Search Results (40)

Restricting the use of chemical pesticides in forestry requires the search for alternative solutions. These could be volatile organic compounds produced by three investigated species of bacteria (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (ex Fukumoto) Priest, B. subtilis (Ehrenberg) Cohn and B. thuringiensis Berliner), which inhibit the growth of the pathogen F. oxysporum Schltdl. emend. Snyder & Hansen in forest nurseries. The highest inhibition of fungal growth (70%) was observed with B. amyloliquefaciens after 24 h of antagonism test, which had a higher content of carbonyl compounds (46.83 ± 8.41%) than B. subtilis (41.50 ± 6.45%) or B. thuringiensis (34.62 ± 4.77%). Only in the volatile emissions of B. amyloliquefaciens were 3-hydroxybutan-2-one, undecan-2-one, dodecan-5-one and tetradecan-5-one found. In contrast, the main components of the volatile emissions of F. oxysporum were chlorinated derivatives of benzaldehyde (e.g., 3,5-dichloro-4-methoxybenzaldehyde) and chlorinated derivatives of benzene (e.g., 1,4-dichloro-2,5-dimethoxybenzene), as well as carbonyl compounds (e.g., benzaldehyde) and alcohols (e.g., benzyl alcohol). Further compounds were found in the interactions between B. amyloliquefaciens and F. oxysporum (e.g., $\alpha$-cubebene, linalool, undecan-2-ol, decan-2-one and 2,6-dichloroanisole). Specific substances were found for B. amyloliquefaciens (limonene, nonan-2-ol, phenethyl alcohol, heptan-2-one and tridecan-2-one) and for F. oxysporum (propan-1-ol, propan-2-ol, heptan-2-one and tridecan-2-one). The amounts of volatile chemical compounds found in B. amyloliquefaciens or in the bacterium–fungus interaction can be used for further research to limit the pathogenic fungus. In the future, one should focus on the compounds that were found exclusively in interactions and whose content was higher than in isolated bacteria. In order to conquer an ecological niche, bacteria increase the production of secondary metabolites, including specific chemical compounds. The results presented are a prerequisite for creating an alternative solution or supplementing the currently used methods of plant protection against F. oxysporum. Understanding and applying the volatile organic compounds produced by bacteria can complement chemical plant protection against the pathogen, especially in greenhouses or tunnels where plants grow in conditions that favour fungal growth. Full article

Species of Talaromyces C.R. Benj. are valuable biological resources for human beings as competent producers of enzymes, antibiotics, antifungal agents and biopigments, but a comprehensive taxonomic system at the series level has not been fully provided for this genus. In this study, three new series, Palmarum, Resedani and Subinflati, are proposed in section Subinflati. Section Trachyspermi is also restructured to include five series, in which Diversi, Erythromelles, Miniolutei and Resinarum are newly erected, and Trachyspermi is emended. Additionally, four new species are discovered: T. elephas, T. sinensis and T. xishuangbannaensis isolated from rotten fruit husk in Yunnan Province, China, belonging to the series Erythromelles, Subinflati and Miniolutei, respectively, and T. tianshanicus from soil in Uzbekistan, located in ser. Diversi. Morphological distinctions, including colony characteristics, conidiophore structures, and conidial morphologies, along with phylogenetic analyses based on multi-locus datasets (ITS, BenA, CaM and RPB2), confirm their novelty to science. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of the new species are given. The proposed classification of Talaromyces at the series level provides a refined infrageneric framework and facilitates taxonomic stability and future biodiversity studies. Full article

Following heavy metal pollution caused by thallium in watersheds, people typically employ emergency treatment methods such as water sampling and transfer for dilution or in situ coagulation and precipitation. However, the thallium that is adsorbed by the precipitates in the sediment persists for a long time and is gradually released, posing a significant threat to the ecosystem. In this study, the 16S rRNA sequencing method was used to simulate the effects of water dilution or in situ coagulation and precipitation on microbial communities through thallium impact loading and thallium-containing iron floc shaking bottle experiments. The emendation of Fe(III) floc led to an increase in the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota. Meanwhile, Nitrospira and Proteobacteria exhibited distinct tolerances to Tl shock and Tl floc stress, respectively. Thallium pollution inhibited the reduction in nitric oxide and nitrogen fixation while increasing the relative abundance of the napA/B genes and decreasing the relative abundance of narG/H genes involved in nitrate reduction. This study offers new insights into the effects of various emergency treatment measures on river ecosystems following sudden thallium pollution, particularly from the perspective of microbial community composition and biogeochemical cycles. Full article

