Evolution of Strigamia centipedes (Chilopoda): a first molecular assessment of phylogeny and divergence times

We present a first phylogenetic and temporal framework, with biogeographical insights, for the centipedes of the genus Strigamia, which are widespread predators in the forest soils of the Northern Hemisphere and comprise the evo-devo model species Strigamia maritima. The phylogeny was estimated by different methods of maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference from sequences of two mitochondrial (16S, COI) and two nuclear (18S, 28S) genes, obtained from 16 species from all major areas of the global range of the genus and encompassing most of the overall morphological and ecological diversity. Divergence times were estimated after calibration upon the fossil record of centipedes. We found that major lineages of extant species of Strigamia separated most probably around 60 million years (Ma) ago. The two most diverse lineages diversified during the last 30 Ma and are today segregated geographically, one in Europe and another in Eastern Asia. This latter region hosts a hitherto underestimated richness and anatomical diversity of species, including three still unknown, yet morphologically well distinct species, which are here described as new: Strigamia inthanoni sp. n. from Thailand, Strigamia korsosi sp. n. from the Ryukyu Islands and Strigamia nana sp. n. from Taiwan. The northern European model species S. maritima is more strictly related to the Eastern Asian lineage, from which it most probably separated around 35 Ma ago before the major diversification of the latter

Moses of South Carolina: A Jewish Scalawag During Radical Reconstruction

A Fresh Look at Reconstruction in South Carolina Composed of six chapters and a Coda, Moses of South Carolina examines the life of Franklin Moses, Jr., the scalawag governor of South Carolina, during Congressional Reconstruction. Using diaries, newspapers, official proceedings, ...

Efficacy of Two Common Methods of Application of Residual Insecticide for Controlling the Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse), in Urban Areas

After its first introduction in the 1980's the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse), has spread throughout Southern Europe. Ae. albopictus is considered an epidemiologically important vector for the transmission of many viral pathogens such as the yellow fever virus, dengue fever and Chikungunya fever, as well as several filarial nematodes such as Dirofilaria immitis or D. repens. It is therefore crucial to develop measures to reduce the risks of disease transmission by controlling the vector populations. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of two application techniques (mist vs. stretcher sprayer) and two insecticides (Etox based on the nonester pyrethroid Etofenprox vs. Microsin based on the pyrethroid type II Cypermetrin) in controlling adult tiger mosquito populations in highly populated areas. To test the effect of the two treatments pre- and post-treatment human landing rate counts were conducted for two years. After one day from the treatment we observed a 100% population decrease in mosquito abundance with both application methods and both insecticides. However, seven and 14 days after the application the stretcher sprayer showed larger population reductions than the mist sprayer. No effect of insecticide type after one day and 14 days was found, while Etox caused slightly higher population reduction than Microsin after seven days. Emergency measures to locally reduce the vector populations should adopt adulticide treatments using stretcher sprayers. However, more research is still needed to evaluate the potential negative effects of adulticide applications on non-target organisms

The impact of significant input of fine sediment on benthic fauna at tributary junctions: a case study of the Bermejo-Paraguay River confluence, Argentina

This study examines the morphological features, suspended sediment inputs and hydraulic conditions within a large river in association with ecological patterns before and after a tributary confluence. In order to examine these effects, the macroinvertebrate distributions from three reaches of the Paraguay and Bermejo Rivers (Paraguay-Argentina) are investigated. The Bermejo River is a tributary that supplies significant quantities of fine sediment to the Paraguay River, primarily in suspension. Two reaches were examined on the Paraguay River, upstream and downstream of the Bermejo River junction, with the third study reach located on the Bermejo River, upstream of the confluence with the Paraguay River. The results provide clear evidence that a significantly increased loading of fine sediment at a river confluence has effects on the distribution and potential movement of benthic invertebrates in the lotic environment by representing physical barriers at affected sites. These effects may be important at both local and regional scales, and such increases in suspended sediment (especially associated with anthropogenic change) may thus pose a major threat to ecosystem integrity that has been historically underestimated

Magnetic fields generated by r-modes in accreting millisecond pulsars

In millisecond pulsars the existence of the Coriolis force allows the development of the so-called Rossby oscillations (r-modes) which are know to be unstable to emission of gravitational waves. These instabilities are mainly damped by the viscosity of the star or by the existence of a strong magnetic field. A fraction of the observed millisecond pulsars are known to be inside Low Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXBs), systems in which a neutron star (or a black hole) is accreting from a donor whose mass is smaller than 1 $M_\odot$. Here we show that the r-mode instabilities can generate strong toroidal magnetic fields by inducing differential rotation. In this way we also provide an alternative scenario for the origin of the magnetars.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings conference "Theoretical Nuclear Physics", Cortona October 200

