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An In Silico Approach to Discover Efficient Natural Inhibitors to Tie Up Epstein–Barr Virus Infection
No full textEpstein–Barr virus (EBV), also known as human herpesvirus 4, is a member of the herpes virus family. EBV is a widespread virus and causes infectious mononucleosis, which manifests with symptoms such as fever, fatigue, lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and hepatomegaly. Additionally, EBV is associated with different lymphocyte-associated non-malignant, premalignant, and malignant diseases. So far, no effective treatment or therapeutic drug is known for EBV-induced infections and diseases. This study investigated natural compounds that inhibit EBV glycoprotein L (gL) and block EBV fusion in host cells. We utilised computational approaches, including molecular docking, in silico ADMET analysis, and molecular dynamics simulation. We docked 628 natural compounds against gL and identified the four best compounds based on binding scores and pharmacokinetic properties. These four compounds, with PubChem CIDs 4835509 (CHx-HHPD-Ac), 2870247 (Cyh-GlcNAc), 21206004 (Hep-HHPD-Ac), and 51066638 (Und-GlcNAc), showed several interactions with EBV gL. However, molecular dynamics simulations indicated that the protein–ligand complexes of CID: 4835509 (CHx-HHPD-Ac) and CID: 2870247 (Cyh-GlcNAc) are more stable than those of the other two compounds. Therefore, CIDs 4835509 and 2870247 (Cyh-GlcNAc) may be potent natural inhibitors of EBV infection. These findings can open a new way for effective drug design against EBV and its associated infections and diseases
Wind effects on individual male and female Bactrocera jarvisi (Diptera: Tephritidae) tracked using harmonic radar
No full textWind affects the movement of most volant insects. While the effects of wind on dispersal are relatively well understood at the population level, how wind influences the movement parameters of individual insects in the wild is less clear. Tephritid fruit flies, such as Bactrocera jarvisi, are major horticultural pests worldwide and while most tephritids are nondispersive when host plants are plentiful, records exist for potentially wind-assisted movements up to 200 km. In this study, harmonic radar (HR) was used to track the movements of both male and female lab-reared B. jarvisi in a papaya field. Overall flight directions were found to be correlated with wind direction, as were the subset of between-tree movements, while within-tree movements were not. Furthermore, the effect of wind direction on fly trajectories varied by step-distance but not strongly with wind speed. Mean path distance, step distance, flight direction, turning angle, and flight propensity did not vary by sex. Both male and female movements are well fit by 2-state hidden Markov models further supporting the observation that B. jarvisi move differently within (short steps with random direction) and between (longer more directional steps) trees. Data on flight directionality and step-distances determined in this study provide parameters for models that may help enhance current surveillance, control, and eradication methods, such as optimizing trap placements and pesticide applications, determining release sites for parasitoids, and setting quarantine boundaries after incursions
The ‘Pylus complex’ sensu Opitz revisited (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Korynetinae): non-homogeneity of its genera addressed by alternative species-assignment hypothesis
No full textApparent superficial non-homogeneity of species assigned to the genera Apopylus Kolibáč, Fallopylus Opitz and Pylus Newman prompted reassessment of genus characters and species assignment of those genera plus Parapylus Blackburn and Pseudopylus Opitz, all of which were defined by Opitz (2015) primarily on the number of tibial spurs. Morphological investigation resulted in discovery of suites of correlating character state pairs providing more robust evidence for monophyly of the genera under study than tibial spurs alone. On this basis, genus definitions were revised, and species assigned accordingly to the newly defined genera. Taxonomic changes proposed include synonymy of Fallopylus Opitz, 2012 new synonym and Pseudopylus Opitz, 2012 new synonym with Pylus Newman, 1841, plus the following new combinations: Apopylus astrictus (Opitz, 2015) new combination (transferred from Fallopylus); Apopylus creperus (Opitz, 2015) new combination (transferred from Fallopylus); Apopylus leptofustus (Opitz, 2015) new combination (transferred from Fallopylus); Apopylus redactus (Opitz, 2015) new combination (transferred from Fallopylus); Pylus apterus (Opitz, 2015) new combination (transferred from Pseudopylus); Pylus cavus (Opitz, 2015) new combination (transferred from Fallopylus); Pylus cruslumus (Opitz, 2015) new combination (transferred from Apopylus); Pylus kolibaci (Opitz, 2015) new combination (transferred from Apopylus); Pylus nactus (Opitz, 2015) new combination (transferred from Apopylus). Pylus okei Elston, 1929 and Pylus pallipes Macleay, 1872 are returned to their original combinations from Apopylus and Fallopylus respectively. In addition to evidence for the monophyly of genera being based on more robust lines of morphological evidence, the newly defined genera are also more obviously homogenous, with superficially similar looking insects now grouped together. Copyright © 2024 Magnolia Press
Predicting Wood Density Using Resistance Drilling: The Effect of Instrument and Operator
