Widespread exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife communities.

Pervasive SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans have led to multiple transmission events to animals. While SARS-CoV-2 has a potential broad wildlife host range, most documented infections have been in captive animals and a single wildlife species, the white-tailed deer. The full extent of SARS-CoV-2 exposure among wildlife communities and the factors that influence wildlife transmission risk remain unknown.

Trust and Biomedical Research Engagement of Minority and Under-Represented Communities in Mississippi, USA.

Trust is critical to the development and maintenance of effective research collaborations and community engagement. The purpose of this study was to assess the current attitudes and level of trust pertaining to health research among residents of Central Mississippi, the priority health region for the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Center for Health Disparities Research (RCHDR) at Jackson State University. The cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2021 to April 2022.

A comparative analysis exposes an amplification delay distinctive to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants of clinical and public health relevance.

Mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome may negatively impact a diagnostic test, have no effect, or turn into an opportunity for rapid molecular screening of variants. Using an in-house Emergency Use Authorized RT-qPCR-based COVID-19 diagnostic assay, we combined sequence surveillance of viral variants and computed PCR efficiencies for mismatched templates. We found no significant mismatches for the , , and set of assay primers until the Omicron variant emerged in late November 2021.

Occurrence of albinism during wheat androgenesis is correlated with repression of the key genes required for proper chloroplast biogenesis.

The phenomenon of albinism in wheat androgenesis is linked to the transcriptional repression of specific genes involved in chloroplast biogenesis during the first weeks of in vitro culture. Isolated microspore culture is widely used to accelerate breeding programs and produce new cultivars. However, in cereals and particularly in wheat, the use of this technique is limited due to the high proportion of regenerated albino plantlets.

An introgression breakthrough left by an anthropogenic contact between two ascidians.

Human-driven translocations of species have diverse evolutionary consequences such as promoting hybridization between previously geographically isolated taxa. This is well illustrated by the solitary tunicate, Ciona robusta, native to the North East Pacific and introduced in the North East Atlantic. It is now co-occurring with its congener Ciona intestinalis in the English Channel, and C.

Dynamical Analysis of Universal Masking on the Pandemic.

We investigate the impact of the delay in compulsory mask wearing on the spread of COVID-19 in the community, set in the Singapore context. By using modified SEIR-based compartmental models, we focus on macroscopic population-level analysis of the relationships between the delay in compulsory mask wearing and the maximum infection, through a series of scenario-based analysis. Our analysis suggests that collective masking can meaningfully reduce the transmission of COVID-19 in the community, but only if implemented within a critical time window of approximately before 80-100 days delay after the first infection is detected, coupled with strict enforcement to ensure compliance throughout the duration.

Age, but Not Sex, Modulates Foxp3 Expression in the Rat Brain across Development.

The interconnectivity between brain development and the immune system has become an area of interest for many neuroscientists. However, to date, a limited number of known immune mediators of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) have been found to influence the development of the central nervous system (CNS). FOXP3 is a well-established mediator of regulatory T-cells in the PNS.

Regulatory Control of Microglial Phagocytosis by Estradiol and Prostaglandin E2 in the Developing Rat Cerebellum.

Microglia are essential to sculpting the developing brain, and they achieve this in part through the process of phagocytosis which is regulated by microenvironmental signals associated with cell death and synaptic connectivity. In the rat cerebellum, microglial phagocytosis reaches its highest activity during the third postnatal week of development but the factors regulating this activity are unknown. A signaling pathway, involving prostaglandin E (PGE) stimulation of the estrogen synthetic enzyme aromatase, peaks during the 2nd postnatal week and is a critical regulator of Purkinje cell maturation.

Anthropogenic transport of species across native ranges: unpredictable genetic and evolutionary consequences.

Human activities are responsible for the translocation of vast amounts of organisms, altering natural patterns of dispersal and gene flow. Most research to date has focused on the consequences of anthropogenic transportation of non-indigenous species within introduced ranges, with little research focusing on native species. Here, we compared genetic patterns of the sessile marine invertebrate, Ciona intestinalis, which has highly restricted dispersal capabilities.

Galen on the Patient's Role in Pain Diagnosis: Sensation, Consensus, and Metaphor.

Pain might be a powerful diagnostic tool, but it is at the same time an intensely private and subjective experience that represents a formidable problem in the communication between physician and patient. Galen addresses (principally in De locis affectis) the problem of constructing a consistent and univocal terminology for different pain sensations, rejecting the system proposed earlier by Archigenes on the grounds that he relies on metaphorical descriptors which indiscriminately incorporate terms belonging to information generated by all the senses, fails to conform to patient testimony, and refers to ambiguous concepts. Galen sets himself the task of developing a system of proper or literal (kyrios) terms for pain sensations, even despite the apparent ineffability of certain sensations and laymen's imprecise self-analysis and description of their suffering.

Does natural selection explain the fine scale genetic structure at the nuclear exon Glu-5' in blue mussels from Kerguelen?

