Computer aided synthesis: a game theoretic approach

In this invited contribution, we propose a comprehensive introduction to game theory applied in computer aided synthesis. In this context, we give some classical results on two-player zero-sum games and then on multi-player non zero-sum games. The simple case of one-player games is strongly related to automata theory on infinite words. All along the article, we focus on general approaches to solve the studied problems, and we provide several illustrative examples as well as intuitions on the proofs.Comment: Invitation contribution for conference "Developments in Language Theory" (DLT 2017

Effect of cadmium on cytosine hydroxymethylation in gastropod hepatopancreas

5-Hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is an important, yet poorly understood epigenetic DNA modification, especially in invertebrates. Aberrant genome-wide 5hmC levels have been associated with cadmium (Cd) exposure in humans, but such information is lacking for invertebrate bioindicators. Here, we aimed to determine whether this epigenetic mark is present in DNA of the hepatopancreas of the land snail Cantareus aspersus and is responsive to Cd exposure. Adult snails were reared under laboratory conditions and exposed to graded amounts of dietary cadmium for 14 days. Weight gain was used as a sublethal endpoint, whereas survival as a lethal endpoint. Our results are the first to provide evidence for the presence of 5hmC in DNA of terrestrial mollusks; 5hmC levels are generally low with the measured values falling below 0.03%. This is also the first study to investigate the interplay of Cd with DNA hydroxymethylation levels in a non-human animal study system. Cadmium retention in the hepatopancreas of C. aspersus increased from a dietary Cd dose of 1 milligram per kilogram dry weight (mg/kg d. wt). For the same treatment, we identified the only significant elevation in percentage of samples with detectable 5hmC levels despite the lack of significant mortalities and changes in weight gain among treatment groups. These findings indicate that 5hmC is an epigenetic mark that may be responsive to Cd exposure, thereby opening a new aspect to invertebrate environmental epigenetics

Elemental Composition of Natural Nanoparticles and Fine Colloids in European Forest Stream Waters and Their Role as Phosphorus Carriers

"This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Gottselig, N., W. Amelung, J. W. Kirchner, R. Bol, W. Eugster, S. J. Granger, C. Hernández-Crespo, et al. 2017. Elemental Composition of Natural Nanoparticles and Fine Colloids in European Forest Stream Waters and Their Role as Phosphorus Carriers. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 31 (10). American Geophysical Union (AGU): 1592 1607. doi:10.1002/2017gb005657, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GB005657. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving."[EN] Biogeochemical cycling of elements largely occurs in dissolved state, but many elements may also be bound to natural nanoparticles (NNP, 1-100 nm) and fine colloids (100-450 nm). We examined the hypothesis that the size and composition of stream water NNP and colloids vary systematically across Europe. To test this hypothesis, 96 stream water samples were simultaneously collected in 26 forested headwater catchments along two transects across Europe. Three size fractions (similar to 1-20 nm, >20-60 nm, and >60 nm) of NNP and fine colloids were identified with Field Flow Fractionation coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and an organic carbon detector. The results showed that NNP and fine colloids constituted between 2 +/- 5% (Si) and 53 +/- 21% (Fe; mean +/- SD) of total element concentrations, indicating a substantial contribution of particles to element transport in these European streams, especially for P and Fe. The particulate contents of Fe, Al, and organic C were correlated to their total element concentrations, but those of particulate Si, Mn, P, and Ca were not. The fine colloidal fractions >60 nm were dominated by clay minerals across all sites. The resulting element patterns of NNP <60 nm changed from North to South Europe from Fe-to Ca-dominated particles, along with associated changes in acidity, forest type, and dominant lithology.The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the following people in locating suitable sampling sites, contacting site operators, performing the sampling, and providing data: A. Avila Castells (Autonomous University of Barcelona), R. Batalla (University of Lleida), P. Blomkvist (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences), H. Bogena (Julich Research Center), A.K. Boulet (University of Aveiro), D. Estany (University of Lleida), F. Garnier (French National Institute of Agricultural Research), H.J. Hendricks-Franssen (Research Center Julich), L. JacksonBlake (James Hutton Institute, NIVA), T. Laurila (Finnish Meteorological Institute), A. Lindroth (Lund University), M.M. Monerris (Universitat Politecnica de Valencia), M. Ottosson Lofvenius (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences), I. Taberman (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences), F. Wendland (Research Center Julich), T. Zetterberg (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and The Swedish Environmental Research Institute, IVL) and further unnamed contributors. The Swedish Infrastructure for Ecosystem Science (SITES) and the Swedish Integrated Monitoring, the latter financed by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, and ICOS Sweden have supported sampling and provided data for the Swedish sites. J.J.K. gratefully acknowledges the support from CESAM (UID/AMB/50017/2013), funded by the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) with cofunding by FEDER through COMPETE. N.G. gratefully acknowledges all those who contributed to organizing and implementing the continental sampling. The raw data can be found at http://hdl.handle.net/2128/14937. This project was partly funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG KL2495/1-1).Gottselig, N.; Amelung, W.; Kirchner, J.; Bol, R.; Eugster, W.; Granger, S.; Hernández Crespo, C.... 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Subglacial discharge at tidewater glaciers revealed by seismic tremor

