Bioinformatics and molecular modeling in glycobiology

The field of glycobiology is concerned with the study of the structure, properties, and biological functions of the family of biomolecules called carbohydrates. Bioinformatics for glycobiology is a particularly challenging field, because carbohydrates exhibit a high structural diversity and their chains are often branched. Significant improvements in experimental analytical methods over recent years have led to a tremendous increase in the amount of carbohydrate structure data generated. Consequently, the availability of databases and tools to store, retrieve and analyze these data in an efficient way is of fundamental importance to progress in glycobiology. In this review, the various graphical representations and sequence formats of carbohydrates are introduced, and an overview of newly developed databases, the latest developments in sequence alignment and data mining, and tools to support experimental glycan analysis are presented. Finally, the field of structural glycoinformatics and molecular modeling of carbohydrates, glycoproteins, and protein–carbohydrate interaction are reviewed

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

Suppression of soil-borne pathogens of tomato by composts derived from agro-industrial wastes abundant in Mediterranean regions

We studied nine composts derived from wastes and by-products of the olive oil, wine, and Agaricus mushroom agro-industries. They were mixed with peat at 1:3 w w (-1) ratios and comparatively evaluated in pot experiments to assess suppressiveness against soil-borne and foliar pathogens of tomato. All compost amendments demonstrated high levels of suppressiveness against Phytophthora nicotianae Breda de Haan in tomato, when they were applied directly after curing (T0) indicating the occurrence of a "general suppression phenomenon" (81-100% decrease in plant disease incidence). They were, however, relatively less effective when applied 9 months after curing (T1, 55-100% disease decrease). Suppressiveness against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis-lycopersici Jarvis & Shoemaker was relatively lower and varied widely among composts (8-95% and 22-87% decrease in plant disease incidence for T0 and T1, respectively). Three of the composts conferred induced systemic resistance against the foliar pathogen Septoria lycopersici Speg. Biotic properties were determined, including respiration, fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis, and beta-glucosidase activity of composts. The comparative evaluation of the nine composts revealed no shared critical biotic or abiotic characteristics indicative of their suppressive effects on the soil-borne and foliar pathogens. The complex origin of compost suppressiveness is discussed and the implementation of individual evaluation of each compost product for a specific use is advocated