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Disentangling the Evolutionary History of the Woody Species in Earth's Most Diverse Tropical Savanna
Get PDFAimWe investigate the evolutionary structure of vegetation assemblages in the Cerrado Domain, the main extent of savanna in the American Tropics, a biodiversity hotspot, to understand the role of ecological and geographical factors in constraining plant diversification and shaping biogeographic patterns across this complex mosaic of environments. We test the following predictions: (1) savanna assemblages form a distinct evolutionary group, rather than grouping with forest assemblages from adjacent biogeographic regions; (2) moist forests contain the highest phylogenetic diversity, followed by dry forests and savannas and (3) edaphic variables are stronger predictors of evolutionary group differentiation than climatic variables.LocationCerrado, Brazil.MethodsOur data set comprises 3072 tree species, belonging to 656 genera and 151 families, found across 1165 assemblages. We used a phylogenetically informed ordination analysis to place assemblages in a multivariate space, followed by K-means clustering to identify the main evolutionary groups of tree assemblages. To determine which environmental variables were associated with the evolutionary groups found, we implemented classification tree approaches. We quantified both the unique and shared phylogenetic diversity among evolutionary groups and identified the lineages most strongly associated with each evolutionary group using an indicator analysis.ResultsWe find a clear evolutionary differentiation between savanna and forest assemblages, pointing to the importance of fire and water availability in driving turnover in evolutionary lineage composition of tree communities in the Cerrado Domain. When dividing assemblages into three evolutionary groups, the forest group splits into deciduous versus evergreen/semideciduous subgroups. The evergreen and semideciduous forests harbour the highest overall and unique phylogenetic diversity, and deciduous forests the second highest, but the savanna group also contains a significant portion of unique woody angiosperm evolutionary diversity.ConclusionsWe identified that savannas assemblages constitute a distinct evolutionary group. Tree species that can inhabit fire-prone areas belong to a restricted set of phylogenetic lineages, giving the savannas in the Cerrado Domain a unique evolutionary identity. Dry forests also constitute a unique evolutionary group. Given the marked evolutionary variation of tree assemblages across the Cerrado Domain, it is imperative to recognise and address the specific conservation challenges faced by each group (savanna, evergreen and semideciduous forest and tropical dry forest) to ensure the preservation of this biodiversity hotspot
Dagger categories and the complex numbers:Axioms for the category of finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces land linear contractions
Get PDFWe unravel a deep connection between limits of real numbers and limits in category theory. Using a new variant of the classical characterisation of the real numbers, we characterise the category of finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces and linear contractions in terms of simple category-theoretic structures and properties that do not refer to norms, continuity, or real numbers. This builds on Heunen, Kornell, and Van der Schaaf’s easier characterisation of the category of all Hilbert spaces and linear contractions
Effect of Behavior-Change Interventions on Daily Physical Activity in Patients with Intermittent Claudication:The OPTIMA Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Get PDFAims. The study aimed to synthesize evidence of daily physical activity (PA) following Behavior-change technique (BCT)-based interventions compared to any control in individuals with peripheral arterial disease/intermittent claudication (PAD/IC); and examine the relationship between BCTs and daily PA. Methods and results. Systematic search of 11 databases from inception to 30/11/2022 was conducted, plus weekly email alerts of new literature until 31/8/2023. Studies comparing BCT-based interventions with any control were included. Primary analysis involved a pairwise random-effects meta-analysis. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane-RoB-2 and ROBINS-I tools. Certainty of evidence was evaluated with the GRADE system. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guideline was followed. Outcome measures were short-term (<6 months) change in daily PA, and maintenance of the daily PA (6 months or longer) reported as standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs). Forty-one studies (4339 patients; 26 RCTs/3357 patients; 15 non-RCTs/982 patients; study mean age 60.3 to 73.8, 29.5% female) were included. Eleven RCTs (15 comparisons, 952 participants) suggested that BCT-based interventions increased daily PA in the short term compared to non-SET [increase of 0.20 SMD (95%CI: 0.07 to 0.33), ∼473 steps/day] with high certainty. Evidence of maintenance of daily PA (≥6 months) is unclear [increase of 0.12 SMD (95%CI: −0.04 to 0.29); ∼288 steps/day; 6RCTs, 8 comparisons, 899 participants], with moderate certainty. For daily PA, compared to SET it was inconclusive both for < 6months change [−0.13 SMD, 95%CI: −0.43 to 0.16); 3RCTs, 269 participants; low certainty] and ≥6months [−0.04 SMD, 95%CI: −0.55 to 0.47); 1 RCT, 89 participants; very low certainty]. It was unclear whether the number of BCTs or any BCT domain was independently related to an increase in PA. Conclusion. BCT-based interventions improve short-term daily PA in people with PAD/IC compared to non-SET controls. Evidence for maintenance of the improved PA at 6 months or longer and comparison with SET is uncertain. BCT-based interventions are effective choices for enhancing daily PA in PAD/IC.</p
