Evolutionary Structure Research Articles

The Art of Living and the Joy of Life: Development and Maturity in a Changing World

The Art of Living and the Joy of Life: Development and Maturity in a Changing World

Genetic Characterisation and Local Genotypes of Canine Parvovirus Strains Collected from Pet Dogs in Central and Eastern China During 2018-2019.

IntroductionCanine parvovirus type-2 (CPV-2) causes acute infectious diseases in puppies, which show high morbidity and mortality. Better effect of vaccination against these diseases could be achieved with deeper knowledge of CPV-2 genotype dissemination and mutation history. This study investigated CPV-2–positive samples collected recently over a wide region of China.Material and MethodsA total of 118 faecal samples from dogs identified as CPV-positive were collected from veterinary clinics in central and eastern China. Overall, 16 strains collected from Anhui, 29 from Henan, and 16 from Zhejiang Province were sequenced to determine the genotypic composition of CPV-2 and mutational complexity of CPV-VP2.ResultsThe CPV-2a, CPV-2b, and CPV-2c genotypes were detected in Anhui and Henan Provinces, while CPV-2c alone was detected in Zhejiang Province. Sequence analysis of all strains showed 98.5%–99.8%, 98.3%–99.9%, and 98.7%–99.8% identity among the 16 Anhui, 29 Henan, and 16 Zhejiang strains, respectively. Strains collected from Anhui and Henan Provinces showed lower identity (97.0%), suggesting greater genetic divergence in central China. The mutation rates of Henan and Anhui strains were lower than that of Zhejiang strains. Major amino acid mutations occurred at sites 5, 370, 426, and 440. Epitope and entropy analyses implied these sites’ likely conformance to the principles of mutation tendency, complexity, and diversity.ConclusionThe findings for the evolutionary structure of CPV-2 strains collected from three provinces in central and eastern China advance trend monitoring of the genetic variation in canine parvovirus and point to its implications in the development of novel vaccines.

Topology optimization of multiphase materials with dynamic and static characteristics by BESO method

The demand for advanced manufacturing is gradually turning to the multi-functional integrated structure, so the effective and innovative functional structure topology optimization design method can maximize the performance of the structure. This paper proposes a parallel topology optimization design method for dynamic and static characteristics of multiphase materials. The inherent discrete design variables of bidirectional evolutionary structure optimization (BESO) can clearly distinguish the topological boundaries of multiphase materials without the intermediate density materials. The pre-processing density filtering scheme is introduced into the BESO method to eliminate the numerical calculation instability problem. Then, the improved multiphase materials interpolation scheme can overcome the local modal phenomenon of vibration problems. Finally, a series of typical numerical examples show that the method is effective, efficient and easy to implement in multiphase materials topology optimization with dynamic and static characteristics.

Massive Intron Gain in the Most Intron-Rich Eukaryotes is Driven by Introner-Like Transposable Elements of Unprecedented Diversity and Flexibility

SummarySpliceosomal introns, which interrupt nuclear genes and are removed from RNA transcripts by machinery termed spliceosomes, are ubiquitous features of eukaryotic nuclear genes. Patterns of spliceosomal intron evolution are complex, with some lineages exhibiting virtually no intron creation while others experience thousands of intron gains. One possibility is that this punctate phylogenetic distribution is explained by intron creation by Introner-Like Elements (ILEs), transposable elements capable of creating introns, with only those lineages harboring ILEs undergoing massive intron gain. However, ILEs have been reported in only four lineages. Here we study intron evolution in dinoflagellates. The remarkable fragmentation of nuclear genes by spliceosomal introns reaches its apex in dinoflagellates, which have some twenty introns per gene. Despite this, almost nothing is known about the molecular and evolutionary mechanisms governing dinoflagellate intron evolution. We reconstructed intron evolution in five dinoflagellate genomes, revealing a dynamic history of intron loss and gain. ILEs are found in 4/5 studied species. In one species, Polarella glacialis, we find an unprecedented diversity of ILEs, with ILE insertion leading to creation of some 12,253 introns, and with 15 separate families of ILEs accounting for at least 100 introns each. These ILE families range in mobilization mechanism, mechanism of intron creation, and flexibility of mechanism of intron creation. Comparison within and between ILE families provides evidence that biases in so-called intron phase, the distribution of introns relative to codon periodicity, are driven by ILE insertion site requirements. Finally, we find evidence for multiple additional transformations of the spliceosomal system in dinoflagellates, including widespread loss of ancestral introns, and alterations in required, tolerated and favored splice motifs. These results reveal unappreciated intron creating elements diversity and spliceosomal evolutionary capacity, and suggest complex evolutionary dependencies shaping genome structures.

