Crystallography Embracing Conformational Flexibility in Proteins

AbstractAlcohol cosolvents in conjunction with protein crosslinking can be used to stabilize functionally important structures in a signal transduction molecule

Revision of the Megaselia giraudii and M. densior species complexes of Europe, including ecological notes (Diptera, Phoridae).

Die Megaselia giraudii/densior-Artengruppe umfaßt 21 beschriebene Arten in Europa. Acht Arten werden neu beschrieben: M. citrinella Buck sp. n., M. glabrimargo Buck sp. n., M. hexanophila Buck sp. n., M. immodensior Disney sp. n. (= M. densior auctt., nec Schmitz), M. labellaspinata Disney sp. n. (= M. septentrionalis auctt., nec Schmitz), M. mimodensior Buck sp. n., M. raruvesiculae Disney sp. n. und M. xanthophila Buck sp. n. Megaselia phoenicura (Schmitz), M. badia Schmitz und M. hayleyensis Disney (alle allein von Männchen beschrieben) werden synonymisiert mit M. quadriseta (Schmitz) (bisher nur bekannt im weiblichen Geschlecht). Viele Individuen, die früher für M. badia gehalten wurden, gehören tatsächlich zu M. densior Schmitz, und M. coulsoni Disney wird mit letzterer synonymisiert. Lectotypen werden festgelegt für M. albicans (Wood), M. densior, M. offuscata Schmitz, M. phoenicura und M. quadriseta, sowie ein Neotyp für M. comosa (Schmitz). Die Männchen von M. rubricornis (Schmitz) und Weibchen von M. correlata (Schmitz), M. haraldlundi Disney und M. parnassia Disney werden erstmals beschrieben. Das mutmaßliche Männchen von M. sanguinea (Schmitz) und wahrscheinliche Weibchen von M. albicans werden ebenfalls zum ersten Mal beschrieben. Die Identität anderer Arten wird aufgeklärt inklusive vier Arten, die nicht zum giraudii/ densior-Komplex gehören (M. nigrescens (Wood), M. opacicornis Schmitz, M. rubida (Schmitz) und M. ustulata (Schmitz)). Ein revidierter Bestimmungsschlüssel für Männchen und ein neuer Schlüssel für Weibchen werden vorgestellt. Dabei wird neuen taxonomischen Merkmalen wie den subkutikularen Sensillen innerhalb des dritten Fühlersegments sowie der Morphologie des weiblichen Ovipositors bzw. Vaginalsklerite besondere Beachtung geschenkt. Für die meisten Arten werden außerdem Informationen zur Biologie mitgeliefert (Brutsubstrate der Larven, Köder-, Farb- und Biotoppräferenzen der Imagines).StichwörterDiptera, Phoridae, Megaselia, taxonomy, rearing, saprophages, bait trap, Europe.Nomenklatorische Handlungencomosa Santos Abréu, 1921 (Aphiochaeta), Neotype; syn. n. of Megaselia giraudii (Egger, 1862)phoenicura Schmitz, 1926 (Aphiochaeta), Lectotype; syn. n. of Megaselia quadriseta (Schmitz, 1918)albicans Wood, 1908 (Megaselia), Lectotype described as Phora albicansbadia Schmitz, 1938 (Megaselia), syn. n. of Megaselia quadriseta (Schmitz, 1918)bayleyensis Disney, 1987 (Megaselia), syn. n. of Megaselia quadriseta (Schmitz, 1918)citrinella Buck, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.coulsoni Disney, 1987 (Megaselia), syn. n. of Megaselia densior Schmitz, 1927densior Schmitz, 1926 (Megaselia), Lectotypeglabrimargo Buck, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.hexanophila Buck, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.immodensior Disney, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.labellaspinata Disney, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.mimodensior Buck, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.offuscata (Schmitz, 1921) (Megaselia), Lectotype described as Phiochaeta offuscataquadriseta (Schmitz, 1918) (Megaselia), Lectotype described as Aphiochaeta lutea var. quadrisetararuvesiculae Disney, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.xanthophila Buck, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.rata Collin in Wood, 1908 (Phora), Lectotype now a synonym of Megaselia giraudii (Egger, 1862)The Megaselia giraudii and M. densior species groups are revised to include a total of twenty-one described European species. Eight species are new to science: M. citrinella Buck sp. n., M. glabrimargo Buck sp. n., M. hexanophila Buck sp. n., M. immodensior Disney sp. n. (= M. densior auctt., nec Schmitz), M. labellaspinata Disney sp. n. (= M. septentrionalis auctt., nec Schmitz), M. mimodensior Buck sp. n., M. raruvesiculae Disney sp. n., and M. xanthophila Buck sp. n.. Megaselia phoenicura (Schmitz), M. badia Schmitz and M. hayleyensis Disney (all described from males only) are synonymised with M. quadriseta (Schmitz) (previously only known in the female sex). Many specimens previously assigned to M. badia are recognised as being M. densior Schmitz, and M. coulsoni Disney is synonymised with this species. Lectotypes are designated for M. albicans (Wood), M. densior, M. offuscata Schmitz, M. phoenicura and M. quadriseta, and a neotype is designated for M. comosa (Schmitz). The males of M. rubricornis (Schmitz) and females of M. correlata (Schmitz), M. haraldlundi Disney and M. parnassia Disney are described for the first time. The putative male of M. sanguinea (Schmitz) and the putative female of M. albicans are also described for the first time. The recognition of other species is clarified including four species that do not belong to the giraudii/densior complex (M. nigrescens (Wood), M. opacicornis Schmitz, M. rubida (Schmitz), and M. ustulata (Schmitz)). A revised key to males and a new key to females is provided, utilising the novel taxonomic character of the subcuticular sensilla inside the third antennal segment, and giving special attention to the morphology of the female ovipositor and vaginal sclerite. Biological data (breeding substrates of larvae, bait, colour and habitat preference of adults) are reported for most species.KeywordsDiptera, Phoridae, Megaselia, taxonomy, rearing, saprophages, bait trap, Europe.Nomenclatural Actscomosa Santos Abréu, 1921 (Aphiochaeta), Neotype; syn. n. of Megaselia giraudii (Egger, 1862)phoenicura Schmitz, 1926 (Aphiochaeta), Lectotype; syn. n. of Megaselia quadriseta (Schmitz, 1918)albicans Wood, 1908 (Megaselia), Lectotype described as Phora albicansbadia Schmitz, 1938 (Megaselia), syn. n. of Megaselia quadriseta (Schmitz, 1918)bayleyensis Disney, 1987 (Megaselia), syn. n. of Megaselia quadriseta (Schmitz, 1918)citrinella Buck, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.coulsoni Disney, 1987 (Megaselia), syn. n. of Megaselia densior Schmitz, 1927densior Schmitz, 1926 (Megaselia), Lectotypeglabrimargo Buck, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.hexanophila Buck, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.immodensior Disney, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.labellaspinata Disney, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.mimodensior Buck, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.offuscata (Schmitz, 1921) (Megaselia), Lectotype described as Phiochaeta offuscataquadriseta (Schmitz, 1918) (Megaselia), Lectotype described as Aphiochaeta lutea var. quadrisetararuvesiculae Disney, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.xanthophila Buck, 2001 (Megaselia), spec. n.rata Collin in Wood, 1908 (Phora), Lectotype now a synonym of Megaselia giraudii (Egger, 1862

