Large-scale genome sequencing of mycorrhizal fungi provides insights into the early evolution of symbiotic traits

Mycorrhizal fungi are mutualists that play crucial roles in nutrient acquisition in terrestrial ecosystems. Mycorrhizal symbioses arose repeatedly across multiple lineages of Mucoromycotina, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota. Considerable variation exists in the capacity of mycorrhizal fungi to acquire carbon from soil organic matter. Here, we present a combined analysis of 135 fungal genomes from 73 saprotrophic, endophytic and pathogenic species, and 62 mycorrhizal species, including 29 new mycorrhizal genomes. This study samples ecologically dominant fungal guilds for which there were previously no symbiotic genomes available, including ectomycorrhizal Russulales, Thelephorales and Cantharellales. Our analyses show that transitions from saprotrophy to symbiosis involve (1) widespread losses of degrading enzymes acting on lignin and cellulose, (2) co-option of genes present in saprotrophic ancestors to fulfill new symbiotic functions, (3) diversification of novel, lineage-specific symbiosis-induced genes, (4) proliferation of transposable elements and (5) divergent genetic innovations underlying the convergent origins of the ectomycorrhizal guild. Mycorrhizal symbioses have evolved repeatedly in diverse fungal lineages. A large phylogenomic analysis sheds light on genomic changes associated with transitions from saprotrophy to symbiosis, including divergent genetic innovations underlying the convergent origins of the ectomycorrhizal guild.Peer reviewe

Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors

Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

The Study of the Consumer-Company Identification on Mobile Application’s Attributes and Apparel Purchase Intention

PurposeIn this demanding and diversified social commerce market met by consumers’ quickly changing expectations, service quality for mobile-retailing is imperative. Consumer-Company Identification (CCI) is becoming an important tool for building a company’s brand. This research examines how mobile application (app) attributes, mobile-service quality and CCI lead to mobile consumers’ purchase intention for apparel products through app.Design/methodology/ApproachAn experimental survey was conducted with 300 respondents. Seven hypotheses were examined by a structural equation model to explore the relationships amongst mobile app attractiveness, mobile-service quality, CCI, perceived usefulness, and consumers’ intention to purchase products from the mobile app. Findings                                                                                          Our findings supported the relationships amongst consumers’ perceived usefulness of the mobile app, mobile-service quality attributes, and consumer purchase intention. Our findings also supported CCI’s impact on consumers’ intention to purpose through the application of the Technology Acceptance Model.Research implicationsOur research finding showed consumers’ psychological attachment toward apparel brands and its mobile app. The research further demonstrated the consumer-retailer relationships, and the findings support consumer purchase pattern through mobile app apparel purchase. Retailers’ attention to dimensions of mobile-service quality of app design will strengthen consumers’ perceived usefulness of their mobile app

Spatiotemporal characterisation of ischaemic lesions in transient stroke animal models using diffusion free water elimination and mapping MRI with echo time dependence

Background and purposeThe excess fluid as a result of vasogenic oedema and the subsequent tissue cavitation obscure the microstructural characterisation of ischaemic tissue by conventional diffusion and relaxometry MRI. They lead to a pseudo-normalisation of the water diffusivity and transverse relaxation time maps in the subacute and chronic phases of stroke. Within the context of diffusion MRI, the free water elimination and mapping method (FWE) with echo time dependence has been proposed as a promising approach to measure the amount of free fluid in brain tissue robustly and to eliminate its biasing effect on other biomarkers. In this longitudinal study of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) in the rat brain, we investigated the use of FWE MRI with echo time dependence for the characterisation of the tissue microstructure and explored the potential of the free water fraction as a novel biomarker of ischaemic tissue condition.MethodsAdult rats received a transient MCAo. Diffusion- and transverse relaxation-weighted MRI experiments were performed longitudinally, pre-occlusion and on days 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10 after MCAo on four rats. Histology was performed for non-stroke and 1, 3 and 10 days after MCAo on three different rats at each time point.ResultsThe free water fraction was homogeneously increased in the ischaemic cortex one day after stroke. Between three and ten days after stroke, the core of the ischaemic tissue showed a progressive normalisation in the amount of free water, whereas the inner and outer border zones of the ischaemic cortex depicted a large, monotonous increase with time. The specific lesions in brain sections were verified by H&E and immunostaining. The tissue-specific diffusion and relaxometry MRI metrics in the ischaemic cortex were significantly different compared to their conventional counterpart.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate that the free water fraction in FWE MRI with echo time dependence is a valuable biomarker, sensitive to the progressive degeneration in ischaemic tissue. We showed that part of the heterogeneity previously observed in conventional parameter maps can be accounted for by a heterogeneous distribution of free water in the tissue. Our results suggest that the temporal evolution of the free fluid fraction map at the core and inner border zone can be associated with the pathological changes linked to the evolution of vasogenic oedema. Namely, the homogeneous increase in free water one day after stroke and its tendency to normalise in the core of the ischaemic cortex starting three days after stroke, followed by a progressive increase in free water at the inner border zone from three to ten days after stroke. Finally, the monotonous increase in free fluid in the outer border zone of the cortex reflects the formation of fluid-filled cysts

