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PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Delimitation of Amelanchier species is difficult because of polyploidy and gametophytic apomixis. A first step in unraveling this species problem is understanding the diversity of the diploids that contributed genomes to polyploid apomicts. This research helps clarify challenging species-delimitation problems attending polyploid, apomictic complexity. METHODS: We sampled 431 diploid accessions from 13 species, of which 10 are North American and three are Old World. Quantitative morphological analyses tested the null hypothesis of no discrete groups. Using three to nine diploid accessions per species, we constructed phylogenies with DNA sequences from ETS, ITS, the second intron of LEAFY, and chloroplast regions rpoB-trnC, rpll6, trnD-trnT, and ycf6-psbM. KEY RESULTS : Most Amelanchier diploid taxa are morphologically and ecogeographically distinct and genetically exclusive lineages. They rarely hybridize with one another. Nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences almost completely resolve the Amelanchier phylogeny. The backbone is the mostly western North American clade A, eastern North American clade B, and Old World clade 0. DNA sequences and morphology support clades A and 0 as sister taxa. Despite extensive paralogy, our LEAFY data are phylogenetically informative and identify a clade (T) of three arborescent taxa within clade B. CONCLUSIONS : Amelanchier diploids differ strikingly from polyploid apomicts, in that hybridization among them is rare, and they form taxa that would qualify as species by most species concepts. Knowledge of diploid morphology, phylogeny, and ecogeography provides a foundation for understanding the evolutionary history of polyploid apomicts, their patterns of diversification, and their species status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein-protein interaction (PPI) plays crucial roles in the performance of various biological processes. A variety of methods are dedicated to identify whether proteins have interaction residues, but it is often more crucial to recognize each amino acid. In practical applications, the stability of a prediction model is as important as its accuracy. However, random sampling, which is widely used in previous prediction models, often brings large difference between each training model. In this paper, a Predictor of protein-protein interaction sites based on Extremely-randomized Trees (PETs) is proposed to improve the prediction accuracy while maintaining the prediction stability. In PETs, a cluster-based sampling strategy is proposed to ensure the model stability: first, the training dataset is divided into subsets using specific features; second, the subsets are clustered using K-means; and finally the samples are selected from each cluster. Using the proposed sampling strategy, samples which have different types of significant features could be selected independently from different clusters. The evaluation shows that PETs is able to achieve better accuracy while maintaining a good stability. The source code and toolkit are available at https://github.com/BinXia/PETs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Florestina is shown to consist of six annual species occurring mostly in arid and semiarid regions of Mexico. Florestina species are morphologically similar and consequently phylogenetic relationships within the genus are poorly understood. We present a phylogenetic study based on morphological characters, DNA sequences of nuclear non-coding spacers (ETS and ITS) and chloroplast non-coding spacers ( rpl32- trnL and trnC- petN). The ETS and ITS spacer-based phylogenies allowed several well-supported conclusions: (1) the genus Florestina is monophyletic and Palafoxia is its closest relative; (2) Florestina latifolia and F. platyphylla form a strongly supported clade; (3) four taxa that are morphologically very similar, F. liebmannii, F. pedata, F. simplicifolia, and F. tripteris, are phylogenetically closely related and based on the sequence data we suggest that these should be recognized as only two species, one comprising F. pedata and F. simplicifolia, which shows wide morphological variation throughout its distributional range; and the other comprising F. liebmannii and F. tripteris; (4) F. lobata and F. purpurea are species very distinct from the remainder of the species in Florestina. Our phylogenetic analyses suggest that hybridization and introgression may be involved in the evolutionary history of Florestina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various solid tumors including lung or gastric carcinomas display aberrant activation of the Met receptor which correlates with aggressive phenotypes and poor prognosis. Although downstream signaling of Met is well described, its integration at the transcriptional level is poorly understood. We demonstrate here that in cancer cells harboring met gene amplification, inhibition of Met activity with tyrosine kinase inhibitors or specific siRNA drastically decreased expression of ETV1, ETV4 and ETV5, three transcription factors constituting the PEA3 subgroup of the ETS family, while expression of the other members of the family were less or not affected. Similar link between Met activity and PEA3 factors expression was found in lung cancer cells displaying resistance to EGFR targeted therapy involving met gene amplification. Using silencing experiments, we demonstrate that the PEA3 factors are required for efficient migration and invasion mediated by Met, while other biological responses such as proliferation or unanchored growth remain unaffected. PEA3 overexpression or silencing