Timing is everything: early degradation of abscission layer is associated with increased seed shattering in U.S. weedy rice

Background Seed shattering, or shedding, is an important fitness trait for wild and weedy grasses. U.S. weedy rice (Oryza sativa) is a highly shattering weed, thought to have evolved from non-shattering cultivated ancestors. All U.S. weedy rice individuals examined to date contain a mutation in the sh4 locus associated with loss of shattering during rice domestication. Weedy individuals also share the shattering trait with wild rice, but not the ancestral shattering mutation at sh4; thus, how weedy rice reacquired the shattering phenotype is unknown. To establish the morphological basis of the parallel evolution of seed shattering in weedy rice and wild, we examined the abscission layer at the flower-pedicel junction in weedy individuals in comparison with wild and cultivated relatives. Results Consistent with previous work, shattering wild rice individuals possess clear, defined abscission layers at flowering, whereas non-shattering cultivated rice individuals do not. Shattering weedy rice from two separately evolved populations in the U.S. (SH and BHA) show patterns of abscission layer formation and degradation distinct from wild rice. Prior to flowering, the abscission layer has formed in all weedy individuals and by flowering it is already degrading. In contrast, wild O. rufipogon abscission layers have been shown not to degrade until after flowering has occurred. Conclusions Seed shattering in weedy rice involves the formation and degradation of an abscission layer in the flower-pedicel junction, as in wild Oryza, but is a developmentally different process from shattering in wild rice. Weedy rice abscission layers appear to break down earlier than wild abscission layers. The timing of weedy abscission layer degradation suggests that unidentified regulatory genes may play a critical role in the reacquisition of shattering in weedy rice, and sheds light on the morphological basis of pa

Evidence of fruit syndromes in the recently diverged wild tomato clade opens new possibilities for the study of fleshy fruit evolution

Societal Impact Statement Fleshy fruits provide humans with many flavorful and nutritious crops. Understanding the diversity of these plants is fundamental to managing agriculture and food security in a changing world. This study surveyed fruit trait variation across species of tomato wild relatives and explored associations among color, size, shape, sugars, and acids. These wild tomato species native to South America can be interbred with the economically important cultivated tomato. Beyond its application to tomatoes, deepening our knowledge of how fruit traits evolve together is valuable to crop improvement efforts aimed at breeding more nutritious and appealing varieties of fruits. Summary Fleshy fruits display a striking diversity of traits, many of which are important for agriculture. The evolutionary drivers of this variation are not well understood, and most studies have relied on variation found in the wild. Few studies have explored this question on a fine-grained scale with a group of recently diverged species while controlling for environmental effects. We developed the tomato clade as a novel system for fruit trait evolution research by presenting the first common garden-based systematic survey of variation and phylogenetic signal in color, nutrition, and morphology traits across all 13 species of tomato wild relatives (Solanum sect. Lycopersicon). We laid the groundwork for further testing of potential evolutionary drivers by assessing patterns of clustering and correlation among disperser-relevant fruit traits as well as historical climate variables. We found evidence of two distinct clusters of associated fruit traits defined by color, sugar type, and malic acid concentration. We also observed correlations between a fruit\u27s external appearance and internal nutrient content that could function as honest signals to dispersers. Analyses of historical climate and soil variables revealed an association between red/orange/yellow fruits and high annual average temperature. Our results establish the tomato clade as a promising system for testing hypotheses on the drivers of divergence behind early-stage fleshy fruit evolution, particularly selective pressure from frugivores

Genomic Evidence for Complex Domestication History of the Cultivated Tomato in Latin America

The process of plant domestication is often protracted, involving underexplored intermediate stages with important implications for the evolutionary trajectories of domestication traits. Previously, tomato domestication history has been thought to involve two major transitions: one from wild Solanum pimpinellifolium L. to a semidomesticated intermediate, S. lycopersicum L. var. cerasiforme (SLC) in South America, and a second transition from SLC to fully domesticated S. lycopersicum L. var. lycopersicum in Mesoamerica. In this study, we employ population genomic methods to reconstruct tomato domestication history, focusing on the evolutionary changes occurring in the intermediate stages. Our results suggest that the origin of SLC may predate domestication, and that many traits considered typical of cultivated tomatoes arose in South American SLC, but were lost or diminished once these partially domesticated forms spread northward. These traits were then likely reselected in a convergent fashion in the common cultivated tomato, prior to its expansion around the world. Based on these findings, we reveal complexities in the intermediate stage of tomato domestication and provide insight on trajectories of genes and phenotypes involved in tomato domestication syndrome. Our results also allow us to identify underexplored germplasm that harbors useful alleles for crop improvement

Deshidratación del etanol

El objetivo de esta revisión es presentar los procesos de deshidratación del etanol y sus características más importantes, además de las principales variables de operación y algunos criterios utilizados en el diseño del esquema de separación. Se ha hecho una diferenciación entre los procesos que involucran operaciones equilibrio líquido-vapor para la separación y aquellos que lo hacen a través de diferencias de tamaño molecular. Finalmente se presenta una comparación de los tres principales procesos aplicados a nivel industrial, resaltando sus fortalezas y debilidades desde el punto de vista operativo, de consumo energético y de servicios industriales.This review outlines ethanol dehydration processes and their most important characteristics. It also deals with the main operating variables and some criteria used in designing the separation scheme. A differentiation is made between processes involving liquid steam balance in separation operations and those doing it by screening the difference in molecule size. The last part presents a comparison between the three main industrial processes, stressing their stengths and weaknesses from the operational, energy consumption and industrial services points of view

Oil Extraction from Spent Coffee Grounds: Experimental Studies and Exergoeconomic Analysis

