Crack healing utilising bacterial spores in concrete

This self repair system is based upon harmless ground borne bacteria as the self healing agent. The bacteria is activated after the concrete is cracked and the bacterial spores are exposed to moisture and air. The bacterial reproduction process creates a calcite by-product which fills the cracks in the concrete. By sealing the cracks in concrete, an effective barrier to air or liquid borne deleterious materials is formed and as a consequence of his, enhanced durability is achieved in the structure, resulting in lower life cycle costs. The concrete/mortar prisms were cracked and tested for water flow. They were then left for 56 days to heal and were subject to a test for water tightness. Healing was observed and a reduced water flow (74% and 32% healed) measured with the healed samples when compared to the specimens that were cracked and subjected to a water flow test without any healing agent. The number of samples were limited and a larger scale test is recommended for further work, however this is proof of concept of the process of healing and testing

Current competing hypotheses of relationships derived from morphological or molecular data for the major starfish clades considered in this paper.

<p>Current competing hypotheses of relationships derived from morphological or molecular data for the major starfish clades considered in this paper.</p

Key morphological characters relevant to asteroid rooting mapped onto our best-supported molecular phylogenetic tree.

<p>1, planktotrophic larval development; ☐ to bipinnaria stage; ■to brachiolaria stage; L—lecithotrophic (no planktotrophic larval stage). 2, suckered tube feet; ☐ absent; ■present. 3, pedicellariae; ☐ simple valves; ■ complex, crossed pedicellarae with basal element. 4, oral frame; ☐ ambulacral; ■ adambulacral. 5, eversible stomach; ☐ absent; ■ present. 6, anus; ☐ absent; ■ present.</p

Bayes Factor support for the alterative topologies in the different partitions.

<p>Supports are coded according to [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0123331#pone.0123331.ref045" target="_blank">45</a>]. Rates hom. = homogeneous rates partition; comp. hom. = compositionally homogeneous partition; rates+comp. hom. = homogeneous rates and composition partition; rates heter. = heterogeneous rates partition. In this table the red color implies that competing tree is rejected and the darker the red the stronger the evidence for rejection.</p

This table summarizes the ability of the various partitions to identify well-established relationship amongst echinoderms other than the Asteroidea.

<p>This table summarizes the ability of the various partitions to identify well-established relationship amongst echinoderms other than the Asteroidea.</p

Resultant tree from analysis of the homogenous rates and compositional data set under CAT-GTR-Γ.

<p>Support at the nodes indicates posterior probability under CAT-GTR- Γ (bold), posterior probability GTR- Γ (italic bold) and maximum likelihood abayes bootstrap under GTR- Γ (italic).</p

Phylogenomics of Opsin Genes in Diptera Reveals Lineage-Specific Events and Contrasting Evolutionary Dynamics in Anopheles and Drosophila

Diptera is one of the biggest insect orders and displays a large diversity of visual adaptations. Similarly to other animals, the dipteran visual process is mediated by opsin genes. Although the diversity and function of these genes are well studied in key model species, a comprehensive comparative genomic study across the dipteran phylogeny is missing. Here we mined the genomes of 61 dipteran species, reconstructed the evolutionary affinities of 528 opsin genes, and determined the selective pressure acting in different species. We found that opsins underwent several lineage-specific events, including an independent expansion of Long Wave Sensitive opsins in flies and mosquitoes, and numerous family-specific duplications and losses. Both the Drosophila and the Anopheles complement are derived in comparison with the ancestral dipteran state. Molecular evolutionary studies suggest that gene turnover rate, overall mutation rate, and site-specific selective pressure are higher in Anopheles than in Drosophila. Overall, our findings indicate an extremely variable pattern of opsin evolution in dipterans, showcasing how two similarly aged radiations, Anopheles and Drosophila, are characterized by contrasting dynamics in the evolution of this gene family. These results provide a foundation for future studies on the dipteran visual system

Shallow Whole-Genome Sequencing of <i>Aedes japonicus</i> and <i>Aedes koreicus</i> from Italy and an Updated Picture of Their Evolution Based on Mitogenomics and Barcoding.

Aedes japonicus and Aedes koreicus are two invasive mosquitoes native to East Asia that are quickly establishing in temperate regions of Europe. Both species are vectors of arboviruses, but we currently lack a clear understanding of their evolution. Here, we present new short-read, shallow genome sequencing of A. japonicus and A. koreicus individuals from northern Italy, which we used for downstream phylogenetic and barcode analyses. We explored associated microbial DNA and found high occurrences of Delftia bacteria in both samples, but neither Asaia nor Wolbachia. We then assembled complete mitogenomes and used these data to infer divergence times estimating the split of A. japonicus from A. koreicus in the Oligocene, which was more recent than that previously reported using mitochondrial markers. We recover a younger age for most other nodes within Aedini and other Culicidae. COI barcoding and phylogenetic analyses indicate that A. japonicus yaeyamensis, A. japonicus amamiensis, and the two A. koreicus sampled from Europe should be considered as separate species within a monophyletic species complex. Our studies further clarify the evolution of A. japonicus and A. koreicus, and indicate the need to obtain whole-genome data from putative species in order to disentangle their complex patterns of evolution

Profiling cellular diversity in sponges informs animal cell type and nervous system evolution

The evolutionary origin of metazoan cell types such as neurons and muscles is not known. Using whole-body single-cell RNA sequencing in a sponge, an animal without nervous system and musculature, we identified 18 distinct cell types. These include nitric oxide–sensitive contractile pinacocytes, amoeboid phagocytes, and secretory neuroid cells that reside in close contact with digestive choanocytes that express scaffolding and receptor proteins. Visualizing neuroid cells by correlative x-ray and electron microscopy revealed secretory vesicles and cellular projections enwrapping choanocyte microvilli and cilia. Our data show a communication system that is organized around sponge digestive chambers, using conserved modules that became incorporated into the pre- and postsynapse in the nervous systems of other animals