Molecular Characterisation of Faecal Bacterial Assemblages Among Four Species of Syntopic Odonates.

Factors such as host species, phylogeny, diet, and both timing and location of sampling are thought to influence the composition of gut-associated bacteria in insects. In this study, we compared the faecal-associated bacterial taxa for three Coenagrion and one Enallagma damselfly species. We expected high overlap in representation of bacterial taxa due to the shared ecology and diet of these species.

, a new genus of Ichneumoninae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from Peruvian Amazonia.

A new monotypic genus of ichneumonine parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Ichneumoninae) is described from Peru; is described to accommodate The new genus is morphologically very distinctive and can be easily separated from all known ichneumonine genera. By describing from the lowland rain forests of Peru, we aim to draw attention to the considerable diversity and morphological variation of the Amazonian ichneumonine fauna.

Cryptic biodiversity of tropical hesperiid caterpillar-attacking parasitoid wasps: three new species of Townes (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cremastinae) from Costa Rica and Perú.

Background: We describe three new species of the previously monotypic genus Townes from Central and South America: and from Costa Rica and from Peru, all of which emphasise the unknown parasitoid insect diversity yet to be revealed in the tropics.

New Information: Host relationships of the two Costa Rican species are described in detail. In addition, it is inferred that the wasps find and oviposit in the caterpillar when it is exposed at night, rather than when it is concealed during daylight hours.

Steel Manufacturing EAF Dust as a Potential Adsorbent for Hydrogen Sulfide Removal.

Electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) is a high-volume steel manufacturing byproduct with currently limited value-added applications. EAFD contains metal oxides that can react with HS to form stable sulfides. Hence, the valorization potential of EAFD as an adsorbent material for syngas HS removal was investigated.

Metabarcoding prey DNA from fecal samples of adult dragonflies shows no predicted sex differences, and substantial inter-individual variation, in diets.

Sexes often differ in foraging and diet, which is associated with sex differences in size, trophic morphology, use of habitats, and/or life history tactics. Herein, strikingly similar diets were found for adult sexes of a dragonfly (), based on comparing 141 dietary taxa identified from the metabarcoding of mitochondrial DNA archived in feces. Arthropods in > 5% of samples included five species of dipterans, two hemipterans, two spider species and one parasitic mite.

Cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase deficiency: Expanding the clinical phenotype and novel laboratory findings.

Cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK-C) deficiency due to the homozygous PCK1 variant has recently been associated with childhood-onset hypoglycemia with a recognizable pattern of abnormal urine organic acids. In this study, 21 children and 3 adult patients with genetically confirmed PEPCK-C deficiency were diagnosed during the years 2016 to 2019 and the available biochemical and clinical data were collected. All patients were ethnic Finns.

A review of the spider-attacking species-group (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae), with descriptions of seven new species from South America.

The Neotropical species-group is revised. We describe seven new species from South America: , , , , , , and In addition, we provide a diagnosis and an identification key to all species of the group.

Motivational Interviewing and Glycemic Control in Adolescents With Poorly Controlled Type 1 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.

A multicenter randomized controlled pilot trial investigated whether motivational interviewing (MI) by diabetes physicians improves glycemic control and variability in the context of follow-up for adolescent patients with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes. Patients ( = 47) aged 12 to 15.9 years who showed poor glycemic control (HbA1c >75 mmol/mol/9.

First evidence of Ixodiphagus hookeri (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) parasitization in Finnish castor bean ticks (Ixodes ricinus).

Ixodiphagus hookeri (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is a parasitoid wasp specialized in parasitizing the larvae and nymphs of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae). As parasitized ticks die prior to reproduction, I. hookeri is seen as a prime biological control agent candidate.

Extensive sampling and thorough taxonomic assessment of Afrotropical Rhyssinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) reveals two new species and demonstrates the limitations of previous sampling efforts.

Tropical forest invertebrates, such as the parasitoid wasp family Ichneumonidae, are poorly known. This work reports some of the first results of an extensive survey implemented in Kibale National Park, Uganda. A total of 456 individuals was caught of the subfamily Rhyssinae Morley, 1913, which in the Afrotropical region was previously known from only 30 specimens.

Negative covariance between water mite and gregarine parasitism for adult dragonflies, Leucorrhinia intacta (Hagen): an age-related pattern?

Studies on parasite-mediated selection often focus on single parasite taxa infecting single species of hosts. However, host populations experience infections by multiple parasite taxa simultaneously; coinfection is expected to influence how host- and/or parasite-related factors affect host exposure and susceptibility to various parasites, and the resulting patterns of infection. We sampled adult dragonflies from a population of Leucorrhinia intacta (Hagen) in eastern Ontario, Canada.

Two missense mutations in KCNQ1 cause pituitary hormone deficiency and maternally inherited gingival fibromatosis.

Familial growth hormone deficiency provides an opportunity to identify new genetic causes of short stature. Here we combine linkage analysis with whole-genome resequencing in patients with growth hormone deficiency and maternally inherited gingival fibromatosis. We report that patients from three unrelated families harbor either of two missense mutations, c.

