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International audience; Although secondary metabolites are typically associated with competitive or pathogenic interactions, the high bioactivity of endophytic fungi in the Xylariales, coupled with their abundance and broad host ranges spanning all lineages of land plants and lichens, suggests that enhanced secondary metabolism might facilitate symbioses with phylogenetically diverse hosts. Here, we examined secondary metabolite gene clusters (SMGCs) across 96 Xylariales genomes in two clades (Xylariaceae s.l. and Hypoxylaceae), including 88 newly sequenced genomes of endophytes and closely related saprotrophs and pathogens. We paired genomic data with extensive metadata on endophyte hosts and substrates, enabling us to examine genomic factors related to the breadth of symbiotic interactions and ecological roles. All genomes contain hyperabundant SMGCs; however, Xylariaceae have increased numbers of gene duplications, horizontal gene transfers (HGTs) and SMGCs. Enhanced metabolic diversity of endophytes is associated with a greater diversity of hosts and increased capacity for lignocellulose decomposition. Our results suggest that, as host and substrate generalists, Xylariaceae endophytes experience greater selection to diversify SMGCs compared with more ecologically specialised Hypoxylaceae species. Overall, our results provide new evidence that SMGCs may facilitate symbiosis with phylogenetically diverse hosts, highlighting the importance of microbial symbioses to drive fungal metabolic diversity.

Letter To The Editor

The recent discovery of an 800 million solar mass black hole powering a quasar at a redshift corresponding to 690 million years after the Big Bang is the latest in a growing list of observations of super-massive black holes (SMBHs) that were most likely seeded with masses larger than those expected from the remnants of the first generation of stars. This thesis investigates the consequences of the seeding of SMBHs by massive black holes on galaxy evolution through a combination of analytic modelling techniques. Firstly, I analytically model the growth of gravitational instabilities in an isolated proto-galaxy disc as it progresses into a fully-formed galaxy in the presence of a massive seed black hole formed directly through isothermal collapse. The model shows for the first time how the gravitational effects of a seed black hole lead to an increase in the stability of the disc and an increase in the star formation timescale in the region of the disc close to the black hole. This gravitational imprint of the black hole on the galactic disc has the effect of suppressing star formation. To investigate if this has a lasting effect on the properties of seed hosting galaxies, I evolve the disc galaxy model from the epoch of seed formation down to z ~ 6. I show how star formation in seed hosting galaxies is further regulated by a combination of gravitational stability and the accretion of gas onto the black hole, leading to a scenario where the resulting ratio of black hole to stellar mass at z = 6 is significantly higher than observed in the local universe. I also investigate how the growth of massive seed black holes is regulated by the mass and momentum transport in the disc. The inward accretion of gas towards the central massive black hole and therefore the accretion of gas onto the black hole itself is a function of the stability of the disc. The stabilising effect of the black hole therefore has the potential to regulate the inflow of gas, depending on the relative masses of the galaxy disc and black hole. I find that even in the regime where the inflow rate is not affected by the presence of the black hole, viscosity driven accretion is too inefficient for even massive seeds to grow into a SMBHs by z ~ 6. This indicates the isolated growth of SMBHs is not possible. Indeed, merger events or other processes which are efficient at dissipating angular momentum are required to provide the necessary rapid accretion of gas for SMBHs to form. Finally, I study the dynamical heating of a dark matter halo through the accretion of massive black hole systems. Modelled as both a black hole embedded in its own subhalo and as a naked black hole, the infall of the black hole system acts as a perturber to the density of the central halo, converting potential energy to heat the gas of the central halo through dynamical friction. The timescale over which this infall occurs decreases with a larger perturber mass relative to the central halo mass. The total energy released through black hole accretion during the period of infall is strongly dependent on the black hole growth model. Generally, the total energy from black hole growth exceeds the total energy from dynamical friction. However, the energy released through dynamical friction reaches a maximum when the perturber's proximity to the centre of the central halo is minimised, generally after black hole accretion has ceased. There is therefore a period of time where dynamical friction is the primary source of heating within a halo, potentially contributing to the luminosities of some distant quasars and leading to over-estimates in inferred black hole masses.

Poster presentation delivered at the BCPC Annual Weed Review 2016 on the 10/11/16 at Rothamstead Research (UK).

Presentation delivered at the 45th Robson Meeting on the 08/03/13 in St. Ives (Cambridgeshire, UK).