revealed that they participated in the regulation of the MMP2 target gene involved in extracellular matrix remodeling. Our results demonstrated that PEA3-subgroup transcription factors are key players of the Met signaling integration involved in regulation of migration and invasiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many ecologically important chemical transformations in the ocean are controlled by biochemical enzyme reactions in plankton. Nitrogenase regulates the transformation of N2 to ammonium in some cyanobacteria and serves as the entryway for N2 into the ocean biosphere. Nitrate reductase controls the reduction of NO3 to NO2 and hence new production in phytoplankton. The respiratory electron transfer system in all organisms links the carbon oxidation reactions of intermediary metabolism with the reduction of oxygen in respiration. Rubisco controls the fixation of CO2 into organic matter in phytoplankton and thus is the major entry point of carbon into the oceanic biosphere. In addition to these, there are the enzymes that control CO2 production, NH4 excretion and the fluxes of phosphate. Some of these enzymes have been recognized and researched by marine scientists in the last thirty years. However, until recently the kinetic principles of enzyme control have not been exploited to formulate accurate mathematical equations of the controlling physiological expressions. Were such expressions available they would increase our power to predict the rates of chemical transformations in the extracellular environment of microbial populations whether this extracellular environment is culture media or the ocean. Here we formulate from the principles of bisubstrate enzyme kinetics, mathematical expressions for the processes of NO3 reduction, O2 consumption, N2 fixation, total nitrogen uptake.

A synthesis of published metabolic CO2 production rates determined in the water column of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea from 1993 to 1999 is reported with the aim of furnishing an overall picture of the remineralization processes occurring in the basin. The trends of the remineralization are also interpreted with respect to the so-called Eastern Mediterranean Transient (EMT) event. This study augments the sparse data set of respiration measurements, from oceanographic surveys, and highlights the tight coupling between biological processes and circulation patterns. In the photic zone, the rates decreased from West to East as well as from North to South. In the aphotic zone, the C remineralization trend followed the traditional routes of intermediate and deep waters in the Eastern Mediterranean Basin, and underwent the important modifications into the depths as a consequence of the EMT impact.

In this study, we added the post-processing module of the Ensemble Transform Sensitivity (ETS) to identify regions sensitive to adaptive observations of different variables at different levels for typhoon forecasts. We selected five cases between 2015 and 2020 over the Western North Pacific (WNP) using 50 ensemble forecasts from the European Center provided by the THORPEX Interactive Grand Global Ensemble (TIGGE) portal. Furthermore, intercomparison experiments were performed to explore the impact of adaptive observational data assimilation with conventional observations and Himawari-8 data over the sensitive (SEN), non-sensitive (NOSEN), and all studied regions (ALL) on typhoon forecasts using the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) assimilation system of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) of United States. The results show that the assimilation of less observational data in the SEN areas can achieve the forecast effect of assimilation in ALL regions, the intensity error can be reduced by approximately 15%, and the track error is reduced in some cases. Finally, detailed analysis of the circulation field and flux perspectives for Typhoon Lekima, which occurred in August 2019 over the WNP, confirmed our conclusion. At 1800 UTC on August 8, the data assimilation was performed over the SEN, NOSEN, and ALL areas. The initial circulation field, in which the vorticity increased in the southwest of the typhoon and decreased in the southeast, benefited the westward movement of the typhoon. The 18 h forecast indicated that the circulation in the SEN area assimilation experiment showed a negative vorticity increase in the southwest side of the typhoon and positive potential temperature as well as water vapor forecast differences on its north side, which contrasted with the results obtained in the NOSEN and ALL experiments. This provided favorable weather conditions for the typhoon to change direction and move northward. Targeted observation experiments investigating Typhoon Lekima indicated that assimilating observations of sensitive areas greatly improves typhoon forecasting and assimilation efficiency. However, the ALL experiment yielded the best forecast among the three cases. • Use of the Ensemble Transform Sensitivity for typhoon forecasting. • Assess the impact of data assimilation vs. conventional forecasting. • Assimilation of sensitive area observations can improve typhoon forecasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has launched a national level carbon emissions trading market with a rate-based cap and benchmarks in the power generation sector. This emissions trading system (ETS) differs from a mass-based one, which lacks an absolute carbon cap. This study assesses the impact of such an unconventional ETS on economic development, carbon emission mitigation, and power system transition by applying a multi-regional dynamic computable general equilibrium model. The results show that