Activities of two Major Lichen Compounds, Diffractaic Acid and Usnic Acid against Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say, 1824 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Two major lichen compounds (diffractaic and usnic acids), isolated from Usnea longissima Ach. were tested against 4th instar larvae and adults of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h under laboratory conditions. Durations and mortalities were recorded at various concentrations (1.25, 2.5, 5, and 10 mg. ml-1). Results showed that secondary metabolites of U. longissima had a significant insecticidal potential against larvae and adults of L. decemlineata. Mortality rates after 96 h of treatment, with the highest concentration (10 mg. ml-1) of diffractaic and usnic acids, were 100 and 70% for adults and 100 and 80% for larvae, respectively. No mortality was observed in the control treatment. Bioassay tests with diffractaic and usnic acids revealed that the 96 h median lethal concentration (LC50) values were 1.783 and 4.048 mg. ml-1 for adults and 1.509 and 2.759 mg. ml-1, for larvae of L. decemlineata, respectively. The present results suggest that the lichen secondary metabolites may have a potential action for control of L. decemlineata 4th instar larvae and adults

Insecticidal Activity of Lichens against the Maize Weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae

Extracts of Letharia vulpina (L.) Hue and Peltigera rufescens (Weiss) Humb. lichen species and two major lichen compounds (diffractaic and usnic acids), isolated from Usnea longissima Ach., were tested against adults of the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky under laboratory conditions at various concentrations (2.5, 5, 10, 20 mg.ml-1 for extracts and 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 mg.ml-1 for major compounds) and at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h period. Results showed that both the extracts and the secondary metabolites of U. longissima had significant insecticidal effects on adults of S. zeamais. Mortality rate was the highest at 96 h period at the treatment of maximum concentration of extracts (20 mg.ml -1) and compounds (10 mg.ml-1). The mortality rates attained 96.97, 95.96, 96.97 and 76.77% for L. vulpine, P. rufescens, diffractaic and usnic acids, respectively. No mortality was found in the control. The present results suggest that the lichen extracts and the secondary metabolites can provide a good potential for the control of S. zeamais adults

Liquid crystal alignment induced by micron-scale patterned surfaces

Induced bulk orientation of nematic liquid crystal in contact with micron-scale patterned surfaces is investigated using the Landau-de Gennes theory by means of three-dimensional simulations. The effect of the size and spacing of square cross-sectional well and post patterns is investigated and shown to influence the orientation of the liquid crystal bulk, far removed from the surface. Additionally, the effective anchoring strength of the induced alignment is estimated using a modified version of the torque balance method. Both azimuthal and zenithal multistability are shown to exist within unique ranges of feature sizes

How Can Litter Modify the Fluxes of CO2 and CH4 from Forest Soils? A Mini-Review

Forests contribute strongly to global carbon (C) sequestration and the exchange of greenhouse gases (GHG) between the soil and the atmosphere. Whilst the microbial activity of forest soils is a major determinant of net GHG exchange, this may be modified by the presence of litter through a range of mechanisms. Litter may act as a physical barrier modifying gas exchange, water movement/retention and temperature/irradiance fluctuations; provide a source of nutrients for microbes; enhance any priming effects, and facilitate macro-aggregate formation. Moreover, any effects are influenced by litter quality and regulated by tree species, climatic conditions (rainfall, temperature), and forest management (clear-cutting, fertilization, extensive deforestation). Based on climate change projections, the importance of the litter layer is likely to increase due to an litter increase and changes in quality. Future studies will therefore have to take into account the effects of litter on soil CO2 and CH4 fluxes for various types of forests globally, including the impact of climate change, insect infestation, and shifts in tree species composition, as well as a better understanding of its role in monoterpene production, which requires the integration of microbiological studies conducted on soils in different climatic zones.Polish National Centre for Research and Developmen

Variations in Soil Properties and CO2 Emissions of a Temperate Forest Gully Soil along a Topographical Gradient