Mastogloia is a large, morphologically diverse genus of primarily benthic marine species defined by the presence of partecta (chambers) on the valvocopula (girdle band next to the valve). Several genera have been found with valves that resemble Mastogloia but lack the ring of partecta; the most diverse group is in freshwaters, especially Aneumastus, but there are two marine genera, both monotypic. A third such species has been found in Cuba and is described here as Paramastogloia cubana gen. nov., sp. nov. Paramastogloia cubana, Mastoneis biformis, and Mastogloiopsis biseriata each resemble the valve structure of some species of Mastogloia but do not resemble one another. Paramastogloia is indistinguishable in light microscopy (LM) from naviculoid diatoms and had been identified as Navicula cf. sovereigniae. The resemblance of P. cubana to Mastogloia is in the areolae, particularly to those of M. umbra, M. dicephala, and M. mammosa, three species not likely to be in one monophyletic group. Mastoneis has been observed in LM from widespread warm-water localities and resembles some Mastogloia in having costae extending partway across the virgae (interstriae); new ultrastructural details are presented showing the girdle bands and absence of partecta, and a clearer genus diagnosis is proposed. The third genus, Mastogloiopsis, was established with ultrastructure and resembles species of Mastogloia sec. Marginulatae. The range of areolar characters that might be admissible to Paramastogloia is unknown, so the generic diagnosis has been left imprecise to allow for the possibility of other species. The relationships among these genera await genetic studies, which are still scarce in Mastogloiaceae. Full article

Non-destructive portable techniques for the analysis of cultural heritage items are essential for enhancing our understanding of these objects and providing valuable information for potential restoration interventions. This paper presents a combined use of pulsed thermography, X-ray fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy to investigate the ancient bronze “Il Togato”, yielding complementary information concerning the techniques used for creating this artefact and its conservation status. Specifically, thermographic analysis has highlighted the presence of many patches of different size used for emending superficial cast defects, weldings used to connect parts separately cast to the main structure, cracks, and defects located in the bronze thickness. On the other hand, XRF provided information on the composition of the gilding which characterises the statue, and supplied an estimate of its thickness through the use of a stratification model. Additionally, Raman spectroscopy has been applied to identify corrosion products. The experimental results presented in the paper provide a comprehensive knowledge of the bronze under investigation and assess the effectiveness of the portable non-destructive techniques employed in the analysis. Full article

Hesionid polychaetes are well known at hydrothermal vents, methane seeps, and unusual habitats such as whale falls. In 1985, Sirsoe grasslei was the first hesionid to be named from a hydrothermal vent. Vrijenhoekia was erected in 2008 for a closely related species from a whale fall. Further species of Sirsoe and Vrijenhoekia were described in the following decade and the genera were recovered as reciprocally monophyletic with DNA data. However, Sirsoe was made a senior synonym of Vrijenhoekia when 10 further new species from the clade were named from off the coast of Brazil. To further evaluate the status of Sirsoe and Vrijenhoekia, we present the first DNA data for the type species of Sirsoe, S. grasslei. Our results allow the reinstatement of Vrijenhoekia and emended diagnoses for Sirsoe and Vrijenhoekia. Four new species, three in Sirsoe and one in Vrijenhoekia, are also described. Full article

