Quantum Chern-Simons Theories on Cylinders: BV-BFV Partition Functions.

We compute partition functions of Chern-Simons type theories for cylindrical spacetimes I × Σ , with I an interval and dim Σ = 4 l + 2 , in the BV-BFV formalism (a refinement of the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism adapted to manifolds with boundary and cutting-gluing). The case dim Σ = 0 is considered as a toy example. We show that one can identify-for certain choices of residual fields-the "physical part" (restriction to degree zero fields) of the BV-BFV effective action with the Hamilton-Jacobi action computed in the companion paper (Cattaneo et al., Constrained systems, generalized Hamilton-Jacobi actions, and quantization, arXiv:2012.13270), without any quantum corrections. This Hamilton-Jacobi action is the action functional of a conformal field theory on Σ . For dim Σ = 2 , this implies a version of the CS-WZW correspondence. For dim Σ = 6 , using a particular polarization on one end of the cylinder, the Chern-Simons partition function is related to Kodaira-Spencer gravity (a.k.a. BCOV theory); this provides a BV-BFV quantum perspective on the semiclassical result by Gerasimov and Shatashvili.

Odorant-Binding Proteins and Chemosensory Proteins in Spodoptera frugiperda: From Genome-Wide Identification and Developmental Stage-Related Expression Analysis to the Perception of Host Plant Odors, Sex Pheromones, and Insecticides.

Spodoptera frugiperda is a worldwide generalist pest with remarkable adaptations to environments and stresses, including developmental stage-related behavioral and physiological adaptations, such as diverse feeding preferences, mate seeking, and pesticide resistance. Insects' odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are essential for the chemical recognition during behavioral responses or other physiological processes. The genome-wide identification and the gene expression patterns of all these identified OBPs and CSPs across developmental stage-related S. frugiperda have not been reported. Here, we screened for genome-wide SfruOBPs and SfruCSPs, and analyzed the gene expression patterns of SfruOBPs and SfruCSPs repertoires across all developmental stages and sexes. We found 33 OBPs and 22 CSPs in the S. frugiperda genome. The majority of the SfruOBP genes were most highly expressed in the adult male or female stages, while more SfruCSP genes were highly expressed in the larval or egg stages, indicating their function complementation. The gene expression patterns of SfruOBPs and SfruCSPs revealed strong correlations with their respective phylogenic trees, indicating a correlation between function and evolution. In addition, we analyzed the chemical-competitive binding of a widely expressed protein, SfruOBP31, to host plant odorants, sex pheromones, and insecticides. Further ligands binding assay revealed a broad functional related binding spectrum of SfruOBP31 to host plant odorants, sex pheromones, and insecticides, suggesting its potential function in food, mate seeking, and pesticide resistance. These results provide guidance for future research on the development of behavioral regulators of S. frugiperda or other environmentally friendly pest-control strategies.

TRPA5, an Ankyrin Subfamily Insect TRP Channel, is Expressed in Antennae of Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Multiple Splice Variants.

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are an ancient family of cation channels, working as metabotropic triggers, which respond to physical and chemical environmental cues. Perception of chemical signals mediate reproductive behaviors and is therefore an important target for sustainable management tactics against the codling moth Cydia pomonella L. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). However, olfactory behavior strongly depends on diel periodicity and correlation of chemical with physical cues, like temperature, and physical cues thus essentially contribute to the generation of behavioral response. From an antennal transcriptome generated by next generation sequencing, we characterized five candidate TRPs in the codling moth. The coding DNA sequence of one of these was extended to full length, and phylogenetic investigation revealed it to be orthologous of the TRPA5 genes, reported in several insect genomes as members of the insect TRPA group with unknown function but closely related to the thermal sensor pyrexia Reverse transcription PCR revealed the existence of five alternate splice forms of CpTRPA5. Identification of a novel TRPA and its splice forms in codling moth antennae open for investigation of their possible sensory roles and implications in behavioral responses related to olfaction.

