Grasslands of Navarre (Spain), focusing on the Festuco-Brometea: classification, hierarchical expert system and characterisation

Aims: To clarify the syntaxonomic position of the grasslands in Navarre, with special focus on the dry grasslands, and to characterise the resulting syntaxonomic units in terms of diagnostic species and ecological conditions. Study area: Navarre (northern Spain). Methods: We sampled 119 plots of 10 m2 following the standardised EDGG methodology and analysed them together with 839 plots of similar size recorded in the 1990. For the classification, we used the modified TWINSPAN algorithm, complemented by the determination of diagnostic species with phi coefficients of association, which led to the creation of an expert system. We conducted these steps in a hierarchical manner for each syntaxonomic rank. We visualised the position of the syntaxa along environmental gradients by means of NMDS. Species richness, and structural and ecological characteristics of the syntaxa were compared by ANOVAs. Results: We could clearly identify five phytosociological classes: Lygeo-Stipetea, Festuco-Brometea, Molinio-Arrhenatheretea, Nardetea strictae, and Elyno-Seslerietea. Within the Festuco-Brometea a xeric and a meso-xeric order could be distinguished, with two alliances each, and eight associations in total: Thymelaeo-Aphyllanthetum, Jurineo-Festucetum, Helianthemo-Koelerietum, Prunello-Plantaginetum, Carduncello-Brachypodietum, Helictotricho-Seslerietum, Calamintho-Seselietum and Carici-Teucrietum.Conclusions: The combination of numerical methods allowed a consistent and more objective classification of grassland types in Navarre than previous approaches. At the association level, we could largely reproduce the units previously described with traditional phytosociological methods. By contrast, at higher syntaxonomic level, our analyses suggest significant modifications. Most importantly, a major part of the units traditionally included in the Festuco-Ononidetea seem to fall within the Festuco-Brometea. We could show that bryophytes and lichens are core elements of these grasslands and particularly the Mediterranean ones of Lygeo-Stipetea, both in terms of biodiversity and of diagnostic species. We conclude that the combination of our different numerical methods is promising for deriving more objective and reproducible delimitations of syntaxa in a hierarchical manner. Taxonomic references: Euro+Med (2006–2021) for vascular plants, Hodges et al. (2020) for bryophytes and The British Lichen Society (2021) for lichens, except for Endocarpon loscosii, Heppia lutosa, Psora saviczii and P. vallesiaca, which follow Nimis and Martellos (2021), and Buellia zoharyi, Fulgensia poeltii, Lichenochora clauzadei and Toninia massata, which follow Llimona et al. (2001). Syntaxonomic reference: Mucina et al. (2016), except for those syntaxa specifically treated here and given with authorities. Abbreviations: ANOVA = analysis of variance; EDGG = Eurasian Dry Grassland Group; NMDS: non-metric multidimensional scaling; TWINSPAN = Two-Way Indicator Species Analysis.

Role of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Sub-Contractor Management

Construction industry being an excellent example of supply chain has various key components which are interlinked and interdependent on each other. The whole chain is glued on communication among each other. Any lack in the flawlessness of this communication breaks the chain and the whole system gets affected. The work breakdown structure of this industry is structured in a hierarchical manner and works on decentralization of the authority. The most common lack of communication has been observed between the Contractor and Sub-contractors which causes multiple issues during delivery. Thus, this study has established a workflow through which BIM (Building Information Modelling) can be employed to improve communication between the Contractor and Sub-contractor of a project. This document gives formatting instructions for authors preparing papers for publication in the Proceedings of an IEEE conference. The authors must follow the instructions given in the document for the papers to be published. You can use this document as both an instruction set and as a template into which you can type your own text.

Hierarchical communication of chirality for aromatic oligoamide sequences

The communication of chirality at a molecular and supramolecular level is the fundamental feature capable of transmitting and amplifying chirality information. Yet, the limitation of one-step communication mode in many artificial systems has precluded the ability of further processing the chirality information. Here, we report the chirality communication of aromatic oligoamide sequences within the interpenetrated helicate architecture in a hierarchical manner, specifically, the communication is manipulated by three sequential steps: (i) coordination, (ii) concentration, and (iii) ion stimulus. Such approach enables the information to be implemented progressively and reversibly to different levels. Furthermore, the chiral information on the side chains can be accumulated and transferred to the helical backbones of the sequences, resulting in that one of ten possible diastereoisomers of the interpenetrated helicate is finally selected. The circular dichroism experiments with a mixture of chiral and achiral ligands demonstrate a cooperative behavior of these communications, leading to amplification of chiral information.

Mind the Wound!—Fruit Injury Ranks Higher than, and Interacts with, Heterospecific Cues for Drosophila suzukii Oviposition

Drosophila suzukii is a globally distributed insect that infests many economically important fruit varieties by ovipositing into ripening fruits. The mechanisms underlying host selection, in particular the fly’s preference for fresh, intact, and competitor-free fruits, are only partially understood. We hypothesize that D. suzukii females use cues of different fruit properties to rank potential host fruits in a hierarchical manner. We created four naturally occurring fruit (blueberries) categories: (1) intact; (2) artificially wounded; (3) wounded + containing eggs of different Drosophila species; and (4) intact + exposed to D. melanogaster. Individual D. suzukii females were offered several fruits in different two-way combinations of the fruit categories. Females showed a robust oviposition preference for intact vs. wounded + infested fruits, which was even stronger compared to the intact–wounded combination. Females preferred ovipositing into intact vs. intact + exposed blueberries; however, they preferred intact + exposed over wounded blueberries. This implies a hierarchical host preference in D. suzukii, which is determined by heterospecific cues (possibly fecal matter components) and an unknown “wounding factor” of fruits.