ETS can facilitate the decarbonisation of the power sector and reduce carbon intensities of coal and gas power, the two technologies covered at the first stage of China's ETS. Furthermore, power generation of these technologies will be decreased significantly, and a noticeable fallback of electrification will occur. National GDP loss under a rate-based cap is slightly higher than the one under a mass-based cap, while provincial GDP losses have close relations with coal phaseout and permit scarcity. • A multi-regional recursive dynamic computable general equilibrium model with disaggregate power sector in China is developed. • Analyse China's unconventional design of a nationwide rate-based emissions trading with benchmark allocations. • The power-sector-only coverage would bring an opposite trend of electrification. • The key driving factors of provincial consumption losses are coal power phaseout and permit scarcity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important unanswered question in regenerative biology is to what extent regeneration is accomplished by the reactivation of gene regulatory networks used during development versus the activation of regeneration-specific transcriptional programs. Following damage, Drosophila imaginal discs, the larval precursors of adult structures, can regenerate missing portions by localized proliferation of damage-adjacent tissue. Using single-cell transcriptomics in regenerating wing discs, we have obtained a comprehensive view of the transcriptome of regenerating discs and identified two regeneration-specific cell populations within the blastema, Blastema1 and Blastema2. Collectively, these cells upregulate multiple genes encoding secreted proteins that promote regeneration including Pvf1 , upd3 , asperous , Mmp1 , and the maturation delaying factor Ilp8. Expression of the transcription factor Ets21C is restricted to this regenerative secretory zone; it is not expressed in undamaged discs. Ets21C expression is activated by the JNK/AP-1 pathway, and it can function in a type 1 coherent feedforward loop with AP-1 to sustain expression of downstream genes. Without Ets21C function, the blastema cells fail to maintain the expression of a number of genes, which leads to premature differentiation and severely compromised regeneration. As Ets21C is dispensable for normal development, these observations indicate that Ets21C orchestrates a regeneration-specific gene regulatory network. We have also identified cells resembling both Blastema1 and Blastema2 in scribble tumorous discs. They express the Ets21C -dependent gene regulatory network, and eliminating Ets21C function reduces tumorous growth. Thus, mechanisms that function during regeneration can be co-opted by tumors to promote aberrant growth. [Display omitted] • Single-cell analysis identifies regeneration-specific cell states in Drosophila • The transcription factor Ets21C is required for regeneration, not development • Ets21C sustains a pro-regenerative gene regulatory network in the blastema • Blastema-like cells are found during tumorous overgrowth Regeneration requires cell-specific transcriptional responses. Worley, Everetts et al. investigate the gene regulatory networks that are activated during regeneration and find that the transcription factor Ets21C is critical for effective regeneration by sustaining a pro-regenerative transcriptional program in a subpopulation of blastema cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this review paper, we compile observations that have been made over decades of research on the Cascadia convergent boundary and re-examine the deformation using structural kinematic models, thereby providing new insights. Deformation in the subducting Juan de Fuca slab and the overriding North American plate is primarily accommodated by fracturing. We show that the along-strike deformation patterns are a function of fracture density and activity, which influences coupling with the overriding North American plate and the underlying mantle wedge. We analyze the deformation within a fracture kinematics framework and show that the orientations of the fractures and motion history follow expected empirical fracture mechanics models and are used to provide a more detailed kinematic history of the Cascadia convergent boundary. We focus on the Gorda plate of the Juan de Fuca subducting slab and show that it is intensely fractured with curved magnetic anomalies such that the brittle deformation is collectively expressed macroscopically as a deforming continuum. The Gorda plate has changed shape via NS shortening and clockwise rotation without losing cohesion at the plate-scale, which suggests that the fractures form an interlocking network to accommodate ductile deformation via cataclastic flow. In the forearc, the fracture and velocity patterns suggest that deformation is accommodated by a continental-scale right-lateral shear zone, trending 320°/140° and is assisted via crustal-scale cataclastic flow. We suggest that ETS activity is strongly correlated to deformation in the over-riding plate. The Gorda plate is also used to better understand larger-scale plate dynamics. We demonstrate that the Gorda plate acts as a ductile deformation zone to assist global plate mobility. Additionally, details of the magnetic lineation patterns in the Gorda plate indicate that slab pull overtakes plate rotation post-subduction. This suggests that plate behavior is strongly influenced by its internal deformation and coupling with the mantle post-subduction. • The Gorda plate is a ductile deformation zone. • The JDF slab and the NA plate are deforming by crustal-scale cataclastic flow. • Slab pull overtakes rotation of the Gorda plate