Revisiting macronutrient regulation in the polyphagous herbivore Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): New insights via nutritional geometry

Insect herbivores that ingest protein and carbohydrates in physiologically-optimal proportions and concentrations show superior performance and fitness. The first-ever study of protein–carbohydrate regulation in an insect herbivore was performed using the polyphagous agricultural pest Helicoverpa zea. In that study, experimental final instar caterpillars were presented two diets – one containing protein but no carbohydrates, the other containing carbohydrates but no protein – and allowed to self-select their protein–carbohydrate intake. The results showed that H. zea selected a diet with a protein-to-carbohydrate (p:c) ratio of 4:1. At about this same time, the geometric framework (GF) for the study of nutrition was introduced. The GF is now established as the most rigorous means to study nutrient regulation (in any animal). It has been used to study protein–carbohydrate regulation in several lepidopteran species, which exhibit a range of self-selected p:c ratios between 0.8 and 1.5. Given the economic importance of H. zea, and it is extremely protein-biased p:c ratio of 4:1 relative to those reported for other lepidopterans, we decided to revisit its protein–carbohydrate regulation. Our results, using the experimental approach of the GF, show that H. zea larvae self-select a p:c ratio of 1.6:1. This p:c ratio strongly matches that of its close relative, Heliothis virescens, and is more consistent with self-selected p:c ratios reported for other lepidopterans. Having accurate protein and carbohydrate regulation information for an insect herbivore pest such as H. zea is valuable for two reasons. First, it can be used to better understand feeding patterns in the field, which might lead to enhanced management. Second, it will allow researchers to develop rearing diets that more accurately reflect larval nutritional needs, which has important implications for resistance bioassays and other measures of physiological stress.     

Towards a global terrestrial species monitoring program

The Convention on Biological Diversity's strategic plan lays out five goals: “(A) address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across government and society; (B) reduce the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use; (C) improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity; (D) enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystem services; (E) enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge management and capacity building.” To meet and inform on the progress towards these goals, a globally coordinated approach is needed for biodiversity monitoring that is linked to environmental data and covers all biogeographic regions. During a series of workshops and expert discussions, we identified nine requirements that we believe are necessary for developing and implementing such a global terrestrial species monitoring program. The program needs to design and implement an integrated information chain from monitoring to policy reporting, to create and implement minimal data standards and common monitoring protocols to be able to inform Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs), and to develop and optimize semantics and ontologies for data interoperability and modelling. In order to achieve this, the program needs to coordinate diverse but complementary local nodes and partnerships. In addition, capacities need to be built for technical tasks, and new monitoring technologies need to be integrated. Finally, a global monitoring program needs to facilitate and secure funding for the collection of long-term data and to detect and fill gaps in under-observed regions and taxa. The accomplishment of these nine requirements is essential in order to ensure data is comprehensive, to develop robust models, and to monitor biodiversity trends over large scales. A global terrestrial species monitoring program will enable researchers and policymakers to better understand the status and trends of biodiversity.     

Speed over efficiency: locusts select body temperatures that favour growth rate over efficient nutrient utilization

Ectotherms have evolved preferences for particular body temperatures, but the nutritional and life-history consequences of such temperature preferences are not well understood. We measured thermal preferences in Locusta migratoria (migratory locusts) and used a multi-factorial experimental design to investigate relationships between growth/development and macronutrient utilization (conversion of ingesta to body mass) as a function of temperature. A range of macronutrient intake values for insects at 26, 32 and 38°C was achieved by offering individuals high-protein diets, high-carbohydrate diets or a choice between both. Locusts placed in a thermal gradient selected temperatures near 38°C, maximizing rates of weight gain; however, this enhanced growth rate came at the cost of poor protein and carbohydrate utilization. Protein and carbohydrate were equally digested across temperature treatments, but once digested both macronutrients were converted to growth most efficiently at the intermediate temperature (32°C). Body temperature preference thus yielded maximal growth rates at the expense of efficient nutrient utilization.     