Taxonomic distinctness poorly reflects floristic quality in a wetland study system

Biomonitoring typically uses taxonomic diversity information while ignoring phylogenetic diversity. Evolutionary relatedness may offer deeper insight to how local assemblages relate with human disturbance and ecological degradation. Degradation of floristic quality may filter species with similar evolutionary traits, whereas intact floristic quality may limit phylogenetic clumping and increase representation of more distantly related taxa. We tested this hypothesis using average taxonomic distinctness (AvTD) and measures of floristic quality (mean ecological conservatism, native species richness, percent exotic species) in vascular plant assemblages of 115 wetlands in the US southern plains. In line with the hypothesis, we observed positive correlations with conservatism (r = 0.28, P = 0.0007) and native richness (r = 0.24, P = 0.0018) and a negative correlation (r = −0.21, P = 0.0169) with exotics, but the plotted relationships looked obscure. A strongly skewed AvTD distribution revealed a clear gradient in lower than expected AvTD. Responses along this gradient covaried with native richness (quadratic model R2 = 0.75) but showed no pattern with conservatism and a weak response to exotics. These results suggest that native richness has potential to predict lower than expected AvTD values. However, attributing these values to degraded floristic quality requires caution when richness is driven by sampling effects such as species-area relationships or has a non-linear relationship to human disturbance. Given the vague correlations and ambiguity of richness, plant taxonomic distinctness may not provide a clear bioindicator for wetlands. More work is needed to elucidate how evolutionary structure may play into bioassessment, which traditionally has been phylogenetically neutral.

MAISE: Construction of neural network interatomic models and evolutionary structure optimization

Module for ab initio structure evolution (MAISE) is an open-source package for materials modeling and prediction. The code’s main feature is an automated generation of neural network (NN) interatomic potentials for use in global structure searches. The systematic construction of Behler–Parrinello-type NN models approximating ab initio energy and forces relies on two approaches introduced in our recent studies. An evolutionary sampling scheme for generating reference structures improves the NNs’ mapping of regions visited in unconstrained searches, while a stratified training approach enables the creation of standardized NN models for multiple elements. A more flexible NN architecture proposed here expands the applicability of the stratified scheme for an arbitrary number of elements. The full workflow in the NN development is managed with a customizable ‘MAISE-NET’ wrapper written in Python. The global structure optimization capability in MAISE is based on an evolutionary algorithm applicable for nanoparticles, films, and bulk crystals. A multitribe extension of the algorithm allows for an efficient simultaneous optimization of nanoparticles in a given size range. Implemented structure analysis functions include fingerprinting with radial distribution functions and finding space groups with the SPGLIB tool. This work overviews MAISE’s available features, constructed models, and confirmed predictions. Program summaryProgram Title: MAISECPC Library link to program files:https://doi.org/10.17632/vfzgt2gnsh.1Licensing provisions: GNU General Public License v3.0Programming language: CNature of problem: Construction of NN interatomic potentials suitable for evolutionary structure searches, molecular dynamics, phonon calculations, and other applications presents a host of challenges ranging from sampling relevant parts of vast configuration spaces to tuning multitudes of NN parameters.Solution method: Evolutionary data generation and modular NN training algorithms featured in the open-source parallelized MAISE package enable automated development of NN models for multiple chemical species. Customizable MAISE-NET wrapper streamlines all stages of the iterative process.Unusual features: NN training stratification allows one to build libraries of reusable models from the bottom up, starting from elements and proceeding to multielement chemical systems. A multitribe evolutionary algorithm improves the efficiency of ground state structure searches by simultaneously optimizing nanoparticles of different sizes and periodically exchanging best motifs between the tribes.

