Shake Table Tests of Infilled RC Frames with Different Column-to-infill Connections

Masonry infill walls are widely used as partitions in RC frames and usually considered as nonstructural elements in design. However, observations from the recent major earthquakes have shown that the structural interaction between columns and infill walls of RC frames under seismic excitation can significantly alter the structural behaviour, thus causing catastrophic consequences. This paper presents shake table tests on 1/3-scale RC frame specimens with infill wall under real earthquake excitation inputs, with the aim at verifying the effectiveness and applicability of proposed flexible connection details at column-to-infill interface. Taking into account of similitude requirements, the artificial mass simulation model has been utilised during specimen design process. The first frame specimen is fully infilled by masonry wall, while the second one is constructed by separating the infill panel from columns with two finite width vertical gaps. Columns and infill walls are connected by spaced mild steel bars, and the gaps between them are filled with polystyrene foam. The test results indicate that the proposed flexible column-infill connection details can effectively improve the seismic performance of masonry-infilled RC frame structures by reducing the undesirable interaction between columns and infill wall. In addition, the displacement ductility and energy dispassion capacity of the frame system can be considerably improved

Particularities and tools of counseling process in further professional education

Following bachelor's thesis is devoted to methodological aspects of the career counseling. It deals with the terminological discussion of counseling-related concepts and its areas of application in the context of adult education. The thesis is focused on a counseling process, structure, tools and specifics in career counseling. It provides an analysis of wide range of counseling tools from basic counseling techniques to specific digital and complex means. Practical implementation of the tools is illustrated with a case study within which two counseling programs for the long-term unemployed are compared. Keywords Counseling, guidance, counseling in further professional education, career guidance, counseling process, counseling tool

The Diversification of Plant NBS-LRR Defense Genes Directs the Evolution of MicroRNAs That Target Them.

High expression of plant nucleotide binding site leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) defense genes is often lethal to plant cells, a phenotype perhaps associated with fitness costs. Plants implement several mechanisms to control the transcript level of NBS-LRR defense genes. As negative transcriptional regulators, diverse miRNAs target NBS-LRRs in eudicots and gymnosperms. To understand the evolutionary benefits of this miRNA-NBS-LRR regulatory system, we investigated the NBS-LRRs of 70 land plants, coupling this analysis with extensive small RNA data. A tight association between the diversity of NBS-LRRs and miRNAs was found. The miRNAs typically target highly duplicated NBS-LRRs In comparison, families of heterogeneous NBS-LRRs were rarely targeted by miRNAs in Poaceae and Brassicaceae genomes. We observed that duplicated NBS-LRRs from different gene families periodically gave birth to new miRNAs. Most of these newly emerged miRNAs target the same conserved, encoded protein motif of NBS-LRRs, consistent with a model of convergent evolution for these miRNAs. By assessing the interactions between miRNAs and NBS-LRRs, we found nucleotide diversity in the wobble position of the codons in the target site drives the diversification of miRNAs. Taken together, we propose a co-evolutionary model of plant NBS-LRRs and miRNAs hypothesizing how plants balance the benefits and costs of NBS-LRR defense genes

An integrated map of <i>R</i> loci in Solanaceae.

<p><i>R</i> genes from different Solanaceae species were mapped onto the 12 chromosomes of tomato Heinz1706. <i>R</i> loci from tomato Heinz1706, potato DM1-3, pepper Zunla-1 and pepper Chiltepin are in green, blue, black and red, respectively.</p

The number of <i>R</i> genes and their distribution on different chromosomes of Solanaceae species.

<p>The number of <i>R</i> genes and their distribution on different chromosomes of Solanaceae species.</p

Distance tree of <i>BS2</i> homologs from Solanaceae species.

<p>Five clades can be found in the tree. Numbers on nodes are bootstrap values, and values <65 are not shown. Genes with name “<i>SL-</i>” are from tomato Heinz1706; genes with name “<i>DM-</i>” are from potato DM1-3; genes with name “<i>ZL-</i>” are from pepper Zunla-1; genes with name “<i>TN-</i>” are from tobacco TN90.</p

Multiple Genetic Processes Result in Heterogeneous Rates of Evolution within the Major Cluster Disease Resistance Genes in Lettuce

