Comparative transcriptomics reveals commonalities and differences in the genetic underpinnings of a floral dimorphism

Distyly, a floral dimorphism associated with heteromorphic self-incompatibility and controlled by the S-locus supergene, evolved independently multiple times. Comparative analyses of the first transcriptome atlas for the main distyly model, Primula veris, with other distylous species produced the following findings. A set of 53 constitutively expressed genes in P. veris did not include any of the housekeeping genes commonly used to normalize gene expression in qPCR experiments. The S-locus gene CYP$^{T}$ acquired its role in controlling style elongation via a change in expression profile. Comparison of genes differentially expressed between floral morphs revealed that brassinosteroids and auxin are the main hormones controlling style elongation in P. veris and Fagopyrum esculentum, respectively. Furthermore, shared biochemical pathways might underlie the expression of distyly in the distantly related P. veris, F. esculentum and Turnera subulata, suggesting a degree of correspondence between evolutionary convergence at phenotypic and molecular levels. Finally, we provide the first evidence supporting the previously proposed hypothesis that distyly supergenes of distantly related species evolved via the recruitment of genes related to the phytochrome-interacting factor (PIF) signaling network. To conclude, this is the first study that discovered homologous genes involved in the control of distyly in distantly related taxa

Exploring the role of pain as an early predictor of category 2 pressure ulcers: a prospective cohort study

Objective To explore pressure area related pain as a predictor of category ≥2 pressure ulcer (PU) development. Design Multicentre prospective cohort study. Setting UK hospital and community settings. Participants inclusion Consenting acutely ill patients aged ≥18 years, defined as high risk (Braden bedfast/chairfast AND completely immobile/very limited mobility; pressure area related pain or; category 1 PU). Exclusion Patients too unwell, unable to report pain, 2 or more category ≥2 PUs. Follow-up Twice weekly for 30 days. Primary and secondary outcome measures Development and time to development of one or more category ≥2 PUs. Results Of 3819 screened, 1266 were eligible, 634 patients were recruited, 32 lost to follow-up, providing a 602 analysis population. 152 (25.2%) developed one or more category ≥2 PUs. 464 (77.1%) patients reported pressure area related pain on a healthy, altered or category 1 skin site of whom 130 (28.0%) developed a category ≥2 PU compared with 22 (15.9%) of those without pain. Full stepwise variable selection was used throughout the analyses. (1) Multivariable logistic regression model to assess 9 a priori factors: presence of category 1 PU (OR=3.25, 95% CI (2.17 to 4.86), p<0.0001), alterations to intact skin (OR=1.98, 95% CI (1.30 to 3.00), p=0.0014), pressure area related pain (OR=1.56, 95% CI (0.93 to 2.63), p=0.0931). (2) Multivariable logistic regression model to account for overdispersion: presence of category 1 PU (OR=3.20, 95% CI (2.11 to 4.85), p<0.0001), alterations to intact skin (OR=1.90, 95% CI (1.24 to 2.91), p=0.0032), pressure area related pain (OR=1.85, 95% CI (1.07 to 3.20), p=0.0271), pre-existing category 2 PU (OR=2.09, 95% CI (1.35 to 3.23), p=0.0009), presence of chronic wound (OR=1.66, 95% CI (1.06 to 2.62), p=0.0277), Braden activity (p=0.0476). (3) Accelerated failure time model: presence of category 1 PU (AF=2.32, 95% CI (1.73 to 3.12), p<0.0001), pressure area related pain (AF=2.28, 95% CI (1.59 to 3.27), p<0.0001). (4) 2-level random-intercept logistic regression model: skin status which comprised 2 levels (versus healthy skin); alterations to intact skin (OR=4.65, 95% CI (3.01 to 7.18), p<0.0001), presence of category 1 PU (OR=17.30, 95% CI (11.09 to 27.00), p<0.0001) and pressure area related pain (OR=2.25, 95% CI (1.53 to 3.29), p<0.0001). Conclusions This is the first study to assess pain as a predictor of category ≥2 PU development. In all 4 models, pain emerged as a risk factor associated with an increased probability of category ≥2 PU development

