Conservation value of working landscapes in Mesoamerica for Nearctic-neotropical migratory birds

Populations of many of Nearctic-neotropical migratory birds have declined in the past several decades, recent estimates suggested a dramatic loss of 2.5 billion birds over the past 50 years in North America. Habitat loss and degradation represent a major threat in the tropics. Managed agroecosystems have the potential to mitigate some impacts of land conversion, however, little is known regarding the habitat quality provided by working landscapes in the overwintering range. In this research, we surveyed the migratory bird community in the rapidly expanding oil palm plantations in southern Mexico; and also the declining population of the Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) inhabiting forest fragments in an agricultural matrix in Costa Rica. We assessed the value of both human-modified habitats by using a combination of demographic, distributional, and individual habitat quality indicators, as well as the relationship of these indicators with environmental characteristics. In the Mexican oil palm plantations, we found that species richness of migratory birds tended to be higher in forest patches than in oil palm, that community assemblages of migratory birds differed between habitats, and that differences in migratory bird abundance were driven by vegetative structure. Specifically, when differences in indicators occurred between oil palm and native forest, most migratory species exhibited indicators of better habitat quality in the native forest. Lastly, we observed, for the first time, territoriality in oil palm plantations and estimated home range sizes for the American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), which tended to be smaller than in the native forest. The Wood Thrush population in Costa Rica exhibited an average territory size estimated of 0.71 ha. We were able to determine associations between fragments\u27 characteristics and body conditions, whereby birds in young and more humid fragments exhibited better fitness. Additionally, fragment size alone is probably not the best indicator of habitat quality for Wood Thrushes in Costa Rica. Our results suggest that most species of migratory birds assessed responded positively to forest structure complexity, and that age and sex ratios combined with measures of the physiological conditions, environmental moisture and home range sizes can be used to assess habitat quality for migratory birds overwintering in working landscapes. Importantly, determining a species’ territoriality dynamics, is key when selecting a given indicator of habitat quality for each species due to distributional behavior. Our results also suggest that management strategies that promote forest-like conditions in oil palm plantations can improve the habitat quality in this agroecosystem for declining populations of migratory birds. Additionally, these findings support potential value in variable-sized forest fragments within agricultural areas for the conservation of the Wood Thrushes, and soil humidity could be used as a proximate cue for food availability and ultimately as a habitat quality indicator. Lastly, our results emphasize the importance of determining territoriality dynamics, assessing various habitat indicators, and long-term monitoring, in order to develop effective management measures to improve the conservation value of working landscapes in the Neotropics to mitigate the high rate of habitat loss and degradation, especially considering that habitat availability in the tropics could be limiting migratory bird populations

Winter Territoriality of the American Redstart in Oil Palm Plantations

Aspects of territorial behavior of Nearctic-neotropical migratory birds during the nonbreeding period are poorly studied. Information about territoriality, site persistence, between-year site fidelity, and territory sizes are not available for most birds, especially in tropical agroecosystems. Given the rapid expansion of oil palm in the neotropics, determining how oil palm affects the territorial behaviors of overwintering migratory birds is an important line of inquiry with conservation implications. The American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) is considered a model species for the study of population dynamics in the neotropics; however, territory size for American Redstart has only been assessed in native habitats. In this study, we outfitted individual redstarts with radio tags, across two winter seasons, to determine variation in territory sizes across oil palm plantations and native forest patches in the State of Tabasco, Mexico. Average redstart territory size was 0.29 ha in oil palm plantations and 0.17 ha in native forest. Albeit presenting larger territories in oil palm plantations, which could indicate poorer habitat quality, the difference between both habitats was not statistically significant. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that American Redstarts hold territories in oil palm plantations and that territory size may serve as an important indicator of relative habitat quality for redstart populations in tropical working landscapes

Use of natural rubber membranes as support for powder TiO2 and Ag/TiO2 photocatalysts

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)The purpose of this study was to synthesize TiO2-polymer composites able to act as photocatalyst membranes. TiO2 catalysts were prepared using the sol-gel method to contain 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 wt.% of embedded Ag particles, subsequently incorporated into natural rubber latex at a weight fraction of 15%. Samples of these ceramic powders were suspended in a latex emulsion (natural rubber), cast in Petri dishes and slowly dried in an oven. The resulting materials were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, and photocatalytic assaying using methylene blue as an organic pollutant reference. All composite membranes exhibited good photoactivity conferred by TiO2 powder, with 98% dye fading after 300 min of ultraviolet irradiation.The purpose of this study was to synthesize TiO2-polymer composites able to act as photocatalyst membranes. TiO2 catalysts were prepared using the sol-gel method to contain 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 wt.% of embedded Ag particles, subsequently incorporated in273575583CNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOCAPES - COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIORFUNDECT - FUNDAÇÃO DE APOIO AO DESENVOLVIMENTO DO ENSINO, CIÊNCIA E TECNOLOGIA DO ESTADO DE MATO GROSSO DO SUL |Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)sem informaçãosem informaçãosem informaçãosem informaçãoThe authors wish to thank the Brazilian funding agencies Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), and Fundação de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Ensino, Ciênci

