Effects of food availability on microsporidiosis and alkaloid production in the two-spotted lady beetle, Adalia bipunctata L.

The effects of food availability and infection with the microsporidium Nosema adaliae on alkaloid production in the two-spotted lady beetle, Adalia bipunctata L., was examined. Alkaloid production (relative percent adaline in reflex-fluid) and pathogen load (spore counts) were quantified for both uninfected and N.

Fisheries-induced evolution of alternative male life history tactics in Coho salmon.

Fisheries-induced evolution (FIE) can result when harvest imposes artificial selection on variation in heritable phenotypic traits. While there is evidence for FIE, it remains difficult to disentangle the contributions of within-generation demographic adjustment, phenotypic plasticity, and genetic adaption to observed changes in life history traits. We present evidence for FIE using dozens of Coho salmon () populations in which males adopt one of two age-invariant, heritable life history tactics: most mature as large three-year-old "hooknose" and typically fight for spawning opportunities, while some mature as small two-year-old "jacks" and fertilize eggs through sneaking.

Using asexual vertebrates to study genome evolution and animal physiology: Banded () x Common Killifish () hybrid lineages as a model system.

Wild, asexual, vertebrate hybrids have many characteristics that make them good model systems for studying how genomes evolve and epigenetic modifications influence animal physiology. In particular, the formation of asexual hybrid lineages is a form of reproductive incompatibility, but we know little about the genetic and genomic mechanisms by which this mode of reproductive isolation proceeds in animals. Asexual lineages also provide researchers with the ability to produce genetically identical individuals, enabling the study of autonomous epigenetic modifications without the confounds of genetic variation.

Impact of agricultural land use and economic growth on nitrous oxide emissions: Evidence from developed and developing countries.

The environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) establishes a hypothetical link between economic growth and environmental degradation and has been tested empirically using various measures of pollution, including carbon dioxide (CO), methane (CH), and nitrous oxide (NO) emissions. However, few studies have focused on NO emissions, despite their projected lifetime of 114 years and 300 times greater warming potential than CO. Employing panel data for the period 1980 to 2012, this study uses the EKC to investigate NO emissions, including those resulting from agriculture, economic growth, agricultural land use, and exports.

Phylogenetic analysis of two single-copy nuclear genes revealed origin of tetraploid barley Hordeum marinum.

Sea barley Hordeum marinum is an important germplasm resource. However, the origin of this tetraploid H. marinum subsp.

Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Flodén ATODAI instrument in the North American context.

Background: Intensive and critical-care nurses are the key to successful donor management in the critical-care setting. No studies measuring attitudes toward organ donor advocacy existed before 2011, when the 51-item Swedish "Attitudes Toward Organ Donor Advocacy Scale" was developed. The aim of this study was to translate, adapt and establish the psychometric properties of the North American version of the Flodén ATODAI (Attitudes Toward Organ Donor Advocacy Instrument) in terms of validity and reliability.

Two-Neutron Halo is Unveiled in ^{29}F.

We report the measurement of reaction cross sections (σ_{R}^{ex}) of ^{27,29}F with a carbon target at RIKEN. The unexpectedly large σ_{R}^{ex} and derived matter radius identify ^{29}F as the heaviest two-neutron Borromean halo to date. The halo is attributed to neutrons occupying the 2p_{3/2} orbital, thereby vanishing the shell closure associated with the neutron number N=20.

Longitudinal examination of youth readmission to mental health inpatient units.

Objective: Significant barriers exist for youth in obtaining mental health services. These barriers are exacerbated by growing demand, attributed partially to children and adolescents who have repeat hospital admissions. The purpose of this study was to identify demographic, socioeconomic and clinical predictors of readmission to inpatient psychiatric services in New Brunswick, Canada.

A new longitudinal variation in the structure of collagen fibrils and its relationship to locations of mechanical damage susceptibility.

The hierarchical architecture of the collagen fibril is well understood, involving non-integer staggering of collagen molecules which results in a 67 nm periodic molecular density variation termed D-banding. Other than this variation, collagen fibrils are considered to be homogeneous at the micro-scale and beyond. Interestingly, serial kink structures have been shown to form at discrete locations along the length of collagen fibrils from some mechanically overloaded tendons.

Beauty perks: Physical appearance, earnings, and fringe benefits.

While the existence of a beauty premium is documented for many labour markets, there has been no study on the association of attractiveness with fringe benefits. This is a significant limitation of the extant literature, since fringe benefits are increasingly acknowledged as an integral part of the employees' compensation, and a main indicator of job quality. Using the Canadian General Social Survey of 2016, the present paper examines how a self-rated measure of attractiveness associates with both labour earnings and fringe benefits.

Feasibility Study of the Health Empowerment Intervention in Older Adults With Heart Failure.

Background: Of almost 5.7 million Americans with heart failure, 80% are 65 years and older. Empowerment approaches facilitating recognition of personal and social contextual resources may improve well-being in this vulnerable population.

A Rare Low-Spin Co Bis(β-silyldiamide) with High Thermal Stability: Steric Enforcement of a Doublet Configuration.

Attempted preparation of a chelated Co β-silylamide resulted in the unprecedented disproportionation to Co and a spirocyclic cobalt(IV) bis(β-silyldiamide): [Co[(N Bu) SiMe ] ] (1). Compound 1 exhibited a room-temperature magnetic moment of 1.8 B.

