Diversity of fungal endophytes in the semi evergreen vine thickets of the southern Brigalow Belt bioregion and their production of antimicrobial secondary metabolites.

Endophytes are thought to make up at least half of the diversity within the fungal kingdom and yet they remain one of the least explored functional groups. What research that has been conducted has focused on tropical rainforests or grasses with comparatively little research examining diversity within other ecosystems. Semi-evergreen vine thickets (SEVT) are remnant dry rainforests which form part of the Brigalow Belt along the eastern coast of Australia. Due to the fertile soil on which they grow, SEVT are frequently cleared for agricultural use, currently no information exists regarding fungi within this ecosystem. Leaves from 23 plants at 3 sites of SEVT were sampled and fungal endophytes were isolated and identified. Fungal specificity was examined by collecting leaves from 22 Geijera salicifolia plants from 5 sites of SEVT. In total, 228 and 187 fungal endophytes were isolated from the two studies. Multi-gene phylogenetic analysis was further conducted on Nigrospora, Preussia, Guignardia and Pezizales - four of the most commonly occurring taxa. Endophytes obtained from the diversity study were screened for antimicrobial capabilities and HPLC analysis was conducted on crude extracts obtained from endophytes showing bioactivity. Pure compounds were retested for their ability to inhibit the growth of microbial pathogens. A wealth of novel fungal endophytes was observed within SEVT. Four new taxa within the predominately saprotrophic order Pezizales, were observed. This finding may represent an example of ecosystem specificity. A large number of Preussia, Nigrospora and Guignardia species were also observed. Fungal specificity was found to be occurring between several species of Guignardia and G. salicifolia. 6 novel pure compounds were isolated from a Preussia sp. Three of these showed significant antimicrobial activity against MRSA and C. albicans. The results of this study indicate that SEVT harbour a vast storehouse of novel and medicinally significant endophytic fungi

Molecular taxonomy of Australian endophytic Pezizales

The order Pezizales contains a wide variety of striking macro ascomycetes not commonly observed in Australia. Known as cup fungi and false morels due to the prominent, often brightly coloured apothecia that are produced, most samples may be observed on the ground or on decaying leaf and bark material. Recently, 33 likely novel isolates belonging to Sarcosomataceae and Sarcoscyphaceae were found occurring endophytically in leaves collected from a semi evergreen vine thicket in the Brigalow Belt in South-East Queensland. An endophytic life mode is considered rare for these families and so this observation raises interesting ecological questions. The 33 isolates were analysed to determine their phylogenetic relationship with other known Sarcosomataceae and Sarcoscyphaceae and found to belong to three potentially new genera. This observation represents an increase in the observance of Sarcosomataceae in Australia and also a possible range expansion for one genus within the Sarcoscyphaceae