Development, integration and use of an ultra-high-strength gradient system on a human-size 3 T magnet for small animal MRI.

This study aims to integrate an ultra-high-strength gradient coil system on a clinical 3 T magnet and demonstrate its preclinical imaging capabilities. Dedicated phantoms were used to qualitatively and quantitatively assess the performance of the gradient system. Advanced MR imaging sequences, including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), were implemented and executed on an ex vivo specimen as well as in vivo rats. The DTI and QSM results on the phantom agreed well with those in the literature. Furthermore, studies on ex vivo specimens have demonstrated the applicability of DTI and QSM on our system to probe microstructural changes in a mild traumatic brain injury rat model. The feasibility of in vivo rat DTI was also demonstrated. We showed that the inserted ultra-high-strength gradient coil was successfully integrated on a clinically used magnet. After careful tuning and calibration, we verified the accuracy and quantitative preclinical imaging capability of the integrated system in phantom and in vivo rat brain experiments. This study can be essential to establish dedicated animal MRI platform on clinical MRI scanners and facilitate translational studies at clinical settings

Increased Resilience Weakens the Relationship between Perceived Stress and Anxiety on Sleep Quality: A Moderated Mediation Analysis of Higher Education Students from 7 Countries

High levels of perceived stress and anxiety among university students are a global concern and are known to negatively influence sleep. However, few studies have explored how stress response styles, like psychological resilience and rumination, might alter these relationships. Using validated tools, perceived stress, anxiety, stress response styles, and sleep behaviors of undergraduate and graduate students from seven countries during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic were characterized in order to examine the relationships between these factors using mediation and moderation analyses. Students enrolled in universities in China, Ireland, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea, the Netherlands, and the United States were recruited in May 2020. A total of 2254 students completed this cross-sectional study. Perceived stress and anxiety were negatively associated with sleep quality through the mediation of rumination. Increased psychological resilience weakened the relationships between perceived stress and anxiety on sleep quality. The majority of students reported that COVID-19 negatively influenced their mental health and sleep quality but not sleep duration. Based on these results, university students would likely benefit from sleep education and mental health promotion programs that include trainings to increase psychological resilience and reduce rumination, particularly during times of increased stress

The effects of sleep quality and resilience on perceived stress, dietary sleep quality and resilience on perceived stress, dietary behaviors, and alcohol misuse: a mediation-moderation analysis of higher education students from Asia, Europe, and North America during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased the already high levels of stress that higher education students experience. Stress influences health behaviors, including those related to dietary behaviors, alcohol, and sleep; yet the effects of stress can be mitigated by resilience. To date, past research studying the connections between dietary behaviors, alcohol misuse, sleep, and resilience commonly investigated singular relationships between two of the constructs. The aim of the current study was to explore the relationships between these constructs in a more holistic manner using mediation and moderation analyses. METHODS: Higher education students from China, Ireland, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, the Netherlands, and the United States were enrolled in a cross-sectional study from April to May 2020, which was during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic for most participants. An online survey, using validated tools, was distributed to assess perceived stress, dietary behaviors, alcohol misuse, sleep quality and duration, and resilience. RESULTS: 2254 students completed the study. Results indicated that sleep quality mediated the relationship between perceived stress and dietary behaviors as well as the relationship between perceived stress and alcohol misuse. Further, increased resilience reduced the strength of the relationship between perceived stress and dietary behaviors but not alcohol misuse. CONCLUSION: Based on these results, higher education students are likely to benefit from sleep education and resilience training, especially during stressful events