You must choose, but choose wisely: Model-based approaches for microbial community analysis

Soil microbial community data produced by next-generation sequencing platforms has introduced a new era in microbial ecology studies but poses a challenge for data analysis: huge tables with highly sparse data combined with methodological limitations leading to biased analyses. Methodological studies have attempted to improve data interpretation via data transformation and/or rarefaction but usually neglect the assumptions required for an appropriate analysis. Advances in both mathematics and computation are now making model-based approaches feasible, especially latent variable modeling (LVM). LVM is a cornerstone of modern unsupervised learning that permits the evaluation of evolutionary, temporal, and count structure in a unified approach that directly incorporates the data distribution. Despite these advantages, LVM is rarely applied in data analyses of the soil microbiome. Here, we review available methods to handle the characteristics of soil microbial data obtained from next-generation sequencing and advocate for model-based approaches. We focus on the importance of assumption checking for guiding the selection of the most appropriate method of data analysis. We also provide future directions by advocating for the consideration of the dataset produced by sequencing as a representation of microbial detections instead of abundances and for the adoption of hierarchical models to convert these detections into estimated abundances prior to evaluating the microbial community. In summary, we show that model assessment is important for qualifying interpretations and can further guide refinements in subsequent analyses. We have only begun to understand the factors regulating soil microbial communities and the impacts of this microbiota on the environment/ecosystem. Understanding the assumptions of new methods is essential to fully harness their power to test hypotheses using high-throughput sequencing data.

Population mutation properties of tumor evolution.

Tumor growth patterns differ depending on the individual tumor, leading to various patterns of genetic heterogeneity across tumors. Despite their importance, the population mutation properties of tumor evolution have not been well studied, especially in terms of overall genetic heterogeneity. The current study aims to examine factors in tumor evolution influencing overall genetic heterogeneity. Extensive simulations of the representative evolutionary patterns of various tumors were conducted in the current study to determine the overall genetic characteristics of tumor evolution. The variations in cell birth/death rates and angiogenesis duration were examined based on the simplest growth pattern of tumors with avascular growth, angiogenesis, and vascular growth. To examine the impact of evolutionary tree structure, three-step linear evolution and branching evolution were investigated based on various subpopulation initiation times. The population size during the initial growth phase and the duration of angiogenesis are important factors affecting overall genetic heterogeneity. Furthermore, the shape of the evolutionary tree is crucial for defining the genetic heterogeneity of the extant tumor cell population, indicating the importance of the initiation timing of subpopulations. Branching evolution results in slightly greater genetic heterogeneity in terms of allelic distribution than in terms of the number of variants. The results of the current study reveal that the pattern of tumor evolution is critical for defining tumor genetic heterogeneity. These population genetic approaches are important for understanding the properties of tumor cell populations.

Refining genetic boundaries for Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in the western Sonoran Desert: the influence of the Coachella Valley on gene flow among populations in southern California

Understanding the influence of geographic features on the evolutionary history and population structure of a species can assist wildlife managers in delimiting genetic units (GUs) for conservation and management. Landscape features including mountains, low elevation depressions, and even roads can influence connectivity and gene flow among Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) populations. Substantial changes in the landscape of the American Southwest occurred during the last six million years (including the formation of the Gulf of California and the lower Colorado River), which shaped the distribution and genetic structuring of tortoise populations. The area northwest of the Gulf of California is occupied by the Salton Trough, including the Coachella Valley at its northern end. Much of this area is below sea level and unsuitable as tortoise habitat, thus forming a potential barrier for gene flow. We assessed genetic relationships among three tortoise populations separated by the Coachella Valley. Two adjacent populations were on the east side of the valley in the foothills of the Cottonwood and Orocopia mountains separated by Interstate 10. The third population, Mesa, was located about 87 km away in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains at the far northwestern tip of the valley. The Cottonwood and Orocopia localities showed genetic affiliation with the adjacent Colorado Desert GU immediately to the east, and the Mesa population exhibited affiliation with both the Southern Mojave and Colorado Desert GUs, despite having a greater geographic distance (0.5x–1.5x greater) to the Colorado Desert GU. The genetic affiliation with the Colorado Desert GU suggests that the boundary for that GU needs to be substantially extended to the west to include the desert tortoise populations around the Coachella Valley. Their inclusion in the Colorado Desert GU may benefit these often overlooked populations when recovery actions are considered.

