Background: Childhood cancer (CC) is a leading cause of death among children aged 0-19 years worldwide. Each year, 400,000 new cases of CC are diagnosed globally. Given the between-country differences in CC incidence rates, types and trends, this study aimed to identify possible risk factors for CC in Armenia. Methods: We used a case-control study design by enrolling participants from the only specialized pediatric hematology and oncology center in Armenia. Cases included patients ≤14 years old diagnosed and treated with a malignant disease between 2017-2020 in the centre. Controls included patients diagnosed and treated in the center during the same period for a non-malignant disease. We conducted telephone interviews with mothers of cases and controls. Independent risk factors of cancer were identified using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: Overall, 234 participants (117 cases, 117 controls) were included in the study. Based on the fitted model, maternal usage of folic acid during pregnancy was protective against CC, almost twice decreasing its odds (OR=0.54; 95% CI: 0.31-0.94). On the contrary, experiencing horrifying/terrifying event(s) during pregnancy (OR=2.19; 95% CI: 1.18-4.07) and having induced abortions before getting pregnant with the given child (OR=2.94; 95% CI: 1.45-5.96) were associated with higher odds for a child to develop cancer. Conclusion: This study identified three important modifiable risk factors for CC in Armenia, all related to the period of pregnancy. The findings indicate the importance of education on stress reduction during pregnancy, the use of folic acid prior to and during pregnancy, and avoidance of induced abortions.

Colonization of a novel environment by a few individuals can lead to rapid evolutionary change, yet evidence of the relative contributions of neutral and selective factors in promoting divergence during the early stages of colonization remain scarce. We explore the role of neutral and selective forces in the divergence of a unique urban population of the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis), which became established on the campus of the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) in the early 1980s. Previous studies based on microsatellite loci documented significant genetic differentiation of the urban population as well as divergence in phenotypic traits relative to nearby montane populations, yet the geographic origin of the colonization and the factors involved remained uncertain. Our genome-wide SNP dataset confirmed the marked genetic differentiation of the UCSD population, and we identified the coastal subspecies pinosus from central California as its sister group instead of the neighboring mountain population. Demographic inference recovered a separation from pinosus as recent as 20 to 32 generations ago after a strong bottleneck, suggesting a role for drift in genetic differentiation. However, we also found significant associations between habitat variables and genome-wide variants linked to functional genes, some of which have been reported as potentially adaptive in birds inhabiting modified environments. These results suggest that the interplay between founder events and selection may result in rapid shifts in neutral and adaptive loci across the genome, and reveal the UCSD junco population as a case of contemporary evolutionary divergence in an anthropogenic environment.

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by recurring episodes of subcutaneous and/or submucosal edema without urticaria due to an excess of bradykinin (1, 2). HAE is classified into 2 main types (1). Type I HAE is caused by deficiency of C1 esterase inhibitor, accounting for 85% of cases (1). Type II HAE occurs in only 15% of cases and is marked by normal to elevated levels of C1 esterase inhibitor but with a reduction in activity (1). An angioedema attack can range in severity depending on the location and degree of edema (2). Furthermore, patients with HAE are often diagnosed with anxiety and depression secondary to their poor quality of life (3). Thus, long-term prophylaxis of attacks can be crucial to reduce the physical and psychological implications. For long-term prophylaxis, lanadelumab, a subcutaneously delivered monoclonal antibody inhibitor of plasma kallikrein, has been proven to decrease the frequency of HAE attacks without significant side effects (4). However, data is limited, specifically regarding patients with type II HAE and patients >/= 65 years (4).

A document by Elizabeth Hawkins. Click on the document to view its contents.

