The Rosetteless gene controls development in the choanoflagellate S. rosetta.

The origin of animal multicellularity may be reconstructed by comparing animals with one of their closest living relatives, the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta. Just as animals develop from a single cell-the zygote-multicellular rosettes of S. rosetta develop from a founding cell. To investigate rosette development, we established forward genetics in S. rosetta. We find that the rosette defect of one mutant, named Rosetteless, maps to a predicted C-type lectin, a class of signaling and adhesion genes required for the development and innate immunity in animals. Rosetteless protein is essential for rosette development and forms an extracellular layer that coats and connects the basal poles of each cell in rosettes. This study provides the first link between genotype and phenotype in choanoflagellates and raises the possibility that a protein with C-type lectin-like domains regulated development in the last common ancestor of choanoflagellates and animals

Developing a Sensor to Detect Carbon Monoxide in Live Cells

At low levels, carbon monoxide is known to serve as an important cellular signaling molecule. The study of carbon monoxide concentrations in living cells is very difficult, however, due to the lack of carbon monoxide sensors that are amenable to in vivo work. Proteins in certain organisms have the ability to bind the molecule carbon monoxide. One of these proteins is the CooA protein, which binds carbon monoxide very selectively in the organism R. rubrum. The CooA protein undergoes a large change in shape following the binding of carbon monoxide, and this project aims to develop a carbon monoxide sensor based on this CO-dependent conformational change in CooA. We mutated an amino acid in CooA so that a solvatochromic fluorophore can be attached to CooA. Solvatochromic fluorophores change color in different environments (polar versus non polar, for example). Therefore, once the solvatochromic fluorophore is attached to the CooA protein it will ‘glow’ one color when there is no CO around and will ‘glow’ another color when CO is present. This change in color will be due to the different environment that the fluorophore is exposed to following the shape change that CO binding initiates in CooA

Reproducing the CO-to-H₂ conversion factor in cosmological simulations of Milky-Way-mass galaxies

We present models of CO(1–0) emission from Milky-Way-mass galaxies at redshift zero in the FIRE-2 cosmological zoom-in simulations. We calculate the molecular abundances by post-processing the simulations with an equilibrium chemistry solver while accounting for the effects of local sources, and determine the emergent CO(1–0) emission using a line radiative transfer code. We find that the results depend strongly on the shielding length assumed, which, in our models, sets the attenuation of the incident UV radiation field. At the resolution of these simulations, commonly used choices for the shielding length, such as the Jeans length, result in CO abundances that are too high at a given H₂ abundance. We find that a model with a distribution of shielding lengths, which has a median shielding length of ∼3 pc in cold gas (T < 300 K) for both CO and H₂, is able to reproduce both the observed CO(1–0) luminosity and inferred CO-to-H₂ conversion factor at a given star formation rate compared with observations. We suggest that this short shielding length can be thought of as a subgrid model, which controls the amount of radiation that penetrates giant molecular clouds

Chamaepinnularia thermophila (Bacillariophyceae) : synonymy with Navicula tongatensis Hustedt and update of its geographic distribution and ecology

Abstract Chamaepinnularia thermophila is a small and poorly known diatom species. After the first description from a hot spring in Guadalupe in 1952, its presence appeared to be limited to a few other springs of the French Antilles. The objective of this study is to report new information on aspects of taxonomy, distribution and ecology of this species. Accurate analysis under light and scanning electron microscope of the material collected on different substrates (cobbles, macrophytes and fine sediments) from a thermo-mineral spring of Sardinia (Italy) allowed us to document the first record of the species in the Mediterranean area. Furthermore, the comparison with Navicula tongatensis from Hustedt's original material, carried out because of their similarity, revealed identical morphological characteristics suggesting their consequent synonymy. Based on the information available in the literature and our data, C. thermophila is a rare species present mainly in tropical areas, in thermal springs with alkaline pH, medium to high conductivity and low to moderate nutrient content. The occurrence of the species at sites with very different environmental characteristics seems unusual, but it could indicate a broader ecological range. This study contributes to the standardization of the nomenclature used for this species so far and provides the first framework on its global geographic distribution and ecology