An evolutionary population structure model reveals pleiotropic effects of GmPDAT for traits related to seed size and oil content in soybean.

Seed oil traits in soybean that are of benefit to human nutrition and health have been selected for during crop domestication. However, these domesticated traits have significant differences across various evolutionary types. In this study, we found that the integration of evolutionary population structure (evolutionary types) with genome-wide association studies increased the power of gene detection, and it identified one locus for traits related to seed size and oil content on chromosome 13. This domestication locus, together with another one in a 200-kb region, was confirmed by the GEMMA and EMMAX software. The candidate gene, GmPDAT, had higher expressional levels in high-oil and large-seed accessions than in low-oil and small-seed accessions. Overexpression lines had increased seed size and oil content, whereas RNAi lines had decreased seed size and oil content. The molecular mechanism of GmPDAT was deduced based on results from linkage analysis for triacylglycerols and on histocytological comparisons of transgenic soybean seeds. Our results illustrate a new approach for identifying domestication genes with pleiotropic effects.

La patella néandertalienne (Krapina et Regourdou 1), humaine moderne fossile (Chancelade 1) et humaine actuelle : une perspective interne

Evolutionary endostructural patterns of the cortical and cancellous tissues of the postcranial skeleton are commonly investigated for inferring functional behaviours in extinct hominin taxa and past human populations. Information on the endostructural arrangement of the patellar bone has the potential of revealing individual- and/or taxon-specific aspects of the knee biomechanics. However, evidence on its inner conformation extracted from human fossil specimens is nearly non-existent. The present pilot study aims at characterising the endostructural pattern of two Neandertal (from Krapina, Croatia, and Regourdou, France) and one anatomically modern fossil human (from Chancelade, France) adult patellae and to compare their signal with the recent human condition. In the context of the gracilisation trend of the human skeleton occurred from the late Pleistocene, we expect (i) the two Neandertal patellae showing a higher amount of cortical bone compared to the fossil modern and the recent human conditions, (ii) the fossil modern patella showing a higher amount of cortical bone compared to the comparative sample, (iii) the cancellous network being relatively homogeneous between the two Neandertal individuals but distinguishable from that of the fossil modern human representative and of the comparative sample, and that (iv) the structural organisation revealed by the fossil modern patella is distinguishable from the recent human condition. For assessing the endostructural organisation of the selected patellae, we used non-invasive techniques of high resolution virtual imaging. The results do not support the first hypothesis, as marked differences have been found between the two Neandertal specimens. The second hypothesis is supported for the anterior surface, but not for the posterior surface. The third hypothesis is supported for the superior and the lateral regions of the patellar bone but for the inferior and medial portions. Finally, the fourth hypothesis is supported, but the cancellous organisation of the two Neandertal representatives is closer to the extant human pattern than to the Magdalenian specimen. Despite the generalised lack of comparable information from the human fossil record, we consider the present results of potential interest for future research of paleobiomechanical, paleobiological, and perhaps taxonomic interest, on the evolutionary structure of the human knee joint.

Online Rolling Evolutionary Decoder-Dispatch Framework for the Secondary Frequency Regulation of Time-Varying Electrical-Grid-Electric-Vehicle System

The widespread integration of electric vehicles (EVs) into the electrical grid creates a new opportunity for frequency regulation. In this article, to deal with the penetration of intermittent renewable energy and the time variance of system model, an online evolutionary mechanism is developed for the electrical-grid- electric-vehicle system. With a real-time decoder consisting of the long-short-term memory (LSTM) array, the dispatch center is upgraded from a passive executor to an intelligent analyst, which extracts the rolling features from multiple time scales. Based on the high-dimension decoding information from the LSTM array, a deep neural network (DNN) array is then embedded to provide strategic dispatch commands learning from the evolving memory. The whole decoder-dispatch framework is then upgraded with a unified online adaption technique to achieve gradient optimization and weight evolution. The proposed evolutionary structure is validated on a frequency management system to demonstrate its superior performance.

