A new species and molecular phylogeny of Brazilian succulent Euphorbia sect. Brasilienses

A new species of Euphorbia sect. Brasilienses V.W. Steinm. & Dorsey is described. Euphorbia tetrangularis Hurbath & Cordeiro is endemic to the Serra de Montevidéu, a part of the Espinhaço Range located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It differs from other species within the section based on the following characters: 4-ribbed branches, green cyathia, and green cyathial glands with erect appendages. This new species would qualify as critically endangered (CR) according to IUCN criteria. An inferred phylogeny based on a combined dataset of nuclear (ITS1) and plastid regions (psbA-trnH, trnC-ycf6, matK, atpI-atpH, psbJ-petA, trnQ-rps16?×?1) confirms the monophyly of Euphorbia sect. Brasilienses and supports the recognition of E. tetrangularis. The phylogeny also suggests that this group probably underwent a recent radiation.     

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Surface Microlayer of Lake Baikal during Wildfires and Naphthalene-degrading Strains from the Bacterioneuston

Microbiology - The summer of 2015 was characterized by a large number of forest fires along the coastline of Lake Baikal. The concentrations of all analyzed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)...     

Diversity and Physiological and Biochemical Properties of Heterotrophic Bacteria Isolated from Lake Baikal Epilithic Biofilms

Microbiology - A total of 170 heterotrophic bacterial strains were isolated from Lake Baikal epilithic biofilms. Identification of the isolates was carried out using the 16S rRNA gene sequencing...     

Intramolecular complementing mutations in tobacco mosaic virus movement protein confirm a role for microtubule association in viral RNA transport

The movement protein (MP) of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) facilitates the cell-to-cell transport of the viral RNA genome through plasmodesmata (Pd). A previous report described the functional reversion of a dysfunctional mutation in MP (Pro81Ser) by two additional amino acid substitution mutations (Thr104Ile and Arg167Lys). To further explore the mechanism underlying this intramolecular complementation event, the mutations were introduced into a virus derivative expressing the MP as a fusion to green fluorescent protein (GFP). Microscopic analysis of infected protoplasts and of infection sites in leaves of MP-transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana indicates that MP(P81S)-GFP and MP(P81S;T104I;R167K)-GFP differ in subcellular distribution. MP(P81S)-GFP lacks specific sites of accumulation in protoplasts and, in epidermal cells, exclusively localizes to Pd. MP(P81S;T104I;R167K)-GFP, in contrast, in addition localizes to inclusion bodies and microtubules and thus exhibits a subcellular localization pattern that is similar, if not identical, to the pattern reported for wild-type MP-GFP. Since accumulation of MP to inclusion bodies is not required for function, these observations confirm a role for microtubules in TMV RNA cell-to-cell transport.     

2-color photobleaching experiments reveal distinct intracellular dynamics of two components of the Hsp90 complex

The abundant molecular chaperone Hsp90 functions in association with co-chaperones including p23 to promote the folding and maturation of a subset of cytosolic proteins. "Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching" (FRAP) experiments showed that the dynamics of p23 in live cells is dictated by Hsp90. Since Hsp90 is present in large excess over p23, the mobility of Hsp90 could conceivably be quite different. To facilitate the analysis and to allow a direct comparison with p23, we developed a 2-color FRAP technique. Two test proteins are expressed as fusion proteins with the two spectrally separable fluorescent proteins mCherry and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). The 2-color FRAP technique is powerful for the concomitant recording of two proteins located in the same area of a cell, two components of the same protein complex, or mutant and wild-type versions of the same protein under identical experimental conditions. 2-color FRAP of Hsp90 and p23 is virtually indistinguishable, consistent with the notion that they are both engaged in a multitude of large protein complexes. However, when Hsp90-p23 complexes are disrupted by the Hsp90 inhibitor geldanamycin, p23 moves by free diffusion while Hsp90 maintains its low mobility because it remains bound in remodeled multicomponent complexes.     