While adaptation is commonly thought to result from selection on DNA sequence-based variation, recent studies have highlighted an analogous epigenetic component as well. However, the extent to which these adaptive mechanisms to adaptation to environmental heterogeneity are redundant or complementary remains unclear. To address the underlying genetic and epigenetic mechanisms and their relationship underlying environmental adaptation, we screened the genomes and epigenomes of nine global populations of a predominately sessile marine invasive tunicate, Botryllus schlosseri. We detected clear population genetic and epigenetic differentiation, which were both significantly influenced by local environments, and the minimum annual sea surface temperature (T_min) was simultaneously identified as the top explanatory variable for both types of variation. However, there remain some degree of difference in population structure patterns between two levels, suggesting a certain level of autonomy in epigenetic variation. From the functional perspective, a set of functional genes and biological pathways were shared between two levels, indicating a conjoint contribution of genetic and epigenetic variation to environmental adaptation. Moreover, we also detected genetic- or epigenetic-specific genes/pathways in relation to a wide variety of core processes potentially underlying adaptation to local environmental factors, suggesting the partly independent relationship between two mechanisms. We infer that complementary genetic and epigenetic routes to adaptation are available in this system. Collectively, these mechanisms may facilitate population persistence under environmental changes and sustain successful invasions in novel but contrasting environments.

Multi-host helminth systems are difficult to study at a population level due to inherent spatial and temporal sampling challenges. Consequently, our understanding of the factors affecting gene flow, genetic drift and effective population size is limited. Population genetic parameters (Ne, Θ, π) are necessary in understanding fundamental processes in host-parasite evolution such as co-evolutionary dynamics, spread of resistance alleles and local adaptation. This study used museum specimens collected over 20-years of three congeneric trematode (Schistosomatidae) species: Trichobilharzia querquedulae, T. physellae, and Trichobilharzia species A . All contribute to the worldwide zoonotic disease cercarial dermatitis (i.e. swimmers Itch). Populations of each species were sampled for two mitochondrial (cox1 and nad4) and one nuclear loci (ITS1) to estimate population genetic structure, genetic diversity, effective size and population history. Significant differences in these measures were revealed among the three congeners. Trichobilharzia querquedulae maintained a well-connected globally diverse metapopulation, with an effective size approximately three times that of the other two species, which were characterized by lower overall genetic diversity and greater population structure, mediated by the definitive duck host. We hypothesize that the species-specific patterns are due to distinctive ecological preferences and migratory behaviors of their respective definitive hosts. This study demonstrates the value of natural history collections to facilitate population genetic studies that would otherwise be infeasible. Applying population genetic data within this comparative congeneric framework allows us to tease apart particular aspects of host-parasite natural history and its influence on microevolutionary patterns within complex helminth systems, including contributions to zoonotic disease.

Phenotypic plasticity is an important driver of species resilience. Often mediated by epigenetic changes, phenotypic plasticity enables individual genotypes to express variable phenotypes in response to environmental change. Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) is a protandrous (male-first) sequential hermaphrodite that exhibit plasticity in length-at-sex change between geographic regions. This plasticity is likely to be mediated by changes in DNA methylation (DNAm), a well-studied epigenetic modification. However, region-specific relationships between length, sex and DNAm in sequential hermaphrodites were previously unreported. To investigate these relationships, here we compare DNAm in four conserved vertebrate sex-determining genes in male and female barramundi of differing lengths from three regions of northern Australia. Despite a strong association between increasing length and male-to-female sex change, the data reveal that DNAm becomes more sex-specific (rather than more female-specific) with length. Significant differences in DNAm between males and females of similar lengths suggest that female-specific DNAm arises rapidly during sex change, rather than gradually with growth. The findings also reveal that region-specific differences in length-at-sex change are accompanied by differences in DNAm, and were concurrent with variability in remotely sensed sea temperature and salinity. Together, these findings provide the first in situ evidence for epigenetically and environmentally mediated sex change in a protandrous hermaphrodite, and offer significant insight into the molecular and ecological processes governing the marked and unique plasticity of sex in fish.