post-subduction. • ETS activity is strongly correlated to deformation in the over-riding NA plate. • The Gorda plate facilitates plate mobility by filling in the gaps between larger, more rigid plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objetivo: Evaluar el impacto de la capacitación en sexualidad a docentes secundarios del Cono Norte de la ciudad de Lima. Material y métodos: Se tomó un pre test y un post test para la evaluación. Se evalúo la capacitación de 4530 docentes; 45% hombres y 65% mujeres. Resultados: La calificación media del pre test fue de 12.5 ± 3.5; el 70.2% obtuvo nota mayor o igual que 11 y el 29.8% desaprobó; luego de la capacitación en el post test la calificación media fue 16.9 ± 2.9; aprobando el 95.9%. Uno de los temas de capacitación fueron conocimientos sobre SIDA; la calificación media en el pre test, fue 18.4 ± 2.1, y en el post test, 19.2 ± 1.5, no encontrando diferencias significativas. En conocimientos sobre Enfermedades de Transmisión Sexual; en el pre test, el 35.52% de los encuestados no refirió ningún método para evitarlas, el 33.6% refirió solo a un concepto, el 26.4% refirió a dos y el 55.1% refirió correctamente a los 3 mencionados en la capacitación; después de la capacitación en el post test, el 12.4% no los refirió, 10.8% refirió solo a uno, el 22.3% refirió a dos y el 55.1% los refirió correctamente; encontrando diferencias significativas en el grupo que no los conocía. Conclusiones: Concluimos que la capacitación tuvo mejor impacto en conocimiento sobre las ETS que en conocimiento de SIDA, encontrando una peligrosa falta de asociación entre las ETS y el SIDA. (Rev Med Hered 2001;12: 45-51).

To achieve China's "dual carbon" and common prosperity goals, corporate green governance is crucial. A key tool for promoting green growth is environmental legislation, particularly market-based regulation. With China's carbon emission trading as a natural experiment, we adopt the DID method to quantitatively compare the gap between ESG performance of pilot and non-pilot carbon trading enterprises before and after policy implementation, thereby examining the impact, mechanism and optimization conditions of market-based environmental policy on corporate green governance based on panel data of China's A-share listed companies from 2007 to 2019. In addition, PSM-DID and other methods are employed for preventing estimation bias caused by sample self-selection bias. It is found that: (1) the green governance level of pilot firms can be considerably improved by a carbon emission trading scheme (ETS); (2) the ETS primarily encourages enterprises to uphold their ESG obligations through increasing regulatory pressure from the government and corporate involvement in clean innovation; (3) enhancing regional marketization can strengthen the impact of carbon trading policy, and enterprises that are large and non-state-owned exhibit better performance with regard to green governance as a result of carbon trading policy. This paper provides practical experience for promoting corporate green governance to achieve the "dual carbon" goal based on a market mechanism from a micro perspective.

Salicornia is a highly taxonomically problematic genus due to the reduced morphological observable characters. Ten Eurasian species are currently recognized: S. alpini , S. europaea , S. fruticosa , S. hispanica , S. lagascae , S. perennans , S. perennis , S. persica , S. procumbens , and S. pruinosa . In addition, eleven subspecies are accepted, mainly based on their distribution areas. Along the Venetian coasts and in Sardinia, in the past, an endemic species called S. veneta was recognized, but this name was later synonymized with S. procumbens subsp. procumbens . The aim of the present research is investigating different Italian Salicornia populations by a molecular point of view, using the nuclear ribosomal external transcribed spacer ETS and the plastid psb A- trn H intergenic spacer. A particular focus is on the comparison between Venetian (including those occurring in locus classicus of S. veneta ) and Sardinian S. procumbens and other Italian populations of this species. The molecular analyses based on the plastid marker highlight that the Italian S. procumbens populations form two well distinct groups. In particular, some of the Venetian ( Locus classicus of S. veneta ) and all the Sardinian specimens are genetically distinct (=plastid haplotype 1) from the other investigated populations (=plastid haplotype 2). This indicates that the psb A -trn H haplotype 1 glassworts represent a distinct entity, which we suppose to coincide with the former S. veneta . Therefore, we suggest to recognize this taxonomic entity at the subspecies rank, as S. procumbens subsp. veneta comb. and stat. nov. However, contrary to the results found with the plastid psb A -trn H intergenic spacer, the ETS locus does not show a separation into two distinct clades for S. procumbens , probably due to a different evolution of the two loci. Nevertheless, in the ETS phylogenetic reconstruction, the Sardinian specimens (=ribotypes 2 and 3) are placed, together with a Moroccan sample, in a subclade separated from all the other S. procumbens . These results suggest that the Sardinian populations can represent a subspecies/incipient speciation process, probably due to geographic isolation. In the light of this, morphometric analyses (k-means, MANOVA, PCA, DA, and Box-Plot) have been carried out on the Sardinian and Venetian populations to verify if this distinction is detectable also by a morphological point of view. The morphometric analyses highlight the existence of two groups, concerning both the nuclear and plastid trees. Six characters were found to be diagnostic.