Copy number variants outperform SNPs to reveal genotype-temperature association in a marine species.

Copy number variants (CNVs) are a major component of genotypic and phenotypic variation in genomes. To date, our knowledge of genotypic variation and evolution has largely been acquired by means of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) analyses. Until recently, the adaptive role of structural variants (SVs) and particularly that of CNVs has been overlooked in wild populations, partly due to their challenging identification. Here, we document the usefulness of Rapture, a derived reduced-representation shotgun sequencing approach, to detect and investigate copy number variants (CNVs) alongside SNPs in American lobster (Homarus americanus) populations. We conducted a comparative study to examine the potential role of SNPs and CNVs in local adaptation by sequencing 1,141 lobsters from 21 sampling sites within the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, which experiences the highest yearly thermal variance of the Canadian marine coastal waters. Our results demonstrated that CNVs account for higher genetic differentiation than SNP markers. Contrary to SNPs, for which no significant genetic-environment association was found, 48 CNV candidates were significantly associated with the annual variance of sea surface temperature, leading to the genetic clustering of sampling locations despite their geographic separation. Altogether, we provide a strong empirical case that CNVs putatively contribute to local adaptation in marine species and unveil stronger spatial signal of population structure than SNPs. Our study provides the means to study CNVs in nonmodel species and highlights the importance of considering structural variants alongside SNPs to enhance our understanding of ecological and evolutionary processes shaping adaptive population structure.

Rapid recovery of phylogenetic diversity, community structure and composition of Bornean tropical forest a decade after logging and post-logging silvicultural interventions

Logged-over forests comprise a large proportion of tropical forest landscapes, but questions remain on how to fully describe and understand the regeneration of these forests and which selective logging and silvicultural interventions are best for maintaining biological diversity. We used a phylogenetic approach to capture changes on the evolutionary diversity, structure and composition of 72-one-hectare forest subplots in East Kalimantan that were logged using conventional (CL) and reduced-impact (RIL) techniques, including post-logging silvicultural interventions by reducing stem density (thinning), shortly after (on average 18 months) and 10 years after treatments. Both CL and RIL techniques initially decreased phylogenetic diversity, but after a decade of succession the phylogenetic diversity levels were no longer different from unlogged forests (Controls). Thinning through poison-notching non-commercial trees led to an increase in phylogenetic diversity after a decade of succession. Mean evolutionary relatedness, as measured by the Net Relatedness Index, initially decreased in logged forests, possibly because of harvest of closely related dipterocarp species, but returned to initial levels after a decade. Regardless of silvicultural interventions 10 years after logging had no effect on the mean evolutionary relatedness of the trees in the communities at both time intervals.Both CL and RIL techniques increased the phylogenetic composition dissimilarity with unlogged forest, with increasing logging intensity resulting in increasingly larger effects, although the changes were smaller for RIL. Phylogenetic composition only became dissimilar from unlogged forest after a decade of succession, when the logging intensity was above 4 m2 ha−1 for both CL and RIL, equivalent to 8 trees ha−1 or 68 m3 ha−1. Post-logging silvicultural interventions started to cause changes in phylogenetic composition when the basal area was reduced by thinning by more than 10 m2 ha−1. The rapid recovery of phylogenetic diversity, community structure and, to a lesser extent composition after logging and thinning confirms that tropical forests are resilient to a single logging cycle. With low-intensity logging of less than 4 m2 ha−1, RIL techniques appear to facilitate phylogenetic structure and compositional recovery to levels not different from unlogged forest after 10 years of succession, especially when combined with post-logging silvicultural intervention with a basal area reduction by thinning of less than 10 m2 ha−1. However, it remains to be seen whether forests will respond similarly to a second logging cycle.

