Antifungal potential of essential oils, aqueous and ethanol extracts of thirteen plants against Fusarium oxysporum f . sp Lycopersici and Phytophtora infestans (Mont.) de Bary as major tomato pathogens

Antifungal activity of essential oils (EO), ethanol extracts (ETE) and cold water extracts (CWE) of thirteen plants was evaluated against Fusarium oxysporum and Phytophtora infestans causal agents of tomato Fusarium wilt and late blight diseases respectively. The supplemented media and slide germination techniques were carried out to determine the effect of extracts on the mycelial growth and conidia germination of pathogens. The results showed that essential oils exhibited the highest antifungal activity followed by ETE and CWE. Callistemon citrinus, Cymbopogon citratus and Ocimum gratissimum essential oils were the most active inhibiting completely radial growth and conidia germination of Phytophtora infestans at 312.5 and 625 µg/ml. Essential oils of Ocimum gratissimum and Cymbopogon citratus inhibited totally the radial growth and conidia germination of Fusarium oxysporum at 625 and 312.5 µg/ml respectively. ETE of Ageratum conyzoides and Callistemon citrinus were the most active inhibiting radial growth of Phytophtora infestans. Cymbopogon citratus and Ocimum gratissimum were the most active against radial growth and conidia germination of Fusarium oxysporum at 6250 µg/ml. The fungi toxic potential of some extracts was comparable to synthetic fungicides used as positive controls. Preliminary phytochemical analysis of ETE and CWE revealed that stronger inhibiting effects were recorded with extracts rich in phenols, flavonoids, tannins, and coumarins. These findings may contribute to develop new green fungicides to protect tomato from Fusarium wilt and late blight diseases

Зональные фораминиферовые схемы нижнего карбона западных регионов Украины

Запропоновано зональні форамініферові схеми нижнього карбону Придобруджинського прогину та Львівсько-Волинського басейну. У Придобруджинському прогині нараховується вісім зон і дві підзони, з них одна зона і дві підзони виділені вперше. У п'яти зон змінено види-індекси, У Львівсько-Волинському басейні є п’ять зон і дві підзони, з них одна зона нова. Дві колишні зони об'єднано в одну — з двома підзонами. Змінено види-індекси трьох зон. В обох регіонах уточнено обсяг зон та їх межі. Границі зон і підзон проведено за першою появою видів-індексів. Проведено зіставлення цих зональних схем із форамініферовими зонами Доно-Дніпровського регіону і Східно-Європейської платформи.Foraminiferal zonal schemes of the Lower Carboniferous of the Dobrudja Foredeep and Lvov-Volynian basin are proposed in the paper. The first scheme includes eight zones and two subzones; among them one zone and two subzones are specified for the first time. In five zones species-index is changed. The second scheme includes five zones and two subzones; one zone is specified for the first time. Two preceding zones are united into one with two subzones. In three zones species-index is changed. The boundaries of zones and subzones are determined according to the first occurrence of species-index. Correlation of these zones with foraminiferal zones of Dono-Dnieper region and East-European platform is performed

Macrofilaricidal Activity after Doxycycline Only Treatment of Onchocerca volvulus in an Area of Loa loa Co-Endemicity: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The control of onchocerciasis in Africa relies on the sustained delivery of ivermectin. In certain areas, annual treatments delivered with high population coverage for at least 15–17 years can break transmission. In other endemic settings this strategy alone is thought to be insufficient to eradicate the disease. One of the major limitations occurs in areas that are co-endemic with another filarial infection caused by Loa loa, due to the risk of a rare severe adverse event associated with the rapid killing of L. loa microfilariae in heavily parasitized individuals. There are also concerns over recent evidence of reduced efficacy of ivermectin and the possible development of resistance. An alternative approach is to target the Wolbachia bacterial endosymbionts of Onchocerca volvulus with the antibiotic, doxycycline. In an area of Cameroon co-endemic for onchocerciasis and loiasis we conducted a trial comparing doxycycline with or without ivermectin treatment to ivermectin treatment alone. A six-week course of doxycycline delivers macrofilaricidal and sterilizing activities, which is not dependent upon co-administration of ivermectin. Doxycycline is well tolerated in patients co-infected with moderate intensities of L. loa microfilariae. The trial indicates that anti-wolbachial therapy is a feasible alternative to ivermectin in communities co-endemic for onchocerciasis and loiasis

