3D Standard Brain of the Red Flour Beetle Tribolium Castaneum: A Tool to Study Metamorphic Development and Adult Plasticity

The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum is emerging as a further standard insect model beside Drosophila. Its genome is fully sequenced and it is susceptible for genetic manipulations including RNA-interference. We use this beetle to study adult brain development and plasticity primarily with respect to the olfactory system. In the current study, we provide 3D standard brain atlases of freshly eclosed adult female and male beetles (A0). The atlases include eight paired and three unpaired neuropils including antennal lobes (ALs), optic lobe neuropils, mushroom body calyces and pedunculi, and central complex. For each of the two standard brains, we averaged brain areas of 20 individual brains. Additionally, we characterized eight selected olfactory glomeruli from 10 A0 female and male beetles respectively, which we could unequivocally recognize from individual to individual owing to their size and typical position in the ALs. In summary, comparison of the averaged neuropil volumes revealed no sexual dimorphism in any of the reconstructed neuropils in A0 Tribolium brains. Both, the female and male 3D standard brain are also used for interspecies comparisons, and, importantly, will serve as future volumetric references after genetical manipulation especially regarding metamorphic development and adult plasticity

Evidence for a directed southward autumn migration of nocturnal noctuid moths in central Europe

Insect migrations are spectacular natural events and resemble a remarkable relocation of biomass between two locations in space. Unlike the well-known migrations of daytime flying butterflies, such as the painted lady (Vanessa cardui) or the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), much less widely known are the migrations of nocturnal moths. These migrations - typically involving billions of moths from different taxa - have recently attracted considerable scientific attention. Nocturnal moth migrations have traditionally been investigated by light trapping and by observations in the wild, but in recent times a considerable improvement in our understanding of this phenomenon has come from studying insect orientation behaviour, using vertical-looking radar. In order to establish a new model organism to study compass mechanisms in migratory moths, we tethered each of two species of central European Noctuid moths in a flight simulator to study their flight bearings: the red underwing (Catocala nupta) and the large yellow underwing (Noctua pronuba). Both species had significantly oriented flight bearings under an unobscured view of the clear night sky and in the Earth's natural magnetic field. Red underwings oriented south-southeast, while large yellow underwings oriented southwest, both suggesting a southerly autumn migration towards the Mediterranean. Interestingly, large yellow underwings became disoriented on humid (foggy) nights while red underwings remained oriented. We found no evidence in either species for a time-independent sky compass mechanism as previously suggested for the large yellow underwing

Effect of membrane-active microbial autoregulators on the growth of cultured ras-transformed fibroblasts

Differential effects on the proliferation of individual vs. combined administration of high-and low-molecular-weight microbial autoregulators (extracellular RNase from Bacillus intermedius and anabiosis-inducing factor d 1) are reported for the first time for cultured cells of higher eukaryotes. Proliferation of ras-transformed mouse fibroblasts was affected by both autoregulators dose-dependently. The cytotoxic activity of individual regulators was directly related to their concentration. Unlike RNase, factor d 1 (which functions as a chemical chaperone) exerted reversible effects. Studies of the effects of combined administration of the autoregulators demonstrated that pretreatment of the cells with low-dose d 1 decreased the toxicity of RNase. Higher doses of d 1 were required to attenuate the effects of toxic agents with more pronounced membrane tropism. The results obtained suggest that a universal system regulating the physiological activity of cells is operative in taxonomically remote organisms. The operation of the system is based on sequential changes in the structural organization and function of subcellular structures induced by low-and high-molecular-weight autoregulators

Effect of Membrane-active Microbial Autoregulators on the Growth of Cultured ras-Transformed Fibroblasts

Differential effects on proliferation of individual vs. combined administration of high- and low-molecular-weight microbial autoregulators (extracellular RNase from Bacillus subtilis and anabiosis-inducing factor d1) are reported for the first time for cultured cells of higher eukaryotes. Proliferation of ras-transformed mouse fibroblasts was affected by both autoregulators dose-dependently. The cytotoxic activity of individual regulators was directly related to their concentration. Unlike RNase, factor d1 (which functions as a chemical chaperone) exerted reversible effects. Studies of the effects of combined administration of the autoregulators demonstrated that pretreatment of the cells with low-dose d1 decreased the toxicity of RNase. Higher doses of d1 were required to attenuate the effects of toxic agents with more pronounced membrane tropism. The results obtained suggest that a universal system regulating the physiological activity of cells is operative in taxonomically remote organisms. The operation of the system is based on sequential changes in the structural organization and function of subcellular structures, induced by low- and high-molecular-weight autoregulators

