Light signaling and UV-B-mediated plant growth regulation
JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY
Authors: Yadav, Arpita; Singh, Deeksha; Lingwan, Maneesh; Yadukrishnan, Premachandran; Masakapalli, Shyam Kumar; Datta, Sourav
Abstract
Light plays an important role in plants' growth and development throughout their life cycle. Plants alter their morphological features in response to light cues of varying intensity and quality. Dedicated photoreceptors help plants to perceive light signals of different wavelengths. Activated photoreceptors stimulate the downstream signaling cascades that lead to extensive gene expression changes responsible for physiological and developmental responses. Proteins such as ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5 (HY5) and CONSTITUTIVELY PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1 (COP1) act as important factors which modulate light-regulated gene expression, especially during seedling development. These factors function as central regulatory intermediates not only in red, far-red, and blue light pathways but also in the UV-B signaling pathway. UV-B radiation makes up only a minor fraction of sunlight, yet it imparts many positive and negative effects on plant growth. Studies on UV-B perception, signaling, and response in plants has considerably surged in recent times. Plants have developed different strategies to use UV-B as a developmental cue as well as to withstand high doses of UV-B radiation. Plants' responses to UV-B are an integration of its cross-talks with both environmental factors and phytohormones. This review outlines the current developments in light signaling with a major focus on UV-B-mediated plant growth regulation.
Congressional Representation by Petition: Assessing the Voices of the Voteless in a Comprehensive New Database, 1789-1949
LEGISLATIVE STUDIES QUARTERLY
Authors: Blackhawk, Maggie; Carpenter, Daniel; Resch, Tobias; Schneer, Benjamin
Abstract
For much of American political history, the electoral franchise was restricted to only a portion of the population. By contrast, the right to petition was considered universal and enshrined in the First Amendment, giving voice to the voteless. Petitioning thus served as a fundamental mechanism of representation. Still, fundamental questions remain: How was petitioning used, how did Congress respond to petitions, and did the petition allow for partial representation of the marginalized and unenfranchised? We address these questions by analyzing the Congressional Petitions Database (CPD), an original endeavor tracking virtually every petition introduced to Congress from 1789 to 1949. Our analyses document how (1) two important groups of unenfranchised constituents-Native Americans and women-petitioned regularly and (2) Congress's initial treatment of Natives' and women's petitions was similar to that of all others, thus offering systematic evidence highlighting the petition's role as a mechanism for representation among otherwise unenfranchised groups.