Morphological Convergence in Forest Microfungi Provides a Proxy for Paleogene Forest Structure

Amber, fossilized plant resin from gymnosperms and angiosperms, is renowned for preserving a wide range of organisms in microscopic fidelity. These so-called amber inclusions comprise many groups of organisms, ranging from bacteria to arthropods and vertebrates. Calicioid lichens and fungi, which are from now on referred to as “calicioids,” constitute a diverse group of tiny ascomycetes with superficially similar, usually well-stalked ascomata and which often accumulate mature ascospores on top of the apothecial disk to form a true mazaedium. The aim of this study is to use all available information on the morphology and ecology of extant calicioids to reconstruct the substrate and habitat ecology of known fossil calicioids and then to use this information to open new insights into the stand structure and ecological conditions of European Paleogene amber forests. First, we introduce the morphology of extant calicioids and demonstrate that their structural features are intimately linked to habitat ecology and are instrumental for successful dispersal; we also explain the conspicuous morphological convergence between phylogenetically distant calicioid fungi. Then, we show that the adaptive traits of calicioids have not changed since at least the Eocene, and argue that their fundamental niches also have remained unchanged. Finally, we summarize what the diversity and relative abundance of fossil calicioids in amber tells us about the ecological conditions that once prevailed in European amber forests.Peer reviewe

Calicium chlorosporum new to Europe

Calicium chlorosporum has been found for the first time in Europe. It was growing on wood of Abies pinsapo in southern Spain. The description of the taxa and related species as well as a world distributional map is provided.Calicium chlorosporum se cita por primera vez en Europa. Ha sido encontrado sobre madera de Abies pinsapo en el sur de España. Se hace una descripción del taxón, se publican las características taxonómicas para diferenciarlo de taxones afines y se publica el mapa de distribución mundial

Vaccinationsbiverkningar hos hundar i Sverige

Vaccinology is an ever expanding field. As a member of the veterinary staff it is important to stay up to date with the continuous new scientific data and recommendations that affect the care that our companion animals receive at the veterinary clinic. This paper presents adverse vaccination reactions, their cause, risk factors and suggestions how we can minimize the risk of adverse vaccine events in dogs. Dog owners in Sweden were allowed to answer a questionnaire about adverse events following vaccination. Lethargy, edema and pruritus were among the most frequently seen adverse effects. Furthermore, adverse vaccine reactions include injections-site reactions (e.g. pain, swelling), nonspecific systemic symptoms (lethargy, anorexia, fever), allergic, hypersensitivity and immune-mediated reactions, lack of efficacy and vaccine-induced immunosuppression. There are different causes and sometimes several factors influencing the effect the vaccine has on the individual dog. Individual and immune-mediated factors in the dog as well as the vaccine components, handling and administration of the vaccine, residual or reversion of virulence and contamination are factors that may contribute to an adverse event. Risk factors includes specific breeds, small dogs, young dogs, individuals that are immunodeficient or have preexisting illnesses, the number of vaccines given during a single visit and the immunologic load placed on the individual. The prime intervention to make vaccination safer is to reduce the vaccine load for every dog. At the same time we should strive to vaccinate as many dogs in the population as possible to promote herd immunity. Dogs with previous nonspecific systemic reactions should not be revaccinated unless deemed necessary and caution should be taken. We’re moving from a standard to an individualized vaccination procedure where the individual situation, risk factors and scientific data available are evaluated to design a personal vaccination program. Though the adverse events following a vaccination are rare, with a holistic approach, advances in vaccine technologies and with regard to new scientific data we might be able to reduce the adverse events further and ease the concern about adverse reactions growing in the general public

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PREDICTING ONLINE VIDEO METRICS

A low-latency reporting mechanism that runs as a layer on top of an analytics engine is described. The analytics engine runs a predictive model to generate one or more metrics related to online content usage in near future. The predictive model is based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. The predictive model can be trained with low-latency real-time event data as well as canonical data obtained from historical event logs

Local Destabilization of the Metal-Binding Region in Human Copper−Zinc Superoxide Dismutase by Remote Mutations Is a Possible Determinant for Progression of ALS

More than 100 distinct mutations in the gene CuZnSOD encoding human copper–zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) have been associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS), a fatal neuronal disease. Many studies of different mutant proteins have found effects on protein stability, catalytic activity, and metal binding, but without a common pattern. Notably, these studies were often performed under conditions far from physiological. Here, we have used experimental conditions of pH 7 and 37 °C and at an ionic strength of 0.2 M to mimic physiological conditions as close as possible in a sample of pure protein. Thus, by using NMR spectroscopy, we have analyzed amide hydrogen exchange of the fALS-associated I113T CuZnSOD variant in its fully metalated state, both at 25 and 37 °C, where ^(15)N relaxation data, as expected, reveals that CuZnSOD I113T exists as a dimer under these conditions. The local dynamics at 82% of all residues have been analyzed in detail. When compared to the wild-type protein, it was found that I113T CuZnSOD is particularly destabilized locally at the ion binding sites of loop 4, the zinc binding loop, which results in frequent exposure of the aggregation prone outer β-strands I and VI of the β-barrel, possibly enabling fibril or aggregate formation. A similar study (Museth, A. K., et al. (2009) Biochemistry, 48, 8817–8829) of amide hydrogen exchange at pH 7 and 25 °C on the G93A variant also revealed a selective destabilization of the zinc binding loop. Thus, a possible scenario in ALS is that elevated local dynamics at the metal binding region can result in toxic species from formation of new interactions at local β-strands

Recent progress in marine mycological research in different countries, and prospects for future developments worldwide

Early research on marine fungi was mostly descriptive, with an emphasis on their diversity and taxonomy, especially of those collected at rocky shores on seaweeds and driftwood. Subsequently, further substrata (e.g. salt marsh grasses, marine animals, seagrasses, sea foam, seawater, sediment) and habitats (coral reefs, deep-sea, hydrothermal vents, mangroves, sandy beaches, salt marshes) were explored for marine fungi. In parallel, research areas have broadened from micro-morphology to ultrastructure, ecophysiology, molecular phylogenetics, biogeography, biodeterioration, biodegradation, bioprospecting, genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics. Although marine fungi only constitute a small fraction of the global mycota, new species of marine fungi continue to be described from new hosts/substrata of unexplored locations/habitats, and novel bioactive metabolites have been discovered in the last two decades, warranting a greater collaborative research effort. Marine fungi of Africa, the Americas and Australasia are under-explored, while marine Chytridiomycota and allied taxa, fungi associated with marine animals, the functional roles of fungi in the sea, and the impacts of climate change on marine fungi are some of the topics needing more attention. In this article, currently active marine mycologists from different countries have written on the history and current state of marine fungal research in individual countries highlighting their strength in the subject, and this represents a first step towards a collaborative inter- and transdisciplinary research strategy

Morphological, photosynthetic and water relations traits underpin the contrasting success of two tropical lichen groups at the interior and edge of forest fragments

Microclimatic edge effects and morpho-physiological characteristics are shaping lichen functional group distribution. Thus, lichen functional groups may be used as indicator for forest disturbanc