Political Palindromes

Abstract unavailable

Wordplay on Computer Networks

The Internet is a web of linked computer networks set up initially by the US government. Each computer network on the Internet shares certain data formats and commands, so that anyone on a member network can send electronic mail (email) to anyone else. To enter the Internet, one must first join (an establish an account on) one of the thousands of member networks worldwide. Those networks (free to students and faculty), or a national commercial network such as Compuserve or America On Line. These charge monthly fees plus $4-$12 per hour. Prodigy does not yet offer Internet services, and America On Line has plans to add them

Half-Palindromic Words

I have never understood all of the interest in finding palindromic words. It requires no imagination; they just sit there in front of the reader, like a large gold nugget on the sidewalk. And, like gold nuggets, all but the most hidden and obscure ones have long since been grabbed

Effects of selenium addition on minimally processed leafy vegetables grown in a floating system

BACKGROUND: In recent years the consumption ofminimally processed leafy vegetables has been increasing. At the same time food quality and its effects on human health have become crucial issues. Since selenium (Se) is an important microelement due to its ability to defend human organisms against free radicals, we investigated the effects of Se on chicory and lettuce production, and assessed the feasibility of a floating system as a method of producing Se-enriched vegetables. RESULTS: The addition of 0.5 and 1.0mg Se L−1 to the nutrient solution resulted in an increase in the selenium concentration in the leaves, which had a positive effect on the plant yield. Selenium was generally effective in decreasing the production of ethylene and phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity, even though a seasonal effect seemed to be present, consequently improving the quality of leafy vegetables and the shelf life in both species. The amount of Se accumulated in plants grown in the nutrient solution containing 0.5 mgSe kg−1 could provide the rational Se intake for human nutrition in accordance with the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of Se in a nutrient solution can be a useful system for providing enriched leafy vegetables. The floating system can be used to modulate the availability of Se in nutrient solutions and to grow vegetables with the optimal Se content for human healt

Palindrome Aesthetics and Competitions

A summary of the first annual SymmyS Awards for outstanding palindrome achievement

Functional diversity and community assembly of river invertebrates show globally consistent responses to decreasing glacier cover

Global change threatens invertebrate biodiversity and its central role in numerous ecosystem functions and services. Functional trait analyses have been advocated to uncover global mechanisms behind biodiversity responses to environmental change, but the application of this approach for invertebrates is underdeveloped relative to other organism groups. From an evaluation of 363 records comprising >1.23 million invertebrates collected from rivers across nine biogeographic regions on three continents, consistent responses of community trait composition and diversity to replicated gradients of reduced glacier cover are demonstrated. After accounting for a systematic regional effect of latitude, the processes shaping river invertebrate functional diversity are globally consistent. Analyses nested within individual regions identified an increase in functional diversity as glacier cover decreases. Community assembly models demonstrated that dispersal limitation was the dominant process underlying these patterns, although environmental filtering was also evident in highly glacierized basins. These findings indicate that predictable mechanisms govern river invertebrate community responses to decreasing glacier cover globally.This work was funded by the following organisations: The UK Natural Environment Research Council grants and studentships GR9/2913, NE/E003729/1, NE/E004539/1, NE/E004148/1, 20 NE/G523963/1, NER/S/A/2003/11192, and NE/L002574/1; the European Union Environment and Climate Programme Arctic and Alpine Stream Ecosystem Research (AASER) project (ENV-CT95-0164); EU-FP7 Assessing Climate impacts on the Quality and quantity of WAter (ACQWA) project (212250); Icelandic Research Council (954890095, 954890096); University of Iceland Research Fund (GMG96, GMG97, GMG98), Wyoming Center for Environmental Hydrology and Geophysics-National Science Foundation (1208909); USA-Wyoming NASA Space Grant Faculty Research Initiation (#NNX10A095H); USA-NSF Wyoming Epscor; Nationalpark Hohe Tauern, Austria; the Royal Society (International Outgoing Grant 2006/R4); the Leverhulme Trust; the Universities of Leeds, Birmingham, Iceland and Innsbruck; European Centre for Arctic Environmental Research (ARCFAC): a Research Infrastructures Action of the European Community FP6 (026129-2008- 72); the Stelvio National Park (2000-2001); the Autonomous Province of Trento (HIGHEST project, 2001-2004, del. PAT n. 1060/2001; VETTA project, 2003-2006, del. PAT n. 3402/2002); MUSE-Museo delle Scienze. We are grateful to Russell Taylor and Mike Winterbourn at the University of Canterbury, NZ, who helped to collect NZ invertebrate data and assisted with identification, and to Hakon Adalsteinsson who contributed to data collection in Iceland. Many other people, too numerous to mention, assisted with fieldwork at all of the study locations. The European Science Foundation sponsored an exploratory ┘ﾗヴﾆゲｴﾗヮ WﾐデｷデﾉWS さGﾉ;IｷWヴ-fed rivers, hydroecology and climate change: current knowledge and future network of monitoring sites (GLAC-HYDROECO-NETぶざ デｴ;デ ┘;ゲ ｴWﾉS ｷﾐ Birmingham, UK in September of 2013 where some of the ideas in this paper were first discussedPeer Reviewe

