Ukrainian Agriculture and Agri-Environmental Concern Oleg Kucher*

This paper presents an overview of the development of macroeconomic conditions in Ukrainian agriculture from 1990 to the present, and highlights the main features of land privatization & farm reorganization that have strong impact on the environment. In this regard, the review describes the major agri-environmental issues drawn from national Ukrainian datasets accompanied by a discussion of the potential development. The paper consists of several parts 1: 1) the country’s general characteristics and overview of the Ukrainian agriculture; 2) the macroeconomic situation of the Ukrainian agriculture in the 90-th to the present; 3) land reform and reorganization of the farm sector; 4) environmental situation in the Ukrainian agriculture; and 5) agri-environment concern and policy response. All these parts primarily refer to the latest international and national repots, publications and cases in Ukraine before and during the transition period

Characterization and Scope of S-layer Protein O-Glycosylation in Tannerella forsythia

Cell surface glycosylation is an important element in defining the life of pathogenic bacteria. Tannerella forsythia is a Gram-negative, anaerobic periodontal pathogen inhabiting the subgingival plaque biofilms. It is completely covered by a two-dimensional crystalline surface layer (S-layer) composed of two glycoproteins. Although the S-layer has previously been shown to delay the bacterium's recognition by the innate immune system, we characterize here the S-layer protein O-glycosylation as a potential virulence factor. The T. forsythia S-layer glycan was elucidated by a combination of electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as an oligosaccharide with the structure 4-Me-beta-ManpNAcCONH(2)-(1 -> 3)-[Pse5Am7Gc-(2 -> 4)-]-beta-ManpNAcA-(1 -> 4)-[4-Me-alpha-Galp-(1 -> 2)-]-alpha-Fucp-(1 -> 4)-[-alpha-Xylp-(1 -> 3)-]-beta-GlcpA-(1 -> 3)-[-beta-Digp-(1 -> 2)-]-alpha-Galp, which is O-glycosidically linked to distinct serine and threonine residues within the three-amino acid motif (D)(S/T)(A/I/L/M/T/V) on either S-layer protein. This S-layer glycan obviously impacts the life style of T. forsythia because increased biofilm formation of an UDP-N-acetylmannosaminuronic acid dehydrogenase mutant can be correlated with the presence of truncated S-layer glycans. We found that several other proteins of T. forsythia are modified with that specific oligosaccharide. Proteomics identified two of them as being among previously classified antigenic outer membrane proteins that are up-regulated under biofilm conditions, in addition to two predicted antigenic lipoproteins. Theoretical analysis of the S-layer O-glycosylation of T. forsythia indicates the involvement of a 6.8-kb gene locus that is conserved among different bacteria from the Bacteroidetes phylum. Together, these findings reveal the presence of a protein O-glycosylation system in T. forsythia that is essential for creating a rich glycoproteome pinpointing a possible relevance for the virulence of this bacterium

Werkstattbericht zur NS-Provenienzforschung an der Universitätsbibliothek der Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

In June 2010 a project concerning provenance research started at the University Library of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna. This project aims to ascertain that no books stolen during the time of National Socialism are kept in the holdings of the Library. In addition to giving a project progress report the author briefly discusses the history and the university during the time of the NS regime.Im Juni 2010 startete an der Universitätsbibliothek der Universität für Bodenkultur Wien ein Projekt zur NS-Provenienzforschung. Im Zuge dieses Projektes soll herausgefunden werden, ob sich in den Beständen der Uversitätsbibliothek Werke mit fraglicher Provenienz befinden. Neben den Fortschritten im Projekt wird in diesem Artikel auch kurz auf die Geschichte der Bibliothek und der damaligen Hochschule während der NS-Zeit eingegangen

FlexMix: A General Framework for Finite Mixture Models and Latent Class Regression in R

This article was originally published as Leisch (2004b) in the Journal of Statistical Software. FlexMix implements a general framework for fitting discrete mixtures of regression models in the R statistical computing environment: three variants of the EM algorithm can be used for parameter estimation, regressors and responses may be multivariate with arbitrary dimension, data may be grouped, e.g., to account for multiple observations per individual, the usual formula interface of the S language is used for convenient model specification, and a modular concept of driver functions allows to interface many different types of regression models. Existing drivers implement mixtures of standard linear models, generalized linear models and model-based clustering. FlexMix provides the E-step and all data handling, while the M-step can be supplied by the user to easily define new models. Keywords:˜R, finite mixture models, model based clustering, latent class regression. 1

Putative Arabidopsis Transcriptional Adaptor Protein (PROPORZ1) is required to modulate histone acetylation in response to auxin

Plant development is highly adaptable and controlled by a combination of various regulatory circuits that integrate internal and environmental cues. The phytohormone auxin mediates such growth responses, acting as a dynamic signal in the control of morphogenesis via coordinating the interplay between cell cycle progression and cell differentiation. Mutants in the chromatin-remodeling component PROPORZ1 (PRZ1; also known as AtADA2b) are impaired in auxin effects on morphogenesis, suggestive of an involvement of PRZ1-dependent control of chromatin architecture in the determination of hormone responses. Here we demonstrate that PRZ1 is required for accurate histone acetylation at auxin-controlled loci. Specifically, PRZ1 is involved in the modulation of histone modifications and corresponding adjustments in gene expression of Arabidopsis KIP RELATED PROTEIN (KRP) CDK inhibitor genes in response to auxin. Deregulated KRP expression in KRP silencer lines phenocopies prz1 hyperproliferative growth phenotypes, whereas in a KRP overexpression background some mutant phenotypes are suppressed. Collectively, our findings support a model in which translation of positional signals into developmental cues involves adjustments in chromatin modifications that orchestrate auxin effects on cell proliferation