One-locus-several-primers: A strategy to improve the taxonomic and haplotypic coverage in diet metabarcoding studies.

In diet metabarcoding analyses, insufficient taxonomic coverage of PCR primer sets generates false negatives that may dramatically distort biodiversity estimates. In this paper, we investigated the taxonomic coverage and complementarity of three cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (COI) primer sets based on in silico analyses and we conducted an in vivo evaluation using fecal and spider web samples from different invertivores, environments, and geographic locations. Our results underline the lack of predictability of both the coverage and complementarity of individual primer sets: (a) sharp discrepancies exist observed between in silico and in vivo analyses (to the detriment of in silico analyses); (b) both coverage and complementarity depend greatly on the predator and on the taxonomic level at which preys are considered; (c) primer sets' complementarity is the greatest at fine taxonomic levels (molecular operational taxonomic units [MOTUs] and variants).

Deep Transient Slow Slip Detected by Survey GPS in the Region of Atacama, Chile.

We detected a long-term transient deformation signal between 2014 and 2016 in the Atacama region (Chile) using survey Global Positioning System (GPS) observations. Over an ∼150 km along-strike region, survey GPS measurements in 2014 and 2016 deviate significantly from the interseismic trend estimated using previous observations. This deviation from steady state deformation is spatially coherent and reveals a horizontal westward diverging motion of several centimeters, along with a significant uplift.

Evolutionary epidemiology models to predict the dynamics of antibiotic resistance.

The evolution of resistance to antibiotics is a major public health problem and an example of rapid adaptation under natural selection by antibiotics. The dynamics of antibiotic resistance within and between hosts can be understood in the light of mathematical models that describe the epidemiology and evolution of the bacterial population. "Between-host" models describe the spread of resistance in the host community, and in more specific settings such as hospitalized hosts (treated by antibiotics at a high rate), or farm animals.

Genome sequencing of strains of the most prevalent clonal group of O1:K1:H7 Escherichia coli that causes neonatal meningitis in France.

Background: To describe the temporal dynamics, molecular characterization, clinical and ex vivo virulence of emerging O1:K1 neonatal meningitis Escherichia coli (NMEC) strains of Sequence Type complex (STc) 95 in France. The national reference center collected NMEC strains and performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) of O1:K1 STc95 NMEC strains for phylogenetic and virulence genes content analysis. Data on the clinical and biological features of patients were also collected.

Ontogenetic trajectories of body coloration reveal its function as a multicomponent nonsenescent signal.

The understanding of developmental patterns of body coloration is challenging because of the multicomponent nature of color signals and the multiple selective pressures acting upon them, which further depend on the sex of the bearer and area of display. Pigmentary colors are thought to be strongly involved in sexual selection, while structural colors are thought to generally associate with conspecifics interactions and improve the discrimination of pigmentary colors. Yet, it remains unclear whether age dependency in each color component is consistent with their potential function.

The iron chelator deferasirox synergises with chemotherapy to treat triple-negative breast cancers.

To ensure their high proliferation rate, tumor cells have an iron metabolic disorder causing them to have increased iron needs, making them more susceptible to iron deprivation. This vulnerability could be a therapeutic target. In breast cancers, the development of new therapeutic approaches is urgently needed for patients with triple-negative tumors, which frequently relapse after chemotherapy and suffer from a lack of targeted therapies.

Trabecular bone microarchitecture analysis, a way for an early detection of genetic dwarfism? Case study of a dwarf mother's offspring.

A 66 year-old woman with a disproportionate dwarfism and who bore seven children was discovered at the Middenbeemster archaeological site (The Netherlands). Three are perinates and show no macroscopic or radiological evidence for a FGFR3 mutation causing hypo-or achondroplasia. This mutation induces dysfunction of the growth cartilage, leading to abnormalities in the development of trabecular bone.

Acellular therapeutic approach for heart failure: in vitro production of extracellular vesicles from human cardiovascular progenitors.

Aims: We have shown that extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by embryonic stem cell-derived cardiovascular progenitor cells (Pg) recapitulate the therapeutic effects of their parent cells in a mouse model of chronic heart failure (CHF). Our objectives are to investigate whether EV released by more readily available cell sources are therapeutic, whether their effectiveness is influenced by the differentiation state of the secreting cell, and through which mechanisms they act.

Methods And Results: The total EV secreted by human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiovascular progenitors (iPSC-Pg) and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CM) were isolated by ultracentrifugation and characterized by Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, western blot, and cryo-electron microscopy.

Genetic mapping of molar size relations identifies inhibitory locus for third molars in mice.

Molar size in Mammals shows considerable disparity and exhibits variation similar to that predicted by the Inhibitory Cascade model. The importance of such developmental systems in favoring evolutionary trajectories is also underlined by the fact that this model can predict macroevolutionary patterns. Using backcross mice, we mapped QTL for molar sizes controlling for their sequential development.

Factors associated with adherence and persistence to hormonal therapy in women with breast cancer.

Introduction: Hormonal therapy in breast cancer is essential to the transition from active treatment to care survival, because it improves long-term survival and provides a better quality of life. reducing hospital costs as well. However, adherence and persistence in the recommended treatment are important to achieve the desirable results.

Oxygen and Glucose Deprivation Induces Bergmann Glia Membrane Depolarization and Ca Rises Mainly Mediated by K and ATP Increases in the Extracellular Space.

During brain ischemia, intense energy deficiency induces a complex succession of events including pump failure, acidosis and exacerbated glutamate release. In the cerebellum, glutamate is the principal mediator of Purkinje neuron anoxic depolarization during episodes of oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD). Here, the impact of OGD is studied in Bergmann glia, specialized astrocytes closely associated to Purkinje neurons.