Genetic Diversity and Connectivity of Southern Right Whales (Eubalaena australis) Found in the Brazil and Chile-Peru Wintering Grounds and the South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur) Feeding Ground.

As species recover from exploitation, continued assessments of connectivity and population structure are warranted to provide information for conservation and management. This is particularly true in species with high dispersal capacity, such as migratory whales, where patterns of connectivity could change rapidly. Here we build on a previous long-term, large-scale collaboration on southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) to combine new (nnew) and published (npub) mitochondrial (mtDNA) and microsatellite genetic data from all major wintering grounds and, uniquely, the South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur: SG) feeding grounds.

Manipulation of Diatomic Molecules with Oriented External Electric Fields: Linear Correlations in Atomic Properties Lead to Nonlinear Molecular Responses.

Oriented external electric fields (OEEFs) have been shown to have great potential in being able to provide unprecedented control of chemical reactions, catalysis, and selectivity with applications ranging from H storage to molecular machines. We report a theoretical study of the atomic origins of molecular changes because of OEEFs since understanding the characteristics of OEEF-induced couplings between atomic and molecular properties is an important step toward comprehensive understanding of the effects of strong external fields on the molecular structure, stability, and reactivity. We focus on the atomic and molecular (bond) properties of a set of homo- (H, N, O, F, and Cl) and heterodiatomic (HF, HCl, CO, and NO) molecules under intense external electric fields in the context of quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM).

Insights into the N-methyladenosine mechanism and its functionality: progress and questions.

N-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation has become a progressively popular area of molecular research since the discovery of its potentially essential regulatory role amongst eukaryotes. m6A marks are observed in the 5'UTR, 3'UTR and coding regions of eukaryotes and its mediation has been associated with various human diseases, RNA stability and translational efficiency. To understand the implications of m6A methylation in molecular governance, its functionality and mechanism must be initially understood.

Evolutionary patterns of plastome uncover diploid-polyploid maternal relationships in Triticeae.

To investigate the diploid-polyploid relationships and the role of maternal progenitors in establishment of polyploid richness in Triticeae, 35 polyploids representing almost all genomic constitutions together with 48 diploid taxa representing 20 basic genomes in the tribe were analyzed. Phylogenomic reconstruction, genetic distance matrix, and nucleotide diversity patterns of plastome sequences indicated that (1) The maternal donor of the annual polyploid species with the U- and D-genome are related to extant Ae. umbellulata and Ae.

Signatures of the d^{*}(2380) Hexaquark in d(γ,pn[over →]).

We report a measurement of the spin polarization of the recoiling neutron in deuterium photodisintegration, utilizing a new large acceptance polarimeter within the Crystal Ball at MAMI. The measured photon energy range of 300-700 MeV provides the first measurement of recoil neutron polarization at photon energies where the quark substructure of the deuteron plays a role, thereby providing important new constraints on photodisintegration mechanisms. A very high neutron polarization in a narrow structure centered around E_{γ}∼570  MeV is observed, which is inconsistent with current theoretical predictions employing nucleon resonance degrees of freedom.

Heavy Metals Make a Chain: A Catenated Bismuth Compound.

Catenation is common for the light main-group elements whereas it is rare for the heavy elements. Herein, we report the first example of a neutral molecule containing a Bi chain. It is prepared in a one-step reaction between bismuth trichloride and bis(diisopropylphosphino)amine in methanol suspension.

Drug design by machine-trained elastic networks: predicting Ser/Thr-protein kinase inhibitors' activities.

An elastic network model (ENM) represents a molecule as a matrix of pairwise atomic interactions. Rich in coded information, ENMs are hereby proposed as a novel tool for the prediction of the activity of series of molecules, with widely different chemical structures, but a common biological activity. The new approach is developed and tested using a set of 183 inhibitors of serine/threonine-protein kinase enzyme (Plk3) which is an enzyme implicated in the regulation of cell cycle and tumorigenesis.

Swelling of Doubly Magic ^{48}Ca Core in Ca Isotopes beyond N=28.

Interaction cross sections for ^{42-51}Ca on a carbon target at 280  MeV/nucleon have been measured for the first time. The neutron number dependence of derived root-mean-square matter radii shows a significant increase beyond the neutron magic number N=28. Furthermore, this enhancement of matter radii is much larger than that of the previously measured charge radii, indicating a novel growth in neutron skin thickness.

Evaluation of a nanoscale zero-valent iron amendment as a potential tool to reduce mobility, toxicity, and bioaccumulation of arsenic and mercury from wetland sediments.

Gold mining in the 1800s has led to the contamination of wetlands with introduced mercury (Hg) and geogenic arsenic (As). In situ risk management tools to reduce mobility and toxicity of Hg and As are needed to support natural restoration of impacted ecosystems. Here, we explored whether a nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) slurry injected into two different contaminated wetland sediments can reduce Hg and As mobility to the overlaying water and toxicity to two aquatic invertebrates, burrowing mayflies (Hexagenia spp.

Genetic Divergence and Relationship Among Species Identified by Development of EST-SSR Markers.

Shih is an endemic and endangered genus restricted to the Taihang Mountains that has important ornamental and economic value. According to the Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae (FRPS, Chinese version), this genus contains two species ( and ), whereas in the (English version) only one species is present. The interspecific phylogenetic relationship remains unclear and undefined, which might primarily be due to the lack of specific molecular markers for phylogenetic analysis.