Sex and lifestyle dictate learning performance in a neotropical wasp

In contrast to extensive investigations on bee cognition, the cognitive capacities of wasps remain largely unexplored despite their key role as pollinators and predators of insect pests. Here we studied learning and memory in the neotropical wasp Mischocyttarus cerberus using a Pavlovian conditioning in which harnessed wasps respond with conditioned movements of their mouthparts to a learned odorant. We focused on the different castes, sexes, and ages coexisting within a nest and found that adults of M. cerberus learned and memorized efficiently the odor-sugar associations. In contrast, newly emerged females, but not males, were unable to learn odorants. This difference concurs with their different lifestyle as young males perform regular excursions outside the nest while young females remain in it until older age. Our results thus highlight the importance of socio-ecological constraints on wasp cognition and set the basis for mechanistic studies on learning differences across ages and castes

Environmental Costs of Government-Sponsored Agrarian Settlements in Brazilian Amazonia

Brazil has presided over the most comprehensive agrarian reform frontier colonization program on Earth, in which ~1.2 million settlers have been translocated by successive governments since the 1970's, mostly into forested hinterlands of Brazilian Amazonia. These settlements encompass 5.3% of this ~5 million km2 region, but have contributed with 13.5% of all land conversion into agropastoral land uses. The Brazilian Federal Agrarian Agency (INCRA) has repeatedly claimed that deforestation in these areas largely predates the sanctioned arrival of new settlers. Here, we quantify rates of natural vegetation conversion across 1911 agrarian settlements allocated to 568 Amazonian counties and compare fire incidence and deforestation rates before and after the official occupation of settlements by migrant farmers. The timing and spatial distribution of deforestation and fires in our analysis provides irrefutable chronological and spatially explicit evidence of agropastoral conversion both inside and immediately outside agrarian settlements over the last decade. Deforestation rates are strongly related to local human population density and road access to regional markets. Agrarian settlements consistently accelerated rates of deforestation and fires, compared to neighboring areas outside settlements, but within the same counties. Relocated smallholders allocated to forest areas undoubtedly operate as pivotal agents of deforestation, and most of the forest clearance occurs in the aftermath of government-induced migration

Rarity of monodominance in hyperdiverse Amazonian forests.

Tropical forests are known for their high diversity. Yet, forest patches do occur in the tropics where a single tree species is dominant. Such "monodominant" forests are known from all of the main tropical regions. For Amazonia, we sampled the occurrence of monodominance in a massive, basin-wide database of forest-inventory plots from the Amazon Tree Diversity Network (ATDN). Utilizing a simple defining metric of at least half of the trees ≥ 10 cm diameter belonging to one species, we found only a few occurrences of monodominance in Amazonia, and the phenomenon was not significantly linked to previously hypothesized life history traits such wood density, seed mass, ectomycorrhizal associations, or Rhizobium nodulation. In our analysis, coppicing (the formation of sprouts at the base of the tree or on roots) was the only trait significantly linked to monodominance. While at specific locales coppicing or ectomycorrhizal associations may confer a considerable advantage to a tree species and lead to its monodominance, very few species have these traits. Mining of the ATDN dataset suggests that monodominance is quite rare in Amazonia, and may be linked primarily to edaphic factors

Incidence, risk factors, and effect on allograft survival of glomerulonephritis post-transplantation in a United Kingdom population: cohort study

BACKGROUND: Post-transplant glomerulonephritis (PTGN) has been associated with inferior long-term allograft survival, and its incidence varies widely in the literature. METHODS: This is a cohort study of 7,623 patients transplanted between 2005 and 2016 at four major transplant UK centres. The diagnosis of glomerulonephritis (GN) in the allograft was extracted from histology reports aided by the use of text-mining software. The incidence of the four most common GN post-transplantation was calculated, and the risk factors for disease and allograft outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 214 patients (2.8%) presented with PTGN. IgA nephropathy (IgAN), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), membranous nephropathy (MN), and membranoproliferative/mesangiocapillary GN (MPGN/MCGN) were the four most common forms of post-transplant GN. Living donation, HLA DR match, mixed race, and other ethnic minority groups were associated with an increased risk of developing a PTGN. Patients with PTGN showed a similar allograft survival to those without in the first 8 years of post-transplantation, but the results suggest that they do less well after that timepoint. IgAN was associated with the best allograft survival and FSGS with the worst allograft survival. CONCLUSIONS: PTGN has an important impact on long-term allograft survival. Significant challenges can be encountered when attempting to analyze large-scale data involving unstructured or complex data points, and the use of computational analysis can assist

