Characterization of durum wheat resistance against leaf rust under climate change conditions of increasing temperature and [CO2].

Durum wheat cultivation in Mediterranean regions is threatened by abiotic factors, mainly related to the effects of climate change, and biotic factors such as the leaf rust disease. This situation requires an in-depth knowledge of how predicted elevated temperatures and [CO2] will affect durum wheat-leaf rust interactions. Therefore, we have characterised the response of one susceptible and two resistant durum wheat accessions against leaf rust under different environments in greenhouse assays, simulating the predicted conditions of elevated temperature and [CO2] in the far future period of 2070-2099 for the wheat growing region of Cordoba, Spain. Interestingly, high temperature alone or in combination with high [CO2] did not alter the external appearance of the rust lesions. However, through macro and microscopic evaluation, we found some host physiological and molecular responses to infection that would quantitatively reduce not only pustule formation and subsequent infection cycles of this pathogen, but also the host photosynthetic area under these predicted weather conditions, mainly expressed in the susceptible accession. Moreover, our results suggest that durum wheat responses to infection are mainly driven by temperature, being considered the most hampering abiotic stress. In contrast, leaf rust infection was greatly reduced when these weather conditions were also conducted during the inoculation process, resembling the effects of possible heat waves not only in disease development, but also in fungal germination and penetration success. Considering this lack of knowledge in plant-pathogen interactions combined with abiotic stresses, the present study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to include the effects of the expected diurnal variation of maximum temperature and continuous elevated [CO2] in the durum wheat-leaf rust pathosystem.

Nanobiosensors and nanoformulations in agriculture: new advances and challenges for sustainable agriculture.

In the current scenario of climate change, global agricultural systems are facing remarkable challenges in order to increase production, while reducing the negative environmental impact. Nano-enabled technologies have the potential to revolutionise farming practices by increasing the efficiency of inputs and minimising losses, as well as contributing to sustainable agriculture. Two promising applications of nanotechnology in agriculture are nanobiosensors and nanoformulations (NFs). Nanobiosensors can help detect biotic and abiotic stresses in plants before they affect plant production, while NFs can make agrochemicals, more efficient and less polluting. NFs are becoming new-age materials with a wide variety of nanoparticle-based formulations such as fertilisers, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. They facilitate the site-targeted controlled delivery of agrochemicals enhancing their efficiency and reducing dosages. Smart farming aims to monitor and detect parameters related to plant health and environmental conditions in order to help sustainable agriculture. Nanobiosensors can provide real-time analytical data, including detection of nutrient levels, metabolites, pesticides, presence of pathogens, soil moisture, and temperature, aiding in precision farming practices, and optimising resource usage. In this review, we summarise recent innovative uses of NFs and nanobiosensors in agriculture that may boost crop protection and production, as well as reducing the negative environmental impact of agricultural activities. However, successful implementation of these smart technologies would require two special considerations: (i) educating farmers about appropriate use of nanotechnology, (ii) conducting field trials to ensure effectiveness under real conditions.

Morphological transparency and markedness matter in heritage speaker gender processing: an EEG study.

The present study investigated the qualitative nature of grammatical gender knowledge and processing in heritage speakers (HSs) of Spanish living in the United States. Forty-four adult Spanish HS bilinguals participated, completing a behavioral grammatical gender assignment task and a grammaticality judgment task (GJT) while their brain activity was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG). The EEG GJT task included grammatical and ungrammatical sentences with grammatical gender violations on inanimate nouns, where transparency of the morpho(phono)logical cue and markedness were manipulated. The results of this study revealed that grammatical gender violations elicited the typical P600 effect across all relevant conditions, indicating that the grammatical representations and processing of grammatical gender in HSs are qualitatively similar to those in Spanish-dominant native speakers. Given the experimental manipulation in this study, these findings also suggest that both morphological transparency and markedness play significant roles in how grammatical gender is processed. However, the results of this study differ from those reported in previous studies with Spanish-dominant native speakers, as the P600 effect found was accompanied by a biphasic N400 effect. This pattern of results is interpreted as further evidence that the bilingual experience of HSs modulates certain aspects of morphosyntactic processing, particularly conferring a greater reliance on morphology. Additionally, the results of this study highlight the importance of incorporating neurolinguistic online processing methods to better understand what underlies HS bilingual competence and processing outcomes.

