Antimicrobial mechanisms and antifungal activity of compounds generated by banana rhizosphere Gxun-2 against f. sp. .

Introduction: wilt of banana, also recognized as Panama disease, is caused by the soil-borne fungus f. sp. tropical race 4 (FOC TR4).

Modulating quantum tunnelling of magnetization in Dy isotopologue dimers.

Qudits are anticipated to streamline quantum computation by minimizing iterations, lowering error rates, and facilitating error correction. It has been shown that Dy(III)-based molecular systems can act as qudits with expanded Hilbert spaces. Achieving a robust intramolecular interaction, whether exchange or dipolar, is crucial for spanning the Hilbert space of qudits; hence, short Dy(III)⋯Dy(III) distances are required.

Scaling the high latitudes: evolution, diversification, and dispersal of Coryphella nudibranchs across the Northern Hemisphere.

Nudibranch molluscs Coryphella are widely distributed and species-rich gastropod group lacking fossil record and displaying a complex distribution across both Southern and Northern hemispheres. In this paper we provide a detailed review of the morphology, ecology, and distribution of Coryphella, estimation of divergence times between species, an ancestral area reconstruction, and a population analysis of widely distributed trans-Arctic species Coryphella verrucosa to investigate the evolution, phylogeographic patterns and reconstruct possible historical routes of oceanic dispersal. The inclusion of a larger sample size and five molecular markers has revealed a complex evolutionary history of Coryphella, shaped by transgression, vicariance, and dietary shifts, and overall driven by the pervasive effect of glacial cycles.

The coevolution of fungus-ant agriculture.

Fungus-farming ants cultivate multiple lineages of fungi for food, but, because fungal cultivar relationships are largely unresolved, the history of fungus-ant coevolution remains poorly known. We designed probes targeting >2000 gene regions to generate a dated evolutionary tree for 475 fungi and combined it with a similarly generated tree for 276 ants. We found that fungus-ant agriculture originated ~66 million years ago when the end-of-Cretaceous asteroid impact temporarily interrupted photosynthesis, causing global mass extinctions but favoring the proliferation of fungi.

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy as an Accurate Forensic Tool for Bone Classification and Individual Reassignment.

This article provides a detailed discussion of the evidence available to date on the application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and supervised classification methods for the individual reassignment of commingled bone remains. Specialized bone chemistry studies have demonstrated the suitability of bone elemental composition as a distinct individual identifier. Given the widely documented ability of the LIBS technique to provide elemental emission spectra that are considered elemental fingerprints of the samples analyzed, the analytical potential of this technique has been assessed for the investigation of the contexts of commingled bone remains for their individual reassignment.

Depression and Plasma pTau Levels Are Associated with Frailty Status in Hispanic Community-Dwelling Older Women.

The population of Hispanic older adults is growing along with the burden of chronic diseases. This cross-sectional study aims to assess the factors associated with frailty among community-dwelling Hispanic women aged ≥60 years ( = 357) enrolled in the Panama Aging Research Initiative-Health Disparities study of cognitive-functional health of older persons in Panama. Cognitive function was assessed with a neuropsychological test battery.

Perspectives of non-physician partners on barriers and facilitators to AYA cancer care in Latin America.

Background: Cancer is the fourth leading cause of death in adolescents and young adults (AYA) worldwide. Although successful treatment of cancer in AYA has increased in recent years in most of the world, this is not true for many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) where over 80% of all AYA live. This study investigated the needs of AYA with cancer in parts of Latin America (LATAM) through the perspectives of non-physician health care providers and partners.

Two draft genomes of fungal leaf endophytes from tropical gymnosperms.

Two ascomycetes, sp. and sp. were isolated from healthy leaves of the tropical gymnosperms (Z2) and (Z50) from Panama.

Predator perception of aposematic and cryptic color morphs in two species.

Animals that are toxic often advertise their unprofitability to potential predators through bright aposematic colors while cryptic ones blend in with their natural background to avoid predators. In the poison dart frogs, and some populations in Costa Rica and Panama display cryptic green and aposematic red color morphs. We herein used reflectance spectra from the dorsum of red and green morphs of these frogs to estimate their perception by the visual systems of three potential predators (birds, lizards, and crabs) against three natural backgrounds (leaves, trunks and leaf litter).

Wind Shapes the Growth Strategies of Trees in a Tropical Forest.

In tropical forests, trees strategically balance growth patterns to optimise fitness amid multiple environmental stressors. Wind poses the primary risk to a tree's mechanical stability, prompting developments such as thicker trunks to withstand the bending forces. Therefore, a trade-off in resource allocation exists between diameter growth and vertical growth to compete for light.

Psychosocial and environmental motivational key factors behind the parenthood desire in infertile couples at the time of COVID-19.

Purpose: To evaluate the main psychosocial motivational factors behind the increased adoption of IVF during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This prospective, multicenter, observational case-control study assessed the factors motivating infertile couples to pursue their first IVF treatment during the pandemic across various IVF clinics in Spain, Portugal, Italy, the USA, and Panama. A pre-pandemic control group and a post-pandemic participant group were surveyed.

Phylogeny and taxonomic revision of Metacephalus (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) with description of seven new leafhopper species.

Metacephalus Delong and Martinson, 1973 includes leafhopper species from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador (new record), Guyana, French Guiana (new record), Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. In the present revisionary study, we describe seven new species of Metacephalus, propose one species synonymy (M. cinctus as junior synonym of M.

Geographic genetic variation in the Coral Hawkfish, (Cirrhitidae), in relation to biogeographic barriers across the Tropical Indo-Pacific.

The Tropical Indo-Pacific (TIP) includes about two thirds of the world's tropical oceans and harbors an enormous number of marine species. The distributions of those species within the region is affected by habitat discontinuities and oceanographic features. As well as many smaller ones, the TIP contains seven large recognized biogeographic barriers that separate the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, the Indian from the Pacific Ocean, the central and eastern Pacific, the Hawaiian archipelago, the Marquesas and Easter Islands.

Xerostomia and Salivary Dysfunction in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus. A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been associated with salivary disorders such as xerostomia and hyposalivation. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of these disorders and their risk factors in DM patients.

Methods: DM patients from two health centers were included.

Resurrected microorganisms: a plethora of resting bacteria underway for human interaction.

Glaciers, which form due to the accumulation of snow, play a crucial role in providing freshwater resources, supporting river systems, and maintaining ecosystem stability. Pakistan is habitat to over 5000 glaciers, primarily located in the Hindukash, Himalaya, and Karakoram mountain ranges. Understanding the microbial communities thriving in these extreme environments becomes of utmost importance.

Resistance Training and Nutritional Supplementation in Older Adults with Sarcopenia after Acute Disease: A Feasibility Study.

Resistance exercise and protein supplementation are recognized as effective treatment strategies for age-related sarcopenia; however, there are limited data on their feasibility, tolerability, and safety. The primary outcome of this study was feasibility, evaluated through the 15-item TELOS (Technological, Economics, Legal, Operational, and Scheduling) feasibility components and by recruitment, retention, and consent rates. Tolerability was measured by examining permanent treatment discontinuation, treatment interruption, exercise dose modification, early termination, rescheduling of missed sessions, losses to follow-up, attendance, and nutritional compliance.

Advances in Vaccines: Current Development and Future Prospects.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by parasites of the genus . As approved human vaccines are not available, treatment and prevention rely heavily on toxic chemotherapeutic agents, which face increasing resistance problems. The development of effective vaccines against human leishmaniasis is of utmost importance for the control of the disease.