Climate change and species invasions interact in nature, disrupting biological communities. Based on this knowledge, we simultaneously assessed the effects of climate change on the native ...distribution of the Amazonian fish Colossoma macropomum as well as on its invasiveness across river basins of South America, using ecological niche modeling. We used six niche models within the ensemble forecast context to predict the geographical distribution of C. macropomum for the present time, 2050 and 2080. Given that this species has been continuously introduced into non-native South American basins by fish farming activities, we added the locations of C. macropomum farms into the modeling process to obtain a more realistic scenario of its invasive potential. Based on modelling outputs we mapped climate refuge areas at different times. Our results showed that a plenty of climatically suitable areas for the occurrence of C. macropomum occurrence are located outside the original basins at the present time and that its invasive potential is greatly amplified by fish farms. Simulations of future geographic ranges revealed drastic range contraction in the native region, implying concerns not only with respect to the species conservation but also from a socio-economic perspective since the species is a cornerstone of artisanal and commercial fisheries in the Amazon. Although the invasive potential is projected to decrease in the face of climate change, climate refugia will concentrate in Paraná River, Southeast Atlantic and East Atlantic basins, putting intense, negative pressures on the native fish fauna these regions. Our findings show that short and long-term management actions are required for: i) the conservation of natural stocks of C. macropomum in the Amazon, and ii) protecting native fish fauna in the climate refuges of the invaded regions.
The post-emergence control of black-grass in winter cereal crops is becoming increasingly complicated due to the evolution of resistance to acetyl-coA carboxylase (ACCase) and acetolactate synthase ...(ALS) inhibiting herbicides. Ensuring good pre-emergence control is therefore important to protect yield and relieve the pressure on the few existing post-emergence chemical options. In this study we investigated the mechanisms of resistance in a black-grass population (Alopecurus myosuroides Huds.) from France (FR50) and assessed the usefulness of residual herbicides such as prosulfocarb, pendimethalin and flufenacet for controlling this population.
The entire population contained an insensitive ALS target due to a homozygote substitution at amino acid position 574 (Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. equivalent) conferring very high levels of resistance to selective sulfonylureas. Additionally, sixty percent of the population carried at least one ACCase substitution (codon positions 1781 or 2096). Overall higher levels of resistance were observed with clodinafop-propargyl (RF50=6.48 (4.67–9.01)), than pinoxaden (RF50=4.42 (3.12–6.26)) mainly explained by the differential response to the G2096A substitution. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a black-grass population carrying resistance mutations on the ACCase and ALS genes.
Nearly all the pre-emergence treatments tested provided levels of control at above 80%. The most efficient and fast acting treatment was the tank mix prosulfocarb 2400g a.iha−1+diflufenican 80g a.iha−1+flufenacet 160g a.iha−1applied at BBCH10 that resulted in complete necrosis and absence of meristematic re-growth. Herbicide sequences, i.e. a pre-application followed by a post-application 21 days after, provided extremely good results. For instance, prosulfocarb 4000g a.iha−1+diflufenican 50g a.iha−1 followed by pinoxaden 60g a.iha−1+pendimethalin 800g a.iha−1 resulted in full control of FR50. Despite the strong resistance profile of FR50, these results showed that most herbicide combinations ensured a useful level of control at an early stage. In order to delay the onset and limit the spread of multiple herbicide resistant populations such as FR50, mixtures and sequences involving residual herbicides have an important role to play.
► First report of multiple target-site resistance to ACCase and ALS inhibitors in black-grass. ► Presence of W574L, I1781L and G2096A resistance mutations. ► Increasing levels of resistance from clethodim to clodinafop-propargyl. ► Highly effective binary and ternary pre-emergence mixtures. ► Competitive edge of the clodinafop-propargyl:prosulfocarb mixture applied at BBCH12.