Current status of the whitefly Aleurodicus dispersus as an invasive pest in the CapeVerte Islands

In the last three decades, the spiralling whitefly (Aleurodicus dispersus) has become an important international pest. The movement of plants and parts of plants (such as fruits) in international trade and tourism, and by natural dispersal, has favoured its introduction to new areas. In common with others whiteflies of economic importance, the immature and adult stages cause direct feeding damage by piercing and sucking of sap from foliage, and indirect damage following the accumulation all over host plants of honeydew and waxy flocculent material produced by the insects. Spiralling whitefly is a pest of tropical and subtropical crops, and highly polyphagous. Up to the 1970s, it had been recorded on 44 genera of plants, belonging to 26 botanical families (Mound & Halsey, 1978). This situation changed with the dispersal of the pest to new areas. Nowadays, the spiralling whitefly is one of the major pest of vegetable, ornamental and fruit crops around the globe (Lambkin, 1999). Important host crops include: banana (Musa sapientum), Citrus spp., coconut (Cocos nocifera), eggplant (Solanum melanogena), guava (Psidium guajava), Hibiscus rosa sinensis, Indian almond (Terminalia catappa), papya (Carica papaya), Rosa sp. and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) (Saminathan & Jayaraj, 2001). Spiralling whitefly has its origin in the tropical Americas, including Brazil. Although the pest has been recorded only once in Brasil, in the 1920s in the state of Bahia (Bondar, 1923), it now has official quarantine status because of its economic importance. In the Cape Verte Islands, on the West African coast, the pest was initially introduced in the first half of 2000; it has since become established, reaching urban, natural and agricultural areas of the islands that constitute the archipelago. Since then, the pest has been causing damage to many native plants, ornamentals and cultivated food crops (Anon., 2001; Monteiro, 2004). The present study was done in order to produce an inventory of the most common host plants of spiralling whitefly in this new habitat

Extracellular vesicle-mediated export of fungal RNA

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play an important role in the biology of various organisms, including fungi, in which they are required for the trafficking of molecules across the cell wall. Fungal EVs contain a complex combination of macromolecules, including proteins, lipids and glycans. in this work, we aimed to describe and characterize RNA in EV preparations from the human pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans, Paracoccidiodes brasiliensis and Candida albicans, and from the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. the EV RNA content consisted mostly of molecules less than 250 nt long and the reads obtained aligned with intergenic and intronic regions or specific positions within the mRNA. We identified 114 ncRNAs, among them, six small nucleolar (snoRNA), two small nuclear (snRNA), two ribosomal (rRNA) and one transfer (tRNA) common to all the species considered, together with 20 sequences with features consistent with miRNAs. We also observed some copurified mRNAs, as suggested by reads covering entire transcripts, including those involved in vesicle-mediated transport and metabolic pathways. We characterized for the first time RNA molecules present in EVs produced by fungi. Our results suggest that RNA-containing vesicles may be determinant for various biological processes, including cell communication and pathogenesis.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ)Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia de Inovacao em Doencas Negligenciadas (INCT-IDN)Brazilian agency Fundacao Araucaria - PRONEXBrazilian agency Papes-FiocruzUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilFundacao Oswaldo Cruz, CDTS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Microbiol Prof Paulo de Goes, BR-21941 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilFiocruz PR, Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Inst Carlos Chagas, Curitiba, PR, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Algebraic structure of gravity in Ashtekar variables

The BRST transformations for gravity in Ashtekar variables are obtained by using the Maurer-Cartan horizontality conditions. The BRST cohomology in Ashtekar variables is calculated with the help of an operator $\delta$ introduced by S.P. Sorella, which allows to decompose the exterior derivative as a BRST commutator. This BRST cohomology leads to the differential invariants for four-dimensional manifolds.Comment: 19 pages, report REF. TUW 94-1