Fungal Planet description sheets: 868-950

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Australia, Chaetomella pseudocircinoseta and Coniella pseudodiospyri on Eucalyptus microcorys leaves, Cladophialophora eucalypti, Teratosphaeria dunnii and Vermiculariopsiella dunnii on Eucalyptus dunnii leaves, Cylindrium grande and Hypsotheca eucalyptorum on Eucalyptus grandis leaves, Elsinoe salignae on Eucalyptus saligna leaves, Marasmius lebeliae on litter of regenerating subtropical rainforest, Phialoseptomonium eucalypti (incl. Phialoseptomonium gen. nov.) on Eucalyptus grandis × camaldulensis leaves, Phlogicylindrium pawpawense on Eucalyptus tereticornis leaves, Phyllosticta longicauda as an endophyte from healthy Eustrephus latifolius leaves, Pseudosydowia eucalyptorum on Eucalyptus sp. leaves, Saitozyma wallum on Banksia aemula leaves, Teratosphaeria henryi on Corymbia henryi leaves. Brazil, Aspergillus bezerrae, Backusella azygospora, Mariannaea terricola and Talaromyces pernambucoensis from soil, Calonectria matogrossensis on Eucalyptus urophylla leaves, Calvatia brasiliensis on soil, Carcinomyces nordestinensis on Bromelia antiacantha leaves, Dendryphiella stromaticola on small branches of an unidentified plant, Nigrospora brasiliensis on Nopalea cochenillifera leaves, Penicillium alagoense as a leaf endophyte on a Miconia sp., Podosordaria nigrobrunnea on dung, Spegazzinia bromeliacearum as a leaf endophyte on Tilandsia catimbauensis, Xylobolus brasiliensis on decaying wood. Bulgaria, Kazachstania molopis from the gut of the beetle Molops piceus. Croatia, Mollisia endocrystallina from a fallen decorticated Picea abies tree trunk. Ecuador, Hygrocybe rodomaculata on soil. Hungary, Alfoldia vorosii (incl.Alfoldia gen. nov.) from Juniperus communis roots, Kiskunsagia ubrizsyi (incl. Kiskunsagia gen. nov.) from Fumana procumbens roots. India, Aureobasidium tremulum as laboratory contaminant, Leucosporidium himalayensis and Naganishia indica from windblown dust on glaciers. Italy, Neodevriesia cycadicola on Cycas sp. leaves, Pseudocercospora pseudomyrticola on Myrtus communis leaves, Ramularia pistaciae on Pistacia lentiscus leaves, Neognomoniopsis quercina (incl. Neognomoniopsis gen. nov.) on Quercus ilex leaves. Japan, Diaporthe fructicola on Passiflora edulis × P. edulis f. flavicarpa fruit, Entoloma nipponicum on leaf litter in a mixed Cryptomeria japonica and Acer spp. forest. Macedonia, Astraeus macedonicus on soil. Malaysia, Fusicladium eucalyptigenum on Eucalyptus sp. twigs, Neoacrodontiella eucalypti (incl. Neoacrodontiella gen. nov.) on Eucalyptus urophylla leaves. Mozambique, Meliola gorongosensis on dead Philenoptera violacea leaflets. Nepal, Coniochaeta dendrobiicola from Dendriobium lognicornu roots. New Zealand, Neodevriesia sexualis and Thozetella neonivea on Archontophoenix cunninghamiana leaves. Norway, Calophoma sandfjordenica from a piece of board on a rocky shoreline, Clavaria parvispora on soil, Didymella finnmarkica from a piece of Pinus sylvestris driftwood. Poland, Sugiyamaella trypani from soil. Portugal, Colletotrichum feijoicola from Acca sellowiana. Russia, Crepidotus tobolensis on Populus tremula debris, Entoloma ekaterinae, Entoloma erhardii and Suillus gastroflavus on soil, Nakazawaea ambrosiae from the galleries of Ips typographus under the bark of Picea abies. Slovenia, Pluteus ludwigii on twigs of broadleaved trees. South Africa, Anungitiomyces stellenboschiensis (incl. Anungitiomyces gen. nov.) and Niesslia stellenboschiana on Eucalyptus sp. leaves, Beltraniella pseudoportoricensis on Podocarpus falcatus leaf litter, Corynespora encephalarti on Encephalartos sp. leaves, Cytospora pavettae on Pavetta revoluta leaves, Helminthosporium erythrinicola on Erythrina humeana leaves, Helminthosporium syzygii on a Syzygium sp. barkcanker, Libertasomyces aloeticus on Aloe sp. leaves, Penicillium lunae from Musa sp. fruit, Phyllosticta lauridiae on Lauridia tetragona leaves, Pseudotruncatella bolusanthi (incl. Pseudotruncatellaceae fam. nov.) and Dactylella bolusanthi on Bolusanthus speciosus leaves. Spain, Apenidiella foetida on submerged plant debris, Inocybe grammatoides on Quercus ilex subsp. ilex forest humus, Ossicaulis salomii on soil, Phialemonium guarroi from soil. Thailand, Pantospora chromolaenae on Chromolaena odorata leaves. Ukraine, Cadophora helianthi from Helianthus annuus stems. USA, Boletus pseudopinophilus on soil under slash pine, Botryotrichum foricae, Penicillium americanum and Penicillium minnesotense from air. Vietnam, Lycoperdon vietnamense on soil. Morphological and culture characteristics are supported by DNA barcodes

