A new subgenus and species of Crepidogaster from Madagascar (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Brachininae, Crepidogastrini)

Crepidogaster (Sphaerotyronia) rotundata subg. nov., sp. nov. is herein described on the basis of a male specimen from East Madagascar. The male habitus and genitalia are illustrated, and some considerations are presented about the systematics of the genus Crepidogaster and the tribe Crepidogastrini

CINQUE NUOVE SPECIE DI TRECHUS DELL’ETIOPIA (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

Nella presente nota vengono descritte cinque nuove specie di Trechus, tutte raccolte in alta quota in Etiopia, e inquadrate nei gruppi di specie indicati da Jeannel. Tre provengono dal Massiccio del Simien (Provincia di Gondar): Trechus peynei n. sp. e Trechus loeffleri n. sp. (gruppo simienensis) e Trechus martelluccii n. sp. (gruppo sublaevis); due provengono dal Monte Batu (Mendebo, Provincia di Bale): Trechus batuensis n. sp. (gruppo bipartitus) e Trechus bastianinii n. sp., non inquadrabile al momentoin nessuno dei gruppi di specie indicati da Jeannel. Non descriviamo una sesta specie, sintopica con T. bastianinii n. sp., anche se sicuramente nuova, poichè abbiamo a disposizione solo due esemplari femmina. Tutte le nuove specie si differenziano chiaramente da tutte quelle finora descritte, per la diversità netta sia dell’edeago che della morfologia esterna, i cui caratteri e immagini descrittive sono riportati nel testo

Fluid-membrane tethers: minimal surfaces and elastic boundary layers

Thin cylindrical tethers are common lipid bilayer membrane structures, arising in situations ranging from micromanipulation experiments on artificial vesicles to the dynamic structure of the Golgi apparatus. We study the shape and formation of a tether in terms of the classical soap-film problem, which is applied to the case of a membrane disk under tension subject to a point force. A tether forms from the elastic boundary layer near the point of application of the force, for sufficiently large displacement. Analytic results for various aspects of the membrane shape are given.Comment: 12 page

IL-14 and IL-16 are expressed in the thyroid of patients with either Graves' disease or Hashimoto's thyroiditis

OBJECTIVES: Cytokines have an important role in orchestrating the pathophysiology in autoimmune thyroid disease. The aim of the current study was to analyse the expression of interleukin (IL)-14 and IL-16 in the thyroid tissue of patients with Graves' disease (GD), Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) or multi-nodular goitre (MNG) and in that of normal individuals, in patients' intra-thyroidal CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, and in patient and normal cultured thyroid follicular cells. METHODS: The expression of IL-14 and IL-16 mRNA and protein was investigated using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification, and western blotting and ELISAs, respectively. RESULTS: IL-14 mRNA expression was detected in thyroid tissue from 8/9 GD, 3/4 HT and 3/13 MNG patients and 1/6 normal individuals, and IL-16 mRNA expression in thyroid tissue from 9/9 GD, 4/4 HT and 9/13 MNG patients and 4/6 normal individuals. IL-14 mRNA expression was detected in intra-thyroidal CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells from 2/2 GD and 2/2 HT patients, while IL-16 mRNA was detected in samples from 1/2 HT but not in those from either GD patients. IL-14 and IL-16 mRNA expression was found in thyroid follicular cells derived from 2/2 patients with GD and 1/1 normal individual. IL-14 protein was detected in thyroid tissue from 6/6 GD, 1/1 HT and 0/6 MNG patients and 0/6 normal individuals, and IL-16 protein in thyroid tissue from 6/6 GD, 1/1 HT and 1/6 MNG patients and 0/6 normal individuals. Expression of IL-14 protein was stimulated in thyroid follicular cells derived from two GD patients and one normal individual by peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)-conditioned medium. Treatment of thyrocytes from two GD patients and one normal individual with PBMC-conditioned medium and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α stimulated IL-16 protein expression. In normal thyrocytes, IL-16 protein synthesis was induced also by IL-1β, IL-17A, IL-4 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. CONCLUSIONS: The data provide evidence that the intra-thyroidal production of IL-14 and IL-16 is associated with the pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid disease. Thyroid follicular cells display the ability to express IL-14 and IL-16 mRNA and can be stimulated to express IL-16 protein, by a panel of cytokines, and IL-14 protein, by as yet unidentified factors. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Small fetal thymus and adverse obstetrical outcome: a systematic review and a meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: To explore the association between small fetal thymus on ultrasound and adverse obstetrical outcome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Medline, Embase, Cochrane and Web of Science databases were searched. Primary outcome was the risk of preterm birth before 37 and 34 weeks in fetuses with compared to those without a small thymus on ultrasound. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: occurrence of chorioamnionitis, intra-uterine growth restriction, neonatal sepsis, gestational age at birth, birthweight, neonatal morbidity and pre-eclampsia. RESULTS: Twelve studies including 1744 fetuses who had ultrasound assessment of thymus during pregnancy were included. Women with preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM) or with preterm labour with a small fetal thymus were at higher risk of preterm birth <37 (p= 0.01), <34 (12.5 (p<0.001) weeks in fetuses with compared to those without small thymus, and the risk of chorioamnionitis was higher when the thymus was small (p<0.001). Fetuses with small thymus were not at higher risk of intra-uterine growth restriction (p= 0.3). A small thymus increased the risk of neonatal sepsis (p= 0.007) and morbidity (p= 0.003), but not the risk of pre-eclampsia (p= 0.9). CONCLUSIONS: A small fetal thymus is associated with a higher risk of preterm birth, chorioamnionitis, neonatal sepsis and morbidity, but not with intra-uterine growth restriction and pre-eclampsia. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Revisione dei Selenophorina paleartici occidentali (Coleoptera Carabidae Harpalinae) (XXXVI contributo alla conoscenza dei Coleoptera Carabidae)

