The metaverse—Not a new frontier for crime.

Law enforcement co-ordination agencies have recently issued position/guidance documents relating to the potential for VR environments (the “Metaverse”) to become new environment for criminal activity, and calling for additional work to enhance investigative capability. By reviewing the historic development of VR and comparing it with the appearance of the WWW, the authors propose that the situation is not as dire as the issued documents may suggest, but represents an evolutionary rather than revolutionary step in online experiences. They conclude, therefore, that while ability to examine VR presentation/interaction devices may be useful, continued development of ability to examine online systems remains essential

A Detailed Analogy of Network Simulators � NS1, NS2, NS3 and NS4

Networking is a field of Computer Science where the researchers are dependent on simulators and simulation as the devices used in networking are very costly and complex. It is not easily possible to establish a computer network in real world easily, also direct installation of network devices and cables is not feasible. A simulator is a low cost mechanism which can be used to deploy a network and implement protocols and test the feasibility of the network. NS aka Network Simulator is one such low cost tool, which is available as open source software to network designers. With time simulators have evolved and now Network simulators can simulate wireless networks and advanced mobile networks. The Network Simulator evolution took place with the methodologies and coding technologies. Medium level language like C++ was used in NS1 and later in NS2 we started using easy modeling language like OTCL and C++. In NS3 we can now do coding with more powerful language Python, it also has support for OTCL and C++. High level and advanced language like P4 is the recent one to be used in NS4. The network simulators are now more powerful and fast, as compared to earlier generations of simulators. This paper talks about these advancements that have taken place in the history of Network Simulators and future scopes of NS

A highly endemic area of Echinococcus multilocularis identified through a comparative re-assessment of prevalence in the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Alto Adige (Italy: 2019-2020)

Surveillance of Echinococcus multilocularis at the edge of its range is hindered by fragmented distributional patterns and low prevalence in definitive hosts. Thus, tests with adequate levels of sensitivity are especially important for discriminating between infected and non-infected areas. In this study we reassessed the prevalence of E. multilocularis at the southern border of its distribution in Province of Bolzano (Alto Adige, northeastern Alps, Italy), to improve surveillance in wildlife and provide more accurate estimates of exposure risk. We compared the diagnostic test currently implemented for surveillance based on coproscopy and multiplex PCR (CMPCR) to a real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) in 235 fox faeces collected in 2019 and 2020. The performances of the two tests were estimated using a scraping technique (SFCT) applied to the small intestines of a subsample (n = 123) of the same foxes as the reference standard. True prevalence was calculated and the sample size required by each faecal test for the detection of the parasite was then estimated. True prevalence of E. multilocularis in foxes (14.3%) was markedly higher than reported in the last decade, which was never more than 5% from 2012 to 2018 in the same area. In addition, qPCR showed a much higher sensitivity (83%) compared to CMPCR (21%) and agreement with the reference standard was far higher for qPCR (0.816) than CMPCR (0.298) meaning that for the latter protocol, a smaller sample size would be required to detect the disease. Alto Adige should be considered a highly endemic area. Routine surveillance on definitive hosts at the edges of the E. multilocularis distribution should be applied to smaller geographic areas, and rapid, sensitive diagnostic tools using directly host faeces, such as qPCR, should be adopted

ISSR markers to explore entomopathogenic fungi genetic diversity: Implications for biological control of tobacco pests

Tobacco is one of the major industrial crops cultivated worldwide. Chemical control is the main method employed to reduce damage by insect pests. The use of entomopathogenic fungi represents an alternative to replace insecticides. The search for effective strains in the field constitutes a first step when developing a formulation. The objective of this work was to study genetic differences among isolates of entomopathogenic fungi obtained from tobacco grown soils using ISSR markers. The pathogenicity of the strains towards Helicoverpa gelotopoeon and Diabrotica speciosa was also assessed in order to search for a relationship between virulence and genetic diversity. Nineteen isolates were identified according to morphological features and molecular techniques as Beauveria bassiana (11) and Purpureocillium lilacinum (8). The diversity tree generated by ISSR analysis showed a high diversity among the strains. The pathogenicity towards H. gelotopoeon and D. speciosa was assessed and the logistic models generated showed that B. bassiana isolates LPSc1215 and LPSc1364 were the most pathogenic against both insect pests tested. In the diversity tree, these strains were grouped in a same cluster with a similarity level of approximately 85%, indicating a possible relationship between virulence and the band pattern generated.Fil: Vianna, María Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Botánica Spegazzini; ArgentinaFil: Pelizza, Sebastian Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Botánica Spegazzini; ArgentinaFil: Russo, María Leticia. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Botánica Spegazzini; ArgentinaFil: Toledo, Andrea Vanesa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas. Centro de Investigaciones de Fitopatología. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigaciones de Fitopatología; ArgentinaFil: Mourelos, Cecilia Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas. Centro de Investigaciones de Fitopatología. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigaciones de Fitopatología; ArgentinaFil: Scorsetti, Ana Clara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Botánica Spegazzini; Argentin

Multilocus genotyping reveals new molecular markers for differentiating distinct genetic lineages among “candidatus phytoplasma solani” strains associated with grapevine bois noir

