Search Results (11)

Background/Objectives: Phosphine resistance in insects involves a complex interplay of genetic and physiological factors, which are often poorly understood. Resistance to high concentrations of phosphine worldwide poses a formidable challenge for stored-product pest management and affects global food security. Understanding the genetic basis of phosphine resistance in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, is urgent because of the species’ status as a notorious insect pest of stored grains and their resistance to major classes of insecticides. In this study, we take advantage of T. castaneum as a model species for biological and genetic studies. Methods: To tease apart genetic mutations and the differential expression of genes responding to phosphine intoxication, we set up 16 different exposure tests to compare the effects of phosphine dose, exposure time, and sampling time on gene expression in phosphine-susceptible and -resistant T. castaneum adults. Results: We examined the enrichment of gene ontology terms in genes that were differentially expressed and found that the data further distinguished differences in gene expression by insect strain, phosphine dose, exposure time, and recovery from phosphine exposure. The gene-encoding cytochrome P450 9e2 was expressed more in phosphine-resistant compared to phosphine-susceptible insects under all treatment conditions and was significantly higher in expression in resistant insects that were sampled after short or long phosphine exposures. Therefore, this gene may serve as a new phosphine resistance marker in T. castaneum and can further be utilized as a diagnostic tool for resistance detection. Conclusions: These data are important to understand the complex molecular changes in insects that have reduced sensitivity to phosphine to develop new monitoring and resistance prevention strategies. Full article

Background: Insects are a sustainable source of protein for human food and animal feed. We present a genome assembly, CRISPR gene editing, and life stage-specific transcriptomes for the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, one of the most intensively farmed insects worldwide. Methods: Long and short reads and long-range data were obtained from a T. molitor male pupa. Sequencing transcripts from 12 T. molitor life stages resulted in 279 million reads for gene prediction and genetic engineering. A unique plasmid delivery system containing guide RNAs targeting the eye color gene vermilion flanking the muscle actin gene promoter and EGFP marker was used in CRISPR/Cas9 transformation. Results: The assembly is approximately 53% of the genome size of 756.8 ± 9.6 Mb, measured using flow cytometry. Assembly was complicated by a satellitome of at least 11 highly conserved satDNAs occupying 28% of the genome. The injection of the plasmid into embryos resulted in knock-out of Tm vermilion and knock-in of EGFP. Conclusions: The genome of T. molitor is longer than current assemblies (including ours) due to a substantial amount (26.5%) of only one highly abundant satellite DNA sequence. Genetic sequences and transformation tools for an insect important to the food and feed industries will promote the sustainable utilization of mealworms and other farmed insects. Full article

Children with and without communication disorders have difficulty understanding words and sentences produced by talkers with unfamiliar characteristics, such as unfamiliar accents. To date, few studies have investigated how this difficulty manifests in linguistically diverse children. Studies of monolingual children have found that lexical and phonological skills predict accurate perception. For linguistically diverse children, there are differences in the structure of their linguistic input relative to their monolingual peers. These differences in their linguistic input influence their lexical and phonological development, suggesting that they may also differ in how they perceive unfamiliar accented speech. In this paper we present different hypotheses for how input variability might affect unfamiliar accented speech perception. Then, we conduct a focused review of the literature on how input variability affects early linguistic development for bilingual and bidialectal children. We link this information to the literature on how children with and without language disorders understand unfamiliar accented speech to identify important areas for future inquiry. Determining how input variability interacts with linguistic skills to predict unfamiliar speech perception is a crucial area for future inquiry. Effective clinical recommendations and educational accommodations require understanding of the linguistic skills and experience that support accurate variable speech perception for diverse populations. Full article

