Exeristes roborator (Fabricius, 1793) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) in the parasitoid community of Diplolepis galls in the Carpathian Basin

Exeristes roborator (Fabricius, 1793) is usually known as the parasitoid of lepidopteran pupae, but was also recorded as the parasitoid of diff erent Cynipidae species in the southern parts of Europe and parts of Middle East. In samples of Diplolepis rosae (Linnaeus, 1758) and D. mayri (Schlechtendal, 1876) galls collected in the eastern Carpathian Basin after 2010 E. roborator appeared in large numbers compared to those collected before 2010, when the species was not present in the gall communities. Here we report the diff erential presence of Exeristes roborator in the two rose gall species, which points out the host shift of the ichneumonid parasitoid spreading towards north. With 3 figures

Comparison of Different Maize Hybrids Cultivated and Fermented With or Without Sorghum

In Hungary our key forage crop is silage maize, however, the joint growing of maize and sorghum is increasingly important in arid regions. The reason is, that sorghum varieties tolerate well the various ecological stresses (drought). The joint growing of maize and sorghum varieties has several advantages and disadvantageous in respect of yields, safety of production, fermentability of the crop and nutrient content of the silage. The basis of realising the complementary qualities of the two crops and of the successful joint growing and preservation is the suitable pairing of hybrid varieties

Analysis of the Swift Gamma-Ray Bursts duration

Two classes of gamma-ray bursts have been identified in the BATSE catalogs characterized by durations shorter and longer than about 2 seconds. There are, however, some indications for the existence of a third type of burst. Swift satellite detectors have different spectral sensitivity than pre-Swift ones for gamma-ray bursts. Therefore it is worth to reanalyze the durations and their distribution and also the classification of GRBs. Using The First BAT Catalog the maximum likelihood estimation was used to analyzed the duration distribution of GRBs. The three log-normal fit is significantly (99.54 % probability) better than the two for the duration distribution. Monte-Carlo simulations also confirm this probability (99.2 %).Comment: NANJING GAMMA-RAY BURST CONFERENCE 200

Complexity and robustness of the flavonoid transcriptional regulatory network revealed by comprehensive analyses of MYB-bHLH-WDR complexes and their targets in Arabidopsis seed.

In Arabidopsis thaliana, proanthocyanidins (PAs) accumulate in the innermost cell layer of the seed coat (i.e. endothelium, chalaza and micropyle). The expression of the biosynthetic genes involved relies on the transcriptional activity of R2R3-MYB and basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins which form ternary complexes (\u27MBW\u27) with TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA1 (TTG1) (WD repeat protein). The identification of the direct targets and the determination of the nature and spatio-temporal activity of these MBW complexes are essential steps towards a comprehensive understanding of the transcriptional mechanisms that control flavonoid biosynthesis. In this study, various molecular, genetic and biochemical approaches were used. Here, we have demonstrated that, of the 12 studied genes of the pathway, only dihydroflavonol-4-reductase (DFR), leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase (LDOX), BANYULS (BAN), TRANSPARENT TESTA 19 (TT19), TT12 and H(+) -ATPase isoform 10 (AHA10) are direct targets of the MBW complexes. Interestingly, although the TT2-TT8-TTG1 complex plays the major role in developing seeds, three additional MBW complexes (i.e. MYB5-TT8-TTG1, TT2-EGL3-TTG1 and TT2-GL3-TTG1) were also shown to be involved, in a tissue-specific manner. Finally, a minimal promoter was identified for each of the target genes of the MBW complexes. Altogether, by answering fundamental questions and by demonstrating or invalidating previously made hypotheses, this study provides a new and comprehensive view of the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms controlling PA and anthocyanin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis

A new system for fast and quantitative analysis of heterologous gene expression in plants

Large-scale analysis of transcription factor–cis-acting element interactions in plants, or the dissection of complex transcriptional regulatory mechanisms, requires rapid, robust and reliable systems for the quantification of gene expression.Here, we describe a new system for transient expression analysis of transcription factors, which takes advantage of the fast and easy production and transfection of Physcomitrella patens protoplasts, coupled to flow cytometry quantification of a fluorescent protein (green fluorescent protein). Two small-sized and high-copy Gateway® vectors were specifically designed, although standard binary vectors can also be employed. As a proof of concept, the regulation of BANYULS (BAN), a key structural gene involved in proanthocyanidin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana seeds, was used. In P. patens, BAN expression is activated by a complex composed of three proteins (TT2/AtMYB123, TT8/bHLH042 and TTG1), and is inhibited by MYBL2, a transcriptional repressor, as in Arabidopsis. Using this approach, two new regulatory sequences that are necessary and sufficient for specific BAN expression in proanthocyanidin-accumulating cells were identified. This one hybrid-like plant system was successfully employed to quantitatively assess the transcriptional activity of four regulatory proteins, and to identify their target recognition sites on the BAN promoter

