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1. The β Pictoris b Hill sphere transit campaign: II. Searching for the signatures of the β Pictoris exoplanets through time delay analysis of the δ Scuti pulsations

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202347754  

   Zieba, Sebastian; Zwintz, Konstanze; Kenworthy, Matthew; Hey, Daniel; Murphy, Simon J; Kuschnig, Rainer; Abe, Lyu; Agabi, Abdelkrim; Mekarnia, Djamel; Guillot, Tristan; et al (July 2024, Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   TheβPictoris system is the closest known stellar system with directly detected gas giant planets, an edge-on circumstellar disc, and evidence of falling sublimating bodies and transiting exocomets. The inner planet,βPictoris c, has also been indirectly detected with radial velocity (RV) measurements. The star is a knownδScuti pulsator, and the long-term stability of these pulsations opens up the possibility of indirectly detecting the gas giant planets through time delays of the pulsations due to a varying light travel time. We search for phase shifts in theδScuti pulsations consistent with the known planetsβPictoris b and c and carry out an analysis of the stellar pulsations ofβPictoris over a multi-year timescale. We used photometric data collected by the BRITE-Constellation, bRing, ASTEP, and TESS to derive a list of the strongest and most significantδScuti pulsations. We carried out an analysis with the open-source python package maelstrom to study the stability of the pulsation modes ofβPictoris in order to determine the long-term trends in the observed pulsations. We did not detect the expected signal forβPictoris b orβPictoris c. The expected time delay is 6 s forβPictoris c and 24 s forβPictoris b. With simulations, we determined that the photometric noise in all the combined data sets cannot reach the sensitivity needed to detect the expected timing drifts. An analysis of the pulsational modes ofβPictoris using maelstrom showed that the modes themselves drift on the timescale of a year, fundamentally limiting our ability to detect exoplanets aroundβPictoris via pulsation timing. 

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2. The long and short of the S ‐locus in Turnera (Passifloraceae)

   https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15970  

   Shore, Joel S.; Hamam, Hasan J.; Chafe, Paul D. J.; Labonne, Jonathan D. J.; Henning, Paige M.; McCubbin, Andrew G. (July 2019, New Phytologist)

   Summary Distyly is an intriguing floral adaptation that increases pollen transfer precision and restricts inbreeding. It has been a model system in evolutionary biology since Darwin. Although theS‐locus determines the long‐ and short‐styled morphs, the genes were unknown inTurnera. We have now identified these genes.We used deletion mapping to identify, and then sequence,BACclones and genome scaffolds to constructS/shaplotypes. We investigated candidate gene expression, hemizygosity, and used mutants, to explore gene function.Thes‐haplotype possessed 21 genes collinear with a region of chromosome 7 of grape. TheS‐haplotype possessed three additional genes and two inversions.TsSPH1was expressed in filaments and anthers,TsYUC6in anthers andTsBAHDin pistils. Long‐homostyle mutants did not possessTsBAHDand a short‐homostyle mutant did not expressTsSPH1.Three hemizygous genes appear to determine S‐morph characteristics inT. subulata. Hemizygosity is common to all distylous species investigated, yet the genes differ. The pistil candidate gene,TsBAHD, differs from that ofPrimula, but both may inactivate brassinosteroids causing short styles.TsYUC6is involved in auxin synthesis and likely determines pollen characteristics.TsSPH1is likely involved in filament elongation. We propose an incompatibility mechanism involvingTsYUC6andTsBAHD. 

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3. Non-adiabatic mapping dynamics in the phase space of the SU ( N ) Lie group

   https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0094893  

   Bossion, Duncan; Ying, Wenxiang; Chowdhury, Sutirtha N.; Huo, Pengfei (August 2022, The Journal of Chemical Physics)