Unraveling the Nagoya Protocol

The Nagoya Protocol is an unprecedented international environmental agreement that equally addresses development, distributive justice, and environmental sustainability. With a balanced view of the various possible interpretations of the Protocol provisions, in light of different national and regional perspectives, and a systematic highlighting of its legal innovations, Unraveling the Nagoya Protocol: A Commentary on the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing to the Convention on Biological Diversity will serve as a seminal work for all those interested in the environment, human rights, economics and both legal and scientific innovations. Readership: Academics and practitioners interested in international environmental law, biodiversity, human rights and sustainable development

Faltungs- und Interpolations-Analog/Digitalumsetzer mit verteiltem Quantisierer

Die Verfügbarkeit kommerzieller Analog/Digital-Umsetzer (A/D-Umsetzer), die für Radaranwendungen geeignet sind, ist eingeschränkt, da Radaranwendungen nationalstaatliche Interessen betreffen. Eine Möglichkeit, diese Einschränkung zu umgehen, liegt in der Entwicklung eines eigenen A/D-Umsetzers. Diese Arbeit präsentiert die Entwicklung und Charakterisierung eines A/D-Umsetzers laut einer vorgegebenen Spezifikation. Nachdem in Kapitel 1 die grundlegenden Eigenschaften eines A/D-Umsetzers erklärt wurden, wird das Prinzip der Faltung und Interpolation (F/I) eingeführt. Danach wird die Spezifikation anhand eines Vergleichs mit veröffentlichten F/I-A/D-Umsetzern diskutiert. Der Vergleich dient als Grundlage für Entscheidungen, die hinsichtlich der Architektur getroffen werden müssen. Kapitel 2 konzentriert sich auf die Systemebene. Es beschäftigt sich mit Zusammenhängen zwischen erreichbarer Linearität und Auflösung des A/D-Umsetzers einerseits und Schaltungstopologien, deren Dimensionierung und physikalischen Effekten andererseits. Das Hauptkapitel besteht aus der eingehenden Untersuchung des implementierten A/D-Umsetzers. Hierzu wird jeder analoge Block auf Schaltplanebene erklärt. Alternative Schaltungstopologien werden diskutiert, sodass getroffene Entscheidungen nachvollzogen werden können. Wegen der Eigenart des Quantisierungsprozesses wird ein spezieller Auswertungsalgorithmus entwickelt, der die Anforderungen an die Schnittstelle zwischen Analog- und Digitalteil relaxiert. Die logischen Funktionen des Algorithmus werden auf Schaltplanebene transferiert, um den Digitalteil zu erhalten. Chip-interne Maßnahmen zur einfacheren Charakterisierung des A/D-Umsetzers werden erklärt, gefolgt von der Beschreibung der Platine zur Auswertung und dem Messaufbau. Der erste Teil des Kapitels 5 beschreibt die Simulationsbedingungen und untersucht per Simulation Störeinflüsse, die Auswirkungen auf die Kenndaten des A/D-Umsetzers haben. Der zweite Teil besteht aus diversen Messreihen. Abschließend werden Simulations- und Messergebnisse verglichen, gefolgt von einem Vergleich der erzielten Ergebnisse mit dem Stand der Technik. Eine abschließende Zusammenfassung hebt die hervorragenden Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit noch einmal hervor

