≤ 6, we determined the effect of throughput rate on the accuracy of the device to dispense An. gambiae larvae. For rates ≤ 98 larvae per second, the accuracy of dispensing a target of 100 larvae was - 2.29% ± 0.72 (95% CI of the mean) with a mode of 99 (49 of 348 samples). When using a Z score of 3.5 and rates ≤ 100 larvae per second, the accuracy of dispensing a target of 100 Ae. aegypti was - 2.43% ± 1.26 (95% CI of the mean) with a mode of 100 (6 of 42 samples). No effect on survival was observed on the number of An. gambiae first stage larvae that reached adulthood as a function of dispensing.

Among the challenges of sustainable management of meat production, the key issue is to improve the energy efficiency of production processes, which will consequently affect the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Such effects are achieved by combining various chilling systems with electrical stimulation that determines the quality of meat at the slaughter stage. The novelties of the research undertaken included determining the impact of various variants of meat production (chilling method: slow, fast, accelerated + HVES/NES) on changes in the basic (industrial) quality indicators (pH and temperature) of beef produced from Polish Holstein-Friesian breed cattle, and then indicating the optimal variant for energy-efficient (sustainable) beef production. The HVES and the fast chilling method yielded positive economic (meat weight loss), technological (high quality, hot-boning), energetic (lower electricity consumption), and organizational effects (reduced chilling and storage surfaces and expenditures for staff wages) compared to the slow and accelerated methods. Reaching the desired final temperature with an increased amount of chilled meat enables obtaining a few-fold decrease in the specific energy consumption and a higher energy efficiency of the process. This allows recommending the above actions to be undertaken by entrepreneurs in the pursuit of sustainable meat production.

The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) has been considered the most effective way to avoid the contamination of healthcare workers by different microorganisms, including SARS-CoV-2. A spray disinfection technology (chamber) was developed, and its efficacy in instant decontamination of previously contaminated surfaces was evaluated in two exposure times. Seven test microorganisms were prepared and inoculated on the surface of seven types of PPE (respirator mask, face shield, shoe, glove, cap, safety glasses and lab coat). The tests were performed on previously contaminated PPE using a manikin with a motion device for exposure to the chamber with biocidal agent (sodium hypochlorite) for 10 and 30s. In 96.93% of the experimental conditions analyzed, the percentage reduction was >99% (the number of viable cells found on the surface ranged from 4.3x106 to E. faecalis collected from the glove showed the lowest percentages reduction, with 86.000 and 86.500% for exposure times of 10 and 30 s, respectively. The log10 reduction values varied between 0.85 log10 (E. faecalis at 30 s in glove surface) and 9.69 log10 (E. coli at 10 and 30 s in lab coat surface). In general, E. coli, S. aureus, C. freundii, P. mirabilis, C. albicans and C. parapsilosis showed susceptibility to the biocidal agent under the tested conditions, with >99% reduction after 10 and 30s, while E. faecalis and P. aeruginosa showed a lower susceptibility. The 30s exposure time was more effective for the inactivation of the tested microorganisms. The results show that the spray disinfection technology has the potential for instant decontamination of PPE, which can contribute to an additional barrier for infection control of healthcare workers in the hospital environment.

N6-adenosine methylation (m(6)A) of mRNA is an essential process in most eukaryotes, but its role and the status of factors accompanying this modification are still poorly understood. Using combined methods of genetics, proteomics and RNA biochemistry, we identified a core set of mRNA m(6)A writer proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana. The components required for m(6)A in Arabidopsis included MTA, MTB, FIP37, VIRILIZER and the E3 ubiquitin ligase HAKAI. Downregulation of these proteins led to reduced relative m(6)A levels and shared pleiotropic phenotypes, which included aberrant vascular formation in the root, indicating that correct m(6)A methylation plays a role in developmental decisions during pattern formation. The conservation of these proteins amongst eukaryotes and the demonstration of a role in writing m(6)A for the E3 ubiquitin ligase HAKAI is likely to be of considerable relevance beyond the plant sciences.

International audience; Vesicle-in-vesicle self-assembled containers, or vesosomes, are promising alternatives to liposomes because of their possible hierarchical encapsulation and high stability. We report herein the first example of sugar-based vesicles-in-vesicles, which we baptize glucosomes. These were prepared by using a natural microbial glycolipid (branched C22 sophorolipid) extracted from the culture medium of the yeast Pseudohyphozyma bogoriensis. Glucosomes spontaneously formed in water between pH 6 and pH 4 at room temperature, without the requirement of any additive. By means of pH-resolved in situ small angle X-ray scattering, we provided direct evidence for the vesicle-formation mechanism. Statistical treatment of the vesicle radii distribution measured by cryo-tansmission electron microscopy by using a derived form of the Helfrich bending free-energy expression provided an order of magnitude for the effective bending constant (the sum of the curvature and the saddle-splay moduli) of the lipid membrane to K=(0.4±0.1) kBT. This value is in agreement with the bending constant measured for hydrocarbon-based vesicles membranes.

Curcumin, a natural compound extracted from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa, displays pronounced anticancer properties but lacks good bioavailability and stability. In a previous study, we initiated structure modification of the curcumin scaffold by imination of the labile β‐diketone moiety to produce novel β‐enaminone derivatives. These compounds showed promising properties for elaborate follow‐up studies. In this work, we focused on another class of nitrogen‐containing curcuminoids with a similar objective: to address the bioavailability and stability issues and to improve the biological activity of curcumin. This paper thus reports on the synthesis of new pyridine‐, indole‐, and pyrrole‐based curcumin analogues (aza‐aromatic curcuminoids) and discusses their water solubility, antioxidant activity, and antiproliferative properties. In addition, multivariate statistics, including hierarchical clustering analysis and principal component analysis, were performed on a broad set of nitrogen‐containing curcuminoids. Compared to their respective mother structures, that is, curcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin, all compounds, and especially the pyridin‐3‐yl β‐enaminone analogues, showed better water solubility profiles. Interestingly, the pyridine‐, indole‐, and pyrrole‐based curcumin derivatives demonstrated improved biological effects in terms of mitochondrial activity impairment and protein content, in addition to comparable or decreased antioxidant properties. Overall, the biologically active N‐alkyl β‐enaminone aza‐aromatic curcuminoids were shown to offer a desirable balance between good solubility and significant bioactivity.

Point-of-care testing (POCT) in low-resource settings requires tools that can operate independent of typical laboratory infrastructure. Due to its favorable signal-to-background ratio, a wide variety of biomedical tests utilize fluorescence as a readout. However, fluorescence techniques often require expensive or complex instrumentation and can be difficult to adapt for POCT. To address this issue, we developed a pocket-sized fluorescence detector costing less than $15 that is easy to manufacture and can operate in low-resource settings. It is built from standard electronic components, including an LED and a light dependent resistor, filter foils and 3D printed parts, and reliably detected less than 10 nM fluorescein concentrations (with a lower limit of detection of ≈6.8 nM), which is sufficient to follow typical biochemical reactions used in POCT applications. All assays are conducted on filter paper, which allows for a flat detector architecture to improve signal collection. We validate the device by quantifying in vitro RNA transcription and also demonstrate sequence-specific detection of target RNAs in the nanomolar range using a Cas13a-based fluorescence assay. Cas13a is a RNA-guided, RNA-targeting CRISPR effector with promiscuous RNase activity upon recognition of its RNA target. Cas13a sensing is highly specific and adaptable and in combination with our detector represents a promising approach for nucleic acid POCT. Furthermore, our open-source device architecture could be a valuable educational tool that integrates hardware, software and biochemistry concepts.

Summary PIRIN (PRN) genes encode cupin domain‐containing proteins that function as transcriptional co‐regulators in humans but that are poorly described in plants. A previous study in xylogenic cell cultures of Zinnia elegans suggested a role for a PRN protein in lignification. This study aimed to identify the function of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) PRN proteins in lignification of xylem tissues.Chemical composition of the secondary cell walls was analysed in Arabidopsis stems and/or hypocotyls by pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, 2D‐nuclear magnetic resonance and phenolic profiling. Secondary cell walls of individual xylem elements were chemotyped by Fourier transform infrared and Raman microspectroscopy.Arabidopsis PRN2 suppressed accumulation of S‐type lignin in Arabidopsis stems and hypocotyls. PRN2 promoter activity and PRN2:GFP fusion protein were localised specifically in cells next to the vessel elements, suggesting a role for PRN2 in noncell‐autonomous lignification of xylem vessels. Accordingly, PRN2 modulated lignin chemistry in the secondary cell walls of the neighbouring vessel elements.These results indicate that PRN2 suppresses S‐type lignin accumulation in the neighbourhood of xylem vessels to bestow G‐type enriched lignin composition on the secondary cell walls of the vessel elements. Gene expression analyses suggested that PRN2 function is mediated by regulation of the expression of the lignin‐biosynthetic genes.

Bacterial expansin-like proteins have synergistically increased cellulose hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes during the initial stages of biofuel production, but they have not been tested on livestock feeds. The objectives of this study were to: isolate and express an expansin-like protein (BsEXLX1), to verify its disruptive activity (expansion) on cotton fibers by immunodetection (Experiment 1), and to determine the effect of dose, pH and temperature for BsEXLX1 and cellulase to synergistically hydrolyze filter paper (FP) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) under laboratory (Experiment 2) and simulated ruminal (Experiment 3) conditions. In addition, we determined the ability of BsEXLX1 to synergistically increase hydrolysis of corn and bermudagrass silages by an exogenous fibrolytic enzyme (EFE) (Experiment 4) and how different doses of BsEXLX1 and EFE affect the gas production (GP), in vitro digestibility and fermentation of a diet for dairy cows (Experiment 5). In Experiment 1, immunofluorescence-based examination of cotton microfiber treated without or with recombinant expansin-like protein expressed from Bacillus subtilis (BsEXLX1) increased the surface area by > 100% compared to the untreated control. In Experiment 2, adding BsEXLX1 (100 μg/g FP) to cellulase (0.0148 FPU) increased release of reducing sugars compared to cellulase alone by more than 40% (P < 0.01) at optimal pH (4.0) and temperature (50°C) after 24 h. In Experiment 3 and 4, adding BsEXLX1 to cellulase or EFE, synergistically increased release of reducing sugars from FP, corn and bermudagrass silages under simulated ruminal conditions (pH 6.0, 39°C). In Experiment 5, increasing the concentration of BsEXLX1 linearly increased (P < 0.01) GP from fermentation of a diet for dairy cows by up to 17.8%. Synergistic effects between BsEXLX1 and EFE increased in vitro NDF digestibility of the diet by 23.3% compared to the control. In vitro digestibility of hemicellulose and butyrate concentration were linearly increased by BsEXLX1 compared to the control. This study demonstrated that BsEXLX1 can improve the efficacy of cellulase and EFE at hydrolyzing pure substrates and dairy cow feeds, respectively.