Phase diagram and superconductivity of calcium borohyrides at extreme pressures

Motivated by the recent discovery of near-room temperature superconductivity in high-pressure superhydrides, we investigate from first principles the high-pressure superconducting phase diagram of the ternary Ca-B-H system, using ab initio evolutionary crystal structure prediction, and Density Functional Perturbation Theory. We find that below 100 GPa all stable and weakly metastable phases are insulating. This pressure marks the appearance of several new chemically-forbidden phases on the hull of stability, and the first onset of metalization in ${\mathrm{CaBH}}_{5}$. Metallization is then gradually achieved at higher pressure at different compositions. Among the metallic phases stable in the Megabar regime, we predict two high-${T}_{\text{c}}$ superconducting phases with ${\mathrm{CaBH}}_{6}$ and ${\mathrm{Ca}}_{2}{\mathrm{B}}_{2}{\mathrm{H}}_{13}$ compositions, with critical temperatures of 119 and 89 K at 300 GPa, respectively, surviving to lower pressures. Ternary hydrides will most likely play a major role in superconductivity research in the coming years; our study suggests that, in order to reduce the pressure for the onset of metallicity and superconductivity, further explorations of ternary hydrides should focus on elements less electronegative than boron.

The topology and drivers of ant-symbiont networks across Europe.

Intimate associations between different species drive community composition across ecosystems. Understanding the ecological and evolutionary drivers of these symbiotic associations is challenging because their structure eventually determines stability and resilience of the entire species network. Here, we compiled a detailed database on naturally occurring ant-symbiont networks in Europe to identify factors that affect symbiont network topology. These networks host an unrivalled diversity of macrosymbiotic associations, spanning the entire mutualism-antagonism continuum, including: (i) myrmecophiles - commensalistic and parasitic arthropods; (ii) trophobionts - mutualistic aphids, scale insects, planthoppers and caterpillars; (iii) social parasites - parasitic ant species; (iv) parasitic helminths; and (v) parasitic fungi. We dissected network topology to investigate what determines host specificity, symbiont species richness, and the capacity of different symbiont types to switch hosts. We found 722 macrosymbionts (multicellular symbionts) associated with European ants. Symbiont type explained host specificity and the average relatedness of the host species. Social parasites were associated with few hosts that were phylogenetically highly related, whereas the other symbiont types interacted with a larger number of hosts across a wider taxonomic distribution. The hosts of trophobionts were the least phylogenetically related across all symbiont types. Colony size, host range and habitat type predicted total symbiont richness: ant hosts with larger colony size, a larger distribution range or with a wider habitat range contained more symbiont species. However, we found that different sets of host factors affected diversity in the different types of symbionts. Ecological factors, such as colony size, host range and niche width predominantly determined myrmecophile species richness, whereas host phylogeny was the most important predictor of mutualistic trophobiont, social parasite and parasitic helminth species richness. Lastly, we found that hosts with a common biogeographic history support a more similar community of symbionts. Phylogenetically related hosts also shared more trophobionts, social parasites and helminths, but not myrmecophiles. Taken together, these results suggest that ecological and evolutionary processes structure host specificity and symbiont richness in large-scale ant-symbiont networks, but these drivers may shift in importance depending on the type of symbiosis. Our findings highlight the potential of well-characterized bipartite networks composed of different types of symbioses to identify candidate processes driving community composition.

Mutation Patterns of Human SARS-CoV-2 and Bat RaTG13 Coronavirus Genomes Are Strongly Biased Towards C>U Transitions, Indicating Rapid Evolution in Their Hosts.

