124 research outputs found
Effect of different feeding sources on lifespan and fecundity in the biocontrol agent Torymus sinensis
Host plant identification in the generalist xylem feeder Philaenus spumarius through gut content analysis
Ability of Euscelidius variegatus to Transmit Flavescence Dorée Phytoplasma with a Short Latency Period
The mosaic leafhopper Orientus ishidae: host plants, spatial distribution, infectivity, and transmission of 16SrV phytoplasmas to vines
Orientus ishidae (Matsumura) is an Asian species introduced into Europe and recently associated with 16SrV phytoplasmas, related to grapevine “flavescence dorée”. Its life cycle, host plants, spatial distribution, infection and vector capability have been investigated in vine-growing areas of Piedmont, NW Italy. The spatial distribution of adults in vineyards was studied by applying interpolation methods to trap capture data. Insects were subject to molecular analyses to verify phytoplasma presence and identity. DNA extraction and PCR were made to detect 16SrV phytoplasmas. Transmission experiments were set up, using different sources for phytoplasma acquisition, and two plant species and an artificial diet for inoculation. Whole mount in situ hybridization was made to detect phytoplasmas in the salivary glands of adults. In the vineyard agro-ecosystem, 19 plant species (11 families), mainly broadleaf trees and shrubs, were recognized as host plants of the insect. Adults were more abundant on putative host plants than on grapevines, with a clear clustering at the edges of vineyards, and without a massive intrusion into the vineyard from outside. 16SrV phytoplasmas were detected only in adults captured with yellow sticky traps (20 out of 188 tested). The transmission of 16SrV phytoplasmas was successful after phytoplasma acquisition from infected broad bean and inoculation on grapevine
New insights in phytoplasma-vector interaction: acquisition and inoculation of flavescence dorée phytoplasma by Scaphoideus titanus adults in a short window of time
Tyrosinase Inhibitor Activity of Coumarin-Resveratrol Hybrids
In the present work we report on the contribution of the coumarin moiety to
tyrosinase inhibition. Coumarin-resveratrol hybrids 1-8 have been resynthesized to
investigate the structure-activity relationships and the IC50 values of these compounds
were measured. The results showed that these compounds exhibited tyrosinase inhibitory
activity. Compound 3-(3’,4’,5’-trihydroxyphenyl)-6,8-dihydroxycoumarin (8) is the most
potent compound (0.27 mM), more so than umbelliferone (0.42 mM), used as reference
compound. The kinetic studies revealed that compound 8 caused non-competitive
tyrosinase inhibition
Transmission of 16SrIII-J phytoplasmas by the leafhoppers Paratanus exitiousus and Bergallia valdiviana
High Differentiation among Eight Villages in a Secluded Area of Sardinia Revealed by Genome-Wide High Density SNPs Analysis
To better design association studies for complex traits in isolated populations it's important to understand how history and isolation moulded the genetic features of different communities. Population isolates should not “a priori” be considered homogeneous, even if the communities are not distant and part of a small region. We studied a particular area of Sardinia called Ogliastra, characterized by the presence of several distinct villages that display different history, immigration events and population size. Cultural and geographic isolation characterized the history of these communities. We determined LD parameters in 8 villages and defined population structure through high density SNPs (about 360 K) on 360 unrelated people (45 selected samples from each village). These isolates showed differences in LD values and LD map length. Five of these villages show high LD values probably due to their reduced population size and extreme isolation. High genetic differentiation among villages was detected. Moreover population structure analysis revealed a high correlation between genetic and geographic distances. Our study indicates that history, geography and biodemography have influenced the genetic features of Ogliastra communities producing differences in LD and population structure. All these data demonstrate that we can consider each village an isolate with specific characteristics. We suggest that, in order to optimize the study design of complex traits, a thorough characterization of genetic features is useful to identify the presence of sub-populations and stratification within genetic isolates
First direct detection constraints on Planck-scale mass dark matter with multiple-scatter signatures using the DEAP-3600 detector
Dark matter with Planck-scale mass (similar or equal to 10(19) GeV/c(2)) arises in well-motivated theories and could be produced by several cosmological mechanisms. A search for multiscatter signals from supermassive dark matter was performed with a blind analysis of data collected over a 813 d live time with DEAP-3600, a 3.3 t single-phase liquid argon-based detector at SNOLAB. No candidate signals were observed, leading to the first direct detection constraints on Planck-scale mass dark matter. Leading limits constrain dark matter masses between 8.3 x 10(6) and 1.2 x 10(19) GeV/c(2), and Ar-10-scattering cross sections between 1.0 x 10(-23) and 2.4 x 10(-18) cm(2). These results are interpreted as constraints on composite dark matter models with two different nucleon-to-nuclear cross section scalings
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