Summary
We report on a genomic and functional analysis of a novel marine siphovirus, the Vibrio phage SIO‐2. This phage is lytic for related Vibrio species of great ecological interest including the ...broadly antagonistic bacterium Vibrio sp. SWAT3 as well as notable members of the Harveyi clade (V. harveyi ATTC BAA‐1116 and V. campbellii ATCC 25920). Vibrio phage SIO‐2 has a circularly permuted genome of 80 598 bp, which displays unusual features. This genome is larger than that of most known siphoviruses and only 38 of the 116 predicted proteins had homologues in databases. Another divergence is manifest by the origin of core genes, most of which share robust similarities with unrelated viruses and bacteria spanning a wide range of phyla. These core genes are arranged in the same order as in most bacteriophages but they are unusually interspaced at two places with insertions of DNA comprising a high density of uncharacterized genes. The acquisition of these DNA inserts is associated with morphological variation of SIO‐2 capsid, which assembles as a large (80 nm) shell with a novel T = 12 symmetry. These atypical structural features confer on SIO‐2 a remarkable stability to a variety of physical, chemical and environmental factors. Given this high level of functional and genomic novelty, SIO‐2 emerges as a model of considerable interest in ecological and evolutionary studies.
Kaundun SS, Hutchings S‐J, Dale RP, Bailly GC & Glanfield P (2011). Syngenta ‘RISQ’ test: a novel in‐season method for detecting resistance to post‐emergence ACCase and ALS inhibitor herbicides in ...grass weeds. Weed Research51, 284–293.
Summary
This paper describes a novel method for detecting resistance to post‐emergence acetolactate synthase and acetyl CoA carboxylase herbicides in grass weeds. The method relies on seedlings being collected from farmer’s fields and sent for testing to a central laboratory. These seedlings are plated onto agar containing discriminating rates of herbicides and survivorship is recorded after 10 days and compared with standard sensitive and resistant populations. The test has been validated in the glasshouse, growth cabinet and phytotron on Lolium spp. seedlings at the 1–3 leaf stage and has resulted in very low levels of false positives and negatives of resistance. Based on several pre‐determined target site and non‐target site resistant Lolium spp. populations and three commonly used herbicides, clodinafop‐propargyl, pinoxaden and iodosulfuron + mesosulfuron, we demonstrate that the results from the agar‐based seedling assay correlate very well with classical whole‐plant pot tests. The method has been successfully applied to Lolium spp. seedlings collected from two UK fields in 2009 and proved transferable to other grass weeds. As it is applied very early in the season, it provides an opportunity for predicting herbicide efficacy prior to field application and thus allows for an informed choice of herbicide for effective weed control. To distinguish this cost effective, simple and early season bioassay from the many existing ones, we propose to refer to it as the Syngenta ‘Resistance In‐Season Quick’ test.
Since echinocandins are recommended as first line therapy for invasive candidiasis, detection of resistance, mainly due to alteration in FKS protein, is of main interest. EUCAST AFST recommends ...testing both MIC of anidulafungin and micafungin, and breakpoints (BPs) have been proposed to detect echinocandin-resistant isolates. We analyzed MIC distribution for all three available echinocandins of 2,787 clinical yeast isolates corresponding to 5 common and 16 rare yeast species, using the standardized EUCAST method for anidulafungin and modified for caspofungin and micafungin (AM3-MIC). In our database, 64 isolates of common pathogenic species were resistant to anidulafungin, according to the EUCAST BP, and/or to caspofungin, using our previously published threshold (AM3-MIC ≥ 0.5 mg/L). Among these 64 isolates, 50 exhibited 21 different FKS mutations. We analyzed the capacity of caspofungin AM3-MIC and anidulafungin MIC determination in detecting isolates with FKS mutation. They were always identified using caspofungin AM3-MIC and the local threshold while some isolates were misclassified using anidulafungin MIC and EUCAST threshold. However, both methods misclassified four wild-type C. glabrata as resistant. Based on a large data set from a single center, the use of AM3-MIC testing for caspofungin looks promising in identifying non-wild-type C. albicans, C. tropicalis and P. kudiravzevii isolates, but additional multicenter comparison is mandatory to conclude on the possible superiority of AM3-MIC testing compared to the EUCAST method.
