Sheep skin odor improves trap captures of mosquito vectors of Rift Valley fever.

In recent years, the East African region has seen an increase in arboviral diseases transmitted by blood-feeding arthropods. Effective surveillance to monitor and reduce incidence of these infections requires the use of appropriate vector sampling tools. Here, trapped skin volatiles on fur from sheep, a known preferred host of mosquito vectors of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), were used with a standard CDC light trap to improve catches of mosquito vectors.

Novel transformation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones into γ-amino alcohols or 1,3-oxazines via a 4 or 5 step, one-pot sequence.

An efficient, 4-step, one-pot, highly stereoselective route to γ-amino alcohols has been developed via an in situ α,β-unsaturated imine formation, β-boration, reduction (C=N) and oxidation (C-B) sequence and especially for certain water-soluble γ-amino alcohols, a further step can be added to directly access the corresponding 1,3-oxazine derivatives.

Phylogeny and biogeography of southern African spoon-winged lacewings (Neuroptera: Nemopteridae: Nemopterinae).

Nemopteridae are a charismatic family of lacewings characterised by uniquely extended hind wings. They are an ancient widespread group in the drier regions of the world. The family comprises two subfamilies, Crocinae (thread-wings) and Nemopterinae (spoon- and ribbon-wings).

Asymmetric organocatalytic diboration of alkenes.

The use of chiral alcohols to form the Lewis acid-base *RO(-)→ bis(pinacolato)diboron adduct, in situ, provides an opportunity to induce asymmetry in the organocatalytic diboration of alkenes and complements the well established transition metal-mediated enantioselective diboration.

Trapping of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) vectors using light emitting diode (LED) CDC traps in two arboviral disease hot spots in Kenya.

Background: Mosquitoes' response to artificial lights including color has been exploited in trap designs for improved sampling of mosquito vectors. Earlier studies suggest that mosquitoes are attracted to specific wavelengths of light and thus the need to refine techniques to increase mosquito captures following the development of super-bright light-emitting diodes (LEDs) which emit narrow wavelengths of light or very specific colors. Therefore, we investigated if LEDs can be effective substitutes for incandescent lamps used in CDC light traps for mosquito surveillance, and if so, determine the best color for attraction of important Rift Valley Fever (RFV) vectors.

Reproductive biology of the Cape honeybee: a critique of Beekman et al.

Laying workers of the Cape honeybee parthenogenetically produce female offspring, whereas queens typically produce males. Beekman et al. confirm this observation, which has repeatedly been reported over the last 100 years including the notion that natural selection should favor asexual reproduction in Apis mellifera capensis.

Asymmetric synthesis of α-amino boronate esters via organocatalytic pinacolboryl addition to tosylaldimines.

Organocatalytic nucleophilic pinacolboryl addition from in situ generated MeO(-)→ B(2)pin(2) to C=N double bond can be performed enantioselectively with the aid of chiral phosphines, which promote enantiofacial differentiation in the course of the C-B bond formation.

Delaying progression to type 2 diabetes among high-risk Spanish individuals is feasible in real-life primary healthcare settings using intensive lifestyle intervention.

Aims/hypothesis: To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of an active real-life primary care lifestyle intervention in preventing type 2 diabetes within a high-risk Mediterranean population.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed in the setting of Spanish primary care. White-European individuals without diabetes aged 45-75 years (n = 2,054) were screened using the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) and a subsequent 2 h OGTT.

Catalytic 1,3-difunctionalisation of organic backbones through a highly stereoselective, one-pot, boron conjugate-addition/reduction/oxidation process.

A simple one-pot, three-step synthetic route to chiral 1,3-amino alcohols and 1,3-diols has been established. Considering the overall stereocontrol of the synthetic protocol, the first and key step is an enantioselective β-boration of α,β-unsaturated imines and ketones, respectively. The enantioselectivity provided by the Cu(I) catalyst modified with Josiphos- and Mandyphos-type ligands has been examined.

Body temperature patterns in two syntopic elephant shrew species during winter.

We measured body temperature (T(b)) in free-ranging individuals of two species of elephant shrews, namely western rock elephant shrews (Elephantulus rupestris) and Cape rock elephant shrews (E. edwardii), during winter in a winter-rainfall region of western South Africa. These syntopic species have similar ecologies and morphologies and thus potential for large overlaps in diet and habitat use.

Control of Ubp3 ubiquitin protease activity by the Hog1 SAPK modulates transcription upon osmostress.

Protein ubiquitylation is a key process in the regulation of many cellular processes. The balance between the activity of ubiquitin ligases and that of proteases controls the level of ubiquitylation. In response to extracellular stimuli, stress-activated protein kinases (SAPK) modulate gene expression to maximize cell survival.

Shifting from glucose diagnostic criteria to the new HbA(1c) criteria would have a profound impact on prevalence of diabetes among a high-risk Spanish population.

Aim: To investigate changes in the prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes by shifting from 2-h plasma glucose and/or fasting plasma glucose diagnostic criteria to the proposed new HbA(1c) -based criteria when applied to a Mediterranean population detected to have a high risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Individuals without diabetes aged 45-75 years (n = 2287) were screened using the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score questionnaire, a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test plus HbA(1c) test. Prevalence and degree of diagnostic overlap between three sets of criteria (2-h plasma glucose, fasting plasma glucose and HbA(1c) ) and three diagnostic categories (normal, pre-diabetes and diabetes) were calculated.

