Alternative promoter usage generates novel shorter MAPT mRNA transcripts in Alzheimer's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy brains.

Science.gov (United States)

Huin, Vincent; Buée, Luc; Behal, Hélène; Labreuche, Julien; Sablonnière, Bernard; Dhaenens, Claire-Marie

2017-10-03

Alternative promoter usage is an important mechanism for transcriptome diversity and the regulation of gene expression. Indeed, this alternative usage may influence tissue/subcellular specificity, protein translation and function of the proteins. The existence of an alternative promoter for MAPT gene was considered for a long time to explain differential tissue specificity and differential response to transcription and growth factors between mRNA transcripts. The alternative promoter usage could explain partly the different tau proteins expression patterns observed in tauopathies. Here, we report on our discovery of a functional alternative promoter for MAPT, located upstream of the gene's second exon (exon 1). By analyzing genome databases and brain tissue from control individuals and patients with Alzheimer's disease or progressive supranuclear palsy, we identified novel shorter transcripts derived from this alternative promoter. These transcripts are increased in patients' brain tissue as assessed by 5'RACE-PCR and qPCR. We suggest that these new MAPT isoforms can be translated into normal or amino-terminal-truncated tau proteins. We further suggest that activation of MAPT's alternative promoter under pathological conditions leads to the production of truncated proteins, changes in protein localization and function, and thus neurodegeneration.

Using Repertory Grids to Explore Musical Skills and Attitudes in a Mature-Age Adult at the Early Stages of Learning for Self-Fulfilment: A Case Study of James

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Taylor, Angela

2012-01-01

Repertory grids were used as a research tool to explore 73-year-old James' musical development over two years. Choosing two music learning cultures for his instrumental learning, James learned the piano in a college workshop and the Appalachian dulcimer in his local folk group. There were clear changes in his musical skills and attitudes,…

The European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA): promoting alternative methods in Europe and beyond.

Science.gov (United States)

Cozigou, Gwenole; Crozier, Jonathan; Hendriksen, Coenraad; Manou, Irene; Ramirez-Hernandez, Tzutzuy; Weissenhorn, Renate

2015-03-01

Here in we introduce the European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA) and its activities, which are focused on international cooperation toward alternative methods. The EPAA is one of the leading organizations in Europe for the promotion of alternative approaches to animal testing. Its innovative public-private partnership structure enables a consensus-driven dialogue across 7 industry sectors to facilitate interaction between regulators and regulated stakeholders. Through a brief description of EPAA's activities and organizational structure, we first articulate the value of this collaboration; we then focus on 2 key projects driven by EPAA. The first project aims to address research gaps on stem cells for safety testing, whereas the second project strives for an approach toward demonstration of consistency in vaccine batch release testing. We highlight the growing need for harmonization of international acceptance and implementation of alternative approaches and for increased international collaboration to foster progress on nonanimal alternatives.

實徵研究／an exploration of back-of-the-book indexing behavior with repertory grid technique／陳啟亮

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陳啟亮 Qi Liang Chen

2010-10-01

Full Text Available The validity and credibility of research design always the critical issue for information behavior researchers. It’s a more critical issue for information scientists when they inquire human mental process and activities in society context. The author figured out the problems in the back-of-the-book indexing behavior research. He adapted George Kelly’s Repertory Grid Technique to elicit the indexer’s mental constructs and strategies. In this article, the author describes the process of research designing, conducting and analyzing. 在資訊行為研究中，如何能設計出一種兼具效度且信度的研究方法，使研究者能了解人類心智活動與歷程方法，一直是研究者關心的主要議題。在本文作者進行書後索引編製行為研究的過程中，發現了一些傳統資訊行為研究法的困難處。本文作者採用了在教育與臨床心理學發展出的凱利方格法（Repertory Grid Technique），藉以引出索引編製者的心智構面（Mental Constructs）以及心智策略。本文詳述此一研究方法之設計與操作過程，以提供相關資訊行為研究參考。頁次：35-51

Effects of alternative promoters of growth on the performance and cost of production of broilers

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Patrícia Tomazini Medeiros

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Probiotics and prebiotics were compared to antimicrobials as alternative growth promoters in male broilers grown from 1 to 42 days of age. Eight treatments were evaluated: a control feed without antimicrobials or alternative growth promoters, a control feed with antimicrobials, a control feed with the antimicrobials colistine and avilamicine, three rations with probiotic Bacillus subtilis in different concentrations and/or under recommended usage, one ration with probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae in addition to a mixture of probiotic Bacillus subtilis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus oryzae, and one ration with mananoligossacarids (MOS plus betaglutanes. Antimicrobials and alternative growth promoters were added to an initial feed and to a growth feed common to all birds. Thirteen to 17 replicates of 50 birds of a Cobb line were utilized per treatment in a completely randomized design. Feed consumption, feed conversion and production costs did not significantly differ among treatments. The weights of 42-day-old birds fed on Bacillus subtilis (1,6 x 109CFU/g or the mixture of probiotics were higher or similar to the weights of birds fed on ration with antimicrobials. It was concluded that probiotics can replace antimicrobials as growth promoters for broilers up to 42 days of age without negative effects on growth performance and production cost.

CRE promoter sites modulate alternative splicing via p300-mediated histone acetylation

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Dušková, Eva; Hnilicová, Jarmila; Staněk, David

2014-01-01

Roč. 11, č. 7 (2014), s. 865-874 ISSN 1547-6286 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP305/12/G034 Institutional support: RVO:68378050 Keywords : alternative splicing * fibronectin * p300 * histone acetylation * promoter Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 4.974, year: 2014

"... There's so much going on unspoken in the back of the mind ..." —The Use of Repertory Grid Technique as a Qualitative Heuristic Research Design to Understand Teachers' Perceptions of Parents

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Elisabeth Rangosch-Schneck

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Studying subjective attitudes has to answer the question about the possibilities of expressing personal systems of meanings and about the possibilities of reconstructing the verbalized meanings by the researchers. Investigating teachers' perceptions of parents leads to two additional problems: teachers' rule of neutrality—which demands not making emotional and degrading statements—, and the normative orientation of "partnership" with parents—which is currently being increasingly discussed in the context of school-development and which makes teachers justify their working together with parents. The Repertory Grid Technique as a method of interview design supports the teachers who have been questioned in verbalizing individual perceptions of parents without using common phrases in their statements. But explicitly integrating the method in a qualitative design raises new questions: According to the currently prevailing orientation towards the typical quantitative Grid-data, qualitative designs are of little interest, so one cannot rely on proven procedures. The procedure described in this article is characterized by using the complete transcription of the interviews with teachers and the analysis of them as texts. The quantitative grid data are only collected for heuristic purposes. This article is a contribution to the discussion of the possibilities of realizing the qualitative potentials of Repertory Grid Technique. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs070197

BIOGAS AS AN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCE TO PROMOTE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES DEVELOPMENT

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Carlos SABORÍO VÍQUEZ

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The key areas that determine the food and nutrition security are: availability, access, consumption and biological utilization. For this reason it is necessary to promote the health of vulnerable groups, in this case, indigenous communities, protecting and establishing conditions to ensure the human right to food. The initial plan focuses ondeveloping facilities for small swine and poultry farms, familiar, non-commercial. The main objective of the pigs raised at the site will be the production of animal waste in order to implement digesters for the production of biogas as an alternative energy source, the production of meat stays in the background, thinking only about the community consumption and helping to ensure their food source, from this perspective, the technologies applied to rural and indigenous progress are environmentally friendly, socially just, economically viable and culturally acceptable. The theme of rural and indigenous Development is focused on their food security and the use of alternative energies, considering that energy is a key element in achieving sustainable development in all sectors, therefore sought from a broad perspective solidarity and actively promote greater and more rational use of energy and the environment in remote communities, through diversification of supply sources and efficient use, thereby contributing toenvironmental conservation and reduction of health problems through the use of appropriate technologies.

Human sex hormone-binding globulin gene expression- multiple promoters and complex alternative splicing

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Rosner William

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Human sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG regulates free sex steroid concentrations in plasma and modulates rapid, membrane based steroid signaling. SHBG is encoded by an eight exon-long transcript whose expression is regulated by a downstream promoter (PL. The SHBG gene was previously shown to express a second major transcript of unknown function, derived from an upstream promoter (PT, and two minor transcripts. Results We report that transcriptional expression of the human SHBG gene is far more complex than previously described. PL and PT direct the expression of at least six independent transcripts each, resulting from alternative splicing of exons 4, 5, 6, and/or 7. We mapped two transcriptional start sites downstream of PL and PT, and present evidence for a third SHBG gene promoter (PN within the neighboring FXR2 gene; PN regulates the expression of at least seven independent SHBG gene transcripts, each possessing a novel, 164-nt first exon (1N. Transcriptional expression patterns were generated for human prostate, breast, testis, liver, and brain, and the LNCaP, MCF-7, and HepG2 cell lines. Each expresses the SHBG transcript, albeit in varying abundance. Alternative splicing was more pronounced in the cancer cell lines. PL- PT- and PN-derived transcripts were most abundant in liver, testis, and prostate, respectively. Initial findings reveal the existence of a smaller immunoreactive SHBG species in LNCaP, MCF-7, and HepG2 cells. Conclusion These results extend our understanding of human SHBG gene transcription, and raise new and important questions regarding the role of novel alternatively spliced transcripts, their function in hormonally responsive tissues including the breast and prostate, and the role that aberrant SHBG gene expression may play in cancer.

Unlike PPARγ, PPARα or PPARβ/δ activation does not promote human monocyte differentiation toward alternative macrophages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouhlel, Mohamed Amine; Brozek, John; Derudas, Bruno; Zawadzki, Christophe; Jude, Brigitte; Staels, Bart; Chinetti-Gbaguidi, Giulia

2009-01-01

Macrophages adapt their response to micro-environmental signals. While Th1 cytokines promote pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages, Th2 cytokines promote an 'alternative' anti-inflammatory M2 macrophage phenotype. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated transcription factors expressed in macrophages where they control the inflammatory response. It has been shown that PPARγ promotes the differentiation of monocytes into anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages in humans and mice, while a role for PPARβ/δ in this process has been reported only in mice and no data are available for PPARα. Here, we show that in contrast to PPARγ, expression of PPARα and PPARβ/δ overall does not correlate with the expression of M2 markers in human atherosclerotic lesions, whereas a positive correlation with genes of lipid metabolism exists. Moreover, unlike PPARγ, PPARα or PPARβ/δ activation does not influence human monocyte differentiation into M2 macrophages in vitro. Thus, PPARα and PPARβ/δ do not appear to modulate the alternative differentiation of human macrophages.

Envers un repertori conceptual de la poesia de Narcís Vinyoles

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Salvador Cuenca Almenar

2013-12-01

Full Text Available L’obra lírica de Narcís Vinyoles es pot caracteritzar pel sincretisme formal i temàtic, típic de la València del pas del segle XV al XVI, un espai eclèctic on s’unien influències diverses. En aquest espai receptor Vinyoles construí la seua obra amb tres llengües: català, castellà i italià, i amb inspiracions temàtiques divergents. Des del punt de vista temàtic, un dels elements barrejats pel poeta valencià fou el filosoficoconceptual. En aquest treball detectaré els conceptes i, sense explicar-los en profunditat, explicitaré l’ús que en fa el poeta valencià. Dividiré el repertori conceptual en cinc apartats, segons la disciplina a la qual pertanguen: epistemologia, filosofia de la natura, metafísica, filosofia moral i teologia. Narcís Vinyoles’s poetry can be depicted by its formal and thematic syncretism, representative of Valencia at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, an eclectic city where diverse influences inextricably merged. In this receiving place Vinyoles built up his works with three languages, namely, Catalan, Castilian and Italian, and with different thematic inspirations. Thematically speaking, philosophical concepts are one of the elements mingled by the Valencian poet. In this paper I will only detect these concepts and specify the use made by Vinyoles without the explanation. The repertoire will be divided in five parts, according to the discipline to which concepts belong: epistemology, philosophy of nature, metaphysics, moral philosophy and theology

A pilot study on conducting mobile learning activities for clinical nursing courses based on the repertory grid approach.

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Wu, Po-Han; Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Tsai, Chin-Chung; Chen, Ya-Chun; Huang, Yueh-Min

2011-11-01

In clinical nursing courses, students are trained to identify the status of the target patients. The mastery of such ability and skills is very important since patients frequently need to be cared for immediately. In this pilot study, a repertory grid-oriented clinical mobile learning system is developed for a nursing training program. With the assistance of the mobile learning system, the nursing school students are able to learn in an authentic learning scenario, in which they can physically face the target patients, with the personal guidance and supplementary materials from the learning system to support them. To show the effectiveness of this innovative approach, an experiment has been conducted on the "respiratory system" unit of a nursing course. The experimental results show that the innovative approach is helpful to students in improving their learning achievements. Moreover, from the questionnaire surveys, it was found that most students showed favorable attitudes toward the usage of the mobile learning system and their participation in the training program. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-criteria evaluation of cooking energy alternatives for promoting parabolic solar cooker in India

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pohekar, S.D. [Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (India). CREED; Ramachandran, M. [Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Dubai (United Arab Emirates)

2004-07-01

The policy formulation for cooking energy substitution by renewables is addressed in multi-criteria context. A survey is conducted to know the perceptions of different decision making groups on present dissemination of various cooking energy alternatives in India. Nine cooking energy alternatives are evaluated on 30 different criteria comprising of technical, economic, environmental/social, behavioural and commercial issues. Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE), a multi-criteria decision making method of outranking nature is used to rank the alternatives. It is found that liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stove is the most preferred device, followed by kerosene stove, solar box cooker and parabolic solar cooker (PSC) in that order. A sensitivity analysis is also carried out for identifying potential areas for improvement for PSC. On the basis of results, strategies for promoting wide spread use of PSC are formulated. (author)

Establishing Design Strategies and an Assessment Tool of Home Appliances to Promote Sustainable Behavior for the New Poor

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Jui-Che Tu

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Environmental benefits related to home appliance life cycles depend on how these products are used. Designing home appliances that promote sustainable behavior is an effective way to reduce environmental impacts. This study aimed to increase relevant opportunities for promoting sustainable behavior practices on the new poor through home appliances, which is rarely discussed in the fields of design for sustainable behavior (DfSB and product design. In particular, relevant assessment tools or indicators are lacking in DfSB, and people’s use of home appliances is generally unsustainable. Therefore, repertory grid technology was used to understand the perceptions of the new poor, develop an assessment tool, and construct design strategies for home appliances that promote sustainable behavior. Data were collected from the new poor and from designers. Through cluster and principal component analyses, three strategy types were proposed that corresponded to different product features, suggestions, and guidance. In addition, the effectiveness and potential of an assessment tool were demonstrated using the Wilcoxon rank test. The findings could be used by designers, retailers, and green marketers to propose effective product design programs that promote sustainable behavior of the new poor during product use.

Repertory Grid, Laddering e Análise de Conteúdo: Uma abordagem Psicométrica para Entender Profissionais de Tecnologia da Informação

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Pedro Jácome de Moura Junior

2014-10-01

Full Text Available A major challenge when researching on people relates to how reliable information can be retrieved from them. It is a matter of how to access what is literally inside people’s mind. Access is limited by the cognitive screening process that mediates human interaction, as well as by human rhetoric. We apply repertory grid, laddering and content analysis as an integrated psychometric approach to contrast two sets of constructs: a set of theoretically based constructs about the management of information technology professionals who work in customer teams, and a set of constructs that lie behind those professionals’ cognition in the particular case of implementing enterprise-wide systems (ERP. Results confirm the effectiveness of such a methodological approach to accurately reveal cognitive phenomena and to better understand the information technology workforce.

Imagining Homeland: Identity and Repertories of a Greek Labour-immigrant Musician in Germany

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Smaragdi Boura

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Migration has always played an important and determinative role in the formation of the Greek life-cycle, since the existence of a Greek Diaspora originates back to the institution of the Greek nation. However, whether the migration phenomenon represents a typical and integral part of the Greek cultural tradition or mentality, or appears as a forced consequence of specific economic or political circumstances, it should be pointed out that it has proved to be a transformative factor for the lives of people involved in it. The fate of "metanastes" (immigrants and the life in "xenitia" (foreign host land appear to be a very common and prominent topic elaborated in the poetic texts of the Greek "dimotika tragoudia" (traditional songs and "laika tragoudia" (folk-popular songs. Through these repertoires, music reveals its power in conveying and symbolically communicating and expressing public notions, feelings and cultural messages that acquire a particular significance for immigrant communities. Furthermore, diasporic music—along with dance—constitutes one of the basic components of the immigrant's cultural heritage, representing: an expressive way of maintaining cultural identity; a fixed, however metaphorical, conjunctional link between the mother country and the host land; and, a fundamental context through which the migratory community identifies or reconstitutes itself in relation to the majority and other surrounding groups. The author uses fieldwork from a year spent amongst Greek immigrant communities in the Stuttgart region of Germany to address and reflect on issues around the role of music in identity construction and the way in which this connects with processes of integration, assimilation and transnationalism. Specifically, the paper explores the multiple identities and repertories of a Greek musician in Germany, by focusing on several aspects of the musician's life-portrait and providing both emic and etic interpretations. This

Global restriction of using antibiotic growth promoters and alternative strategies in poultry production.

Science.gov (United States)

Salim, Hossan Md; Huque, Khan Shahidul; Kamaruddin, Kazi M; Beg, M D Anwarul Haque

2018-03-01

A growing global concern of antibiotic use in poultry diets due to its potential adverse effects on birds and human health, food safety and the environment has led to a complete ban or restricted use in some countries, and, at the same time, expanding options for the use of alternative feed additives. Multiple, rather than a single additive may replace antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry. Blending of feeding additives and hygienic farm management, vaccination and biosecurity may help achieve good intestinal health, stabilise enteric ecosystems and result in sustainable and cost effective production performance of birds. Moreover, controlling unsolicited ingredients at the production level must have the support of different markets responsible for the supply of safe and quality poultry products for consumers. This requires the further increase and diversification of value added poultry products and the expansion of their markets through strategic planning and gradual limitation of live bird markets. More research is warranted in order to explore suitable, reliable and cost effective alternatives to AGPs for commercial use, and strategic poultry value chain development.

Potential of three microbial bio-effectors to promote maize growth and nutrient acquisition from alternative phosphorous fertilizers in contrasting soils

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thonar, Cécile; Lekfeldt, Jonas Duus Stevens; Cozzolino, Vincenza

2017-01-01

results were mostly obtained with BEs in combination with organic fertilizers such as composted animal manures, fresh digestate of organic wastes, and sewage sludge. In only one experiment, the nutrient use efficiency of mineral recycling fertilizers was improved by BE inoculation. Conclusions......Background: Agricultural production is challenged by the limitation of non-renewable resources. Alternative fertilizers are promoted but they often have a lower availability of key macronutrients, especially phosphorus (P). Biological inoculants, the so-called bio-effectors (BEs), may be combined...... with these fertilizers to improve the nutrient use efficiency. Methods: The goal of this study was to assess the potential of three BEs in combination with alternative fertilizers (e.g., composted manure, biogas digestate, green compost) to promote plant growth and nutrient uptake in soils typical for various European...

Promoting functional foods as acceptable alternatives to doping: potential for information-based social marketing approach.

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James, Ricky; Naughton, Declan P; Petróczi, Andrea

2010-11-10

Substances with performance enhancing properties appear on a continuum, ranging from prohibited performance enhancing drugs (PED) through dietary supplements to functional foods (FF). Anti-doping messages designed to dissuade athletes from using PEDs have been typically based on moralising sport competition and/or employing scare campaigns with focus on the negative consequences. Campaigns offering comparable and acceptable alternatives are nonexistent, nor are athletes helped in finding these for themselves. It is timely that social marketing strategies for anti-doping prevention and intervention incorporate media messages that complement the existing approaches by promoting comparable and acceptable alternatives to doping. To facilitate this process, the aim of this study was to ascertain whether a single exposure knowledge-based information intervention led to increased knowledge and subsequently result in changes in beliefs and automatic associations regarding performance enhancements. In a repeated measure design, 115 male recreational gym users were recruited and provided with a brief information pamphlet on nitrite/nitrate and erythropoietin as a comparison. Measures of knowledge, beliefs and automatic associations were taken before and after the intervention with at least 24 hours between the two assessments. The psychological tests included explicit measures of beliefs and cognitive attitudes toward FF and PED using a self-reported questionnaire and computerised assessments of automatic associations using the modified and shortened version of the Implicit Association Test. The information based intervention significantly increased knowledge (p social marketing campaigns for drug free sport should follow appropriate market segmentation and use targeted messages via promoting the natural form as opposed to the purified form of the main active ingredient.

Amino-termini isoforms of the Slack K+ channel, regulated by alternative promoters, differentially modulate rhythmic firing and adaptation.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Maile R; Kronengold, Jack; Gazula, Valeswara-Rao; Spilianakis, Charalampos G; Flavell, Richard A; von Hehn, Christian A A; Bhattacharjee, Arin; Kaczmarek, Leonard K

2008-11-01

The rates of activation and unitary properties of Na+-activated K+ (K(Na)) currents have been found to vary substantially in different types of neurones. One class of K(Na) channels is encoded by the Slack gene. We have now determined that alternative RNA splicing gives rise to at least five different transcripts for Slack, which produce Slack channels that differ in their predicted cytoplasmic amino-termini and in their kinetic properties. Two of these, termed Slack-A channels, contain an amino-terminus domain closely resembling that of another class of K(Na) channels encoded by the Slick gene. Neuronal expression of Slack-A channels and of the previously described Slack isoform, now called Slack-B, are driven by independent promoters. Slack-A mRNAs were enriched in the brainstem and olfactory bulb and detected at significant levels in four different brain regions. When expressed in CHO cells, Slack-A channels activate rapidly upon depolarization and, in single channel recordings in Xenopus oocytes, are characterized by multiple subconductance states with only brief transient openings to the fully open state. In contrast, Slack-B channels activate slowly over hundreds of milliseconds, with openings to the fully open state that are approximately 6-fold longer than those for Slack-A channels. In numerical simulations, neurones in which outward currents are dominated by a Slack-A-like conductance adapt very rapidly to repeated or maintained stimulation over a wide range of stimulus strengths. In contrast, Slack-B currents promote rhythmic firing during maintained stimulation, and allow adaptation rate to vary with stimulus strength. Using an antibody that recognizes all amino-termini isoforms of Slack, Slack immunoreactivity is present at locations that have no Slack-B-specific staining, including olfactory bulb glomeruli and the dendrites of hippocampal neurones, suggesting that Slack channels with alternate amino-termini such as Slack-A channels are present at

Treatment, promotion, commotion: Antibiotic alternatives in food-producing animals

Science.gov (United States)

Alternatives to antibiotics in animal agriculture are urgently needed but present a complex problem because of their various uses: disease treatment, disease prevention, and feed efficiency improvement. Numerous antibiotic alternatives, such as feed amended with pre- and probiotics, have been propos...

Alternative detox.

Science.gov (United States)

Ernst, E

2012-01-01

The concept that alternative therapies can eliminate toxins and toxicants from the body, i.e. 'alternative detox' (AD) is popular. Selected textbooks and articles on the subject of AD. The principles of AD make no sense from a scientific perspective and there is no clinical evidence to support them. The promotion of AD treatments provides income for some entrepreneurs but has the potential to cause harm to patients and consumers. In alternative medicine, simplistic but incorrect concepts such as AD abound. AREAS TIMELY FOR RESEARCH: All therapeutic claims should be scientifically tested before being advertised-and AD cannot be an exception.

What Next? Promoting Alternatives to Ability Grouping.

Science.gov (United States)

Wheelock, Anne; Hawley, Willis D.

1993-01-01

Suggests ways to eliminate ability grouping in the schools, and explores new alternatives to improve schooling for all students. Specific guidelines are given for the development of academically and racially heterogeneous schooling. The elimination of grouping practices that deny equal access to education is a goal worth pursuing. (SLD)

Alternative Growth Promoters Modulate Broiler Gut Microbiome and Enhance Body Weight Gain

Science.gov (United States)

Salaheen, Serajus; Kim, Seon-Woo; Haley, Bradd J.; Van Kessel, Jo Ann S.; Biswas, Debabrata

2017-01-01

Antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) are frequently used to enhance weight-gain in poultry production. However, there has been increasing concern over the impact of AGP on the emergence of antibiotic resistance in zoonotic bacterial pathogens in the microbial community of the poultry gut. In this study, we adopted mass-spectrophotometric, phylogenetic, and shotgun-metagenomic approaches to evaluate bioactive phenolic extracts (BPE) from blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) and blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) pomaces as AGP alternatives in broilers. We conducted two trials with 100 Cobb-500 broiler chicks (in each trial) in four equal groups that were provided water with no supplementation, supplemented with AGP (tylosin, neomycin sulfate, bacitracin, erythromycin, and oxytetracycline), or supplemented with 0.1 g Gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/L or 1.0 g GAE/L (during the last 72 h before euthanasia) of BPE for 6 weeks. When compared with the control group (water only), the chickens supplemented with AGP and 0.1 g GAE/L of BPE gained 9.5 and 5.8% more body weight, respectively. The microbiomes of both the AGP- and BPE-treated chickens had higher Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratios. AGP supplementation appeared to be associated with higher relative abundance of bacteriophages and unique cecal resistomes compared with BPE supplementation or control. Functional characterization of cecal microbiomes revealed significant animal-to-animal variation in the relative abundance of genes involved in energy and carbohydrate metabolism. These findings established a baseline upon which mechanisms of plant-based performance enhancers in regulation of animal growth can be investigated. In addition, the data will aid in designing alternate strategies to improve animal growth performance and consequently production. PMID:29123512

Alternative Growth Promoters Modulate Broiler Gut Microbiome and Enhance Body Weight Gain

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Serajus Salaheen

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs are frequently used to enhance weight-gain in poultry production. However, there has been increasing concern over the impact of AGP on the emergence of antibiotic resistance in zoonotic bacterial pathogens in the microbial community of the poultry gut. In this study, we adopted mass-spectrophotometric, phylogenetic, and shotgun-metagenomic approaches to evaluate bioactive phenolic extracts (BPE from blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum and blackberry (Rubus fruticosus pomaces as AGP alternatives in broilers. We conducted two trials with 100 Cobb-500 broiler chicks (in each trial in four equal groups that were provided water with no supplementation, supplemented with AGP (tylosin, neomycin sulfate, bacitracin, erythromycin, and oxytetracycline, or supplemented with 0.1 g Gallic acid equivalent (GAE/L or 1.0 g GAE/L (during the last 72 h before euthanasia of BPE for 6 weeks. When compared with the control group (water only, the chickens supplemented with AGP and 0.1 g GAE/L of BPE gained 9.5 and 5.8% more body weight, respectively. The microbiomes of both the AGP- and BPE-treated chickens had higher Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratios. AGP supplementation appeared to be associated with higher relative abundance of bacteriophages and unique cecal resistomes compared with BPE supplementation or control. Functional characterization of cecal microbiomes revealed significant animal-to-animal variation in the relative abundance of genes involved in energy and carbohydrate metabolism. These findings established a baseline upon which mechanisms of plant-based performance enhancers in regulation of animal growth can be investigated. In addition, the data will aid in designing alternate strategies to improve animal growth performance and consequently production.

African American and Latino low income families' food shopping behaviors: promoting fruit and vegetable consumption and use of alternative healthy food options.

Science.gov (United States)

Fish, Caitlin A; Brown, Jonisha R; Quandt, Sara A

2015-04-01

Minority families often reside in neighborhoods with few supermarkets or alternative healthy food options (e.g., farmers markets, community gardens), making fresh produce difficult to obtain. This qualitative study identified factors influencing fruit and vegetable shopping and use of alternative healthy food options. Forty-eight minority women with children completed interviews regarding food shopping habits and use of and attitudes toward alternative healthy food options. Interviews were subjected to thematic analysis. Produce shopping was motivated by costs and family preferences. For African American women, poor cooking skills restricted the variety of fruits and vegetables purchased. Latinas were receptive to alternative healthy food options, but did not use them because these sources were inconvenient. African American women were not receptive to them. Improving cooking skills and perceptions of acceptable foods may be as important as increased access to promote greater consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Incentive policies for promoting wind power production in Brazil: Scenarios for the Alternative Energy Sources Incentive Program (PROINFA) under the New Brazilian electric power sector regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dutra, Ricardo Marques; Szklo, Alexandre Salem

2008-01-01

The Alternative Energy Sources Incentive Program (PROINFA) was designed in 2002 to stimulate the electricity generation from three energy sources (wind, biomass and small-scale hydro) in Brazil. The Program was divided into two phases. The first one uses feed-in tariffs for promoting the development of 3300 MW. The second one that was originally based on feed-in tariffs was modified in 2003, in order to be based on biddings for renewables. These biddings are capped to limit their impact on the final electricity tariff. Due to this bound, the highest-cost power option promoted by PROINFA (wind power generation) might have development problems. Simulating different scenarios for the biddings, it was verified that the only way to reach the original goal set by PROINFA (10% of the annual electricity consumption provided by alternative sources up to 2020) and, simultaneously, not overcome the bidding bound is to promote biomass-fired power generation alone, during the Program's second phase. However, this action contradicts one of the targets of the Program, which is to diversify the energy matrix. An alternative option could be biddings for renewables according to specific criteria (complementarities, industrial and technological development and cost), based not only on their cost-effectiveness. (author)

A charged residue at the subunit interface of PCNA promotes trimer formation by destabilizing alternate subunit interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freudenthal, Bret D.; Gakhar, Lokesh; Ramaswamy, S.; Washington, M. Todd

2009-01-01

Eukaryotic proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), an essential accessory factor in DNA replication and repair, is a ring-shaped homotrimer. A novel nontrimeric structure of E113G-mutant PCNA protein is reported, which shows that this protein forms alternate subunit interactions. It is concluded that the charged side chain of Glu113 promotes normal trimer formation by destabilizing these alternate subunit interactions. Eukaryotic proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is an essential replication accessory factor that interacts with a variety of proteins involved in DNA replication and repair. Each monomer of PCNA has an N-terminal domain A and a C-terminal domain B. In the structure of the wild-type PCNA protein, domain A of one monomer interacts with domain B of a neighboring monomer to form a ring-shaped trimer. Glu113 is a conserved residue at the subunit interface in domain A. Two distinct X-ray crystal structures have been determined of a mutant form of PCNA with a substitution at this position (E113G) that has previously been studied because of its effect on translesion synthesis. The first structure was the expected ring-shaped trimer. The second structure was an unanticipated nontrimeric form of the protein. In this nontrimeric form, domain A of one PCNA monomer interacts with domain A of a neighboring monomer, while domain B of this monomer interacts with domain B of a different neighboring monomer. The B–B interface is stabilized by an antiparallel β-sheet and appears to be structurally similar to the A–B interface observed in the trimeric form of PCNA. The A–A interface, in contrast, is primarily stabilized by hydrophobic interactions. Because the E113G substitution is located on this hydrophobic surface, the A–A interface should be less favorable in the case of the wild-type protein. This suggests that the side chain of Glu113 promotes trimer formation by destabilizing these possible alternate subunit interactions

Cultural adaptation of preschool PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) curriculum for Pakistani children.

Science.gov (United States)

Inam, Ayesha; Tariq, Pervaiz N; Zaman, Sahira

2015-06-01

Cultural adaptation of evidence-based programmes has gained importance primarily owing to its perceived impact on the established effectiveness of a programme. To date, many researchers have proposed different frameworks for systematic adaptation process. This article presents the cultural adaptation of preschool Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum for Pakistani children using the heuristic framework of adaptation (Barrera & Castro, 2006). The study was completed in four steps: information gathering, preliminary adaptation design, preliminary adaptation test and adaptation refinement. Feedbacks on programme content suggested universality of the core programme components. Suggested changes were mostly surface structure: language, presentation of materials, conceptual equivalence of concepts, training needs of implementation staff and frequency of programme delivery. In-depth analysis was done to acquire cultural equivalence. Pilot testing of the outcome measures showed strong internal consistency. The results were further discussed with reference to similar work undertaken in other cultures. © 2014 International Union of Psychological Science.

Promoting functional foods as acceptable alternatives to doping: potential for information-based social marketing approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petróczi Andrea

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Substances with performance enhancing properties appear on a continuum, ranging from prohibited performance enhancing drugs (PED through dietary supplements to functional foods (FF. Anti-doping messages designed to dissuade athletes from using PEDs have been typically based on moralising sport competition and/or employing scare campaigns with focus on the negative consequences. Campaigns offering comparable and acceptable alternatives are nonexistent, nor are athletes helped in finding these for themselves. It is timely that social marketing strategies for anti-doping prevention and intervention incorporate media messages that complement the existing approaches by promoting comparable and acceptable alternatives to doping. To facilitate this process, the aim of this study was to ascertain whether a single exposure knowledge-based information intervention led to increased knowledge and subsequently result in changes in beliefs and automatic associations regarding performance enhancements. Methods In a repeated measure design, 115 male recreational gym users were recruited and provided with a brief information pamphlet on nitrite/nitrate and erythropoietin as a comparison. Measures of knowledge, beliefs and automatic associations were taken before and after the intervention with at least 24 hours between the two assessments. The psychological tests included explicit measures of beliefs and cognitive attitudes toward FF and PED using a self-reported questionnaire and computerised assessments of automatic associations using the modified and shortened version of the Implicit Association Test. Results The information based intervention significantly increased knowledge (p p p Conclusion Evidence was found that even a single exposure to a persuasive positive message can lead to belief change and can create new or alter existing associations - but only in the specific domain. Interventions to change outcome expectations in a positive

Promoting physical activity among children and youth in disadvantaged South Australian CALD communities through alternative community sport opportunities.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosso, Edoardo; McGrath, Richard

2016-02-29

Issue addressed: Recently arrived migrants and refugees from a culturally and linguistically diverse background (CALD) may be particularly vulnerable to social exclusion. Participation in sport is endorsed as a vehicle to ease the resettlement process; however, in Australia, this is often thought as a simple matter of integration into existing sport structures (e.g. clubs). This approach fails to place actual community needs at the centre of sport engagement efforts. Methods: A consultation framework was established with South Australian CALD community leaders and organisations to scope needs for community-based alternatives to participation in traditional sport (e.g. clubs), co-design a suitable community sport program and pilot it in five communities. Interviews and questionnaire surveys were conducted with participants, community representatives, stakeholders and volunteers. Results: Regular, free soccer activities engaged 263 young people from a great variety of nationalities, including over 50% refugees, in secondary state school and community-based sites. Conclusion: Alternative community sport programs can provide a basic but valuable forum to promote physical activity and associated well being in CALD and refugee communities. So what?: Alternative approaches can extend the health benefits of sport participation to disadvantaged children and youth who are excluded from traditional sport participation opportunities.

Principles for RNA metabolism and alternative transcription initiation within closely spaced promoters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Yun; Pai, Athma A; Herudek, Jan

2016-01-01

Mammalian transcriptomes are complex and formed by extensive promoter activity. In addition, gene promoters are largely divergent and initiate transcription of reverse-oriented promoter upstream transcripts (PROMPTs). Although PROMPTs are commonly terminated early, influenced by polyadenylation s...... suggest that basic building blocks of divergently transcribed core promoter pairs, in combination with the wealth of TSSs in mammalian genomes, provide a framework with which evolution shapes transcriptomes.......Mammalian transcriptomes are complex and formed by extensive promoter activity. In addition, gene promoters are largely divergent and initiate transcription of reverse-oriented promoter upstream transcripts (PROMPTs). Although PROMPTs are commonly terminated early, influenced by polyadenylation...

Fip1 regulates mRNA alternative polyadenylation to promote stem cell self-renewal

Science.gov (United States)

Lackford, Brad; Yao, Chengguo; Charles, Georgette M; Weng, Lingjie; Zheng, Xiaofeng; Choi, Eun-A; Xie, Xiaohui; Wan, Ji; Xing, Yi; Freudenberg, Johannes M; Yang, Pengyi; Jothi, Raja; Hu, Guang; Shi, Yongsheng

2014-01-01

mRNA alternative polyadenylation (APA) plays a critical role in post-transcriptional gene control and is highly regulated during development and disease. However, the regulatory mechanisms and functional consequences of APA remain poorly understood. Here, we show that an mRNA 3′ processing factor, Fip1, is essential for embryonic stem cell (ESC) self-renewal and somatic cell reprogramming. Fip1 promotes stem cell maintenance, in part, by activating the ESC-specific APA profiles to ensure the optimal expression of a specific set of genes, including critical self-renewal factors. Fip1 expression and the Fip1-dependent APA program change during ESC differentiation and are restored to an ESC-like state during somatic reprogramming. Mechanistically, we provide evidence that the specificity of Fip1-mediated APA regulation depends on multiple factors, including Fip1-RNA interactions and the distance between APA sites. Together, our data highlight the role for post-transcriptional control in stem cell self-renewal, provide mechanistic insight on APA regulation in development, and establish an important function for APA in cell fate specification. PMID:24596251

Ameloginins promote an alternatively activated macrophage phenotype in vitro

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Almqvist, S; Werthen, M; Lyngstadas, SP

2011-01-01

aggregates were visualised by transmission electron microscopy. The amelogenin treatment of macrophages increased several pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, including alternative macrophage activation marker AMAC-1 (p

Effect of TNFα on activities of different promoters of human apolipoprotein A-I gene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orlov, Sergey V.; Mogilenko, Denis A.; Shavva, Vladimir S.; Dizhe, Ella B.; Ignatovich, Irina A.; Perevozchikov, Andrej P.

2010-01-01

Research highlights: → TNFα stimulates the distal alternative promoter of human apoA-I gene. → TNFα acts by weakening of promoter competition within apoA-I gene (promoter switching). → MEK1/2 and nuclear receptors PPARα and LXRs take part in apoA-I promoter switching. -- Abstract: Human apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) is a major structural and functional protein component of high-density lipoproteins. The expression of the apolipoprotein A-I gene (apoA-I) in hepatocytes is repressed by pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β and TNFα. Recently, two novel additional (alternative) promoters for human apoA-I gene have been identified. Nothing is known about the role of alternative promoters in TNFα-mediated downregulation of apoA-I gene. In this article we report for the first time about the different effects of TNFα on two alternative promoters of human apoA-I gene. Stimulation of HepG2 cells by TNFα leads to activation of the distal alternative apoA-I promoter and downregulation of the proximal alternative and the canonical apoA-I promoters. This effect is mediated by weakening of the promoter competition within human apoA-I 5'-regulatory region (apoA-I promoter switching) in the cells treated by TNFα. The MEK1/2-ERK1/2 cascade and nuclear receptors PPARα and LXRs are important for TNFα-mediated apoA-I promoter switching.

Histone demethylase JMJD1A promotes alternative splicing of AR variant 7 (AR-V7) in prostate cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Lingling; Zhang, Fengbo; Xu, Songhui; Cui, Xiaolu; Hussain, Arif; Fazli, Ladan; Gleave, Martin; Dong, Xuesen; Qi, Jianfei

2018-05-15

Formation of the androgen receptor splicing variant 7 (AR-V7) is one of the major mechanisms by which resistance of prostate cancer to androgen deprivation therapy occurs. The histone demethylase JMJD1A (Jumonji domain containing 1A) functions as a key coactivator for AR by epigenetic regulation of H3K9 methylation marks. Here, we describe a role for JMJD1A in AR-V7 expression. While JMJD1A knockdown had no effect on full-length AR (AR-FL), it reduced AR-V7 levels in prostate cancer cells. Reexpression of AR-V7 in the JMJD1A-knockdown cells elevated expression of select AR targets and partially rescued prostate cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. The AR-V7 protein level correlated positively with JMJD1A in a subset of human prostate cancer specimens. Mechanistically, we found that JMJD1A promoted alternative splicing of AR-V7 through heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein F (HNRNPF), a splicing factor known to regulate exon inclusion. Knockdown of JMJD1A or HNRNPF inhibited splicing of AR-V7, but not AR-FL, in a minigene reporter assay. JMJD1A was found to interact with and promote the recruitment of HNRNPF to a cryptic exon 3b on AR pre-mRNA for the generation of AR-V7. Taken together, the role of JMJD1A in AR-FL coactivation and AR-V7 alternative splicing highlights JMJD1A as a potentially promising target for prostate cancer therapy.

Teachers' tendencies to promote student-led science projects: Associations with their views about science

Science.gov (United States)

Bencze, J. Lawrence; Bowen, G. Michael; Alsop, Steve

2006-05-01

School science students can benefit greatly from participation in student-directed, open-ended scientific inquiry projects. For various possible reasons, however, students tend not to be engaged in such inquiries. Among factors that may limit their opportunities to engage in open-ended inquiries of their design are teachers' conceptions about science. To explore possible relationships between teachers' conceptions about science and the types of inquiry activities in which they engage students, instrumental case studies of five secondary science teachers were developed, using field notes, repertory grids, samples of lesson plans and student activities, and semistructured interviews. Based on constructivist grounded theory analysis, participating teachers' tendencies to promote student-directed, open-ended scientific inquiry projects seemed to correspond with positions about the nature of science to which they indicated adherence. A tendency to encourage and enable students to carry out student-directed, open-ended scientific inquiry projects appeared to be associated with adherence to social constructivist views about science. Teachers who opposed social constructivist views tended to prefer tight control of student knowledge building procedures and conclusions. We suggest that these results can be explained with reference to human psychological factors, including those associated with teachers' self-esteem and their relationships with knowledge-building processes in the discipline of their teaching.

Promoting Scientific Thinking and Conceptual Change about Alternative Explanations of Climate Change and Other Controversial Socio-scientific Topics

Science.gov (United States)

Lombardi, D.; Sinatra, G. M.

2013-12-01

Critical evaluation and plausibility reappraisal of scientific explanations have been underemphasized in many science classrooms (NRC, 2012). Deep science learning demands that students increase their ability to critically evaluate the quality of scientific knowledge, weigh alternative explanations, and explicitly reappraise their plausibility judgments. Therefore, this lack of instruction about critical evaluation and plausibility reappraisal has, in part, contributed to diminished understanding about complex and controversial topics, such as global climate change. The Model-Evidence Link (MEL) diagram (originally developed by researchers at Rutgers University under an NSF-supported project; Chinn & Buckland, 2012) is an instructional scaffold that promotes students to critically evaluate alternative explanations. We recently developed a climate change MEL and found that the students who used the MEL experienced a significant shift in their plausibility judgments toward the scientifically accepted model of human-induced climate change. Using the MEL for instruction also resulted in conceptual change about the causes of global warming that reflected greater understanding of fundamental scientific principles. Furthermore, students sustained this conceptual change six months after MEL instruction (Lombardi, Sinatra, & Nussbaum, 2013). This presentation will discuss recent educational research that supports use of the MEL to promote critical evaluation, plausibility reappraisal, and conceptual change, and also, how the MEL may be particularly effective for learning about global climate change and other socio-scientific topics. Such instruction to develop these fundamental thinking skills (e.g., critical evaluation and plausibility reappraisal) is demanded by both the Next Generation Science Standards (Achieve, 2013) and the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics (CCSS Initiative-ELA, 2010; CCSS Initiative-Math, 2010), as well as a

Integrating Complementary and Alternative Medicine Into Conventional Health Care System in Developing Countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mishra, Shiva Raj; Neupane, Dinesh; Kallestrup, Per

2015-01-01

Complementary and alternative medicine has been a part of human life and practices since the beginning of time. The role of complementary and alternative medicine for the health of humans is undisputed particularly in light of its role in health promotion and well-being. This article discusses wa...... through which complementary and alternative medicine can be promoted and sustained as an integrated element of health care in developing countries. We specifically present the exemplary of Amchi traditional doctors of Northern Himalayas......Complementary and alternative medicine has been a part of human life and practices since the beginning of time. The role of complementary and alternative medicine for the health of humans is undisputed particularly in light of its role in health promotion and well-being. This article discusses ways...

Multiple promoters and alternative splicing: Hoxa5 transcriptional complexity in the mouse embryo.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Coulombe

2010-05-01

Full Text Available The genomic organization of Hox clusters is fundamental for the precise spatio-temporal regulation and the function of each Hox gene, and hence for correct embryo patterning. Multiple overlapping transcriptional units exist at the Hoxa5 locus reflecting the complexity of Hox clustering: a major form of 1.8 kb corresponding to the two characterized exons of the gene and polyadenylated RNA species of 5.0, 9.5 and 11.0 kb. This transcriptional intricacy raises the question of the involvement of the larger transcripts in Hox function and regulation.We have undertaken the molecular characterization of the Hoxa5 larger transcripts. They initiate from two highly conserved distal promoters, one corresponding to the putative Hoxa6 promoter, and a second located nearby Hoxa7. Alternative splicing is also involved in the generation of the different transcripts. No functional polyadenylation sequence was found at the Hoxa6 locus and all larger transcripts use the polyadenylation site of the Hoxa5 gene. Some larger transcripts are potential Hoxa6/Hoxa5 bicistronic units. However, even though all transcripts could produce the genuine 270 a.a. HOXA5 protein, only the 1.8 kb form is translated into the protein, indicative of its essential role in Hoxa5 gene function. The Hoxa6 mutation disrupts the larger transcripts without major phenotypic impact on axial specification in their expression domain. However, Hoxa5-like skeletal anomalies are observed in Hoxa6 mutants and these defects can be explained by the loss of expression of the 1.8 kb transcript. Our data raise the possibility that the larger transcripts may be involved in Hoxa5 gene regulation.Our observation that the Hoxa5 larger transcripts possess a developmentally-regulated expression combined to the increasing sum of data on the role of long noncoding RNAs in transcriptional regulation suggest that the Hoxa5 larger transcripts may participate in the control of Hox gene expression.

The attitudes of pregnant women and midwives towards raised BMI in a maternity setting: A discussion of two repertory grid studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Hodgkinson, Emma L; Smith, Debbie M; Hare, Dougal J; Wittkowski, Anja

2017-02-01

Weight-related stereotypes may have a detrimental impact on interactions between midwives and pregnant women with a body mass index (BMI) outside the recommended range of 18-30kg/m 2 . This paper explores the reciprocal construal of midwives and pregnant women with a raised BMI and considers the clinical implications of these constructs. Ten pregnant women with a BMI≥30kg/m 2 and 11 midwives and from an inner city maternity service were recruited. Participants provided information that allowed for the creation of a repertory grid; generating psychological constructs (perceptions or attitudes) identifying similarities and differences between pregnant women and midwives across a BMI range. Midwives were extremely conscious of being perceived as judgemental. They construed all pregnant women as anxious and vulnerable, but attributed characteristics such as "less health-conscious" and "complacent" to those with a raised BMI. The ideal pregnant woman and ideal midwife were typically construed as more likely to have a BMI of 18-30kg/m 2 . Pregnant women with a BMI≤18kg/m 2 were construed as lacking warmth. While midwives differentiated between the elements based on role, the pregnant women construed the elements according to their BMI. Similarly, they construed those with a BMI≤18kg/m 2 as having an undesirable personality, and acknowledged weight-related stereotypes for those with a raised BMI. It is possible these constructs impact on the way midwives care for and interact with women. Midwives may be supported through reflective clinical supervision and communication skills training to reduce the perceptions of stigma experienced by women with a raised BMI. It may be beneficial to involve pregnant women with a raised BMI in service development to ensure services meet their needs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perspectives in the use of tannins as alternative to antimicrobial growth promoter factors in poultry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leandro M Redondo

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Antibiotics have been included in the formulation of feed for livestock production for more than 40 years as a strategy to improve feed conversion rates and to reduce costs. The use of antimicrobials as growth-promoting factors (AGP in sub-therapeutic doses for long periods is particularly favorable to select antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms. In the last years, global concern about development of antimicrobial resistance and transference of resistance genes from animal to human strains has been arising. Removal of AGP from animal diets involves a tremendous pressure on the livestock and poultry farmers, one of the main consequences being a substantial increase in the incidence of infectious diseases with the related increase in the use of antibiotics for therapy and, concomitantly, economic cost. Therefore, alternatives to AGP are urgently needed. The challenge is to implement new alternatives without affecting the production performances of livestock and also avoiding the increase of antimicrobial resistant microorganisms. Plant extracts and purified derived substances are showing promising results for food animal production, either from their efficacy as well as from an economical point of view. Tannins are plant derived compounds that are being successfully used as additives in feed poultry to control diseases and to improve animal performance. Successful use of any of these extracts as feed additive must ensure a product of consistent quality in enough quantities to fulfill the actual requirements of the poultry industry. Chestnut (hydrolizable and Quebracho (condennsed tannins are probably the most readily available commercial products that are covering those needs. The present report intends to analyze the available data supporting their use.

Alternative motor fuels today and tomorrow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bensaid, B.

2004-01-01

Today, petroleum products account for 97% of the energy consumed in road transport. The purpose of replacing these products with alternative energies is to reduce oil dependence as well as greenhouse gas emissions. The high price of oil has promoted the use of 'conventional' alternative motor fuels (biofuels, LPG, NGV) and also renewed interest in syn-fuels (GTL, CTL, BTL) that have already given rise to industrial and pilot projects. (author)

Rigor in Qualitative Supply Chain Management Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Goffin, Keith; Raja, Jawwad; Claes, Björn

2012-01-01

, reliability, and theoretical saturation. Originality/value – It is the authors' contention that the addition of the repertory grid technique to the toolset of methods used by logistics and supply chain management researchers can only enhance insights and the building of robust theories. Qualitative studies......Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to share the authors' experiences of using the repertory grid technique in two supply chain management studies. The paper aims to demonstrate how the two studies provided insights into how qualitative techniques such as the repertory grid can be made more...... rigorous than in the past, and how results can be generated that are inaccessible using quantitative methods. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents two studies undertaken using the repertory grid technique to illustrate its application in supply chain management research. Findings – The paper...

Towards Teaching Analytics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vatrapu, Ravi; Reimann, Peter; Hussain, Abid

2013-01-01

of learners about elements belonging to the topic of study. Repertory Grid and RGFA are a pedagogical method and a computational tool respectively of the NEXT-TELL EU project (www.next-tell-eu) that is concerned with technology enhanced formative assessment and pedagogical decision-making. System description......In this paper, we present a short description of RGFA, a web-based software implementation of the Repertory Grid method. RGFA facilitates the study of the personal constructs of students for spatial diagnosis of their knowledge levels. Repertory Grid is a method for eliciting personal constructs...

Utilization of Alternative Medical Services In An Urban Centre Of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Alasia Datonye

pattern, behaviour and determinants of Alternative. Therapy (AT) use. ... promoted the use of alternative and traditional therapies and has .... The media jingle/advert. The public .... consumers, may give a false confidence to the users of AT that.

The potential of complementary and alternative medicine in promoting well-being and critical health literacy: a prospective, observational study of shiatsu.

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Andrew F

2009-06-18

The potential contribution of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities to promote and support critical health literacy has not received substantial attention within either the health promotion or the CAM literature. This paper explores the potential of one CAM modality, shiatsu, in promoting well-being and critical health literacy. Data are drawn from a longitudinal, 6 months observational, pragmatic study of the effects and experience of shiatsu within three European countries (Austria, Spain and the UK). Client postal questionnaires included: advice received, changes made 6 months later, clients 'hopes' from having shiatsu and features of the client-practitioner relationship. At baseline, three-quarters of clients (n = 633) received advice, on exercise, diet, posture, points to work on at home or other ways of self-care. At 6 months follow-up, about four-fifths reported making changes to their lifestyle 'as a result of having shiatsu treatment', including taking more rest and relaxation or exercise, changing their diet, reducing time at work and other changes such as increased body/mind awareness and levels of confidence and resolve. Building on the findings, an explanatory model of possible ways that a CAM therapy could contribute to health promotion is presented to guide future research, both within and beyond CAM. Supporting individuals to take control of their self-care requires advice-giving within a supportive treatment context and practitioner relationship, with clients who are open to change and committed to maintaining their health. CAM modalities may have an important role to play in this endeavour.

The potential of complementary and alternative medicine in promoting well-being and critical health literacy: a prospective, observational study of shiatsu

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Long Andrew F

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The potential contribution of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM modalities to promote and support critical health literacy has not received substantial attention within either the health promotion or the CAM literature. This paper explores the potential of one CAM modality, shiatsu, in promoting well-being and critical health literacy. Methods Data are drawn from a longitudinal, 6 months observational, pragmatic study of the effects and experience of shiatsu within three European countries (Austria, Spain and the UK. Client postal questionnaires included: advice received, changes made 6 months later, clients 'hopes' from having shiatsu and features of the client-practitioner relationship. Result At baseline, three-quarters of clients (n = 633 received advice, on exercise, diet, posture, points to work on at home or other ways of self-care. At 6 months follow-up, about four-fifths reported making changes to their lifestyle 'as a result of having shiatsu treatment', including taking more rest and relaxation or exercise, changing their diet, reducing time at work and other changes such as increased body/mind awareness and levels of confidence and resolve. Building on the findings, an explanatory model of possible ways that a CAM therapy could contribute to health promotion is presented to guide future research, both within and beyond CAM. Conclusion Supporting individuals to take control of their self-care requires advice-giving within a supportive treatment context and practitioner relationship, with clients who are open to change and committed to maintaining their health. CAM modalities may have an important role to play in this endeavour.

The repertory grid technique as method for the study of cultural differences

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tomico Plasencia, O.; Karapanos, E.; Levy, P.D.; Mizutani, N.; Yamanaka, T.

2009-01-01

Culture is typically approached in the field of design through generic, cross-domain constructs. In this paper we provide an alternative methodological approach to exploring cross-cultural differences by studying the idiosyncratic views of individuals with regard to existing products. We

Alternative Splicing of CHEK2 and Codeletion with NF2 Promote Chromosomal Instability in Meningioma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong Wei Yang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Mutations of the NF2 gene on chromosome 22q are thought to initiate tumorigenesis in nearly 50% of meningiomas, and 22q deletion is the earliest and most frequent large-scale chromosomal abnormality observed in these tumors. In aggressive meningiomas, 22q deletions are generally accompanied by the presence of large-scale segmental abnormalities involving other chromosomes, but the reasons for this association are unknown. We find that large-scale chromosomal alterations accumulate during meningioma progression primarily in tumors harboring 22q deletions, suggesting 22q-associated chromosomal instability. Here we show frequent codeletion of the DNA repair and tumor suppressor gene, CHEK2, in combination with NF2 on chromosome 22q in a majority of aggressive meningiomas. In addition, tumor-specific splicing of CHEK2 in meningioma leads to decreased functional Chk2 protein expression. We show that enforced Chk2 knockdown in meningioma cells decreases DNA repair. Furthermore, Chk2 depletion increases centrosome amplification, thereby promoting chromosomal instability. Taken together, these data indicate that alternative splicing and frequent codeletion of CHEK2 and NF2 contribute to the genomic instability and associated development of aggressive biologic behavior in meningiomas.

Actualizing culture change: The Promoting Excellent Alternatives in Kansas Nursing Homes (PEAK 2.0) program.

