Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kaichi Huang, Mojtaba Jahani, Jerome Gouzy, Alexandra Legendre, Sebastien Carrere, Jose Miguel Lazaro-Guevara, Eric Gerardo Gonzalez Segovia, Marco Todesco, Baptiste Mayjonade, Nathalie Rodde, Stephane Cauet, Isabelle Dufau, S. Evan Staton, Nicolas Pouilly, Marie-Claude Boniface, Camille Tapy, Brigitte Mangin, Alexandra Duhnen, Veronique Gautier, Charles Poncet, Cecile Donnadieu, Tali Mandel, Sariel Hubner, John M. Burke, Sonia Vautrin, Arnaud Bellec, Gregory L. Owens, Nicolas Langlade, Stephane Munos, Loren H. Rieseberg
Summary: This study analyzed the impacts of wild introgressions in cultivated sunflower on the genomic and phenotypic level, as well as the consequences of linkage drag. It was found that introgressions had negative effects on yield and quality traits, and high-frequency introgressions had larger effects than low-frequency ones.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yongjun Li, Fan Shi, Zibei Lin, Hannah Robinson, David Moody, Allan Rattey, Jayfred Godoy, Daniel Mullan, Gabriel Keeble-Gagnere, Matthew J. Hayden, Josquin F. G. Tibbits, Hans D. Daetwyler
Summary: We investigated the benefit of introgression of external lines into a cereal breeding programme and strategies to accelerate introgression of favourable alleles. The study found that the benefit of introgression depended on the level of genetic variation for the target trait in the existing breeding programme. Introgression of external resources was beneficial when the existing population lacked variation in disease resistance or when minor disease QTL were already at medium or high frequency. No extra genetic gain was achieved from introgression when minor disease QTL were at low frequencies. More benefit was obtained from introgression if the major disease QTL had larger effect sizes, more selection emphasis was applied on disease resistance, or more external lines were introgressed. However, most strategies to increase introgression of major disease QTL had negative impacts on selection for grain yield. Breeding programmes should carefully consider the level of genetic variation in a trait before deciding to introgress germplasms.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Liheng Wu, Jian S. Dai
Summary: This paper introduces a novel tensegrity structure derived from the tensegrity triplex using the linkage-truss transformation, which demonstrates prestress stability through rigidity analysis based on screw theory. This derivation process provides a new way of designing tensegrity structures with prestress stability.
JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL DESIGN
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Xinyi Chang, Chunping Guo, Zhenyuan Pan, Yuanlong Wu, Chao Shen, Lei Chao, Guangling Shui, Chunyuan You, Jianwei Xu, Zhongxu Lin, Xinhui Nie
Summary: In this study, an introgression population containing 107 lines was constructed to expand the genetic diversity and improve fiber quality in upland cotton. A total of 91 QTLs related to fiber quality traits were detected, with 46 QTLs derived from the donor parent. Three genes were found to be potentially involved in fiber strength traits, but further validation is needed to determine their functions and regulatory mechanisms.
Article
Agronomy
J. Jesus Ceron-Rojas, Manje Gowda, Fernando Toledo, Yoseph Beyene, Alison R. Bentley, Leo Crespo-Herrera, Keith Gardner, Jose Crossa
Summary: The profit function is used to predict net genetic merit (H) in plant breeding by deriving trait economic weights using the linear phenotypic selection index (LPSI). Economic weight reflects the increase in profit achieved by improving a specific trait by one unit and should consider market situation rather than arbitrary values. To overcome the challenges in assigning economic weights in maize and wheat breeding programs, a profit function was constructed using the market price of grain yield and its conditional expectation, and validated using simulated and real datasets.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anna Akesson, Alva Curtsdotter, Anna Ekloef, Bo Ebenman, Jon Norberg, Gyoergy Barabas
Summary: Eco-evolutionary dynamics play a crucial role in shaping biological responses to climate change. Species interactions and competition can mitigate the negative impacts of climate change, leading to more variable and responsive communities.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Nicolas M. Ayala, Maximilian Genetti, Russell Corbett-Detig
Summary: The exchange of genetic information between distinct source populations, known as admixture, is considered a major source of adaptive genetic variation. Admixture introduces many selected alleles simultaneously, which may have pronounced effects on linkage between selected alleles. Existing tools for identifying selected mutations within admixed populations only account for selection at a single site, ignoring the linkage among proximal selected alleles. In this study, a method was developed and validated to identify and quantify the individual effects of multiple linked selected sites on a chromosome in admixed populations. The method accurately detected the number of sites and predicted their selection coefficients even when they were in linkage. The inferred selection coefficients of selected sites in linkage were found to be overestimated if the effects of linkage were ignored. The results suggest that linkage among selected sites may be an important evolutionary force in admixed populations. The developed tool provides a powerful method to investigate these crucial phenomena in diverse populations.
