Acer platanoides L.

https://thekeep.eiu.edu/herbarium_specimens_byname/7945/thumbnail.jp

What You Are Depends on Where You're Standing: How Expanding Refugee Protections to the Internally Displaced through the Refugee Act of 1980 Violates International Law

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Conservation of the glucan phosphatase laforin is linked to rates of molecular evolution and the glucan metabolism of the organism

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lafora disease (LD) is a fatal autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease. A hallmark of LD is cytoplasmic accumulation of insoluble glucans, called Lafora bodies (LBs). Mutations in the gene encoding the phosphatase laforin account for ~50% of LD cases, and this gene is conserved in all vertebrates. We recently demonstrated that laforin is the founding member of a unique class of phosphatases that dephosphorylate glucans.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Herein, we identify laforin orthologs in a protist and two invertebrate genomes, and report that laforin is absent in the vast majority of protozoan genomes and it is lacking in all other invertebrate genomes sequenced to date. We biochemically characterized recombinant proteins from the sea anemone <it>Nematostella vectensis </it>and the amphioxus <it>Branchiostoma floridae </it>to demonstrate that they are laforin orthologs. We demonstrate that the laforin gene has a unique evolutionary lineage; it is conserved in all vertebrates, a subclass of protists that metabolize insoluble glucans resembling LBs, and two invertebrates. We analyzed the intron-exon boundaries of the laforin genes in each organism and determine, based on recently published reports describing rates of molecular evolution in <it>Branchiostoma </it>and <it>Nematostella</it>, that the conservation of laforin is linked to the molecular rate of evolution and the glucan metabolism of an organism.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results alter the existing view of glucan phosphorylation/dephosphorylation and strongly suggest that glucan phosphorylation is a multi-Kingdom regulatory mechanism, encompassing at least some invertebrates. These results establish boundaries concerning which organisms contain laforin. Laforin is conserved in all vertebrates, it has been lost in the vast majority of lower organisms, and yet it is an ancient gene that is conserved in a subset of protists and invertebrates that have undergone slower rates of molecular evolution and/or metabolize a carbohydrate similar to LBs. Thus, the laforin gene holds a unique place in evolutionary biology and has yielded insights into glucan metabolism and the molecular etiology of Lafora disease.</p

Seascape ecology in Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows: Linking structure and ecological processes for management

Seagrass meadows constitute marine habitats in shallow water temperate and tropical coastal areas worldwide that have a high ecological and economic importance. Amongst the 60 or so seagrass species, the endemic Mediterranean species Posidonia oceanica forms meadows that are arguably the most important shallow water coastal habitat in the region but which are subjected to high anthropogenic pressures. Because of the relatively large size of the plant, the meadows formed by this seagrass have high architectural and morphological complexity, which results in different morphotypes or seascapes. While numerous studies of P. oceanica architectural characteristics for continuous meadows of the seagrass are available, few works have addressed seascape ecological features and the influence of environmental factors (natural and anthropogenic) thereon. In the present review, we give an overview of P. oceanica meadow architectural and morphological characteristics and how these contribute to Mediterranean landscapes and seascapes. Studies addressing the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors on morphometric features of different meadow types and landscape ecological characteristics of P. oceanica habitat are also reviewed, as well as their influence on ecosystem processes. Finally, by considering the available data and tools for seascape studies, we present a discussion on methods to assess seagrass seascapes within the framework of coastal management. Our review highlights several gaps in P. oceanica seascape ecology knowledge such as the lack of data on the spatial distribution of this engineer species, and the possibility to use modern techniques and procedures for analysing structural and ecosystemic data

Green luxury student housing : a real estate feasibility study

Thesis (S.M. in Real Estate Development)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2007.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-74).The primary purpose of this thesis is to estimate the demand for student housing that focuses on upperclass undergraduate and graduate students who typically shy away from dormitory housing. The initial chapters provide a brief introduction to conventional student housing, explain why the market is growing, review the growing sustainability trend and introduce the idea of green luxury student housing. Chicago serves as the test market where more than forty universities currently operate. Methods for financing, demand drivers, and overall feasibility are discussed for relevance to the market. Two examples of recently built student housing projects in Chicago and Boston are reviewed for current trends and components to their success. Research conducted includes interviews with student housing developers, a student housing consultant, academic staff and other project participants. Site visits, available online data and reviews of project documentation supplement this research. The thesis concludes with the expected demand believed to support the newly defined market niche and its potential feasibility.by Matthew E. Pace.S.M.in Real Estate Developmen