Pellets of proof: First glimpse of the dietary composition of adult odonates as revealed by metabarcoding of feces.

Recent advances in molecular techniques allow us to resolve the diet of unstudied taxa. Odonates are potentially important top-down regulators of many insects. Yet, to date, our knowledge of odonate prey use is based mainly on limited observations of odonates catching or eating their prey.

Tailored Fabrication of Transferable and Hollow Weblike Titanium Dioxide Structures.

The preparation of weblike titanium dioxide thin films by atomic layer deposition on cellulose biotemplates is reported. The method produces a TiO web, which is flexible and transferable from the deposition substrate to that of the end application. Removal of the cellulose template by calcination converts the amorphous titania to crystalline anatase and gives the structure a hollow morphology.

Compact hematite buffer layer as a promoter of nanorod photoanode performances.

The effect of a thin α-FeO compact buffer layer (BL) on the photoelectrochemical performances of a bare α-FeO nanorods photoanode is investigated. The BL is prepared through a simple spray deposition onto a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conducting glass substrate before the growth of a α-FeO nanorods via a hydrothermal process. Insertion of the hematite BL between the FTO and the nanorods markedly enhances the generated photocurrent, by limiting undesired losses of photogenerated charges at the FTO||electrolyte interface.

Syntheses, Charge Separation, and Inverted Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cell Application of Phenothiazine-Fullerene Dyads.

A series of phenothiazine-fulleropyrrolidine (PTZ-C60) dyads having fullerene either at the C-3 aromatic ring position or at the N-position of phenothiazine macrocycle were newly synthesized and characterized. Photoinduced electron transfer leading to PTZ(•+)-C60(•-) charge-separated species was established from studies involving femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Because of the close proximity of the donor and acceptor entities, the C-3 ring substituted PTZ-C60 dyads revealed faster charge separation and charge recombination processes than that observed in the dyad functionalized through the N-position.

New and poorly known Holarctic species of Boletina Staeger, 1840 (Diptera, Mycetophilidae).

Background: The genus Boletina is a species rich group of fungus gnats. Members of the genus are mainly known from temperate, boreal and arctic biomes. Phylogeny of the genus is still poorly resolved, dozens of species are insufficiently described and undescribed species are often discovered, especially from samples taken from the boreal zone.

Synthesis of Benzothiadiazole Derivatives by Applying C-C Cross-Couplings.

The benzothiadiazole moiety has been extensively exploited as a building block in the syntheses of efficient organic semiconducting materials during the past decade. In this paper, parallel synthetic routes to benzothiadiazole derivatives, inspired by previous computational findings, are reported. The results presented here show that various C-C cross-couplings of benzothiadiazole, thiophene, and thiazole derivatives can be efficiently performed by applying Xantphos as a ligand of the catalyst system.

Subpicosecond to Second Time-Scale Charge Carrier Kinetics in Hematite-Titania Nanocomposite Photoanodes.

Water splitting with hematite is negatively affected by poor intrinsic charge transport properties. However, they can be modified by forming heterojunctions to improve charge separation. For this purpose, charge dynamics of TiO2:α-Fe2O3 nanocomposite photoanodes are studied using transient absorption spectroscopy to monitor the evolution of photogenerated charge carriers as a function of applied bias voltage.

Additions to the list of Finnish Bibionomorpha (Diptera, Nematocera).

A total of 12 gnat species are reported for the first time from Finland (3 Cecidomyiidae, 1 Keroplatidae, 8 Mycetophilidae), and the occurrence of Macroceranigropicea Lundström in Finland is verified. All material was collected from the Finnish Lapland, mainly from the north boreal ecoregion. Two of the recorded species are likely to be pyrophilous, associated with forest fire sites.

Pt-functionalized Fe2O3 photoanodes for solar water splitting: the role of hematite nano-organization and the platinum redox state.

Pt/α-Fe2O3 nanocomposites were synthesized on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates by a sequential plasma enhanced-chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD)/radio frequency (RF) sputtering approach, tailoring the overall Pt content as a function of sputtering time. The chemico-physical properties of the as-prepared systems were extensively investigated by means of complementary techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), and optical absorption spectroscopy, and compared to those of the homologous Pt/α-Fe2O3 systems annealed in air prior and/or after sputtering. The obtained results evidenced that the material compositional, structural and morphological features, with particular regard to the Pt oxidation state and hematite nano-organization, could be finely tailored as a function of the adopted processing conditions.

Vapor Phase Processing of α-Fe₂O₃ Photoelectrodes for Water Splitting: An Insight into the Structure/Property Interplay.

Harvesting radiant energy to trigger water photoelectrolysis and produce clean hydrogen is receiving increasing attention in the search of alternative energy resources. In this regard, hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanostructures with controlled nano-organization have been fabricated and investigated for use as anodes in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells. The target systems have been grown on conductive substrates by plasma enhanced-chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) and subjected to eventual ex situ annealing in air to further tailor their structure and properties.