Actin Contributes to the Hyperexpression of Baculovirus Polyhedrin (polh) and p10 as a Component of Transcription Initiation Complex (TIC)

Hyperexpression of polh and p10, two very late genes, is one of the remarkable characteristics in the baculovirus life cycle. However, the mechanisms underlying the hyperexpression of these two genes are still incompletely understood. In this study, actin was identified as a highly potential binding partner of polh and p10 promoters by conducting DNA pull-down and LC–MS/MS analyses. Inhibiting actin dynamics delayed and decreased the transcription of polh and p10. Actin interacted with viral RNA polymerase and transcription regulators, and the nuclear import of viral polymerase was inhibited with the disruption of actin dynamics. Simultaneously, the high enrichment of actin in polh and p10 promoters discovered via a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay indicated that actin was a component of the viral polymerase TIC. Moreover, overexpression of actin surprisingly upregulated the expression of luciferase (Luc) under the control of polh and p10 promoters. Taken together, actin participated in the hyperexpression of polh and p10 as a component of TIC. These results facilitate the promotion of the expression efficiency of foreign genes in the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS).

REVIEW: APPLICATION OF MAGNETIC SOLID-PHASE EXTRACTION (MSPE) IN VARIOUS TYPES OF SAMPLES

This review aimed to inform about the magnetic nanoparticle functionalization and solid magnetic phase extraction application to separate analytes in various types of samples. The review was conducted by analyzing several articles published in 2010 until 2021 obtained through search engines, such as Science Direct, Google Scholar and PubMed, using the keyword “magnetic phase extraction” and “magnetic nanoparticle”. The magnetic nanoparticle can be functionalized with organic, inorganic, and metal-organic framework compounds to obtain good selectivity and extraction capability. The Magnetic Solid Phase Extraction (MSPE) can be applied to separate analytes in biological, food, environmental samples. The MSPE can be used in various biological, food, and environmental samples resulting in high enrichment factor value, good recovery, and the magnetic adsorbent has excellent reusability.

Dust Characterization and Its Potential Impact during the 2014–15 Fogo Volcano Eruption (Cape Verde)

Fogo (Fogo Island) is the youngest and most active volcano of Cape Verde. The last eruption occurred in 2014–2015. Aiming to assess the dust sources that impacted the air quality during the present study period, fresh lava samples were collected, while Saharan dust intrusions and transport were modeled. Rooftop dust was also collected on the island dwellings and a mineralogical and chemical characterization was undertaken. Air quality monitors were used to obtain concentrations of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants. The mineralogical constitution was assessed by XRD and Electron Microprobe. The pseudototal chemical concentration was performed by XRF, ICP-MS and SEM; the latter includes particles morphology. During the study, WRF-CHIMERE results showed the intrusion of desert dust which affected the air quality. Lava was classified as tephritic to basanitic, with high potassium content. The Pollution Load Index for rooftop dust was >1 in all samples, suggesting an enrichment. Higher values were found in dust size fraction <63 µm, with contamination factor pointing to high enrichment of As, Ni and Pb, and very high enrichment of Cd. The non-carcinogenic hazard estimated for children suggested that health problems may arise. The carcinogenic risk was above the target risk, mostly due to As > Pb > Co. Ingestion was the main exposure route. PM10 concentrations exceeded the 24-hour mean of 50 µg/m3 recommended by WHO. Nevertheless, TVOCs displayed levels lower than guidelines. The highest levels of CO2 were recorded in more populated villages and farthest from the volcano.

Less-common and rare earth elements of the Pechenga region ores

The article presents the investigations in the Pechenga ore region — one of the largest industrial regions in the Arctic zone of Russia, located on the territory of the Murmansk area. The researchers obtained new data on the chemical composition of the main ore minerals, the content of trace elements, including rare earths (REE), in the ores of the Pilguyarvi and Vostok deposits and late polymetallic veins of the Pechenga region. They found that the main textural types of ores (massive, veined and disseminated) differ significantly in chemical composition and content of rock and ore-forming components. They also revealed the enrichment of ores with a wide range of trace elements. In comparison with the upper crust, the Pechenga ores are clearly enriched with chalcophilic and siderophilic trace elements. The enrichment coefficients of ore elements reach mainly tens (Cr, Au, Cd) hundreds (Ag, Se, Re, Pt) and thousands (Ni, Cu, Ir) times. The distribution of trace elements in various types of Cu-Ni ores has a great similarity, which indicates their geochemical affinity and synchronous participation in ore formation. The geochemical features are in good agreement with the mineral composition of the ores. The concentration of rare earth elements in the main types of ores, with the exception of massive ores and late polymetallic veins, exceeds the level of the chondrite standard and the REE fractionation is weak. The composition of the REE in ores came by from the host rocks. The research has established the high enrichment of all types of Re, Bi and Cd ores, which are potentially industrially significant as high-tech metals and are of considerable interest for associated mining.

