Phylogenomics and the rise of the angiosperms.

Angiosperms are the cornerstone of most terrestrial ecosystems and human livelihoods1,2. A robust understanding of angiosperm evolution is required to explain their rise to ecological dominance. So far, the angiosperm tree of life has been determined primarily by means of analyses of the plastid genome3,4. Many studies have drawn on this foundational work, such as classification and first insights into angiosperm diversification since their Mesozoic origins5-7. However, the limited and biased sampling of both taxa and genomes undermines confidence in the tree and its implications. Here, we build the tree of life for almost 8,000 (about 60%) angiosperm genera using a standardized set of 353 nuclear genes8. This 15-fold increase in genus-level sampling relative to comparable nuclear studies9 provides a critical test of earlier results and brings notable change to key groups, especially in rosids, while substantiating many previously predicted relationships. Scaling this tree to time using 200 fossils, we discovered that early angiosperm evolution was characterized by high gene tree conflict and explosive diversification, giving rise to more than 80% of extant angiosperm orders. Steady diversification ensued through the remaining Mesozoic Era until rates resurged in the Cenozoic Era, concurrent with decreasing global temperatures and tightly linked with gene tree conflict. Taken together, our extensive sampling combined with advanced phylogenomic methods shows the deep history and full complexity in the evolution of a megadiverse clade.

Reflecting on activities which support public involvement within an evaluation of public involvement reports from facilities funded by the national institute for health and care research: a co-produced commentary.

Although including public contributors as members of research teams is becoming common, there are few reflections on how they have been incorporated, and almost none of these reflections are co-produced with public contributors. This commentary, written by both academics and a public contributor, reflects on Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) activities when undertaking a framework analysis of PPI sections of annual reports from the National Institute for Health and care Research (NIHR) funded research centres. The UK Standards for Public Involvement (inclusive opportunities, working together, support and learning, communications, impact and governance) were used to structure our reflections. Key topics of reflection were: how difficult it is, in practice, to incorporate PPI into all aspects of the research cycle, especially when completing a commissioned research project on a short time-frame, and the complexities of incorporating PPI into qualitative analysis. Although useful when reflecting upon our own PPI practices, ways in which the UK Standards for Public Involvement could be improved were suggested. We hope that the co-produced recommendations can be used by other teams engaging with public contributors.

Although including public contributors as members of research teams is becoming common, there are few reflections on how they have been incorporated, and almost none of these reflections are co-produced with public contributors. This commentary, written by both academics and a public contributor, reflects on Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) activities when undertaking an evaluation of PPI sections of annual reports from the National Institute for Health and care Research (NIHR) funded research centres. The UK Standards for Public Involvement (inclusive opportunities, working together, support and learning, communications, impact and governance) were used to structure our reflections. Key topics of reflection were: how difficult it is, in practice, to incorporate PPI into all aspects of the research cycle, especially when completing a commissioned research project within a short time-frame, and the complexities of incorporating PPI into qualitative analysis. Although useful when reflecting upon our own PPI practices, ways in which the UK Standards for Public Involvement could be improved were suggested. We hope that the co-produced recommendations can be used by other teams engaging with public contributors.

Light-sensitive short hypocotyl genes confer symbiotic nodule identity in the legume Medicago truncatula.

Legumes produce specialized root nodules that are distinct from lateral roots in morphology and function, with nodules intracellularly hosting nitrogen-fixing bacteria. We have previously shown that a lateral root program underpins nodule initiation, but there must be additional developmental regulators that confer nodule identity. Here, we show two members of the LIGHT-SENSITIVE SHORT HYPOCOTYL (LSH) transcription factor family, predominantly known to define shoot meristem complexity and organ boundaries, function as regulators of nodule organ identity. In parallel to the root initiation program, LSH1/LSH2 recruit a program into the root cortex that mediates the divergence into nodules, in particular with cell divisions in the mid-cortex. This includes regulation of auxin and cytokinin, promotion of NODULE ROOT1/2 and Nuclear Factor YA1, and suppression of the lateral root program. A principal outcome of LSH1/LSH2 function is the production of cells able to accommodate nitrogen-fixing bacteria, a key feature unique to nodules.

Disfunçäo noradrenérgica e ansiedade em pacientes com depressäo maior / Noradrenergic dysfunction and anxiety in major depression

Setenta e sete pacientes com depressäo maior e 20 voluntários sadios foram avaliados quanto à resposta do hormônio do crescimento (H.C) frente ao estímulo com 5 mg/kg de clonidina via oral. Os pacientes deprimidos apresentaram níveis de AH.C significativamente menores do que os controles (5,7 ñ 6,4 vs. 12,4 ñ 8,1 mg/dl), além disto as respostas inibidas ao teste com clonidina foram mais frequentes nos deprimidos (55,8 por cento) do que nos controles (5 por cento). Comparando os deprimidos com resposta inibida do H.C. à clonidina aos deprimidos com resposta normal ao teste, näo observamos diferenças na severidade da depressäo ou nos outros parâmetros clínicos e demográficos estudados, mas aqueles com resposta inibida apresentaram maiores cotaçöes nos itens ansiedade somática e ansiedade psíquica da escal HRSD-17. Da mesma forma, os escores da HAMA foram significativamente mais elevados no grupo de deprimidos com resposta inibida do H.C. (19,8ñ7) do que nos deprimidos com resposta normal (14,8ñ8,2). O teste de estimulaçäo à clonidina é um importante instrumento para a avaliaçäo da disfunçäo noradrenérgica central. Neste estudo observamos que os pacientes com depressäo maior apresentaram mais frequentemente esta alteraçäo neuroendócrina do que os controles , e que aqueles deprimidos cuja funçäo noradrenérgica estava alterada eram mais ansiosos do que os que näo apresentavam esta disfunçäo