Search results for "549"
showing 10 items of 376 documents
Small genomes and the difficulty to define minimal translation and metabolic machineries
2015
The notion of minimal life has sparked the interest of scientists in different fields, ranging from the origin-of-life research to biotechnology-oriented synthetic biology. Whether the interest is focused on the emergence of protocells out of prebiotic systems or the design of a cell chassis ready to incorporate new devices and functions, proposing minimal combinations of genes for life is not a trivial task. Using comparative genomics and biochemistry of endosymbionts (i.e., intracellular mutualistic symbionts) and intracellular parasites, a decade ago we proposed the core of a minimal gene set for a simple heterotrophic cell adapted to a chemically complex environment. In this work, we di…
Nitrous oxide emission budgets and land-use-driven hotspots for organic soils in Europe
2014
Organic soils are a main source of direct emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), an important greenhouse gas (GHG). Observed N2O emissions from organic soils are highly variable in space and time, which causes high uncertainties in national emission inventories. Those uncertainties could be reduced when relating the upscaling process to a priori-identified key drivers by using available N2O observations from plot scale in empirical approaches. We used the empirical fuzzy modelling approach MODE to identify main drivers for N2O and utilize them to predict the spatial emission pattern of European organic soils. We conducted a meta-study with a total amount of 659 annual N2O measurements, which was…
Wordarrows: El poder representativo del lenguaje en la obra de no ficción de N. Scott Momaday
2012
This article focuses on two non-fiction works by Native American author N. Scott Momaday: his 1969 historical memoir The Way to Rainy Mountain and his essay collection The Man Made of Words. It specifically tackles performative conceptions of language in the Kiowa storytelling tradition, where words are experienced as speech acts that have the power to intervene in surrounding realities. Taking into account 20th century ethno-cultural and linguistic policies in the United States, the article also reflects on the role indigenous languages may play in contemporary Native American Literature, which has most often been written in English.
Conservation Status of Some Peatbogs in Maramureş County
2016
AbstractPeat bogs and specially raised bogs are vulnerable ecosystems all over the world and they create refuges for some rare plant species. The aim of this paper is to provide information regarding the conservation status of five oligotrophic peat bogs situated in the volcanic mountains in the Oriental Chain of Carpathians, in Maramureș County. The studied peat bogs are: Tăul lui Dumitru (Dumitru Pond), Mlaștina Vlășinescu (Vlășinescu Peat bog), Iezeru Mare (Big Tarn), Tăul Chendroaiei (Chendroaiei Pond) and Tăul Negru (Black Pond), all of them have the status of nature reserve and under the IUCN categories they are included in category IV Habitat/Species Management Area (www.iucn.org, 20…
Comparison of the combined action of oxaliplatin or cisplatin and radiation in cervical and lung cancer cells
2007
To test the combined effects of oxaliplatin and radiation versus cisplatin and radiation using human cervical and lung cancer cell lines.CaSki cervical cancer cells, and A549 lung cancer cells were cultured under standard conditions. Cells were treated with escalating doses of gamma-irradiation (0-6 Gy), and with oxali- and cisplatin for 2 h or 24 h, or a combination of both. Cell survival was measured by a colony-forming assay. Survival curves were fitted to the data using the linear quadratic model. Sensitizer enhancement ratios (SER) were calculated at the 37% survival level, and isobologram analysis was applied to test for the drug-radiation interactions.Oxaliplatin as well as cisplatin…
Pool choice in a vertical landscape: Tadpole‐rearing site flexibility in phytotelm‐breeding frogs
2021
Abstract Many species of Neotropical frogs have evolved to deposit their tadpoles in small water bodies inside plant structures called phytotelmata. These pools are small enough to exclude large predators but have limited nutrients and high desiccation risk. Here, we explore phytotelm use by three common Neotropical species: Osteocephalus oophagus, an arboreal frog that periodically feeds eggs to its tadpoles; Dendrobates tinctorius, a tadpole‐transporting poison frog with cannibalistic tadpoles; and Allobates femoralis, a terrestrial tadpole‐transporting poison frog with omnivorous tadpoles. We found that D. tinctorius occupies pools across the chemical and vertical gradient, whereas A. fe…
Ecosystem services mapping and assessment for policy- and decision-making : Lessons learned from a comparative analysis of European case studies
2020
This paper analyses and compares a set of case studies on ecosystem services (ES) mapping and assessment with the purpose of formulating lessons learned and recommendations. Fourteen case studies were selected during the EU Horizon 2020 “Coordination and Support Action” ESMERALDA to represent different policy- and decision-making processes throughout the European Union, across a wide range of themes, biomes and scales. The analysis is based on a framework that addresses the key steps of an ES mapping and assessment process, namely policy questions, stakeholder identification and involvement, application of mapping and assessment methods, dissemination and communication and implementation. T…
Effects of PET packaging on the quality of an orange juice made from concentrate
2004
An orange juice made from concentrate was conditioned in three different PET (PolyEthylene Terephtalate) and glass packagings. Influence of storage conditions (length of storage, light, oxygen) on vitamin C content, browning index, and colour were measured. Results show that permeability to oxygen of PET packagings is the major factor detrimentally affecting the above parameters.
La semántica de los aproximadores frente a los aproximativos : El caso de más o menos
2019
This paper analyzes the semantic properties of the Spanish adverb más o menos 'about, more or less'. This adverb has been conceived as an approximative adverb, similarly to other, more prototypical forms, like almost or barely. Nevertheless, the propositional implications of almost and barely do not arise in más o menos, due to its particulary vague status. While almost and barely present a proximity-polarity pattern, más o menos implies an inconsistency of presuppositions, yielding differing readings. For this reason, I classify adverbs like más o menos as approximators, in opposition to adverbs like almost and barely, which have been classified as approximatives. Semantically, both types …
Hybridization selects for prime‐numbered life cycles in Magicicada: An individual‐based simulation model of a structured periodical cicada population
2020
Abstract We investigate competition between separate periodical cicada populations each possessing different life‐cycle lengths. We build an individual‐based model to simulate the cicada life cycle and allow random migrations to occur between patches inhabited by the different populations. We show that if hybridization between different cycle lengths produces offspring that have an intermediate life‐cycle length, then predation acts disproportionately to select against the hybrid offspring. This happens because they emerge in low densities without the safety‐in‐numbers provided by either parent population. Thus, prime‐numbered life cycles that can better avoid hybridization are favored. How…