37,334 research outputs found
Cisgenesis: an important sub-invention for traditional plant breeding companies
No full textModern plant breeding is highly dependent on new technologies to master future problems. More traits have to be combined, frequently originating from wild species. Traditional breeding is connected with linkage drag problems. The crop plant itself and its crossable species represent the traditional breeders gene pool. GM-breeding is a new way of improving existing varieties. Transgenes originate from non-crossable species and are representing a new gene pool. For release of GM-plants into the environment and onto the market in Europe Directive 2001/18/EC has been developed, primarily based on GM-technology and not on gene source. In society, opposition against GM crops is complicating the implementation of GM crops. In this paper, it is shown that not only transgenes, representing a new gene pool but also cisgenes and intragenes are available, representing the breeders gene pool. Cisgenes are natural genes and intragenes are composed of functional parts of natural genes from the crop plant itself or from crossable species. Cisgenesis is the combined use of only cisgenes with marker-free transformation, mimicking linkage drag free introgression breeding in one step. Therefore, cisgenesis is a new sub-invention in the traditional breeding field and indicates the need for reconsideration of GM Directives. Inventions are frequently containing not only hardware elements, but also software and orgware elements. For cisgenesis it is foreseen that the technical (hardware) and bioinformatic (software) elements will develop smoothly, but that implementation in society is highly dependent on acceptance and regulations (orgware). It could be made in a step by step approach by specific crop-gene derogations from the Directive, followed by adding cisgenesis to annex 1b of Directive 2001/18/EC for exemption. At present GM crops can only be introduced by large companies. An open innovation approach for cisgenesis by public private partnership including traditional SMEs has been discussed. Cisgenesis has been exemplified for resistance breeding of potato to Phytophthtora infestans
Metastable Innershell Molecular State (MIMS) IV: Heteronucleus K-shell MIMS with H+ and He+
No full textAbstractThe model of MIMS (Metastable Innershell Molecular State) has been applied to interpreting the Kα X-ray satellite data of target atoms in H+ and He+ ion impact on Al, Ca and Ti targets. The binding energies of the heteronucleus H-K-MIMS (K-shell MIMS formed with H and a target atom) and He-K-MIMS have been obtained. The binding energy trend of the H-K-MIMS shows a Z2 dependency similar to that of the homonucleus K-MIMS, while that of the He-K-MIMS shows a transitional behavior from the former to the latter. These behaviors were interpreted with the Z-expansion theory of heteronucleus molecules
Comparison of several author indices for gauging academic productivity
No full textBackground
Many author indices exist to gauge academic productivity. Several of these indices are calculated based upon an author's scholarly publication record, but the measurement methodology to calculate each index varies considerably, and the precise function being used, as well as the end result, is often complex and difficult to assess.
Method
Two straightforward methods to weigh author productivity from the publication and citation record were evaluated as possible means for providing a clearer assessment of scholarly activity. The author characteristic index (termed c-index) assigns author rank for each publication based upon author position. The characteristic prime (c') -index normalizes author rank from author position, so that the total weight per publication is unity. The top 10 scholars with keyword 'celiac disease' in the Google Scholar database were then assessed using these metrics. Rankings according to total number of publications, h-index, and c- and c'-indices were compared, then tabulated along with total papers included for assessment, and mean values per paper for author position, number of authors, citations, and year of publication.
Results
The order of the top ten authors with keyword 'celiac disease' varied substantially depending upon whether the h-index, c-index, or c'-index was used as a gauge. The characteristic indices assign credit to authors according to their position in an author list. The affiliated metrics provided a more complete picture of scholarly activity.