Heterologous investigation of metabotropic and ionotropic odorant receptors in ab3A neurons of Drosophila melanogaster.

In insects, antennal ionotropic receptors (IRs) and odorant receptors (ORs) are among the main sensors of olfactory cues. To functionally characterize the subunits from these receptors, the use of ab3A neurons from transgenic Drosophila melanogaster represented one of the most powerful tools, allowing the identification of ligands (deorphanization) and decrypting their pharmacological properties. However, further investigation is needed to shed light on possible metabotropic functionalities behind insect olfactory receptors and test potentials from the up-to-now-used empty neuronal systems to express subunits belonging to variegate receptor classes. In this project, we adopted the most updated system of Drosophila ab3A empty neurons to test various olfactory receptors, ranging from human ORs working as metabotropic G-protein coupled receptors to insect ionotropic IRs and ORs. Testing transgenic Drosophila expressing human ORs into ab3A neurons by single sensillum recording did not result in an OR response to ligands, but it rather re-established neuronal spiking from the empty neurons. When transgenic D. melanogaster expressed ionotropic IRs and ORs, both heterologous and cis-expressed IRs were non-functional, but the Drosophila suzukii OR19A1 subunit responded to a wide asset of ligands, distinguishing phasic or tonic compound-dependent effects. Despite the use of Drosophila ab3A neurons to test the activation of some metabotropic and ionotropic receptor subunits resulted non-functional, this study deorphanized a key OR of D. suzukii demonstrating its binding to alcohols, ketones, terpenes, and esters.

Comparative transcriptomic assessment of the chemosensory receptor repertoire of Drosophila suzukii adult and larval olfactory organs.

The spotted wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, has emerged within the past decade as an invasive species on a global scale, and is one of the most economically important pests in fruit and berry production in Europe and North America. Insect ecology, to a strong degree, depends on the chemosensory modalities of smell and taste. Extensive research on the sensory receptors of the olfactory and gustatory systems in Drosophila melanogaster provide an excellent frame of reference to better understand the fundamentals of the chemosensory systems of D. suzukii. This knowledge may enhance the development of semiochemicals for sustainable management of D. suzukii, which is urgently needed. Here, using a transcriptomic approach we report the chemosensory receptor expression profiles in D. suzukii female and male antennae, and for the first time, in larval heads including the dorsal organ that houses larval olfactory sensory neurons. In D. suzukii adults, we generally observed a lack of sexually dimorphic expression levels in male and female antennae. While there was generally conservation of antennal expression of odorant and ionotropic receptor orthologues for D. melanogaster and D. suzukii, gustatory receptors showed more distinct species-specific profiles. In larval head tissues, for all three receptor gene families, there was also a greater degree of species-specific gene expression patterns. Analysis of chemosensory receptor repertoires in the pest species, D. suzukii relative to those of the genetic model D. melanogaster enables comparative studies of the chemosensory, physiology, and ecology of D. suzukii.

Chemosensory Receptor Expression in the Abdomen Tip of the Female Codling Moth, Cydia pomonella L. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).

In insects, the chemical senses influence most vital behaviors, including mate seeking and egg laying; these sensory modalities are predominantly governed by odorant receptors (ORs), ionotropic receptors (IRs), and gustatory receptors (GRs). The codling moth, Cydia pomonella, is a global pest of apple, pear, and walnut, and semiochemically based management strategies limit the economic impacts of this species. The previous report of expression of a candidate pheromone-responsive OR in female codling moth ovipositor and pheromone glands raises further questions about the chemosensory capacity of these organs. With an RNA-sequencing approach, we examined chemoreceptors' expression in the female codling moth abdomen tip, sampling tissues from mated and unmated females and pupae. We report 37 ORs, 22 GRs, and 18 IRs expressed in our transcriptome showing overlap with receptors expressed in adult antennae as well as non-antennal candidate receptors. A quantitative PCR approach was also taken to assess the effect of mating on OR expression in adult female moths, revealing a few genes to be upregulated or downregulating after mating. These results provide a better understanding of the chemosensory role of codling moth female abdomen tip organs in female-specific behaviors. Future research will determine the function of specific receptors to augment current semiochemical-based strategies for codling moth management.