Fire ecology of a tree glacial refugium on a nunatak with a view on Alpine glaciers.

In paleoecology, the function of biomass as a fire driver has become a focus of attention in cold ecosystems, and concerns have been raised about climate in this context. Little is known about the fire frequency and fire-plant relationships during glaciation when woodlands were limited and the climate was cold. Fire history and tree biomass were reconstructed from sedimentary charcoal and macroremains, respectively, archived in lake sediments from the western Alps.

Landscape genetic analyses reveal fine-scale effects of forest fragmentation in an insular tropical bird.

Within the framework of landscape genetics, resistance surface modelling is particularly relevant to explicitly test competing hypotheses about landscape effects on gene flow. To investigate how fragmentation of tropical forest affects population connectivity in a forest specialist bird species, we optimized resistance surfaces without a priori specification, using least-cost (LCP) or resistance (IBR) distances. We implemented a two-step procedure in order (i) to objectively define the landscape thematic resolution (level of detail in classification scheme to describe landscape variables) and spatial extent (area within the landscape boundaries) and then (ii) to test the relative role of several landscape features (elevation, roads, land cover) in genetic differentiation in the Plumbeous Warbler (Setophaga plumbea).

as a Model for Microbiome Research.

The nematode is used as a central model system across biological disciplines. Surprisingly, almost all research with this worm is performed in the absence of its native microbiome, possibly affecting generality of the obtained results. In fact, the microbiome had been unknown until recently.

Constraining the kinematics of metropolitan Los Angeles faults with a slip-partitioning model.

Due to the limited resolution at depth of geodetic and other geophysical data, the geometry and the loading rate of the ramp-décollement faults below the metropolitan Los Angeles are poorly understood. Here we complement these data by assuming conservation of motion across the Big Bend of the San Andreas Fault. Using a Bayesian approach, we constrain the geometry of the ramp-décollement system from the Mojave block to Los Angeles and propose a partitioning of the convergence with 25.

Role of Amyloid Precursor Protein in Memory Formation.

The amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a membrane protein engaged in complex proteolytic pathways. APP and its derivatives have been shown to play a central role in Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by memory decline. Despite a huge effort from the research community, the primary cause of AD remains unclear, making it crucial to better understand the physiological role of the APP pathway in brain plasticity and memory.

Neighborhood Deprivation Negatively Impacts Children's Prosocial Behavior.

Children show stronger cooperative behavior in experimental settings as they get older, but little is known about how the environment of a child shapes this development. In adults, prosocial behavior toward strangers is markedly decreased in low socio-economic status (SES) neighborhoods, suggesting that environmental harshness has a negative impact on some prosocial behaviors. Similar results have been obtained with 9-year-olds recruited from low vs.

Smart optical coherence tomography for ultra-deep imaging through highly scattering media.

Multiple scattering of waves in disordered media is a nightmare whether it is for detection or imaging purposes. So far, the best approach to get rid of multiple scattering is optical coherence tomography. This basically combines confocal microscopy and coherence time gating to discriminate ballistic photons from a predominant multiple scattering background.

Paleopathology of Human Infections: Old Bones, Antique Books, Ancient and Modern Molecules.

Paleopathology studies the traces of disease on human and animal remains from ancient times. Infectious diseases have been, for over a century, one of its main fields of interest. The applications of paleogenetics methods to microbial aDNA, that started in the 90s combined to the recent development of new sequencing techniques allowing 'paleogenomics' approaches, have completely renewed the issue of the infections in the past.

Total Synthesis of Putative 11-epi-Lyngbouilloside Aglycon.

We report here the total synthesis of 11-epi-lyngbouilloside aglycon. Our strategy features a Boeckman-type esterification followed by a RCM to form the 14-membered ring macrolactone and a late-stage side chain introduction via a Wittig olefination. Overall, the final product was obtained in 20 steps and 2% overall yield starting from commercially available 3-methyl-but-3-enol.

Geometric Constraints on Human Speech Sound Inventories.

We investigate the idea that the languages of the world have developed coherent sound systems in which having one sound increases or decreases the chances of having certain other sounds, depending on shared properties of those sounds. We investigate the geometries of sound systems that are defined by the inherent properties of sounds. We document three typological tendencies in sound system geometries: economy, a tendency for the differences between sounds in a system to be definable on a relatively small number of independent dimensions; local symmetry, a tendency for sound systems to have relatively large numbers of pairs of sounds that differ only on one dimension; and global symmetry, a tendency for sound systems to be relatively balanced.

Logical Modeling and Dynamical Analysis of Cellular Networks.

The logical (or logic) formalism is increasingly used to model regulatory and signaling networks. Complementing these applications, several groups contributed various methods and tools to support the definition and analysis of logical models. After an introduction to the logical modeling framework and to several of its variants, we review here a number of recent methodological advances to ease the analysis of large and intricate networks.

Glucose Tightly Controls Morphological and Functional Properties of Astrocytes.

The main energy source powering the brain is glucose. Strong energy needs of our nervous system are fulfilled by conveying this essential metabolite through blood via an extensive vascular network. Glucose then reaches brain tissues by cell uptake, diffusion and metabolization, processes primarily undertaken by astrocytes.

Listeners Exploit Syntactic Structure On-Line to Restrict Their Lexical Search to a Subclass of Verbs.

Many experiments have shown that listeners actively build expectations about up-coming words, rather than simply waiting for information to accumulate. The online construction of a syntactic structure is one of the cues that listeners may use to construct strong expectations about the possible words they will be exposed to. For example, speakers of verb-final languages use pre-verbal arguments to predict on-line the kind of arguments that are likely to occur next (e.