Science.gov (United States)

Doll, Gayle A; Cornelison, Laci J; Rath, Heath; Syme, Maggie L

2017-08-01

Nursing homes have been challenged in their attempts to achieve deep, organizational change (i.e., culture change) aimed at providing quality of care and quality of life for nursing home residents through person-centered care. To attain deep change, 2 well-defined components must be in place: a shared understanding of (a) the what, or content goals, and (b) the how, or process of change. However, there are few examples of this at a macro or micro level in long-term care. In an effort to enact true culture change in nursing homes statewide, the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services implemented the Promoting Excellent Alternatives in Kansas Nursing Homes program. This program is a Medicaid, pay-for-performance program that formalizes the content and process of achieving culture change through person-centered care principles. This article aims to detail the content (what) and process (how) of a model macro-level program of culture change throughout the State of Kansas. Applications to the micro level (individual homes) are presented, and implications for psychologists' roles in facilitating culture change are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Alternative energy and environmental concerns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

The New Brunswick Market Design Committee will address environmental concerns within the context of the new energy policy and market rules for the newly restructured electric power industry. The new rules that come with power restructuring will in some ways facilitate environmental protection but they can also complicate it. With open access markets, it will be possible to coordinate evolving energy frameworks with current environmental objectives. Restructuring provides an opportunity to create incentives and guidelines to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner, as suggested in the New Brunswick Energy Policy, White Paper which outlines green pricing, the development of a provincial Climate Change Action Plan, and promotion of alternative energy. The Market Design Committee examined the environmental concerns listed within the White Paper that pertain to the generation and transmission of electricity. These include the integration of energy and environmental policy. Other issues addressed in this report were trans-boundary and global air emissions, the development of a provincial climate change action plan, and a federal-provincial climate change framework agreement. New Brunswick will encourage the development of pilot studies that demonstrate the benefits of renewable and alternative technologies and that help promote the market to manufacture, sell and maintain renewable and alternative technologies in small-scale on-site power generation. This report also discussed the 4 key air pollutants for which specific treatment has been defined, including sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury and carbon dioxide. Recommendations for reducing these emissions include the use of renewable energy sources, the use of lower carbon fuels, increased efficiency of power transmission/generation/distribution systems, reducing power demand by the industrial sector, and promoting energy efficient building codes. 34 refs., 1 tab

Anaesthetic gases: environmental impact and alternatives ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Anaesthetic gases: environmental impact and alternatives. ... PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH ... to be small when compared to gaseous emissions from industrial and agricultural sources, the actual percentage contribution to climate change is small. ... EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT

Alternative food promotes broad mite control on chilli pepper plants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duarte, M.V.A.; Venzon, M.; de S. Bittencourt, M.C.; Rodríguez-Cruz, F.A.; Pallini, A.; Janssen, A.

2015-01-01

Many omnivorous arthropods are important natural enemies because they can feed on plant-provided pollen and several prey species, and thus persist in crops even in the absence of the target pest. Hence, populations of these predators can be established in a crop by providing alternative food, thus

76 FR 68067 - United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-03

... between the Parties and promoting regional economic integration; promoting broad-based economic development in order to reduce poverty and generate opportunities for sustainable economic alternatives to... rule. CBP also invites comments that relate to the economic, environmental, or federalism effects that...

Alternatives to antibiotics as growth promoters for use in swine production: a review

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

In the past two decades, an intensive amount of research has been focused on the development of alternatives to antibiotics to maintain swine health and performance. The most widely researched alternatives include probiotics, prebiotics, acidifiers, plant extracts and neutraceuticals such as copper and zinc. Since these additives have been more than adequately covered in previous reviews, the focus of this review will be on less traditional alternatives. The potential of antimicrobial peptides, clay minerals, egg yolk antibodies, essential oils, eucalyptus oil-medium chain fatty acids, rare earth elements and recombinant enzymes are discussed. Based on a thorough review of the literature, it is evident that a long and growing list of compounds exist which have been tested for their ability to replace antibiotics as feed additives in diets fed to swine. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these compounds produce inconsistent results and rarely equal antibiotics in their effectiveness. Therefore, it would appear that research is still needed in this area and that the perfect alternative to antibiotics does not yet exist. PMID:24034214

Academic Departments: Problems, Variations, and Alternatives.

Science.gov (United States)

McHenry, Dean E.; And Others

Do academic departments promote scholarship, protect higher learning from stagnation and interference, and provide a sound basis for hiring and advancing faculty? Or do they stifle teaching and research, foster parochialism, and limit the development of professors and students? There exist operating alternatives to conventional departments. Those…

Alternative energy sources or integrated alternative energy systems? Oil as a modern lance of Peleus for the energy transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szklo, Alexandre; Schaeffer, Roberto

2006-01-01

In this viewpoint, we discuss the importance of consorting alternative energy sources with oil, and not of opposing them. That is why we introduce the concept of alternative energy systems, which we feel is broader-ranging and more effective than alternative energy sources, as this deals with the actual transformation process of the global energy system. Alternative energy systems integrate oil with other energy sources and pave the way for new systems, which will benefit from what we call the 'virtues of oil'. They produce energy carriers for multi-fuel and multi-product strategies, where flexibility is a key target, allied to other co-benefits, especially those related to the increased use of renewable energy sources. The concept of alternative energy systems can bring a new light to the oil transition era discussion and might also influence energy policies for promoting renewables

Emission Control Cost-Effectiveness of Alternative-Fuel Vehicles

OpenAIRE

Wang, Quanlu; Sperling, Daniel; Olmstead, Janis

1993-01-01

Although various legislation and regulations have been adopted to promote the use of alternative-fuel vehicles for curbing urban air pollution problems, there is a lack of systematic comparisons of emission control cost-effectiveness among various alternative-fuel vehicle types. In this paper, life-cycle emission reductions and life-cycle costs were estimated for passenger cars fueled with methanol, ethanol, liquified petroleum gas, compressed natural gas, and electricity. Vehicle emission es...

Free Improvisation and Performance Anxiety among Piano Students

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Robert

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the levels of anxiety that students experienced according to whether their public performance consisted of a free improvisation or a repertory piece. The researcher had two objectives: (1) examine the relationship of students' levels of anxiety to free improvisation and repertory pieces during a…

Providing training enhances the biomechanical improvements of an alternative computer mouse design

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Houwink, A.; Oude Hengel, K.M.; Odell, D.; Dennerlein, J.T.

2009-01-01

To determine if an alternative mouse promotes more neutral postures and decreases forearm muscle activity and if training enhances these biomechanical benefits is the purpose of the study. Computer mouse use is a risk factor for developing musculoskeletal disorders; alternative mouse designs can

A New Challenge for Alternative Energy

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Editorial Department of China Power Enterprise Management

2009-01-01

@@ The year 2008 sees a turning point in China's strategy of promoting energy saving and emissions reduction,as well as development of renewable energy.Oil price breaking US$140 and large area in China suffering from ice and snow disaster,a result of global warming,have both stressed the importance of developing alternative energy.Today,alterative energy accounts for a very small portion in China's power industry.Therefore,it is imminently required to speed up energy restructuring,to vigorously develop power generation with alternative energy such as nuclear energy,hydroenergy,wind energy,solar energy,biomass energy,geothermic energy,thus to realize sustainable development.

Promotion of atomic hydrogen recombination as an alternative to electron trapping for the role of metals in the photocatalytic production of H2.

Science.gov (United States)

Joo, Ji Bong; Dillon, Robert; Lee, Ilkeun; Yin, Yadong; Bardeen, Christopher J; Zaera, Francisco

2014-06-03

The production of hydrogen from water with semiconductor photocatalysts can be promoted by adding small amounts of metals to their surfaces. The resulting enhancement in photocatalytic activity is commonly attributed to a fast transfer of the excited electrons generated by photon absorption from the semiconductor to the metal, a step that prevents deexcitation back to the ground electronic state. Here we provide experimental evidence that suggests an alternative pathway that does not involve electron transfer to the metal but requires it to act as a catalyst for the recombination of the hydrogen atoms made via the reduction of protons on the surface of the semiconductor instead.

Expression of scavenger receptor‐AI promotes alternative activation of murine macrophages to limit hepatic inflammation and fibrosis

Science.gov (United States)

Labonte, Adam C.; Sung, Sun‐Sang J.; Jennelle, Lucas T.; Dandekar, Aditya P.

2016-01-01

The liver maintains an immunologically tolerant environment as a result of continuous exposure to food and bacterial constituents from the digestive tract. Hepatotropic pathogens can take advantage of this niche and establish lifelong chronic infections causing hepatic fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Macrophages (Mϕ) play a critical role in regulation of immune responses to hepatic infection and regeneration of tissue. However, the factors crucial for Mϕ in limiting hepatic inflammation or resolving liver damage have not been fully understood. In this report, we demonstrate that expression of C‐type lectin receptor scavenger receptor‐AI (SR‐AI) is crucial for promoting M2‐like Mϕ activation and polarization during hepatic inflammation. Liver Mϕ uniquely up‐regulated SR‐AI during hepatotropic viral infection and displayed increased expression of alternative Mϕ activation markers, such as YM‐1, arginase‐1, and interleukin‐10 by activation of mer receptor tyrosine kinase associated with inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin. Expression of these molecules was reduced on Mϕ obtained from livers of infected mice deficient for the gene encoding SR‐AI (msr1). Furthermore, in vitro studies using an SR‐AI‐deficient Mϕ cell line revealed impeded M2 polarization and decreased phagocytic capacity. Direct stimulation with virus was sufficient to activate M2 gene expression in the wild‐type (WT) cell line, but not in the knockdown cell line. Importantly, tissue damage and fibrosis were exacerbated in SR‐AI–/– mice following hepatic infection and adoptive transfer of WT bone‐marrow–derived Mϕ conferred protection against fibrosis in these mice. Conclusion: SR‐AI expression on liver Mϕ promotes recovery from infection‐induced tissue damage by mediating a switch to a proresolving Mϕ polarization state. (Hepatology 2017;65:32‐43). PMID:27770558

The Socio-economics and Alternative Livelihood Options of Fishers ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Socio-economics and Alternative Livelihood Options of Fishers of Lake Victoria, ... PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH ... Most fishers were males aged 29-38yrs while women were involved in processing and marketing.

Identification and characterization of a bile salt hydrolase from Lactobacillus salivarius for development of novel alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhong; Zeng, Ximin; Mo, Yiming; Smith, Katie; Guo, Yuming; Lin, Jun

2012-12-01

Antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) have been used as feed additives to improve average body weight gain and feed efficiency in food animals for more than 5 decades. However, there is a worldwide trend to limit AGP use to protect food safety and public health, which raises an urgent need to discover effective alternatives to AGPs. The growth-promoting effect of AGPs has been shown to be highly correlated with the decreased activity of intestinal bile salt hydrolase (BSH), an enzyme that is produced by various gut microflora and involved in host lipid metabolism. Thus, BSH inhibitors are likely promising feed additives to AGPs to improve animal growth performance. In this study, the genome of Lactobacillus salivarius NRRL B-30514, a BSH-producing strain isolated from chicken, was sequenced by a 454 GS FLX sequencer. A BSH gene identified by genome analysis was cloned and expressed in an Escherichia coli expression system for enzymatic analyses. The BSH displayed efficient hydrolysis activity for both glycoconjugated and tauroconjugated bile salts, with slightly higher catalytic efficiencies (k(cat)/K(m)) on glycoconjugated bile salts. The optimal pH and temperature for the BSH activity were 5.5 and 41°C, respectively. Examination of a panel of dietary compounds using the purified BSH identified some potent BSH inhibitors, in which copper and zinc have been recently demonstrated to promote feed digestion and body weight gain in different food animals. In sum, this study identified and characterized a BSH with broad substrate specificity from a chicken L. salivarius strain and established a solid platform for us to discover novel BSH inhibitors, the promising feed additives to replace AGPs for enhancing the productivity and sustainability of food animals.

A STUDY ON LIMITATION OF GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE MODEL FOR ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLE (AFV PROMOTION IN CHINA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Byunghun Choi

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Chinese responsibility for reducing Greenhouse Gas or carbon dioxide emission increases continuously. Chinese government suggested two targets; Alternative Fuel Vehicle output volume 500 thousand and AFV market share 5% by the end of 2011. However any of two targets did not come true. Therefore this study accessed the question, ‘why Chinese government initiative model for AFV promotion has been so poor?’ This study reviewed the transition process for AFV policies in China and made a structural analysis for three key policies since 2009. As a result the number of articles for related industries or factor endowments was relatively more than firm strategy or demand conditions. Also this study accessed the AFV strategy of Six SOEs from the perspective of social responsibility. Six SOEs have more concentrated on electric vehicle rather than hybrid vehicle with following the government leadership. However major EV or HEV models of them mostly were made by Joint Ventures being under control of foreign makers and the JVs have actually controlled over AFV business. So the limitation of Chinese government initiative model resulted from supplier-centric approach with targeting for public transportation and institution consumer, and it caused a failure to create the demand conditions of general customers.

Literacy, Numeracy and Alternative Dispute Resolution

Science.gov (United States)

Cumming, J. Joy; Wilson, Janice M.

2005-01-01

The formal court system in Australia has long been criticised for its adversarial nature. As a result, there has been an increase in the use of alternative dispute resolution processes such as mediation. These are promoted as a means of increasing access to justice by disadvantaged groups and as an inexpensive way of solving legal or quasi-legal…

Influence of direct and alternating current electric fields on efficiency promotion and leaching risk alleviation of chelator assisted phytoremediation.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Jie; Cai, Limei; Qi, Shihua; Wu, Jian; Sophie Gu, Xiaowen

2018-03-01

Direct and alternating current electric fields with various voltages were used to improve the decontamination efficiency of chelator assisted phytoremediation for multi-metal polluted soil. The alleviation effect of electric field on leaching risk caused by chelator application during phytoremediation process was also evaluated. Biomass yield, pollutant uptake and metal leaching retardation under alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) electric fields were compared. The biomass yield of Eucalyptus globulus under AC fields with various voltages (2, 4 and 10 V) were 3.91, 4.16 and 3.67kg, respectively, significantly higher than the chelator treatment without electric field (2.71kg). Besides growth stimulation, AC fields increased the metal concentrations of plant tissues especially in aerial parts manifested by the raised translocation factor of different metals. Direct current electric fields with low and moderate voltages increased the biomass production of the species to 3.45 and 3.12kg, respectively, while high voltage on the contrary suppressed the growth of the plants (2.66kg). Under DC fields, metal concentrations elevated obviously with increasing voltages and the metal translocation factors were similar under all voltages. Metal extraction per plant achieved the maximum value under moderate voltage due to the greatest biomass production. DC field with high voltage (10V) decreased the volume of leachate from the chelator treatment without electric field from 1224 to 56mL, while the leachate gathered from AC field treatments raised from 512 to 670mL. DC field can retard the downward movement of metals caused by chelator application more effectively relative to AC field due to the constant water flow and electroosmosis direction. Alternating current field had more promotive effect on chelator assisted phytoremediation efficiency than DC field illustrated by more metal accumulation in the species. However, with the consideration of leaching risk, DC

77 FR 17457 - Work Group on Alternative Test Methods for Commercial Measuring Devices

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-26

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Institute of Standards and Technology Work Group on Alternative... Work Group (WG) to examine alternative methods for testing the accuracy of commercial measuring devices... participates to promote uniformity among the states in laws, regulations, methods, and testing equipment that...

Alternative Educational Futures for a Knowledge Society

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Michael

2010-01-01

This article offers a critical analysis of recent trends in educational policy with particular reference to their assumptions about the knowledge society. It examines the implications of the analysis for the issue of elitism and the promotion of greater educational equality. The article concludes by offering an alternative approach to educational…

Simulation of remediation alternatives for a 137Cs contaminated soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bea, S.A.; Carrera, J.; Saaltink, M.; Soler, J.M.; Ayora, C.

2004-01-01

We analyze remediation alternatives for a soil contaminated with 137 Cs, which sorbs strongly to clay aggregates where water flux is negligible. The mobile portion of the soil (macropores) retains little water and cesium. Some of the remediation alternatives involve infiltration of seawater enriched with KCl, to promote mobilization of Cs through exchange with K. Therefore, a fully coupled reactive transport model is used to test these alternatives. We conclude that flushing is a viable alternative, provided that some recommendations, derived from the modelling exercise are followed. These include high rate periodic infiltration and draining, as well as performing infiltration from independent cells to limit the effect of preferential flowpaths. (orig.)

There is No Alternative: The Critical Potential of Alternative Media in the Face of Neoliberalism.

OpenAIRE

Linus Andersson

2012-01-01

The article discusses the concept of “the alternative” and the media through four sections. The first section discusses neoliberalism and the connection between neoliberal doctrine and mainstream media. This connection is described as promoting “public amnesia”, financialization and economization of news journalism, and social divide. The second section discusses alternative media from the perspective of new social movements and symbolic resistance, claiming that the symbolic resistance frame...

77 FR 40358 - Meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods (SACATM)

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-09

..., revised, and alternative safety testing methods with regulatory applicability and promotes the scientific... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods (SACATM) AGENCY: Division of the National Toxicology Program (DNTP...

A methodology for assessing the market benefits of alternative motor fuels: The Alternative Fuels Trade Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leiby, P.N.

1993-09-01

This report describes a modeling methodology for examining the prospective economic benefits of displacing motor gasoline use by alternative fuels. The approach is based on the Alternative Fuels Trade Model (AFTM). AFTM development was undertaken by the US Department of Energy (DOE) as part of a longer term study of alternative fuels issues. The AFTM is intended to assist with evaluating how alternative fuels may be promoted effectively, and what the consequences of substantial alternative fuels use might be. Such an evaluation of policies and consequences of an alternative fuels program is being undertaken by DOE as required by Section 502(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. Interest in alternative fuels is based on the prospective economic, environmental and energy security benefits from the substitution of these fuels for conventional transportation fuels. The transportation sector is heavily dependent on oil. Increased oil use implies increased petroleum imports, with much of the increase coming from OPEC countries. Conversely, displacement of gasoline has the potential to reduce US petroleum imports, thereby reducing reliance on OPEC oil and possibly weakening OPEC`s ability to extract monopoly profits. The magnitude of US petroleum import reduction, the attendant fuel price changes, and the resulting US benefits, depend upon the nature of oil-gas substitution and the supply and demand behavior of other world regions. The methodology applies an integrated model of fuel market interactions to characterize these effects.

Economic impact of ethanol promotion in Mexico: A general equilibrium analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elizondo, Alejandra; Boyd, Roy

2017-01-01

In this paper we analyze the economic impact of a decision to produce ethanol in Mexico, comparing the effect of a subsidy to initiate ethanol production with that of alternative public policies. Public support of biofuels has been a public policy goal since 2008, and the promotion of ethanol remains an active part of the government agenda. The evidence used to encourage or alter the policy is (by necessity) chiefly based on international experience. In this study we use a computable general equilibrium model (CGE) to estimate the impact of ethanol production on the Mexican economy. Using cost data from Brazil we introduce ethanol into a Mexican social accounting matrix, and insert a latent sector into the model to analyze ethanol promotion. Our results show that subsidies to ethanol would increase agriculture production but at the expense of aggregate welfare. By contrast, alternative 'clean energy' policies appear to advance economic growth to a greater extent. - Highlights: • A CGE model is used to estimate the impact of ethanol promotion in Mexico. • The benefits of a policy designed to promote the use of ethanol are rather small. • The rural sector benefits modestly, but production in other sectors decrease. • Alternative policies advance economic growth and welfare to a greater extent.

Avaliação do repertório de habilidades sociais de adolescentes com Síndrome de Down Assessment of the social skills repertory of adolescents with Down's Syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Paulo Angélico

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Objetivou-se investigar, a partir da metodologia observacional direta (filmagens, o repertório de habilidades sociais de um grupo de dez adolescentes com síndrome de Down. A classe de desempenhos pró-sociais predominou no repertório dos sujeitos em relação à classe de respostas de enfrentamento exibidas, não havendo, portanto, uma associação significativa entre estas duas classes de habilidades. Este fato pode ser explicado por se tratar de comportamentos distintos adquiridos em contingências específicas de aprendizagem e pelo número maior de categorias que compuseram a primeira classe. A maioria dos sujeitos apresentou déficit de respostas de enfrentamento, o que poderia ser indicativo da necessidade de intervenções preventivas e educacionais que contribuam para um melhor desempenho em situações com essas demandas.Direct observational methodology (video recordings was used to investigate the social abilities of a group of ten adolescents with Down's syndrome. Pro-social performance prevailed in the repertory of the individuals as compared to the coping responses presented. Therefore, there was no significant relation between those two classes of abilities. This result can be explained by the fact that those are different behaviors which are acquired in specific learning contingencies, and by the larger number of categories that composed the first class. Most of the subjects showed deficit in the coping responses, suggesting the need of educational and preventive interventions which contribute to improve the performance in situations with such demands.

The "I" in us, or the eye on us? Regulatory focus, commitment and derogation of an attractive alternative person.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Rodrigues

Full Text Available When individuals are highly committed to their romantic relationship, they are more likely to engage in pro-relationship maintenance mechanisms. The present research expanded on the notion that commitment redirects self-oriented goals to consider broader relational goals and examined whether commitment interacts with a promotion and prevention focus to activate derogation of attractive alternatives. Three studies used cross-sectional and experimental approaches. Study 1 showed that romantically involved individuals predominantly focused on promotion, but not prevention, reported less initial attraction to an attractive target than single individuals, especially when highly committed to their relationship. Study 2 showed that romantically involved individuals induced in a promotion focus, compared to those in prevention focus, reported less initial attraction, but only when more committed to their relationship. Regardless of regulatory focus manipulation, more committed individuals were also less likely to perceive quality among alternative scenarios and to be attentive to alternative others in general. Finally, Study 3 showed that romantically involved individuals induced in promotion focus and primed with high commitment reported less initial attraction, than those primed with low commitment, or than those induced in prevention focus. Once again, for these latter no differences occurred according to commitment prime. Together, the findings suggest that highly committed promotion focused individuals consider broader relationship goals and activate relationship maintenance behaviors such as derogation of attractive alternatives to promote their relationship.

The "I" in us, or the eye on us? Regulatory focus, commitment and derogation of an attractive alternative person.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, David; Lopes, Diniz; Kumashiro, Madoka

2017-01-01

When individuals are highly committed to their romantic relationship, they are more likely to engage in pro-relationship maintenance mechanisms. The present research expanded on the notion that commitment redirects self-oriented goals to consider broader relational goals and examined whether commitment interacts with a promotion and prevention focus to activate derogation of attractive alternatives. Three studies used cross-sectional and experimental approaches. Study 1 showed that romantically involved individuals predominantly focused on promotion, but not prevention, reported less initial attraction to an attractive target than single individuals, especially when highly committed to their relationship. Study 2 showed that romantically involved individuals induced in a promotion focus, compared to those in prevention focus, reported less initial attraction, but only when more committed to their relationship. Regardless of regulatory focus manipulation, more committed individuals were also less likely to perceive quality among alternative scenarios and to be attentive to alternative others in general. Finally, Study 3 showed that romantically involved individuals induced in promotion focus and primed with high commitment reported less initial attraction, than those primed with low commitment, or than those induced in prevention focus. Once again, for these latter no differences occurred according to commitment prime. Together, the findings suggest that highly committed promotion focused individuals consider broader relationship goals and activate relationship maintenance behaviors such as derogation of attractive alternatives to promote their relationship.

Violent behavior patterns: possible homeopathic remedies Modelos de conducta violenta: posibles remedios homeopáticos Padrões de conduta violenta: possíveis medicamentos homeopáticos

OpenAIRE

Carmela Maria Vieira Pedalino; Jussara Meyer Osielski; Fernando Antônio Cardoso Bignardi; Célia Regina Barollo

2008-01-01

The authors discuss violence as a current epidemics and violent behavior in children and adolescents. They present a repertory study including the characteristic and peculiar symptoms of 12 patients, with clinical diagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and the symptoms corresponding to the diagnostic criteria in the DSM-IV transcribed in repertory language. The result is a materia medica for patterns of violent behavi...

Tumor Restrictive Suicide Gene Therapy for Glioma Controlled by the FOS Promoter.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianqing Pan

Full Text Available Effective suicide gene delivery and expression are crucial to achieving successful effects in gene therapy. An ideal tumor-specific promoter expresses therapeutic genes in tumor cells with minimal normal tissue expression. We compared the activity of the FOS (FBJ murine osteosarcoma viral oncogene homolog promoter with five alternative tumor-specific promoters in glioma cells and non-malignant astrocytes. The FOS promoter caused significantly higher transcriptional activity in glioma cell lines than all alternative promoters with the exception of CMV. The FOS promoter showed 13.9%, 32.4%, and 70.8% of the transcriptional activity of CMV in three glioma cell lines (U87, U251, and U373. Importantly, however, the FOS promoter showed only 1.6% of the transcriptional activity of CMV in normal astrocytes. We also tested the biologic activity of recombinant adenovirus containing the suicide gene herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk driven by the FOS promoter, including selective killing efficacy in vitro and tumor inhibition rate in vivo. Adenoviral-mediated delivery of the HSV-tk gene controlled by the FOS promoter conferred a cytotoxic effect on human glioma cells in vitro and in vivo. This study suggests that use of the FOS-tk adenovirus system is a promising strategy for glioma-specific gene therapy but still much left for improvement.

FANCD2 Maintains Fork Stability in BRCA1/2-Deficient Tumors and Promotes Alternative End-Joining DNA Repair

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zeina Kais

2016-06-01

Full Text Available BRCA1/2 proteins function in homologous recombination (HR-mediated DNA repair and cooperate with Fanconi anemia (FA proteins to maintain genomic integrity through replication fork stabilization. Loss of BRCA1/2 proteins results in DNA repair deficiency and replicative stress, leading to genomic instability and enhanced sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents. Recent studies have shown that BRCA1/2-deficient tumors upregulate Polθ-mediated alternative end-joining (alt-EJ repair as a survival mechanism. Whether other mechanisms maintain genomic integrity upon loss of BRCA1/2 proteins is currently unknown. Here we show that BRCA1/2-deficient tumors also upregulate FANCD2 activity. FANCD2 is required for fork protection and fork restart in BRCA1/2-deficient tumors. Moreover, FANCD2 promotes Polθ recruitment at sites of damage and alt-EJ repair. Finally, loss of FANCD2 in BRCA1/2-deficient tumors enhances cell death. These results reveal a synthetic lethal relationship between FANCD2 and BRCA1/2, and they identify FANCD2 as a central player orchestrating DNA repair pathway choice at the replication fork.

Exploiting nucleotide composition to engineer promoters.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manfred G Grabherr

Full Text Available The choice of promoter is a critical step in optimizing the efficiency and stability of recombinant protein production in mammalian cell lines. Artificial promoters that provide stable expression across cell lines and can be designed to the desired strength constitute an alternative to the use of viral promoters. Here, we show how the nucleotide characteristics of highly active human promoters can be modelled via the genome-wide frequency distribution of short motifs: by overlapping motifs that occur infrequently in the genome, we constructed contiguous sequence that is rich in GC and CpGs, both features of known promoters, but lacking homology to real promoters. We show that snippets from this sequence, at 100 base pairs or longer, drive gene expression in vitro in a number of mammalian cells, and are thus candidates for use in protein production. We further show that expression is driven by the general transcription factors TFIIB and TFIID, both being ubiquitously present across cell types, which results in less tissue- and species-specific regulation compared to the viral promoter SV40. We lastly found that the strength of a promoter can be tuned up and down by modulating the counts of GC and CpGs in localized regions. These results constitute a "proof-of-concept" for custom-designing promoters that are suitable for biotechnological and medical applications.

The “I” in us, or the eye on us? Regulatory focus, commitment and derogation of an attractive alternative person

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-01

When individuals are highly committed to their romantic relationship, they are more likely to engage in pro-relationship maintenance mechanisms. The present research expanded on the notion that commitment redirects self-oriented goals to consider broader relational goals and examined whether commitment interacts with a promotion and prevention focus to activate derogation of attractive alternatives. Three studies used cross-sectional and experimental approaches. Study 1 showed that romantically involved individuals predominantly focused on promotion, but not prevention, reported less initial attraction to an attractive target than single individuals, especially when highly committed to their relationship. Study 2 showed that romantically involved individuals induced in a promotion focus, compared to those in prevention focus, reported less initial attraction, but only when more committed to their relationship. Regardless of regulatory focus manipulation, more committed individuals were also less likely to perceive quality among alternative scenarios and to be attentive to alternative others in general. Finally, Study 3 showed that romantically involved individuals induced in promotion focus and primed with high commitment reported less initial attraction, than those primed with low commitment, or than those induced in prevention focus. Once again, for these latter no differences occurred according to commitment prime. Together, the findings suggest that highly committed promotion focused individuals consider broader relationship goals and activate relationship maintenance behaviors such as derogation of attractive alternatives to promote their relationship. PMID:28319147

Alternatives to the use of antibiotics as growth promoters for monogastric animals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verstegen, M.W.A.; Williams, B.A.

2002-01-01

Recently, more and more is becoming known about the mode of action of antibiotics as growth promoters (AMGP), particularly in relation to the development of microbial resistance. Consequently, the use of these AMGP is already restricted or forbidden in many countries. Therefore, to compensate for

Alternative growth promoters alter broiler gut microbiome and enhance body weight gain

Science.gov (United States)

Antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) have commonly been used to enhance growth in poultry production. However, there has been increasing concern over the impact of AGPs use in food production on acquisition of antibiotic resistance in zoonotic bacterial pathogens through inter-bacterial transfer of an...

Promoting de-escalation of commitment: a regulatory-focus perspective on sunk costs.

Science.gov (United States)

Molden, Daniel C; Hui, Chin Ming

2011-01-01

People frequently escalate their commitment to failing endeavors. Explanations for such behavior typically involve loss aversion, failure to recognize other alternatives, and concerns with justifying prior actions; all of these factors produce recommitment to previous decisions with the goal of erasing losses and vindicating these decisions. Solutions to escalation of commitment have therefore focused on external oversight and divided responsibility during decision making to attenuate loss aversion, blindness to alternatives, and justification biases. However, these solutions require substantial resources and have additional adverse effects. The present studies tested an alternative method for de-escalating commitment: activating broad motivations for growth and advancement (promotion). This approach should reduce concerns with loss and increase perceptions of alternatives, thereby attenuating justification motives. In two studies featuring hypothetical financial decisions, activating promotion motivations reduced recommitment to poorly performing investments as compared with both not activating any additional motivations and activating motivations for safety and security (prevention).

Alternative Tobacco Product Use and Smoking Cessation: A National Study

Science.gov (United States)

Popova, Lucy

2013-01-01

Objectives. We investigated the frequency of alternative tobacco product use (loose leaf, moist snuff, snus, dissolvables, electronic cigarettes [e-cigarettes]) among smokers and the association with quit attempts and intentions. Methods. A nationally representative probability-based cross-sectional survey of 1836 current or recently former adult smokers was completed in November 2011. Multivariate logistic regressions evaluated associations between alternative tobacco product use and smoking cessation behaviors. Results. Of the smokers, 38% had tried an alternative tobacco product, most frequently e-cigarettes. Alternative tobacco product use was associated with having made a quit attempt, and those intending to quit were significantly more likely to have tried and to currently use the products than were smokers with no intentions to quit. Use was not associated with successful quit attempts. Interest in future use of alternative tobacco products was low, except for e-cigarettes. Conclusions. Alternative tobacco products are attractive to smokers who want to quit smoking, but these data did not indicate that alternative tobacco products promote cessation. Unsubstantiated overt and implied claims that alternative tobacco products aid smoking cessation should be prohibited. PMID:23488521

Shifting Cultivation : Promoting Innovative Policy and Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Shifting Cultivation : Promoting Innovative Policy and Development Options in the Eastern Himalayas. Shifting ... pressure and market forces. The idea is to share good policies and practices related to shifting cultivation and alternative options through regional exchange. ... Les chaînes de valeur comme leviers stratégiques.

CRE promoter sites modulate alternative splicing via p300-mediated histone acetylation

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Dušková, E.; Hnilicová, Jarmila; Staněk, D.

2014-01-01

Roč. 11, č. 7 (2014), s. 1-10 ISSN 1547-6286 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP305/12/G034 Grant - others:Charles University Prague(CZ) 274111 Institutional support: RVO:61388971 Keywords : alternative splicing * fibronectin * p300 Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 4.974, year: 2014

Dynamic usage of transcription start sites within core promoters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kawaji, Hideya; Frith, Martin C; Katayama, Shintaro

2006-01-01

BACKGROUND: Mammalian promoters do not initiate transcription at single, well defined base pairs, but rather at multiple, alternative start sites spread across a region. We previously characterized the static structures of transcription start site usage within promoters at the base pair level......, based on large-scale sequencing of transcript 5' ends. RESULTS: In the present study we begin to explore the internal dynamics of mammalian promoters, and demonstrate that start site selection within many mouse core promoters varies among tissues. We also show that this dynamic usage of start sites...... is associated with CpG islands, broad and multimodal promoter structures, and imprinting. CONCLUSION: Our results reveal a new level of biologic complexity within promoters--fine-scale regulation of transcription starting events at the base pair level. These events are likely to be related to epigenetic...

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Workplace Charging Success: MetLife

Science.gov (United States)

future." Several others noted that their decision to purchase or lease a PEV was based on MetLife's : MetLife " By making PEV charging stations more readily available to employees, we can encourage more promote alternative transportation. By making PEV charging stations more readily available to employees

Alternatives to Nuclear Power in Romania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrei, L.; Manea, Gh.

1996-01-01

The paper proposes alternatives to nuclear power generation in Romania. The priorities are: improvement of efficiency in producing, transmission, and energy use; promoting the renewable resources of energy, especially of hydroelectric power; restructuring industry under criteria of power consumption efficiency; commercial purposes from horizontal nuclear sector activity in Romania. There are described the causes behind the energy crisis in Romania and present energy policy solutions to it. (author). 2 tabs., 10 refs

An alternative for antibiotic se in poultry: probiotics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

FW Edens

2003-05-01

Full Text Available Over the past 50 years, there has been increasing amounts of antibiotics used prophylactically and as growth promoters. Today, there is a consumer and governmental outcry to eliminate that practice from poultry and livestock production. Evidence has been accumulated to show that there is a link between risk of zoonotic disease and growth promoting antibiotic usage in livestock and poultry. Therefore, alternatives to the use of growth promoting antibiotics must be found to promote growth or production at or near the genetic potential of the modern day broiler, turkey, and egg producer. The use of probiotics has many potential benefits and include modified host metabolism, immuno-stimulation, anti-inflammatory reactions, exclusion and killing of pathogens in the intestinal tract, reduced bacterial contamination on processed broiler carcasses, enhanced nutrient absorption and performance, and ultimately decreased human health risk. The development of these factors generally can be ascribed to the ability of most probiotic products to balance and maintain the intestinal microflora in poultry species.

Finding theory- and evidence-based alternatives to fear appeals: Intervention Mapping

OpenAIRE

Kok, Gerjo; Bartholomew, L Kay; Parcel, Guy S; Gottlieb, Nell H; Fernández, María E

2013-01-01

Fear arousal—vividly showing people the negative health consequences of life-endangering behaviors—is popular as a method to raise awareness of risk behaviors and to change them into health-promoting behaviors. However, most data suggest that, under conditions of low efficacy, the resulting reaction will be defensive. Instead of applying fear appeals, health promoters should identify effective alternatives to fear arousal by carefully developing theory- and evidence-based programs. The Interv...

Intrasplicing coordinates alternative first exons with alternative splicing in the protein 4.1R gene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Conboy, John G.; Parra, Marilyn K.; Tan, Jeff S.; Mohandas, Narla; Conboy, John G.

2008-11-07

In the protein 4.1R gene, alternative first exons splice differentially to alternative 3' splice sites far downstream in exon 2'/2 (E2'/2). We describe a novel intrasplicing mechanism by which exon 1A (E1A) splices exclusively to the distal E2'/2 acceptor via two nested splicing reactions regulated by novel properties of exon 1B (E1B). E1B behaves as an exon in the first step, using its consensus 5' donor to splice to the proximal E2'/2 acceptor. A long region of downstream intron is excised, juxtaposing E1B with E2'/2 to generate a new composite acceptor containing the E1B branchpoint/pyrimidine tract and E2 distal 3' AG-dinucleotide. Next, the upstream E1A splices over E1B to this distal acceptor, excising the remaining intron plus E1B and E2' to form mature E1A/E2 product. We mapped branch points for both intrasplicing reactions and demonstrated that mutation of the E1B 5' splice site or branchpoint abrogates intrasplicing. In the 4.1R gene, intrasplicing ultimately determines N-terminal protein structure and function. More generally, intrasplicing represents a new mechanism whereby alternative promoters can be coordinated with downstream alternative splicing.

Exploring identity within the recovery process of people with serious mental illnesses.

Science.gov (United States)

Buckley-Walker, Kellie; Crowe, Trevor; Caputi, Peter

2010-01-01

To examine self-identity within the recovery processes of people with serious mental illnesses using a repertory grid methodology. Cross-sectional study involving 40 mental health service consumers. Participants rated different "self" and "other" elements on the repertory grid against constructs related to recovery, as well as other recovery focused measures. Perceptions of one's "ideal self" represented more advanced recovery in contrast to perceptions of "a person mentally unwell." Current perceptions of self were most similar to perceptions of "usual self" and least similar to "a person who is mentally unwell." Increased identification with one's "ideal self" reflected increased hopefulness in terms of recovery. The recovery repertory grid shows promise in clinical practice, in terms of exploring identity as a key variable within mental health recovery processes. Distance measures of similarity between various self-elements, including perceptions of others, maps logically against the recovery process of hope.

Promoting Social and Emotional Competencies among Young Children in Croatia with Preschool PATHS

Science.gov (United States)

Mihic, Josipa; Novak, Miranda; Basic, Josipa; Nix, Robert L.

2016-01-01

Preschool PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) is an evidence-based universal prevention program focused on promoting children's social and emotional competencies and reducing the likelihood of behaviour problems and negative relationships with peers and teachers. This paper examines changes in the social and emotional competencies of…

Cap-proximal nucleotides via differential eIF4E binding and alternative promoter usage mediate translational response to energy stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamarkin-Ben-Harush, Ana; Vasseur, Jean-Jacques; Debart, Françoise; Ulitsky, Igor; Dikstein, Rivka

2017-02-08

Transcription start-site (TSS) selection and alternative promoter (AP) usage contribute to gene expression complexity but little is known about their impact on translation. Here we performed TSS mapping of the translatome following energy stress. Assessing the contribution of cap-proximal TSS nucleotides, we found dramatic effect on translation only upon stress. As eIF4E levels were reduced, we determined its binding to capped-RNAs with different initiating nucleotides and found the lowest affinity to 5'cytidine in correlation with the translational stress-response. In addition, the number of differentially translated APs was elevated following stress. These include novel glucose starvation-induced downstream transcripts for the translation regulators eIF4A and Pabp, which are also translationally-induced despite general translational inhibition. The resultant eIF4A protein is N-terminally truncated and acts as eIF4A inhibitor. The induced Pabp isoform has shorter 5'UTR removing an auto-inhibitory element. Our findings uncovered several levels of coordination of transcription and translation responses to energy stress.

Alternative Conceptions: Turning Adversity into Advantage

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Annalize; Lemmer, Miriam; Gunstone, Richard

2017-08-01

While a vast body of research has identified difficulties in students' understanding about forces and acceleration and their related alternative conceptions, far less research suggests ways to use students' alternative conceptions to enhance conceptual understanding of a specific fundamental concept. This study focused on distinguishing between students' conceptual understanding of the Newtonian concept of gravitational acceleration being the same for all objects and students' alternative conception that heavy objects fall faster. A multiple choice questionnaire was distributed to first year physics students for three consecutive years at a university in South Africa. The results indicate that changing the direction of motion and the physics quantity asked in paired questions revealed practically significant inconsistencies in students' reasoning and conceptions. This research contributes to the body of knowledge in proposing how the alternative conception of mass-related gravitational acceleration can be used in instruction to enhance conceptual understanding of the force-mass-acceleration relationship. Understanding of this relationship not only promotes conceptual understanding of the basic Newtonian concepts of the laws of motion which forms the critical foundation on which more advanced physics courses are built, but also contributes towards students' perception of physics as a set of coherent ideas applicable in all contexts.

The European Resource Centre for Alternatives in Higher Education.

Science.gov (United States)

de Boo, Jasmijn; Dewhurst, David; van der Valk, Jan

2004-06-01

The European Resource Centre for Alternatives in Higher Education (EURCA: http://www.eurca.org) is an exciting new project, which aims to enable teachers using animals in teaching to be more creative and innovative in their approach to teaching and learning, to foster high-quality training for science students, and to significantly reduce the number of animals used, often unnecessarily, in teaching. This will be achieved by: a) establishing a resource centre--a collection of mainly electronic alternatives, and taking this to relevant scientific meetings in Europe, where it would function as a drop-in advice centre for teachers; b) creating a network of academic teachers who actively use alternatives, to take responsibility for disseminating information about alternatives to other teachers in the European Union, to participate in the activity outlined above, and to share experiences and good practice; c) setting up an Internet website with an expansive, information-rich database (peer-reviews, demos, peer-evaluations, peer-recommendations, links to users, etc.) on selected "tried and tested" alternatives; and d) encouraging and promoting the findings of evaluative studies on the effectiveness of alternatives in higher education teaching and learning.

Synthetic promoter libraries for Corynebacterium glutamicum

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rytter, Jakob Vang; Helmark, Søren; Chen, Jun

2014-01-01

The ability to modulate gene expression is an important genetic tool in systems biology and biotechnology. Here, we demonstrate that a previously published easy and fast PCR-based method for modulating gene expression in lactic acid bacteria is also applicable to Corynebacterium glutamicum. We co...... promoter library (SPL) technology is convenient for modulating gene expression in C. glutamicum and should have many future applications, within basic research as well as for optimizing industrial production organisms....... constructed constitutive promoter libraries based on various combinations of a previously reported C. glutamicum -10 consensus sequence (gngnTA(c/t)aaTgg) and the Escherichia coli -35 consensus, either with or without an AT-rich region upstream. A promoter library based on consensus sequences frequently found...... in low-GC Gram-positive microorganisms was also included. The strongest promoters were found in the library with a -35 region and a C. glutamicum -10 consensus, and this library also represents the largest activity span. Using the alternative -10 consensus TATAAT, which can be found in many other...

Homeopathy - A Safe, Much Less Expensive, Non-Invasive, Viable Alternative for the Treatment of Patients Suffering from Loss of Lumbar Lordosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saiful Haque

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Loss of lumbar lordosis causing pain and curvature of the vertebral skeleton to one side is a relatively uncommon disease. To our knowledge, successful treatment of loss of lumbar lordosis with any potentized homeopathic drug diluted above Avogadro’s limit (that is, above a potency of 12C has not been documented so far. In this communication, we intend to document a relatively rare case of loss of lumbar lordosis with osteophytic lippings, disc desiccation, and protrusion, causing a narrowing of secondary spinal canal and a bilateral neural foramina, leading to vertebral column curvature with acute pain in an adolescent boy. Methods: The patient had undergone treatment with orthodox Western medicines, but did not get any relief from, or cure of, the ailment; finally, surgery was recommended. The patient’s family brought the patient to the Khuda-Bukhsh Homeopathic Benevolent Foundation where a charitable clinic is run every Friday with the active participation of four qualified homeopathic doctors. A holistic method of homeopathic treatment was adopted by taking into consideration all symptoms and selecting the proper remedy by consulting the homeopathic repertory, mainly of Kent. Results: The symptoms were effectively treated with different potencies of a single homeopathic drug, Calcarea phos. X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI supported recovery and a change in the skeletal curvature that was accompanied by removal of pain and other acute symptoms of the ailment. Conclusion: Homeopathy can be a safe, much less expensive, non-invasive, and viable alternative for the treatment of such cases.

Securing funds for health promotion: lessons from health promotion foundations based on experiences from Austria, Australia, Germany, Hungary and Switzerland.

Science.gov (United States)

Schang, Laura K; Czabanowska, Katarzyna M; Lin, Vivian

2012-06-01

Worldwide, countries face the challenge of securing funds for health promotion. To address this issue, some governments have established health promotion foundations, which are statutory bodies with long-term and recurrent public resources. This article draws on experiences from Austria, Australia, Germany, Hungary and Switzerland to illustrate four lessons learned from the foundation model to secure funding for health promotion. These lessons are concerned with: (i) the broad spectrum of potential revenue sources for health promotion foundations within national contexts; (ii) legislative anchoring of foundation revenues as a base for financial sustainability; (iii) co-financing as a means to increase funds and shared commitment for health promotion; (iv) complementarity of foundations to existing funding. Synthesizing the lessons, we discuss health promotion foundations in relation to wider concerns for investment in health based on the values of sustainability, solidarity and stewardship. We recommend policy-makers and researchers take notice of health promotion foundations as an alternative model for securing funds for health promotion, and appreciate their potential for integrating inter-sectoral revenue collection and inter-sectoral funding strategies. However, health promotion foundations are not a magic bullet. They also pose challenges to coordination and public sector stewardship. Therefore, health promotion foundations will need to act in concert with other governance instruments as part of a wider societal agenda for investment in health.

Identification and characterization of an alternative promoter of the human PGC-1{alpha} gene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshioka, Toyo; Inagaki, Kenjiro [Division of Diabetes, Metabolism, and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017 (Japan); Noguchi, Tetsuya, E-mail: noguchi@med.kobe-u.ac.jp [Division of Diabetes, Metabolism, and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017 (Japan); Sakai, Mashito; Ogawa, Wataru; Hosooka, Tetsuya [Division of Diabetes, Metabolism, and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017 (Japan); Iguchi, Haruhisa; Watanabe, Eijiro; Matsuki, Yasushi; Hiramatsu, Ryuji [Genomic Science Laboratories, DainipponSumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd., 4-2-1 Takatsukasa, Takarazuka 665-8555 (Japan); Kasuga, Masato [Division of Diabetes, Metabolism, and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017 (Japan); Research Institute, International Medical Center of Japan, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8655 (Japan)

2009-04-17

The transcriptional regulator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-{gamma} coactivator-1{alpha} (PGC-1{alpha}) controls mitochondrial biogenesis and energy homeostasis. Although physical exercise induces PGC-1{alpha} expression in muscle, the underlying mechanism of this effect has remained incompletely understood. We recently identified a novel muscle-enriched isoform of PGC-1{alpha} transcript (designated PGC-1{alpha}-b) that is derived from a previously unidentified first exon. We have now cloned and characterized the human PGC-1{alpha}-b promoter. The muscle-specific transcription factors MyoD and MRF4 transactivated this promoter through interaction with a proximal E-box motif. Furthermore, either forced expression of Ca{sup 2+}- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV), calcineurin A, or the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) kinase MKK6 or the intracellular accumulation of cAMP activated the PGC-1{alpha}-b promoter in cultured myoblasts through recruitment of cAMP response element (CRE)-binding protein (CREB) to a putative CRE located downstream of the E-box. Our results thus reveal a potential molecular basis for isoform-specific regulation of PGC-1{alpha} expression in contracting muscle.

Identification and characterization of an alternative promoter of the human PGC-1α gene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshioka, Toyo; Inagaki, Kenjiro; Noguchi, Tetsuya; Sakai, Mashito; Ogawa, Wataru; Hosooka, Tetsuya; Iguchi, Haruhisa; Watanabe, Eijiro; Matsuki, Yasushi; Hiramatsu, Ryuji; Kasuga, Masato

2009-01-01

The transcriptional regulator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) controls mitochondrial biogenesis and energy homeostasis. Although physical exercise induces PGC-1α expression in muscle, the underlying mechanism of this effect has remained incompletely understood. We recently identified a novel muscle-enriched isoform of PGC-1α transcript (designated PGC-1α-b) that is derived from a previously unidentified first exon. We have now cloned and characterized the human PGC-1α-b promoter. The muscle-specific transcription factors MyoD and MRF4 transactivated this promoter through interaction with a proximal E-box motif. Furthermore, either forced expression of Ca 2+ - and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV), calcineurin A, or the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) kinase MKK6 or the intracellular accumulation of cAMP activated the PGC-1α-b promoter in cultured myoblasts through recruitment of cAMP response element (CRE)-binding protein (CREB) to a putative CRE located downstream of the E-box. Our results thus reveal a potential molecular basis for isoform-specific regulation of PGC-1α expression in contracting muscle.

Antitumorigenic potential of STAT3 alternative splicing modulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zammarchi, Francesca; de Stanchina, Elisa; Bournazou, Eirini; Supakorndej, Teerawit; Martires, Kathryn; Riedel, Elyn; Corben, Adriana D; Bromberg, Jacqueline F; Cartegni, Luca

2011-10-25

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) plays a central role in the activation of multiple oncogenic pathways. Splicing variant STAT3β uses an alternative acceptor site within exon 23 that leads to a truncated isoform lacking the C-terminal transactivation domain. Depending on the context, STAT3β can act as a dominant-negative regulator of transcription and promote apoptosis. We show that modified antisense oligonucleotides targeted to a splicing enhancer that regulates STAT3 exon 23 alternative splicing specifically promote a shift of expression from STAT3α to STAT3β. Induction of endogenous STAT3β leads to apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest in cell lines with persistent STAT3 tyrosine phosphorylation compared with total STAT3 knockdown obtained by forced splicing-dependent nonsense-mediated decay (FSD-NMD). Comparison of the molecular effects of splicing redirection to STAT3 knockdown reveals a unique STAT3β signature, with a down-regulation of specific targets (including lens epithelium-derived growth factor, p300/CBP-associated factor, CyclinC, peroxisomal biogenesis factor 1, and STAT1β) distinct from canonical STAT3 targets typically associated with total STAT3 knockdown. Furthermore, similar in vivo redirection of STAT3 alternative splicing leads to tumor regression in a xenograft cancer model, demonstrating how pharmacological manipulation of a single key splicing event can manifest powerful antitumorigenic properties and validating endogenous splicing reprogramming as an effective cancer therapeutic approach.

The Construal of Midwives by Pregnant Women with a Body Mass Index Greater Than or Equal to 30 kg/m2 (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 ): A Repertory Grid Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hodgkinson, Emma L; Smith, Debbie M; Hare, Dougal Julian; Wittkowski, Anja

2017-03-01

To explore the construal of midwives by pregnant women with a body mass index greater than 30 kg/m 2 (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ). Ten pregnant women with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 were recruited from antenatal clinics at a maternity hospital in the North West of England. Each participant completed a repertory grid. The participants chose people to match roles including themselves, pregnant women, midwives of different BMIs and hypothetical elements. They also generated psychological constructs to describe them. Pregnant women with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 construed themselves as vulnerable and self-conscious. Some women endorsed obesity-related stereotypes for themselves and felt responsible for their weight. The midwife with a BMI 18 stereotypes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Pregnant women with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 construe themselves as vulnerable and self-conscious and perceive themselves responsible for their weight. Pregnant women with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 construe midwives with a low BMI as having an undesirable, cold, interpersonal style. Midwives with a raised BMI are construed as similar to the women, because they share the uncomfortable psychological consequences of a raised BMI. The nature of pregnant women's construal may affect their engagement and satisfaction with maternity services and midwifery care. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Super gene alternation of magnetite and pyrite and the role of their alternation products in the fixation of uranium from the circulating media. Vol. 3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Gemmizi, M A [Nuclear Materials Authority, Cairo, (Egypt)

1996-03-01

In most of the Egyptian altered radioactive granites, highly magnetic heavy particles were found to be radioactive. They are a mixture of several iron oxide minerals which are products of super gene alternation of the preexisting hypo gene iron-bearing minerals especially magnetite and pyrite. The end products of this super gene alternation are mainly hydrated iron oxide minerals limonite and/or goethite. During the alternation, deformation and defects in the mineral structure took place, thereby promoting diffusion of the substitutional and interstitial ions (uranium) towards these sites. The mechanism of the alternation of the hypo gene iron-bearing minerals, magnetite and pyrite to form the secondary mineral hematite, limonite and goethite; and the role of these secondary minerals in fixing uranium from the circulating media, and as indicators to the radioactivity of the host rocks are discussed. 2 figs.

Super gene alternation of magnetite and pyrite and the role of their alternation products in the fixation of uranium from the circulating media. Vol. 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Gemmizi, M.A.

1996-01-01

In most of the Egyptian altered radioactive granites, highly magnetic heavy particles were found to be radioactive. They are a mixture of several iron oxide minerals which are products of super gene alternation of the preexisting hypo gene iron-bearing minerals especially magnetite and pyrite. The end products of this super gene alternation are mainly hydrated iron oxide minerals limonite and/or goethite. During the alternation, deformation and defects in the mineral structure took place, thereby promoting diffusion of the substitutional and interstitial ions (uranium) towards these sites. The mechanism of the alternation of the hypo gene iron-bearing minerals, magnetite and pyrite to form the secondary mineral hematite, limonite and goethite; and the role of these secondary minerals in fixing uranium from the circulating media, and as indicators to the radioactivity of the host rocks are discussed. 2 figs

Hawaii alternative fuels utilization program. Phase 3, final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kinoshita, C.M.; Staackmann, M.

1996-08-01

The Hawaii Alternative Fuels Utilization Program originated as a five-year grant awarded by the US Department of Energy (USDOE) to the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The overall program included research and demonstration efforts aimed at encouraging and sustaining the use of alternative (i.e., substitutes for gasoline and diesel) ground transportation fuels in Hawaii. Originally, research aimed at overcoming technical impediments to the widespread adoption of alternative fuels was an important facet of this program. Demonstration activities centered on the use of methanol-based fuels in alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs). In the present phase, operations were expanded to include flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) which can operate on M85 or regular unleaded gasoline or any combination of these two fuels. Additional demonstration work was accomplished in attempting to involve other elements of Hawaii in the promotion and use of alcohol fuels for ground transportation in Hawaii.

Botanical alternatives to antibiotics for use in organic poultry production.

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz-Sanchez, Sandra; D'Souza, Doris; Biswas, Debrabrata; Hanning, Irene

2015-06-01

The development of antibiotic resistant pathogens has resulted from the use of sub-therapeutic concentrations of antibiotics delivered in poultry feed. Furthermore, there are a number of consumer concerns regarding the use of antibiotics in food animals including residue contamination of poultry products and antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens. These issues have resulted in recommendations to reduce the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in livestock in the United States. Unlike conventional production, organic systems are not permitted to use antibiotics. Thus, both conventional and organic poultry production need alternative methods to improve growth and performance of poultry. Herbs, spices, and various other plant extracts are being evaluated as alternatives to antibiotics and some do have growth promoting effects, antimicrobial properties, and other health-related benefits. This review aims to provide an overview of herbs, spices, and plant extracts, currently defined as phytobiotics as potential feed additives. © 2015 Poultry Science Association Inc.

Copper nanoparticles as an alternative feed additives in poultry diet

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scott, A.; Vadalasetty, K. P.; Chwalibog, A.

2018-01-01

of the crucial health and environmental concerns. In recent years, many studies have reported copper nanoparticles (Cu-NP) as a promising alternative to antibacterial reagents and a growth promoter. Depending on the size, shape, dose and animal species, Cu-NP exhibit a variety of effects on animal performance...

Environmental cost-effectiveness of bio diesel production in Greece: Current policies and alternative scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iliopoulos, Constantine; Rozakis, Stelios

2010-01-01

Following European Directive 2003/30/EC, the Greek Government adapted legislation that introduces and regulates the bio diesel market. The implemented quota scheme allocates the country's annual, predetermined, tax exempt production of bio diesel to industries based on their ability to meet several criteria. A number of bio diesel supply chain stakeholders have criticized this policy for being efficiency-robbing and vague. This paper uses 2007 data from energy crop farms and three bio diesel-producing companies in order to assess these criticisms. We study the economic and environmental aspects of the currently adopted policy and compare them to three alternative scenarios. We conclude that such criticisms have a merit and that policy makers need to reconsider their alternative options regarding the promotion of bio diesel in transport. Permission of sales directly to local consumers and promotion of forward integration by farmers are efficiency enhancing and environment-friendly means of promoting the use of bio diesel in transport.