Use of AFLP and RAPD molecular genetic markers and cytogenetic analysis to explore relationships among taxa of the Patagonian Bromus setifolius complex

Bromus setifolius var. pictus (Hook) Skottsb., B. setifolius var. setifolius Presl. and B.setifolius var. brevifolius Ness are three native Patagonian taxa in the section Pnigma Dumort of the genus Bromus L. AFLP and RAPD analysis, in conjunction with genetic distance measurements and statistical techniques, revealed variation within this group and indicated that B. setifolius var. brevifolius was closely related to B. setifolius var. pictus, with both taxa being more distantly related to B. setifolius var. setifolius. Cytogenetic analysis confirmed the chromosomal number of B. setifolius var. pictus (2n = 70) and B. setifolius var. setifolius (2n = 28) and showed for the first time that B. setifolius var. brevifolius had 2n = 70. The combination of molecular genetic and cytogenetic evidence supported a species status for two of the three taxa and suggested hypotheses for the evolutionary origin of these complex taxa. Species status was also indicated for B. setifolius var. setifolius. Based on these findings, we suggest that B. setifolius var. pictus be referred to as B. pictus Hook var. pictus, and B. setifolius var brevifolius as B. pictus Hook var brevifolius. The correlation between AFLP diversity and variation in ecological parameters suggested that this marker system could be used to assess breeding progress and to monitor the domestication of Patagonian Bromus species for agronomic use

The development of a 16S rRNA gene based PCR for the identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae and comparison with four other species specific PCR assays

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Streptococcus pneumoniae </it>is one of the most frequently encountered pathogens in humans but its differentiation from closely related but less pathogenic streptococci remains a challenge.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This report describes a newly-developed PCR assay (Spne-PCR), amplifying a 217 bp product of the 16S rRNA gene of <it>S. pneumoniae</it>, and its performance compared to other genotypic and phenotypic tests.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The new PCR assay designed in this study, proved to be specific at 57°C for <it>S. pneumoniae</it>, not amplifying <it>S. pseudopneumoniae </it>or any other streptococcal strain or any strains from other upper airway pathogenic species. PCR assays (psaA, LytA, ply, spn9802-PCR) were previously described for the specific amplification of <it>S. pneumoniae</it>, but <it>psaA</it>-PCR was the only one found not to cross-react with <it>S. pseudopneumoniae</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Spne-PCR, developed for this study, and psaA-PCR were the only two assays which did not mis-identify <it>S. pseudopneumoniae </it>as <it>S. pneumoniae</it>. Four other PCR assays and the AccuProbe assay were unable to distinguish between these species.</p

Is cultured meat a promising consumer alternative? Exploring key factors determining consumer's willingness to try, buy and pay a premium for cultured meat

Cultured meat is a relatively new product, enjoying consumer appreciation as a more sustainable meat option. The present study builds on a sample from a diverse set of countries and continents, including China, the US, the UK, France, Spain, Netherlands, New Zealand, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic and uses partial least square structural equation modelling. The proposed conceptual model identified key factors driving and inhibiting consumer willingness to try, buy, and pay a price premium for cultured meat. Results relate to the overall sample of 3091 respondents and two sub-sample comparisons based on gender and meat consumption behaviour. Food neophobia, having food allergies, being a locavore, and having concerns about food technology were found to be inhibiting factors towards willingness to try, buy, and pay a price premium for cultured meat. Food curiosity, meat importance, and a consumer's perception of cultured meat as a realistic alternative to regular meat were found to be important drivers that positively impacted consumers' willingness to try, buy and pay more. Best practice recommendations address issues facing marketing managers in food retail and gastronomy