Analysis of mating system in two Pinus cembra L. populations of the Ukrainian Carpathians

In natural pine populations, a mixed mating system is typical,characterized by the proportions of selfed and outcrossed seeds. Swiss stone pine(Pinus cembra L.) is one of the least studied European conifers in this respect. The mating system of six polymorphic allozyme loci were studied in haploid megagametophytes and diploid open-pollinated embryos in two stands located in theEast Carpathians. In the 'Gorgany' population (24 trees, 198 seeds) the mean singlelocus estimated outcrossing rate (ts) was 0.731, and the multilocus estimate (tm) was 0.773. In the 'Yayko' population the outcrossing rate was lower (27 trees, 213 seeds, ts=0.645, tm=0.700), suggesting 23-30% of seeds are self-pollinated. Correlation ofoutcrossing rate estimates among loci was less than 1, (0.300 in 'Gorgany' and 0.469 in 'Yayko') indicating biparental inbreeding occurred. Differences between tm and ts (0.042 in 'Gorgany' and 0.056 in 'Yayko') can also be influenced by consanguineous mating, indicated by the presence of spatial and genetic family structure. In small isolated populations of Pinus cembra, which are typical for the Carpathian part of the species' range, inbreeding depression may negatively affect seed quality. The high proportion of selfed seeds observed here can be expected in any seedlot of this species and should be taken into account while planning gene conservation orreforestation measures. Maternal trees in these populations showed no heterozygote deficiency at these allozyme loci, and instead showed increased proportions of heterozygotes (inbreeding coefficient FIS = -0.200 in 'Gorgany' and -0.142 in 'Yayko'). Balancing selection may explain heterozygosity levels up to and above equilibrium proportions

NMR microscopy of tissue in organic and mixed solvents

We propose to use organic and mixed solvents for nuclear magnetic resonance microscopy of fixed tissue as a means for improving image information content. NMR properties of some standard solvents (methanol, acetone, DMSO) and solvents in use for tissue processing in pathology (xylenes, paraffin, ‘Clearify’) have been measured, reviewed, and analyzed. It was found that DMSO and paraffin are very useful solvents that provide images of better quality than those obtained in water (neutralized formalin buffer). This is illustrated on the formalin fixed mouse brain sections imaged at 16.4 teslas (700 MHz)

The Erosion of Separation of Powers under the Congruence and Proportionality Test: From Religious Freedom to the ADA

In the past five years, the Supreme Court has reduced the scope of Congress\u27s powers under the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court\u27s contemporary approach to Congress\u27s authority denies Congress the opportunity to enact civil rights legislation benefiting non-suspect minority groups. This jurisprudence raises serious separation of powers concerns and virtually deprives Congress of its power to enact legislation to curb potentially unconstitutional state action. In contrast to the monumental Supreme Court decision in Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett, this Note argues that extending Title I of the ADA to the states is well within Congress\u27s section 5 authority. This Note further contends that the Supreme Court\u27s recent limiting of Congress\u27s Fourteenth Amendment power is inconsistent with precedent and fundamentally blurs the separation of powers between Congress and the judiciary

Õhulõhede juhtivust ja tundlikkust mõjutavad signalisatsioonirajad

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneTaimede ellujäämine muutuvas keskkonnas sõltub taimelehtede pinnal asuvatest mikroskoopilise suurusega õhulõhedest. Õhulõhed koosnevad kahest sulgrakust ja nende vahele jäävast õhupilust ning reguleerivad taimede gaasivahetust. Fotosünteesiks vajalik CO2 siseneb lehte läbi õhulõhede, samaaegselt väljub juurtega omastatud vesi transpiratsiooni käigus. Õhulõhede juhtivus on oluline lehe füsioloogiline tunnus, mis väljendab veeauru eraldumise kiirust lehepinnalt ning määrab taimede kasvu, stressitaluvuse ning tootlikkuse. Keskkonnast ja taimesisestest signaalidest lähtuv õhupilu laiuse kiire ja õhulõhede tiheduse pikemas ajaskaalas toimuv regulatsioon määravad õhulõhede juhtivuse väärtuse. Käesolevas töös uurisime taimehormooni abstsiishappe (ABA) rolli õhulõhede juhtivuse reguleerimisel ning leidsime, et mida väiksem oli ABA sisaldus lehes, seda kõrgem oli õhulõhede juhtivus. Kõrgem õhulõhede juhtivus tulenes laiemast õhupilust ning suuremast õhulõhede tihedusest. Seega kaotasid ABA-defitsiitsed taimed transpiratsiooni käigus rohkem vett, samas olid nad sellegipoolest võimelised sulgema õhupilusid stressitingimustes. Lisaks leidsime, et õhulõhede sulgrakud ning floeemi saaterakud on olulised ABA biosünteesi kohad. OST1, üks olulisemaid valke ABA signaalrajas, reguleeris õhulõhede tundlikkust vastusena keskkonnatingimustele ja ABA-le, kuid ei osalenud õhulõhede tiheduse määramisel. Lisaks uurisime farnesüleerimist läbiviiva valgu ERA1 rolli õhulõhede regulatsioonis ning leidsime, et ERA1 osaleb õhulõhede juhtivuse määramises ning sinise valguse põhjustatud õhupilude avanemises. Õhulõhede arengu ning avanemise ja sulgumise regulatsiooni mõistmine on oluline, et aretada erinevatesse keskkonnatingimustesse sobivaid taimi, mis oleks ühtpidi efektiivsema vee kasutusega, kuid samas võimalikult kõrge fotosünteesiga ning sellest tulenevalt saagikamad.Survival of plants in the changing environment depends largely on stomata, small pores surrounded by a pair of specialized guard cells on the aerial surface of plants. Stomata control gas exchange between the leaf and atmosphere – uptake of CO2 for photosynthesis and loss of water through transpiration. Plant growth, stress-related water management and production depend on the appropriate control of stomatal conductance, one of the most important leaf physiological traits. Rapid changes in the stomatal aperture width and changes in the number of stomata (stomatal density) on a longer timescale both affect stomatal conductance and enable to regulate it according to endogenous and environmental cues. We studied the role of plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) in controlling stomatal conductance and found that reduced leaf ABA concentration led to higher stomatal conductance. This was associated with wider stomatal aperture width and increased stomatal density of these plants. ABA-deficient plants thus lost more water to the atmosphere, but were still able to respond to environmental changes with stomatal closure. We found that stomatal guard cells and phloem companion cells were important sources of ABA. We showed that OST1, a key positive regulator of ABA signalling, was important in stomatal responsiveness to environmental factors and ABA, but it was not involved in regulating stomatal development. Stomatal regulation by a farnesylating protein ERA1, which is suggested to be involved in ABA signalling, was also studied. We revealed that ERA1 is involved in determining the stomatal conductance and mediating the blue light-induced opening response. Understanding the mechanism of stomatal regulation gives information for breeding crop plants productive in different climatic conditions. The focus is on developing more water use efficient plants with reduced stomatal conductance without compromising in photosynthesis and ultimately, in crop yields.https://www.ester.ee/record=b524410

