The role of salt and shear on the storage and assembly of spider silk proteins

Major ampullate silk fibers of orb web-weaving spiders have impressive mechanical properties due to the fact that the underlying proteins partially fold into helical/amorphous structures, yielding relatively elastic matrices that are toughened by anisotropic nanoparticulate inclusions (formed from stacks of beta-sheets of the same proteins). In vivo the transition from soluble protein to solid fibers involves a combination of chemical and mechanical stimuli (such as ion exchange, extraction of water and shear forces). Here we elucidate the effects of such stimuli on the in vitro aggregation of engineered and recombinantly produced major ampullate silk-like proteins (focusing on structure-function relationships with respect to their primary structures), and discuss their relevance to the storage and assembly of spider silk proteins in vivo. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Robot and insect navigation by polarized skylight

A study of a large number of published experiments on the behaviour of insects navigating by skylight has led to the design of a system for navigation in lightly clouded skies, suitable for a robot or drone. The design is based on the measurement of the directions in the sky at which the polarization angle, i.e. the angle χ between the polarized E-vector and the meridian, equals ±π/4 or ±(π/4 + π/3) or ±(π/4 - π/3). For any one of these three options, at any given elevation, there are usually 4 such directions and these directions can give the azimuth of the sun accurately in a few short steps, as an insect can do. A simulation shows that this compass is accurate as well as simple and well suited for an insect or robot. A major advantage of this design is that it is close to being invariant to variable cloud cover. Also if at least two of these 12 directions are observed the solar azimuth can still be found by a robot, and possibly by an insect.

Stress tolerance and virulence of insect-pathogenic fungi are determined by environmental conditions during conidial formation

The virulence to insects and tolerance to heat and UV-B radiation of conidia of entomopathogenic fungi are greatly influenced by physical, chemical, and nutritional conditions during mycelial growth. This is evidenced, for example, by the stress phenotypes of Metarhizium robertsii produced on various substrates. Conidia from minimal medium (Czapek's medium without sucrose), complex medium, and insect (Lepidoptera and Coleoptera) cadavers had high, moderate, and poor tolerance to UV-B radiation, respectively. Furthermore, conidia from minimal medium germinated faster and had increased heat tolerance and were more virulent to insects than those from complex medium. Low water-activity or alkaline culture conditions also resulted in production of conidia with high tolerance to heat or UV-B radiation. Conidia produced on complex media exhibited lower stress tolerance, whereas those from complex media supplemented with NaCl or KCl (to reduce water activity) were more tolerant to heat and UV-B than those from the unmodified complex medium. Osmotic and nutritive stresses resulted in production of conidia with a robust stress phenotype, but also were associated with low conidial yield. Physical conditions such as growth under illumination, hypoxic conditions, and heat shock before conidial production also induced both higher UV-B and heat tolerance; but conidial production was not decreased. In conclusion, physical and chemical parameters, as well as nutrition source, can induce great variability in conidial tolerance to stress for entomopathogenic fungi. Implications are discussed in relation to the ecology of entomopathogenic fungi in the field, and to their use for biological control. This review will cover recent technologies on improving stress tolerance of entomopathogenic fungi for biological control of insects.

Modeling Klebsiella pneumoniae pathogenesis by infection of the wax moth Galleria mellonella

The implementation of infection models that approximate human disease is essential for understanding pathogenesis at the molecular level and for testing new therapies before they are entered into clinical stages. Insects are increasingly being used as surrogate hosts because they share, with mammals, essential aspects of the innate immune response to infections. We examined whether the larva of the wax moth Galleria mellonella could be used as a host model to conceptually approximate Klebsiella pneumoniae-triggered pneumonia. We report that the G. mellonella model is capable of distinguishing between pathogenic and nonpathogenic Klebsiella strains. Moreover, K. pneumoniae infection of G. mellonella models some of the known features of Klebsiella-induced pneumonia, i.e., cell death associated with bacterial replication, avoidance of phagocytosis by phagocytes, and the attenuation of host defense responses, chiefly the production of antimicrobial factors. Similar to the case for the mouse pneumonia model, activation of innate responses improved G. mellonella survival against subsequent Klebsiella challenge. Virulence factors necessary in the mouse pneumonia model were also implicated in the Galleria model. We found that mutants lacking capsule polysaccharide, lipid A decorations, or the outer membrane proteins OmpA and OmpK36 were attenuated in Galleria. All mutants activated G. mellonella defensive responses. The Galleria model also allowed us to monitor Klebsiella gene expression. The expression levels of cps and the loci implicated in lipid A remodeling peaked during the first hours postinfection, in a PhoPQ- and PmrAB-governed process. Taken together, these results support the utility of G. mellonella as a surrogate host for assessing infections with K. pneumoniae.

