Secondary contact and admixture between independently invading populations of the Western corn rootworm, diabrotica virgifera virgifera in Europe

The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is one of the most destructive pests of corn in North America and is currently invading Europe. The two major invasive outbreaks of rootworm in Europe have occurred, in North-West Italy and in Central and South-Eastern Europe. These two outbreaks originated from independent introductions from North America. Secondary contact probably occurred in North Italy between these two outbreaks, in 2008. We used 13 microsatellite markers to conduct a population genetics study, to demonstrate that this geographic contact resulted in a zone of admixture in the Italian region of Veneto. We show that i) genetic variation is greater in the contact zone than in the parental outbreaks; ii) several signs of admixture were detected in some Venetian samples, in a Bayesian analysis of the population structure and in an approximate Bayesian computation analysis of historical scenarios and, finally, iii) allelic frequency clines were observed at microsatellite loci. The contact between the invasive outbreaks in North-West Italy and Central and South-Eastern Europe resulted in a zone of admixture, with particular characteristics. The evolutionary implications of the existence of a zone of admixture in Northern Italy and their possible impact on the invasion success of the western corn rootworm are discussed

Dental calculus is not equivalent to bone collagen for isotope analysis: a comparison between carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of bulk dental calculus, bone and dentine collagen from same individuals from the Medieval site of El Raval (Alicante, Spain).

Palaeodietary reconstruction using the carbon and nitrogen isotope values of bone and dentine collagen is a well-established method and the biochemical processes involved are well known. Researchers have recently explored using bulk samples of dental calculus as a substitute for bone and dentine collagen in dietary analyses, because calculus can be sampled without causing damage to the teeth, and may be useful in situations where more destructive analyses are not possible, or where collagen is poorly preserved. Several questions remain about the use of bulk calculus as a source of carbon and nitrogen isotope data, however. It is not yet clear how much of an individual¿s life span dental calculus represents, what portions of the diet it records, and how diagenesis effects the carbon and nitrogen isotope values of this material. Most importantly, there have been no comparative studies of collagen and calculus isotope values, which are necessary to establish the value of bulk calculus as a source of accurate isotope values. Here we report the comparison of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses of bulk calculus to those from bone and dentine collagen. These analyses have been performed on individuals from the El Raval Mudéjar Medieval Cemetery (Eastern Iberia, 15th century A.D.). Although calculus isotope values may be broadly similar to expected values at the population level, we report here no correlation between collagen and bulk dental calculus values at the individual level. As a result, we recommend that carbon and nitrogen analysis on bulk dental calculus should only be used as a last resource archaeological dietary marker, if at all

LABOCA 870 micron dust continuum mapping of selected infrared-dark cloud regions in the Galactic plane

We have mapped four selected about 0.5 deg x 0.5 deg-sized fields containing Spitzer 8-micron dark regions with APEX/LABOCA at 870 micron. Selected positions in the fields were observed in C17O(2-1) to obtain kinematic information. The obtained LABOCA maps are used in conjunction with the Spitzer IR images. The total number of clumps identified in this survey is 91, out of which 40 (44%) appear dark at 8 and 24 micron. The remaining clumps are associated with mid-IR emission. Many of the identified clumps are massive enough to allow high-mass star formation, and some of them already show clear signposts of that. Seven clumps associated with extended-like 4.5 micron emission are candidate extended green objects (EGOs). Filamentary dust "ridges" were found towards the Spitzer bubbles N10/11 in one of our fields, which conforms to the triggered high-mass star formation in the system. The relative number of IR-dark and IR-bright clumps suggest that the duration of the former stage is about 1.6x10^5 yr. The mass distribution of the total sample of clumps, and that separately constructed for the IR-dark and IR-bright clumps, could be fitted at the high-mass end with the power-law function dN/dlogM ~ M^(-0.8...-0.7). The C17O observation positions appear to be dominated by non-thermal motions, and the data also revealed some potential sites of strong CO depletion. In G11.36+0.80, which is the best example of a filamentary IRDC in our sample, the clumps appear to be gravitationally bound. The fragmentation of the filament can be understood in terms of a "sausage"-type fluid instability, in agreement with the results for other IRDCs. The formation of filamentary IRDCs might be caused by converging turbulent flows, and the same process may play a role in exciting the fluid perturbations responsible for the fragmentation of the clouds into clumps.Comment: 23 pages, 14 figures, and 6 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Mechanisms controlling anaemia in Trypanosoma congolense infected mice.

Trypanosoma congolense are extracellular protozoan parasites of the blood stream of artiodactyls and are one of the main constraints on cattle production in Africa. In cattle, anaemia is the key feature of disease and persists after parasitaemia has declined to low or undetectable levels, but treatment to clear the parasites usually resolves the anaemia. The progress of anaemia after Trypanosoma congolense infection was followed in three mouse strains. Anaemia developed rapidly in all three strains until the peak of the first wave of parasitaemia. This was followed by a second phase, characterized by slower progress to severe anaemia in C57BL/6, by slow recovery in surviving A/J and a rapid recovery in BALB/c. There was no association between parasitaemia and severity of anaemia. Furthermore, functional T lymphocytes are not required for the induction of anaemia, since suppression of T cell activity with Cyclosporin A had neither an effect on the course of infection nor on anaemia. Expression of genes involved in erythropoiesis and iron metabolism was followed in spleen, liver and kidney tissues in the three strains of mice using microarrays. There was no evidence for a response to erythropoietin, consistent with anaemia of chronic disease, which is erythropoietin insensitive. However, the expression of transcription factors and genes involved in erythropoiesis and haemolysis did correlate with the expression of the inflammatory cytokines Il6 and Ifng. The innate immune response appears to be the major contributor to the inflammation associated with anaemia since suppression of T cells with CsA had no observable effect. Several transcription factors regulating haematopoiesis, Tal1, Gata1, Zfpm1 and Klf1 were expressed at consistently lower levels in C57BL/6 mice suggesting that these mice have a lower haematopoietic capacity and therefore less ability to recover from haemolysis induced anaemia after infection

