Parasitoid and ant interactions of some Iberian butterflies (Insecta: Lepidoptera)

As a result of recent field studies in the Iberian Peninsula, interactions between 17 parasitoid taxa and 17 butterfly species, and 9 species of Lycaenidae and 15 species of Formicidae are detailed and discussed. Several of these, which are presented quantitatively, are otherwise unrecorded in the literature, while others confirm previous records. Attention is drawn to the need for the deposition of voucher material and both carefully and prolonged quantitative recording in order to understand and conserve these vulnerable aspects of biodiversit

Gomphocarpus R. Br. (Apocynaceae sufma. Asclepiadoideae) en Andalucía Occidental

Se da a conocer la presencia en Andalucía Occidental de Gomphocarpus physocarpus E. Mey., un neófi to originario del E y S de África. Se comenta la fenología de la fl oración y fructifi cación, así como la capacidad de dispersión de las plantas en las poblaciones naturalizadas, y se comparan con las de G. fruticosus (L.) T.W. Aiton, también presente en el territorio. Se discute el carácter invasor de las tres especies de Asclepiadaceae citadas en el texto.In this article the neophyte Gomphocarpus physocarpus E.Mey., widely distributed in SE Africa, is fi rst cited in western Andalucía (southern Spain). The flowering and fruit ripening phenology and dispersal potential of plants in different naturalized populations are described and compared with that of G. fruticosus (L.) T.W. Aiton also present in this territory. The invasive potential of the three Asclepiadaceae species here considered is also discussed.Fundación MIGRE

Dispersal of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) over southern Spain from its breeding grounds

Dispersión de la mariposa monarca (Danaus plexippus) en el sur de España desde las zonas de apareamiento Durante el período comprendido entre los años 2000 y 2016, se detectaron mariposas monarca en 127 lugares fuera de las zonas costeras donde se reproducen habitualmente en el sur de la península ibérica. Estos datos se obtuvieron en verano e invierno, coincidiendo con la máxima abundancia de individuos y la mayor proporción de sitios ocupados en sus zonas de reproducción cercanas al estrecho de Gibraltar. Los individuos que se dispersan no tienen ninguna posibilidad de establecer nuevas colonias en estos sitios porque las plantas en las que ponen los huevos no crecen en las localidades en las que fueron detectados. Sin embargo, estos movimientos de dispersión podrían ser la causa de la colonización de plantas alimentarias que crecen en otras zonas de la península ibérica y en otros países del Mediterráneo.From 2000–2016, monarch butterflies were detected at 127 locations away from their usual coastal breeding areas in the south of the Iberian peninsula. These findings were recorded in the summer–autumn period, coinciding with the highest abundance of individuals and the highest proportion of patches occupied in their reproduction areas near the Strait of Gibraltar. These dispersing individuals have no chance of successfully establishing new colonies at these sites because the food plants for egg laying do not grow in the localities where they were detected. However, these dispersive movements could be the source of their successful colonisation on food plants growing in other areas of the Iberian peninsula and in other Mediterranean countries.Dispersión de la mariposa monarca (Danaus plexippus) en el sur de España desde las zonas de apareamiento Durante el período comprendido entre los años 2000 y 2016, se detectaron mariposas monarca en 127 lugares fuera de las zonas costeras donde se reproducen habitualmente en el sur de la península ibérica. Estos datos se obtuvieron en verano e invierno, coincidiendo con la máxima abundancia de individuos y la mayor proporción de sitios ocupados en sus zonas de reproducción cercanas al estrecho de Gibraltar. Los individuos que se dispersan no tienen ninguna posibilidad de establecer nuevas colonias en estos sitios porque las plantas en las que ponen los huevos no crecen en las localidades en las que fueron detectados. Sin embargo, estos movimientos de dispersión podrían ser la causa de la colonización de plantas alimentarias que crecen en otras zonas de la península ibérica y en otros países del Mediterráneo

Пористая структура продуктов электрохимического синтеза на переменном токе нанодисперсных оксидов олова

Методами электронной микроскопии и низкотемпературной адсорбции азота изучена пористая структура продуктов электролиза металлического олова на переменном токе промышленной частоты. Установлено, что продукты синтеза характеризуются высокими значениями удельной площади поверхности и мезапористой структурой. Показано, что средний размер частиц варьирует в интервале 10…30 нм

Two Stories to Tell: Different Student Outcome Measures Correlate with Different Instructor Adaptations to COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic severely disrupted college students’ learning experiences. A growing body of research is attempting to examine the impact of faculty efforts to support students during this difficult time. However, different outcomes measures might lead to varying inferences about the impact of instructors’ adaptations to their pedagogy. We explore this potential for varying inferences through a mixed-methods study of 11 courses taught at a Hispanic-Serving Institution in the United States in Spring 2020. First, using qualitative analytical methods, we identify five types of instructional adaptations made by faculty. Second, we use quantitative methods to uncover associations between these instructional adaptations and a variety of course outcome measures. While all of these instructional adaptations were perceived as beneficial by students, only one--ensuring access to instructor time--was significantly correlated with students’ reported motivational and personal gains from their coursework. However, only a different adaptation—ensuring access to class resources—was significantly correlated with reduced equity gaps measured through course grades. We discuss the implications of these findings for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers

Yellow sea mine hunting using the Navy's CASS/GRAB model

The purpose of this work is to determine the necessity of a near real time ocean modeling capability such as the Naval Oceanographic Office's (NAVOCENANO) Modular Ocean Data Assimilation System (MODAS) model in shallow water (such as the Yellow Sea) mine hunting applications using the Navy's Comprehensive Acoustic Simulation System/Gaussian Ray Bundle (CASS/GRAB) Mode. Sound speed profiles inputted into CASS/GRAB were calculated from observational (MOODS) and climatological (GDEM) data sets for different seasons and regions of four different bottom types (sand, gravel, mud and rock). The CASS/GRAB model outputs were compared to the outputs from corresponding MODAS data sets. The results of the comparisons domonstrated in many cases a significant acoustic difference between the alternate profiles. These results demonstrated that there is a need for a predictive modeling capability such as MODAS to address the mine warfare (MIW) needs in the Yellow Sea region. There were some weaknesses detected in the profiles the MODAS model produces in the Yellow Sea, which must be resolved before it can reliably address the MIW needs in the regionNAVOCEANO, Stennis Space Center, MS 39522-5001Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

High-throughput screening of monoclonal antibodies against plant cell wall glycans by hierarchical clustering of their carbohydrate microarray binding profiles

Antibody-producing hybridoma cell lines were created following immunisation with a crude extract of cell wall polymers from the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. In order to rapidly screen the specificities of individual monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), their binding to microarrays containing 50 cell wall glycans immobilized on nitrocellulose was assessed. Hierarchical clustering of microarray binding profiles from newly produced mAbs, together with the profiles for mAbs with previously defined specificities allowed the rapid assignments of mAb binding to antigen classes. mAb specificities were further investigated using subsequent immunochemical and biochemical analyses and two novel mAbs are described in detail. mAb LM13 binds to an arabinanase-sensitive pectic epitope and mAb LM14, binds to an epitope occurring on arabinogalactan-proteins. Both mAbs display novel patterns of recognition of cell walls in plant materials

Nanoencapsulated capsaicin changes migration behavior and morphology of madin darby canine kidney cell monolayers

We have developed a drug delivery nanosystem based on chitosan and capsaicin. Both substances have a wide range of biological activities. We investigated the nanosystem’s influence on migration and morphology of Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK-C7) epithelial cells in comparison to the capsaicin-free nanoformulation, free capsaicin, and control cells. For minimally-invasive quantification of cell migration, we applied label-free digital holographic microscopy (DHM) and single-cell tracking. Moreover, quantitative DHM phase images were used as novel stain-free assay to quantify the temporal course of global cellular morphology changes in confluent cell layers. Cytoskeleton alterations and tight junction protein redistributions were complementary analyzed by fluorescence microscopy. Calcium influx measurements were conducted to characterize the influence of the nanoformulations and capsaicin on ion channel activities. We found that both, capsaicin-loaded and unloaded chitosan nanocapsules, and also free capsaicin, have a significant impact on directed cell migration and cellular motility. Increase of velocity and directionality of cell migration correlates with changes in the cell layer surface roughness, tight junction integrity and cytoskeleton alterations. Calcium influx into cells occurred only after nanoformulation treatment but not upon addition of free capsaicin. Our results pave the way for further studies on the biological significance of these findings and potential biomedical applications, e.g. as drug and gene carriers

New hyperekplexia mutations provide insight into glycine receptor assembly, trafficking, and activation mechanisms

Background: Hyperekplexia mutations have provided much information about glycine receptor structure and function. Results: Weidentified and characterized nine new mutations. Dominant mutations resulted in spontaneous activation, whereas recessive mutations precluded surface expression. Conclusion: These data provide insight into glycine receptor activation mechanisms and surface expression determinants. Significance: The results enhance our understanding of hyperekplexia pathology and glycine receptor structure-function. © 2013 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc. Published in the U.S.A

Conditioning Individual Mosquitoes to an Odor: Sex, Source, and Time

Olfactory conditioning of mosquitoes may have important implications for vector-pathogen-host dynamics. If mosquitoes learn about specific host attributes associated with pathogen infection, it may help to explain the heterogeneity of biting and disease patterns observed in the field. Sugar-feeding is a requirement for survival in both male and female mosquitoes. It provides a starting point for learning research in mosquitoes that avoids the confounding factors associated with the observer being a potential blood-host and has the capability to address certain areas of close-range mosquito learning behavior that have not previously been described. This study was designed to investigate the ability of the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus Say to associate odor with a sugar-meal with emphasis on important experimental considerations of mosquito age (1.2 d old and 3–5 d old), sex (male and female), source (laboratory and wild), and the time between conditioning and testing (<5 min, 1 hr, 2.5 hr, 5 hr, 10 hr, and 24 hr). Mosquitoes were individually conditioned to an odor across these different experimental conditions. Details of the conditioning protocol are presented as well as the use of binary logistic regression to analyze the complex dataset generated from this experimental design. The results suggest that each of the experimental factors may be important in different ways. Both the source of the mosquitoes and sex of the mosquitoes had significant effects on conditioned responses. The largest effect on conditioning was observed in the lack of positive response following conditioning for females aged 3–5 d derived from a long established colony. Overall, this study provides a method for conditioning experiments involving individual mosquitoes at close range and provides for future discussion of the relevance and broader questions that can be asked of olfactory conditioning in mosquitoes