Burkholderia cenocepacia Lipopolysaccharide Modification and Flagellin Glycosylation Affect Virulence but Not Innate Immune Recognition in Plants

Burkholderia cenocepacia causes opportunistic infections in plants, insects, animals, and humans, suggesting that “virulence” depends on the host and its innate susceptibility to infection. We hypothesized that modifications in key bacterial molecules recognized by the innate immune system modulate host responses to B. cenocepacia. Indeed, modification of lipo- polysaccharide (LPS) with 4-amino-4-deoxy-L-arabinose and flagellin glycosylation attenuates B. cenocepacia infection in Arabi- dopsis thaliana and Galleria mellonella insect larvae. However, B. cenocepacia LPS and flagellin triggered rapid bursts of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species in A. thaliana leading to activation of the PR-1 defense gene. These responses were drastically reduced in plants with fls2 (flagellin FLS2 host receptor kinase), Atnoa1 (nitric oxide-associated protein 1), and dnd1-1 (reduced production of nitric oxide) null mutations. Together, our results indicate that LPS modification and flagellin glycosylation do not affect recognition by plant receptors but are required for bacteria to establish overt infection.

Chapter Three – Host–Parasite Interactions and the Evolution of Immune Defense

Parasites and pathogens are ubiquitous and act as an important selection pressure on animals. Here, drawing primarily on our own research, mostly on insects, we illustrate how host-parasite interactions have played a role in the evolution of a range of phenomena, including animal coloration, social behavior, foraging ecology, sexual selection, and life-history tradeoffs, as well as how variation in host behavior and ecology can drive variation in parasitism risk and host allocation of resources to immunity and other antiparasite defenses. We conclude by identifying key areas for future study.

Aging in personal and social immunity: do immune traits senesce at the same rate?

How much should an individual invest in immunity as it grows older? Immunity is costly and its value is likely to change across an organism's lifespan. A limited number of studies have focused on how personal immune investment changes with age in insects, but we do not know how social immunity, immune responses that protect kin, changes across lifespan, or how resources are divided between these two arms of the immune response. In this study, both personal and social immune functions are considered in the burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides. We show that personal immune function declines (phenoloxidase levels) or is maintained (defensin expression) across lifespan in nonbreeding beetles but is maintained (phenoloxidase levels) or even upregulated (defensin expression) in breeding individuals. In contrast, social immunity increases in breeding burying beetles up to middle age, before decreasing in old age. Social immunity is not affected by a wounding challenge across lifespan, whereas personal immunity, through PO, is upregulated following wounding to a similar extent across lifespan. Personal immune function may be prioritized in younger individuals in order to ensure survival until reproductive maturity. If not breeding, this may then drop off in later life as state declines. As burying beetles are ephemeral breeders, breeding opportunities in later life may be rare. When allowed to breed, beetles may therefore invest heavily in "staying alive" in order to complete what could potentially be their final reproductive opportunity. As parental care is important for the survival and growth of offspring in this genus, staying alive to provide care behaviors will clearly have fitness payoffs. This study shows that all immune traits do not senesce at the same rate. In fact, the patterns observed depend upon the immune traits measured and the breeding status of the individual.

Review of the genus Bursaphelenchus Fuchs, 1937 (Nematoda, Aphelenchida) with some conclusions on the host-parasite and vector-parasite evolution.

