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Background Many insects, including ants, are infected by maternally inherited Wolbachia endosymbiotic bacteria though other secondary endosymbionts have not been reported in ants. It has been suggested that the ability of Wolbachia to invade and remain in an ant population depends on the number of coexisting queens in a colony. We study the genetic and social structure of populations in the ant Formica cinerea which is known to have populations with either monogynous or polygynous colonies. We screen populations for several endosymbiotic bacteria to evaluate the presence of different endosymbionts, possible association between their prevalence and the social structure, and the association between endosymbiont prevalence and genetic differentiation of ant populations. Results We found three endosymbiotic bacteria; 19% of the nests were infected by Wolbachia , 3.8% by Cardinium and 33% by Serratia . There was significant variation among the populations regarding the proportion of nests infected by Serratia , Wolbachia and the pooled set of all the endosymbionts. Some individuals and colonies carried two of the bacteria, the frequency of double infections agreeing with the random expectation. The proportion of infected ants (individuals or colonies) did not correlate significantly with the population level relatedness values. The difference in the prevalence of Wolbachia between population pairs correlated significantly with the genetic distance (microsatellites) of the populations. Conclusions The discovery of several endosymbionts and co-infections by Wolbachia and Cardinium demonstrate the importance of screening several endosymbionts when evaluating their possible effects on social life and queen-worker conflicts over sex allocation. The low prevalence of Wolbachia in F. cinerea departs from the pattern observed in many other Formica ants in which all workers have been infected. It is likely that the strain of Wolbachia in F. cinerea differs from those in other Formica species. The correlation between the difference in Wolbachia prevalence and the pair-wise genetic distance of populations suggests that spreading of the bacteria is restricted by the isolation of the host populations.

Biomethane is a renewable product that can directly substitute its fossil counterpart, although its synthesis from residual biomasses has some hurdles. Because of the complex nature of both biomasses and the microbial consortia involved, innovative approaches such as mathematical modeling can be deployed to support possible improvements. The goal of this study is two-fold, as we aimed to modify a part of the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1), describing biomethane production from activated sludge, matching with its actual microbial nature, and to use the model for identifying relevant parameters to improve biomethane production. Firstly, thermodynamic analysis was performed, highlighting the direct route from glucose to biomethane as the most favorable. Then, by using MATLAB® and Simulink Toolbox, we discovered that the model fails to predict the microbiological behavior of the system. The structure of the ADM1 model was then modified by adding substrate consumption yields in equations describing microbial growth, to better reflect the consortium behavior. The updated model was tested by modifying several parameters: the coefficient of decomposition was identified to increase biomethane production. Approaching mathematical models from a microbiological point of view can lead to further improvement of the models themselves. Furthermore, this work represents additional evidence of the importance of informatics tools, such as bioprocess simulations to foster biomethane role in bioeconomy.

Hybridizing harvester ants of the Pogonomyrmex barbatus/rugosus complex have an exceptional genetic caste determination (GCD) mechanism. We combined computer simulations, population genomics, and linkage mapping using > 1000 nuclear AFLP markers and a partial mtDNA sequence to explore the genetic architecture and origin of the dependent lineages. Our samples included two pairs of hybridizing lineages, and the mitochondrial and nuclear data showed contradicting affinities between them. Clustering of individual genotypes based on nuclear markers indicated some exceptions to the general GCD system, that is, interlineage hybrid gynes as well as some pure-line workers. A genetic linkage map of P. rugosus showed one of the highest recombination rates ever measured in insects (14.0 cM/Mb), supporting the view that social insects are characterized by high recombination rates. The population data had 165 markers in which sibling pairs showed a significant genetic difference depending on the caste. The differences were scattered in the genome; 13 linkage groups had loci with F ST > 0.9 between the hybridizing lineages J1 and J2. The mapping results and the population data indicate that the dependent lineages have been initially formed through hybridization at different points in time but the role of introgression has been insignificant in their later evolution.

Abstract Background: High recombination rates have previously been detected in two groups of eusocial insects; honeybees and ants. In this study we estimate recombination rate in a eusocial wasp Vespula vulgaris that represents a third phylogenetic lineage within eusocial hymenopterans. Results: A genetic linkage map of V. vulgaris based on 210 markers shows that the total map length is 2129 cM and the recombination rate is 9.7 cM/Mb (or 103 kb/cM). The present estimate in V. vulgaris is somewhat smaller than in the honeybee Apis mellifera and intermediate between the estimates from two ant species (Acromyrmex echinatior , Pogonomyrmex rugosus ). Altogether, the estimates from these eusocial species are higher than in any other insect reported so far. Conlusions: The four species (V. vulgaris , A. mellifera, A. echinatior , P. rugosus ) are characterized by advanced eusociality with large colonies, clear queen-worker dimorphism and well developed task specialization. They also have colonies with a single, normally multiply inseminated (polyandrous) queen. Benefits of genotypic diversity within colonies (e.g. through improved task specialization or pathogen and parasite resistance) may have selected for both polyandry and high recombination rate in such advanced eusocial insects.