Reviewing findings on the polypeptide sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 S-protein to discuss the origins of the virus.

Several investigations suggested origins of SARS-CoV-2 from the recombination of coronaviruses of various animals, including the bat Rhinolophus affinis and the pangolin Manis javanica, despite the processes describing the adaptation from a reservoir of animals to human are still debated. In this perspective, I will remark two main inconsistencies on the origins of SARS-CoV-2: polypeptide sequence alignment of the S-proteins does not return the expected identity of the receptor-binding motif among most of pangolin-CoVs and SARS-CoV-2; accurate referencing for samplings and sequencing deposition of the ancestral bat coronavirus named RaTG13 was missing since the first reports on the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. This contribution aims to stimulate discussion about the origins of SARS-CoV-2 and considers other intermediate hosts as a reservoir for coronavirus.

Facing Disruptive Changes With Informal Workplace Learning Strategies: The Experience of European Companies.

Industries are currently experiencing several kinds of disruptive changes, including digital transformation and environmental and health emergencies. Despite intense discussion about disruptive changes in companies, the impact of such changes on workplace learning is still underexplored. In this study, we investigated the impact of disruptive changes on informal learning practices according to the perspectives of employers, employees and adult educators. Informal learning was operationalised along a continuum between organised informal learning (led by an instructor and intentional) and everyday informal learning (led by contextual factors, accidental, and unintentional). Fifty-five companies' representatives (average age = 43.2 years; SD = 11) from three European countries (Finland, Switzerland, and Italy) and four industrial fields (bioeconomy, tourism, textile and building sectors) were interviewed. The interviews were further triangulated with questionnaires collected by employees from the same companies (N = 141; average age = 40.2 years, SD = 17.8). Questionnaire data were used to collect detailed information on individual informal workplace learning (IWL) strategies and digital technologies adopted in organised informal learning. The interview data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. A coding scheme was developed with five macro-categories organised into 23 sub-categories. Occurrence and co-occurrence analysis were performed to identify which individual and organisational factors and approaches support most learning, according to interviewees. Interviewees reported the possibility of interacting with colleagues and being autonomous as the main sources of everyday informal learning processes. Employees from the same companies reported model learning, vicarious feedback, and applying someone's own ideas as the most frequent IWL strategies. Organised informal learning was mainly based on knowledge transfer, which reflects passive cognitive engagement by employees. Specifically, digital technologies in organised informal learning were poorly used for supporting reflection, constructive processes, and collaborative knowledge construction. The results suggest that participants believed that higher forms of cognitive engagement are possible only within face-to-face organised informal training or in everyday informal learning. Possible explanations of the results and practical implications are discussed.

Altered functional properties of the codling moth Orco mutagenized in the intracellular loop-3.

Amino acid substitutions within the conserved polypeptide sequence of the insect olfactory receptor co-receptor (Orco) have been demonstrated to influence its pharmacological properties. By sequence analysis and phylogenetic investigation, in the Lepidopteran subgroup Ditrysia we identified a fixed substitution in the intracellular loop-3 (ICL-3) of a conserved histidine to glutamine. By means of HEK293 cells as a heterologous system, we functionally expressed Orco from the Ditrysian model Cydia pomonella (CpomOrco) and compared its functional properties with a site-directed mutagenized version where this ICL-3-glutamine was reverted to histidine (CpomOrcoQ417H). The mutagenized CpomOrcoQ417H displayed decreased responsiveness to VUAA1 and reduced response efficacy to an odorant agonist was observed, when co-transfected with the respective OR subunit. Evidence of reduced responsiveness and sensitivity to ligands for the mutagenized Orco suggest the fixed glutamine substitution to be optimized for functionality of the cation channel within Ditrysia. In addition, contrary to the wild type, the mutagenized CpomOrcoQ417H preserved characteristics of VUAA-binding when physiologic conditions turned to acidic. Taken together, our findings provide further evidence of the importance of ICL-3 in forming basic functional properties of insect Orco- and Orco/OR-channels, and suggest involvement of ICL-3 in the potential functional adaptation of Ditrysian Orcos to acidified extra-/intracellular environment.