   We present the rigorous theoretical framework of the generalized spin mapping representation for non-adiabatic dynamics. Our work is based upon a new mapping formalism recently introduced by Runeson and Richardson [J. Chem. Phys. 152, 084110 (2020)], which uses the generators of the [Formula: see text] Lie algebra to represent N discrete electronic states, thus preserving the size of the original Hilbert space. Following this interesting idea, the Stratonovich–Weyl transform is used to map an operator in the Hilbert space to a continuous function on the SU( N) Lie group, i.e., a smooth manifold which is a phase space of continuous variables. We further use the Wigner representation to describe the nuclear degrees of freedom and derive an exact expression of the time-correlation function as well as the exact quantum Liouvillian for the non-adiabatic system. Making the linearization approximation, this exact Liouvillian is reduced to the Liouvillian of several recently proposed methods, and the performance of this linearized method is tested using non-adiabatic models. We envision that the theoretical work presented here provides a rigorous and unified framework to formally derive non-adiabatic quantum dynamics approaches with continuous variables and connects the previous methods in a clear and concise manner. 

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4. The swimming defect caused by the absence of the transcriptional regulator LdtR in Sinorhizobium meliloti is restored by mutations in the motility genes motA and motS

   https://doi.org/10.1111/mmi.15247  

   Sobe, Richard C.; Scharf, Birgit E. (March 2024, Molecular Microbiology)

   Abstract The flagellar motor is a powerful macromolecular machine used to propel bacteria through various environments. We determined that flagellar motility of the alpha‐proteobacteriumSinorhizobium melilotiis nearly abolished in the absence of the transcriptional regulator LdtR, known to influence peptidoglycan remodeling and stress response. LdtR does not regulate motility gene transcription. Remarkably, the motility defects of the ΔldtRmutant can be restored by secondary mutations in the motility genemotAor a previously uncharacterized gene in the flagellar regulon, which we namedmotS. MotS is not essential forS. melilotimotility and may serve an accessory role in flagellar motor function. Structural modeling predicts that MotS comprised an N‐terminal transmembrane segment, a long‐disordered region, and a conserved β‐sandwich domain. The C terminus of MotS is localized in the periplasm. Genetics based substitution of MotA with MotA_G12Salso restored the ΔldtRmotility defect. The MotA_G12Svariant protein features a local polarity shift at the periphery of the MotAB stator units. We propose that MotS may be required for optimal alignment of stators in wild‐type flagellar motors but becomes detrimental in cells with altered peptidoglycan. Similarly, the polarity shift in stator units composed of MotB/MotA_G12Smight stabilize its interaction with altered peptidoglycan. 

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5. The Genome Architecture of the Copepod Eurytemora carolleeae —  the Highly Invasive Atlantic Clade of the Eurytemora affinis Species Complex

   https://doi.org/10.1093/gpbjnl/qzae066  

   Du, Zhenyong; Gelembiuk, Gregory; Moss, Wynne; Tritt, Andrew; Lee, Carol Eunmi (October 2024, Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics)

   Jiang, Yu (Ed.)

   Abstract Copepods are among the most abundant organisms on the planet and play critical functions in aquatic ecosystems. Among copepods, populations of the Eurytemora affinis species complex are numerically dominant in many coastal habitats and serve as food sources for major fisheries. Intriguingly, certain populations possess the unusual capacity to invade novel salinities on rapid time scales. Despite their ecological importance, high-quality genomic resources have been absent for calanoid copepods, limiting our ability to comprehensively dissect the genome architecture underlying the highly invasive and adaptive capacity of certain populations. Here, we present the first chromosome-level genome of a calanoid copepod, from the Atlantic clade (Eurytemora carolleeae) of the E. affinis species complex. This genome was assembled using high-coverage PacBio long-read and Hi-C sequences of an inbred line, generated through 30 generations of full-sib mating. This genome, consisting of 529.3 Mb (contig N50 = 4.2 Mb, scaffold N50 = 140.6 Mb), was anchored onto four chromosomes. Genome annotation predicted 20,262 protein-coding genes, of which ion transport-related gene families were substantially expanded based on comparative analyses of 12 additional arthropod genomes. Also, we found genome-wide signatures of historical gene body methylation of the ion transport-related genes and the significant clustering of these genes on each chromosome. This genome represents one of the most contiguous copepod genomes to date and is among the highest quality marine invertebrate genomes. As such, this genome provides an invaluable resource to help yield fundamental insights into the ability of this copepod to adapt to rapidly changing environments. 

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