The public sector uses abundant resources for small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) policies. Microenterprises, those with less than ten employees, account for a large majority of SMEs, and they are regarded as engines of growth. Micro-enterprises face many difficulties such as compensating for the 'liability of smallness'. Despite microenterprises' significant role in the economy, effectiveness evaluations of the public support activities directed toward them are relatively scarce. The objective of this study is to provide an evaluation of the actual effects of a publicly funded support project's activities for micro-enterprises. The purpose of the small-scale pilot project analysed in this study was to advance micro-enterprises' occupational welfare, profitability and collaboration. This study's research problem can be condensed into the following research question: What are the project-produced impacts perceived by entrepreneurs? Methodologically, qualitative data were utilized in conducting the present study. The data were collected from six semi-structured thematic interviews of micro-enterprise owners. Moreover, a survey targeted at micro-enterprises participating in the support project was utilized as a support data. The effectiveness evaluation was carried out in the middle phase of the pilot project. The results indicate that entrepreneurs perceive the project's activities to be well targeted. In relation to the starting point, entrepreneurs' wellbeing and willingness to collaborate were particularly improved during the project. Micro-enterprises involved in the project were networking and cooperating more actively with other companies and public advisory services. In addition, the project's activities contributed to the generation of new ideas, more enthusiasm and tools aiding business development from the perspective of micro-enterprises. However, its impact on profitability - the third object of the project - was not as apparent. This may be explained by the need for a longer timeframe to see results and the on-going status of the project. In addition to the original project context, the results of this study provide fresh ideas for public advisory services to improve on-going support actions and to plan new actions aimed at supporting micro-enterprises.

Hybridizing harvester ants of the Pogonomyrmex barbatus/rugosus complex have an exceptional genetic caste determination (GCD) mechanism. We combined computer simulations, population genomics, and linkage mapping using >1000 nuclear AFLP markers and a partial mtDNA sequence to explore the genetic architecture and origin of the dependent lineages. Our samples included two pairs of hybridizing lineages, and the mitochondrial and nuclear data showed contradicting affinities between them. Clustering of individual genotypes based on nuclear markers indicated some exceptions to the general GCD system, that is, interlineage hybrid gynes as well as some pure-line workers. A genetic linkage map of P. rugosus showed one of the highest recombination rates ever measured in insects (14.0 cM/Mb), supporting the view that social insects are characterized by high recombination rates. The population data had 165 markers in which sibling pairs showed a significant genetic difference depending on the caste. The differences were scattered in the genome; 13 linkage groups had loci with F... > 0.9 between the hybridizing lineages J1 and J2.The mapping results and the population data indicate that the dependent lineages have been initially formed through hybridization at different points in time but the role of introgression has been insignificant in their later evolution. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)

Lipid peroxidation-initiated ferroptosis is an iron-dependent mechanism of programmed cell death taking place in neurological diseases. Here we show that a condensed benzo[b]thiazine derivative small molecule with an arylthiazine backbone (ADA-409-052) inhibits tert -Butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP)-induced lipid peroxidation (LP) and protects against ferroptotic cell death triggered by glutathione (GSH) depletion or glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4) inhibition in neuronal cell lines. In addition, ADA-409-052 suppresses pro-inflammatory activation of BV2 microglia and protects N2a neuronal cells from cell death induced by pro-inflammatory RAW 264.7 macrophages. Moreover, ADA-409-052 efficiently reduces infarct volume, edema and expression of pro-inflammatory genes in a mouse model of thromboembolic stroke. Targeting ferroptosis may be a promising therapeutic strategy in neurological diseases involving severe neuronal death and neuroinflammation.

In this study, the effect of the deep eutectic solvent (DES) based on triethylmethylammonium chloride and imidazole on the mechanochemical succinylation of sawdust was investigated. The sawdust was ball milled in the presence of succinic anhydride and the effects of different amounts of the DES on the carboxylic acid content and particle size were studied with and without post-heating. The carboxylic acid content significantly increased with the addition of the DES and by using 1.5 mass excess of the DES compared to sawdust; milled sawdust with 3.5 mmol/g of carboxylic acid groups was obtained using 60 min post-heating at 100 °C. The particle size was found to depend strongly on DES-to-wood ratio and a change in size-reduction characteristics was observed related to fiber saturation point. After mechanochemical milling, three succinylated sawdust samples with different carboxylic acid contents were disintegrated into wood nanofibers and self-standing films were produced. Although the mechanical properties of the films were lower than the cellulose nanofibers, they were higher or in line with oil- and biobased polymers such as polypropene and polylactic acid, respectively. Because of their amphiphilic nature, wood nanofibers were found to be effective stabilizers of water–oil emulsions.