Previous studies have demonstrated that skin vibration is an important factor affecting the roughness perception of fine textures. For coarse textures, the determining physical factor is much less clear and there are indications that this might be participant-dependent. In this paper, we focused on roughness perception of both coarse and fine textures of different materials (glass particle surfaces and sandpapers). We investigated the relationship between subjective roughness ratings and three physical parameters (skin vibration, friction coefficient, and particle size) within a group of 30 participants. Results of the glass particle surfaces showed both spatial information (particle size) and temporal information (skin vibration) had a high correlation with subjective roughness ratings. The former correlation was slightly but significantly higher than the latter. The results also indicated different weights of temporal information and spatial information for roughness ratings among participants. Roughness ratings of a different material (sandpaper versus glass particles) could be either larger, similar or smaller, indicating differences among individuals. The best way to describe our results is that in their perceptual evaluation of roughness, different individuals weight temporal information, spatial information, and other mechanical properties differently.

A diversity of arthropods (myrmecophiles) thrives within ant nests, many of them unmolested though some, such as the specialized Eucharitidae parasitoids, may cause direct damage to their hosts. Ants are known to discriminate between nestmates and non-nestmates, but whether they recognize the strength of a threat and their capacity to adjust their behavior accordingly have not been fully explored. We aimed to determine whether Ectatomma tuberculatum ants exhibited specific behavioral responses to potential or actual intruders posing different threats to the host colony and to contribute to an understanding of complex ant-eucharitid interactions. Behavioral responses differed significantly according to intruder type. Ants evicted intruders that represented a threat to the colony's health (dead ants) or were not suitable as prey items (filter paper, eucharitid parasitoid wasps, non myrmecophilous adult weevils), but killed potential prey (weevil larvae, termites). The timing of detection was in accordance with the nature and size of the intruder: corpses (a potential source of contamination) were detected faster than any other intruder and transported to the refuse piles within 15 min. The structure and complexity of behavioral sequences differed among those intruders that were discarded. Workers not only recognized and discriminated between several distinct intruders but also adjusted their behavior to the type of intruder encountered. Our results confirm the previously documented recognition capabilities of E. tuberculatum workers and reveal a very fine-tuned intruder discrimination response. Colony-level prophylactic and hygienic behavioral responses through effective removal of inedible intruders appears to be the most general and flexible form of defense in ants against a diverse array of intruders. However, this generalized response to both potentially lethal and harmless intruders might have driven the evolution of ant-eucharitid interactions, opening a window for parasitoid attack and allowing adult parasitoid wasps to quickly leave the natal nest unharmed.

Wound contraction is an ancient survival mechanism of vertebrates that results from tensile forces supporting wound closure. So far, tissue tension was attributed to cellular forces produced by tissue‐resident (myo‐)fibroblasts alone. However, difficulties in explaining pathological deviations from a successful healing path motivate the exploration of additional modulatory factors. Here, it is shown in a biomaterial‐based in vitro wound healing model that the storage of tensile forces in the extracellular matrix has a significant, so‐far neglected contribution to macroscopic tissue tension. In situ monitoring of tissue forces together with second harmonic imaging reveal that the appearance of collagen fibrils correlates with tissue contraction, indicating a mechanical contribution of tensioned collagen fibrils in the contraction process. As the re‐establishment of tissue tension is key to successful wound healing, the findings are expected to advance the understanding of tissue healing but also underlying principles of misregulation and impaired functionality in scars and tissue contractures.

UMR BFP - Equipe OrFE; International audience; Droughts cause severe crop losses worldwide and climate change is projected to increase their prevalence in the future. Similar to the situation for many crops, the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Ath) is considered drought-sensitive, whereas, as we demonstrate, its close relatives Arabidopsis lyrata (Aly) and Eutrema salsugineum (Esa) are drought-resistant. To understand the molecular basis for this plasticity we conducted a deep phenotypic, biochemical and transcriptomic comparison using developmentally matched plants. We demonstrate that Aly responds most sensitively to decreasing water availability with early growth reduction, metabolic adaptations and signaling network rewiring. By contrast, Esa is in a constantly prepared mode as evidenced by high basal proline levels, ABA signaling transcripts and late growth responses. The stress-sensitive Ath responds later than Aly and earlier than Esa, although its responses tend to be more extreme. All species detect water scarcity with similar sensitivity; response differences are encoded in downstream signaling and response networks. Moreover, several signaling genes expressed at higher basal levels in both Aly and Esa have been shown to increase water-use efficiency and drought resistance when overexpressed in Ath. Our data demonstrate contrasting strategies of closely related Brassicaceae to achieve drought resistance.