Audiovisual Speech Processing Bailly, Gérard; Perrier, Pascal; Vatikiotis-Bateson, Eric
Cambridge University Press eBooks,
04/2012
eBook, Book
Odprti dostop
When we speak, we configure the vocal tract which shapes the visible motions of the face and the patterning of the audible speech acoustics. Similarly, we use these visible and audible behaviors to ...perceive speech. This book showcases a broad range of research investigating how these two types of signals are used in spoken communication, how they interact, and how they can be used to enhance the realistic synthesis and recognition of audible and visible speech. The volume begins by addressing two important questions about human audiovisual performance: how auditory and visual signals combine to access the mental lexicon and where in the brain this and related processes take place. It then turns to the production and perception of multimodal speech and how structures are coordinated within and across the two modalities. Finally, the book presents overviews and recent developments in machine-based speech recognition and synthesis of AV speech.
Alburnite, ideally Ag8GeTe2S4, was discovered in the Carnicel vein from the Rosia Montana epithermal Au-Ag ore deposit, Apuseni Mountains, Romania. The new mineral is associated with tetrahedrite, ...galena, pyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and tellurides (hessite, altaite, and sylvanite). Associated gangue minerals are rhodochrosite, quartz, calcite, and rhodonite. Alburnite was observed only at the microscopic scale as rounded to sub-rounded grains, veinlets or irregular inclusions hosted mainly by tetrahedrite, hessite, and rhodochrosite. Due to the small size of alburnite grains observed so far it was not possible to determine some macroscopic properties; reported properties are based on microscopic observations. The mineral has a metallic luster and is opaque. It is non-fluorescent and has an estimated Mohs hardness of 4. The mineral shows no cleavage. Density could not be measured because of the small grain size, but calculated density based on the empirical formula is 7.828 g/cm3. In plane-polarized light in air, alburnite is gray-blue with a bluish tint. It shows no pleochroism or bireflectance in air. Between crossed polars alburnite is isotropic and internal reflections have not been observed in air. The mineral decomposes in intense light. Reflectance minimum values in air (in percents) are: 470 nm 29.70; 546 nm 28.00; 589 nm 27.35; 650 nm 26.95. The average chemical composition based on 18 electron microprobe analyses from 9 different grains in one polished section is (in wt%): Ag 65.49, Ge 4.82, Te 20.16, S 9.66, total 100.13. The ideal formula of alburnite, Ag8GeTe2S4, based on 15 apfu requires Ag 65.43, Ge 5.50, Te 19.35, S 9.72, total 100.00 wt%. Features of the crystal structure of alburnite were determined based on electron backscattered diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Alburnite is cubic, space group F43m, with unit-cell parameters a = 10.4(1) Å, V = 1125(30) Å3, Z = 4. The strongest eight calculated XRD lines d in Å(I)(hkl) are: 6.004(67)(111), 3.136(48)(113), 3.002(100)(222), 2.600(26)(004), 2.123(33)(224), 2.002(61)(115), 1.838(76)(044), and 1.644(12)(026). The name of the new mineral alburnite is derived from the Latin name of the locality. Rosia Montana Au-Ag deposit was known during the Roman period as Alburnus Maior. The mineral and the mineral name have been approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification, IMA 2012-073.
Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) remains a therapeutic challenge. Due to the rarity and the heterogeneity of PTCL, no consensus has been achieved regarding even the type of first-line treatment. The ...benefit of autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) is, therefore, still intensely debated.
In the absence of randomized trials addressing the role of ASCT, we performed a large multicentric retrospective study and used both a multivariate proportional hazard model and a propensity score matching approach to correct for sample selection bias between patients allocated or not to ASCT in intention-to-treat (ITT).
