Pricking the body wall of Sarcophaga peregrina (flesh fly) larvae with a needle activated the immune system of this insect and induced various immune molecules, including antibacterial proteins, in the hemolymph. In this review, I summarize and discuss the functions of these immune molecules, with particular emphasis on the dual roles of some of these molecules in defense and development.

The mechanism of nonself recognition by the immune system of insects is unknown. In this report the activation of the prophenoloxidase system in the wax moth Galleria mellonella by a microbial product is shown to enhance the recognition of nonself material. These results explain previous observations of the interaction of two different blood cell populations in the cellular defense reactions of...

Understanding the ecological relevance of variation within and between colonies has been an important and recurring theme in social insect research. Recent research addresses the genomic and physiological factors and fitness effects associated with behavioral variation, within and among colonies, in regulation of activity, cognitive abilities, and aggression. Behavioral variation among colonies...

The 22q13.3 deletion, or Phelan-McDermid syndrome, is characterized by global intellectual disability, generalized hypotonia, severely delayed or absent speech associated with features of autism spectrum disorder, and minor dysmorphisms. Its behavioral phenotype comprises sleep disturbances, communication deficits, and motor perseverations. Data on psychological dysfunctions are so far not avai...

Phylogenetically conserved brain centers known as mushroom bodies are implicated in insect associative learning and in several other aspects of insect behavior. Kenyon cells, the intrinsic neurons of mushroom bodies, have been generally considered to be disposed as homogenous arrays. Such a simple picture imposes constraints on interpreting the diverse behavioral and computational properties th...

Natural olfactory stimuli typically are mixtures of which the identities, concentrations, and ratios of chemical constituents are important for many odor-mediated behaviors. Despite abundant behavioral examples, links between odor-evoked behavior and the processing and discrimination of complex olfactory stimuli remains an area of active study. Coupling electrophysiological and behavioral exper...

Entomopathogenic nematodes are obligate lethal parasitoids of insect larvae that navigate a chemically complex belowground environment while interacting with their insect hosts, plants, and each other. In this environment, prior exposure to volatile compounds appears to prime nematodes in a compound specific manner, increasing preference for volatiles they previously were exposed to and decreas...

This report presents our work on behavioral types for OSGi component systems. It extends previously published work [8, 9, 10, 11] and presents features and details that have not yet been published. In particular, we cover a discussion on behavioral types in general, and Eclipse based implementation work on behavioral types . The implementation work covers: editors, means for comparing types at ...

Chagas heart disease develops in approximately one-third of individuals infected with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Among the many possible mechanisms responsible for this illness, an autoimmune mechanism has received much experimental support during the past several decades. Initial observations of the absence or near absence of parasites from the inflamed tissues suggested the aut...