Review
Plant Sciences
Marieke M. M. van Katwijk, Brigitta I. I. van Tussenbroek
Summary: Most plant species have either annual or perennial life cycles, but there are facultative annual species that can be either annual or perennial depending on their environment. While facultative annual species are rare in terrestrial plants, they are more common in marine angiosperms, particularly seagrasses. Six of the 63 seagrass species are facultative annual, producing significantly more seeds than their perennial counterparts. These facultative annual species can transition to an annual life cycle when exposed to specific environmental factors such as desiccation, anoxia, shading, or heat stress. A large-scale coastal protection experiment demonstrated that the facultative annual seagrass population could shift to a perennial life cycle within 5 years depending on the environmental conditions.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Emily Rowlands, Tamara Galloway, Matthew Cole, Ceri Lewis, Christian Hacker, Victoria L. Peck, Sally Thorpe, Sabena Blackbird, George A. Wolff, Clara Manno
Summary: Antarctic krill, a key species in the Antarctic marine food web, is potentially vulnerable to plastic pollution, but the impact of nanoplastics on krill remains poorly understood. This study investigated the intergenerational effects of nanoplastic exposure on krill lipid and fatty acid reserves. The research found that nanoplastic additions did not significantly affect lipid metabolism in krill embryos, but the provision of a food source during maternal exposure to nanoplastic had a positive effect on key fatty acids important for embryogenesis. The study suggests directions for future research, including long-term exposures and exploring other critical energy reserves.
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Pengjie Hu, Linxia Liu, Weixin Ke, Xiuyun Tian, Linqi Wang
Summary: Cbc1 protein plays a crucial role in infectious and sexual cycles of Cryptococcus neoformans, and its absence results in the disruption of asexual spore formation.
SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chao-Jun Lu, Yang Meng, Yan-Li Wang, Tao Zhang, Gui-Fang Yang, Ming-He Mo, Kai-Fang Ji, Lian-Ming Liang, Cheng-Gang Zou, Ke-Qin Zhang
Summary: Lipid hydrolysis plays a crucial role in the adaptation of root knot nematodes to nutrient deprivation. The upregulation of the polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis pathway leads to increased production of arachidonic acid and the activation of lysosomal biogenesis, promoting lipid hydrolysis. Inhibition of lysosomal lipolysis reduces the lifespan, locomotion, and infectivity of the nematodes, suggesting potential strategies for nematode pest management.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Masoumeh Asadi Aghbolaghi, Mohammad Sedghi, Raouf Seyed Sharifi, Beata Dedicova
Summary: The pollution and accumulation of heavy metals pose significant environmental and health risks. This study investigates the impact of organic matter (humic acid) on the germination and biochemical changes of pumpkin seeds under cadmium stress conditions.
Article
Business, Finance
George J. Bratsiotis, Konstantinos Theodoridis
Summary: This paper examines the impact of a precautionary banking liquidity shock on the real economy. The shock is caused by a change in banks' preference for liquid assets. Using a DSGE model, it is found that the precautionary liquidity shock affects output, consumption, investment, and prices through reserves and the deposit rate. The magnitude of these effects is influenced by the long-run risks in the economy and banks' responsiveness to potential risk.
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL MARKETS INSTITUTIONS & MONEY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Parinaz Kasebzadeh, Gustaf Hendeby, Fredrik Gustafsson
Summary: This study proposes a method for computing unique gait signature from IMU measurements, allowing for the joint classification of gait and device modes. By precise segmentation and resampling of the IMU signal, the obtained signature is suitable for gait mode classification and extracting low-dimensional feature vectors through Fourier series expansion.
IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Nan Mo, Dan-dan Zhu, Jia-xin Liu, Tianyi Feng, Zhaoxia Cui
Summary: The air-exposure stress (AES) in aquacultural practices can affect the survival rate of cultured animals by inducing adjustments in energy utilization, respiration, antioxidant production, and immune activity. A combination of metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis was used to study Chinese mitten crabs' metabolic responses to AES, revealing an increase in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism-related metabolites and changes in gene expression. Lowering temperature was found to alleviate the impacts of AES by depressing metabolic rates, and sexual dimorphism in lipid metabolism in Eriocheir sinensis was demonstrated.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sarah J. Shepherd, Claude C. Warzecha, Sagar Yadavali, Rakan El-Mayta, Mohamad-Gabriel Alameh, Lili Wang, Drew Weissman, James M. Wilson, David Issadore, Michael J. Mitchell
Summary: The study presents a scalable, parallelized microfluidic device (PMD) that can simultaneously operate 128 mixing channels, achieving over 100 times production rate compared to traditional methods for lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). Results demonstrate superior delivery of LNPS generated using PMD in mice, showing potential for emerging clinical applications such as RNA therapeutics and vaccines.