Among 527 patients screened from 14 centers in France, Belgium and Portugal, a final cohort of 269 patients ≤65years old with PTCL-not otherwise specified (NOS) (N=78, 29%), angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) (N=123, 46%) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALK-ALCL) (N=68, 25%) with partial (N=52, 19%) or complete responses (N=217, 81%) after induction was identified and information about treatment allocation was carefully collected before therapy initiation from medical records. One hundred and thirty-four patients were allocated to ASCT in ITT and 135 were not. Neither the Cox multivariate model (HR=1.02; 95% CI: 0.69–1.50 for PFS and HR=1.08; 95% CI: 0.68–1.69 for OS) nor the propensity score analysis after stringent matching for potential confounding factors (logrank P=0.90 and 0.66 for PFS and OS, respectively) found a survival advantage in favor of ASCT as a consolidation procedure for patients in response after induction. Subgroup analyses did not reveal any further difference for patients according to response status, stage disease or risk category.
The present data do not support the use of ASCT for up-front consolidation for all patients with PTCL-NOS, AITL, or ALK-ALCL with partial or complete response after induction.
The incidence of chronic liver disease is constantly increasing, owing to the obesity epidemic. However, the causes and mechanisms of inflammation-mediated liver damage remain poorly understood. ...Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is an initiator of cell death and inflammatory mechanisms. Although obesity induces ER stress, the interplay between hepatic ER stress, NLRP3 inflammasome activation and hepatocyte death signaling has not yet been explored during the etiology of chronic liver diseases. Steatosis is a common disorder affecting obese patients; moreover, 25% of these patients develop steatohepatitis with an inherent risk for progression to hepatocarcinoma. Increased plasma LPS levels have been detected in the serum of patients with steatohepatitis. We hypothesized that, as a consequence of increased plasma LPS, ER stress could be induced and lead to NLRP3 inflammasome activation and hepatocyte death associated with steatohepatitis progression. In livers from obese mice, administration of LPS or tunicamycin results in IRE1α and PERK activation, leading to the overexpression of CHOP. This, in turn, activates the NLRP3 inflammasome, subsequently initiating hepatocyte pyroptosis (caspase-1, -11, interleukin-1β secretion) and apoptosis (caspase-3, BH3-only proteins). In contrast, the LPS challenge is blocked by the ER stress inhibitor TUDCA, resulting in: CHOP downregulation, reduced caspase-1, caspase-11, caspase-3 activities, lowered interleukin-1β secretion and rescue from cell death. The central role of CHOP in mediating the activation of proinflammatory caspases and cell death was characterized by performing knockdown experiments in primary mouse hepatocytes. Finally, the analysis of human steatohepatitis liver biopsies showed a correlation between the upregulation of inflammasome and ER stress markers, as well as liver injury. We demonstrate here that ER stress leads to hepatic NLRP3 inflammasome pyroptotic death, thus contributing as a novel mechanism of inflammation-mediated liver injury in chronic liver diseases. Inhibition of ER-dependent inflammasome activation and cell death pathways may represent a potential therapeutic approach in chronic liver diseases.
Abstract
Aging decreases the quality of seeds and results in agricultural and economic losses. The damage that occurs at the biochemical level can alter the seed physiological status. Although loss ...of viability has been investigated frequently, little information exists on the molecular and biochemical factors involved in seed deterioration and loss of viability. Oxidative stress has been implicated as a major contributor to seed deterioration, and several pathways are involved in protection against this. In this study, we show that seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana lacking a functional NADP-MALIC ENZYME 1 (NADP-ME1) have reduced seed viability relative to the wild type. Seeds of the NADP-ME1 loss-of-function mutant display higher levels of protein carbonylation than those of the wild type. NADP-ME1 catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of malate to pyruvate with the simultaneous production of CO2 and NADPH. Upon seed imbibition, malate and amino acids accumulate in embryos of aged seeds of the NADP-ME1 loss-of-function mutant compared with those of the wild type. NADP-ME1 expression is increased in imbibed aged as compared with non-aged seeds. NADP-ME1 activity at testa rupture promotes normal germination of aged seeds. In seedlings of aged seeds, NADP-ME1 is specifically active in the root meristematic zone. We propose that NADP-ME1 activity is required for protecting seeds against oxidation during seed dry storage.
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