Get PDFThe IML PD series Resi is an instrument designed to measure the drilling resistance of wood. Use of the IML PD series Resi instrument is rapidly becoming a routine method among Australian forest plantation growers for wood quality assessments. The major driver in the commercial uptake of the IML Resi is that it is fast, cheap, and sufficiently precise for commercial use, particularly when the data are processed through a user-friendly, web-based processor. This study examined whether the accuracy of wood density predictions was impacted by the use of different Resi tools and different operators, which has never been examined before. Seven Resi instruments were evaluated across six sites with two operators on plantation-grown Southern Pine (Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis (Sénéclauze) or hybrids between Pinus elliottii var. elliottii (Engelm) × P. caribaea var. hondurensis) trees. Two types of Resi instruments were used (IML Resi PD-400 and IML Resi PD-500), and all had been recently serviced or were new. The instruments were operated by experienced operators. Constant sampling conditions of feed speed 200 cm/min and 3500 RPM were used. The order of instrument use, and hence the order of operator assessment at each site, was randomized. The variance between Resi instruments was small. The measured mean basic density of 50 mm outerwood cores across all plots was 542 kg/m3, while Resi-predicted basic density varied among instruments between 535 and 547 kg/m3. One Resi instrument underpredicted basic density by 9 kg/m3 and another overpredicted by 5 kg/m3. The operator had no effect on the basic density prediction. Resi PD400 or PD500 instruments gave similar basic density predictions
Investigating the effects of the male lures cue-lure and zingerone on gene expression in Bactrocera tryoni and Bactrocera jarvisi (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Get PDFTrue fruit flies are a globally significant group of insect pest species capable of severely damaging commercial crops, and thus they are actively managed. Plant secondary metabolites, including methyl eugenol, cue-lure, and zingerone, elicit a positive response in male fruit flies. These male lures are employed in trapping fruit flies, either for monitoring purposes or as part of a male annihilation technique aimed at suppressing the population of fruit flies. Research has demonstrated that male lures can have various biological effects in fruit flies, and that these effects can vary between and within species and lure types. Not only does investigating these effects improve the understanding of the complex relationship between male lures and fruit flies, but this knowledge has potential applications in pest management strategies for advantageously modifying fruit fly biology. The use of transcriptomics in this field is relatively limited, therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of lure feeding on gene expression across different lures, species, and generations. Two separate studies were conducted, the first investigated differential gene expression in Bactrocera tryoni and Bactrocera jarvisi fed cue-lure and zingerone, and the second investigated differential gene expression in B. tryoni fed cue-lure and their offspring. To our knowledge, this is the first report of viral upregulation in a fruit fly in response to a lure; across both studies iflavirus transcripts were found upregulated in cue-lure fed B. tryoni. In the first study, 262 genes were differentially expressed in cue-lure fed B. tryoni, 238 in zingerone fed B. tryoni, 159 in cue-lure fed B. jarvisi, and 176 in zingerone fed B. jarvisi. Transposable element-related genes were differentially expressed in all treatments and differentially expressed sensory-related genes (e.g. general odorant binding protein 56a-like and general odorant binding protein 99a-like) varied across lure type and species. In the second study, 282 genes were differentially expressed in cue-lure fed flies in B. tryoni parents and 102 in their offspring. Across cue-lure fed parents and offspring, 39 genes were consistently differentially expressed, indicating that these genes could be involved in the generational effects of cue-lure in B. tryoni. These two studies have been able to provide new insights into the effects of male lures at the gene expression level and identify candidate genes for further functional analyses. These results will help improve the understanding of male lures in fruit flies and may have implications in pest management
A best way forward to the organisation of entomological training courses in sub-Saharan Africa
No full textDespite their significant impact on human life in the Afrotropical Region, Diptera remain understudied. For a large part this is due to a lack of Diptera taxonomic experts and collection curators from the Afrotropical Region (except for South Africa perhaps), the difficulties some developing countries face in maintaining collections, and the low number of digitised specimens. This impedes the use of these Diptera collections for identification services, taxonomic and phylogenetic research, and other biological research areas. The dire need for knowledge transfer and training of young and emerging entomologists in the Afrotropical Region has prompted the Royal Museum for Central Africa and collaborating institutes to organise entomological training courses in the Afrotropical Region. The training courses take place in Africa, in strategic locations, cover a period of ten working days, are taught in English, and are free of cost to participants and lecturers. Here, we first provide a brief history of the evolution of the training courses. Second, we give a short description of the gender, age, educational and professional profile of the applicants and participants of the training courses. Third, we provide as much information as possible on all aspects of the organisation of the training courses. All information is freely available and documents are provided in Word or Excel format to facilitate future use by others. It is to be hoped that this information shall stimulate and facilitate the organisation of other entomological (or similar) training courses in the Afrotropical Region and other biogeographical regions. Such training courses will stimulate South-South networks for entomology research and the simultaneous training of participants with a different educational or professional background might foster collaborations between universities, other scientific institutes in postgraduate training and research. They may also initiate collaboration between scientific institutes and those involved in management, policy making, outreach, or implementation of legal procedures. We believe that this kind of training courses presents a best way forward in the organisation of similar capacity building activities that will contribute to a sustainable network of entomologists. Finally, these training courses may be one of the many possible ways to reduce the gender inequality gap in biological sciences in the Afrotropical Region