Background Prostate cancer (PCa) molecular subtypes have been defined by essentially mutually exclusive events, including ETS gene fusions (most commonly involving ERG ) and SPINK1 overexpression. Clinical assessment may aid in disease stratification, complementing available prognostic tests. Objective To determine the analytical validity and clinicopatholgic associations of microarray-based molecular subtyping. Design, setting, and participants We analyzed Affymetrix GeneChip expression profiles for 1577 patients from eight radical prostatectomy cohorts, including 1351 cases assessed using the Decipher prognostic assay (GenomeDx Biosciences, San Diego, CA, USA) performed in a laboratory with Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendment certification. A microarray-based (m-) random forest ERG classification model was trained and validated. Outlier expression analysis was used to predict other mutually exclusive non- ERG ETS gene rearrangements (ETS + ) or SPINK1 overexpression (SPINK1 + ). Outcome measurements Associations with clinical features and outcomes by multivariate logistic regression analysis and receiver operating curves. Results and limitations The m-ERG classifier showed 95% accuracy in an independent validation subset (155 samples). Across cohorts, 45% of PCas were classified as m-ERG + , 9% as m-ETS + , 8% as m-SPINK1 + , and 38% as triple negative (m-ERG − /m-ETS − /m-SPINK1 − ). Gene expression profiling supports three underlying molecularly defined groups: m-ERG + , m-ETS + , and m-SPINK1 + /triple negative. On multivariate analysis, m-ERG + tumors were associated with lower preoperative serum prostate-specific antigen and Gleason scores, but greater extraprostatic extension ( p < 0.001). m-ETS + tumors were associated with seminal vesicle invasion ( p = 0.01), while m-SPINK1 + /triple negative tumors had higher Gleason scores and were more frequent in Black/African American patients ( p < 0.001). Clinical outcomes were not significantly different among subtypes. Conclusions A clinically available prognostic test (Decipher) can also assess PCa molecular subtypes, obviating the need for additional testing. Clinicopathologic differences were found among subtypes based on global expression patterns. Patient summary Molecular subtyping of prostate cancer can be achieved using extra data generated from a clinical-grade, genome-wide expression-profiling prognostic assay (Decipher). Transcriptomic and clinical analysis support three distinct molecular subtypes: (1) m-ERG + , (2) m-ETS + , and (3) m-SPINK1 + /triple negative (m-ERG − /m-ETS − /m-SPINK1 − ). Incorporation of subtyping into a clinically available assay may facilitate additional applications beyond routine prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although by many perceived as important, spatial data quality has hardly ever been taken centre stage unless something went wrong due to bad quality. However, we think this is going to change soon. We are more and more relying on data driven processes and due to the increased availability of data, there is a choice in what data to use. How to make that choice? We think spatial data quality has potential as a selection criterion. In this paper we focus on how a workflow tool can help the consumer as well as the producer to get a better understanding about which product characteristics are important. For this purpose, we have developed a framework in which we define different roles (consumer, producer and intermediary) and differentiate between product specifications and quality specifications. A number of requirements is stated that can be translated into quality elements. We used case studies to validate our framework. This framework is designed following the fitness for use principle. Also part of this framework is software that in some cases can help ascertain the quality of datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A phylogenetic hypothesis is presented for the charismatic but taxonomically poorly-known Cape daisy genus Syncarpha , based on near-complete ingroup sampling and good coverage of outgroup taxa. A combination of nuclear ribosomal and chloroplast spacer DNA sequence data gives a well-resolved phyogenetic hypothesis, the robustness of which is assessed via both parsimony bootstrap and Bayesian posterior probabilities based on the uncorrelated lognormal relaxed clock model. Syncarpha species fall into two well-supported and distantly-related clades that last shared a common ancestor in the mid-Miocene. The larger Syncarpha 1 grouping contains the type species and corresponds to African ‘ Helipterum ’; this clade is sister to Edmondia and belongs in a larger clade which also includes the Australian Gnaphalieae. The Syncarpha 2 clade contains the taxa associated with Syncarpha paniculata (formerly Helichrysum paniculatum ) and is more closely related to Plecostachys and some species of Gnaphalium . Formal assessment of monophyly lays the groundwork for future revisionary taxonomic work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve proper spatiotemporal control of gene expression, transcription factors cooperatively assemble onto specific DNA sequences. The ETS domain protein monomer of GABPa and the B-ZIP domain protein dimer of CREB1 cooperatively bind DNA