Currently, the spent coffee grounds (SCGs) are considered an agro-industrial waste with a high oil content that can be used as a feedstock in biorefineries. Therefore, the oil extraction from SCGs is considered a main stage, that should be sustainable and low-cost. The aim of this study is to determine and compare the exergetic and economic indicators of two SCGs oil extraction processes: soxhlet extraction (SE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). The exergoeconomic balances were performed by using Engineering Equation Solver (ESS). In addition, the effects of the solvent to SCGs ratio on the extraction yield and on the exergoeconomic indicators were studied. The analysis aided by computational tools determined that the exergy destruction rate of the SE process (14.3 kJ/kg) is higher compared with the UAE process (4.50 kJ/kg). Therefore, the oil specific cost is reduced to 86% when using UAE process. Furthermore, in the UAE process, the increase in the hexane to SCGs ratio from 5 mL/g to 20 mL/g, reduces the oil specific cost by 68.5 % and increases the oil extraction yield from 10.5 % to 18.8 %. Future studies should focus on the ultrasound-assisted extraction process scale-up

The Role of Standing Variation in the Evolution of Weedines Traits in South Asian Weedy Rice (Oryza spp.)

Weedy rice (Oryza spp.) is a problematic weed of cultivated rice (O. sativa) around the world. Recent studies have established multiple independent evolutionary origins of weedy rice, raising questions about the traits and genes that are essential for the evolution of this weed. Among world regions, South Asia stands out due to the heterogeneity of its weedy rice populations, which can be traced to at least three origins: two through de-domestication from distinct cultivated rice varieties, and one from local wild rice (O. rufipogon/O. nivara). Here we examine five traits considered typical of or advantageous to weedy rice in weedy, cultivated and wild rice samples from South Asia. We establish that convergence among all three weed groups occurs for easy seed shattering, red pericarp color, and compact plant architecture, suggesting that these traits are essential for weed success in the South Asian agricultural environment. A high degree of convergence for black hull color is also seen among weeds with wild ancestors and weeds evolved from the aus cultivated rice group. We also examine polymorphism in five known domestication candidate genes, and find that Rc and Bh4 are associated with weed seed pericarp color and hull color, respectively, and weedy alleles segregate in the ancestral populations, as do alleles for the seed dormancy-linked gene Sdr4. The presence of a domestication related allele at the seed shattering locus, sh4, in weedy rice populations with cultivated ancestry supports a de-domestication origin for these weedy groups, and raises questions about the reacquisition of the shattering trait in these weedy populations. Our characterization of weedy rice phenotypes in South Asia and their associated candidate genes contribute to the emerging understanding of the mechanisms by which weedy rice evolves worldwide, suggesting that standing ancestral variation is often the source of weedy traits in independently evolved groups, and highlighting the reservoir of genetic variation that is present in cultivated varieties as well as in wild rice, and its potential for phenotypic evolution

Hubungan Kandidiasis Intertriginosa dan Diabetes Melitus Tipe 2 di Poliklinik Kulit dan Kelamin RSUD Dokter Soedarso Pontianak pada Tahun 2012

Background. Intertriginous candidiasis is a type of cutaneous candidiasiswhich is located at the axila, inguinal, intergluteal, inframammary,interdigitalis, glands penis, and umbilicus. One of the risk factors ofintertriginous candidiasis patient is people with diabetes mellitus (DM).The increase of glucose concentration makes more susceptible frominfection. Objective. Define the association between intertriginouscandidiasis and DM type 2. Method. This research was a case controlstudy which took place in Dermatovenereology Outpatient Clinic RSUD dr.Soedarso from June until November 2013. The minimum sample for thisresearch was 126 people and divided into two groups. The case groupconsisted of 63 people and the control group consisted of 63 people. Thesubjects were selected by using consecutive sampling and analyzed bychi-square test. Result. There was an association between intertriginouscandidiasis with DM type 2 (p= 0,01). Odds Ratio (OR) value of thisresearch was 2,621 (IK 95% : 1,246 5,516). Conclusion. Intertriginouscandidiasis is associated with DM type 2 and people with DM type 2 havea possibility of 2,621 times higher risk of acquiring intertriginouscandidiasis than people without diabetes mellitus

Population Structure in the Model Grass Brachypodium distachyon Is Highly Correlated with Flowering Differences across Broad Geographic Areas

The small, annual grass Brachypodium distachyon (L.) Beauv., a close relative of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), is a powerful model system for cereals and bioenergy grasses. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of natural variation can elucidate the genetic basis of complex traits but have been so far limited in B. distachyon by the lack of large numbers of well-characterized and sufficiently diverse accessions. Here, we report on genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) of 84 B. distachyon, seven B. hybridum, and three B. stacei accessions with diverse geographic origins including Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Italy, Spain, and Turkey. Over 90,000 high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) distributed across the Bd21 reference genome were identified. Our results confirm the hybrid nature of the B. hybridum genome, which appears as a mosaic of B. distachyon-like and B. stacei-like sequences. Analysis of more than 50,000 SNPs for the B. distachyon accessions revealed three distinct, genetically defined populations. Surprisingly, these genomic profiles are associated with differences in flowering time rather than with broad geographic origin. High levels of differentiation in loci associated with floral development support the differences in flowering phenology between B. distachyon populations. Genome-wide association studies combining genotypic and phenotypic data also suggest the presence of one or more photoperiodism, circadian clock, and vernalization genes in loci associated with flowering time variation within B. distachyon populations. Our characterization elucidates genes underlying population differences, expands the germplasm resources available for Brachypodium, and illustrates the feasibility and limitations of GWAS in this model grass