Enabling European industry to invest into a climate-neutral future before 2030

ENABLING EUROPEAN INDUSTRY TO INVEST INTO A CLIMATE-NEUTRAL FUTURE BEFORE 2030 Enabling European industry to invest into a climate-neutral future before 2030 / Sartor, Oliver (Rights reserved) ( -

Exploring environmental intra-species diversity through non-redundant pangenome assemblies

At the genome level, microorganisms are highly adaptable both in terms of allele and gene composition. Such heritable traits emerge in response to different environmental niches and can have a profound influence on microbial community dynamics. As a consequence, any individual genome or population will contain merely a fraction of the total genetic diversity of any operationally defined "species", whose ecological potential can thus be only fully understood by studying all of their genomes and the genes therein. This concept, known as the pangenome, is valuable for studying microbial ecology and evolution, as it partitions genomes into core (present in all the genomes from a species, and responsible for housekeeping and species-level niche adaptation among others) and accessory regions (present only in some, and responsible for intra-species differentiation). Here we present SuperPang, an algorithm producing pangenome assemblies from a set of input genomes of varying quality, including metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). SuperPang runs in linear time and its results are complete, non-redundant, preserve gene ordering and contain both coding and non-coding regions. Our approach provides a modular view of the pangenome, identifying operons and genomic islands, and allowing to track their prevalence in different populations. We illustrate this by analysing intra-species diversity in Polynucleobacter, a bacterial genus ubiquitous in freshwater ecosystems, characterized by their streamlined genomes and their ecological versatility. We show how SuperPang facilitates the simultaneous analysis of allelic and gene content variation under different environmental pressures, allowing us to study the drivers of microbial diversification at unprecedented resolution

Fatty acid composition of Turbatrix aceti and its use in feeding regimes of Coregonus maraena (Bloch, 1779): is it really a suitable alternative to Artemia nauplii?

By incorporating the free-swimming nematode Turbatrix aceti into early feeding regimes of the European whitefish Coregonus maraena, the suitability of this nematode species was investigated as an alternative to Artemia nauplii. During a 14-day feeding trial in a total of 25 aquaria each 1.7 L (each treatment n = 5, 255 larvae/tank) T. aceti was used either as the sole live food or in combination with Artemia nauplii or microdiet to determine the effect of T. aceti on growth performance and survival rate of C. maraena. By analysing the fatty acid composition of T. aceti prior to and after enrichment with INVE spresso® it was investigated whether the amount of n3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (n3-PUFA) in T. aceti could be further enhanced. Supplementation of Artemia nauplii with T. aceti increased growth significantly within the first 5 days of rearing in comparison to the non-supplemented food treatments (14.39 ± 0.15 mm compared to 13.44 ± 0.18 mm; mean ± SE). However, growth and survival of juvenile C. maraena on nematode-supplemented Artemia nauplii did not differ significantly from non-supplemented Artemia nauplii at the end of the 14-day rearing period (15.22 ± 0.15 mm compared to 14.86 ± 0.24 mm). All feeding treatments containing Artemia nauplii showed significantly higher growth and lower mortality at the end of the experiment in comparison to diets containing only the microdiet or T. aceti or a combination thereof. The overall low performance of T. aceti alone can most likely be explained by an insufficient capacity of C. maraena to digest this nematode species efficiently. Enrichment with INVE spresso® successfully increased the proportion of DHA in the T. aceti tissue. The results reveal that T. aceti cannot be considered a full alternative to Artemia nauplii, at least not in the rearing of C. maraena, but might be a useful vector of essential fatty acids within the early rearing period of this and potentially other fish species when provided as live food along with Artemia nauplii

Das Klimaschutz-Sofortprogramm

DAS KLIMASCHUTZ-SOFORTPROGRAMM Das Klimaschutz-Sofortprogramm / Aichinger, Wolfgang (Rights reserved) ( -