ERP and Behavioural Correlates of Prospective Memory in Bilinguals during L1 and L2 Processing.

Language influences how we process information from multiple domains. Thus, working in first (L1) or second language (L2) can modulate bilinguals' performance on basic activities, such as visual search, decision-making, or reading. However, few studies have explored the role of L1 and L2 processing during an essential ability, such as Prospective Memory (PM). This type of memory allows us to set intentions to perform in the future (e.g., to attend an appointment). Thus, this is a novel study that allows us to explore the influence of bilingual language processing on certain cognitive abilities, which have not been deeply studied yet, such as the recall of future intentions. Thereby, this study aimed to explore the neural and behavioural correlates of bilinguals during L1 and L2 processing in a PM task where participants had to carry out an ongoing task while recovering a prospective intention given a PM cue. Importantly, the nature of the PM cue (focal or non-focal) varied the monitoring demands of the task. Behavioural and Event-Related Potential (ERP) results indicated greater engagement of monitoring processes in the PM task during L2 processing. Specifically, in L2, we found lower accuracy rates in the ongoing task and smaller amplitude differences between the focal and non-focal conditions in the P3b. Altogether, these findings suggest an impairment in prospective processing due to working in L2 contexts, supporting previous research on the impact of the bilingual experience over PM.

Comparative Transcriptomics of Fusarium graminearum and Magnaporthe oryzae Spore Germination Leading up To Infection.

For fungal plant pathogens, the germinating spore provides the first interaction with the host. Spore germlings move across the plant surface and use diverse penetration strategies for ingress into plant surfaces. Penetration strategies include pressurized melanized appressoria, which facilitate physically punching through the plant cuticle, and nonmelanized appressoria, which penetrate with the help of enzymes or cuticular damage to breach the plant surface. Two well-studied plant pathogens, Fusarium graminearum and Magnaporthe oryzae, are typical of these two modes of penetration. We applied comparative transcriptomics to Fusarium graminearum and Magnaporthe oryzae to characterize the genetic programming of the early host-pathogen interface. Four sequential stages of development following spore localization on the plant surface, from spore swelling to appressorium formation, were sampled for each species on culture medium and on barley sheaths, and transcriptomic analyses were performed. Gene expression in the prepenetration stages in both species and under both conditions was similar. In contrast, gene expression in the final stage was strongly influenced by the environment. Appressorium formation involved the greatest number of differentially expressed genes. Laser-dissection microscopy was used to perform detailed transcriptomics of initial infection points by F. graminearum. These analyses revealed new and important aspects of early fungal ingress in this species. Expression of the trichothecene genes involved in biosynthesis of deoxynivalenol by F. graminearum implies that toxisomes are not fully functional until after penetration and indicates that deoxynivalenol is not essential for penetration under our conditions. The use of comparative gene expression of divergent fungi promises to advance highly effective targets for antifungal strategies. IMPORTANCE Fusarium graminearum and Magnaporthe oryzae are two of the most important pathogens of cereal grains worldwide. Despite years of research, strong host resistance has not been identified for F. graminearum, so other methods of control are essential. The pathogen takes advantage of multiple entry points to infect the host, including breaches in the florets due to senescence of flower parts and penetration of the weakened trichome bases to breach the epidermis. In contrast, M. oryzae directly punctures leaves that it infects, and resistant cultivars have been characterized. The threat of either pathogen causing a major disease outbreak is ever present. Comparative transcriptomics demonstrated its potential to reveal novel and effective disease prevention strategies that affect the initial stages of disease. Shedding light on the basis of this diversity of infection strategies will result in development of increasingly specific control strategies.

Fusarium oxysporum Casein Kinase 1, a Negative Regulator of the Plasma Membrane H+-ATPase Pma1, Is Required for Development and Pathogenicity.