Determining the distribution of the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis, YFP) in the Yangtze River has to date relied on traditional visual and counting methods, but such field surveys are time-consuming and expensive. Analyses using environmental DNA (eDNA) to investigate the presence and range of endangered aquatic species have proven to be more economical and effective detection methods, and are a non-invasive approach to sampling. A challenge of relying on eDNA for YFP monitoring is that the Yangtze River is characterized by high turbidity and a strong current. Here, we used an eDNA-based approach to estimate the presence of YFP at 18 sites in the Yangtze River in August 2017 and at an additional 11 sites in January 2018. At each sampling site, we filtered six 1 L water samples with 5 µm pore size filter paper and quantified the amount of YFP eDNA in each water sample using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). In addition, YFP eDNA was successfully detected in locations where we visually observed YFP, as well as in locations where YFP were not observed directly. We found that our eDNA-based method had higher detection rates than traditional field survey methods. Although YFP was visually observed in the Yangtze River in winter, water samples collected during the summer contained significantly higher YFP eDNA than winter water samples. Our results demonstrate the potential effectiveness of eDNA detection methods in determining the distribution of YFP in the Yangtze River.

Background Phlebotomine sand flies are vectors of human leishmaniases, important neglected tropical diseases. In this study, we investigated diel patterns of oviposition behavior, effects of visual cues on oviposition-site selection, and whether these affect the attraction of gravid Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli), the vector of old-world cutaneous leishmaniasis, to olfactory cues from oviposition sites. Methodology/principal findings To evaluate these questions, we conducted a series of experiments using attraction and oviposition assays within free-flight test chambers containing gravid females entrained under a 14:10 hrs light:dark photoperiod. By replacing sticky-screens or moist filter papers every three hours, we showed that oviposition site search occurs mainly in the latest part of the night whereas peak oviposition occurs during the early part of the night. Behavioral responses to olfactory oviposition cues are regulated by time-of-day and can be disrupted by transient exposure to a constant darkness photoperiod. Gravid females, but not any other stage, age, or sex, were attracted to dark, round oviposition jars, possibly resembling rodent burrow openings. This visual attraction disappeared in the absence of an illumination source. Egg deposition rate was not affected by jar color. Olfactory cues had the strongest effect when the visual cues were minimal. Conclusion and significance Our study showed, for the first time, that visual cues in the form of oviposition-site color, lighting level, and photoperiod are important in guiding the oviposition behavior of phlebotomine sand flies. Furthermore, such visual cues could modify the flies’ sensitivity to olfactory oviposition cues. Our results suggest that chemosensory and visual cues are complementary, with visual cues used to orient gravid females towards oviposition sites, possibly at long- to medium-ranges during crepuscular periods, while olfactory cues are used to approach the burrow in darkness and assess its suitability at close-range. Implications to sand fly control are discussed., Author summary Sand flies are vectors of human leishmaniases, an important neglected tropical disease. An alternative approach to the conventional delivery of an insecticide to the vector is to bring the vector to the insecticide using oviposition (egg-laying)-site attractants. Olfactory cues originating from organic matter have been identified as important sources of oviposition attractants. However, nothing is known regarding visual assessment of oviposition sites by sand flies. Also, little is understood about diel egg-laying patterns of sand flies. Finally, it is not known if visual cues and time-of-day may affect their sensitivity to olfactory cues. In this study, we investigated these questions in a series of lab experiments using free-flight cage arenas, with Phlebotomus papatasi (vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis). We showed that peak oviposition-site search and sensitivity to olfactory cues occurs mainly in the latest part of the night whereas peak oviposition occurs during the early part of the night. We demonstrated that only gravid females, but not any other stage or sex, were attracted to dark, round oviposition jars resembling burrow openings. Finally, we showed that sensitivity to olfactory cues is reduced in the presence of strong visual cues and in the absence of natural diel photoperiod.

International audience; The widespread use of facemasks throughout the population is recommended by the WHO to reduce transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. As some regions of the world are facing mask shortages, reuse may be necessary. However, used masks are considered as a potential hazard that may spread and transmit disease if they are not decontaminated correctly and systematically before reuse. As a result, the inappropriate decontamination practices that are commonly witnessed in the general public are challenging management of the epidemic at a large scale. To achieve public acceptance and implementation, decontamination procedures need to be low-cost and simple. We propose the use of hot hygroscopic materials to decontaminate non-medical facemasks in household settings. We report on the inactivation of a viral load on a facial mask exposed to hot hygroscopic materials for 15 minutes. As opposed to recent academic studies whereby decontamination is achieved by maintaining heat and humidity above a given value, a more flexible procedure is proposed here using a slow decaying pattern, which is both effective and easier to implement, suggesting straightforward public deployment and hence reliable implementation by the population.

Recent works revealed that bark is able to produce mechanical stress to control the orientation of young tilted stems. Here we report how the potential performance of this function changes with stem size in six Amazonian species with contrasted bark anatomy. The potential performance of the mechanism depends both on the magnitude of bark stress and the relative thickness of the bark. We measured bark longitudinal residual strain and density, and the allometric relationship between bark thickness and stem radius over a gradient of tree sizes. Constant tensile stress was found in species that rely on bark for the control of stem orientation in young stages. Other species had increasing compressive stress, associated with increasing density attributed to the development of sclereids. Compressive stress was also associated with low relative bark thickness. The relative thickness of bark decreased with size in all species, suggesting that a reorientation mechanism based on bark progressively performs less well as the tree grows. However, greater relative thickness was observed in species with more tensile stress, thereby evidencing that this reduction in performance is mitigated in species that rely on bark for reorientation., During ontogeny, species that rely on bark for posture control maintain thick bark and constant tensile stress, while other species have relatively thinner bark and increasing compressive stress.

