How specific brain networks track rhythmic sensory input over time remains a challenge in neuroimaging work. Here we show that subcortical areas, namely the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, ...specifically contribute to the neural tracking of rhythm. We tested patients with focal lesions in either of these areas and healthy controls by means of electroencephalography (EEG) while they listened to rhythmic sequences known to induce selective neural tracking at a frequency corresponding to the most-often perceived pulse-like beat. Both patients and controls displayed neural responses to the rhythmic sequences. However, these response patterns were different across groups, with patients showing reduced tracking at beat frequency, especially for the more challenging rhythms. In the cerebellar patients, this effect was specific to the rhythm played at a fast tempo, which places high demands on the temporally precise encoding of events. In contrast, basal ganglia patients showed more heterogeneous responses at beat frequency specifically for the most complex rhythm, which requires more internal generation of the beat. These findings provide electrophysiological evidence that these subcortical structures selectively shape the neural representation of rhythm. Moreover, they suggest that the processing of rhythmic auditory input relies on an extended cortico-subcortico-cortical functional network providing specific timing and entrainment sensitivities.
ABSTRACT We present 197 planet candidates discovered using data from the first year of the NASA K2 mission (Campaigns 0-4), along with the results of an intensive program of photometric analyses, ...stellar spectroscopy, high-resolution imaging, and statistical validation. We distill these candidates into sets of 104 validated planets (57 in multi-planet systems), false positives, and 63 remaining candidates. Our validated systems span a range of properties, with median values of RP = , P = days, = K, and Kp = mag. Stellar spectroscopy provides precise stellar and planetary parameters for most of these systems. We show that K2 has increased by 30% the number of small planets known to orbit moderately bright stars (1-4 R⊕, Kp = 9-13 mag). Of particular interest are planets smaller than 2 R⊕, orbiting stars brighter than Kp = 11.5 mag, 5 receiving Earth-like irradiation levels, and several multi-planet systems-including 4 planets orbiting the M dwarf K2-72 near mean-motion resonances. By quantifying the likelihood that each candidate is a planet we demonstrate that our candidate sample has an overall false positive rate of 15%-30%, with rates substantially lower for small candidates ( ) and larger for candidates with radii and/or with . Extrapolation of the current planetary yield suggests that K2 will discover between 500 and 1000 planets in its planned four-year mission, assuming sufficient follow-up resources are available. Efficient observing and analysis, together with an organized and coherent follow-up strategy, are essential for maximizing the efficacy of planet-validation efforts for K2, TESS, and future large-scale surveys.
Rapeseed (
), the second most important oilseed crop globally, originated from an interspecific hybridization between
and
. After this genome collision,
underwent extensive genome restructuring, via ...homoeologous chromosome exchanges, resulting in widespread segmental deletions and duplications. Illicit pairing among genetically similar homoeologous chromosomes during meiosis is common in recent allopolyploids like
, and post-polyploidization restructuring compounds the difficulties of assembling a complex polyploid plant genome. Specifically, genomic rearrangements between highly similar chromosomes are challenging to detect due to the limitation of sequencing read length and ambiguous alignment of reads. Recent advances in long read sequencing technologies provide promising new opportunities to unravel the genome complexities of
by encompassing breakpoints of genomic rearrangements with high specificity. Moreover, recent evidence revealed ongoing genomic exchanges in natural
, highlighting the need for multiple reference genomes to capture structural variants between accessions. Here we report the first long-read genome assembly of a winter
cultivar. We sequenced the German winter oilseed rape accession 'Express 617' using 54.5x of long reads. Short reads, linked reads, optical map data and high-density genetic maps were used to further correct and scaffold the assembly to form pseudochromosomes. The assembled Express 617 genome provides another valuable resource for
genomics in understanding the genetic consequences of polyploidization, crop domestication, and breeding of recently-formed crop species.
ABSTRACT Open clusters have been the focus of several exoplanet surveys, but only a few planets have so far been discovered. The Kepler spacecraft revealed an abundance of small planets around small ...cool stars, therefore, such cluster members are prime targets for exoplanet transit searches. Kepler's new mission, K2, is targeting several open clusters and star-forming regions around the ecliptic to search for transiting planets around their low-mass constituents. Here, we report the discovery of the first transiting planet in the intermediate-age (800 Myr) Beehive cluster (Praesepe). K2-95 is a faint ( ) dwarf from K2's Campaign 5 with an effective temperature of , approximately solar metallicity and a radius of . We detected a transiting planet with a radius of and an orbital period of 10.134 days. We combined photometry, medium/high-resolution spectroscopy, adaptive optics/speckle imaging, and archival survey images to rule out any false-positive detection scenarios, validate the planet, and further characterize the system. The planet's radius is very unusual as M-dwarf field stars rarely have Neptune-sized transiting planets. The comparatively large radius of K2-95b is consistent with the other recently discovered cluster planets K2-25b (Hyades) and K2-33b (Upper Scorpius), indicating systematic differences in their evolutionary states or formation. These discoveries from K2 provide a snapshot of planet formation and evolution in cluster environments and thus make excellent laboratories to test differences between field-star and cluster planet populations.
