Performing Gender in the Icelandic Ballads

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Estate Planning Considerations for Ohio Families

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Properties of phenotypic plasticity in discrete threshold traits

Acknowledgements We thank Yimen Araya-Ajoy, Russ Lande and Jon Wright for helpful comments and discussions. J.M.R. and P.A. were supported by the Norwegian Research Council through the Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (grant 223257), NTNU and University of Aberdeen.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Conceptualizing the evolutionary quantitative genetics of phenological life-history events : Breeding time as a plastic threshold trait

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Y. Araya-Ajoy, P. Arcese, C. Pélabon, A. Phillimore, and J. Pick for helpful comments on a manuscript draft, and the Norwegian Research Council (grant 223257) and NTNU for funding.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The role of reactive oxygen species in antibiotic-induced cell death in Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria

It was recently proposed that bactericidal antibiotics, besides through specific drug-target interactions, kill bacteria by a common mechanism involving the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, this mechanism involving the production of hydroxyl radicals has become the subject of a lot of debate. Since the contribution of ROS to antibiotic mediated killing most likely depends on the conditions, differences in experimental procedures are expected to be at the basis of the conflicting results. In the present study different methods (ROS specific stainings, gene-expression analyses, electron paramagnetic resonance, genetic and phenotypic experiments, detection of protein carbonylation and DNA oxidation) to measure the production of ROS upon antibiotic treatment in Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) bacteria were compared. Different classes of antibiotics (tobramycin, ciprofloxacin, meropenem) were included, and both planktonic and biofilm cultures were studied. Our results indicate that some of the methods investigated were not sensitive enough to measure antibiotic induced production of ROS, including the spectrophotometric detection of protein carbonylation. Secondly, other methods were found to be useful only in specific conditions. For example, an increase in the expression of OxyR was measured in Burkholderia cenocepacia K56-2 after treatment with ciprofloxacin or meropenem (both in biofilms and planktonic cultures) but not after treatment with tobramycin. In addition results vary with the experimental conditions and the species tested. Nevertheless our data strongly suggest that ROS contribute to antibiotic mediated killing in Bcc species and that enhancing ROS production or interfering with the protection against ROS may form a novel strategy to improve antibiotic treatment

Life-history decisions of larids in spatio-temporally varying habitats: where and when to breed

Tout au long de leur vie, les individus sont confrontés à deux décisions qui ont des conséquences majeures sur leur succès reproducteur : où et quand se reproduire. Cette thèse étudie les mécanismes sous-jacents à ces décisions, à travers trois études basées sur des données de suivis individuels chez la mouette tridactyle (Rissa tridactyla) et le goéland railleur (Chroicocephalus genei). La première étude porte sur la dispersion chez la mouette tridactyle. La probabilité de quitter le site de reproduction est décomposée selon une structure hiérarchique des patchs d'habitat. Une hypothèse synthétique est exposée pour expliquer la stratégie de sélection de l'habitat en intégrant les coûts de la dispersion et l'utilisation de l'information sur la qualité de l'habitat. La seconde étude s'appuie sur un modèle de population intégré chez la mouette tridactyle pour estimer l'immigration, le recrutement, et la reproduction intermittente. Cette étude interroge la relation entre information sociale sur l'habitat et décision de se reproduire dans une population qui est située en bordure d'aire de répartition. La troisième étude porte sur le recrutement et la dispersion chez le goéland railleur, caractérisé par un fort nomadisme de reproduction. Des modèles de capture-recapture multi-évènements sont employés pour quantifier les variations liées à l'âge et au sexe. Ces exemples permettent d'aborder l'importance des contraintes imposées par la variabilité de l'habitat et la compétition intraspécifique dans le processus d'accès à la reproduction.Throughout their lifetime, individuals face two decisions which have major consequences on the reproductive success: where and when to breed. This thesis explores the mechanisms underlying these decisions through three studies based on individual monitoring data in the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) and the slender-billed gull (Chroicocephalus genei). The first study addresses hypotheses on dispersal in the kittiwake. The probability of leaving the nest site is sequenced according to the hierarchical structure of habitat patches. A synthetic hypothesis that integrates the costs of dispersal and the use of information on habitat quality is suggested to explain the strategy of habitat selection. The second study uses a population integrated model in the kittiwake to estimate immigration, recruitment, and intermittent reproduction. This study investigates the relationships between social information on the habitat and the decision to breed in a population which is located at the edge of the species range. The third study focuses on recruitment and dispersal in the slender-billed gull which is characterized by a high degree of nomadic breeding. Multievent capture-recapture models are used to quantify sex- and age-dependent variations. These examples enable to address how important the constraints of habitat variability and intraspecific competition are in the process of obtaining a breeding position

