Is the Message from Athens Being Heard?

The comment discusses the eight key priorities in EU biodiversity policy, their reception and application in both the EU nature directives and Member StatesJRC.H.1-Water Resource

What resources are available to assist parents of hearing-impaired children to increase their children\u27s reading abilitites?

This paper discusses the importance of parental efforts in the reading achievement attained by their hearing impaired children and the need for those parents to have the appropriate tools and resources to effectively assist their children

Effects of zinc fertilization on yield and some quality parameters of maize grown in different level lime contained soil

Bu çalısmada farklı kireç seviyelerdeki çinko dozlarının mısır bitkisinde besin elementi içerikleri, bazı gelisme parametreleri ve antioksidatif enzim aktiviteleri üzerine etkileri arastırılmıstır. Kireç uygulaması ile bitki boyu, yaprak sayısı, kuru madde verimi, yaprak süperoksit dismutaz aktivitesi, klorofil ve protein çinko, kalsiyum ve magnezyum içerikleri artmıs, buna karsın fosfor, potasyum, demir, çinko ve bakır içerikleri düsmüstür. Çinko uygulaması ile ise bitki boyu, yaprak sayısı, kuru madde verimi, yaprak süperoksit dismutaz aktivitesi, klorofil, protein ve çinko içerikleri artmıs, buna karsın fosfor, potasyum, demir ve bakır içerikleri düsmüstür. Ayrıca yukarıda belirtilen parametreler ile Zn dozları arasındaki iliskiler matematiksel olarak belirlenmistir.In this study, effect of zinc doses on plant nutrient content, some growth parameters and antioxidative parameters in different level CaCO3 contained soil were investigated. Plant height, leaf number, dry mater, leaf superoxide dismutase enzyme activity, chlorophyll, protein, calcium and magnesium concentrations increased with CaCO3 application doses while phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinv and cupper contents decreased. Plant height, leaf number, dry mater, leaf superoxide dimutase activity, chlorophyll and zinc contents increased with Zn application doses while phosphorus, potassium, iron, and cupper contents decreased. Moreover, relationship between Zn application doses and parameters mentioned above was determined by mathematical functions

Behavioral effects of continuous theta-burst stimulation in macaque parietal cortex

The neural mechanisms underlying the effects of continuous Theta-Burst Stimulation (cTBS) in humans are poorly understood. Animal studies can clarify the effects of cTBS on individual neurons, but behavioral evidence is necessary to demonstrate the validity of the animal model. We investigated the behavioral effect of cTBS applied over parietal cortex in rhesus monkeys performing a visually-guided grasping task with two differently sized objects, which required either a power grip or a pad-to-side grip. We used Fitts’ law, predicting shorter grasping times (GT) for large compared to small objects, to investigate cTBS effects on two different grip types. cTBS induced long-lasting object-specific and dose-dependent changes in GT that remained present for up to two hours. High-intensity cTBS increased GTs for a power grip, but shortened GTs for a pad-to-side grip. Thus, high-intensity stimulation strongly reduced the natural GT difference between objects (i.e. the Fitts’ law effect). In contrast, low-intensity cTBS induced the opposite effects on GT. Modifying the coil orientation from the standard 45-degree to a 30-degree angle induced opposite cTBS effects on GT. These findings represent behavioral evidence for the validity of the nonhuman primate model to study the neural underpinnings of non-invasive brain stimulation.Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Vlaanderen, Odysseus (G.0007.12, G.0C51.13N)

Convergence, Constraint and the Role of Gene Expression During Adaptive Radiation: Floral Anthocyanins in Aquilegia

Convergent phenotypes are testament to the role of natural selection in evolution. However, little is known about whether convergence in phenotype extends to convergence at the molecular level. We use the independent losses of floral anthocyanins in columbines (Aquilegia) to determine the degree of molecular convergence in gene expression across the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway (ABP). Using a phylogeny of the North American Aquilegia clade, we inferred six independent losses of floral anthocyanins. Via semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we monitored developmental and tissue-specific variation in expression of the six major structural ABP loci in three Aquilegia species, two that produce anthocyanins (A+) and one that does not (A-). We then compared ABP expression in petals of old-bud and pre-anthesis flowers of 13 Aquilegia species, eight wild species and two horticultural lines representing seven independent A- lineages as well as three wild A+ species. We only found evidence of down-regulation of ABP loci in A- lineages and losses of expression were significantly more prevalent for genes late in the pathway. Independent contrast analysis indicates that changes in expression of dihydroflavonol reductase (DFR) and anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) are strongly phylogenetically correlated consistent with the multilocus targets of trans-regulatory elements in the ABP of other systems. Our findings strongly suggest that pleiotropy constrains the evolution of loss of floral anthocyanins to mutations affecting genes late in the ABP mostly through convergent changes in regulatory genes. These patterns support the hypothesis that rapid evolutionary change occurs largely through regulatory rather than structural mutations

Monomeric and dimeric forms of cholesterol esterase from Candida cylindracea Primary structure, identity in peptide patterns, and additional microheterogeneity

AbstractCholesterol esterase from Candida cylindracea was separated into two fractions, corresponding to a dimeric and a monomeric form. Fingerprint analysis after lysine cleavages shows identical patterns, suggesting lack of primary differences. Crystals obtained from the two proteins differ and suggest the possibility of an equilibrium between the two forms, influenced by the substrate cholesterol linoleate, which appears to stabilize the more active, dimeric form. All crystals have dimers as the asymmetric unit. The primary structure of the enzyme was determined at the peptide level and shows only one difference, Leu-350 instead of Ile, from a DNA-deduced amino acid sequence, and conservation of features typical for cholesterol esterases characterized