New record in the Hawaiian Islands of Orasema minutissima (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae), an ant-parasitic wasp and a potential biocontrol agent against the Little Fire Ant, Wasmannia auropunctata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Orasema minutissima Howard (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae) is recorded fromthe Hawaiian Islands for the first time. It has been established on the island of Hawai?isince at least 2019. The wasp is a parasitoid of the immature stages of Pheidole andWasmannia (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), both of which are significant pests on several ofthe Hawaiian Islands. Already found in substantial numbers, the wasp is a potential biological control agent for Wasmannia auropunctata, the Little Fire Ant.Fil: Heraty, John Michael. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Rogers, Valle D.. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Johnson, M. Tracy. Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry; Estados UnidosFil: Perreira, Williams D.. No especifíca;Fil: Baker, Austin J.. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Bitume, Ellyn. Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry; Estados UnidosFil: Murray, Elizabeth. Washington State University; Estados UnidosFil: Varone, Laura. Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Asteroseismic stellar modelling: systematics from the treatment of the initial helium abundance

Despite the fact that the initial helium abundance is an essential ingredient in modelling solar-type stars, its abundance in these stars remains a poorly constrained observational property. This is because the effective temperature in these stars is not high enough to allow helium ionization, not allowing any conclusions on its abundance when spectroscopic techniques are employed. To this end, stellar modellers resort to estimating the initial helium abundance via a semi-empirical helium-to-heavy element ratio, anchored to the the standard Big Bang nucleosynthesis value. Depending on the choice of solar composition used in stellar model computations, the helium-to-heavy element ratio, ($\Delta Y/\Delta Z$) is found to vary between 1 and 3. In this study, we use the Kepler "LEGACY" stellar sample, for which precise seismic data is available, and explore the systematic uncertainties on the inferred stellar parameters (radius, mass, and age) arising from adopting different values of $\Delta Y/\Delta Z$, specifically, 1.4 and 2.0. The stellar grid constructed with a higher $\Delta Y / \Delta Z$ value yields lower radius and mass estimates. We found systematic uncertainties of 1.1 per cent, 2.6 per cent, and 13.1 per cent on radius, mass, and ages, respectively.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, proceeding submited for the conference "Dynamics of the Sun & Stars - Honoring the Life and Work of Michael J. Thompson

Diagnostic Utility of Measuring Cerebral Atrophy in the Behavioral Variant of Frontotemporal Dementia and Association With Clinical Deterioration