Landscape and weather determinants of prey availability: implications for the Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni

Spatial and temporal variation in prey abundance have been shown to impact the time of breeding and breeding success of birds. Understanding the ecological requirements of preferred prey can help develop management measures to improve food supply for target species. For the colonial Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni, mole crickets Gryllotalpa spp. are one of the most important prey items during the mate‐feeding period. Lesser Kestrel colonies with higher mole cricket consumption had earlier egg‐laying dates, suggesting that differences between individuals in the time of breeding could be caused by differences in the diet. Moreover, the mean number of mole crickets in pellets was significantly correlated with clutch size (in one of the studied years) and egg volume. Thus, the impact of environmental variables and land use on mole crickets is likely to be relevant to Lesser Kestrel conservation. Weekly consumption of mole crickets was higher following an increase in either precipitation or minimum temperature values. Furthermore, mole cricket consumption was higher in colonies surrounded by higher quality soils and in wetter areas and years. Predicted probability of mole cricket occurrence in surveyed watercourse margins suggested a positive relationship between soil penetrability and mole cricket occurrence. Among variables that might be the target of management, the presence of riparian vegetation positively influenced the occurrence of mole crickets, whilst tillage and sowing of streambeds were revealed as the most important threats. We suggest that the maintenance of native vegetation in the margins of watercourses could improve soil resilience to erosion, increase water retention, soil penetrability and fertility, and provide a food supply and shelter for mole crickets. Overall, the implementation of such recommendations is likely to benefit other farmland species known to consume mole crickets, including several endangered species.     

Early intervention in psychosis: concepts,evidence and future directions

The rise of the early intervention paradigm in psychotic disorders represents a maturing of the therapeutic approach in psychiatry, as it embraces practical preventive strategies which are firmly established in mainstream health care. Early intervention means better access and systematic early delivery of existing and incremental improvements in knowledge rather than necessarily requiring dramatic and elusive breakthroughs. A clinical staging model has proven useful and may have wider utility in psychiatry. The earliest clinical stages of psychotic disorder are non-specific and multidimensional and overlap phenotypically with the initial stages of other disorders. This implies that treatment should proceed in a stepwise fashion depending upon safety, response and progression. Withholding treatment until severe and less reversible symptomatic and functional impairment have become entrenched represents a failure of care. While early intervention in psychosis has developed strongly in recent years, many countries have made no progress at all, and others have achieved only sparse coverage. The reform process has been substantially evidence-based, arguably more so than other system reforms in mental health. However, while evidence is necessary, it is insufficient. It is also a by-product as well as a catalyst of reform. In early psychosis, we have also seen the evidence-based paradigm misused to frustrate overdue reform. Mental disorders are the chronic diseases of the young, with their onset and maximum impact in late adolescence and early adult life. A broader focus for early intervention would solve many of the second order issues raised by the early psychosis reform process, such as diagnostic uncertainty despite a clear-cut need for care, stigma and engagement, and should be more effective in mobilizing community support. Early intervention represents a vital and challenging project for early adopters in global psychiatry to consider.     

Honeybee‐assisted wind pollination in bamboo Phyllostachys nidularia (Bambusoideae: Poaceae)?

Floral syndromes and pollination of three species of Phyllostachys bamboos were studied in Central China in 1999 and 2000. All were protogynous. Stigmas were receptive and had pollen deposited on them 2 days before anther dehiscence. The period of anthesis in the three bamboos was 3 days. Individual pollen grains of the three species were similar in size (30–40 μm in diameter) and had features typical of wind-pollinated plants. The ratios of pollen to ovules (p/o ratio) in P . nidularia , P . heteroclada and P . nuda were 6500, 12 700 and 33 000, respectively. Mean pollen loads on each flower (one ovule) of these three species were 7.3, 8.8 and 9.4 grains, respectively. Pollen transfer in P . heteroclada and P . nuda depended on wind, and no flower visitors were seen in the field. However, in P . nidularia , Apis cerana Fab. was a frequent pollen collector observed from 1200 to 1330 h. The visits undertaken by thousands of honeybees resulted in a large number of pollen grains being released from the anthers in a short time (10–15 min) in one day, which accelerated and synchronized the release of pollen from the anthers that seemed to enhance the chance of pollination. Given that honeybees played an indirect role in pollen transfer this could partly explain the low p/o ratio in P . nidularia . Reviewing the literature, we found insect visits to flowers of bamboos were not infrequent phenomena. We suggest pollination efficiency should be considered as one selective factor in attempts to understand mast flowering in bamboo. © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2002, 138 , 1–7.