No selection for change in polyandry under experimental evolution

What drives mating system variation is a major question in evolutionary biology. Female multiple mating (polyandry) has diverse evolutionary consequences, and there are many potential benefits and costs of polyandry. However, our understanding of its evolution is biased towards studies enforcing monandry in polyandrous species. What drives and maintains variation in polyandry between individuals, genotypes, populations and species remains poorly understood. Genetic variation in polyandry may be actively maintained by selection, or arise by chance if polyandry is selectively neutral. In Drosophila pseudoobscura, there is genetic variation in polyandry between and within populations. We used isofemale lines to found replicate populations with high or low initial levels of polyandry and tracked polyandry under experimental evolution over seven generations. Polyandry remained relatively stable, reflecting the starting frequencies of the experimental populations. There were no clear fitness differences between high versus low polyandry genotypes, and there was no signature of balancing selection. We confirmed these patterns in direct comparisons between evolved and ancestral females and found no consequences of polyandry for female fecundity. The absence of differential selection even when initiating populations with major differences in polyandry casts some doubt on the importance of polyandry for female fitness

Mapping tenascin-C interaction with toll-like receptor 4 reveals a new subset of endogenous inflammatory triggers

Pattern recognition underpins innate immunity; the accurate identification of danger, including infection, injury, or tumor, is key to an appropriately targeted immune response. Pathogen detection is increasingly well defined mechanistically, but the discrimination of endogenous inflammatory triggers remains unclear. Tenascin-C, a matrix protein induced upon tissue damage and expressed by tumors, activates toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-mediated sterile inflammation. Here we map three sites within tenascin-C that directly and cooperatively interact with TLR4. We also identify a conserved inflammatory epitope in related proteins from diverse families, and demonstrate that its presence targets molecules for TLR detection, while its absence enables escape of innate immune surveillance. These data reveal a unique molecular code that defines endogenous proteins as inflammatory stimuli by marking them for recognition by TLRs

Thermochrom beschichtete Substrate und Verfahren zu deren Herstellung

WO 2009106352 A1 UPAB: 20090923 NOVELTY - Process for thermochromic coating of a substrate comprises contacting the substrate and at least an organic thermochrome precursor containing at least a dye, at least a developer and at least a flux into a vacuum chamber; evaporating the precursor and depositing on substrate as a thermochromic complex. DETAILED DESCRIPTION - An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for the thermochrome coated substrate obtained by the above process. USE - The thermochrome coated substrate is useful to manufacture electro-optical or photovoltaic modules (claimed). ADVANTAGE - The process provides thermochrome coated substrate with a freely selectable temperature shift between different color states and a multi-switch possible between the color states. The process is easy to handle and provides high reproducibility. The thermochromic materials used in the process: exhibits high light stability, and transparency, and is nontoxic

Chromogenic Polymers - Materials with controllable optical properties: Poster presented at Fachtagung Innovative Oberflächen, 18. und 19.09.2019, Lüdenscheid

By external stimulation with light, temperature, mechanical forces, or electric potential, chromogenic materials change their color. That class of materials might also exhibit a deepening or fading of the color or show transitions between a transparent and a scattering or a reflective state. This is due to a stimulated change of the optical properties of these materials. It results in a change of the absorption or reflection spectrum or in a change of the scattering or reflection properties. Chromogenic materials usually are sensitive to only one specific stimulus thus defining several subclasses, such as thermochromic, photochromic, mechanochromic, and electrochromic materials. The thermochromic systems that are generated using a function-by-design strategy gain increasing importance. This strategy is based on a physical or chemical interaction of non-intrinsic thermochromic components. The wide application potential of chromogenic materials is illustrated on selected examples, such as packaging films with intrinsic temperature-controlled sensor properties (smart packaging), adaptive sun protection systems, electrochromic panes, or pressure sensitive coatings

Biomolecular screening with novel organosilica microspheres

Organosilica microspheres synthesised via a novel surfactant-free emulsion-based method show applicability towards optical encoding, solid-phase synthesis and high-throughput screening of bound oligonucleotide and peptide sequences

Solar collector cover with temperature-controlled solar light transmittance

Our aim is the development of a solar collector cover with temperature-controlled solar light transmittance in order to protect plastic solar collectors against overheating and to prevent collector damage during stagnation. The temperature-dependent reduction of solar transmittance is based on an increase of backscattering of the incident solar radiation (thermotropism). The thermotropic materials consist of two components: 1) a thermotropic additive, namely submicron-sized core-shell particles containing a phase-change material, and 2) an appropriate transparent matrix polymer. Thermotropic samples based on three different matrix polymers (UV-curable cast resin, EVA and PVB) were prepared as sandwich laminates according to industrially relevant processes. Temperature-dependent measurements of the total solar transmittance reveal absolute differences of up to 28 % between OFF and ON state