Can widely available measures of atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging increase diagnostic certainty of underlying frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and estimate clinical deterioration in the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD)? This diagnostic/prognostic study investigated the clinical utility of 5 validated visual atrophy scales (VAS) and the Magnetic Resonance Parkinsonism Index. When combined, VAS showed excellent diagnostic performance for differentiating between bvFTD with high and low confidence of FTLD and for the estimation of longitudinal clinical deterioration, whereas the Magnetic Resonance Parkinsonism Index was increased in bvFTD with underlying 4-repeat tauopathies. These findings suggest that, in bvFTD, VAS can be used to increase diagnostic certainty of underlying FTLD and estimate longitudinal clinical deterioration. This diagnostic/prognostic study assesses the utility of 6 visual atrophy scales and the Magnetic Resonance Parkinsonism Index in patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia to distinguish those with high vs low confidence of frontotemporal lobar degeneration. The presence of atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging can support the diagnosis of the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), but reproducible measurements are lacking. To assess the diagnostic and prognostic utility of 6 visual atrophy scales (VAS) and the Magnetic Resonance Parkinsonism Index (MRPI). In this diagnostic/prognostic study, data from 235 patients with bvFTD and 225 age- and magnetic resonance imaging-matched control individuals from 3 centers were collected from December 1, 1998, to September 30, 2019. One hundred twenty-one participants with bvFTD had high confidence of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) (bvFTD-HC), and 19 had low confidence of FTLD (bvFTD-LC). Blinded clinicians applied 6 previously validated VAS, and the MRPI was calculated with a fully automated approach. Cortical thickness and subcortical volumes were also measured for comparison. Data were analyzed from February 1 to June 30, 2020. The main outcomes of this study were bvFTD-HC or a neuropathological diagnosis of 4-repeat (4R) tauopathy and the clinical deterioration rate (assessed by longitudinal measurements of Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes). Measures of cerebral atrophy included VAS scores, the bvFTD atrophy score (sum of VAS scores in orbitofrontal, anterior cingulate, anterior temporal, medial temporal lobe, and frontal insula regions), the MRPI, and other computerized quantifications of cortical and subcortical volumes. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) were calculated for the differentiation of participants with bvFTD-HC and bvFTD-LC and controls. Linear mixed models were used to evaluate the ability of atrophy measures to estimate longitudinal clinical deterioration. Of the 460 included participants, 296 (64.3%) were men, and the mean (SD) age was 62.6 (11.4) years. The accuracy of the bvFTD atrophy score for the differentiation of bvFTD-HC from controls (AUROC, 0.930; 95% CI, 0.903-0.957) and bvFTD-HC from bvFTD-LC (AUROC, 0.880; 95% CI, 0.787-0.972) was comparable to computerized measures (AUROC, 0.973 [95% CI, 0.954-0.993] and 0.898 [95% CI, 0.834-0.962], respectively). The MRPI was increased in patients with bvFTD and underlying 4R tauopathies compared with other FTLD subtypes (14.1 [2.0] vs 11.2 [2.6] points; P < .001). Higher bvFTD atrophy scores were associated with faster clinical deterioration in bvFTD (1.86-point change in Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes score per bvFTD atrophy score increase per year; 95% CI, 0.99-2.73; P < .001). Based on these study findings, in bvFTD, VAS increased the diagnostic certainty of underlying FTLD, and the MRPI showed potential for the detection of participants with underlying 4R tauopathies. These widely available measures of atrophy can also be useful to estimate longitudinal clinical deterioration

Tissue Tropism and Target Cells of NSs-Deleted Rift Valley Fever Virus in Live Immunodeficient Mice

Rift Valley fever, caused by a member of the Bunyaviridae family, has spread during recent years to most sub-Saharan African countries, in Egypt and in the Arabian peninsula. The virus can be transmitted by insect vectors or by direct contacts with infectious tissues. The analysis of virus replication and dissemination in laboratory animals has been hampered by the need to euthanize sufficient numbers of animals and to assay appropriate organs at various time points after infection to evaluate the viral replication. By following the bioluminescence and fluorescence of Rift Valley fever viruses expressing light reporters, we were able to track the real-time dissemination of the viruses in live immunodeficient mice. We showed that the first infected organs were the thymus, spleen and liver, but the liver rapidly became the main location of viral replication. Phagocytes also appeared as important targets, and their systemic depletion by use of clodronate liposomes decreased the number of viruses in the blood, delayed the viral dissemination and prolonged the survival of the infected mice

Chronic Viral Infection and Primary Central Nervous System Malignancy

Primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors cause significant morbidity and mortality in both adults and children. While some of the genetic and molecular mechanisms of neuro-oncogenesis are known, much less is known about possible epigenetic contributions to disease pathophysiology. Over the last several decades, chronic viral infections have been associated with a number of human malignancies. In primary CNS malignancies, two families of viruses, namely polyomavirus and herpesvirus, have been detected with varied frequencies in a number of pediatric and adult histological tumor subtypes. However, establishing a link between chronic viral infection and primary CNS malignancy has been an area of considerable controversy, due in part to variations in detection frequencies and methodologies used among researchers. Since a latent viral neurotropism can be seen with a variety of viruses and a widespread seropositivity exists among the population, it has been difficult to establish an association between viral infection and CNS malignancy based on epidemiology alone. While direct evidence of a role of viruses in neuro-oncogenesis in humans is lacking, a more plausible hypothesis of neuro-oncomodulation has been proposed. The overall goals of this review are to summarize the many human investigations that have studied viral infection in primary CNS tumors, discuss potential neuro-oncomodulatory mechanisms of viral-associated CNS disease and propose future research directions to establish a more firm association between chronic viral infections and primary CNS malignancies

Genetic Diversity and Population History of a Critically Endangered Primate, the Northern Muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus)