Mosasaurid teeth are abundant in the fossil record and often diagnostic to low taxonomic levels, allowing to document the taxonomic diversity and ecological disparity through time and with fewer biases than in other marine reptiles. The upper Maastrichtian Phosphates of Morocco, with at least fifteen coeval species representing a wide range of sizes and morphologies, undoubtedly represent the richest outcrop in the world for this clade of iconic Mesozoic squamates and one of the richest known marine tetrapod assemblages. Until now, the methods used to link tooth morphology to diets in marine amniotes were mainly qualitative in nature. Here, using the dental morphology of mosasaurids from Morocco, we combine two complementary approaches—a thorough comparative anatomical description and 2D/3D geometric morphometry—to quantitatively categorize the main functions of these teeth during feeding processes and infer diet preferences and niche-partitioning of these apex predators. Our results from combining these two approaches show the following: (1) Mosasaurids from the upper Maastrichtian Phosphates of Morocco occupy the majority of dental guilds ever colonized by Mesozoic marine reptiles. (2) As seen elsewhere in the Maastrichtian, mosasaurines dominate the regional mosasaurid assemblage, exhibiting the greatest taxonomic diversity (two-thirds of the species) and the largest range of morphologies, body sizes (2 m to more than 10 m) and ecological disparities (participating in nearly all predatory ecological guilds); strikingly, mosasaurines did not developed flesh piercers and, conversely, are the only ones to include durophagous species. (3) Halisaurines, though known by species of very different sizes (small versus large) and cranial morphologies (gracile versus robust), maintain a single tooth shape (piercer). (4) Plioplatecarpines were medium-size cutters and piercers, known by very morphologically diverging species. (5) Tylosaurines currently remain scarce, represented by a very large generalist species; they were largely replaced by mosasaurines as apex predators over the course of the Maastrichtian, as observed elsewhere. Also, when comparing tooth shapes with body sizes, the largest taxa (>8 m long) occupied a restricted area of tooth shapes (generalist, durophagous), whereas small and medium-sized species (<8 m long) range across all of them (generalists, durophagous, cutters, piercers). In other words, and probably related to the specificities and advantages of biomechanical resistance, apex predators are never dedicated piercers, micro-predators are conversely never generalists, and meso-predators show the widest range of dental adaptations. These diversities and disparities strongly suggest that Tethyan mosasaurids evolved strong niche-partitioning in the shallow marine environment of the upper Maastrichtian Phosphates of Morocco. Such a high diversity sensu lato just prior to the K/Pg biological crisis suggests that their extinction was rather sudden, though the exact causes of their extinction remain unknown. Finally, Gavialimimus Strong et al., 2020 is systematically reassigned to Gavialimimus ptychodon (Arambourg, 1952), and an emended diagnosis (for teeth and dentition) is proposed for this species. Full article

Within Polynoidae, a diverse aphroditiform family, the subfamily Macellicephalinae comprises anchialine cave-dwelling and deep-sea scaleworms. In this study, Lepidonotopodinae is synonymized with Macellicephalinae, and the tribe Lepidonotopodini is applied to a well-supported clade inhabiting deep-sea chemosynthetic-based ecosystems. Newly sequenced “genome skimming” data for 30 deep-sea polynoids and the comparatively shallow living Eulagisca gigantea is used to bioinformatically assemble their mitogenomes. When analyzed with existing scaleworm mitogenomes, deep-sea scaleworms exhibit increased gene order rearrangement events compared to shallow-water relatives. Additionally, comparative analyses of shallow-water vs. deep-sea polynoid substitution rates in mitochondrial protein-coding genes show an overall relaxed purifying selection and a positive selection of several amino acid sites in deep-sea species, indicating that polynoid mitogenomes have undergone selective pressure to evolve metabolic adaptations suited to deep-sea environments. Furthermore, the inclusion of skimming data for already known Lepidonotopodini species allowed for an increased coverage of DNA data and a representation of the taxa necessary to create a more robust phylogeny using 18 genes, as opposed to the six genes previously used. The phylogenetic results support the erection of Cladopolynoe gen. nov., Mamiwata gen. nov., Photinopolynoe gen. nov., Stratigos gen. nov., and Themis gen. nov., and emended diagnoses for Branchinotogluma, Branchipolynoe, Lepidonotopodium, and Levensteiniella. Full article

