Moyo Vol. IX N 2

Million, Chris. Dirge For a Restroom, the Search For a Progressive Potty Rages on . 4. Fisher, Dan. The White Crow: Compassionate Activism in a Tibetan Community-in-Exile . 5. Barrett, Laura. Indie Films for Indie Spirit (Cinema is the Most Important Art) . 6. Levine, Robert. American interview. Making a Film About Making a Film: A Cozy Chat With Two Independent Filmmakers . 8. Hiller, Andy. Cameras and Cappuccinos . 9. Shuba, Jason J. Technology on Trial: Appreciating Modernity (Technology as Human Progress) . 12. Dunson, Jim. Technology on Trial: The Role of Choice (Can Progress be The Only Option?) . 13. Levine, Robert. Cash, Blood, and Coffee (Life as an NYC Film Intern) . 14. Durica, Paul. The Lost Crusade: Former Editor Muses on the Myth of True Love . 22. Hankinson, Tom. The Real Appeal of Cinema . 23

Crustins: enigmatic WAP domain-containing antibacterial proteins from crustaceans

Crustins are antibacterial proteins of ca. 7�14 kDa with a characteristic four-disulphide core-containing whey acidic protein (WAP) domain, expressed by the circulating haemocytes of crustaceans. Over 50 crustin sequences have been now reported from a variety of decapods, including crabs, lobsters, shrimp and crayfish. Three main types seem to occur but all possess a signal sequence at the amino terminus and a WAP domain at the carboxyl end. Differences between types lie in the structure of the central region. Those crustins purified as the native protein or expressed recombinantly all kill Gram-positive bacteria, and gene studies have shown that they are constitutively expressed, often at high levels, but show no consistent patterns of change in expression following injection ofbacteria. This variable response to infection is enigmatic but indicates that these proteins could perform additional functions, perhaps as immune regulators in recovery from wounding, trauma or physiological stress

Sterility and Gene Expression in Hybrid Males of Xenopus laevis and X. muelleri

BACKGROUND: Reproductive isolation is a defining characteristic of populations that represent unique biological species, yet we know very little about the gene expression basis for reproductive isolation. The advent of powerful molecular biology tools provides the ability to identify genes involved in reproductive isolation and focuses attention on the molecular mechanisms that separate biological species. Herein we quantify the sterility pattern of hybrid males in African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus) and apply microarray analysis of the expression pattern found in testes to identify genes that are misexpressed in hybrid males relative to their two parental species (Xenopus laevis and X. muelleri). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Phenotypic characteristics of spermatogenesis in sterile male hybrids (X. laevis x X. muelleri) were examined using a novel sperm assay that allowed quantification of live, dead, and undifferentiated sperm cells, the number of motile vs. immotile sperm, and sperm morphology. Hybrids exhibited a dramatically lower abundance of mature sperm relative to the parental species. Hybrid spermatozoa were larger in size and accompanied by numerous undifferentiated sperm cells. Microarray analysis of gene expression in testes was combined with a correction for sequence divergence derived from genomic hybridizations to identify candidate genes involved in the sterility phenotype. Analysis of the transcriptome revealed a striking asymmetric pattern of misexpression. There were only about 140 genes misexpressed in hybrids compared to X. laevis but nearly 4,000 genes misexpressed in hybrids compared to X. muelleri. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results provide an important correlation between phenotypic characteristics of sperm and gene expression in sterile hybrid males. The broad pattern of gene misexpression suggests intriguing mechanisms creating the dominance pattern of the X. laevis genome in hybrids. These findings significantly contribute to growing evidence for allelic dominance in hybrids and have implications for the mechanism of species differentiation at the transcriptome level

External walls of timber-framed single-family houses in the aspect of energy efficient civil engineering

W artykule scharakteryzowano budynki wykonane z drewna litego oraz o konstrukcji drewnianej. Przedstawiono technologie budowlane bazujące na elementach drewnianych z zastosowaniem nowoczesnych materiałów termoizolacyjnych, które pozwolą na uzyskanie budynków drewnianych o parametrach odpowiadających budynkom energooszczędnym i pasywnym. Analiza różnego typu konstrukcji wykazuje, że optymalnym wariantem drewnianego budynku energooszczędnego i pasywnego jest budynek o lekkiej drewnianej konstrukcji szkieletowej.In the paper there were characterized log buildings and skeletal wooden buildings. Presented building technologies are based on the wooden elements. We discussed the use of modern insulating materials in wooden buildings and presented technologies that allow to build wooden buildings with parameters for energy efficient and passive buildings. The analysis shows that the optimal variant for wooden energy efficient and passive building is construction based on a lightweight timber frame