1. Context and need for work The effects and extent of the impacts of agricultural insect pests in and around cropping systems is a rich field of study. However, little research exists on the presence and consequence of pest insects in undisturbed landscapes distant from crop hosts. Research in such areas may yield novel or key insights on pest behavior or ecology that is not evident from agroecosystem-based studies. 2. Approach and methods Using the invasive fruit pest Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) as a case study, we investigated the presence and resource use patterns of this agricultural pest in wild blackberries growing within the southern Appalachian Mountain range of North Carolina over two years. 3. Main results We found D. suzukii throughout the sampled range with higher levels of infestation (D. suzukii eggs/g fruit) in all ripeness stages in natural areas as compared to cultivated blackberry samples, but especially in under-ripe fruit. 4. Main results We also explored a direct comparison of oviposition preference between wild and cultivated fruit and found higher oviposition in wild berries when equal weights of fruit were offered, but oviposition was higher in cultivated berries when fruit number was equal. 5. Synthesis and applications D. suzukii were wide-spread in previously unsampled remote, forest habitats. Forest populations laid more eggs in unripe wild-grown blackberries throughout the year than populations infesting cultivated berries. This suggests D. suzukii may change its oviposition and foraging behavior in relation to fruit type. Additionally, as D. suzukii exploits a common forest fruit prior to ripeness, further research is needed to explore how this affects wild food web dynamics and spillover to regional agroecosystems.

Concomitant predation, which occurs when parasites are consumed and digested along with their hosts, has previously been suggested as a profound factor determining food web structure. Few studies have adressed the impact of concomitant predation in research on behaviourally parasite-modified prey or in biological control studies. However, empirical evidence of concomitant predation effects on hosts infected with multiple parasite taxa is lacking. We investigated the importance of concomitant predation on digenean trematodes by examining the degree of snail (Radix balthica, first intermediate host) seasonal predation by Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) by contrasting infection rates of free-living snails obtained from a lake vs predated snails retrieved from fish stomachs and intestines. The fish consumed infected snails nearly at all seasons, demonstrating that concomitant predation in the model subarctic lake is common, likely indirectly affecting trematode transmission by reducing host and parasite populations. The overall trematode prevalence in both snail groups was season-independent, being however substantially higher in free-living compared to predated snails. The net effects of underlying mechanisms related to prey availability, fish feeding ecology, continuous presence of dominant trematodes and, most importantly, size of fish and snails drove the strength of predator-prey interactions and infection patterns in both snail groups. Larger fish preying upon larger snails, which simultaneously harboured more infections, may induce a substiantial negative effect of concomitant predation on snail and parasite population dynamics, with serious implications for food web structure and ecosystem functioning. This study contributes to a better understanding of the role of non-host predators in regulating trematode infection, community structure and transmisison patterns, biomass transfer and energy flow in food webs. Our findings also highlight the importance of studying the impact and extent of concomitant predation in terms of parasite seasonal dynamics and biological control of infectious diseases.

Once widespread throughout the tropical forests of the Indian Subcontinent, the sloth bears have suffered a rapid range collapse and local extirpations in the recent decades. A significant portion of their current distribution range is situated outside of the protected areas (PAs). These unprotected sloth bear populations are under tremendous human pressures, but little is known about the patterns and determinants of their occurrence in most of these regions. The situation is more prevalent in Nepal where virtually no systematic information is available for sloth bears living outside of the PAs. We undertook a sign survey-based single-season occupancy study intending to overcome this information gap for the sloth bear populations residing in the Trijuga forest of southeast Nepal. Sloth bear sign detection/non-detection data and field-based covariates data were collected at the 74 randomly chosen 4-km2 grid cells using a varying number of 400m long transects in each grid cell. From our results, the model-averaged estimate of site use probability (ψ ± SE) was estimated to be 0.432 ± 0.039, which is a 13% increase from the naïve estimate (0.297) not accounting for imperfect detections of sloth bear signs. The presence of termite mounds and the distance to the nearest water source were the most important variables affecting the habitat use probability of sloth bears. The average site-level detectability (p ± SE) of sloth bear signs was estimated to be 0.195 ± 0.003 and was significantly determined by the index of human disturbances. We recommend considering the importance of fine-scale ecological and anthropogenic factors in predicting the sloth bear-habitat relationships across their range in the Churia habitat of Nepal.