Presentation delivered at the 45th Robson Meeting on the 08/03/13 in St. Ives (Cambridgeshire, UK).

Presentation delivered at the Amenity Forum Conference on 13/10/16 in Burton-on-Trent (UK).

A high prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension among Blacks is a major cause of racial health disparities in the United States. We established a community/academic partnership to improve hypertension control in Blacks receiving medical care at a federally qualified health center in Milwaukee. The defining components of our program included: six group sessions (one/month), based on the American Heart Association's Simple Seven curriculum and designed to motivate and empower patients to manage their blood pressure; active involvement of a community health worker; and ongoing participation of a community advisory board. The study design included a matched control group not exposed to the intervention. Patients in both groups received their usual medical care. Overall, compared to baseline, systolic blood pressure decreased at both 6 and 12 months (P0.004); however, the reduction of blood pressure in the intervention and control groups did not differ significantly (P = .62). Based on written responses to a questionnaire and structured focus group interviews after completing the six-month program, participants reported that the intervention was effective. In retrospect, they suggested that more attention might have been given to spirituality and stress reduction. Larger and longer-term studies will be required to evaluate the added value of this type of intervention.

Gas turbine engine performance requires effective and reliable internal cooling over the\ud duty cycle of the engine. Understanding the effectiveness of cooling flows when making\ud life predictions for rotating components subject to the main gas path temperatures is\ud crucial. A test facility has been developed at the University of Sussex incorporating a\ud two stage turbine designed to support a European funded research project with the\ud objective of enhancing the understanding of interactions between main annulus gas\ud paths and secondary air systems. This thesis describes the specific contribution of the\ud author to the research conducted at the test facility.\ud \ud Non-invasive gas seeding and concentration measurement techniques together with hot\ud geometry displacement measurements have been developed to meet three distinct\ud objectives: to determine inter-stage seal flows between rotor disc cavities; to provide\ud data to quantify rim seal exchange flows between rotor stator cavities and the main\ud annulus gas path for both bulk ingestion and egress conditions; and, to provide data to\ud quantify the re-ingestion of cooling air egressed into the main annulus gas path.\ud Detailed knowledge of these flows is vital to understanding the flow structures within\ud rotor stator cavities and to optimise coolant delivery methods.\ud \ud Experimental results are presented for a number of cooling flow supply geometries and\ud flow rates. The gas concentration measurement techniques developed and the results\ud obtained are compared to traditional measurements as well as numerical simulations\ud carried out by research project partners. This work develops the measurement\ud techniques of rotor stator cavity flows and provides data suitable for the validation of\ud improved thermo-mechanical and CFD codes, beneficial to the engine design process.

Japanese Knotweed s.l. taxa are persistent, pervasive plant Invasive Alien Species throughout the More Economically Developed Nations (MEDCs) of the world: no less so in Wales (UK). The current study will trial 23 current, proven integrated management and control methods in seventy-two 225 m2 (triplicate & control) field trial plots (randomised where possible) at two sites in South Wales and in a series of glasshouse trials in Swansea University. The principal aim of the project is to highlight effective (and ineffective) management and control methods, under highly controlled field and glasshouse conditions. We hope that this approach will help to promote effective management of knotweed under a range of potential site-specific circumstances. Drawing extensively from European and North American experiences with knotweed, this trial should serve as a reference tool for Academics, Land Managers and Local Government to exercise their responsibilities in an integrated, optimised fashion.

Introduced Petasites spp. are of current concern to land mangers in the UK, particularly in sites of conservation importance. The current study will trial 12 physiochemical control methods against Petasites fragrans in twenty-six 1 m2 (duplicate & control) field trial plots (randomised where possible) in Taffs Well nr. Cardiff (South Wales). The principal aim of the project is to highlight effective (and ineffective) management and control methods, under highly controlled field conditions. It is hoped that this approach will help to promote effective management of introduced Petasites spp. under a range of potential site-specific circumstances.

