Polymorphism at a Sex-Linked Transcription Cofactor in European Tree Frogs ( Hyla arborea ): Sex-Antagonistic Selection or Neutral Processes?

Nascent sex chromosomes offer a unique opportunity to investigate the evolutionary fate of genes recently trapped in non-recombining segments. A house-keeping gene (MED15) was recently shown to lie on the nascent sex-chromosomes of the European tree frog (Hyla arborea), with different alleles fixed on the X and the Y chromosomes. Here we document a polymorphism (glutamine deletion) in the X copy of the gene, and use population surveys and experimental crosses to test whether this polymorphism is neutral or maintained by sex-antagonistic selection. Tadpoles from parents of known genotypes revealed significant discrepancies from Mendelian inheritance, suggesting possible sex-antagonistic effects under laboratory conditions. Quantitatively, however, these effects did not meet the conditions for polymorphism maintenance. Furthermore, field estimates of female genotypic frequencies did not differ from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and allelic frequencies on the X chromosome did not differ between sexes. In conclusion, although sex-antagonistic effects cannot be excluded given the laboratory conditions, the X-linked polymorphism under study appears neutral in the wild. Alternatively, sex-antagonistic selection might still account for the fixation of a male-specific allele on the Y chromosom

Zur Bedeutung von Normativität in den Bildungswissenschaften: Editorial

Das Editorial bietet einen Überblick über die Beiträge des vorliegenden Hefts. […] „Aufgrund der eingegangenen Artikel haben die Autoren einen Versuch der Klassifizierung unternommen und dabei folgende Normativitätsbezüge in der erziehungswissenschaftlichen Forschung ausmachen können: A. Orientierung an sozial anerkannten Werten und Normen und gegebenenfalls Überprüfung ihrer Berücksichtigung in der Praxis, B. Vorgabe von theoriegeleiteten bzw. evidenz-basierten Standards, Rahmenkonzepten oder Qualitätsmerkmalen, die für die Praxis handlungsleitenden Charakter haben, und schliesslich C. Überprüfung des Vorhandenseins wissenschaftlich anerkannter Normen, Standards oder Qualitätsmerkmale in der Praxis bzw. in der berufspraktischen Ausbildung. Selbstverständlich handelt es sich bei dieser Klassifizierung um ein Raster, das keine Allgemeingültigkeit beansprucht, sondern induktiv aus den vorliegenden Artikeln hergeleitet worden ist.“ (DIPF/Orig.

Nanoporous Ge thin film production combining Ge sputtering and dopant implantation

International audienceIn this work a novel process allowing for the production of nanoporous Ge thin films is presented. This process uses the combination of two techniques: Ge sputtering on SiO 2 and dopant ion implantation. The process entails four successive steps: (i) Ge sputtering on SiO 2 , (ii) implantation preannealing, (iii) high-dose dopant implantation, and (iv) implantation postannealing. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the morphology of the Ge film at different process steps under different postannealing conditions. For the same postannealing conditions, the Ge film topology was shown to be similar for different implantation doses and different dopants. However, the film topology can be controlled by adjusting the postannealing conditions

Improved Liquid Chromatographic Method for Determination of Carotenoids in Carrot

 Improved Liquid Chromatographic Method for Determination of Carotenoids in Carro

A chromosomally integrated bacteriophage in invasive meningococci

Cerebrospinal meningitis is a feared disease that can cause the death of a previously healthy individual within hours. Paradoxically, the causative agent, Neisseria meningitidis, is a common inhabitant of the human nasopharynx, and as such, may be considered a normal, commensal organism. Only in a small proportion of colonized people do the bacteria invade the bloodstream, from where they can cross the blood–brain barrier to cause meningitis. Furthermore, most meningococcal disease is caused by bacteria belonging to only a few of the phylogenetic groups among the large number that constitute the population structure of this genetically variable organism. However, the genetic basis for the differences in pathogenic potential remains elusive. By performing whole genome comparisons of a large collection of meningococcal isolates of defined pathogenic potential we brought to light a meningococcal prophage present in disease-causing bacteria. The phage, of the filamentous family, excises from the chromosome and is secreted from the bacteria via the type IV pilin secretin. Therefore, this element, by spreading among the population, may promote the development of new epidemic clones of N. meningitidis that are capable of breaking the normal commensal relationship with humans and causing invasive disease

Gemini Planet Imager Observational Calibrations VI: Photometric and Spectroscopic Calibration for the Integral Field Spectrograph

