Disruption of nuclear architecture as a cause of COVID-19 induced anosmia

Olfaction relies on a coordinated partnership between odorant flow and neuronal communication. Disruption in our ability to detect odors, or anosmia, has emerged as a hallmark symptom of infection with SARS-CoV-2, yet the mechanism behind this abrupt sensory deficit remains elusive. Here, using molecular evaluation of human olfactory epithelium (OE) from subjects succumbing to COVID-19 and a hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, we discovered widespread downregulation of olfactory receptors (ORs) as well as key components of their signaling pathway. OR downregulation likely represents a non-cell autonomous effect, since SARS-CoV-2 detection in OSNs is extremely rare both in human and hamster OEs. A likely explanation for the reduction of OR transcription is the striking reorganization of nuclear architecture observed in the OSN lineage, which disrupts multi-chromosomal compartments regulating OR expression in humans and hamsters. Our experiments uncover a novel molecular mechanism by which a virus with a very selective tropism can elicit persistent transcriptional changes in cells that evade it, contributing to the severity of COVID-19.

Cooperative Full-Duplex V2V-VLC in Rectilinear and Curved Roadway Scenarios

We study here the vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) visible light communication (VLC) between two cars moving along different roadway scenarios: (i) a multiple-lane rectilinear roadway and (ii) a multiple-lane curvilinear roadway. Special emphasis was given to the implementation of full-duplex (FD) cooperative communication protocols to avoid communication disruption in the absence of a line-of-sight (LOS) channel. Importantly, we found that the cooperative FD V2V-VLC is promising for avoiding communication disruptions for cars traveling in realistic curvilinear roadways. Results in this work can be easily extended to the case of vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), which can also be promising in cases of low-car-density environments.

Efficacy of communication disruption of Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Lepidoptera: Thaumetopoeidae) with low pheromone formulation

SummaryMating disruption (MD) has been a successful approach for pest control of several lepidoptera. Field trials to evaluate the efficacy of communication disruption of low pheromone load formulation on Thaumetopoea pityocampa were carried out in 2010 and 2011 in an urban park. The efficacy of MD was assessed by comparing male T. pityocampa catches in pheromone traps, between MD and Control areas. In the 1st year of the application the percentage of male inhibition ranged from 85 to 100% during the 1st month of the flight period and 95-100% during the whole flight period in the 2nd year. The pheromone remained in the polymeric matrix was almost 30% after 7 weeks under laboratory aging conditions. Combining the pheromone release results with the male disorientation results we can assume that after 7 weeks the remaining pheromone concentration was still sufficient to achieve MD. This study indicates that air permeation with the major sex pheromone component (Z)-13-hexadecen-11-ynyl acetate, at a rate of 20 g/ha for one application per season, can affect the orientation of T. pityocampa males. Since mating disruption is an environmentally safe method for pest control, it could be a valuable tool to control T. pityocampa in urban areas and parks.