Monitoring an Alien Invasion: DNA Barcoding and the Identification of Lionfish and Their Prey on Coral Reefs of the Mexican Caribbean

BACKGROUND: In the Mexican Caribbean, the exotic lionfish Pterois volitans has become a species of great concern because of their predatory habits and rapid expansion onto the Mesoamerican coral reef, the second largest continuous reef system in the world. This is the first report of DNA identification of stomach contents of lionfish using the barcode of life reference database (BOLD). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We confirm with barcoding that only Pterois volitans is apparently present in the Mexican Caribbean. We analyzed the stomach contents of 157 specimens of P. volitans from various locations in the region. Based on DNA matches in the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD) and GenBank, we identified fishes from five orders, 14 families, 22 genera and 34 species in the stomach contents. The families with the most species represented were Gobiidae and Apogonidae. Some prey taxa are commercially important species. Seven species were new records for the Mexican Caribbean: Apogon mosavi, Coryphopterus venezuelae, C. thrix, C. tortugae, Lythrypnus minimus, Starksia langi and S. ocellata. DNA matches, as well as the presence of intact lionfish in the stomach contents, indicate some degree of cannibalism, a behavior confirmed in this species by the first time. We obtained 45 distinct crustacean prey sequences, from which only 20 taxa could be identified from the BOLD and GenBank databases. The matches were primarily to Decapoda but only a single taxon could be identified to the species level, Euphausia americana. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This technique proved to be an efficient and useful method, especially since prey species could be identified from partially-digested remains. The primary limitation is the lack of comprehensive coverage of potential prey species in the region in the BOLD and GenBank databases, especially among invertebrates

Cabbage and fermented vegetables : From death rate heterogeneity in countries to candidates for mitigation strategies of severe COVID-19

Large differences in COVID-19 death rates exist between countries and between regions of the same country. Some very low death rate countries such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe, or the Balkans have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods. Although biases exist when examining ecological studies, fermented vegetables or cabbage have been associated with low death rates in European countries. SARS-CoV-2 binds to its receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). As a result of SARS-CoV-2 binding, ACE2 downregulation enhances the angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT(1)R) axis associated with oxidative stress. This leads to insulin resistance as well as lung and endothelial damage, two severe outcomes of COVID-19. The nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) is the most potent antioxidant in humans and can block in particular the AT(1)R axis. Cabbage contains precursors of sulforaphane, the most active natural activator of Nrf2. Fermented vegetables contain many lactobacilli, which are also potent Nrf2 activators. Three examples are: kimchi in Korea, westernized foods, and the slum paradox. It is proposed that fermented cabbage is a proof-of-concept of dietary manipulations that may enhance Nrf2-associated antioxidant effects, helpful in mitigating COVID-19 severity.Peer reviewe

Nrf2-interacting nutrients and COVID-19 : time for research to develop adaptation strategies

There are large between- and within-country variations in COVID-19 death rates. Some very low death rate settings such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe, the Balkans and Africa have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods whose intake is associated with the activation of the Nrf2 (Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2) anti-oxidant transcription factor. There are many Nrf2-interacting nutrients (berberine, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein, quercetin, resveratrol, sulforaphane) that all act similarly to reduce insulin resistance, endothelial damage, lung injury and cytokine storm. They also act on the same mechanisms (mTOR: Mammalian target of rapamycin, PPAR gamma:Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, NF kappa B: Nuclear factor kappa B, ERK: Extracellular signal-regulated kinases and eIF2 alpha:Elongation initiation factor 2 alpha). They may as a result be important in mitigating the severity of COVID-19, acting through the endoplasmic reticulum stress or ACE-Angiotensin-II-AT(1)R axis (AT(1)R) pathway. Many Nrf2-interacting nutrients are also interacting with TRPA1 and/or TRPV1. Interestingly, geographical areas with very low COVID-19 mortality are those with the lowest prevalence of obesity (Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia). It is tempting to propose that Nrf2-interacting foods and nutrients can re-balance insulin resistance and have a significant effect on COVID-19 severity. It is therefore possible that the intake of these foods may restore an optimal natural balance for the Nrf2 pathway and may be of interest in the mitigation of COVID-19 severity

WORK-RELATED PROBLEMS AND PERFORMANCE LEVEL OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS : Received: 22nd September 2021; Revised: 16th February 2022, 20th February 2022, 05th March 2022; Accepted: 14th March 2022

This descriptive correlational study determined the impact of work-related problems on the performance level of the 81 teachers in the Senior High School Department of a Local Government Funded University. Results showed: a combination of teachers, experienced to less experienced, mostly holding MA units, experienced work-compensation-related problems as their major problem. However, there were no significant relationship between the impact of their work-related problems experienced and their performance level in terms of classroom management skills, communication skills, instructional skills, knowledge of the subject matter, methods of evaluation, and teacher’s characteristics. In addition, there were no significant differences in the performance level in terms of classroom management, communication skills, instructional skills, knowledge of the subject matter, methods of evaluation, and teacher’s characteristics when grouped according to the length of work experience and highest educational attainment