INTRODUCTION AND GOALS: Genus Bursaphelenchus includes several pests of the world importance for the rural economy, the most dangerous are the Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (the pinewood nematode caused decline of the pine trees in south Asia and in one spot area in Europe, Portugal, Peninsula de Setubal) and the Bursaphelenchus cocophilus, causing the decline of coco-palm plantations in Carribean and Latin American regions. The peculiarity of the host-parasite association of the genus that the nematode life cycle includes three trophic components: plant (mostly a tree), insect vector and a fungus. Goals of the presentation is to list all species of the world fauna and all efficient diagnostic characters, then create the identification tool and analyze the similarity of species and possible ways and causes of the host-parasite evolution of the group. RESULTS: Complete list of species with synonymy and a catalogue of all efficient diagnostic characters with their states, selected from papers of the most experienced taxonomists of the genus, are given for the genus Bursaphelenchus. List of known records of Bursaphelenchus species with names of natural vectors and plants and their families is given (for world pests the most important groups of trees and insects are listed). The tabular, traditional and computer-aided keys are presented. Dendrograms of species relationships (UPGMA, standard distance: mean character difference) based on all efficient taxonomic characters and separately on the spicule characters only, are given. Discussion whether the species groups are natural or purely diagnostic ones is based on the relationships dendrograms and the vector and associated plant ranges of Bursaphelenchus species; the xylophilus species group (B. xylophilus, B. abruptus, B. baujardi, B. conicaudatus, B. eroshenkii, B. fraudulentus, B. kolymensis, B. luxuriosae; B. mucronatus), the hunti group (B. hunti, B. seani, B. kevini and B. fungivorus) are probably the natural ones. CONCLUSIONS: The parasitic nematode association includes three trophic components: plant, insect vector and fungus. The initial insect-plant complex Scolytidae-Pinaceae is changeable and only in rare occasions the change of the preferred vector to Cerambycidae (the xylophilus group), Hymenoptera (the hunti group) led to formation of the natural species-groups. From the analysis it is clear that although the vector range is changeable it is comparatively more important for the evolution of the genus Bursaphelenchus than associations with plants at the family level. Data on the fungi species (3rd component in natural Bursaphelenchus associations) are insufficient for the detailed comparative analysis.

Bursaphelenchus pinophilus Brzeski & Baujard, 1997 (Nematoda: Parasitaphelenchinae) associated with nematangia on Pityogenes bidentatus (Herbst, 1783) (Coleoptera: Scolytinae), from the Czech Republic

The occurrence of Bursaphelenchus species in the Czech Republic is poorly known, the first report of the genus being made by Kubátová et al. (2000) who reported the association of B. eremus with the hyphomycetous microfungus, Esteya vermicola, and the bark beetle, Scolytus intricatus, collected from Quercus robur, in central Bohemia. To date, four other species have been reported from the country, namely B. fungivorus (Braasch et al., 2002), B. hofmanni (see Braasch, 2001), B. mucronatus (see Braasch, 2001) and B. vallesianus (Gaar et al., 2006). More recently, a survey for Bursaphelenchus species associated with bark- and wood-boring insects in the Czech Republic identified B. pinophilus Brzeski & Baujard, 1997 from the Moravia region. Although this represents a new country record, it was also associated with nematangia on the hind wings of a new insect vector. A total of 404 bark- and wood-boring insects were collected from declining or symptomatic trees and screened for the presence of Bursaphelenchus. Bark and longhorn beetles were captured manually after debarking parts of the trunk displaying symptoms of insect attacks. Longhorn beetle larvae were also collected together with logs cut from the trunk. Logs were kept at room temperature in the laboratory until insect emergence. Each adult insect was individually dissected in water and examined for nematodes. All nematodes resembling dauer juveniles of Bursaphelenchus were collected and identified by molecular characterisation using a region of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) containing the internal transcribed spacer regions ITS1 and ITS2. ITS-RFLP analyses using five restriction enzymes (AluI, HaeIII, HinfI, MspI, RsaI) were performed to generate the species-specific profile according to Burgermeister et al. (2009). Species identification was also confirmed by morphological data after culture of the dauers on Botrytis cinerea Pers. ex Ft., growing in 5% malt extract agar. During this survey, only species belonging to the Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae, revealed the presence of nematodes belonging to Bursaphelenchus. Dauers of this genus were found aggregated under the elytra in nematangia formed at the root of the hind wings (Fig. 1). The dauers were identified from 12 individuals of Pityogenes bidentatus (Herbst, 1783) (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) collected under the bark of Pinus sylvestris trunks. Each insect carried ca 10-100 dauers. The ITS-RFLP patterns of the dauers so obtained confirmed the identification of B. pinophilus associated with this insect species. Bursaphelenchus pinophilus has been found mainly in Europe and has been reported from various countries such as Poland (Brzeski & Baujard, 1997), Germany (Braasch, 2001), and Portugal (Penas et al., 2007). The recent detection of this species associated with dead P. koraiensis in Korea (Han et al., 2009) expands its geographical distribution and potential importance. It has been found associated only with Pinus species, but very little is known about the insect vector. The bark beetle, Hylurgus ligniperda, was initially suggested as the insect vector by Pe-nas et al. (2006), although the nematode associated with this insect was later reclassified as B. sexdentati by morphological and molecular analysis (Penas et al., 2007). According to the literature, P. bidentatus has been cited as a vector of Ektaphelenchus sp. (Kakuliya, 1966) in Georgia, and an unidentified nematode species in Spain (Roberston et al., 2008). Interestingly, B. pinophilus was found in the nematangia formed at the root of the hind wings of P. bidentatus. Although this phenomenon is not so common in other Bursaphelenchus species, B. rufipennis has been found recently in such a structure on the hind wings of the insect Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kanzaki et al., 2008). Although other nematode species (e.g., Ektaphelenchus spp.) are frequently found associated within the same nematangia (see Kanzaki et al., 2008), in this particular case, only dauers of B. pinophilus were identified. The association between B. pinophilus and P. bidentatus represents the first report of this biological association and the association with the Scolytinae strengthens the tight and specific links between this group of Bursaphelenchus species and members of the Scolytinae (Ryss et al., 2005).

