Pleosporales

One hundred and five generic types of Pleosporales are described and illustrated. A brief introduction and detailed history with short notes on morphology, molecular phylogeny as well as a general conclusion of each genus are provided. For those genera where the type or a representative specimen is unavailable, a brief note is given. Altogether 174 genera of Pleosporales are treated. Phaeotrichaceae as well as Kriegeriella, Zeuctomorpha and Muroia are excluded from Pleosporales. Based on the multigene phylogenetic analysis, the suborder Massarineae is emended to accommodate five families, viz. Lentitheciaceae, Massarinaceae, Montagnulaceae, Morosphaeriaceae and Trematosphaeriaceae

The genomes of two key bumblebee species with primitive eusocial organization

Background: The shift from solitary to social behavior is one of the major evolutionary transitions. Primitively eusocial bumblebees are uniquely placed to illuminate the evolution of highly eusocial insect societies. Bumblebees are also invaluable natural and agricultural pollinators, and there is widespread concern over recent population declines in some species. High-quality genomic data will inform key aspects of bumblebee biology, including susceptibility to implicated population viability threats. Results: We report the high quality draft genome sequences of Bombus terrestris and Bombus impatiens, two ecologically dominant bumblebees and widely utilized study species. Comparing these new genomes to those of the highly eusocial honeybee Apis mellifera and other Hymenoptera, we identify deeply conserved similarities, as well as novelties key to the biology of these organisms. Some honeybee genome features thought to underpin advanced eusociality are also present in bumblebees, indicating an earlier evolution in the bee lineage. Xenobiotic detoxification and immune genes are similarly depauperate in bumblebees and honeybees, and multiple categories of genes linked to social organization, including development and behavior, show high conservation. Key differences identified include a bias in bumblebee chemoreception towards gustation from olfaction, and striking differences in microRNAs, potentially responsible for gene regulation underlying social and other traits. Conclusions: These two bumblebee genomes provide a foundation for post-genomic research on these key pollinators and insect societies. Overall, gene repertoires suggest that the route to advanced eusociality in bees was mediated by many small changes in many genes and processes, and not by notable expansion or depauperation

Implicit Stochastic Optimization for deriving reservoir operating rules in semiarid Brazil

Este artigo investiga a aplicação de Otimização Estocástica Implícita (OEI) para determinar regras de operações mensais em um sistema de reservatórios localizado no nordeste semi-árido brasileiro. OEI emprega um modelo de otimização determinística para encontrar alocações ótimas do reservatório sob vários cenários possíveis de afluências e posteriormente constrói as regras a partir da análise deste conjunto de liberações ótimas. As políticas operacionais fornecem a alocação mensal do reservatório condicionada ao armazenamento no início do mês e a afluência prevista para o mês. Além da clássica análise de regressão, este estudo estabelece as regras por meio de uma estratégia de interpolação bidimensional. Após a sua identificação, as regras são aplicadas para operar o sistema sob novas realizações de afluências e mostram habilidade para produzir políticas semelhantes às obtidas a partir de otimização determinística tendo estas mesmas afluências como previsão perfeita.._________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT: This paper deals with the application of Implicit Stochastic Optimization (ISO) to determine monthly operating rules for a reservoir system located in the semiarid Northeast of Brazil. ISO employs a deterministic optimization model to find optimal reservoir allocations under several possible inflow scenarios and later constructs the rules by analyzing the ensemble of these optimal releases. The operating policies provide the monthly reservoir release conditioned on the storage at the beginning of the month and the inflow predicted for the month. In addition to the classical regression analysis, this study establishes the rules by a two-dimensional interpolation strategy. After the rules are identified, they are applied to operate the system under new inflow realizations and show ability to produce policies similar to those obtained by deterministic optimization taking the same inflows as perfect forecasts