Plant growth promoting bacteria as an alternative strategy for salt tolerance in plants: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Numan, Muhammad; Bashir, Samina; Khan, Yasmin; Mumtaz, Roqayya; Shinwari, Zabta Khan; Khan, Abdul Latif; Khan, Ajmal; Al-Harrasi, Ahmed

2018-04-01

Approximately 5.2 billion hectare agriculture land are affected by erosion, salinity and soil degradation. Salinity stress has significantly affecting the fertile lands, and therefore possesses a huge impact on the agriculture and economy of a country. Salt stress has severe effects on the growth and development of plants as well as reducing its yield. Plants are inherently equipped with stress tolerance ability to responds the specific type of stress. Plants retained specific mechanisms for salt stress mitigation, such as hormonal stimulation, ion exchange, antioxidant enzymes and activation of signaling cascades on their metabolic and genetic frontiers that sooth the stressed condition. Additional to the plant inherent mechanisms, certain plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) also have specialized mechanism that play key role for salt stress tolerance and plant growth promotion. These bacteria triggers plants to produce different plant growth hormones like auxin, cytokinine and gibberellin as well as volatile organic compounds. These bacteria also produces growth regulators like siderophore, which fix nitrogen, solubilize organic and inorganic phosphate. Considering the importance of PGPB in compensation of salt tolerance in plants, the present study has reviewed the different aspect and mechanism of bacteria that play key role in promoting plants growth and yield. It can be concluded that PGPB can be used as a cost effective and economical tool for salinity tolerance and growth promotion in plants. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Alternative Pathways to Legitimacy: Promotional Practices in the Ontario For-Profit College Sector

Science.gov (United States)

Pizarro Milian, Roger; Quirke, Linda

2017-01-01

This study empirically examines how for-profit career colleges in Ontario, Canada market themselves to prospective students. It uses a mixed-methods approach to review the content of 489 online promotional profiles representing 375 unique for-profit colleges. It finds that for-profit colleges adopt several distinct marketing strategies, including…

Isolation and characterization of an ubiquitin extension protein gene (JcUEP) promoter from Jatropha curcas.

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Yan-Bin; He, Liang-Liang; Niu, Long-Jian; Xu, Zeng-Fu

2015-04-01

The JcUEP promoter is active constitutively in the bio-fuel plant Jatropha curcas , and is an alternative to the widely used CaMV35S promoter for driving constitutive overexpression of transgenes in Jatropha. Well-characterized promoters are required for transgenic breeding of Jatropha curcas, a biofuel feedstock with great potential for production of bio-diesel and bio-jet fuel. In this study, an ubiquitin extension protein gene from Jatropha, designated JcUEP, was identified to be ubiquitously expressed. Thus, we isolated a 1.2 kb fragment of the 5' flanking region of JcUEP and evaluated its activity as a constitutive promoter in Arabidopsis and Jatropha using the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene. As expected, histochemical GUS assay showed that the JcUEP promoter was active in all Arabidopsis and Jatropha tissues tested. We also compared the activity of the JcUEP promoter with that of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S (CaMV35S) promoter, a well-characterized constitutive promoter conferring strong transgene expression in dicot species, in various tissues of Jatropha. In a fluorometric GUS assay, the two promoters showed similar activities in stems, mature leaves and female flowers; while the CaMV35S promoter was more effective than the JcUEP promoter in other tissues, especially young leaves and inflorescences. In addition, the JcUEP promoter retained its activity under stress conditions in low temperature, high salt, dehydration and exogenous ABA treatments. These results suggest that the plant-derived JcUEP promoter could be an alternative to the CaMV35S promoter for driving constitutive overexpression of transgenes in Jatropha and other plants.

Identification of a novel first exon in the human dystrophin gene and of a new promoter located more than 500 kb upstream of the nearest known promoter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yanagawa, H.; Nishio, H.; Takeshima, Y. [Kobe Univ. School of Medicine (Japan)] [and others

1994-09-01

The dystrophin gene, which is muted in patients with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies, is the largest known human gene. Five alternative promoters have been characterized until now. Here we show that a novel dystrophin isoform with a different first exon can be produced through transcription initiation at a previously-unidentified alternative promoter. The case study presented is that of patient with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who had a deletion extending from 5{prime} end of the dystrophin gene to exon 2, including all promoters previously mapped in the 5{prime} part of the gene. Transcripts from lymphoblastoid cells were found to contain sequences corresponding to exon 3, indicating the presence of new promoter upstream of this exon. The nucleotide sequence of amplified cDNA corresponding to the 5{prime} end of the new transcript indicated that the 5{prime} end of exon 3 was extended by 9 codons, only the last (most 3{prime}) of which codes for methionine. The genomic nucleotide sequence upstream from the new exon, as determined using inverse polymerase chain reaction, revealed the presence of sequences similar to a TATA box, an octamer motif and an MEF-2 element. The identified promoter/exon did not map to intron 2, as might have been expected, but to a position more than 500 kb upstream of the most 5{prime} of the previously-identified promoters, thereby adding 500 kb to the dystrophin gene. The sequence of part of the new promoter region is very similar to that of certain medium reiteration frequency repetitive sequences. These findings may help us understand the molecular evolution of the dystrophin gene.

41 CFR 102-79.110 - What Integrated Workplace policy must Federal agencies strive to promote?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... capital costs over a substantial time period; and (i) Support alternative workplace arrangements... Workplace policy must Federal agencies strive to promote? 102-79.110 Section 102-79.110 Public Contracts and... Integrated Workplace § 102-79.110 What Integrated Workplace policy must Federal agencies strive to promote...

Providing Training Enhances the Biomechanical Improvements of an Alternative Computer Mouse Design

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Houwink, A.; Oude Hengel, K.M.; Odell, D.; Dennerlein, J.T.

2009-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine if an alternative mouse promotes more neutral postures and decreases forearm muscle activity and if training enhances these biomechanical benefits. Background: Computer mouse use is a risk factor for developing musculoskeletal disorders;

Promoting Exit from Violent Extremism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dalgaard-Nielsen, Anja

2013-01-01

A number of Western countries are currently adding exit programs targeting militant Islamists to their counterterrorism efforts. Drawing on research into voluntary exit from violent extremism, this article identifies themes and issues that seem to cause doubt, leading to exit. It then provides a ...... the influence attempt as subtle as possible, use narratives and self-affirmatory strategies to reduce resistance to persuasion, and consider the possibility to promote attitudinal change via behavioral change as an alternative to seek to influence beliefs directly....

How Bureaucracy Promotes Inclusive Organizing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holck, Lotte

Diversity literature in general and Feminist in particular have long promoted alternatives to bureaucracy on the premise that this form of governance is far from gender- and race-neutral, and that inclusive organizing necessitate a flatter, decentralized and more ‘organic’ set-up (Ferguson 1984...... and opportunities conducive to their inclusion. Guided by Ashcraft (2001) concept of organized dissonance, this paper explores how the combination of apparent incongruent elements of stability/flexibility and formality/informality might offer a passage for inclusive organizing....

SEASTAR: systematic evaluation of alternative transcription start sites in RNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Zhiyi; Stoilov, Peter; Zhang, Xuegong; Xing, Yi

2018-05-04

Alternative first exons diversify the transcriptomes of eukaryotes by producing variants of the 5' Untranslated Regions (5'UTRs) and N-terminal coding sequences. Accurate transcriptome-wide detection of alternative first exons typically requires specialized experimental approaches that are designed to identify the 5' ends of transcripts. We developed a computational pipeline SEASTAR that identifies first exons from RNA-seq data alone then quantifies and compares alternative first exon usage across multiple biological conditions. The exons inferred by SEASTAR coincide with transcription start sites identified directly by CAGE experiments and bear epigenetic hallmarks of active promoters. To determine if differential usage of alternative first exons can yield insights into the mechanism controlling gene expression, we applied SEASTAR to an RNA-seq dataset that tracked the reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells. We observed dynamic temporal changes in the usage of alternative first exons, along with correlated changes in transcription factor expression. Using a combined sequence motif and gene set enrichment analysis we identified N-Myc as a regulator of alternative first exon usage in the pluripotent state. Our results demonstrate that SEASTAR can leverage the available RNA-seq data to gain insights into the control of gene expression and alternative transcript variation in eukaryotic transcriptomes.

Chemotherapy induces alternative transcription and splicing: Facts and hopes for cancer treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Lambert, Charles A; Garbacki, Nancy; Colige, Alain C

2017-10-01

Alternative promoter usage, alternative splicing and alternative cleavage/polyadenylation (referred here as to alternative transcription and splicing) are main instruments to diversify the transcriptome from a limited set of genes. There is a good deal of evidence that chemotherapeutic drugs affect these processes, but the therapeutic incidence of these effects is poorly documented. The scope of this study is to review the impact of chemotherapy on alternative transcription and splicing and to discuss potential implications in cancer therapy. A literature survey identified >2200 events induced by chemotherapeutic drugs. The molecular pathways involved in these regulations are briefly discussed. The GO terms associated with the alternative transcripts are mainly related to cell cycle/division, mRNA processing, DNA repair, macromolecules catabolism and chromatin. A large fraction (43%) of transcripts are also related to the new hallmarks of cancer, mostly genetic instability and replicative immortality. Finally, we ask the question of the impact of alternative transcription and splicing on drug efficacy and of the possible curative benefit of combining chemotherapy and pharmaceutical regulation of this process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Facilitating Teamwork in the Design Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bang, Anne Louise; Nissen, Kirsten

2009-01-01

By approaching the Repertory Grid as an exploratory design game and drawing on insight in diagrammatic reasoning we argue that this approach is useful in supporting team work in the design process. In this paper we draw on two courses inviting textile design students to contribute to the developm......By approaching the Repertory Grid as an exploratory design game and drawing on insight in diagrammatic reasoning we argue that this approach is useful in supporting team work in the design process. In this paper we draw on two courses inviting textile design students to contribute...

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promote Pancreatic Tumor Growth by Inducing Alternative Polarization of Macrophages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esha Mathew

2016-03-01

Significance: Targeting the stroma is emerging as a new paradigm in pancreatic cancer; however, efforts to that effect are hampered by our limited understanding of the nature and function of stromal components. Here, we uncover previously unappreciated heterogeneity within the stroma and identify interactions among stromal components that promote tumor growth and could be targeted therapeutically.

Alternative developmental toxicity models for assessing the in vivo embryotoxicity of azoles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dimopoulou, Myrto

2018-01-01

The implementation of regulations for protecting both humans and the environment from potential chemical health hazards, as well as the increase of global pressure for reducing, refining and replacing animal experiments promote the development and application of alternatives to in vivo

[The "health promotion" approach, a strategic alternative to teenagers' health in the Democratic Republic of Congo?].

Science.gov (United States)

Nsakala, Gabriel Vodiena; Coppieters, Yves

2014-01-01

This paper describes a review of the possibilities of improving HIV/AIDS prevention and reproductive health of teenagers and adolescents in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This approach was based on compilation of institutional, political, legislative and national strategy data. The document review was completed by information collected from 15 key informants and by direct observation of the work of peer educators and community workers, allowing evaluation of the possibilities of development of the priority domains of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion in young adolescents. Health promotion interventions for adolescents are globally ensured institutionally by three specialized programmes of the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with numerous national and international partners. Organized operationally outside of the primary health care circuit, strategic actions are more specifically directed towards acquisition of knowledge than individual skills by means of IEC (information, education and communication) and (BCC) (behaviour change communication) approaches, but with disappointing results. Although traces of these five priority domains of the Ottawa Charter are perceptible in the national response to the health problems of adolescents, the work of the various actors is not coordinated and organized in compliance with health promotion guidelines. The training of health workers appears to be a major determinant to structure this response around a dynamic federating the actions of all stakeholders to orient them towards the options of the health promotion approach.

Standardization of Alternative Fuels. Phase 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-08-15

There are different interpretations of the term 'alternative fuels', depending on the part of the world in which the definition is used. In this report, alternative fuels mainly stand for fuels that can replace gasoline and diesel oil and at the same time contribute to lowered emissions with impact on health, environment and climate. The use of alternative vehicle fuels has increased during the last 30 years. However, the increase has developed slowly and today the use is very limited, compared to the use of conventional fuels. Although, the use in some special applications, often in rather small geographical areas, can be somewhat larger. The main interest for alternative fuels has for a long time been driven by supply security issues and the possibility to reduce emissions with a negative impact on health and environment. However, the development of reformulated gasoline and low sulphur diesel oil has contributed to substantially decreased emissions from these fuels without using any alternative fuel. This has reduced the environmental impact driving force for the introduction of alternative fuels. In line with the increased interest for climate effects and the connections between these effects and the emission of greenhouse gases, and then primarily carbon dioxide, the interest for biomass based alternative fuels has increased during the 1990s. Even though one of the driving forces for alternative fuels is small today, alternative fuels are more commonly accepted than ever before. The European Commission has for example in May 2003 agreed on a directive for the promotion of the use of bio fuels. In the directive there are goals for the coming 7 years that will increase the use of alternative fuels in Europe rather dramatically, from below 1 percent now up to almost 6 percent of the total vehicle fuel consumption in 2010. The increased use of alternative fuels in Europe and the rest of the world will create a need for a common interpretation of what we

Regional differences in gene expression and promoter usage in aged human brains

KAUST Repository

Pardo, Luba M.

2013-02-19

To characterize the promoterome of caudate and putamen regions (striatum), frontal and temporal cortices, and hippocampi from aged human brains, we used high-throughput cap analysis of gene expression to profile the transcription start sites and to quantify the differences in gene expression across the 5 brain regions. We also analyzed the extent to which methylation influenced the observed expression profiles. We sequenced more than 71 million cap analysis of gene expression tags corresponding to 70,202 promoter regions and 16,888 genes. More than 7000 transcripts were differentially expressed, mainly because of differential alternative promoter usage. Unexpectedly, 7% of differentially expressed genes were neurodevelopmental transcription factors. Functional pathway analysis on the differentially expressed genes revealed an overrepresentation of several signaling pathways (e.g., fibroblast growth factor and wnt signaling) in hippocampus and striatum. We also found that although 73% of methylation signals mapped within genes, the influence of methylation on the expression profile was small. Our study underscores alternative promoter usage as an important mechanism for determining the regional differences in gene expression at old age.

Examining the role of implementation quality in school-based prevention using the PATHS curriculum. Promoting Alternative THinking Skills Curriculum.

Science.gov (United States)

Kam, Chi-Ming; Greenberg, Mark T; Walls, Carla T

2003-03-01

In order for empirically validated school-based prevention programs to "go to scale," it is important to understand the processes underlying program dissemination. Data collected in effectiveness trials, especially those measuring the quality of program implementation and administrative support, are valuable in explicating important factors influencing implementation. This study describes findings regarding quality of implementation in a recent effectiveness trial conducted in a high-risk, American urban community. This delinquency prevention trial is a locally owned intervention, which used the Promoting Alternative THinking Skills Curriculum as its major program component. The intervention involved 350 first graders in 6 inner-city public schools. Three schools implemented the intervention and the other 3 were comparison schools from the same school district. Although intervention effects were not found for all the intervention schools, the intervention was effective in improving children's emotional competence and reducing their aggression in schools which effectively supported the intervention. This study, utilizing data from the 3 intervention schools (13 classrooms and 164 students), suggested that 2 factors contributed to the success of the intervention: (a) adequate support from school principals and (b) high degree of classroom implementation by teachers. These findings are discussed in light of the theory-driven models in program evaluation that emphasized the importance of the multiple factors influencing the implementation of school-based interventions.

Effect of probiotic supplementation on organic feed to alternative antibiotic growth promoter on production performance and economics analysis of quail.

Science.gov (United States)

Lokapirnasari, W P; Dewi, A R; Fathinah, A; Hidanah, S; Harijani, N; Soeharsono; Karimah, B; Andriani, A D

2017-12-01

The purpose of this study was to know the production performance and economic analysis in quail which use probiotic supplementation to alternate antibiotic growth promoter (AGP) to feed consumption, water consumption, egg production, egg mass, feed conversion, and feed efficiency. About 240 quails ( Coturnix coturnix japonica) at 14 weeks of age were completely randomized into four treatments, each treatment consisted of six replications and each replication consisted by 10 heads. The treatment was T0 (organic feed without AGP and without probiotic), T1 (organic feed + 0.001% AGP), T2 (organic feed + 0.005% probiotic in feed), and T3 (organic feed + 0.005% probiotic in drinking water). The probiotic consist of 1.2×10 5 CFU/g of Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus . The results showed that the probiotic supplementation both in feed and water give a significant impact to feed consumption, water intake, feed conversion, feed efficiency, and quail day production, but no statistical difference of egg mass. The T3 also show the most profitable business analysis, which has the best result in income, profit, break-even point, return cost ratio, benefit-cost ratio, and return on investment. It can be concluded that giving 0.005% probiotic in drinking water to get the best egg production and profit.

Promoting environmental sustainability via an expert elicitation process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swor, Tom; Canter, Larry

2011-01-01

Environmental sustainability (ES) planning was applied to the 981-mile, commercially navigable Ohio River. Navigation improvement needs were identified within the broad study along with actions to restore aquatic and riparian ecological resources to a higher state of sustainability. The actions were identified via an Expert Elicitation Process (EEP) involving aquatic and riparian/terrestrial experts knowledgeable of Ohio River resources. The received information was synthesized into goals for the selected resources (Valued Ecosystem Components - or VECs), actions or measures to attain the goals, and monitoring to evaluate conditions. Finally, 26 types of ES actions were identified and classified into three ES alternatives. These alternatives were then evaluated relative to key decision criteria, and such evaluations, based on pertinent decision criteria, were also conducted for four navigation improvement alternatives. Finally, the best combination of ES and navigation alternatives was identified. The key lessons derived from this use of EEP were that: (1) EEP can support the preliminary identification of ES measures; however, more detailed study of specific designs and cost evaluations will be necessary; (2) the method promotes collaboration between key scientists and policymakers from governmental agencies and private sectors, and such collaboration will ultimately provide the foundation for implementation of sustainability actions; and (3) an effective EEP does not occur by accident, it requires careful planning, implementation, and documentation. - Research Highlights: → Use of an Expert Elicitation Process (EEP) is demonstrated in this study. → EEP was used to identify Environmental Sustainability (ES) needs for the Ohio River. → EEP helped develop consensus among resource experts on ES needs. → EEP promotes collaboration to identify and contribute to common resource goals. → EEP may be used in assessing cumulative effects and formulating restoration

THE FOLCLOR ORCHESTRA AS A CONSERVATION, VALIRIZATION, CAPITALIZATION FACTOR AND MEDIA DISSEMINATION OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CHISELIŢĂ VASILE

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The article is aimed at motivating the necessity to study the professional folk orchestras from the Republic of Moldova as a factor of identifying, institutionalizing, urbanizing, media disseminating, promoting the modern traditional (oral musical sources in the context of the process of negotiating the cultural identities from the modern society (the second half of the 20th and the first decade of the 21st centuries. The author focuses his attention to the theoretical and methodologic instrument of studying the repertory of the professional folk orchestra „Folclor” as a paradigm of a new stylistic trend of the cultural identity in the sphere of contemporary folk art — neotraditional music.

Pd-catalyzed ethylene methoxycarbonylation with Brønsted acid ionic liquids as promoter and phase-separable reaction media

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Garcia-Suarez, Eduardo J.; Khokarale, Santosh Govind; Nguyen van Buu, Olivier

2014-01-01

Brønsted acid ionic liquids (BAILs) were prepared and applied as combined acid promoters and reaction media in Pd–phosphine catalyzed methoxycarbonylation of ethylene to produce methyl propionate. The BAILs served as alternatives to common mineral acids required for the reaction, e.g. methanesulf......Brønsted acid ionic liquids (BAILs) were prepared and applied as combined acid promoters and reaction media in Pd–phosphine catalyzed methoxycarbonylation of ethylene to produce methyl propionate. The BAILs served as alternatives to common mineral acids required for the reaction, e...

Workshop to exchange and transfer knowledge for the purpose of increasing public understanding relating to nuclear safety and to provide a forum for discussion of alternatives available to promote revitalization of nuclear power in the US

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cranston, G.V.

1986-01-01

This paper proposes an information dissemination program to adequately familiarize the public with the actual health and safety risks of nuclear energy development. It plans for a discussion panel for alternatives available to promote revitalization of nuclear power in the US. It also provides for technology transfer between contractors, designers, and training staff. It recognizes problem areas in licensing and certification by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and ways to standardize the administrative procedures

Renewable energy sources (promotion)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, F.

1986-01-01

Permission to present a Bill to establish an independent commission directly responsible for the research, development and demonstration of clean, renewable, alternative sources of energy (to nuclear energy) is requested. The paragraphs of the preamble to the Bill are summarized by the Member seeking permission. The main reason for promoting renewable energy sources is opposition to the nuclear industry. One objection was raised. However, permission was granted to present the Bill and it was read for the first time with a second reading ordered for 7 March 1986. The Bill itself is not reprinted but the permission and question are reported verbatim. (U.K.)

An Alternate Reality Game for Language Learning: ARGuing for Multilingual Motivation

Science.gov (United States)

Connolly, Thomas M.; Stansfield, Mark; Hainey, Thomas

2011-01-01

Over the last decade, Alternate Reality Games (ARGs), a form of narrative often involving multiple media and gaming elements to tell a story that might be affected by participants' actions, have been used in the marketing and promotion of a number of entertainment related products such as films, computer games and music. This paper discusses the…

Antibiotics in Canadian poultry productions and anticipated alternatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moussa Sory Diarra

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The use of antibiotics in food-producing animals has significantly increased animal health by lowering mortality and the incidence of diseases. Antibiotics also have largely contributed to increase productivity of farms. However, antibiotic usage in general and relevance of non-therapeutic antibiotics in feed (growth promoters need to be reevaluated especially because bacterial pathogens of humans and animals have developed and shared a variety of antibiotic resistance mechanisms that can easily spread within microbial communities. In Canada, poultry production involves more than 2,600 regulated chicken producers. There are several antibiotics approved as feed additives available for poultry farmers. Feed recipes and mixtures greatly vary geographically and from one farm to another, making links between use of a specific antibiotic feed additive and production yields or selection of specific antibiotic-resistant bacteria difficult to establish. Many on-farm studies have revealed the widespread presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in broiler chickens. While sporadic reports linked the presence of antibiotic-resistant organisms to the use of feed supplemented with antibiotics, no recent studies could clearly demonstrate the benefit of antimicrobial growth promoters on performance and production yields. With modern biosecurity and hygienic practices, there is a genuine concern that intensive utilization of antibiotics or use of antimicrobial growth promoters in feed might no longer be useful. Public pressure and concerns about food and environmental safety (antibiotic residues, antibiotic-resistant pathogens have driven researchers to actively look for alternatives to antibiotics. Some of the alternatives include pre- and probiotics, organic acids and essential oils. We will describe here the properties of some bioactive molecules, like those found in cranberry, which have shown interesting polyvalent antibacterial and immuno

West meets East: psychophysics studies for understanding mysterious Oriental health promoting practices

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hai-Wen

2008-04-01

Based on his early graduated studies in psychophysics, the author has, in recent years, applied psychophysics for studying organic and motor senses (the two sensory systems deeply embedded inside of human body), and tried to understand the scientific foundation of the oriental health promoting practices. The preliminary results are promising and are discussed in detail in this paper. Psychophysics studies of organic and motor senses may be the tool to provide the connection between Western and Eastern medicines to form a balanced holistic medicine approach, and may help us to understand the scientific foundation of mysterious oriental health Promoting practices that serve as alternative medicines for promoting human wellness against illness.

Conservationist Systems, one environmental alternative for the agriculture of the Northeastern Andes of Colombia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villamizar Moreno, J.

1999-01-01

The article shows the results of a proposal of alternative handling of the agriculture ecosystem tobacco-bean-maize, main agricultural activity of the Northeastern Andes of Colombia. This system is the base of the economic and alimentary security and the main factor of degradation of the natural resources of the region. The work looks for to develop the diversified rotations, as essential component of biological diversity, the reduced works as strategy of protection of the soil and the promotion of the agriculture ecology like new model of agricultural development. The results of the work show that the high volume of organic residuals coming from the rotation tobacco bean maize, become compost in the field and the reduction of the farm, they promote the stability of the productive components of the soils and their agricultural yields. The biggest levels of organic matter and of total porosity, generated by the biggest biological activity, they indicate that the technological alternatives of the proposal slow the effects of the degradation originated by the conventional agriculture. These alternatives can be included in the regional programs of agricultural production, like solution principle and as strategy for the sustainable development of the region

Group Motivational Interviewing in Schools: Development of a Health Promotion Intervention

Science.gov (United States)

Hawkins, Jemma L.; Bravo, Paulina; Gobat, Nina; Rollnick, Stephen; Jerzembek, Gabrielle; Whitehead, Sarah; Chanon, Sue; Kelson, Mark; Adams, Orla; Murphy, Simon

2016-01-01

Objective: In the light of the shortcomings of curriculum-based health promotion in secondary schools, group motivational interviewing provides a potential alternative approach. This two-phase study set out to establish the key components, feasibility and acceptability of a group motivational interviewing intervention, focused on alcohol…

Second interim report of the Interagency Commission on Alternative Motor Fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-09-01

This report describes progress the commission and government agencies have made in implementing the provisions of the Alternative Motor Fuels Act of 1988, assessing the role of alternative motor fuels in the US transportation sector, and developing policies to promote the use of alternative fuels. The alternative motor-fuels policies proposed in the National Energy Strategy (NES) are described and shows how they compose an effective long-term plan to encourage the widespread use of alternative motor fuels. The progress to date of the Department of Energy (DOE) and other agencies in implementing the programs required by the AMFA is reported. A detailed scenario of future alternative-fuel use that displaces 2.5 million barrels per day (MMBD) of petroleum and a feasible path of vehicle production and fuel supply leading to that goal is described. An analytical tool for exploring and quantifying the energy market impacts of alternative fuels, the Alternative Fuels Trade Model (AFTM), is described. The AFTM provides a means of investigating the impacts of alternative fuels in interrelated world energy markets for petroleum and natural gas. Several major initiatives have recently been enacted that have important ramifications for alternative-fuels policy. The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 contain provisions mandating the use of nonpetroleum oxygenates in reformulated gasoline. Other provisions for much more stringent emissions standards may affect the ability of manufacturers to make and sell conventional-fuel vehicles or, at the very least, affect their cost-effectiveness in comparison to cleaner alternative-fuel vehicles (AFV's). Finally, the key areas in which technological advances could substantially improve the competitiveness of AFV technologies in the marketplace are reviewed

Cost-effectiveness and incidence of renewable energy promotion in Germany

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boehringer, Christoph [Oldenburg Univ. (Germany). Dept. of Economics; Landis, Florian [Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule, Zurich (Switzerland); Tovar Reanos, Miguel Angel [Zentrum fuer Europaeische Wirtschaftsforschung GmbH (ZEW), Mannheim (Germany)

2017-08-01

Over the last decade Germany has boosted renewable energy in power production by means of massive subsidies. The flip side are very high electricity prices which raises concerns that the transition cost towards a renewable energy system will be mainly borne by poor households. In this paper, we combine computable general equilibrium and microsimulation analysis to investigate the cost-effectiveness and incidence of Germany's renewable energy promotion. We find that the regressive effects of renewable energy promotion could be ameliorated by alternative subsidy financing mechanisms which achieve the same level of electricity generation from renewable energy sources.

[Alternatives to animal experimentation v.s. animal rights terrorism].

Science.gov (United States)

Kurosawa, Tsutomu Miki

2008-05-01

Systematic modern animal experimentation was established by Bernard Claude who wrote "An Introduction to the Study of Experimental Medicine" in 1865. At this point, the public was already asking that the pain and distress of experimental animals be reduced. For this, scientists, William Russell and Rex Burch in 1959 proposed the principles of alternatives to animal experimentation, the "3Rs". Since that time, animal welfare advocates have promoted the 3Rs concept in biomedical research communities. However, cruel animal experiments have continued and there are reports of radical extremists showing their opposition by invasion, arson, theft and even bombing of institutions involved, resulting in killing of the animals. SHAC, one extremist group believed to be animal welfare activitists was recognized as a terrorist group after the 9.11 tragedy in USA and the government viewed their activities very seriously. In 2001, British animal extremists invaded Japanese universities and stole laboratory resources; one individual was arrested and sentenced to prison for three years; Japanese who assisted in the incident were arrested and one was sentenced for one year. In 2006, SHAC USA members were prosecuted and sentenced for up to 6 years for their terrorism activities including arson. We need to consider the background of these activities which are financially supported by animal welfare advocates. The way we, as scientists who conduct such experiments can respond is by promoting alternatives to this experimentation. In Japan, the animal welfare law was revised in 2005 stressing the importance of 3Rs in scientific activities with animals. The promotion of 3Rs should be strengthened in the pharmaceutical community.

The dynamics of alternative food consumption: contexts, opportunities and transformations Les dynamiques de la consommation alimentaire alternative: contextes, opportunités et transformations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Terragni

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Can consumers contribute to a more sustainable world? In this article we describe alternative consumption in Norway, exemplified by organic food, and discuss the role of consumers in promoting change. The paper is based on studies undertaken at the Norwegian National Institute for Consumer Research (SIFO during the last 15 years. The analysis starts by considering the origin of the organic movement in Norway and follows its development, showing that over the years consumption of organic products has reached a noteworthy position in the conventional market. While organic products seem to face conventionalisation, other alternative initiatives are emerging, such as fair trade, farmers’ market, farm food outlets, box schemes and community supported agriculture (CSA. Agreeing with the critique of a ‘generic active consumer model’, the article makes the case that the consumer’s role must be understood contextually and within its limitations. At the same time, the data presented in this article show that within shifting contextual frameworks, consumers utilise consumption with the goal of producing change. The paper suggests that forms of consumption defined as alternative are socially contested and the products that consumers identify as alternative are those that, in a given time and space, best reflect alternative values.Les consommateurs peuvent-ils contribuer à un monde plus durable? Dans cet article nous décrivons la consommation alternative en Norvège à travers l’exemple des aliments bio, et nous discutons le rôle des consommateurs dans la promotion du changement. Cet article se fonde sur des recherches entreprises par l’Institut national de la recherche sur les consommateurs (SIFO en Norvège, au cours des 15 dernières années. L’analyse commence par décrire l’origine du mouvement bio en Norvège et suit son développement, montrant qu’au fil des années la consommation de produits bio a atteint une position importante

The effect of alternative work arrangements on women's well-being: a demand-control model.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelloway, E K; Gottlieb, B H

1998-01-01

The growth of women's participation in the labor force and evidence of the conflict they experience between job and family demands have spurred many employers to introduce alternative work arrangements such as flextime, job sharing, and telecommuting. Drawing on data gained from a sample of women (N = 998) in two large Canadian organizations, this study evaluates two mediational models of the impact of alternative work arrangements on women's stress and family role competence. Specifically, it tests and finds support for the hypotheses that (a) work arrangements involving scheduling flexibility (telecommuting and flextime) promote these aspects of women's well-being by increasing their perceived control over their time, and (b) arrangements involving reduced hours of employment (part-time employment and job sharing) promote well-being by reducing perceived job overload. Discussion of these findings centers on their implications for employed women, their employers, and future research.

Customer Purchasing Behavior Analysis as Alternatives for Supporting In-Store Green Marketing Decision-Making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Alex Syaekhoni

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Due to increasing concerns about environmental protection, the environmental sustainability of businesses has been widely considered in the manufacturing and supply chain context. Further, its adoption has been implemented in the retail industry for marketing field, including green product promotion. This study aimed to propose a customer purchasing behavior analysis as an alternative for supporting decision-making in order to promote green products in retail stores. Hence, right-on-target marketing strategies can be implemented appropriately. The study was carried out using shopping path data collected by radio frequency identification (RFID from a large retail store in Seoul, South Korea. In addition, the store layout and its traffic were also analyzed. This method is expected to help experts providing appropriate decision alternatives. In addition, it can help retailers in order to increase product sales and achieve high levels of customer satisfaction.

Organizing for teamwork in healthcare: an alternative to team training?

Science.gov (United States)

Rydenfält, Christofer; Odenrick, Per; Larsson, Per Anders

2017-05-15

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how organizational design could support teamwork and to identify organizational design principles that promote successful teamwork. Design/methodology/approach Since traditional team training sessions take resources away from production, the alternative approach pursued here explores the promotion of teamwork by means of organizational design. A wide and pragmatic definition of teamwork is applied: a team is considered to be a group of people that are set to work together on a task, and teamwork is then what they do in relation to their task. The input - process - output model of teamwork provides structure to the investigation. Findings Six teamwork enablers from the healthcare team literature - cohesion, collaboration, communication, conflict resolution, coordination, and leadership - are discussed, and the organizational design measures required to implement them are identified. Three organizational principles are argued to facilitate the teamwork enablers: team stability, occasions for communication, and a participative and adaptive approach to leadership. Research limitations/implications The findings could be used as a foundation for intervention studies to improve team performance or as a framework for evaluation of existing organizations. Practical implications By implementing these organizational principles, it is possible to achieve many of the organizational traits associated with good teamwork. Thus, thoughtful organization for teamwork can be used as an alternative or complement to the traditional team training approach. Originality/value With regards to the vast literature on team training, this paper offers an alternative perspective on how to improve team performance in healthcare.

Alternative security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weston, B.H.

1990-01-01

This book contains the following chapters: The Military and Alternative Security: New Missions for Stable Conventional Security; Technology and Alternative Security: A Cherished Myth Expires; Law and Alternative Security: Toward a Just World Peace; Politics and Alternative Security: Toward a More Democratic, Therefore More Peaceful, World; Economics and Alternative Security: Toward a Peacekeeping International Economy; Psychology and Alternative Security: Needs, Perceptions, and Misperceptions; Religion and Alternative Security: A Prophetic Vision; and Toward Post-Nuclear Global Security: An Overview

Alternative Splicing of G9a Regulates Neuronal Differentiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Fiszbein

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Chromatin modifications are critical for the establishment and maintenance of differentiation programs. G9a, the enzyme responsible for histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation in mammalian euchromatin, exists as two isoforms with differential inclusion of exon 10 (E10 through alternative splicing. We find that the G9a methyltransferase is required for differentiation of the mouse neuronal cell line N2a and that E10 inclusion increases during neuronal differentiation of cultured cells, as well as in the developing mouse brain. Although E10 inclusion greatly stimulates overall H3K9me2 levels, it does not affect G9a catalytic activity. Instead, E10 increases G9a nuclear localization. We show that the G9a E10+ isoform is necessary for neuron differentiation and regulates the alternative splicing pattern of its own pre-mRNA, enhancing E10 inclusion. Overall, our findings indicate that by regulating its own alternative splicing, G9a promotes neuron differentiation and creates a positive feedback loop that reinforces cellular commitment to differentiation.

Modeling Users' Experiences with Interactive Systems

CERN Document Server

Karapanos, Evangelos

2013-01-01

Over the past decade the field of Human-Computer Interaction has evolved from the study of the usability of interactive products towards a more holistic understanding of how they may mediate desired human experiences.  This book identifies the notion of diversity in usersʼ experiences with interactive products and proposes methods and tools for modeling this along two levels: (a) interpersonal diversity in usersʽ responses to early conceptual designs, and (b) the dynamics of usersʼ experiences over time. The Repertory Grid Technique is proposed as an alternative to standardized psychometric scales for modeling interpersonal diversity in usersʼ responses to early concepts in the design process, and new Multi-Dimensional Scaling procedures are introduced for modeling such complex quantitative data. iScale, a tool for the retrospective assessment of usersʼ experiences over time is proposed as an alternative to longitudinal field studies, and a semi-automated technique for the analysis of the elicited exper...

Retailer branding of consumer sales promotions. A major development in food marketing?

Science.gov (United States)

Hamlin, Robert P; Lindsay, Sophie; Insch, Andrea

2012-02-01

This article examines retailer branding of consumer price promotions. It discusses the mechanics of price promotions, consumers' reactions to them and the benefits that accrue to those that use them. It describes how large food retailers can now deploy branded price promotion systems that are fundamentally different to 'traditional' price promotions in both their mechanics and their effects on consumer decision processes. The article describes a field experiment that compared the performance of a food retailer's branded price promotion system with that of a generic (manufacturer) price promotion. The research involved three experiments that covered two food categories (sliced bread and margarine) and two levels of discount (10% and 20%). The results indicate that food retailers are able to attach powerful brands to their price promotion systems, and these brand heuristics can significantly increase consumer purchase intent relative to an equivalent generic/manufacturer promotion. This incremental heuristic effect was stable in both categories and for both levels of price discount studied. These results are consistent with the predictions of alternative, non-cognitive and heuristic based models of food consumer choice that have been published recently in 'Appetite'. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alternative Energy Development and China's Energy Future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Nina; Fridley, David

2011-06-15

In addition to promoting energy efficiency, China has actively pursued alternative energy development as a strategy to reduce its energy demand and carbon emissions. One area of particular focus has been to raise the share of alternative energy in China’s rapidly growing electricity generation with a 2020 target of 15% share of total primary energy. Over the last ten years, China has established several major renewable energy regulations along with programs and subsidies to encourage the growth of non-fossil alternative energy including solar, wind, nuclear, hydro, geothermal and biomass power as well as biofuels and coal alternatives. This study thus seeks to examine China’s alternative energy in terms of what has and will continue to drive alternative energy development in China as well as analyze in depth the growth potential and challenges facing each specific technology. This study found that despite recent policies enabling extraordinary capacity and investment growth, alternative energy technologies face constraints and barriers to growth. For relatively new technologies that have not achieved commercialization such as concentrated solar thermal, geothermal and biomass power, China faces technological limitations to expanding the scale of installed capacity. While some alternative technologies such as hydropower and coal alternatives have been slowed by uneven and often changing market and policy support, others such as wind and solar PV have encountered physical and institutional barriers to grid integration. Lastly, all alternative energy technologies face constraints in human resources and raw material resources including land and water, with some facing supply limitations in critical elements such as uranium for nuclear, neodymium for wind and rare earth metals for advanced solar PV. In light of China’s potential for and barriers to growth, the resource and energy requirement for alternative energy technologies were modeled and scenario analysis

How alternative are alternative fuels?

OpenAIRE

Soffritti, Tiziana; Danielis, Romeo

1998-01-01

Could alternative fuel vehicles contribute to a substantial reduction of air pollution? Is there a market for alternative fuel vehicles? Could a market be created via a pollution tax? The article answers these questions on the basis of the available estimates.

Proceedings: Second Annual Pacific Northwest Alternative and Renewable Energy Resources Conference.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1980-01-01

Papers presented at the conference are published in this volume. The purpose of the conference was to solicit regional cooperation in the promoting of near-term development of such alternative and renewable energy resources in the Pacific Northwest as: cogeneration; biomass; wind; small hydro; solar end-use applications; and geothermal direct heat utilization. Separate abstracts of selected papers were prepared for inclusion in the Energy Data Base.

Oxidative conversion of propane over lithium-promoted magnesia catalyst. I. Kinetics and mechanism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leveles, L.; Seshan, Kulathuiyer; Lercher, J.A.; Lefferts, Leonardus

2003-01-01

Oxidative conversion of lower alkanes over lithium-promoted magnesia catalysts offers a viable alternative for propene and ethene production. The catalytic performance of propane oxidative dehydrogenation and cracking shows yields up to 50% of olefin (propene and ethene). The reaction kinetics were

Effect of breastfeeding promotion interventions on cost-effectiveness of rotavirus immunization in Indonesia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Suwantika, Auliya A.; Postma, Maarten J.

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Rotavirus infection has been reported to be responsible for the majority of severe diarrhea in children under-5-years-old in Indonesia. Breast milk is considered to give protection against rotavirus infection. Increasing breastfeeding promotion programs could be an alternative target to

The subgenomic promoter of brome mosaic virus folds into a stem-loop structure capped by a pseudo-triloop that is structurally similar to the triloop of the genomic promoter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skov, J.; Gaudin, M.; Podbevsek, P.

2012-01-01

In brome mosaic virus, both the replication of the genomic (+)-RNA strands and the transcription of the subgenomic RNA are carried out by the viral replicase. The production of (-)-RNA strands is dependent on the formation of an AUA triloop in the stem-loop C (SLC) hairpin in the 3'-untranslated...... region of the (+)-RNA strands. Two alternate hypotheses have been put forward for the mechanism of subgenomic RNA transcription. One posits that transcription commences by recognition of at least four key nucleotides in the subgenomic promoter by the replicase. The other posits that subgenomic...... transcription starts by binding of the replicase to a hairpin formed by the subgenomic promoter that resembles the minus strand promoter hairpin SLC. In this study, we have determined the three-dimensional structure of the subgenomic promoter hairpin using NMR spectroscopy. The data show that the hairpin...

'Troubling' moments in health promotion: unpacking the ethics of empowerment.

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, Grace

2015-12-01

Concepts of empowerment feature strongly in global health discourses. Empowerment is frequently advocated as a positive approach to addressing individual and community-level health needs. Despite its popularity, relatively little has been said about the unintended consequences of empowerment, which may give rise to some troubling ethical issues or, indeed, result in outcomes that may not be considered health promoting. Drawing on current uses of empowerment within health promotion, along with insights from an ethnographic study on young people's health, this paper raises some critical questions about the ethics of empowerment. By doing so, the paper troubles the idea that empowerment is a 'good thing' without some careful attention to the varying ways in which the ethics of empowerment may unfold in practice. Findings revealed young people's different perspectives on health and priorities for health promotion. The present analysis highlights how these alternative framings prompt a number of ethical tensions for understanding and operationalising empowerment. In conclusion, the findings underscore the importance of promoting ethical reflexivity in health promotion and, crucially, attending to the unintended and potentially ethically problematic consequences of empowerment. So what? This paper raises some critical questions about the ethics of empowerment and calls for a more thorough engagement with the unintended consequences of empowerment within health promotion.

Complementary and alternative medicine usage and its determinant factors among Iranian infertile couples.

Science.gov (United States)

Dehghan, Mahlagha; Mokhtarabadi, Sima; Heidari, Fatemeh Ghaedi

2018-04-04

Background The aim of this study was to determine the status of utilizing some complementary and alternative medicine techniques in infertile couples. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 250 infertile couples referred to a hospital in Kerman using convenience sampling. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to study the prevalence and user satisfaction of complementary and alternative medicines. Results Results indicated that 49.6% of the infertile couples used at least one of the complementary and alternative medicines during the past year. Most individuals used spiritual techniques (71.8% used praying and 70.2% used Nazr) and medicinal plants (54.8%). Safety is the most important factor affecting the satisfaction of infertile couples with complementary treatments (couples think that such treatments are safe (54.8%)). Discussion Concerning high prevalence of complementary and alternative treatments in infertile couples, incorporating such treatments into the healthcare education and promoting the awareness of infertile individuals seem crucial.

Effects of a protected inclusion of organic acids and essential oils as antibiotic growth promoter alternative on growth performance, intestinal morphology and gut microflora in broilers.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yanli; Yang, Xin; Xin, Hongliang; Chen, Si; Yang, Chengbo; Duan, Yulan; Yang, Xiaojun

2017-09-01

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of protected essential oils and organic acids mixture on poultry feeding. A total of 450 1-day-old Cobb 500 chicks were randomly allotted into three treatments with six replicates. Birds were offered a basal diet (C), basal diet with 0.15 g/kg enramycin premix (A) and basal diet with 0.30 g/kg protected essential oils and organic acids mixture product (P). The results showed that protected essential oils and organic acids mixture supplementation reduced average daily feed intake and ratio of feed to gain (F/G) at 22-42 days of age, and F/G during 1-42 days of age also declined (P essential oils and organic acids mixture supplementation changed gut microflora mainly in Lactobacillus. These data suggested that dietary mixture of organic acids and essential oils addition could be used in the poultry industry as an antibiotic growth promoter alternative. © 2017 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Ultra-hydrophilic stent platforms promote early vascular healing and minimise late tissue response: a potential alternative to second-generation drug-eluting stents.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolandaivelu, Kumaran; Bailey, Lynn; Buzzi, Stefano; Zucker, Arik; Milleret, Vincent; Ziogas, Algirdas; Ehrbar, Martin; Khattab, Ahmed A; Stanley, James R L; Wong, Gee K; Zani, Brett; Markham, Peter M; Tzafriri, Abraham R; Bhatt, Deepak L; Edelman, Elazer R

2017-04-20

Simple surface modifications can enhance coronary stent performance. Ultra-hydrophilic surface (UHS) treatment of contemporary bare metal stents (BMS) was assessed in vivo to verify whether such stents can provide long-term efficacy comparable to second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) while promoting healing comparably to BMS. UHS-treated BMS, untreated BMS and corresponding DES were tested for three commercial platforms. A thirty-day and a 90-day porcine coronary model were used to characterise late tissue response. Three-day porcine coronary and seven-day rabbit iliac models were used for early healing assessment. In porcine coronary arteries, hydrophilic treatment reduced intimal hyperplasia relative to the BMS and corresponding DES platforms (1.5-fold to threefold reduction in 30-day angiographic and histological stenosis; p<0.04). Endothelialisation was similar on UHS-treated BMS and untreated BMS, both in swine and rabbit models, and lower on DES. Elevation in thrombotic indices was infrequent (never observed with UHS, rare with BMS, most often with DES), but, when present, correlated with reduced endothelialisation (p<0.01). Ultra-hydrophilic surface treatment of contemporary stents conferred good healing while moderating neointimal and thrombotic responses. Such surfaces may offer safe alternatives to DES, particularly when rapid healing and short dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) are crucial.

Kalrn promoter usage and isoform expression respond to chronic cocaine exposure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ma Xin-Ming

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The long-term effects of cocaine on behavior are accompanied by structural changes in excitatory glutamatergic synapses onto the medium spiny neurons of the striatum. The Kalrn gene encodes several functionally distinct isoforms; these multidomain guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs contain additional domains known to interact with phosphatidylinositides as well as with a number of different proteins. Through their activation of Rho proteins and their interactions with other proteins, the different Kalirin isoforms affect cytoskeletal organization. Chronic exposure of adult male rodents to cocaine increases levels of Kalirin 7 in the striatum. When exposed chronically to cocaine, mice lacking Kalirin 7, the major adult isoform, fail to show an increase in dendritic spine density in the nucleus accumbens, show diminished place preference for cocaine, and exhibit increased locomotor activity in response to cocaine. Results The use of alternate promoters and 3'-terminal exons of the mouse Kalrn gene were investigated using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. While the two most distal full-length Kalrn promoters are used equally in the prefrontal cortex, the more proximal of these promoters accounts for most of the transcripts expressed in the nucleus accumbens. The 3'-terminal exon unique to the Kalirin 7 isoform accounts for a greater percentage of the Kalrn transcripts in prefrontal cortex than in nucleus accumbens. Western blot analyses confirmed these differences. Chronic cocaine treatment increases usage of the promoter encoding the Δ-Kalirin isoforms but does not alter full-length Kalirin promoter usage. Usage of the 3'-terminal exon unique to Kalirin 7 increases following chronic cocaine exposure. Conclusions Kalrn promoter and 3'-terminal exon utilization are region-specific. In the nucleus accumbens, cocaine-mediated alterations in promoter usage and 3'-terminal exon usage favor expression of

Essential oils: an alternative approach to management of powdery mildew diseases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena STURCHIO

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years there has been growing interest in the application of plant-derived substances in agriculture as alternatives to the use of pesticides, in order to obtain healthy crops and more environmentally sustainable crop production systems. The properties of some essential oils as natural fungicides were evaluated, to promote their use in alternative agriculture. Potentially detrimental effects caused by essential oil residues in soil were also assessed by mutagenicity assays to avoid possible adverse effects related to the use of these materials. Trials in a controlled environment were set up, using ‘Romanesco’ zucchini treated with essential oils, either exclusively or alternated with a synthetic fungicide. The treatments were applied when natural infection by Podosphaera xanthii appeared on test plants, and powdery mildew incidence and severity were assessed after six weeks. Preliminary results indicated that the alternation of natural materials with effective synthetic fungicide maintained effective disease control, and may also assist with management of pesticide resistance in P. xanthii. No relevant mutagenic effects of essential oil residues in soil were revealed, although an appropriate formulation useful under field conditions is required for effective application.

Promoting functional foods as acceptable alternatives to doping: potential for information-based social marketing approach

OpenAIRE

Petróczi Andrea; Naughton Declan P; James Ricky

2010-01-01

Abstract Background Substances with performance enhancing properties appear on a continuum, ranging from prohibited performance enhancing drugs (PED) through dietary supplements to functional foods (FF). Anti-doping messages designed to dissuade athletes from using PEDs have been typically based on moralising sport competition and/or employing scare campaigns with focus on the negative consequences. Campaigns offering comparable and acceptable alternatives are nonexistent, nor are athletes he...

Plant-based milk alternatives an emerging segment of functional beverages: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Sethi, Swati; Tyagi, S K; Anurag, Rahul K

2016-09-01

Plant-based or non-dairy milk alternative is the fast growing segment in newer food product development category of functional and specialty beverage across the globe. Nowadays, cow milk allergy, lactose intolerance, calorie concern and prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, more preference to vegan diets has influenced consumers towards choosing cow milk alternatives. Plant-based milk alternatives are a rising trend, which can serve as an inexpensive alternate to poor economic group of developing countries and in places, where cow's milk supply is insufficient. Though numerous types of innovative food beverages from plant sources are being exploited for cow milk alternative, many of these faces some/any type of technological issues; either related to processing or preservation. Majority of these milk alternatives lack nutritional balance when compared to bovine milk, however they contain functionally active components with health promoting properties which attracts health conscious consumers. In case of legume based milk alternatives, sensory acceptability is a major limiting factor for its wide popularity. New and advanced non-thermal processing technologies such as ultra high temperature treatment, ultra high pressure homogenization, pulsed electric field processing are being researched for tackling the problems related to increase of shelf life, emulsion stability, nutritional completeness and sensory acceptability of the final product. Concerted research efforts are required in coming years in functional beverages segment to prepare tailor-made newer products which are palatable as well as nutritionally adequate.

Promoting sustainable public finances in the European Union

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bergman, Ulf Michael; Hutchison, Michael M.; Jensen, Svend E. Hougaard

2016-01-01

New indices of fiscal rule strength are constructed and, using a dynamic panel econometric model for 27 EU countries over the period 1990–2012, we assess whether national fiscal rules alone help to promote sustainable public finances in the EU or whether they must be supported by good governance...... to implementation of fiscal programs. Supranational rules, however, do not affect the effectiveness of national fiscal rules in reducing the deficit bias. Our results are robust to alternative estimation methods and endogeneity assumptions....

Misure alternative alla detenzione e promozione dei diritti tra prossimità e sollecitudine / Mesures alternatives à l’incarcération et promotion des droits entre proximité et sollicitude / Alternative measures to detention and promotion of the rights between proximity and concern

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bisi Roberta

2016-12-01

Full Text Available I percorsi che portano ad usufruire di misure alternative alla detenzione sollecitano riflessioni circa l’importanza delle relazioni, dei processi ed anche delle modalità di costruzione degli interventi. Pertanto, è oltremodo necessario che, grazie a comparazioni verificate in altri Paesi e il progetto europeo di ricerca al quale è dedicato questo numero della Rivista ne è un esempio, vengano formulate e trasferite sul piano operativo contenuti e proposte che dovranno scaturire ed essere rilevate con iniziative di studio, di ricerche, di verifiche e di sperimentazioni poiché l’esigenza di libertà, che è alla base della detenzione, pone problemi di fondo e ne sollecita soluzioni, trattandosi di beni raramente e adeguatamente recuperabili o ricostruibili in pieno. Les parcours qui conduisent à bénéficier de mesures alternatives à l’incarcération sollicitent des réflexions sur l’importance des relations, des processus, mais aussi sur les modalités d’élaboration des interventions. Par conséquent, grâce aux comparaisons avec d’autres pays, et au projet de recherche européen auquel ce numéro de la « Revue de Criminologie, Victimologie et Sécurité » est consacré, il est plus que nécessaire que les propositions et les suggestions formulées soient mises en ɶuvre. Ces dernières devront être élaborées à partir d’études, de recherches, de vérifications et d’essais puisque l’exigence de la liberté, qui est à la base de l’incarcération, pose des problèmes majeurs et demande des solutions, s’agissant de biens rarement et adéquatement récupérables ou pouvant être pleinement reconquis. The routes leading to benefit from alternative measures to detention encourage to reflect on the importance of those relationships and procedures involved in the development of the relevant required interventions. Thanks to the comparisons made in other countries (and the European research project examined in this

Challenges to promoting health for amateur athletes through anti-doping policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Henning, April

2017-01-01

Anti-doping regulations are intended, at least in part, to promote the health of athletes. While most anti-doping efforts target elite and professional competitors, there have been recent moves by sport governing bodies to expand anti-doping testing to include amateur athletes. Drawing on previous critiques of anti-doping policies and illustrating cases, this article outlines five of the challenges to health promotion of applying the current detect and ban model to the amateur level of sport. I argue that the current approach is not effective and, in some ways, may undermine the goal of health promotion at the amateur level. In order to address these challenges, I propose alternative, health-centred strategies that focus on athlete empowerment and choice through critical awareness of a variety of substances, associated risks and rewards, and the role of expertise in decision-making.

Instructional Strategies Alternative for Reading Comprehension

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yajaira del Valle Cadenas Terán

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to expose significantly instruccionales strategic alternatives that help improve the process of reading in college students to be trained holistically, able to make critical decisions, thoughtful and successful in the academic field. The strategies implemented educational event isolated to produce no change is necessary, that are planned and executed in the proper context of the need to ensure a certain extent the instructional success. It is also essential that teachers be the first to appropriate it. This study was conducted with a literature review serves as instructional foundation - strategic. In conclusion the importance of instructional strategies in reading comprehension was determined, since they increase communication skills, provide specific or complex experiences and promote meaningful learning.

The Productivity Dilemma in Workplace Health Promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

Cherniack, Martin

2015-01-01

Worksite-based programs to improve workforce health and well-being (Workplace Health Promotion (WHP)) have been advanced as conduits for improved worker productivity and decreased health care costs. There has been a countervailing health economics contention that return on investment (ROI) does not merit preventive health investment. METHODS/PROCEDURES: Pertinent studies were reviewed and results reconsidered. A simple economic model is presented based on conventional and alternate assumptions used in cost benefit analysis (CBA), such as discounting and negative value. The issues are presented in the format of 3 conceptual dilemmas. In some occupations such as nursing, the utility of patient survival and staff health is undervalued. WHP may miss important components of work related health risk. Altering assumptions on discounting and eliminating the drag of negative value radically change the CBA value. Simple monetization of a work life and calculation of return on workforce health investment as a simple alternate opportunity involve highly selective interpretations of productivity and utility.