Morphobiometric and molecular characterization of Bursaphelenchus Fuchs, 1937 (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae) species associated with Pinus pinaster Ainton in Portugal

Abstract - The genus Bursaphelenchus comprises almost 100 species mainly from the northern hemisphere, with conifers as the most important hosts. Among the various nematode species, the pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is the casual agent of pine wilt disease (PWD), and the most important forest pest for pines worldwide, classified as an A1 quarantine organism within the European Union. In 1999 this nematode was detected for the first time in Portugal and Europa associated with maritime pine, Pinus pinaster. Following detection, a national program denominated "Programa Nacional de Luta contra o Nemátodo da Madeira do Pinheiro" (PROLUNP) was created to, among other objectives, determine the distribution of the PWN and its associated vector(s) and host(s), and therefore intensive surveys covering the entire country were conducted with thousands of wood samples and suspected insects being analyzed. This thesis presents the listing, distribution, frequency and the insects associated with Bursaphelenchus species found associated with maritime pine in Portugal, identifying and characterizing the various species by morphological, biometrical and molecular biology (ITS-RFLP and rDNA sequencing analysis) techniques. To achieve the objectives, a total of 4813 maritime pine wood samples and 3294 insects from 22 species and six families were individually analyzed. A total of nine Bursaphelenchus species were found, namely: B. antoniae, B. hellenicus, B. leoni, B. mucronatus, B. pinasteri, B. sexdentati, B. teratospicularis, B. tusciae and B. xylophilus, all of them (with the exception of B. xylophilus) being new records for Portugal. Some of the species appear to have a widespread distribution, such as B. leoni, B. teratospicularis and B. tusciae while others were very rarely found and apparently have a localized distribution range within the country, namely B. antoniae and B. mucronatus. The majority of the species is characteristic of the Mediterranean region and can also be found in countries such as Spain, Italy and Greece, reflecting the affinity of our fauna with those locations. The association of B. hellenicus and B. tusciae with maritime pine is here reported for the first time. Six of the Bursaphelenchus species were also found associated with insects, mainly from the family Scolytidae (Coleoptera). Some of these interactions were described for the first time, namely: B. hellenicus with both Ips sexdentatus and Hylurgus ligniperda, B. sexdentati with both H. ligniperda and Orthotomicus erosus and B. tusciae with H. ligniperda. The exclusive association of B. xylophilus with the cerambycid Monochamus galloprovincialis was also confirmed. The nematode's dauer juveniles were usually found in low numbers in the insect vectors (ca 10-100 per insect), although for B. xylophilus a few thousand specimens per insect were sometimes found. The location of the dauer juveniles differed according to the species, although they were more common under the elytra and wings of the adult insects. A species new to science was detected and formally described as B. antoniae, associated with Hylobius sp. (Coleoptera; Curculionidae) beetles. Morphologically, this new species is very similar to B. hylobianum, although it's distinct ITS-RFLP molecular pattern (with only the enzyme Haelll producing comparable restriction bands) and the failure of hybridization supported the two species as distinct entities. Additional phylogenetic analysis of the 18S rDNA sequence further supported the taxonomical proximity of B. antoniae with B. hylobianum. Concerning the PWN, detailed studies on the development and morphology of B. xylophilus were conducted, and comparative measurements of field-collected and laboratory-maintained populations demonstrated that nematodes from the second group displayed larger size in all morphometric parameters, which could derive from more adequate conditions of nourishment and/or temperature. Taxonomical studies on the development stages of B. xylophilus confirmed the existence of four propagative juvenile stages (J1,J2,J3 and J4), an adult stage with both sexes and two dispersal stages (jIII e jIV), with the measurements of the gonad length allowing the separation of the propagative stages. It is hoped that the acquired knowledge will be useful on future surveys of nematodes of the Bursaphelenchus genus collected from either wood material or insect vectors, and facilitate the correct distinction and identification of the various species which are now known to occur. ### Resumo - 0 género Bursaphelenchus compreende quase 100 espécies, distribuídas sobretudo nos países do hemisfério norte do globo terrestre. Embora algumas espécies já tenham sido detectadas em plantas herbáceas, os hospedeiros vegetais mais comuns deste género são as coníferas, particularmente pinheiros. 