Quick Correct: A Method to Automatically Evaluate Student Work in MS Excel Spreadsheets

The quick correct method allows instructors to easily assess Excel spreadsheet assignments and notifies students immediately if their answers are acceptable. The instructor creates a spread-sheet template for students to complete. To evaluate student answers within the template, the instructor places logic functions (e.g., IF, AND, OR) into a column adjacent to student responses. These “quick correct” formulae are then password protected and hidden from view. If a student enters an incorrect answer while completing the spreadsheet template, the logic function returns an appropriate warning that encourages corrections

Kate 2009 Spring

Each year, kate seeks to: explore ideas about normative gender, sex, and sexuality work against oppression and hierarchies of power in any and all forms serve as a voice for race and gender equity as well as queer positivity encourage the silent to speak and feel less afraid build a zine and community that we care about and trusthttps://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/kate/1002/thumbnail.jp

Morphologic and Molecular Description of \u3cem\u3eMetopus fuscus\u3c/em\u3e Kahl from North America and New rDNA Sequences from Seven Metopids (Armophorea, Metopidae)

Most species in the large ciliate genus Metopus Claparède & Lachmann, 1858 lack detailed descriptions based on modern morphologic and molecular methods. This lack of data for the vast majority of species hampers application of a morphospecies approach to the taxonomy of Metopus and other armophorids. In this report we redescribe the large species, Metopus fuscus Kahl, 1927 based on in vivo observation, silver impregnation, scanning electron microscopy, and single-cell 18S rDNA sequencing of a freshwater North American (Idaho) population. Metopus fuscus invariably has a perinuclear envelope of endosymbiotic bacteria not found in other species. Unlike the original description of a single row of coarse granules between ciliary rows, the Idaho population has five loose rows of small interkinetal granules. We discuss the possible importance of this character in metopids. We also provide a phylogenetic analysis including seven other new metopid 18S rDNA sequences: Brachonella spiralis, B. galeata, Metopus laminarius, M. setosus, M. striatus, M. violaceus, Palmarella lata. Metopus fuscus and M. setosus form a fully supported clade, challenging previous morphospecies groupings. We discuss some ambiguities of armophorid morphologic terminology in the earlier literature. Our phylogenetic analysis of Idaho metopids indicates that the genera Metopus and Brachonella are both nonmonophyletic

Gemini Observations of Galaxies in Rich Early Environments (GOGREEN) I : survey description

We describe a new Large Program in progress on the Gemini North and South telescopes: Gemini Observations of Galaxies in Rich Early Environments (GOGREEN). This is an imaging and deep spectroscopic survey of 21 galaxy systems at 1 10 in halo mass. The scientific objectives include measuring the role of environment in the evolution of low-mass galaxies, and measuring the dynamics and stellar contents of their host haloes. The targets are selected from the SpARCS, SPT, COSMOS, and SXDS surveys, to be the evolutionary counterparts of today's clusters and groups. The new red-sensitive Hamamatsu detectors on GMOS, coupled with the nod-and-shuffle sky subtraction, allow simultaneous wavelength coverage over lambda similar to 0.6-1.05 mu m, and this enables a homogeneous and statistically complete redshift survey of galaxies of all types. The spectroscopic sample targets galaxies with AB magnitudes z' <24.25 and [3.6] mu m <22.5, and is therefore statistically complete for stellar masses M* greater than or similar to 10(10.3) M-circle dot, for all galaxy types and over the entire redshift range. Deep, multiwavelength imaging has been acquired over larger fields for most systems, spanning u through K, in addition to deep IRAC imaging at 3.6 mu m. The spectroscopy is similar to 50 per cent complete as of semester 17A, and we anticipate a final sample of similar to 500 new cluster members. Combined with existing spectroscopy on the brighter galaxies from GCLASS, SPT, and other sources, GOGREEN will be a large legacy cluster and field galaxy sample at this redshift that spectroscopically covers a wide range in stellar mass, halo mass, and clustercentric radius.Peer reviewe