Fishing for MSY: using “pretty good yield” ranges without impairing recruitment

Pretty good yield (PGY) is a sustainable fish yield corresponding to obtaining no less than a specified large percentage of the maximum sustainable yield (MSY). We investigated 19 European fish stocks to test the hypothesis that the 95% PGY yield range is inherently precautionary with respect to impairing recruitment. An FMSY range was calculated for each stock as the range of fishing mortalities (F) that lead to an average catch of at least 95% of MSY in long-term simulations. Further, a precautionary reference point for each stock (FP.05) was defined as the F resulting in a 5% probability of the spawning-stock biomass falling below an agreed biomass limit below which recruitment is impaired (Blim) in long-term simulations. For the majority of the stocks analysed, the upper bound of the FMSY range exceeded the estimated FP.05. However, larger fish species had higher precautionary limits to fishing mortality, and species with larger asymptotic length were less likely to have FMSY ranges impairing recruitment. Our study shows that fishing at FMSY generally is precautionary with respect to impairing recruitment for highly exploited teleost species in northern European waters, whereas the upper part of the range providing 95% of MSY is not necessarily precautionary for small- and medium-sized teleosts.</jats:p

Inconsistency in shoulder arthrometers for measuring glenohumeral joint laxity: a systematic review

There is no consensus on how to measure shoulder joint laxity and results reported in the literature are not well systematized for the available shoulder arthrometer devices. This systematic review aims to summarize the results of currently available shoulder arthrometers for measuring glenohumeral laxity in individuals with healthy or injured shoulders. Searches were conducted on the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases to identify studies that measure glenohumeral laxity with arthrometer-assisted assessment. The mean and standard deviations of the laxity measurement from each study were compared based on the type of population and arthrometer used. Data were organized according to the testing characteristics. A total of 23 studies were included and comprised 1162 shoulders. Populations were divided into 401 healthy individuals, 278 athletes with asymptomatic shoulder, and 134 individuals with symptomatic shoulder. Sensors were the most used method for measuring glenohumeral laxity and stiffness. Most arthrometers applied an external force to the humeral head or superior humerus by a manual-assisted mechanism. Glenohumeral laxity and stiffness were mostly assessed in the sagittal plane. There is substantial heterogeneity in glenohumeral laxity values that is mostly related to the arthrometer used and the testing conditions. This variability can lead to inconsistent results and influence the diagnosis and treatment decision-making.This article is a result of the project DILATO (reference 47289) supported by the Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

An ant colony-based semi-supervised approach for learning classification rules

Semi-supervised learning methods create models from a few labeled instances and a great number of unlabeled instances. They appear as a good option in scenarios where there is a lot of unlabeled data and the process of labeling instances is expensive, such as those where most Web applications stand. This paper proposes a semi-supervised self-training algorithm called Ant-Labeler. Self-training algorithms take advantage of supervised learning algorithms to iteratively learn a model from the labeled instances and then use this model to classify unlabeled instances. The instances that receive labels with high confidence are moved from the unlabeled to the labeled set, and this process is repeated until a stopping criteria is met, such as labeling all unlabeled instances. Ant-Labeler uses an ACO algorithm as the supervised learning method in the self-training procedure to generate interpretable rule-based models—used as an ensemble to ensure accurate predictions. The pheromone matrix is reused across different executions of the ACO algorithm to avoid rebuilding the models from scratch every time the labeled set is updated. Results showed that the proposed algorithm obtains better predictive accuracy than three state-of-the-art algorithms in roughly half of the datasets on which it was tested, and the smaller the number of labeled instances, the better the Ant-Labeler performance

The characterization of RNA-binding proteins and RNA metabolism-related proteins in fungal extracellular vesicles

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are essential for regulating RNA metabolism, stability, and translation within cells. Recent studies have shown that RBPs are not restricted to intracellular functions and can be found in extracellular vesicles (EVs) in different mammalian cells. EVs released by fungi contain a variety of proteins involved in RNA metabolism. These include RNA helicases, which play essential roles in RNA synthesis, folding, and degradation. Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, responsible for acetylating tRNA molecules, are also enriched in EVs, suggesting a possible link between these enzymes and tRNA fragments detected in EVs. Proteins with canonical RNA-binding domains interact with proteins and RNA, such as the RNA Recognition Motif (RRM), Zinc finger, and hnRNP K-homology (KH) domains. Polyadenylate-binding protein (PABP) plays a critical role in the regulation of gene expression by binding the poly(A) tail of messenger RNA (mRNA) and facilitating its translation, stability, and localization, making it a key factor in post-transcriptional control of gene expression. The presence of proteins related to the RNA life cycle in EVs from different fungal species suggests a conserved mechanism of EV cargo packing. Various models have been proposed for selecting RNA molecules for release into EVs. Still, the actual loading processes are unknown, and further molecular characterization of these proteins may provide insight into the mechanism of RNA sorting into EVs. This work reviews the current knowledge of RBPs and proteins related to RNA metabolism in EVs derived from distinct fungi species, and presents an analysis of proteomic datasets through GO term and orthology analysis, Our investigation identified orthologous proteins in fungal EVs on different fungal species