The concept of the (dual) binary discriminator was introduced by R. Halas, I. G. Rosenberg and the author in 1999. We study finite algebras having the (dual) discriminator as a term function. In particular, a simple characterization is obtained for such algebras with a majority term function.
Quantification of chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence is a versatile tool for analysing the photosynthetic performance of plants in a non-intrusive manner. A pulse-amplitude modulated fluorometer was combined with a CNC router for the automated measurement of the effective quantum yield of photosystem 2 (Φ2) of Arabidopsis thaliana plants. About 90 000 individual plants representing 7 500 lines derived from En-transposon and T-DNA mutagenised Arabidopsis populations were screened for mutants with altered Φ2. Forty-eight recessive Φ2 mutations were identified of which most exhibit also altered pigmentation and increased photosensitivity. For three Φ2 mutants the corresponding mutated genes were identified that code all for chloroplast-located proteins. Comparison of the Φ2 mutant screen with other screening methods based on the measurement of Chl fluorescence shows that the Φ2 mutants identified are different to mutants identified by high Chl fluorescence. Some Φ2 mutants, on the contrary, are common to mutants identified by screens based on non-photochemical quenching. and C. Varotto ... [et al.].
Formation of the photosynthetic apparatus in dark-grown 2-day-old beán (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) leaves was studied. The photosystem 2 (PS 2) reaction centres started íunctioning 1 h after the beginning of irradiation. Electron transport between the two photosystems started after 4 h of irradiation. The PS 2 units were able to transfer the excitation energy to each other after 10 h of greening. The photosynthetic activity appeared a long time before the typical 77 K fluorescence bands of green leaves appeared.
Two lichen species collected in maritime Antarctica (King George Island) were exposed under laboratory conditions to excess irradiance to evaluate the response of photosystem 2 (PS2). The response was measured on fully hydrated lichen thalli at 5 °C by means of a modulated fluorometer using chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence induction curve supplemented with analysis of quenching mechanisms. Chl fluorescence parameters [i.e. ratio of variable to maximum Chl fluorescence (FV/FM), quantum yield of PS2 photochemical reactions (Φ2), quenching coefficients] were evaluated before and several times after exposition to high irradiance in order to characterise the extent of photoinhibition, fast and slow phase of recovery. Strong irradiance (2 000 μmol m-2 s-1) caused high degree of photoinhibition, particularly higher in fruticose (Usnea antarctica) than in foliose (Umbilicaria decussata) lichen species. Fast phase of recovery from photoinhibition, corresponding to regulatory mechanisms of PS2, was more apparent in U. decussata and Φ2 than in U. antarctica and FV/FM and Φ2 within 40 min after photoinhibitory treatment. It was followed by a slow phase lasting several hours, corresponding to repair and re-synthesis processes. After photoinhibitory treatment, recovery of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) was faster and more pronounced in U. decussata than in U. antarctica. Significant differences were found between the two species in the rate of recovery in fast-(qE) and slow-recovering (qT+I) component of NPQ. and M. Barták, H. Vráblíková, J. Hájek.