Different molecular changes underlie the same phenotypic transition: Origins and consequences of independent shifts to homostyly within species

The repeated transition from outcrossing to selfing is a key topic in evolutionary biology. However, the molecular basis of such shifts has been rarely examined due to lack of knowledge of the genes controlling these transitions. A classic example of mating system transition is the repeated shift from heterostyly to homostyly. Occurring in 28 angiosperm families, heterostyly is characterized by the reciprocal position of male and female sexual organs in two (or three) distinct, usually self-incompatible floral morphs. Conversely, homostyly is characterized by a single, self-compatible floral morph with reduced separation of male and female organs, facilitating selfing. Here, we investigate the origins of homostyly in Primula vulgaris and its microevolutionary consequences by integrating surveys of the frequency of homostyles in natural populations, DNA sequence analyses of the gene controlling the position of female sexual organs (CYPᵀ), and microsatellite genotyping of both progeny arrays and natural populations characterized by varying frequencies of homostyles. As expected, we found that homostyles displace short-styled individuals, but long-style morphs are maintained at low frequencies within populations. We also demonstrated that homostyles repeatedly evolved from short-styled individuals in association with different types of loss-of- function mutations in CYPᵀ. Additionally, homostyly triggers a shift to selfing, promoting increased inbreeding within and genetic differentiation among populations. Our results elucidate the causes and consequences of repeated transitions to homostyly within species, and the putative mechanisms precluding its fixation in P. vulgaris. This study represents a benchmark for future analyses of losses of heterostyly in other angiosperms

Rates of niche and phenotype evolution lag behind diversification in a temperate radiation

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.Environmental change can create opportunities for increased rates of lineage diversification, but continued species accumulation has been hypothesized to lead to slowdowns via competitive exclusion and niche partitioning. Such density-dependent models imply tight linkages between diversification and trait evolution, but there are plausible alternative models. Little is known about the association between diversification and key ecological and phenotypic traits at broad phylogenetic and spatial scales. Do trait evolutionary rates coincide with rates of diversification, are there lags among these rates, or is diversification niche-neutral? To address these questions, we combine a deeply sampled phylogeny for a major flowering plant clade—Saxifragales—with phenotype and niche data to examine temporal patterns of evolutionary rates. The considerable phenotypic and habitat diversity of Saxifragales is greatest in temperate biomes. Global expansion of these habitats since the mid-Miocene provided ecological opportunities that, with density-dependent adaptive radiation, should result in simultaneous rate increases for diversification, niche, and phenotype, followed by decreases with habitat saturation. Instead, we find that these rates have significantly different timings, with increases in diversification occurring at the mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum (∼15 Mya), followed by increases in niche and phenotypic evolutionary rates by ∼5 Mya; all rates increase exponentially to the present. We attribute this surprising lack of temporal coincidence to initial niche-neutral diversification followed by ecological and phenotypic divergence coincident with more extreme cold and dry habitats that proliferated into the Pleistocene. A lack of density-dependence contrasts with investigations of other cosmopolitan lineages, suggesting alternative patterns may be common in the diversification of temperate lineages

The genomes of Darwin's primroses reveal chromosome-scale adaptive introgression and differential permeability of species boundaries

Introgression is an important source of genetic variation that can determine species adaptation to environmental conditions. Yet, definitive evidence of the genomic and adaptive implications of introgression in nature remains scarce. The widespread hybrid zones of Darwin's primroses (Primula elatior, Primula veris, and Primula vulgaris) provide a unique natural laboratory for studying introgression in flowering plants and the varying permeability of species boundaries. Through analysis of 650 genomes, we provide evidence of an introgressed genomic region likely to confer adaptive advantage in conditions of soil toxicity. We also document unequivocal evidence of chloroplast introgression, an important precursor to species-wide chloroplast capture. Finally, we provide the first evidence that the S-locus supergene, which controls heterostyly in primroses, does not introgress in this clade. Our results contribute novel insights into the adaptive role of introgression and demonstrate the importance of extensive genomic and geographical sampling for illuminating the complex nature of species boundaries

