Lethal and Sublethal Effects of Methoxyfenozide on the Development, Survival and Reproduction on of the Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The lethal and sublethal effects of the ecdysone agonist methoxyfenozide on the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), were investigated by feeding a methoxyfenozide-treated diet to fifth instars until pupation in doses corresponding to the LC10 and LC25 for the compound. Larval mortality reached 8% and 26% in the low and high concentration groups, respectively, on the seventh day of the experiment. A progressive larval mortality of 12% for the LC10 and 60% for the LC25 was observed before pupation. Treated larvae exhibited lower pupal weights, higher pupal mortality, presence of deformed pupae, and more deformed adults than untreated larvae. The incorporation of methoxyfenozide into the diet had a significant effect on the timing of larval development. The development period for males and females was about seven days longer than the controls for both concentrations tested. In contrast, the compound affected neither pupae nor adult longevity. Finally, S. frugiperda adults that resulted from fifth instars treated with methoxyfenozide were not affected in their mean cumulative number of eggs laid per female (fecundity), nor percentages of eggs hatched (fertility), or the sex ratio. Our results suggest that the combination of lethal and sublethal effects of methoxyfenozide may have important implications for the population dynamics of the fall armyworm

Primer registro de Macrovalsaria megalospora (Dothideomycetes-Ascomycota) en Colombia

Antecedentes y Objetivos: Macrovalsaria es un género monotípico de Dothideomycetes, ampliamente citado de regiones tropicales y secas en África, Asia y Australia. En América solo se ha descrito de Guayana Francesa y México, por lo que en el presente estudio se tiene por objetivo reportar a Macrovalsaria megalospora por primera vez para Colombia. Métodos: Los ejemplares se recolectaron en la región Caribe de Colombia; al mismo tiempo se registraron los hospederos en los cuales crecían, se describieron y determinaron de acuerdo con las técnicas tradicionales en micología. Adicionalmente, las esporas se observaron en el microscopio electrónico de barrido. El material está depositado en los herbarios ENCB y HEUS, de la Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional en México y de la Universidad de Sucre, Colombia, respectivamente. Resultados clave: Se presenta la descripción de Macrovalsaria megalospora de Colombia, una especie que se caracteriza por formar pseudotecios errumpentes, gregarios en árboles recíen muertos de Ficus americana y Terminalia amazonia. Conclusiones: Esta especie se distribuye ampliamente en diversas zonas de la región Paleotropical y recientemente se ha descubierto en la Neotropical; no obstante, es necesario realizar una revisión filogenética de los especímenes determinados como Macrovalsaria megalospora de todas las áreas tropicales del mundo, y corroborar tanto que se trata de un género monotípico, como la importancia que tiene como fitopatógena.Background and Aims: Macrovalsaria is a monotypic genus of Dothideomycetes, widely cited from tropical and dry regions in Africa, Asia and Australia. In America it has only been described from French Guiana and Mexico; therefore, this study aims to describe Macrovalsaria megalospora for the first time from Colombia. Methods: The specimens were collected in the Caribbean region of Colombia; simultaneously, the hosts on which they grew were registered, and they were described and identified according to the traditional techniques in mycology. In addition, the spores were observed with the scanning electron microscope. The material is deposited in the fungus collection of the ENCB and HEUS herbaria, of the Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional in Mexico and of the Universidad de Sucre in Colombia, respectively. Key results: The description of Macrovalsaria megalospora from Colombia is presented, a species that is characterized by the formation of erumpent pseudothecia, gregarious on dead trees of Ficus americana and Terminalia amazonia. Conclusions: This species is widely distributed in various zones of the Paleotropical region and recently it has been discovered in the Neotropics. However, it is necessary to conduct a phylogenetic revision of the specimens identified as Macrovalsaria megalospora of all tropical regions of the world and confirm that it is a monotypic genus, as well as its importance as a phytopathogen

Heterogeneous solar photo-Fenton treatment of industrial wastewater via δ-FeOOH

68-76The wastewater from the textile industry has been treated with heterogeneous solar photo-Fenton using iron oxyhydroxides (δ-FeOOH and FeOOH)nanoparticles. δ-FeOOH and FeOOH catalysts have been prepared, respectively, from ferrous and ferric ions as precursor species using an easy and low-cost method. The FeOOH catalyst exhibits slightly higher catalytic activity than δ-FeOOH in the heterogeneous solar photo-Fenton process but is less stable. The oxidation efficiency of basic blue 9 and acid green 50, analytical textile dyes, is compared to that of wastewater dye. The as-prepared catalysts are highly efficient for the wastewater treatment and the synthetic solutions prepared from the analytical textile dyes. High mineralization (over 90%) of the organic components of wastewater was achieved at 5 h of solar photo-Fenton treatment

Training for innovation in Spain

The capacity for innovation of an organisation largely depends on its ability to acquire and develop new knowledge. Training is particularly important in this process, as it allows employees to constantly acquire new competences. This study provides a preliminary picture of the situation of training for innovation in Spain, and identifies the characteristics of companies offering training for innovation. Results show that 35.3% of Spanish companies undertake innovation processes and 22.3% offer training related to these innovation processes. For the 82% of these companies training helped the innovation process, so training is an important tool for innovative change

Power law scaling of lateral deformations with universal Poissons index for randomly folded thin sheets

We study the lateral deformations of randomly folded elastoplastic and predominantly plastic thin sheets under the uniaxial and radial compressions. We found that the lateral deformations of cylinders folded from elastoplastic sheets of paper obey a power law behavior with the universal Poissons index nu = 0.17 pm 0.01, which does not depend neither the paper kind and sheet sizes, nor the folding confinement ratio. In contrast to this, the lateral deformations of randomly folded predominantly plastic aluminum foils display the linear dependence on the axial compression with the universal Poissons ratio nu_e = 0.33 pm 0.01. This difference is consistent with the difference in fractal topology of randomly folded elastoplastic and predominantly plastic sheets, which is found to belong to different universality classes. The general form of constitutive stress-deformation relations for randomly folded elastoplastic sheets is suggested