Insect pollinators are important means for a stable ecosystem. The habitat types play a crucial role in the community composition, abundance, diversity, and species richness of the pollinators. The present study in Shivapuri–Nagarjun National Park explored the species richness and abundances of insect pollinators in four different habitats and different environmental variables in determining the community composition of the pollinators. Data were collected from 1500 m–2700 m using pan traps and hand sweeping methods. Non–metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and redundancy analysis (RDA) were conducted to show the association between insect pollinators and environmental variables. The results firmly demonstrated that species richness and abundances were higher in open trails compared to other habitats. The distribution of the pollinator species was more uniform in the open trail followed by the grassland. Similarly, a strong positive correlation between flower resources and pollinator’s abundance was found. In conclusion, the open trail harbor rich insect pollinators in lower elevation. The community structure of the pollinators was strongly influenced by the presence of flowers in the trails.

The timing of different life history events are often correlated, and selection might only rarely be exerted independently on the timing of a single event. In plants, phenotypic selection has often been shown to favour earlier flowering. However, little is known about to what extent this selection acts directly vs. indirectly via vegetative phenology, and if selection on the two traits is correlational. We estimated direct, indirect and correlational phenotypic selection on vegetative and reproductive phenology over three years for the perennial herb Lathyrus vernus. Direct selection favoured earlier flowering and shorter timespans between leaf-out and flowering in all years. However, early flowering was associated with early leaf-out, and the direction of selection on leaf-out day varied among years. As a result, selection on leaf-out weakened selection for early flowering in one of the study years. We found no evidence of correlational selection. Our results highlight the importance of including temporally correlated traits when exploring selection on the phenology of seasonal events.

The propellants used in metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) are powerful greenhouse gases, which account for approximately 13% of the NHS’s carbon footprint related to the delivery of care. Most MDI use is in salbutamol relievers in patients with poorly controlled disease. The UK lags behind in this regard with greater reliance on salbutamol MDI and correspondingly greater greenhouse gas emissions; roughly treble our European neighbours’. There has been a broad switch towards MDIs in the UK over the last 20 years to reduce financial costs such that two-thirds of asthma patients in the UK are on treatment dominated by salbutamol MDI. Strategies that replace overuse of reliever MDIs with regimes emphasising inhaled corticosteroids have the potential to improve asthma control alongside significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Real-world evidence shows that once-daily long-acting combination dry-powder inhalers can improve compliance, asthma control and reduce the carbon footprint of care. Similarly, maintenance and reliever therapy (MART) which uses combination reliever and inhaled steroids in one device (usually a dry-powder inhaler) can simplify therapy, improve asthma control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Both treatment strategies are popular with patients, most of whom are willing to change treatment to reduce their carbon footprint. By focussing on patients who are currently using high amounts of salbutamol MDI, and prioritising inhaled steroids via dry-powder inhalers, there are golden opportunities to make asthma care more effective, safer and greener.

