Literature survey

About: Literature survey is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 15372 publications have been published within this topic receiving 459196 citations.

Geographical context of floral evolution: towards an improved research programme in floral diversification

Abstract: The diversification of animal-pollinated angiosperms is related to divergence in floral characteristics promoted by adaptations to different pollinators. According to prevailing evolutionary theory, this macroevolutionary pattern results from adaptive local or regional differentiation of pollination-related features in response to spatial divergence in pollinators. This crucial process links the microand macroevolution of floral adaptation, yet it has received much less attention than either floral diversification of species in a phylogenetic context, or pollinator-mediated phenotypic selection on pollination-related traits within populations. This chapter includes two components. We first use a literature survey to demonstrate that the study of plant–pollinator interaction in a geographical context is a relatively neglected element of research on floral diversification. In addition, the few studies that explicitly assess intraspecific variation in pollinators and pollination-related traits generally do not provide unequivocal evidence for a causal role of divergent selection from pollinators in intraspecific differentiation in floral traits. We then describe an analysis of regional variation in pollinators and corolla traits (upper lip and corolla tube length) of Lavandula latifolia, a Mediterranean evergreen shrub, which illustrates a five-step protocol for identifying geographical differentiation in floral traits driven by spatially variable selection from pollinators. Corolla traits, pollinator composition, and phenotypic selection on the upper corolla lip all vary geographically, and the morphological and pollination-related selection clines are closely congruent. Our results for this species implicate adaptive intraspecific floral differentiation in response to a cline in pollinator-mediated selection on pollination success, although confirmation of this conclusion awaits experiments to determine the genetic basis of floral variation.

Plasma proteome profiling to detect and avoid sample-related biases in biomarker studies

Abstract: Plasma and serum are rich sources of information regarding an individual's health state, and protein tests inform medical decision making. Despite major investments, few new biomarkers have reached the clinic. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics now allows highly specific and quantitative readout of the plasma proteome. Here, we employ Plasma Proteome Profiling to define quality marker panels to assess plasma samples and the likelihood that suggested biomarkers are instead artifacts related to sample handling and processing. We acquire deep reference proteomes of erythrocytes, platelets, plasma, and whole blood of 20 individuals (> 6,000 proteins), and compare serum and plasma proteomes. Based on spike-in experiments, we determine sample quality-associated proteins, many of which have been reported as biomarker candidates as revealed by a comprehensive literature survey. We provide sample preparation guidelines and an online resource ( www.plasmaproteomeprofiling.org) to assess overall sample-related bias in clinical studies and to prevent costly miss-assignment of biomarker candidates.

Removal of Enteric Bacteria in Constructed Treatment Wetlands with Emergent Macrophytes: A Review

Abstract: Domestic and municipal sewage contains various pathogenic or potentially pathogenic microorganisms which, depending on species concentration, pose a potential risk to human health and whose presence must therefore be reduced in the course of wastewater treatment. The removal of microbiological pollution is seldom a primary target for constructed treatment wetlands (CWs). However, wetlands are known to act as excellent biofilters through a complex of physical, chemical and biological factors which all participate in the reduction of the number of bacteria. Measurement of human pathogenic organisms in untreated and treated wastewater is expensive and technically challenging. Consequently, environmental engineers have sought indicator organisms that are (1) easy to monitor and (2) correlate with population of pathogenic organisms. The most frequently used indicators are total coliforms, fecal coliforms, fecal streptococci and Escherichia coli. The literature survey of 60 constructed wetlands with emergent vegetation around the world revealed that removal of total and fecal coliforms in constructed wetlands with emergent macrophytes is high, usually 95 to > 99% while removal of fecal streptococci is lower, usually 80-95%. Because bacterial removal efficiency is a function of inflow bacteria number, the high removal effects are achieved for untreated or mechanically pretreated wastewater. Therefore, the outflow numbers of bacteria are more important. For TC and FC the outflow concentrations are usually in the range of 10(2) to 10(5) CFU/ 100 ml while for FS the range is between 10(2) and 10(4) CFU/ 100 ml. Results from operating systems suggest that enteric microbe removal efficiency in CWs with emergent macrophytes is primarily influenced by hydraulic loading rate (HLR) and the resultant hydraulic residence time (HRT) and the presence of vegetation. Removal of enteric bacteria follows approximately a first-order relationship.