Fundamental ecological principles of ecosystem-level respiration are extensively applied in greenhouse gas and elemental cycle studies. A laboratory system termed CEMS (Carbon Dioxide Evolution Measurement System), developed to explore microbial biofilm growth and metabolic responses, was evaluated as an early-warning system for microbial disturbances in industrial settings: in (a) potable water system contamination, and (b) bioreactor inhibition. Respiration was detected as CO2 production, rather than O2 consumption, including aerobic and anaerobic metabolism. Design, thresholds, and benefits of the remote CO2 monitoring technology were described. Headspace CO2 correlated with contamination levels, as well as chemical (R2 > 0.83–0.96) and microbiological water quality indicators (R2 > 0.78–0.88). Detection thresholds were limiting factors in monitoring drinking water to national and international standards (0 CFU/100 mL fecal coliforms) in both open- (>1500 CFU/mL) and closed-loop CO2 measuring regimes (>100 CFU/100 mL). However, closed-loop detection thresholds allow for the detection of significant contamination events, and monitoring less stringent systems such as irrigation water (2 fluctuations from chemical CO2 dynamics, to optimize this real-time, sustainable, low-waste technology, facilitating timeous responses to biological disturbances in bioreactors.

Due to the inefficient reproduction of microorganisms in oxygen-deprived environments of the reservoir, the applications of microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) are restricted. To overcome this problem, a new type of air-assisted MEOR process was investigated. Three compounding oil degradation strains were screened using biochemical experiments. Their performances in bacterial suspensions with different amounts of dissolved oxygen were evaluated. Water flooding, microbial flooding and air-assisted microbial flooding core flow experiments were carried out. Carbon distribution curve of biodegraded oil with different oxygen concentration was determined by chromatographic analysis. The long-chain alkanes are degraded by microorganisms. A simulation model was established to take into account the change in oxygen concentration in the reservoir. The results showed that the optimal dissolved oxygen concentration for microbial growth was 4.5~5.5mg/L. The main oxygen consumption in the reservoir happened in the stationary and declining phases of the microbial growth systems. In order to reduce the oxygen concentration to a safe level, the minimum radius of oxygen consumption was found to be about 145m. These results demonstrate that the air-assisted MEOR process can overcome the shortcomings of traditional microbial flooding techniques. The findings of this study can help for better understanding of microbial enhanced oil recovery and improving the efficiency of microbial oil displacement.

In response to the recent development of ear corn feeding systems and the shortage of bulking agents for manure composting in the Hokkaido region, the plausibility of using corn stover (a residue of ear corn harvesting) as an alternative bulking agent for dairy manure composting was tested. The temperature profile, quality of the final product, and greenhouse gas emissions were evaluated and compared with the values obtained from manure that used wheat straw, a typical bulking agent. A sufficiently high temperature profile (>70°C) and active organic matter degradation were achieved by mixing in corn stover. After active organic matter degradation for 8 weeks, CO2 production was significantly lower and the stable final products were obtained. The total solids level increased significantly, to 48.8–50.4%, while the C/N ratio dropped significantly, from 19.9–21.8 to 11.2–12.8. Methane emission from the corn-stover-based pile was 0.36% of initial volatile solids, while nitrous oxide emission was 0.58% of initial N, proving that the use of corn stover can mitigate greenhouse gas emission and that its mitigating effect was comparable to those of other bulking agents. Together, the results showed that the use of corn stover can be a suitable alternative bulking agent for dairy manure composting and can serve as part of an ecologically friendly and “circular” method of dairy farming.

Motivation One of the most widespread methods used in taxonomy studies to distinguish between strains or taxa is the calculation of average nucleotide identity. It requires a computationally expensive alignment step and is therefore not suitable for large-scale comparisons. Short oligonucleotide-based methods do offer a faster alternative but at the expense of accuracy. Here, we aim to address this shortcoming by providing a software that implements a novel method based on short-oligonucleotide frequencies to compute inter-genomic distances. Results Our tetranucleotide and hexanucleotide implementations, which were optimized based on a taxonomically well-defined set of over 200 newly sequenced bacterial genomes, are as accurate as the short oligonucleotide-based method TETRA and average nucleotide identity, for identifying bacterial species and strains, respectively. Moreover, the lightweight nature of this method makes it applicable for large-scale analyses. Availability and implementation The method introduced here was implemented, together with other existing methods, in a dependency-free software written in C, GenDisCal, available as source code from https://github.com/LM-UGent/GenDisCal. The software supports multithreading and has been tested on Windows and Linux (CentOS). In addition, a Java-based graphical user interface that acts as a wrapper for the software is also available. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

