scholarly journals Characterization of a male reproductive transcriptome forPeromyscus eremicus(Cactus mouse)

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren L. Kordonowy ◽  
Matthew D. MacManes
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Transcriptome Assembly ◽  
Deer Mouse ◽  
Genetic Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Fluid Loss ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Peromyscus Eremicus

Rodents of the genusPeromyscushave become increasingly utilized models for investigations into adaptive biology. This genus is particularly powerful for research linking genetics with adaptive physiology or behaviors, and recent research has capitalized on the unique opportunities afforded by the ecological diversity of these rodents. Well characterized genomic and transcriptomic data is intrinsic to explorations of the genetic architecture responsible for ecological adaptations. Therefore, this study characterizes the transcriptome of three male reproductive tissues (testes, epididymis and vas deferens) ofPeromyscus eremicus(Cactus mouse), a desert specialist. The transcriptome assembly process was optimized in order to produce a high quality and substantially complete annotated transcriptome. This composite transcriptome was generated to characterize the expressed transcripts in the male reproductive tract ofP. eremicus,which will serve as a crucial resource for future research investigating our hypothesis that the male Cactus mouse possesses an adaptive reproductive phenotype to mitigate water-loss from ejaculate. This study reports genes under positive selection in the male Cactus mouse reproductive transcriptome relative to transcriptomes fromPeromyscus maniculatus(deer mouse) andMus musculus.Thus, this study expands upon existing genetic research in this species, and we provide a high quality transcriptome to enable further explorations of our proposed hypothesis for male Cactus mouse reproductive adaptations to minimize seminal fluid loss.

Parasite defense mechanisms in bees: behavior, immunity, antimicrobials, and symbionts

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison E. Fowler ◽  
Rebecca E. Irwin ◽  
Lynn S. Adler
Keyword(s):  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Immune Priming ◽  
Social Bees ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Landscape Scales ◽  
And Function ◽  
Solitary Species

Parasites are linked to the decline of some bee populations; thus, understanding defense mechanisms has important implications for bee health. Recent advances have improved our understanding of factors mediating bee health ranging from molecular to landscape scales, but often as disparate literatures. Here, we bring together these fields and summarize our current understanding of bee defense mechanisms including immunity, immunization, and transgenerational immune priming in social and solitary species. Additionally, the characterization of microbial diversity and function in some bee taxa has shed light on the importance of microbes for bee health, but we lack information that links microbial communities to parasite infection in most bee species. Studies are beginning to identify how bee defense mechanisms are affected by stressors such as poor-quality diets and pesticides, but further research on this topic is needed. We discuss how integrating research on host traits, microbial partners, and nutrition, as well as improving our knowledge base on wild and semi-social bees, will help inform future research, conservation efforts, and management.

The psychology of offering an apology: Understanding the barriers to apologizing and how to overcome them

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karina Schumann
Keyword(s):  
Future Research ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Important Decision ◽  
Self Image

After committing an offense, a transgressor faces an important decision regarding whether and how to apologize to the person who was harmed. The actions he or she chooses to take after committing an offense can have dramatic implications for the victim, the transgressor, and their relationship. Although high quality apologies are extremely effective at promoting reconciliation, transgressors often choose to offer a perfunctory apology, withhold an apology, or respond defensively to the victim. Why might this be? In this article, I propose three major barriers to offering high quality apologies: (1) low concern for the victim or relationship, (2) perceived threat to self-image, and (3) perceived apology ineffectiveness. I review recent research examining how these barriers affect transgressors’ apology behavior, and describe insights this emerging work provides for developing methods to move transgressors towards more reparative behavior. Finally, I discuss important directions for future research.

scholarly journals Editorial for Special Issue “Historical Mineral Pigments”

Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 237
Author(s):  
Carolina Cardell ◽  
Jose Santiago Pozo-Antonio
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Characterization ◽  
Glass Enamel ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Physical Chemical ◽  
Scientific Disciplines ◽  
Natural And Synthetic

The physical–chemical characterization of natural and synthetic historical inorganic and mineral pigments, which may be found embedded in paintings (real or mock-ups), glass, enamel, ceramics, beads, tesserae, etc., as well as their alteration under different decay scenarios, is a demanding line of investigation. This field of research is now both well established and dynamic, as revealed by the numerous publications in high-quality journals of varied scientific disciplines. [...]