The Productivity Dilemma in Workplace Health Promotion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Cherniack

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Worksite-based programs to improve workforce health and well-being (Workplace Health Promotion (WHP have been advanced as conduits for improved worker productivity and decreased health care costs. There has been a countervailing health economics contention that return on investment (ROI does not merit preventive health investment. Methods/Procedures. Pertinent studies were reviewed and results reconsidered. A simple economic model is presented based on conventional and alternate assumptions used in cost benefit analysis (CBA, such as discounting and negative value. The issues are presented in the format of 3 conceptual dilemmas. Principal Findings. In some occupations such as nursing, the utility of patient survival and staff health is undervalued. WHP may miss important components of work related health risk. Altering assumptions on discounting and eliminating the drag of negative value radically change the CBA value. Significance. Simple monetization of a work life and calculation of return on workforce health investment as a simple alternate opportunity involve highly selective interpretations of productivity and utility.

Borrowing risk among young home owners : Prevention, alleviation and the promotion of sustainable alternatives: draft paper

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lawson, J.M.; Parkinson, S.

2009-01-01

During the 1990s, amidst spiraling house prices and accessible credit, national governments in the Netherlands, the US, Australia and the UK promoted home ownership in rhetoric and policy as the main stream housing solution for working households, also for those with a low income. Recent instability

Interplay between estrogen receptor and AKT in estradiol-induced alternative splicing.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhat-Nakshatri, Poornima; Song, Eun-Kyung; Collins, Nikail R; Uversky, Vladimir N; Dunker, A Keith; O'Malley, Bert W; Geistlinger, Tim R; Carroll, Jason S; Brown, Myles; Nakshatri, Harikrishna

2013-06-11

Alternative splicing is critical for generating complex proteomes in response to extracellular signals. Nuclear receptors including estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and their ligands promote alternative splicing. The endogenous targets of ERα:estradiol (E2)-mediated alternative splicing and the influence of extracellular kinases that phosphorylate ERα on E2-induced splicing are unknown. MCF-7 and its anti-estrogen derivatives were used for the majority of the assays. CD44 mini gene was used to measure the effect of E2 and AKT on alternative splicing. ExonHit array analysis was performed to identify E2 and AKT-regulated endogenous alternatively spliced apoptosis-related genes. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed to verify alternative splicing. ERα binding to alternatively spliced genes was verified by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Bromodeoxyuridine incorporation-ELISA and Annexin V labeling assays were done to measure cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. We identified the targets of E2-induced alternative splicing and deconstructed some of the mechanisms surrounding E2-induced splicing by combining splice array with ERα cistrome and gene expression array. E2-induced alternatively spliced genes fall into at least two subgroups: coupled to E2-regulated transcription and ERα binding to the gene without an effect on rate of transcription. Further, AKT, which phosphorylates both ERα and splicing factors, influenced ERα:E2 dependent splicing in a gene-specific manner. Genes that are alternatively spliced include FAS/CD95, FGFR2, and AXIN-1. E2 increased the expression of FGFR2 C1 isoform but reduced C3 isoform at mRNA level. E2-induced alternative splicing of FAS and FGFR2 in MCF-7 cells correlated with resistance to FAS activation-induced apoptosis and response to keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), respectively. Resistance of MCF-7 breast cancer cells to the anti-estrogen tamoxifen was associated with ER�

LRRTM3 Regulates Excitatory Synapse Development through Alternative Splicing and Neurexin Binding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ji Won Um

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The four members of the LRRTM family (LRRTM1-4 are postsynaptic adhesion molecules essential for excitatory synapse development. They have also been implicated in neuropsychiatric diseases. Here, we focus on LRRTM3, showing that two distinct LRRTM3 variants generated by alternative splicing regulate LRRTM3 interaction with PSD-95, but not its excitatory synapse-promoting activity. Overexpression of either LRRTM3 variant increased excitatory synapse density in dentate gyrus (DG granule neurons, whereas LRRTM3 knockdown decreased it. LRRTM3 also controlled activity-regulated AMPA receptor surface expression in an alternative splicing-dependent manner. Furthermore, Lrrtm3-knockout mice displayed specific alterations in excitatory synapse density, excitatory synaptic transmission and excitability in DG granule neurons but not in CA1 pyramidal neurons. Lastly, LRRTM3 required only specific splice variants of presynaptic neurexins for their synaptogenic activity. Collectively, our data highlight alternative splicing and differential presynaptic ligand utilization in the regulation of LRRTMs, revealing key regulatory mechanisms for excitatory synapse development.

Cost benefit indicators associated with the integration of alternative energy sources: A systems approach for Carinthia, Austria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wohlgemuth, N.

1999-01-01

Studies on how to promote the use of alternative energy sources (AES) typically focus on the relative efficiency and effectiveness of alternative subsidising mechanisms. Positive externalities of an increased AES utilisation are in general not explicitly taken into account. This paper analyses...... of AES use. Analysis of two strategies, "Subsidy" and "High Tax", shows that none of these strategies is dominant with respect to all indicators, i.e., there are conflicting objectives. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved....

Alternative sanitization methods for minimally processed lettuce in comparison to sodium hypochlorite.

Science.gov (United States)

Bachelli, Mara Lígia Biazotto; Amaral, Rívia Darla Álvares; Benedetti, Benedito Carlos

2013-01-01

Lettuce is a leafy vegetable widely used in industry for minimally processed products, in which the step of sanitization is the crucial moment for ensuring a safe food for consumption. Chlorinated compounds, mainly sodium hypochlorite, are the most used in Brazil, but the formation of trihalomethanes from this sanitizer is a drawback. Then, the search for alternative methods to sodium hypochlorite has been emerging as a matter of great interest. The suitability of chlorine dioxide (60 mg L(-1)/10 min), peracetic acid (100 mg L(-1)/15 min) and ozonated water (1.2 mg L(-1)/1 min) as alternative sanitizers to sodium hypochlorite (150 mg L(-1) free chlorine/15 min) were evaluated. Minimally processed lettuce washed with tap water for 1 min was used as a control. Microbiological analyses were performed in triplicate, before and after sanitization, and at 3, 6, 9 and 12 days of storage at 2 ± 1 °C with the product packaged on LDPE bags of 60 μm. It was evaluated total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., psicrotrophic and mesophilic bacteria, yeasts and molds. All samples of minimally processed lettuce showed absence of E. coli and Salmonella spp. The treatments of chlorine dioxide, peracetic acid and ozonated water promoted reduction of 2.5, 1.1 and 0.7 log cycle, respectively, on count of microbial load of minimally processed product and can be used as substitutes for sodium hypochlorite. These alternative compounds promoted a shelf-life of six days to minimally processed lettuce, while the shelf-life with sodium hypochlorite was 12 days.

Host-race formation: promoted by phenology, constrained by heritability.

Science.gov (United States)

Whipple, A V; Abrahamson, W G; Khamiss, M A; Heinrich, P L; Urian, A G; Northridge, E M

2009-04-01

Host-race formation is promoted by genetic trade-offs in the ability of herbivores to use alternate hosts, including trade-offs due to differential timing of host-plant availability. We examined the role of phenology in limiting host-plant use in the goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis) by determining: (1) whether phenology limits alternate host use, leading to a trade-off that could cause divergent selection on Eurosta emergence time and (2) whether Eurosta has the genetic capacity to respond to such selection in the face of existing environmental variation. Experiments demonstrated that oviposition and gall induction on the alternate host, Solidago canadensis, were the highest on young plants, whereas the highest levels of gall induction on the normal host, Solidago gigantea, occurred on intermediate-age plants. These findings indicate a phenological trade-off for host-plant use that sets up the possibility of divergent selection on emergence time. Heritability, estimated by parent-offspring regression, indicated that host-race formation is impeded by the amount of genetic variation, relative to environmental, for emergence time.

Palytoxin: exploiting a novel skin tumor promoter to explore signal transduction and carcinogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wattenberg, Elizabeth V

2007-01-01

Palytoxin is a novel skin tumor promoter, which has been used to help probe the role of different types of signaling mechanisms in carcinogenesis. The multistage mouse skin model indicates that tumor promotion is an early, prolonged, and reversible phase of carcinogenesis. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor promotion is therefore important for developing strategies to prevent and treat cancer. Naturally occurring tumor promoters that bind to specific cellular receptors have proven to be useful tools for investigating important biochemical events in multistage carcinogenesis. For example, the identification of protein kinase C as the receptor for the prototypical skin tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) (also called phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, PMA) provided key evidence that tumor promotion involves the aberrant modulation of signaling cascades that govern cell fate and function. The subsequent discovery that palytoxin, a marine toxin isolated from zoanthids (genus Palythoa), is a potent skin tumor promoter yet does not activate protein kinase C indicated that investigating palytoxin action could help reveal new aspects of tumor promotion. Interestingly, the putative receptor for palytoxin is the Na(+),K(+)-ATPase. This review focuses on palytoxin-stimulated signaling and how palytoxin has been used to investigate alternate biochemical mechanisms by which important targets in carcinogenesis can be modulated.

EBV Latency Types Adopt Alternative Chromatin Conformations

Science.gov (United States)

Tempera, Italo; Klichinsky, Michael; Lieberman, Paul M.

2011-01-01

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) can establish latent infections with distinct gene expression patterns referred to as latency types. These different latency types are epigenetically stable and correspond to different promoter utilization. Here we explore the three-dimensional conformations of the EBV genome in different latency types. We employed Chromosome Conformation Capture (3C) assay to investigate chromatin loop formation between the OriP enhancer and the promoters that determine type I (Qp) or type III (Cp) gene expression. We show that OriP is in close physical proximity to Qp in type I latency, and to Cp in type III latency. The cellular chromatin insulator and boundary factor CTCF was implicated in EBV chromatin loop formation. Combining 3C and ChIP assays we found that CTCF is physically associated with OriP-Qp loop formation in type I and OriP-Cp loop formation in type III latency. Mutations in the CTCF binding site located at Qp disrupt loop formation between Qp and OriP, and lead to the activation of Cp transcription. Mutation of the CTCF binding site at Cp, as well as siRNA depletion of CTCF eliminates both OriP-associated loops, indicating that CTCF plays an integral role in loop formation. These data indicate that epigenetically stable EBV latency types adopt distinct chromatin architectures that depend on CTCF and mediate alternative promoter targeting by the OriP enhancer. PMID:21829357

EBV latency types adopt alternative chromatin conformations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Italo Tempera

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV can establish latent infections with distinct gene expression patterns referred to as latency types. These different latency types are epigenetically stable and correspond to different promoter utilization. Here we explore the three-dimensional conformations of the EBV genome in different latency types. We employed Chromosome Conformation Capture (3C assay to investigate chromatin loop formation between the OriP enhancer and the promoters that determine type I (Qp or type III (Cp gene expression. We show that OriP is in close physical proximity to Qp in type I latency, and to Cp in type III latency. The cellular chromatin insulator and boundary factor CTCF was implicated in EBV chromatin loop formation. Combining 3C and ChIP assays we found that CTCF is physically associated with OriP-Qp loop formation in type I and OriP-Cp loop formation in type III latency. Mutations in the CTCF binding site located at Qp disrupt loop formation between Qp and OriP, and lead to the activation of Cp transcription. Mutation of the CTCF binding site at Cp, as well as siRNA depletion of CTCF eliminates both OriP-associated loops, indicating that CTCF plays an integral role in loop formation. These data indicate that epigenetically stable EBV latency types adopt distinct chromatin architectures that depend on CTCF and mediate alternative promoter targeting by the OriP enhancer.

Health Promotion and Complementary Medicine: The Extent and Future of Professional Collaboration and Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Faith

2006-01-01

Purpose: To explore the professional interface between health promotion (HP) and complementary and alternative medicine. Design/methodology/approach: A discussion paper, based on qualitative research involving in-depth interviews with 52 participants from either side of the interface. Findings: The current interface is predominantly limited to…

Promoting water consumption on a Caribbean island: An intervention using children's social networks at schools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Franken, S.C.M.; Smit, C.R.; Buijzen, M.A.

2018-01-01

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and the associated childhood obesity are major concerns in the Caribbean, creating a need for interventions promoting water consumption as a healthy alternative. A social network-based intervention (SNI) was tested among Aruban children to increase their

Diverse alternative back-splicing and alternative splicing landscape of circular RNAs

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiao-Ou; Dong, Rui; Zhang, Yang; Zhang, Jia-Lin; Luo, Zheng; Zhang, Jun; Chen, Ling-Ling; Yang, Li

2016-01-01

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) derived from back-spliced exons have been widely identified as being co-expressed with their linear counterparts. A single gene locus can produce multiple circRNAs through alternative back-splice site selection and/or alternative splice site selection; however, a detailed map of alternative back-splicing/splicing in circRNAs is lacking. Here, with the upgraded CIRCexplorer2 pipeline, we systematically annotated different types of alternative back-splicing and alternative splicing events in circRNAs from various cell lines. Compared with their linear cognate RNAs, circRNAs exhibited distinct patterns of alternative back-splicing and alternative splicing. Alternative back-splice site selection was correlated with the competition of putative RNA pairs across introns that bracket alternative back-splice sites. In addition, all four basic types of alternative splicing that have been identified in the (linear) mRNA process were found within circRNAs, and many exons were predominantly spliced in circRNAs. Unexpectedly, thousands of previously unannotated exons were detected in circRNAs from the examined cell lines. Although these novel exons had similar splice site strength, they were much less conserved than known exons in sequences. Finally, both alternative back-splicing and circRNA-predominant alternative splicing were highly diverse among the examined cell lines. All of the identified alternative back-splicing and alternative splicing in circRNAs are available in the CIRCpedia database (http://www.picb.ac.cn/rnomics/circpedia). Collectively, the annotation of alternative back-splicing and alternative splicing in circRNAs provides a valuable resource for depicting the complexity of circRNA biogenesis and for studying the potential functions of circRNAs in different cells. PMID:27365365

Promotion time cure rate model with nonparametric form of covariate effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Tianlei; Du, Pang

2018-05-10

Survival data with a cured portion are commonly seen in clinical trials. Motivated from a biological interpretation of cancer metastasis, promotion time cure model is a popular alternative to the mixture cure rate model for analyzing such data. The existing promotion cure models all assume a restrictive parametric form of covariate effects, which can be incorrectly specified especially at the exploratory stage. In this paper, we propose a nonparametric approach to modeling the covariate effects under the framework of promotion time cure model. The covariate effect function is estimated by smoothing splines via the optimization of a penalized profile likelihood. Point-wise interval estimates are also derived from the Bayesian interpretation of the penalized profile likelihood. Asymptotic convergence rates are established for the proposed estimates. Simulations show excellent performance of the proposed nonparametric method, which is then applied to a melanoma study. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Making Healthy Behaviors the Easy Choice for Employees: A Review of the Literature on Environmental and Policy Changes in Worksite Health Promotion

Science.gov (United States)

Kahn-Marshall, Jennifer L.; Gallant, Mary P.

2012-01-01

As employers look for ways to reduce rising health care costs, worksite health promotion interventions are increasingly being used to improve employee health behaviors. An alternative approach to traditional worksite health promotion programs is the implementation of environmental and/or policy changes to encourage employees to adopt healthier…

High expression of PTBP1 promote invasion of colorectal cancer by alternative splicing of cortactin.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhi-Na; Liu, Dan; Yin, Bin; Ju, Wen-Yi; Qiu, Hui-Zhong; Xiao, Yi; Chen, Yuan-Jia; Peng, Xiao-Zhong; Lu, Chong-Mei

2017-05-30

Polypyrimidine tract-binding protein 1 (PTBP1) involving in almost all steps of mRNA regulation including alternative splicing metabolism during tumorigenesis due to its RNA-binding activity. Initially, we found that high expressed PTBP1 and poor prognosis was interrelated in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with stages II and III CRC, which widely different in prognosis and treatment, by immunohistochemistry. PTBP1 was also upregulated in colon cancer cell lines. In our study, knockdown of PTBP1 by siRNA transfection decreased cell proliferation and invasion in vitro. Denovirus shRNA knockdown of PTBP1 inhibited colorectal cancer growth in vivo. Furthermore, PTBP1 regulates alternative splicing of many target genes involving in tumorgenesis in colon cancer cells. We confirmed that the splicing of cortactin exon 11 which was only contained in cortactin isoform-a, as a PTBP1 target. Knockdown of PTBP1 decreased the expression of cortactin isoform-a by exclusion of exon 11. Also the mRNA levels of PTBP1 and cortactin isoform-a were cooperatively expressed in colorectal cancer tissues. Knocking down cortactin isoform-a significantly decreased cell migration and invasion in colorectal cancer cells. Overexpression of cortactin isoform-a could rescue PTBP1-knockdown effect of cell motility. In summary the study revealed that PTBP1 facilitates colorectal cancer migration and invasion activities by inclusion of cortactin exon 11.

Alternatives to antibiotics for maximizing growth performance and feed efficiency in poultry: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gadde, U; Kim, W H; Oh, S T; Lillehoj, Hyun S

2017-06-01

With the increase in regulations regarding the use of antibiotic growth promoters and the rise in consumer demand for poultry products from 'Raised Without Antibiotics' or 'No Antibiotics Ever' flocks, the quest for alternative products or approaches has intensified in recent years. A great deal of research has focused on the development of antibiotic alternatives to maintain or improve poultry health and performance. This review describes the potential for the various alternatives available to increase animal productivity and help poultry perform to their genetic potential under existing commercial conditions. The classes of alternatives described include probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, organic acids, enzymes, phytogenics, antimicrobial peptides, hyperimmune egg antibodies, bacteriophages, clay, and metals. A brief description of the mechanism of action, efficacy, and advantages and disadvantages of their uses are also presented. Though the beneficial effects of many of the alternatives developed have been well demonstrated, the general consensus is that these products lack consistency and the results vary greatly from farm to farm. Furthermore, their mode of action needs to be better defined. Optimal combinations of various alternatives coupled with good management and husbandry practices will be the key to maximize performance and maintain animal productivity, while we move forward with the ultimate goal of reducing antibiotic use in the animal industry.

Designing a Culturally Appropriate Visually Enhanced Low-Text Mobile Health App Promoting Physical Activity for Latinos: A Qualitative Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bender, Melinda S; Martinez, Suzanna; Kennedy, Christine

2016-07-01

Rapid proliferation of smartphone ownership and use among Latinos offers a unique opportunity to employ innovative visually enhanced low-text (VELT) mobile health applications (mHealth app) to promote health behavior change for Latinos at risk for lifestyle-related diseases. Using focus groups and in-depth interviews with 16 promotores and 5 health care providers recruited from California clinics, this qualitative study explored perceptions of visuals for a VELT mHealth app promoting physical activity (PA) and limiting sedentary behavior (SB) for Latinos. In this Phase 1 study, participants endorsed visuals portraying PA guidelines and recommended visuals depicting family and socially oriented PA. Overall, participants supported a VELT mHealth app as an alternative to text-based education. Findings will inform the future Phase 2 study development of a culturally appropriate VELT mHealth app to promote PA for Latinos, improve health literacy, and provide an alternative to traditional clinic text-based health education materials. © The Author(s) 2015.

The development of a strategic framework for the promotion of local cuisine in Botswana / Delly Chatibura

OpenAIRE

Chatibura, Delly

2015-01-01

The main goal of this study is the development a strategic framework for the promotion of local cuisine in Botswana. This goal was achieved in five key objectives. Firstly the study set to review extant literature on tourists‟ cuisine experiences in general and in Botswana. An understanding of tourists‟ cuisine experiences is significant in paving the way for increased promotion in cuisine tourism, an alternative form of tourism that has remained relatively neglected in the country‟s tourism ...

Alternative Fuel Guidelines for Alternative Transportation Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-31

The Volpe Center documented the increased use of alternative fuels on vehicles owned and operated by federal land management agencies. For each alternative fuel type, the Volpe Center documented the availability of vehicles, fueling mechanisms and pr...

Norwegian industry and health promotion 1910-1967.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibsen, H

1993-01-01

The development of occupational health services in Norway is explored by making a case study of both a chocolate factory and a cement factory. The study shows how different motives and ideological positions promoted the industrial health service. Prominent among them were a social and political philosophy, those of welfare capitalism, as an alternative to socialism and state policy in building the affluent society and the move toward improvements of production. All leading to a growing interest in the human factor in industry, where the medical officer should help to shape a satisfied, rational and productive worker in a healthy work environment.

Promoting Ethical Competencies: Education for Democratic Citizenship in a Mexican Institution of Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Patino-Gonzalez, Susana

2009-01-01

Higher education institutions have a responsibility to promote the development of students' ethical and citizenship competencies, especially in contexts of major social inequality. Graduates, who constitute a very small percentage of the population in Mxico, are the best qualified to conceive of creative alternatives to resolve its demanding…

Sales Promotion and Consumer Loyalty: A Study of Nigerian Tecommunication Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oyeniyi Omotayo

2011-12-01

Full Text Available In today’s competitive business world customers are considered to be kings. Customers have several choices to make among alternative products, and they exercise a high level of influence in the market with respect to product size, quality and price. Hence, it is important for producers to meet the needs of customers in order to stay competitive. One of the marketing communication tools that is used in attracting the attention of the customer and build their loyalty is sales promotion. The aim of this paper therefore is to determine the effect of sales promotion on customer loyalty in the telecommunication industry. In this study, the survey method was used in gathering information from the respondents. Simple random sampling was used to select a sample size of 310, while descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted with the aid of SPSS software. Producers spend a large part of their total marketing communication expenses on sales promotion. Hence, this paper attempts to find the effect of sales promotion on customer loyalty using a sample of customers of mobile telecommunication services. The paper found that, there is positive relationship between sales promotion and customer loyalty. More importantly, it was discovered that non-loyal customers are more prone to switch to competing products as a result of sales promotion than loyal customers.

Intrinsically bent DNA in replication origins and gene promoters.

Science.gov (United States)

Gimenes, F; Takeda, K I; Fiorini, A; Gouveia, F S; Fernandez, M A

2008-06-24

Intrinsically bent DNA is an alternative conformation of the DNA molecule caused by the presence of dA/dT tracts, 2 to 6 bp long, in a helical turn phase DNA or with multiple intervals of 10 to 11 bp. Other than flexibility, intrinsic bending sites induce DNA curvature in particular chromosome regions such as replication origins and promoters. Intrinsically bent DNA sites are important in initiating DNA replication, and are sometimes found near to regions associated with the nuclear matrix. Many methods have been developed to localize bent sites, for example, circular permutation, computational analysis, and atomic force microscopy. This review discusses intrinsically bent DNA sites associated with replication origins and gene promoter regions in prokaryote and eukaryote cells. We also describe methods for identifying bent DNA sites for circular permutation and computational analysis.

Alternative sanitization methods for minimally processed lettuce in comparison to sodium hypochlorite

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Mara Lígia Biazotto Bachelli

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Lettuce is a leafy vegetable widely used in industry for minimally processed products, in which the step of sanitization is the crucial moment for ensuring a safe food for consumption. Chlorinated compounds, mainly sodium hypochlorite, are the most used in Brazil, but the formation of trihalomethanes from this sanitizer is a drawback. Then, the search for alternative methods to sodium hypochlorite has been emerging as a matter of great interest. The suitability of chlorine dioxide (60 mg L-1/10 min, peracetic acid (100 mg L-1/15 min and ozonated water (1.2 mg L-1 /1 min as alternative sanitizers to sodium hypochlorite (150 mg L-1 free chlorine/15 min were evaluated. Minimally processed lettuce washed with tap water for 1 min was used as a control. Microbiological analyses were performed in triplicate, before and after sanitization, and at 3, 6, 9 and 12 days of storage at 2 ± 1 ºC with the product packaged on LDPE bags of 60 µm. It was evaluated total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., psicrotrophic and mesophilic bacteria, yeasts and molds. All samples of minimally processed lettuce showed absence of E. coli and Salmonella spp. The treatments of chlorine dioxide, peracetic acid and ozonated water promoted reduction of 2.5, 1.1 and 0.7 log cycle, respectively, on count of microbial load of minimally processed product and can be used as substitutes for sodium hypochlorite. These alternative compounds promoted a shelf-life of six days to minimally processed lettuce, while the shelf-life with sodium hypochlorite was 12 days.

Analyzing the relationship between advertising and sales promotion with brand equity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haim Hilman

2017-04-01

Full Text Available In today’s competitive business environment, customers are considered to be the source of brand success. Customers have numerous choices to form among alternative products, and they apply a high level of effect in the market with regard to several aspects such as quality, product size, services, and price. Hence, it is very important for manufacturers to meet customers’ needs in order to stay competitive. Advertising and sales promotion are considered as the main tools of marketing communication which is influential in attracting the attention of the customer and building brand equity. Advertising and sales promotions are highly effective in affecting consumer purchase decisions of a particular brand. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the link between advertising and sales promotion with brand equity. It reviews the past studies on the above-mentioned variables and provides some clarification to the nature of relationship existing between them.

[Ethics and methodology: the importance of promoting, evaluating and implementing education and humanities research in health].

Science.gov (United States)

Consejo-Y Chapela, Carolina; González-Martínez, José Francisco

2017-01-01

In this editorial we initially expose the agreements that have set the mechanisms to guarantee safety and fair treatment to human subjects in research. Later on, we offer alternatives from translational and multidisciplinary research to promote education and humanities research in health.

Alternative transcription of sodium/bicarbonate transporter SLC4A7 gene enhanced by single nucleotide polymorphisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hae Jeong; Lee, Soojung; Ju, Eunji; Jones, Jayre A; Choi, Inyeong

2017-03-01

Genome-wide association studies have identified the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs3278 in the human SLC4A7 gene as one of the marker loci for addiction vulnerability. This marker is located in an intron of the gene, and its genomic role has been unknown. In this study, we examined rs3278 and three adjacent SNPs prevalent in alcoholics for their effects on an alternative promoter that would lead to the production of the NH 2 -terminally truncated protein NBCn1ΔN450, missing the first 450 amino acids. Analysis of the transcription start site database and a promoter prediction algorithm identified a cluster of three promoters in intron 7 and two short CpG-rich sites in intron 6. The promoter closest to rs3278 showed strong transcription activity in luciferase reporter gene assays. Major-to-minor allele substitution at rs3278 resulted in increased transcription activity. Equivalent substitutions at adjacent rs3772723 (intron 7) and rs13077400 (exon 8) had negligible effect; however, the substitution at nonsynonymous rs3755652 (exon 8) increased the activity by more than twofold. The concomitant substitution at rs3278/rs3755652 produced an additive effect. The rs3755652 had more profound effects on the promoter than the upstream regulatory CpG sites. The amino acid change E326K caused by rs3755652 had negligible effect on transporter function. In HEK 293 cells, NBCn1ΔN450 was expressed in plasma membranes, but at significantly lower levels than the nontruncated NBCn1-E. The pH change mediated by NBCn1ΔN450 was also low. We conclude that rs3278 and rs3755652 stimulate an alternative transcription of the SLC4A7 gene, increasing the production of a defective transporter. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

In Vitro and In Vivo Modulation of Alternative Splicing by the Biguanide Metformin

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Delphine Laustriat

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Major physiological changes are governed by alternative splicing of RNA, and its misregulation may lead to specific diseases. With the use of a genome-wide approach, we show here that this splicing step can be modified by medication and demonstrate the effects of the biguanide metformin, on alternative splicing. The mechanism of action involves AMPK activation and downregulation of the RBM3 RNA-binding protein. The effects of metformin treatment were tested on myotonic dystrophy type I (DM1, a multisystemic disease considered to be a spliceopathy. We show that this drug promotes a corrective effect on several splicing defects associated with DM1 in derivatives of human embryonic stem cells carrying the causal mutation of DM1 as well as in primary myoblasts derived from patients. The biological effects of metformin were shown to be compatible with typical therapeutic dosages in a clinical investigation involving diabetic patients. The drug appears to act as a modifier of alternative splicing of a subset of genes and may therefore have novel therapeutic potential for many more diseases besides those directly linked to defective alternative splicing.

Genome-wide analysis of SRSF10-regulated alternative splicing by deep sequencing of chicken transcriptome

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Xuexia Zhou

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Splicing factor SRSF10 is known to function as a sequence-specific splicing activator that is capable of regulating alternative splicing both in vitro and in vivo. We recently used an RNA-seq approach coupled with bioinformatics analysis to identify the extensive splicing network regulated by SRSF10 in chicken cells. We found that SRSF10 promoted both exon inclusion and exclusion. Functionally, many of the SRSF10-verified alternative exons are linked to pathways of response to external stimulus. Here we describe in detail the experimental design, bioinformatics analysis and GO/pathway enrichment analysis of SRSF10-regulated genes to correspond with our data in the Gene Expression Omnibus with accession number GSE53354. Our data thus provide a resource for studying regulation of alternative splicing in vivo that underlines biological functions of splicing regulatory proteins in cells.

Hypnosis in nursing practice--emphasis on the "problem patient' who has pain--Part II.

Science.gov (United States)

Zahourek, R P

1982-04-01

The program of treating burned patients with hypnosis was expanded to treating multi-problem and chronic pain patients on the same surgical unit at Denver General Hospital. The majority of patients received some benefit. Many gained control over intense pain and many increased their sense of self-esteem and mastery. The behavioral problems diminished and the staff became reinterested and reinvolved with these very needy people. Whether or not nurses elect to practice hypnosis, the principles are familiar and can be added to the repertory of nursing practice. Physical and psychological relaxation relieves distress and potentiates patients' comfort with or without pain medication. Communicate to the patient that what you are doing builds confidence and increases the probability that treatment wil be effective. Furthermore, recognizing imaginary capacities as powerful in promoting comfort adds an option for intervention not always considered or used by nurses. Whether or not nurses describe what they do as "hypnosis," the use of these techniques can be useful to their practice and to the patients in whom they attempt to alleviate suffering and promote comfort and growth.

on some properties of the alternating sylvester series and alternating

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DJFLEX

. (iii) above is known in literature as the alternating Sylvester series while (iv) is known as the alternating Engel expansion (Kalpazidou and Ganatsiou (1991)). We are interested in studying the properties of these alternating series. Theorem 2: ...

PLANT-MICROBIAL INTERACTIONS IN THE RHIZOSPHERE – STRATEGIES FOR PLANT GROWTH-PROMOTION

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Marius Stefan

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR are a group of bacteria that can actively colonize plant rootsand enhance plant growth using different mechanisms: production of plant growth regulators like indoleacetic acid,gibberellic acid, cytokinins and ethylene(Zahir et al., 2003, providing the host plant with fixed nitrogen, solubilizationof soil phosphorus, enhance Fe uptake, biocontrol, reducing the concentration of heavy metals. PGPR are perfectcandidates to be used as biofertilizers – eco-friendly alternative to common applied chemical fertilizer in today’sagriculture. The most important benefit of PGPR usage is related to the reduction of environmental pollution in conditionof increasing crop yield. This review presents the main mechanisms involved in PGPR promotion of plant growth.

Bioprospecting for bioactives from seaweeds: potential, obstacles and alternatives

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Renato C. Pereira

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Seaweeds are potential sources of high biotechnological interest due to production of a great diversity of compounds exhibiting a broad spectrum of biological activities. On the other hand, there is an urgent need for management options for a sustainable approach to the use of marine organisms as a source of bioactive compounds. This review discusses the bioprospection for bioactive seaweed compounds as pharmaceuticals and antifouling agents, encompassing their potential and possible obstacles and alternatives. In spite of their potential, research on pharmaceuticals and antifouling agents from seaweeds includes mainly the search for molecules that exhibit these biological activities, but lacks of consideration of fundamental and limiting aspects such as the development of alternatives to sustainable supply. However, for the complete development of pharmaceuticals and antifouling compounds in Brazil, marine bioprospection should be more comprehensive, associating the search for molecules with an analysis of their supply. In this way, it is possible to promote sustainable development and conservation of biodiversity, as well as to assert the economic development of Brazil.

Bioprospecting for bioactives from seaweeds: potential, obstacles and alternatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renato C. Pereira

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Seaweeds are potential sources of high biotechnological interest due to production of a great diversity of compounds exhibiting a broad spectrum of biological activities. On the other hand, there is an urgent need for management options for a sustainable approach to the use of marine organisms as a source of bioactive compounds. This review discusses the bioprospection for bioactive seaweed compounds as pharmaceuticals and antifouling agents, encompassing their potential and possible obstacles and alternatives. In spite of their potential, research on pharmaceuticals and antifouling agents from seaweeds includes mainly the search for molecules that exhibit these biological activities, but lacks of consideration of fundamental and limiting aspects such as the development of alternatives to sustainable supply. However, for the complete development of pharmaceuticals and antifouling compounds in Brazil, marine bioprospection should be more comprehensive, associating the search for molecules with an analysis of their supply. In this way, it is possible to promote sustainable development and conservation of biodiversity, as well as to assert the economic development of Brazil.

Water use alternatives for Navajo energy production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbey, D.

1979-01-01

The Navajo have substantial resources of coal and uranium, and water use is certain to accompany development of these resources. A variety of supplies, however, are available--water in storage in Navajo Reservoir, water in existing uses which may be transferred, and groundwater. Furthermore, the quantity of water use varies over a wide range depending on the use of water conservation technologies such as dry coolers and wastewater treatment units. Joint management of energy and water resources requires a basic understanding of the water supply and demand alternatives available to the energy industry. Thus, the uses of water for key energy activities--coal and uranium mining, coal transportation (slurry pipelines), and coal conversion (electricity and synthetic gas production) are reviewed. For those activities for which water conservation is feasible, the technologies and estimate costs ($/af saved) are described. The range of water requirements are then compared to energy and water resource estimates. Finally, alternative (not necessarily exclusive) criteria for energy and water resource management are discussed: a) promote energy activities with the lowest minimum water requirements; b) require industry to use low-quality water resources and the most effective water conservation technology; and c) maximize the economic return on Navajo water resources

Discovery of a super-strong promoter enables efficient production of heterologous proteins in cyanobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jie; Zhang, Haifeng; Meng, Hengkai; Zhu, Yan; Bao, Guanhui; Zhang, Yanping; Li, Yin; Ma, Yanhe

2014-03-28

Cyanobacteria are oxygenic photosynthetic prokaryotes that play important roles in the global carbon cycle. Recently, engineered cyanobacteria capable of producing various small molecules from CO2 have been developed. However, cyanobacteria are seldom considered as factories for producing proteins, mainly because of the lack of efficient strong promoters. Here, we report the discovery and verification of a super-strong promoter P(cpc560), which contains two predicted promoters and 14 predicted transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs). Using P(cpc560), functional proteins were produced at a level of up to 15% of total soluble protein in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. 6803, a level comparable to that produced in Escherichia coli. We demonstrated that the presence of multiple TFBSs in P(cpc560) is crucial for its promoter strength. Genetically transformable cyanobacteria neither have endotoxins nor form inclusion bodies; therefore, P(cpc560) opens the possibility to use cyanobacteria as alternative hosts for producing heterogeneous proteins from CO2 and inorganic nutrients.

Which categories should direct marketers feature for which customers when using targeted promotions?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reutterer, Thomas; Boztug, Yasemin; Breugelmans, Els

-stage procedure. For deriving segment-specific promotions at the product category level, this procedure takes both interdependencies in purchase behaviour across categories and customer heterogeneity with respect to cross-category effects in response to marketing actions into account. The resulting...... recommendations are empirically evaluated vis-à-vis alternative approaches in a controlled field experiment conducted in cooperation with a major online grocery retailer....

New alternatives to the Agro toxic products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barreto Reyes, Ricardo

1994-01-01

The organic agriculture has conquered a growing recognition in the last years, as a valid and viable agricultural method, sustainable from the environmental and social point of view; for this reason, in many countries of the world its capacity has been accepted of satisfying at least some of the most important objectives in the agricultural and environmental politicians, inside the current approaches of sustainability. Inside the philosophy framed in Colombia in the general law of agricultural and fishing development (law 101 of 1993), it stands out the article 66 that it settles down: the national government will stimulate sustainable productive activities that contribute to the prevention of risks, to the protection of the national agricultural production and the appropriate use of the natural resources, and it will incentive investments environmentally healthy in the Colombian agriculture the conversion, that is to say the transition of the farmers of an agriculture with high inputs, promoted together with the obsolete theory of the green revolution, to a new system of organic agriculture, it can take among three and five years, depending on the level of the farmer's traditionalism and of the aggressiveness of the promotion politicians, popularization and application of practice well-known alternatives globally as Organic Agriculture

Cobenefits of replacing car trips with alternative transportation: a review of evidence and methodological issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Ting; Zhang, Ying; Crabb, Shona; Shah, Pushan

2013-01-01

It has been reported that motor vehicle emissions contribute nearly a quarter of world energy-related greenhouse gases and cause nonnegligible air pollution primarily in urban areas. Reducing car use and increasing ecofriendly alternative transport, such as public and active transport, are efficient approaches to mitigate harmful environmental impacts caused by a large amount of vehicle use. Besides the environmental benefits of promoting alternative transport, it can also induce other health and economic benefits. At present, a number of studies have been conducted to evaluate cobenefits from greenhouse gas mitigation policies. However, relatively few have focused specifically on the transport sector. A comprehensive understanding of the multiple benefits of alternative transport could assist with policy making in the areas of transport, health, and environment. However, there is no straightforward method which could estimate cobenefits effect at one time. In this paper, the links between vehicle emissions and air quality, as well as the health and economic benefits from alternative transport use, are considered, and methodological issues relating to the modelling of these cobenefits are discussed.

Cobenefits of Replacing Car Trips with Alternative Transportation: A Review of Evidence and Methodological Issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ting Xia

2013-01-01

Full Text Available It has been reported that motor vehicle emissions contribute nearly a quarter of world energy-related greenhouse gases and cause nonnegligible air pollution primarily in urban areas. Reducing car use and increasing ecofriendly alternative transport, such as public and active transport, are efficient approaches to mitigate harmful environmental impacts caused by a large amount of vehicle use. Besides the environmental benefits of promoting alternative transport, it can also induce other health and economic benefits. At present, a number of studies have been conducted to evaluate cobenefits from greenhouse gas mitigation policies. However, relatively few have focused specifically on the transport sector. A comprehensive understanding of the multiple benefits of alternative transport could assist with policy making in the areas of transport, health, and environment. However, there is no straightforward method which could estimate cobenefits effect at one time. In this paper, the links between vehicle emissions and air quality, as well as the health and economic benefits from alternative transport use, are considered, and methodological issues relating to the modelling of these cobenefits are discussed.

Alternative Locales for the Health Promotion of African American Men: A Survey of African American Men in Chicago Barbershops.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, A B; Moore, N J; Wright, M; Gipson, J; Keeter, M; Cornelious, T; Reed, D; Russell, J; Watson, K S; Murray, M

2017-02-01

African American men (AA) carry unequal burdens of several conditions including cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and HIV. Engagement of diverse populations including AA men in research and health promotion practice is vital to examining the health disparities that continue to plague many racially and ethnically diverse communities. To date, there is little research on best practices that indicate locations, community areas and settings to engage AA men in research and health promotion. Traditionally, the AA church has been a key area to engage AA men and women. However, changing tides in attendance of AA parishioners require additional information to identify areas where AAs, particularly, AA men congregate. The AA barbershop has been identified as a place of social cohesion, cultural immersion and solidarity for AA men but specific sub-populations of AA men may be underrepresented. To further investigate additional locales where AA men congregate, this study engaged AA barbers and clients in several urban community barbershops in Chicago, Illinois. 127 AA men over age 18y/o receiving grooming services in 25 Chicago area barbershops across 14 predominantly AA communities were consented and recruited for a quantitative survey study. The self-administered surveys were completed in ~15 min and $10 compensation was provided to men. Descriptive statistics were reported for demographic variables and for frequency of responses for locations to find AA men of specific age ranges for health promotion and screening activities. Outside of the traditionally used churches or barbershops, the top recommended recruitment sites by age were: 18-29y/o- city park or a recreational center; 30-39y/o- gym, bars or the street; 40-49y/o- various stores, especially home improvement stores, and the mall; and 50y/o+- fast food restaurants in the mornings, such as McDonalds, and individual's homes. The study participants also reported that locations where AA men congregate vary by age

Genomic Analysis and Isolation of RNA Polymerase II Dependent Promoters from Spodoptera frugiperda.

Science.gov (United States)

Bleckmann, Maren; Fritz, Markus H-Y; Bhuju, Sabin; Jarek, Michael; Schürig, Margitta; Geffers, Robert; Benes, Vladimir; Besir, Hüseyin; van den Heuvel, Joop

2015-01-01

The Baculoviral Expression Vector System (BEVS) is the most commonly used method for high expression of recombinant protein in insect cells. Nevertheless, expression of some target proteins--especially those entering the secretory pathway--provides a severe challenge for the baculovirus infected insect cells, due to the reorganisation of intracellular compounds upon viral infection. Therefore, alternative strategies for recombinant protein production in insect cells like transient plasmid-based expression or stable expression cell lines are becoming more popular. However, the major bottleneck of these systems is the lack of strong endogenous polymerase II dependent promoters, as the strong baculoviral p10 and polH promoters used in BEVS are only functional in presence of the viral transcription machinery during the late phase of infection. In this work we present a draft genome and a transcriptome analysis of Sf21 cells for the identification of the first known endogenous Spodoptera frugiperda promoters. Therefore, putative promoter sequences were identified and selected because of high mRNA level or in analogy to other strong promoters in other eukaryotic organism. The chosen endogenous Sf21 promoters were compared to early viral promoters for their efficiency to trigger eGFP expression using transient plasmid based transfection in a BioLector Microfermentation system. Furthermore, promoter activity was not only shown in Sf21 cells but also in Hi5 cells. The novel endogenous Sf21 promoters were ranked according to their activity and expand the small pool of available promoters for stable insect cell line development and transient plasmid expression in insect cells. The best promoter was used to improve plasmid based transient transfection in insect cells substantially.

Finding theory- and evidence-based alternatives to fear appeals: Intervention Mapping

Science.gov (United States)

Kok, Gerjo; Bartholomew, L Kay; Parcel, Guy S; Gottlieb, Nell H; Fernández, María E

2014-01-01

Fear arousal—vividly showing people the negative health consequences of life-endangering behaviors—is popular as a method to raise awareness of risk behaviors and to change them into health-promoting behaviors. However, most data suggest that, under conditions of low efficacy, the resulting reaction will be defensive. Instead of applying fear appeals, health promoters should identify effective alternatives to fear arousal by carefully developing theory- and evidence-based programs. The Intervention Mapping (IM) protocol helps program planners to optimize chances for effectiveness. IM describes the intervention development process in six steps: (1) assessing the problem and community capacities, (2) specifying program objectives, (3) selecting theory-based intervention methods and practical applications, (4) designing and organizing the program, (5) planning, adoption, and implementation, and (6) developing an evaluation plan. Authors who used IM indicated that it helped in bringing the development of interventions to a higher level. PMID:24811880

The Relationship Between Oil and Gas Industry Investment in Alternative Energy and Corporate Social Responsibility

Science.gov (United States)

Konyushikhin, Maxim

The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasted energy consumption in the United States to increase approximately 19% between 2006 and 2030, or about 0.7% annually. The research problem addressed in this study was that the oil and gas industry's interest in alternative energy is contrary to its current business objectives and profit goals. The purpose of the quantitative study was to explore the relationship between oil and gas industry investments in alternative energy and corporate social responsibilities. Research questions addressed the relationship between alternative energy investment and corporate social responsibility, the role of oil and gas companies in alternative energy investment, and why these companies chose to invest in alternative energy sources. Systems theory was the conceptual framework, and data were collected from a sample of 25 companies drawn from the 28,000 companies in the oil and gas industry from 2004 to 2009. Multiple regression and correlation analysis were used to answer the research questions and test hypotheses using corporate financial data and company profiles related to alternative energy investment and corporate social responsibility in terms of oil and gas industry financial support of programs that serve the greater social good. Results indicated significant relationships between alternative energy investment and corporate social responsibility. With an increasing global population with energy requirements in excess of what is available using traditional means, the industry should increase investment in alternative sources. The research results may promote positive social change by increasing public awareness regarding the degree to which oil and gas companies invest in developing alternative energy sources, which might, in turn, inspire public pressure on companies in the oil and gas industry to pursue use of alternative energy.

Unicriterion Model: A Qualitative Decision Making Method That Promotes Ethics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Guilherme Silvano Lobo Pimentel

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Management decision making methods frequently adopt quantitativemodels of several criteria that bypass the question of whysome criteria are considered more important than others, whichmakes more difficult the task of delivering a transparent viewof preference structure priorities that might promote ethics andlearning and serve as a basis for future decisions. To tackle thisparticular shortcoming of usual methods, an alternative qualitativemethodology of aggregating preferences based on the rankingof criteria is proposed. Such an approach delivers a simpleand transparent model for the solution of each preference conflictfaced during the management decision making process. Themethod proceeds by breaking the decision problem into ‘two criteria– two alternatives’ scenarios, and translating the problem ofchoice between alternatives to a problem of choice between criteriawhenever appropriate. The unicriterion model method is illustratedby its application in a car purchase and a house purchasedecision problem.

Alternating Si and Fe deposition caused by temperature fluctuations in Precambrian oceans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Posth, Nicole; Hegler, Florian; Konhauser, Kurt

2008-01-01

and geochemical modelling to study the potential for a microbial mechanism in the formation of alternating iron–silica bands. We find that the rate of biogenic iron(III) mineral formation by iron-oxidizing microbes reaches a maximum between 20 and 25 °C. Decreasing or increasing water temperatures slow microbial......Precambrian banded iron formations provide an extensive archive of pivotal environmental changes and the evolution of biological processes on early Earth. The formations are characterized by bands ranging from micrometre- to metre-scale layers of alternating iron- and silica-rich minerals. However...... iron mineral formation while promoting abiotic silica precipitation. We suggest that natural fluctuations in the temperature of the ocean photic zone during the period when banded iron formations were deposited could have led to the primary layering observed in these formations by successive cycles...

Alternative Remedies

Science.gov (United States)

... Home › Aging & Health A to Z › Alternative Remedies Font ... medical treatment prescribed by their healthcare provider. Using this type of alternative therapy along with traditional treatments is ...

Various alternatives-to-antibiotics for maximizing the efficiency of growth performance and feed efficiency in poultry: a review

Science.gov (United States)

With the increase in regulations regarding the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) and the rise in consumer demand for poultry products from “Raised Without Antibiotics” or “No Antibiotics Ever” flocks, the quest for alternative products or approaches has intensified in recent years. A great d...

Alternative fuels: how real? how soon?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tertzakian, P.

2003-01-01

Nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are looking for politically stable sources of oil in response to the ever growing demand for fuel. World oil consumption has reached 76.5 MMB/d and demand is expected to be 80 MMB/d by 2005. More restrictive environmental policies are resulting in improved conversion efficiency of oil dependent supply chains and the switching to alternative fuels. The adoption of new fuels however, depends on many factors such as the economic advantage, technological superiority, and convenience. The dominant electrical supply chains at the moment are nuclear, coal, hydropower, hydrocarbons, and renewable energy alternatives such as wind, solar and hydrogen fuels. The paper presented graphs illustrating adoption patterns for various fuels over the past century and presented a potential adoption pattern for fuel cell vehicles. Also included in this presentation were graphs depicting how price can drive supply chain demand and allow other fuels to gain market share. The impact of fuel substitution, efficiency and price effects was mentioned along with the impact of recent policy changes on vehicle fuel efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions. The role of government incentives to promote alternative fuel sales was also discussed along with a broad assessment of renewable supply chains. It was noted that most new fuels are linked to hydrocarbons. For example, hydrogen generation through water electrolysis requires petroleum generated electricity or the steam reforming of natural gas. Ethanol processes also require hydrocarbon consumption indirectly. It was noted that the average efficiencies of coal and natural gas plants has increased in the past decade and the incumbent price trends in electricity in the United States have decreased for fuels such as oil, gas, coal and nuclear energy. With ongoing innovation in the internal combustion engine in the past 30 years, the incumbents have also improved with

SHARES OF HEALTH PROMOTION FOR THE ELDERLY IN BRAZIL AND LATIN AMERICA: AN INTEGRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariana dos Santos Ribeiro

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Health promotion in the elderly is approaching the concept of active aging, in which the individual preserves capabilities and development potential. Objective: Identify the Brazilian literature and Latin American studies which reflect actions and practices to promote health among older adults. Method: This is an integrative literature review, the main question was: 'what are the issues addressed in the literature on the promotion of health among the elderly in Brazil and Latin America? ". The searches were done in LILACS and MEDLINE in English, Portuguese and Spanish, the descriptors used were controlled "health promotion" and "elderly". Results: The sample included 16 articles that were categorized into topics that addressed actions to promote health among older adults as group work, educational, artistic and alternative strategies, awareness and empowerment of the elderly, programs for disease prevention and oral health. Conclusion: The implementation of health promotion practices can facilitate the process of empowerment of elderly and increase social control and improve their health in order to make the reach full physical wellbeing, mental and social

Alternative Fuels

Science.gov (United States)

Alternative fuels include gaseous fuels such as hydrogen, natural gas, and propane; alcohols such as ethanol, methanol, and butanol; vegetable and waste-derived oils; and electricity. Overview of alternative fuels is here.

Labour Standards and Trade: In Search of Impact and Alternative Instruments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Orbie

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Labour standards have become an almost routine feature of trade agreements. However, we have little knowledge about whether this linkage is effective; both in absolute terms but also in comparison to other instruments that promote labour standards on a global level. Such alternative instruments include public-private agreements, value chain management and procurement policies. The articles in this thematic issue will provide insights that further the debate on the effectiveness of the connection between labour rights and international trade, looking at both ‘traditional’ trade agreements and ‘alternative’ instruments.

Cinema in social Education studies as driving force for the construction of the keywords European higher Education area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen PEREIRA DOMÍNGUEZ

2010-11-01

Full Text Available This article introduces us to an inner and outer journey toward that old world, europe. It regards to the importance of discovering this world through its landscape, its culture, its people and its values. In this sense, the film can be a vehicle to that encounter. Therefore, we use a repertory of cinema, performed in Europe and about Europe, which will help analyze, understand, think, discuss and assess on the construction and integrity of this context. besides, we embrace the film Ça commence aujourd’hui, a clear example that enriches the human being’s inner and promotes the European integration. we think that educational theories as these mentioned above are needed in the areas of Social education, are now essential for the European Higher education Area and for helping this society needed of communication and intercultural coexistence.

"Always work with a straight back": the fallacies of modern management and the alternative

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Verner C.

2005-01-01

-organisation and value-based leadership. Design/methodology/approach - Practical examples are used to discuss and demonstrate the problematic consequences of using management tools like detailed work descriptions, standards, comprehensive measurement schemes, and rule-based specifications of responsibility. Constructed...... examples and emerging theoretical concepts are used to discuss and propose an alternative to the use of such tools. Findings - The discussion indicates that the use of detailed work descriptions, standards, comprehensive measurement schemes, and rule-based specifications of responsibility will result......Purpose - The purpose of this article is to show that the tools of modern management which are supposed to promote effectiveness, efficiency and responsible behaviour, may in fact contribute to the opposite, and to present the outline of an alternative based upon new ideas of self...

Simulation-Based Analysis of the Potential of Alternative Fuels towards Reducing CO2 Emissions from Aviation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karsten Kieckhäfer

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The mid-term framework of global aviation is shaped by air travel demand growth rates of 2–5% p.a. and ambitious targets to reduce aviation-related CO2 emissions by up to 50% until 2050. Alternative jet fuels such as bio- or electrofuels can be considered as a potential means towards low-emission aviation. While these fuels offer significant emission reduction potential, their market success depends on manifold influencing factors like the maturity of the production technology or the development of the price of conventional jet fuel. To study the potential for adoption of alternative jet fuels in aviation and the extent to which alternative fuels can contribute to the reduction targets, we deploy a System Dynamics approach. The results indicate that the adoption of alternative fuels and therefore their potential towards low-emissions aviation is rather limited in most scenarios considered since current production processes do not allow for competitive prices compared to conventional jet fuel. This calls for the development of new production processes that allow for economic feasibility of converting biomass or hydrogen into drop-in fuels as well as political measures to promote the adoption of alternative fuels.

Medical tourism in the backcountry: alternative health and healing in the Arkansas Ozarks.

Science.gov (United States)

Nolan, Justin M; Schneider, Mary Jo

2011-01-01

Tourists travel to Arkansas' mountain regions to experience, appreciate, and consume multiple aspects of otherness, including sacred sites and pristine and authentic peoples and environments. A largely unexplored aspect of this consumption of authenticity is alternative medicine, provided to tourists and day travelers in search of physical and emotional restoration. Traditional forms of medicine are deeply rooted in women's social roles as community healers in the region and are perpetuated in part because of the lack of readily accessible forms of so-called modern medicine. Contemporary medical tourism in Arkansas has promoted access to folk health systems, preserving them by incorporating them into tourists' health care services, and also has attracted new and dynamic alternative medical practices while encouraging the transformation of existing forms of traditional medicine. Ultimately, the blend of alternative, folk, and conventional medicine in the Arkansas highlands is evidence of globalizing forces at work in a regional culture. It also serves to highlight a renewed appreciation for the historic continuity and the efficacy of traditional knowledge in the upper South.

Alternating Hemiplegia

Science.gov (United States)

... to the symptoms of the disorder. View Full Definition Treatment Drug therapy including verapamil may help to reduce the ... the more serious form of alternating hemiplegia × ... Definition Alternating hemiplegia is a rare neurological disorder that ...

Promoting household energy conservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steg, Linda

2008-01-01

It is commonly assumed that households must change their behaviour to reduce the problems caused by increasing levels of fossil energy use. Strategies for behaviour change will be more effective if they target the most important causes of the behaviour in question. Therefore, this paper first discusses the factors influencing household energy use. Three barriers to fossil fuel energy conservation are discussed: insufficient knowledge of effective ways to reduce household energy use, the low priority and high costs of energy savings, and the lack of feasible alternatives. Next, the paper elaborates on the effectiveness and acceptability of strategies aimed to promote household energy savings. Informational strategies aimed at changing individuals' knowledge, perceptions, cognitions, motivations and norms, as well as structural strategies aimed at changing the context in which decisions are made, are discussed. This paper focuses on the psychological literature on household energy conservation, which mostly examined the effects of informational strategies. Finally, this paper lists important topics for future research

Alternative Communication: A Tool for Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María del Rocío Deliyore-Vega

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In a mainly oral society, those who use alternative forms of communication tend to be marginalized, and this limits equal opportunities. Therefore, this article is based on qualitative documentary research in which the problem posed determines how access to alternative and augmentative communication affects the social inclusion of people with disabilities. The objective is to determine the relationship existing between the theoretical assumptions about inclusive processes and their connection with alternative communication. To achieve this objective, the paper offers a compilation of updated sources on the subject the main researchers in the field have proposed. Subsequently, the contents involved are related using a conceptual scheme. Finally, an analysis of the data is carried out to achieve the proposed research objective. As a result, it was found that both national and international legislation, as well as research and pedagogical currents, promote equal opportunities and the inclusion of the population with disabilities. In spite of this situation, even people with communication barriers still do not have adequate access to dialogue. Results show that alternative communication is an indispensable right for a process of learning; however, students with communication barriers still attend classes without resources allowing their participation. It is also shown that there can be no learning without communication. Thus, the population with communication barriers that attend the classes without an assisted resource sees not only its right to expression violated, but also their right to education.

Health promotion for young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Kathy; Carter, Simone; Myers, Elizabeth; Rocca, Nicola

2018-02-07

Research confirms that children and young people with severe learning disabilities do not have the same level of access to high-quality care, health education and health promotion activities as children and young people without disabilities. This article discusses a quality improvement, action research project to investigate alternative approaches to health promotion that enhance the health and well-being of children and young people with complex neurodisabilities. The project involved assessment of school records and completion by staff of an eight-question survey. It found that the proactive approach of school nurses in raising awareness and understanding through questioning was positively received, and reinforced how meaningful and relevant information could be delivered to these young people. The project also had unexpected benefits, including more integrated team working, increased knowledge, greater awareness and understanding of the importance of health promotion participation, and student satisfaction. ©2018 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.