Resistance Gene Candidate2 (RGC2) genes belong to a large, highly duplicated family of nucleotide binding site–leucine rich repeat (NBS-LRR) encoding disease resistance genes located at a single locus in lettuce (Lactuca sativa). To investigate the genetic events occurring during the evolution of this locus, ∼1.5- to 2-kb 3′ fragments of 126 RGC2 genes from seven genotypes were sequenced from three species of Lactuca, and 107 additional RGC2 sequences were obtained from 40 wild accessions of Lactuca spp. The copy number of RGC2 genes varied from 12 to 32 per genome in the seven genotypes studied extensively. LRR number varied from 40 to 47; most of this variation had resulted from 13 events duplicating two to five LRRs because of unequal crossing-over within or between RGC2 genes at one of two recombination hot spots. Two types of RGC2 genes (Type I and Type II) were initially distinguished based on the pattern of sequence identities between their 3′ regions. The existence of two types of RGC2 genes was further supported by intron similarities, the frequency of sequence exchange, and their prevalence in natural populations. Type I genes are extensive chimeras caused by frequent sequence exchanges. Frequent sequence exchanges between Type I genes homogenized intron sequences, but not coding sequences, and obscured allelic/orthologous relationships. Sequencing of Type I genes from additional wild accessions confirmed the high frequency of sequence exchange and the presence of numerous chimeric RGC2 genes in nature. Unlike Type I genes, Type II genes exhibited infrequent sequence exchange between paralogous sequences. Type II genes from different genotype/species within the genus Lactuca showed obvious allelic/orthologous relationships. Trans-specific polymorphism was observed for different groups of orthologs, suggesting balancing selection. Unequal crossover, insertion/deletion, and point mutation events were distributed unequally through the gene. Different evolutionary forces have impacted different parts of the LRR

Evolution and Genetic Population Structure of Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca serriola) and Its RGC2 Resistance Gene Cluster

Genetic structure and diversity of natural populations of prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola) were studied using AFLP markers and then compared with the diversity of the RGC2 disease resistance gene cluster. Screening of 696 accessions from 41 populations using 319 AFLP markers showed that eastern Turkish and Armenian populations were the most diverse populations and might be located in the origin and center of diversity of L. serriola. Screening 709 accessions using the microsatellite MSATE6 that is located in the coding region of most RGC2 homologs detected 366 different haplotypes. Again, the eastern Turkish and Armenian populations had the highest diversities at the RGC2 cluster. The diversities at the RGC2 cluster in different populations were significantly correlated with their genomewide diversities. There was significant variation of copy number of RGC2 homologs in different populations, ranging from 12 to 22 copies per genome. The nucleotide diversities of two conserved lineages (type II) of RGC2 genes (K and L) were not correlated with diversities calculated using the MSATE6 or AFLP data. We hypothesize that the high genomewide diversity and diversity of the RGC2 cluster in eastern Turkish and Armenian populations resulted from high abiotic and biotic stresses in the regions of origin of L. serriola

Genome-Wide Analysis of NBS-LRR–Encoding Genes in Arabidopsis

The Arabidopsis genome contains ∼200 genes that encode proteins with similarity to the nucleotide binding site and other domains characteristic of plant resistance proteins. Through a reiterative process of sequence analysis and reannotation, we identified 149 NBS-LRR–encoding genes in the Arabidopsis (ecotype Columbia) genomic sequence. Fifty-six of these genes were corrected from earlier annotations. At least 12 are predicted to be pseudogenes. As described previously, two distinct groups of sequences were identified: those that encoded an N-terminal domain with Toll/Interleukin-1 Receptor homology (TIR-NBS-LRR, or TNL), and those that encoded an N-terminal coiled-coil motif (CC-NBS-LRR, or CNL). The encoded proteins are distinct from the 58 predicted adapter proteins in the previously described TIR-X, TIR-NBS, and CC-NBS groups. Classification based on protein domains, intron positions, sequence conservation, and genome distribution defined four subgroups of CNL proteins, eight subgroups of TNL proteins, and a pair of divergent NL proteins that lack a defined N-terminal motif. CNL proteins generally were encoded in single exons, although two subclasses were identified that contained introns in unique positions. TNL proteins were encoded in modular exons, with conserved intron positions separating distinct protein domains. Conserved motifs were identified in the LRRs of both CNL and TNL proteins. In contrast to CNL proteins, TNL proteins contained large and variable C-terminal domains. The extant distribution and diversity of the NBS-LRR sequences has been generated by extensive duplication and ectopic rearrangements that involved segmental duplications as well as microscale events. The observed diversity of these NBS-LRR proteins indicates the variety of recognition molecules available in an individual genotype to detect diverse biotic challenges