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Increased fitness in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) is attributed to infection by Epichloë coenophiala. However, plant growth-promoting (PGP) bacteria also increase the fitness of many host plants, and PGP bacteria have been shown to dominate the phyllosphere and rhizosphere microbiome of E. coenophiala-infected (E+) tall fescue. Because E. coenophialum lives endophytically in tall fescue seeds, we hypothesized that PGP bacteria also live within the seeds and could provide fitness advantages to the host. Endophyte-infected (E+) and endophyte-free (E−) Kentucky-31 tall fescue seeds were surface sterilized to remove epiphytic bacteria. Surface sterilized and non-surface sterilized control plants of each type were cultivated for 6 weeks before withholding water to simulate drought. Normal watering was resumed after 4 days. Plant recovery of each group was measured by assigning a numerical value to tillers based on the state of decline. Surface-sterilized E+ plants were unable to recover as efficiently as E+ controls but outperformed both E− groups. Additionally, total 16S amplified DNA extracted from each seed type was analyzed with Illumina sequencing to assess the internal microbial communities from E+ and E− seeds as well as the seed coat microbiome. E+ seeds have lower diversity of endophytic bacterial species and are dominated by Pseudomonadaceae. Further, several of the seed endophytes are PGP bacterial strains.

Reading as Democracy in Crisis: Interpretation, Theory, History explores the dialectic between historical conditions and the reading strategies that arise from them. It explores the relationship...

Graphene oxide (GO)/MnO2 nanocomposites were synthesized by adding KMnO4 in a solution of water and ethanol (3:1), containing 10 mg of GO. Brown precipitates were obtained after a continuous stirring for 1 hr. The precipitates were then washed with deionized water (DI) water and dried to obtain the MnO2-GO nanocomposites. Pure MnO2 was also synthesized using the same method without GO for the comparison. X-ray diffraction pattern confirm δ-MnO2 type of MnO2 with birnessite type MnO2 structure. The TEM images show the average diameter of MnO2 nanorods as 15 nm. Electrochemical characterizations were carried out in an aqueous solution of 3M KOH. Charge-discharge studies were carried out between 1A/g to 20 A/g current range. The MnO2-GO nanocomposites showed improved electrochemical performances. The capacitance of MnO2 and MnO2-GO electrodes was found to be as 300 F/g, and 350 F/g, respectively at a current of 0.5 A/g. © 2019 Materials Research Society.

Aim: The aim of the study was to examine the orientation learning needs of adjunct clinical faculty as they transition from expert clinicians to novice educators. Background: Schools of nursing are increasingly using adjunct clinical faculty because of the nurse faculty shortage. Retention is a concern. Method: This descriptive quantitative study used the Needs Assessment Survey for Topic Inclusion in a Guide to Orientation. Adjunct clinical faculty rated the level of importance of orientation topics and if they received needed information. Results: The majority of topics were found to be rated very important or important. Several items deemed very important or important were either not discussed or not sufficiently discussed in orientation. Conclusion: The information obtained demonstrates the vast amount of information that adjunct clinical faculty want and need in an orientation. © 2019 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

We report results of speckle-interferometric monitoring of visual hierarchical systems using the newly commissioned instrument NN-EXPLORE Exoplanet and Stellar Speckle Imager at the 3.5 m WIYN telescope. During one year, 390 measurements of 129 resolved subsystems were made, while some targets were unresolved. Using our astrometry and archival data, we computed 36 orbits (27 for the first time). Spectro-interferometric orbits of seven pairs are determined by combining positional measurements with radial velocities measured, mostly, with the Center for Astrophysics digital speedometers. For the hierarchical systems HIP 65026 (periods 49 and 1.23 yr) and HIP 85209 (periods 34 and 1.23 yr) we determined both the inner and the outer orbits using astrometry and radial velocities and measured the mutual orbit inclinations of 11.°3 ± 1.°0 and 12.°0 ± 3.°0, respectively. Four bright stars are resolved for the first time; two of those are triple systems. Several visual subsystems announced in the literature are shown to be spurious. We note that subsystems in compact hierarchies with outer separations less than 100 au tend to have less eccentric orbits compared to wider hierarchies. © 2019. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved..

Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) vector pathogenic trypanosomes (Trypanosoma spp.) in sub-Saharan Africa. These parasites cause human and animal African trypanosomiases, which are debilitating diseases that inflict an enormous socio-economic burden on inhabitants of endemic regions. Current disease control strategies rely primarily on treating infected animals and reducing tsetse population densities. However, relevant programs are costly, labor intensive and difficult to sustain. As such, novel strategies aimed at reducing tsetse vector competence require development. Herein we investigated whether Kosakonia cowanii Zambiae (Kco_Z), which confers Anopheles gambiae with resistance to Plasmodium, is able to colonize tsetse and induce a trypanosome refractory phenotype in the fly. Kco_Z established stable infections in tsetse's gut and exhibited no adverse effect on the fly's survival. Flies with established Kco_Z infections in their gut were significantly more refractory to infection with two distinct trypanosome species (T. congolense, 6% infection; T. brucei, 32% infection) than were age-matched flies that did not house the exogenous bacterium (T. congolense, 36% infected; T. brucei, 70% infected). Additionally, 52% of Kco_Z colonized tsetse survived infection with entomopathogenic Serratia marcescens, compared with only 9% of their wild-type counterparts. These parasite and pathogen refractory phenotypes result from the fact that Kco_Z acidifies tsetse's midgut environment, which inhibits trypanosome and Serratia growth and thus infection establishment. Finally, we determined that Kco_Z infection does not impact the fecundity of male or female tsetse, nor the ability of male flies to compete with their wild-type counterparts for mates. We propose that Kco_Z could be used as one component of an integrated strategy aimed at reducing the ability of tsetse to transmit pathogenic trypanosomes.

The leaves of the Mitragynine speciosia tree (also known as Kratom) have long been chewed, smoked, or brewed into a tea by people in Southeastern Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Thailand. Just this past year, the plant Kratom gained popularity in the United States as a "legal opioid" and scheduling it as a drug of abuse is currently pending. The primary alkaloid found in Kratom is a μ-opioid receptor agonist, mitragynine, whose structure contains a promising scaffold for immunopharmacological use. Although Kratom is regarded as a safe opioid alternative, here we report the LD 50 values determined for its two main psychoactive alkaloids, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, as comparable to heroin in mice when administered intravenously. Given Kratom's recent emergence in the U.S., there is currently no diagnostic test available for law enforcement or health professionals, so we sought to design such an assay. Mitragynine was used as a starting point for hapten design, resulting in a hapten with an ether linker extending from the C9 position of the alkaloid. Bacterial flagellin (FliC) was chosen as a carrier protein for active immunization in mice, yielding 32 potential monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for assay development. Antimitragynine mAbs in the range of micro- to nanomolar affinities were uncovered and their utility in producing a convenient lateral flow detection assay of human fluid samples was examined. Antibodies were screened for binding to mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine, and performance in lateral flow assays. Two monoclonal antibodies were subcloned and further purified with 93 and 362 nM affinity to mitragynine. Test strip assays were optimized with a detection cut off of 0.5 μg/mL for mitragynine in buffer and urine (reflecting projected clinically relevant levels of drug in urine), which could be beneficial to law enforcement agencies and health professionals as the opioid epidemic in America continues to evolve. © 2018 American Chemical Society.

This paper analyzes spectrum management practices in the Philippines. The regulatory body allocates available spectrum via an administrative approach which lacks transparency and due process. The paper recommends that the regulatory body adopts the auction method in allocating spectrums which is more transparent, fair, and cost-effective if a suitable design is adopted.