Skaarupwise1835
Theoretical calculations are also consistent with existing single-cell measurements. Thus, the presented theoretical approach clarifies some microscopic aspects of the action of AMPs on bacteria.Leafcutting ants are considered the most important herbivores in terrestrial environments throughout the Neotropics. Amoimyrmex is the sister clade of the remaining leafcutter ants from the genera Atta and Acromyrmex. Amoimyrmex striatus was the only species cytogenetically studied within the genus and shares the same chromosomal number with Atta, bearing 22 chromosomes, whereas Acromyrmex bears 38 chromosomes, with the exception of the social parasite Acromyrmex ameliae (2n=36). Our objective here was to analyze cytogenetically the species of Amoimyrmex bruchi and Amoimyrmex silvestrii, as well as to describe the karyotype of these sister species, by means of an integrative approach using classical and molecular cytogenetics. We aimed to characterize cytogenetic markers that contribute to the systematics and taxonomy of the genus. Our results showed that the karyotypes of these two species are very similar, with an identical chromosome number (2n=22), chromosome morphology (2K=20m+2sm), and location of 18S rDNA and the telomeric repeat TTAGG on the chromosomes. Yet, the microsatellite probe GA(15) showed variation across the species and populations studied. We suggest that both species diverged relatively recently and are unmistakably sisters because of the many shared characteristics, including the highly conserved karyotypes.
Chaplains are key care providers in a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention, which is a priority area for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD). In a cohort of 87 VA and military chaplains who completed the Mental Health Integration for Chaplain Services (MHICS) training-an intensive, specialty education in evidence-based psychosocial and collaborative approaches to mental health care-we assessed chaplains' self-perceptions, intervention behaviors, and use of evidence-based practices, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Problem-Solving Therapy (PST), and Motivational Interviewing (MI), in providing care for suicidality.
Chaplains responded to a battery of items Pre- and Post-training and provided deidentified case examples describing their use of evidence-based practices in spiritual care for service members and veterans (SM/V) on various levels of a suicide prevention continuum.
Post-training, chaplains reported increased abilities to proence-based practices report effective application in caring for SM/V who are suicidal, thus offering a valuable resource to meet needs in a priority area for VA and DoD.HIGHLIGHTSChaplains provide essential care for SM/V who are at risk for suicide or acutely suicidalTraining helps chaplains mobilize interdisciplinary and community resources in suicide careEvidence-based practices can effectively integrate within the scope of chaplaincy practice for suicide care.
Amyloid deposits in a visceral organ can contribute to tissue stiffness that could be measured with shear wave elastography (SWE). We aimed to investigate changes in organ stiffness in conjunction with laboratory parameters in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) and amyloidosis.
This prospective study included 27 FMF patients, 11 patients with amyloidosis, and 38 healthy controls. Median shear wave elasticity values of the liver, spleen, both kidneys, and pancreas on SWE were compared among study and control groups. The mean values of CRP (C-reactive protein) and ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) were compared by the
-test and the median of SAA (serum amyloid A protein) was compared with the Mann-Whitney
test between FMF groups with and without amyloidosis. Spearman's correlation analysis was performed to reveal the association between stiffness values and laboratory parameters.
The median liver, spleen, kidney, and pancreas elasticity values were significantly higher in the FMF group with amyloidosis compared to control subjects. The median kidney stiffness values in the FMF group with or without amyloidosis were significantly higher compared to control subjects. Median liver stiffness values in FMF patients with amyloidosis were significantly higher than FMF patients without amyloidosis. There were statistically significant positive correlations between the CRP (
= 0.001,
= 0.56), ESR (
= 0.001,
= 0.61), and SAA (
= 0.002,
= 0.53) levels with spleen stiffness, and CRP (
= 0.006,
= 0.48) and ESR (
= 0.001,
= 0.61) levels with pancreas stiffness, and ESR (
= 0.004,
= 0.51) levels with the left kidney stiffness.
SWE could be a potential tool for noninvasive follow-up of FMF patients and also amyloid deposition.
Both acute inflammation and amyloidosis in the FMF patients could increase organ stiffness.