Letter to the editor:–Comment on: Hematopoietic stem cell transplant for erythropoietic porphyrias in pediatric patients–Authors:1. Satesh Kumar, 2.Mahima Khatri–correspondence: Satesh Kumar, 4th year MBBS student, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College Liyari, KarachiAddress: Parsa citi Block E Floor 5th Flat 501 near police headquarter, Garden east Karachi.Contact: +92-3325252902 Email: Kewlanisatish@gmail.comOther author: Mahima Khatri, final year MBBS student , Dow university of Health sciencesEmail: Mahimakhatri12333@gmail.com–Word Count for: 484Disclosure: none to declareConflict of interest: none to declareAcknowledgements: none to declareComment on: Hematopoietic stem cell transplant for erythropoietic porphyrias in pediatric patientsTo the editor:We have read with great sincerity the article ”Hematopoietic stem cell transplant for erythropoietic porphyrias in pediatric patients”, YunZu M. Wang et al.1 It was a pleasure for us to read the concisely written article, and we congratulate the authors for their excellent efforts. The authors have succinctly written numerous scenarios. The final message of the article is that hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) rectifies the defective heme pathway and should be advised early in patients with severe erythropoietic porphyrias to minimize end-organ damage.Based on varied research2,3 on this lethal disease, we agree that HSCT should be considered early in patients to minimize the damage caused by this condition and enable patients to live a healthy lifestyle. However, we would like to mention a few points that we feel would enhance the quality of this article and add to the existing knowledge of this congenital disease. First, we speculate that the matching of samples would have drawn more meticulous results and increased the validity of the findings. The authors have not highlighted whether different mutations other than UROS exist. For instance, three male patients presented with the X-linked GATA1 gene mutation, an erythroid transcription factor on chromosome Xp11.23.2 Additionally, the study’s retrospective nature has limited reporting regimens accordingly, such as case reports in 2004 elaborated proper doses per body weight and intervals, I.e., Thymoglobulin and Busulphan were given at 5 mg/kg per day and cyclophosphamide at 65mg/kg per day as the conditioning regimen.4 Equivalently, prophylactic measures could have expatiated for the prevention of graft-versus-host disease.4 For illustration, patients were given cyclosporine infusion for 42 days with an initial dose of (3 mg/kg) followed by 6 mg/kg for six months orally to prevent any immunologic reaction to transplant.Secondly, as it is established that the immune system of the pediatric population is not well developed, the authors should have mentioned if any workup for infectious etiologies was sent, such as TORCH (Toxoplasmosis, Syphilis, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes simplex virus, and HIV) infections.5 Furthermore, with other factors such as any environmental exposure exaggerating possible porphyria, the authors must have provided data on their environment and surroundings since birth, considering it may also impact. Given the health concerns in the paediatrics population, varying ways could be quoted for differential diagnosis, such as a simple bedside method is wood lamp examination of the diaper or urine if available, for coral-red fluorescence.5 Positivity of tests could raise concerns for further investigation, such as porphyrin levels and genetic testing.In addition to these, the authors could have commented on various other possible ways to avoid exposure to light, such as wearing sun-protective clothing and using window filters in cars and homes.2Yet, that could have also negatively impacted children as sunlight is a natural source of vitamin D. Finally, different approaches should be used to improve investigations and treatments. New treatment concepts should be augmented so that other therapeutic options become employable.

Introduction: Non-adherence to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in children with asthma leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Few interventions to improve adherence have been effective and little is known about what contributes to intervention effectiveness. This systematic review summarises the efficacy of these interventions and the characteristics of effective interventions to inform future studies aiming to improve adherence to ICS in children with asthma. Methods: PubMed, Embase, PsychINFO, Medline, Web of Science, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts were systematically searched on the 3rd of October 2020 for randomised control trials measuring adherence to ICS in children with asthma. A narrative synthesis was conducted focusing on intervention efficacy and study reliability. Intervention content was coded based on the NICE guidelines for medicines adherence (The Perceptions and Practicalities Approach, PAPA) and Behaviour Change Techniques (BCT), to determine the effective aspects of the intervention. Results: Of 240 studies identified, 25 were eligible for inclusion. Thirteen of the twenty-five studies were categorised as being highly reliable. Nine of the thirteen studies were effective at increasing adherence and six of those met the criteria for a PAPA intervention. Conclusion: Adherence interventions in children with asthma have mixed effectiveness. Effective studies tended to be of higher quality, were tailored to individuals perceptual and practical adherence barriers, and used multiple BCTs. However, due to the small number of included studies and varying study design quality, conclusions drawn here are preliminary. Future research is needed to test a PAPA-based intervention with a rigorous study design as outlined in this review

