Semigroup Closures of Finite Rank Symmetric Inverse Semigroups

We introduce the notion of semigroup with a tight ideal series and investigate their closures in semitopological semigroups, particularly inverse semigroups with continuous inversion. As a corollary we show that the symmetric inverse semigroup of finite transformations $\mathscr{I}_\lambda^n$ of the rank $\leqslant n$ is algebraically closed in the class of (semi)topological inverse semigroups with continuous inversion. We also derive related results about the nonexistence of (partial) compactifications of classes of semigroups that we consider.Comment: With the participation of the new coauthor - Jimmie Lawson - the manuscript has been substantially revised and expanded. Accordingly, we have also changed the manuscript titl

The Physiology and Proteomics of Drought Tolerance in Maize: Early Stomatal Closure as a Cause of Lower Tolerance to Short-Term Dehydration?

Understanding the response of a crop to drought is the first step in the breeding of tolerant genotypes. In our study, two maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes with contrasting sensitivity to dehydration were subjected to moderate drought conditions. The subsequent analysis of their physiological parameters revealed a decreased stomatal conductance accompanied by a slighter decrease in the relative water content in the sensitive genotype. In contrast, the tolerant genotype maintained open stomata and active photosynthesis, even under dehydration conditions. Drought-induced changes in the leaf proteome were analyzed by two independent approaches, 2D gel electrophoresis and iTRAQ analysis, which provided compatible but only partially overlapping results. Drought caused the up-regulation of protective and stress-related proteins (mainly chaperones and dehydrins) in both genotypes. The differences in the levels of various detoxification proteins corresponded well with the observed changes in the activities of antioxidant enzymes. The number and levels of up-regulated protective proteins were generally lower in the sensitive genotype, implying a reduced level of proteosynthesis, which was also indicated by specific changes in the components of the translation machinery. Based on these results, we propose that the hypersensitive early stomatal closure in the sensitive genotype leads to the inhibition of photosynthesis and, subsequently, to a less efficient synthesis of the protective/detoxification proteins that are associated with drought tolerance

Nanopositioning with detection of a standing wave

A measuring technique is intended for displacement and position sensing over a limited range with detection of standing-wave pattern inside of a passive Fabry-Perot cavity. In this concept we consider locking of the laser optical frequency and the length of the Fabry-Perot cavity in resonance. Fixing the length of the cavity to e.g. a highly stable mechanical reference allows stabilizing wavelength of the laser in air and thus to eliminate especially the faster fluctuations of refractive index of air due to air flow and inhomogeneity. Detection of the interference maxima and minima within the Fabry-Perot cavity along the beam axis has been tested and proven with a low loss transparent photodetector with very low reflectivity. The transparent photodetector is based on a thin polycrystalline silicon layer. Reduction of losses was achieved thanks to a design as an optimized set of interference layers acting as an antireflection coating. The principle is demonstrated on an experimental setup

Characterization of Aerosol Generated by Laser Ablation for Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy.

Laser ablation (LA), together with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) as a detection system, has become a routine method for the direct analysis of various solid samples. The product of laser ablation contains a mixture of vapour, droplets and solid particles. All components are finally transported to a plasma by a carrier gas in form of dry aerosol that includes mainly agglomerates of primary nanoparticles. Dry aerosol can be studied by different offline or online techniques. In general, characterisation of aerosols by their particle size distribution (PSD) represents indispensable tool for fundamental studies of the interaction of laser radiation with various materials. Many works have studied PSD of dry aerosol for different samples, and different ablation conditions (Hola et al., 2010).The laser ablation was performed with nanosecond laser (193 nm) on glass and steel samples using various ablation conditions (spot size, ablation mode, repetition rate, fluence). The aerosol characterization was made first by online PSD monitoring using Engine Exhaust Particle Sizer (EEPS) simultaneously with laser ablation - ICP-MS analysis. Second, the structure of the laser-generated particles was studied off-line using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM)

Properties of Aerosol, Produced by Laser Ablation of Standard Materials for ICP-MS Analysis.

Laser ablation (LA), together with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) as a detection system, has become a routine method for the direct analysis of various solid samples. The product of laser ablation contains a mixture of vapour, droplets and solid particles. All components are finally transported to a plasma by a carrier gas as a dry aerosol including mainly agglomerates of primary nanoparticles. In general, characterisation of aerosols by their particle size distribution (PSD) represents indispensable tool for fundamental studies of the interaction of laser radiation with various materials. The particle size distribution of dry aerosol originating from laser ablation of standard material was monitored by two aerosol spectrometers – Fast Mobility Particle Sizer (EEPS) and Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) simultaneously with laser ablation - ICP-MS analysis.\

Efficient biolistic transformation of the moss Physcomitrella patens

High rates of homologous recombination (HR) in comparison to other plants make the moss Physcomitrella patens an attractive model organism for genetic studies as well as biotechnological applications. We describe a simple protocol for the efficient biolistic transformation of protonemal tissue with minimum tissue handling steps. The transformation efficiency depends on the biolistic conditions. The bombardment of tissue with 1 μm gold particles yielded between 20 and 40 stable transformants per 1 μg of DNA. Transformation with circular plasmids generates higher frequencies of random transgene integration, whereas linear plasmids are more efficient in generating gene-targeted insertions

The effects of brassinosteroids on photosynthetic parameters in leaves of two field-grown maize inbred lines and their F1 hybrid

The effect of foliar spray with 10-12 M aqueous solutions of 24-epibrassinolide or a synthetic androstane analogue of castasterone on the activity of photosystem (PS) 1, the Hill reaction activity, the content of photosynthetic pigments and the specific leaf mass was examined for three different leaves developed after brassinosteroid (BR) treatment in two inbred lines of field-grown maize and their F1 hybrid. The brassinosteroids significantly affected neither the efficiency of photosynthetic electron transport, nor the content of chlorophylls or carotenoids