Phaseolus vulgaris
L., known as common bean, is one of the most important grain legumes cultivated around the world for its immature pods and dry seeds, which are rich in protein and micronutrients. ...Common bean offers a cheap food and protein sources to ameliorate food shortage and malnutrition around the world. However, the genetic basis of most important traits in common bean remains unknown. This study aimed at identifying QTL and candidate gene models underlying twenty-six agronomically important traits in common bean. For this, we assembled and phenotyped a diversity panel of 200 P
. vulgaris
genotypes in the greenhouse, comprising determinate bushy, determinate climbing and indeterminate climbing beans. The panel included dry beans and snap beans from different breeding programmes, elite lines and landraces from around the world with a major focus on accessions of African, European and South American origin. The panel was genotyped using a cost-conscious targeted genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) platform to take advantage of highly polymorphic SNPs detected in previous studies and in diverse germplasm. The detected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were applied in marker-trait analysis and revealed sixty-two quantitative trait loci (QTL) significantly associated with sixteen traits. Gene model identification
via
a similarity-based approach implicated major candidate gene models underlying the QTL associated with ten traits including, flowering, yield, seed quality, pod and seed characteristics. Our study revealed six QTL for pod shattering including three new QTL potentially useful for breeding. However, the panel was evaluated in a single greenhouse environment and the findings should be corroborated by evaluations across different field environments. Some of the detected QTL and a number of candidate gene models only elucidate the understanding of the genetic nature of these traits and provide the basis for further studies. Finally, the study showed the possibility of using a limited number of SNPs in performing marker-trait association in common bean by applying a highly scalable targeted GBS approach. This targeted GBS approach is a cost-efficient strategy for assessment of the genetic basis of complex traits and can enable geneticists and breeders to identify novel loci and targets for marker-assisted breeding more efficiently.
There is no doubt that gestures are communicative and can be integrated online with speech. Little is known, however, about the nature of this process, for example, its automaticity and how our own ...communicative abilities and also our environment influence the integration of gesture and speech. In two Event Related Potential (ERP) experiments, the effects of gestures during speech comprehension were explored. In both experiments, participants performed a shallow task thereby avoiding explicit gesture–speech integration. In the first experiment, participants with normal hearing viewed videos in which a gesturing actress uttered sentences which were either embedded in multi-speaker babble noise or not. The sentences contained a homonym which was disambiguated by the information in a gesture, which was presented asynchronous to speech (1000msec earlier). Downstream, the sentence contained a target word that was either related to the dominant or subordinate meaning of the homonym and was used to indicate the success of the disambiguation. Both the homonym and the target word position showed clear ERP evidence of gesture–speech integration and disambiguation only under babble noise. Thus, during noise, gestures were taken into account as an important communicative cue. In Experiment 2, the same asynchronous stimuli were presented to a group of hearing-impaired students and age-matched controls. Only the hearing-impaired individuals showed significant speech–gesture integration and successful disambiguation at the target word. The age-matched controls did not show any effect. Thus, individuals who chronically experience suboptimal communicative situations in daily life automatically take gestures into account. The data from both experiments indicate that gestures are beneficial in countering difficult communication conditions independent of whether the difficulties are due to external (babble noise) or internal (hearing impairment) factors.
We present the largest Cepheid sample in M31 based on the complete Pan-STARRS1 survey of Andromeda (PAndromeda) in the rP1, iP1, and gP1 bands. We find 2686 Cepheids with 1662 fundamental-mode ...Cepheids, 307 first-overtone Cepheids, 278 type II Cepheids, and 439 Cepheids with undetermined Cepheid type. Using the method developed by Kodric et al., we identify Cepheids by using a three-dimensional parameter space of Fourier parameters of the Cepheid light curves combined with a color cut and other selection criteria. This is an unbiased approach to identify Cepheids and results in a homogeneous Cepheid sample. The period-luminosity relations obtained for our sample have smaller dispersions than in our previous work. We find a broken slope that we previously observed with HST data in Kodric et al., albeit with a lower significance.