Molecular and functional characterization of the promoter of ETS2, the human c-ets-2 gene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mavrothalassitis, G.J.; Watson, D.K.; Papas, T.S.

1990-01-01

The 5' end of the human c-ets-2 gene, ETS2, was cloned and characterized. The major transcription initiation start sites were identified, and the pertinent sequences surrounding the ETS2 promoter were determined. The promoter region of ETS2 does not possess typical TATA and CAAT elements. However, this promoter contains several repeat regions, as well as two consensus AP2 binding sites and three putative Sp1 sites. There is also a palindromic region similar to the serum response element of the c-fos gene, located 1,400 base pairs (bp) upstream from the first major transcription initiation site. A G+C-rich sequence (GC element) with dyad symmetry can be seen in the ETS2 promoter, immediately following an unusually long polypurine-polypyrimidine tract. A series of deletion fragments from the putative promoter region were ligated in front of the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene and tested for activity following transfection into HeLa cells. The 5' boundary of the region needed for maximum promoter activity was found to be 159 bp upstream of the major initiation site. The promoter of ETS2 (within the polypyrimidine tract) serves to illustrate an alternative structure that may be present in genes with TATA-less promoters

Elk Valley Rancheria Energy Efficiency and Alternatives Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ed Wait, Elk Valley Rancheria; Frank Ziano & Associates, Inc.

2011-11-30

Elk Valley Rancheria; Tribe; renewable energy; energy options analysis. The Elk Valley Rancheria, California ('Tribe') is a federally recognized Indian tribe located in Del Norte County, California, in the northwestern corner of California. The Tribe, its members and Tribal enterprises are challenged by increasing energy costs and undeveloped local energy resources. The Tribe currently lacks an energy program. The Tribal government lacked sufficient information to make informed decisions about potential renewable energy resources, energy alternatives and other energy management issues. To meet this challenge efficiently, the Tribe contracted with Frank Zaino and Associates, Inc. to help become more energy self-sufficient, by reducing their energy costs and promoting energy alternatives that stimulate economic development. Frank Zaino & Associates, Inc. provided a high level economic screening analysis based on anticipated electric and natural gas rates. This was in an effort to determine which alternative energy system will performed at a higher level so the Tribe could reduce their energy model by 30% from alternative fuel sources. The feasibility study will identify suitable energy alternatives and conservation methods that will benefit the Tribe and tribal community through important reductions in cost. The lessons learned from these conservation efforts will yield knowledge that will serve a wider goal of executing energy efficiency measures and practices in Tribal residences and business facilities. Pacific Power is the provider of electrical power to the four properties under review at $ 0.08 per Kilowatt-hour (KWH). This is a very low energy cost compared to alternative energy sources. The Tribe used baseline audits to assess current and historic energy usage at four Rancheria owned facilities. Past electric and gas billing statements were retained for review for the four buildings that will be audited. A comparative assessment of the various

CR2-mediated activation of the complement alternative pathway results in formation of membrane attack complexes on human B lymphocytes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, C H; Marquart, H V; Prodinger, W M

2001-01-01

the alternative pathway. Blockade of the CR2 ligand-binding site with the monoclonal antibody FE8 resulted in 56 +/- 13% and 71 +/- 9% inhibition of the C3-fragment and MAC deposition, respectively, whereas the monoclonal antibody HB135, directed against an irrelevant CR2 epitope, had no effect. Blockade......Normal human B lymphocytes activate the alternative pathway of complement via complement receptor type 2 (CR2, CD21), that binds hydrolysed C3 (iC3) and thereby promotes the formation of a membrane-bound C3 convertase. We have investigated whether this might lead to the generation of a C5...... processes on CR2, indicate that MAC formation is a consequence of alternative pathway activation....

76 FR 21673 - Alternative Efficiency Determination Methods and Alternate Rating Methods

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-18

... EERE-2011-BP-TP-00024] RIN 1904-AC46 Alternative Efficiency Determination Methods and Alternate Rating Methods AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of... and data related to the use of computer simulations, mathematical methods, and other alternative...

Alternative wastewatersystems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dyck-Madsen, Søren; Hoffmann, Birgitte; Gabriel, Søren

1999-01-01

The report:-  Communicates experiences from Swedish buildings from the establishment and running of alternative wastewater systems. Communicates pictures of alternative buildings and wastewater systems in Sweden. Gives a short evaluation of the performance and the sustainability of the systems....

Note of presentation of the context and objectives of the national action framework for the development of alternative fuels in the transport sector and the deployment of corresponding infrastructures in application of article 3 of the 2014/97/EU directive of the 22 October 2014 on the deployment of an infrastructure for alternative fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

This report proposes a rather detailed overview of the present situation and perspectives of development of the market of alternative fuels, and of the corresponding infrastructures. It presents the various existing or currently being elaborated legal, regulatory, incentive, and informative measures which directly or indirectly promote the deployment of alternative fuels and of corresponding infrastructures. It defines national objectives of development of alternative fuels, with quantified targets of deployment of infrastructures for electric recharging networks and for natural gas and hydrogen refuelling networks for road transport and in river and maritime ports

77 FR 31756 - Energy Conservation Program: Alternative Efficiency Determination Methods and Alternative Rating...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-30

...-AC46 Energy Conservation Program: Alternative Efficiency Determination Methods and Alternative Rating... regulations authorizing the use of alternative methods of determining energy efficiency or energy consumption... alternative methods of determining energy efficiency or energy consumption of various consumer products and...

What do health-promoting schools promote?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simovska, Venka

2012-01-01

-promotion interventions. Directly or indirectly the articles reiterate the idea that health promotion in schools needs to be linked with the core task of the school – education, and to the values inherent to education, such as inclusion, democracy, participation and influence, critical literacy and action competence......Purpose – The editorial aims to provide a brief overview of the individual contributions to the special issue, and a commentary positioning the contributions within research relating to the health-promoting schools initiative in Europe. Design/methodology/approach – The members of the Schools...... for Health in Europe Research Group were invited to submit their work addressing processes and outcomes in school health promotion to this special issue of Health Education. Additionally, an open call for papers was published on the Health Education web site. Following the traditional double blind peer...

Alternative fuel buses currently in use in China: Life-cycle fossil energy use, GHG emissions and policy recommendations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ou Xunmin; Zhang Xiliang; Chang Shiyan

2010-01-01

The Chinese government has enacted policies to promote alternative vehicle fuels (AVFs) and alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), including city bus fleets. The life cycle (LC), energy savings (ES) and GHG reduction (GR) profiles of AVFs/AFVs are critical to those policy decisions. The well-to-wheels module of the Tsinghua-CA3EM model is employed to investigate actual performance data. Compared with conventional buses, AFVs offer differences in performance in terms of both ES and GR. Only half of the AFVs analyzed demonstrate dual benefits. However, all non-oil/gas pathways can substitute oil/gas with coal. Current policies seek to promote technology improvements and market creation initiatives within the guiding framework of national-level diversification and district-level uniformity. Combined with their actual LC behavior and in keeping with near- and long-term strategies, integrated policies should seek to (1) apply hybrid electric technology to diesel buses; (2) encourage NG/LPG buses in gas-abundant cities; (3) promote commercialize electric buses or plug-in capable vehicles through battery technology innovation; (4) support fuel cell buses and hydrogen technology R and D for future potential applications; and (5) conduct further research on boosting vehicle fuel efficiency, applying low-carbon transportation technologies, and addressing all resultant implications of coal-based transportation solutions to human health and natural resources.

Alternative fuel buses currently in use in China: Life-cycle fossil energy use, GHG emissions and policy recommendations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ou Xunmin, E-mail: oxm07@mails.tsinghua.edu.c [School of Public Policy and Management (SPPM), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); China Automotive Energy Research Center (CAERC), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy (3E), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Zhang Xiliang, E-mail: zhang_xl@tsinghua.edu.c [China Automotive Energy Research Center (CAERC), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy (3E), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Chang Shiyan [China Automotive Energy Research Center (CAERC), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy (3E), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2010-01-15

The Chinese government has enacted policies to promote alternative vehicle fuels (AVFs) and alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), including city bus fleets. The life cycle (LC), energy savings (ES) and GHG reduction (GR) profiles of AVFs/AFVs are critical to those policy decisions. The well-to-wheels module of the Tsinghua-CA3EM model is employed to investigate actual performance data. Compared with conventional buses, AFVs offer differences in performance in terms of both ES and GR. Only half of the AFVs analyzed demonstrate dual benefits. However, all non-oil/gas pathways can substitute oil/gas with coal. Current policies seek to promote technology improvements and market creation initiatives within the guiding framework of national-level diversification and district-level uniformity. Combined with their actual LC behavior and in keeping with near- and long-term strategies, integrated policies should seek to (1) apply hybrid electric technology to diesel buses; (2) encourage NG/LPG buses in gas-abundant cities; (3) promote commercialize electric buses or plug-in capable vehicles through battery technology innovation; (4) support fuel cell buses and hydrogen technology R and D for future potential applications; and (5) conduct further research on boosting vehicle fuel efficiency, applying low-carbon transportation technologies, and addressing all resultant implications of coal-based transportation solutions to human health and natural resources.

Alternative fuel buses currently in use in China. Life-cycle fossil energy use, GHG emissions and policy recommendations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ou, Xunmin [School of Public Policy and Management (SPPM), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); China Automotive Energy Research Center (CAERC), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy (3E), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Zhang, Xiliang; Chang, Shiyan [China Automotive Energy Research Center (CAERC), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy (3E), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2010-01-15

The Chinese government has enacted policies to promote alternative vehicle fuels (AVFs) and alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), including city bus fleets. The life cycle (LC), energy savings (ES) and GHG reduction (GR) profiles of AVFs/AFVs are critical to those policy decisions. The well-to-wheels module of the Tsinghua-CA3EM model is employed to investigate actual performance data. Compared with conventional buses, AFVs offer differences in performance in terms of both ES and GR. Only half of the AFVs analyzed demonstrate dual benefits. However, all non-oil/gas pathways can substitute oil/gas with coal. Current policies seek to promote technology improvements and market creation initiatives within the guiding framework of national-level diversification and district-level uniformity. Combined with their actual LC behavior and in keeping with near- and long-term strategies, integrated policies should seek to (1) apply hybrid electric technology to diesel buses; (2) encourage NG/LPG buses in gas-abundant cities; (3) promote commercialize electric buses or plug-in capable vehicles through battery technology innovation; (4) support fuel cell buses and hydrogen technology R and D for future potential applications; and (5) conduct further research on boosting vehicle fuel efficiency, applying low-carbon transportation technologies, and addressing all resultant implications of coal-based transportation solutions to human health and natural resources. (author)

Heroe, Egregio, para contrabaixo e cravo: aspectos didáticos e interpretativos em uma transcrição de uma cantata do repertório colonial brasileiro Heroe, Egregio for double and harpsichord: interpretive and pedagogical aspects in a transcription of a cantata from the Brazilian colonial repertory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fausto Borém

2008-12-01

Full Text Available O ainda restrito acesso a partituras e concertos do vasto repertório musical brasileiro dos séculos XVIII e XIX e sua instrumentação estereotipada (quase sempre obras vocais religiosas com acompanhamento orquestral são obstáculos para sua inclusão nos currículos dos cursos de música no país e sua apreciação por um público mais amplo. Uma alternativa para mudar este quadro é a transcrição de obras desse repertório e adaptação de sua instrumentação para grupos de câmara menores, com exclusão até mesmo da voz na sua instrumentação. Essas transcrições podem proporcionar, de maneira mais eficaz, o contato e a experimentação com as assim-chamadas práticas de performance historicamente informadas (Historically Informed Performance ou HIP, seja a partir da adaptação de referências (auditivas e textuais já consolidadas na interpretação do repertório europeu, seja a partir da análise de elementos históricos, formais e possíveis figuras de retórica. No presente trabalho, estas questões são abordadas no Recitativo e Aria da cantata acadêmica Heroe, egregio, douto, peregrino (anônimo, Salvador, 1759 para soprano, dois violinos e baixo contínuo, transcrita para um instrumento de cordas orquestral solista (violino, viola, violoncelo ou contrabaixo e cravo.The still limited access to scores and concerts of the vast Brazilian music repertoire from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and its stereotyped instrumentation (almost always sacred vocal music with orchestral accompaniment are obstacles for the inclusion of this repertory in the country's instrumental music curricula and its appreciation by a wider audience. An alternative for this situation is the transcription of works and change of their instrumentation to fit smaller chamber formations, including those without singing. Moreover, these transcriptions could also allow the contact and experimentation with the so-called Historically Informed Performance

Alternate superior Julia sets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yadav, Anju; Rani, Mamta

2015-01-01

Alternate Julia sets have been studied in Picard iterative procedures. The purpose of this paper is to study the quadratic and cubic maps using superior iterates to obtain Julia sets with different alternate structures. Analytically, graphically and computationally it has been shown that alternate superior Julia sets can be connected, disconnected and totally disconnected, and also fattier than the corresponding alternate Julia sets. A few examples have been studied by applying different type of alternate structures

No Understanding, No Consent: The Case Against Alternative Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Shahvisi, Arianne

2016-02-01

The demand for informed consent in clinical medicine is usually justified on the basis that it promotes patient autonomy. In this article I argue that the most effective way to promote autonomy is to improve patient understanding in order to reduce the epistemic disparity between patient and medical professional. Informed consent therefore derives its moral value from its capacity to reduce inequalities of power as they derive from epistemic inequalities. So in order for a patient to have given informed consent, she must understand the treatment. I take this to mean that she has sufficient knowledge of its causal mechanisms and has accepted the explanations in which the treatment is implicated. If this interpretation of informed consent is correct, it is unethical for medical professionals to offer or endorse 'alternative medicine' treatments, for which there is no known causal mechanism, for if they do, they may end up widening the epistemic disparity. In this way, informed consent may be understood as an effective way of ruling out particular treatments in order to improve patient autonomy and maintain trust in the medical profession. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Why and How to Benchmark XML Databases

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A.R. Schmidt; F. Waas; M.L. Kersten (Martin); D. Florescu; M.J. Carey; I. Manolescu; R. Busse

2001-01-01

textabstractBenchmarks belong to the very standard repertory of tools deployed in database development. Assessing the capabilities of a system, analyzing actual and potential bottlenecks, and, naturally, comparing the pros and cons of different systems architectures have become indispensable tasks

Personal Usability Constructs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hertzum, Morten; Clemmensen, Torkil; Hornbæk, Kasper

2011-01-01

Whereas the concept of usability is predominantly defined analytically, people relate to systems through personal usability constructs. Based on 48 repertory-grid interviews, this study investigates how such personal constructs are affected by two factors crucial to the international development...

Policies for Promotion of Electric Vehicles and Factors Influencing Consumers’ Purchasing Decisions of Low Emission Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matjaz Knez

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Recently different studies of green transport have become interesting for policy makers,car manufacturers, customers and energy suppliers. Many stakeholders from the publicand private sectors are investing a lot of effort to identify consumer behaviour for futureimprovements in development of green products and effective strategies, which couldaccelerate the transition to sustainable future. This paper presents the effects of electricvehicle promotional policies and customer preferences about alternative fuel vehicles.This study has shown that the electric vehicle promotional policies adopted in Sloveniahave been unsuccessful, as the share of first-time registered electric vehicles in 2013 wasbelow 1%. For different segments of people whose opinions about low emission vehiclesdiffer, different measures must be adopted. When designing promotional policies focusmust be on the most relevant factors such as the total vehicle price and fuel economy.

Characterization of the distal promoter of the human pyruvate carboxylase gene in pancreatic beta cells.

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Ansaya Thonpho

Full Text Available Pyruvate carboxylase (PC is an enzyme that plays a crucial role in many biosynthetic pathways in various tissues including glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. In the present study, we identify promoter usage of the human PC gene in pancreatic beta cells. The data show that in the human, two alternative promoters, proximal and distal, are responsible for the production of multiple mRNA isoforms as in the rat and mouse. RT-PCR analysis performed with cDNA prepared from human liver and islets showed that the distal promoter, but not the proximal promoter, of the human PC gene is active in pancreatic beta cells. A 1108 bp fragment of the human PC distal promoter was cloned and analyzed. It contains no TATA box but possesses two CCAAT boxes, and other putative transcription factor binding sites, similar to those of the distal promoter of rat PC gene. To localize the positive regulatory region in the human PC distal promoter, 5'-truncated and the 25-bp and 15-bp internal deletion mutants of the human PC distal promoter were generated and used in transient transfections in INS-1 832/13 insulinoma and HEK293T (kidney cell lines. The results indicated that positions -340 to -315 of the human PC distal promoter serve as (an activator element(s for cell-specific transcription factor, while the CCAAT box at -71/-67, a binding site for nuclear factor Y (NF-Y, as well as a GC box at -54/-39 of the human PC distal promoter act as activator sequences for basal transcription.

Should the health community promote smokeless tobacco (snus as a harm reduction measure?

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Coral E Gartner

2007-07-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND TO THE DEBATE: The tobacco control community is divided on whether or not to inform the public that using oral, smokeless tobacco (Swedish snus is less hazardous to health than smoking tobacco. Proponents of "harm reduction" point to the Swedish experience. Snus seems to be widely used as an alternative to cigarettes in Sweden, say these proponents, contributing to the low overall prevalence of smoking and smoking-related disease. Harm reduction proponents thus argue that the health community should actively inform inveterate cigarette smokers of the benefits of switching to snus. However, critics of harm reduction say that snus has its own risks, that no form of tobacco should ever be promoted, and that Sweden's experience is likely to be specific to that culture and not transferable to other settings. Critics also remain deeply suspicious that the tobacco industry will use snus marketing as a "gateway" to promote cigarettes. In the interests of promoting debate, the authors (who are collaborators on a research project on the future of tobacco control have agreed to outline the strongest arguments for and against promoting Swedish snus as a form of harm reduction.

The common risk factor approach: a rational basis for promoting oral health.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheiham, A; Watt, R G

2000-12-01

Conventional oral health education is not effective nor efficient. Many oral health programmes are developed and implemented in isolation from other health programmes. This often leads, at best to a duplication of effort, or worse, conflicting messages being delivered to the public. In addition, oral health programmes tend to concentrate on individual behaviour change and largely ignore the influence of socio-political factors as the key determinants of health. Based upon the general principles of health promotion this paper presents a rationale for an alternative approach for oral health policy. The common risk factor approach addresses risk factors common to many chronic conditions within the context of the wider socio-environmental milieu. Oral health is determined by diet, hygiene, smoking, alcohol use, stress and trauma. As these causes are common to a number of other chronic diseases, adopting a collaborative approach is more rational than one that is disease specific. The common risk factor approach can be implemented in a variety of ways. Food policy development and the Health Promoting Schools initiative are used as examples of effective ways of promoting oral health.

Transcriptome Sequencing Revealed Significant Alteration of Cortical Promoter Usage and Splicing in Schizophrenia

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jing Qin; Wang, Xi; Beveridge, Natalie J.; Tooney, Paul A.; Scott, Rodney J.; Carr, Vaughan J.; Cairns, Murray J.

2012-01-01

Background While hybridization based analysis of the cortical transcriptome has provided important insight into the neuropathology of schizophrenia, it represents a restricted view of disease-associated gene activity based on predetermined probes. By contrast, sequencing technology can provide un-biased analysis of transcription at nucleotide resolution. Here we use this approach to investigate schizophrenia-associated cortical gene expression. Methodology/Principal Findings The data was generated from 76 bp reads of RNA-Seq, aligned to the reference genome and assembled into transcripts for quantification of exons, splice variants and alternative promoters in postmortem superior temporal gyrus (STG/BA22) from 9 male subjects with schizophrenia and 9 matched non-psychiatric controls. Differentially expressed genes were then subjected to further sequence and functional group analysis. The output, amounting to more than 38 Gb of sequence, revealed significant alteration of gene expression including many previously shown to be associated with schizophrenia. Gene ontology enrichment analysis followed by functional map construction identified three functional clusters highly relevant to schizophrenia including neurotransmission related functions, synaptic vesicle trafficking, and neural development. Significantly, more than 2000 genes displayed schizophrenia-associated alternative promoter usage and more than 1000 genes showed differential splicing (FDRschizophrenia-associated transcriptional diversity within the STG, and revealed variants with important implications for the complex pathophysiology of schizophrenia. PMID:22558445

Policies to promote healthy eating in Europe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Capacci, Sara; Mazzocchi, Mario; Macias, José Brambila

2012-01-01

This review provides a classification of public policies to promote healthier eating and a structured mapping of existing measures in Europe. Complete coverage of alternative policy types was ensured by complementing the review with a selection of major interventions from outside Europe. Within...... with policy-makers. This work led to a list of 129 policy interventions (of which 121 in Europe). For each policy type, a critical review of the available evidence basis on its effectiveness is provided. The review has emphasised the need for a more systematic and accurate evaluation of government......-level interventions, and a stronger focus on actual behavioural change rather than on attitude change or intentions only. The amount of evidence is very heterogeneous across policy types and often incomplete...

Lower growth temperature increases alternative pathway capacity and alternative oxidase protein in tobacco.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanlerberghe, G C; McIntosh, L

1992-09-01

Suspension cells of NT1 tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv bright yellow) have been used to study the effect of growth temperature on the CN-resistant, salicylhydroxamic acid-sensitive alternative pathway of respiration. Mitochondria isolated from cells maintained at 30 degrees C had a low capacity to oxidize succinate via the alternative pathway, whereas mitochondria isolated from cells 24 h after transfer to 18 degrees C displayed, on average, a 5-fold increase in this capacity (from 7 to 32 nanoatoms oxygen per milligram protein per minute). This represented an increase in alternative pathway capacity from 18 to 45% of the total capacity of electron transport. This increased capacity was lost upon transfer of cells back to 30 degrees C. A monoclonal antibody to the terminal oxidase of the alternative pathway (the alternative oxidase) from Sauromatum guttatum (T.E. Elthon, R.L. Nickels, L. McIntosh [1989] Plant Physiology 89: 1311-1317) recognized a 35-kilodalton mitochondrial protein in tobacco. There was an excellent correlation between the capacity of the alternative path in isolated tobacco mitochondria and the levels of this 35-kilodalton alternative oxidase protein. Cycloheximide could inhibit both the increased level of the 35-kilodalton alternative oxidase protein and the increased alternative pathway capacity normally seen upon transfer to 18 degrees C. We conclude that transfer of tobacco cells to the lower temperature increases the capacity of the alternative pathway due, at least in part, to de novo synthesis of the 35-kilodalton alternative oxidase protein.

Forum for debate: Safety of allogeneic blood transfusion alternatives in the surgical/critically ill patient.

Science.gov (United States)

Muñoz Gómez, M; Bisbe Vives, E; Basora Macaya, M; García Erce, J A; Gómez Luque, A; Leal-Noval, S R; Colomina, M J; Comin Colet, J; Contreras Barbeta, E; Cuenca Espiérrez, J; Garcia de Lorenzo Y Mateos, A; Gomollón García, F; Izuel Ramí, M; Moral García, M V; Montoro Ronsano, J B; Páramo Fernández, J A; Pereira Saavedra, A; Quintana Diaz, M; Remacha Sevilla, Á; Salinas Argente, R; Sánchez Pérez, C; Tirado Anglés, G; Torrabadella de Reinoso, P

2015-12-01

In recent years, several safety alerts have questioned or restricted the use of some pharmacological alternatives to allogeneic blood transfusion in established indications. In contrast, there seems to be a promotion of other alternatives, based on blood products and/or antifibrinolytic drugs, which lack a solid scientific basis. The Multidisciplinary Autotransfusion Study Group and the Anemia Working Group España convened a multidisciplinary panel of 23 experts belonging to different healthcare areas in a forum for debate to: 1) analyze the different safety alerts referred to certain transfusion alternatives; 2) study the background leading to such alternatives, the evidence supporting them, and their consequences for everyday clinical practice, and 3) issue a weighted statement on the safety of each questioned transfusion alternative, according to its clinical use. The members of the forum maintained telematics contact for the exchange of information and the distribution of tasks, and a joint meeting was held where the conclusions on each of the items examined were presented and discussed. A first version of the document was drafted, and subjected to 4 rounds of review and updating until consensus was reached (unanimously in most cases). We present the final version of the document, approved by all panel members, and hope it will be useful for our colleagues. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Alternative Therapy of Animals – Homeopathy and Other Alternative Methods of Therapy

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Løken Torleiv

2002-03-01

Full Text Available Alternative therapy of animals is described, in the meaning of alternatives to veterinary therapy traditionally accepted by veterinary faculties and schools and included in their curricula. Alternative therapy composes of different disciplines, of which homeopathy is emphasised in this presentation. Information is given on the use and interest of such therapy among veterinarians and animal owners. Homeopathy as other alternative therapies, may offer great advances, if they induce any effect. Some of the disciplines are based on a scientifically accepted documentation. Others, and homeopathy in particular, are missing such a documentation of effect. The justification of including alternative therapy in treating animals is discussed. Research in alternative therapy of animals is greatly needed, in particular to evaluate therapeutic methods which are in extensive use without any documented effect. An ongoing research project in Norway on the effect of homeopathic treatment of mastitis in cows is shortly presented.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Indiana Transportation Data for Alternative

Science.gov (United States)

(nameplate, MW) 1,430 Source: BioFuels Atlas from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Case Studies Video Alternative Fuels Save Money in Indy April 1, 2012 More Case Studies Videos Text Version More Indiana Videos on YouTube Video thumbnail for Indiana Beverage Company Invests in Alternative Fuels Indiana Beverage

Alternans promotion in cardiac electrophysiology models by delay differential equations.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomes, Johnny M; Dos Santos, Rodrigo Weber; Cherry, Elizabeth M

2017-09-01

Cardiac electrical alternans is a state of alternation between long and short action potentials and is frequently associated with harmful cardiac conditions. Different dynamic mechanisms can give rise to alternans; however, many cardiac models based on ordinary differential equations are not able to reproduce this phenomenon. A previous study showed that alternans can be induced by the introduction of delay differential equations (DDEs) in the formulations of the ion channel gating variables of a canine myocyte model. The present work demonstrates that this technique is not model-specific by successfully promoting alternans using DDEs for five cardiac electrophysiology models that describe different types of myocytes, with varying degrees of complexity. By analyzing results across the different models, we observe two potential requirements for alternans promotion via DDEs for ionic gates: (i) the gate must have a significant influence on the action potential duration and (ii) a delay must significantly impair the gate's recovery between consecutive action potentials.

Alternans promotion in cardiac electrophysiology models by delay differential equations

Science.gov (United States)

Gomes, Johnny M.; dos Santos, Rodrigo Weber; Cherry, Elizabeth M.

2017-09-01

Cardiac electrical alternans is a state of alternation between long and short action potentials and is frequently associated with harmful cardiac conditions. Different dynamic mechanisms can give rise to alternans; however, many cardiac models based on ordinary differential equations are not able to reproduce this phenomenon. A previous study showed that alternans can be induced by the introduction of delay differential equations (DDEs) in the formulations of the ion channel gating variables of a canine myocyte model. The present work demonstrates that this technique is not model-specific by successfully promoting alternans using DDEs for five cardiac electrophysiology models that describe different types of myocytes, with varying degrees of complexity. By analyzing results across the different models, we observe two potential requirements for alternans promotion via DDEs for ionic gates: (i) the gate must have a significant influence on the action potential duration and (ii) a delay must significantly impair the gate's recovery between consecutive action potentials.

Information society and the countryside: can internet-based systems bring income alternatives to rural areas?

OpenAIRE

Heilig, Gerhard K.

2003-01-01

The paper reviews seven types of Internet-based technologies and services that may be especially suitable for rural areas. Its main focus is to analyze, which of these applications could promote rural development and prevent further economic and socio-demographic decline in peripheral rural areas. In particular, we will analyze whether these technologies have the potential to create income alternatives for the rural population. The paper also criticizes the current rural development policy of...

Beyond Promotion-Based Store Switching: Antecedents and Consequences of Systematic Multiple-Store Shopping

OpenAIRE

Gijsbrechts, E.; Campo, K.; Nisol, P.

2005-01-01

In this paper, we demonstrate that single-purpose multiple store shopping is not only driven by opportunistic, promotion-based motivations, but may also be part of a longer term shopping planning process based on stable store characteristics.Starting from a utility-maximizing shopping behavior model, we find that consumers systematically visit multiple stores to take advantage of two types of store complementarity.With 'fixed cost complementarity', consumers alternate visits to highly preferr...

EFFECT OF ALTERNATIVE MULTINUTRIENT SOURCES ON SOIL CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

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Vanessa Martins

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The current high price of potassium chloride and the dependence of Brazil on imported materials to supply the domestic demand call for studies evaluating the efficiency of alternative sources of nutrients. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of silicate rock powder and a manganese mining by-product, and secondary materials originated from these two materials, on soil chemical properties and on brachiaria production. This greenhouse experiment was conducted in pots with 5 kg of soil (Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo distrófico - Oxisol. The alternative nutrient sources were: verdete, verdete treated with NH4OH, phonolite, ultramafic rock, mining waste and the proportion of 75 % of these K fertilizers and 25 % lime. Mixtures containing 25 % of lime were heated at 800 ºC for 1 h. These sources were applied at rates of 0, 150, 300, 450 and 600 kg ha-1 K2O, and incubated for 45 days. The mixtures of heated silicate rocks with lime promoted higher increases in soil pH in decreasing order: ultramafic rock>verdete>phonolite>mining waste. Applying the mining waste-lime mixture increased soil exchangeable K, and available P when ultramafic rock was incorporated. When ultramafic rock was applied, the release of Ca2+ increased significantly. Mining subproduct released the highest amount of Zn2+ and Mn2+ to the soil. The application of alternative sources of K, with variable chemical composition, altered the nutrient availability and soil chemical properties, improving mainly plant development and K plant uptake, and are important nutrient sources.

L. Harrison: Mass (to St. Anthony); A. Pärt: Berliner Messe / Robert Cowan

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Cowan, Robert

1994-01-01

Uuest heliplaadist "L. Harrison: Mass (to St. Anthony); A. Pärt: Berliner Messe. Oregon Repertory Singers / Gilbert Seeley. Koch International Classics CD 37 177-2; Pärt - comparative version: Estonian Phil. Chbr. Ch., Tallinn CO / Kaljuste" (11/93)(ECM) 439 162-2

Catalysts Promoted with Niobium Oxide for Air Pollution Abatement

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Wendi Xiang

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Pt-containing catalysts are currently used commercially to catalyze the conversion of carbon monoxide (CO and hydrocarbon (HC pollutants from stationary chemical and petroleum plants. It is well known that Pt-containing catalysts are expensive and have limited availability. The goal of this research is to find alternative and less expensive catalysts to replace Pt for these applications. This study found that niobium oxide (Nb2O5, as a carrier or support for certain transition metal oxides, promotes oxidation activity while maintaining stability, making them candidates as alternatives to Pt. The present work reports that the orthorhombic structure of niobium oxide (formed at 800 °C in air promotes Co3O4 toward the oxidation of both CO and propane, which are common pollutants in volatile organic compound (VOC applications. This was a surprising result since this structure of Nb2O5 has a very low surface area (about 2 m2/g relative to the more traditional Al2O3 support, with a surface area of 150 m2/g. The results reported demonstrate that 1% Co3O4/Nb2O5 has comparable fresh and aged catalytic activity to 1% Pt/γ-Al2O3 and 1% Pt/Nb2O5. Furthermore, 6% Co3O4/Nb2O5 outperforms 1% Pt/Al2O3 in both catalytic activity and thermal stability. These results suggest a strong interaction between niobium oxide and the active component—cobalt oxide—likely by inducing an oxygen defect structure with oxygen vacancies leading to enhanced activity toward the oxidation of CO and propane.

Are behaviors at one alternative in concurrent schedules independent of contingencies at the other alternative?

Science.gov (United States)

MacDonall, James S

2017-09-01

Some have reported changing the schedule at one alternative of a concurrent schedule changed responding at the other alternative (Catania, 1969), which seems odd because no contingencies were changed there. When concurrent schedules are programmed using two schedules, one associated with each alternative that operate continuously, changing the schedule at one alternative also changes the switch schedule at the other alternative. Thus, changes in responding at the constant alternative could be due to the change in the switch schedule. To assess this possibility, six rats were exposed to a series of conditions that alternated between pairs of interval schedules at both alternatives and a pair of interval schedules at one, constant, alternative and a pair of extinction schedules at the other alternative. Comparing run lengths, visit durations and response rates at the constant alternative in the alternating conditions did not show consistent increases and decreases when a strict criterion for changes was used. Using a less stringent definition (any change in mean values) showed changes. The stay/switch analysis suggests it may be inaccurate to apply behavioral contrast to procedures that change from concurrent variable-interval variable-interval schedules to concurrent variable-interval extinction schedules because the contingencies in neither alternative are constant. © 2017 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

A novel binary T-vector with the GFP reporter gene for promoter characterization.

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Shu-Ye Jiang

Full Text Available Several strategies have been developed to clone PCR fragments into desired vectors. However, most of commercially available T-vectors are not binary vectors and cannot be directly used for Agrobacterium-mediated plant genetic transformation. In this study, a novel binary T-vector was constructed by integrating two AhdI restriction sites into the backbone vector pCAMBIA 1300. The T-vector also contains a GFP reporter gene and thus, can be used to analyze promoter activity by monitoring the reporter gene. On the other hand, identification and characterization of various promoters not only benefit the functional annotation of their genes but also provide alternative candidates to be used to drive interesting genes for plant genetic improvement by transgenesis. More than 1,000 putative pollen-specific rice genes have been identified in a genome-wide level. Among them, 67 highly expressed genes were further characterized. One of the pollen-specific genes LOC_Os10g35930 was further surveyed in its expression patterns with more details by quantitative real-time reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR analysis. Finally, its promoter activity was further investigated by analyzing transgenic rice plants carrying the promoter::GFP cassette, which was constructed from the newly developed T-vector. The reporter GFP gene expression in these transgenic plants showed that the promoter was active only in mature but not in germinated pollens.

Expansion of Parents’ Undetermined Experience in Socioeducational Programs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boulanger, Dany

2017-01-01

The Dialogic Self Theory (DST—Hermans et al. Integrative Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 51(4), 1-31, 2017) is extended here in its dynamic aspects through focusing on the notions of indeterminacy, emptiness and movement. Linking with Husserl, I propose moving the dialogical self (DS) from...... a clear position in the “repertory of the Self” to an undetermined horizon. This makes it possible to introduce “holes” (emptiness) into the schematic representation of the “repertory of the Self”. Yet Husserl’s concept of horizon seems to focus too much on making the indeterminable determinate....... To overcome this limit, I incorporate Bergson’s concept of empty form into the DST. This enables conceptualising the extension and emergence of horizon. Extending Bergson’s concept of organisation, it is possible to see how the expansion of the horizon in a movement of globalisation does not necessarily...

Project Cerberus: tobacco industry strategy to create an alternative to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Science.gov (United States)

Mamudu, Hadii M; Hammond, Ross; Glantz, Stanton A

2008-09-01

Between 1999 and 2001, British American Tobacco, Philip Morris, and Japan Tobacco International executed Project Cerberus to develop a global voluntary regulatory regime as an alternative to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). They aimed to develop a global voluntary regulatory code to be overseen by an independent audit body and to focus attention on youth smoking prevention. The International Tobacco Products Marketing Standards announced in September 2001, however, did not have the independent audit body. Although the companies did not stop the FCTC, they continue to promote the International Tobacco Products Marketing Standards youth smoking prevention as an alternative to the FCTC. Public health civil society groups should help policymakers and governments understand the importance of not working with the tobacco industry.

Africa energy future: Alternative scenarios and their implications for sustainable development strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouedraogo, Nadia S.

2017-01-01

The long-term forecasting of energy supply and demand is of prime importance in Africa due to the steady increase in energy requirements, the non-availability of sufficient resources, the high dependence on fossil-fuels to meet these requirements, and the global concerns over the energy-induced environmental issues. This paper is concerned with modelling possible future paths for Africa's energy future and the related emissions. Future energy demand is forecasted based on socio-economic variables such as gross domestic product, income per capita, population, and urbanisation. The Long-range Energy Alternative Planning System (LEAP) modelling framework is employed to analyse and project energy demand and the related emissions under alternative strategies for the period of 2010–2040. Results of scenarios including business-as-usual (BAU) policies, moderate energy access and accelerate energy access policies, renewable energies promotion and energy efficiency policies and their environmental implications are provided. The study provides some policy insights and identifies synergies and trade-offs relating to the potential for energy policies to promote universal energy access, enable a transition to renewable energy, and mitigate climate change for a sustainable development. - Highlights: • Possible future paths for Africa's energy future and the related emissions are modelled. • Scenarios using an adaptation of Schwartz's scenario approach, under LEAP are developed. • Under the current energy policies, the universal access to modern energy will not be met by 2030. • Policies to accelerate the changes in energy structure are required for sustainable development. • Investing in Energy efficient strategies has emerged as one of the best solution.

Depleted uranium management alternatives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hertzler, T.J.; Nishimoto, D.D.

1994-08-01

This report evaluates two management alternatives for Department of Energy depleted uranium: continued storage as uranium hexafluoride, and conversion to uranium metal and fabrication to shielding for spent nuclear fuel containers. The results will be used to compare the costs with other alternatives, such as disposal. Cost estimates for the continued storage alternative are based on a life-cycle of 27 years through the year 2020. Cost estimates for the recycle alternative are based on existing conversion process costs and Capital costs for fabricating the containers. Additionally, the recycle alternative accounts for costs associated with intermediate product resale and secondary waste disposal for materials generated during the conversion process.

Depleted uranium management alternatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hertzler, T.J.; Nishimoto, D.D.

1994-08-01

This report evaluates two management alternatives for Department of Energy depleted uranium: continued storage as uranium hexafluoride, and conversion to uranium metal and fabrication to shielding for spent nuclear fuel containers. The results will be used to compare the costs with other alternatives, such as disposal. Cost estimates for the continued storage alternative are based on a life-cycle of 27 years through the year 2020. Cost estimates for the recycle alternative are based on existing conversion process costs and Capital costs for fabricating the containers. Additionally, the recycle alternative accounts for costs associated with intermediate product resale and secondary waste disposal for materials generated during the conversion process

Opioid inhibition of N-type Ca2+ channels and spinal analgesia couple to alternative splicing.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade, Arturo; Denome, Sylvia; Jiang, Yu-Qiu; Marangoudakis, Spiro; Lipscombe, Diane

2010-10-01

Alternative pre-mRNA splicing occurs extensively in the nervous systems of complex organisms, including humans, considerably expanding the potential size of the proteome. Cell-specific alternative pre-mRNA splicing is thought to optimize protein function for specialized cellular tasks, but direct evidence for this is limited. Transmission of noxious thermal stimuli relies on the activity of N-type Ca(V)2.2 calcium channels in nociceptors. Using an exon-replacement strategy in mice, we show that mutually exclusive splicing patterns in the Ca(V)2.2 gene modulate N-type channel function in nociceptors, leading to a change in morphine analgesia. Exon 37a (e37a) enhances μ-opioid receptor-mediated inhibition of N-type calcium channels by promoting activity-independent inhibition. In the absence of e37a, spinal morphine analgesia is weakened in vivo but the basal response to noxious thermal stimuli is not altered. Our data suggest that highly specialized, discrete cellular responsiveness in vivo can be attributed to alternative splicing events regulated at the level of individual neurons.

Finding theory- and evidence-based alternatives to fear appeals: Intervention Mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Kok, Gerjo; Bartholomew, L Kay; Parcel, Guy S; Gottlieb, Nell H; Fernández, María E

2014-04-01

Fear arousal-vividly showing people the negative health consequences of life-endangering behaviors-is popular as a method to raise awareness of risk behaviors and to change them into health-promoting behaviors. However, most data suggest that, under conditions of low efficacy, the resulting reaction will be defensive. Instead of applying fear appeals, health promoters should identify effective alternatives to fear arousal by carefully developing theory- and evidence-based programs. The Intervention Mapping (IM) protocol helps program planners to optimize chances for effectiveness. IM describes the intervention development process in six steps: (1) assessing the problem and community capacities, (2) specifying program objectives, (3) selecting theory-based intervention methods and practical applications, (4) designing and organizing the program, (5) planning, adoption, and implementation, and (6) developing an evaluation plan. Authors who used IM indicated that it helped in bringing the development of interventions to a higher level. © 2013 The Authors. International Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley © Sons Ltd on behalf of International Union of Psychological Science.

Analogue alternative the electronic analogue computer in Britain and the USA, 1930-1975

CERN Document Server

Small, James S

2013-01-01

We are in the midst of a digital revolution - until recently, the majority of appliances used in everyday life have been developed with analogue technology. Now, either at home or out and about, we are surrounded by digital technology such as digital 'film', audio systems, computers and telephones. From the late 1940s until the 1970s, analogue technology was a genuine alternative to digital, and the two competing technologies ran parallel with each other. During this period, a community of engineers, scientists, academics and businessmen continued to develop and promote the analogue computer.

Alternative Energy Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

West, M.; Duckers, L.; Lockett, P.; Loughridge, B.; Peatfield, T.; White, P.

1984-01-01

The Coventry (Lanchester) Polytechnic Wave Energy Group has been involved in the United Kingdom wave energy research programme since its inception in 1975. Whilst the work of the group is mainly concerned with wave energy, and currently is directed towards the design of a wave energy device tailored to the needs of isolated/island communities, it has some involvement with other aspects of the alternatives. This conference, dealing with alternative energy systems and their electrical integration and utilisation was engendered by the general interest which the Polytechnic group members have in the alternatives and their use. The scope for electrical integration and utilisation is very broad. Energy for family groups may be provided in a relatively unsophisticated way which is acceptable to them. Small population centres, for example island communities relying upon diesel equipment, can reap the benefits of the alternatives through their ability to accept novel integration schemes and a flexible approach to the use of the energy available. Consumers already enjoying the benefits of a 'firm' electricity grid supply can use energy from a variety of alternative systems, via the grid, without having to modify their energy consumption habits. In addition to the domestic and industrial applications and coastal possibilities, specialist applications in isolated environments have also emerged. The Proceedings detail practical, technical and economic aspects of the alternatives and their electrical integration and utilisation.

Characterizing AISI 1045 steel surface duplex-treated by alternating current field enhanced pack aluminizing and nitriding

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Fei; Zhang, Ge; Pan, Jianwei

2018-02-01

Thin cases and long treating time are shortcomings of conventional duplex treatment of aluminizing followed by nitriding (DTAN). Alternating current field (ACF) enhanced DTAN was carried out on AISI 1045 steel by applying an ACF to treated samples and treating agents with a pair of electrodes for overcoming those shortcomings. By investigating cases' structures, phases, composition and hardness distributions of differently treated samples, preliminary studies were made on characterizations of the ACF enhanced duplex treatment to AISI 1045 steel. The results show that, with the help of the ACF, the surface Al-rich phase Al5Fe2 formed in conventional pack aluminizing can be easily avoided and the aluminizing process is dramatically promoted. The aluminizing case can be nitrided either with conventional pack nitriding or ACF enhanced pack nitriding. By applying ACF to pack nitriding, the diffusion of nitrogen into the aluminizing case is promoted. AlN, Fe2∼3N and solid solution of N in iron are efficiently formed as a result of reactions of N with the aluminizing case. A duplex treated case with an effective thickness of more than 170 μm can be obtained by the alternating current field enhanced 4 h pack aluminizing plus 4 h pack nitriding.

Complementary and alternative medicine in child and adolescent psychiatry: legal considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Michael H; Natbony, Suzanne R; Abbott, Ryan B

2013-07-01

The rising popularity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in child and adolescent psychiatry raises unique ethical and legal concerns for psychiatrists and other conventional health care providers. This article explores these concerns and provides clinical advice for promoting patient health and safety while minimizing the psychiatrist's risk. Although any departure from the conventional standard of care is a potential risk, the risk of malpractice liability for practicing integrative medicine in child and adolescent psychiatry is low. CAM is most safely recommended from a legal standpoint when there is some published evidence of safety and efficacy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Health Promotion Education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lehn-Christiansen, Sine

The paper discusses the implications of health promotion in education. The paper is based on my PhD project entitled “Health promotion education seen through a power/knowledge and subjectification perspective” (in prep). The PhD project explores how professional health promotion skills are concei......The paper discusses the implications of health promotion in education. The paper is based on my PhD project entitled “Health promotion education seen through a power/knowledge and subjectification perspective” (in prep). The PhD project explores how professional health promotion skills...

A novel CDX2 isoform regulates alternative splicing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew E Witek

Full Text Available Gene expression is a dynamic and coordinated process coupling transcription with pre-mRNA processing. This regulation enables tissue-specific transcription factors to induce expression of specific transcripts that are subsequently amplified by alternative splicing allowing for increased proteome complexity and functional diversity. The intestine-specific transcription factor CDX2 regulates development and maintenance of the intestinal epithelium by inducing expression of genes characteristic of the mature enterocyte phenotype. Here, sequence analysis of CDX2 mRNA from colonic mucosa-derived tissues revealed an alternatively spliced transcript (CDX2/AS that encodes a protein with a truncated homeodomain and a novel carboxy-terminal domain enriched in serine and arginine residues (RS domain. CDX2 and CDX2/AS exhibited distinct nuclear expression patterns with minimal areas of co-localization. CDX2/AS did not activate the CDX2-dependent promoter of guanylyl cyclase C nor inhibit transcriptional activity of CDX2. Unlike CDX2, CDX2/AS co-localized with the putative splicing factors ASF/SF2 and SC35. CDX2/AS altered splicing patterns of CD44v5 and Tra2-β1 minigenes in Lovo colon cancer cells independent of CDX2 expression. These data demonstrate unique dual functions of the CDX2 gene enabling it to regulate gene expression through both transcription (CDX2 and pre-mRNA processing (CDX2/AS.

Isolation, Characterization, Screening, Formulation and Evaluation of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Puja Kumari

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR are bioresources which may be viewed as a novel and potential tool for providing substantial benefits to the agriculture. Soil is the dynamic living matrix and the major source of food security providing various resources of plant growth and maintaining life processes. PGPR are originally defined as root- colonizing bacteria that cause either plant growth promotion or biological control of plant diseases. Chemical fertilizers are used for killing pathogens, increase crop yield but long term use of chemical fertilizers lead to adverse effect to the soil profile and is the reason for decrease in soil productivity, on the other hand PGPR promote plant growth directly by either facilitating resource acquisition (nitrogen, phosphorus and essential minerals or modulating plant hormone levels, or indirectly by decreasing the inhibitory effects of various pathogens on plant growth and development in the forms of biocontrol agents. PGPR is the indispensable part of rhizosphere biota that when grown in association with the host plants can stimulate the growth of the host. PGPR seemed as successful rhizobacteria in getting established in soil ecosystem due to their high adaptability in a wide variety of environments, faster growth rate and biochemical versatility to metabolize a wide range of natural and xenobiotic compounds. Isolated PGPRs from selective crop rizosphere soil were used for further growth promotion and biocontrol studies in the green house and field. Different studies have been carrying out to develop some new bioformulations and evaluate their efficacy in promoting crop seedlings growth characteristics. Field trials were performed to evaluate selective crops with formulations of several plants PGPR in a production system. The present review highlights the Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria as an alternative of chemical fertilizer for sustainable, environment friendly agriculture.

Commercializing an alternate transportation fuel: lessons learned from NGV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flynn, P.C.

2001-01-01

An alternate transportation fuel, compressed natural gas, was adopted in Canada in the mid-1980s due to the unique conditions present at the time. The factors that had an impact on the limited acceptance of the fuel, keeping its rate of adoption below the critical point were examined in this paper. It was revealed that a lack of infrastructure to support converted vehicles was the deciding factor. Existing refueling stations failed to become profitable, preventing further investment in refueling facilities and resulting in depressed sales of converted vehicles. Excessive parts markup by conversion dealers was another major hurdle, as was exaggerated claims for environmental and economic benefits. In addition, promotional programs were poorly designed. In the late 1980s, the relative values of oil and natural gas shifted, lowering the momentum from sales of conversions. The consequence was major players leaving the market and natural gas remained on the fringe in both Canada and the United States. Different alternate transportation fuels, including electricity and hydrogen, are being favored by new technologies and driving forces. The growth to commercial viability for those fuels will likely be influenced by some of the factors that played a role in the fate of natural gas as a transportation fuel. 4 refs., 1 fig

Benefits of a Holistic Group Counseling Model to Promote Wellness for Girls at Risk for Delinquency: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Smith-Adcock, Sondra; Webster, Stephanie M.; Leonard, Lindsay G.; Walker, Jennifer L.

2008-01-01

The current study examined a group counseling intervention developed to promote wellness in adolescent girls at an alternative school. Findings indicated that the wellness intervention helped girls to broaden their ideas about wellness and to set personal wellness goals. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are…

Assessing Personal Constructs of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Person-Centered Measure of Social Cognition

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Sean; Self, Trisha; DiLollo, Anthony

2018-01-01

Many protocols assessing social communication skills of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are based on behavioral observations. It has been suggested, however, that social cognition encompasses processes underlying observable behaviors. Such processes include personal constructs, which can be assessed using repertory grids. Personal…

Lower Growth Temperature Increases Alternative Pathway Capacity and Alternative Oxidase Protein in Tobacco 1

Science.gov (United States)

Vanlerberghe, Greg C.; McIntosh, Lee

1992-01-01

Suspension cells of NT1 tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv bright yellow) have been used to study the effect of growth temperature on the CN-resistant, salicylhydroxamic acid-sensitive alternative pathway of respiration. Mitochondria isolated from cells maintained at 30°C had a low capacity to oxidize succinate via the alternative pathway, whereas mitochondria isolated from cells 24 h after transfer to 18°C displayed, on average, a 5-fold increase in this capacity (from 7 to 32 nanoatoms oxygen per milligram protein per minute). This represented an increase in alternative pathway capacity from 18 to 45% of the total capacity of electron transport. This increased capacity was lost upon transfer of cells back to 30°C. A monoclonal antibody to the terminal oxidase of the alternative pathway (the alternative oxidase) from Sauromatum guttatum (T.E. Elthon, R.L. Nickels, L. McIntosh [1989] Plant Physiology 89: 1311-1317) recognized a 35-kilodalton mitochondrial protein in tobacco. There was an excellent correlation between the capacity of the alternative path in isolated tobacco mitochondria and the levels of this 35-kilodalton alternative oxidase protein. Cycloheximide could inhibit both the increased level of the 35-kilodalton alternative oxidase protein and the increased alternative pathway capacity normally seen upon transfer to 18°C. We conclude that transfer of tobacco cells to the lower temperature increases the capacity of the alternative pathway due, at least in part, to de novo synthesis of the 35-kilodalton alternative oxidase protein. Images Figure 3 Figure 4 PMID:16652932

EFFICIENCY OF PLANT GROWTH PROMOTING RHIZOBACTERIA (PGPR IN SUGARCANE

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Antonio Morgado González

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR are an alternative for promoting sugarcane (Saccharum spp. development. Growth promotion was evaluated in sugarcane vitroplants inoculated separately with twenty-four strains of seven different bacterial species. Total indole synthesis and phosphate solubilization activity were determined in each strain. The experimental unit was one 5 L pot filled with a sterile mixture of farm soil-agrolite and one plant. The experimental design was completely random. Inoculation consisted of 1.0 mL of bacterial suspension (1 × 107 CFU. Plant height, stem diameter, number of shoots, leaf area and dry matter of shoot and root were determined every two weeks. The Ochrobactrum anthropi strains N208 and IMP311 and Pseudomonas luteola IMPCA244 had the highest production of total indoles (116.69, 115.70 and 117.34 µg mL-1, respectively. The Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains CA158 and 79 exhibited the highest values of phosphate solubilization (222.43 and 216.38 µg mL-1, respectively. In general, plant height increased 27.75%, stem diameter 30.75%, number of tillers 38.5%, leaf area 49%, aerial dry matter 59.75% and root dry matter 59.5%. P. luteola, P. f luorescens, O. anthropi and S. maltophilia exhibited the highest values of the leaf area index, net assimilation, and relative and absolute growth rates. P. luteola IMPCA244, O. anthropi IMP311, Aeromonas salmonicida N264, Burkholderia cepacia N172, P. f luorescens N50 and S. maltophilia 79 promoted the highest values in different response variables throughout the study. Before using these strains as sugarcane biofertilizer, additional studies are required.

Using Checklists to Assess Your Transition to Alternative Fuels: A Technical Reference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Risch, C. E. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Santini, D. J. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Johnson, L. R. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2016-12-01

The Checklist for Transition to New Alternative Fuel(s) was published in September 2011 by Chuck Risch and Dan Santini. Many improvements, described below, have been incorporated into this current document, Checklists for Assessing the Transitions to New Highway Fuels.2 Further, the original authors and Larry Johnson, co-author of the current report, identified a need for a succinct version of the full report and prepared a brochure based on it to aid busy decisionmakers: Check It Out: Using Checklists to Assess Your Transition to Alternative Fuels.2 These checklists are tools for those stakeholders charged with determining a feasible alternative fuel or fuels for highway transportation systems of the future. The original had four major players whose needs had to be satisfied for a successful transition. The term “activist,” intended to encompass environmental and other special interests, was included in the “customers” category. Activists are customers of the government in the sense that they organize citizens to exert political pressure to regulate the design of vehicles, fuel infrastructure, and roadway networks. Many who evaluate alternative fuels view activists, particularly environmental activists, as a separate category. Further, “activist” has become a pejorative term to many people. Therefore, we have used the word “advocate” or “activist/advocate” instead. Thus, in this update we recognize that environmental and other activists/advocates have been--and will continue to be--a powerful force promoting change in the nature of the fuels that are used in transportation.

Bureaucratic logic in new social movement clothing: the limits of health promotion research.

Science.gov (United States)

Stevenson, H M; Burke, M

1992-01-01

This paper discusses theoretical, methodological and political problems in the field of health promotion research. It argues that these problems result from a partial and contradictory appropriation of the discourse of new social movements. Politically, the health promotion movement is largely confined within the state, rather than the expression of a social movement against the state. The direction of health promotion research and policy is, therefore, caught in the bureaucratic logic of "trapped administrators", and results in contradictory emphases on problems like the development of "health promotion indicators", which show little result in informing a broader but coherent conceptualization of health, let alone in effecting change in health policy and outcomes. Such political problems reflect parallel confusions about theory and methodology. Theoretically, the field relies heavily on a critique of bio-medical science, but fails to move beyond a rhetorical outline of an alternative to systematic arguments about what promotes health. In this regard, the literature on health promotion remains unaware of important conceptual developments in the social sciences, relies on imprecise specifications of major constructs like community empowerment, and has no conception of the state. Methodologically, the literature is influenced by contradictory epistemological tendencies which reflect a positivist inspiration (as in the search for indicators) and an anti-positivist emphasis on agency and social change through the collective action and the discursive reconstitution of social identity, value and meaning. In regard to these questions, this paper is critical of observers who suggest that the way ahead is to embrace post-modern research strategies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

An oncogenic MYB feedback loop drives alternate cell fates in adenoid cystic carcinoma

Science.gov (United States)

Drier, Yotam; Cotton, Matthew J.; Williamson, Kaylyn E.; Gillespie, Shawn M.; Ryan, Russell J.H.; Kluk, Michael J.; Carey, Christopher D.; Rodig, Scott J.; Sholl, Lynette M; Afrogheh, Amir H.; Faquin, William C.; Queimado, Lurdes; Qi, Jun; Wick, Michael J.; El-Naggar, Adel K.; Bradner, James E.; Moskaluk, Christopher A.; Aster, Jon C.; Knoechel, Birgit; Bernstein, Bradley E.