Article
Environmental Sciences
N. Hajinajaf, Y. Rabbani, A. Mehrabadi, O. Tavakoli
Summary: This study investigated the optimized conditions of lipid extraction from Nannochloropsis sp. PTCC 6016 marine species using different extraction methods and operational parameters, and found that ultrasonication method was the most desired option for lipid extraction efficiency of Nannochloropsis sp. in large-scale operations.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Kaera Utsumi, Catherine Staley, Maria A. Eifler, Herman Nunez, Douglas A. Eifler
Summary: Liolaemus is a species-rich genus endemic to South America, with one common species, L. silvai, in the coastal Atacama Desert being sexually dimorphic. A study was conducted on their phenotypic variation, habitat use, and found that male L. silvai were larger than females, color morph and tail break frequency were independent of sex, and lizards preferred rocks closer to vegetation. Further research is needed to explore the exact role of vegetation for L. silvai.
SOUTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yuka Matsuura-Sawada, Masatoshi Maeki, Takaaki Nishioka, Ayuka Niwa, Jun Yamauchi, Masashi Mizoguchi, Koichi Wada, Manabu Tokeshi
Summary: The preparation of lipid-based nanoparticles using microfluidic devices offers advantages in size control and scale-up. The use of iLiNP, a microfluidic device with ethanol dilution capability, allows for the production of smaller and more concentrated LNPs compared to other commercial devices. This offers a time- and cost-saving option for mass production of LNPs in nanomedicine and cosmetics.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Onelia Gagliano, Camilla Luni, Yan Li, Silvia Angiolillo, Wei Qin, Francesco Panariello, Davide Cacchiarelli, Joseph S. Takahashi, Nicola Elvassore
Summary: This study investigates the effect of oscillatory metabolic signals on the cell-autonomous clock in peripheral tissues, and highlights the role of synchronicity between life-style associated metabolic signals and peripheral clocks on circadian entrainment. The authors controlled cyclic metabolic signals in a microfluidic device to study the impact of glucose and insulin timing, period, and frequency on the transcriptome of cultured fibroblasts.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fabian Guzman-Rivas, Juan Ortega, Sergio Mora, Patricio Barria, Rodrigo Riera, Angel Urzua
Summary: The integrated biochemical condition of gonads in highly migratory marine species is closely related to reproductive success. This study compared the integrated biochemical conditions of female swordfish gonads in two different seasons and body size ranges. The results showed that the lipid contents varied significantly between seasons and body sizes, and the fatty acid profiles also varied for both seasons and body size ranges. These findings can be used as indicators of nutritional condition and health status, and can aid in fishery management models.
Article
Fisheries
Andre M. Machado, Sergio Fernandez-Boo, Manuel Nande, Rui Pinto, Benjamin Costas, L. Filipe C. Castro
Summary: Paracentrotus lividus is a highly abundant and desirable echinoid species in Europe, yet its genomic resources are limited. This study comprehensively characterized the male and female gonad transcriptome of P. lividus, providing insights into sexual development as well as lipid biosynthesis and storage. The findings contribute valuable resources for the conservation and aquaculture exploitation of this species.
AQUACULTURE REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cristian Simon Abdala, Alvaro J. Aguilar-Kirigin, Romina Valeria Semhan, Ana Lucia Bulacios Arroyo, Julian Valdes, Marcos Maximiliano Paz, Roberto Gutierrez Poblete, Pablo Valladares Faundez, Robert Langstroth, James Aparicio
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Cristian S. Abdala, Marcos M. Paz, Romina V. Semhan, Noelia Garcia, Alvaro J. Aguilar-Kirigin, Maria E. Farias, Pablo Valladares, Roberto Gutierrez Poblete, Matias A. Quipildor, Julian Valdes, Robert Langstroth
SYSTEMATICS AND BIODIVERSITY
(2020)
Article
Zoology
Santiago J. Nenda, Alejandro Laspiur, Fernando Lobo, Cristian S. Abdala
SOUTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Javier Maximiliano Cordier, Octavio Rojas-Soto, Romina Semhan, Cristian Simon Abdala, Javier Nori
Summary: The study reveals that species split from complexes generate new species more vulnerable to global climate change, as their climatic niche becomes more marginal and smaller over time. The exposure and vulnerability to climate change of these species are significantly more remarkable in the updated species compared to the originally described species. The lack of taxonomic and phylogenetic knowledge may mask the real vulnerability of biodiversity to global climate change.
PERSPECTIVES IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Julian Valdes, Sergio Sebastian Samoluk, Cristian Simon Abdala, Diego Baldo, Guillermo Seijo
Summary: Liolaemus is the most specious genus of Squamata lizards in South America, showing exceptional evolutionary radiation and speciation patterns. By using Next-Generation Sequencing, a comparative analysis of three differently related species of Liolaemus mitochondrial genomes was conducted, revealing variations in protein coding genes, tRNAs, and repetitive sequences in the control region. These tandem repeats in the control region may serve as useful markers for analyzing relationships and conducting population and phylogenetic studies of closely related species of Liolaemus.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Felix B. Cruz, Debora Lina Moreno Azocar, Bieke Vanhooydonck, James A. Schulte, Cristian S. Abdala, Anthony Herrel
Summary: Phenotypic variation is the result of selection on relevant traits in a given ecological context, but may be limited by phylogenetic history, genetic drift, and other constraints. Performance traits in organismal play a key role in driving variation in morphology, with multiple anatomical trait combinations leading to similar levels of performance. Traits with greater mechanical sensitivity show higher rates of evolution compared to other traits involved in trade-offs.
