Tinodes atlasensis Ibrahimi, Mabrouki & Taybi, sp. nov. (Trichoptera: Psychomyiidae), a new species from Atlas Mountains, Morocco

The caddisfly fauna of North Africa and Morocco is still poorly known, with only a few historical and recent investigations, carried out sporadically. In this paper we describe a new species, Tinodes atlasensis Ibrahimi, Mabrouki & Taybi, sp. nov. from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. The new species is closest to Tinodes baenai Gonzales & Otero, 1984, known from the Iberian Peninsula and mainly differs by the shape of segment IX, coxopodites, harpago and the process of basal plate. Tinodes atlasensis Ibrahimi, Mabrouki & Taybi, sp. nov. is the seventh known species of the genus Tinodes Curtis, 1834 from Morocco. Future caddisfly investigations in this North African country will most certainly increase the number of the known species and reveal other new ones.

Triangulopteris lacunata gen. et sp. nov. (Centroplasthelida), a New Centrohelid Heliozoan from Soil †

A new genus and species of centrohelid heliozoans, Triangulopteris lacunata gen. et sp. nov. (Pterocystidae Cavalier-Smith and Heyden, 2007), from four geographically remote locations (the Crimean Peninsula, the Dnieper Lowland (the East European Plain), Franz Josef Land, and the Kolyma Lowland (North–Eastern Siberia) was examined using light and electron microscopy. The novel centrohelid is characterized by round shape, 4.3–16.3 μm in diameter, covered with two types of scales: 1.06–4.54 μm long triangular spine scales and 1.22–2.05 μm oval plate scales. Studied centrohelid heliozoan possesses a unique spine scale morphology. The base of scales is represented by a horse hoof-shaped basal plate. The inner surface and lateral wings of spine scales have numerous radial ribs with two ‘pockets’ that are located on both sides of the spine shaft. These pockets are formed by the lateral wings and ends of the basal plate. The cyst formation and transition to a spicules-bearing stage were noted. Additionally, phylogenetic tree was constructed based on SSU rRNA sequences including the strain HF-25 from the permafrost of Kolyma Lowland. The resulting phylogeny recovered it within the clade Pterista, while forming a separate sister lineage to H2 clade, which only had included freshwater environmental sequences.

Shallow Placentation: A Distinct Category of Placental Lesions

Objective Shallow placental implantation (SPI) features placental maldistribution of extravillous trophoblasts and includes excessive amount of extravillous trophoblasts, chorionic microcysts in the membranes and chorionic disc, and decidual clusters of multinucleate trophoblasts. The histological lesions were previously and individually reported in association with various clinical and placental abnormalities. This retrospective statistical analysis of a large placental database from high-risk pregnancy statistically compares placentas with and without a composite group of features of SPI. Study Design Twenty-four independent abnormal clinical and 44 other than SPI placental phenotypes were compared between 4,930 placentas without (group 1) and 1,283 placentas with one or more histological features of SPI (composite SPI group; group 2). Placentas were received for pathology examination at a discretion of obstetricians. Placental lesion terminology was consistent with the Amsterdam criteria, with addition of other lesions described more recently. Results Cases of group 2 featured statistically and significantly (p < 0.001after Bonferroni's correction) more common than group 1 on the following measures: gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, oligohydramnios, polyhydramnios, abnormal Dopplers, induction of labor, cesarean section, perinatal mortality, fetal growth restriction, stay in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), congenital malformation, deep meconium penetration, intravillous hemorrhage, villous infarction, membrane laminar necrosis, fetal blood erythroblastosis, decidual arteriopathy (hypertrophic and atherosis), chronic hypoxic injury (uterine and postuterine), intervillous thrombus, segmental and global fetal vascular malperfusion, various umbilical cord abnormalities, and basal plate myometrial fibers. Conclusion SPI placentas were statistically and significantly associated with 48% abnormal independent clinical and 51% independent abnormal placental phenotypes such as acute and chronic hypoxic lesions, fetal vascular malperfusion, umbilical cord abnormalities, and basal plate myometrial fibers among others. Therefore, SPI should be regarded as a category of placental lesions related to maternal vascular malperfusion and the “Great Obstetrical Syndromes.” Key Points