Using Mutation Breeding to Improve the Eating Characteristics of the Fusarium Wilt-Resistant Banana Variety, ‘Goldfinger’ (AAAB)
Get PDFBanana production in Australia is under threat from Fusarium wilt Tropical Race 4 (TR4), and the option of growing a disease-resistant variety is sought after by many farmers. Goldfinger is one such alternative; however, it was previously rejected by Australian consumers. In Phase I of this investigation, mutagenesis was employed as a practical method to generate large numbers of novel variants. In Phase II, 631 variants were established in a field trial where agronomic and postharvest assessments, including taste-testing, identified 20 improved selections. Phase III involved a replicated field evaluation of the selections with favourable mutations, where further taste-testing revealed five selections with the most promising eating characteristics. In Phase IV, the five selections underwent large-scale consumer and sensory evaluations where four of them performed as well as the industry standard controls ‘Williams’ Cavendish and Lady Finger. The sensory analysis revealed differences in the fruit flavour profile and textural attributes, and these features will play a key role in bringing a new banana variety to market and for promotion to consumers. Screening of the variants’ resistance to yellow Sigatoka was integrated into the project, but further work is needed to ensure these four selections have retained their TR4 resistance
LiDAR-Guided Cross-Attention Fusion for Hyperspectral Band Selection and Image Classification
Get PDFThe fusion of hyperspectral and light detection and range (LiDAR) data has been an active research topic. Existing fusion methods have ignored the high-dimensionality and redundancy challenges in hyperspectral images (HSIs), despite that band selection methods have been intensively studied for HSI processing. This article addresses this significant gap by introducing a cross-attention mechanism from the transformer architecture for the selection of HSI bands guided by LiDAR data. LiDAR provides high-resolution vertical structural information, which can be useful in distinguishing different types of land cover that may have similar spectral signatures but different structural profiles. In our approach, the LiDAR data are used as the “query” to search and identify the “key” from the HSI to choose the most pertinent bands for LiDAR. This method ensures that the selected HSI bands drastically reduce redundancy and computational requirements while working optimally with the LiDAR data. Extensive experiments have been undertaken on three paired HSI and LiDAR datasets: Houston 2013, Trento, and MUUFL. The results highlight the superiority of the cross-attention mechanism, underlining the enhanced classification accuracy of the identified HSI bands when fused with the LiDAR features. The results also show that the use of fewer bands combined with LiDAR surpasses the performance of state-of-the-art fusion models
Toxicity of soil accumulated insecticides on the survival of Isotoma decorata (Brown, 1923) in laboratory
No full textToxicity of 10 insecticides was tested against Isotoma decorata under laboratory conditions by incorporating field recommended doses (RDs) of insecticides along with three lower doses (1/2 × RD, 1/4 × RD, and 1/6 × RD) in the soil. The survival of I. decorata was observed every week for eight weeks. Results showed that endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, chlorfenapyr, imidacloprid, and acetamiprid were the most toxic insecticides at all tested doses with significantly less survived springtails. Comparatively, higher survival was observed after treatment with bifenthrin, pyriproxyfen, emamectin benzoate, and spinosad. In comparison, cypermethrin showed significantly less toxicity with the highest survival of I. decorata compared with all other tested insecticides. RDs of all these insecticides were found hazardous for the survival of I. decorata. At the RDs of chlorpyrifos and endosulfan survival of I. decorata was <1%. A decline in the survival rate of springtail was observed against these insecticides at all doses with an increased time of exposure during the eight weeks. Results showed the effects of insecticides on non-target soil springtails and implied the caution and possible mitigation measures using these insecticides
Influence of the moisture content on the fracture energy and tensile strength of hardwood spotted gum sawn timber and adhesive bonds (gluelines)
No full textThis study aims to measure the fracture properties, including crack initiation and propagation, of Australia’s native forest grown spotted gum ([SPG], Corymbia citriodora) sawn timber and associated adhesive bonds at different moisture content levels. The collected data were used as input values to develop a numerical model to understand the delamination of SPG glulam beams when exposed to a wetting and drying process. Thus, Mode I and Mode II fracture energies for crack propagation along radial and glueline directions were experimentally investigated under various moisture content levels (8%, 12% and 16%). Single-end notched beams and compact shear specimens were used to capture the Mode I and Mode II fracture energies, respectively. For crack initiation, the tensile strength perpendicular to the grain and the shear strength (taken as the maximum stress from the Mode II fracture tests) were also measured. In total, 200 experimental tests were performed. One-way analysis of variance statistical analyses showed that the fracture energies and shear strengths were independent of the range of moisture content levels investigated. In addition, the collected data were compared with the limited published fracture properties of other hardwood species. © 2023, The Author(s)