Carotenoid accumulation during tomato fruit ripening is modulated by the auxin-ethylene balance

Background : Tomato fruit ripening is controlled by ethylene and is characterized by a shift in color from green to red, a strong accumulation of lycopene, and a decrease in β-xanthophylls and chlorophylls. The role of other hormones, such as auxin, has been less studied. Auxin is retarding the fruit ripening. In tomato, there is no study of the carotenoid content and related transcript after treatment with auxin. Results : We followed the effects of application of various hormone-like substances to “Mature-Green” fruits. Application of an ethylene precursor (ACC) or of an auxin antagonist (PCIB) to tomato fruits accelerated the color shift, the accumulation of lycopene, α-, β-, and δ-carotenes and the disappearance of β-xanthophylls and chlorophyll b. By contrast, application of auxin (IAA) delayed the color shift, the lycopene accumulation and the decrease of chlorophyll a. Combined application of IAA + ACC led to an intermediate phenotype. The levels of transcripts coding for carotenoid biosynthesis enzymes, for the ripening regulator Rin, for chlorophyllase, and the levels of ethylene and abscisic acid (ABA) were monitored in the treated fruits. Correlation network analyses suggest that ABA, may also be a key regulator of several responses to auxin and ethylene treatments. Conclusions : The results suggest that IAA retards tomato ripening by affecting a set of (i) key regulators, such as Rin, ethylene and ABA, and (ii) key effectors, such as genes for lycopene and β-xanthophyll biosynthesis and for chlorophyll degradation

Omorganisering i en kunnskapsbedrift - konsekvenser av motivasjon på vitenskapelig produksjon

Økonomiske rammebetingelser for kunnskapsorganisasjoner innenfor forskningssektoren har endret seg til økt grad av konkurranseutsatte midler. Forskning er fortrinnsvis en nedenfra –og-opp prosess hvor vitenskapelig produksjon i all hovedsak er gitt den enkelte forskers innsats. Forskning på ledelse av kunnskapsarbeidere har relativt nylig fått fokus, og til tross for flere omorganiseringer av forskningsinstitutt har det i liten grad blitt undersøkt hvordan slike prosesser påvirker kunnskapsarbeideres motivasjon og vitenskapelig produksjon. I dette case-studiet ønsket vi å undersøke i hvilket omfang omorganisering av et forskningsinstitutt påvirket forskerens motivasjon og vitenskapelige publisering under og etter omorganiseringen. Publiseringsdata og intervjusvar er analysert i et kvasi-eksperimentelt design, hvor vi brukte kontraster i omorganiseringsgrad mellom tre avdelinger for å undersøke endringer i motivasjon og vitenskapelig produksjon før og etter omorganiseringen. Mens intervjuene viste at forskerne opplevde sin motivasjon og produksjon negativt påvirket av omorganiseringen, viste statistiske analyser ingen forskjeller mellom de tre ulike omorganiseringsgradene verken i opplevd endring i motivasjon eller vitenskapelig produksjon, eller i offentlige publiseringsstatistikk. Motivasjon og produksjon var korrelert med medvirkning, der medvirkning reduserte negative effekter på motivasjon og produksjon. Informantene ga også uttrykk for at en sterk følelse av usikkerhet rundt sin framtid som forsker medførte behov for pålitelig informasjon og medvirkning. Vårt case-studie er en av få empiriske undersøkelser av produksjonsendringer i kunnskapsorganisasjoner under omorganisering. Våre undersøkelser tyder på at forskernes motivasjon i stor grad er av indre karakter, der mestringsfølelse og en følelse av å bidra til utvikling er viktige faktorer. Følgene omorganiseringen får for organisasjonen kan derfor være avhengig av hvorvidt den enkelte forsker opplever den som en trussel mot sin profesjonsidentitet og framtidsutsikter. Endringsledelse i kunnskapsorganisasjoner bør derfor søke å opprettholde forutsigbarhet gjennom omorganiseringprosessen ved aktiv kommunikasjon og involvering av forskerne i prosessen