Contributions of music to aging adults' quality of life.

The purpose of this study was: (a) To evaluate and to compare the impact of three music programs (choir, music appreciation and preventive music therapy sessions) on the quality of life of healthy older adults, and (b) to identify the motivations and the difficulties that seniors encounter when participating in activities of this type, in order to come up with recommendations and strategies for the design of appropriate programs for older adults. A pre-posttest quasi-experimental design without equivalent control group was used in this project. The sample included 83 persons over 65 years of age.

Measuring well-being among Spanish older adults: development of a simplified version of Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-being.

Two studies were designed to develop and obtain information about the psychometric properties of a shortened 54-item, Spanish version of Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-being adapted to older people. In Study 1, 267 older people completed the scales, and data were submitted to a principal components analysis. Then, 22 items were selected and grouped into four components (Self-confidence, Orientation to present, Stress, and Social tension) to form the Simplified Ryff's Well-being Scales.

The death receptor antagonist FLIP-L interacts with Trk and is necessary for neurite outgrowth induced by neurotrophins.

FLICE-inhibitory protein (FLIP) is an endogenous inhibitor of the signaling pathway triggered by the activation of death receptors. Here, we reveal a novel biological function for the long form of FLIP (FLIP-L) in neuronal differentiation, which can be dissociated from its antiapoptotic role. We show that FLIP-L is expressed in different regions of the mouse embryonic nervous system.

Did dung beetles arise in Africa? A phylogenetic hypothesis based on five gene regions.

Scarabaeinae dung beetle phylogenetics are poorly understood, although recent phylogenetic reconstruction based on morphology and molecular analyses are congruent on the hypothesis that the oldest Gondwana tribes are polyphyletic and that representatives of the ancestral groups are found in Africa. We present a molecular phylogeny of the African representatives of the two oldest tribes, Canthonini (the putative ancestor of all "rollers") and Dichotomiini (thought to represent the ancestral "tunnellers"), based on partial sequence data from two mitochondrial and three nuclear genes, extracted from eight of the nine dichotomiine genera and 17 of the 23 genera of Canthonini. Three well-supported lineages were consistently obtained.

Exploring a model of asymmetric shoe wear on lower limb performance.

Objectives: Asymmetric medial or lateral outer sole heel wear is often seen in worn footwear. We assessed the effect of 1 mm thick medial and lateral hindfoot wedges on the heel raise performance task.

Design: Crossover trial with repeated measures.

Cooperation between the INO80 complex and histone chaperones determines adaptation of stress gene transcription in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In yeast, environmental stresses provoke sudden and dramatic increases in gene expression at stress-inducible loci. Stress gene transcription is accompanied by the transient eviction of histones from the promoter and the transcribed regions of these genes. We found that mutants defective in subunits of the INO80 complex, as well as in several histone chaperone systems, exhibit extended expression windows that can be correlated with a distinct delay in histone redeposition during adaptation.

Daily activity and life satisfaction in older people living in rural contexts.

This study is aimed at exploring daily and desired activity patterns in a sample of older people living in a rural context, as well as at examining the effect of some influential factors and their relationships with life satisfaction. Our sample was made of 216 retired people and was recruited from 12 villages from Catalonia and Valencia with populations of less than 1000 inhabitants. Data were gathered by means of an interview that included daily and ideal activities and life satisfaction (by applying the Life Satisfaction Index).

BCL-XL regulates TNF-alpha-mediated cell death independently of NF-kappaB, FLIP and IAPs.

Upon activation, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) receptor can engage apoptotic or survival pathways. Inhibition of macromolecular synthesis is known to sensitize cells to TNF-alpha-induced cell death. It is believed that this sensitization is due to the transcriptional blockade of genes regulated by NF-kappaB.

Intraspecific patterns of mitochondrial variation in natural population fragments of a localized desert dung beetle species, Pachysoma gariepinum (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).

Phylogenetic, population, and coalescent methods were used to examine the genetic structuring of Pachysoma gariepinum, a flightless dung beetle species endemic to the arid west coast of southern Africa that exhibits interrupted south to north morphological clinal variation along a distributional gradient. Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I sequence data of 67 individuals from 5 localities revealed the presence of 3 geographically distinct evolutionary lineages (with an overall nucleotide divergence of 5.7% and a per-locality divergence of 1.

The long form of Fas apoptotic inhibitory molecule is expressed specifically in neurons and protects them against death receptor-triggered apoptosis.

Death receptors (DRs) and their ligands are expressed in developing nervous system. However, neurons are generally resistant to death induction through DRs and rather their activation promotes neuronal outgrowth and branching. These results suppose the existence of DRs antagonists expressed in the nervous system.

Construct validity of Ryff's Scale of Psychological Well-being in Spanish older adults.

The purpose of this study was to investigate factorial and content validity of the 9-item per dimension Ryff's Scale of Psychological Well-being in a sample of older Spanish adults. The scale is made up of six subscales: Self-acceptance, Environmental mastery, Positive relations with others, Autonomy, Personal growth, and Purpose in life. After translating the scale, it was administered to 422 retired people ages 65 and older.