Taxonomic variations in the gut microbiome of gout patients with and without tophi might have a functional impact on urate metabolism

[Objective] To evaluate the taxonomic composition of the gut microbiome in gout patients with and without tophi formation, and predict bacterial functions that might have an impact on urate metabolism.[Methods] Hypervariable V3–V4 regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene from fecal samples of gout patients with and without tophi (n = 33 and n = 25, respectively) were sequenced and compared to fecal samples from 53 healthy controls. We explored predictive functional profiles using bioinformatics in order to identify differences in taxonomy and metabolic pathways. [Results] We identified a microbiome characterized by the lowest richness and a higher abundance of Phascolarctobacterium, Bacteroides, Akkermansia, and Ruminococcus_gnavus_group genera in patients with gout without tophi when compared to controls. The Proteobacteria phylum and the Escherichia-Shigella genus were more abundant in patients with tophaceous gout than in controls. Fold change analysis detected nine genera enriched in healthy controls compared to gout groups (Bifidobacterium, Butyricicoccus, Oscillobacter, Ruminococcaceae_UCG_010, Lachnospiraceae_ND2007_group, Haemophilus, Ruminococcus_1, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, and Ruminococcaceae_UGC_013). We found that the core microbiota of both gout groups shared Bacteroides caccae, Bacteroides stercoris ATCC 43183, and Bacteroides coprocola DSM 17136. These bacteria might perform functions linked to one-carbon metabolism, nucleotide binding, amino acid biosynthesis, and purine biosynthesis. Finally, we observed differences in key bacterial enzymes involved in urate synthesis, degradation, and elimination. [Conclusion] Our findings revealed that taxonomic variations in the gut microbiome of gout patients with and without tophi might have a functional impact on urate metabolism.This study was supported by the Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra” and the Grant INF-2016-01-269675 from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT)

Determination of aflatoxins in cacao powder and cocoa-derivatives by high-performance liquid chromatography

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On the origins of American Criollo pigs: A common genetic background with a lasting Iberian signature

American Criollo pigs are thought to descend mainly from those imported from the Iberian Peninsula starting in the late 15th century. Criollo pigs subsequently expanded throughout the Americas, adapting to very diverse environments, and possibly receiving influences from other origins. With the intensification of agriculture in the mid-20th century, cosmopolitan breeds largely replaced Criollo pigs, and the few remaining are mostly maintained by rural communities in marginal areas where they still play an important socio-economic and cultural role. In this study, we used 24 microsatellite markers in samples from 1715 pigs representing 46 breeds with worldwide distribution, including 17 American Criollo breeds, with the major focus of investigating their genetic diversity, structure and breed relationships. We also included representatives of the Iberian, Local British, Hungarian, Chinese and Commercial breeds, as well as Wild Boar, in order to investigate their possible influence in the genetic composition of Criollos. Our results show that, when compared with the other breeds, Criollo pigs present higher levels of genetic diversity, both in terms of allelic diversity and expected heterozygosity. The various analyses indicate that breed differentiation overall explains nearly 21% of the total genetic diversity. Criollo breeds showed their own identity and shared a common genetic background, tending to cluster together in various analyses, even though they differ from each other. A close relationship of Criollos with Iberian breeds was revealed by all the different analyses, and the contribution of Iberian breeds, particularly of the Celtic breeds, is still present in various Criollo breeds. No influence of Chinese breeds was detected on Criollos, but a few were influenced by Commercial breeds or by wild pigs. Our results confirm the uniqueness of American Criollo pigs and the role that Iberian breeds have played in their development. © 2021 Revidatti et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Pathogenesis of Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Molecular Update and Systematic Review.

Penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) is a rare but aggressive neoplasm with dual pathogenesis (human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated and HPV-independent). The development of targeted treatment is hindered by poor knowledge of the molecular landscape of PSCC. We performed a thorough review of genetic alterations of PSCC focused on somatic mutations and/or copy number alterations. A total of seven articles have been identified which, overall, include 268 PSCC. However, the series are heterogeneous regarding methodologies employed for DNA sequencing and HPV detection together with HPV prevalence, and include, in general, a limited number of cases, which results in markedly different findings. Reported top-ranked mutations involve TP53, CDKN2A, FAT1, NOTCH-1 and PIK3CA. Numerical alterations involve gains in MYC and EGFR, as well as amplifications in HPV integration loci. A few genes including TP53, CDKN2A, PIK3CA and CCND1 harbor both somatic mutations and copy number alterations. Notch, RTK-RAS and Hippo pathways are frequently deregulated. Nevertheless, the relevance of the identified alterations, their role in signaling pathways or their association with HPV status remain elusive. Combined targeting of different pathways might represent a valid therapeutic approach in PSCC. This work calls for large-scale sequencing studies with robust HPV testing to improve the genomic understanding of PSCC

Search for the standard model Higgs boson in the H to ZZ to 2l 2nu channel in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

A search for the standard model Higgs boson in the H to ZZ to 2l 2nu decay channel, where l = e or mu, in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV is presented. The data were collected at the LHC, with the CMS detector, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 inverse femtobarns. No significant excess is observed above the background expectation, and upper limits are set on the Higgs boson production cross section. The presence of the standard model Higgs boson with a mass in the 270-440 GeV range is excluded at 95% confidence level.Comment: Submitted to JHE