Review
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Xinyu Dou, Xinyan Dou, Lin Jia
Summary: This paper examines the bi-directional relationship between negative and malevolent creativity and proposes a model to describe their relationships. The study finds that although the two types of thinking share some similarities, they differ in terms of value goals, ways of thinking, and the scale of the subject. Personal intention and value orientation are crucial factors in establishing a linkage between negative and malevolent creative thinking.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lingen Shi, Guangxia Liu, Gengfeng Fu, Nick Zaller, Chongyi Wei, Cui Yang, Hongjing Yan
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic and its mitigation measures have had an impact on HIV testing among Chinese MSM, with difficulties in accessing testing and concerns about infection risk. Married individuals, those with improved sleep quality, and those facing difficulty accessing healthcare were more likely to get tested for HIV during the state-enforced quarantine.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Shaofan Lian, Wei Wang, Yatian Zhou, Shunxi Lou, Zhao Zhang
Summary: This letter presents a new method for analyzing the electrical performance of deformable antenna arrays based on the infinitesimal dipole model (IDM). It is time-consuming and expensive to use conventional methods to analyze the electrical performance of deformed antenna arrays in practical engineering applications. In this method, the deformation of the antenna is transformed into the translation and rotation of a group of infinitesimal dipoles by IDM equivalent. The influence of the deformation of the antenna structure can be quickly and effectively evaluated by calculating the mutual admittance of the deformed elements and considering the mutual coupling effect between the radiating elements. Finally, the correctness and feasibility of the method are verified through a numerical example.
IEEE ANTENNAS AND WIRELESS PROPAGATION LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tomasz Sebastian Gaczorek, Mateusz Chechetkin, Katarzyna Dudek, Guilherme Caeiro-Dias, Pierre-Andre Crochet, Philippe Geniez, Catarina Pinho, Wieslaw Babik
Summary: Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are crucial for the adaptive immune response of jawed vertebrates. This study found widespread MHC introgression in the Podarcis lizards inhabiting the Iberian Peninsula, suggesting its adaptiveness. The study supports the emerging view of adaptive introgression as a key mechanism shaping MHC diversity and raises questions about the effect of elevated MHC variation and factors leading to the asymmetry of adaptive introgression.
Article
Biology
Iman Hamid, Katharine L. Korunes, Sandra Beleza, Amy Goldberg
Summary: Humans have undergone large migrations in the past, resulting in gene flow and adaptive genetic changes. Research has found evidence of detectable adaptations to the malaria parasite in certain populations within a historical timeframe.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tomasz S. S. Gaczorek, Marzena Marszalek, Katarzyna Dudek, Jan W. W. Arntzen, Ben Wielstra, Wieslaw Babik
Summary: This study provides evidence for the prevalence of MHC gene introgression across multiple Triturus hybrid zones, indicating that MHC introgression between divergent hybridizing species may be widespread and adaptive.
Article
Mathematics, Applied
M. Dajczer, M. I. Jimenez, Th. Vlachos
Summary: In the realm of conformal geometry, a parametric classification of hypersurfaces in Euclidean space that admit nontrivial conformal infinitesimal variations was conducted, showing that the class studied here is much larger than the one characterized by Cartan in 1917.
ANNALI DI MATEMATICA PURA ED APPLICATA
(2022)
Article
Mathematics
Emanuele Bottazzi, Mikhail G. Katz
Summary: A refinement of the classic equivalence relation among Cauchy sequences results in a useful infinitesimal-enriched number system. Giuseppe Peano's 1910 publication introduces a system with infinitesimals which contradicts his previous views on infinitesimals.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Brian Charlesworth, Nicholas H. Barton
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Harald Ringbauer, Alexander Kolesnikov, David L. Field, Nicholas H. Barton
Editorial Material
Biology
Nick Barton, Joachim Hermisson, Magnus Nordborg
Article
Ecology
Himani Sachdeva
Article
Biology
Nicholas H. Barton
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Roger K. Butlin, Maria R. Servedio, Carole M. Smadja, Claudia Bank, Nicholas H. Barton, Samuel M. Flaxman, Tatiana Giraud, Robin Hopkins, Erica L. Larson, Martine E. Maan, Joana Meier, Richard Merrill, Mohamed A. F. Noor, Daniel Ortiz-Barrientos, Anna Qvarnstrom
Summary: Felsenstein introduced a model in 1981 to explore the role of genetic constraints in speciation. He described the process of speciation through the accumulation of linkage disequilibrium, showing that recombination inhibits speciation. These insights have laid the foundation for empirical and theoretical studies of speciation.