Aims： The objective of this study was to evaluate the bioequivalence of two formulations of eldecalcitol (0.75 μg ) under fasting and fed conditions, and to explore the effect of food on the pharmacokinetic (PK) properties of eldecalcitol in healthy Chinese volunteers. Methods： A single-center, open-label, randomized, three-period, three-sequence, crossover study was performed in 27 healthy Chinese volunteers under fasting conditions. Meanwhile, a two-way crossover study was performed in 28 healthy volunteers under fed conditions. Blood samples were collected at scheduled time spots from 0 hour pre dose to 168 hours post dose following administration of 0.75 μg eldecalcitol. The PK parameters for bioequivalence evaluation calculated by non-compartment analysis include Cmax, AUC0-t and AUC0-∞. Monitoring of adverse events throughout the study. Results： The 90% confidence intervals of the test/reference AUC ratio and Cmax ratio were within the acceptance criteria. Under the fasting condition, Tmax values were 3.987 h and 3.489 h in subjects after given the test and reference formulation respectively. While in the fed study, the Tmax were 9.006 h and 6.007 h respectively. Therefore, the Tmax was significantly increased (P < 0.05) under fed conditions. No severe adverse events occurred during the study and all adverse events were mild and transient. Conclusion: The generic product of eldecalcitol was bioequivalent to the reference product in terms of the rate and extent of absorption under both fasting and fed conditions. Food intake prolongs the oral absorption of eldecalcitol but does not significantly influence the system exposure.

Ecosystem vulnerability in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is a prominent concern. Exploration vegetative net primary productivity (NPP) serve as an important aspect of assessing and protecting ecosystem health. We used a range of spatial analysis techniques, residual trend analysis, and the cutting-edge computing-intensive variable importance decomposition method to explore spatiotemporal changes and influencing factors for vegetative NPP in the YRB from 2000–2015. The results found that NPP showed a fluctuating growth trend over time, ranging from 165.9–227.7 gC∙m-2∙a-1, as well as a clear negative south-north spatial gradient. Significant spatial agglomeration pattern was observed, with Low-Low and High-High clusters being the dominated area classifications at both scales of grid cells, counties and cities in the study area. Foremost, we found that NPP was statistically significantly affected by both natural factors, including climate and topography, and human activities, whilst precipitation accounts for the most important factor, explaining roughly 42% of the variability in NPP on average. Although the impact of human activities on NPP was relatively low, human activities tended to promote NPP on average, mainly due to the implementation of the ecological restoration project in the region, such as the Forest Protection and Grain for Green Project. Overall, this study provides an improved technical framework for a comprehensive analysis of spatiotemporal pattern of vegetative NPP and its influencing factors at multiple-spatial scales.

RNA binding proteins (RBPs) regulate many important cellular processes through their interactions with RNA molecules. RBPs are critical for post-transcriptional mechanisms keeping gene regulation in a fine equilibrium. Conversely, dysregulation of RBPs and RNA metabolism pathways is an established hallmark of tumorigenesis. Human nucleolin (NCL) is a multifunctional RBP that interacts with different types of RNA molecules, in part through its four RNA binding domains (RBDs). Particularly, NCL interacts directly with microRNAs (miRNAs) and is involved in their aberrant processing linked with many cancers, including breast cancer. Nonetheless, molecular details of the NCL-miRNA interaction remain obscure. In this study, we used an in silico approach to characterize how NCL targets miRNAs and whether this specificity is imposed by a definite RBD-interface. Here, we present structural models of NCL-RBDs and miRNAs, as well as predict scenarios of NCL- miRNA interactions generated using docking algorithms. Our study suggests a predominant role of NCL RBDs 3 and 4 (RBD3-4) in miRNA binding. We provide detailed analyses of specific motifs/residues at the NCL-substrate interface in both these RBDs and miRNAs. Finally, we propose that the evolutionary emergence of more than two RBDs in NCL in higher organisms coincides with its additional role/s in miRNA processing. Our study shows that RBD3-4 display sequence/structural determinants to specifically recognize miRNA precursor molecules. Moreover, the insights from this study can ultimately support the design of novel antineoplastic drugs aimed at regulating NCL-dependent biological pathways with a causal role in tumorigenesis.

