Mosaic fungal individuals have the potential to evolve within a single generation.

Although cells of mushroom-producing fungi typically contain paired haploid nuclei (n + n), most Armillaria gallica vegetative cells are uninucleate. As vegetative nuclei are produced by fusions of paired haploid nuclei, they are thought to be diploid (2n). Here we report finding haploid vegetative nuclei in A. gallica at multiple sites in southeastern Massachusetts, USA. Sequencing multiple clones of a single-copy gene isolated from single hyphal filaments revealed nuclear heterogeneity both among and within hyphae. Cytoplasmic bridges connected hyphae in field-collected and cultured samples, and we propose nuclear migration through bridges maintains this nuclear heterogeneity. Growth studies demonstrate among- and within-hypha phenotypic variation for growth in response to gallic acid, a plant-produced antifungal compound. The existence of both genetic and phenotypic variation within vegetative hyphae suggests that fungal individuals have the potential to evolve within a single generation in response to environmental variation over time and space.

PLANETARY CANDIDATES OBSERVED BY Kepler. VIII. A FULLY AUTOMATED CATALOG WITH MEASURED COMPLETENESS AND RELIABILITY BASED ON DATA RELEASE 25.

We present the Kepler Object of Interest (KOI) catalog of transiting exoplanets based on searching four years of Kepler time series photometry (Data Release 25, Q1-Q17). The catalog contains 8054 KOIs of which 4034 are planet candidates with periods between 0.25 and 632 days. Of these candidates, 219 are new in this catalog and include two new candidates in multi-planet systems (KOI-82.06 and KOI-2926.05), and ten new high-reliability, terrestrial-size, habitable zone candidates. This catalog was created using a tool called the Robovetter which automatically vets the DR25 Threshold Crossing Events (TCEs) found by the Kepler Pipeline (Twicken et al. 2016). Because of this automation, we were also able to vet simulated data sets and therefore measure how well the Robovetter separates those TCEs caused by noise from those caused by low signal-to-noise transits. Because of these measurements we fully expect that this catalog can be used to accurately calculate the frequency of planets out to Kepler's detection limit, which includes temperate, super-Earth size planets around GK dwarf stars in our Galaxy. This paper discusses the Robovetter and the metrics it uses to decide which TCEs are called planet candidates in the DR25 KOI catalog. We also discuss the simulated transits, simulated systematic noise, and simulated astrophysical false positives created in order to characterize the properties of the final catalog. For orbital periods less than 100 d the Robovetter completeness (the fraction of simulated transits that are determined to be planet candidates) across all observed stars is greater than 85%. For the same period range, the catalog reliability (the fraction of candidates that are not due to instrumental or stellar noise) is greater than 98%. However, for low signal-to-noise candidates found between 200 and 500 days, our measurements indicate that the Robovetter is 73.5% complete and 37.2% reliable across all searched stars (or 76.7% complete and 50.5% reliable when considering just the FGK dwarf stars). We describe how the measured completeness and reliability varies with period, signal-to-noise, number of transits, and stellar type. Also, we discuss a value called the disposition score which provides an easy way to select a more reliable, albeit less complete, sample of candidates. The entire KOI catalog, the transit fits using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, and all of the simulated data used to characterize this catalog are available at the NASA Exoplanet Archive.

Renal measurements on CT angiograms: correlation with graft function at living donor renal transplantation.

PURPOSE: To determine which measurement of donor renal size on computed tomographic (CT) angiograms has the greatest correlation with renal function preoperatively in the donor and postoperatively in the transplant recipient. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Informed consent was waived for this retrospective HIPAA-compliant study approved by the institutional review board. Renal length, total volume, and cortical volume were measured on renal donor CT angiograms in 111 patients. Preoperative serum creatinine values for donors and postoperative creatinine values for recipients at hospital discharge and 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after transplant were collected, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated. Correlation coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained for renal measures and donor eGFR and for renal measures adjusted to recipient body habitus and posttransplant creatinine level in the recipient. Thresholds were set for adjusted length and volumes, and the odds ratio (OR) for creatinine level less than 1.5 mg/dL at 36 months was calculated. RESULTS: Renal volumes and length were correlated with donor eGFR (r=0.58 [95% CI: 0.44, 0.69] for cortical volume, 0.56 [95% CI: 0.42, 0.68] for total volume, and 0.43 [95% CI: 0.27, 0.57] for renal length). All three measures, adjusted to recipient body habitus, were correlated with recipient renal function from discharge (r=-0.41 to -0.43) up to 36 months after transplantation (r=-0.33 to -0.41). By using a threshold of 1.5 for cortical volume to recipient weight, 2.25 for total volume to recipient weight, and 0.175 for renal length to recipient weight, the odds of creatinine level greater than 1.5 mg/dL were four times as great for smaller kidney-to-recipient weight ratios, a statistically significant pattern for cortical volume (OR, 4.07; 95% CI: 1.10, 15.09) but not total volume (OR, 4.24; 95% CI: 0.90, 20.01) or renal length (OR, 4.08; 95% CI: 0.48-34.29). CONCLUSION: Renal length and volumes correlated with recipient renal function up to 36 months after transplant. A low ratio of cortical volume to recipient weight was associated with diminished renal function at 36 months after transplant.