Use of Mangroves by Lemurs

Despite an increasing recognition of the ecosystem services provided by mangroves, we know little about their role in maintaining terrestrial biodiversity, including primates. Madagascar’s lemurs are a top global conservation priority, with 94 % of species threatened with extinction, but records of their occurrence in mangroves are scarce. I used a mixed-methods approach to collect published and unpublished observations of lemurs in mangroves: I carried out a systematic literature search and supplemented this with a targeted information request to 1243 researchers, conservation and tourism professionals, and others who may have visited mangroves in Madagascar. I found references to, or observations of, at least 23 species in 5 families using mangroves, representing >20% of lemur species and >50% of species whose distributions include mangrove areas. Lemurs used mangroves for foraging, sleeping, and traveling between terrestrial forest patches, and some were observed as much as 3 km from the nearest permanently dry land. However, most records were anecdotal and thus tell us little about lemur ecology in this habitat. Mangroves are more widely used by lemurs than has previously been recognized and merit greater attention from primate researchers and conservationists in Madagascar.     

Twin Screw Extruders as Continuous Mixers for Thermal Processing: a Technical and Historical Perspective

Developed approximately 100 years ago for natural rubber/plastics applications, processes via twin screw extrusion (TSE) now generate some of the most cutting-edge drug delivery systems available. After 25 or so years of usage in pharmaceutical environments, it has become evident why TSE processing offers significant advantages as compared to other manufacturing techniques. The well-characterized nature of the TSE process lends itself to ease of scale-up and process optimization while also affording the benefits of continuous manufacturing. Interestingly, the evolution of twin screw extrusion for pharmaceutical products has followed a similar path as previously trodden by plastics processing pioneers. Almost every plastic has been processed at some stage in the manufacturing train on a twin screw extruder, which is utilized to mix materials together to impart desired properties into a final part. The evolution of processing via TSEs since the early/mid 1900s is recounted for plastics and also for pharmaceuticals from the late 1980s until today. The similarities are apparent. The basic theory and development of continuous mixing via corotating and counterrotating TSEs for plastics and drug is also described. The similarities between plastics and pharmaceutical applications are striking. The superior mixing characteristics inherent with a TSE have allowed this device to dominate other continuous mixers and spurred intensive development efforts and experimentation that spawned highly engineered formulations for the commodity and high-tech plastic products we use every day. Today, twin screw extrusion is a battle hardened, well-proven, manufacturing process that has been validated in 24-h/day industrial settings. The same thing is happening today with new extrusion technologies being applied to advanced drug delivery systems to facilitate commodity, targeted, and alternative delivery systems. It seems that the “extrusion evolution” will continue for wide-ranging pharmaceutical products.     

Type III-A CRISPR-Cas Csm Complexes: Assembly,Periodic RNA Cleavage,DNase Activity Regulation,and Autoimmunity

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Large-scale evaluation of candidate genes identifies associations between VEGF polymorphisms and bladder cancer risk

Common genetic variation could alter the risk for developing bladder cancer. We conducted a large-scale evaluation of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate genes for cancer to identify common variants that influence bladder cancer risk. An Illumina GoldenGate assay was used to genotype 1,433 SNPs within or near 386 genes in 1,086 cases and 1,033 controls in Spain. The most significant finding was in the 5′ UTR of VEGF (rs25648, p for likelihood ratio test, 2 degrees of freedom = 1 × 10⁻⁵). To further investigate the region, we analyzed 29 additional SNPs in VEGF, selected to saturate the promoter and 5′ UTR and to tag common genetic variation in this gene. Three additional SNPs in the promoter region (rs833052, rs1109324, and rs1547651) were associated with increased risk for bladder cancer: odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 2.52 (1.06–5.97), 2.74 (1.26–5.98), and 3.02 (1.36–6.63), respectively; and a polymorphism in intron 2 (rs3024994) was associated with reduced risk: 0.65 (0.46–0.91). Two of the promoter SNPs and the intron 2 SNP showed linkage disequilibrium with rs25648. Haplotype analyses revealed three blocks of linkage disequilibrium with significant associations for two blocks including the promoter and 5′ UTR (global p = 0.02 and 0.009, respectively). These findings are biologically plausible since VEGF is critical in angiogenesis, which is important for tumor growth, its elevated expression in bladder tumors correlates with tumor progression, and specific 5′ UTR haplotypes have been shown to influence promoter activity. Associations between bladder cancer risk and other genes in this report were not robust based on false discovery rate calculations. In conclusion, this large-scale evaluation of candidate cancer genes has identified common genetic variants in the regulatory regions of VEGF that could be associated with bladder cancer risk.     

Does experimental evolution produce better biological control agents? A critical review of the evidence

Biological control of crop pests is considered a good alternative or complement to the use of pesticides. However, legislation restricts the importation of natural enemies of pests. A potential way to circumvent this limitation is by using experimental evolution and/or artificial selection to improve native biological control agents. Here, we review studies that have used these methodologies and evaluate their success. Experimental evolution or artificial selection has been used on a wide range of traits, with most focusing on improving the performance of natural enemies in ecologically relevant environments, such as in the presence of pesticides or at different temperatures. Although most studies were poorly replicated, the selected traits generally improved following the selection process. However, correlated responses (often in the form of trade‐offs) with other traits of interest were common. We suggest that the selection procedure can be improved by increasing replication and performing experimental evolution under more semi‐natural environments, to ensure that the most useful traits are being selected.     

Genetic analysis of the Linnaean Ulva lactuca (Ulvales,Chlorophyta) holotype and related type specimens reveals name misapplications,unexpected origins,and new synonymies

Current usage of the name Ulva lactuca, the generitype of Ulva, remains uncertain. Genetic analyses were performed on the U. lactuca Linnaean holotype, the U. fasciata epitype, the U. fenestrata holotype, the U. lobata lectotype, and the U. stipitata lectotype. The U. lactuca holotype is nearly identical in rbcL sequence to the epitype of U. fasciata, a warm temperate to tropical species, rather than the cold temperate species to which the name U. lactuca has generally been applied. We hypothesize that the holotype specimen of U. lactuca came from the Indo‐Pacific rather than northern Europe. Our analyses indicate that U. fasciata and U. lobata are heterotypic synonyms of U. lactuca. Ulva fenestrata is the earliest name for northern hemisphere, cold temperate Atlantic and Pacific species, with U. stipitata a junior synonym. DNA sequencing of type specimens provides an unequivocal method for applying names to Ulva species.     

Introduced cats Felis catus eating a continental fauna: inventory and traits of Australian mammal species killed

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