山区社会-生态系统转型测度——以三峡典型库区为例

三峡库区是集农村和山区为一体的社会-生态系统，研究其系统内部的相互作用和系统间的耦合转型有利于推动库区高质量的可持续发展。通过构建社会-生态系统耦合转型研究框架，采用地形位指数、耦合协调度模型等方法，以库区腹地草堂溪流域为例，揭示其社会-生态系统转型与否、转型路径的多样性及其驱动机制。结果表明：(1)2000—2020年三峡库区社会-生态系统数量-结构-功能均发生了显著变化，表明库区社会-生态系统发生了转型；(2)库区低地形位社会-生态系统表现为由社会生态型向生态经济型转变，中地形位表现为由生态社会型向生态主导、生态经济为辅转变，高地形位则表现为由生态调节型愈加趋向于生态主导型；(3)农户和政府需求变化是驱动社会-生态系统由传统耕地种植系统向新型经果林种植系统转型的根本因素；(4)研究方法证实对山区具有普适性，构建的研究框架较适合刻画山区社会-生态系统转型路径，在其他地方也能同样适用。     

Design and Implementation of a Pluggable Fault-Tolerant CORBA Infrastructure

In this paper we present the design and implementation of a Pluggable Fault-Tolerant CORBA Infrastructure that provides fault tolerance for CORBA applications by utilizing the pluggable protocols framework that most CORBA ORBs provide. Our approach does not require any modification to the CORBA ORB, and requires only minimal modification to the application. Moreover, it avoids the difficulty of retrieving and assigning the ORB state by embedding the fault tolerance mechanisms into the ORB. The Pluggable Fault-Tolerant CORBA Infrastructure exhibits similar or better performance than other Fault-Tolerant CORBA systems, while providing strong replica consistency.     

区县生态系统健康评价方法——以东莞市各镇区为例

现有城市生态系统健康研究多集中在城市及城市群层面，未能深入探究城市内部特征。鉴于此，聚焦区县生态系统健康状况，进一步探究城市内部的健康分布特征；提出了"发展水平-服务功能-抵御干扰-自我维育"四维区县生态系统健康评价框架，并建立了相应的多层级指标体系，构建了区县生态系统健康评价模型；在分析区县生态系统健康变化过程及空间分异特征的基础上，识别区县生态系统健康的主要贡献因子。针对东莞各镇区的研究结果表明：1995-2015年间，各镇区生态系统健康状态总体趋于恶化，其中西南地区生态系统的退化比东南地区更为明显。自我维育对各镇区生态系统健康变化具有重要影响，主要瓶颈在于快速发展过程中土地资源的稀缺及较低的利用效率。对区县生态系统健康的研究可以帮助决策者了解城市生态系统复杂的内部特征，在此基础上更好地平衡区域发展、维护城市生态系统健康。     

Novel multispecific heterodimeric antibody format allowing modular assembly of variable domain fragments

Multispecific antibody formats provide a promising platform for the development of novel therapeutic concepts that could facilitate the generation of safer, more effective pharmaceuticals. However, the production and use of such antibody-based multispecifics is often made complicated by: 1) the instability of the antibody fragments of which they consist, 2) undesired inter-subunit associations, and 3) the need to include recombinant heterodimerization domains that confer distribution-impairing bulk or enhance immunogenicity. In this paper, we describe a broadly-applicable method for the stabilization of human or humanized antibody Fv fragments that entails replacing framework region IV of a V_κ1/V_H3-consensus Fv framework with the corresponding germ-line sequence of a λ-type V_L chain. We then used this stable Fv framework to generate a novel heterodimeric multispecific antibody format that assembles by cognate V_L/V_H associations between 2 split variable domains in the core of the complex. This format, termed multispecific antibody-based therapeutics by cognate heterodimerization (MATCH), can be applied to produce homogeneous and highly stable antibody-derived molecules that simultaneously bind 4 distinct antigens. The heterodimeric design of the MATCH format allows efficient in-format screening of binding domain combinations that result in maximal cooperative activity.     

Using demographic model selection to untangle allopatric divergence and diversification mechanisms in the Rheum palmatum complex in the Eastern Asiatic Region

Allopatric divergence is often initiated by geological uplift and restriction to sky‐islands, climate oscillations, or river capture. However, it can be difficult to establish which mechanism was the most likely to generate the current phylogeographical structure of a species. Recently, genomic data in conjunction with a model testing framework have been applied to address this issue in animals. To test whether such an approach is also likely to be successful in plants, we used population genomic data of the Rheum palmatum complex from the Eastern Asiatic Region, in conjunction with biogeographical reconstruction and demographic model selection, to identify the potential mechanism(s) which have led to the current level of divergence. Our results indicate that the R. palmatum complex originated in the central Hengduan Mts and possibly in regions further east, and then dispersed westward and eastward resulting in genetically distinct lineages. Populations are likely to have diverged in refugia during climate oscillations followed by subsequent expansion and secondary contact. However, model simulations within the western lineage of the R. palmatum complex cannot reject a restriction to sky‐islands as a possible mechanism of diversification due to the genetically ambiguous position of one population. This highlights that genetically mixed populations might introduce ambiguity regarding the best diversification model in some cases. Although it might be possible to resolve this ambiguity using other data, sometimes this could prove to be difficult in complex biogeographical areas.