scholarly journals Crowdsourcing and open innovation: a systematic literature review, an integrated framework and a research agenda

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Livio Cricelli ◽  
Michele Grimaldi ◽  
Silvia Vermicelli
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Open Innovation ◽  
Innovation Management ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Word Analysis ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractIn recent years, Open Innovation (OI) and crowdsourcing have been very popular topics in the innovation management literature, attracting significant interest and attention, and inspiring a rich production of publications. Although these two topics share common themes and address similar managerial challenges, to the best of our knowledge, there is no systematic literature review that digs deep into the intersection of both fields. To fill in this gap a joint review of crowdsourcing and OI topics is both timely and of interest. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to carry out a comprehensive, systematic, and objective review of academic research to help shed light on the relationship between OI and crowdsourcing. For this purpose, we reviewed the literature published on these two topics between 2008 and 2019, applying two bibliometric techniques, co-citation and co-word analysis. We obtained the following results: (i) we provide a qualitative analysis of the emerging and trending themes, (ii) we discuss a characterization of the intersection between OI and crowdsourcing, identifying four dimensions (strategic, managerial, behavioral, and technological), (iii) we present a schematic reconceptualization of the thematic clusters, proposing an integrated view. We conclude by suggesting promising opportunities for future research.

scholarly journals Optimization of Plasmodium vivax sporozoite production from Anopheles stephensi in South West India

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajeet Kumar Mohanty ◽  
Charles de Souza ◽  
Deepika Harjai ◽  
Prathamesh Ghavanalkar ◽  
Mezia Fernandes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Plasmodium Vivax ◽  
Anopheles Stephensi ◽  
Parasite Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Gametocyte Density ◽  
Feeding Experiments ◽  
South West ◽  
Membrane Feeding

Abstract Background Efforts to study the biology of Plasmodium vivax liver stages, particularly the latent hypnozoites, have been hampered by the limited availability of P. vivax sporozoites. Anopheles stephensi is a major urban malaria vector in Goa and elsewhere in South Asia. Using P. vivax patient blood samples, a series of standard membrane-feeding experiments were performed with An. stephensi under the US NIH International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR) for Malaria Evolution in South Asia (MESA). The goal was to understand the dynamics of parasite development in mosquitoes as well as the production of P. vivax sporozoites. To obtain a robust supply of P. vivax sporozoites, mosquito-rearing and mosquito membrane-feeding techniques were optimized, which are described here. Methods Membrane-feeding experiments were conducted using both wild and laboratory-colonized An. stephensi mosquitoes and patient-derived P. vivax collected at the Goa Medical College and Hospital. Parasite development to midgut oocysts and salivary gland sporozoites was assessed on days 7 and 14 post-feeding, respectively. The optimal conditions for mosquito rearing and feeding were evaluated to produce high-quality mosquitoes and to yield a high sporozoite rate, respectively. Results Laboratory-colonized mosquitoes could be starved for a shorter time before successful blood feeding compared with wild-caught mosquitoes. Optimizing the mosquito-rearing methods significantly increased mosquito survival. For mosquito feeding, replacing patient plasma with naïve serum increased sporozoite production > two-fold. With these changes, the sporozoite infection rate was high (> 85%) and resulted in an average of ~ 22,000 sporozoites per mosquito. Some mosquitoes reached up to 73,000 sporozoites. Sporozoite production could not be predicted from gametocyte density but could be predicted by measuring oocyst infection and oocyst load. Conclusions Optimized conditions for the production of high-quality P. vivax sporozoite-infected An. stephensi were established at a field site in South West India. This report describes techniques for producing a ready resource of P. vivax sporozoites. The improved protocols can help in future research on the biology of P. vivax liver stages, including hypnozoites, in India, as well as the development of anti-relapse interventions for vivax malaria.

scholarly journals Combined genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses provide insights into chayote (Sechium edule) evolution and fruit development

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anzhen Fu ◽  
Qing Wang ◽  
Jianlou Mu ◽  
Lili Ma ◽  
Changlong Wen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Development ◽  
Repetitive Sequences ◽  
Genetic Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Agricultural Crop ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Third Generation Sequencing ◽  
Sechium Edule ◽  
Generation Sequencing ◽  
Cucurbitaceae Family