On-farm 3D images of beef cattle for the prediction of carcass classification traits and cold carcass weight
Get PDFFor beef cattle, subjective methods tend to be used on-farm for assessing readiness for slaughter. This means that the target classification grades cannot be accurately estimated, leading to over- and under-finished animals being sent to slaughter. This leads to financial losses and potentially to increased greenhouse gas emissions. To counteract this, objective technologies are needed to select slaughter cattle at the optimal point. Video image analysis systems have proven their suitability for the estimation of carcass traits postslaughter. There is potential for this technology to support on-farm assessment of the live animal. This study explored 3D measurements extracted from images of live beef animals and their ability to predict key carcass traits when coupled with additional animal or carcass details. The images were captured from four commercial beef finishing farms across the UK and the cattle were processed at commercial abattoirs. Data for 762 animals were used to build models for the prediction of EUROP conformation and fat class, and cold carcass weight (CCW), using either traditional statistics (multiple linear regression using stepwise feature selection) or machine learning techniques (random forest models). Various model inputs were combined and tested, including breed, sex, the camera unit that the images were captured on, the number of days before slaughter the images were captured, and the month of image capture as fixed effects, the 34 3D measurements, and CCW. The best linear models predicted EUROP conformation class with moderate accuracy (R2 = 0.37), EUROP fat class with low accuracy (R2 = 0.24) and CCW with moderate accuracy (R2 = 0.38). Moderate accuracies were also found when using the machine learning methods, with the best random forest models predicting EUROP conformation and fat classes with moderate accuracy (58 and 45% of classes, respectively, predicted correctly) and CCW with moderate accuracy (R2 = 0.41). The results indicate that there is potential for imaging systems on farm to predict key carcass traits currently assessed in the abattoir, providing a tool for farmers to objectively select cattle at the optimum conditions for slaughter.</p
Taboo theorists:Karl Marx and marketing theory
Get PDFOn first impressions, the interests of marketing scholars and practitioners seem at odds with Marxism’s political, economic, and philosophical commitments. Where marketing theory mentions the name of Karl Marx, then, it is with a palpable sense of hesitation or laboured opposition. He is a taboo theorist. But does this antithesis of marketing and Marx hold empirical scrutiny? This paper provides a hauntological reading of how the discipline has tried, and failed, to exorcise Marxism. Drawing on a systematic review of 40 marketing journals, we reveal four spectres of Marx in marketing theory. We label these Prescriptive, Critical, Literary and Paradigmatic Marx. They indicate Marx’s historic and continued relevance to marketing theory and offer paths to renew this engagement – which we articulate as Marxist marketing theory. Broadening the discussion beyond Marx, we ask what it is about some theorists that make them taboo in marketing theory.</p
Perturbing local steroidogenesis to improve breast cancer immunity
Get PDFBreast cancer, particularly triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), evades the body’s immune defences, in part by cultivating an immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment. Here, we show that suppressing local steroidogenesis can augment anti-tumour immunity against TNBC. Through targeted metabolomics of steroids coupled with immunohistochemistry, we profiled the existence of immunosuppressive steroids in TNBC patient tumours and discerned the steroidogenic activity in immune-infiltrating regions. In mouse, genetic inhibition of immune cell steroidogenesis restricted TNBC tumour progression with a significant reduction in immunosuppressive components such as tumour associated macrophages. Steroidogenesis inhibition appears to bolster anti-tumour immune responses in dendritic and T cells by impeding glucocorticoid signalling. Undertaking metabolic modelling of the single-cell transcriptomics and targeted tumour-steroidomics, we pinpointed the predominant steroidogenic cells. Inhibiting steroidogenesis pharmacologically using a identified drug, posaconazole, curtailed tumour expansion in a humanised TNBC mouse model. This investigation paves the way for targeting steroidogenesis and its signalling pathways in breast cancer affected by immune-steroid maladaptation.</p
Engineering Gypsophila elegans hairy root cultures to produce endosomal escape-enhancing saponins
