Comparative floral structure and systematics in Apodanthaceae (Rafflesiales)

Abstract.: Comparative studies on floral morphology, anatomy, and histology were performed to identify shared features of the genera of Apodanthaceae (Rafflesiales): Apodanthes, Pilostyles, and Berlinianche. Berlinianche was studied for the first time in detail and its affinity to Apodanthaceae was confirmed. It has a previously undescribed hair cushion on the inner perianth organs and inaperturate pollen. Shared features of members of Apodanthaceae are: unisexual flowers; three (or four) alternating di-/tetra- or tri-/hexamerous whorls of scales of which the inner one or two correspond to a perianth; a synandrium with pollen sacs typically arranged in two rings; opening by a dehiscence line between the two rings of pollen sacs; large vesicular hairs above the synandrium; a gynoecium with four united carpels; inferior and unilocular ovaries with four parietal placentae, ovules tenuinucellate, anatropous with two well developed integuments, oriented in various directions; a nectary disk. Apodanthaceae share some special structural features with Malvale

trans-2-(2-Nitro-1-phenyl­eth­yl)cyclo­hexa­none

In the title compound, C14H17NO3, the plane of the phenyl ring and the least-squares plane of the cyclo­hexyl moiety enclose an angle of 89.14 (6)°. The cyclohexyl ring adopts a chair conformation. In the crystal, the molecules are linked by weak C—H⋯O bonds, with each of the nitro-O atoms accepting two such interactions

Phylogenetic inference in Rafflesiales: the influence of rate heterogeneity and horizontal gene transfer

BACKGROUND: The phylogenetic relationships among the holoparasites of Rafflesiales have remained enigmatic for over a century. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies using the mitochondrial matR gene placed Rafflesia, Rhizanthes and Sapria (Rafflesiaceae s. str.) in the angiosperm order Malpighiales and Mitrastema (Mitrastemonaceae) in Ericales. These phylogenetic studies did not, however, sample two additional groups traditionally classified within Rafflesiales (Apodantheaceae and Cytinaceae). Here we provide molecular phylogenetic evidence using DNA sequence data from mitochondrial and nuclear genes for representatives of all genera in Rafflesiales. RESULTS: Our analyses indicate that the phylogenetic affinities of the large-flowered clade and Mitrastema, ascertained using mitochondrial matR, are congruent with results from nuclear SSU rDNA when these data are analyzed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. The relationship of Cytinaceae to Malvales was recovered in all analyses. Relationships between Apodanthaceae and photosynthetic angiosperms varied depending upon the data partition: Malvales (3-gene), Cucurbitales (matR) or Fabales (atp1). The latter incongruencies suggest that horizontal gene transfer (HGT) may be affecting the mitochondrial gene topologies. The lack of association between Mitrastema and Ericales using atp1 is suggestive of HGT, but greater sampling within eudicots is needed to test this hypothesis further. CONCLUSIONS: Rafflesiales are not monophyletic but composed of three or four independent lineages (families): Rafflesiaceae, Mitrastemonaceae, Apodanthaceae and Cytinaceae. Long-branch attraction appears to be misleading parsimony analyses of nuclear small-subunit rDNA data, but model-based methods (maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses) recover a topology that is congruent with the mitochondrial matR gene tree, thus providing compelling evidence for organismal relationships. Horizontal gene transfer appears to be influencing only some taxa and some mitochondrial genes, thus indicating that the process is acting at the single gene (not whole genome) level

Modeling of continuous PHA production by a hybrid approach based on first principles and machine learning

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are renewable alternatives to traditional oil-derived poly-mers. PHA can be produced by different microorganisms in continuous culture under specific media composition, which makes the production process both promising and challenging. In order to achieve large productivities while maintaining high yield and efficiency, the continuous culture needs to be operated in the so-called dual nutrient limitation condition, where both the nitrogen and carbon sources are kept at very low concentrations. Mathematical models can greatly assist both design and operation of the bioprocess, but are challenged by the complexity of the system, in particular by the dual nutrient-limited growth phenomenon, where the cells undergo a metabolic shift that abruptly changes their behavior. Traditional, non-structured mechanistic models based on Monod uptake kinetics can be used to describe the bioreactor operation under specific process conditions. However, in the absence of a model description of the metabolic phenomena inside the cell, the extrapolation to a broader operation domain (e.g., different feeding concentrations and dilution rates) may present mismatches between the predictions and the actual process outcomes. Such detailed models may require almost perfect knowledge of the cell metabolism and omic-level measurements, hampering their development. On the other hand, purely data-driven models that learn correlations from experimental data do not require any prior knowledge of the process and are therefore unbiased and flexible. However, many more data are required for their development and their extrapolation ability is limited to conditions that are similar to the ones used for training. An attractive alternative is the combination of the extrapolation power of first principles knowledge with the flexibility of machine learning methods. This approach results in a hybrid model for the growth and uptake rates that can be used to predict the dynamic operation of the bioreactor. Here we develop a hybrid model to describe the continuous production of PHA by Pseudomonas putida GPo1 culture. After training, the model with experimental data gained under different dilution rates and medium compositions, we demonstrate how the model can describe the process in a wide range of operating conditions, including both single and dual nutrient-limited growth.Fil: Luna, Martín Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo y Diseño. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo y Diseño; ArgentinaFil: Ochsner, Andrea M.. University Of Applied Sciences And Arts Western; SuizaFil: Amstutz, Véronique. University Of Applied Sciences And Arts Western ; SuizaFil: von Blarer, Damian. No especifíca;Fil: Sokolov, Michael. No especifíca;Fil: Arosio, Paolo. No especifíca;Fil: Zinn, Manfred. University Of Applied Sciences And Arts Western; Suiz

Guidance of adjuvant instillation in intermediate-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer by drug screens in patient derived organoids: a single center, open-label, phase II trial.