A Virtual Testing Approach for Laminated Composites Based on Micromechanics

International audienceThe chapter deals with a crucial question for the design of composite structures: how can one predict the evolution of damage up to and including final fracture? Virtual testing, whose goal is to drastically reduce the huge number of industrial tests involved in current characterization procedures, constitutes one of today’s main industrial challenges. In this work, one revisits our multiscale modeling answer through its practical aspects. Some complements regarding identification, kinking, and crack initiation are also given. Finally, the current capabilities and limits of this approach are discussed, as well as the computational challenges that are inherent to “Virtual Structural Testing.

Common garden experiments in the genomic era : new perspectives and opportunities

PdV was supported by a doctoral studentship from the French Ministère de la Recherche et de l’Enseignement Supérieur. OEG was supported by the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS)The study of local adaptation is rendered difficult by many evolutionary confounding phenomena (e.g. genetic drift and demographic history). When complex traits are involved in local adaptation, phenomena such as phenotypic plasticity further hamper evolutionary biologists to study the complex relationships between phenotype, genotype and environment. In this perspective paper, we suggest that the common garden experiment, specifically designed to deal with phenotypic plasticity has a clear role to play in the study of local adaptation, even (if not specifically) in the genomic era. After a quick review of some high-throughput genotyping protocols relevant in the context of a common garden, we explore how to improve common garden analyses with dense marker panel data and recent statistical methods. We then show how combining approaches from population genomics and genome-wide association studies with the settings of a common garden can yield to a very efficient, thorough and integrative study of local adaptation. Especially, evidence from genomic (e.g. genome scan) and phenotypic origins constitute independent insights into the possibility of local adaptation scenarios, and genome-wide association studies in the context of a common garden experiment allow to decipher the genetic bases of adaptive traits.PostprintPeer reviewe

Burden and challenges of heart failure in patients with chronic kidney disease. A call to action

Patients with the dual burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and chronic congestive heart failure (HF) experience unacceptably high rates of symptom load, hospitalization, and mortality. Currently, concerted efforts to identify, prevent and treat HF in CKD patients are lacking at the institutional level, with emphasis still being placed on individual specialty views on this topic. The authors of this review paper endorse the need for a dedicated cardiorenal interdisciplinary team that includes nephrologists and renal nurses and jointly manages appropriate clinical interventions across the inpatient and outpatient settings. There is a critical need for guidelines and best clinical practice models from major cardiology and nephrology professional societies, as well as for research funding in both specialties to focus on the needs of future therapies for HF in CKD patients. The implementation of crossspecialty educational programs across all levels in cardiology and nephrology will help train future specialists and nurses who have the ability to diagnose, treat, and prevent HF in CKD patients in a precise, clinically effective, and cost-favorable manner.Los pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica (ERC) que desarrollan insuficiencia cardíaca (IC) congestiva crónica presentan cifras inaceptablemente altas de síntomas, hospitalización y mortalidad. Actualmente, se echan en falta iniciativas institucionales dirigidas a identificar, prevenir y tratar la IC en los pacientes con ERC de manera multidisciplinar, prevaleciendo las actuaciones de las especialidades individuales. Los autores de este artículo de revisión respaldan la necesidad de crear equipos multidisciplinares cardiorrenales, en los que participen nefrólogos y enfermeras renales, que gestionen colaborativamente las intervenciones clínicas apropiadas en los entornos de pacientes con ERC e IC hospitalizados y ambulatorios. Es necesario y urgente que se elaboren guías y modelos de práctica clínica sobre la ERC con IC por parte de las sociedades profesionales de cardiología y nefrología, así como financiación para la investigación concertada entre ambas especialidades sobre la necesidad de futuros tratamientos para la IC en pacientes con ERC. La implementación de programas educativos cardiorrenales a todos los niveles en cardiología y nefrología ayudará a formar a los futuros especialistas y enfermeras para que tengan la capacidad de diagnosticar, tratar y prevenir la IC en pacientes con ERC de manera precisa, clínicamente efectiva y económicamente favorabl

Impacts of climate change on plant diseases – opinions and trends

There has been a remarkable scientific output on the topic of how climate change is likely to affect plant diseases in the coming decades. This review addresses the need for review of this burgeoning literature by summarizing opinions of previous reviews and trends in recent studies on the impacts of climate change on plant health. Sudden Oak Death is used as an introductory case study: Californian forests could become even more susceptible to this emerging plant disease, if spring precipitations will be accompanied by warmer temperatures, although climate shifts may also affect the current synchronicity between host cambium activity and pathogen colonization rate. A summary of observed and predicted climate changes, as well as of direct effects of climate change on pathosystems, is provided. Prediction and management of climate change effects on plant health are complicated by indirect effects and the interactions with global change drivers. Uncertainty in models of plant disease development under climate change calls for a diversity of management strategies, from more participatory approaches to interdisciplinary science. Involvement of stakeholders and scientists from outside plant pathology shows the importance of trade-offs, for example in the land-sharing vs. sparing debate. Further research is needed on climate change and plant health in mountain, boreal, Mediterranean and tropical regions, with multiple climate change factors and scenarios (including our responses to it, e.g. the assisted migration of plants), in relation to endophytes, viruses and mycorrhiza, using long-term and large-scale datasets and considering various plant disease control methods

Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays

The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per layer is approximately 5 ns