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Article
Uncovering Active Bacterial Symbionts in Three Species of Pollen-feeding Beetles (Nitidulidae: Meligethinae)
Microbial symbionts enable many phytophagous insects to specialize on plant-based diets through a range of metabolic services. Pollen comprises one-plant tissue consumed by such herbivores. While rich in lipid...
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Article
Open AccessNew Approach to Privacy-Preserving Clinical Decision Support Systems for HIV Treatment
HIV treatment prescription is a complex process. Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) are a category of health information technologies that can assist clinicians to choose optimal treatments based on clin...
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Article
Open AccessUnraveling the role of male reproductive tract and haemolymph in cantharidin-exuding Lydus trimaculatus and Mylabris variabilis (Coleoptera: Meloidae): a comparative transcriptomics approach
Meloidae (blister beetles) are known to synthetize cantharidin (CA), a toxic and defensive terpene mainly stored in male accessory glands (MAG) and emitted outward through reflex-bleeding. Recent progresses in...
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Article
Open AccessRosaceae, Brassicaceae and pollen beetles: exploring relationships and evolution in an anthophilous beetle lineage (Nitidulidae, Meligethes-complex of genera) using an integrative approach
Meligethes are pollen-beetles associated with flowers of Rosaceae as larvae. This genus currently consists of 63 known species in two subgenera, Meligethes and Odonthogethes, predominantly occurring in the easter...
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Article
Open AccessGame of neutrophils: modeling the balance between apoptosis and necrosis
Neutrophils are one of the key players in the human innate immune system (HIIS). In the event of an insult where the body is exposed to inflammation triggering moieties (ITMs), neutrophils are mobilized toward...
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Article
Open AccessUnexpectedly high Plasmodium sporozoite rate associated with low human blood index in Anopheles coluzzii from a LLIN-protected village in Burkina Faso
Despite the effectiveness of mass distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) in reducing malaria transmission in Africa, in hyperendemic areas such as Burkina Faso the burden of malaria remains hig...
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Article
An improved microsatellite panel to assess genetic variability of the Italian smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris meridionalis)
Habitat loss and fragmentation are threatening amphibians by increasing population isolation. However, artificial waterbodies created for livestock may contrast this phenomenon by providing surrogate habitats ...
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Article
Open AccessMassive introgression drives species radiation at the range limit of Anopheles gambiae
Impacts of introgressive hybridisation may range from genomic erosion and species collapse to rapid adaptation and speciation but opportunities to study these dynamics are rare. We investigated the extent, cau...
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Article
Morphological, genetic and host-plant diversification in pollen-beetles of the Brassicogethes coracinus group (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Meligethinae)
The 17 known members of the mostly Western Palaearctic Brassicogethes coracinus species group (highly specialized pollen beetles associated with flowers of Brassicaceae) were re-analyzed, with the aim to reconstr...
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Chapter and Conference Paper
Reproducibility of Two Innate Immune System Models
In this paper we present the first step towards the development of a mathematical model of human immune system for advanced individualized healthcare, where medication plan is fine-tuned for each patient to f...
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Article
Open AccessRemarkable diversity of intron-1 of the para voltage-gated sodium channel gene in an Anopheles gambiae/Anopheles coluzzii hybrid zone
Genomic differentiation between Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii - the major malaria vectors in sub-Saharan Africa - is localized into large “islands” toward the centromeres of chromosome-X and the two au...
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Article
The EU protected taxon Morimus funereus Mulsant, 1862 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and its western Palaearctic allies: systematics and conservation outcomes
Morimus funereus is a large longhorn beetle included in the European Habitats Directive and in previous releases of the IUCN red list. It represents a flagship species of old-growth forest saprox...
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Article
Discordant patterns in the genetic, ecological, and morphological diversification of a recently radiated phytophagous beetle clade (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Meligethinae)
Molecular analyses on the Brassicogethes coracinus species complex (pollen beetles associated with Brassicaceae) were performed to explore genetic and ecological diversification, and robustness of...
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Article
Open AccessMolecular characterization and evolution of a gene family encoding male-specific reproductive proteins in the African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae
During copulation, the major Afro-tropical malaria vector Anopheles gambiae s.s. transfers male accessory gland (MAG) proteins to females as a solid mass (i.e. the "mating plug"). These proteins are postulated to...
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Article
Four new Palaearctic Brassicogethes (Coleoptera, Nitidulidae, Meligethinae), and phylogenetic inference on the B. coracinus group
Combined morphological and ecological data, together with molecular evidence from a companion paper, are presented to clarify the taxonomic position of four problematic species, members of the Brassicogethes ...
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Article
Open AccessComparative analyses reveal discrepancies among results of commonly used methods for Anopheles gambiae molecular form identification
Anopheles gambiae M and S molecular forms, the major malaria vectors in the Afro-tropical region, are ongoing a process of ecological diversification and adaptive lineage splitting, which is affecting malaria tra...
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Article
Open AccessMolecular evolution of a gene cluster of serine proteases expressed in the Anopheles gambiae female reproductive tract
Genes involved in post-mating processes of multiple mating organisms are known to evolve rapidly due to coevolution driven by sexual conflict among male-female interacting proteins. In the malaria mosquito Anophe...
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Article
Molecular phylogeography of two Italian sibling species of Calobius (Coleoptera, Hydraenidae, Ochthebiinae) inhabiting Mediterranean marine rock-pools
Marine rock-pools, commonly found along the Mediterranean coasts, are isolated patches of habitat characterised by large spatial and temporal variations. The phylogeography of Calobius quadricollis and C. urbanel...
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Article
Open AccessInsertion polymorphisms of SINE200 retrotransposons within speciation islands of Anopheles gambiae molecular forms
SINEs (Short INterspersed Elements) are homoplasy-free and co-dominant genetic markers which are considered to represent useful tools for population genetic studies, and could help clarifying the speciation pr...