Litter as a source of habitat islands on deepwater muddy bottoms

Certain types of marine litter, usually considered as pollutants, may also be a resource, serving as artificial reefs on sedimentary bottoms. In order to study this aspect, marine debris was collected by bottom trawl from muddy bottoms (depths of 45-700m) in the waters around the Maltese islands, during July 2005. The associated fauna was identified and quantified. Litter was found to support a higher abundance of organisms than the surrounding sediment, but a lower species richness. However, the suite of epifaunal species on the debris was different from the infauna of the surrounding substratum. Thus litter was found to increase the overall biodiversity of particular areas.peer-reviewe

Undergraduate Research Journal, Volume 14

Table of Contents: The Myth of Chechen Radical Islam / by Jonathan Parker (p.1-8) -- Genre and the Perception of Massacre... / by Lauren Ferguson (p.9-18) -- Sentinel of Liberty: Captain America on the Home Front in WWII / by Carolyn McNamara (p.19-34) -- Embracing Myth in Mrs. Dalloway / by Aza Pace (p.35-48) -- Cannibalism and Witchcraft in The Tempest / by Kenneth F. Harlock (p.49-62) -- Evolutionary Game Models of Optimal Nuclear Weapons Strategies / by Christina Kent (p.63-82) -- Optimization for a Bio-Impedance Measurement System / by Matthew Normayle (p.83-94)Senate of College Council

Independent origins of Spiranthes ×kapnosperia (Orchidaceae) and their nomenclatural implications

Spiranthes Rich. (Orchidaceae) is a commonly encountered but systematically and nomenclaturally challenging component of the North American orchid flora. Here, the evolutionary history and hybrid origin of the recently described S. sheviakii Hough and Young are critically examined. The available molecular data unambiguously support a hybrid origin of S. cernua (L.) Rich. × S. ochroleuca (Rydb.) Rydb. for S. sheviakii, the same parentage as the priority name S. × kapnosperia M.C. Pace. As hybrid formulas can have only one correct name, S. sheviakii is a synonym of S. × kapnosperia. It is likely that S. × kapnosperia evolved independently at least twice in at least two widely disjunct locations

Evaluation of the Induction of Immune Memory following Infant Immunisation with Serogroup C Neisseria meningitidis Conjugate Vaccines - Exploratory Analyses within a Randomised Controlled Trial

Aim: We measured meningococcal serogroup C (MenC)-specific memory B-cell responses in infants by Enzyme-Linked Immunospot (ELISpot) following different MenC conjugate vaccine schedules to investigate the impact of priming on immune memory. Methods: Infants aged 2 months were randomised to receive 1 or 2 doses of MenC-CRM197 at 3 or 3 and 4 months, 1 dose of MenC-TT at 3 months, or no primary MenC doses. All children received a Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)-MenC booster at 12 months. Blood was drawn at 5, 12, 12 months +6 days and 13 months of age. Results: Results were available for 110, 103, 76 and 44 children from each group respectively. Following primary immunisations, and prior to the 12-month booster, there were no significant differences between 1- or 2-dose primed children in the number of MenC memory B-cells detected. One month following the booster, children primed with 1 dose MenC-TT had more memory B-cells than children primed with either 1-dose (p = 0.001) or 2-dose (p<0.0001) MenC-CRM197. There were no differences in MenC memory B-cells detected in children who received 1 or 2 doses of MenC-CRM197 in infancy and un-primed children. Conclusions: MenC-specific memory B-cell production may be more dependent on the type of primary vaccine used than the number of doses administered. Although the mechanistic differences between MenC-CRM197 and MenC-TT priming are unclear, it is possible that structural differences, including the carrier proteins, may underlie differential interactions with B- and T-cell populations, and thus different effects on various memory B-cell subsets. A MenC-TT/Hib-MenC-TT combination for priming/boosting may offer an advantage in inducing more persistent antibody.peer-reviewe