Although forest soils play an important role in the carbon cycle, the influence of topography has received little attention. Since the topographical gradient may affect CO2 emissions and C sequestration, the aims of the study were: (1) to identify the basic physicochemical and microbial parameters of the top, mid-slope, and bottom of a forest gully; (2) to carry out a quantitative assessment of CO2 emission from these soils incubated at different moisture conditions (9% and 12% v/v) and controlled temperature (25 °C); and (3) to evaluate the interdependence between the examined parameters. We analyzed the physicochemical (content of total N, organic C, pH, clay, silt, and sand) and microbial (enzymatic activity, basal respiration, and soil microbial biomass) parameters of the gully upper, mid-slope, and bottom soil. The Fourier Transformed Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) method was used to measure CO2 emitted from soils. The position in the forest gully had a significant effect on all soil variables with the gully bottom having the highest pH, C, N concentration, microbial biomass, catalase activity, and CO2 emissions. The sand content decreased as follows: top > bottom > mid-slope and the upper area had significantly lower clay content. Dehydrogenase activity was the lowest in the mid-slope, probably due to the lower pH values. All samples showed higher CO2 emissions at higher moisture conditions, and this decreased as follows: bottom > top > mid-slope. There was a positive correlation between soil CO2 emissions and soil microbial biomass, pH, C, and N concentration, and a positive relationship with catalase activity, suggesting that the activity of aerobic microorganisms was the main driver of soil respiration. Whilst the general applicability of these results to other gully systems is uncertain, the identification of the slope-related movement of water and inorganic/organic materials as a significant driver of location-dependent differences in soil respiration, may result in some commonality in the changes observed across different gully systems.Department of Agriculture, Food and the MarinePolish National Centre for Research and Developmen

Guidelines for Genome-Scale Analysis of Biological Rhythms

Genome biology approaches have made enormous contributions to our understanding of biological rhythms, particularly in identifying outputs of the clock, including RNAs, proteins, and metabolites, whose abundance oscillates throughout the day. These methods hold significant promise for future discovery, particularly when combined with computational modeling. However, genome-scale experiments are costly and laborious, yielding “big data” that are conceptually and statistically difficult to analyze. There is no obvious consensus regarding design or analysis. Here we discuss the relevant technical considerations to generate reproducible, statistically sound, and broadly useful genome-scale data. Rather than suggest a set of rigid rules, we aim to codify principles by which investigators, reviewers, and readers of the primary literature can evaluate the suitability of different experimental designs for measuring different aspects of biological rhythms. We introduce CircaInSilico, a web-based application for generating synthetic genome biology data to benchmark statistical methods for studying biological rhythms. Finally, we discuss several unmet analytical needs, including applications to clinical medicine, and suggest productive avenues to address them

Guidelines for Genome-Scale Analysis of Biological Rhythms

Genome biology approaches have made enormous contributions to our understanding of biological rhythms, particularly in identifying outputs of the clock, including RNAs, proteins, and metabolites, whose abundance oscillates throughout the day. These methods hold significant promise for future discovery, particularly when combined with computational modeling. However, genome-scale experiments are costly and laborious, yielding ‘big data’ that is conceptually and statistically difficult to analyze. There is no obvious consensus regarding design or analysis. Here we discuss the relevant technical considerations to generate reproducible, statistically sound, and broadly useful genome scale data. Rather than suggest a set of rigid rules, we aim to codify principles by which investigators, reviewers, and readers of the primary literature can evaluate the suitability of different experimental designs for measuring different aspects of biological rhythms. We introduce CircaInSilico, a web-based application for generating synthetic genome biology data to benchmark statistical methods for studying biological rhythms. Finally, we discuss several unmet analytical needs, including applications to clinical medicine, and suggest productive avenues to address them

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics' resources: focus on curated databases

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (www.isb-sib.ch) provides world-class bioinformatics databases, software tools, services and training to the international life science community in academia and industry. These solutions allow life scientists to turn the exponentially growing amount of data into knowledge. Here, we provide an overview of SIB's resources and competence areas, with a strong focus on curated databases and SIB's most popular and widely used resources. In particular, SIB's Bioinformatics resource portal ExPASy features over 150 resources, including UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot, ENZYME, PROSITE, neXtProt, STRING, UniCarbKB, SugarBindDB, SwissRegulon, EPD, arrayMap, Bgee, SWISS-MODEL Repository, OMA, OrthoDB and other databases, which are briefly described in this article

Determination of flood water zones caused by storm water using the example of Minsk (Belarus)

The article describes approaches to the determination of possible flooding locations of urbanized areas using the example of Minsk city (Belarus). Calculations were carried out in two directions: from the point of view of estimating the through put capacity of runoff water collectors and the formation of drainless depressions of the relief