only when the ETS ( C/GCGGAAGT) and CRE (GTGACGTCAC) motifs overlap precisely, producing the ETS↔CRE motif ( C/GCGGAAGTGACGTCAC). We designed a Protein Binding Microarray (PBM) with 60-bp DNAs containing four identical sectors, each with 177,440 features that explore the cooperative interactions between GABPa and CREB1 upon binding the ETS↔CRE motif. The DNA sequences include all 15-mers of the form C/GCGGA--CG--,the ETS↔CRE motif, and all single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and occurrences in the human and mouse genomes. CREB1 enhanced GABPa binding to the canonical ETS↔CRE motif CCGGAAGT two-fold, and up to 23-fold for several SNPs at the beginning and end of the ETS motif, which is suggestive of two separate and distinct allosteric mechanisms of cooperative binding. We show that the ETS-CRE array data can be used to identify regions likely cooperatively bound by GABPa and CREB1 in vivo, and demonstrate their ability to identify human genetic variants that might inhibit cooperative binding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to evaluate the appropriateness of a variety of existing forecasting techniques (17 methods) at providing accurate and statistically significant forecasts for gold price. We report the results from the nine most competitive techniques. Special consideration is given to the ability of these techniques to provide forecasts which outperforms the random walk (RW) as we noticed that certain multivariate models (which included prices of silver, platinum, palladium and rhodium, besides gold) were also unable to outperform the RW in this case. Interestingly, the results show that none of the forecasting techniques are able to outperform the RW at horizons of 1 and 9 steps ahead, and on average, the exponential smoothing model is seen providing the best forecasts in terms of the lowest root mean squared error over the 24-month forecasting horizons. Moreover, we find that the univariate models used in this article are able to outperform the Bayesian autoregression and Bayesian vector autoregressive models, with exponential smoothing reporting statistically significant results in comparison with the former models, and classical autoregressive and the vector autoregressive models in most cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the molecular phylogeny of the species-rich Carex sect. Racemosae (Cyperaceae) based on a combined nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequence dataset. Sect. Racemosae is found to be not monophyletic in its traditional circumscription, while most species belong to a well-supported clade that is sister to clades consisting of all other sampled species from sections Bicolores, Paniceae, Phacocystis and Scitae. Eight major clades are recognized within the Racemosae.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: The circumboreal Carex section Glareosae comprises 20-25 currently accepted species. High variability in geographic distribution, ecology, cytogenetics, and morphology has led to historical problems both in species delimitation and in circumscribing the limits of the section, which is one of the major tasks facing caricologists today. METHODS: We performed phylogenetic reconstructions based on ETS, ITS, G3PDH, and matK DNA sequences from 204 samples. Concatenation of gene regions in a supermatrix approach to phylogenetic reconstruction was compared to coalescent-based species-tree estimation. Ancestral state reconstructions were performed for eight morphological characters to evaluate correspondence between phylogeny and traits used in traditional classification within the section. KEY RESULTS: The results confirm the existence of a core Glareosae comprising 23-25 species. Most species constitute exclusive lineages, and relationships among species are highly resolved with both the supermatrix and coalescent-based species-tree approaches. We used ancestral state reconstruction to investigate sources of homoplasy underlying traditional taxonomy and species circumscription. We found that even species apparently not constituting exclusive lineages are morphologically homogeneous, raising the question of whether paraphyly of species is a phylogenetic artifact in our study or evidence of widespread homoplasy in characters used to define species. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the monophyly of Carex section Glareosae and establishes a phylogenetic framework for the section. Homoplasy makes many of morphological characters difficult to apply for taxon delimitation. The strong concordance between supermatrix and species-tree approaches to phylogenetic reconstructions suggests that even in the face of incongruence among molecular markers, section-level or species-level phylog-enies in Carex are tractable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the authors' study of the tropical shrubs belonging to the Pharmacosycea section of the taxonomic group Ficus. Topics discussed include an overview of the plant specimens acquired from the research institute GenBank for the case study, the use of genetic sequencing techniques in the analysis of the acquired plant specimens, and a comprehensive analysis of the results. The article also presents charts which shows the distinct traits of the tropical shrubs.