From 1948 until around 1965, Louis de Broglie, awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1929 for his fundamental contributions to quantum theory, pursued a systematic study of the formal analogies between wave mechanics and the thermomechanics of Boltzmann and Helmholtz. As part of this line of research, he produced several interesting observations, which were, however, published only in French, and, therefore, had a very limited diffusion. Here, we reconsider, in particular, a result of his relating to the analogy between the internal clock (de Broglie phase) of a free particle and a cyclic isothermal process in a thermomechanical system. We show that the fundamental equivalence obtained by him can be derived under more convenient hypotheses than the original ones, essentially tied to the quantization of the action exchanged by the particle with a suitable thermostat. In this emended formulation, the relations proposed by de Broglie describe the emergence of the particle proper time from a thermal background. They also suggest a specific physical meaning of the Wick rotation, often used in quantum mechanical calculations, and the thermal time that appears in it. Full article

Calicioids form a research field that has encompassed ascomycetous fungi with stalked ascomata similar to those of the lichen genus Calicium. Early generic circumscriptions of calicioid lichens and fungi were mainly based on morphological and secondary chemistry information. After the introduction of molecular data, taxonomy in the group has been reconsidered. Here, based on a broad geographical sampling, Coniocybe Ach. was revised using molecular and morphological features. Three loci (ITS, LSU and rpb1) were compared to infer its phylogenetic position, and a total of 52 new sequences (14 ITS, 24 LSU and 14 rpb1) were produced. Apart from its type C. furfuracea, Coniocybe was revised and emended to also include C. brachypoda and C. confusa. In addition, a new species, Coniocybe eufuracea, was described, and a key to the species of Coniocybe was provided. Full article

Coccoid Ulvophyceae are often overlooked despite their wide distribution. They occur as epiphytes on marine seaweeds or grow on stones or on shells of mussels and corals. Most of the species are not easy to identify based solely on morphology. However, they form two groups based on the flagellated cells during asexual reproduction. The biflagellated coccoids are monophyletic and represent the genus Sykidion (Sykidiales). In contrast, the quadriflagellated taxa are polyphyletic and belong to different genera and orders. The newly investigated strains NIES-1838 and NIES-1839, originally identified as Halochlorococcum, belong to the genus Chlorocystis (C. john-westii) among the order Chlorocystidales. The unidentified strain CCMP 1293 had almost an identical SSU and ITS-2 sequence to Symbiochlorum hainanense (Ignatiales) but showed morphological differences (single chloroplast, quadriflagellated zoospores) compared with the original description of this species (multiple chloroplasts, aplanospores). Surprisingly, the strain SAG 2662 (= ULVO-129), together with the published sequence of MBIC 10461, formed a new monophyletic lineage among the Ulvophyceae, which is highly supported in all of the bootstrap and Bayesian analyses and approximately unbiased tests of user-defined trees. This strain is characterized by a spherical morphology and also form quadriflagellated zoospores, have a unique ITS-2 barcode, and can tolerate a high variation of salinities. Considering our results, we emend the diagnosis of Symbiochlorum and propose the new genus Solotvynia among the new order Solotvyniales. Full article

A strictly aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, and motile bacterium, designated strain KMM 296, isolated from the coelomic fluid of the mussel Crenomytilus grayanus, was investigated in detail due to its ability to produce a highly active alkaline phosphatase CmAP of the structural family PhoA. A previous taxonomic study allocated the strain to the species Cobetia marina, a member of the family Halomonadaceae of the class Gammaproteobacteria. However, 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed KMM 296’s relatedness to Cobetia amphilecti NRIC 0815^T. The isolate grew with 0.5–19% NaCl at 4–42 °C and hydrolyzed Tweens 20 and 40 and L-tyrosine. The DNA G+C content was 62.5 mol%. The prevalent fatty acids were C_18:1 ω7c, C_12:0 3-OH, C_18:1 ω7c, C_12:0, and C_17:0 cyclo. The polar lipid profile was characterized by the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidic acid, and also an unidentified aminolipid, phospholipid, and a few unidentified lipids. The major respiratory quinone was Q-8. According to phylogenomic and chemotaxonomic evidence, and the nearest neighbors, the strain KMM 296 represents a member of the species C. amphilecti. The genome-based analysis of C. amphilecti NRIC 0815^T and C. litoralis NRIC 0814^T showed their belonging to a single species. In addition, the high similarity between the C. pacifica NRIC 0813^T and C. marina LMG 2217^T genomes suggests their affiliation to one species. Based on the rules of priority, C. litoralis should be reclassified as a later heterotypic synonym of C. amphilecti, and C. pacifica is a later heterotypic synonym of C. marina. The emended descriptions of the species C. amphilecti and C. marina are also proposed. Full article