"Take a look at this!". Video annotation as a means to foster evidence-based and reflective external and self-given feedback: A preliminary study in operati on room technician training.

Receiving and giving oneself formative feedback is essential to professionals' development of reflective attitudes towards their practices. In the healthcare professions, debriefing sessions are often used to provide feedback. Such sessions often incorporate videos to support the debriefing process. However, this usually occurs with reference to simulations and not to actual practice; furthermore, the potential of using video-annotation software to analyse practice has not been fully exploited in nursing education. To explore this still under-investigated potential, the current pilot study was conducted in the domain of operation room technicians to investigate whether the use of videos of actual practice and video-annotation software affected the quality of feedback given during the debriefing sessions. The pilot experience seems to confirm that this approach is feasible in actual practice. More particularly, the results suggest that video support enables more supportive feedback about work processes and more evidence- and situation-based feedback than regular debriefing without video. The use of video annotation also tends to support more student-driven and dialogical feedback as well as tending to increase student acceptance of feedback. Additional research is needed to further investigate the feasibility of this approach within hospitals.

Alternative Splicing of the CpomOR53 Gene Produces Three Transcripts Expressed in Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Antennae.

Incorporation of semiochemicals into codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), IPM programs has drastically reduced the amount of chemical insecticides needed to control this orchard pest. Odorant receptors are key sensors in the detection of semiochemicals and trigger downstream signaling events leading to behavioral responses. For codling moth, 58 odorant receptors have been identified in antennal transcriptomes, a few of which have been characterized for ligand activation. From the codling moth antennal transcriptome, a single transcript encoding CpomOR53 was annotated but re-evaluation suggests two or more variants of this receptor may be present and it is hypothesized that they are produced by alternative splicing. In this study, the complete open reading frame of CpomOR53 was amplified from codling moth male and female antennal RNAs, with three distinct transcripts detected. Characterization of these transcripts indicate that they are produced by alternative splicing of the CpomOR53 gene. The membrane topology for each of the CpomOR53 variants shows that alternative spliced products altered the length of intracellular loop two of the predicted proteins. The effects of these alterations were not determined but will be addressed in future studies determining the ligand(s) that activate each CpomOR53 transcript variant.

Current Status on the Functional Characterization of Chemosensory Receptors of Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).

Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is a major pest of apple, pear and walnuts. For its control, alternative strategies targeting the olfactory system, like mating disruption, have been combined with insecticide applications. The efficacy of these strategies headed the direction of efforts for the functional characterization of codling moth chemosensory receptors to implement further control methods based on chemical sensing. With the advent of transcriptomic analysis, partial and full-length coding sequences of chemosensory receptors have been identified in antennal transcriptomes of C. pomonella. Extension of partial coding sequences to full-length by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based techniques and heterologous expression in empty neurons of Drosophila melanogaster and in Human Embryonic Kidney cells allowed functional studies to investigate receptor activation and ligand binding modalities (deorphanization). Among different classes of antennal receptors, several odorant receptors of C. pomonella (CpomORs) have been characterized as binding kairomones (CpomOR3), pheromones (CpomOR6a) and compounds emitted by non-host plants (CpomOR19). Physiological and pharmacological studies of these receptors demonstrated their ionotropic properties, by forming functional channels with the co-receptor subunit of CpomOrco. Further investigations reported a novel insect transient receptor potential (TRPA5) expressed in antennae and other body parts of C. pomonella as a complex pattern of ribonucleic acid (RNA) splice-forms, with a possible involvement in sensing chemical stimuli and temperature. Investigation on chemosensory mechanisms in the codling moth has practical outcomes for the development of control strategies and it inspired novel trends to control this pest by integrating alternative methods to interfere with insect chemosensory communication.