Like many hemibiotrophic plant pathogens, the root-infecting vascular wilt fungus Fusarium oxysporum induces an increase in the pH of the surrounding host tissue. How alkalinization promotes fungal infection is not fully understood, but recent studies point towards the role of cytosolic pH (pHc) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling. In fungi, pHc is mainly controlled by the essential plasma membrane H+-ATPase Pma1. Here we created mutants of F. oxysporum lacking casein kinase 1 (Ck1), a known negative regulator of Pma1. We found that the ck1Δ mutants have constitutively high Pma1 activity and exhibit reduced alkalinization of the surrounding medium as well as decreased hyphal growth and conidiation. Importantly, the ck1Δ mutants exhibit defects in hyphal chemotropism towards plant roots and in pathogenicity on tomato plants. Thus, Ck1 is a key regulator of the development and virulence of F. oxysporum.

ERP Correlates of Prospective Memory and Cue Focality in Children.

Prospective memory (PM) is essential in the everyday activities of children because it involves remembering intentions for the future, such as doing their homework or bringing written parental permissions to school. Developmental studies have shown increases in PM performance throughout childhood, but the specific processes underlying this development are still under debate. In the present study, event-related potentials were used to examine whether the focality of the PM task is related to the PM increments by testing two groups of children (first and last cycle of primary school) and assessing differences in N300 (cue detection), frontal positivity (switching), parietal positivity (retrieval of the intention) and frontal slow waves (monitoring of the retrieved intention). The results showed significant differences in focality in the group of older children but no differences in any of the components for their younger counterparts. In addition, the differences between prospective and ongoing trials were smaller for younger than older children. These findings suggest that the ability to adjust attentional strategies, monitor, switch and retrieve the intention develops across childhood and affects PM performance in attentionally demanding conditions.

Prospective memory in bilinguals and monolinguals: ERP and behavioural correlates of prospective processing in bilinguals.

Prospective memory (PM) allows us to form intentions and execute them in the future. Successful retrieval of prospective intentions depends on adequate context monitoring and disengagement from the ongoing task. These processes are also central in predicting incoming language information and guiding language production in bilinguals. We investigated if different bilingual experiences (early/late bilinguals, monolinguals) modulate performance in PM tasks that varied in attentional requirements (focal vs. non-focal). Behavioural and event-related potential (ERP) results indicated that early bilinguals differed from late bilinguals and monolinguals in how they performed the prospective task. Specifically, they showed larger differences between the ongoing activity and the prospective task in the N300 and P3b components when performing the more difficult non-focal PM task, indicating that they engaged in monitoring/updating to adapt to the task's demands. These differences were not observed in late bilinguals and monolinguals, suggesting that prospective processing is dependent on the bilingual experience.

Grado de disconfort del paciente crítico pediátrico y correlación con variables sociodemográficas y clínicas, analgosedación y síndrome de abstinencia. Estudio multicéntrico COSAIP (Fase 2) / Level of discomfort in critically ill paediatric patients and its correlation with sociodemographic and clinical variables, analgosedation and withdrawal syndrome. COSAIP multicentre study (Phase 2)

Introducción: Existen factores clínicos o sociodemográficos que pueden tener un impacto en el confort del paciente crítico pediátrico. El objetivo principal fue determinar el grado de disconfort de los pacientes pediátricos ingresados en las UCIP de diversos hospitales nacionales y analizar su relación con variables sociodemográficas y clínicas, sedoanalgesia y síndrome de abstinencia.Métodos: Estudio observacional, analítico, transversal y multicéntrico en 5 hospitales españoles. Se valoró el grado de analgosedación mediante el sensor BIS y las escalas de dolor adaptadas a la edad pediátrica, una vez por turno durante 24h. El grado de abstinencia se determinó con la escala Withdrawal Assessment Tool (WAT-1), una vez por turno durante 3 días consecutivos. Además, se valoró simultáneamente el grado de disconfort mediante la COMFORT Behavior Scale-versión española (CBS-ES).Resultados: Se incluyeron un total de 261 pacientes críticos pediátricos con una mediana de edad de 1,61años (RIQ=0,35-6,55). Se objetivaron puntuaciones globales de disconfort de 10,79±3,7 en el turno de mañana versus 10,31±3,3 en el de noche. Se observó asociación estadística al comparar al grupo de pacientes analgosedados con el grupo de no analgosedados en ambos turnos (χ2: 45,48; p=0,001). A la vez, también se observó una relación estadísticamente significativa (p<0,001) entre puntuaciones bajas de disconfort y menor desarrollo de síndrome de abstinencia.Conclusiones: Existe una parte de la población estudiada que padece disconfort, por lo que se hace necesario el desarrollo de protocolos específicos guiados por instrumentos válidos y testados en la práctica clínica, como la COMFORT Behavior Scale-versión española. (AU)