2016-01-01

Translocation events are frequent in cancer and may create chimeric fusions or ‘regulatory rearrangements’ that drive oncogene overexpression. Here we identify super-enhancer translocations that drive overexpression of the oncogenic transcription factor MYB as a recurrent theme in adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). Whole-genome sequencing data and chromatin maps reveal distinct chromosomal rearrangements that juxtapose super-enhancers to the MYB locus. Chromosome conformation capture confirms that the translocated enhancers interact with the MYB promoter. Remarkably, MYB protein binds to the translocated enhancers, creating a positive feedback loop that sustains its expression. MYB also binds enhancers that drive different regulatory programs in alternate cell lineages in ACC, cooperating with TP63 in myoepithelial cells and a Notch program in luminal epithelial cells. Bromodomain inhibitors slow tumor growth in ACC primagraft models in vivo. Thus, our study identifies super-enhancer translocations that drive MYB expression and provides insight into downstream MYB functions in the alternate ACC lineages. PMID:26829750

Deciphering the Role of Sulfonated Unit in Heparin-Mimicking Polymer to Promote Neural Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Jiehua; Yuan, Yuqi; Lyu, Zhonglin; Wang, Mengmeng; Liu, Qi; Wang, Hongwei; Yuan, Lin; Chen, Hong

2017-08-30

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), especially heparin and heparan sulfate (HS), hold great potential for inducing the neural differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and have brought new hope for the treatment of neurological diseases. However, the disadvantages of natural heparin/HS, such as difficulty in isolating them with a sufficient amount, highly heterogeneous structure, and the risk of immune responses, have limited their further therapeutic applications. Thus, there is a great demand for stable, controllable, and well-defined synthetic alternatives of heparin/HS with more effective biological functions. In this study, based upon a previously proposed unit-recombination strategy, several heparin-mimicking polymers were synthesized by integrating glucosamine-like 2-methacrylamido glucopyranose monomers (MAG) with three sulfonated units in different structural forms, and their effects on cell proliferation, the pluripotency, and the differentiation of ESCs were carefully studied. The results showed that all the copolymers had good cytocompatibility and displayed much better bioactivity in promoting the neural differentiation of ESCs as compared to natural heparin; copolymers with different sulfonated units exhibited different levels of promoting ability; among them, copolymer with 3-sulfopropyl acrylate (SPA) as a sulfonated unit was the most potent in promoting the neural differentiation of ESCs; the promoting effect is dependent on the molecular weight and concentration of P(MAG-co-SPA), with the highest levels occurring at the intermediate molecular weight and concentration. These results clearly demonstrated that the sulfonated unit in the copolymers played an important role in determining the promoting effect on ESCs' neural differentiation; SPA was identified as the most potent sulfonated unit for copolymer with the strongest promoting ability. The possible reason for sulfonated unit structure as a vital factor influencing the ability of the copolymers

HL-LHC alternatives

CERN Document Server

Tomás, R; White, S

2014-01-01

The HL-LHC parameters assume unexplored regimes for hadron colliders in various aspects of accelerator beam dynamics and technology. This paper reviews three alternatives that could potentially improve the LHC performance: (i) the alternative filling scheme 8b+4e, (ii) the use of a 200 MHz RF system in the LHC and (iii) the use of proton cooling methods to reduce the beam emittance (at top energy and at injection). The alternatives are assessed in terms of feasibility, pros and cons, risks versus benefits and the impact on beam availability.

Lobbying the ‘Energiewende’. Assessing the effectiveness of strategies to promote the renewable energy business in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sühlsen, Kathrin; Hisschemöller, Matthijs

2014-01-01

The article examines the influence of renewable energy companies on the decision-making process related to the German energy transition. It identifies clusters of different lobbying activities and styles through in depth interviews with 20 stakeholders from policy-making and business. The research used Repertory Grid Technique in combination with HOMALS multivariate analysis. Its main findings are: First, although the big four electric utilities operating on the German energy market still possess wide influence, companies of renewable energy have developed from a niche into important players of the energy regime. Second, lobbies by the renewable energy sector are mainly aimed at the legislative framework, particularly on the Renewable Energy Sources Act and the feed-in-system. Third, interviewees identified 36 different lobby activities; the most effective ones are: ‘Regular and personal maintenance of contact to politicians’, ‘Lobbying within an association’, ‘Knowledge development with correct information’ and ‘Top-down contacting of most powerful politicians’. Fourth, the statistical analysis reveals clear distinctions between companies with regards to their lobby strategies which are evaluated differently by stakeholders. Finally, the article concludes that companies have a strong influence on political-decision making and – together with governmental actors – form a ‘policy network’ that strongly shapes the German energy transition

Plant growth and resistance promoted by Streptomyces spp. in tomato.

Science.gov (United States)

Dias, Maila P; Bastos, Matheus S; Xavier, Vanessa B; Cassel, Eduardo; Astarita, Leandro V; Santarém, Eliane R

2017-09-01

Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) represent an alternative to improve plant growth and yield as well as to act as agents of biocontrol. This study characterized isolates of Streptomyces spp. (Stm) as PGPR, determined the antagonism of these isolates against Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliensis (Pcb), evaluated the ability of Stm on promoting growth and modulating the defense-related metabolism of tomato plants, and the potential of Stm isolates on reducing soft rot disease in this species. The VOC profile of Stm was also verified. Promotion of plant growth was assessed indirectly through VOC emission and by direct interaction with Stm isolates in the roots. Evaluation of soft rot disease was performed in vitro on plants treated with Stm and challenged with Pcb. Enzymes related to plant defense were then analyzed in plants treated with three selected isolates of Stm, and PM1 was chosen for further Pcb-challenging experiment. Streptomyces spp. isolates displayed characteristics of PGPR. PM3 was the isolate with efficient antagonism against Pcb by dual-culture. Most of the isolates promoted growth of root and shoot of tomato plants by VOC, and PM5 was the isolate that most promoted growth by direct interaction with Stm. Soft rot disease and mortality of plants were significantly reduced when plants were treated with StmPM1. Modulation of secondary metabolism was observed with Stm treatment, and fast response of polyphenoloxidases was detected in plants pretreated with StmPM1 and challenged with Pcb. Peroxidase was significantly activated three days after infection with Pcb in plants pretreated with StmPM1. Results suggest that Streptomyces sp. PM1 and PM5 have the potential to act as PGPR. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Alternatives to overcoming bacterial resistances: State-of-the-art.

Science.gov (United States)

Rios, Alessandra C; Moutinho, Carla G; Pinto, Flávio C; Del Fiol, Fernando S; Jozala, Angela; Chaud, Marco V; Vila, Marta M D C; Teixeira, José A; Balcão, Victor M

2016-10-01

Worldwide, bacterial resistance to chemical antibiotics has reached such a high level that endangers public health. Presently, the adoption of alternative strategies that promote the elimination of resistant microbial strains from the environment is of utmost importance. This review discusses and analyses several (potential) alternative strategies to current chemical antibiotics. Bacteriophage (or phage) therapy, although not new, makes use of strictly lytic phage particles as an alternative, or a complement, in the antimicrobial treatment of bacterial infections. It is being rediscovered as a safe method, because these biological entities devoid of any metabolic machinery do not possess any affinity whatsoever to eukaryotic cells. Lysin therapy is also recognized as an innovative antimicrobial therapeutic option, since the topical administration of preparations containing purified recombinant lysins with amounts in the order of nanograms, in infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria, demonstrated a high therapeutic potential by causing immediate lysis of the target bacterial cells. Additionally, this therapy exhibits the potential to act synergistically when combined with certain chemical antibiotics already available on the market. Another potential alternative antimicrobial therapy is based on the use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), amphiphilic polypeptides that cause disruption of the bacterial membrane and can be used in the treatment of bacterial, fungal and viral infections, in the prevention of biofilm formation, and as antitumoral agents. Interestingly, bacteriocins are a common strategy of bacterial defense against other bacterial agents, eliminating the potential opponents of the former and increasing the number of available nutrients in the environment for their own growth. They can be applied in the food industry as biopreservatives and as probiotics, and also in fighting multi-resistant bacterial strains. The use of antibacterial antibodies

Health promotion and dental caries.

Science.gov (United States)

Maltz, Marisa; Jardim, Juliana Jobim; Alves, Luana Severo

2010-01-01

The central idea of the Brazilian health system is to prevent the establishment of disease or detect it as early as possible. Prevention and treatment of dental caries are related to behavioral factors, including dietary and oral hygiene habits, which are related to many chronic diseases. Dental health promotion therefore should be fully integrated into broadly based health-promoting strategies and actions such as food and health policies, and general hygiene (including oral hygiene), among others. For decades, a linear relationship between sugar consumption and caries has been observed. Recent data has indicated that this relationship is not as strong as it used to be before the widespread use of fluoride. However, diet is still a key factor acting in the carious process. Oral hygiene is a major aspect when it comes to caries, since dental biofilm is its etiological factor. Oral hygiene procedures are effective in controlling dental caries, especially if plaque removal is performed adequately and associated with fluoride. An alternative to a more efficient biofilm control in occlusal areas is the use of dental sealants, which are only indicated for caries-active individuals. If a cavity is formed as a consequence of the metabolic activity of the biofilm, a restorative material or a sealant can be placed to block access of the biofilm to the oral environment in order to prevent caries progress. The prevention of dental caries based on common risk-factor strategies (diet and hygiene) should be supplemented by more disease-specific policies such as rational use of fluoride, and evidence-based dental health care.

Health promotion and dental caries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marisa Maltz

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The central idea of the Brazilian health system is to prevent the establishment of disease or detect it as early as possible. Prevention and treatment of dental caries are related to behavioral factors, including dietary and oral hygiene habits, which are related to many chronic diseases. Dental health promotion therefore should be fully integrated into broadly based health-promoting strategies and actions such as food and health policies, and general hygiene (including oral hygiene, among others. For decades, a linear relationship between sugar consumption and caries has been observed. Recent data has indicated that this relationship is not as strong as it used to be before the widespread use of fluoride. However, diet is still a key factor acting in the carious process. Oral hygiene is a major aspect when it comes to caries, since dental biofilm is its etiological factor. Oral hygiene procedures are effective in controlling dental caries, especially if plaque removal is performed adequately and associated with fluoride. An alternative to a more efficient biofilm control in occlusal areas is the use of dental sealants, which are only indicated for caries-active individuals. If a cavity is formed as a consequence of the metabolic activity of the biofilm, a restorative material or a sealant can be placed to block access of the biofilm to the oral environment in order to prevent caries progress. The prevention of dental caries based on common risk-factor strategies (diet and hygiene should be supplemented by more disease-specific policies such as rational use of fluoride, and evidence-based dental health care.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel

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Biodiesel Printable Version Share this resource Send a link to Alternative Fuels Data Center : Biodiesel to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel on Twitter Bookmark Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel on

Perceptions of health promoters about health promotion ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2013-02-11

Feb 11, 2013 ... regarding a health promotion programme for families with ... to contribute to high rates of not going to school (ibid. ... sector in order, amongst other objectives, to prevent health ... exercise and mental health promotion must be incorporated ..... (2009:141) identified ignorance and misconception about the.

XRCC1 suppresses somatic hypermutation and promotes alternative nonhomologous end joining in Igh genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Saribasak, Huseyin; Maul, Robert W; Cao, Zheng; McClure, Rhonda L; Yang, William; McNeill, Daniel R; Wilson, David M; Gearhart, Patricia J

2011-10-24

Activation-induced deaminase (AID) deaminates cytosine to uracil in immunoglobulin genes. Uracils in DNA can be recognized by uracil DNA glycosylase and abasic endonuclease to produce single-strand breaks. The breaks are repaired either faithfully by DNA base excision repair (BER) or mutagenically to produce somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR). To unravel the interplay between repair and mutagenesis, we decreased the level of x-ray cross-complementing 1 (XRCC1), a scaffold protein involved in BER. Mice heterozygous for XRCC1 showed a significant increase in the frequencies of SHM in Igh variable regions in Peyer's patch cells, and of double-strand breaks in the switch regions during CSR. Although the frequency of CSR was normal in Xrcc1(+/-) splenic B cells, the length of microhomology at the switch junctions decreased, suggesting that XRCC1 also participates in alternative nonhomologous end joining. Furthermore, Xrcc1(+/-) B cells had reduced Igh/c-myc translocations during CSR, supporting a role for XRCC1 in microhomology-mediated joining. Our results imply that AID-induced single-strand breaks in Igh variable and switch regions become substrates simultaneously for BER and mutagenesis pathways.

The role of the temporal sequences in the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems for the Autism Spectrum Disorders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saverio Fontani

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The Augmentative and Alternative Communication systems (AAC represent a promising integration for more effective models of special education specifically developed for the special educational needs of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. In this paper the historical foundations of the approach are presented, and its implications on the promotion of functional spontaneous communication skills based on the temporal sequences approach are discussed.  

Seed Dormancy in Arabidopsis Requires Self-Binding Ability of DOG1 Protein and the Presence of Multiple Isoforms Generated by Alternative Splicing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kazumi Nakabayashi

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The Arabidopsis protein DELAY OF GERMINATION 1 (DOG1 is a key regulator of seed dormancy, which is a life history trait that determines the timing of seedling emergence. The amount of DOG1 protein in freshly harvested seeds determines their dormancy level. DOG1 has been identified as a major dormancy QTL and variation in DOG1 transcript levels between accessions contributes to natural variation for seed dormancy. The DOG1 gene is alternatively spliced. Alternative splicing increases the transcriptome and proteome diversity in higher eukaryotes by producing transcripts that encode for proteins with altered or lost function. It can also generate tissue specific transcripts or affect mRNA stability. Here we suggest a different role for alternative splicing of the DOG1 gene. DOG1 produces five transcript variants encoding three protein isoforms. Transgenic dog1 mutant seeds expressing single DOG1 transcript variants from the endogenous DOG1 promoter did not complement because they were non-dormant and lacked DOG1 protein. However, transgenic plants overexpressing single DOG1 variants from the 35S promoter could accumulate protein and showed complementation. Simultaneous expression of two or more DOG1 transcript variants from the endogenous DOG1 promoter also led to increased dormancy levels and accumulation of DOG1 protein. This suggests that single isoforms are functional, but require the presence of additional isoforms to prevent protein degradation. Subsequently, we found that the DOG1 protein can bind to itself and that this binding is required for DOG1 function but not for protein accumulation. Natural variation for DOG1 binding efficiency was observed among Arabidopsis accessions and contributes to variation in seed dormancy.

Promoting water consumption on a Caribbean island: An intervention using children's social networks at schools

OpenAIRE

Franken, S.C.M.; Smit, C.R.; Buijzen, M.A.

2018-01-01

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and the associated childhood obesity are major concerns in the Caribbean, creating a need for interventions promoting water consumption as a healthy alternative. A social network-based intervention (SNI) was tested among Aruban children to increase their water consumption and behavioral intention to do so and, consequently, to decrease SSB consumption and the associated behavioral intention. In this study, the moderating effects of descriptive and in...

Pyramiding, alternating or mixing: comparative performances of deployment strategies of nematode resistance genes to promote plant resistance efficiency and durability.

Science.gov (United States)

Djian-Caporalino, Caroline; Palloix, Alain; Fazari, Ariane; Marteu, Nathalie; Barbary, Arnaud; Abad, Pierre; Sage-Palloix, Anne-Marie; Mateille, Thierry; Risso, Sabine; Lanza, Roger; Taussig, Catherine; Castagnone-Sereno, Philippe

2014-02-22

Resistant cultivars are key elements for pathogen control and pesticide reduction, but their repeated use may lead to the emergence of virulent pathogen populations, able to overcome the resistance. Increased research efforts, mainly based on theoretical studies, explore spatio-temporal deployment strategies of resistance genes in order to maximize their durability. We evaluated experimentally three of these strategies to control root-knot nematodes: cultivar mixtures, alternating and pyramiding resistance genes, under controlled and field conditions over a 3-years period, assessing the efficiency and the durability of resistance in a protected crop rotation system with pepper as summer crop and lettuce as winter crop. The choice of the resistance gene and the genetic background in which it is introgressed, affected the frequency of resistance breakdown. The pyramiding of two different resistance genes in one genotype suppressed the emergence of virulent isolates. Alternating different resistance genes in rotation was also efficient to decrease virulent populations in fields due to the specificity of the virulence and the trapping effect of resistant plants. Mixing resistant cultivars together appeared as a less efficient strategy to control nematodes. This work provides experimental evidence that, in a cropping system with seasonal sequences of vegetable species, pyramiding or alternating resistance genes benefit yields in the long-term by increasing the durability of resistant cultivars and improving the long-term control of a soil-borne pest. To our knowledge, this result is the first one obtained for a plant-nematode interaction, which helps demonstrate the general applicability of such strategies for breeding and sustainable management of resistant cultivars against pathogens.

FAR RIGHT POPULIST CHALLENGE IN EUROPE. ALTERNATIVE FOR GERMANY AND THE NATIONAL FRONT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adina-Elena Cincu

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The answers offered by EU Member States in sensitive moments (the financial crisis of 2008, the refugees` crisis, the terrorist attacks, have eroded European citizens` confidence in the Union's capacity to manage such surprising and unprecedented dynamics, while simultaneously deepening their perception of EU as a partially delegitimized supranational entity. Right-Wing populist parties have gradually increased their attractiveness by capitalizing on the frustration and disenfranchisement feelings perceived by European citizens. European populist parties promote the alternative of a direct opposition towards the system`s political correctness and against the perceived blockage of democratic debate, on their path toward gaining real effective political power. I will start with a short introduction of a theoretical approach of far-right populism in Europe. Using a qualitative research method, defined by discourse analysis (speeches, statements, I will then illustrate the way the political programs of Alternative for Germany (AfD and Le Pen`s National Front (FN were thought and built in order to understand how these have led to an increase in the appeal of European populist parties. In the conclusions section I will evaluate the impact of these political alternative movements on the future of the European Union`s essence, on its main values and principles.

Customer Satisfaction in Networked Narratives – Exploring the applicability of ECT in Alternate Reality Games

OpenAIRE

Regelin, Tilman; Staar, Henning; Janneck, Monique

2018-01-01

Alternate Reality Games (ARG) have been one of the first and most prominent viral marketing tools. In a dynamic marketing world, where new practices appear every other day and seemingly ‘old’ practices lose their appeal very quickly, Blizzard Entertainment – a leading video game developer – gained much attention regarding its marketing strategy promoting the release of a new playable hero called ‘Sombra’ for their online game Overwatch, which is the third most-played game in the world with ov...

Health Promotion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Povlsen, Lene; Borup, I.

2015-01-01

and Adolescent Health Promotion', Salutogenesis - from theory to practice' and Health, Stress and Coping'. More than half of all doctoral theses undertaken at NHV during these years had health promotion as their theme. As a derivative, the Nordic Health Promotion Research Network (NHPRN) was established in 2007......In 1953 when the Nordic School of Public Health was founded, the aim of public health programmes was disease prevention more than health promotion. This was not unusual, since at this time health usually was seen as the opposite of disease and illness. However, with the Ottawa Charter of 1986......, the World Health Organization made a crucial change to view health not as a goal in itself but as the means to a full life. In this way, health promotion became a first priority and fundamental action for the modern society. This insight eventually reached NHV and in 2002 - 50 years after the foundation...

Alternative way of life

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, C.

1980-01-01

The volume describes the reasons why more and more people seek alternative ways of life, the theoretical background and what alternative life means in practice as well as the sociological significance and history of the alternative movement. It also contains statements of persons who have 'got out' and advice on energy-saving. (HSCH) [de

Alternative gravity theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francaviglia, M.

1990-01-01

Although general relativity is a well-established discipline the theory deserves efforts aimed at producing alternative or more general frameworks for investigating the classical properties of gravity. These are either devoted to producing alternative viewpoints or interpretations of standard general relativity, or at constructing, discussing and proposing experimental tests for alternative descriptions of the dynamics of the gravitational field and its interaction (or unification) with external matter fields. Classical alternative theories of gravitation can roughly classified as follows; theories based on a still 4-dimensional picture, under the assumption that the dynamics of the gravitational field is more complicated than Einstein's and theories based on higher-dimensional pictures. This leads to supergravity and strings which are not included here. Theories based on higher-dimensional pictures on the assumption that space-time is replaced by a higher-dimensional manifold. Papers on these classifications are reviewed. (author)

Integrating the Differentiated: A Review of the Personal Construct Approach to Cognitive Complexity

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kovářová, Marie; Filip, Miroslav

2015-01-01

Roč. 28, č. 4 (2015), s. 342-366 ISSN 1072-0537 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP407/12/2432 Institutional support: RVO:68081740 Keywords : cognitive complexity * psychology of personal constructs * repertory grid technique Subject RIV: AN - Psychology Impact factor: 0.333, year: 2015

Chants of the Byzantine Rite: the Italo-Albanian Tradition in Sicily / Canti Ecclesiastici della Tradizione Italo-Albanese in Sicilia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Troelsgård, Christian; Garofalo, Girolamo

Chants of the Byzantine Rite: The Italo-Albanian Tradition in Sicily offers for the first time transcriptions of the full repertory of orally transmitted hymns for the celebration of the Byzantine Rite in Sicily. This little-known chant tradition has without interruption been cultivated by the Al...

Educational Achievement and Effective Schools: Examples of Best Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Suarez-Ortega, Magdalena; Ballesteros-Velazquez, Belen; Malik-Lievano, Beatriz

2012-01-01

In this article, we present key aspects of a research project entitled "Students' Cultural Diversity and School Efficacy: A Repertory of Best Practice in Compulsory Learning Centers." First, we present our concept of cultural diversity and a reflection regarding "best school practices" and the notion of "student…

Knitting at the beach: tourism and the photography of Dutch fabriculture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ensel, R.

2017-01-01

This article considers the picturesque spectacle of knitting women dressed in attire, set against the background of the dunes in the Dutch province of Zeeland. Images of the knitting women at the beach were incorporated in the current visual repertory of the tourist press, including picture

A Commentary by Chinese Hotel Workers on the Value of Vocational Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Huyton, Jeremy R.; Ingold, Anthony

1999-01-01

An adaptation of Kelly's Repertory Grid was completed by Chinese hotel staff. Results showed they revered higher education qualifications for the prestige and respect they commanded; secondary vocational-technical education was viewed very negatively. However, higher education is typically better funded and staffed than vocational education. (SK)

Individualism, Collectivism, and Cultural Compatibility: Implications for Counselors and Teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamauchi, Lois A.

1998-01-01

Culture influences expectations about classroom goals. The cultural distinction between individualism and collectivism is one factor that affects students' adjustment from home to school. Article suggests teachers and counselors may want to capitalize on students' cultural tendencies, but also plan for ways to expand students' repertories of…

Prevalence of transcription promoters within archaeal operons and coding sequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Koide, Tie; Reiss, David J; Bare, J Christopher; Pang, Wyming Lee; Facciotti, Marc T; Schmid, Amy K; Pan, Min; Marzolf, Bruz; Van, Phu T; Lo, Fang-Yin; Pratap, Abhishek; Deutsch, Eric W; Peterson, Amelia; Martin, Dan; Baliga, Nitin S

2009-01-01

Despite the knowledge of complex prokaryotic-transcription mechanisms, generalized rules, such as the simplified organization of genes into operons with well-defined promoters and terminators, have had a significant role in systems analysis of regulatory logic in both bacteria and archaea. Here, we have investigated the prevalence of alternate regulatory mechanisms through genome-wide characterization of transcript structures of approximately 64% of all genes, including putative non-coding RNAs in Halobacterium salinarum NRC-1. Our integrative analysis of transcriptome dynamics and protein-DNA interaction data sets showed widespread environment-dependent modulation of operon architectures, transcription initiation and termination inside coding sequences, and extensive overlap in 3' ends of transcripts for many convergently transcribed genes. A significant fraction of these alternate transcriptional events correlate to binding locations of 11 transcription factors and regulators (TFs) inside operons and annotated genes-events usually considered spurious or non-functional. Using experimental validation, we illustrate the prevalence of overlapping genomic signals in archaeal transcription, casting doubt on the general perception of rigid boundaries between coding sequences and regulatory elements.

Intermittent fasting promotes adipose thermogenesis and metabolic homeostasis via VEGF-mediated alternative activation of macrophage.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kyoung-Han; Kim, Yun Hye; Son, Joe Eun; Lee, Ju Hee; Kim, Sarah; Choe, Min Seon; Moon, Joon Ho; Zhong, Jian; Fu, Kiya; Lenglin, Florine; Yoo, Jeong-Ah; Bilan, Philip J; Klip, Amira; Nagy, Andras; Kim, Jae-Ryong; Park, Jin Gyoon; Hussein, Samer Mi; Doh, Kyung-Oh; Hui, Chi-Chung; Sung, Hoon-Ki

2017-11-01

Intermittent fasting (IF), a periodic energy restriction, has been shown to provide health benefits equivalent to prolonged fasting or caloric restriction. However, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of IF-mediated metabolic benefits is limited. Here we show that isocaloric IF improves metabolic homeostasis against diet-induced obesity and metabolic dysfunction primarily through adipose thermogenesis in mice. IF-induced metabolic benefits require fasting-mediated increases of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in white adipose tissue (WAT). Furthermore, periodic adipose-VEGF overexpression could recapitulate the metabolic improvement of IF in non-fasted animals. Importantly, fasting and adipose-VEGF induce alternative activation of adipose macrophage, which is critical for thermogenesis. Human adipose gene analysis further revealed a positive correlation of adipose VEGF-M2 macrophage-WAT browning axis. The present study uncovers the molecular mechanism of IF-mediated metabolic benefit and suggests that isocaloric IF can be a preventive and therapeutic approach against obesity and metabolic disorders.

Intermittent fasting promotes adipose thermogenesis and metabolic homeostasis via VEGF-mediated alternative activation of macrophage

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kyoung-Han; Kim, Yun Hye; Son, Joe Eun; Lee, Ju Hee; Kim, Sarah; Choe, Min Seon; Moon, Joon Ho; Zhong, Jian; Fu, Kiya; Lenglin, Florine; Yoo, Jeong-Ah; Bilan, Philip J; Klip, Amira; Nagy, Andras; Kim, Jae-Ryong; Park, Jin Gyoon; Hussein, Samer MI; Doh, Kyung-Oh; Hui, Chi-chung; Sung, Hoon-Ki

2017-01-01

Intermittent fasting (IF), a periodic energy restriction, has been shown to provide health benefits equivalent to prolonged fasting or caloric restriction. However, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of IF-mediated metabolic benefits is limited. Here we show that isocaloric IF improves metabolic homeostasis against diet-induced obesity and metabolic dysfunction primarily through adipose thermogenesis in mice. IF-induced metabolic benefits require fasting-mediated increases of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in white adipose tissue (WAT). Furthermore, periodic adipose-VEGF overexpression could recapitulate the metabolic improvement of IF in non-fasted animals. Importantly, fasting and adipose-VEGF induce alternative activation of adipose macrophage, which is critical for thermogenesis. Human adipose gene analysis further revealed a positive correlation of adipose VEGF-M2 macrophage-WAT browning axis. The present study uncovers the molecular mechanism of IF-mediated metabolic benefit and suggests that isocaloric IF can be a preventive and therapeutic approach against obesity and metabolic disorders. PMID:29039412

Commercial processing and disposal alternatives for very low levels of radioactive waste in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benda, G.A.

2005-01-01

The United States has several options available in the commercial processing and disposal of very low levels of radioactive waste. These range from NRC licensed low level radioactive sites for Class A, B and C waste to conditional disposal or free release of very low concentrations of material. Throughout the development of disposal alternatives, the US promoted a graded disposal approach based on risk of the material hazards. The US still promotes this approach and is renewing the emphasis on risk based disposal for very low levels of radioactive waste. One state in the US, Tennessee, has had a long and successful history of disposal of very low levels of radioactive material. This paper describes that approach and the continuing commercial options for safe, long term processing and disposal. (author)

Epithelial-derived IL-33 promotes intestinal tumorigenesis in Apc Min/+ mice.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Zhengxiang; Chen, Lili; Souto, Fabricio O; Canasto-Chibuque, Claudia; Bongers, Gerold; Deshpande, Madhura; Harpaz, Noam; Ko, Huaibin M; Kelley, Kevin; Furtado, Glaucia C; Lira, Sergio A

2017-07-14

Increased expression of Interleukin (IL)-33 has been detected in intestinal samples of patients with ulcerative colitis, a condition associated with increased risk for colon cancer, but its role in the development of colorectal cancer has yet to be fully examined. Here, we investigated the role of epithelial expressed IL-33 during development of intestinal tumors. IL-33 expression was detected in epithelial cells in colorectal cancer specimens and in the Apc Min/+ mice. To better understand the role of epithelial-derived IL-33 in the intestinal tumorigenesis, we generated transgenic mice expressing IL-33 in intestinal epithelial cells (V33 mice). V33 Apc Min/+ mice, resulting from the cross of V33 with Apc Min/+ mice, had increased intestinal tumor burden compared with littermate Apc Min/+ mice. Consistently, Apc Min/+ mice deficient for IL-33 receptor (ST2), had reduced polyp burden. Mechanistically, overexpression of IL-33 promoted expansion of ST2 + regulatory T cells, increased Th2 cytokine milieu, and induced alternatively activated macrophages in the gut. IL-33 promoted marked changes in the expression of antimicrobial peptides, and antibiotic treatment of V33 Apc Min/+ mice abrogated the tumor promoting-effects of IL-33 in the colon. In conclusion, elevated IL-33 signaling increases tumor development in the Apc Min/+ mice.

Alternative loop rings

CERN Document Server

Goodaire, EG; Polcino Milies, C

1996-01-01

For the past ten years, alternative loop rings have intrigued mathematicians from a wide cross-section of modern algebra. As a consequence, the theory of alternative loop rings has grown tremendously. One of the main developments is the complete characterization of loops which have an alternative but not associative, loop ring. Furthermore, there is a very close relationship between the algebraic structures of loop rings and of group rings over 2-groups. Another major topic of research is the study of the unit loop of the integral loop ring. Here the interaction between loop rings and group ri

Loss of Endocan tumorigenic properties after alternative splicing of exon 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Depontieu, Florence; Grigoriu, Bogdan-Dragos; Scherpereel, Arnaud; Adam, Estelle; Delehedde, Maryse; Gosset, Philippe; Lassalle, Philippe

2008-01-01

Endocan was originally described as a dermatan sulfate proteoglycan found freely circulating in the blood. Endocan expression confers tumorigenic properties to epithelial cell lines or accelerate the growth of already tumorigenic cells. This molecule is the product of a single gene composed of 3 exons. Previous data showed that endocan mRNA is subject to alternative splicing with possible generation of two protein products. In the present study we identified, and functionally characterized, the alternative spliced product of the endocan gene: the exon 2-deleted endocan, called endocanΔ2. Stable, endocanΔ2-overexpressing cell lines were generated to investigate the biological activities of this new alternatively spliced product of endocan gene. Tumorigenesis was studied by inoculating endocan and endocanΔ2 expressing cell lines subcutaneously in SCID mice. Biochemical properties of endocan and endocanΔ2 were studied after production of recombinant proteins in various cell lines of human and murine origin. Our results showed that the exon 2 deletion impairs synthesis of the glycan chain, known to be involved in the pro-tumoral effect of endocan. EndocanΔ2 did not promote tumor formation by 293 cells implanted in the skin of severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. Our results emphasize the key role of the polypeptide sequence encoded by the exon 2 of endocan gene in tumorigenesis, and suggest that this sequence could be a target for future therapies against cancer

A Dual-Promoter Gene Orchestrates the Sucrose-Coordinated Synthesis of Starch and Fructan in Barley

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jin, Yunkai; Fei, Mingliang; Rosenquist, Sara; Jin, Lu; Gohil, Suresh; Sandström, Corine; Olsson, Helena; Persson, Cecilia; Höglund, Anna-Stina; Fransson, Gunnel; Ruan, Ying; Åman, Per; Jansson, Christer; Liu, Chunlin; Andersson, Roger; Sun, Chuanxin

2017-12-01

Starch and fructan are two important carbohydrates in many flowering plants and in human diets. Understanding how plants allocate photosynthates and how they prioritize synthesis of different carbohydrates during development is essential in efforts to improve cereals for increased stress tolerance and for desirable carbohydrate compositions in food and feed. We report the coordinated synthesis of starch and fructan in barley, orchestrated by two functionally opposing transcription factors encoded from two alternative promoters, one intronic/exonic, harbored on a single gene. . This dual-transcription factor system employs an autoregulatory, antagonsitic mechanism in sensing sucrose at one promoter, potentially via sucrose/glucose/fructose/trehalose 6-phosphate signaling, and conduct a coordinated synthesis of starch and fructan synthesis by competitive transcription factor binding to the second promoter The finding of an intron/exon-spanning promoter in a hosting gene, resulting in proteins with distinct functions, contributes to our appreciation of the complexity of the plant genome As a case in point for the physiological role of the antagonistic transcription factor system, we have demonstrated that it can be exploited in breeding barley with tailored amounts of fructan for production of specialty food ingredients.

Syndecans promote integrin-mediated adhesion of mesenchymal cells in two distinct pathways

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Whiteford, James; Behrends, Volker; Kirby, Hishani

2007-01-01

and signaling through the cytoplasmic domain of syndecan-4. Here an alternate pathway mediated by the extracellular domains of syndecans-2 and -4 is characterized that is independent of both heparan sulphate and syndecan signaling. This pathway is restricted to mesenchymal cells and was not seen in any...... epithelial cell line tested, apart from vascular endothelia. The syndecan ectodomains coated as substrates promoted integrin-dependent attachment, spreading and focal adhesion formation. Syndecan-4 null cells were competent, as were fibroblasts compromised in heparan sulphate synthesis that were unable...

SPORT PROMOTION STRATEGIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandru Lucian MIHAI

2013-10-01

Full Text Available In sport marketing, the word promotion covers a range of interrelated activities. All of these activities are designed to attract attention, stimulate the interest and awareness of consumers, and of course, encourage them to purchase a sport product. Promotion is about communicating with and educating consumers. The purpose of a sport promotional strategy is to build brand loyalty and product credibility, develop image, and position the brand. A promotional strategy is similar to a marketing strategy, but the promotional strategy seeks short-term objectives, both direct and indirect. Promotional objectives usually include increased sales, stimulate impulse buying, raise customer traffic, and present and reinforce image. It also provides information about products and services, publicizes new stores or websites, and creates and enhances customer satisfaction.

Plant growth-promoting bacteria for phytostabilization of mine tailings.

Science.gov (United States)

Grandlic, Christopher J; Mendez, Monica O; Chorover, Jon; Machado, Blenda; Maier, Raina M

2008-03-15

Eolian dispersion of mine tailings in arid and semiarid environments is an emerging global issue for which economical remediation alternatives are needed. Phytostabilization, the revegetation of these sites with native plants, is one such alternative. Revegetation often requires the addition of bulky amendments such as compost which greatly increases cost. We report the use of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) to enhance the revegetation of mine tailings and minimize the need for compost amendment. Twenty promising PGPB isolates were used as seed inoculants in a series of greenhouse studies to examine revegetation of an extremely acidic, high metal contenttailings sample previously shown to require 15% compost amendment for normal plant growth. Several isolates significantly enhanced growth of two native species, quailbush and buffalo grass, in tailings. In this study, PGPB/compost outcomes were plant specific; for quailbush, PGPB were most effective in combination with 10% compost addition while for buffalo grass, PGPB enhanced growth in the complete absence of compost. Results indicate that selected PGPB can improve plant establishment and reduce the need for compost amendment. Further, PGPB activities necessary for aiding plant growth in mine tailings likely include tolerance to acidic pH and metals.

Alternative Sigma Factor HrpL of Pectobacterium carotovorum 35 is Important for the Development of Soft-rot Symptoms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyo-Song Nam

2011-08-01

Full Text Available A bacterial artificial chromosome library of Pectobacterium carotovorum 35 was constructed to characterize the genome and to sequence its hrp region. The hrp cluster of P. carotovorum 35 consisted of 26 open reading frames in five operons. A promoter-based green fluorescent protein technology was used to identify the genes regulated by the alternative sigma factor, HrpL, in P. carotovorum 35. The majority of the selected clones contained the hrpJ operon promoter sequence, which harbors a hrp box, but no putative hrp boxes were detected within the promoter sequences of two other hrpL-regulated genes encoding for pectate lyase and large repetitive protein. Although the promoters of five other hrp operons also contained hrp boxes, their expression was not HrpL-dependent in the promoter-based selection in E. coli. However, transcriptional analysis showed that expression from all operons harboring hrp boxes, except for the hrpN operon, was reduced significantly in the hrpL mutant. The severity of soft-rot symptoms when the hrpL mutant was applied to the surface of tobacco leaves, mimicking natural infection, was greatly attenuated. These results indicate that the hrpL gene of P. carotovorum 35 may be involved in the development of soft-rot symptoms.

Novel core promoter elements and a cognate transcription factor in the divergent unicellular eukaryote Trichomonas vaginalis.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Alias J; Chudnovsky, Lorissa; Simoes-Barbosa, Augusto; Delgadillo-Correa, Maria G; Jonsson, Zophonias O; Wohlschlegel, James A; Johnson, Patricia J

2011-04-01

A highly conserved DNA initiator (Inr) element has been the only core promoter element described in the divergent unicellular eukaryote Trichomonas vaginalis, although genome analyses reveal that only ∼75% of protein-coding genes appear to contain an Inr. In search of another core promoter element(s), a nonredundant database containing 5' untranslated regions of expressed T. vaginalis genes was searched for overrepresented DNA motifs and known eukaryotic core promoter elements. In addition to identifying the Inr, two elements that lack sequence similarity to the known protein-coding gene core promoter, motif 3 (M3) and motif 5 (M5), were identified. Mutational and functional analyses demonstrate that both are novel core promoter elements. M3 [(A/G/T)(A/G)C(G/C)G(T/C)T(T/A/G)] resembles a Myb recognition element (MRE) and is bound specifically by a unique protein with a Myb-like DNA binding domain. The M5 element (CCTTT) overlaps the transcription start site and replaces the Inr as an alternative, gene-specific initiator element. Transcription specifically initiates at the second cytosine within M5, in contrast to characteristic initiation by RNA polymerase II at an adenosine. In promoters that combine M3 with either M5 or Inr, transcription initiation is regulated by the M3 motif.

Novel Core Promoter Elements and a Cognate Transcription Factor in the Divergent Unicellular Eukaryote Trichomonas vaginalis▿

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Alias J.; Chudnovsky, Lorissa; Simoes-Barbosa, Augusto; Delgadillo-Correa, Maria G.; Jonsson, Zophonias O.; Wohlschlegel, James A.; Johnson, Patricia J.

2011-01-01

A highly conserved DNA initiator (Inr) element has been the only core promoter element described in the divergent unicellular eukaryote Trichomonas vaginalis, although genome analyses reveal that only ∼75% of protein-coding genes appear to contain an Inr. In search of another core promoter element(s), a nonredundant database containing 5′ untranslated regions of expressed T. vaginalis genes was searched for overrepresented DNA motifs and known eukaryotic core promoter elements. In addition to identifying the Inr, two elements that lack sequence similarity to the known protein-coding gene core promoter, motif 3 (M3) and motif 5 (M5), were identified. Mutational and functional analyses demonstrate that both are novel core promoter elements. M3 [(A/G/T)(A/G)C(G/C)G(T/C)T(T/A/G)] resembles a Myb recognition element (MRE) and is bound specifically by a unique protein with a Myb-like DNA binding domain. The M5 element (CCTTT) overlaps the transcription start site and replaces the Inr as an alternative, gene-specific initiator element. Transcription specifically initiates at the second cytosine within M5, in contrast to characteristic initiation by RNA polymerase II at an adenosine. In promoters that combine M3 with either M5 or Inr, transcription initiation is regulated by the M3 motif. PMID:21245378

Ordering alternatives in MCDM problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Baets, B.

1994-01-01

A new approach to the study of a set of alternatives in a multi-criteria decision making problem is presented. Alternatives are described by means of fuzzy sets in the set of criteria, expressing the degrees to which they fulfill the different criteria. The concept of a fuzzy inclusion is introduced and is discussed from an axiomatic point of view. To each implication operator corresponds a fuzzy inclusion. The fuzzy inclusion corresponding to the Goedel operator is used to measure the degree to which the scores of one alternative are contained in the scores of another one. Repeating this for all couples of alternatives yields a fuzzy quasi-order relation in a set of alternatives. The cuts of this fuzzy relation are then classical quasi-order relations: they express orderings of the alternatives, allowing alternatives to be indifferent or incomparable, corresponding to different degrees of confidence

Complementary and alternative medicine - representations in popular magazines.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunne, Alexandra; Phillips, Christine

2010-09-01

More than half the patients who use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Australia do not discuss it with their doctors. Many consumers use popular media, especially women's magazines, to learn about CAM. To explore representations of CAM in popular Australian women's magazines. Content analysis of three Australian magazines: Australian Women's Weekly, Dolly and New Idea published from January to June 2008. Of 220 references to CAM (4-17 references per issue), most were to biologically based practices, particularly 'functional foods', which enhance health. Most representations of CAM were positive (81.3% positive, 16.4% neutral, 2.3% negative). Explanations of modes of action of CAM tended to be biological but relatively superficial. Australian magazines cast CAM as safe therapy which enhances patient engagement in healthcare, and works in ways analogous to orthodox medical treatments. General practitioners can use discussions with their patients about CAM to encourage health promoting practices.

The study on Egr-1 promoter which is radioactive promoter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Chunzhi; Guo Yang; Lv Zhonghong

2006-01-01

Radiogenetic therapy is a heated reaseach on oncotherapy. Early growth response gene-1 (Egr-1) gene promoter is a probably means in radiogenetic therapy. The article review studying on Egr-1 gene promoter and constructing regulating gene expressing system by radiation-inducible Egr-1 gene promoter. (authors)

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni: A Natural Alternative for Treating Diseases Associated with Metabolic Syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Carrera-Lanestosa, Areli; Moguel-Ordóñez, Yolanda; Segura-Campos, Maira

2017-10-01

Stevia rebaudiana (SR) is often used by the food industry due to its steviol glycoside content, which is a suitable calorie-free sweetener. Further, both in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that these glycosides and the extracts from SR have pharmacological and therapeutic properties, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and anticancer. This work reviews the antiobesity, antihyperglycemic, antihypertensive, and antihyperlipidemic effects of the majority of glycosides and aqueous/alcoholic extracts from the leaves, flowers, and roots of the SR. These compounds can serve as a natural and alternative treatment for diseases that are associated with metabolic syndrome, thus contributing to health promotion.

Independent evolution of the sexes promotes amphibian diversification

Science.gov (United States)

De Lisle, Stephen P.; Rowe, Locke

2015-01-01

Classic ecological theory predicts that the evolution of sexual dimorphism constrains diversification by limiting morphospace available for speciation. Alternatively, sexual selection may lead to the evolution of reproductive isolation and increased diversification. We test contrasting predictions of these hypotheses by examining the relationship between sexual dimorphism and diversification in amphibians. Our analysis shows that the evolution of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is associated with increased diversification and speciation, contrary to the ecological theory. Further, this result is unlikely to be explained by traditional sexual selection models because variation in amphibian SSD is unlikely to be driven entirely by sexual selection. We suggest that relaxing a central assumption of classic ecological models—that the sexes share a common adaptive landscape—leads to the alternative hypothesis that independent evolution of the sexes may promote diversification. Once the constraints of sexual conflict are relaxed, the sexes can explore morphospace that would otherwise be inaccessible. Consistent with this novel hypothesis, the evolution of SSD in amphibians is associated with reduced current extinction threat status, and an historical reduction in extinction rate. Our work reconciles conflicting predictions from ecological and evolutionary theory and illustrates that the ability of the sexes to evolve independently is associated with a spectacular vertebrate radiation. PMID:25694616

Radiation promotive concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shebaita, M.K.

1975-01-01

The concept of radiation promotion was proposed in this study. The proposal of this concept was dependent upon stimulation in growth weight of survived chicks when fertile eggs were exposed to 60 Co gamma radiation. It was found that female chick (Promotive Sex) responded to this proposal concept rather than the male. Moreover, the dose level of 640 rads was found to be the Promotive Dose. It is important before applying ionizing radiation as a growth promotive to take into consideration whether you want increasing egg or meat production, as meat promotion in layers breed is bound to decrease egg production. (orig.) [de

Heteropoly acid promoted V2O5/TiO2 catalysts for NO abatement with ammonia in alkali containing flue gases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Putluru, Siva Sankar Reddy; Jensen, Anker Degn; Riisager, Anders

2011-01-01

V2O5/TiO2 and heteropoly acid promoted V2O5/TiO2 catalysts were prepared and characterized by N2 physisorption, XRPD and NH3-TPD. The influence of the calcination temperature from 400 to 700 1C on crystallinity and acidic properties was studied and compared with the activity for the selective...... catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with ammonia. The SCR activity of heteropoly acid promoted catalysts was found to be much higher than for unpromoted catalysts. The stability of heteropoly acid promoted catalysts is dependent on calcination temperature and there is a gradual decrease in SCR activity...... and acidity with increase in calcination temperatures. Furthermore, the heteropoly acid promoted V2O5/TiO2 catalysts showed excellent alkali deactivation resistance and might therefore be alternative deNOx catalysts in biomass fired power plants....

Promoting Health in Early Childhood Environments: A Health-Promotion Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Minniss, Fiona Rowe; Wardrope, Cheryl; Johnston, Donni; Kendall, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

This paper investigates the mechanisms by which a health-promotion intervention might influence the health-promoting behaviours of staff members working in early childhood centres. The intervention was an ecological health-promotion initiative that was implemented within four early childhood centres in South-East Queensland, Australia. In-depth,…

Multi-protein delivery by nanodiamonds promotes bone formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, L; Gatica, M; Kim, H; Osawa, E; Ho, D

2013-11-01

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are well-studied regulators of cartilage and bone development that have been Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for the promotion of bone formation in certain procedures. BMPs are seeing more use in oral and maxillofacial surgeries because of recent FDA approval of InFUSE(®) for sinus augmentation and localized alveolar ridge augmentation. However, the utility of BMPs in medical and dental applications is limited by the delivery method. Currently, BMPs are delivered to the surgical site by the implantation of bulky collagen sponges. Here we evaluate the potential of detonation nanodiamonds (NDs) as a delivery vehicle for BMP-2 and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Nanodiamonds are biocompatible, 4- to 5-nm carbon nanoparticles that have previously been used to deliver a wide variety of molecules, including proteins and peptides. We find that both BMP-2 and bFGF are readily loaded onto NDs by physisorption, forming a stable colloidal solution, and are triggered to release in slightly acidic conditions. Simultaneous delivery of BMP-2 and bFGF by ND induces differentiation and proliferation in osteoblast progenitor cells. Overall, we find that NDs provide an effective injectable alternative for the delivery of BMP-2 and bFGF to promote bone formation.

Long-term Impact of Prevention Programs to Promote Effective Parenting: Lasting Effects but Uncertain Processes

OpenAIRE

Sandler, Irwin; Schoenfelder, Erin; Wolchik, Sharlene; MacKinnon, David

2011-01-01

This chapter reviews findings from 46 randomized experimental trials of preventive parenting interventions. The findings of these trials provide evidence of effects to prevent a wide range of problem outcomes and to promote competencies from one to twenty years later. However, there is a paucity of evidence concerning the processes that account for program effects. Three alternative pathways are proposed as a framework for future research on the long-term effects of preventive parenting progr...

Facilitating Teamwork in the Design Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bang, Anne Louise; Nissen, Kirsten

2009-01-01

By approaching the Repertory Grid as an exploratory design game and drawing on insight in diagrammatic reasoning we argue that this approach is useful in supporting team work in the design process. In this paper we draw on two courses inviting textile design students to contribute to the developm...

What do Polish and Dutch consumers think about dried fruit and products with them - creaiwe group discussions as a means of recognittion consumers'perception

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jesionkowska, K.; Konopacka, D.; P¿ocharski, W.; Sijtsema, S.J.; Zimmermann, K.L.

2007-01-01

The main aim of the study was to get insight into consumers' perception towards dried fruit and products with them, thus the exploratory study designed as a group discussion took place. While group discussions association (as one of the projective technique) and Kelly repertory grid were used to

Silence, blame and AIDS conspiracy theories among the Xhosa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Conspiratorial expressions about the origins of HIV/AIDS have been recognised as an outcome of the AIDS epidemic in South Africa. This article examines the reasons behind AIDS conspiracy theories, which include a reoccurring repertory of themes, motifs and characters. In these expressions, the malevolent antagonist is ...

Music Objectives for Choral Festivals.

Science.gov (United States)

Barresi, Anthony L.

1979-01-01

Five goals are suggested for making a choral festival benefit participants musically: (1) meet the specific musical needs of the students; (2) expose students to a guest conductor; (3) acquaint students with a challenging repertory; (4) develop performance techniques; and (5) introduce teacher-conductors to rehearsal techniques. (Author/SJL)

Kwalitatief onderzoek naar werkomgeving en productiviteit : het Nieuwe Werken een sprookje?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lechner, Stefan

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the work environment on produc-tivity and the mediating effect of the ability to communicate and concentrate on work (CoCon), and to contribute to the repertory of qualitative methods and techniques. Qualitative methods in Facility Management

Prevention of adenosine A2A receptor activation diminishes beat-to-beat alternation in human atrial myocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Molina, Cristina E; Llach, Anna; Herraiz-Martínez, Adela; Tarifa, Carmen; Barriga, Montserrat; Wiegerinck, Rob F; Fernandes, Jacqueline; Cabello, Nuria; Vallmitjana, Alex; Benitéz, Raúl; Montiel, José; Cinca, Juan; Hove-Madsen, Leif

2016-01-01

Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been associated with increased spontaneous calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and linked to increased adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) expression and activation. Here we tested whether this may favor atrial arrhythmogenesis by promoting beat-to-beat alternation and irregularity. Patch-clamp and confocal calcium imaging was used to measure the beat-to-beat response of the calcium current and transient in human atrial myocytes. Responses were classified as uniform, alternating or irregular and stimulation of Gs-protein coupled receptors decreased the frequency where a uniform response could be maintained from 1.0 ± 0.1 to 0.6 ± 0.1 Hz; p < 0.01 for beta-adrenergic receptors and from 1.4 ± 0.1 to 0.5 ± 0.1 Hz; p < 0.05 for A2ARs. The latter was linked to increased spontaneous calcium release and after-depolarizations. Moreover, A2AR activation increased the fraction of non-uniformly responding cells in HL-1 myocyte cultures from 19 ± 3 to 51 ± 9 %; p < 0.02, and electrical mapping in perfused porcine atria revealed that adenosine induced electrical alternans at longer cycle lengths, doubled the fraction of electrodes showing alternation, and increased the amplitude of alternations. Importantly, protein kinase A inhibition increased the highest frequency where uniform responses could be maintained from 0.84 ± 0.12 to 1.86 ± 0.11 Hz; p < 0.001 and prevention of A2AR-activation with exogenous adenosine deaminase selectively increased the threshold from 0.8 ± 0.1 to 1.2 ± 0.1 Hz; p = 0.001 in myocytes from patients with AF. In conclusion, A2AR-activation promotes beat-to-beat irregularities in the calcium transient in human atrial myocytes, and prevention of A2AR activation may be a novel means to maintain uniform beat-to-beat responses at higher beating frequencies in patients with atrial fibrillation.

The Political Construction of Alternative Dispute Resolution and Alternatives to Incarceration.

Science.gov (United States)

Palumbo, Dennis J.; And Others

1994-01-01

This discussion of evaluations of mediation programs at seven sites and of shock incarceration and home arrest focuses on the similarities in the interpretations of alternative dispute-resolution programs to interpretations of alternatives to incarceration programs. The political construction of the two approaches, which are both designed to…

Modular Energy Storage System for Alternative Energy Vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomas, Janice [Magna Electronics Inc., Auburn Hills, MI (United States); Ervin, Frank [Magna Electronics Inc., Auburn Hills, MI (United States)

2012-05-15

An electrical vehicle environment was established to promote research and technology development in the area of high power energy management. The project incorporates a topology that permits parallel development of an alternative energy delivery system and an energy storage system. The objective of the project is to develop technologies, specifically power electronics, energy storage electronics and controls that provide efficient and effective energy management between electrically powered devices in alternative energy vehicles plugin electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, range extended vehicles, and hydrogen-based fuel cell vehicles. In order to meet the project objectives, the Vehicle Energy Management System (VEMS) was defined and subsystem requirements were obtained. Afterwards, power electronics, energy storage electronics and controls were designed. Finally, these subsystems were built, tested individually, and integrated into an electric vehicle system to evaluate and optimize the subsystems performance. Phase 1 of the program established the fundamental test bed to support development of an electrical environment ideal for fuel cell application and the mitigation of many shortcomings of current fuel cell technology. Phase 2, continued development from Phase 1, focusing on implementing subsystem requirements, design and construction of the energy management subsystem, and the integration of this subsystem into the surrogate electric vehicle. Phase 2 also required the development of an Alternative Energy System (AES) capable of emulating electrical characteristics of fuel cells, battery, gen set, etc. Under the scope of the project, a boost converter that couples the alternate energy delivery system to the energy storage system was developed, constructed and tested. Modeling tools were utilized during the design process to optimize both component and system design. This model driven design process enabled an iterative process to track and evaluate the impact

Novel P2 promoter-derived HNF4α isoforms with different N-terminus generated by alternate exon insertion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Jianmin; Levitsky, Lynne L.; Rhoads, David B.

2009-01-01

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) is a critical transcription factor for pancreas and liver development and functions in islet β cells to maintain glucose homeostasis. Mutations in the human HNF4A gene lead to maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY1) and polymorphisms are associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Expression of six HNF4α variants, three each from two developmentally regulated promoters, has been firmly established. We have now detected a new set of HNF4α variants designated HNF4α10-12 expressed from distal promoter P2. These variants, generated by inclusion of previously undetected exon 1E (human = 222 nt, rodent = 136 nt) following exon 1D have an altered N-terminus but identical remaining reading frame. HNF4α10-α12 are expressed in pancreatic islets (and liver) and exhibit transactivation potentials similar to the corresponding α7-α9 isoforms. DNA-binding analyses implied much higher protein levels of HNF4α10-α12 in liver than expected from the RT-PCR data. Our results provide evidence for a more complex expression pattern of HNF4α than previously appreciated. We recommend inclusion of exon 1E and nearby DNA sequences in screening for HNF4α mutations and polymorphisms in genetic analyses of MODY1 and T2DM.