Fungal planet description sheets: 868–950

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Australia, Chaetomella pseudocircinoseta and Coniella pseudodiospyri on Eucalyptus microcorys leaves, Cladophialophora eucalypti, Teratosphaeria dunnii and Vermiculariopsiella dunnii on Eucalyptus dunnii leaves, Cylindrium grande and Hypsotheca eucalyptorum on Eucalyptus grandis leaves, Elsinoe salignae on Eucalyptus saligna leaves, Marasmius lebeliae on litter of regenerating subtropical rainforest, Phialoseptomonium eucalypti (incl. Phialoseptomonium gen. nov.) on Eucalyptus grandis × camaldulensis leaves, Phlogicylindrium pawpawense on Eucalyptus tereticornis leaves, Phyllosticta longicauda as an endophyte from healthy Eustrephus latifolius leaves, Pseudosydowia eucalyptorum on Eucalyptus sp. leaves, Saitozyma wallum on Banksia aemula leaves, Teratosphaeria henryi on Corymbia henryi leaves. Brazil, Aspergillus bezerrae, Backusella azygospora, Mariannaea terricola and Talaromyces pernambucoensis from soil, Calonectria matogrossensis on Eucalyptus urophylla leaves, Calvatia brasiliensis on soil, Carcinomyces nordestinensis on Bromelia antiacantha leaves, Dendryphiella stromaticola on small branches of an unidentified plant, Nigrospora brasiliensis on Nopalea cochenillifera leaves, Penicillium alagoense as a leaf endophyte on a Miconia sp., Podosordaria nigrobrunnea on dung, Spegazzinia bromeliacearum as a leaf endophyte on Tilandsia catimbauensis, Xylobolus brasiliensis on decaying wood. Bulgaria, Kazachstania molopis from the gut of the beetle Molops piceus. Croatia, Mollisia endocrystallina from a fallen decorticated Picea abies tree trunk. Ecuador, Hygrocybe rodomaculata on soil. Hungary, Alfoldia vorosii (incl. Alfoldia gen. nov.) from Juniperus communis roots, Kiskunsagia ubrizsyi (incl. Kiskunsagia gen. nov.) from Fumana procumbens roots. India, Aureobasidium tremulum as laboratory contaminant, Leucosporidium himalayensis and Naganishia indica from windblown dust on glaciers. Italy, Neodevriesia cycadicola on Cycas sp. leaves, Pseudocercospora pseudomyrticola on Myrtus communis leaves, Ramularia pistaciae on Pistacia lentiscus leaves, Neognomoniopsis quercina (incl. Neognomoniopsis gen. nov.) on Quercus ilex leaves. Japan, Diaporthe fructicola on Passiflora edulis × P. edulis f. flavicarpa fruit, Entoloma nipponicum on leaf litter in a mixed Cryptomeria japonica and Acer spp. forest. Macedonia, Astraeus macedonicus on soil. Malaysia, Fusicladium eucalyptigenum on Eucalyptus sp. twigs, Neoacrodontiella eucalypti (incl. Neoacrodontiella gen. nov.) on Eucalyptus urophylla leaves. Mozambique, Meliola gorongosensis on dead Philenoptera violacea leaflets. Nepal, Coniochaeta dendrobiicola from Dendriobium lognicornu roots. New Zealand, Neodevriesia sexualis and Thozetella neonivea on Archontophoenix cunninghamiana leaves. Norway, Calophoma sandfjordenica from a piece of board on a rocky shoreline, Clavaria parvispora on soil, Didymella finnmarkica from a piece of Pinus sylvestris driftwood. Poland, Sugiyamaella trypani from soil. Portugal, Colletotrichum feijoicola from Acca sellowiana. Russia, Crepidotus tobolensis on Populus tremula debris, Entoloma ekaterinae, Entoloma erhardii and Suillus gastroflavus on soil, Nakazawaea ambrosiae from the galleries of Ips typographus under the bark of Picea abies. Slovenia, Pluteus ludwigii on twigs of broadleaved trees. South Africa, Anungitiomyces stellenboschiensis (incl. Anungitiomyces gen. nov.) and Niesslia stellenboschiana on Eucalyptus sp. leaves, Beltraniella pseudoportoricensis on Podocarpus falcatus leaf litter, Corynespora encephalarti on Encephalartos sp. leaves, Cytospora pavettae on Pavetta revoluta leaves, Helminthosporium erythrinicola on Erythrina humeana leaves, Helminthosporium syzygii on a Syzygium sp. bark canker, Libertasomyces aloeticus on Aloe sp. leaves, Penicillium lunae from Musa sp. fruit, Phyllosticta lauridiae on Lauridia tetragona leaves, Pseudotruncatella bolusanthi (incl. Pseudotruncatellaceae fam. nov.) and Dactylella bolusanthi on Bolusanthus speciosus leaves. Spain, Apenidiella foetida on submerged plant debris, Inocybe grammatoides on Quercus ilex subsp. ilex forest humus, Ossicaulis salomii on soil, Phialemonium guarroi from soil. Thailand, Pantospora chromolaenae on Chromolaena odorata leaves. Ukraine, Cadophora helianthi from Helianthus annuus stems. USA, Boletus pseudopinophilus on soil under slash pine, Botryotrichum foricae, Penicillium americanum and Penicillium minnesotense from air. Vietnam, Lycoperdon vietnamense on soil. Morphological and culture characteristics are supported by DNA barcodes

Towards large-scale fabrication of plasmonic nanomaterials by fluid-mediated forces

