The Effect of Cropping Systems on the Dispersal of Mycotoxigenic Fungi by Insects in Pre-Harvest Maize in Kenya.

Maize productivity has remained low and has worsened in the wake of a changing climate, resulting in new invasive pests, with pests that were earlier designated as minor becoming major and with pathogens being transported by pests and/or entering their feeding sites. A study was conducted in 2021 in the Kisumu and Makueni counties, Kenya, to determine how different maize cropping systems affect insect diversity, insect damage to maize, and insects' ability to spread mycotoxigenic fungi in pre-harvest maize. The field experiments used a randomized complete block design, with the four treatments being maize monocrop, maize intercropped with beans, maize-bean intercrop with the addition of at planting, and push-pull technology.

Dysfunctional copper homeostasis in affects genomic and neuronal stability.

While copper (Cu) is an essential trace element for biological systems due to its redox properties, excess levels may lead to adverse effects partly due to overproduction of reactive species. Thus, a tightly regulated Cu homeostasis is crucial for health. Cu dyshomeostasis and elevated labile Cu levels are associated with oxidative stress and neurodegenerative disorders, but the underlying mechanisms have yet to be fully characterized.

The role of maize sap beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) and maize weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the spread of Aspergillus flavus in pre-harvest maize in Kenya.

The spread of toxigenic Aspergillus into maize by insects and the subsequent aflatoxin contamination poses a risk to humans and animals and has been investigated in North and South America. To evaluate this effect in an African context, Greenhouse studies were conducted in 2022 to determine the role of sap beetles, Carpophilus dimidiatus Fabricius, 1792 (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) and maize weevils, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, 1855 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on infection of maize kernels by Aspergillus flavus Link and the resultant aflatoxin accumulation. To test the beetles' efficacy, treatments were applied on partially opened primary ears at 3 different stages of kernel development (BBCH 75, 83, and 87).

Copper-mediated neurotoxicity and genetic vulnerability in the background of neurodegenerative diseases in C. elegans.

The mechanisms associated with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), have yet to be fully characterized, and genetic as well as environmental factors in their disease etiology are underappreciated. Although mutations in genes such as PARKIN and LRRK2 have been linked to PD, the idiopathic component of the disease suggests a contribution of environmental risk factors, including metals, such as copper (Cu). Cu overexposure has been reported to cause oxidative stress and neurotoxicity, but its role in neurodegenerative diseases is rarely studied.

Automated SEM/EDX imaging for the in-depth characterization of non-exhaust traffic emissions from the Munich subway system.

A SEM/EDX based automated measurement and classification algorithm was tested as a method for the in-depth analysis of micro-environments in the Munich subway using a custom build mobile measurements system. Sampling was conducted at platform stations, to investigate the personal exposure of commuters to subway particulate matter during platform stays. EDX spectra and morphological features of all analyzed particles were automatically obtained and particles were automatically classified based on pre-defined chemical and morphological boundaries.

Metabolite Profiling and Bioassay-Guided Fractionation of Boiss. Hydroethanolic Leaf Extracts for Identification of Broad-Spectrum Pre and Postharvest Antifungal Agents.

Hydroethanolic leaf extracts of 14 Iranian Boiss. populations were screened for their antifungal activity against five plant pathogenic fungi and metabolically profiled using a non-targeted workflow based on UHPLC/ESI-QTOFMS. Detailed tandem mass-spectrometric analyses of one of the most active hydroethanolic leaf extracts led to the annotation of 68 non-volatile semi-polar secondary metabolites, including 33 flavonoids, 9 hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, 14 terpenoids, and 12 other metabolites.

Morphological and olfactory tree traits influence the susceptibility and suitability of the apple species and to the florivorous weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

The florivorous apple blossom weevil, (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is the most economically relevant insect pest of European apple orchards in early spring. Neither efficient monitoring nor ecologically sustainable management of this insect pest has yet been implemented. To identify heritable traits of apple trees that might influence the host selection of , we compared the susceptibility of apple tree species using infestation rates of the domesticated apple, (Rosaceae: Pyreae), and the European crab apple, .

