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The phytohormone auxin influences virtually all aspects of plant growth and development. Auxin transport across membranes is facilitated by, among other proteins, members of the PIN-FORMED (PIN) and the structurally similar PIN-LIKES (PILS) families, which together govern directional cell-to-cell transport and intracellular accumulation of auxin. Canonical PIN proteins, which exhibit a polar localization in the plasma membrane, determine many patterning and directional growth responses. Conversely, the less-studied noncanonical PINs and PILS proteins, which mostly localize to the endoplasmic reticulum, attenuate cellular auxin responses. Here, and in the accompanying poster, we provide a brief summary of current knowledge of the structure, evolution, function and regulation of these auxin transport facilitators.
Hypervelocity stars are rare objects, mostly main-sequence (MS) B stars, traveling so fast that they will eventually escape from the Milky Way. Recently, it has been shown that the popular Hills mechanism, in which a binary system is disrupted via a close encounter with the supermassive black hole at the Galactic center, may not be their only ejection mechanism. The analyses of Gaia data ruled out a Galactic center origin for some of them, and instead indicated that they are extreme disk runaway stars ejected at velocities exceeding the predicted limits of classical scenarios (dynamical ejection from star clusters or binary supernova ejection). We present the discovery of a new extreme disk runaway star, PG 1610+062, which is a slowly pulsating B star bright enough to be studied in detail. A quantitative analysis of spectra taken with ESI at the Keck Observatory revealed that PG 1610+062 is a late B-type MS star of 4–5 M⊙ with low projected rotational velocity. Abundances (C, N, O, Ne, Mg, Al, Si, S, Ar, and Fe) were derived differentially with respect to the normal B star HD 137366 and indicate that PG 1610+062 is somewhat metal rich. A kinematic analysis, based on our spectrophotometric distance (17.3 kpc) and on proper motions from Gaia’s second data release, shows that PG 1610+062 was probably ejected from the Carina-Sagittarius spiral arm at a velocity of 550 ± 40 km s−1, which is beyond the classical limits. Accordingly, the star is in the top five of the most extreme MS disk runaway stars and is only the second among the five for which the chemical composition is known.
The intangible impacts of floods on welfare are not well investigated, even though they are important aspects of welfare. Moreover, flooding has gender based impacts on welfare. These differing impacts create a gender based flood risk resilience gap. We study the intangible impacts of flood risk on the subjective well-being of residents in central Vietnam. The measurement of intangible impacts through subjective well-being is a growing field within flood risk research. We find an initial drop in welfare through subjective well-being across genders when a flood is experienced. Male respondents tended to recover their welfare losses by around 80% within 5 years while female respondents were associated with a welfare recovery of around 70%. A monetization of the impacts floods have on an individual’s subjective well-being shows that for the average female respondent, between 41% to 86% of annual income would be required to compensate subjective well-being losses after 5 years of experiencing a flood. The corresponding value for males is 30% to 57% of annual income. This shows that the intangible impacts of flood risk are important (across genders) and need to be integrated into flood (or climate) risk assessments to develop more socially appropriate risk management strategies.
The progress of science is tied to the standardization of measurements, instruments, and data. This is especially true in the Big Data age, where analyzing large data volumes critically hinges on the data being standardized. Accordingly, the lack of community-sanctioned data standards in paleoclimatology has largely precluded the benefits of Big Data advances in the field. Building upon recent efforts to standardize the format and terminology of paleoclimate data, this article describes the Paleoclimate Community reporTing Standard (PaCTS), a crowdsourced reporting standard for such data. PaCTS captures which information should be included when reporting paleoclimate data, with the goal of maximizing the reuse value of paleoclimate data sets, particularly for synthesis work and comparison to climate model simulations. Initiated by the LinkedEarth project, the process to elicit a reporting standard involved an international workshop in 2016, various forms of digital community engagement over the next few years, and grassroots working groups. Participants in this process identified important properties across paleoclimate archives, in addition to the reporting of uncertainties and chronologies; they also identified archive-specific properties and distinguished reporting standards for new versus legacy data sets. This work shows that at least 135 respondents overwhelmingly support a drastic increase in the amount of metadata accompanying paleoclimate data sets. Since such goals are at odds with present practices, we discuss a transparent path toward implementing or revising these recommendations in the near future, using both bottom-up and top-down approaches.
