Functional Traits Co-Occurring with Mobile Genetic Elements in the Microbiome of the Atacama Desert

Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) play an essential role in bacterial adaptation and evolution. These elements are enriched within bacterial communities from extreme environments. However, very little is known if specific genes co-occur with MGEs in extreme environments and, if so, what their function is. We used shotgun-sequencing to analyse the metagenomes of 12 soil samples and characterized the composition of MGEs and the genes co-occurring with them. The samples ranged from less arid coastal sites to the inland hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert, as well as from sediments below boulders, protected from UV-irradiation. MGEs were enriched at the hyperarid sites compared with sediments from below boulders and less arid sites. MGEs were mostly co-occurring with genes belonging to the Cluster Orthologous Group (COG) categories “replication, recombination and repair,” “transcription” and “signal transduction mechanisms.” In general, genes coding for transcriptional regulators and histidine kinases were the most abundant genes proximal to MGEs. Genes involved in energy production were significantly enriched close to MGEs at the hyperarid sites. For example, dehydrogenases, reductases, hydrolases and chlorite dismutase and other enzymes linked to nitrogen metabolism such as nitrite- and nitro-reductase. Stress response genes, including genes involved in antimicrobial and heavy metal resistance genes, were rarely found near MGEs. The present study suggests that MGEs could play an essential role in the adaptation of the soil microbiome in hyperarid desert soils by the modulation of housekeeping genes such as those involved in energy production.EC/FP7/339231/EU/Habitability of Martian Environments: Exploring the Physiological and Environmental Limits of Life/HOM

Towards a Post-Structural View of Competition: Three Cases of Horizontal Merger

We examine the question of adaptive firm conduct using longitudinal product-level data from three large horizontal mergers in the food manufacturing industry. Our model is grounded in a poststructural view of competition that we deduce from recent writings from the fields of strategy, organizational ecology, and industrial organization. Consistent with this model, we find that the influence of horizontal merger on product performance (i.e., rent) varies with the product niche, time, the specific firms that merged, and dominance of the product, and its market scope.Industrial Organization,

Überprüfung der Methodik zur Schätzung der nicht in Deutschland versteuerten Zigaretten

Die deutsche Zigarettenindustrie lässt seit August 2004 die Zahl der nicht in Deutschland versteuerten Zigaretten durch eine repräsentative Untersuchung schätzen. Derzeit basiert die Schätzung auf einer Auswertung von 12.000 an Verwertungsstellen des Dualen Systems monatlich gesammelten leeren Zigarettenschachteln. Auf Basis dieser Stichprobenziehung wird eine Hochrechnung für den Konsum nicht versteuerter Zigaretten in Deutschland vorgenommen. Ziel der nachfolgenden Untersuchung ist es, die Methodik dieser Schätzung des Konsums nicht versteuerter Zigaretten in Deutschland darzustellen und zu prüfen. Dazu wird zunächst im ersten Kapitel ein kurzer Überblick zum Rauchverhalten in Deutschland gegeben. Dieser Überblick erlaubt eine Beurteilung der Stichprobenziehung und Auswertung. Im Anschluss erfolgt in Kapitel 2 eine Darstellung und Prüfung der Methodik zur Erfassung der nicht versteuerten Zigaretten. Die Stichprobenziehung stellt den Schwerpunkt dieser Untersuchung dar. Außerdem werden die Datenerfassung und -verarbeitung abgebildet. Anschließend wird die Hochrechnung analysiert und es erfolgt eine abschließende Gesamtbewertung. Kapitel 3 gibt einen kurzen Überblick zu den Ergebnissen der Schätzung. --

Real-time determination of laser beam quality by modal decomposition

We present a real-time method to determine the beam propagation ratio M2 of laser beams. The all-optical measurement of modal amplitudes yields M2 parameters conform to the ISO standard method. The experimental technique is simple and fast, which allows to investigate laser beams under conditions inaccessible to other methods.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, published in Optics Expres

An Approach to Detect the Origin and Distribution of Software Defects in an Evolving Cyber-Physical System

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are usually developed by an incremental approach. A changing environment like demanding user requirements or legislation amendments lead often to multiple development paths in an evolving CPS. Hence, software variability plays an increasingly important role adapting the characteristics of such CPS to different contexts. This paper focuses on software variability realized through a Software Product Line (SPL) more specifically. Thereby, variability and evolution are usually managed in different tools. However with respect to software defects, a holistic handling of variability and evolution is necessary to ensure a reliable software defect removal. Particularly, detecting software defects in different evolution stages and derived variants is ordinary, but complex and error-prone. To close the gap between variability and evolution, this paper presents a systematic approach to combine both disciplines. In particular, we apply existing variant management techniques in combination with software configuration management methods to determine a software defect's origin and distribution in an evolving SPL. We apply our approach to a CPS from the automotive domain to show its industrial relevance and usefulness