Conclusions
Academic achievement by scholars, based upon quantitative publication characteristics, has recently become of interest for evaluating job candidates, for determining work performance, and for bestowing awards and honors. The characteristic indices as described herein are readily calculated and interpreted, and may improve the assessment of scholarly activity
Neue Partei und rechte Traditionen: Die Unterstützung der AfD aus intergenerationaler Perspektive
No full textKroh M, Fetz K, Jacobsen J. Neue Partei und rechte Traditionen: Die Unterstützung der AfD aus intergenerationaler Perspektive. In: Brinkmann HU, Reuband K-H, eds. Rechtspopulismus in Deutschland. Wahlverhalten in Zeiten politischer Polarisierung. Wiesbaden: Springer VS; 2022: 227-253
Direct optical transitions at K- and H-point of Brillouin zone in bulk MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2
No full textabstract: Modulated reflectance (contactless electroreflectance (CER), photoreflectance (PR), and piezoreflectance (PzR)) has been applied to study direct optical transitions in bulk MoS[subscript 2], MoSe[subscript 2], WS[subscript 2], and WSe[subscript 2]. In order to interpret optical transitions observed in CER, PR, and PzR spectra, the electronic band structure for the four crystals has been calculated from the first principles within the density functional theory for various points of Brillouin zone including K and H points. It is clearly shown that the electronic band structure at H point of Brillouin zone is very symmetric and similar to the electronic band structure at K point, and therefore, direct optical transitions at H point should be expected in modulated reflectance spectra besides the direct optical transitions at the K point of Brillouin zone. This prediction is confirmed by experimental studies of the electronic band structure of MoS[subscript 2], MoSe[subscript 2], WS[subscript 2], and WSe[subscript 2] crystals by CER, PR, and PzR spectroscopy, i.e., techniques which are very sensitive to critical points of Brillouin zone. For the four crystals besides the A transition at K point, an A[subscript H] transition at H point has been observed in CER, PR, and PzR spectra a few tens of meV above the A transition. The spectral difference between A and A[subscript H] transition has been found to be in a very good agreement with theoretical predictions. The second transition at the H point of Brillouin zone (B[subscript H] transition) overlaps spectrally with the B transition at K point because of small energy differences in the valence (conduction) band positions at H and K points. Therefore, an extra resonance which could be related to the B[subscript H] transition is not resolved in modulated reflectance spectra at room temperature for the four crystals.This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. The following article appeared in Journal of Applied Physics and may be found at http://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.4954157
[Letter from K. Okada to Mr. and Mrs. H. Natsumeda]
No full textA letter, written in Japanese from K. Okada in Murray, Utah to Mr. and Mrs. H. Natsumeda inside the Amache Incarceration Camp in Granada, Colorado. Item from Misao Okada’s album.Misao Okada’s scrapbook contains photographs, ephemera, notes, and correspondence documenting her time at Amache and a visit and reunion over 50 years later. The scrapbook also includes materials relating to reparations and events observing Japanese American incarceration
APD-CLDs induce a hypoxia- and ETC/OXPHOS-dependent necrotic cell death.
No full textRealtime apoptosis-necrosis assay: PANC-1 cells were treated with BE-43547A2 (3 µM) or the apoptosis-inducer raptinal (10 µM) under either hypoxia or normoxia while the membrane integrity and phosphatidylserine translocation was followed in real-time using a membrane impermeable DNA stain and an annexin V-luciferase fusion protein, respectively (RealTime-Glo™ Annexin V Apoptosis and Necrosis Assay, Promega, Cat#: JA1011). A delay between phosphatidylserine translocation and loss of membrane integrity designates a canonical apoptotic cell death. Data is represented in relative fluorescent and luminescent units. N = 3. Inhibition of cell death pathways:BE-43547A2-induced cell death in hypoxic PANC-1 cells cannot be blocked by the pan-caspase inhibitor Q-VD-OPh (24 h). As a positive control normoxic cells treated with the apoptosis-inducer raptinal could be rescued with Q-VD-OPh. Toxicity was measured by CellTox Green (Promega) and RFUs were normalized to the average RFU of untreated cells. N = 3. PANC-1 cells were treated with BE-43547A2 (100 nM) in combination with serial dilutions of necrostatin-5 (Nec-5) or DPQ for 48 hours under hypoxia. Toxicity was measured by CellTox Green. N = 3. Modulatory profiling: PANC-1 cells were treated with lethal concentrations of APD-CLDs or ferroptosis-inducers in combination with a panel of small molecule modulators of various cellular processes. Each data point represents the mean of three replicates. Viability was assessed with CellTiter Blue (Promega, Cat# G8080).Hits in the modulatory profiling were confirmed by treating PANC-1 cells with serial dilutions of APD-CLDs or ferroptosis-inducers in the absence or presence of the hit compound for 48 hours under hypoxia. N = 3. PANC-1 cells treated with APD-CLDs can be rescued by the ER stress inhibitor azoramide. N = 3. Full dose-response curves of the modulation of ferroptosis with the ferroptosis-inhibitors NHI-2 and antimycin A. N = 3
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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