Massive over-representation of solute-binding proteins (SBPs) from the tripartite tricarboxylate transporter (TTT) family in the genome of the α-proteobacterium Rhodoplanes sp. Z2-YC6860.

Lineage-specific expansion (LSE) of protein families is a widespread phenomenon in many eukaryotic genomes, but is generally more limited in bacterial genomes. Here, we report the presence of 434 genes encoding solute-binding proteins (SBPs) from the tripartite tricarboxylate transporter (TTT) family, within the 8.2 Mb genome of the α-proteobacterium Rhodoplanes sp. Z2-YC6860, a gene family over-representation of unprecedented abundance in prokaryotes. Representing over 6 % of the total number of coding sequences, the SBP genes are distributed across the whole genome but are found rarely in low-GC islands, where the gene density for this family is much lower. This observation, and the much higher sequence identity between the 434 Rhodoplanes TTT SBPs compared with the average identity between homologues from different species, is indicative of a key role for LSE in the expansion. The TTT SBP genes were found in the vicinity of genes encoding membrane components of transport systems from different families, as well as regulatory proteins such as histidine-kinases and transcription factors, indicating a broad range of functions around the sensing, response and transport of organic compounds. A smaller expansion of TTT SBPs is known in some species of the β-proteobacteria Bordetella and we observed similar expansions in other β-proteobacterial lineages, including members of the genus Comamonas and the industrial biotechnology organism Cupriavidus necator, indicating that strong environmental selection can drive SBP duplication and specialisation from multiple evolutionary starting points

The Polonaise and Mazurka in Mid-Eighteenth Century Dresden:Style and Structure in the Music of Johann Christian Roellig

While recent studies have explored the significance of the Polish style in the music of Georg Philipp Telemann and Johan Sebastian Bach and the importance of the Polish dances in Dresden has long been recognized, the eighteenth-century German polonaise remains a largely neglected area of inquiry. The restoration of the library of the Singakademie zu Berlin in 2000 has made it possible to explore an important collection of mostly unica sources of music by Saxon composers from c1740-c1763, amassed by the Meissen porcelain mosaic artist Carl Jacob Christian Klipfel (1727–1802). Klipfel’s collection includes music of Johann Christian Roellig (born 1716), possibly the most prolific composer of polonaises in Dresden during this period and one of the earliest German composers to write mazurs (mazurkas) in instrumental works. The first-hand knowledge of the Polish style that musicians of the Saxon electoral court and Count von Brühl gained as a result of the frequent journeys to Warsaw resulted in Dresden polonaises that are relatively un-‘Germanized’. This article examines the social and musical context of the polonaise in the mid-eighteenth century Dresden including the repertoire of the annual Redouten (masked Balls), then examines the polonaise and mazurka of Johann Christian Roellig and his contemporaries, including Johann Georg Knechtel, Georg Gebel and Gottlob Harrer. A survey of the use of polonaises in Redoutentänze, symphony, and partita reveals significant differences in style and structure between these genres

Who was Röllig? - Röllig and the Sing-Akademie collection

Johann Georg Röllig (1710-1790), organist and chamber musician at Zerbst from 1737, rose to become vice-Kapellmeister and then, on the death of Johan Friedrich Fasch in 1758, the last Kapellmeister at the court, responsible for the provision of all liturgical and celebratory music in the court. In addition to many oratorio Passions, cantatas, and other liturgical music, Röllig composed birthday cantatas, symphonies and concertos for the court, some of which are listed in the Concert-Stube of 1743. However, the extent of his output is now uncertain following the discovery of a large corpus of material by Roellig junior in the Singakademie Library, bringing into question the authorship of works previously thought to be by Johann Georg Röllig. This paper examines the evidence to suggest that Roellig junior was not J.G Röllig, but possibly Christian August Röllig, Hofkantor in Dresden between 1728 and 1765 or Johann Christian Roellig

The lives and works of Johann George Roellig and Johann Christian Roellig with Thematic Catalogue