Track E Implementation Science, Health Systems and Economics

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138412/1/jia218443.pd

Quantitative estimates of glacial refugia for chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ) since the Last Interglacial (120,000 BP)

Paleoclimate reconstructions have enhanced our understanding of how past climates have shaped present-day biodiversity. We hypothesize that the geographic extent of Pleistocene forest refugia and suitable habitat fluctuated significantly in time during the late Quaternary for chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Using bioclimatic variables representing monthly temperature and precipitation estimates, past human population density data, and an extensive database of georeferenced presence points, we built a model of changing habitat suitability for chimpanzees at fine spatio-temporal scales dating back to the Last Interglacial (120,000 BP). Our models cover a spatial resolution of 0.0467° (approximately 5.19 km2 grid cells) and a temporal resolution of between 1000 and 4000 years. Using our model, we mapped habitat stability over time using three approaches, comparing our modeled stability estimates to existing knowledge of Afrotropical refugia, as well as contemporary patterns of major keystone tropical food resources used by chimpanzees, figs (Moraceae), and palms (Arecacae). Results show habitat stability congruent with known glacial refugia across Africa, suggesting their extents may have been underestimated for chimpanzees, with potentially up to approximately 60,000 km2 of previously unrecognized glacial refugia. The refugia we highlight coincide with higher species richness for figs and palms. Our results provide spatio-temporally explicit insights into the role of refugia across the chimpanzee range, forming the empirical foundation for developing and testing hypotheses about behavioral, ecological, and genetic diversity with additional data. This methodology can be applied to other species and geographic areas when sufficient data are available

Airborne DNA reveals predictable spatial and seasonal dynamics of fungi

Fungi are among the most diverse and ecologically important kingdoms in life. However, the distributional ranges of fungi remain largely unknown as do the ecological mechanisms that shape their distributions. To provide an integrated view of the spatial and seasonal dynamics of fungi, we implemented a globally distributed standardized aerial sampling of fungal spores. The vast majority of operational taxonomic units were detected within only one climatic zone, and the spatiotemporal patterns of species richness and community composition were mostly explained by annual mean air temperature. Tropical regions hosted the highest fungal diversity except for lichenized, ericoid mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi, which reached their peak diversity in temperate regions. The sensitivity in climatic responses was associated with phylogenetic relatedness, suggesting that large-scale distributions of some fungal groups are partially constrained by their ancestral niche. There was a strong phylogenetic signal in seasonal sensitivity, suggesting that some groups of fungi have retained their ancestral trait of sporulating for only a short period. Overall, our results show that the hyperdiverse kingdom of fungi follows globally highly predictable spatial and temporal dynamics, with seasonality in both species richness and community composition increasing with latitude. Our study reports patterns resembling those described for other major groups of organisms, thus making a major contribution to the long-standing debate on whether organisms with a microbial lifestyle follow the global biodiversity paradigms known for macroorganisms

LiDAR-based reference aboveground biomass maps for tropical forests of South Asia and Central Africa

Accurate mapping and monitoring of tropical forests aboveground biomass (AGB) is crucial to design effective carbon emission reduction strategies and improving our understanding of Earth’s carbon cycle. However, existing large-scale maps of tropical forest AGB generated through combinations of Earth Observation (EO) and forest inventory data show markedly divergent estimates, even after accounting for reported uncertainties. To address this, a network of high-quality reference data is needed to calibrate and validate mapping algorithms. This study aims to generate reference AGB datasets using field inventory plots and airborne LiDAR data for eight sites in Central Africa and five sites in South Asia, two regions largely underrepresented in global reference AGB datasets. The study provides access to these reference AGB maps, including uncertainty maps, at 100 m and 40 m spatial resolutions covering a total LiDAR footprint of 1,11,650 ha [ranging from 150 to 40,000 ha at site level]. These maps serve as calibration/validation datasets to improve the accuracy and reliability of AGB mapping for current and upcoming EO missions (viz., GEDI, BIOMASS, and NISAR)