Subglacial discharge influences glacier basal motion and erodes and redeposits sediment. At tidewater glacier termini, discharge drives submarine terminus melting, affects fjord circulation, and is a central component of proglacial marine ecosystems.Subglacial discharge influences glacier basal motion and erodes and redeposits sediment. At tidewater glacier termini, discharge drives submarine terminus melting, affects fjord circulation, and is a central component of proglacial marine ecosystems. However, our present inability to track subglacial discharge and its variability significantly hinders our understanding of these processes. Here we report observations of hourly to seasonal variations in 1.5–10 Hz seismic tremor that strongly correlate with subglacial discharge but not with basal motion, weather, or discrete icequakes. Our data demonstrate that vigorous discharge occurs from tidewater glaciers during summer, in spite of fast basal motion that could limit the formation of subglacial conduits, and then abates during winter. Furthermore, tremor observations and a melt model demonstrate that drainage efficiency of tidewater glaciers evolves seasonally. Glaciohydraulic tremor provides a means by which to quantify subglacial discharge variations and offers a promising window into otherwise obscured glacierized environments.We thank the U.S. National Science Foundation for supporting data collection at Yahtse Glacier through grant EAR-0810313. T.C.B. was substantially supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics. J.M.A. was supported by Alaska NASA EPSCoR Program (NNX13AB28A). S.O. was supported by the U.S. Geological Survey Climate and Land Use Change Mission and the U.S. Department of Interior Alaska Climate Science Center. Seismic instrumentationwas provided by the PASSCAL polar program of the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS). Jamie Bradshaw and Marci Beitch assisted in the Mendenhall Glacier data collection effort. Two anonymous reviewers helped to improve the manuscript. Seismic data used in this study are archived at the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Data Management Center (IRIS DMC, http://www.iris.edu/dms/nodes/dmc/). Stream gaging data for the Mendenhall River and Nugget Creek are available though http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ak/nwis/dv/?site_no=15052500 and http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ak/nwis/dv/?site_no=15052495. Any additional data may be obtained from T.C.B. ([email protected]). Use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The Editor thanks Gordon Hamilton and an anonymous reviewer for their assistance in evaluating this paper.Ye

Gender differences in the use of cardiovascular interventions in HIV-positive persons; the D:A:D Study

Peer reviewe

Biology and biotechnology of Trichoderma

Fungi of the genus Trichoderma are soilborne, green-spored ascomycetes that can be found all over the world. They have been studied with respect to various characteristics and applications and are known as successful colonizers of their habitats, efficiently fighting their competitors. Once established, they launch their potent degradative machinery for decomposition of the often heterogeneous substrate at hand. Therefore, distribution and phylogeny, defense mechanisms, beneficial as well as deleterious interaction with hosts, enzyme production and secretion, sexual development, and response to environmental conditions such as nutrients and light have been studied in great detail with many species of this genus, thus rendering Trichoderma one of the best studied fungi with the genome of three species currently available. Efficient biocontrol strains of the genus are being developed as promising biological fungicides, and their weaponry for this function also includes secondary metabolites with potential applications as novel antibiotics. The cellulases produced by Trichoderma reesei, the biotechnological workhorse of the genus, are important industrial products, especially with respect to production of second generation biofuels from cellulosic waste. Genetic engineering not only led to significant improvements in industrial processes but also to intriguing insights into the biology of these fungi and is now complemented by the availability of a sexual cycle in T. reesei/Hypocrea jecorina, which significantly facilitates both industrial and basic research. This review aims to give a broad overview on the qualities and versatility of the best studied Trichoderma species and to highlight intriguing findings as well as promising applications

Lytic xylan oxidases from wood-decay fungi unlock biomass degradation

Wood biomass is the most abundant feedstock envisioned for the development of modern biorefineries. However, the cost-ef-fective conversion of this form of biomass into commodity products is limited by its resistance to enzymatic degradation. Here we describe a new family of fungal lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) prevalent among white-rot and brown-rot basidiomycetes that is active on xylans—a recalcitrant polysaccharide abundant in wood biomass. Two AA14 LPMO members from the white-rot fungus Pycnoporus coccineus substantially increase the efficiency of wood saccharification through oxida-tive cleavage of highly refractory xylan-coated cellulose fibers. The discovery of this unique enzyme activity advances our knowledge on the degradation of woody biomass in nature and offers an innovative solution for improving enzyme cocktails for biorefinery applications

Selecting teachers and prospective teachers : a meta-analysis

The purpose of this review article was to examine the methods used for the selection of teachers for employment and prospective teachers entering initial teacher education (ITE) programs, and to assess the predictive validity of these methods. We reviewed 32 studies reporting selection methods administered in high-stakes conditions and that included an external (not self-reported) teacher effectiveness outcome measure. The overall effect size was small but significant (r = 0.12, p <.001). Moderator analyses showed that academic and non-academic predictors were both significantly associated with teacher effectiveness measures and that effect sizes were small (but significant) for selection into employment and ITE. We conclude the review by proposing a research agenda that has the potential to enhance educational outcomes by improving the selection of prospective teachers