Millets, Rice, Social Complexity, and the Spread of Agriculture to the Chengdu Plain and Southwest China

Southwest China played a pivotal role in the spread of agriculture across East and Southeast Asia. Both rice and millet were important in the spread of populations and the expansion of agriculture into this region. Recent finds in the mountainous peripheries of Sichuan Province show that the earliest inhabitants of this region practiced a combination of broomcorn and foxtail millet agriculture (ca 4000?C2500 BC). These crops are adapted to high altitude and arid environments, which facilitated their movement across this region and eventually into the Tibetan Plateau. At around 2700 BC, a combined system of rice and foxtail millet agriculture appears suddenly in sites of the Baodun culture on the Chengdu Plain. The use of this double cropping system provided advantages to the inhabitants of this region in both risk reduction and yield. I argue that this had important consequences for spurring population growth, facilitating expansion into new territories and the development of social complexity.     

Response to the insecticide chlorpyrifos by arthropods on maize canopy

We assessed the response of maize canopy arthropods to the insecticide chlorpyrifos. Four 0.3 ha (18 2 180 m) plots were divided into two subplots, a control and a treated area. During tasseling of the plants, the treated area was sprayed twice, with an interval of 3 days. Ten plants were sampled: 1 day before spraying, and 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after spraying. The insecticide had no effect on insect herbivores: a high density of Spodoptera frugiperda larvae was present in the treated plots. A few predator arthropod species were negatively affected by the insecticide, but their numbers or activity increased 2 weeks after the treatment of the plots. A canonical variate analysis showed no pronounced effect of the insecticide on arthropod communities; the largest variations on species abundance were related to sampling occasion. These results can be explained by the combination of the short period of chlorpyrifos residual activity on the plant surface and the great potential for recolonization of the areas by most of the monitored arthropods.     

Geospatial variation of physical attributes and sugarcane productivity in cohesive soils

Precision Agriculture - Sugarcane productivity is highly variable across space, and knowledge about the spatial distribution of soil physical attributes is important to guide management practices...     

Genomic characterization of multidrug-resistant extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from grain culture soils

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli, mainly extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), has been widely reported in infections worldwide. In agricultural soils, manure is a hotspot for the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and pathogenic bacteria; however, MDR bacteria have also been reported in soils with no history of manure use. In addition, cross-resistance and co-resistance have been described as responsible for the metal-driven selection of bacteria resistant to antimicrobials. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze three MDR E. coli isolates obtained from Brazilian grain culture soil samples with no history of manure use by whole-genome sequencing. The MDR E. coli isolates were recovered from soils from corn and coffee fields, and presented resistance to β-lactams, quinolones, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, sulphonamides, and dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor. Resistome analysis showed ARGs to several antimicrobials (i.e., β-lactams, tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, sulphonamides, trimethoprim, phenicols, fosfomycin, and macrolides) as well as several metal resistance genes and antibacterial biocide resistance genes. In addition, known mutations in quinolone-resistance-determining regions of GyrA (Ser83Leu and Asp87Asn), ParE (Ser458Thr), and ParC (Ser80Ile) were also detected. Virulome analysis showed the presence of virulence genes (lpfA, mcmA, gad, mchF, iroN, cma, and iss) associated with ExPEC. Multidrug-resistant ExPEC isolates were assigned to phylogenetic group B1. The presence of MDR B1-ExPEC in soil samples shows the ability of these isolates to survive in soils. This study reports for the first time some sequence types (i.e., ST345, ST448, and ST1146) of MDR E. coli in Brazilian soils. Therefore, these findings contribute to the monitoring of antimicrobial resistance and surveillance studies based on whole-genome sequencing worldwide.     

Screening of lactic acid bacteria potentially useful for sorghum fermentation

A screening of commercial lactic acid bacteria potentially useful in the improvement of sorghum nutritional quality was done. The aim of this study was to test starter cultures to meet the prerequisites for the establishment of small-scale industrial production of sorghum fermented foods in Africa.     

New qualitative approach in the characterization of antioxidants in white wines by antioxidant free radical scavenging and NMR techniques

The aim of this study was to obtain new information on antioxidant compounds in white wines. For this purpose, white wine degradation was promoted by a forced aged protocol, and six normally aged white wines from different vintages were analyzed. Both normal and forced aged wines were sequentially extracted using hexane and ethyl acetate. Apolar antioxidants were removed using hexane, and polar antioxidants were extracted with ethyl acetate. This last residue was subject to partial re-extraction with hexane and acetone. The antioxidant capacity of the wines and of each fraction was evaluated by two free radical methods, ABTS and DPPH. Normal aging provides a decrease in the total antioxidant capacity of wines. The antioxidant activity of ethyl acetate/acetone extracts was approximately 95% higher than that found for the hexane extracts. Concerning the forced aged wines, results showed that the wine submitted to a temperature of 60 degrees C for 21 days had higher antioxidant activity than that submitted to a temperature of 20 degrees C. With regard to the ethyl acetate/acetone extracts, oxygen and temperature treatment leads to a decrease in their antioxidant activity. NMR analysis was performed in the highest antioxidant capacity organic fractions (ethyl acetate/acetone extracts) and in the aqueous fraction of the control wine (T = 20 degrees C), in order to attempt the characterization of species involved in oxygen protection. Possible structures of antioxidant compounds in white wines were proposed. Two of these are tyrosol-like structures. This molecule is a well-known phenolic compound in wine, and it is reported to have antioxidative effects.     

Pyogenic bacterial infections in humans with MyD88 deficiency

MyD88 is a key downstream adapter for most Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and interleukin-1 receptors (IL-1Rs). MyD88 deficiency in mice leads to susceptibility to a broad range of pathogens in experimental settings of infection. We describe a distinct situation in a natural setting of human infection. Nine children with autosomal recessive MyD88 deficiency suffered from life-threatening, often recurrent pyogenic bacterial infections, including invasive pneumococcal disease. However, these patients were otherwise healthy, with normal resistance to other microbes. Their clinical status improved with age, but not due to any cellular leakiness in MyD88 deficiency. The MyD88-dependent TLRs and IL-1Rs are therefore essential for protective immunity to a small number of pyogenic bacteria, but redundant for host defense to most natural infections.     

Halogenated Indole Alkaloids from Marine Invertebrates

This review discusses the isolation, structural elucidation, and biological activities of halogenated indole alkaloids obtained from marine invertebrates. Meridianins and related compounds (variolins, psammopemmins, and aplicyanins), as well as aplysinopsins and leptoclinidamines, are focused on. A compilation of the ¹³C-NMR spectral data of these selected natural indole alkaloids is also provided.