On 2015 July 18, near perihelion at a heliocentric distance of 1.28 au, the Visible InfraRed Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS-M) on board the Rosetta spacecraft had the opportunity of observing dust activity in the inner coma with a view of the night side (shadowed side) of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. At the time of the measurements we present here, we observe a dust plume that originates on the far side of the nucleus. We are able to identify the approximate location of its source at the boundary between the Hapi and Anuket regions, and we find that it has been in darkness for some hours before the observation. Assuming that this time span is equal to the conductive time scale, we obtain a thermal inertia in the range 25-36 W K-1 m(-2) s(-1/2). These thermal inertia values can be used to verify with a 3D finite-element method (REM) numerical code whether the surface and subsurface temperatures agree with the values found in the literature. We explored three different configurations: (1) a layer of water ice mixed with dust beneath a dust mantle of 5 mm with thermal inertia of 36 J m(-2) K-1 S-0.5 ; (2) the same structure, but with thermal inertia of 100 J m(-2) K-1 S-0.5; (3) an ice-dust mixture that is directly exposed. Of these three configurations, the first seems to be the most reasonable, both for the low thermal inertia and for the agreement with the surface and subsurface temperatures that have been found for the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The spectral properties of the plume show that the visible dust color ranged from 16 +/- 4.8%/100 nm to 13 +/- 2.6%/100 nm, indicating that this plume has no detectable color gradient. The morphology of the plume can be classified as a narrow jet that has an estimated total ejected mass of between 6 and 19 tons when we assume size distribution indices between -2.5 and -3.
Eclipsing post-common-envelope binaries are highly important for resolving the poorly understood, very short-lived common-envelope phase of stellar evolution. Most hot subdwarfs (sdO/Bs) are the bare helium-burning cores of red giants that have lost almost all of their hydrogen envelope. This mass loss is often triggered by common-envelope interactions with close stellar or even substellar companions. Cool companions to hot subdwarf stars such as late-type stars and brown dwarfs are detectable from characteristic light-curve variations - reflection effects and often eclipses. In the recently published catalog of eclipsing binaries in the Galactic Bulge and in the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) survey, we discovered 125 new eclipsing systems showing a reflection effect seen by visual inspection of the light curves and using a machine-learning algorithm, in addition to the 36 systems previously discovered by the Optical Gravitational Lesing Experiment (OGLE) team. The Eclipsing Reflection Effect Binaries from Optical Surveys (EREBOS) project aims at analyzing all newly discovered eclipsing binaries of the HW Vir type (hot subdwarf + close, cool companion) based on a spectroscopic and photometric follow up to derive the mass distribution of the companions, constrain the fraction of substellar companions, and determine the minimum mass needed to strip off the red-giant envelope. To constrain the nature of the primary we derived the absolute magnitude and the reduced proper motion of all our targets with the help of the parallaxes and proper motions measured by the Gaia mission and compared those to the Gaia white-dwarf candidate catalog. It was possible to derive the nature of a subset of our targets, for which observed spectra are available, by measuring the atmospheric parameter of the primary, confirming that less than 10% of our systems are not sdO/Bs with cool companions but are white dwarfs or central stars of planetary nebula. This large sample of eclipsing hot subdwarfs with cool companions allowed us to derive a significant period distribution for hot subdwarfs with cool companions for the first time showing that the period distribution is much broader than previously thought and is ideally suited to finding the lowest-mass companions to hot subdwarf stars. The comparison with related binary populations shows that the period distribution of HW Vir systems is very similar to WD+dM systems and central stars of planetary nebula with cool companions. In the future, several new photometric surveys will be carried out, which will further increase the sample of this project, providing the potential to test many aspects of common-envelope theory and binary evolution.