Introduction: There are clinical and sociodemographic factors that have an impact on the comfort of the critically ill paediatric patient. The main aim of this study was to determine the level of discomfort of paediatric patients admitted to different national hospitals, and to analyse its correlation with sociodemographic and clinical variables, analgosedation, and withdrawal syndrome.Methods: An observational, analytical, cross-sectional, and multicentre study was conducted in five Spanish hospitals. The level of analgosedation was assessed once per shift over a 24h period, using a BIS sensor, and pain with scales adapted to paediatric age population. The intensity of withdrawal syndrome was determined using the Withdrawal Assessment Tool (WAT-1) scale once per shift for 3 days. Discomfort level was simultaneous assessed using COMFORT Behaviour Scale-Spanish version (CBS-S).Results: A total of 261 critically ill paediatric patients with median age of 1.61 years (IQR=0.35-6.55) were included. An overall discomfort score of 10.79±3.7 was observed during morning compared to 10.31±3.3 observed during the night. When comparing analgosedation and non-analgosedation groups, statistically differences were found in both shifts (χ2: 45.48; P=.001). At the same time, an association was observed (P<.001) between low discomfort scores and development of withdrawal syndrome development assessed with WAT-1.Conclusions: As there is a percentage of the studied population with discomfort, specific protocols need to be developed, guided by valuated and clinically tested tools, like the COMFORT Behaviour Scale-Spanish version. (AU)

Level of discomfort in critically ill paediatric patients and its correlation with sociodemographic and clinical variables, analgosedation and withdrawal syndrome. COSAIP multicentre study (Phase 2).

INTRODUCTION: There are clinical and sociodemographic factors that have an impact on the comfort of the critically ill paediatric patient. The main aim of this study was to determine the level of discomfort of paediatric patients admitted to different national hospitals, and to analyse its correlation with sociodemographic and clinical variables, analgosedation, and withdrawal syndrome. METHODS: An observational, analytical, cross-sectional, and multicentre study was conducted in five Spanish hospitals. The level of analgosedation was assessed once per shift over a 24 h period, using a BIS sensor, and pain with scales adapted to paediatric age population. The intensity of withdrawal syndrome was determined using the Withdrawal Assessment Tool (WAT-1) scale once per shift for 3 days. Discomfort level was simultaneously assessed using COMFORT Behaviour Scale-Spanish version (CBS-S). RESULTS: A total of 261 critically ill paediatric patients with median age of 1.61 years (IQR = 0.35-6.55) were included. An overall discomfort score of 10.79 ±â€¯3.7 was observed during morning compared to 10.31 ±â€¯3.3 during the night. When comparing analgosedation and non-analgosedation groups, statistical differences were found in both shifts (χ2: 45.48; P = .001). At the same time, an association was observed (P < .001) between low discomfort scores and development of withdrawal syndrome development assessed with WAT-1. CONCLUSIONS: As there is a percentage of the studied population with discomfort, specific protocols need to be developed, guided by valuated and clinically tested tools, like the COMFORT Behaviour Scale-Spanish version.

Giant Cell Arteritis: When an Inspection Is Essential.

INTRODUCTION: The diagnosis of giant cell arteritis is based on clinical and analytical data. The definitive diagnosis is based on histopathologic study. CASE REPORT: We present a patient with a typical headache, a prominent temporal artery in the examination, anemia, and elevation in erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein in blood analysis, and a halo sign in the sonography study, all compatible with giant cell arteritis. CONCLUSION: When dealing a patient with a typical headache, a prominent artery in the inspection, and a visualization of halo sign in ultrasound examination, this diagnosis must be considered.