Social, ecological, and historical processes affect the genetic structure of primate populations, and therefore have key implications for the conservation of endangered species. The northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) is a critically endangered New World monkey and a flagship species for the conservation of the Atlantic Forest hotspot. Yet, like other neotropical primates, little is known about its population history and the genetic structure of remnant populations. We analyzed the mitochondrial DNA control region of 152 northern muriquis, or 17.6% of the 864 northern muriquis from 8 of the 12 known extant populations and found no evidence of phylogeographic partitions or past population shrinkage/expansion. Bayesian and classic analyses show that this finding may be attributed to the joint contribution of female-biased dispersal, demographic stability, and a relatively large historic population size. Past population stability is consistent with a central Atlantic Forest Pleistocene refuge. In addition, the best scenario supported by an Approximate Bayesian Computation analysis, significant fixation indices (ΦST = 0.49, ΦCT = 0.24), and population-specific haplotypes, coupled with the extirpation of intermediate populations, are indicative of a recent geographic structuring of genetic diversity during the Holocene. Genetic diversity is higher in populations living in larger areas (>2,000 hectares), but it is remarkably low in the species overall (θ = 0.018). Three populations occurring in protected reserves and one fragmented population inhabiting private lands harbor 22 out of 23 haplotypes, most of which are population-exclusive, and therefore represent patchy repositories of the species' genetic diversity. We suggest that these populations be treated as discrete units for conservation management purposes

Massively Parallel Sequencing and Analysis of the Necator americanus Transcriptome

The blood-feeding hookworm Necator americanus infects hundreds of millions of people. To elucidate fundamental molecular biological aspects of this hookworm, the transcriptome of adult Necator americanus was studied using next-generation sequencing and in silico analyses. Contigs (n = 19,997) were assembled from the sequence data; 6,771 of them had known orthologues in the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and most encoded proteins with WD40 repeats (10.6%), proteinase inhibitors (7.8%) or calcium-binding EF-hand proteins (6.7%). Bioinformatic analyses inferred that C. elegans homologues are involved mainly in biological pathways linked to ribosome biogenesis (70%), oxidative phosphorylation (63%) and/or proteases (60%). Comparative analyses of the transcriptomes of N. americanus and the canine hookworm, Ancylostoma caninum, revealed qualitative and quantitative differences. Essential molecules were predicted using a combination of orthology mapping and functional data available for C. elegans. Further analyses allowed the prioritization of 18 predicted drug targets which did not have human homologues. These candidate targets were inferred to be linked to mitochondrial metabolism or amino acid synthesis. This investigation provides detailed insights into the transcriptome of the adult stage of N. americanus

Micromechanical Properties of Injection-Molded Starch–Wood Particle Composites

The micromechanical properties of injection molded starch–wood particle composites were investigated as a function of particle content and humidity conditions. The composite materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. The microhardness of the composites was shown to increase notably with the concentration of the wood particles. In addition,creep behavior under the indenter and temperature dependence were evaluated in terms of the independent contribution of the starch matrix and the wood microparticles to the hardness value. The influence of drying time on the density and weight uptake of the injection-molded composites was highlighted. The results revealed the role of the mechanism of water evaporation, showing that the dependence of water uptake and temperature was greater for the starch–wood composites than for the pure starch sample. Experiments performed during the drying process at 70°C indicated that the wood in the starch composites did not prevent water loss from the samples.Peer reviewe

Long-baseline neutrino oscillation physics potential of the DUNE experiment

The sensitivity of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) to neutrino oscillation is determined, based on a full simulation, reconstruction, and event selection of the far detector and a full simulation and parameterized analysis of the near detector. Detailed uncertainties due to the flux prediction, neutrino interaction model, and detector effects are included. DUNE will resolve the neutrino mass ordering to a precision of 5σ, for all ΑCP values, after 2 years of running with the nominal detector design and beam configuration. It has the potential to observe charge-parity violation in the neutrino sector to a precision of 3σ (5σ) after an exposure of 5 (10) years, for 50% of all ΑCP values. It will also make precise measurements of other parameters governing long-baseline neutrino oscillation, and after an exposure of 15 years will achieve a similar sensitivity to sin22θ13 to current reactor experiments