The pandemic caused by the spread of SARS-CoV-2 has led to considerable interest in its evolutionary origin and genome structure. Here, we analyzed mutation patterns in 34 human SARS-CoV-2 isolates and a closely related RaTG13 isolated from Rhinolophus affinis (a horseshoe bat). We also evaluated the CpG dinucleotide contents in SARS-CoV-2 and other human and animal coronavirus genomes. Out of 1136 single nucleotide variations (~4% divergence) between human SARS-CoV-2 and bat RaTG13, 682 (60%) can be attributed to C>U and U>C substitutions, far exceeding other types of substitutions. An accumulation of C>U mutations was also observed in SARS-CoV2 variants that arose within the human population. Globally, the C>U substitutions increased the frequency of codons for hydrophobic amino acids in SARS-CoV-2 peptides, while U>C substitutions decreased it. In contrast to most other coronaviruses, both SARS-CoV-2 and RaTG13 exhibited CpG depletion in their genomes. The data suggest that C-to-U conversion mediated by C deamination played a significant role in the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. We hypothesize that the high frequency C>U transitions reflect virus adaptation processes in their hosts, and that SARS-CoV-2 could have been evolving for a relatively long period in humans following the transfer from animals before spreading worldwide.

Three waves of theoretical architecture and design

The history of architecture and design as a complex discipline is no longer seen as a direct evolutionary structure. A more rational approach implies multilinearity, one of the lines of evolution is theoretical.Alvin Toffler in 1970 developed the theory of three-wave development of society, and, as a result, this influenced the development of design as a whole. Therefore, we are interested in considering the very theory of the three waves of Alvin Toffler and understanding how this development can be considered in relation to architecture and design.The purpose of the article is to consider the theory of three waves of Alvin Toffler, to compare the development of architecture and the theory of design and history with these waves, thereby identifying the processes that were the starting point for the emergence and development of each wave in these directions. To consider how certain processes that took place in the world have influenced not only the development of society, but also the development of architecture and design.

First-principles study on predicting the crystal structures, mechanical properties and electronic structures of HfCxN1-x

The crystal structures, mechanical properties and electronic structures of HfCxN1-x have been predicted by using evolutionary structure search followed by the first-principles calculations in this study. The crystal structures predicted indicate that there are 10 thermodynamic stable phases for HfCxN1-x, of which 8 are newly discovered crystal structures and 2 are already known. We investigated the mechanical properties, including the bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio and Vickers hardness, of all 10 stable phases, and further established the relationship between such properties and the ratio of nitrogen to carbon content. Besides, the Fermi energy level and electronic density of states of these 10 stable phases are calculated as well, and the results reveal the fundamental reason why the mechanical properties change with the ratio of nitrogen to carbon. The predictions of this study agree well with both the experimental data and the previous theoretical evaluations.

Intrageneric evolutionary timing and hidden genetic diversity of Paramecium lineages (Ciliophora: Oligohymenophorea)

Members of the genus Paramecium (Ciliophora, Oligohymenophorea) are widespread ciliates able to colonize many fresh, brackish and marine water environments around the globe. Despite they have been historically used in a variety of research fields, ranging from genomics to ecology, their evolutionary origin and genetic structure remains elusive for most valid species. There are currently 19 valid species distributed in 5 subgenera, which can have restricted to cosmopolitan distribution patterns. However, their true biodiversity and biographical distribution are blurred by evidences of cryptic species within most of these valid species. Here, we inferred a 18S rDNA-based time-calibrated tree to determine the evolutionary origin of extant Paramecium lineages and intra-genus phylogenetic relationships. Next, we used two common computational species delimitation algorithms (PTP and mPTP) to analyze a population-level (cytochrome oxidase subunit I [COI]) phylogeny to predict the existence of independent evolutionary unities (IEUs) within valid Paramecium morphospecies. Our data suggest that, some cosmopolitan Paramecium may have emerged prior to the Cretaceous period (before the complete separation of the continents), thus, explaining their wide distribution pattern. We found that the diversity of cryptic species may be higher than previous though and that most of the valid Paramecium species should be, in fact considered as complexes of species, composed each by IEUs that can co-occur within restricted or wide geographical areas. Moreover, our data indicate that these species delimitation algorithms (PTP and mPTP) may be of great assistance to uncover the diversity of cryptic species within Paramecium (or any other microeukaryote) by indicating potential candidates for more in detail future studies of taxonomists through integrative taxonomy frameworks.