COMPOSICION QUIMICA Y CONCENTRACION DE PRECURSORES DE ACIDO RUMENICO Y VACCENICO EN FORRAJES ALTERNATIVOS PARA LA ALIMENTACION DE RUMIANTES EN ECOSISTEMAS ARIDOS

Se determinó el valor nutrimental de alfalfa henificada (AH), dos genotipos de fríjol yorimón [IT90K-277-2 (FYG18) y Sesenteño (FYG25)], un clon de pasto taiwán (PT), un cultivar local de nopal en dos presentaciones, pencas tiernas de 15 días de edad o ";;;nopalitos";;; (NT) y pencas maduras (NM) de 60 días de edad y germinado de semillas de maíz (GM) del genotipo ASGROW 7573. Se cuantificó el contenido de materia seca (MS), proteína cruda (PC), lípidos totales (LT), cenizas (C), fibra cruda (FC) y energía bruta (EB), así como la concentración de ácido linoleico (LA), ácido α-linolénico (ALA), ácidos grasos poliinsaturados (PUFA) y ácidos grasos n-3. Los resultados revelan que los genotipos de frijol yorimón FYG25 y FYG18, mostraron el mayor contenido de PC. Respecto a la concentración de LT, el genotipo de yorimón FYG25 mostró la mayor cantidad seguido del FYG18 y AH. Los forrajes verdes de frijol yorimón (FYG25 y FYG18), así como el pasto Taiwán tuvieron el contenido mayor de ácido α-linolénico. Las semillas de germinado de maíz mostraron los contenidos mayores de ácido linolénico seguido del nopal tierno. Ambos ácidos grasos poliinsaturados (ALA y LA) son precursores del ácido ruménico y del ácido vaccénico en rumiantes. Por lo tanto, el uso de estos forrajes verdes en la alimentación de rumiantes es una alternativa que podría modificar las proporciones de ácido grasos en la leche y la carne con el propósito de incrementar los PUFA, específicamente el ácido ruménico así como el ácido vaccénico

The practical value of spurious correlations: selective versus manipulative policy

Plasmon-enhanced spectroscopic techniques have expanded single-molecule detection (SMD) and are revolutionizing areas such as bio-imaging and single-cell manipulation. Surface-enhanced (resonance) Raman scattering (SERS or SERRS) combines high sensitivity with molecularfingerprint information at the single-molecule level. Spectra originating from single-molecule SERS experiments are rare events, which occur only if a single molecule is located in a hot-spot zone. In this spot, the molecule is selectively exposed to a significant enhancement associated with a high, local electromagnetic field in the plasmonic substrate. Here, we report an SMD study with an electrostatic approach in which a Langmuir film of a phospholipid with anionic polar head groups (PO4 ) was doped with cationic methylene blue (MB), creating a homogeneous, two-dimensional distribution of dyes in the monolayer. The number of dyes in the probed area of the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film coating the Ag nanostructures established a regime in which single-molecule events were observed, with the identification based on direct matching of the observed spectrum at each point of the mapping with a reference spectrum for the MB molecule. In addition, advanced fitting techniques were tested with the data obtained from micro-Raman mapping, thus achieving real-time processing to extract the MB single-molecule spectra.FAPESPCNPqCAPESRede CAPES de NanoBiotecnologia - nBioNet Films and Sensor

Studies in Theoretical Biology: A Collectionof Undergraduate Research

120 pages, 7 articles*Studies in Theoretical Biology: A Collectionof Undergraduate Research* (Castillo-Chavez, Carlos) 120 pages*A Model Describing the Response of the Immune System to Mycobacterium tuberculosis* (Herrera, Christian; Lima, Sharon; Munoz, Roberto; Ramos, Gloria; Rodriguez, Ariel; Salzberg, Claudia) 19 pages*Mathematical Models to Study the Outbreaks of Ebola* (Astacio, Jaime; Briere, DelMar; Guillen, Milton; Martinez, Josue; Rodriguez, Francisco; Valenzuela-Campos, Noe) 18 pages*Stochastic Simulations of a Spatial SIR Model* (Camacho, Judit; Carreon, Fernando; Castillo-Guajardo, Derik; Jimenez-Perez, Hugo; Montoya-Gallardo, Leticia; Saenz, Ricardo A.) 14 pages*HIV-1 Replication Rate* (Arias, Michelle J.; Inguez, Delmy; Camacho, Erika T.; Castillo, Rafael B.; Melon, Eliel; Parra, Luz E.) 20 pages*The Effects of Vaccination in a Core Group* (Bobadilla, Marina; Lozano, Sharon Ann; Maia, Jessica Mendes; Villarreal, Julio Casar; Wilson, Novaline Dawn; Winston, Roberta) 19 pages*A Mathematical Model of the Dynamics of Rickettsia rickettsii in Tick-Host Interaction* (Alderete, Mary E.; Castillo-Garsow, Carlos W.; Salivia, Guarionex Jordan; Lara-Moreno, Carlos F.; Ramirez, Gina F.; Yichoy, Monica F.) 18 page