Background: Investigating antibody titers in individuals who have been both naturally infected with SARS-CoV-2 and vaccinated can provide insight into antibody dynamics and correlates of protection over time. Methods: Human coronavirus (HCoV) IgG antibodies were measured longitudinally in a prospective cohort of qPCR-confirmed, COVID-19 recovered individuals (k = 57) in British Columbia pre- and post-vaccination. SARS-CoV-2 and endemic HCoV antibodies were measured in serum collected between Nov. 2020 and Sept. 2021 (n = 341). Primary analysis used a linear mixed-effects model to understand the effect of single dose vaccination on antibody concentrations adjusting for biological sex, age, time from infection and vaccination. Secondary analysis investigated the cumulative incidence of high SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike IgG seroreactivity equal to or greater than 5.5 log10 AU/mL up to 105 days post-vaccination. No re-infections were detected in vaccinated participants, post-vaccination by qPCR performed on self-collected nasopharyngeal specimens. Results: Bivariate analysis (complete data for 42 participants, 270 samples over 472 days) found SARS-CoV-2 spike and RBD antibodies increased 14–56 days post-vaccination (p < 0.001) and vaccination prevented waning (regression coefficient, B = 1.66 [95%CI: 1.45–3.46]); while decline of nucleocapsid antibodies over time was observed (regression coefficient, B = −0.24 [95%CI: −1.2-(−0.12)]). A positive association was found between COVID-19 vaccination and endemic human β-coronavirus IgG titer 14–56 days post vaccination (OC43, p = 0.02 & HKU1, p = 0.02). On average, SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike IgG concentration increased in participants who received one vaccine dose by 2.06 log10 AU/mL (95%CI: 1.45–3.46) adjusting for age, biological sex, and time since infection. Cumulative incidence of high SARS-CoV-2 spike antibodies (>5.5 log10 AU/mL) was 83% greater in vaccinated compared to unvaccinated individuals. Conclusions: Our study confirms that vaccination post-SARS-CoV-2 infection provides multiple benefits, such as increasing anti-spike IgG titers and preventing decay up to 85 days post-vaccination. Full article

The lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), is a major global pest of cereal grains. Infestations are difficult to control as larvae feed inside grain kernels, and many populations are resistant to both contact insecticides and fumigants. We sequenced the genome of R. dominica to identify genes responsible for important biological functions and develop more targeted and efficacious management strategies. The genome was assembled from long read sequencing and long-range scaffolding technologies. The genome assembly is 479.1 Mb, close to the predicted genome size of 480.4 Mb by flow cytometry. This assembly is among the most contiguous beetle assemblies published to date, with 139 scaffolds, an N₅₀ of 53.6 Mb, and L₅₀ of 4, indicating chromosome-scale scaffolds. Predicted genes from biologically relevant groups were manually annotated using transcriptome data from adults and different larval tissues to guide annotation. The expansion of carbohydrase and serine peptidase genes suggest that they combine to enable efficient digestion of cereal proteins. A reduction in the copy number of several detoxification gene families relative to other coleopterans may reflect the low selective pressure on these genes in an insect that spends most of its life feeding internally. Chemoreceptor genes contain elevated numbers of pseudogenes for odorant receptors that also may be related to the recent ontogenetic shift of R. dominica to a diet consisting primarily of stored grains. Analysis of repetitive sequences will further define the evolution of bostrichid beetles compared to other species. The data overall contribute significantly to coleopteran genetic research. Full article

Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) plants are exposed to existing and emerging viruses as a result of expanding acreage of blueberry plantations across the world, primarily in North America. Since blueberry is cultivated in areas where there are wild Vaccinium spp., there is increasing risk of virus movement between wild and cultivated blueberries. This is theoretically possible because viruses can spread from commercial cultivars to native species and vice versa causing the spread of existing and new viruses. The occurrence of these viruses in blueberry can be devastating to the industry considering the cost for cultivation and production of this perennial crop. However, the advent of high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic sequence analysis have allowed for rapid identification of known and novel viruses in any crop including blueberry, thus facilitating proper intervention in response to serious viral diseases. In this paper, we aim to focus on the current status of known and novel viruses emerging in blueberry worldwide, which may impact the blueberry industry. Full article

Southern highbush blueberry (interspecific hybrids of Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is cultivated near wild V. corymbosum as well as closely related species in Florida, USA. The expansion of blueberry cultivation into new areas in Florida and deployment of new cultivars containing viruses can potentially increase the diversity of viruses in wild and cultivated V. corymbosum. In this study, viral diversity in wild and cultivated blueberries (V. corymbosum) is described using a metagenomic approach. RNA viromes from V. corymbosum plants collected from six locations (two cultivated and four wild) in North Central Florida were generated by high throughput sequencing (HTS) and analyzed using a bioinformatic analysis pipeline. De novo assembled contigs obtained from viromes of both commercial and wild sites produced sequences with similarities to plant virus species from a diverse range of families (Amalgaviridae, Caulimoviridae, Endornaviridae, Ophioviridae, Phenuiviridae, and Virgaviridae). In addition, this study has enabled the identification of blueberry latent virus (BlLV) and blueberry mosaic associated ophiovirus (BlMaV) for the first time in Florida, as well as a tentative novel tepovirus (blueberry virus T) (BlVT) in blueberry. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that compares viral diversity in wild and cultivated blueberry using a metagenomic approach. Full article

