Branch diameter contraction and expansion consistently and substantially lagged behind fluxes in water potential and sap flow, which occurred in sync. This lag suggests that the inner bark, which consists mostly of live secondary phloem tissue, was an important hydraulic capacitor, and that hydraulic resistance between xylem and phloem retards water transfer between these tissues.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/e-7386.html  We also measured tree-base sap flux, which lagged behind that measured in trunks near the tree tops, indicating additional storage in the large trunks between these measurement positions. Whole-tree sap flow ranged from 2,227 to 3,752 L day-1, corroborating previous records for similar-sized giant sequoia and representing the largest yet reported for any individual tree. Despite such extraordinarily high daily water use, we estimate that water stored in tree-top stems contributes minimally to transpiration on typical summer days.
  The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the closure or partial closure of international borders in almost all countries. Here we investigate the efficacy of imported case detection considering quarantine length and different testing measures for travellers on arrival.
 
  We examine 8 broad border control strategies from utilising quarantine alone, pretesting, entry and exit testing, and testing during quarantine. In comparing the efficacy of these strategies, we calculate the probability of detecting travellers who have been infected up to 2weeks pre-departure according to their estimated incubation and infectious period. We estimate the number of undetected infected travelers permitted entry for these strategies across a prevalence range of 0.1%-2% per million travelers.
 
  At 14-day quarantine, on average 2.2% (Range 0.5%-8.2%) of imported infections are missed across the strategies, leading to 22 (5-82) imported cases at 0.1% prevalence per million travellers, increasing up to 430 (106-1641) at 2%. The stratdetermined by the destination country's level of risk averseness, pandemic preparedness and origin of travellers. Repeated testing during quarantining should also be utilised to mitigate case importation risk and reduce the quarantining duration required.High population density (crowding) becomes a stress factor in insects. The oriental armyworm, Mythimna separata (Walker), displays gregarious and solitary phases at high and low population densities, respectively. In this study, we compared life history, disease resistance, and induction of antioxidant enzymes and heat shock protein (HSPs) in two phases of M. separata larvae. Results showed that gregarious larvae had a faster growth rate and lower pupal weight compared to solitary larvae. Furthermore, gregarious individuals exhibited higher survival rates than solitary individuals after Beauveria bassiana infection. The gregarious larvae had higher malondialdehyde content compared to solitary ones, but no differences in total antioxidant capacity were observed between the two larval phases before or after infection. Superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were significantly lower in gregarious M. separata larvae than solitary individuals before infection, but no difference was detected in two phases after infection. However, peroxidase and catalase activities in the two phases showed no difference either before or after infection. Hsp19.8 and Hsp90 expression in gregarious larvae were up-regulated when compared to solitary individuals before or after infection. CuZnSOD expression was not different between the two phases before infection, but it was up-regulated in gregarious ones compared to solitary ones after infection. However, expression of other stress-related genes in gregarious larvae was either repressed or unchanged when compared to solitary individuals before or after infection. Thus, larval crowding changed life history, improved disease resistance of M. separata larvae, and induced variable response of antioxidant enzymes and HSPs to fungal infection.Overexpression of a cytochrome P450 gene, CYP4G19, is known to associate with pyrethroid resistance in the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.) (Blattodea Ectobiidae). In this study, we investigated the CYP4G19 expression level in 20 field-collected strains of B. germanica in Taiwan. We also examined the level of adult male susceptibility to imidacloprid, fipronil, indoxacarb, and hydramethylnon using single-diagnostic dose bioassays and their susceptibility to corresponding gel baits to determine how the CYP4G19 expression level influences the cockroach gel bait performance. Results showed that the CYP4G19 gene expression level among the field-collected German cockroach was 1.8- to 9.7-fold higher than that of the susceptible strain. It was negatively correlated (P less then 0.05) with the % mortality after treatments with imidacloprid and fipronil diagnostic doses. However, no correlation was found between CYP4G19 gene expression with the % mortality after treatment with indoxacarb and hydramethylnon diagnostic doses. Indoxacarb and hydramethylnon baits showed high efficacy against the field strains with a mean mortality of 97.58 ± 1.35% and 90.95 ±1.65%, respectively. This study provided the first evidence of cross-resistance to imidacloprid and fipronil in pyrethroid-resistant German cockroaches due to overexpression of CYP4G19.
  Limited data are available examining dietary interventions for optimizing protein and leucine intake to stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS) in older humans.
 
  We aimed to investigate the aminoacidemia and appetite responses of older adults after consuming breakfast, a meal frequently consumed with high-carbohydrate and below-par amounts of protein and leucine for stimulating MPS.
 
  Five men and 3 women (means±SD; age 74±7 y, BMI 25.7±4.9 kg/m
  , fat- and bone-free mass 63±7kg) took part in this experiment in which they consumed breakfasts with low-protein (LP=13±2g), high-protein (HP=32±5g), and LP followed by a protein- and leucine-enriched bar formulation 2 h later (LP+Bar=29±2g). The LP, HP, and LP+Bar breakfast conditions contained 519±86kcal, 535±83kcal, and 739±86kcal, respectively. Blood samples were drawn for 6 h and analyzed for amino acid, insulin, and glucose concentrations. Visual analog scales were assessed for hunger, fullness, and desire to eat.
 
  The net AUC for essential amino acid (EAA) exposure was similar between the LP+Bar and HP conditions but greater in the HP condition compared with the LP condition.