Whole-genome analyses disentangle reticulate evolution of primroses in a biodiversity hotspot

Biodiversity hotspots, such as the Caucasus mountains, provide unprecedented opportunities for understanding the evolutionary processes that shape species diversity and richness. Therefore, we investigated the evolution of Primula sect. Primula, a clade with a high degree of endemism in the Caucasus. We performed phylogenetic and network analyses of whole-genome resequencing data from the entire nuclear genome, the entire chloroplast genome, and the entire heterostyly supergene. The different characteristics of the genomic partitions and the resulting phylogenetic incongruences enabled us to disentangle evolutionary histories resulting from tokogenetic vs cladogenetic processes. We provide the first phylogeny inferred from the heterostyly supergene that includes all species of Primula sect. Primula. Our results identified recurrent admixture at deep nodes between lineages in the Caucasus as the cause of non-monophyly in Primula. Biogeographic analyses support the 'out-of-the-Caucasus' hypothesis, emphasizing the importance of this hotspot as a cradle for biodiversity. Our findings provide novel insights into causal processes of phylogenetic discordance, demonstrating that genome-wide analyses from partitions with contrasting genetic characteristics and broad geographic sampling are crucial for disentangling the diversification of species-rich clades in biodiversity hotspots

PS1-10afx at z = 1.388: Pan-STARRS1 Discovery of a New Type of Superluminous Supernova

We present the Pan-STARRS1 discovery of PS1-10afx, a unique hydrogen-deficient superluminous supernova (SLSN) at redshift z = 1.388. The light curve peaked at z P1 = 21.7 mag, making PS1-10afx comparable to the most luminous known SNe, with Mu = –22.3 mag. Our extensive optical and near-infrared observations indicate that the bolometric light curve of PS1-10afx rose on the unusually fast timescale of ~12 days to the extraordinary peak luminosity of 4.1 × 1044 erg s–1 (M bol = –22.8 mag) and subsequently faded rapidly. Equally important, the spectral energy distribution is unusually red for an SLSN, with a color temperature of ~6800 K near maximum light, in contrast to previous hydrogen-poor SLSNe, which are bright in the ultraviolet (UV). The spectra more closely resemble those of a normal SN Ic than any known SLSN, with a photospheric velocity of ~11, 000 km s–1 and evidence for line blanketing in the rest-frame UV. Despite the fast rise, these parameters imply a very large emitting radius (gsim 5 × 1015 cm). We demonstrate that no existing theoretical model can satisfactorily explain this combination of properties: (1) a nickel-powered light curve cannot match the combination of high peak luminosity with the fast timescale; (2) models powered by the spindown energy of a rapidly rotating magnetar predict significantly hotter and faster ejecta; and (3) models invoking shock breakout through a dense circumstellar medium cannot explain the observed spectra or color evolution. The host galaxy is well detected in pre-explosion imaging with a luminosity near L*, a star formation rate of ~15 M ☉ yr–1, and is fairly massive (~2 × 1010 M ☉), with a stellar population age of ~108 yr, also in contrast to the young dwarf hosts of known hydrogen-poor SLSNe. PS1-10afx is distinct from known examples of SLSNe in its spectra, colors, light-curve shape, and host galaxy properties, suggesting that it resulted from a different channel than other hydrogen-poor SLSNe.Astronom

Community-based interventions for obesity prevention: lessons learned by Australian policy-makers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Interest in community-based interventions (CBIs) for health promotion is increasing, with a lot of recent activity in the field. This paper aims, from a state government perspective, to examine the experience of funding and managing six obesity prevention CBIs, to identify lessons learned and to consider the implications for future investment. Specifically, we focus on the planning, government support, evaluation, research and workforce development required.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The lessons presented in this paper come from analysis of key project documents, the experience of the authors in managing the projects and from feedback obtained from key program stakeholders.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>CBIs require careful management, including sufficient planning time and clear governance structures. Selection of interventions should be based on evidence and tailored to local needs to ensure adequate penetration in the community. Workforce and community capacity must be assessed and addressed when selecting communities. Supporting the health promotion workforce to become adequately skilled and experienced in evaluation and research is also necessary before implementation.</p> <p>Comprehensive evaluation of future projects is challenging on both technical and affordability grounds. Greater emphasis may be needed on process evaluation complemented by organisation-level measures of impact and monitoring of nutrition and physical activity behaviours.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>CBIs offer potential as one of a mix of approaches to obesity prevention. If successful approaches are to be expanded, care must be taken to incorporate lessons from existing and past projects. To do this, government must show strong leadership and work in partnership with the research community and local practitioners.</p

