Intraspecific variation of nickel and zinc accumulation and tolerance in the hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens.

Plants from two contrasting populations of the hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens, one from the serpentine area of Monte Prinzera (MP) in northern Italy and a Belgian calamine population, La Calamine (LC), were crossed to study the genetic correlation of Ni and Zn accumulation as well as Ni accumulation and Ni tolerance. Parental populations and

Nickel hyperaccumulation in Thlaspi caerulescens: a rare micro-evolutionary event

Koes, R.E. [Promotor]Schat, H. [Copromotor

Follow me … on the relationship between social media activities and market values in the German Bundesliga

Transfermarkt.de’s market value (transfermarkt value) is a topic that is discussed very often in sports economics. Based on existing literature, we assume that the Transfermarkt value is a function of different input parameters, such as player characteristics, player performance, player presentation and team performance. This paper analyzes the relationship between a player’s social media activity and his market value based on transfermarkt.de. Based on a dataset of 600 players from the German Bundesliga, we find that Instagram activity has a significant impact on a player’s market value. On the basis of this result, we discuss several implications for professional football players on the one hand and for clubs on the other. The paper opens up a new dimension of economic research in professional football, namely, the sport economic significance of social media

The impact of investors on transfer fees in the English Premier League: A study of the ownership structures

Transfer fees in European football have experienced a rapid increase in the past years. Simultaneously, an increasing number of domestic and recently foreign investors — who are assumed to further increase team spending in European football — have entered the football market by becoming club owners. In light of these developments, fears associated with an increasing influence of foreign (majority) investors from the financial as well as the emotional fan perspective have increased. Given the rather limited number of empirical studies focusing on the impact of investors on transfer fees, we shed further light on this topic. Based on a data sample including transfer fees, player characteristics, player performance and team performance from 2012–2013 to 2018–2019 for the English Premier League, we estimate OLS regressions and quantile regressions to analyze the effects of ownership concentration and investor origin on the amount of individual transfer fees. While we do not find strong evidence that ownership concentration increases the willingness to pay, we find fairly consistent results that foreign investors are willing to pay a premium compared to domestic investors. Our results also indicate that especially foreign investors who own a majority share of a club have a positive effect on transfer fees for the upper quantiles

S. Manços - aspectos da romanização e da cristianização

Este estudo desenvolve-se sobre o tema de S. Manços, o Santo Mártir que deu nome à freguesia do Concelho de Évora. Com base nas lendas e tradições do Santo, é analisado, no contexto da romanização, nomeadamente da Hispânia, na província da Lusitânia, as origens e evolução do Cristianismo e o fenómeno dos Mártires. As evidências arqueológicas de época romana na vila de S. Manços cruzam-se com a descrição a uma Basílica de sepultura em honra do Mártir, coincidente com o local onde se situa a Igreja Paroquial de S. Manços, e onde, em 1988, foi descoberto no exterior da Capela-mor, um Mausoléu romano, datado do séc. I d.C. Num território romanizado e amplamente povoado, S. Manços foi, após a Cristianização, tornado local de culto a um Santo Mártir, símbolo da fé cristã. Torna-se fundamental neste estudo investigar o fenómeno da Romanização e da Cristianização, centrado num Santo Mártir; ### Abstract: S. Manços - Aspects of Romanization and Christianization This study deals with the topic of Saint Manços, the Martyr Holy that gave his name to the parish of Évora County (Alentejo, Portugal). Based on traditions and legends of the Saint, it analyses, in the context of Romanization, in the region of Lusitania (Hispania) the origins and the Christianity evolution and the martyrs‟ phenomenon. 7 Archeological evidences of roman era in S. Manços village, intersects with a description of a sepulture Basilica in honor of the Martyr, coincidental with the site where currently is the Parish Church, where in 1988, in the presbytery exterior, was discovered a roman Mausoleum dating from the first century A. D. In a widely and romanized populated area, S. Manços become, after Christianization, a place of worship to the Martyr Holy, a symbol of the Christian faith. It is essential in this study investigate the phenomenon of Romanization and Christianization, centered on a Martyr Holy

Comparative Fungal Community Analyses Using Metatranscriptomics and Internal Transcribed Spacer Amplicon Sequencing from Norway Spruce