Article
Biology
Nick Barton, Oluwafunmilola Olusanya
Summary: This study investigates the rate at which a species changes its range in response to changing conditions using the infinite island model. The research shows that polymorphism is only possible within a specific range of habitat proportions when selection is weak compared to drift, but can exist over a wider range otherwise. When the rates of selection or migration relative to drift change in a metapopulation, it takes time for the population to reach a new equilibrium. Additionally, there can be random fluctuations in net adaptation, even in a finite metapopulation, which may lead to the gradual loss of variation by chance.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Parvathy Surendranadh, Louise Arathoon, Carina A. Baskett, David L. Field, Melinda Pickup, Nicholas H. Barton
Summary: Many studies have quantified the distribution of heterozygosity and relatedness in natural populations, but few have examined the demographic processes driving these patterns. This study investigates the impact of population structure on pairwise identity and the distribution of heterozygosity in a natural population of Antirrhinum majus. The results show that pairwise relatedness declines rapidly at short spatial scales, and the excess variance in heterozygosity reflects significant variation in inbreeding. Additionally, there is an excess of individuals with around half the average heterozygosity, indicating selfing or matings between close relatives. Simulation experiments demonstrate that heterogeneous density and leptokurtic dispersal can explain the distribution of heterozygosity.
Review
Ecology
Anja M. Westram, Sean Stankowski, Parvathy Surendranadh, Nick Barton
Summary: Reproductive isolation is a core concept in evolutionary biology, but lacks a clear definition and is difficult to measure in practice. It is a quantitative measure of the effect that genetic differences between populations have on gene flow. The measurement of reproductive isolation depends strongly on circumstances and integrating organismal and genetic approaches is encouraged.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Anja M. Westram, Sean Stankowski, Parvathy Surendranadh, Nicholas H. Barton
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michal Hledik, Nick Bartona, Gasper Tkacik
Summary: Selection accumulates information in the genome and guides population evolution, limiting the precision of genotype and phenotype. The accumulation and maintenance of information are constrained by the cost of selection. The cost of selection can be measured by genetic load or relative fitness variance.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Himani Sachdeva
Summary: This paper examines the influence of linkage disequilibria (LD) on polygenic local adaptation and reproductive isolation between hybridizing populations, and investigates the conditions for population differentiation and loss of adaptation through theoretical approximations and simulations.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daria Shipilina, Arka Pal, Sean Stankowski, Yingguang Frank Chan, Nicholas H. H. Barton
Summary: The term haplotype block is commonly used in haplotype-based inference methods. The structure of the Ancestral Recombination Graph (ARG) should be used to define the term. Simulated examples demonstrate the relationship between haplotype blocks and ancestral structure, showing the stochasticity of the processes that generate them. Novel methods for inferring haplotype structure, based on the full ARG or a sequence of trees, are highlighted and their application to define haplotype blocks using empirical data is illustrated. Understanding and applying the concept of haplotype blocks will be essential for exploiting long and linked-read sequencing technologies.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Andrea Mrnjavac, Ksenia A. Khudiakova, Nicholas H. Barton, Beatriz Vicoso
Summary: If new beneficial mutations are recessive (the faster-X effect), differentiated X chromosomes are more likely to undergo adaptive divergence than autosomes. This is because these mutations are immediately exposed to selection in males. The evolution of X chromosomes after they stop recombining in males, but before they become hemizygous, has not been well explored theoretically. By using the diffusion approximation, this study infers substitution rates of beneficial and deleterious mutations and shows that selection is less efficient on diploid X loci than on autosomal and hemizygous X loci under a wide range of parameters. The slower-X effect is stronger for genes affecting primarily (or only) male fitness, and for sexually antagonistic genes. These findings suggest that some of the unique characteristics of X chromosomes, such as the differential accumulation of genes with sex-specific functions, may start to arise earlier than previously appreciated.
Article
Plant Sciences
Melinda Pickup, Yaniv Brandvain, Christelle Fraisse, Sarah Yakimowski, Nicholas H. Barton, Tanmay Dixit, Christian Lexer, Eva Cereghetti, David L. Field