In 1957, Arvid Carlsson discovered that dopamine, at the time believed to be nothing more than a norepinephrine precursor, was a brain neurotransmitter in and of itself. By 1963, postsynaptic dopamine blockade had become the cornerstone of psychiatric treatment as it appeared to have deciphered the “chlorpromazine enigma”, a 1950s term, denoting the action mechanism of antipsychotic drugs. The same year, Carlsson and Lindqvist launched the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia, ushering in the era of psychopharmacology. At present, six decades later, although watered down by three consecutive revisions, the dopamine model remains in vogue. The latest emendation of this paradigm proposes that “environmental and genetic factors” converge on the dopaminergic pathways, upregulating postsynaptic transmission. Aryl hydrocarbon receptors, expressed by the gut and blood–brain barrier, respond to a variety of endogenous and exogenous ligands, including dopamine, probably participating in interoceptive awareness, a feed-back loop, conveying intestinal barrier status to the insular cortex. The conceptualization of aryl hydrocarbon receptor as a bridge, connecting vagal terminals with the microbiome, may elucidate the aspects of schizophrenia seemingly incongruous with the dopamine hypothesis, such as increased prevalence in urban areas, distance from the equator, autoantibodies, or comorbidity with inflammatory bowel disease and human immunodeficiency 1 virus. In this review article, after a short discussion of schizophrenia outcome studies and insight, we take a closer look at the action mechanism of antipsychotic drugs, attempting to answer the question: do these agents exert their beneficial effects via both dopaminergic and nondopaminergic mechanisms? Finally, we discuss potential new therapies, including transcutaneous vagal stimulation, aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands, and restoring the homeostasis of the gut barrier. Full article

The order Protococcidiida is one of the most poorly studied basal groups of Sporozoa (Apicomplexa sensu stricto). To date, the phylogenetic unity of protococcidians and their relationship with other sporozoans are understudied. Only the protococcidian Eleutheroschizon duboscqi has molecular evidence of a sister position to “true” coccidians (Eimeria, Sarcocystis, Toxoplasma). E. duboscqi is characterized by epicellular development in the so-called parasitophorous sac of the host cell origin. The unusual localization of Eleutheroschizon is comparable to that of Cryptosporidium. We describe a new species of the genus, E. planoratum ex Naineris quadricuspida polychaete from the White Sea, using light and electron microscopy. The morphology of attachment apparatus, phylogenetic analyses of concatenated DNA sequences of the nuclear ribosomal operon (SSU rDNA, ITS1, 5.8S rDNA, ITS2, and LSU rDNA), and compensatory base changes in ITS2 secondary structures of both protococcidians confirm the new species. The resulting phylogenies also confirm that Eleutheroschizon is sister to eimeriid coccidians, while Cryptosporidium tends to be grouped with gregarines. We discuss a new type of endoparasitism among sporozoans—the closed epicellular parasitism that evolved convergently in Eleutheroschizon and Cryptosporidium. The diagnosis of the new species and the emended diagnoses of the species E. duboscqi and the genus Eleutheroschizon are presented. Full article

The distributed model predictive control (DMPC) strategy with particle swarm optimization (PSO) is applied to solve the collision-free trajectory tracking problem for the mecanum-wheeled mobile robot (MWMR) formation. Under the leader–follower framework, the predictive model is established considering the kinematics and dynamics of the MWMR with the uncertainties and external disturbances. Based on the information from itself and its neighbors, each MWMR is assigned its own finite-horizon optimal control problem, of which the objective/cost function consists of formation maintenance, trajectory tracking, and collision avoidance terms, and the control inputs of each MWMR are computed synchronously in a distributed manner. PSO serves as the fast and effective optimizer to find feasible solutions to these finite-horizon optimal control problems. Further, the feedback emendation is implemented using a double closed-loop compensator to efficiently inhibit the influence of unknown dynamics in real time. The stability of the proposed distributed formation control approach is strictly analyzed. Numerical simulations confirmed the robustness and effectiveness of the control approach in obstacle environments. Full article