The Erosion of Separation of Powers under the Congruence and Proportionality Test: From Religious Freedom to the ADA

In the past five years, the Supreme Court has reduced the scope of Congress\u27s powers under the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court\u27s contemporary approach to Congress\u27s authority denies Congress the opportunity to enact civil rights legislation benefiting non-suspect minority groups. This jurisprudence raises serious separation of powers concerns and virtually deprives Congress of its power to enact legislation to curb potentially unconstitutional state action. In contrast to the monumental Supreme Court decision in Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett, this Note argues that extending Title I of the ADA to the states is well within Congress\u27s section 5 authority. This Note further contends that the Supreme Court\u27s recent limiting of Congress\u27s Fourteenth Amendment power is inconsistent with precedent and fundamentally blurs the separation of powers between Congress and the judiciary

Defining the Crime of Excessive Self-Defense: Voluntary Manslaughter in Illinois

The Illinois Criminal Code of 1961 added the concept of excessive self defense to the traditional provoked, irresistible passion concept considered in the offense of voluntary manslaughter. This comment briefly examines the traditional formulation, then explores why the second formulation was added, and how the courts have interpreted this new offense

A New Place Under the Sun: Prah v. Maretti and Common Law Solar Access Remedies

An analysis of the changing status of common law remedies available for solar users, with particular emphasis in three areas: solar easements, watercourse law, and private nuisance. Possible legal theories for Illinois users are discussed

A Model for Merging Information Systems: A Case Study of the Air Force Material Command Merger

As the Department of Defense continues to shrink, downsizing and rightsizing are terms that often indicate that changes are inevitable to many military units and organizations, some of these changes result in organizational mergers. One of the critical areas for such mergers lies within getting the information systems of the premerger organizations to work together. This thesis presents a model for merging information systems as part of an organizational merger. The proposed model, synthesized from existing technical and non- technical models and guidelines, addresses five key areas for consideration for a successful information systems merger. Those areas are: (1) Organizational Structure, (2) Information and Data Flow, (3) Cultural Factors, (4) Common Technologies, and (5) Common Goals. A case study of the Air Force Materiel Command merger was examined to test the model and to comment on the results of their efforts for future merger activities. Merger, Organizational change, Acquisition, Integration

The future of multiple sclerosis treatments

Introduction. There are not many conditions in which the last few decades have brought such a major change in the landscape of treatments as is the case of multiple sclerosis (MS). A number of disease modifying treatments (DMTs) are presently available for the treatment of the inflammatory phase of this disabling disease; however, the need for treating neurodegeneration and halting the progression of disability is still unmet. Areas covered: In this paper we review the available information on existing and emerging DMTs and we discuss their place within the context of different treatment strategies in MS. Expert Commentary: The future of MS treatments should include the development of new treatment strategies tackling disease progression, together with a better understanding of the side-effects and the best sequential strategy of implementation of available and emerging drugs

Культурно-просвітницька місія "Української Бібліотеки" Івана Тиктора в національному та ідеологічному просторі українців

У статті розглядається книжкова серія "Українська Бібліотека" як культурно-просвітній та національно-виховний проект видавничого концерну Івана Тиктора "Українська Преса", який реалізовували протягом 1933-1939 рр. На основі художніх творів серії, літературних рецензій та заміток на шпальтах періодичних видань, автор пропонує періодизацію фонду бібліотеки, аналізує роботу науково-редакторського колективу, мистецько-композиційну складову цих книжечок та обґрунтовує їхню роль у національно-ідеологічному просторі українців