Novel P2 promoter-derived HNF4{alpha} isoforms with different N-terminus generated by alternate exon insertion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Jianmin, E-mail: jmhuang@partners.org [Pediatric Endocrine Unit, MassGeneral Hospital for Children and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02114-2696 (United States); Levitsky, Lynne L. [Pediatric Endocrine Unit, MassGeneral Hospital for Children and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02114-2696 (United States); Rhoads, David B., E-mail: rhoads@helix.mgh.harvard.edu [Pediatric Endocrine Unit, MassGeneral Hospital for Children and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02114-2696 (United States)

2009-04-15

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4{alpha} (HNF4{alpha}) is a critical transcription factor for pancreas and liver development and functions in islet {beta} cells to maintain glucose homeostasis. Mutations in the human HNF4A gene lead to maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY1) and polymorphisms are associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Expression of six HNF4{alpha} variants, three each from two developmentally regulated promoters, has been firmly established. We have now detected a new set of HNF4{alpha} variants designated HNF4{alpha}10-12 expressed from distal promoter P2. These variants, generated by inclusion of previously undetected exon 1E (human = 222 nt, rodent = 136 nt) following exon 1D have an altered N-terminus but identical remaining reading frame. HNF4{alpha}10-{alpha}12 are expressed in pancreatic islets (and liver) and exhibit transactivation potentials similar to the corresponding {alpha}7-{alpha}9 isoforms. DNA-binding analyses implied much higher protein levels of HNF4{alpha}10-{alpha}12 in liver than expected from the RT-PCR data. Our results provide evidence for a more complex expression pattern of HNF4{alpha} than previously appreciated. We recommend inclusion of exon 1E and nearby DNA sequences in screening for HNF4{alpha} mutations and polymorphisms in genetic analyses of MODY1 and T2DM.

Le bioraffinage, une alternative prometteuse à la pétrochimie

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurent, P.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Biorefining, a promising alternative to petrochemistry. Because of the price increase of fossil resources, of their uncertain availability and because of environmental concerns, alternative solutions able to mitigate global warming, and reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and carbon dioxide emissions should be promoted. The replacement of petroleum with biomass as raw material for bioenergy (biofuels, power and heat and chemical production is an interesting option and is the driving force for the development of biorefinery complexes that will have a critical role to play in our common future. A biorefinery is a facility that integrates biomass conversion processes and equipment to produce fuels, power, heat and chemicals from biomass. In biorefinery, almost all types of biomass feedstocks can be converted to different classes of biofuels and biochemicals through various processes that maximize economic and environmental benefits, while minimizing waste and pollution. Through the integration of green chemistry into biorefineries, and the use of low environmental impact technologies, future sustainable production chains of biofuels and high value chemicals from biomass can therefore be established. Currently, the green biorefinery, the whole-crop biorefinery, the oilseed biorefinery and the lignocellulosic feedstock biorefinery are favoured in research, development and industrial implementation, essentially through fully integrated biorefinery complexes.

Promoting preschool reading

OpenAIRE

Istenič, Vesna

2013-01-01

The thesis titled Promoting preschool reading consists of a theoretiral and an empirical part. In the theoretical part I wrote about reading, the importance of reading, types of reading, about reading motivation, promoting reading motivation, internal and external motivation, influence of reading motivation on the child's reading activity, reading and familial literacy, the role of adults in promotion reading literacy, reading to a child and promoting reading in pre-school years, where I ...

Catalysis for alternative energy generation

CERN Document Server

2012-01-01

Summarizes recent problems in using catalysts in alternative energy generation and proposes novel solutions  Reconsiders the role of catalysis in alternative energy generation  Contributors include catalysis and alternative energy experts from across the globe

The helicase domain of Polθ counteracts RPA to promote alt-NHEJ.

Science.gov (United States)

Mateos-Gomez, Pedro A; Kent, Tatiana; Deng, Sarah K; McDevitt, Shane; Kashkina, Ekaterina; Hoang, Trung M; Pomerantz, Richard T; Sfeir, Agnel

2017-12-01

Mammalian polymerase theta (Polθ) is a multifunctional enzyme that promotes error-prone DNA repair by alternative nonhomologous end joining (alt-NHEJ). Here we present structure-function analyses that reveal that, in addition to the polymerase domain, Polθ-helicase activity plays a central role during double-strand break (DSB) repair. Our results show that the helicase domain promotes chromosomal translocations by alt-NHEJ in mouse embryonic stem cells and also suppresses CRISPR-Cas9- mediated gene targeting by homologous recombination (HR). In vitro assays demonstrate that Polθ-helicase activity facilitates the removal of RPA from resected DSBs to allow their annealing and subsequent joining by alt-NHEJ. Consistent with an antagonistic role for RPA during alt-NHEJ, inhibition of RPA1 enhances end joining and suppresses recombination. Taken together, our results reveal that the balance between HR and alt-NHEJ is controlled by opposing activities of Polθ and RPA, providing further insight into the regulation of repair-pathway choice in mammalian cells.

Compensated pulsed alternator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weldon, W.F.; Driga, M.D.; Woodson, H.H.

1980-01-01

This invention relates to an electromechanical energy converter with inertial energy storage. The device, a single phase, two or multi-pole alternator with stationary field coils, and a rotating armature is provided. The rotor itself may be of laminated steel for slower pulses or for faster pulses should be nonmagnetic and electrically nonconductive in order to allow rapid penetration of the field as the armature coil rotates. The armature coil comprises a plurality of power generating conductors mounted on the rotor. The alternator may also include a stationary or counterrotating compensating coil to increase the output voltage thereof and to reduce the internal impedance of the alternator at the moment of peak output. As the machine voltage rises sinusoidally, an external trigger switch is adapted to be closed at the appropriate time to create the desired output current from said alternator to an external load circuit, and as the output current passes through zero a self-commutating effect is provided to allow the switch to disconnect the generator from the external circuit

Alternative additives; Alternative additiver

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2007-08-15

In this project a number of industrial and agricultural waste products have been characterised and evaluated in terms of alkali-getter performance. The intended use is for biomass-fired power stations aiming at reducing corrosion or slagging related problems. The following products have been obtained, characterised and evaluated: 1) Brewery draff 2) Danish de-gassed manure 3) Paper sludge 4) Moulding sand 5) Spent bleaching earth 6) Anorthosite 7) Sand 8) Clay-sludge. Most of the above alternative additive candidates are deemed unsuitable due to insufficient chemical effect and/or expensive requirements for pre-treatment (such as drying and transportation). 3 products were selected for full-scale testing: de-gassed manure, spent bleaching earth and clay slugde. The full scale tests were undertaken at the biomass-fired power stations in Koege, Slagelse and Ensted. Spent bleaching earth (SBE) and clay sludge were the only tested additive candidates that had a proven ability to react with KCl, to thereby reduce Cl-concentrations in deposits, and reduce the deposit flux to superheater tubes. Their performance was shown to nearly as good as commercial additives. De-gassed manure, however, did not evaluate positively due to inhibiting effects of Ca in the manure. Furthermore, de-gassed manure has a high concentration of heavy metals, which imposes a financial burden with regard to proper disposal of the ash by-products. Clay-sludge is a wet clay slurring, and drying and transportation of this product entails substantial costs. Spent bleaching does not require much pre-treatment and is therefore the most promising alternative additive. On the other hand, bleaching earth contains residual plant oil which means that a range of legislation relating to waste combustion comes into play. Not least a waste combustion fee of 330 DKK/tonne. For all alternative (and commercial) additives disposal costs of the increase ash by-products represents a significant cost. This is

Assessing Health Promotion Interventions: Limitations of Traditional Research Methods in Community-Based Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Dressel, Anne; Schneider, Robert; DeNomie, Melissa; Kusch, Jennifer; Welch, Whitney; Sosa, Mirtha; Yeldell, Sally; Maida, Tatiana; Wineberg, Jessica; Holt, Keith; Bernstein, Rebecca

2017-09-01

Most low-income Americans fail to meet physical activity recommendations. Inactivity and poor diet contribute to obesity, a risk factor for multiple chronic diseases. Health promotion activities have the potential to improve health outcomes for low-income populations. Measuring the effectiveness of these activities, however, can be challenging in community settings. A "Biking for Health" study tested the impact of a bicycling intervention on overweight or obese low-income Latino and African American adults to reduce barriers to cycling and increase physical activity and fitness. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in summer 2015. A 12-week bicycling intervention was implemented at two sites with low-income, overweight, or obese Latino and African American adults. We found that randomized controlled trial methodology was suboptimal for use in this small pilot study and that it negatively affected participation. More discussion is needed about the effectiveness of using traditional research methods in community settings to assess the effectiveness of health promotion interventions. Modifications or alternative methods may yield better results. The aim of this article is to discuss the effectiveness and feasibility of using traditional research methods to assess health promotion interventions in community-based settings.

Mechanistic insight into oxide-promoted palladium catalysts for the electro-oxidation of ethanol.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez, Ulises; Serov, Alexey; Padilla, Monica; Atanassov, Plamen

2014-08-01

Recent advancements in the development of alternatives to proton exchange membrane fuel cells utilizing less-expensive catalysts and renewable liquid fuels, such as alcohols, has been observed for alkaline fuel cell systems. Alcohol fuels present the advantage of not facing the challenge of storage and transportation encountered with hydrogen fuel. Oxidation of alcohols has been improved by the promotion of alloyed or secondary phases. Nevertheless, currently, there is no experimental understanding of the difference between an intrinsic and a synergistic promotion effect in high-pH environments. This report shows evidence of different types of promotion effects on palladium electrocatalysts obtained from the presence of an oxide phase for the oxidation of ethanol. The correlation of mechanistic in situ IR spectroscopic studies with electrochemical voltammetry studies on two similar electrocatalytic systems allow the role of either an alloyed or a secondary phase on the mechanism of oxidation of ethanol to be elucidated. Evidence is presented for the difference between an intrinsic effect obtained from an alloyed system and a synergistic effect produced by the presence of an oxide phase. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Alternative Solutions to the Agency Conflict in the Firm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Xin

Agency theory is concerned about the conflict of interests in the employer-employee relations. But the theory is framed purely from the perspective of the principal (i.e., the owners or stockholders of the firm), without taking into consideration of the perspective of the agent (e.g., managers...... a promotion mindset in contrast to the prevention mindset in the agency theory and the conventional mechanisms. We argue, to facilitate and internalize some (if not all) aspirations of their employees, the firms will not only gain talents-based competitive advantages but become truly humanistic organizations...... or employees), the conventional mechanism, i.e., monitoring and bonding, though useful, are not always effective and efficient for motivating employees. In this paper, we propose two alternative solutions to the agency conflict problem, i.e., aspiration facilitation and aspiration internalization, that adopts...

Promoting renewable energy sources for heating and cooling in EU-27 countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cansino, Jose M.; Pablo-Romero, Maria del P.; Roman, Rocio; Yniguez, Rocio

2011-01-01

In addition to public policies aimed at improving the energy efficiency of buildings, EU authorities have also promoted the use of Renewable Energy Sources for heating and cooling uses (RES H and C). This paper analyses the main policy measures implemented in EU-27 countries up to 2009: i.e. subsidies, tax incentives, financial support and feed-in tariffs. Twenty-three Member States (MSs) have developed some of these policy measures. The most widespread measure is the subsidy (22 MSs have implemented these) because from a political point of view, subsidies provide a straightforward approach to promote the use of RES H and C. Secondly, tax incentives have been used for reducing investment costs and making renewable energy profitable. Thirdly, financial incentives and feed-in tariffs have been used sparingly. While financial incentives might be used more extensively for promoting RES H and C if they are accompanied by other policy measures, feed-in tariffs are not likely to be implemented significantly in the future because this measure is not designed for household heat producers. - Highlights: → Main EU policies to reduce energy consumption are focused on buildings' efficiency. → Alternative incentives to promote the use of RES H and C in EU-27 are now studied. → Subsidies are the most widespread measure. → Tax incentives are used for reducing investment costs and making RES profitable. → Financial incentives and feed-in tariffs have been used sparingly.

Review of consumption trends and public policies promoting woody biomass as an energy feedstock in the U.S.

Science.gov (United States)

Francisco X. Aguilar; Nianfu Song; Stephen Shifley

2011-01-01

A review of the four main wood energy sectors in the U.S. was conducted to explore historic trends and the impact of alternative energy prices and public policies on wood energy consumption. High oil prices have triggered the adoption of government regulation and financial incentives to promote greater use of wood energy over the last four decades. However, the amount...

Alternative medicines for AIDS in resource-poor settings: insights from exploratory anthropological studies in Asia and Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Hardon, Anita; Desclaux, Alice; Egrot, Marc; Simon, Emmanuelle; Micollier, Evelyne; Kyakuwa, Margaret

2008-07-10

The emergence of alternative medicines for AIDS in Asia and Africa was discussed at a satellite symposium and the parallel session on alternative and traditional treatments of the AIDSImpact meeting, held in Marseille, in July 2007. These medicines are heterogeneous, both in their presentation and in their geographic and cultural origin. The sessions focused on the role of these medications in selected resource poor settings in Africa and Asia now that access to anti-retroviral therapy is increasing. The aims of the sessions were to (1) identify the actors involved in the diffusion of these alternative medicines for HIV/AIDS, (2) explore uses and forms, and the way these medicines are given legitimacy, (3) reflect on underlying processes of globalisation and cultural differentiation, and (4) define priority questions for future research in this area. This article presents the insights generated at the meeting, illustrated with some findings from the case studies (Uganda, Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso, China and Indonesia) that were presented. These case studies reveal the wide range of actors who are involved in the marketing and supply of alternative medicines. Regulatory mechanisms are weak. The efficacy claims of alternative medicines often reinforce a biomedical paradigm for HIV/AIDS, and fit with a healthy living ideology promoted by AIDS care programs and support groups. The AIDSImpact session concluded that more interdisciplinary research is needed on the experience of people living with HIV/AIDS with these alternative medicines, and on the ways in which these products interact (or not) with anti-retroviral therapy at pharmacological as well as psychosocial levels.

A Novel Collection of snRNA-Like Promoters with Tissue-Specific Transcription Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aldo Pagano

2012-09-01

Full Text Available We recently identified a novel dataset of snRNA-like trascriptional units in the human genome. The investigation of a subset of these elements showed that they play relevant roles in physiology and/or pathology. In this work we expand our collection of small RNAs taking advantage of a newly developed algorithm able to identify genome sequence stretches with RNA polymerase (pol III type 3 promoter features thus constituting putative pol III binding sites. The bioinformatic analysis of a subset of these elements that map in introns of protein-coding genes in antisense configuration suggest their association with alternative splicing, similarly to other recently characterized small RNAs. Interestingly, the analysis of the transcriptional activity of these novel promoters shows that they are active in a cell-type specific manner, in accordance with the emerging body of evidence of a tissue/cell-specific activity of pol III.

Single amino acid changes in the 6K1-CI region can promote the alternative adaptation of Prunus- and Nicotiana-propagated Plum pox virus C isolates to either host.

Science.gov (United States)

Calvo, María; Malinowski, Tadeusz; García, Juan Antonio

2014-02-01

Plum pox virus (PPV) C is one of the less common PPV strains and specifically infects cherry trees in nature. Making use of two PPV-C isolates that display different pathogenicity features, i.e., SwCMp, which had been adapted to Nicotiana species, and BY101, which had been isolated from cherry rootstock L2 (Prunus lannesiana) and propagated only in cherry species, we have generated two infective full-length cDNA clones in order to determine which viral factors are involved in the adaptation to each host. According to our results, the C-P3(PIPO)/6K1/N-CI (cylindrical inclusion) region contains overlapping but not coincident viral determinants involved in symptoms development, local viral amplification, and systemic movement capacity. Amino acid changes in this region promoting the adaptation to N. benthamiana or P. avium have trade-off effects in the alternative host. In both cases, adaptation can be achieved through single amino acid changes in the NIapro protease recognition motif between 6K1 and CI or in nearby sequences. Thus, we hypothesize that the potyvirus polyprotein processing could depend on specific host factors and the adaptation of PPV-C isolates to particular hosts relies on a fine regulation of the proteolytic cleavage of the 6K1-CI junction.

Transcriptome sequencing revealed significant alteration of cortical promoter usage and splicing in schizophrenia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Qin Wu

Full Text Available While hybridization based analysis of the cortical transcriptome has provided important insight into the neuropathology of schizophrenia, it represents a restricted view of disease-associated gene activity based on predetermined probes. By contrast, sequencing technology can provide un-biased analysis of transcription at nucleotide resolution. Here we use this approach to investigate schizophrenia-associated cortical gene expression.The data was generated from 76 bp reads of RNA-Seq, aligned to the reference genome and assembled into transcripts for quantification of exons, splice variants and alternative promoters in postmortem superior temporal gyrus (STG/BA22 from 9 male subjects with schizophrenia and 9 matched non-psychiatric controls. Differentially expressed genes were then subjected to further sequence and functional group analysis. The output, amounting to more than 38 Gb of sequence, revealed significant alteration of gene expression including many previously shown to be associated with schizophrenia. Gene ontology enrichment analysis followed by functional map construction identified three functional clusters highly relevant to schizophrenia including neurotransmission related functions, synaptic vesicle trafficking, and neural development. Significantly, more than 2000 genes displayed schizophrenia-associated alternative promoter usage and more than 1000 genes showed differential splicing (FDR<0.05. Both types of transcriptional isoforms were exemplified by reads aligned to the neurodevelopmentally significant doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1 gene.This study provided the first deep and un-biased analysis of schizophrenia-associated transcriptional diversity within the STG, and revealed variants with important implications for the complex pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Traffic-related air pollution and health co-benefits of alternative transport in Adelaide, South Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Ting; Nitschke, Monika; Zhang, Ying; Shah, Pushan; Crabb, Shona; Hansen, Alana

2015-01-01

Motor vehicle emissions contribute nearly a quarter of the world's energy-related greenhouse gases and cause non-negligible air pollution, primarily in urban areas. Changing people's travel behaviour towards alternative transport is an efficient approach to mitigate harmful environmental impacts caused by a large number of vehicles. Such a strategy also provides an opportunity to gain health co-benefits of improved air quality and enhanced physical activities. This study aimed at quantifying co-benefit effects of alternative transport use in Adelaide, South Australia. We made projections for a business-as-usual scenario for 2030 with alternative transport scenarios. Separate models including air pollution models and comparative risk assessment health models were developed to link alternative transport scenarios with possible environmental and health benefits. In the study region with an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2030, by shifting 40% of vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) by passenger vehicles to alternative transport, annual average urban PM2.5 would decline by approximately 0.4μg/m(3) compared to business-as-usual, resulting in net health benefits of an estimated 13deaths/year prevented and 118 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) prevented per year due to improved air quality. Further health benefits would be obtained from improved physical fitness through active transport (508deaths/year prevented, 6569DALYs/year prevented), and changes in traffic injuries (21 deaths and, 960 DALYs prevented). Although uncertainties remain, our findings suggest that significant environmental and health benefits are possible if alternative transport replaces even a relatively small portion of car trips. The results may provide assistance to various government organisations and relevant service providers and promote collaboration in policy-making, city planning and infrastructure establishment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alleviation of salt stress by halotolerant and halophilic plant growth-promoting bacteria in wheat (Triticum aestivum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Furkan Orhan

Full Text Available ABSTRACT In the current study, 18 halotolerant and halophilic bacteria have been investigated for their plant growth promoting abilities in vitro and in a hydroponic culture. The bacterial strains have been investigated for ammonia, indole-3-acetic acid and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate-deaminase production, phosphate solubilisation and nitrogen fixation activities. Of the tested bacteria, eight were inoculated with Triticum aestivum in a hydroponic culture. The investigated bacterial strains were found to have different plant-growth promoting activities in vitro. Under salt stress (200 mM NaCl, the investigated bacterial strains significantly increased the root and shoot length and total fresh weight of the plants. The growth rates of the plants inoculated with bacterial strains ranged from 62.2% to 78.1%.Identifying of novel halophilic and halotolerant bacteria that promote plant growth can be used as alternatives for salt sensitive plants. Extensive research has been conducted on several halophilic and halotolerant bacterial strains to investigate their plant growth promoting activities. However, to the best of my knowledge, this is the first study to inoculate these bacterial strains with wheat.

Alleviation of salt stress by halotolerant and halophilic plant growth-promoting bacteria in wheat (Triticum aestivum).

Science.gov (United States)

Orhan, Furkan

2016-01-01

In the current study, 18 halotolerant and halophilic bacteria have been investigated for their plant growth promoting abilities in vitro and in a hydroponic culture. The bacterial strains have been investigated for ammonia, indole-3-acetic acid and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate-deaminase production, phosphate solubilisation and nitrogen fixation activities. Of the tested bacteria, eight were inoculated with Triticum aestivum in a hydroponic culture. The investigated bacterial strains were found to have different plant-growth promoting activities in vitro. Under salt stress (200mM NaCl), the investigated bacterial strains significantly increased the root and shoot length and total fresh weight of the plants. The growth rates of the plants inoculated with bacterial strains ranged from 62.2% to 78.1%. Identifying of novel halophilic and halotolerant bacteria that promote plant growth can be used as alternatives for salt sensitive plants. Extensive research has been conducted on several halophilic and halotolerant bacterial strains to investigate their plant growth promoting activities. However, to the best of my knowledge, this is the first study to inoculate these bacterial strains with wheat. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Effect of plant growth-promoting bacteria on the growth and fructan production of Agave americana L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neyser De La Torre-Ruiz

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The effect of plant growth-promoting bacteria inoculation on plant growth and the sugar content in Agave americana was assessed. The bacterial strains ACO-34A, ACO-40, and ACO-140, isolated from the A. americana rhizosphere, were selected for this study to evaluate their phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. The three bacterial strains were evaluated via plant inoculation assays, and Azospirillum brasilense Cd served as a control strain. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene showed that strains ACO-34A, ACO-40 and ACO-140 were Rhizobium daejeonense, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and Pseudomonas mosselii, respectively. All of the strains were able to synthesize indole-3-acetic acid (IAA, solubilize phosphate, and had nitrogenase activity. Inoculation using the plant growth-promoting bacteria strains had a significant effect (p < 0.05 on plant growth and the sugar content of A. americana, showing that these native plant growth-promoting bacteria are a practical, simple, and efficient alternative to promote the growth of agave plants with proper biological characteristics for agroindustrial and biotechnological use and to increase the sugar content in this agave species.

Alternatively spliced CD44 isoforms containing exon v10 promote cellular adhesion through the recognition of chondroitin sulfate-modified CD44

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chiu, R K; Droll, A; Dougherty, S T; Carpenito, C; Cooper, D L; Dougherty, G J

1999-01-01

Correlations have been noted between the expression of certain alternatively spliced CD44 isoforms and the metastatic propensity of various histologically distinct tumor cell types. The precise mechanism by which particular CD44 isoforms contribute to the metastatic process is, however, unclear. In

"Stage 40" Handbook.

Science.gov (United States)

Mill River Union High School, North Clarendon, VT.

The policies, purposes, and guidelines of "Stage 40," an educational repertory company for students, are presented in this paper, which also explains how the company functions. The paper discusses the company's history, the relationship between the company and academics, and the responsibilities of a company member. Letters by the board…

Fabrics in Function

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bang, Anne Louise

2007-01-01

sensing of fabrics in function. It is proposed that tactile and visual sensing of fabrics is a way to investigate and express emotional utility values. The further purpose is to use experiments with repertory grid models as part of the mapping of the entire research project and also as a basis...

Homeopathic drug selection using Intuitionistic fuzzy sets.

Science.gov (United States)

Kharal, Athar

2009-01-01

Using intuitionistic fuzzy set theory, Sanchez's approach to medical diagnosis has been applied to the problem of selection of single remedy from homeopathic repertorization. Two types of Intuitionistic Fuzzy Relations (IFRs) and three types of selection indices are discussed. I also propose a new repertory exploiting the benefits of soft-intelligence.

Construing Systems of Management among Primary Headteachers: Moving Forward from Work Activity Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Norah; Connolly, Michael

2001-01-01

A study used a Personal Construct Theory/Repertory Grid approach to examine the work of 12 Welsh primary headteachers. Analysis of thematic work-activity grids suggests principals have a more coherent view of their work (as centered on children and education) than Henry Mintzberg's observational studies portrayed. (Contains 36 references.) (MLH)

The sunless study: a beach randomized trial of a skin cancer prevention intervention promoting sunless tanning.

Science.gov (United States)

Pagoto, Sherry L; Schneider, Kristin L; Oleski, Jessica; Bodenlos, Jamie S; Ma, Yunsheng

2010-09-01

To examine the impact of a skin cancer prevention intervention that promoted sunless tanning as a substitute for sunbathing. Randomized controlled trial. Public beaches in Massachusetts. Women (N = 250) were recruited to participate in the study during their visit to a public beach. Intervention The intervention included motivational messages to use sunless tanning as an alternative to UV tanning, instructions for proper use of sunless tanning products, attractive images of women with sunless tans, a free trial of a sunless tanning product, skin cancer education, and UV imaging. The control participants completed surveys. The primary outcome was sunbathing 2 months and 1 year after the intervention. Secondary outcomes included sunburns, sun protection use, and sunless tanning. At 2 months, intervention participants reduced their sunbathing significantly more than did controls and reported significantly fewer sunburns and greater use of protective clothing. At 1 year, intervention participants reported significant decreases in sunbathing and increases in sunless tanning relative to control participants but no differences in the other outcomes. This intervention, which promoted sunless tanning as an alternative to UV tanning, had a short-term effect on sunbathing, sunburns, and use of protective clothing and a longer-term effect on sunbathing and sunless tanning. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00403377.

FMDP Reactor Alternative Summary Report: Volume 3 - partially complete LWR alternative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greene, S.R.; Fisher, S.E.; Bevard, B.B.

1996-09-01

The Department of Energy Office of Fissile Materials Disposition (DOE/MD) initiated a detailed analysis activity to evaluate each of ten plutonium disposition alternatives that survived an initial screening process. This document, Volume 3 of a four volume report summarizes the results of these analyses for the partially complete LWR (PCLWR) reactor based plutonium disposition alternative

FMDP Reactor Alternative Summary Report: Volume 3 - partially complete LWR alternative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greene, S.R.; Fisher, S.E.; Bevard, B.B. [and others

1996-09-01

The Department of Energy Office of Fissile Materials Disposition (DOE/MD) initiated a detailed analysis activity to evaluate each of ten plutonium disposition alternatives that survived an initial screening process. This document, Volume 3 of a four volume report summarizes the results of these analyses for the partially complete LWR (PCLWR) reactor based plutonium disposition alternative.

Streamlining Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure Procedures to Promote Early-Career Faculty Success.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Shannon B; Hollerbach, Ann; Donato, Annemarie Sipkes; Edlund, Barbara J; Atz, Teresa; Kelechi, Teresa J

2016-01-01

A critical component of the progression of a successful academic career is being promoted in rank. Early-career faculty are required to have an understanding of appointment, promotion, and tenure (APT) guidelines, but many factors often impede this understanding, thwarting a smooth and planned promotion pathway for professional advancement. This article outlines the steps taken by an APT committee to improve the promotion process from instructor to assistant professor. Six sigma's DMAIC improvement model was selected as the guiding operational framework to remove variation in the promotion process. After faculty handbook revisions were made, several checklists developed, and a process review rubric was implemented; recently promoted faculty were surveyed on satisfaction with the process. Faculty opinions captured in the survey suggest increased transparency in the process and perceived support offered by the APT committee. Positive outcomes include a strengthened faculty support framework, streamlined promotion processes, and improved faculty satisfaction. Changes to the APT processes resulted in an unambiguous and standardized pathway for successful promotion. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cosmic alternatives?

Science.gov (United States)

Gregory, Ruth

2009-04-01

"Cosmologists are often in error but never in doubt." This pithy characterization by the Soviet physicist Lev Landau sums up the raison d'être of Facts and Speculations in Cosmology. Authors Jayant Narlikar and Geoffrey Burbidge are proponents of a "steady state" theory of cosmology, and they argue that the cosmological community has become fixated on a "Big Bang" dogma, suppressing alternative viewpoints. This book very much does what it says on the tin: it sets out what is known in cosmology, and puts forward the authors' point of view on an alternative to the Big Bang.

Contribution of promoting the green residence assessment scheme to energy saving

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Zhiyu; Yuan, Hongping; Shen, Liyin

2012-01-01

Green residence development has been one of the important strategies for promoting sustainable urban development. Governments throughout the world have been encouraging property developers to deliver green properties. In line with this development, governments have been implementing various assessment programs to certify green residential buildings with the aim of contributing to sustainable urban development. With reference to the Chinese construction practice, this paper examines the effectiveness of the green residence assessment scheme toward its defined aim through investigating the contents and procedures of the green residence assessment scheme by referring to the practices of Chongqing city in western China. Based on the results of five case studies and five semi-structured interviews, this study reveals the significant contribution from implementing the green residence assessment scheme particularly to energy saving in residential buildings. Further, the green residence assessment scheme promotes the application of green building materials and green construction technologies in the entire process of delivering and operating residential buildings. The findings provide valuable references for further investigating alternative methods to achieve better energy saving in developing residential buildings. - Highlights: ► Energy saving in residence development is important for sustainable urban development. ► Green residence assessment scheme contributes significantly to energy saving in residences. ► Green residence assessment promotes application of environmentally friendly building materials and technologies

Development of an Evidence-Informed Blog to Promote Healthy Eating Among Mothers: Use of the Intervention Mapping Protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Dumas, Audrée-Anne; Lemieux, Simone; Lapointe, Annie; Provencher, Véronique; Robitaille, Julie; Desroches, Sophie

2017-05-19

Low adherence to dietary guidelines and a concurrent rise of obesity-related chronic diseases emphasize the need for effective interventions to promote healthy eating. There is growing recognition that behavior change interventions should draw on theories of behavior change. Online interventions grounded in theory lead to increased effectiveness for health behavior change; however, few theory-driven social media-based health promotion interventions have been described in the literature. The objective of this study was to describe the application of the Intervention Mapping (IM) protocol to develop an evidence-informed blog to promote healthy eating among French-Canadian mothers of preschool and school-aged children. The following six steps of the IM protocol were performed. In Step 1, a preliminary needs assessment included a literature search on theoretical domains predicting Vegetables and Fruits intakes and Milk and Alternatives intakes in adults (ie, knowledge, beliefs about capabilities, beliefs about consequences, intention/goals) and a qualitative study including focus groups to identify female Internet users' perceptions of their use of healthy eating blogs. In Step 2, two behavioral outcomes were selected (ie, increase daily intakes of Vegetables and Fruits and Milk and Alternatives of mothers to reach Canadian dietary recommendations) and subsequently divided into six performance objectives inspired by national and international dietary recommendations such as planning for healthy meals. A matrix of change objectives was then created by crossing performance objectives with theoretical domains predicting Vegetables and Fruits intakes and Milk and Alternatives intakes in adults. Step 3 consisted of selecting theory-based intervention methods (eg, modeling and goal setting) and translating them into practical applications for the context of a dietary intervention delivered through a blog. A 6-month intervention was developed in Step 4 in which we aimed to

A framework for an alternatives assessment dashboard for evaluating chemical alternatives applied to flame retardants for electronic applications

Science.gov (United States)

The goal of alternatives assessment (AA) is to facilitate a comparison of alternatives to a chemical of concern, resulting in the identification of safer alternatives. A two-stage methodology for comparing chemical alternatives was developed. In the first stage, alternatives are ...

The post-opium scenario and rubber in northern Laos: Alternative Western and Chinese models of development.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Paul T

2009-09-01

In the past few years rubber planting has spread rapidly throughout northern Laos, especially in Luang Namtha province that borders China. The impetus for this boom has come partly from the spiralling demand for rubber in China (now the world's largest rubber consumer), the high world prices for rubber, and China's promotion of overseas investment through its opium-replacement policy. These economic factors have converged with the desperate need of impoverished highlanders in northern Laos to replace opium as a cash crop as a consequence of a recent opium-eradication campaign and inadequate alternative development. This paper draws upon ethnographic and agro-economic research in northern Laos and neighbouring regions and reports of international development organisations operating in Laos. The rubber boom in northern Laos represents a fundamental clash between Western drug-oriented alternative development, on the one hand, and China's national economic strategies abroad and investment-led narcotics policy, on the other. China's opium-replacement policy has contributed to a type of unregulated frontier capitalism with socio-economic and environmental effects that threaten the principles and goals of alternative development and even to marginalise the role international development organisations in northern Laos.

Promoter2.0: for the recognition of PolII promoter sequences

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Steen; Knudsen, Steen

1999-01-01

transcription start sites. On standardized test setsconsisting of human genomic DNA, the performance of Promoter2.0 compares well with other softwaredeveloped for the same purpose. Availability : Promoter2.0 is available as a Web server at http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/promoter/ Contact : steen@cbs.dtu.dk...

Health-promoting schools

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kwan, Stella Y L; Petersen, Poul Erik; Pine, Cynthia M

2005-01-01

Schools provide an important setting for promoting health, as they reach over 1 billion children worldwide and, through them, the school staff, families and the community as a whole. Health promotion messages can be reinforced throughout the most influential stages of children's lives, enabling...... them to develop lifelong sustainable attitudes and skills. Poor oral health can have a detrimental effect on children's quality of life, their performance at school and their success in later life. This paper examines the global need for promoting oral health through schools. The WHO Global School...... Health Initiative and the potential for setting up oral health programmes in schools using the health-promoting school framework are discussed. The challenges faced in promoting oral health in schools in both developed and developing countries are highlighted. The importance of using a validated...

The impact of measures to promote equity in the secondary education certificate examinations in Malta : an evaluation

OpenAIRE

Ventura, Frank; Murphy, Roger

1998-01-01

When the national Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) examination system was established in Malta in 1994 as an alternative to the General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (GCE O-Level) offered by English examination boards, the opportunity was taken to promote equity among candidates of different attainment levels, gender and social backgrounds. The measures included the setting of examination papers at different levels; the introduction of an element of school-bas...

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Science.gov (United States)

... for Educators Search English Español Complementary and Alternative Medicine KidsHealth / For Teens / Complementary and Alternative Medicine What's ... a replacement. How Is CAM Different From Conventional Medicine? Conventional medicine is based on scientific knowledge of ...

[Alternative approaches in thyroid surgery].

Science.gov (United States)

Maurer, E; Wächter, S; Bartsch, D K

2017-08-01

In thyroid surgery multiple different cervical minimally invasive (partly endoscopically assisted) and extracervical endoscopic (partly robot-assisted) approaches have been developed in the last 20 years. The aim of all these alternative approaches to the thyroid gland is optimization of the cosmetic result. The indications for the use of alternative and conventional approaches are principally the same. Important requirements for the use of alternative methods are nevertheless a broad experience in conventional thyroid operations of the thyroid and adequate patient selection under consideration of the size of the thyroid and the underlying pathology. Contraindications for the use of alternative approaches are a large size of the thyroid gland including local symptoms, advanced carcinomas, reoperations and previous radiations of the anterior neck. The current article gives an overview of the clinically implemented alternative approaches for thyroid surgery. Of those the majority must still be considered as experimental. The alternative approaches to the thyroid gland can be divided in cervical minimally invasive, extracervical endosopic (robot-assisted) and transoral operations (natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery, NOTES). Since conventional thyroid operations are standardized procedures with low complication rates, alternative approaches to the thyroid gland are considered critically in Germany. The request for a perfect cosmetic result should not overweigh patients' safety. Only a few alternative approaches (e. g. MIVAT, RAT) can yet be considered as a safe addition in experienced hands in highly selected patients.

Special Section: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM):Quiz on Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Science.gov (United States)

... Special Section CAM Quiz on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Past Issues / Winter 2009 Table of Contents For ... low back pain. True False Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) includes: Meditation Chiropractic Use of natural products, ...

What Is a Promotion?

Science.gov (United States)

Pergamit, Michael R.; Veum, Jonathan R.

1999-01-01

For a sample of young workers, "promotion" involved no change in position or duties; promotion was more likely for males than females and Whites than Blacks or Hispanics. Company training and prior promotions were important predictors. Promotion did not appear to have a direct impact on job satisfaction. (SK)

Aqueous hybrid ion batteries - An environmentally friendly alternative for stationary energy storage?

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Jens F.; Weil, Marcel

2017-10-01

Aqueous hybrid ion batteries (AHIB) are being promoted as an environmentally friendly alternative to existing stationary battery technologies. However, no quantification of their potential environmental impacts has yet been done. This paper presents a prospective life cycle assessment of an AHIB module and compares its performance with lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries in two different stationary energy storage applications. The findings show that the claim of being an environmentally friendly technology can only be supported with some major limitations. While the AHIB uses abundant and non-toxic materials, it has a very low energy density and requires increased amounts of material for providing a given storage capacity. Per kWh of battery, results comparable to those of the alternative lithium- or sodium-ion batteries are obtained, but significantly higher impacts under global warming and ozone depletion aspects. The comparable high cycle life of the AHIB compensates this partially, requiring less battery replacements over the lifetime of the application. On the other hand, its internal inefficiencies are higher, what becomes the dominating factor when charging majorly fossil based electricity, making AHIB unattractive for this type of applications.

Promoter2.0: for the recognition of PolII promoter sequences

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Steen; Knudsen, Steen

1999-01-01

Motivation : A new approach to the prediction of eukaryotic PolII promoters from DNA sequence takesadvantage of a combination of elements similar to neural networks and genetic algorithms to recognize a set ofdiscrete subpatterns with variable separation as one pattern: a promoter. The neural...... of optimization, the algorithm was able todiscriminate between vertebrate promoter and non-promoter sequences in a test set with a correlationcoefficient of 0.63. In addition, all five known transcription start sites on the plus strand of the completeadenovirus genome were within 161 bp of 35 predicted...

Alternative RNA splicing and cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Sali; Cheng, Chonghui

2015-01-01

Alternative splicing of pre-messenger RNA (mRNA) is a fundamental mechanism by which a gene can give rise to multiple distinct mRNA transcripts, yielding protein isoforms with different, even opposing, functions. With the recognition that alternative splicing occurs in nearly all human genes, its relationship with cancer-associated pathways has emerged as a rapidly growing field. In this review, we summarize recent findings that have implicated the critical role of alternative splicing in cancer and discuss current understandings of the mechanisms underlying dysregulated alternative splicing in cancer cells. PMID:23765697

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas

Science.gov (United States)

Natural Gas Printable Version Share this resource Send a link to Alternative Fuels Data Center : Natural Gas to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas on Twitter Bookmark Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas on

Behavioral Talk-Write as a Method for Teaching Technical Editing.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbertsen, Michael; Killingsworth, M. Jimmie

1987-01-01

Presents a process-oriented method for teachers of stylistic editing workshops that allows them to (1) focus on individual students, (2) start with students basic repertory of responses and build from there, (3) work with freely emitted behavior, (4) ensure frequent and brief responses, and (5) achieve desired behavior through sequential steps.…

Cultural Differences and Students' Spontaneous Models of the Water Cycle: A Case Study of Jewish and Bedouin Children in Israel

Science.gov (United States)

Ben-Zvi Assaraf, Orit; Eshach, Haim; Orion, Nir; Alamour, Yousif

2012-01-01

The present research aims at pinpointing differences in spontaneous and non-spontaneous mental models of water cycle conceptions of two 4th grade student groups: the Jewish residents of a small provincial town and a group of students from an indigenous Bedouin community. Students' conceptions were elicited using the Repertory Grid technique as…

A review of nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and ability to communicate the risks and benefits of complementary and alternative medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Hsiao-Yun; Chang, Huai-Lu

2015-06-01

This study reviewed existing literature to investigate how frequently nurses include complementary and alternative forms of medicine in their clinical practice. In so doing, we investigated nurses' knowledge of and attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine as well as their ability to communicate the risks and benefits of these therapies with patients. Little information is available concerning nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine or how they incorporate these therapies into their practice. In addition, little is known about the ability of nurses to communicate the risks and benefits of complementary and alternative medicine to their patients. This study used a scoping review method to map and synthesise existing literature. Both electronic and manual searches were used to identify relevant studies published between January 2007 and January 2014. The review was conducted in five stages: (1) identification of research question(s), (2) locate studies, (3) selection of studies, (4) charting of data, and (5) collating, summarising, and reporting of results. Fifteen papers met the inclusion criteria for this review, among which 53·7% referenced how frequently nurses include complementary and alternative medicine in their practice. We found that 66·4% of nurses had positive attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine; however, 77·4% did not possess a comprehensive understanding of the associated risks and benefits. In addition, nearly half of the respondents (47·3-67·7%) reported feeling uncomfortable discussing complementary and alternative medicine therapies with their patients. The lack of knowledge about complementary and alternative medicine among nurses is a cause for concern, particularly in light of its widespread application. Findings from this study suggest that health care professionals need to promote evidence informed decision-making in complementary and alternative medicine practice

Alternative Fuels in Cement Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Morten Boberg

The substitution of alternative for fossil fuels in cement production has increased significantly in the last decade. Of these new alternative fuels, solid state fuels presently account for the largest part, and in particular, meat and bone meal, plastics and tyre derived fuels (TDF) accounted...... for the most significant alternative fuel energy contributors in the German cement industry. Solid alternative fuels are typically high in volatile content and they may differ significantly in physical and chemical properties compared to traditional solid fossil fuels. From the process point of view......, considering a modern kiln system for cement production, the use of alternative fuels mainly influences 1) kiln process stability (may accelerate build up of blockages preventing gas and/or solids flow), 2) cement clinker quality, 3) emissions, and 4) decreased production capacity. Kiln process stability...

An empirical analysis on the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles: The case of natural gas vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeh, Sonia

2007-01-01

The adoption of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) has been regarded as one of the most important strategies to address the issues of energy dependence, air quality, and, more recently, climate change. Despite decades of effort, we still face daunting challenges to promote wider acceptance of AFVs by the general public. More empirical analyses are needed to understand the technology adoption process associated with different market structures, the effectiveness of regulations and incentives, and the density of infrastructure adequate to reach sustainable commercial application. This paper compares the adoption of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) in eight countries: Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Italy, New Zealand, Pakistan, and the US. It examines the major policies aimed at promoting the use of NGVs, instruments for implementing those policies and targeting likely stakeholders, and a range of factors that influence the adoption of NGVs. The findings in this paper should be applicable to other AFVs

Mass media in health promotion: an analysis using an extended information-processing model.

Science.gov (United States)

Flay, B R; DiTecco, D; Schlegel, R P

1980-01-01

The information-processing model of the attitude and behavior change process was critically examined and extended from six to 12 levels for a better analysis of change due to mass media campaigns. Findings from social psychology and communications research, and from evaluations of mass media health promotion programs, were reviewed to determine how source, message, channel, receiver, and destination variables affect each of the levels of change of major interest (knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, intentions and behavior). Factors found to most likely induce permanent attitude and behavior change (most important in health promotion) were: presentation and repetition over long time periods, via multiple sources, at different times (including "prime" or high-exposure times), by multiple sources, in novel and involving ways, with appeals to multiple motives, development of social support, and provisions of appropriate behavioral skills, alternatives, and reinforcement (preferably in ways that get the active participation of the audience). Suggestions for evaluation of mass media programs that take account of this complexity were advanced.

Norepinephrine is required to promote wakefulness and for hypocretin-induced arousal in zebrafish.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Chanpreet; Oikonomou, Grigorios; Prober, David A

2015-09-16

Pharmacological studies in mammals suggest that norepinephrine (NE) plays an important role in promoting arousal. However, the role of endogenous NE is unclear, with contradicting reports concerning the sleep phenotypes of mice lacking NE due to mutation of dopamine β-hydroxylase (dbh). To investigate NE function in an alternative vertebrate model, we generated dbh mutant zebrafish. In contrast to mice, these animals exhibit dramatically increased sleep. Surprisingly, despite an increase in sleep, dbh mutant zebrafish have a reduced arousal threshold. These phenotypes are also observed in zebrafish treated with small molecules that inhibit NE signaling, suggesting that they are caused by the lack of NE. Using genetic overexpression of hypocretin (Hcrt) and optogenetic activation of hcrt-expressing neurons, we also find that NE is important for Hcrt-induced arousal. These results establish a role for endogenous NE in promoting arousal and indicate that NE is a critical downstream effector of Hcrt neurons.

CDH1 promoter hypermethylation and E-cadherin protein expression in infiltrating breast cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Caldeira, José Roberto F; Prando, Erika C; Quevedo, Francisco C

2006-01-01

prognosis, and metastasis. Differential CpG island methylation in the promoter region of the CDH1 gene might be an alternative way for the loss of expression and function of E-cadherin, leading to loss of tissue integrity, an essential step in tumor progression. METHODS: The aim of our study was to assess...... not statistically significant, the levels of E-cadherin expression tended to diminish with the CDH1 promoter region methylation. In the group of 71 ductal cancinomas, most of the cases of showing CDH1 hypermethylation also presented reduced levels of expression of ER and PgR proteins, and a possible association......BACKGROUND: The E-cadherin gene (CDH1) maps, at chromosome 16q22.1, a region often associated with loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in human breast cancer. LOH at this site is thought to lead to loss of function of this tumor suppressor gene and was correlated with decreased disease-free survival, poor...

Natural shorelines promote the stability of fish communities in an urbanized coastal system.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven B Scyphers

Full Text Available Habitat loss and fragmentation are leading causes of species extinctions in terrestrial, aquatic and marine systems. Along coastlines, natural habitats support high biodiversity and valuable ecosystem services but are often replaced with engineered structures for coastal protection or erosion control. We coupled high-resolution shoreline condition data with an eleven-year time series of fish community structure to examine how coastal protection structures impact community stability. Our analyses revealed that the most stable fish communities were nearest natural shorelines. Structurally complex engineered shorelines appeared to promote greater stability than simpler alternatives as communities nearest vertical walls, which are among the most prevalent structures, were most dissimilar from natural shorelines and had the lowest stability. We conclude that conserving and restoring natural habitats is essential for promoting ecological stability. However, in scenarios when natural habitats are not viable, engineered landscapes designed to mimic the complexity of natural habitats may provide similar ecological functions.

Activation of the alternative NFκB pathway improves disease symptoms in a model of Sjogren's syndrome.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adi Gilboa-Geffen

Full Text Available The purpose of our study was to understand if Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9 activation could contribute to the control of inflammation in Sjogren's syndrome. To this end, we manipulated TLR9 signaling in non-obese diabetic (NOD and TLR9(-/- mice using agonistic CpG oligonucleotide aptamers, TLR9 inhibitors, and the in-house oligonucleotide BL-7040. We then measured salivation, inflammatory response markers, and expression of proteins downstream to NF-κB activation pathways. Finally, we labeled proteins of interest in salivary gland biopsies from Sjogren's syndrome patients, compared to Sicca syndrome controls. We show that in NOD mice BL-7040 activates TLR9 to induce an alternative NF-κB activation mode resulting in increased salivation, elevated anti-inflammatory response in salivary glands, and reduced peripheral AChE activity. These effects were more prominent and also suppressible by TLR9 inhibitors in NOD mice, but TLR9(-/- mice were resistant to the salivation-promoting effects of CpG oligonucleotides and BL-7040. Last, salivary glands from Sjogren's disease patients showed increased inflammatory and decreased anti-inflammatory biomarkers, in addition to decreased levels of alternative NF-κB pathway proteins. In summary, we have demonstrated that activation of TLR9 by BL-7040 leads to non-canonical activation of NF-κB, promoting salivary functioning and down-regulating inflammation. We propose that BL-7040 could be beneficial in treating Sjogren's syndrome and may be applicable to additional autoimmune syndromes.

Mechanisms of action of plant growth promoting bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Olanrewaju, Oluwaseyi Samuel; Glick, Bernard R; Babalola, Olubukola Oluranti

2017-10-06

The idea of eliminating the use of fertilizers which are sometimes environmentally unsafe is slowly becoming a reality because of the emergence of microorganisms that can serve the same purpose or even do better. Depletion of soil nutrients through leaching into the waterways and causing contamination are some of the negative effects of these chemical fertilizers that prompted the need for suitable alternatives. This brings us to the idea of using microbes that can be developed for use as biological fertilizers (biofertilizers). They are environmentally friendly as they are natural living organisms. They increase crop yield and production and, in addition, in developing countries, they are less expensive compared to chemical fertilizers. These biofertilizers are typically called plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). In addition to PGPB, some fungi have also been demonstrated to promote plant growth. Apart from improving crop yields, some biofertilizers also control various plant pathogens. The objective of worldwide sustainable agriculture is much more likely to be achieved through the widespread use of biofertilizers rather than chemically synthesized fertilizers. However, to realize this objective it is essential that the many mechanisms employed by PGPB first be thoroughly understood thereby allowing workers to fully harness the potentials of these microbes. The present state of our knowledge regarding the fundamental mechanisms employed by PGPB is discussed herein.

Quantifying the effects of promoting smokeless tobacco as a harm reduction strategy in the USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Mejia, Adrienne B; Ling, Pamela M; Glantz, Stanton A

2010-08-01

Snus (a form of smokeless tobacco) is less dangerous than cigarettes. Some health professionals argue that snus should be promoted as a component of a harm reduction strategy, while others oppose this approach. Major US tobacco companies (RJ Reynolds and Philip Morris) are marketing snus products as cigarette brand line extensions. The population effects of smokeless tobacco promotion will depend on the combined effects of changes in individual risk with population changes in tobacco use patterns. To quantitatively evaluate the health impact of smokeless tobacco promotion as part of a harm reduction strategy in the US. A Monte Carlo simulation of a decision tree model of tobacco initiation and use was used to estimate the health effects associated with five different patterns of increased smokeless tobacco use. With cigarette smoking having a health effect of 100, the base case scenario (based on current US prevalence rates) yields a total health effect of 24.2 (5% to 95% interval 21.7 to 26.5) and the aggressive smokeless promotion (less cigarette use and increased smokeless, health-concerned smokers switching to snus, smokers in smokefree environments switching to snus) was associated with a health effect of 30.4 (5% to 95% interval 25.9 to 35.2). The anticipated health effects for additional scenarios with lower rates of smokeless uptake also overlapped with the base case. Promoting smokeless tobacco as a safer alternative to cigarettes is unlikely to result in substantial health benefits at a population level.

Alternative medicines for AIDS in resource-poor settings: Insights from exploratory anthropological studies in Asia and Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Emmanuelle

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract The emergence of alternative medicines for AIDS in Asia and Africa was discussed at a satellite symposium and the parallel session on alternative and traditional treatments of the AIDSImpact meeting, held in Marseille, in July 2007. These medicines are heterogeneous, both in their presentation and in their geographic and cultural origin. The sessions focused on the role of these medications in selected resource poor settings in Africa and Asia now that access to anti-retroviral therapy is increasing. The aims of the sessions were to (1 identify the actors involved in the diffusion of these alternative medicines for HIV/AIDS, (2 explore uses and forms, and the way these medicines are given legitimacy, (3 reflect on underlying processes of globalisation and cultural differentiation, and (4 define priority questions for future research in this area. This article presents the insights generated at the meeting, illustrated with some findings from the case studies (Uganda, Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso, China and Indonesia that were presented. These case studies reveal the wide range of actors who are involved in the marketing and supply of alternative medicines. Regulatory mechanisms are weak. The efficacy claims of alternative medicines often reinforce a biomedical paradigm for HIV/AIDS, and fit with a healthy living ideology promoted by AIDS care programs and support groups. The AIDSImpact session concluded that more interdisciplinary research is needed on the experience of people living with HIV/AIDS with these alternative medicines, and on the ways in which these products interact (or not with anti-retroviral therapy at pharmacological as well as psychosocial levels.

Promoting mental health as an essential aspect of health promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

Sturgeon, Shona

2006-12-01

This paper advocates that mental health promotion receive appropriate attention within health promotion. It is of great concern that, in practice, mental health promotion is frequently overlooked in health promotion programmes although the WHO definitions of health and the Ottawa Charter describe mental health as an integral part of health. It is suggested that more attention be given to addressing the determinants of mental health in terms of protective and risk factors for both physical and mental conditions, particularly in developing countries. Examples of evidence-based mental health programmes operating in widely diverse settings are presented to demonstrate that well designed interventions can contribute to the well-being of populations. It is advocated that particular attention be given to the intersectorial cooperation needed for this work.

FMDP Reactor Alternative Summary Report: Volume 2 - CANDU heavy water reactor alternative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greene, S.R.; Spellman, D.J.; Bevard, B.B.

1996-09-01

The Department of Energy Office of Fissile Materials Disposition (DOE/MD) initiated a detailed analysis activity to evaluate each of ten plutonium disposition alternatives that survived an initial screening process. This document, Volume 2 of a four volume report, summarizes the results of these analyses for the CANDU reactor based plutonium disposition alternative

FMDP Reactor Alternative Summary Report: Volume 2 - CANDU heavy water reactor alternative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greene, S.R.; Spellman, D.J.; Bevard, B.B. [and others

1996-09-01

The Department of Energy Office of Fissile Materials Disposition (DOE/MD) initiated a detailed analysis activity to evaluate each of ten plutonium disposition alternatives that survived an initial screening process. This document, Volume 2 of a four volume report, summarizes the results of these analyses for the CANDU reactor based plutonium disposition alternative.

Data describing the effect of DRD4 promoter polymorphisms on promoter activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shoin Tei

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This data article tested whether polymorphisms within the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4 gene promoter can lead to differences in the promoter activity. The variants, a 120-bp variable number tandem repeat (VNTR, −906 T/C, −809 G/A, −616G/C, and −521C/T, were introduced into the DRD4 promoter and the promoter activity was measured in a neural cell line using the luciferase assay. However, no differences were detected among the haplotypes investigated, and the in vitro data obtained from our protocol could not support the involvement of DRD4 promoter polymorphisms in heritable human traits.

Seal design alternatives study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Sambeek, L.L.; Luo, D.D.; Lin, M.S.; Ostrowski, W.; Oyenuga, D.

1993-06-01

This report presents the results from a study of various sealing alternatives for the WIPP sealing system. Overall, the sealing system has the purpose of reducing to the extent possible the potential for fluids (either gas or liquid) from entering or leaving the repository. The sealing system is divided into three subsystems: drift and panel seals within the repository horizon, shaft seals in each of the four shafts, and borehole seals. Alternatives to the baseline configuration for the WIPP seal system design included evaluating different geometries and schedules for seal component installations and the use of different materials for seal components. Order-of-magnitude costs for the various alternatives were prepared as part of the study. Firm recommendations are not presented, but the advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives are discussed. Technical information deficiencies are identified and studies are outlined which can provide required information

Prospects for alternative Fusion Fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glancy, J.

1986-01-01

The author has worked on three different magnetic confinement concepts for alternate fusion fueled reactors: tokamaks; tanden mirrors, and reversed field pinches. The focus of this article is on prospects for alternate fusion fuels as the author sees them relative to the other choices: increased numbers of coal plants, fission reactors, renewables, and D-T fusion. Discussion is limited on the consideration of alternate fusion fuels to the catalyzed deuterium-deuterium fuel cycle. Reasons for seeking an alternate energy source are cost, a more secure fuel supply, environmental impact and safety. The technical risks associated with development of fusion are examined briefly

Promotion primer. Foerderfibel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1981-01-01

This revised edition of the promotion primer is to serve as a topical orientation aid for industrial firms, unions, boards and other bodies interested where the actions of governmental R and D and innovation policy are compiled and clearly arranged. It is important for the success of governmental aids that the institutions concerned are informed about all possibilities of the promotion, financing and advisory programme. Beyond the presentation of the research promotion sectors, the fiscal measures and the contractual as well as the joint research this revised edition focussess on the fields of consultative services for innovation and information. For many firms the access to qualified information and guidance is of particular importance. That is why this brochure points out the ways towards governmental research promotion. The BMFT has provided a remarkable contribution to research promotion by establishing information and consultative services for trade and industry.