Japanese Knotweed s.l. taxa are persistent, pervasive plant Invasive Alien Species throughout the More Economically Developed Nations (MEDCs) of the world. The current study will trial 21 proven and novel physiochemical control methods in sixty four 225 m2 (triplicate & control) field trial plots (randomised where possible) at three sites in South Wales. The principal aim of the project is to highlight effective (and ineffective) physiochemical control methods, under highly controlled field conditions. We hope that this approach will help to promote effective management of knotweed under a range of potential site-specific circumstances. Drawing extensively from European and North American experiences with knotweed, this trial should serve as a reference tool for Academics, Land Managers and Government to exercise their responsibilities in an integrated, optimised fashion.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Correction for “Genome sequence of the button mushroom Agaricus bisporus reveals mechanisms governing adaptation to a humic-rich ecological niche,” by Emmanuelle Morin, Annegret Kohler, Adam R. Baker, Marie Foulongne-Oriol, Vincent Lombard, Laszlo G. Nagy, Robin A. Ohm, Aleksandrina Patyshakuliyeva, Annick Brun, Andrea L. Aerts, Andrew M. Bailey, Christophe Billette, Pedro M. Coutinho, Greg Deakin, Harshavardhan Doddapaneni, Dimitrios Floudas, Jane Grimwood, Kristiina Hildén, Ursula Kües, Kurt M. LaButti, Alla Lapidus, Erika A. Lindquist, Susan M. Lucas, Claude Murat, Robert W. Riley, Asaf A. Salamov, Jeremy Schmutz, Venkataramanan Subramanian, Han A. B. Wösten, Jianping Xu, Daniel C. Eastwood, Gary D. Foster, Anton S. M. Sonnenberg, Dan Cullen, Ronald P. de Vries, Taina Lundell, David S. Hibbett, Bernard Henrissat, Kerry S. Burton, Richard W. Kerrigan, Michael P. Challen, Igor V. Grigoriev, and Francis Martin, which appeared in issue 43, October 23, 2012, of Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (109:17501–17506; first published October 8, 2012; 10.1073/pnas.1206847109). The authors note that the following statement should be added to the Acknowledgments: “G.D. is a PhD student funded by the Teagasc Walsh Fellowship scheme and jointly supervised by K.S.B., and HM Grogan, Teagasc, Ireland.”

Brown rot decay removes cellulose and hemicellulose from wood?residual lignin contributing up to 30percent of forest soil carbon?and is derived from an ancestral white rot saprotrophy in which both lignin and cellulose are decomposed. Comparative and functional genomics of the ?dry rot? fungus Serpula lacrymans, derived from forest ancestors, demonstrated that the evolution of both ectomycorrhizal biotrophy and brown rot saprotrophy were accompanied by reductions and losses in specific protein families, suggesting adaptation to an intercellular interaction with plant tissue. Transcriptome and proteome analysis also identified differences in wood decomposition in S. lacrymans relative to the brown rot Postia placenta. Furthermore, fungal nutritional mode diversification suggests that the boreal forest biome originated via genetic coevolution of above- and below-ground biota

ObjectivesWe investigated the efficacy and safety of using balloon expandable drug-eluting stents (DES) to prevent amputations in patients with below-the-knee critical limb ischemia.BackgroundCritical limb ischemia patients have a 1-year amputation rate of 30% and a mortality rate of 25%. Most patients with critical limb ischemia have severe below-the-knee arterial disease that limits the use of bypass surgery or balloon angioplasty.MethodsIn all, 106 patients (118 limbs) were treated with DES in this prospective, nonrandomized trial. No patients were excluded because of comorbidities or unfavorable anatomy. Primary end points were major amputation and mortality, each stratified by Rutherford category.ResultsThe mean patient age was 74 ± 9 years. There were 228 DES implanted (83% Cypher [Cordis, Johnson & Johnson, Warren, New Jersey], 17% Taxus [Boston Scientific, Maple Grove, Minnesota]). The number of stents per limb was 1.9 ± 0.9, and 35% of limbs received overlapping DES (length of 60 ± 13 mm). There were no procedural deaths, and 96% of patients were discharged within 24 h. The 3-year cumulative incidence of amputation was 6 ± 2%, survival was 71 ± 5%, and amputation-free-survival was 68 ± 5%. Only 12% of patients who died had a preceding major amputation. Rutherford category, age, creatinine level, and dialysis (p ≤ 0.001 to 0.04) were predictors of death but not amputation. Target limb revascularization occurred in 15% of patients, and repeat angiography in 35% of patients revealed a binary restenosis in 12%.ConclusionsTreating below-the-knee critical limb ischemia with DES is an effective and safe means of preventing major amputation and relieving symptoms. Procedural complications and limb revascularization rates were low. Limb salvage and survival rates in patients treated with DES exceed those of historic controls.