Negative phenotypic and genetic associations between copulation duration and longevity in male seed beetles

Reproduction can be costly and is predicted to trade-off against other characters. However, while these trade-offs are well documented for females, there has been less focus on aspects of male reproduction. Furthermore, those studies that have looked at males typically only investigate phenotypic associations, with the underlying genetics often ignored. Here, we report on phenotypic and genetic trade-offs in male reproductive effort in the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus. We find that the duration of a male's first copulation is negatively associated with subsequent male survival, phenotypically and genetically. Our results are consistent with life-history theory and suggest that like females, males trade-off reproductive effort against longevity

Imaging of morphological and biochemical hallmarks of apoptosis with optimized optogenetic tools

Creation of optogenetic switches for specific activation of cell death pathways can provide insights into apoptosis and could also form a basis for noninvasive, next-generation therapeutic strategies. Previous work has demonstrated that cryptochrome 2 (Cry2)/cryptochrome-interacting β helix–loop–helix (CIB), a blue light–activated protein–protein dimerization module from the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, together with BCL2-associated X apoptosis regulator (BAX), an outer mitochondrial membrane–targeting pro-apoptotic protein, can be used for light-mediated initiation of mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) and downstream apoptosis. In this work, we further developed the original light-activated Cry2-BAX system (hereafter referred to as OptoBAX) by improving the photophysical properties and light-independent interactions of this optogenetic switch. The resulting optogenetic constructs significantly reduced the frequency of light exposure required for membrane permeabilization activation and also decreased dark-state cytotoxicity. We used OptoBAX in a series of experiments in Neuro-2a and HEK293T cells to measure the timing of the dramatic morphological and biochemical changes occurring in cells after light-induced MOMP. In these experiments, we used OptoBAX in tandem with fluorescent reporters to image key events in early apoptosis, including membrane inversion, caspase cleavage, and actin redistribution. We then used these data to construct a timeline of biochemical and morphological events in early apoptosis, demonstrating a direct link between MOMP-induced redistribution of actin and apoptosis progression. In summary, we created a next-generation Cry2/CIB–BAX system requiring less frequent light stimulation and established a timeline of critical apoptotic events, providing detailed insights into key steps in early apoptosis.ECU Open Access Publishing Support Fun

An Object-Oriented Graphical Editor for Distributed Application Development

: The increasing use of distributed computer systems leads to an increasing need for distributed applications. Their development in various domains like office automation or computer integrated manufacturing is not sufficiently supported by current techniques. New software engineering concepts are needed in the three areas `languages', `tools', and `environments'. We believe that objectoriented techniques and graphics support are key approaches to major achievements in all three areas. As a consequence, we developed a universal objectoriented graphical editor ODE as one of our basic tools (tool building tool). ODE is based on the object-oriented paradigm, with some important extensions like built-in object relations. It has an extensible functional language which allows for customization of the editor. ODE was developed as part of DOCASE, a software production environment for distributed applications. The basic ideas of DOCASE will be presented and the requirements for ODE will be poin..

Higher energy electronic transitions of HC2n+1H+ (n=2–7) and HC2n+1H (n=4–7) in neon matrices

Electronic absorption spectra of linear HC2n+1H+ (n=2–7) were recorded in 6 K neon matrices following their mass-selective deposition. Four new electronic band systems are identified; the strongest ˜E Π2g/u←˜X Π2u/g lies in the UV and the second most intense ˜C Π2g/u←˜X Π2u/g is located in the visible range. The known ˜A Π2g/u←˜X Π2u/g absorption is an order of magnitude weaker than ˜C Π2g/u←˜X Π2u/g. Transitions to the ˜B and ˜D states are also discussed. The wavelengths of the HC2n+1H+ (n=2–7) electronic systems obey a linear relation as a function of the size of the cations, similar to other carbon chains. The ˜B Σu−3←˜X Σg−3 transition in the UV of neutral HC2n+1H (n=4–7) has also been identified upon photobleaching of the cations trapped in the matrices

Enhancing Classroom Lectures with Digital Sliding Blackboards

Traditional blackboard-based lectures provide context on the sliding blackboards. Modern lectures incorporating video projectors typically do not provide this context. We describe a project that combines both approaches to provide context for "modern" lectures. We also discuss the benefits for educators and students. The software is su#ciently versatile to incorporate practically any software for content display