Search results for "alignment"
showing 10 items of 627 documents
Characterization and transcription studies of a phytochelatin synthase gene from the solitary tunicate Ciona intestinalis exposed to cadmium.
2014
The major thiol-containing molecules involved in controlling the level of intracellular ROS in eukaryotes, acting as a nonenzymatic detoxification system, are metallothioneins (MTs), glutathione (GSH) and phytochelatins (PCs). Both MTs and GSH are well-known in the animal kingdom. PC was considered a prerogative of the plant kingdom but, in 2001, a phytochelatin synthase (PCS) gene was described in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans; additional genes encoding this enzyme were later described in the earthworm Eisenia fetida and in the parasitic nematode Schistosoma mansoni but scanty data are available, up to now, for Deuterostomes. Here, we describe the molecular characteristics and transc…
Why Africa matters: evolution of Old World Salvia (Lamiaceae) in Africa
2014
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Salvia is the largest genus in Lamiaceae and it has recently been found to be non-monophyletic. Molecular data on Old World Salvia are largely lacking. In this study, we present data concerning Salvia in Africa. The focus is on the colonization of the continent, character evolution and the switch of pollination systems in the genus. METHODS Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference were used for phylogenetic reconstruction. Analyses were based on two nuclear markers [internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and external transcribed spacer (ETS)] and one plastid marker (rpl32-trnL). Sequence data were generated for 41 of the 62 African taxa (66 %). Mesquite was used to reconstru…
Nonintrusive monitoring and quantitative analysis of strong laser-field-induced impulsive alignment
2004
We report the observation of impulsive alignment of $\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ molecules produced through their interaction with a nonresonant, strong laser pulse. The periodic alignment is monitored using a polarization technique generally employed in optical Kerr effect experiments; the birefringence produced by alignment of the molecular sample is measured with a weak pulse, time-delayed with respect to the alignment pulse. The technique provides a signal proportional to $⟨{\mathrm{cos}}^{2}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\theta}⟩\ensuremath{-}\frac{1}{3}$, where $\ensuremath{\theta}$ is the polar angle between the molecular axis and the strong-field polarization axis. Experimen…
The skeletal proteome of the coral Acropora millepora: the evolution of calcification by co-option and domain shuffling.
2013
14 pages; International audience; In corals, biocalcification is a major function that may be drastically affected by ocean acidification (OA). Scleractinian corals grow by building up aragonitic exoskeletons that provide support and protection for soft tissues. Although this process has been extensively studied, the molecular basis of biocalcification is poorly understood. Notably lacking is a comprehensive catalog of the skeleton-occluded proteins-the skeletal organic matrix proteins (SOMPs) that are thought to regulate the mineral deposition. Using a combination of proteomics and transcriptomics, we report the first survey of such proteins in the staghorn coral Acropora millepora. The or…
A comparison of methods for investigating the perceptual center of musical sounds
2019
In speech and music, the acoustic and perceptual onset(s) of a sound are usually not congruent with its perceived temporal location. Rather, these "P-centers" are heard some milliseconds after the acoustic onset, and a variety of techniques have been used in speech and music research to find them. Here we report on a comparative study that uses various forms of the method of adjustment (aligning a click or filtered noise in-phase or anti-phase to a repeated target sound), as well as tapping in synchrony with a repeated target sound. The advantages and disadvantages of each method and probe type are discussed, and then all methods are tested using a set of musical instrument sounds that syst…
Evolutionary conservation and function of the human embryonic stem cell specific miR-302/367 cluster
2015
miRNA clusters define a group of related miRNAs closely localized in the genome with an evolution that remains poorly understood. The miR-302/367 cluster represents a single polycistronic transcript that produces five precursor miRNAs. The cluster is highly expressed and essential for maintenance of human embryonic stem cells. We found the cluster to be highly conserved and present in most mammals. In primates, seed sequence and miRNA structure are conserved, but inter-precursor sequences are evolving. Insertions of new miRNAs, deletions of individual miRNAs, and a cluster duplication observed in different species suggest an actively evolving cluster. Core transcriptional machinery consisti…
CitA (citrate) and DcuS (C4-dicarboxylate) sensor kinases in thermophilic Geobacillus kaustophilus and Geobacillus thermodenitrificans
2015
The thermophilic Geobacillus thermodenitrificans and Geobacillus kaustophilus are able to use citrate or C4-dicarboxylates like fumarate or succinate as the substrates for growth. The genomes of the sequenced Geobacillus strains (nine strains) each encoded a two-component system of the CitA family. The sensor kinase of G. thermodenitrificans (termed CitAGt) was able to replace CitA of Escherichia coli (CitAEc) in a heterologous complementation assay restoring expression of the CitAEc-dependent citC-lacZ reporter gene and anaerobic growth on citrate. Complementation was specific for citrate. The sensor kinase of G. kaustophilus (termed DcuSGk) was able to replace DcuSEc of E. coli. It respon…
Multimodal accomplishment of alignment and affiliation in the local space of distant meetings
2017
Technology-mediated (i.e. distant) meetings are complex settings that involve distributed participation frameworks and the coordination of actions in multiple interactional spaces. This paper examines how problems with hearing, speaking, or understanding in the overall meeting space enable the negotiation of alignment and affiliation by co-present participants in the same local meeting space. Conversation analysis is used to investigate the local accomplishment of alignment and affiliation achieved through the sequential and temporal organization of verbal, embodied, and material resources of interaction in three types of situations: during technological trouble, silences, and disagreements…
Phylogenetic relationship of the green alga Nanochlorum eukaryotum deduced from its chloroplast rRNA sequences.
1995
The marine green coccoidal alga Nanochlorum eukaryotum (N.e.) is of small size with an average diameter of 1.5 microns. It is characterized by primitive-appearing biochemical and morphological properties, which are considerably different from those of other green algae. Thus, it has been proposed that N.e. may be an early developed algal form. To prove this hypothesis, DNA of N.e. was isolated by a phenol extraction procedure, and the chloroplast DNA separated by preparative CsCl density-gradient centrifugation. The kinetic complexity of the nuclear and of the chloroplast DNA was evaluated by reassociation kinetics to 3 x 10(7) bp and 9 x 10(4) bp, respectively. Several chloroplast genes, i…
Application of an innovative alignment optimisation method to a cross-cultural mean comparison of teacher self-efficacy: A cross-country study
2021
Teacher self-efficacy is a crucial personal characteristic that is important not only for teachers’ well-being but also for the overall teaching and learning. However, the difficulty to ascertain scalar invariance in the measurement of the construct has beset previous attempts of cross-cultural comparisons. This study implements an alignment optimisation method to compare and rank mean teacher self-efficacy of over 150,000 teachers across 48 countries and economies that participated in the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) that was conducted 2018. The findings show that Columbia, Portugal, United Arab Emirates, Hungary, and South Africa have teachers with the highest mean s…