[Level of discomfort in critically ill paediatric patients and its correlation with sociodemographic and clinical variables, analgosedation and withdrawal syndrome. COSAIP multicentre study (Phase 2)]. / Grado de disconfort del paciente crítico pediátrico y correlación con variables sociodemográficas y clínicas, analgosedación y síndrome de abstinencia. Estudio multicéntrico COSAIP (Fase 2).

INTRODUCTION: There are clinical and sociodemographic factors that have an impact on the comfort of the critically ill paediatric patient. The main aim of this study was to determine the level of discomfort of paediatric patients admitted to different national hospitals, and to analyse its correlation with sociodemographic and clinical variables, analgosedation, and withdrawal syndrome. METHODS: An observational, analytical, cross-sectional, and multicentre study was conducted in five Spanish hospitals. The level of analgosedation was assessed once per shift over a 24h period, using a BIS sensor, and pain with scales adapted to paediatric age population. The intensity of withdrawal syndrome was determined using the Withdrawal Assessment Tool (WAT-1) scale once per shift for 3 days. Discomfort level was simultaneous assessed using COMFORT Behaviour Scale-Spanish version (CBS-S). RESULTS: A total of 261 critically ill paediatric patients with median age of 1.61 years (IQR=0.35-6.55) were included. An overall discomfort score of 10.79±3.7 was observed during morning compared to 10.31±3.3 observed during the night. When comparing analgosedation and non-analgosedation groups, statistically differences were found in both shifts (χ2: 45.48; P=.001). At the same time, an association was observed (P<.001) between low discomfort scores and development of withdrawal syndrome development assessed with WAT-1. CONCLUSIONS: As there is a percentage of the studied population with discomfort, specific protocols need to be developed, guided by valuated and clinically tested tools, like the COMFORT Behaviour Scale-Spanish version.

Plasma-Enabled Amorphous TiO2 Nanotubes as Hydrophobic Support for Molecular Sensing by SERS.

We devise a unique heteronanostructure array to overcome a persistent issue of simultaneously utilizing the surface-enhanced Raman scattering, inexpensive, Earth-abundant materials, large surface areas, and multifunctionality to demonstrate near single-molecule detection. Room-temperature plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and thermal evaporation provide high-density arrays of vertical TiO2 nanotubes decorated with Ag nanoparticles. The role of the TiO2 nanotubes is 3-fold: (i) providing a high surface area for the homogeneous distribution of supported Ag nanoparticles, (ii) increasing the water contact angle to achieve superhydrophobic limits, and (iii) enhancing the Raman signal by synergizing the localized electromagnetic field enhancement (Ag plasmons) and charge transfer chemical enhancement mechanisms (amorphous TiO2) and by increasing the light scattering because of the formation of vertically aligned nanoarchitectures. As a result, we reach a Raman enhancement factor of up to 9.4 × 107, satisfying the key practical device requirements. The enhancement mechanism is optimized through the interplay of the optimum microstructure, nanotube/shell thickness, Ag nanoparticles size distribution, and density. Vertically aligned amorphous TiO2 nanotubes decorated with Ag nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 10-12 nm provide enough sensitivity for near-instant concentration analysis with an ultralow few-molecule detection limit of 10-12 M (Rh6G in water) and the possibility to scale up device fabrication.

May Measurement Month 2018: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Argentinean cohort.

Hypertension continues to be the leading cause of death and disability in the industrialized world, with a high level of unawareness and unacceptably poor control. Therefore, the Argentinian Society of Hypertension, in agreement with the May Measurement Month (MMM) initiative of the International Society of Hypertension, implemented for the second consecutive year an educational campaign during the month of May 2018. A volunteer cross-sectional survey was carried out in public spaces and health centres during the month of May 2018 across 33 cities in Argentina. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg based on the mean of the 2nd and 3rd of three consecutive BP measurements, or in those on treatment for high BP. Statistical analysis including multiple imputation followed the MMM protocol. A total of 70 418 individuals were screened during MMM18, after excluding those under 18 years old. Of the total, 43.8% of participants were classified as hypertensive, 77.7% were aware of their diagnosis, 69.1% were on pharmacological treatment, and 38.7% were controlled. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 56.0% were controlled. It is necessary to reinforce strategies not only to increase the awareness and control of hypertension but also to identify the population groups, in which these strategies would have the greatest impact, helping to reduce the enormous health burden attributed to hypertension.