“Land and freshwater molluscs of Gran Canaria (Spain)” is an occurrence dataset containing 389 observations of 59 different taxa of land and freshwater molluscs encountered on Gran Canaria, an island central in the Canarian archipelago (Spain). Of these 59 different (sub)species, 27 are with certainty currently endemic to the island of Gran Canaria. Various sites were inspected in a period between 1988 and 2020. The dataset is published as a standardized Darwin Core Archive and includes for each observation a stable occurrence ID, scientific name, date, and location of the observation, as well as information on life stage and organism quantity. It also contains supplementary remarks on the determination and the observation itself and links to associated media. We have released this dataset to the public domain under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication. The aim is to contribute to the knowledge on the ecology and distribution of these species on the island, such that it may aid conservation and research of these organisms in the future. Issues with the dataset can be reported at https://github.com/BelgianBiodiversityPlatform/landsnails-occurrences

Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is a rare genetic disease characterised by a dysfunction of the enzyme arylsulphatase A leading to the lysosomal accumulation of cerebroside sulphate (sulphatide) causing subsequent demyelination in patients. The enzyme galactosylceramide (cerebroside) sulphotransferase (CST) catalyses the transfer of a sulphate group from 3′-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulphate (PAPS) to cerebrosides producing sulphatides. Substrate reduction therapy for arylsulphatase A by inhibition of CST was proposed as a promising therapeutic approach. To identify competitive CST inhibitors, we synthesised and investigated analogues of the substrate galactosylceramide with variations at the anomeric position, the acyl substituent and the carbohydrate moiety, and investigated their structure–activity relationships. While most of the compounds behaved as substrates, α-galactosylceramide 16 was identified as the first competitive CST inhibitor. Compound 16 can serve as a new lead structure for the development of drugs for the treatment of this devastating disease, MLD, for which small molecule therapeutics are currently not available.

With the global demand for economically important metals increasing, compounded by the depletion of readily accessible ores, secondary resources and low-grade ores are being targeted to meet growing demands. Novel technologies developed within biobased industries, such as microbial biosurfactants, could be implemented to improve the sustainability of traditional hydrometallurgy techniques. This study investigates newly developed microbial biosurfactants (acidic- and bolaform glycolipids) for the leaching of metals (particularly Cu and Zn) from a suite of mine tailings, metallurgical sludges and automotive shredder residues. Generally, acidic sophorolipids were the most performant, and optimal Cu leaching was observed from a fayalite slag (27%) and a copper sulfide mine tailing (53%). Further investigation of the leached fayalite material showed that leaching was occurring from small metallic Cu droplets in this material via a corrosion-based mechanism, and/or from Cu-Pb sulfides, selective against dominant Fe-silicate matrices. This study highlights that acidic sophorolipid microbial biosurfactants have the potential to leach Cu and Zn from low-grade secondary materials. It also provides important fundamental insights into biosurfactant-metal and mineral interactions that are currently unexplored. Together, the convergence of leaching and mining industries with bio-industries can improve material recovery and will positively impact the bio- and circular economies and the environment. The authors thank Bio Base Europe Pilot plant for supplying the biosurfactants that enabled the execution of the leaching experiments. We also thank Joachim Neri, Karel Folens, Nina Ricci Nicomel and Melgü Kizilmese for their assistance during ICP-analyses.

Intelligent biorefinery design that addresses both the composition of the biomass feedstock as well as fermentation microorganisms could benefit from dedicated tools for computational simulation and computer-assisted optimization. Here we present the BioLego Vn2.0 framework, based on Microsoft Azure Cloud, which supports large-scale simulations of biomass serial fermentation processes by two different organisms. BioLego enables the simultaneous analysis of multiple fermentation scenarios and the comparison of fermentation potential of multiple feedstock compositions. Thanks to the effective use of cloud computing it further allows resource intensive analysis and exploration of media and organism modifications. We use BioLego to obtain biological and validation results, including (1) exploratory search for the optimal utilization of corn biomasses-corn cobs, corn fiber and corn stover-in fermentation biorefineries; (2) analysis of the possible effects of changes in the composition of K. alvarezi biomass on the ethanol production yield in an anaerobic two-step process (S. cerevisiae followed by E. coli); (3) analysis of the impact, on the estimated ethanol production yield, of knocking out single organism reactions either in one or in both organisms in an anaerobic two-step fermentation process of Ulva sp. into ethanol (S. cerevisiae followed by E. coli); and (4) comparison of several experimentally measured ethanol fermentation rates with the predictions of BioLego.

Numerous genes have been identified that regulate leaf growth, which can be grouped into regulatory modules. Here, we review six important gene modules that affect cell proliferation during leaf development., Leaves are the primary organs for photosynthesis, and as such have a pivotal role for plant growth and development. Leaf development is a multifactorial and dynamic process involving many genes that regulate size, shape, and differentiation. The processes that mainly drive leaf development are cell proliferation and cell expansion, and numerous genes have been identified that, when ectopically expressed or down-regulated, increase cell number and/or cell size during leaf growth. Many of the genes regulating cell proliferation are functionally interconnected and can be grouped into regulatory modules. Here, we review our current understanding of six important gene regulatory modules affecting cell proliferation during Arabidopsis leaf growth: ubiquitin receptor DA1–ENHANCER OF DA1 (EOD1), GROWTH REGULATING FACTOR (GRF)–GRF-INTERACTING FACTOR (GIF), SWITCH/SUCROSE NON-FERMENTING (SWI/SNF), gibberellin (GA)–DELLA, KLU, and PEAPOD (PPD). Furthermore, we discuss how post-mitotic cell expansion and these six modules regulating cell proliferation make up the final leaf size.