Assessing δ15N values in the carbonate-bound organic matrix and periostracum of bivalve shells as environmental archives

Though previous studies demonstrate the utility of nitrogen and carbon stable isotope ratios (δ15N and δ13C, respectively) in bivalve soft tissues as biogeochemical proxies, it is necessary to develop alternative proxies for environmental reconstructions when soft tissues are unavailable, such as with fossils or in museum-archived specimens. This study assesses the reliability of the δ15N values of carbonate-bound organic matrix (δ15NCBOM) and periostracum (δ15Nperiostracum) in bivalve shells as recorders of the δ15N values of particulate nitrogen (δ15NPN) by comparing the δ15NCBOM and δ15Nperiostracum values of live-collected freshwater mussels (Elliptio complanata) and estuarine clams (Rangia cuneata) to the δ15N values of particulate nitrogen (δ15NPN) in the water column. The δ15NCBOM and δ15Nperiostracum values in both species were within the range of the δ15NPN values that have been corrected for trophic-level enrichment. Thus, our findings illustrate that δ15NCBOM and δ15Nperiostracum values reliably record δ15NPN values in rivers and estuaries. The significant positive correlation between δ15NCBOM and δ15Nperiostracum values in both species indicates that they may be used in a similar manner to record δ15NPN values. The δ15N values in E. complanata muscle, mantle, and gill tissues were enriched by about +3.4‰ compared to δ15NPN from the water column, which suggests that they are primary consumers that reflect baseline trophic levels. On the other hand, δ15N values in the soft tissues of R. cuneata have trophic-level enrichment consistent with both primary and secondary consumption. Therefore, variations in the δ15N values of tissues in R. cuneata may be related to trophic-level shifts and/or changes in N sources. Differences between the δ15N values of soft tissue, CBOM, and periostracum in E. complanata and R. cuneata can be attributed to asynchronous growth, metabolic rate, and organic molecule composition. The δ15NCBOM values vary along a freshwater-estuarine gradient because of land-use change and differences in the trophic level of the compared species. The δ15NCBOM values between neighboring sites reflect influences from biosolid application and treated wastewater discharge. While δ15NCBOM values did not differentiate between sites dominated by urban and forested land-cover, δ15NCBOM values were highest at the site with the highest agricultural land-use. These results demonstrate the potential of δ15NCBOM values in bivalve shells to record long-term changes in watershed land use

Different satellites - different GRB redshift distributions?

The measured redshifts of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which were first detected by the Swift satellite, seem to be bigger on average than the redshifts of GRBs detected by other satellites. We analyzed the redshift distribution of GRBs triggered and observed by different satellites (Swift[1], HETE2[2], BeppoSax, Ulyssses). After considering the possible biases significant difference was found at the p = 95.70% level in the redshift distributions of GRBs measured by HETE and the Swift.Comment: 2008 NANJING GAMMA-RAY BURST CONFERENCE. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 1065, pp. 119-122 (2008

Exploring the circumstellar environment of the young eruptive star V2492 Cyg

Context. V2492 Cyg is a young eruptive star that went into outburst in 2010. The near-infrared color changes observed since the outburst peak suggest that the source belongs to a newly defined sub-class of young eruptive stars, where time-dependent accretion and variable line-of-sight extinction play a combined role in the flux changes. Aims. In order to learn about the origin of the light variations and to explore the circumstellar and interstellar environment of V2492 Cyg, we monitored the source at ten different wavelengths, between 0.55 \mu m and 2.2 \mu m from the ground and between 3.6 \mu m and 160 \mu m from space. Methods. We analyze the light curves and study the color-color diagrams via comparison with the standard reddening path. We examine the structure of the molecular cloud hosting V2492 Cyg by computing temperature and optical depth maps from the far-infrared data. Results. We find that the shapes of the light curves at different wavelengths are strictly self-similar and that the observed variability is related to a single physical process, most likely variable extinction. We suggest that the central source is episodically occulted by a dense dust cloud in the inner disk, and, based on the invariability of the far-infrared fluxes, we propose that it is a long-lived rather than a transient structure. In some respects, V2492 Cyg can be regarded as a young, embedded analog of UX Orionis-type stars. Conclusions. The example of V2492 Cyg demonstrates that the light variations of young eruptive stars are not exclusively related to changing accretion. The variability provided information on an azimuthally asymmetric structural element in the inner disk. Such an asymmetric density distribution in the terrestrial zone may also have consequences for the initial conditions of planet formation.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, 2 online tables, accepted for publication in A&