The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is a new facility instrument for the Gemini Observatory designed to provide direct detection and characterization of planets and debris disks around stars in the solar neighborhood. In addition to its extreme adaptive optics and corona graphic systems which give access to high angular resolution and high-contrast imaging capabilities, GPI contains an integral field spectrograph providing low resolution spectroscopy across five bands between 0.95 and 2.5 $\mu$m. This paper describes the sequence of processing steps required for the spectro-photometric calibration of GPI science data, and the necessary calibration files. Based on calibration observations of the white dwarf HD 8049B we estimate that the systematic error in spectra extracted from GPI observations is less than 5%. The flux ratio of the occulted star and fiducial satellite spots within coronagraphic GPI observations, required to estimate the magnitude difference between a target and any resolved companions, was measured in the $H$-band to be $\Delta m = 9.23\pm0.06$ in laboratory measurements and $\Delta m = 9.39\pm 0.11$ using on-sky observations. Laboratory measurements for the $Y$, $J$, $K1$ and $K2$ filters are also presented. The total throughput of GPI, Gemini South and the atmosphere of the Earth was also measured in each photometric passband, with a typical throughput in $H$-band of 18% in the non-coronagraphic mode, with some variation observed over the six-month period for which observations were available. We also report ongoing development and improvement of the data cube extraction algorithm.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures. Proceedings of the SPIE, 9147-30

Le Mas de Vignoles X (Nîmes, Gard) : un établissement de plein air du Néolithique ancien

National audienceSeveral emergency excavations recently brought to light an open air site, near Nîmes (South of France), which can be dated from the Early Neolithic. Called 'Mas de Vignole', this site consists on a well preserved soil, scattered with several categories of artefacts, and with stones and pebbles. The spatial analysis of all these objects makes it possible to propose the hypothetical restitution of at least about ten 'houses'. All artefacts, as well as radiocarbon datings, allot this village to the Early Epicardial, towards 5200-5000 BC cal.Plusieurs opérations d'archéologie préventive ont récemment permis la fouille d'un site de plein air du Néolithique ancien épicardial, sur la commune de Nîmes (Gard, France). Ce gisement du Mas de Vignole se caractérise par un sol d'habitat relativement bien conservé, parsemé de mobilier archéologique, de pierres et de galets. L'analyse spatiale de la dispersion de ces objets permet de proposer la restitution hypothétique d'un village d'au moins une dizaine de constructions. Tous les vestiges mobiliers ainsi que les datations radiocarbone attribuent cette occupation à l'Epicardial ancien, soit vers 5200-5000 avant notre ère

Nanoporous Ge thin film production combining Ge sputtering and dopant implantation

In this work a novel process allowing for the production of nanoporous Ge thin films is presented. This process uses the combination of two techniques: Ge sputtering on SiO2 and dopant ion implantation. The process entails four successive steps: (i) Ge sputtering on SiO2, (ii) implantation preannealing, (iii) high-dose dopant implantation, and (iv) implantation postannealing. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the morphology of the Ge film at different process steps under different postannealing conditions. For the same postannealing conditions, the Ge film topology was shown to be similar for different implantation doses and different dopants. However, the film topology can be controlled by adjusting the postannealing conditions

Constraints on the architecture of the HD 95086 planetary system with the Gemini Planet Imager

We present astrometric monitoring of the young exoplanet HD 95086 b obtained with the Gemini Planet Imager between 2013 and 2016. A small but significant position angle change is detected at constant separation; the orbital motion is confirmed with literature measurements. Efficient Monte Carlo techniques place preliminary constraints on the orbital parameters of HD 95086 b. With 68% confidence, a semimajor axis of 61.7^{+20.7}_{-8.4} au and an inclination of 153.0^{+9.7}_{-13.5} deg are favored, with eccentricity less than 0.21. Under the assumption of a co-planar planet-disk system, the periastron of HD 95086 b is beyond 51 au with 68% confidence. Therefore HD 95086 b cannot carve the entire gap inferred from the measured infrared excess in the SED of HD 95086. We use our sensitivity to additional planets to discuss specific scenarios presented in the literature to explain the geometry of the debris belts. We suggest that either two planets on moderately eccentric orbits or three to four planets with inhomogeneous masses and orbital properties are possible. The sensitivity to additional planetary companions within the observations presented in this study can be used to help further constrain future dynamical simulations of the planet-disk system.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

Automated data processing architecture for the Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey

The Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey (GPIES) is a multi-year direct imaging survey of 600 stars to discover and characterize young Jovian exoplanets and their environments. We have developed an automated data architecture to process and index all data related to the survey uniformly. An automated and flexible data processing framework, which we term the Data Cruncher, combines multiple data reduction pipelines together to process all spectroscopic, polarimetric, and calibration data taken with GPIES. With no human intervention, fully reduced and calibrated data products are available less than an hour after the data are taken to expedite follow-up on potential objects of interest. The Data Cruncher can run on a supercomputer to reprocess all GPIES data in a single day as improvements are made to our data reduction pipelines. A backend MySQL database indexes all files, which are synced to the cloud, and a front-end web server allows for easy browsing of all files associated with GPIES. To help observers, quicklook displays show reduced data as they are processed in real-time, and chatbots on Slack post observing information as well as reduced data products. Together, the GPIES automated data processing architecture reduces our workload, provides real-time data reduction, optimizes our observing strategy, and maintains a homogeneously reduced dataset to study planet occurrence and instrument performance.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, accepted in JATI