Proyecto AEM-CONACYT 275783:  Diseño y caracterización de materiales compuestos para estructuras de nanosatélites tipo CubeSat.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is what physicians call the inadequate or absent stiffening of the penis despite emotional sexual arousal. More and more men are suffering from such erectile issues. The better we understand the involvement of the central nervous system in various sexual functions, the more we will also understand its determining role in these disorders. Erectile dysfunction are an increasing health problem because of the aging of the population and new effects through readily available pornography (negative effects of chronic over-stimulation) which have an impact on young men.

Intense research efforts on phylogeography over the last two decades uncovered major biogeographical trends and renewed our understandings of plant domestication in the Mediterranean. We aim to investigate the evolutionary history and the origin of domestication of the carob tree that has been cultivated for millennia for food and fodder. We used >1000 microsatellite genotypes to identify carob evolutionary units (CEUs) based on genetic diversity structure and geography. We investigated genome-wide diversity and evolutionary patterns of the CEUs with 3557 SNPs generated by restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq). The 56 populations sampled across the Mediterranean basin, classified as natural, semi-natural or cultivated, were examined. Although, RADseq data are consistent with previous studies identifying a strong West-to-East genetic structure and considerable admixture in some geographic parts, we reconstructed a new phylogeographic scenario with two migration routes occurring from a single refugium likely located in South-Western Morocco. Our results do not favour the regionally bound or single origin of domestication. Indeed, our findings support a cultivation model of locally selected wild genotypes, albeit punctuated by long-distance westward dispersals of domesticated varieties by humans, concomitant with major cultural waves by Romans and Arabs in the regions of dispersal. Ex-situ efforts to preserve carob genetic resources should prioritize accessions from both western and eastern populations, with emphasis on the most differentiated CEUs situated in South-Western Morocco, South Spain and Eastern Mediterranean. Our study underscores the relevance of natural and seminatural habitats of Mediterranean forests and their refugia in the conservation efforts of tree crops.

Gholamali Afrooz Department of Psychology and Exceptional Children Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

This paper deals with the classification of transition phenomena in the most basic dissipative system possible, namely the 1D reaction diffusion equation. The emphasis is on the relation between the linear and nonlinear terms and the effect of the boundaries which influence the first transitions. We consider the cases where the linear part is self-adjoint with 2nd order and 4th order derivatives which is the case which most often arises in applications. We assume that the nonlinear term depends on the function and its first derivative which is basically the semilinear case for the second order reaction-diffusion system. As for the boundary conditions, we consider the typical Dirichlet, Neumann and periodic boundary settings. In all the cases, the equations admit a trivial steady state which loses stability at a critical parameter. We aim to classify all possible transitions and bifurcations that take place. Our analysis shows that these systems display all three types of transitions: continuous, jump and mixed and display transcritical, supercritical bifurcations with bifurcated states such as finite equilibria, circle of equilibria, and slowly rotating limit cycle. Many applications found in the literature are basically corollaries of our main results. We apply our results to classify the first transitions of the Chaffee-Infante equation, the Fisher-KPP equation, the Kuramoto Sivashinsky equation and the Swift-Hohenberg equation.

This paper deals with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary value problem to a class of semi-linear equations with p-Laplacian viscoelastic term $$ \frac{\partial u}{\partial t}-\Delta u+\int_{0}^{t}g(t-s)\Delta_{p}u(x,s)\mbox{d}s=\mid u\mid^{q(x)-2}u,~~~~~x\in\Omega,~~t\geq 0, $$ the bounded domain $\Omega\subset R^{N}~(N\geq 1)$ with a smooth boundary. We prove that the weak solutions of the above problems blow up in finite time for all $q^{-}> 2k$(~$k$~is defined in $(2.3)$), when the initial energy is positive and the function~$g$~satisfies suitable conditions. This result generalized and improved the result by S.~A.~Messaoudi~\cite{1}.