Light and gravity are two key determinants in orientating plant stems for proper growth and development. The organization and dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton are essential for cell biology and critically regulated by actin-binding proteins. However, the role of actin cytoskeleton in shoot negative gravitropism remains controversial. In this work, we report that the actin-binding protein Rice Morphology Determinant (RMD) promotes reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton in rice (Oryza sativa) shoots. The changes in actin organization are associated with the ability of the rice shoots to respond to negative gravitropism. Here, light-grown rmd mutant shoots exhibited agravitropic phenotypes. By contrast, etiolated rmd shoots displayed normal negative shoot gravitropism. Furthermore, we show that RMD maintains an actin configuration that promotes statolith mobility in gravisensing endodermal cells, and for proper auxin distribution in light-grown, but not dark-grown, shoots. RMD gene expression is diurnally controlled and directly repressed by the phytochrome-interacting factor-like protein OsPIL16. Consequently, overexpression of OsPIL16 led to gravisensing and actin patterning defects that phenocopied the rmd mutant. Our findings outline a mechanism that links light signaling and gravity perception for straight shoot growth in rice.
Academic Achievement in Math and Foreign Language: Individual Characteristics and Gender Stereotypes
(2019)
The study aims to investigate the contribution of individual characteristics and gender stereotypes of secondary school pupils in academic achievement in math and foreign language. A sample of pupils reported in 6th and 7th grades (three waves) their self-perceived ability and motivation for math and foreign language learning, math and foreign language gender stereotypes, implicit theories of intelligence; academic achievement (grades) in math in foreign language is also included in the analysis. Regression analysis and Mann Whitney U Test demonstrated that self-perceived ability in math and incremental theory of intelligence are significant predictors for academic achievement in maths. Boys are characterised by higher level of self-perceived abilities and motivation for learning math. However, academic achievement of girls in maths and foreign languages are higher as compared to boys. Pupils learning two foreign languages demonstrate higher level of self-perceived abilities for motivation and learning math and less expressed gender stereotypes about success in learning math and foreign languages. Study findings can be used for designing educational programmes for mathematics and foreign languages, professional development and finding solutions for individualized approach in school education.
Nitrogen (N) is an essential macronutrient for optimal plant growth and ultimately for crop productivity Nitrate serves as the main N source for most plants. Although it seems a well-established fact that nitrate concentration affects flowering, its molecular mode of action in flowering time regulation was poorly understood. We recently found how nitrate, present at the shoot apical meristem (SAM), controls flowering time In this short communication, we present data on the tissue-specific expression patterns of NITRATE REDUCTASE 1 (NIA1) and NIA2 in planta. We show that transcripts of both genes are present throughout the life cycle of Arabidopsis thaliana plants with NIA1 being predominantly active in leaves and NIA2 in meristematic tissues.
Molybdenum cofactor (Moco) biosynthesis is a complex process that involves the coordinated function of several proteins. In recent years it has become obvious that the availability of iron plays an important role in the biosynthesis of Moco. First, the MoaA protein binds two (4Fe-4S] clusters per monomer. Second, the expression of the moaABCDE and moeAB operons is regulated by FNR, which senses the availability of oxygen via a functional NFe-4S) cluster. Finally, the conversion of cyclic pyranopterin monophosphate to molybdopterin requires the availability of the L-cysteine desulfurase IscS, which is a shared protein with a main role in the assembly of Fe-S clusters. In this report, we investigated the transcriptional regulation of the moaABCDE operon by focusing on its dependence on cellular iron availability. While the abundance of selected molybdoenzymes is largely decreased under iron-limiting conditions, our data show that the regulation of the moaABCDE operon at the level of transcription is only marginally influenced by the availability of iron. Nevertheless, intracellular levels of Moco were decreased under iron-limiting conditions, likely based on an inactive MoaA protein in addition to lower levels of the L-cysteine desulfurase IscS, which simultaneously reduces the sulfur availability for Moco production. IMPORTANCE FNR is a very important transcriptional factor that represents the master switch for the expression of target genes in response to anaerobiosis. Among the FNR-regulated operons in Escherichia coli is the moaABCDE operon, involved in Moco biosynthesis. Molybdoenzymes have essential roles in eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. In bacteria, molybdoenzymes are crucial for anaerobic respiration using alternative electron acceptors. This work investigates the connection of iron availability to the biosynthesis of Moco and the production of active molybdoenzymes.