Effect of environmental enrichment and group size on the water use and waste in grower-finisher pigs

The grower-finisher stage accounts for 64% of the total on-farm herd water use. Part of this is consumed by the pigs, but a part is also wasted. Drinking water usage and wastage is affected by different factors. We investigated how different group sizes and different levels of enrichment affect water usage (ingested plus wasted), water wastage, behavior and performance in grower-finisher pigs. Pigs (n = 672), 11 weeks of age (77 ± 2 days) were used for the experiment. The effect of group size: SMALL (12 pigs), MEDIUM (24 pigs), and LARGE (48 pigs) was assessed across two levels of enrichment (LOW—wooden post, hanging rubber toy, HIGH—Same as LOW + fresh grass). There was no effect of group size on water use or wastage. Pigs with HIGH enrichment (10.4 ± 0.4 L/pig/day) used less water than LOW enrichment (11.0 ± 0.4 L/pig/day; p < 0.001). The water wastage/drinker/hour was lower in pens with HIGH enrichment than LOW (p = 0.003). The drinking bout number (p = 0.037) and total occupancy/hour (p = 0.048) was also higher for pens with LOW than HIGH enrichment. Aggressive and harmful behaviour were performed less in LARGE groups and pens with HIGH enrichment. Thus, HIGH enrichment allowance reduced water usage and wastage so may have benefits for the environment, as well as animal welfare.

Neutronic Evaluation of MSBR System Using MCNP Code

The concept of Molten Salt Reactor use Th to breed fissile 233U, where an initial source of fissile material needs to be provided. However, there is no available 233U and so; the fissile fuel supply is one of the unresolved problems. Thus, it is necessary to use existing fissile materials such as 235U or Pu to produce 233U. Current studies analyze the fuel transition from 235U/Th or Pu/Th to 233U/Th and, in this context, the present work evaluates the criticality and the neutron flux of MSBR (Molten Salt Breeder Reactor) considering the fuel: (i) mix of Th and enriched U; (ii) the combination of Th and reprocessed Pu; and (iii) matrix of reprocessed Pu/minor actinides (MAs) and Th. The goal is to verify which of these fuels can be used as initial fissile supply. The MSBR core was simulated by MCNPX 2.6.0 code and the criticality model presents similar behavior of previous studies. The results show that reprocessed fuels could have a potential to be used as initial fissile supply, but these fuels present a neutron flux profile less flattens than traditional 233U/Th. It is possible that a new distribution of fuel elements may improve this profile and future simulations will be performed to evaluate this behavior. The uranium, must has high enrichment value to be used as initial seed. Other studies need be performed to evaluates the uranium enrichment and the U/Th ratio that produces similar core criticality to traditional fuel.

A Comparative Study on Two Territorial Fishes: The Influence of Physical Enrichment on Aggressive Behavior

Intraspecific aggression is detrimental to body/fin damage, physiological stress, and other problems in aquaculture. Environmental enrichment has been proposed to have positive effects on fish aggressive behavior, physiological stress, and fish welfare, but there are mixed results. Here, we examine the impact of physical enrichment levels (i.e., the intensity of physical enrichment) on aggression in black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii) and fat greenling (Hexagrammos otakii). Generally, with the increase in the enrichment level, the frequency of the aggressive behavior of black rockfish gradually decreased. In contrast, a non-monotonous effect of the enrichment level on aggression was observed for fat greenling, with low and intermediate levels leading to no or more aggression, while a high enrichment level reduced aggression. After three days, the high-level enrichment groups in both rockfish and greenling reached social stability (i.e., a relatively stable social structure indicated by lower aggression), while aggression in the other groups continued increased. These results show the significant regulatory effect of enrichment levels on the aggressive behavior in both black rockfish and fat greenling. This study may promote the development of environmental enrichment measures, and it provides useful information for reducing fish aggression and improving fish welfare in aquaculture.

Proanthocyanidin-enriched cranberry extract induces resilient bacterial community dynamics in a gnotobiotic mouse model

Cranberry consumption has numerous health benefits, with experimental reports showing its anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties. Importantly, microbiome research has demonstrated that the gastrointestinal bacterial community modulates host immunity, raising the question of whether the cranberry-derived effect may be related to its ability to modulate the microbiome. Only a few studies have investigated the effect of cranberry products on the microbiome to date. Especially because cranberries are rich in dietary fibers, the extent of microbiome modulation by polyphenols, particularly proanthocyanidins (PACs), remains to be shown. Since previous work has only focused on long-term effects of cranberry extracts, in this study we investigated the effect of a water-soluble, PAC-rich cranberry juice extract (CJE) on the short-term dynamics of a human-derived bacterial community in a gnotobiotic mouse model. CJE characterization revealed a high enrichment in PACs (57%), the highest ever utilized in a microbiome study. In a 37-day experiment with a ten-day CJE intervention and 14-day recovery phase, we profiled the microbiota via 16S rRNA sequencing and applied diverse time-series analytics methods to identify individual bacterial responses. We show that daily administration of CJE induces distinct dynamic patterns in bacterial abundances during and after treatment, before recovering resiliently to pre-treatment levels. Specifically, we observed an increase of Akkermansia muciniphila and Clostridium hiranonis at the expense of Bacteroides ovatus after the offset of the selection pressure imposed by the PAC-rich CJE. This demonstrates that termination of an intervention with a cranberry product can induce changes of a magnitude as high as the intervention itself.