Stepwise gating of the Sec61 protein-conducting channel by Sec63 and Sec62

SummaryThe universally conserved Sec61/SecY channel mediates transport of many newly synthesized polypeptides across membranes, an essential step in protein secretion and membrane protein integration1-5. The channel has two gating mechanisms—a lipid-facing lateral gate, through which hydrophobic signal sequences or transmembrane helices (TMs) are released into the membrane, and a vertical gate, called the plug, which regulates the water-filled pore required for translocation of hydrophilic polypeptide segments6. Currently, how these gates are controlled and how they regulate the translocation process remain poorly understood. Here, by analyzing cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of several variants of the eukaryotic post-translational translocation complex Sec61-Sec62-Sec63, we reveal discrete gating steps of Sec61 and the mechanism by which Sec62 and Sec63 induce these gating events. We show that Sec62 forms a V-shaped structure in front of the lateral gate to fully open both gates of Sec61. Without Sec62, the lateral gate opening narrows, and the vertical pore becomes closed by the plug, rendering the channel inactive. We further show that the lateral gate is opened first by interactions between Sec61 and Sec63 in both cytosolic and luminal domains, a simultaneous disruption of which fully closes the channel. Our study defines the function of Sec62 and illuminates how Sec63 and Sec62 work together in a hierarchical manner to activate the Sec61 channel for post-translational translocation.

Genome-wide chromatin accessibility is restricted by ANP32E

Genome-wide chromatin state underlies gene expression potential and cellular function. Epigenetic features and nucleosome positioning contribute to the accessibility of DNA, but widespread regulators of chromatin state are largely unknown. Our study investigates how coordination of ANP32E and H2A.Z contributes to genome-wide chromatin state in mouse fibroblasts. We define H2A.Z as a universal chromatin accessibility factor, and demonstrate that ANP32E antagonizes H2A.Z accumulation to restrict chromatin accessibility genome-wide. In the absence of ANP32E, H2A.Z accumulates at promoters in a hierarchical manner. H2A.Z initially localizes downstream of the transcription start site, and if H2A.Z is already present downstream, additional H2A.Z accumulates upstream. This hierarchical H2A.Z accumulation coincides with improved nucleosome positioning, heightened transcription factor binding, and increased expression of neighboring genes. Thus, ANP32E dramatically influences genome-wide chromatin accessibility through subtle refinement of H2A.Z patterns, providing a means to reprogram chromatin state and to hone gene expression levels.

Genome-wide Chromatin Accessibility is Restricted by ANP32E

ABSTRACTGenome-wide chromatin state underlies gene expression potential and cellular function. Epigenetic features and nucleosome positioning contribute to the accessibility of DNA, but widespread regulators of chromatin state are largely unknown. Our study investigates how control of genomic H2A.Z localization by ANP32E contributes to chromatin state in mouse fibroblasts. We define H2A.Z as a universal chromatin accessibility factor, and demonstrate that through antagonism of H2A.Z, ANP32E restricts genome-wide DNA access. In the absence of ANP32E, H2A.Z accumulates at promoters in a hierarchical manner. H2A.Z initially localizes downstream of the transcription start site, and if H2A.Z is already present downstream, additional H2A.Z accumulates upstream. This hierarchical H2A.Z accumulation coincides with improved nucleosome positioning, heightened transcription factor binding, and increased expression of neighboring genes. Thus, ANP32E dramatically influences genome-wide chromatin accessibility through refinement of H2A.Z patterns, providing a means to reprogram chromatin state and to hone gene expression levels.

Construction of the concept of pairability in comparing infinite sets in the individuals’ mind: an APOS approach

This study focuses on the concept of pairability as a fundamental metaphorical concept in the Cantorian set theory regarding comparison of infinite sets. In this theory, pairability appears in a hierarchical manner of generating and developing as a one-to-one correspondence by arrows in finite, and then in infinite states, a bijection map through an explicit formula and the concept of cardinality. Adapting these hierarchical components of pairability and the APOS theory, about description of constructing and understanding a mathematical concept in a hierarchical manner, this study examines the construction of the concept of pairability in the individuals’ mind. In this way, their imaginations of pairability and practical performances in different situations will also be surveyed. In so doing, a total of 20 mathematics teachers and university lecturers holding at least an M.Sc. degree in mathematics were chosen. To collect the data, interviews were conducted in which the participants not only answered questions about the concept of the various types of pairability but also compared infinite countable sets in different situations. Our findings revealed that a bijection map via an explicit formula was the individuals’ dominant conception of pairability and most of the incorrect answers were related to unsuccessful attempts to recall a formula or method as the only possible way, and the encapsulated concept of cardinality was used less frequently in practice. Therefore, there was not a total schema of actions, processes and objects of the concept of pairability in the individuals’ mind.

Forgetting across a hierarchy of episodic representations

Rich episodic experiences are represented in a hierarchical manner across a diverse network of brain regions, and as such, the way in which episodes are forgotten is likely to be similarly diverse. Using novel experimental approaches and statistical modelling, recent research has suggested that item-based representations, such as ones related to the colour and shape of an object, fragment over time, whereas higher-order event-based representations may be forgotten in a more ‘holistic’ uniform manner. We propose a framework that reconciles these findings, where complex episodes are represented in a hierarchical manner, from individual items, to small-scale events, to large-scale episodic narratives. Each level in the hierarchy is represented in distinct brain regions, from the perirhinal cortex, to posterior hippocampus, to anterior hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Critically, forgetting may be underpinned by different mechanisms at each level in the hierarchy, leading to different patterns of behaviour.