© 2018 Dr. Tim MappersonNano-assembly promises powerful technological advances, yet there is a persistent need to make such assembly more economical before we see these benefits in daily life. Scalable and reliable nano-assembly of any kind has remained elusive to researchers worldwide. This thesis focuses on Capillary Force-assisted Assembly (CFA), particularly for plasmonic structures and materials. CFA assembles nanoparticles out of solution via liquid-mediated forces over a nano-template. It is significantly cheaper and faster than standard nano-fabrication routes. CFA-assembled optical plasmonic materials have not been demonstrated over sizes larger than square-micrometers. An early goal of this work is to demonstrate centimetre-squared assembly. An unexpected hindrance emerged in the reliable manufacture of large-area nano-templates. Despite this, scaled-up assembly has been demonstrated, producing an optical two-tone metamaterial from plasmonic nanorod pixels. Harnessing the CFA protocol is difficult. Experimenters rely heavily on the current CFA model to guide their efforts. This model is widely accepted yet has received little critical analysis. In pushing the envelope of CFA, the conventional CFA model is inadvertently put to the test, and it is found wanting. A much needed thorough review dismantles the conventional model from experimental and theoretical standpoints. An as-yet unmentioned type of capillary force is suggested to apply on nanoparticles in CFA, and its form is mathematically derived. A new framework for CFA is proposed. In this framework, contact line pinning on template cavities, and the subsequent local enhancement of convective flows, are the primary assembly drivers. This model draws well from the limited existing nano-wetting theory, and conforms well to high-level experimental expectations. However, for reliable and scalable CFA, core dynamics must be quantified and relevant experimental parameters ascertained. This is non-trivial, requiring knowledge of the time-resolved three-dimensional (3D) meniscus form during single CFA-assembly events. No techniques exist to non-invasively probe such dynamics. Therefore, a novel experimental technique is developed to rapidly and non-invasively profile a meniscus shape in 3D on the micro-scale. Meniscus dynamics are observed over templated cavities with millisecond resolution, showing that the meniscus pins and closes down over cavities, acting to clamp particles in place. Moreover, evaporative dynamics can be modelled on the 3D micro-meniscus profiles, paving the way for crucial thermodynamic analysis. Characterisation of the new model therefore begins by abundantly probing pinning dynamics on cavities. Surface tension is revealed to direct pinning dynamics down to the nano-scale; inertial/viscous forces become negligible. Interpolatable trends allow us to theoretically reconstruct meniscus forms under a range of experimental conditions at any moment during a single CFA assembly event. From this versatile CFA-meniscus model, and armed with the ability for thermodynamic analysis, convective flows during assembly events are estimated and validated against extant literature. The subsequent kinematic behaviour of a nanoparticle in a cavity’s vicinity during a CFA-assembly event is simulated under a variety of experimental conditions. This sheds valuable light on which experimental parameters are most crucial to optimise CFA dynamics, and why. This new and arguably successful model is called the pinned-convective model of nano-CFA

Presence and absence of color selectivity

It is controversial whether the magnitude of the motion aftereffect is greater when both inspection and test stimuli are the same color rather than different colors (color selectivity}. The present experiments show that the extent of color selectivity in the classical motion aftereffect depends upon {1} the duration of the interval between inspection and test, and {2} the nature of the stimulation during this interval. These findings are consistent with previous reports of two phases in the motion aftereffect and are interpreted in terms of the known properties of sustained and transient cells in the human visual system

Self examination of the breast: is it beneficial? Meta-analysis of studies investigating breast self examination and extent of disease in patients with breast cancer.

The question whether the aggregated published research suggests that breast self examination is beneficial was explored in a meta-analysis of 12 studies including a total of 8118 patients with breast cancer that related the practice of breast self examination to regional lymph node state or tumour diameter. Based on the six studies for which data were available, 39% of patients (1115/2852) who reported having done breast self examination at least once before their illness had evidence of cancer in the lymph nodes compared with 50% of women (1348/2713) who had not done the examination. Logistic regression analysis showed this difference to be significant (odds ratio 0.66, confidence interval 0.59 to 0.74). Combining six studies which reported the circumstances of detection disclosed that 42% of women (272/652) who found their tumour while doing breast self examination had evidence of cancer in the nodes compared with 46% of women (871/1901) who found the tumour accidentally; this difference was not significant. Analysis of eight studies which used the diameter of the tumour to indicate the extent of disease tended to confirm the findings on lymph node state, in particular the benefit of premorbid breast self examination. Significantly fewer women who had practised the examination before the illness (56%; 1205/2137) had tumours of 2 cm or more diameter compared with women who had not practised the examination (66%; 1500/2260). The combined odds ratio for that analysis was 0.56, confidence interval 0.38 to 0.81. These findings appear to be good evidence of the benefit of encouraging women to practise self examination of the breasts regularly