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
M. R. Ruiz-Monachesi, C. S. Abdala, J. A. Schulte, F. B. Cruz
Summary: The study examined the factors influencing chemical and visual sensory organ size in South American Liolaemus lizards, with results indicating that sex, different evolutionary processes, and climatic factors may influence the evolution of sensory organ size.
EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
F. B. Cruz, D. L. Moreno Azocar, M. G. Perotti, J. C. Acosta, O. Stellatelli, L. Vega, F. Luna, D. Antenucci, C. Abdala, J. A. Schulte
Summary: This study examines the cold climate and maternal manipulation hypotheses by investigating the temperature physiology and metabolic rate differences between viviparous and oviparous lizards. The findings provide evidence that viviparous species are more common in colder areas and pregnant viviparous females have higher temperature stability, supporting both hypotheses.
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Mario R. Ruiz-Monachesi, Cristian S. Abdala, Felix B. Cruz
Summary: This study used phylogenetic geometric morphometrics to examine shape variation in the VNO, PO, and TM of 20 species of Liolaemus lizards. The results showed a weak phylogenetic effect on shapes and an allometry effect on the shape of PO. The integration patterns among the shapes of the tongue, the VNO, and the PO were significant.
ZOOLOGISCHER ANZEIGER
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Cristian S. Abdala, Pablo Anselmo Chafrat, Juan C. Chaparro, Ivan Ezequiel Procheret, Julian Valdes, Vanina Lannutti, Laura Perez, Sebastian Quinteros
Summary: A new species of Liolaemus from Argentina is identified using integrative evidence methodology. The new species is closely related to L. mapuche, but is larger in size and has more scales. It has strict sand-dwelling habits and is found under Neltuma alpataco bushes. Molecular and morphological analysis suggests that L. mapuche is the sister species of the new one. The new species belongs to the Liolaemus boulengeri species group, which includes 75 species distributed in several South American countries.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF TAXONOMY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Javier Nori, Romina Semhan, Cristian Simon Abdala, Octavio Rojas-Soto
Summary: The unique case of Argentinian reptiles, particularly the genus Liolaemus, is experiencing a significant increase in known species due to a high species description rate of 3.25 spp./year. This recent evolutionary radiation in Liolaemus has led to spatial changes in richness and endemism patterns, particularly in the Patagonian steppe and Monte ecoregions of Argentina. The decrease in average extent of occurrence (EOO) of Liolaemus species also poses an increased extinction risk, with 80% of species today having an EOO smaller than 20,000 km(2).
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Pablo Valladares-Faundez, Pablo Franco Leon, Cesar Jove Chipana, Marco Navarro Guzman, Javier Ignacio-Apaza, Cesar Caceres Musaja, Robert Langstroth, Alvaro Aguilar-Kirigin, Roberto C. Gutierrez, Cristian S. Abdala
Summary: A new lizard species of the genus Liolaemus is described in this study from the Tacna region of southern Peru, with diagnostic characters distinguishing it from other known species. Analysis of phylogenetic relationships, morphology, and ecology supports the conclusion of a new species related to L. nazca and L. chiribaya, living in hyperarid Pacific deserts at approximately 1,000 m above sea level. Due to its limited range and habitat loss, it is recommended that this species be categorized as Critically Endangered.
AMPHIBIAN & REPTILE CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Aaron J. Quiroz, Ling Huamani-Valderrama, Roberto C. Gutierrez, Alvaro J. Aguilar-Kirigin, Evaristo Lopez-Tejeda, Ana Lazo-Rivera, Wilson Huanca-Mamani, Pablo Valladares-Faundez, Juan J. Morrone, Jose Cerdena, Juan C. Chaparro, Cristian S. Abdala
Summary: The study describes a new species of Liolaemus discovered in the southwestern Andes of Peru, with unique morphological, scalation, and color pattern characteristics. The new species is confirmed to belong to the Liolaemus montanus species group and the L. reichei Glade, and is endemic to the eastern slopes of La Caldera batholith in the Department of Arequipa, southern Peru. It is suggested that the species be included in the IUCN red list as endangered.
ZOOLOGICAL STUDIES
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Juan C. Chaparro, Aaron J. Quiroz, Luis Mamani, Roberto C. Gutierrez, Peter Condori, Ignacio De la Riva, Gabriela Herrera-Juarez, Jose Cerdena, Luis P. Arapa, Cristian S. Abdala
AMPHIBIAN & REPTILE CONSERVATION
(2020)