0 nemátode da madeira do pinheiro (NMP), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, é considerado a espécie mais importante deste género uma vez que é o agente causal da doença da murchidão dos pinheiros ("pine wilt disease"). Originário dos Estados Unidos, onde não causa grande impacte, o NMP foi introduzido em alguns países da Ásia (China, Japão, Coreia e Taiwan) e mais recentemente na Europa (Portugal). Nestas regiões é responsável pela destruição de milhares de hectares de coníferas, assumindo uma elevada importância económica. Em Portugal, depois da sua detecção em 1999, associado a Pinus pinaster, foi implementado um programa nacional "Programa Nacional de Luta contra o Nemátodo da Madeira do Pinheiro" (PROLUNP) que permitiu determinar a área afectada pela praga (a sul do rio Tejo, península de Setúbal) bem como definir e implementar estratégias de controlo e prevenção da disseminação do NMP a outras zonas de Portugal. Recentemente, em Junho de 2008, foi confirmada a presença de B. xylophilus em outras regiões de Portugal levando as autoridades oficiais a definir todo o território continental como zona afectada e de restrição. As prospecções intensivas realizadas nos últimos anos incluíram a recolha e análise de milhares de amostras de madeira de pinheiro bem como de insectos associados ao pinheiro bravo conduzindo à identificação de várias espécies de Bursaphelenchus. Assim, os estudos conduzidos neste trabalho tiveram como objectivos efectuar uma caracterização morfológica, biométrica e molecular das espécies associadas a P. pinaster em Portugal bem como a sua distribuição geográfica e abundância. Os estudos biométricos foram realizados com populações extraídas directamente do meio natural. Foi ainda realizada uma pesquisa que permitiu identificar os insectos a que estão associadas essas espécies, os seus possíveis vectores. Foram analisadas no total 4813 amostras de P. pinaster e 3294 insectos (22 espécies pertencentes a seis famílias diferentes). Foram identificadas um total de nove espécies: B. antoniae n. sp., B. hellenicus, B. leoni, B. mucronatus, B. pinasteri, B. sexdentati, B. teratospicularis, B. tusciae e B. xylophilus. Foram realizados estudos morfológicos e biométricos de todas as espécies com excepção de B. mucronatus; o reduzido número de exemplares encontrados em apenas uma amostra foram utilizados para efectuar o diagnóstico molecular desta espécie (ITS-RFLP). Apesar de ter havido, sempre que possível, a confirmação molecular, na maioria dos casos a caracterização morfológica e biométrica permitiu a correcta identificação das espécies. Contudo, foi imprescindível a análise molecular em algumas amostras, nomeadamente para a identificação de B. xylophilus e B. sexdentati; dada a grande semelhança entre B. xylophilus e B. mucronatus e tendo sido encontradas algumas populações de B. xylophilus que possuíam fêmeas com cauda mucronada, foi necessária a realização da confirmação molecular. Com excepção de B. xylophilus, todas as outras espécies foram reportadas pela primeira vez em Portugal. Juntamente com B. xylophilus, B. pinasteri foi a espécie encontrada nas amostras de madeira de pinheiro com maior frequência. Algumas destas espécies como B. leoni, B. teratospicularis e B. tusciae foram reportadas em diferentes localidades do norte, centro e sul de Portugal, apresentando uma vasta distribuição geográfica; este resultado está em consonância com a forte associação destas espécies a climas mediterrânicos tal como acontece em Espanha, França, Itália e Grécia. Em oposição, espécies como B. antoniae e B. mucronatus foram encontradas apenas numa ocasião na região centro (Leiria) e norte (Figueira da Foz) do país, respectivamente. Bursaphelenchus mucronatus é igualmente pouco frequente em Espanha onde ocorre sobretudo na região norte, na Galiza. Esta espécie preferirá climas mais frios, ocorrendo com uma maior frequência nas regiões de latitude norte; esta análise é corroborada pela presença constante em países como Alemanha, Finlândia, França, Noruega, Rússia e Suécia. A nível mundial são descritas neste trabalho pela primeira vez as associações das espécies B. hellenicus e B. tusciae ao hospedeiro vegetal P. pinaster.