Active commuting to school, cognitive performance, and academic achievement: an observational study in Dutch adolescents using accelerometers

Background: The current study examined the associations between active commuting to school, cognitive performance, and academic achievement in Dutch adolescents. In addition, it was explored whether these associations were moderated by sex and mediated by depressive symptoms. Methods: Students in grades 7 and 9 (N = 270; mean age 13.4 years; 53% boys) were included. Active commuting to school was measured objectively by an ActivPAL3™ accelerometer. Cognitive performance was measured by the d2 Test of attention (key components of executive functioning) and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (information-processing speed). Academic achievement was determined by the mean of the school grades obtained in Dutch, mathematics and English. Depressive symptoms were self-reported. Results: Active commuting to school constituted 28% of the total amount of time spent moving per week. Active commuting to school was not significantly associated with cognitive performance and academic achievement, overall. However, active commuting to school was positively associated with performance on the d2 Test of attention in girls (β = .17, p = .037), but not in boys (β = −.03, p =.660). The associations were not mediated by depressive symptoms. Conclusions: The associations between active commuting to school and cognitive performance and academic achievement are weak and might be moderated by sex, while the greatest benefits on cognition due to active commuting to school might be with regard to executive functioning. Future studies might make use of experimental designs, because causal relations between active commuting to school and cognitive performance or academic achievement would provide important implications for both education and public health.This research was supported by the NIHC (Nationaal Initiatief Hersenen & Cognitie [National Initiative Brain & Cognition]) funded by FES (Fonds Economische Structuurversterking [Fund Economic Structure Reinforcement])

The Association Between Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Academic Achievement in Dutch Adolescents: Findings From the GOALS Study

The main goal of this study was to investigate the association between objectively measured physical activity and academic achievement in adolescents

Lignin biosynthesis perturbations affect secondary cell wall composition and saccharification yield in Arabidopsis thaliana.

BACKGROUND: Second-generation biofuels are generally produced from the polysaccharides in the lignocellulosic plant biomass, mainly cellulose. However, because cellulose is embedded in a matrix of other polysaccharides and lignin, its hydrolysis into the fermentable glucose is hampered. The senesced inflorescence stems of a set of 20 Arabidopsis thaliana mutants in 10 different genes of the lignin biosynthetic pathway were analyzed for cell wall composition and saccharification yield. Saccharification models were built to elucidate which cell wall parameters played a role in cell wall recalcitrance. RESULTS: Although lignin is a key polymer providing the strength necessary for the plant's ability to grow upward, a reduction in lignin content down to 64% of the wild-type level in Arabidopsis was tolerated without any obvious growth penalty. In contrast to common perception, we found that a reduction in lignin was not compensated for by an increase in cellulose, but rather by an increase in matrix polysaccharides. In most lignin mutants, the saccharification yield was improved by up to 88% cellulose conversion for the cinnamoyl-coenzyme A reductase1 mutants under pretreatment conditions, whereas the wild-type cellulose conversion only reached 18%. The saccharification models and Pearson correlation matrix revealed that the lignin content was the main factor determining the saccharification yield. However, also lignin composition, matrix polysaccharide content and composition, and, especially, the xylose, galactose, and arabinose contents influenced the saccharification yield. Strikingly, cellulose content did not significantly affect saccharification yield. CONCLUSIONS: Although the lignin content had the main effect on saccharification, also other cell wall factors could be engineered to potentially increase the cell wall processability, such as the galactose content. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the effect of lignin perturbations on plant cell wall composition and its influence on saccharification yield, and provide new potential targets for genetic improvement.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are