This dissertation provides the first comprehensive study of the lives and work of brothers Johann George Roellig (1710-1790) and Johann Christian Roellig (b.1716), together with a thematic catalogue to aid further research. It argues that the music of the Roellig brothers presents many insights into a period of music history often dismissed as ‘transitional’. Themes that are addressed include the contrasts between traditional employment models and the independent freelance business model emerging in the eighteenth century; new cantata structures that provide a new perspective of the state of post-Bach sacred music; a previously unidentified instrumental genre of partita linked to the political fortunes of the Wettin dynasty and new insights into the development of North German opera in the 1760s and 1770s.Chapter 1 traces Johann George Roellig’s life, examining his employment as organist and latterly Kapellmeister at the court of Anhalt-Zerbst, revealing tensions, both professional and personal in court employment. Chapter 2 provides the first discussion of the career of Johann Christian Roellig (a composer only identified for the first time in 2008 by the author) - exploring his association with Carl Jacob Christian Klipfel, the Meissen Porcelain Factory Collegium Musicum (newly identified in the course of this study), and with the Hamburg theatre impresario Konrad Ernst Ackermann. In contrast to the more conventional career path based upon court and church patronage followed by his older brother, Johann Christian’s career illustrates an emerging new career model in the eighteenth century, namely the freelance composer-musician. Exploring the rich documentary evidence of the performance history of sacred music in the court of Anhalt Zerbst, Chapter 3 examines J.G. Roellig’s contribution to the repertoire of the court chapel. The influence of external factors such as the Seven Years War is noted, but also the demands of the Zerbst Consistory, which censored cantata texts and, from 1752, restricted the duration of concerted music performed in Hauptgottesdienst, leading to the bifurcation of a number of single cantata cycles to make double cantata cycles. Chapter 4 uses the vocal music of J.C. Roellig to illuminate developments in the cantata in the generation after J.S. Bach, including the performance in Meissen of dedicated communion cantatas based upon biblical Sprüche and chorale texts, that challenge established conceptions of the state of German liturgical music post 1750.Instrumental music, composed principally by J.C. Roellig, is the focus of chapters 5 to 7. The repertoire and historical scope of the ‘Dresden partita’ (a subgenre of partita identified for the first time in this study) is established, as well as the introduction of the divertimento into Dresden c.1757-1760. The symphony and concerto are examined within the context of bourgeoise music-making in Dresden and Meissen, followed by the first overview of Dresden Redoutenmusik in the mid-eighteenth century. Finally, Chapter 8 explores the context of J.C. Roellig’s three surviving stage works composed for the Ackermann company in Hamburg between 1763 and 1771 - works that belong to a largely unknown genre, mostly lost, in a little-known period of its historyThe extensive appendices include a thematic catalogue of the works of the Roellig brothers, a key document that has driven the discussion in the dissertation. This is preceded by prefatory sections which include a discussion of the importance of collectors and collections in the preservation and transmission of music by the Roellig brothers, as well as sections on autograph copies, copyists, watermarks and paper-types and the dating of works in the Klipfel collection. <br/

Efficiency of disinfectants against Rotavirus in the presence and absence of organic matter

Rotavirus is an enteric pathogen that causes morbidity and mortality in young mammals, including pigs. Outbreaks of rotavirus on commercial farms have a significant economic impact in terms of losses in production. Effective cleaning and disinfection along with good farm management can reduce rotavirus contamination in the environment, and decrease the chance of outbreaks of disease. This study investigated the efficacy of six commercial disinfectants against MS2 bacteriophage and Group A porcine rotavirus, in the presence of high and low levels of organic matter to simulate the farm environment. A phenolic-based disinfectant (Bi-OO-cyst) was effective at all levels of organic matter concentrations. Iodophore based disinfectants did not have a significant virucidal effect against rotavirus under any conditions. For peroxygen compound-based disinfectants and glutaraldehyde-based disinfectants, organic matter load made a significant difference in reducing efficacy. This highlights the importance of thorough cleaning with detergent before disinfection to reduce viral contamination on the farm and decrease rotavirus disease incidence in pigs

The MBE growth and optimization of high performance terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers

The technique of molecular beam epitaxy has recently been used to demonstrate the growth of terahertz frequency GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade lasers (QCL) with Watt-level optical output powers. In this paper, we discuss the critical importance of achieving accurate layer thicknesses and alloy compositions during growth, and demonstrate that precise growth control as well as run-to-run growth reproducibility is possible. We also discuss the importance of minimizing background doping level in maximizing QCL performance. By selecting high-performance active region designs, and optimizing the injection doping level and device fabrication, we demonstrate total optical (two-facet) output powers as high as 1.56 W

Environmental regulation of life history phenology in Arabidopsis thaliana

The seasonal timing of plant development is regulated by environmental cues. Flowering time is influenced by the temperature and photoperiod experienced during vegetative growth, while germination timing is affected by temperatures during seed maturation and after dispersal. The timing of each developmental transition also determines seasonal conditions experienced during subsequent life stages, however the significance and stability of these interactions are not well understood. This work aimed to further an understanding of the environmental regulation of plant phenology by creating a multi-stage life history model based on Arabidopsis thaliana. Laboratory and field studies were used to inform predictive models of seed development and seed dormancy. The time required to complete seed development was mainly affected by temperature, and was therefore sensitive to seasonal flowering time. Mean daily temperatures at the end of seed maturation had the greatest influence on rates of primary dormancy loss, and post-dispersal temperatures determined rates of secondary dormancy induction. Germination probabilities were predicted by modelling frequencies of primary and secondary dormancy within the seed population. This revealed an abrupt switch from low to high germination when mean daily temperatures exceeded 14°C. Thermoinhibition was also predicted at high temperatures due to rapid secondary dormancy induction. Combining models with a previously described model of flowering time provided a framework for investigating the effects of perturbations on entire life history phenology. Seed set timing in spring and winter annuals was consistently predicted to coincide with mean daily temperatures of 14°C in locations across Northern Europe, resulting in the production of both dormant and non-dormant offspring. Phenotypic plasticity at each growth phase also served to buffer against modest perturbations in germination date, flowering date, and climate in order to maintain these specific dispersal conditions. This result was interpreted as evidence for a robust bet-hedging germination strategy