Oaks are an important part of our natural and cultural heritage. Not only are they ubiquitous in our most common landscapes but they have also supplied human societies with invaluable services, including food and shelter, since prehistoric times. With 450 species spread throughout Asia, Europe and America, oaks constitute a critical global renewable resource. The longevity of oaks (several hundred years) probably underlies their emblematic cultural and historical importance. Such long-lived sessile organisms must persist in the face of a wide range of abiotic and biotic threats over their lifespans. We investigated the genomic features associated with such a long lifespan by sequencing, assembling and annotating the oak genome. We then used the growing number of whole-genome sequences for plants (including tree and herbaceous species) to investigate the parallel evolution of genomic characteristics potentially underpinning tree longevity. A further consequence of the long lifespan of trees is their accumulation of somatic mutations during mitotic divisions of stem cells present in the shoot apical meristems. Empirical and modelling approaches have shown that intra-organismal genetic heterogeneity can be selected for and provides direct fitness benefits in the arms race with short-lived pests and pathogens through a patchwork of intra-organismal phenotypes. However, there is no clear proof that large-statured trees consist of a genetic mosaic of clonally distinct cell lineages within and between branches. Through this case study of oak, we demonstrate the accumulation and transmission of somatic mutations and the expansion of disease-resistance gene families in trees.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41477-018-0172-3 | DOI Listing |
J Dent (Shiraz)
December 2024
Dept. of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Terna Dental College, Phase - II, Sector- 22, Nerul (west), Navi Mumbai, India.
Statement Of The Problem: Root canal preparation with rotary files causes dentinal cracks in root canals of primary teeth affecting their longevity.
Purpose: Nickel-titanium rotary files have been widely used for root canal preparation in primary teeth. The present study compared occurrence of dentinal microcracks in root canals of extracted primary molar teeth prepared using Hedstrom (H) files, ProTaper Universal rotary files, and ProTaper Next rotary file systems.
Am Econ J Appl Econ
April 2024
UCLA and NBER.
We use newly collected data for 16,000 women who applied for Mothers' Pensions, America's first welfare program, to investigate the effect of means-tested cash transfers on lifetime family structure and maternal well-being. In the short term, cash transfers delayed marriage and lowered geographic mobility. In the long run, transfers had no impact on the probability of remarriage, spouse quality, or fertility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExposure to infectious disease in early life may have long-term ramifications for health and mortality. This study leverages quasi-experimental variation from the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission's de-worming campaign in the early 20th century, combined with pre-campaign hookworm prevalence, to rigorously examine the impacts of childhood hookworm exposure on later-life morbidity and lifespan. Pre-intervention surveys find widespread hookworm exposure among children in the American South, but minimal prevalence among adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDalton Trans
December 2024
Key Laboratory of Microelectronics and Energy of Henan Province, Department of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, 464000, P. R. China.
Energy storage devices have applications in large-scale portable and smart devices due to their high energy density and long lifespan, but the limited theoretical capacity of the graphite anode in lithium-ion batteries has slowed the development of portable electronic devices. Herein, we prepared porous fibers with heterogeneous FeN/FeO nanocrystals wrapped by a carbon layer. A series of measurements, such as TEM images, Raman spectra, XRD pattern and XPS analysis, were used to unveil the formation of FeN/FeO4 nanocrystals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Epidemiol
December 2024
Integrated Research Initiative for Living Well with Dementia, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology.
Background: Community social capital is associated with various health outcomes; however, its impact on mortality is not fully understood, particularly in non-Western settings. This study examined the association between community-level social capital and all-cause mortality among community-dwelling older Japanese adults.
Methods: The baseline data were obtained from a 2015 questionnaire survey for all 132,005 residents aged ≥65 years without long-term care insurance certification in Adachi Ward (consisting of 262 small districts) of the Tokyo metropolitan area.
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