Vengono studiati i Selenophorina paleartici occidentali dal punto di vista sistematico e biogeografico. Dopo una sintetica storia della sottotribu viene fornita la combinazione di caratteri atta a riconoscerla dalle altre sottotribu degli Harpalini. Vengono poi fornite delle chiavi per la determinazione dei tre generi paleartici Trichotichnus, Parophonus e Eriophonus e delle specie di ciascuno di questi generi. Ogni specie viene trattata singolarmente dal punto di vista nomenclatoriale, sistematico e geonemico.Il taxon Eriophonus viene elevato a genere e trasferito dalla sottotribù Harpalina a Selenophorina, inoltre viene proposta la nuova sinonimia: Idiomelas Tschitscherine, 1900 = Trichotichnus Morawitz, 1863.In this work the western palaearctic Selenophorina are studied from the systematic and biogeographic point of view. After a synthetic history of this subtribe the combination of characters that can distinguish it from the other subtribes of Harpalini is given. Then a key for the determination of the three palaearctic genera Trichotichnus, Parophonus and Eriophonus and of the species belonging to each of these genera is reported. Bach species is then separately analysed from the nomenclatorial, systematic and distributional point of view. The taxon Eriophonus is raised to genus rank and transferred from the subtribe Harpalina to Selenophorina, furthermore the new synonimy Idiomelas Tschitscherine, 1900 = Trichotichnus Morawitz, 1863 is here proposed

Silencing Agrobacterium oncogenes in transgenic grapevine results in strain-specific crown gall resistance

Crown gall disease of grapevine induced by Agrobacterium vitis or Agrobacterium tumefaciens causes serious economic losses in viticulture. To establish crown gall-resistant lines, somatic proembryos of Vitis berlandieri × V. rupestris cv. 'Richter 110' rootstock were transformed with an oncogene-silencing transgene based on iaaM and ipt oncogene sequences from octopine-type, tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid pTiA6. Twentyone transgenic lines were selected, and their transgenic nature was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These lines were inoculated with two A. tumefaciens and three A. vitis strains. Eight lines showed resistance to octopine-type A. tumefaciens A348. Resistance correlated with the expression of the silencing genes. However, oncogene silencing was mostly sequence specific because these lines did not abolish tumorigenesis by A. vitis strains or nopaline-type A. tumefaciens C58

An Examination of the Influences of an International Teaching Practicum on the Perspectives and Practices of Participating Teachers

This study examines the ways in which an international teaching practicum influenced participants’ perspectives about teaching, learning and schooling, and the ways that these new or changed perspectives materialized in the participants’ teaching practice over the course of twelve months. To understand these influences, participants were given pre- and post- surveys that aimed to examine their intercultural competence, and were interviewed at three points in time after the completion of the international practicum. Their TEP supervisors were also interviewed. Findings revealed the ways in which participants made sense of their experiences abroad, and how the program supported (and possibly hindered) their sensemaking. Sensemaking was connected to changes in the participants’ global awareness, critical consciousness, self-concept, and empathy. Participants felt that these personal impacts were related to corresponding changes in their teaching practices. They attempted to emulate their hosts, bring global awareness into their classrooms, and described culturally responsive practices and attitudes. Participants also reported that their international practicums influenced their professional marketability, goals, and decisions

Coleotteri Carabidi presenti nei meleti della Valtellina

In this work are analyzed the carabidocaenosis found by means of pitfall traps in some appie orchards in Valtellina valley. The whole fauna seems to indicate a certain similarity with that typical of the cultivated fields in Centrai Europe, but some elements of the Po valley are present too. The application of two ecological indexes (Scerensen and Renkonen) showed that the different paedological and rnicroclimatical conditions of the fields deterrnine distinct associations. The possible role of ground beetles as predators of appie orchard pests is discussed.Vengono analizzate le associazioni a Coleotteri Carabidi rinvenuti mediante trappole a caduta in alcuni meleti della Valtellina. Tale fauna sembra indicare una notevole affinità con quella caratteristica dei campi coltivati dell'Europa centrale, pur in presenza di elementi tipicamente padani. L'uso di due differenti indici ecologici (Scerensen e Renkonen) ha permesso di osservare che le differenti condizioni pedologiche e microclimatiche dei frutteti studiati determinano associazioni faunistiche distinte. Infine vengono avanzate ipotesi sulla possibile funzione dei Coleotteri Carabidi nel controllo biologico dei fitofagi del melo

Callose-mediated resistance to pathogenic intruders in plant defense-related papillae

Plants are exposed to a wide range of potential pathogens, which derive from diverse phyla. Therefore, plants have developed successful defense mechanisms during co-evolution with different pathogens. Besides many specialized defense mechanisms, the plant cell wall represents a first line of defense. It is actively reinforced through the deposition of cell wall appositions, so-called papillae, at sites of interaction with intruding microbial pathogens. The papilla is a complex structure that is formed between the plasma membrane and the inside of the plant cell wall. Even though the specific biochemical composition of papillae can vary between different plant species, some classes of compounds are commonly found which include phenolics, reactive oxygen species, cell wall proteins, and cell wall polymers. Among these polymers, the (1,3)-β-glucan callose is one of the most abundant and ubiquitous components. Whereas the function of most compounds could be directly linked with cell wall reinforcement or an anti-microbial effect, the role of callose has remained unclear. An evaluation of recent studies revealed that the timing of the different papilla-forming transport processes is a key factor for successful plant defense