BACKGROUND In intermediate-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) clinical guidelines suggest an adjuvant instillation with a chemotherapeutic agent. However, the agent and regimen are not clearly defined. Worldwide, less than 15% of patients receive this adjuvant chemotherapeutic instillation. We recently developed a pipeline for the generation of patient derived organoids (PDO) in NMIBC. In this phase II trial, we aim to use our in vitro pipeline to select the most effective drug for chemotherapeutic instillation in NMIBC patients. METHODS Patients with first diagnosis of intermediate-risk NMIBC that are directed to transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) are enrolled. During TURBT, tumor is sampled, and specimens are directed to generate PDO. Once the PDO are formed, drug screens on them for Epirubicin, Mitomycin C, Gemcitabine and Docetaxel are performed. The drug with the highest antitumor activity in vitro will then be selected for 6 adjuvant intravesical instillations once weekly. Thereafter, patients are followed according to clinical guidelines by cystoscopy. DISCUSSION The aim of this trial is to use drug screens in PDO to precise treatment selection for adjuvant instillation therapies in patients with intermediate-risk NMIBC. The ultimate goal of this trial is to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. In the future, we aim to conduct clinical multicenter trials with an increased sample size, a broader panel of compounds and a focus on the reduction of cancer recurrence by precision delivery of care. Trial registration NCT05024734

Nonlinear dynamics and intermittency in a long-term copepod time series

We consider the nonlinear dynamics of a long-term copepod (small crustaceans) time series sampled weekly in the Mediterranean sea from 1967 to 1992. Such population dynamics display a high variability that we consider here in an interdisciplinary study, using tools borrowed from the field of statistical physics. We analyse the extreme events of male and female abundances, and of the total population, and show that they both have heavy tailed probability density functions (pdf). We provide hyperbolic fits of the form p(x) ∼ 1/xμ+1, and estimate the value of μ using Hill’s estimator. We then study the ratio of male to female abundances, compared to the female abundances. Using conditional probability density functions and conditional averages, we show that this ratio is independent of the female density, when the latter is larger than a given threshold. This property is very useful for modelization. We also consider the product of male to female abundances, which can be ecologically related to the encounters. We show that this product is extremely intermittent, and link its pdf to the female pdf

Impact of polystyrene microplastics on Daphnia magna mortality and reproduction in relation to food availability

Microplastics (MPs) in the environment continue to be a growing area of concern in terms of acute and chronic impacts on aquatic life. Whilst increasing numbers of studies are providing important insights into microparticle behaviour and impacts in the marine environment, a paucity of information exists regarding the freshwater environment. This study focusses on the uptake, retention and the impact of 2µm polystyrene MPs in the freshwater cladoceran Daphnia magna in relation to food intake (algae Chlorella vulgaris), with MP size chosen to approximately match the cell size of the algae. Daphnia were exposed to varied concentrations of MPs and algae. When exposed to a single concentration of MPs Daphnia almost immediately ingested them in large quantities. However, the presence of algae, even at low concentrations, had a significant negative impact on MP uptake that was not in proportion to relative availability. As MP concentrations increased, intake did not if algae were present, even at higher concentrations of MPs. This suggests that Daphnia are selectively avoiding ingesting plastics. Adult Daphnia exposed to MPs for 21 days showed mortality after 7 days of exposure in all treatments compared to the control. However significant differences were all related to algal concentration rather than to MP concentration. This suggests that where ample food is present, MPs have little effect on adults. There was also no impact on their reproduction. The neonate toxicity test confirmed previous results that mortality and reproduction was linked to availability of food rather than MP concentrations. This would make sense in light of our suggestion that Daphnia are selectively avoiding ingesting microplastics

Evolutionary games on graphs

Game theory is one of the key paradigms behind many scientific disciplines from biology to behavioral sciences to economics. In its evolutionary form and especially when the interacting agents are linked in a specific social network the underlying solution concepts and methods are very similar to those applied in non-equilibrium statistical physics. This review gives a tutorial-type overview of the field for physicists. The first three sections introduce the necessary background in classical and evolutionary game theory from the basic definitions to the most important results. The fourth section surveys the topological complications implied by non-mean-field-type social network structures in general. The last three sections discuss in detail the dynamic behavior of three prominent classes of models: the Prisoner's Dilemma, the Rock-Scissors-Paper game, and Competing Associations. The major theme of the review is in what sense and how the graph structure of interactions can modify and enrich the picture of long term behavioral patterns emerging in evolutionary games.Comment: Review, final version, 133 pages, 65 figure