A Dynamical Model of Oocyte Maturation Unveils Precisely Orchestrated Meiotic Decisions

Maturation of vertebrate oocytes into haploid gametes relies on two consecutive meioses without intervening DNA replication. The temporal sequence of cellular transitions driving eggs from G2 arrest to meiosis I (MI) and then to meiosis II (MII) is controlled by the interplay between cyclin-dependent and mitogen-activated protein kinases. In this paper, we propose a dynamical model of the molecular network that orchestrates maturation of Xenopus laevis oocytes. Our model reproduces the core features of maturation progression, including the characteristic non-monotonous time course of cyclin-Cdks, and unveils the network design principles underlying a precise sequence of meiotic decisions, as captured by bifurcation and sensitivity analyses. Firstly, a coherent and sharp meiotic resumption is triggered by the concerted action of positive feedback loops post-translationally activating cyclin-Cdks. Secondly, meiotic transition is driven by the dynamic antagonism between positive and negative feedback loops controlling cyclin turnover. Our findings reveal a highly modular network in which the coordination of distinct regulatory schemes ensures both reliable and flexible cell-cycle decisions

Hydraulic Response of Deciduous and Evergreen Broadleaved Shrubs, Grown on Olympus Mountain in Greece, to Vapour Pressure Deficit

In this study, leaf hydraulic functionality of co-occurring evergreen and deciduous shrubs, grown on Olympus Mountain, has been compared. Four evergreen species (Arbutus andrachne, Arbutus unedo, Quercus ilex and Quercus coccifera) and four deciduous species (Carpinus betulus, Cercis siliquastrum, Coronilla emeroides and Pistacia terebinthus) were selected for this study. Predawn and midday leaf water potential, transpiration, stomatal conductance, leaf temperature and leaf hydraulic conductance were estimated during the summer period. The results demonstrate different hydraulic tactics between the deciduous and evergreen shrubs. Higher hydraulic conductance and lower stomatal conductance were obtained in deciduous plants compared to the evergreens. Additionally, positive correlations were detected between water potential and transpiration in the deciduous shrubs. The seasonal leaf hydraulic conductance declined in both deciduous and evergreens under conditions of elevated vapor pressure deficit during the summer; however, at midday, leaf water potential reached comparable low values, but the deciduous shrubs exhibited higher hydraulic conductance compared to the evergreens. It seems likely that hydraulic traits of the coexisting evergreen and deciduous plants indicate water spending and saving tactics, respectively; this may also represent a limit to drought tolerance of these species grown in a natural environment, which is expected to be affected by global warming. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Hydraulic Response of Deciduous and Evergreen Broadleaved Shrubs, Grown on Olympus Mountain in Greece, to Vapour Pressure Deficit

In this study, leaf hydraulic functionality of co-occurring evergreen and deciduous shrubs, grown on Olympus Mountain, has been compared. Four evergreen species (Arbutus andrachne, Arbutus unedo, Quercus ilex and Quercus coccifera) and four deciduous species (Carpinus betulus, Cercis siliquastrum, Coronilla emeroides and Pistacia terebinthus) were selected for this study. Predawn and midday leaf water potential, transpiration, stomatal conductance, leaf temperature and leaf hydraulic conductance were estimated during the summer period. The results demonstrate different hydraulic tactics between the deciduous and evergreen shrubs. Higher hydraulic conductance and lower stomatal conductance were obtained in deciduous plants compared to the evergreens. Additionally, positive correlations were detected between water potential and transpiration in the deciduous shrubs. The seasonal leaf hydraulic conductance declined in both deciduous and evergreens under conditions of elevated vapor pressure deficit during the summer; however, at midday, leaf water potential reached comparable low values, but the deciduous shrubs exhibited higher hydraulic conductance compared to the evergreens. It seems likely that hydraulic traits of the coexisting evergreen and deciduous plants indicate water spending and saving tactics, respectively; this may also represent a limit to drought tolerance of these species grown in a natural environment, which is expected to be affected by global warming. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Fine Tuning of Aperiodic Ordered Structures for Speech Intelligibility

Speech intelligibility is crucial in many spaces, yet designers often fail to predict the acoustic shortcomings of certain design choices. This paper builds on the potential of hybrid surface treatments showcasing low-frequency absorption to control background noise levels and high-frequency diffusion to improve speech-in-noise perception to introduce a workflow that encodes this information in a format easily perceived by designers. After patterns are being classified based on periodicity into partly periodic, non-periodic or aperiodic, a matrix serves as a rule of thumb communicating to non-experts the critical variables for high-frequency diffusion, such as well depth sequence, scale and profile. These become inputs of a computational process that generates variations to tailor patterns for speechintelligibility. Lastly, plotted graphs that visualize quantitative figures obtained from simulations are marked by a bounding box relative to the effective frequency range for designers to evaluate examined patterns during the process of optioneering. This integrated workflow targets architects and designers that seek for visual feedback to support an iterative exploration of performance driven geometries, while recognizing the contribution of aperiodic order to uniformly distribute the flow of sound energy.Design InformaticsBuilding Physic

Redundant pathways for Cdc2 activation in Xenopus oocyte: either cyclin B or Mos synthesis

Xenopus oocytes are arrested in meiotic prophase I. Progesterone induces the resumption of meiotic maturation, which requires continuous protein synthesis to bring about Cdc2 activation. The identification of the newly synthesized proteins has long been a goal. Two plausible candidates have received extensive study. The synthesis of cyclin B and of c-Mos, a kinase that activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in oocytes, is clearly upregulated by translational control in response to progesterone. Recent studies suggest that ablation of either c-Mos or cyclin B synthesis by antisense oligonucleotides does not block meiotic maturation. Here, however, we show that when both pathways are simultaneously inhibited, progesterone no longer triggers maturation; adding back either c-Mos or cyclin B restores meiotic maturation. We conclude that the specific synthesis of either B-type cyclins or c-Mos, induced by progesterone, is required to induce meiotic maturation. The two pathways seem to be functionally redundant