The genus Shewanella is well known for its genetic diversity, its outstanding respiratory capacity, and its high potential for bioremediation. Here, a novel strain isolated from sediments of the Indian Ocean was characterized. A 16S rRNA analysis indicated that it belongs to the species Shewanella decolorationis. It was named Shewanella decolorationis LDS1. This strain presented an unusual ability to grow efficiently at temperatures from 24 degrees C to 40 degrees C without apparent modifications of its metabolism, as shown by testing respiratory activities or carbon assimilation, and in a wide range of salt concentrations. Moreover, S. decolorationis LDS1 tolerates high chromate concentrations. Indeed, it was able to grow in the presence of 4 mM chromate at 28 degrees C and 3 mM chromate at 40 degrees C. Interestingly, whatever the temperature, when the culture reached the stationary phase, the strain reduced the chromate present in the growth medium. In addition, S. decolorationis LDS1 degrades different toxic dyes, including anthraquinone, triarylmethane, and azo dyes. Thus, compared to Shewanella oneidensis, this strain presented better capacity to cope with various abiotic stresses, particularly at high temperatures. The analysis of genome sequence preliminary data indicated that, in contrast to S. oneidensis and S. decolorationis S12, S. decolorationis LDS1 possesses the phosphorothioate modification machinery that has been described as participating in survival against various abiotic stresses by protecting DNA. We demonstrate that its heterologous production in S. oneidensis allows it to resist higher concentrations of chromate. IMPORTANCE Shewanella species have long been described as interesting microorganisms in regard to their ability to reduce many organic and inorganic compounds, including metals. However, members of the Shewanella genus are often depicted as cold-water microorganisms, although their optimal growth temperature usually ranges from 25 to 28 degrees C under laboratory growth conditions. Shewanella decolorationis LDS1 is highly attractive, since its metabolism allows it to develop efficiently at temperatures from 24 to 40 degrees C, conserving its ability to respire alternative substrates and to reduce toxic compounds such as chromate or toxic dyes. Our results clearly indicate that this novel strain has the potential to be a powerful tool for bioremediation and unveil one of the mechanisms involved in its chromate resistance.
Phasins are amphiphilic proteins located at the polymer-cytoplasm interface of bacterial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). The immobilization of phasins on biomaterial surfaces is a promising way to enhance the hydrophilicity and supply cell- directing elements in bioinstructing processes. Optimizing the physical adsorption of phasins requires deep insights into molecular processes during polymer-protein interactions to preserve their structural conformation while optimizing surface coverage. Here, the assembly, organization, and stability of phasin PhaF from Pseudomonas putida at interfaces is disclosed. The Langmuir technique, combined with in situ microscopy and spectroscopic methods, revealed that PhaF forms stable and robust monolayers at different temperatures, with an almost flat orientation of its alpha-helix at the air-water interface. PhaF adsorption onto preformed monolayers of poly[(3-R-hydroxyoctanoate)-co-(3-R-hydroxyhexanoate)] (PHOHHx), yields stable mixed layers below pi = similar to 15.7 mN/m. Further insertion induces a molecular reorganization. PHOHHx with strong surface hydrophobicity is a more adequate substrate for PhaF adsorption than the less hydrophobic poly[(rac-lactide)-co-glycolide] (PLGA). The observed orientation of the main axis of the protein in relation to copolyester interfaces ensures the best exposure of the hydrophobic residues, providing a suitable coating strategy for polymer functionalization.