The pre-aerobic process of coking wastewater treatment has strong capacity of decarbonization and detoxification, which contribute to the subsequent dinitrogen of non-carbon source/heterotrophic denitrification. The COD removal rate can reach > 90% in the first aerobic bioreactor of the novel O/H/O coking wastewater treatment system during long-term operation. The physico-chemical characteristics of influent and effluent coking wastewater in the first aerobic bioreactor were analyzed to examine how they correlated with bacterial communities. The diversity of the activated sludge microbial community was investigated using a culture-independent molecular approach. The microbial community functional profiling and detailed pathways were predicted from the 16S rRNA gene-sequencing data by the PICRUSt software and the KEGG database. High-throughput MiSeq sequencing results revealed a distinct microbial composition in the activated sludge of the first aerobic bioreactor of the O/H/O system. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Chlorobi were the decarbonization and detoxification dominant phyla with the relative abundance of 84.07 ± 5.45, 10.89 ± 6.31, and 2.96 ± 1.12%, respectively. Thiobacillus, Rhodoplanes, Lysobacter, and Leucobacter were the potential major genera involved in the crucial functional pathways related to the degradation of phenols, cyanide, benzoate, and naphthalene. These results indicated that the comprehensive understanding of the structure and function diversity of the microbial community in the bioreactor will be conducive to the optimal coking wastewater treatment.

Under physiological conditions, vitamin C is the main antioxidant found in the central nervous system and is found in two states: reduced as ascorbic acid (AA) and oxidized as dehydroascorbic acid (DHA). However, under pathophysiological conditions, AA is oxidized to DHA. The oxidation of AA and subsequent production of DHA in neurons are associated with a decrease in GSH concentrations, alterations in glucose metabolism and neuronal death. To date, the endogenous molecules that act as intrinsic regulators of neuronal necroptosis under conditions of oxidative stress are unknown. Here, we show that treatment with AA regulates the expression of pro- and antiapoptotic genes. Vitamin C also regulates the expression of RIPK1/MLKL, whereas the oxidation of AA in neurons induces morphological alterations consistent with necroptosis and MLKL activation. The activation of necroptosis by AA oxidation in neurons results in bubble formation, loss of membrane integrity, and ultimately, cellular explosion. These data suggest that necroptosis is a target for cell death induced by vitamin C., Graphical abstract Image 1

Experiments on animal hearts (rat, rabbit, guinea pig, etc.) have demonstrated that mechano-calcium feedback (MCF) and mechano-electric feedback (MEF) are very important for myocardial self-regulation because they adjust the cardiomyocyte contractile function to various mechanical loads and to mechanical interactions between heterogeneous myocardial segments in the ventricle walls. In in vitro experiments on these animals, MCF and MEF manifested themselves in several basic classical phenomena (e.g., load dependence, length dependence of isometric twitches, etc.), and in the respective responses of calcium transients and action potentials. However, it is extremely difficult to study simultaneously the electrical, calcium, and mechanical activities of the human heart muscle in vitro. Mathematical modeling is a useful tool for exploring these phenomena. We have developed a novel model to describe electromechanical coupling and mechano-electric feedbacks in the human cardiomyocyte. It combines the 'ten Tusscher-Panfilov' electrophysiological model of the human cardiomyocyte with our module of myocardium mechanical activity taken from the 'Ekaterinburg-Oxford' model and adjusted to human data. Using it, we simulated isometric and afterloaded twitches and effects of MCF and MEF on excitation-contraction coupling. MCF and MEF were found to affect significantly the duration of the calcium transient and action potential in the human cardiomyocyte model in response to both smaller afterloads as compared to bigger ones and various mechanical interventions applied during isometric and afterloaded twitches. © 2020 The Author(s). Russian Foundation for Basic Research, RFBR: 18‑01‑00059 The work was carried out within the framework of the IIP UrB RAS themes (Nos. AAAA‑A18‑118020590031‑8, AAAA‑A18‑118020590134‑6) and was supported by RFBR (18‑01‑00059) and by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract No. 02.A03.21.0006.

Starch based gluten-free bread (formulations containing mixture of corn and potato starch with hydrocolloids) are deficient in nutrients and do not contain health promoting compounds. Therefore they could be supplemented with raw materials rich in such components, especially antioxidants. Among them pseudo-cereals, seeds, fruits and vegetables are often applied to this purpose. Potato pulp produced by processing red fleshed (Magenta Love) and purple fleshed (Violetta) varieties could become a new innovative substrate for gluten-free bread enrichment, because of high levels of endogenous polyphenols, namely flavonoids, flavonols, phenolic acids and especially anthocyanins with high antioxidant potential, as well as dietary fiber. Study material consisted of gluten-free bread enriched in the pulp. Dietary fiber, acrylamide content and antioxidant and antiradical potential of the bread were determined. Sensory evaluation included crumb elasticity, porosity and other characteristics, taste and smell. Among all analyzed gluten-free breads, the sample containing 7.5% share of freeze-dried red potato pulp Magenta Love was characterized by high content of phenolic compounds and dietary fiber, pronounced antioxidant activity, low levels of potentially dangerous acrylamide and good physical and sensory characteristics. Therefore such an addition (7.5% Magenta Love) could be recommended for industrial production of gluten-free bread.

