Introduction: Coarse-grained Ca-Al-rich inclusions (CAIs) are classified into Type A, B and C [1]. Type B and compact Type A CAIs are believed that they were formed from molten drops [2, 3]. On the other hand, fluffy Type A CAIs are believed that they were formed by gas-solid condensation, because of their extremely irregular shapes and reversely-zoned melilite crystals [4]. Recent ion micropro...

Termites have had a long co-evolutionary history with prokaryotic and eukaryotic gut microbes. Historically, the role of these anaerobic obligate symbionts has been attributed to the nutritional welfare of the host. We provide evidence that protozoa (and/or their associated bacteria) colonizing the hindgut of the dampwood termite Zootermopsis angusticollis, synthesize multiple functional β-1,3-...

The worldwide decline in honeybee colonies during the past 50 years has often been linked to the spread of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor and its interaction with certain honeybee viruses. Recently in the United States, dramatic honeybee losses (colony collapse disorder) have been reported; however, there remains no clear explanation for these colony losses, with parasitic mites, viruses,...

The fungal pathogen Aspergillus sydowii is causing high mortality of sea fan gorgonians Gorgonia ventalina in a Caribbean-wide outbreak. Fungal infection induces a localized band of melanin adjacent to fungal hyphae. We also detected an unidentified parasite that induced a similar melanin band, suggesting that melanization is a generalized response to infection. Although a common mechanism of a...

Mucosal infections with Candida albicans belong to the most frequent forms of fungal diseases. Host protection is conferred by cellular immunity; however, the induction of antifungal immunity is not well understood. Using a mouse model of oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) we show that interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R) signaling is critical for fungal control at the onset of infection through its imp...

Background: Microbial and fungal contamination of agricultural produce has been a health challenge over the years. The present study surveyed microbial and aflatoxin contamination in groundnut, maize, and cowpea collected from Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Methods: Ninety samples of maize, groundnut, and cowpea were purchased from six major markets in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The samples were first e...

“Iyashi” in the Japanese language, is used for goods, which people use to recover from physical and psychological stress. If healing emotion observed when consumer touches fabric by hand, it worthwhile investigate contribution of property. This study approached both fundamental properties fabrics subjective evaluation explore emotional healing. Two sensory experiments were carried out. Particip...

Velvet-domain-containing proteins are broadly distributed within the fungal kingdom. In the corn pathogen Fusarium verticillioides, previous studies showed that the velvet protein F. verticillioides VE1 (FvVE1) is critical for morphological development, colony hydrophobicity, toxin production, and pathogenicity. In this study, tandem affinity purification of FvVE1 revealed that FvVE1 can form a...

Graphical Abstract Electrospun PES/PANI nanofibers were fabricated with three solvents and different PES concentrations. HFIP the lowest boiling point surface tension was best solvent for preparing highly conductive fluffy PANI in comparison to other solvents. 3D supported cellular infiltration proliferation.

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, a thermal dimorphic fungal pathogen, produces a melanin-like pigment in vitro and in vivo. We investigated the involvement of carbohydrates and monoclonal antibody to CD18, on phagocytosis inhibition, involving macrophage receptors and the resistance of melanized fungal cells to chemically generated nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), hypochlorite an...