Ankle injuries may adversely increase the risk of injury to the joints of the lower extremity and can lead to various impairments in workplaces. The purpose of this study was to predict the ankle angles by developing a footwear pressure sensor and utilizing a machine learning technique. The footwear sensor was composed of six FSRs (force sensing resistors), a microcontroller and a Bluetooth LE chipset in a flexible substrate. Twenty-six subjects were tested in squat and stoop motions, which are common positions utilized when lifting objects from the floor and pose distinct risks to the lifter. The kNN (k-nearest neighbor) machine learning algorithm was used to create a representative model to predict the ankle angles. For the validation, a commercial IMU (inertial measurement unit) sensor system was used. The results showed that the proposed footwear pressure sensor could predict the ankle angles at more than 93% accuracy for squat and 87% accuracy for stoop motions. This study confirmed that the proposed plantar sensor system is a promising tool for the prediction of ankle angles and thus may be used to prevent potential injuries while lifting objects in workplaces. Full article

Hijacking and manipulation of host cell biosynthetic pathways by human enveloped viruses are essential for the viral lifecycle. Flaviviridae members, including hepatitis C, dengue and Zika viruses, extensively manipulate host lipid metabolism, underlining the importance of lipid droplets (LDs) in viral infection. LDs are dynamic cytoplasmic organelles that can act as sequestration platforms for a unique subset of host and viral proteins. Transient recruitment and mobilization of proteins to LDs during viral infection impacts host-cell biological properties, LD functionality and canonical protein functions. Notably, recent studies identified LDs in the nucleus and also identified that LDs are transported extracellularly via an autophagy-mediated mechanism, indicating a novel role for autophagy in Flaviviridae infections. These developments underline an unsuspected diversity and localization of LDs and potential moonlighting functions of LD-associated proteins during infection. This review summarizes recent breakthroughs concerning the LD hijacking activities of hepatitis C, dengue and Zika viruses and potential roles of cytoplasmic, nuclear and extracellular LD-associated viral proteins during infection. Full article

Since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, states have made significant progress in enabling Americans with disabilities to live in their communities, rather than institutions. That progress reflects the combined effect of the Supreme Court’s holding in Olmstead v. L.C. ex rel. Zimring, that states’ failure to provide services to disabled persons in the community may violate the ADA, and amendments to Medicaid that permit states to devote funding to home and community-based services (HCBS). This article considers whether Olmstead and its progeny could act as a check on a potential retrenchment of states’ support for HCBS in the event that states face severe reductions in federal funding for Medicaid, as was threatened by Republican efforts in 2017 to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act and to restructure Medicaid. The article concludes that Olmstead provides a strong basis for challenging a state’s elimination or severe curtailment of existing HCBS programs, but that the fact-specific nature of a state’s likely “fundamental alteration” defense precludes predicting the outcome of such a challenge. Despite this legal uncertainty, protests mounted by people with disabilities, in which they demanded freedom from institutionalization, may have helped cement the idea that community integration is a civil right in the public’s mind. Full article

A new 30-center Ga(III)-oxy-hydroxide cation cluster was synthesized by hydrolysis of an aqueous GaCl₃ solution near pH = 2.5 and crystallized using 2,6-napthalene disulfonate (NDS). The cluster has 30 metal centers and a nominal stoichiometry: [Ga₃₀(μ₄-O)₁₂(μ₃-O)₄(μ₃-OH)₄(μ₂-OH)₄₂(H₂O)₁₆](2,6-NDS)₆, where 2,6-NDS = 2,6-napthalene disulfonate This cluster augments the very small library of Group 13 clusters that have been isolated from aqueous solution and closely resembles one other Ga(III) cluster with 32 metal centers that had been isolated using curcurbit ligands. These clusters have uncommon linked Ga(O)₄ centers and sets of both protonated and unprotonated μ₃-oxo. Full article