The gene
VERNALIZATION1
(
VRN1
) is a key controller of vernalization requirement in wheat. The genome of hexaploid wheat (
Triticum aestivum
) harbors three homoeologous
VRN1
loci on chromosomes 5A, ...5B, and 5D. Structural sequence variants including small and large deletions and insertions and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the three homoeologous
VRN1
genes not only play an important role in the control of vernalization requirement, but also have been reported to be associated with other yield related traits of wheat. Here we used single-molecule sequencing of barcoded long-amplicons to assay the full-length sequences (∼13 kbp plus 700 bp from the promoter sequence) of the three homoeologous
VRN1
genes in a panel of 192 predominantly European winter wheat cultivars. Long read sequences revealed previously undetected duplications, insertions and single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the three homoeologous
VRN1
genes. All the polymorphisms were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Sequence analysis showed the predominance of the winter alleles
vrn-A1
,
vrn-B1
, and
vrn-D1
across the investigated cultivars. Associations of SNPs and structural variations within the three
VRN1
genes with 20 economically relevant traits including yield, nodal root-angle index and quality related traits were evaluated at the levels of alleles, haplotypes, and copy number variants. Cultivars carrying structural variants within
VRN1
genes showed lower grain yield, protein yield and biomass compared to those with intact genes. Cultivars carrying a single
vrn-A1
copy and a unique haplotype with a high number of SNPs were found to have elevated grain yield, kernels per spike and kernels per m
2
along with lower grain sedimentation values. In addition, we detected a novel SNP polymorphism within the G-quadruplex region of the promoter of
vrn-A1
that was associated with deeper roots in winter wheat. Our findings show that multiplex, single-molecule long-amplicon sequencing is a useful tool for detecting variants in target genes within large plant populations, and can be used to simultaneously assay sequence variants among target multiple gene homoeologs in polyploid crops. Numerous novel
VRN1
haplotypes and alleles were identified that showed significantly associations to economically important traits. These polymorphisms were converted into PCR or KASP assays for use in marker-assisted breeding.
Chlorophyll levels provide important imrormation about plant growth and physiological plasticity in response to changing environments. The stay-green gene NON-YELLOWING 1 （NYE1） is believed to ...regu-late chlorophyll degradation during senescence, concomitantly affecting the disassembly of the light- harvesting complex and hence indirectly influencing photosynthesis. We identified Brassica napus acces- sions carrying an NYE1 deletion associated with increased chlorophyll content, and with upregulated expression of light-harvesting complex and photosynthetic reaction center （PSI and PSII） genes. Compar- ative analysis of the seed oil content of accessions with related genetic backgrounds revealed that the B. napus NYE1 gene deletion （bnnyel） affected oil accumulation, and linkage disequilibrium signatures suggested that the locus has been subject to artificial selection by breeding in oilseed B. napus forms. Comparative analysis of haplotype diversity groups （haplogroups） between three different ecotypes of the allopolyploid B. napus and its A-subgenome diploid progenitor, Brassica rapa, indicated that introgres- sion of the bnnyel deletion from Asian B. rapa into winter-type B. napus may have simultaneously improved its adaptation to cooler environments experienced by autumn-sown rapeseed.
Clubroot, caused by
infection, is a disease of growing importance in cruciferous crops, including oilseed rape (
). The affected plants exhibit prominent galling of the roots that impairs their ...capacity for water and nutrient uptake, which leads to growth retardation, wilting, premature ripening, or death. Due to the scarcity of effective means of protection against the pathogen, breeding of resistant varieties remains a crucial component of disease control measures. The key aspect of the breeding process is the identification of genetic factors associated with variable response to the pathogen exposure. Although numerous clubroot resistance loci have been described in
crops, continuous updates on the sources of resistance are necessary. Many of the resistance genes are pathotype-specific, moreover, resistance breakdowns have been reported. In this study, we characterize the clubroot resistance locus in the winter oilseed rape cultivar "Tosca." In a series of greenhouse experiments, we evaluate the disease severity of
-challenged "Tosca"-derived population of doubled haploids, which we genotype with Brassica 60 K array and a selection of SSR/SCAR markers. We then construct a genetic map and narrow down the resistance locus to the 0.4 cM fragment on the A03 chromosome, corresponding to the region previously described as
. Using Oxford Nanopore long-read genome resequencing and RNA-seq we review the composition of the locus and describe a duplication of TIR-NBS-LRR gene. Further, we explore the transcriptomic differences of the local genes between the clubroot resistant and susceptible, inoculated and control DH lines. We conclude that the duplicated TNL gene is a promising candidate for the resistance factor. This study provides valuable resources for clubroot resistance breeding programs and lays a foundation for further functional studies on clubroot resistance.
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