Influence of Solution Treatment Time on Precipitation Behavior and Mechanical Properties of Mg-2.0Nd-2.0Sm-0.4Zn-0.4Zr Alloy

The effect of solution treatment time on the microstructure and mechanical properties of aged the Mg-2.0Nd-2.0Sm-0.4Zn-0.4Zr (wt.%) alloy were investigated to give full play to the performance of the alloy. As the solution treatment time increased from 2 h to 12 h at 788 K, the grain size of the solution-treated alloy significantly increased, and the network-like β-Mg12(Nd, Sm, Zn) phase gradually dissolved into the α-Mg matrix. It should be noted that no obvious residual β phase can be observed when the solution treatment time was more than 8 h. After the solution-treated alloy was further aged at 473 K for 18 h, a large number of nanoscale precipitates were observed in the α-Mg matrix. The solution treatment time was 2 h, the α-Mg matrix mainly consisted of spherical-shaped and basal plate-shaped precipitates. Upon the increase of solution treatment time to 8 h, the key strengthening phases transformed from spherical-shaped precipitates and basal plate-shaped precipitates to prismatic plate-shaped β′ precipitates. The orientation relationship between β′ precipitates and α-Mg matrix was (1¯10)β′ // (11¯00)α and [112]β′ // the [224¯3]α. Further increasing of solution treatment time from 8 h to 12 h, the key strengthening phases mainly were still β′ precipitates. The solution treatment of aged alloy was carried out at 788 K for 8 h, which achieved optimal ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 261 ± 4.1 MPa, yield strength (YS) of 154 ± 1.5 MPa, and elongation of 5.8 ± 0.1%, respectively.

Tracheal motile cilia in mice require CAMSAP3 for formation of central microtubule pair and coordinated beating

Motile cilia of multiciliated epithelial cells undergo synchronized beating to produce fluid flow along the luminal surface of various organs. Each motile cilium consists of an axoneme and a basal body, which are linked by a ‘transition zone’. The axoneme exhibits a characteristic 9+2 microtubule arrangement important for ciliary motion, but how this microtubule system is generated is not yet fully understood. Here we show that CAMSAP3, a protein that can stabilize the minus end of a microtubule, concentrates at multiple sites of the cilium–basal body complex, including the upper region of the transition zone or the axonemal basal plate where the central pair of microtubules (CP) initiates. CAMSAP3 dysfunction resulted in loss of the CP and partial distortion of the basal plate, as well as the failure of multicilia to undergo synchronized beating. These findings suggest that CAMSAP3 plays pivotal roles in the formation or stabilization of the CP by localizing at the basal region of the axoneme, and thereby supports the coordinated motion of multicilia in airway epithelial cells. [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text]

Improving Fusarium Basal Rot Resistance of Onion Cultivars through Artificial Inoculation and Selection of Mature Bulbs

Fusarium basal rot (FBR) of onion, caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cepae (FOC), results in a substantial storage loss of marketable bulbs. Seedling and field screening methods, which were used to generate FBR resistant long-day and intermediate-day onion cultivars, were found to be ineffective at increasing FBR resistance in short-day onion cultivars. This study attempted to improve the FBR resistance of seven commercial short-day onion cultivars and two check cultivars when evaluated at their mature bulb stage. Mature bulbs were artificially inoculated with 1 cm diameter potato dextrose agar plugs containing conidia of a virulent FOC isolate, CSC-515, at a concentration of 3 × 104 spore mL−1, after transversely cutting the basal plate tissue. Incubated bulbs, which had few or no FBR symptoms, were selected after 20 d using visual scoring, from 1 (no disease) to 9 (>70% basal plate is infected), and combined in seed production cages to produce the selected generation of a cultivar. Multiple cycles of phenotypic recurrent selection were conducted, and the resultant populations were compared with their respective original populations for FBR severity and incidence, from 2016 to 2019, using the same conidial inoculation method. A variable amount of progress was achieved in reducing FBR severity and incidence in the seven cultivars, with maximum improvement in the most advanced selected populations. FBR development in the advanced selected populations differed between mature bulbs of each entry and was influenced by yearly environmental variation. The progress of FOC infections was slower in resistant bulbs when compared to susceptible bulbs. These results indicated a partial or quantitative resistance against FBR. The partial FBR resistant cultivar populations could be used to develop synthetic short-day FBR resistant cultivars after multi-locational and multi-seasonal field trials. These populations could also be used to study the mechanism(s) of FBR resistance in onion, which has yet to be determined.

Comparing Visual and Image Analysis Techniques to Quantify Fusarium Basal Rot Severity in Mature Onion Bulbs

Development of resistant cultivars for Fusarium basal rot (FBR), a fungal disease caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cepae (FOC), is a major breeding goal for onion breeding programs around the world. Currently, the selection of FBR-resistant bulbs is based on a visual interval or category scale, which is an entirely subjective method. This study aimed to develop an objective approach using digital image analysis to quantify symptom development in the basal plate of dormant bulbs. Digital image analyses were performed after artificially inoculating dormant bulbs of eighty-five United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Allium cepa accessions with a virulent FOC isolate, ‘CSC-515’. An analysis with confocal microscopy identified bright blue–green autofluorescence from FOC-infected tissue, effectively differentiating diseased from healthy tissue. Visual scoring of the FBR symptom was aided by stereo fluorescence microscopic images captured using a green fluorescence protein dual filter to quantify accurately FBR severity in the basal plate tissue. An automatic stepwise image segmentation method was developed that was relatively more accurate than a visual estimation. This method exhibited comparable reliability and precision to visual scoring, but it tended to underestimate FOC infection. To our best knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study to investigate the potential use of image analysis as a viable alternative to conventional visual scoring for FBR symptom development. This method could be used for developing resistant cultivars for onion breeding programs in the near future.

Tracheal motile cilia require CAMSAP3 for formation of central microtubule pair and coordinated beating

Motile cilia of multiciliated epithelial cells undergo synchronized beating to produce fluid flow along the luminal surface of various organs. Each motile cilium consists of an axoneme and a basal body, which are linked by a ‘transition zone’. The axoneme exhibits a characteristic 9+2 microtubule arrangement important for ciliary motion, but how this microtubule system is generated is not yet fully understood. Here, using superresolution microscopy, we show that CAMSAP3, a protein that can stabilize the minus end of a microtubule, concentrates at multiple sites of the cilium-basal body complex, including the upper region of the transition zone or the axonemal basal plate where the central pair of microtubules (CP) terminates. CAMSAP3 dysfunction resulted in loss of the CP and partial distortion of the basal plate, as well as the failure of multicilia to undergo synchronized beating. These findings indicate that CAMSAP3 plays pivotal roles in the formation or stabilization of the CP, and thereby supports the coordinated motion of multicilia in airway epithelial cells.

The Lower Carboniferous blastoid Astrocrinus tetragonus Austin and Austin from Grassington, Yorkshire, and the validity of Astrocrinus benniei Etheridge

Despite surviving longer than any other blastozoans, blastoids were exceptionally conservative in their morphology and usually symmetrically pentaradiate. Astrocrinus is a rare exception that lacked a stem and some thecal plates, although differing interpretations of its morphology and taxonomy have been published. Astrocrinus had a flattened, tetralobate theca covered in minute spines, and with a plane of symmetry through the AB interray and the D ray. Four ambulacra are long, thin, and curved down deep sinuses between the thecal lobes to reach the basal surface. The D ambulacrum is short, broad and horizontal. Astrocrinus tetragonus was first described from the Carboniferous Limestone of Settle, Yorkshire. Here it is recorded for the first time from the Brigantian, near Grassington. The new specimens confirm that A. tetragonus had a single basal plate which is kite- shaped, entirely surrounded by four radials and separated from the D ray radial. Astrocrinus benniei was described from the Scottish Brigantian and its basal plate is elongate pentagonal with a short common suture with the D ray radial. Astrocrinus occurs in the Irish Asbian and Brigantian. To date, only A. tetragonus can be confirmed from Ireland.