Global food security governance is fraught with fragmentation, overlap and complexity. While calls for coordination and coherence abound, establishing an inter-organizational order at this level seems to remain difficult. While the emphasis in the literature has so far been on the global level, we know less about dynamics of inter-organizational relations in food security governance at the country level, and empirical studies are lacking. It is this research gap the article seeks to address by posing the following research question: In how far does inter-organizational order develop in the organizational field of food security governance at the country level? Theoretically and conceptually, the article draws on sociological institutionalism, and on work on inter-organizational relations. Empirically, the article conducts an exploratory case study of the organizational field of food security governance in Côte d’Ivoire, building on a qualitative content analysis of organizational documents covering a period from 2003 to 2016 and semi-structured interviews with staff of international organizations from 2016. The article demonstrates that not all of the developments attributed to food security governance at the global level play out in the same way at the country level. Rather, in the case of Côte d’Ivoire there are signs for a certain degree of coherence between IOs in the field of food security governance and even for an – albeit limited – division of labour. However, this only holds for specific dimensions of the inter-organizational order and appears to be subject to continuous contestation and reinterpretation under the surface.
Aims. In this study, we analyzed a filament system, which expanded between moving magnetic features (MMFs) of a decaying sunspot and opposite flux outside of the active region from the nearby quiet-Sun network. This configuration deviated from a classical arch filament system (AFS), which typically connects two pores in an emerging flux region. Thus, we called this system an extended AFS. We contrasted classical and extended AFSs with an emphasis on the complex magnetic structure of the latter. Furthermore, we examined the physical properties of the extended AFS and described its dynamics and connectivity. Methods. The extended AFS was observed with two instruments at the Dunn Solar Telescope (DST). The Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA) imager provided images in three different wavelength regions, which covered the dynamics of the extended AFS at different atmospheric heights. The Interferometric Bidimensional Spectropolarimeter (IBIS) provided spectroscopic Ha data and spectropolarimetric data that was obtained in the near-infrared (NIR) Call lambda 8542 angstrom line. We derived the corresponding line-of-sight (LOS) velocities and used He II lambda 304 angstrom extreme ultraviolet (EUV) images of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and LOS magnetograms of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) as context data. Results. The NIR Call Stokes-V maps are not suitable to definitively define a clear polarity inversion line and to classify this chromospheric structure. Nevertheless, this unusual AFS connects the MMFs of a decaying sunspot with the network field. At the southern footpoint, we measured that the flux decreases over time. We find strong downflow velocities at the footpoints of the extended AFS, which increase in a time period of 30 min. The velocities are asymmetric at both footpoints with higher velocities at the southern footpoint. An EUV brigthening appears in one of the arch filaments, which migrates from the northern footpoint toward the southern one. This activation likely influences the increasing redshift at the southern footpoint. Conclusions. The extended AFS exhibits a similar morphology as classical AFSs, for example, threaded filaments of comparable length and width. Major differences concern the connection from MMFs around the sunspot with the flux of the neighboring quietSun network, converging footpoint motions, and longer lifetimes of individual arch filaments of about one hour, while the extended AFS is still very dynamic.
The intermediate He-enriched hot subdwarf star Feige 46 was recently reported as the second member of the V366 Aqr (or He-sdOBV) pulsating class. Feige 46 is very similar to the prototype of the class, LS IV-14 degrees 116, not only in terms of pulsational properties, but also in terms of atmospheric parameters and kinematic properties. LS IV-14 degrees 116 is additionally characterized by a very peculiar chemical composition, with extreme overabundances of the trans-iron elements Ge, Sr, Y, and Zr. We investigate the possibility that the similarity between the two pulsators extends to their chemical composition. We retrieved archived optical and UV spectroscopic observations of Feige 46 and performed an abundance analysis using model atmospheres and synthetic spectra computed with TLUSTY and SYNSPEC. In total, we derived abundances for 16 elements and provide upper limits for four additional elements. Using absorption lines in the optical spectrum of the star we measure an enrichment of more than 10 000x solar for yttrium and zirconium. The UV spectrum revealed that strontium is equally enriched. Our results confirm that Feige 46 is not only a member of the now growing group of heavy metal subdwarfs, but also has an abundance pattern that is remarkably similar to that of LS IV-14 degrees 116.