Grapevine Bois noir (BN) is associated with infection by “Candidatus Phytoplasma solani” (CaPsol). In this study, an array of CaPsol strains was identified from 142 symptomatic grapevines in vineyards of northern, central, and southern Italy and North Macedonia. Molecular typing of the CaPsol strains was carried out by analysis of genes encoding 16S rRNA and translation elongation factor EF-Tu, as well as eight other previously uncharacterized genomic fragments. Strains of tuf-type a and b were found to be differentially distributed in the examined geographic regions in correlation with the prevalence of nettle and bindweed. Two sequence variants were identified in each of the four genomic segments harboring hlyC, cbiQ-glyA, trxA-truB-rsuA, and rplS-tyrS-csdB, respectively. Fifteen CaPsol lineages were identified based on distinct combinations of sequence variations within these genetic loci. Each CaPsol lineage exhibited a unique collective restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) pattern and differed from each other in geographic distribution, probably in relation to the diverse ecological complexity of vineyards and their surroundings. This RFLP-based typing method could be a useful tool for investigating the ecology of CaPsol and the epidemiology of its associated diseases. Phylogenetic analyses highlighted that the sequence variants of the gene hlyC, which encodes a hemolysin III-like protein, separated into two clusters consistent with the separation of two distinct lineages on the basis of tufB gene sequences. Alignments of deduced full protein sequences of elongation factor-Tu (tufB gene) and hemolysin III-like protein (hlyC gene) revealed the presence of critical amino acid substitutions distinguishing CaPsol strains of tuf-type a and b. Findings from the present study provide new insights into the genetic diversity and ecology of CaPsol populations in vineyards

Multilocus Genotyping Reveals New Molecular Markers for Differentiating Distinct Genetic Lineages among “Candidatus Phytoplasma Solani” Strains Associated with Grapevine Bois Noir

none18openPassera, Alessandro; Zhao, Yan; Murolo, Sergio; Pierro, Roberto; Arsov, Emilija; Mori, Nicola; Moussa, Abdelhameed; Silletti, Maria R.; Casati, Paola; Panattoni, Alessandra; Wei, Wei; Mitrev, Sasa; Materazzi, Alberto; Luvisi, Andrea; Romanazzi, Gianfranco; Bianco, Piero A.; Davis, Robert E.; Quaglino, FabioPassera, Alessandro; Zhao, Yan; Murolo, Sergio; Pierro, Roberto; Arsov, Emilija; Mori, Nicola; Moussa, Abdelhameed; Silletti, Maria R.; Casati, Paola; Panattoni, Alessandra; Wei, Wei; Mitrev, Sasa; Materazzi, Alberto; Luvisi, Andrea; Romanazzi, Gianfranco; Bianco, Piero A.; Davis, Robert E.; Quaglino, Fabi

Marker-Trait Associations for Tolerance to Ash Dieback in Common Ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.)

Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) is a tree species of significant ecological and economic importance that has suffered a devastating decline since the 1990s in Europe. Native ash species are being threatened by the alien invasive fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, which causes ash dieback. The main goal of the study was to develop markers for traits related to tolerance to ash dieback and to investigate whether genotypes selected for tolerance were genetically different from susceptible wild populations. We phenotyped 326 ash trees from Sweden for disease severity and genotyped them using 63 amplicon-derived single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers derived from genes in 40 scaffolds spanning 8 MB in total, which represents approximately 1% of the ash genome. We used a mixed linear model to test for an association between genotypic variation at these loci and disease severity of ash. In total, two SNPs were found to have significant associations. One non-synonymous SNP associated with the disease severity of ash was found in a gene predicted to encode a subtilisin-related peptidase S8/S53 domain. A second marginally significant marker was associated with an LRR gene. Our results demonstrate an inexpensive time-effective method for generating genomic data that could have potential for use in future tree breeding programs and provide information for marker-assisted selection. Our study also showed a low differentiation between genotypes selected for disease tolerance and the wild population of ash representing a range of susceptibilities to ash dieback, indicating opportunities for further selection without significantly losing genetic diversity in the ash population

Different evolutionary fates of recently integrated human and chimpanzee LINE-1 retrotransposons

The long interspersed element-1 (LINE-1 or L1) is a highly successful retrotransposon in mammals. L1 elements have continued to actively propagate subsequent to the human-chimpanzee divergence, ∼ 6 million years ago, resulting in species-specific inserts. Here, we report a detailed characterization of chimpanzee-specific L1 subfamily diversity and a comparison with their human-specific counterparts. Our results indicate that L1 elements have experienced different evolutionary fates in humans and chimpanzees within the past ∼ 6 million years. Although the species-specific L1 copy numbers are on the same order in both species (1200-2000 copies), the number of retrotransposition-competent elements appears to be much higher in the human genome than in the chimpanzee genome. Also, while human L1 subfamilies belong to the same lineage, we identified two lineages of recently integrated L1 subfamilies in the chimpanzee genome. The two lineages seem to have coexisted for several million years, but only one shows evidence of expansion within the past three million years. These differential evolutionary paths may be the result of random variation, or the product of competition between L1 subfamily lineages. Our results suggest that the coexistence of several L1 subfamily lineages within a species may be resolved in a very short evolutionary period of time, perhaps in just a few million years. Therefore, the chimpanzee genome constitutes an excellent model in which to analyze the evolutionary dynamics of L1 retrotransposons. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved