Bifungites, trace fossils from Devonian-Mississippian rocks of Pennsylvania and Montana,U.S.A

The trace fossil Bifungites Desio 1940, first recognized in Late Devonian rocks of Libya and later in Algeria, is common in Late Devonian rocks of Montana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan, and Early Mississippian rocks of Pennsylvania. Its manifestations are given for seven stratigraphic units from forty localities in Pennsylvania, Montana, and Michigan.Bifungites commonly occur on bedding planes and consist of a horizontal shaft with doubly terminating arrow- or dumb-bell-shaped projections. Less apparent are paired vertical cylindrical sediment-filled tubes connected at their base to the bi-arrow or dumb-bell shaft. The combination represents the mud or silt casting of an inverted pi-shaped, μ, infaunal tubular burrow (domichnia). Siltstone slabs have been transversely sectioned to reveal this π-shaped, double-arrow burrow pattern with undisturbed stratification between the vertical tubes.Three new ichnospecies are proposed based on markedly different size and shape of the fossil traces in three stratigraphic zones. A Late Devonian Girard Shale type is the smallest with wide, short arrows on a narrow shaft whose median overall length is 12.5 mm. The latest Devonian Sappington type has well-formed, shortly barbed arrow terminations and median length of 28 mm. An Early Mississippian Meadville type is the largest with median length of 36 mm and prominently barbed broad arrows.The Bifungites organism is unrecognized but it was probably a sedentary, soft-bodied, infaunal suspension-feeding animal inhabiting shallow nearshore marine and brackish water environments. The identified biota directly or indirectly associated with Bifungites is extremely limited to a few brachiopods, clams, and other trace fossils.     

A correlation between BCL-2 modifying factor,p53 and livin gene expressions in cancer colon patients

Accumulating evidence has revealed that livin gene and BCL-2 modifying factor (BMF) gene are closely associated with the initiation and progression of colon carcinoma by activating or suppressing multiple malignant processes. Those genes that can detect colon - cancer are a promising approach for cancer screening and diagnosis. This study aimed to evaluate correlation between livin, BMF and p53 genes expression in colon cancer tissues of patients included in the study, and their relationship with clinicopathological features and survival outcome in those patients. In this study, 50 pathologically diagnosed early cancer colon patients included and their tissue biopsy with 50 matched adjacent normal tissue, and 50 adenoma tissue specimens were analyzed for livin gene and BMF gene expressions using real time PCR. The relationship of those genes expressions with clinicopathological features, tumor markers, Time to Progression and overall survival for those patients were correlated in cancer colon group. In this study, there was a significant a reciprocal relationship between over expression of livin gene and down regulation of BMF and p53 genes in colon cancer cells. Livin mRNA was significantly higher, while BMF and p53 mRNA were significantly lower in colorectal cancer tissue compared to benign and normal colon tissue specimens (P < 0.001), however, this finding was absent between colon adenomas and normal mucosa. There was a significant association between up regulation of livin and down regulation of BMF and p53 expressions with more aggressive tumor (advanced TNM stage), rapid progression with metastasis and decreased overall survival in cancer colon patients, hence these genes can serve as significant prognostic markers of poor outcome in colon cancer patients. This work highlights the role of livin, BMF and p53 genes in colorectal tumorigenesis and the applicability of using those genes as a diagnostic and prognostic markers in patients with colon carcinoma and as a good target for cancer colon treatment in the future.     

Biocides formulation of essential oils having antimicrobial activity

Essential oils of fennel, peppermint, caraway, eucalyptus, geranium and lemon were tested for their antimicrobial activities against some plant pathogenic micro-organisms (Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternate, Penicilium italicum Penicilium digitatum and Botyritus cinerea). Essential oils of fennel, peppermint, caraway were selected as an active ingredient for the formulation of biocides due to their efficiency in controlling the tested micro-organisms. Successful emulsifiable concentrates (biocides) were prepared from these oils using different emulsifiers (Emulgator B.L.M. Tween20 and Tween80) and different fixed oils (sesame, olive, cotton and soybean oils). Physico-chemical properties of the formulated biocide (spontaneous emulsification, emulsion stability test, cold stability and heat stability tests as well as viscosity, surface tension and pH) were measured. The prepared biocides were ready to be tested for application in a future work as a safe pesticide against different pathogens.     

Metagenomic insights into strategies of carbon conservation and unusual sulfur biogeochemistry in a hypersaline Antarctic lake

Organic Lake is a shallow, marine-derived hypersaline lake in the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica that has the highest reported concentration of dimethylsulfide (DMS) in a natural body of water. To determine the composition and functional potential of the microbial community and learn about the unusual sulfur chemistry in Organic Lake, shotgun metagenomics was performed on size-fractionated samples collected along a depth profile. Eucaryal phytoflagellates were the main photosynthetic organisms. Bacteria were dominated by the globally distributed heterotrophic taxa Marinobacter, Roseovarius and Psychroflexus. The dominance of heterotrophic degradation, coupled with low fixation potential, indicates possible net carbon loss. However, abundant marker genes for aerobic anoxygenic phototrophy, sulfur oxidation, rhodopsins and CO oxidation were also linked to the dominant heterotrophic bacteria, and indicate the use of photo- and lithoheterotrophy as mechanisms for conserving organic carbon. Similarly, a high genetic potential for the recycling of nitrogen compounds likely functions to retain fixed nitrogen in the lake. Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) lyase genes were abundant, indicating that DMSP is a significant carbon and energy source. Unlike marine environments, DMSP demethylases were less abundant, indicating that DMSP cleavage is the likely source of high DMS concentration. DMSP cleavage, carbon mixotrophy (photoheterotrophy and lithoheterotrophy) and nitrogen remineralization by dominant Organic Lake bacteria are potentially important adaptations to nutrient constraints. In particular, carbon mixotrophy relieves the extent of carbon oxidation for energy production, allowing more carbon to be used for biosynthetic processes. The study sheds light on how the microbial community has adapted to this unique Antarctic lake environment.     

Assessing bee species richness in two Mediterranean communities: importance of habitat type and sampling techniques

The decline of bees has raised concerns regarding their conservation and the maintenance of ecosystem services they provide to bee-pollinated wild flowers and crops. Although the Mediterranean region is a hotspot for bee species richness, their status remains poorly studied. There is an urgent need for cost-effective, reliable, and unbiased sampling methods that give good bee species richness estimates. This study aims: (a) to assess bee species richness in two common Mediterranean habitat types: semi-natural scrub (phrygana) and managed olive groves; (b) to compare species richness in those systems to that of other biogeographic regions, and (c) to assess whether six different sampling methods (pan traps, variable and standardized transect walks, observation plots and trap nests), previously tested in other European biogeographic regions, are suitable in Mediterranean communities. Eight study sites, four per habitat type, were selected on the island of Lesvos, Greece. The species richness observed was high compared to other habitat types worldwide for which comparable data exist. Pan traps collected the highest proportion of the total bee species richness across all methods at the scale of a study site. Variable and standardized transect walks detected the highest total richness over all eight study sites. Trap nests and observation plots detected only a limited fraction of the bee species richness. To assess the total bee species richness in bee diversity hotspots, such as the studied habitats, we suggest a combination of transect walks conducted by trained bee collectors and pan trap sampling.     

The potential for adaptive evolution of pollen grain size in Mimulus guttatus

We tested whether pollen grain size (PGS) shows heritable variation in three independent populations of Mimulus guttatus by imposing artificial selection for this character. In addition, we looked for correlated responses to selection in a range of 15 other floral characters. Heritable variation in PGS was found in all three populations, with heritabilities of between 19 and 40% (average 30%). After three generations, upward and downward lines differed on average by 30% in pollen volume. No consistent patterns of correlated response were found in other characters, indicating that PGS can respond to selective forces acting on PGS alone. Possible selection mechanisms on PGS in this species could include intermale selection, if large pollen grains produce more competitive gametophytes; or optimization of patterns of resource allocation, if local mate competition varies.     

Spatial characteristics of newly diagnosed grade 3 glioma assessed by magnetic resonance metabolic and diffusion tensor imaging

The spatial heterogeneity in magnetic resonance (MR) metabolic and diffusion parameters and their relationship were studied for patients with treatment-naive grade 3 gliomas. MR data were evaluated from 51 patients with newly diagnosed grade 3 gliomas. Anatomic, diffusion, and metabolic imaging data were considered. Variations in metabolite levels, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and fractional anisotropy (FA) were evaluated in regions of gadolinium enhancement and T2 hyperintensity as well as regions with abnormal metabolic signatures. Contrast enhancement was present in only 21 of the 51 patients. When present, the enhancing component of the lesion had higher choline-to-N-acetylaspartate index (CNI), higher choline, lower N-acetylaspartate, similar creatine, similar ADC and FA, and higher lactate/lipid than the nonenhancing lesion. Regions with CNI ≥ 4 had higher choline, lower N-acetylaspartate, higher lactate/lipid, higher ADC, and lower FA than normal-appearing white matter and regions with intermediate CNI values. For lesions that exhibited gadolinium enhancement, the metabolite levels and diffusion parameters in the region of enhancement were consistent with it corresponding to the most abnormal portion of the tumor. For nonenhancing lesions, areas with CNI ≥ 4 were the most abnormal in metabolic and diffusion parameters. This suggests that the region with the highest CNI might provide a good target for biopsies for nonenhancing lesions to obtain a representative histologic diagnosis of its degree of malignancy. Metabolic and diffusion parameter levels may be of interest not only for directing tissue sampling but also for defining the targets for focal therapy and assessing response to therapy.