The Peripheral Lymphatic System Is Impaired by the Loss of Neuronal Control Associated with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with venous vascular dysfunction below the level of injury, resulting in dysregulation of tissue fluid homeostasis in afflicted skin. The purpose of this study was to determine whether loss of neuronal control in chronic SCI also affects the skin lymphatic system. Morphology of lymphatics was characterized by immunohistochemistry and lymphatic gene expression profiles determined by DNA microarray analysis.

Perspectives for integrated insect pest protection in oilseed rape breeding.

In the past, breeding for incorporation of insect pest resistance or tolerance into cultivars for use in integrated pest management schemes in oilseed rape/canola (Brassica napus) production has hardly ever been approached. This has been largely due to the broad availability of insecticides and the complexity of dealing with high-throughput phenotyping of insect performance and plant damage parameters. However, recent changes in the political framework in many countries demand future sustainable crop protection which makes breeding approaches for crop protection as a measure for pest insect control attractive again.

Effects of temperature and soil fauna on the reduction and leaching of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone from Fusarium graminearum-infected maize stubbles.

A microcosm study was conducted at two different temperatures under laboratory conditions to investigate the regulatory capacity and the interactive performance of two soil fauna species (Aporrectodea caliginosa, earthworms, and Proisotoma minuta, collembolans) on the reduction of Fusarium toxins in contaminated maize stubbles. Single and mixed species treatments were exposed to artificially infected maize stubbles highly contaminated with the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) (10,462 µg kg) and zearalenone (ZEN) (2,780 µg kg) at 17 °C and 25 °C for time periods of 3 and 6 weeks. Immediately after the respective end of incubation, the microcosms were heavily watered to determine the leaching potential of DON and ZEN from contaminated maize stubbles.

Cellular and molecular changes that predispose skin in chronic spinal cord injury to pressure ulcer formation.

Patients with spinal cord injury have a predisposition to develop pressure ulcers. Specific characteristics of the patients' skin potentially involved have not yet been identified. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether loss of neuronal control affects cellular and molecular homeostasis in the skin.

Chemical defence in Brassicaceae against pollen beetles revealed by metabolomics and flower bud manipulation approaches.

Divergence of chemical plant defence mechanisms within the Brassicaceae can be utilized to identify means against specialized pest insects. Using a bioassay-driven approach, we (a) screened 24 different Brassica napus cultivars, B. napus resyntheses and related brassicaceous species for natural plant resistance against feeding adults of the pollen beetle (Brassicogethes aeneus), (b) tested for gender-specific feeding resistance, (c) analysed the flower bud metabolomes by a non-targeted approach and (d) tested single candidate compounds for their antifeedant activity.

Metabolomics Approaches for Analyzing Effects of Geographic and Environmental Factors on the Variation of Root Essential Oils of L.

Environmental factors shape the production and accumulation processes of plant secondary metabolites in medical and aromatic plants and thus their pharmacological and biological activity. Using an environmental metabolomics approach, we determined chemotypes and specific compounds on the basis of essential oils (EOs) from roots of 10 Iranian L. populations and related them to geographical, climate, and edaphic data.

Variation of Secondary Metabolite Profile of Boiss. Populations Linked to Geographic, Climatic, and Edaphic Factors.

Geographic location and connected environmental and edaphic factors like temperature, rainfall, soil type, and composition influence the presence and the total content of specific plant compounds as well as the presence of a certain chemotype. This study evaluated whether geographic, edaphic, and climatic information can be utilized to predict the presence of specific compounds from medicinal or aromatic plants. Furthermore, we tested rapid analytical methods based on near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) coupled with gas chromatography/flame ionization (GC/FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analytical methods for characterization and classification metabolite profiling of Boiss.

Observations of grain-boundary phase transformations in an elemental metal.

The theory of grain boundary (the interface between crystallites, GB) structure has a long history and the concept of GBs undergoing phase transformations was proposed 50 years ago. The underlying assumption was that multiple stable and metastable states exist for different GB orientations. The terminology 'complexion' was recently proposed to distinguish between interfacial states that differ in any equilibrium thermodynamic property.

Discovery pipelines for marine resources: an ocean of opportunity for biotechnology?