The Kerguelen archipelago, isolated in the Southern Ocean, shelters a blue mussel Mytilus metapopulation far from any influence of continental populations or any known hybrid zone. The finely carved coast leads to a highly heterogeneous habitat. We investigated the impact of the environment on the genetic structure in those Kerguelen blue mussels by relating allele frequencies to habitat descriptors.

Sex Offender Populations and Clinical Efficacy: A Response to Rosky.

We provide a brief response to a commentary submitted by Rosky in which he questions the rationale and methodological merits of our original study about full-disclosure polygraph outcome differences between juvenile and adult sex offenders. At the heart of Rosky's substantive concerns is the premise that only research tying polygraphy outcomes to actual recidivism is useful or worthwhile. He also questions the overall utility and validity of polygraphy.

Androgen modulation of Foxp1 and Foxp2 in the developing rat brain: impact on sex specific vocalization.

Sex differences in vocal communication are prevalent in both the animals and humans. The mechanism(s) mediating gender differences in human language are unknown, although, sex hormones, principally androgens, play a central role in the development of vocalizations in a wide variety of animal species. The discovery of FOXP2 has added an additional avenue for exploring the origins of language and animal communication.

Sexual history disclosure polygraph outcomes: do juvenile and adult sex offenders differ?

Despite the empirical and theoretical chasm between the opponents and proponents of polygraphy, its use is prominent among sex offender agencies in the United States. However, current research on polygraph examination outcomes among juvenile sex offenders, along with potential differences from their adult counterparts, is scarce and outdated. In the present study, we assess the difference between juvenile and adult sex offenders in terms of the propensity for passing a sexual history disclosure polygraph examination.

Toward Arabidopsis thaliana hydrophilic metabolome: assessment of extraction methods and quantitative 1H NMR.

Our goal was to establish the hydrophilic metabolome of heterotrophic Arabidopsis thaliana cells grown in suspension, a cellular model of plant sink tissues. Water-soluble metabolites were extracted using four protocols: perchloric acid, boiling ethanol, methanol and methanol/chloroform (M/Chl). They were detected and quantified using (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy at 400 MHz.

Genetic survey of shallow populations of the Mediterranean red coral [Corallium rubrum (Linnaeus, 1758)]: new insights into evolutionary processes shaping nuclear diversity and implications for conservation.

Combined action from over-harvesting and recent mass mortality events potentially linked to ongoing climate changes has led to new concerns for the conservation of shallow populations (5-60 m) of Corallium rubrum, an octocorallian that is mainly found in the Mediterranean Sea. The present study was designed to analyse population structure and relationships at different spatial scales (from 10s of meters to 100s of kilometres) with a focus on dispersal pattern. We also performed the first analysis of the distribution of genetic diversity using a comparative approach between regional-clusters and samples.

Autocrine activation of neuronal NMDA receptors by aspartate mediates dopamine- and cAMP-induced CREB-dependent gene transcription.

cAMP can stimulate the transcription of many activity-dependent genes via activation of the transcription factor, cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB). However, in mouse cortical neuron cultures, prior to synaptogenesis, neither cAMP nor dopamine, which acts via cAMP, stimulated CREB-dependent gene transcription when NR2B-containing NMDA receptors (NMDARs) were blocked. Stimulation of transcription by cAMP was potentiated by inhibitors of excitatory amino acid uptake, suggesting a role for extracellular glutamate or aspartate in cAMP-induced transcription.

Assessment of three mitochondrial loci variability for the crown-of-thorns starfish: a first insight into Acanthaster phylogeography.

Acanthaster planci (L.) is one of the major threats to coral reefs, whose genetic diversity has been mainly studied with allozymes. Allozymes revealed the low genetic differentiation between A.

A metabolic study of the regulation of proteolysis by sugars in maize root tips: effects of glycerol and dihydroxyacetone.

Sugars, the main growth substrates of plants, act as physiological signals in the complex regulatory network of sugar metabolism. To investigate the function of different glycolytic steps in sugar sensing and signaling we compared the effects of carbon starvation with those of glucose, glycerol and dihydroxyacetone on carbon metabolism, proteolysis, and protease expression in excised maize (Zea mays L.) root tips.

Metabolomic, proteomic and biophysical analyses of Arabidopsis thaliana cells exposed to a caesium stress. Influence of potassium supply.

The incorporation and localisation of 133Cs in a plant cellular model and the metabolic response induced were analysed as a function of external K concentration using a multidisciplinary approach. Sucrose-fed photosynthetic Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cells, grown in a K-containing or K-depleted medium, were submitted to a 1 mM Cs stress. Cell growth, strongly diminished in absence of K, was not influenced by Cs.

In plants, 3-o-methylglucose is phosphorylated by hexokinase but not perceived as a sugar.

In plants, sugars are the main respiratory substrates and important signaling molecules in the regulation of carbon metabolism. Sugar signaling studies suggested that sugar sensing involves several key components, among them hexokinase (HXK). Although the sensing mechanism of HXK is unknown, several experiments support the hypothesis that hexose phosphorylation is a determining factor.