Genome of tropical bed bug Cimex hemipterus (Cimicidae, Hemiptera) reveals tetraspanin expanded in bed bug ancestor.

Cimex species are ectoparasites that exclusively feed on warm-blooded animals such as birds and mammals. Three cimicid species are known to be persistent pests for humans, including the tropical bed bug Cimex hemipterus, common bed bug Cimex lectularius, and Eastern bat bug Leptocimex boueti. To date, genomic information is restricted to the common bed bug C. lectularius, which limits understanding their biology and to provide controls of bed bug infestations. Here, a chromosomal-level genome assembly of C. hemipterus (495 Mb [megabase pairs]) contained on 16 pseudochromosomes (scaffold N50 = 34 Mb), together with 9 messenger RNA and small RNA transcriptomes were obtained. In comparison between hemipteran genomes, we found that the tetraspanin superfamily was expanded in the Cimex ancestor. This study provides the first genome assembly for the tropical bed bug C. hemipterus, and offers an unprecedented opportunity to address questions relating to bed bug infestations, as well as genomic evolution to hemipterans more widely.

Understanding the dynamic properties of trees using the motions constructed from multi-beam flash light detection and ranging measurements.

Measuring the three-dimensional motion of trees at every position remains challenging as it requires dynamic measurement technology with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution. Consequently, this study explores the use of a novel multi-beam flash light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor to tackle such a sensing barrier. A framework is proposed to record tree vibrations, to construct the motions of tree skeletons from the point-cloud frames recorded by the LiDAR sensor and to derive the dynamic properties of trees. The feasibility of the framework is justified through measurement on a Ficus microcarpa under pull-and-release tests. The relative differences for the first two modal frequencies between the LiDAR and linear variable differential transformer measurements in the displacement Fourier spectra are 0.1% and 2.5%, respectively. The framework is further adopted to study the dynamic response of different trees subjected to typhoons, including a Liquidambar formosana, three Araucaria heterophylla trees, a Sterculia lanceolata, a Celtis sinensis, a Tabebuia chrysantha and a Cinnamomum camphora. Results suggest that broadleaved trees might exhibit vibration in a wide frequency band, whereas the coniferous trees could follow a distinct dominant frequency.

The Impact of Bedbug (Cimex spp.) Bites on Self-Rated Health and Average Hours of Sleep per Day: A Cross-Sectional Study among Hong Kong Bedbug Victims.

Bedbugs (Cimex spp.) are a nuisance public-health pest that is on the rise globally, particularly in crowded cities such as Hong Kong. To investigate the health impacts of bedbug infestations among bedbug victims, online surveys were distributed in Hong Kong between June 2019 to July 2020. Data on sociodemographics, self-rated health, average hours of sleep per day, and details of bedbug infestation were collected. Bivariate and multivariable analysis were performed using logistic regression. The survey identified 422 bedbug victims; among them, 223 (52.9%) experienced ≥five bites in the past month; most bites occurred on the arms (n = 202, 47.8%) and legs (n = 215, 51%), and the most common reaction to bites were itchiness (n = 322, 76.3%), redness, and swelling of the skin (n = 246, 58.1%), and difficulties sleeping or restlessness (n = 125, 29.6%). Bites usually occurred during sleep (n = 230, 54.5%). For impact on daily life in the past month, most bedbug victims reported moderate to severe impact on mental and emotional health (n = 223, 52.8%) and sleeping quality (n = 239, 56.6%). Lower self-rated health (aOR < 1) was independently associated with impact on physical appearance (p = 0.008), spending money on medication or doctor consultation (p = 0.04), number of bites in the past month (p = 0.023), and irregular time of bites (p = 0.003). Lower average hours of sleep per day (aOR < 1) was independently associated with impact on mental and emotional health (p = 0.016). This study brings attention to the neglected issue of bedbug infestation by considering bedbugs as an infectious agent instead of a vector and providing empirical evidence describing its health impacts.

Removal of spilled petroleum in industrial soils by spent compost of mushroom Pleurotus pulmonarius.

Two batches of oil-contaminated soil collected from an industrial area and one pile of oil-contaminated soil in a power plant were treated by the spent compost of mushroom Pleurotus pulmonarius (SMC). SMC contained macronutrients for biostimulation, possessed 1.0-1.5 U mg(-1) laccase and 0.8-0.9 U mg(-1) manganese peroxidase for biodegradation and harboured (11+/-3)x10(7) cfu g(-1) bacteria and (56+/-9)x10(4) cfu g(-1) fungi for bioaugmentation. In off-site ex situ bioremediation, the industrial area soil was contaminated with organic 5.4-6.9 g kg(-1) total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), 14.5-19.0 g kg(-1) oil and grease and 95-99 mg kg(-1) di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and inorganic 104-136 mg kg(-1) Cu, 430-691 mg kg(-1) Pb and 477-578 mg kg(-1) Zn. The removal by 3% SMC amendment applied twice accounted for 56-64%, 31-33% and 51-54% disappearance of the TPH, oil and grease and DEHP contaminants, respectively. For the latter soil, one 0.3% SMC application removed 40-45% of the initial 1.2+/-0.2 g kg(-1) TPH and 4.0+/-0.6 g kg(-1) oil and grease in 22 d. Further using four bacteria and four fungi inoculated onto the sterilized soil samples, samples with greater removal of the pollutants bore larger microbial populations. Thus SMC simultaneously degrades petroleum residues and reduces toxicity in less than a month.

Themes for mushroom exploitation in the 21st century: Sustainability, waste management, and conservation.

Because many natural resources are limited, sustainability becomes an important concept in maintaining the human population, health, and environment. Mushrooms are a group of saprotrophic fungi. Mushroom cultivation is a direct utilization of their ecological role in the bioconversion of solid wastes generated from industry and agriculture into edible biomass, which could also be regarded as a functional food or as a source of drugs and pharmaceuticals. To make the mushroom cultivation an environmentally friendly industry, the basic biology of mushrooms and the cultivation technology must be researched and developed. This is very true for Lentinula edodes, Volvariella volvacea, and Ganoderma lucidum, which are commonly consumed in Asian communities but are now gaining popularity worldwide. Besides the conventional method, strain improvement can also be exploited by protoplast fusion and transformation. Biodiversity is the key contribution to the genetic resource for breeding programs to fulfill different consumer demands. The conservation of these mushrooms becomes essential and is in immediate need not only because of the massive habitat loss as a result of human inhabitation and deforestation, but also because of the introduced competition by a cultivar with the wild germ plasm. Spent mushroom compost, a bulky solid waste generated from the mushroom industry, however, can be exploited as a soil fertilizer and as a prospective bioremediating agent.