Reducing Nitrogen Dosage in Triticum durum Plants with Urea-Doped Nanofertilizers.

Nanotechnology is emerging as a very promising tool towards more efficient and sustainable practices in agriculture. In this work, we propose the use of non-toxic calcium phosphate nanoparticles doped with urea (U-ACP) for the fertilization of Triticum durum plants. U-ACP nanoparticles present very similar morphology, structure, and composition than the amorphous precursor of bone mineral, but contain a considerable amount of nitrogen as adsorbed urea (up to ca. 6 wt % urea). Tests on Triticum durum plants indicated that yields and quality of the crops treated with the nanoparticles at reduced nitrogen dosages (by 40%) were unaltered in comparison to positive control plants, which were given the minimum N dosages to obtain the highest values of yield and quality in fields. In addition, optical microscopy inspections showed that Alizarin Red S stained nanoparticles were able to penetrate through the epidermis of the roots or the stomata of the leaves. We observed that the uptake through the roots occurs much faster than through the leaves (1 h vs. 2 days, respectively). Our results highlight the potential of engineering nanoparticles to provide a considerable efficiency of nitrogen uptake by durum wheat and open the door to design more sustainable practices for the fertilization of wheat in fields.

Engineering Biomimetic Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles: A Green Synthesis of Slow-Release Multinutrient (NPK) Nanofertilizers.

Biomimetic calcium phosphate nanoparticles (CaP) have been actively used in biomedicine, due to their high biodegradability and biocompatibility. However, much less progress has been made regarding their application in precision agriculture, i.e., for the controlled delivery of active species to plants. Herein, we report a straightforward and green synthetic method to dope CaP with potassium (K) and nitrogen (N, as nitrate and urea). By modulating the synthetic conditions in terms of maturation time (at 37 °C) and doping, we prepared K- and N-doped nanoparticles in the form of either amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) or nanocrystalline apatite (Ap) and studied the impact of the dopants on the ACP-to-Ap transformation pathways. Importantly, we found out that ACP, isolated at low maturation times, incorporates nitrogen (in the form of nitrate and urea) to a larger extent than Ap (2.6 vs 1.1 wt %, respectively). Multinutrient nanofertilizers (so-called nanoU-NPK) with the following composition (wt %) were obtained: Ca (23.3), P (10.1), K (1.5), NO3 (2.9), and urea (4.8). The nanoU-NPK provides a slow and gradual release of the most important plant macronutrients (NPK), with N in two chemical forms, and different kinetics. The concentration of nutrients supplied by 10 g L-1 of nanoU-NPK to the media after 1 week (in mg L-1) was Ca (27.0), P (6.2), K (41.0), NO3 (134.0), and urea (315.0). Preliminary tests on durum wheat have shown that the application of nanoU-NPK allows reducing the amount of nitrogen supplied to the plants by 40% with respect to a conventional treatment, without affecting the final kernel weight per plant. The application of these slow-release NPK nanofertilizers is a promising strategy toward enhancing the efficiency of the fertilization, complying with the concept of precision agriculture.

Vaccine vectors: the bright side of cytomegalovirus.

Cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) present singular features that are particularly advantageous for human vaccine development, a current medical need. Vaccines that induce neutralizing antibodies are among the most successful and efficacious available. However, chronic and persistent human infections, pathogens with high variability of exposed proteins, as well as tumors, highlight the need for developing novel vaccines inducing strong and long-lasting cellular immune responses mediated by effector or effector memory CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes. CMVs induce the most potent CD8+ T lymphocyte response to a pathogen known in each of their hosts, maintain and even increase it for life for selected antigens, in what is known as the ever growing inflationary memory, and maintain an effector memory status due to recent and repeated antigen stimulation that endows these inflationary T lymphocytes with superior and faster protective potency. In addition to these CMV singularities, this family of viruses has two more common favorable features: they can superinfect an already infected host, which is needed in face of the high CMV prevalence, and they can harbor very large segments of foreign DNA at many different genomic sites. All these properties endow CMVs with a singular potential to be used as human vaccine vectors. Current developments with most of the recombinant CMV-based vaccine candidates that have been tested in animal models against clinically relevant viral and bacterial infections and for their use in tumor immunotherapy are reviewed herein. Since CMV vectors should be designed to avoid the risk of disease in immunocompromised individuals, special attention is also paid to attenuated vectors. Taken together, the results support the future use of CMV-based vaccine vectors to induce protective CD8+ T lymphocyte responses in humans, mainly against viral infections and as anti-tumor vaccines.

Metabolism and Development during Conidial Germination in Response to a Carbon-Nitrogen-Rich Synthetic or a Natural Source of Nutrition in Neurospora crassa.

Fungal spores germinate and undergo vegetative growth, leading to either asexual or sexual reproductive dispersal. Previous research has indicated that among developmental regulatory genes, expression is conserved across nutritional environments, whereas pathways for carbon and nitrogen metabolism appear highly responsive-perhaps to accommodate differential nutritive processing. To comprehensively investigate conidial germination and the adaptive life history decision-making underlying these two modes of reproduction, we profiled transcription of Neurospora crassa germinating on two media: synthetic Bird medium, designed to promote asexual reproduction; and a natural maple sap medium, on which both asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction manifest. A later start to germination but faster development was observed on synthetic medium. Metabolic genes exhibited altered expression in response to nutrients-at least 34% of the genes in the genome were significantly downregulated during the first two stages of conidial germination on synthetic medium. Knockouts of genes exhibiting differential expression across development altered germination and growth rates, as well as in one case causing abnormal germination. A consensus Bayesian network of these genes indicated especially tight integration of environmental sensing, asexual and sexual development, and nitrogen metabolism on a natural medium, suggesting that in natural environments, a more dynamic and tentative balance of asexual and sexual development may be typical of N. crassa colonies.IMPORTANCE One of the most remarkable successes of life is its ability to flourish in response to temporally and spatially varying environments. Fungi occupy diverse ecosystems, and their sensitivity to these environmental changes often drives major fungal life history decisions, including the major switch from vegetative growth to asexual or sexual reproduction. Spore germination comprises the first and simplest stage of vegetative growth. We examined the dependence of this early life history on the nutritional environment using genome-wide transcriptomics. We demonstrated that for developmental regulatory genes, expression was generally conserved across nutritional environments, whereas metabolic gene expression was highly labile. The level of activation of developmental genes did depend on current nutrient conditions, as did the modularity of metabolic and developmental response network interactions. This knowledge is critical to the development of future technologies that could manipulate fungal growth for medical, agricultural, or industrial purposes.

Safe nanotechnologies for increasing the effectiveness of environmentally friendly natural agrochemicals.

Natural compounds and living organisms continue to play a limited role in crop protection, and few of them have reached the market, despite their attractiveness and the efforts made in research. Very often these products have negative characteristics compared to synthetic compounds, e.g., higher costs of production, lower effectiveness, lack of persistence, and inability to reach and penetrate the target plant. Conversely, nanotechnologies are having an enormous impact on all human activities, including agriculture, even if the production of some nanomaterials is not environmentally friendly or could have adverse effects on agriculture and the environment. Thus, certain nanomaterials could facilitate the development of formulated natural pesticides, making them more effective and more environmentally friendly. Nanoformulations can improve efficacy, reduce effective doses, and increase shelf-life and persistence. Such controlled-release products can improve delivery to the target pest. This review considers certain available nanomaterials and nanotechnologies for use in agriculture, discussing their properties and the feasibility of their use in sustainable crop protection, in particular, in improving the effectiveness of natural bio-based agrochemicals. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.