The Lucilia group sensu Anderberg and Freire comprises nine South American genera: Belloa, Berroa, Chevreulia, Cuatrecasasiella, Facelis, Gamochaetopsis, Jalcophila, Lucilia and Luciliocline. The aims of this contribution were, using DNA sequences from plastid ( rpl32- trnL, trnL-F) and nuclear (ITS and ETS) markers, together with morphological characters, to test the monophyly of the Lucilia group and provide new insight into generic circumscriptions. Our studies, including a broad taxon sampling of Gnaphalieae species, suggest that the Lucilia group is paraphyletic, since Antennaria, Chionolaena, Gamochaeta, Loricaria, Micropsis, Mniodes and Stuckertiella are all nested within the Lucilia group. Morphology and molecular analyses combined showed that the traditional generic circumscription of most of the genera (e.g., Berroa, Chevreulia, Chionolaena, Cuatrecasasiella, Facelis, Jalcophila and Micropsis) correlates with the inferred phylogenetic relationships. Conversely, Lucilia and Luciliocline are non-monophyletic. Lucilia is nested in a clade with Berroa, Facelis and Micropsis. Luciliocline is strongly embedded within the clade Belloa pp + Mniodes. Our results are consistent with Dillon's study that considered Belloa as a montotypic genus ( B. chilensis). Luciliocline and the remaining species of Belloa are accommodated in the genus Mniodes, and the necessary combinations are proposed for the expanded Mniodes. All the analyses showed that the monotypic genera Stuckertiella and Gamochaetopsis are in a well-supported clade nested within Gamochaeta, which implies that taxonomic changes are required also for these genera. Internal relationships in the group and the key morphological characters used in the taxonomy of the group, as well as incongruences found between morphological and molecular analyses, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The LIN-1 ETS transcription factor plays a pivotal role in controlling cell fate decisions during development of the Caenorhabditis elegans vulva. Prior to activation of the RTK/Ras/ERK-signaling pathway, LIN-1 functions as a SUMOylated transcriptional repressor that inhibits vulval cell fate. Here we demonstrate using the yeast two-hybrid system that SUMOylation of LIN-1 mediates interactions with a protein predicted to be involved in transcriptional repression: the RAD-26 Mi-2β/CHD4 component of the nucleosome remodeling and histone deacetylation (NuRD) transcriptional repression complex. Genetic studies indicated that rad-26 functions to inhibit vulval cell fates in worms. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we showed that the EGL-27/MTA1 component of the NuRD complex binds the carboxy-terminus of LIN-1 independently of LIN-1 SUMOylation. EGL-27 also binds UBC-9, an enzyme involved in SUMOylation, and MEP-1, a zinc-finger protein previously shown to bind LIN-1. Genetic studies indicate that egl-27 inhibits vulval cell fates in worms. These results suggest that LIN-1 recruits multiple proteins that repress transcription via both the SUMOylated amino-terminus and the unSUMOylated carboxy-terminus. Assays in cultured cells showed that the carboxy-terminus of LIN-1 was converted to a potent transcriptional activator in response to active ERK. We propose a model in which LIN-1 recruits multiple transcriptional repressors to inhibit the 1° vulval cell fate, and phosphorylation by ERK converts LIN-1 to a transcriptional activator that promotes the 1° vulval cell fate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of a hierarchical vascular network, composed of arteries, veins, and capillaries, is essential for embryogenesis and is required for the production of new functional vasculature in the adult. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms that orchestrate the differentiation of vascular endothelial cells into arterial and venous cell fates is requisite for regenerative medicine, as the directed formation of perfused vessels is desirable in a myriad of pathological settings, such as in diabetes and following myocardial infarction. Additionally, this knowledge will enhance our understanding and treatment of vascular anomalies, such as arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). From studies in vertebrate model organisms, such as mouse, zebrafish, and chick, a number of key signaling pathways have been elucidated that are required for the establishment and maintenance of arterial and venous fates. These include the Hedgehog, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β), Wnt, and Notch signaling pathways. In addition, a variety of transcription factor families acting downstream of, or in concert with, these signaling networks play vital roles in arteriovenous (AV) specification. These include Notch and Notch-regulated transcription factors (e.g., HEY and HES), SOX factors, Forkhead factors, β-Catenin, ETS factors, and COUP-TFII. It is becoming apparent that AV specification is a highly coordinated process that involves the intersection and carefully orchestrated activity of multiple signaling cascades and transcriptional networks. This review will summarize the molecular mechanisms that are involved in the acquisition and maintenance of AV fate, and will highlight some of the limitations in our current knowledge of the molecular machinery that directs AV morphogenesis. Developmental Dynamics 244:391-409, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Harmful effects of inhaled particulates have been established in epidemiologic studies of ambient air pollution. In particular, heart rate variability responses to high levels of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), similar to responses observed during direct smoking, have been reported. We sought to determine whether such responses could be observed at lower particulate concentrations. Methods: We monitored cardiovascular responses of non-smoking 21 women and 19 men to work-place-relevant levels of: ETS, cooking oil fumes (Coil), wood smoke (WS), and water vapor as sham control. Responses, tested on three consecutive days (random order of aerosol presentation), were averaged for each subject. Results: Low frequency spectral powers of heart rate and blood pressure rose during recovery from exposure to particulate, but not to sham exposures. At breathing frequencies, spectral power of men's systolic pressure doubled, and baroreflex effectiveness increased, following ETS exposure. An index of sympathetic control of heart rate was more pronounced in men than women, in response to ETS and Coil, compared to WS and sham. Conclusions: When measured under controlled conditions, autonomic activities in non-smoking men and women exposed to low level, short term, particulate concentrations were similar to those observed during longer term, higher level exposures to ETS and to direct smoking. These increased indexes of sympathetic control of heart rate and peripheral vasomotion followed introduction of particulates by about 15 min. Finally, coupling of heart rate and systolic pressure indicated an increase in baroreflex activity in the response to breathing ETS that was less effective in men than women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study that performed phylogenetic analyses and morphological dataset of Lychnophorinae, Asteraceae: Vernonieae, to delimit monophyletic genera, verify generic assignment of several species, and identify morphological characters and synapomorphies for major subtribe clades. Topics discussed include recovery of several clades, characterized by combined morphological characters, emergence of Lychnophora as polyphyletic, and lineages that were first to diversify.

The article discusses the study on Pedaliaceae and Martyniaceae phylogeny, Old World and New World families in arid environments, often combined as one family Pedaliaceae, and the assignment of Asian aquatic plant Trapella to Pedaliaceae. Topics discussed include ndhF and trnLF chloroplast loci, and external transcribed spacer (ETS) sequences data and expanded sampling confirming distinct lineages for two families, and identifying Trapella placement in tribe Gratioleae, Plantaginaceae s. l.

Recent phylogenetic analyses proved several infrageneric units within the genus Crocus to be para- or polyphyletic. In an attempt to arrive at a system of Crocus that closely reflects species relationships, we provide here phylogenetic, morphometric, geographic, and nomenclatorial data for the species of a narrower-defined, monophyletic Crocus series Reticulati. We sequenced the ETS and ITS regions of the nuclear ribosomal DNA in 9 Reticulati and 19 outgroup species. Three chloroplast loci (trnL-F, rps16-trnQ, matK-trnK) were sequenced in the newly defined series Reticulati species and 1 outgroup. Data were analyzed with Bayesian and parsimony algorithms. The phylogenies resulted in 2 clearly separated, geographically defined species groups within the series Reticulati. The southern one comprises only the taxa from Turkey, while the species of the second group are distributed from Italy in the west through the areas north of the Black Sea to the Caucasus in the east. To arrive at monophyletic species we describe here C. danubensis sp. nov., C. filis-maculatis sp. nov., and C. orphei sp. nov. as new species, and we define C. reticulatus s.s. to comprise only the populations in the area north and east of the Black Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]