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

Predictive Demand Service for Public Transit Using CNN/ Atendimento Preditivo de Demanda do Transporte Público Coletivo Usando CNN

Several cities in Brazil undergo a territorial expansion and inhabitants constantly, this process is called urbanization. An uncontrolled urbanization generates many difficulties, highlighting the mobility of public transport, since many citizens depend on this mobility, we have, for example, public transport in Goiânia, which directly affects the living conditions of passengers. For your foreknowledge, a model capable of mirroring the performance of your demand is essential, providing that the system meets users in an acceptable way. A two-dimensional CNN is a CNN model that has a hidden convolutional layer that operates on a 1D sequence, it is a convenient mechanism to simulate a univariate forecast of time series of the predictive service of Goiânia's public transport. The method is equivalent to an analysis of the focal parts that make up the public transport system and how to represent it in the 1D convolutional neural network. Actual data of the systems and their results were compared to those expected, showing the model's effectiveness. This work manifests a forecast of the demand for public transport in Goiânia, to make it susceptible to users of the system.

New structural insights into the role of TROVE2 complexes in the on-set and pathogenesis of systemic lupus eythematosus determined by a combiantion of QCM-D and DPI

The final publication is available at link.springer.com.[EN] The mechanism of self-recognition of the autoantigen TROVE2, a common biomarker in autoimmune diseases, has been studied with a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) and dual polarization interferometry (DPI). The complementarity and remarkable analytical features of both techniques has allowed new insights into the onset of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to be achieved at the molecular level. The in vitro study for SLE patients and healthy subjects suggests that anti-TROVE2 autoantibodies may undergo an antibody bipolar bridging. An epitope-paratope-specific binding initially occurs to activate a hidden Fc receptor in the TROVE2 tertiary structure. This bipolar mechanism may contribute to the pathogenic accumulation of anti-TROVE2 autoantibody immune complex in autoimmune disease. Furthermore, the specific calcium-dependent protein-protein bridges point out at how the TRIM21/TROVE2 association might occur, suggesting that the TROVE2 protein could stimulate the intracellular immune signaling via the TRIM21 PRY-SPRY domain. These findings may help to better understand the origins of the specificity and affinity of TROVE2 interactions, which might play a key role in the SLE pathogenesis. This manuscript gives one of the first practical applications of two novel functions (-df/dD and Delta h/molec) for the analysis of the data provided by QCM-D and DPI. In addition, it is the first time that QCM-D has been used for mapping hidden Fc receptors as well as linear epitopes in a protein tertiary structure.We would like to thank Sylvia Daunert for her invaluable help with the discussion of the paper. Furthermore, we acknowledge financial support from the Generalitat Valenciana (GVA-PROMETEOII/2014/040) as well as the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund under award numbers CTQ2013-45875-R and CTQ2013-42914-RJuste-Dolz, AM.; Do Nascimento, NM.; Monzó, IS.; Grau-García, E.; Roman-Ivorra, JA.; López-Paz, JL.; Escorihuela Fuentes, J.... (2019). New structural insights into the role of TROVE2 complexes in the on-set and pathogenesis of systemic lupus eythematosus determined by a combiantion of QCM-D and DPI. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 411(19):4709-4720. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-018-1407-xS4709472041119Kakatia S, Teronpia R, Barmanb B. Frequency, pattern and determinants of flare in systemic lupus erythematosus: a study from North East India. Egypt Rheumatol. 2015;37:S55–9.Kuhn A, Wenzel J, Weyd H. Photosensitivity, apoptosis, and cytokines in the pathogenesis of lupus erythematosus: a critical review. 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Release of Lungworm Larvae from Snails in the Environment: Potential for Alternative Transmission Pathways

Background: Gastropod-borne parasites may cause debilitating clinical conditions in animals and humans following the consumption of infected intermediate or paratenic hosts. However, the ingestion of fresh vegetables contaminated by snail mucus and/or water has also been proposed as a source of the infection for some zoonotic metastrongyloids (e.g., Angiostrongylus cantonensis). In the meantime, the feline lungworms Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Troglostrongylus brevior are increasingly spreading among cat populations, along with their gastropod intermediate hosts. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of alternative transmission pathways for A. abstrusus and T. brevior L3 via the mucus of infected Helix aspersa snails and the water where gastropods died. In addition, the histological examination of snail specimens provided information on the larval localization and inflammatory reactions in the intermediate host. Methodology/Principal Findings: Twenty-four specimens of H. aspersa received ~500 L1 of A. abstrusus and T. brevior, and were assigned to six study groups. Snails were subjected to different mechanical and chemical stimuli throughout 20 days in order to elicit the production of mucus. At the end of the study, gastropods were submerged in tap water and the sediment was observed for lungworm larvae for three consecutive days. Finally, snails were artificially digested and recovered larvae were counted and morphologically and molecularly identified. The anatomical localization of A. abstrusus and T. brevior larvae within snail tissues was investigated by histology. L3 were detected in the snail mucus (i.e., 37 A. abstrusus and 19 T. brevior) and in the sediment of submerged specimens (172 A. abstrusus and 39 T. brevior). Following the artificial digestion of H. aspersa snails, a mean number of 127.8 A. abstrusus and 60.3 T. brevior larvae were recovered. The number of snail sections positive for A. abstrusus was higher than those for T. brevior. Conclusions: Results of this study indicate that A. abstrusus and T. brevior infective L3 are shed in the mucus of H. aspersa or in water where infected gastropods had died submerged. Both elimination pathways may represent alternative route(s) of environmental contamination and source of the infection for these nematodes under field conditions and may significantly affect the epidemiology of feline lungworms. Considering that snails may act as intermediate hosts for other metastrongyloid species, the environmental contamination by mucus-released larvae is discussed in a broader context

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

Construct validity of a figure rating scale for Brazilian adolescents

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Figure rating scales were developed as a tool to determine body dissatisfaction in women, men, and children. However, it lacks in the literature the validation of the scale for body silhouettes previously adapted. We aimed to obtain evidence for construct validity of a figure rating scale for Brazilian adolescents.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was carried out with adolescent students attending three public schools in an urban region of the municipality of Florianopolis in the State of Santa Catarina (SC). The sample comprised 232 10-19-year-old students, 106 of whom are boys and 126 girls, from the 5th "series" (i.e. year) of Primary School to the 3rd year of Secondary School. Data-gathering involved the application of an instrument containing 8 body figure drawings representing a range of children's and adolescents' body shapes, ranging from very slim (contour 1) to obese (contour 8). Weights and heights were also collected, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated later. BMI was analyzed as a continuous variable, using z-scores, and as a dichotomous categorical variable, representing a diagnosis of nutritional status (normal and overweight including obesity).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Results showed that both males and females with larger BMI z-scores chose larger body contours. Girls with higher BMI z-scores also show higher values of body image dissatisfaction.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We provided the first evidence of validity for a figure rating scale for Brazilian adolescents.</p