Marine microbial diversity offers enormous potential for discovery of compounds of crucial importance in healthcare, food security and bioindustry. However, access to it has been hampered by the difficulty of accessing and growing the organisms for study. The discovery and exploitation of marine bioproducts for research and commercial development requires state-of-the-art technologies and innovative approaches.

Long-term decoding of movement force and direction with a wireless myoelectric implant.

Objective: The ease of use and number of degrees of freedom of current myoelectric hand prostheses is limited by the information content and reliability of the surface electromyography (sEMG) signals used to control them. For example, cross-talk limits the capacity to pick up signals from small or deep muscles, such as the forearm muscles for distal arm amputations, or sites of targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) for proximal amputations. Here we test if signals recorded from the fully implanted, induction-powered wireless Myoplant system allow long-term decoding of continuous as well as discrete movement parameters with better reliability than equivalent sEMG recordings.

Elm leaves 'warned' by insect egg deposition reduce survival of hatching larvae by a shift in their quantitative leaf metabolite pattern.

Plants may take insect eggs on their leaves as a warning of future herbivory and intensify their defence against feeding larvae. Responsible agents are, however, largely unknown, and little knowledge is available on this phenomenon in perennial plants. We investigated how egg deposition affects the anti-herbivore defence of elm against the multivoltine elm leaf beetle.

Does vegetation complexity affect host plant chemistry, and thus multitrophic interactions, in a human-altered landscape?

Anthropogenic land use may shape vegetation composition and affect trophic interactions by altering concentrations of host plant metabolites. Here, we investigated the hypotheses that: (1) plant N and defensive secondary metabolite contents of the herb Plantago lanceolata are affected by land use intensity (LUI) and the surrounding vegetation composition (=plant species richness and P. lanceolata density), and that (2) changes in plant chemistry affect abundances of the herbivorous weevils Mecinus pascuorum and Mecinus labilis, as well as their larval parasitoid Mesopolobus incultus, in the field.

Chemical ecology and evolution of plant-insect interactions: a multitrophic perspective.

Gaining a better understanding of infochemical-mediated host plant/host location behaviour of herbivores and their natural enemies in complex and heterogeneous chemical environments provides a multitrophic perspective on the chemical ecology and evolution of plant-insect interactions. Here I focus on the sources of chemical complexity formed primarily by both host and non-host plants in their interaction with higher trophic levels and on the effect of this complexity on herbivores and their natural enemies. Future research should define the patterns and processes involved in these interactions, which are often complex, dynamic and intricately unique.

Phenotypic plasticity in a willow leaf beetle depends on host plant species: release and recognition of beetle odors.

Aggregation behavior of herbivorous insects is mediated by a wide range of biotic and abiotic factors. It has been suggested that aggregation behavior of the blue willow leaf beetle Phratora vulgatissima is mediated by both host plant odor and by odor released by the beetles. Previous studies show that the beetles respond to plant odors according to their prior host plant experiences.

Choosing and using diversity indices: insights for ecological applications from the German Biodiversity Exploratories.

Biodiversity, a multidimensional property of natural systems, is difficult to quantify partly because of the multitude of indices proposed for this purpose. Indices aim to describe general properties of communities that allow us to compare different regions, taxa, and trophic levels. Therefore, they are of fundamental importance for environmental monitoring and conservation, although there is no consensus about which indices are more appropriate and informative.

EU-OPENSCREEN-chemical tools for the study of plant biology and resistance mechanisms.

EU-OPENSCREEN is an academic research infrastructure initiative in Europe for enabling researchers in all life sciences to take advantage of chemical biology approaches to their projects. In a collaborative effort of national networks in 16 European countries, EU-OPENSCREEN will develop novel chemical compounds with external users to address questions in, among other fields, systems and network biology (directed and selective perturbation of signalling pathways), structural biology (compound-target interactions at atomic resolution), pharmacology (early drug discovery and toxicology) and plant biology (response of wild or crop plants to environmental and agricultural substances). EU-OPENSCREEN supports all stages of a tool development project, including assay adaptation, high-throughput screening and chemical optimisation of the 'hit' compounds.