The Ultraviolet-bright, Slowly Declining Transient PS1-11af as a Partial Tidal Disruption Event

We present the Pan-STARRS1 discovery of the long-lived and blue transient PS1-11af, which was also detected by Galaxy Evolution Explorer with coordinated observations in the near-ultraviolet (NUV) band. PS1-11af is associated with the nucleus of an early type galaxy at redshift z = 0.4046 that exhibits no evidence for star formation or active galactic nucleus activity. Four epochs of spectroscopy reveal a pair of transient broad absorption features in the UV on otherwise featureless spectra. Despite the superficial similarity of these features to P-Cygni absorptions of supernovae (SNe), we conclude that PS1-11af is not consistent with the properties of known types of SNe. Blackbody fits to the spectral energy distribution are inconsistent with the cooling, expanding ejecta of a SN, and the velocities of the absorption features are too high to represent material in homologous expansion near a SN photosphere. However, the constant blue colors and slow evolution of the luminosity are similar to previous optically selected tidal disruption events (TDEs). The shape of the optical light curve is consistent with models for TDEs, but the minimum accreted mass necessary to power the observed luminosity is only ~0.002 M ☉, which points to a partial disruption model. A full disruption model predicts higher bolometric luminosities, which would require most of the radiation to be emitted in a separate component at high energies where we lack observations. In addition, the observed temperature is lower than that predicted by pure accretion disk models for TDEs and requires reprocessing to a constant, lower temperature. Three deep non-detections in the radio with the Very Large Array over the first two years after the event set strict limits on the production of any relativistic outflow comparable to Swift J1644+57, even if off-axis

LSST: from Science Drivers to Reference Design and Anticipated Data Products

(Abridged) We describe here the most ambitious survey currently planned in the optical, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). A vast array of science will be enabled by a single wide-deep-fast sky survey, and LSST will have unique survey capability in the faint time domain. The LSST design is driven by four main science themes: probing dark energy and dark matter, taking an inventory of the Solar System, exploring the transient optical sky, and mapping the Milky Way. LSST will be a wide-field ground-based system sited at Cerro Pach\'{o}n in northern Chile. The telescope will have an 8.4 m (6.5 m effective) primary mirror, a 9.6 deg$^2$ field of view, and a 3.2 Gigapixel camera. The standard observing sequence will consist of pairs of 15-second exposures in a given field, with two such visits in each pointing in a given night. With these repeats, the LSST system is capable of imaging about 10,000 square degrees of sky in a single filter in three nights. The typical 5$\sigma$ point-source depth in a single visit in $r$ will be $\sim 24.5$ (AB). The project is in the construction phase and will begin regular survey operations by 2022. The survey area will be contained within 30,000 deg$^2$ with $\delta<+34.5^\circ$, and will be imaged multiple times in six bands, $ugrizy$, covering the wavelength range 320--1050 nm. About 90\% of the observing time will be devoted to a deep-wide-fast survey mode which will uniformly observe a 18,000 deg$^2$ region about 800 times (summed over all six bands) during the anticipated 10 years of operations, and yield a coadded map to $r\sim27.5$. The remaining 10\% of the observing time will be allocated to projects such as a Very Deep and Fast time domain survey. The goal is to make LSST data products, including a relational database of about 32 trillion observations of 40 billion objects, available to the public and scientists around the world.Comment: 57 pages, 32 color figures, version with high-resolution figures available from https://www.lsst.org/overvie