AbstractChayote (Sechium edule) is an agricultural crop in the Cucurbitaceae family that is rich in bioactive components. To enhance genetic research on chayote, we used Nanopore third-generation sequencing combined with Hi–C data to assemble a draft chayote genome. A chromosome-level assembly anchored on 14 chromosomes (N50 contig and scaffold sizes of 8.40 and 46.56 Mb, respectively) estimated the genome size as 606.42 Mb, which is large for the Cucurbitaceae, with 65.94% (401.08 Mb) of the genome comprising repetitive sequences; 28,237 protein-coding genes were predicted. Comparative genome analysis indicated that chayote and snake gourd diverged from sponge gourd and that a whole-genome duplication (WGD) event occurred in chayote at 25 ± 4 Mya. Transcriptional and metabolic analysis revealed genes involved in fruit texture, pigment, flavor, flavonoids, antioxidants, and plant hormones during chayote fruit development. The analysis of the genome, transcriptome, and metabolome provides insights into chayote evolution and lays the groundwork for future research on fruit and tuber development and genetic improvements in chayote.

Ferrous materials degradation: characterisation of rust by colour – an overview

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Desmond E. P. Klenam ◽  
Michael O. Bodunrin ◽  
Stefania Akromah ◽  
Emmanuel Gikunoo ◽  
Anthony Andrews ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Yellow Rust ◽  
Brown Rust ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Stable Form ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
High Moisture ◽  
Oxygen Environment ◽  
Causative Factors ◽  
Analytical Tools

Abstract An overview of the characterisation of rust by colour is presented. Each distinct rust colour is caused by atmospheric impurities, high or low moisture content and high or low oxygen environment over time. Yellow rust is mainly due to the high moisture environment over a period of time, which drips. Brown rust is dry, crusty and due to water and oxygen contact with localised patches on component surfaces. Black rust, the most stable form, occurs in low moisture and low oxygen environment. The rust residue shows where the reaction started, especially in contact with chlorides. The causative factors of red rust are atmospheric and similar to black rust in a chloride-containing environment. The effect of packaging, manufacturing and environmental factors on rust colour is briefly discussed. Visual characterization of rust could pre-empt root causes and analytical tools for validation. The limitations of these concepts are mentioned and directions for future research highlighted.

scholarly journals Engineering and characterization of simplified vaginal and seminal fluid simulants

Contraception ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachna Rastogi ◽  
Jonathan Su ◽  
Alamelu Mahalingam ◽  
Justin Clark ◽  
Samuel Sung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Fluid

Growth and Characterization of High Quality Epitaxial GaN on ZnO(0001) by Reactive Molecular Epitaxy

1998 ◽  
Vol 264-268 ◽  
pp. 1201-1204
Author(s):  
F. Hamdani ◽  
M. Yeadon ◽  
David John Smith ◽  
H. Tang ◽  
W. Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Quality

scholarly journals Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of Riptortus pedestris (Hemiptera: Alydidae) to Characterize Wing Formation across All Developmental Stages

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 226
Author(s):  
Siying Fu ◽  
Yujie Duan ◽  
Siqi Wang ◽  
Yipeng Ren ◽  
Wenjun Bu
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Transcriptome Assembly ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Wing Formation ◽  
Riptortus Pedestris

Riptortus pedestris (Hemiptera: Alydidae) is a major agricultural pest in East Asia that causes considerable economic losses to the soybean crop each year. However, the molecular mechanisms governing the growth and development of R. pedestris have not been fully elucidated. In this study, the Illumina HiSeq6000 platform was employed to perform de novo transcriptome assembly and determine the gene expression profiles of this species across all developmental stages, including eggs, first-, second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-instar nymphs, and adults. In this study, a total of 60,058 unigenes were assembled from numerous raw reads, exhibiting an N50 length of 2126 bp and an average length of 1199 bp, and the unigenes were annotated and classified with various databases, such as the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG), and Gene Ontology (GO). Furthermore, various numbers of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were calculated through pairwise comparisons of all life stages, and some of these DEGs were associated with immunity, metabolism, and development by GO and KEGG enrichment. In addition, 35,158 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 715,604 potential single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified from the seven transcriptome libraries of R. pedestris. Finally, we identified and summarized ten wing formation-related signaling pathways, and the molecular properties and expression levels of five wing development-related genes were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR for all developmental stages of R. pedestris. Taken together, the results of this study may establish a foundation for future research investigating developmental processes and wing formation in hemimetabolous insects and may provide valuable data for pest control efforts attempting to reduce the economic damage caused by this pest.

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