Get PDFSummary The limited cytosolic delivery of DNA and protein-based therapeutics due to endosomal entrapment reduces drug efficacy, increasing treatment costs and possible side effects in human and veterinary medicine as a consequence of higher administered dosages. Plant-derived triterpenoid saponins, specifically those with endosomal escape-enhancing (EEE) properties, have shown promise in overcoming this limitation by disrupting endosomal membranes. QS-21, a well-known EEE saponin, has been used as an adjuvant in vaccines, and recent studies have elucidated its biosynthetic pathway. However, EEE saponins are typically present as minor compounds in plants, posing challenges for their large-scale production and purification. Here we investigated the possibility of engineering SO1861 production, an EEE saponin from Saponaria officinalis, using heterologous gene expression in Gypsophila elegans hairy roots, a plant species known to synthesize structurally related saponins. Via S. officinalis transcriptomics, we identified jasmonate-responsive saponin biosynthetic genes, and three cytochrome P450s (CYP450s) involved in C23, C28 and C16 oxidations were characterised. Heterologous expression of these CYP450s in G. elegans hairy roots successfully altered the saponin profile, with notable increases in SO1861 precursors in lines expressing the C23-oxidases SoCYP72A984 and SoCYP72A1003. Interestingly, expression of only SoCYP72A1003, a non-canonical C23 oxidase, resulted in the accumulation of a compound matching the SO1861 standard, suggesting the activation of a potentially latent pathway and of silent enzymes in a novel combination. This work underscores the potential of engineering strategies in heterologous plant systems to steer triterpenoid saponin biosynthetic pathways and suggests new avenues for producing high-value EEE saponins
A Bayesian Nonparametric Approach to Species Sampling Problems with Ordering
Get PDFSpecies-sampling problems (SSPs) refer to a vast class of statistical problems calling for the estimation of (discrete) functionals of the unknown species composition of an unobservable population. A common feature of SSPs is their invariance with respect to species labeling, which is at the core of the Bayesian nonparametric (BNP) approach to SSPs under the popular Pitman-Yor process (PYP) prior. In this paper, we develop a BNP approach to SSPs that are not "invariant" to species labeling, in the sense that an ordering or ranking is assigned to species' labels. Inspired by the population genetics literature on age-ordered alleles' compositions, we study the following SSP with ordering: given an observable sample from an unknown population of individuals belonging to species (alleles), with species' labels being ordered according to weights (ages), estimate the frequencies of the first r order species' labels in an enlarged sample obtained by including additional unobservable samples. By relying on an ordered PYP prior, we obtain an explicit posterior distribution of the first r order frequencies, with estimates being of easy implementation and computationally efficient. We apply our approach to the analysis of genetic variation, showing its effectiveness in estimating the frequency of the oldest allele, and then we discuss other potential applications
The prevalence and patterns of maltreatment, childhood adversity, and mental health disorders in an Australian out-of-home care sample
Get PDFThis study aimed to explore key characteristics of the out-of-home care subgroup of a nationally representative Australian sample. To ensure that mental health services are appropriately targeted, it is critical that we understand the differential impacts of childhood experiences for this cohort. Using the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (N = 8503), we explored patterns of childhood maltreatment and adversity of participants who reported ever being placed in out-of-home care, such as foster care or kinship care. In addition, the prevalence of current and lifetime diagnosis of four mental health disorders were explored. Results showed that the care experienced subgroup reported more types of maltreatment and adverse experiences than the control group. They were also more likely to meet diagnostic threshold for post-traumatic stress disorder, generalised anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder than the control group. These findings can be used to guide mental health practitioners to target interventions more effectively within the out-of-home care cohort
La restauración de Inside Downtown (2001), entre la pintura y el cine
Get PDFThis essay focuses on Inside Downtown (2001), the only and final film made in Miami by Cuban filmmaker Nicolás Guillén Landrián, in collaboration with Jorge Egusquiza. Taking this documentary as a starting point, we will explore the intermedial “dialogue” (Schmid 2019) between Landrián’s visual and cinematic work. This dialogue allows us to see continuity where critics previously perceived a silence in his film work. This encounter between cinema and painting also elaborates a kind of conceptual space for considering the intervention of time, a complex concentration of past and future, which implies restoration as a ritual of collective and individual memory
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