Both acute inflammation and amyloidosis in the FMF patients could increase organ stiffness.Nocturnal insects like moths are essential for pollination, providing resilience to the diurnal pollination networks. Moths use both vision and mechanosensation to locate the nectary opening in the flowers with their proboscis. However, increased light levels due to artificial light at night (ALAN) pose a serious threat to nocturnal insects. Here, we examined how light levels influence the efficacy by which the crepuscular hawkmoth Manduca sexta locates the nectary. We used three-dimensional-printed artificial flowers fitted with motion sensors in the nectary and machine vision to track the motion of hovering moths under two light levels 0.1 lux (moonlight) and 50 lux (dawn/dusk). We found that moths in higher light conditions took significantly longer to find the nectary, even with repeated visits to the same flower. In addition to taking longer, moths in higher light conditions hovered further from the flower during feeding. Increased light levels adversely affect learning and motor control in these animals.Fleshy fruits can be divided between climacteric (CL, showing a typical rise in respiration and ethylene production with ripening after harvest) and non-climacteric (NC, showing no rise). check details However, despite the importance of the CL/NC traits in horticulture and the fruit industry, the evolutionary significance of the distinction remains untested. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that NC fruits, which ripen only on the plant, are adapted to tree dispersers (feeding in the tree), and CL fruits, which ripen after falling from the plant, are adapted to ground dispersers. A literature review of 276 reports of 80 edible fruits found a strong correlation between CL/NC traits and the type of seed disperser fruits dispersed by tree dispersers are more likely to be NC, and those dispersed by ground dispersers are more likely to be CL. NC fruits are more likely to have red-black skin and smaller seeds (preferred by birds), and CL fruits to have green-brownish skin and larger seeds (preferred by large mammals). These results suggest that the CL/NC traits have an important but overlooked seed dispersal function, and CL fruits may have an adaptive advantage in reducing ineffective frugivory by tree dispersers by falling before ripening.Yellow warblers (Setophaga petechia) use referential 'seet' calls to warn mates of brood parasitic brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater). In response to seet calls during the day, female warblers swiftly move to sit tightly on their nests, which may prevent parasitism by physically blocking female cowbirds from inspecting and laying in the nest. However, cowbirds lay their eggs just prior to sunrise, not during daytime. We experimentally tested whether female warblers, warned by seet calls on one day, extend their anti-parasitic responses into the future by engaging in vigilance at sunrise on the next day, when parasitism may occur. As predicted, daytime seet call playbacks caused female warblers to leave their nests less often on the following morning, relative to playbacks of both their generic anti-predator calls and silent controls. Thus, referential calls do not only convey the identity or the type of threat at present but also elicit vigilance in the future to provide protection from threats during periods of heightened vulnerability.In fish, vision may be impaired when eye tissue is in direct contact with environmental conditions that limit aerobic ATP production. We hypothesized that the visual acuity of fishes exposed to hydrogen sulfide (H2S)-rich water would be altered owing to changes in cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity. Using the H2S-tolerant mangrove rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus), we showed that a 10 min exposure to greater than or equal to 200 µM of H2S impaired visual acuity and COX activity in the eye. Visual acuity and COX activity were restored in fish allowed to recover in H2S-free water for up to 1 h. Since K. marmoratus are found in mangrove pools with H2S concentrations exceeding 1000 µM, visual impairment may impact predator avoidance, navigation and foraging behaviour in the wild.Fuelled by the ongoing genomic revolution, broadscale RNA expression surveys are fast replacing studies targeting one or a few genes to understand the molecular basis of behaviour. Yet, the timescale of RNA-sequencing experiments and the dynamics of neural gene activation are insufficient to drive real-time switches between behavioural states. Moreover, the spatial, functional and transcriptional complexity of the brain (the most commonly targeted tissue in studies of behaviour) further complicates inference. We argue that a Central Dogma-like 'back-to-basics' assumption that gene expression changes cause behaviour leaves some of the most important aspects of gene-behaviour relationships unexplored, including the roles of environmental influences, timing and feedback from behaviour-and the environmental shifts it causes-to neural gene expression. No perfect experimental solutions exist but we advocate that explicit consideration, exploration and discussion of these factors will pave the way toward a richer understanding of the complicated relationships between genes, environments, brain gene expression and behaviour over developmental and evolutionary timescales.Sexual selection is often considered as a critical evolutionary force promoting sexual size dimorphism (SSD) in animals. However, empirical evidence for a positive relationship between sexual selection on males and male-biased SSD received mixed support depending on the studied taxonomic group and on the method used to quantify sexual selection. Here, we present a meta-analytic approach accounting for phylogenetic non-independence to test how standardized metrics of the opportunity and strength of pre-copulatory sexual selection relate to SSD across a broad range of animal taxa comprising up to 95 effect sizes from 59 species. We found that SSD based on length measurements was correlated with the sex difference in the opportunity for sexual selection but showed a weak and statistically non-significant relationship with the sex difference in the Bateman gradient. These findings suggest that pre-copulatory sexual selection plays a limited role for the evolution of SSD in a broad phylogenetic context.