Alternative drugs of abuse.

Science.gov (United States)

Sutter, M E; Chenoweth, J; Albertson, T E

2014-02-01

The incidence of drug abuse with alternative agents is increasing. The term "alternative drugs of abuse" is a catch-all term for abused chemicals that do not fit into one of the classic categories of drugs of abuse. The most common age group abusing these agents range from 17 to 25 years old and are often associated with group settings. Due to their diverse pharmacological nature, legislative efforts to classify these chemicals as a schedule I drug have lagged behind the development of new alternative agents. The potential reason for abuse of these agents is their hallucinogenic, dissociative, stimulant, anti-muscarinic, or sedative properties. Some of these drugs are easily obtainable such as Datura stramonium (Jimson Weed) or Lophophora williamsii (Peyote) because they are natural plants indigenous to certain regions. The diverse pharmacology and clinical effects of these agents are so broad that they do not produce a universal constellation of signs and symptoms. Detailed physical exams are essential for identifying clues leading one to suspect an alternative drug of abuse. Testing for the presence of these agents is often limited, and even when available, the results do not return in a timely fashion. Intoxications from these agents pose unique challenges for health care providers. Physician knowledge of the physiological effects of these alternative agents and the local patterns of drug of abuse are important for the accurate diagnosis and optimal care of poisoned patients. This review summarizes the current knowledge of alternative drugs of abuse and highlights their clinical presentations.

Social Media for the Promotion of Holistic Self-Participatory Care: An Evidence Based Approach. Contribution of the IMIA Social Media Working Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Miron-Shatz, T; Hansen, M M; Grajales, F J; Martin-Sanchez, F; Bamidis, P D

2013-01-01

As health information is becoming increasingly accessible, social media offers ample opportunities to track, be informed, share and promote health. These authors explore how social media and holistic care may work together; more specifically however, our objective is to document, from different perspectives, how social networks have impacted, supported and helped sustain holistic self-participatory care. A literature review was performed to investigate the use of social media for promoting health in general and complementary alternative care. We also explore a case study of an intervention for improving the health of Greek senior citizens through digital and other means. The Health Belief Model provides a framework for assessing the benefits of social media interventions in promoting comprehensive participatory self-care. Some interventions are particularly effective when integrating social media with real-world encounters. Yet not all social media tools are evidence-based and efficacious. Interestingly, social media is also used to elicit patient ratings of treatments (e.g., for depression), often demonstrating the effectiveness of complementary treatments, such as yoga and mindfulness meditation. To facilitate the use of social media for the promotion of complementary alternative medicine through self-quantification, social connectedness and sharing of experiences, exploration of concrete and abstract ideas are presented here within. The main mechanisms by which social support may help improve health - emotional support, an ability to share experiences, and non-hierarchal roles, emphasizing reciprocity in giving and receiving support - are integral to social media and provide great hope for its effective use.

The ChemScreen project to design a pragmatic alternative approach to predict reproductive toxicity of chemicals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Burg, Bart; Wedebye, Eva Bay; Dietrich, Daniel R.

2015-01-01

to validate the test panel using mechanistic approaches. We are actively engaged in promoting regulatory acceptance of the tools developed as an essential step towards practical application, including case studies for read-across purposes. With this approach, a significant saving in animal use and associated......There is a great need for rapid testing strategies for reproductive toxicity testing, avoiding animal use. The EU Framework program 7 project ChemScreen aimed to fill this gap in a pragmatic manner preferably using validated existing tools and place them in an innovative alternative testing...

Brandmodstandsbidrag for alternative isoleringsmaterialer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Ernst Jan de Place

2001-01-01

Resume af rapport om alternative isoleringsmaterialers brandmodstandsbidrag, udarbejdet af Dansk Brandteknisk Institut under Energistyrelsens udviklingsprogram "Miljø- og arbejdsmiljøvenlig isolering"......Resume af rapport om alternative isoleringsmaterialers brandmodstandsbidrag, udarbejdet af Dansk Brandteknisk Institut under Energistyrelsens udviklingsprogram "Miljø- og arbejdsmiljøvenlig isolering"...

Acquisition of Voicing Alternations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kerkhoff, Annemarie

"Morpho-phonological alternations are central to phonological theory, but little is known about how they are acquired. Acquiring alternations amounts to dealing with variation in a morpheme’s shape depending on its morphological context. It is generally assumed that children start with an initial

Functional and evolutionary analysis of alternatively spliced genes is consistent with an early eukaryotic origin of alternative splicing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Penny David

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Alternative splicing has been reported in various eukaryotic groups including plants, apicomplexans, diatoms, amoebae, animals and fungi. However, whether widespread alternative splicing has evolved independently in the different eukaryotic groups or was inherited from their last common ancestor, and may therefore predate multicellularity, is still unknown. To better understand the origin and evolution of alternative splicing and its usage in diverse organisms, we studied alternative splicing in 12 eukaryotic species, comparing rates of alternative splicing across genes of different functional classes, cellular locations, intron/exon structures and evolutionary origins. Results For each species, we find that genes from most functional categories are alternatively spliced. Ancient genes (shared between animals, fungi and plants show high levels of alternative splicing. Genes with products expressed in the nucleus or plasma membrane are generally more alternatively spliced while those expressed in extracellular location show less alternative splicing. We find a clear correspondence between incidence of alternative splicing and intron number per gene both within and between genomes. In general, we find several similarities in patterns of alternative splicing across these diverse eukaryotes. Conclusion Along with previous studies indicating intron-rich genes with weak intron boundary consensus and complex spliceosomes in ancestral organisms, our results suggest that at least a simple form of alternative splicing may already have been present in the unicellular ancestor of plants, fungi and animals. A role for alternative splicing in the evolution of multicellularity then would largely have arisen by co-opting the preexisting process.

FMDP reactor alternative summary report: Volume 4, Evolutionary LWR alternative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-09-01

Significant quantities of weapons-usable fissile materials [primarily plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU)] have become surplus to national defense needs both in the United States and Russia. These stocks of fissile materials pose significant dangers to national and international security. The dangers exist not only in the potential proliferation of nuclear weapons but also in the potential for environmental, safety, and health (ES&H) consequences if surplus fissile materials are not properly managed. The purpose of this report is to provide schedule, cost, and technical information that will be used to support the Record of Process (ROD). Following the screening process, DOE/MD via its national laboratories initiated a more detailed analysis activity to further evaluate each of the ten plutonium disposition alternatives that survived the screening process. Three ``Alternative Teams,`` chartered by DOE and comprised of technical experts from across the DOE national laboratory complex, conducted these analyses. One team was chartered for each of the major disposition classes (borehole, immobilization, and reactors). During the last year and a half, the Fissile Materials Disposition Program (FMDP) Reactor Alternative Team (RxAT) has conducted extensive analyses of the cost, schedule, technical maturity, S&S, and other characteristics of reactor-based plutonium disposition. The results of the RxAT`s analyses of the existing LWR, CANDU, and partially complete LWR alternatives are documented in Volumes 1-3 of this report. This document (Volume 4) summarizes the results of these analyses for the ELWR-based plutonium disposition option.

The Prevalence and Marketing of Electronic Cigarettes in Proximity to At-Risk Youths: An Investigation of Point-of-Sale Practices near Alternative High Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Stephen; Pike, James; Chapman, Jared; Xie, Bin; Hilton, Brian N.; Ames, Susan L.; Stacy, Alan W.

2017-01-01

This study examines the point-of-sale marketing practices used to promote electronic cigarettes at stores near schools that serve at-risk youths. One hundred stores selling tobacco products within a half-mile of alternative high schools in Southern California were assessed for this study. Seventy percent of stores in the sample sold electronic…

[Sustainable Implementation of Evidence-Based Programmes in Health Promotion: A Theoretical Framework and Concept of Interactive Knowledge to Action].

Science.gov (United States)

Rütten, A; Wolff, A; Streber, A

2016-03-01

This article discusses 2 current issues in the field of public health research: (i) transfer of scientific knowledge into practice and (ii) sustainable implementation of good practice projects. It also supports integration of scientific and practice-based evidence production. Furthermore, it supports utilisation of interactive models that transcend deductive approaches to the process of knowledge transfer. Existing theoretical approaches, pilot studies and thoughtful conceptual considerations are incorporated into a framework showing the interplay of science, politics and prevention practice, which fosters a more sustainable implementation of health promotion programmes. The framework depicts 4 key processes of interaction between science and prevention practice: interactive knowledge to action, capacity building, programme adaptation and adaptation of the implementation context. Ensuring sustainability of health promotion programmes requires a concentrated process of integrating scientific and practice-based evidence production in the context of implementation. Central to the integration process is the approach of interactive knowledge to action, which especially benefits from capacity building processes that facilitate participation and systematic interaction between relevant stakeholders. Intense cooperation also induces a dynamic interaction between multiple actors and components such as health promotion programmes, target groups, relevant organisations and social, cultural and political contexts. The reciprocal adaptation of programmes and key components of the implementation context can foster effectiveness and sustainability of programmes. Sustainable implementation of evidence-based health promotion programmes requires alternatives to recent deductive models of knowledge transfer. Interactive approaches prove to be promising alternatives. Simultaneously, they change the responsibilities of science, policy and public health practice. Existing boundaries

ALTERNATIVE FUELS FOR DIESEL ENGINES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacek Caban

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the development and genesis of the use of alternative fuels in internal combustion ignition engines. Based on the analysis of the literature, this article shows various alternative fuels used in Poland and all over the world. Furthermore, this article describes the research directions for alternative fuels use in road transport powered by diesel engines.

Evaluating clean energy alternatives for Jiangsu, China: An improved multi-criteria decision making method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Ling; Zhou, Peng; Newton, Sidney; Fang, Jian-xin; Zhou, De-qun; Zhang, Lu-ping

2015-01-01

Promoting the utilization of clean energy has been identified as one potential solution to addressing environmental pollution and achieving sustainable development in many countries around the world. Evaluating clean energy alternatives includes a requirement to balance multiple conflict criteria, including technology, environment, economy and society, all of which are incommensurate and interdependent. Traditional MCDM (multi-criteria decision making) methods, such as the weighted average method, often fail to aggregate such criteria consistently. In this paper, an improved MCDM method based on fuzzy measure and integral is developed and applied to evaluate four primary clean energy options for Jiangsu Province, China. The results confirm that the preferred clean energy option for Jiangsu is solar photovoltaic, followed by wind, biomass and finally nuclear. A sensitivity analysis is also conducted to evaluate the values of clean energy resources for Jiangsu. The ordered weighted average method is also applied to compare the method mentioned above in our empirical study. The results show that the improved MCDM method provides higher discrimination between alternative clean energy alternatives. - Highlights: • Interactions among evaluation criteria of clean energy resources are taken into account. • An improved multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method is proposed based on entropy weight method, fuzzy measure and integral. • Clean energy resources of Jiangsu are evaluated with the improved MCDM method, and their ranks are identified.

7 CFR 1210.312 - Promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Promotion. 1210.312 Section 1210.312 Agriculture... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WATERMELON RESEARCH AND PROMOTION PLAN Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan Definitions § 1210.312 Promotion. Promotion means any...

7 CFR 1216.23 - Promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Promotion. 1216.23 Section 1216.23 Agriculture... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PEANUT PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Peanut Promotion, Research, and Information Order Definitions § 1216.23 Promotion. Promotion...

Understanding What It Means for Older Students to Learn Basic Musical Skills on a Keyboard Instrument

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Angela; Hallam, Susan

2008-01-01

Although many adults take up or return to instrumental and vocal tuition every year, we know very little about how they experience it. As part of ongoing case study research, eight older learners with modest keyboard skills explored what their musical skills meant to them during conversation-based repertory grid interviews. The data were…

Richard Halliburton's Bearded Tales

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Charles E., III

2009-01-01

Fusing the concept of "the beard" with the genre of the tall tale to theorize bearded tales deepens our understanding of closet eloquence, or rhetorical repertories of sexual passing in U.S. history. An examination of adventurer-writer-lecturer Richard Halliburton's sexual provenance and bestselling travel tale, "The Royal Road to Romance" (1925),…

The Economic Impact of Ten Cultural Institutions on the Economy of the Salt Lake SMSA.

Science.gov (United States)

Cwi, David

The impact of 10 cultural institutions on the Salt Lake City economy was determined by measuring their 1978 direct and indirect financial effects. The institutions are Ballet West, Pioneer Memorial Theatre, Repertory Dance Theatre, Salt Lake City Art Center, Theatre 138, Tiffany's Attic, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Utah Symphony, Utah Opera Company,…

Energy alternatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sweet, C.

1987-01-01

The designated successor to fossil fuels is nuclear fission/fusion and that turns out to be problematic. Alternative Energy Systems have great potential but political forces seem to be hampering their development and introduction. The technologies are flexible in their use and scale of operation. The learning curve will not be short but neither will it be as long and as costly as nuclear power. It is time that this is recognised and some serious rethinking takes place in what presently passes for energy policies both in the industrialised countries and in the Third World. Alternative energy systems are defined and some of them which are relevant to the United Kingdom are discussed. (author)

When and how to recommend 'alternative approaches' in the management of high blood pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Brook, Robert D; Jackson, Elizabeth A; Giorgini, Paolo; McGowan, Cheri L

2015-06-01

Several nonpharmacologic therapies, such as sodium restriction and weight loss, have been promoted by hypertension guidelines based on the trial evidence supporting their capacity to lower blood pressure. However, many patients may not respond or be able to adhere to these nonpharmacologic treatments. Despite numerous formal diet and lifestyle recommendations, the prevalence of hypertension continues to grow worldwide. As such, additional approaches are needed to help combat this public health epidemic. In this review, we outline the evidence supporting the efficacy of a number of alternative approaches for blood pressure lowering. On the basis of the recommendations by a recent American Heart Association scientific statement, we also provide guidance on when and how to implement these methods in clinical practice. The available evidence supports several approaches, including Transcendental Meditation, device-guided slow breathing, and aerobic, resistance, and isometric exercises. Nonetheless, many questions remain, and future recommendations for using alternative approaches will need to be updated as new trials are published. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Male sexual polymorphism, alternative reproductive tactics, and androgens in combtooth blennies (pisces: blenniidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, R F; Canario, A V; Grober, M S

2001-09-01

In species in which intense intermale competition for the access to females is present males of lower competitive ability may adopt alternative reproductive tactics (ART) to get access to mates. These ART translate in many cases into male sexual polymorphism, with individuals following distinctly different tactics. Usually two alternative male morphs can be recognized in species with ART: (1) bourgeois males that compete for access to mates invest in typically male behaviors, such as building elaborated nests or displaying ornaments; and (2) parasitic males that take advantage of the success of the bourgeois males in attracting females and attempt "sneaker" fertilizations (e.g., sneaker and satellite males). In combtooth blennies (Blenniidae) the co-occurrence of ART and male sexual polymorphism has been described for two temperate species: the peacock blenny, Salaria pavo, and the Azorean rock-pool blenny, Parablennius sanguinolentus parvicornis. Interestingly, while in the peacock blenny the alternative male morph adopts a sneaker tactic, in the rock-pool blenny parasitic males act as satellites to nest-holder males. Thus, this variation in the ART expressed in these two closely related species allows for a comparative study of the proximate and ultimate factors affecting the expression of the two ART. In this article we summarize the available information on androgen levels in bourgeois and parasitic males of natural populations of the two species and of recent studies on the effect of exogenous administration of androgens on tactic switching in parasitic males of the two species. The information is discussed within the frame of the relative plasticity hypothesis, which predicts that plastic alternative morphs should show differences in hormone levels and that the administration of sex steroids should be effective in promoting the switch from the parasitic to bourgeois tactic. The evidence is only partly consistent with this hypothesis. Alternatively, a social

7 CFR 1250.310 - Promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Promotion. 1250.310 Section 1250.310 Agriculture... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE EGG RESEARCH AND PROMOTION Egg Research and Promotion Order Definitions § 1250.310 Promotion. Promotion means any action, including paid...

7 CFR 1260.122 - Promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Promotion. 1260.122 Section 1260.122 Agriculture... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BEEF PROMOTION AND RESEARCH Beef Promotion and Research Order Definitions § 1260.122 Promotion. Promotion means any action, including paid...

7 CFR 1150.114 - Promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... and Orders; Milk), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DAIRY PROMOTION PROGRAM Dairy Promotion and Research Order Definitions § 1150.114 Promotion. Promotion means actions such as paid advertising, sales... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Promotion. 1150.114 Section 1150.114 Agriculture...

The alternative library

OpenAIRE

Collinson, Timothy; Williams, A.

2004-01-01

Much time and effort has been devoted to designing and developing library Web sites that are easy to navigate by both new students and experienced researchers. In a review of the Southampton Institute Library it was decided that in addition to updating the existing homepage an alternative would be offered. Drawing on theory relating to user interface design, learning styles and creative thinking, an Alternative Library navigation system was added to the more traditional library homepage. The ...

Ott1 (Rbm15) regulates thrombopoietin response in hematopoietic stem cells through alternative splicing of c-Mpl.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Nan; Laha, Suparna; Das, Shankar P; Morlock, Kayla; Jesneck, Jonathan L; Raffel, Glen D

2015-02-05

Thrombopoietin (Thpo) signaling through the c-Mpl receptor promotes either quiescence or proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in a concentration-dependent manner; however, in vivo Thpo serum levels are responsive to platelet mass rather than HSC demands, suggesting additional regulation exists. Ott1 (Rbm15), a spliceosomal component originally identified as a fusion partner in t(1;22)-associated acute megakaryocytic leukemia, is also essential for maintaining HSC quiescence under stress. Ott1 controls the alternative splicing of a dominant negative isoform, Mpl-TR, capable of inhibiting HSC engraftment and attenuating Thpo signaling. Ott1, which associates with Hdac3 and the histone methyltransferase, Setd1b, binds to both c-Mpl RNA and chromatin and regulates H4 acetylation and H3K4me3 marks. Histone deacetylase or histone methyltransferase inhibition also increases Mpl-TR levels, suggesting that Ott1 uses an underlying epigenetic mechanism to control alternative splicing of c-Mpl. Manipulation of Ott1-dependent alternative splicing may therefore provide a novel pharmacologic avenue for regulating HSC quiescence and proliferation in response to Thpo. © 2015 by The American Society of Hematology.

Alternative fuelds in urban fleets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindsay, T.

1994-12-31

In this presentation the author addresses four main objectives. They are to: discuss programs that are driving the introduction of alternative fuels into fleet operations in urban areas around the country; define alternative fuels; quantify the present use and future projections on alternative fuel vehicles (AVFs) in the Chicago metropolitan statistical area; and discuss benefits of increased use of alternative fuels in urban areas. Factors which touch on these points include: present domestic dependence on petroleum for autos, with usage exceeding production; the large populations in urban areas which do not meet Clean Air Standards; recent legislative initiatives which give guidance and aid in the adoption of such strategies.

Alternative fuelds in urban fleets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindsay, T.

1994-01-01

In this presentation the author addresses four main objectives. They are to: discuss programs that are driving the introduction of alternative fuels into fleet operations in urban areas around the country; define alternative fuels; quantify the present use and future projections on alternative fuel vehicles (AVFs) in the Chicago metropolitan statistical area; and discuss benefits of increased use of alternative fuels in urban areas. Factors which touch on these points include: present domestic dependence on petroleum for autos, with usage exceeding production; the large populations in urban areas which do not meet Clean Air Standards; recent legislative initiatives which give guidance and aid in the adoption of such strategies

A global vernacular? Musings on European art music in Hong Kong

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giorgio Biancorosso

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The presence of Classical European Music in higher education curricula in Tokyo or Beijing, Hong Kong or Singapore is a fact that barely registers to the eye (and ear of a visiting teacher, especially a Western one. Daily engagement with university instruction over an extended period of time, however, soon reveals the complexity and significance of the adoption of European notation-based repertories, and the practices associated with them. As an “outsider-insider”, in this paper I sketch a picture of the opportunities and challenges of teaching the repertories of the so-called European “Common Practice” in contemporary East Asia. Drawing on a few case studies based on my experience in Hong Kong, Beijing, South Korea and Japan, I then consider the implications of the adoption of a recently imported musical language as the norm in music theory education as well as the pinnacle of artistic accomplishment in the fields of both composition and performance. Observing patterns of absorption of foreign cultural artifacts and sensibilities need not lead to sobering conclusions about cultural imperialism or thoughtless Westernisation.

A cell-based in vitro alternative to identify skin sensitizers by gene expression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hooyberghs, Jef; Schoeters, Elke; Lambrechts, Nathalie; Nelissen, Inge; Witters, Hilda; Schoeters, Greet; Heuvel, Rosette van den

2008-01-01

The ethical and economic burden associated with animal testing for assessment of skin sensitization has triggered intensive research effort towards development and validation of alternative methods. In addition, new legislation on the registration and use of cosmetics and chemicals promote the use of suitable alternatives for hazard assessment. Our previous studies demonstrated that human CD34 + progenitor-derived dendritic cells from cord blood express specific gene profiles upon exposure to low molecular weight sensitizing chemicals. This paper presents a classification model based on this cell type which is successful in discriminating sensitizing chemicals from non-sensitizing chemicals based on transcriptome analysis of 13 genes. Expression profiles of a set of 10 sensitizers and 11 non-sensitizers were analyzed by RT-PCR using 9 different exposure conditions and a total of 73 donor samples. Based on these data a predictive dichotomous classifier for skin sensitizers has been constructed, which is referred to as . In a first step the dimensionality of the input data was reduced by selectively rejecting a number of exposure conditions and genes. Next, the generalization of a linear classifier was evaluated by a cross-validation which resulted in a prediction performance with a concordance of 89%, a specificity of 97% and a sensitivity of 82%. These results show that the present model may be a useful human in vitro alternative for further use in a test strategy towards the reduction of animal use for skin sensitization

The Case for Alternative Social Media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert W. Gehl

2015-09-01

Full Text Available What are “alternative social media”? How can we distinguish alternative social media from mainstream social media? Why are social media alternatives important? How do they work? Why do people make them? What do they tell us about contemporary corporate social media and its related phenomena: surveillance, privacy, power, self-expression, and sociality? This essay answers these questions by theorizing alternative social media. The empirical data for this alternative social media theory are drawn from previous work on alternative sites such as Diaspora, rstat.us, Twister, GNU social, and the Dark Web Social Network. These cases are used to build a generalized conceptual framework. However, this article does not solely theorize from these examples, but rather seeks to contextualize and historicize alternative social media theory within larger bodies of work. In addition to generalization from examples, the theory is informed by two threads. The first thread is the work of alternative media scholars such as Nick Couldry, Chris Atton, and Clemencia Rodriguez, who have done the historical and theoretical work to define alternative media. The second thread is a synthesis of works exploring the technical side of contemporary media, coming from new fields such as software studies. The threads and empirical analyses of sites such as Diaspora, Quitter, and rstat.us are combined into a theoretical matrix that can account for the processes and technical infrastructures that comprise social media alternatives and explain why they are distinct from sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google, as well as why they are important.

Expert systems: an alternative paradigm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coombs, M.; Alty, J.

1984-01-01

There has recently been a significant effort by the AI community to interest industry in the potential of expert systems. However, this has resulted in far fewer substantial applications projects than might be expected. This article argues that this is because human experts are rarely required to perform the role that computer-based experts are programmed to adopt. Instead of being called in to answer well-defined problems, they are more often asked to assist other experts to extend and refine their understanding of a problem area at the junction of their two domains of knowledge. This more properly involves educational rather than problem-solving skills. An alternative approach to expert system design is proposed based upon guided discovery learning. The user is provided with a supportive environment for a particular class of problem, the system predominantly acting as an adviser rather than directing the interaction. The environment includes a database of domain knowledge, a set of procedures for its application to a concrete problem, and an intelligent machine-based adviser to judge the user's effectiveness and advise on strategy. The procedures focus upon the use of user generated explanations both to promote the application of domain knowledge and to expose understanding difficulties. Simple database PROLOG is being used as the subject material for the prototype system which is known as MINDPAD. 30 references.

Deletion analysis of susy-sl promoter for the identification of optimal promoter sequence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bacha, S.; Khatoon, A.; Asif, M.; Bshir, A.

2015-01-01

The promoter region of sucrose synthase (susy-Sl) was identified and isolated from tomato. The 5? deletion analysis was carried out for the identification of minimum optimal promoter. Transgenic lines of Arabidopsis thaliana were developed by floral dip method incorporating various promoter deletion cassettes controlling GUS reporter gene. GUS assay of transgenic tissues indicated that full length susy-Sl promoter and its deletion mutants were constitutively expressed in vegetative and floral tissues of A. thaliana. The expression was observed in roots, shoots and flowers of A. thaliana. Analysis of 5? deletion series of susy-Sl promoter showed that a minimum of 679 bp fragment of the promoter was sufficient to drive expression of GUS reporter gene in the major tissues of transgenic A. thaliana. (author)

Alternative fuel cycles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Penn, W.J.

1979-05-01

Uranium resource utilization and economic considerations provide incentives to study alternative fuel cycles as future options to the PHWR natural uranium cycle. Preliminary studies to define the most favourable alternatives and their possible introduction dates are discussed. The important and uncertain components which influence option selection are reviewed, including nuclear capacity growth, uranium availability and demand, economic potential, and required technological developments. Finally, a summary of Ontario Hydro's program to further assess cycle selection and define development needs is given. (auth)

Anvendelse af alternative isoleringsmaterialer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Ernst Jan de Place

2003-01-01

Resume af By og Byg Anvisning 207 om anvendelse af alternative isoleringsmaterialer, udarbejdet af Statens Byggeforskningsinstitut under udviklingsprogrammet "Miljø- og arbejdsmiljøvenlig isolering"......Resume af By og Byg Anvisning 207 om anvendelse af alternative isoleringsmaterialer, udarbejdet af Statens Byggeforskningsinstitut under udviklingsprogrammet "Miljø- og arbejdsmiljøvenlig isolering"...

Myths or theories? Alternative beliefs about HIV and AIDS in South African working class communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Dickinson, David

2013-09-01

Despite three decades of public health promotion based on the scientific explanation of HIV/AIDS, alternative explanations of the disease continue to circulate. While these are seen as counter-productive to health education efforts, what is rarely analysed is their plurality and their tenacity. This article analyses the 'AIDS myths' collected by African HIV/AIDS workplace peer educators during an action research project. These beliefs about HIV/AIDS are organised, in this article, around core ideas that form the basis of 'folk' and 'lay theories' of HIV/AIDS. These constitute non-scientific explanations of HIV/AIDS, with folk theories drawing on bodies of knowledge that are independent of HIV/AIDS while lay theories are generated in response to the disease. A categorisation of alternative beliefs about HIV/AIDS is presented which comprises three folk theories - African traditional beliefs, Christian theology, and racial conspiracy - and three lay theories, all focused on avoiding HIV infection. Using this schema, the article describes how the plausibility of these alternative theories of HIV/AIDS lies not in their scientific validity, but in the robustness of the core idea at the heart of each folk or lay theory. Folk and lay theories of HIV/AIDS are also often highly palatable in that they provide hope and comfort in terms of prevention, cure, and the allocation of blame. This study argue that there is coherence and value to these alternative HIV/AIDS beliefs which should not be dismissed as ignorance, idle speculation or simple misunderstandings. A serious engagement with folk and lay theories of HIV/AIDS helps explain the continued circulation of alternative beliefs of HIV/AIDS and the slow uptake of behavioural change messages around the disease.

Verb aspect, alternations and quantification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svetla Koeva

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Verb aspect, alternations and quantification In this paper we are briefly discuss the nature of Bulgarian verb aspect and argue that the verb aspect pairs are different lexical units with different (although related meaning, different argument structure (reflecting categories, explicitness and referential status of arguments and different sets of semantic and syntactic alternations. The verb prefixes resulting in perfective verbs derivation in some cases can be interpreted as lexical quantifiers as well. Thus the Bulgarian verb aspect is related (in different way both with the potential for the generation of alternations and with the prefixal lexical quantification. It is shown that the scope of the lexical quantification by means of verbal prefixes is the quantified verb phrase and the scope remains constant in all derived alternations. The paper concerns the basic issues of these complex problems, while the detailed description of the conditions satisfying particular alternation or particular lexical quantification are subject of a more detailed study.

Promoters of Escherichia coli versus promoter islands: function and structure comparison.

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Valeriy V Panyukov

Full Text Available Expression of bacterial genes takes place under the control of RNA polymerase with exchangeable σ-subunits and multiple transcription factors. A typical promoter region contains one or several overlapping promoters. In the latter case promoters have the same or different σ-specificity and are often subjected to different regulatory stimuli. Genes, transcribed from multiple promoters, have on average higher expression levels. However, recently in the genome of Escherichia coli we found 78 regions with an extremely large number of potential transcription start points (promoter islands, PIs. It was shown that all PIs interact with RNA polymerase in vivo and are able to form transcriptionally competent open complexes both in vitro and in vivo but their transcriptional activity measured by oligonucleotide microarrays was very low, if any. Here we confirmed transcriptional defectiveness of PIs by analyzing the 5'-end specific RNA-seq data, but showed their ability to produce short oligos (9-14 bases. This combination of functional properties indicated a deliberate suppression of transcriptional activity within PIs. According to our data this suppression may be due to a specific conformation of the DNA double helix, which provides an ideal platform for interaction with both RNA polymerase and the histone-like nucleoid protein H-NS. The genomic DNA of E.coli contains therefore several dozen sites optimized by evolution for staying in a heterochromatin-like state. Since almost all promoter islands are associated with horizontally acquired genes, we offer them as specific components of bacterial evolution involved in acquisition of foreign genetic material by turning off the expression of toxic or useless aliens or by providing optimal promoter for beneficial genes. The putative molecular mechanism underlying the appearance of promoter islands within recipient genomes is discussed.

Health promotion in globalization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Álvaro Franco-Giraldo

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Objective: to unravel some theoretical and factual elements required to implement more effective health promotion strategies and practices in the field of health services whilst following the great challenges that globalization has imposed on the health systems, which are inevitably expressed in the local context (glocalization. Methodology: a narrative review taking into account the concepts of globalization and health promotion in relation to health determinants. The authors approach some courses of action and strategies for health promotion based on the social principles and universal values that guide health promotion, health service reorientation and primary healthcare, empowerment, social participation, and inter-sectoral and social mobilization. Discussion: the discussion focuses on the redirection of health promotion services in relation to the wave of health reforms that has spread throughout the world under the neoliberal rule. The author also discusses health promotion, its ineffectiveness, and the quest for renewal. Likewise, the author sets priorities for health promotion in relation to social determinants. Conclusion: the current global order, in terms of international relations, is not consistent with the ethical principles of health promotion. In this paper, the author advocates for the implementation of actions to change the social and physical life conditions of people based on changes in the use of power in society and the appropriate practice of politics in the context of globalization in order to achieve the effectiveness of the actions of health promotion.

Communication access in the library for individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication.

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Shepherd, Tracy A; McDougall, Stacy

2008-12-01

Libraries for All is a community-based program that aims to enhance communication access to the library for individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), by providing resources and instruction. The goals are to (a) provide communication boards, (b) complete facilitator training, and (c) promote the program. To accomplish these goals, four communication boards were created and provided to all public libraries in London, Ontario. A train-the-trainer model was employed to ensure that all members of the library staff were familiar with the boards and aware of strategies to communicate more effectively with individuals who use AAC. Marketing materials were sent to potential stakeholders. The success of the program in meeting these three goals is highlighted.

FMDP reactor alternative summary report: Volume 4, Evolutionary LWR alternative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-09-01

Significant quantities of weapons-usable fissile materials [primarily plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU)] have become surplus to national defense needs both in the United States and Russia. These stocks of fissile materials pose significant dangers to national and international security. The dangers exist not only in the potential proliferation of nuclear weapons but also in the potential for environmental, safety, and health (ES ampersand H) consequences if surplus fissile materials are not properly managed. The purpose of this report is to provide schedule, cost, and technical information that will be used to support the Record of Process (ROD). Following the screening process, DOE/MD via its national laboratories initiated a more detailed analysis activity to further evaluate each of the ten plutonium disposition alternatives that survived the screening process. Three ''Alternative Teams,'' chartered by DOE and comprised of technical experts from across the DOE national laboratory complex, conducted these analyses. One team was chartered for each of the major disposition classes (borehole, immobilization, and reactors). During the last year and a half, the Fissile Materials Disposition Program (FMDP) Reactor Alternative Team (RxAT) has conducted extensive analyses of the cost, schedule, technical maturity, S ampersand S, and other characteristics of reactor-based plutonium disposition. The results of the RxAT's analyses of the existing LWR, CANDU, and partially complete LWR alternatives are documented in Volumes 1-3 of this report. This document (Volume 4) summarizes the results of these analyses for the ELWR-based plutonium disposition option

CO2 methanation on the catalyst of Ni/MCM-41 promoted with CeO2.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaoliu; Zhu, Lingjun; Liu, Yincong; Wang, Shurong

2018-06-01

CO 2 as a raw feed combined with renewable hydrogen for the production of useful chemicals and alternative energy products is one of the solutions to environmental and energy problems. In this study, a series of Ni-xCeO 2 /MCM-41 catalysts with a nickel content of 20wt% were prepared through deposition precipitation method for CO 2 methanation. Different characterization methods, including BET, XRD, TEM, SEM, H 2 -TPR and H 2 -TPD were applied to help explore the influence mechanism of CeO 2 on Ni/MCM-41 in CO 2 methanation. It was found that all CeO 2 -promoted catalysts exhibited enhanced catalytic activity when compared to Ni/MCM-41. The catalyst modified with 20wt% CeO 2 showed the best catalytic performance, with CO 2 conversion and CH 4 selectivity of 85.6% and 99.8%, respectively, at the temperature of 380°C under atmospheric pressure. The synergetic effects among Ni 0 active sites, the promoter and the support, including nickel dispersion improvement and increased CO 2 adsorption sites due to the addition of CeO 2 , were considered as important factors for high reactivity of the promoted catalysts. The stability test showed that the promoted catalyst maintained its high reactivity after 30h. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alternative Energy Sources

CERN Document Server

Michaelides, Efstathios E (Stathis)

2012-01-01

Alternative Energy Sources is designed to give the reader, a clear view of the role each form of alternative energy may play in supplying the energy needs of the human society in the near and intermediate future (20-50 years).   The two first chapters on energy demand and supply and environmental effects, set the tone as to why the widespread use of alternative energy is essential for the future of human society. The third chapter exposes the reader to the laws of energy conversion processes, as well as the limitations of converting one energy form to another. The sections on exergy give a succinct, quantitative background on the capability/potential of each energy source to produce power on a global scale. The fourth, fifth and sixth chapters are expositions of fission and fusion nuclear energy. The following five chapters (seventh to eleventh) include detailed descriptions of the most common renewable energy sources – wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, hydroelectric – and some of the less common sources...

Cell Cycle Regulation by Alternative Polyadenylation of CCND1.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qiong; He, Guopei; Hou, Mengmeng; Chen, Liutao; Chen, Shangwu; Xu, Anlong; Fu, Yonggui

2018-05-01

Global shortening of 3'UTRs by alternative polyadenylation (APA) has been observed in cancer cells. However, the role of APA in cancer remains unknown. CCND1 is a proto-oncogene that regulates progression through the G1-S phase of the cell cycle; moreover, it has been observed to be switching to proximal APA sites in cancer cells. To investigate the biological function of the APA of CCND1, we edited the weak poly(A) signal (PAS) of the proximal APA site to a canonical PAS using the CRISPR/Cas9 method, which can force the cells to use a proximal APA site. Cell cycle profiling and proliferation assays revealed that the proximal APA sites of CCND1 accelerated the cell cycle and promoted cell proliferation, but UTR-APA and CR-APA act via different molecular mechanisms. These results indicate that PAS editing with CRISPR/Cas9 provides a good method by which to study the biological function of APA.

Alternative therapy in glaucoma management: Is there any role?

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Parikh Rajul

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. Various randomized controlled clinical trials have shown that lowering intraocular pressure (IOP does reduce progression of primary open-angle glaucoma. However, there is lots of interest in nonpharmacological options that includes lifestyle adjustment and alternative and complementary therapy (ACT. At least 5% glaucoma population uses ACT. Various lifestyle activities like exercise and alcohol can reduce IOP by 1 to 2 mm Hg but would have small effect on glaucoma. The psychological stress can increase IOP. Hypothetically and few studies do show neuroprotective effect (or effect on ocular blood flow of alcohol, Gingko biloba, bilberry, but the current evidence is weak for its routine use. We must also remember the side effects of ′medications′ (e.g., marijuana, alcohol before promoting as remedy for glaucoma. In current armamentarium of glaucoma management, ACT cannot substitute the conventional treatment available to lower IOP.

Not to Puzzle but to Provoke | Powers | Shakespeare in Southern ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

KING LEAR – THIS TIME IT HURTS: directed by Guy de Lancey. The Intimate Theatre, University of Cape Town, April-May 2012. (The Mechanicals repertory company.) Full Text: EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT · http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/sisa.v24i1.7 · AJOL African ...

Alternate-Fueled Combustion-Sector Emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Saxena, Nikita T.; Thomas, Anna E.; Shouse, Dale T.; Neuroth, Craig; Hendricks, Robert C.; Lynch, Amy; Frayne, Charles W.; Stutrud, Jeffrey S.; Corporan, Edwin; Hankins, Terry

2012-01-01

In order to meet rapidly growing demand for fuel, as well as address environmental concerns, the aviation industry has been testing alternate fuels for performance and technical usability in commercial and military aircraft. Currently, alternate aviation fuels must satisfy MIL-DTL- 83133F(2008) (military) or ASTM D 7566- Annex(2011) (commercial) standards and are termed drop-in fuel replacements. Fuel blends of up to 50% alternative fuel blended with petroleum (JP-8), which have become a practical alternative, are individually certified on the market. In order to make alternate fuels (and blends) a viable option for aviation, the fuel must be able to perform at a similar or higher level than traditional petroleum fuel. They also attempt to curb harmful emissions, and therefore a truly effective alternate fuel would emit at or under the level of currently used fuel. This paper analyzes data from gaseous and particulate emissions of an aircraft combustor sector. The data were evaluated at various inlet conditions, including variation in pressure and temperature, fuel-to-air ratios, and percent composition of alternate fuel. Traditional JP-8+100 data were taken as a baseline, and blends of JP- 8+100 with synthetic-paraffinic-kerosene (SPK) fuel (Fischer-Tropsch (FT)) were used for comparison. Gaseous and particulate emissions, as well as flame luminosity, were assessed for differences between FT composition of 0%, 50%, and 100%. The data showed that SPK fuel (a FT-derived fuel) had slightly lower harmful gaseous emissions, and smoke number information corroborated the hypothesis that SPK-FT fuels are cleaner burning fuels.

Complementary and alternative medicine: what's it all about?

Science.gov (United States)

Barrett, B

2001-01-01

A number of health-related interventions--from widespread therapies such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, homeopathy and yoga, to less well-known modalities such as Feldenkrais, iridology, reflexology and reiki--have increasingly come under the general heading of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). A few, such as biofeedback, chiropractic and physical therapy, are considered conventional by some, alternative by others. Several national surveys estimate that around 40% of the US populace uses a CAM therapy in a given year. While a few people use CAM therapies instead of conventional medicine, the vast majority of CAM users continue to access the official health care system. Many, however, do not discuss their CAM use with their physician. Medical doctors, for their part, are sharply divided on their attitudes toward CAM, with strong advocates and vehement opponents writing and speaking about this issue. CAM therapists are even more diverse, spanning the spectrum from conventional-appearing registered and certified practitioners to iconoclasts promoting anomalous therapies in the place of conventional treatment. The majority, however, both respect and want to work with conventional medicine, as do their patients. Nearly everyone is calling for more and better evidence, and an ever-increasing number of randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses are now appearing in the literature. Over the past few years, a number of calls for "integrated medicine" have been made, and a few attempts at integrating CAM and conventional medicine have been launched. This article reviews these issues, citing our own interview-based work and the relevant literature. Whether the CAM phenomenon represents a short-lived social movement or the beginnings of a radical transformation of medicine has yet to be determined.

Alternative Splicing of MBD2 Supports Self-Renewal in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

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Lu, Yu; Loh, Yuin-Han; Li, Hu; Cesana, Marcella; Ficarro, Scott B.; Parikh, Jignesh R.; Salomonis, Nathan; Toh, Cheng-Xu Delon; Andreadis, Stelios T.; Luckey, C. John; Collins, James J.; Daley, George Q.; Marto, Jarrod A.

2014-01-01

Summary Alternative RNA splicing (AS) regulates proteome diversity, including isoform-specific expression of several pluripotency genes. Here, we integrated global gene expression and proteomic analyses and identified a molecular signature suggesting a central role for AS in maintaining human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) self-renewal. We demonstrate the splicing factor SFRS2 is an OCT4 target gene required for pluripotency. SFRS2 regulates AS of the methyl-CpG-binding protein MBD2, whose isoforms play opposing roles in maintenance of, and reprogramming to, pluripotency. While both MDB2a and MBD2c are enriched at the OCT4 and NANOG promoters, MBD2a preferentially interacts with repressive NuRD chromatin remodeling factors and promotes hPSC differentiation, whereas overexpression of MBD2c enhances reprogramming of fibroblasts to pluripotency. The miR-301 and miR-302 families provide additional regulation by targeting SFRS2 and MDB2a. These data suggest that OCT4, SFRS2, and MBD2 participate in a positive feedback loop, regulating proteome diversity complexity in support of hPSC self-renewal and reprogramming. PMID:24813856

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel Benefits

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, and transport. Maps & Data U.S. Biodiesel Production, Exports, and Consumption U.S. Biodiesel Benefits to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel Benefits on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel Benefits on Twitter Bookmark Alternative Fuels Data

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel Equipment Options

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Equipment Options to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel Equipment Options on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel Equipment Options on Twitter Bookmark Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel Equipment Options on Google Bookmark Alternative Fuels

Alternative sources of financing entrepreneurial undertakings in agriculture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Njegomir Vladimir

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Insufficiency of internal financial resources and limited access to external sources of capital, as one of the key problems, local agricultural producers - entrepreneurs usualy describe with high cost of capital, complicated procedures, lack of transparency in regard to the settlement of credit requests and problems with security of loans. The aim of this study is to analyze the possibilities of facilitating access to increased volume of capital for domestic entrepreneurs in agriculture by using funding sources that are applied in developed economies for financing entrepreneurs. In order to achieve the stated aim, the subject of investigation in this paper is the analysis of alternative sources of financing, which use or increased adoption in Serbia would provide greater availability of capital for agricultural producers and others across the chain of agrobusiness complex and thus the promotion of entrepreneurial activity, and consequently, greater competitiveness and greater income of domestic agricultural producers and others across the chain of agrbusiness indirectly leading to increased economic growth and improvement of the welfare.

Revisiting Communicative Competence in Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Meng-Ju

2016-01-01

This tutorial paper is to explore the novel nature of communicative competence in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) practice by comparing it to communicative competence in naturally verbal dyadic communication. This paper first reviews the four domains of communicative competence in AAC practice. Second, it examines competence in dyadic communications between naturally verbal people without disabilities, deriving new insights and using these to analyze the evolution of communicative competence in AAC practice. Communicative competence in AAC practice should be reconceptualized from a new perspective as dyadic, learned, co-constructed, and of relative value, ascertained through performance. In the past decades, the study of communicative competence in AAC practice has primarily focused on individual persons who use AAC. However, the conceptualization of communicative competence should shift away from an individualized construct toward a dyadic construct. This leads to a discussion of potential implications and future research directions. This paper might offer AAC researchers and practitioners an opportunity to deepen their understanding of communicative competence and promote more positive outcomes for people who use AAC. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Glucocorticoid receptor gene expression and promoter CpG modifications throughout the human brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao-Lei, Lei; Suwansirikul, Songkiet; Jutavijittum, Prapan; Mériaux, Sophie B; Turner, Jonathan D; Muller, Claude P

2013-11-01

Glucocorticoids and the glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid (MR) receptors have been implicated in many processes, particularly in negative feedback regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Epigenetically programmed GR alternative promoter usage underlies transcriptional control of GR levels, generation of GR 3' splice variants, and the overall GC response in the brain. No detailed analysis of GR first exons or GR transcript variants throughout the human brain has been reported. Therefore we investigated post mortem tissues from 28 brain regions of 5 individuals. GR first exons were expressed throughout the healthy human brain with no region-specific usage patterns. First exon levels were highly inter-correlated suggesting that they are co-regulated. GR 3' splice variants (GRα and GR-P) were equally distributed in all regions, and GRβ expression was always low. GR/MR ratios showed significant differences between the 28 tissues with the highest ratio in the pituitary gland. Modification levels of individual CpG dinucleotides, including 5-mC and 5-hmC, in promoters 1D, 1E, 1F, and 1H were low, and diffusely clustered; despite significant heterogeneity between the donors. In agreement with this clustering, sum modification levels rather than individual CpG modifications correlated with GR expression. Two-way ANOVA showed that this sum modification was both promoter and brain region specific, but that there was however no promoter*tissue interaction. The heterogeneity between donors may however hide such an interaction. In both promoters 1F and 1H modification levels correlated with GRα expression suggesting that 5-mC and 5-hmC play an important role in fine tuning GR expression levels throughout the brain. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alternative utilization of underground spaces with abandoned mine openings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chung, So Keul; Cho, Won Jai; Han, Kong Chang; Choi, Sung Oong [Korea Institute of Geology Mining and Materials, Taejon (Korea)

1998-12-01

Utilization of the openings of the abandoned mines could be planned by the principal parameters such as location and geotechnical impact. The local governments have not only to lead the each stage of the utilization project from the very beginning of conceptual design up to the construction stage, but also to promote the project for the development of public purpose. The possible tentative candidates for the utilization of the abandoned mine openings which are supported by the local governments could be summarized as follows. a. The Gahak mine of Kwangmyung, Kyunggi: The mine caverns which have been served as the storage of the pickled fishes, could be reexcavated by taking into consideration the geotechnical parameters for the public use such as: 1) Training center for the youth, 2) Fermentation and storehouse of marine products, 3) Sightseeing resort, 4) Sports and leisure complex, 5) Underground parking lot, 6) Underground shopping mall and chilled room storage, 7) Library, concert hall and museum. b. Hamtae mine of Taebaek, Kangwon: The Hambaek main haulage way and its shaft should be investigated in detail in order to find out a possible use as the underground challenging park of the coal mining operation. c. Mines of Boryung and Hongsung, Chungnam: Lots of mine caverns have been used as the storehouse for the pickled shrimp. However, they have to be promoted to a large scale industries. d. Imgok mine of Kwangju and Palbong mine of Jeongeup, Chunbuk: Mine caverns which have been used as the storehouse of pickles, need a detailed investigation for alternative promotion. e. Yongho mine of Pusan Dalsung mine of Taegu: Both of the mines are located near metropolitan communities. Reconstruction of the old mine caverns of the Yongho mine is highly recommended for a public use. The caverns of the Dalsung mine could be utilized as the storage facilities. Detailed geotechnical survey and sit investigation could be suggested to design the recommended facilities for both

Depolarization-mediated regulation of alternative splicing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alok eSharma

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Alternative splicing in eukaryotes plays an important role in regulating gene expression by selectively including alternative exons. A wealth of information has been accumulated that explains how alternative exons are selected in a developmental stage- or tissue-specific fashion. However, our knowledge of how cells respond to environmental changes to alter alternative splicing is very limited. For example, although a number of alternative exons have been shown to be regulated by calcium level alterations, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. As calcium signaling in neurons plays a crucial role in essential neuronal functions such as learning and memory formation, it is important to understand how this process is regulated at every level in gene expression. The significance of the dynamic control of alternative splicing in response to changes of calcium levels has been largely unappreciated. In this communication, we will summarize the recent advances in calcium signaling-mediated alternative splicing that have provided some insights into the important regulatory mechanisms. In addition to describing the cis-acting RNA elements on the pre-mRNA molecules that respond to changes of intracellular calcium levels, we will summarize how splicing regulators change and affect alternative splicing in this process. We will also discuss a novel mode of calcium-mediated splicing regulation at the level of chromatin structure and transcription.

Alternative pricing methodologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

With the increased interest in competitive market forces and growing recognition of the deficiencies in current practices, FERC and others are exploring alternatives to embedded cost pricing. A number of these alternatives are discussed in this chapter. Marketplace pricing, discussed briefly here, is the subject of the next chapter. Obviously, the pricing formula may combine several of these methodologies. One utility of which the authors are aware is seeking a price equal to the sum of embedded costs, opportunity costs, line losses, value of service, FERC's percentage adder formula and a contract service charge

7 CFR 1218.17 - Promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Promotion. 1218.17 Section 1218.17 Agriculture... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BLUEBERRY PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Blueberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order Definitions § 1218.17 Promotion...

7 CFR 1219.22 - Promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... in the United States, including paid advertising, sales promotion, and publicity. Promotion... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Promotion. 1219.22 Section 1219.22 Agriculture... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HASS AVOCADO PROMOTION, RESEARCH...

Activation of the Alternative NFκB Pathway Improves Disease Symptoms in a Model of Sjogren's Syndrome

Science.gov (United States)

Gilboa-Geffen, Adi; Wolf, Yochai; Hanin, Geula; Melamed-Book, Naomi; Pick, Marjorie; Bennett, Estelle R.; Greenberg, David S.; Lester, Susan; Rischmueller, Maureen; Soreq, Hermona

2011-01-01

The purpose of our study was to understand if Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) activation could contribute to the control of inflammation in Sjogren's syndrome. To this end, we manipulated TLR9 signaling in non-obese diabetic (NOD) and TLR9−/− mice using agonistic CpG oligonucleotide aptamers, TLR9 inhibitors, and the in-house oligonucleotide BL-7040. We then measured salivation, inflammatory response markers, and expression of proteins downstream to NF-κB activation pathways. Finally, we labeled proteins of interest in salivary gland biopsies from Sjogren's syndrome patients, compared to Sicca syndrome controls. We show that in NOD mice BL-7040 activates TLR9 to induce an alternative NF-κB activation mode resulting in increased salivation, elevated anti-inflammatory response in salivary glands, and reduced peripheral AChE activity. These effects were more prominent and also suppressible by TLR9 inhibitors in NOD mice, but TLR9−/− mice were resistant to the salivation-promoting effects of CpG oligonucleotides and BL-7040. Last, salivary glands from Sjogren's disease patients showed increased inflammatory and decreased anti-inflammatory biomarkers, in addition to decreased levels of alternative NF-κB pathway proteins. In summary, we have demonstrated that activation of TLR9 by BL-7040 leads to non-canonical activation of NF-κB, promoting salivary functioning and down-regulating inflammation. We propose that BL-7040 could be beneficial in treating Sjogren's syndrome and may be applicable to additional autoimmune syndromes. PMID:22174879

The Architecture of Chemical Alternatives Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Geiser, Kenneth; Tickner, Joel; Edwards, Sally; Rossi, Mark

2015-12-01

Chemical alternatives assessment is a method rapidly developing for use by businesses, governments, and nongovernment organizations seeking to substitute chemicals of concern in production processes and products. Chemical alternatives assessment is defined as a process for identifying, comparing, and selecting safer alternatives to chemicals of concern (including those in materials, processes, or technologies) on the basis of their hazards, performance, and economic viability. The process is intended to provide guidance for assuring that chemicals of concern are replaced with safer alternatives that are not likely to be later regretted. Conceptually, the assessment methods are developed from a set of three foundational pillars and five common principles. Based on a number of emerging alternatives assessment initiatives, in this commentary, we outline a chemical alternatives assessment blueprint structured around three broad steps: Scope, Assessment, and Selection and Implementation. Specific tasks and tools are identified for each of these three steps. While it is recognized that on-going practice will further refine and develop the method and tools, it is important that the structure of the assessment process remain flexible, adaptive, and focused on the substitution of chemicals of concern with safer alternatives. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas Benefits

Science.gov (United States)

Benefits to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas Benefits on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas Benefits on Twitter Bookmark Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas Benefits on Google Bookmark Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas

77 FR 59346 - Payday-Alternative Loans

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-27

... NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION 12 CFR Part 701 RIN 3133-AE08 Payday-Alternative Loans AGENCY...: The NCUA Board (Board) is currently reviewing its regulation governing payday-alternative loans (PAL... to offer PAL loans, previously referred to as short- term, small amount loans, as an alternative to...

Spain and the Promotion of Governance in Algeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafael Bustos García de Castro

2007-12-01

Full Text Available This article examines the reasons why Spain which possesses a consolidated democratic regime continues to promote democracy and even good governance in certain countries in such an uncertain, ambiguous manner. Recent events, such as the impact of international terrorism, have meant that there is an even more urgent need for providing democratic assistance to the neighbouring countries of the Maghreb region. In spite of its initial limitations and slants,the very concept of governance would represent a non-intrusive promotion of democracy. Nevertheless, Spain’s actors in the field of foreign policy and cooperation with development (as the case of Algeria illustrates perfectly have been clearly reluctant to commit themselves to this course of action. Spain’s patent energy dependence on Algeria (a fact that is often put forward as the main explanatory reason is called into question, with an argument based not only on the evidence of Spanish action in other countries in regions (such as Tunisia and Latin America, but also in an analysis of the discourses and instruments of Spanish foreign policy. As an alternative explanation, it is suggested that practices that have long been used in Spain’s “Arab” foreign policy, the pending reform of the external service, the Europeisation of external action and the “second-player syndrome” (i.e. second to France, provide a better explanation ofSpain’s ambiguousness and of its slow abandonment of policies that favour the status quo.

A Preventive Intervention Program for Urban African American Youth Attending an Alternative Education Program: Background, Implementation, and Feasibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Carswell, Steven B; Hanlon, Thomas E; O'Grady, Kevin E; Watts, Amy M; Pothong, Pattarapan

2009-01-01

This paper presents background, implementation, and feasibility findings associated with planning and conducting an after-school intervention program in an alternative education setting designed to prevent the initiation and escalation of violence and substance abuse among urban African American youth at high risk for life-long problem behaviors. Evolving from earlier preventive interventions implemented in clinic and school settings, the program, entitled The Village Model of Care, consisted of structured group mentoring, parental support, and community outreach services administered to alternative education students and their primary caregiver(s) during the school year. Over a two-year intake period, 109 youth participated in the present process evaluation study. Findings from the study not only provided relevant demographic information on the characteristics of youth likely to be included in such programs but also indicated the importance of including the family in the rehabilitation effort and the need for school administrative system support for the underlying alternative education approach. The information presented in this report has a direct bearing on the planning of future prevention efforts conducted in similar settings that are aimed at reducing problem behaviors and promoting positive lifestyles among high-risk youth.

7 CFR 1215.16 - Promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Promotion. Promotion means any action, including paid advertising, to enhance the image or desirability of... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Promotion. 1215.16 Section 1215.16 Agriculture... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE POPCORN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND...

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Natural Gas Printable Version Share this resource Send a link to Alternative Fuels Data Center : Natural Gas Vehicles to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas Vehicles on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas Vehicles on Twitter Bookmark Alternative

7 CFR 1160.111 - Promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... demand for fluid milk products. (b) Advertising, which means any advertising or promotion program... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Promotion. 1160.111 Section 1160.111 Agriculture... and Orders; Milk), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FLUID MILK PROMOTION PROGRAM Fluid Milk Promotion Order...

7 CFR 1230.22 - Promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01