Stress granules in Ciona robusta: molecular expression of tiar and ttp and early evidence of their gene expression under stress conditions induced by metals

Stress granules are non-membranous cytoplasmic foci composed of messengers (not translated), ribonucleoproteins, translation initiation components and other additional proteins, that represent a primary mechanism by which gene expression is rapidly modulated when cells are subjected to adverse environmental conditions. Very few works have been devoted to study the presence ofmolecular components of stress granules in invertebrate animals. In this work, we characterized, for the first time in the solitary ascidian Ciona robusta, the genetic sequences of two important protein components of stress granules, TIAR (TIA-1 related to proteins) and TTP (tristetraprolin), and carried out the first studies on their gene expression. The sequences characterized for tiar and ttp genes have allowed to start a study on the molecular evolution of these proteins in animals: for TIAR the obtained results are consistent with recent phylogenetic analysis that place tunicates as sister group of vertebrates, whereas the phylogenetic position of TTP remains still uncertain. The data on mRNA expression, provided by qRT-PCR analysis, are absolutely the first obtained in non-mammalian animals. As expected, the exposure to each metal (Cu, Zn and Cd) led to a generalized decrease in mRNA expression levels for both TIAR and TTP, suggesting that the metal accumulation induce acute stress and the inhibition of the transcription of tiar and ttp genes. The data presented here improved our knowledge about the molecular evolution anti-stress proteins in metazoans and emphasize the importance of the transcription of tiar and ttp genes, which represents an efficient physiological response allowing C. robusta to survive in the presence of metals in the marine environment (Supported by M.I.U.R. grant)

Recent evidence on bioactive glass antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity : a mini-review

Bone defects caused by trauma or pathological events are major clinical and socioeconomic burdens. Thus, the efforts of regenerative medicine have been focused on the development of non-biodegradable materials resembling bone features. Consequently, the use of bioactive glass as a promising alternative to inert graft materials has been proposed. Bioactive glass is a synthetic silica-based material with excellent mechanical properties able to bond to the host bone tissue. Indeed, when immersed in physiological fluids, bioactive glass reacts, developing an apatite layer on the granule's surface, playing a key role in the osteogenesis process. Moreover, the contact of bioactive glass with biological fluids results in the increase of osmotic pressure and pH due to the leaching of ions from granules' surface, thus making the surrounding environment hostile to microbial growth. The bioactive glass antimicrobial activity is effective against a wide selection of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, either in planktonic or sessile forms. Furthermore, bioglass is able to reduce pathogens' biofilm production. For the aforementioned reasons, the use of bioactive glass might be a promising solution for the reconstruction of bone defects, as well as for the treatment and eradication of bone infections, characterized by bone necrosis and destruction of the bone structure

Characterization of the complement system in a colonial tunicate: C3 complement receptors and opsonic role of C3

The compound ascidian Botryllus schlosseri is a reliable model organism for the study of immunobiology. As an invertebrate, it relies only on innate immunity for its defense. We already demonstrated the presence, in Botryllus, of homologues of mammalian C3, Bf, MBL and MASP1, referred to as BsC3, BsBf, BsMBL and BsMASP, respectively. All the complement components identified so far, are expressed by morula cells, the most abundant circulating hemocytes. In mammals, once the complement system is activated, a cascade of reactions occurs resulting in the cleavage of the third complement component (C3) to C3a and C3b, the former exerting a chemotactic activity, the latter acting as opsonin and, ultimately, activating the lytic pathway. The best-known receptor for C3a in mammals is C3aR, whereas CR1 is the receptor able to recognize and bind C3b on the microbial surfaces. Here, we describe, in B. schlosseri, new genes showing homology with vertebrate C3aR and CR1, respectively, and studied their transcription in the course of the colonial blastogenetic cycle. In addition, we continued our analysis of the role of C3 in Botryllus immunity by studying the modulation of BsC3 transcription during the colonial blastogenetic cycle and the effect of bsc3 knockdown on immune responses. Results indicate that only morula cells, and no other immunocytes type, are labelled by the antisense probe for BsC3aR, whereas phagocytes and young, undifferentiated cells, known as hemoblasts, are the cells stained by the probe for BsCR1. Both the bsc3ar and bscr1 genes are constitutively transcribed. However, a modulation in the extent of transcription occurs during the colonial blastogenetic cycle as the amount of BsC3aR mRNA abruptly decreased at TO, whereas no differences were observed when EC and MC were compared. This is probably related to the renewing of circulating cells at TO, that are replaced by new, differentiating cells entering the circulation in the same period