Root Development of Tomato Plants Infected by the Cacao Pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa Is Affected by Limited Sugar Availability.

Moniliophthora perniciosa is the causal agent of the witches' broom disease of cacao (Theobroma cacao), and it can infect the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) 'Micro-Tom' (MT) cultivar. Typical symptoms of infection are stem swelling and axillary shoot outgrowth, whereas reduction in root biomass is another side effect. Using infected MT, we investigated whether impaired root growth derives from hormonal imbalance or sink competition.

Comprehensive molecular epidemiology of influenza viruses in Brazil: insights from a nationwide analysis.

Influenza A and B viruses represent significant global health threats, contributing substantially to morbidity and mortality rates. However, a comprehensive understanding of the molecular epidemiology of these viruses in Brazil, a continental-size country and a crucial hub for the entry, circulation, and dissemination of influenza viruses within South America, still needs to be improved. This study addresses this gap by consolidating data and samples across all Brazilian macroregions, as part of the Center for Viral Surveillance and Serological Assessment project, together with an extensive number of other Brazilian sequences provided by a public database during the epidemic seasons spanning 2021-23.

Cascade reservoirs affect mercury concentrations in fish from Teles Pires river, Brazilian Amazon.

Hydroelectric reservoirs favor mercury contamination in biota, but the contamination in cascade reservoirs is not yet clear. We investigated total mercury (THg) contamination in fish in four cascade reservoirs in the Brazilian Amazon between August 2022 and April 2023. Overall, downstream predatory fish showed higher mercury concentrations than those upstream.

Effect of extrinsic pigmentation and multiple firing cycles on the properties of a zirconia-containing lithium silicate ceramic.

Purpose: To assess the impact of staining and multiple firings on the mechanical, optical, and surface characteristics of zirconia-containing lithium silicate ceramics (ZLS).

Materials And Methods: Ninety ZLS discs (Suprinity, VITA Zahnfabrick) were divided according to the "Number of firings" protocol: Ctr-control, no characterization; SC-single firing cycle (for characterization, crystallization and staining simultaneously); and DC-double firing cycle (crystallization firing cycle was performed separately from the staining firing). Extrinsic pigmentation was performed to replicate the characterization of a monolithic restoration.

Multimodal Non-Extensive Frequency-Magnitude Distributions and Their Relationship to Multi-Source Seismicity.

We investigate multimodal seismicity by analyzing it as the result of multiple seismic sources. We examine three case studies: the Redoubt and Spurr regions in Alaska, where volcanic and subduction-related seismicity occur, and the Kii Peninsula in Japan, where shallow and deep earthquakes are clearly separated. To understand this phenomenon, we perform spatial, temporal, and magnitude analyses.