Entomofauna associated with the olive tree in southern Portugal

Since 2004 several studies have been carried out in order to identify the main insect species that usually inhabiting the olive ecosystem. The field trials have taken place in two olive groves, one situated in Olhão and the other one in Loulé, both in Algarve and also under Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The sampling techniques used differ according to their purpose (sticky traps, pheromone traps, pitfall traps and samples of aerial parts of the trees such as inflorescences, leaves, fruits and branches). Results showed that the main insect pests of olive tree in southern Portugal were the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae Gmelin (Diptera: Tephritidae) and the olive moth Prays oleae Bernard (Lepidoptera: Hyponeumetidae). Other insect pests were also found in our olive groves namely the olive psyllid Euphyllura olivina Costa (Homoptera: Psyllidae), the olive dark beetle Phloeotribus scarabaeoides Bernard (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), the mediterranean black scale Saissetia oleae (Olivier) (Homoptera: Coccidae) and the olive thrip Liothripes oleae Costa (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae). Concerning the auxiliary insects that were found in our olives groves they belong to the following orders and families: Diptera (Syrphidae), Coleoptera (Carabidae, Coccinelidae and Staphylinidae), Hemiptera (Anthocoridae and Miridae), Neuroptera (Chrysopidae) and Hymenoptera (Braconidae, Encyrtidae, Eulophidae, Formicidae and Trichogrammatidae).

THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Annual report of the Audubon Society of South Carolina, 1 January 1910, discusses fish and game laws, bird species found in the state of South Carolina, the effects of insects on local crops, and membership information. Report also includes a color illustration of a mockingbird on the inside of the front cover.

Involvement of the Electrophilic Isothiocyanate Sulforaphane in Arabidopsis Local Defense Responses

Plants defend themselves against microbial pathogens through a range of highly sophisticated and integrated molecular systems. Recognition of pathogen-secreted effector proteins often triggers the hypersensitive response (HR), a complex multicellular defense reaction where programmed cell death (PCD) of cells surrounding the primary site of infection is a prominent feature. Even though the HR was described almost a century ago, cell to cell factors acting at the local level generating the full defense reaction has remained obscure. In this study, we sought to identify diffusible molecules produced during the HR that could induce cell death in naïve tissue. We found that 4-methylsulfinylbutyl isothiocyanate (sulforaphane) is released by Arabidopsis thaliana leaf tissue undergoing HR, and that this compound induces cell death as well as prime defense in naïve tissue. Two different mutants impaired in the pathogen-induced accumulation of sulforaphane displayed attenuated PCD upon bacterial and oomycete effector recognition as well as decreased resistance to several isolates of the plant pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis. Treatment with sulforaphane provided protection against a virulent H. arabidopsidis isolate. Glucosinolate breakdown products are recognized as antifeeding compounds towards insects and recently also as intracellular signaling and bacteriostatic molecules in Arabidopsis. The data presented herein indicate that these compounds also trigger local defense responses in Arabidopsis tissue.

Collective intelligence on dynamic manufacturing scheduling optimization

Swarm Intelligence (SI) is a growing research field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). SI is the general term for several computational techniques which use ideas and get inspiration from the social behaviours of insects and of other animals. This paper presents hybridization and combination of different AI approaches, like Bio-Inspired Techniques (BIT), Multi-Agent systems (MAS) and Machine Learning Techniques (ML T). The resulting system is applied to the problem of jobs scheduling to machines on dynamic manufacturing environments.

Role on serine protease inhibitors in the pathogenisis of Steinernema carpocapsae

Tese de Doutoramento, Biologia (Biologia Celular e Molecular), 18 de Novembro de 2013, Universidade dos Açores.