We report a large-scale plant phosphoproteome under the control of higher ambient temperature, and expose early signalling events associated with a mild temperature increase in wheat., Wheat (Triticum ssp.) is one of the most important human food sources. However, this crop is very sensitive to temperature changes. Specifically, processes during wheat leaf, flower, and seed development and photosynthesis, which all contribute to the yield of this crop, are affected by high temperature. While this has to some extent been investigated on physiological, developmental, and molecular levels, very little is known about early signalling events associated with an increase in temperature. Phosphorylation-mediated signalling mechanisms, which are quick and dynamic, are associated with plant growth and development, also under abiotic stress conditions. Therefore, we probed the impact of a short-term and mild increase in temperature on the wheat leaf and spikelet phosphoproteome. In total, 3822 (containing 5178 phosphosites) and 5581 phosphopeptides (containing 7023 phosphosites) were identified in leaf and spikelet samples, respectively. Following statistical analysis, the resulting data set provides the scientific community with a first large-scale plant phosphoproteome under the control of higher ambient temperature. This community resource on the high temperature-mediated wheat phosphoproteome will be valuable for future studies. Our analyses also revealed a core set of common proteins between leaf and spikelet, suggesting some level of conserved regulatory mechanisms. Furthermore, we observed temperature-regulated interconversion of phosphoforms, which probably impacts protein activity.

Targeting immune checkpoint molecules has become a major new strategy in the treatment of several cancers. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)-inhibitors are a potential next-generation immunotherapy, currently investigated in multiple phase I-III trials. IDO is an intracellular immunosuppressive enzyme and its expression/ activity has been associated with worse prognosis in several cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression pattern of IDO in colorectal cancer (CRC). In a cohort of 94 CRC patients, primary tumors (PTs) with corresponding tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs, n = 93) and extranodal/distant metastases (n = 27) were retrospectively analyzed by immunohistochemical staining for IDO, CD8 and Foxp3. 45 MSS and 37 MSI-H tumors were selected to compare IDO expression, as these tumors are considered to have different immunogenicity. A highly consistent expression pattern of IDO was observed in the PT, TDLNs and metastases, indicating that immune resistance may be determined very early in the disease course. IDO was expressed both by tumoral cells and host endothelial cells and these expressions were highly correlated (p < 0.001). IDO expression was observed more frequently in the MSI-H subset compared with the MSS subset (43% vs 22% for tumoral expression (p = 0.042) and 38% vs 16% for endothelial expression (p = 0.021)). Endothelial IDO expression was demonstrated to be a negative prognostic marker for recurrence free survival independent of disease stage and DNA mismatch repair (MMR) status (HR 20.67, 95% CI: 3.05-139.94; p = 0.002). These findings indicate that endothelial IDO expression in primary CRC, in addition to the MMR profile, may be helpful in disease stratification., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

International audience; To date, reasons for the increase in liana abundance and biomass in the Neotropics are still unclear. One proposed hypothesis suggests that lianas, in comparison with trees, are more adaptable to drought conditions. Moreover, previous studies have assumed that lianas have a deeper root system, which provides access to deeper soil layers, thereby making them less susceptible to drought stress. The dual stable water isotope approach (delta O-18 and d delta H-2) enables below-ground vegetation competition for water to be studied. Based on the occurrence of a natural gradient in soil water isotopic signatures, with enriched signatures in shallow soil relative to deep soil, the origin of vegetation water sources can be derived. Our study was performed on canopy trees and lianas reaching canopy level in tropical forests of French Guiana. Our results show liana xylem water isotopic signatures to be enriched in heavy isotopes in comparison with those from trees, indicating differences in water source depths and a more superficial root activity for lianas during the dry season. This enables them to efficiently capture dry season precipitation. Our study does not support the liana deep root water extraction hypothesis. Additionally, we provide new insights into water competition between tropical canopy lianas and trees. Results suggest that this competition is mitigated during the dry season due to water resource partitioning.

Since the innovation of our new half-piece elastometric respirator, this type of filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) has been used widely in Thailand. Decontamination methods including ultraviolet C (UVC) germicidal irradiation and 70% alcohol have been implemented to decontaminate these respirators. We then examined the inactivation potential of different decontamination processes on porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and numerous bacterial strains, most of which were skin-derived. To enable rigorous integrity of the masks after repeated decontamination processes, fit tests by the Bitrex test, tensile strength and elongation at break were also evaluated. Our results showed that UVC irradiation at a dose of 3 J/cm2 can eradicate bacteria after 60 min and viruses after 10 min. No fungi were found on the mask surface before decontamination. The good fit test results, tensile strength and elongation at break were still maintained after multiple cycles of decontamination. No evidence of physical degradation was found by gross visual inspection. Alcohol (70%) is also an easy and effective way to eradicate microorganisms on respirators. As the current pandemic is expected to continue for months to years, the need to supply adequate reserves of personnel protective equipment (PPE) and develop effective PPE reprocessing methods is crucial. Our studies demonstrated that the novel silicone mask can be safely reprocessed and decontaminated for many cycles by UVC irradiation, which will help ameliorate the shortage of important protective devices in the COVID-19 pandemic era.