The health, growth, and fitness of boreal forest trees are impacted and improved by their associated microbiomes. Microbial gene expression and functional activity can be assayed with RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data from host samples. In contrast, phylogenetic marker gene amplicon sequencing data are used to assess taxonomic composition and community structure of the microbiome. Few studies have considered how much of this structural and taxonomic information is included in transcriptomic data from matched samples. Here, we described fungal communities using both host-derived RNA-Seq and fungal ITS1 DNA amplicon sequencing to compare the outcomes between the methods. We used a panel of root and needle samples from the coniferous tree species Picea abies (Norway spruce) growing in untreated (nutrient-deficient) and nutrient-enriched plots at the Flakaliden forest research site in boreal northern Sweden. We show that the relationship between samples and alpha and beta diversity indicated by the fungal transcriptome is in agreement with that generated by the ITS data, while also identifying a lack of taxonomic overlap due to limitations imposed by current database coverage. Furthermore, we demonstrate how metatranscriptomics data additionally provide biologically informative functional insights. At the community level, there were changes in starch and sucrose metabolism, biosynthesis of amino acids, and pentose and glucuronate interconversions, while processing of organic macromolecules, including aromatic and heterocyclic compounds, was enriched in transcripts assigned to the genus Cortinarius.IMPORTANCE A deeper understanding of microbial communities associated with plants is revealing their importance for plant health and productivity. RNA extracted from plant field samples represents the host and other organisms present. Typically, gene expression studies focus on the plant component or, in a limited number of studies, expression in one or more associated organisms. However, metatranscriptomic data are rarely used for taxonomic profiling, which is currently performed using amplicon approaches. We created an assembly-based, reproducible, and hardware-agnostic workflow to taxonomically and functionally annotate fungal RNA-Seq data obtained from Norway spruce roots, which we compared to matching ITS amplicon sequencing data. While we identified some limitations and caveats, we show that functional, taxonomic, and compositional insights can all be obtained from RNA-Seq data. These findings highlight the potential of metatranscriptomics to advance our understanding of interaction, response, and effect between host plants and their associated microbial communities

Multivalent grafting of hyperbranched oligo- and polyglycerols shielding rough membranes to mediate hemocompatibility

Hemocompatible materials are needed for internal and extracorporeal biomedical applications, which should be realizable by reducing protein and thrombocyte adhesion to such materials. Polyethers have been demonstrated to be highly efficient in this respect on smooth surfaces. Here, we investigate the grafting of oligo- and polyglycerols to rough poly(ether imide) membranes as a polymer relevant to biomedical applications and show the reduction of protein and thrombocyte adhesion as well as thrombocyte activation. It could be demonstrated that, by performing surface grafting with oligo- and polyglycerols of relatively high polydispersity (>1.5) and several reactive groups for surface anchoring, full surface shielding can be reached, which leads to reduced protein adsorption of albumin and fibrinogen. In addition, adherent thrombocytes were not activated. This could be clearly shown by immunostaining adherent proteins and analyzing the thrombocyte covered area. The presented work provides an important strategy for the development of application relevant hemocompatible 3D structured materials

Effects of heart valve prostheses on phase contrast flow measurements in Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance - a phantom study

Background: Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance is often used to evaluate patients after heart valve replacement. This study systematically analyses the influence of heart valve prostheses on phase contrast measurements in a phantom trial. Methods: Two biological and one mechanical aortic valve prostheses were integrated in a flow phantom. B-0 maps and phase contrast measurements were acquired at a 1.5 T MR scanner using conventional gradient-echo sequences in predefined distances to the prostheses. Results were compared to measurements with a synthetic metal-free aortic valve. Results: The flow results at the level of the prosthesis differed significantly from the reference flow acquired before the level of the prosthesis. The maximum flow miscalculation was 154 ml/s for one of the biological prostheses and 140 ml/s for the mechanical prosthesis. Measurements with the synthetic aortic valve did not show significant deviations. Flow values measured approximately 20 mm distal to the level of the prosthesis agreed with the reference flow for all tested all prostheses. Conclusions: The tested heart valve prostheses lead to a significant deviation of the measured flow rates compared to a reference. A distance of 20 mm was effective in our setting to avoid this influence

An effector from the Huanglongbing-associated pathogen targets citrus proteases

The citrus industry is facing an unprecedented challenge from Huanglongbing (HLB). All cultivars can be affected by the HLB-associated bacterium ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas) and there is no known resistance. Insight into HLB pathogenesis is urgently needed in order to develop effective management strategies. Here, we use Sec-delivered effector 1 (SDE1), which is conserved in all CLas isolates, as a molecular probe to understand CLas virulence. We show that SDE1 directly interacts with citrus papain-like cysteine proteases (PLCPs) and inhibits protease activity. PLCPs are defense-inducible and exhibit increased protein accumulation in CLas-infected trees, suggesting a role in citrus defense responses. We analyzed PLCP activity in field samples, revealing specific members that increase in abundance but remain unchanged in activity during infection. SDE1-expressing transgenic citrus also exhibit reduced PLCP activity. These data demonstrate that SDE1 inhibits citrus PLCPs, which are immune-related proteases that enhance defense responses in plants