Advancement of thyroid surgery video recording: A comparison between two full HD head mounted video cameras.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to test two different video cameras and recording systems used in thyroid surgery in our Department. This is meant to be an attempt to record the real point of view of the magnified vision of surgeon, so as to make the viewer aware of the difference with the naked eye vision. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, we recorded and compared twenty thyroidectomies performed using loupes magnification and microsurgical technique: ten were recorded with GoPro® 4 Session action cam (commercially available) and ten with our new prototype of head mounted video camera. RESULTS: Settings were selected before surgery for both cameras. The recording time is about from 1 to 2 h for GoPro® and from 3 to 5 h for our prototype. The average time of preparation to fit the camera on the surgeon's head and set the functionality is about 5 min for GoPro® and 7-8 min for the prototype, mostly due to HDMI wiring cable. Videos recorded with the prototype require no further editing, which is mandatory for videos recorded with GoPro® to highlight the surgical details. CONCLUSION: the present study showed that our prototype of video camera, compared with GoPro® 4 Session, guarantees best results in terms of surgical video recording quality, provides to the viewer the exact perspective of the microsurgeon and shows accurately his magnified view through the loupes in thyroid surgery. These recordings are surgical aids for teaching and education and might be a method of self-analysis of surgical technique.

Candidate pheromone receptors of codling moth Cydia pomonella respond to pheromones and kairomones.

Olfaction plays a dominant role in the mate-finding and host selection behaviours of the codling moth (Cydia pomonella), an important pest of apple, pear and walnut orchards worldwide. Antennal transcriptome analysis revealed a number of abundantly expressed genes related to the moth olfactory system, including those encoding the olfactory receptors (ORs) CpomOR1, CpomOR3 and CpomOR6a, which belong to the pheromone receptor (PR) lineage, and the co-receptor (CpomOrco). Using heterologous expression, in both Drosophila olfactory sensory neurones and in human embryonic kidney cells, together with electrophysiological recordings and calcium imaging, we characterize the basic physiological and pharmacological properties of these receptors and demonstrate that they form functional ionotropic receptor channels. Both the homomeric CpomOrco and heteromeric CpomOrco + OR complexes can be activated by the common Orco agonists VUAA1 and VUAA3, as well as inhibited by the common Orco antagonists amiloride derivatives. CpomOR3 responds to the plant volatile compound pear ester ethyl-(E,Z)-2,4-decadienoate, while CpomOR6a responds to the strong pheromone antagonist codlemone acetate (E,E)-8,10-dodecadien-1-yl acetate. These findings represent important breakthroughs in the deorphanization of codling moth pheromone receptors, as well as more broadly into insect ecology and evolution and, consequently, for the development of sustainable pest control strategies based on manipulating chemosensory communication.

An integrated approach to the ergonomic analysis of VR in psychotherapy: panic disorders, agoraphobia and eating disorders.

To face the aspects connected with VR environments usability for psychotherapeutic applications means to dare a double challenge from a methodological point of view: from one side, the need to adapt and to integrate on a heuristic basis classic usability evaluation methods to specific artefacts such as 3D Virtual Environments for clinical applications; from the other hand, the problems arisen by integration of expert evaluation of VR environments user-based tests carried out in real context of use. The theoretical background of our analytical stance is based upon an ethnomethodological approach, a perspective that gives evidence of how people, in specific social situations, are able to solve complex tasks producing shared meanings and achieving their goals during interaction. According to this perspective, the methodological objective consisted also in the identification of the usability requirements of the specific community of practice. The virtual environments considered were two of the four VR modules in the framework of the VEPSY project: Panic Disorders--Agoraphobia and Eating Disorders.