Photon echo studies of photosynthetic light harvesting

The broad linewidths in absorption spectra of photosynthetic complexes obscure information related to their structure and function. Photon echo techniques represent a powerful class of time-resolved electronic spectroscopy that allow researchers to probe the interactions normally hidden under broad linewidths with sufficient time resolution to follow the fastest energy transfer events in light harvesting. Here, we outline the technical approach and applications of two types of photon echo experiments: the photon echo peak shift and two-dimensional (2D) Fourier transform photon echo spectroscopy. We review several extensions of these techniques to photosynthetic complexes. Photon echo peak shift spectroscopy can be used to determine the strength of coupling between a pigment and its surrounding environment including neighboring pigments and to quantify timescales of energy transfer. Two-dimensional spectroscopy yields a frequency-resolved map of absorption and emission processes, allowing coupling interactions and energy transfer pathways to be viewed directly. Furthermore, 2D spectroscopy reveals structural information such as the relative orientations of coupled transitions. Both classes of experiments can be used to probe the quantum mechanical nature of photosynthetic light-harvesting: peak shift experiments allow quantification of correlated energetic fluctuations between pigments, while 2D techniques measure quantum beating directly, both of which indicate the extent of quantum coherence over multiple pigment sites in the protein complex. The mechanistic and structural information obtained by these techniques reveals valuable insights into the design principles of photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes, and a multitude of variations on the methods outlined here

Sulfur and nitrogen co-doped graphene for metal-free catalytic oxidation reactions

Sulfur and nitrogen co-doped reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is synthesized bya facile method and demonstrated remarkably enhanced activities in metal-free activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for catalytic oxidation of phenol. Based on first-order kinetic model, S–N co-doped rGO (SNG) presents an apparent reaction rate constant of 0.043 ± 0.002 min -1 , which is 86.6, 22.8, 19.7, and 4.5-fold as high as that over graphene oxide (GO), rGO, S-doped rGO (S-rGO), and N-doped rGO(N-rGO), respectively. A variety of characterization techniques and density functional theory calculations are employed to investigate the synergistic effect of sulfur and nitrogen co-doping. Co-doping of rGO at an optimal sulfur loading can effectively break the inertness of carbon systems, activate the sp 2 -hybridized carbon lattice and facilitate the electron transfer from covalent graphene sheets for PMS activation. Moreover, both electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and classical quenching tests are employed to investigate the generation and evolution of reactive radicals on the SNG sample for phenol catalytic oxidation. This study presents anovel metal-free catalyst for green remediation of organic pollutants in water

The Impact of a Filariasis Control Program on Lihir Island, Papua New Guinea

Large-scale intervention programmes to control filariasis are currently underway worldwide. However, a major unresolved question remains: what is the appropriate duration for these programmes? Recent theoretical work and clinical field experience has highlighted how the ecological diversity between different endemic regions hinders decision making processes of when to stop ongoing MDA programs. The goal of our study was to identify the factors determining success for a five year LF elimination program. We undertook different types of surveys together with a pre-existing MDA program in villages from two regions that had different infection prevalence rates. Our study shows that the five yearly cycles of MDA could neither eliminate the disease nor stop transmission in the high prevalence villages, such that low baseline lymphatic filariasis prevalence has a positive influence on the outcome of a program. Thus, the study provides data supporting the recommendation that in certain high prevalence and transmission environments more sustained efforts may be necessary

Two Novel Mutations in the EYS Gene Are Possible Major Causes of Autosomal Recessive Retinitis Pigmentosa in the Japanese Population

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a highly heterogeneous genetic disease including autosomal recessive (ar), autosomal dominant (ad), and X-linked inheritance. Recently, arRP has been associated with mutations in EYS (Eyes shut homolog), which is a major causative gene for this disease. This study was conducted to determine the spectrum and frequency of EYS mutations in 100 Japanese arRP patients. To determine the prevalence of EYS mutations, all EYS exons were screened for mutations by polymerase chain reaction amplification, and sequence analysis was performed. We detected 67 sequence alterations in EYS, of which 21 were novel. Of these, 7 were very likely pathogenic mutations, 6 were possible pathogenic mutations, and 54 were predicted non-pathogenic sequence alterations. The minimum observed prevalence of distinct EYS mutations in our study was 18% (18/100, comprising 9 patients with 2 very likely pathogenic mutations and the remaining 9 with only one such mutation). Among these mutations, 2 novel truncating mutations, c.4957_4958insA (p.S1653KfsX2) and c.8868C>A (p.Y2956X), were identified in 16 patients and accounted for 57.1% (20/35 alleles) of the mutated alleles. Although these 2 truncating mutations were not detected in Japanese patients with adRP or Leber's congenital amaurosis, we detected them in Korean arRP patients. Similar to Japanese arRP results, the c.4957_4958insA mutation was more frequently detected than the c.8868C>A mutation. The 18% estimated prevalence of very likely pathogenic mutations in our study suggests a major involvement of EYS in the pathogenesis of arRP in the Japanese population. Mutation spectrum of EYS in 100 Japanese patients, including 13 distinct very likely and possible pathogenic mutations, was largely different from the previously reported spectrum in patients from non-Asian populations. Screening for c.4957_4958insA and c.8868C>A mutations in the EYS gene may therefore be very effective for the genetic testing and counseling of RP patients in Japan

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente