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  1. Personality and community prevention teams: Dimensions of team leader and member personality predicting team functioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feinberg, Mark E; Kim, Ji-Yeon; Greenberg, Mark T

    2008-11-01

    The predictors and correlates of positive functioning among community prevention teams have been examined in a number of research studies; however, the role of personality has been neglected. In this study, we examined whether team member and leader personality dimensions assessed at the time of team formation predicted local prevention team functioning 2.5-3.5 years later. Participants were 159 prevention team members in 14 communities participating in the PROSPER study of prevention program dissemination. Three aspects of personality, aggregated at the team level, were examined as predictors: Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness. A series of multivariate regression analyses were performed that accounted for the interdependency of five categories of team functioning. Results showed that average team member Openness was negatively, and Conscientiousness was positively linked to team functioning. The findings have implications for decisions about the level and nature of technical assistance support provided to community prevention teams.

  2. Communicative Interaction among Local Editorial Staff Members: Current Situation and the Ways of its Improving

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    Mariya V. Korotitskaya

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Communication between management and employees is very important in organizations. However, communication problems might be more felt in any media organization as a whole and in the local media staff in particular. It’s obvious that news workers have everyday communicative interaction with different newsmakers. The article deals with the study and analysis of the communicative interaction between the local editorial creative staff members. Internal and external organizational understanding data are considered. It is determined that the level of organizational communication development influences the local editorial success and employees’ performance. Mutual understanding as the basic criterion of effective communication has several forms. The subject of our study is organizational understanding, that is, a special type of editorial staff relationship which is limited by the boundaries of the organization and is essential for its successful functioning and development. The analysis of empirical data allowed to identify the main problematic aspects and to work out the recommendations for vertical and horizontal communication development.

  3. The use of local anesthesia during dental rehabilitations: a survey of AAPD members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townsend, Janice A; Martin, Ashla; Hagan, Joseph L; Needleman, Howard

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to document current practices among pediatric and general dentists who are members of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) regarding the use of local anesthesia (LA) on children undergoing dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia (GA). A survey was administered via e-mail to AAPD members to document the use of LA during dental rehabilitations under GA and the rationales for its use. A total of 952 of 5,599 members responded to this survey; 79 percent of respondents use LA at least part of the time during dental rehabilitations under GA. "Improved patient recovery" was the most commonly cited rationale for administering LA. Extraction of permanent and primary teeth were the two most common procedures cited for the use of LA, respectively. There is no consensus among the respondents on the use of local anesthesia during dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia, but the majority responded that it does play a role in their perioperative patient management.

  4. Career development through local chapter involvement: perspectives from chapter members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Melissa; Inniss-Richter, Zipporah; Mata, Holly; Cottrell, Randall R

    2013-07-01

    The importance of career development in professional organizations has been noted in the literature. Personal and professional benefits of membership regardless of discipline can be found across the career spectrum from student to executive. The benefits of professional membership with respect to career development in local chapter organizations have seldom been studied. Local chapter participation may offer significant career development opportunities for the practitioner, faculty member, and student. The purpose of this study was to explore the importance of local chapter involvement to the career development of health education practitioners. An 18-item questionnaire was disseminated to the membership of three local SOPHE (Society for Public Health Education) chapters that explored the level of local chapter involvement and the impact of how specific professional development activities impacted career development. The results of the survey highlighted the importance of continuing education programs, networking, and leadership experience in developing one's career that are offered by local SOPHE chapter involvement. Making a positive impact in the community and earning the respect of one's peers were most often reported as indicators of career success. These factors can directly impact local chapter participation. Career development can certainly be enhanced by active participation in the local chapter of a professional association.

  5. Local self governance in health - a study of it's functioning in Odisha, India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panda, Bhuputra; Zodpey, Sanjay P; Thakur, Harshad P

    2016-10-31

    Local decision making is linked to several service quality improvement parameters. Rogi Kalyan Samitis (RKS) at peripheral decision making health units (DMHU) are composite bodies that are mandated to ensure accountability and transparency in governance, improve quality of services, and facilitate local responsiveness. There is scant literature on the nature of functioning of these institutions in Odisha. This study aimed to assess the perception of RKS members about their roles, involvement and practices with respect to local decision making and management of DMHUs; it further examined perceptual and functional differences between priority and non-priority district set-ups; and identified predictors of involvement of RKS members in local governance of health units. As members of RKS, health service providers, officials in administrative/managerial role, elected representatives, and officials from other departments (including independent members) constituted our study sample. A total of 112 respondents were interviewed across 6 districts, through a multi-stage stratified random sampling; we used a semi-structured interview schedule that comprised mainly of close-ended and some open-ended questions. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to compare 3 priority (PD) and 3 non-priority districts (NPD), categorized on the basis of Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) estimates of 2011 as proxy of population health. Governance, human resource management, financial management and quality improvement functions were studied in detail. Opinion about various individual and organizational factors in local self-governance and predictors of involvement were identified. The socio-demographic profile and composition of respondents were comparable between PD and NPD. Majority of respondents were 'satisfied' with their current roles in the governance of local health institutions. About one-fourth opined that the amount of funds allocated to RKS under National Health Mission (NHM

  6. Mathematical model for research and analyze relations and functions between enterprises, members of cluster

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angelov, Kiril; Kaynakchieva, Vesela

    2017-12-01

    The aim of the current study is to research and analyze Mathematical model for research and analyze of relations and functions between enterprises, members of cluster, and its approbation in given cluster. Subject of the study are theoretical mechanisms for the definition of mathematical models for research and analyze of relations and functions between enterprises, members of cluster. Object of the study are production enterprises, members of cluster. Results of this study show that described theoretical mathematical model is applicable for research and analyze of functions and relations between enterprises, members of cluster from different industrial sectors. This circumstance creates alternatives for election of cluster, where is experimented this model for interaction improvement between enterprises, members of cluster.

  7. Local self governance in health - a study of it’s functioning in Odisha, India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bhuputra Panda

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Local decision making is linked to several service quality improvement parameters. Rogi Kalyan Samitis (RKS at peripheral decision making health units (DMHU are composite bodies that are mandated to ensure accountability and transparency in governance, improve quality of services, and facilitate local responsiveness. There is scant literature on the nature of functioning of these institutions in Odisha. This study aimed to assess the perception of RKS members about their roles, involvement and practices with respect to local decision making and management of DMHUs; it further examined perceptual and functional differences between priority and non-priority district set-ups; and identified predictors of involvement of RKS members in local governance of health units. Methods As members of RKS, health service providers, officials in administrative/managerial role, elected representatives, and officials from other departments (including independent members constituted our study sample. A total of 112 respondents were interviewed across 6 districts, through a multi-stage stratified random sampling; we used a semi-structured interview schedule that comprised mainly of close-ended and some open-ended questions. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to compare 3 priority (PD and 3 non-priority districts (NPD, categorized on the basis of Infant Mortality Rate (IMR estimates of 2011 as proxy of population health. Governance, human resource management, financial management and quality improvement functions were studied in detail. Opinion about various individual and organizational factors in local self-governance and predictors of involvement were identified. Results The socio-demographic profile and composition of respondents were comparable between PD and NPD. Majority of respondents were ‘satisfied’ with their current roles in the governance of local health institutions. About one-fourth opined that the amount of funds

  8. Stress regulated members of the plant organic cation transporter family are localized to the vacuolar membrane

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    Koch Wolfgang

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In Arabidopsis six genes group into the gene family of the organic cation transporters (OCTs. In animals the members of the OCT-family are mostly characterized as polyspecific transporters involved in the homeostasis of solutes, the transport of monoamine neurotransmitters and the transport of choline and carnitine. In plants little is known about function, localisation and regulation of this gene family. Only one protein has been characterized as a carnitine transporter at the plasma membrane so far. Findings We localized the five uncharacterized members of the Arabidopsis OCT family, designated OCT2-OCT6, via GFP fusions and protoplast transformation to the tonoplast. Expression analysis with RNA Gel Blots showed a distinct, organ-specific expression pattern of the individual genes. With reporter gene fusion of four members we analyzed the tissue specific distribution of OCT2, 3, 4, and 6. In experiments with salt, drought and cold stress, we could show that AtOCT4, 5 and 6 are up-regulated during drought stress, AtOCT3 and 5 during cold stress and AtOCT 5 and 6 during salt stress treatments. Conclusion Localisation of the proteins at the tonoplast and regulation of the gene expression under stress conditions suggests a specific role for the transporters in plant adaptation to environmental stress.

  9. Identification of a functional nuclear localization signal within the human USP22 protein

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiong, Jianjun; Wang, Yaqin; Gong, Zhen; Liu, Jianyun; Li, Weidong

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • USP22 was accumulated in nucleus. • We identified of a functional USP22 NLS. • The KRRK amino acid residues are indispensable in NLS. • The KRRK motif is conserved in USP22 homologues. - Abstract: Ubiquitin-specific processing enzyme 22 (USP22), a member of the deubiquitinase family, is over-expressed in most human cancers and has been implicated in tumorigenesis. Because it is an enzymatic subunit of the human SAGA transcriptional cofactor, USP22 deubiquitylates histone H2A and H2B in the nucleus, thus participating in gene regulation and cell-cycle progression. However, the mechanisms regulating its nuclear translocation have not yet been elucidated. It was here demonstrated that USP22 is imported into the nucleus through a mechanism mediated by nuclear localization signal (NLS). The bipartite NLS sequence KRELELLKHNPKRRKIT (aa152–168), was identified as the functional NLS for its nuclear localization. Furthermore, a short cluster of basic amino acid residues KRRK within this bipartite NLS plays the primary role in nuclear localization and is evolutionarily conserved in USP22 homologues. In the present study, a functional NLS and the minimal sequences required for the active targeting of USP22 to the nucleus were identified. These findings may provide a molecular basis for the mechanism underlying USP22 nuclear trafficking and function

  10. Identification of a functional nuclear localization signal within the human USP22 protein

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xiong, Jianjun [Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for the Systems Bio-Medicine, Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province 332000 (China); College of Basic Medical Science, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province 332000 (China); Wang, Yaqin [Reproductive Medical Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430060 (China); Gong, Zhen [Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for the Systems Bio-Medicine, Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province 332000 (China); Liu, Jianyun [College of Basic Medical Science, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province 332000 (China); Li, Weidong, E-mail: lwd626518@163.com [College of Basic Medical Science, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province 332000 (China)

    2014-06-20

    Highlights: • USP22 was accumulated in nucleus. • We identified of a functional USP22 NLS. • The KRRK amino acid residues are indispensable in NLS. • The KRRK motif is conserved in USP22 homologues. - Abstract: Ubiquitin-specific processing enzyme 22 (USP22), a member of the deubiquitinase family, is over-expressed in most human cancers and has been implicated in tumorigenesis. Because it is an enzymatic subunit of the human SAGA transcriptional cofactor, USP22 deubiquitylates histone H2A and H2B in the nucleus, thus participating in gene regulation and cell-cycle progression. However, the mechanisms regulating its nuclear translocation have not yet been elucidated. It was here demonstrated that USP22 is imported into the nucleus through a mechanism mediated by nuclear localization signal (NLS). The bipartite NLS sequence KRELELLKHNPKRRKIT (aa152–168), was identified as the functional NLS for its nuclear localization. Furthermore, a short cluster of basic amino acid residues KRRK within this bipartite NLS plays the primary role in nuclear localization and is evolutionarily conserved in USP22 homologues. In the present study, a functional NLS and the minimal sequences required for the active targeting of USP22 to the nucleus were identified. These findings may provide a molecular basis for the mechanism underlying USP22 nuclear trafficking and function.

  11. Using the electron localization function to correct for confinement physics in semi-local density functional theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hao, Feng; Mattsson, Ann E.; Armiento, Rickard

    2014-01-01

    We have previously proposed that further improved functionals for density functional theory can be constructed based on the Armiento-Mattsson subsystem functional scheme if, in addition to the uniform electron gas and surface models used in the Armiento-Mattsson 2005 functional, a model for the strongly confined electron gas is also added. However, of central importance for this scheme is an index that identifies regions in space where the correction provided by the confined electron gas should be applied. The electron localization function (ELF) is a well-known indicator of strongly localized electrons. We use a model of a confined electron gas based on the harmonic oscillator to show that regions with high ELF directly coincide with regions where common exchange energy functionals have large errors. This suggests that the harmonic oscillator model together with an index based on the ELF provides the crucial ingredients for future improved semi-local functionals. For a practical illustration of how the proposed scheme is intended to work for a physical system we discuss monoclinic cupric oxide, CuO. A thorough discussion of this system leads us to promote the cell geometry of CuO as a useful benchmark for future semi-local functionals. Very high ELF values are found in a shell around the O ions, and take its maximum value along the Cu–O directions. An estimate of the exchange functional error from the effect of electron confinement in these regions suggests a magnitude and sign that could account for the error in cell geometry

  12. Rate Familiarity of the Members of local Organizations in the Northen Provinces of Iran about the Family Physician Programme and Rural Insurance

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    M Kabir

    2015-09-01

    Results: 521 (84.7% individuals (out of 601 members of local organizations were male. The age range was 19-81 years. Mean and standard deviation of participants age was 45±9.7 years. 47.1% of persons had academic education level. Out of total score 27, mean and SD of the familiarity in village magor was 12.4±4, in health council’s members 11.6±3.7, in village council’s members 11.4±4.1, in school managers 10.6±3.3. in dispute resolation council’s members 10.5±5.1 and in native teachers was 8.8±4.9. There were significant relationships between the level of familiarity and being participated in trustees council of the health center, sex and the work type of local organization (p0.05. Conclusion: This Study Showed that the level of familiarity of members of local organizations in rural regions of Iran is not sufficient and interventional Programs must be Planned and Performed for improvement.

  13. Local hybrid functionals: An assessment for thermochemical kinetics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaupp, Martin; Bahmann, Hilke; Arbuznikov, Alexei V.

    2007-01-01

    Local hybrid functionals with position-dependent exact-exchange admixture are a new class of exchange-correlation functionals in density functional theory that promise to advance the available accuracy in many areas of application. Local hybrids with different local mixing functions (LMFs) governing the position dependence are validated for the heats of formation of the extended G3/99 set, and for two sets of barriers of hydrogen-transfer and heavy-atom transfer reactions (HTBH38 and NHTBH38 databases). A simple local hybrid Lh-SVWN with only Slater and exact exchange plus local correlation and a one-parameter LMF, g(r)=b(τ W (r)/τ(r)), performs best and provides overall mean absolute errors for thermochemistry and kinetics that are a significant improvement over standard state-of-the-art global hybrid functionals. In particular, this local hybrid functional does not suffer from the systematic deterioration that standard functionals exhibit for larger molecules. In contrast, local hybrids based on generalized gradient approximation exchange tend to give rise to nonintuitive LMFs, and no improved functionals have been obtained along this route. The LMF is a real-space function and thus can be analyzed in detail. We use, in particular, graphical analyses to rationalize the performance of different local hybrids for thermochemistry and reaction barriers

  14. Perceptions of Individual and Family Functioning Among Deployed Female National Guard Members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, Patricia J; Cheng, An-Lin; Berkel, LaVerne A; Nilsson, Johanna

    2016-08-01

    Females currently make up 15% of U.S. military service members. Minimal attention has been paid to families of female National Guard members who have been deployed and their subsequent reintegration challenges. This cross-sectional Internet-based survey of female members of four National Guard units compared those who were and were not deployed. Instruments, guided by the variables of the Family Resilience Model, measured individual, family, and deployment-related factors. Bivariate analysis and ordinal logistic regression were done to assess differences between the groups. Of the 239 National Guard members surveyed, deployed women (n = 164) had significantly higher levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; p family functioning were higher among deployed when compared with never deployed women. Results indicate community interventions that focus on strengthening coping skills of female Guard members would be useful for this population. © The Author(s) 2016.

  15. The conserved 12-amino acid stretch in the inter-bromodomain region of BET family proteins functions as a nuclear localization signal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukazawa, Hidesuke; Masumi, Atsuko

    2012-01-01

    The bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) family is a group of chromatin-binding proteins characterized by two bromodomains, an extraterminal (ET) domain, and several other conserved regions of unknown function. In humans, the BET family consists of four members, BRD2, BRD3, BRD4 and BRDT, that all normally localize to the nucleus. We identified a 12-amino acid stretch in the inter-bromodomain region that is perfectly conserved among the BET family members. We deleted these residues and expressed the mutant proteins in HEK293T cells to investigate the function of this motif. We found that the deletion of this motif alters the localization of BET proteins. Mutated BRD3 and BRD4 were excluded from the nucleus, and BRDT was found to be diffused throughout the nucleus and cytoplasm. Although the mutant BRD2 remained predominantly in the nucleus, a punctate distribution was also observed in the cytosol. It has been reported that a conserved motif between the second bromodomain and the ET domain serves as a nuclear localization signal for BRD2. Nevertheless, BET mutants lacking the reported nuclear localization signal motif but retaining the 12-amino acid stretch resided in the nucleus. Furthermore, these mutants were diffused throughout the cytoplasm when the 12 residues were removed. These results indicate that the conserved amino acid stretch in the inter-bromodomain region of the BET family functions as a nuclear localization signal.

  16. Less Known Points of Interest in the Functioning of Local Societies in the Grand Carniolian Slovenian Catholic Union (1894–1924

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    Darko Friš

    2000-09-01

    Full Text Available The first Slovenian emigrants realized soon after their arrival to the USA that in the event of work accidents or disease they depended solely on themselves. For this reason they started to found their own benefit societies, following the example of other nationalities (e.g. the Czechs, the Finns. At first these were of a local character with a limited number of members, which did not guarantee enough financial safety. In order to decrease the possibility of a financial break down, they started to found benefit societies which united members of the same ethnical group throughout the whole country. The first Slovenian fraternal benefit society called the Carniolian Slovenian Catholic Society (“Kranjsko slovenska katoliška jednota” in Slovene, abbrev. KSKJ was founded in Joliet (Illinois in 1894. It was founded by Slovenian Catholic priests in the USA, who often encountered the misery and helplessness of victims of accidents and their families. The society functioned according to strict Catholic principles. Its ideological orientation was expressed in the name itself, and St. Joseph was chosen as its patron saint. All the local societies were also mostly named after saints. The basic aim of the fraternal benefit society was to help the members or their families in the event of death, while the additional activity was to provide health insurance. However, the organization also cultivated other important values, such as the Slovenian cultural tradition, the Slovenian language, and close contacts with “the old country”. The basis of fraternal benefit organizations was represented by local societies, which were active throughout all of the USA. The local society of the Carniolian Slovenian Catholic Society called St. Francis de Sales Society No. 29 was founded in Joliet (Illinois on February 2, 1896. It was already the fourth local society of the KSKJ in the town of Joliet. The reasons for the setting up of a new society came from the

  17. Locality of correlation in density functional theory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burke, Kieron [Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697 (United States); Cancio, Antonio [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana 47306 (United States); Gould, Tim [Qld Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld 4111 (Australia); Pittalis, Stefano [CNR-Istituto di Nanoscienze, Via Campi 213A, I-41125 Modena (Italy)

    2016-08-07

    The Hohenberg-Kohn density functional was long ago shown to reduce to the Thomas-Fermi (TF) approximation in the non-relativistic semiclassical (or large-Z) limit for all matter, i.e., the kinetic energy becomes local. Exchange also becomes local in this limit. Numerical data on the correlation energy of atoms support the conjecture that this is also true for correlation, but much less relevant to atoms. We illustrate how expansions around a large particle number are equivalent to local density approximations and their strong relevance to density functional approximations. Analyzing highly accurate atomic correlation energies, we show that E{sub C} → −A{sub C} ZlnZ + B{sub C}Z as Z → ∞, where Z is the atomic number, A{sub C} is known, and we estimate B{sub C} to be about 37 mhartree. The local density approximation yields A{sub C} exactly, but a very incorrect value for B{sub C}, showing that the local approximation is less relevant for the correlation alone. This limit is a benchmark for the non-empirical construction of density functional approximations. We conjecture that, beyond atoms, the leading correction to the local density approximation in the large-Z limit generally takes this form, but with B{sub C} a functional of the TF density for the system. The implications for the construction of approximate density functionals are discussed.

  18. The ENU-3 protein family members function in the Wnt pathway parallel to UNC-6/Netrin to promote motor neuron axon outgrowth in C. elegans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Florica, Roxana Oriana; Hipolito, Victoria; Bautista, Stephen; Anvari, Homa; Rapp, Chloe; El-Rass, Suzan; Asgharian, Alimohammad; Antonescu, Costin N; Killeen, Marie T

    2017-10-01

    The axons of the DA and DB classes of motor neurons fail to reach the dorsal cord in the absence of the guidance cue UNC-6/Netrin or its receptor UNC-5 in C. elegans. However, the axonal processes usually exit their cell bodies in the ventral cord in the absence of both molecules. Strains lacking functional versions of UNC-6 or UNC-5 have a low level of DA and DB motor neuron axon outgrowth defects. We found that mutations in the genes for all six of the ENU-3 proteins function to enhance the outgrowth defects of the DA and DB axons in strains lacking either UNC-6 or UNC-5. A mutation in the gene for the MIG-14/Wntless protein also enhances defects in a strain lacking either UNC-5 or UNC-6, suggesting that the ENU-3 and Wnt pathways function parallel to the Netrin pathway in directing motor neuron axon outgrowth. Our evidence suggests that the ENU-3 proteins are novel members of the Wnt pathway in nematodes. Five of the six members of the ENU-3 family are predicted to be single-pass trans-membrane proteins. The expression pattern of ENU-3.1 was consistent with plasma membrane localization. One family member, ENU-3.6, lacks the predicted signal peptide and the membrane-spanning domain. In HeLa cells ENU-3.6 had a cytoplasmic localization and caused actin dependent processes to appear. We conclude that the ENU-3 family proteins function in a pathway parallel to the UNC-6/Netrin pathway for motor neuron axon outgrowth, most likely in the Wnt pathway. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. 18 CFR 376.206 - Delegation of functions of certain Commission staff members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Delegation of functions... Conditions § 376.206 Delegation of functions of certain Commission staff members. When, by reason of... subordinate employee in the Office or Division of the highest grade and longest period of service in that...

  20. Local and Global Function Model of the Liver

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Hesheng, E-mail: hesheng@umich.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (United States); Feng, Mary [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (United States); Jackson, Andrew [Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States); Ten Haken, Randall K.; Lawrence, Theodore S. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (United States); Cao, Yue [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (United States); Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (United States); Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (United States)

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: To develop a local and global function model in the liver based on regional and organ function measurements to support individualized adaptive radiation therapy (RT). Methods and Materials: A local and global model for liver function was developed to include both functional volume and the effect of functional variation of subunits. Adopting the assumption of parallel architecture in the liver, the global function was composed of a sum of local function probabilities of subunits, varying between 0 and 1. The model was fit to 59 datasets of liver regional and organ function measures from 23 patients obtained before, during, and 1 month after RT. The local function probabilities of subunits were modeled by a sigmoid function in relating to MRI-derived portal venous perfusion values. The global function was fitted to a logarithm of an indocyanine green retention rate at 15 minutes (an overall liver function measure). Cross-validation was performed by leave-m-out tests. The model was further evaluated by fitting to the data divided according to whether the patients had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or not. Results: The liver function model showed that (1) a perfusion value of 68.6 mL/(100 g · min) yielded a local function probability of 0.5; (2) the probability reached 0.9 at a perfusion value of 98 mL/(100 g · min); and (3) at a probability of 0.03 [corresponding perfusion of 38 mL/(100 g · min)] or lower, the contribution to global function was lost. Cross-validations showed that the model parameters were stable. The model fitted to the data from the patients with HCC indicated that the same amount of portal venous perfusion was translated into less local function probability than in the patients with non-HCC tumors. Conclusions: The developed liver function model could provide a means to better assess individual and regional dose-responses of hepatic functions, and provide guidance for individualized treatment planning of RT.

  1. Local identities involving Jacobi elliptic functions

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    systematize the local identities by deriving four local 'master identities' analogous to the ... involving Jacobi elliptic functions can be explicitly evaluated and a number of .... most of these integrals do not seem to be known in the literature. In §6 ...

  2. Cytoplasm localization of aminopeptidase M1 and its functional activity in root hair cells and BY-2 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ok Ran; Cho, Hyung-Taeg

    2012-12-01

    Aminopeptidase M1 (APM1) was the first M1 metallopeptidase family member identified in Arabidopsis, isolated by its affinity for the auxin transport inhibitor N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA). A loss-of-function mutation showed various developmental defects in cell division and auxin transport. APM1 was shown to be localized in endomembrane structures, the cytoplasm, and the plasma membrane. These previous results suggested that APM1 has diverse functional roles in different cell and tissue types. Here we report that APM1 localized to the cytoplasm, and its over-expression in the root hair cell caused longer root hair phenotypes. Treatment of aminopeptidase inhibitors caused internalization of auxin efflux PIN-FORMED proteins in root hair cells and suppressed short root hair phenotype of PIN3 overexpression line (PIN3ox). APM1 also localized to the cytoplasm in tobacco BY-2 cells, its over-expression had little effect on auxin transport in these cells.

  3. Importance of dimer formation of myocardin family members in the regulation of their nuclear export.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayashi, Ken'ichiro; Morita, Tsuyoshi

    2013-01-01

    Myocardin (Mycd) family members function as a transcriptional cofactor for serum response factor (SRF). Dimer formation is necessary to exhibit their function, and the coiled-coil domain (CC) plays a critical role in their dimerization. We have recently revealed a detailed molecular mechanism for their Crm1 (exportin1)-mediated nuclear export. Here, we found other unique significances of the dimerization of Mycd family members. Introduction of mutations in the CC of myocardin-related transcription factor A (MRTF-A) and truncated Mycd resulted in significant decreases in their cytoplasmic localization and increases in their nuclear localization. In accordance with such subcellular localization changes, their binding to Crm1 were reduced. These results indicate that the dimerization of Mycd family members is necessary for their Crm1-mediated nuclear export. We have recently found that the N-terminal region of Mycd consisting of 128 amino acids (Mycd N128) self-associates to Mycd via the central basic domain (CB), resulting in masking the Crm1-binding site. Such self-association of MRTF-A would be unlikely. In this study, we also revealed that the dimerization of Mycd was also necessary for this self-association. Wild-type Mycd activated SRF-mediated transcription more potently than Mycd lacking the Mycd N128 (Mycd ΔN128) did. These results suggest two possible functions of the Mycd N128: 1) stabilization of Mycd dimer to enhance SRF-mediated transcription and 2) positive regulation of the transactivation ability of Mycd. These findings provide a new insight into the functional regulation of Mycd family members.

  4. Local School Board Members Need Quality Public Information That Informs Decisions, Empowers Action. Don't Make Decisions in the Dark

    Science.gov (United States)

    Data Quality Campaign, 2014

    2014-01-01

    Local school board members need to be able to access and use high-quality data to make good decisions. Often this data is collected and stored locally, but information that is publicly reported by the state can provide additional value. Most state public reporting is designed to serve information needs, and are geared toward compliance with state…

  5. The Green’s functions for peridynamic non-local diffusion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, L. J.; Xu, J. F.

    2016-01-01

    In this work, we develop the Green’s function method for the solution of the peridynamic non-local diffusion model in which the spatial gradient of the generalized potential in the classical theory is replaced by an integral of a generalized response function in a horizon. We first show that the general solutions of the peridynamic non-local diffusion model can be expressed as functionals of the corresponding Green’s functions for point sources, along with volume constraints for non-local diffusion. Then, we obtain the Green’s functions by the Fourier transform method for unsteady and steady diffusions in infinite domains. We also demonstrate that the peridynamic non-local solutions converge to the classical differential solutions when the non-local length approaches zero. Finally, the peridynamic analytical solutions are applied to an infinite plate heated by a Gauss source, and the predicted variations of temperature are compared with the classical local solutions. The peridynamic non-local diffusion model predicts a lower rate of variation of the field quantities than that of the classical theory, which is consistent with experimental observations. The developed method is applicable to general diffusion-type problems. PMID:27713658

  6. Local and linear chemical reactivity response functions at finite temperature in density functional theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Franco-Pérez, Marco; Ayers, Paul W.; Gázquez, José L.; Vela, Alberto

    2015-01-01

    We explore the local and nonlocal response functions of the grand canonical potential density functional at nonzero temperature. In analogy to the zero-temperature treatment, local (e.g., the average electron density and the local softness) and nonlocal (e.g., the softness kernel) intrinsic response functions are defined as partial derivatives of the grand canonical potential with respect to its thermodynamic variables (i.e., the chemical potential of the electron reservoir and the external potential generated by the atomic nuclei). To define the local and nonlocal response functions of the electron density (e.g., the Fukui function, the linear density response function, and the dual descriptor), we differentiate with respect to the average electron number and the external potential. The well-known mathematical relationships between the intrinsic response functions and the electron-density responses are generalized to nonzero temperature, and we prove that in the zero-temperature limit, our results recover well-known identities from the density functional theory of chemical reactivity. Specific working equations and numerical results are provided for the 3-state ensemble model

  7. On the Local Minima of the Order of Appearance Function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florian Luca

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The order of appearance z(n of the positive integer n is the smallest positive integer k such that n divides Fk, the kth member of the Fibonacci sequence. In this paper, we improve upon some results from (Marques, 2011 concerning local minima of z(n.

  8. Exact density functional and wave function embedding schemes based on orbital localization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hégely, Bence; Nagy, Péter R.; Kállay, Mihály; Ferenczy, György G.

    2016-01-01

    Exact schemes for the embedding of density functional theory (DFT) and wave function theory (WFT) methods into lower-level DFT or WFT approaches are introduced utilizing orbital localization. First, a simple modification of the projector-based embedding scheme of Manby and co-workers [J. Chem. Phys. 140, 18A507 (2014)] is proposed. We also use localized orbitals to partition the system, but instead of augmenting the Fock operator with a somewhat arbitrary level-shift projector we solve the Huzinaga-equation, which strictly enforces the Pauli exclusion principle. Second, the embedding of WFT methods in local correlation approaches is studied. Since the latter methods split up the system into local domains, very simple embedding theories can be defined if the domains of the active subsystem and the environment are treated at a different level. The considered embedding schemes are benchmarked for reaction energies and compared to quantum mechanics (QM)/molecular mechanics (MM) and vacuum embedding. We conclude that for DFT-in-DFT embedding, the Huzinaga-equation-based scheme is more efficient than the other approaches, but QM/MM or even simple vacuum embedding is still competitive in particular cases. Concerning the embedding of wave function methods, the clear winner is the embedding of WFT into low-level local correlation approaches, and WFT-in-DFT embedding can only be more advantageous if a non-hybrid density functional is employed.

  9. Exact density functional and wave function embedding schemes based on orbital localization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hégely, Bence; Nagy, Péter R.; Ferenczy, György G.; Kállay, Mihály

    2016-08-01

    Exact schemes for the embedding of density functional theory (DFT) and wave function theory (WFT) methods into lower-level DFT or WFT approaches are introduced utilizing orbital localization. First, a simple modification of the projector-based embedding scheme of Manby and co-workers [J. Chem. Phys. 140, 18A507 (2014)] is proposed. We also use localized orbitals to partition the system, but instead of augmenting the Fock operator with a somewhat arbitrary level-shift projector we solve the Huzinaga-equation, which strictly enforces the Pauli exclusion principle. Second, the embedding of WFT methods in local correlation approaches is studied. Since the latter methods split up the system into local domains, very simple embedding theories can be defined if the domains of the active subsystem and the environment are treated at a different level. The considered embedding schemes are benchmarked for reaction energies and compared to quantum mechanics (QM)/molecular mechanics (MM) and vacuum embedding. We conclude that for DFT-in-DFT embedding, the Huzinaga-equation-based scheme is more efficient than the other approaches, but QM/MM or even simple vacuum embedding is still competitive in particular cases. Concerning the embedding of wave function methods, the clear winner is the embedding of WFT into low-level local correlation approaches, and WFT-in-DFT embedding can only be more advantageous if a non-hybrid density functional is employed.

  10. Exact density functional and wave function embedding schemes based on orbital localization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hégely, Bence; Nagy, Péter R.; Kállay, Mihály, E-mail: kallay@mail.bme.hu [MTA-BME Lendület Quantum Chemistry Research Group, Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, P.O. Box 91, H-1521 Budapest (Hungary); Ferenczy, György G. [Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, H-1117 Budapest (Hungary); Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology, Semmelweis University, Tűzoltó u. 37-47, H-1094 Budapest (Hungary)

    2016-08-14

    Exact schemes for the embedding of density functional theory (DFT) and wave function theory (WFT) methods into lower-level DFT or WFT approaches are introduced utilizing orbital localization. First, a simple modification of the projector-based embedding scheme of Manby and co-workers [J. Chem. Phys. 140, 18A507 (2014)] is proposed. We also use localized orbitals to partition the system, but instead of augmenting the Fock operator with a somewhat arbitrary level-shift projector we solve the Huzinaga-equation, which strictly enforces the Pauli exclusion principle. Second, the embedding of WFT methods in local correlation approaches is studied. Since the latter methods split up the system into local domains, very simple embedding theories can be defined if the domains of the active subsystem and the environment are treated at a different level. The considered embedding schemes are benchmarked for reaction energies and compared to quantum mechanics (QM)/molecular mechanics (MM) and vacuum embedding. We conclude that for DFT-in-DFT embedding, the Huzinaga-equation-based scheme is more efficient than the other approaches, but QM/MM or even simple vacuum embedding is still competitive in particular cases. Concerning the embedding of wave function methods, the clear winner is the embedding of WFT into low-level local correlation approaches, and WFT-in-DFT embedding can only be more advantageous if a non-hybrid density functional is employed.

  11. Evolutionary Pattern and Regulation Analysis to Support Why Diversity Functions Existed within PPAR Gene Family Members

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tianyu Zhou

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor (PPAR gene family members exhibit distinct patterns of distribution in tissues and differ in functions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the evolutionary impacts on diversity functions of PPAR members and the regulatory differences on gene expression patterns. 63 homology sequences of PPAR genes from 31 species were collected and analyzed. The results showed that three isolated types of PPAR gene family may emerge from twice times of gene duplication events. The conserved domains of HOLI (ligand binding domain of hormone receptors domain and ZnF_C4 (C4 zinc finger in nuclear in hormone receptors are essential for keeping basic roles of PPAR gene family, and the variant domains of LCRs may be responsible for their divergence in functions. The positive selection sites in HOLI domain are benefit for PPARs to evolve towards diversity functions. The evolutionary variants in the promoter regions and 3′ UTR regions of PPARs result into differential transcription factors and miRNAs involved in regulating PPAR members, which may eventually affect their expressions and tissues distributions. These results indicate that gene duplication event, selection pressure on HOLI domain, and the variants on promoter and 3′ UTR are essential for PPARs evolution and diversity functions acquired.

  12. Evolutionary Pattern and Regulation Analysis to Support Why Diversity Functions Existed within PPAR Gene Family Members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Tianyu; Yan, Xiping; Wang, Guosong; Liu, Hehe; Gan, Xiang; Zhang, Tao; Wang, Jiwen; Li, Liang

    2015-01-01

    Peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor (PPAR) gene family members exhibit distinct patterns of distribution in tissues and differ in functions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the evolutionary impacts on diversity functions of PPAR members and the regulatory differences on gene expression patterns. 63 homology sequences of PPAR genes from 31 species were collected and analyzed. The results showed that three isolated types of PPAR gene family may emerge from twice times of gene duplication events. The conserved domains of HOLI (ligand binding domain of hormone receptors) domain and ZnF_C4 (C4 zinc finger in nuclear in hormone receptors) are essential for keeping basic roles of PPAR gene family, and the variant domains of LCRs may be responsible for their divergence in functions. The positive selection sites in HOLI domain are benefit for PPARs to evolve towards diversity functions. The evolutionary variants in the promoter regions and 3' UTR regions of PPARs result into differential transcription factors and miRNAs involved in regulating PPAR members, which may eventually affect their expressions and tissues distributions. These results indicate that gene duplication event, selection pressure on HOLI domain, and the variants on promoter and 3' UTR are essential for PPARs evolution and diversity functions acquired.

  13. Examination of Local Functional Homogeneity in Autism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lili Jiang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Increasing neuroimaging evidence suggests that autism patients exhibit abnormal brain structure and function. We used the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE sample to analyze locally focal (~8 mm functional connectivity of 223 autism patients and 285 normal controls from 15 international sites using a recently developed surface-based approach. We observed enhanced local connectivity in the middle frontal cortex, left precuneus, and right superior temporal sulcus, and reduced local connectivity in the right insular cortex. The local connectivity in the right middle frontal gyrus was positively correlated with the total score of the autism diagnostic observation schedule whereas the local connectivity within the right superior temporal sulcus was positively correlated with total subscores of both the communication and the stereotyped behaviors and restricted interests of the schedule. Finally, significant interactions between age and clinical diagnosis were detected in the left precuneus. These findings replicated previous observations that used a volume-based approach and suggested possible neuropathological impairments of local information processing in the frontal, temporal, parietal, and insular cortices. Novel site-variability analysis demonstrated high reproducibility of our findings across the 15 international sites. The age-disease interaction provides a potential target region for future studies to further elucidate the neurodevelopmental mechanisms of autism.

  14. Local modification and laser-welding production of functionalized microfluidic chips

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rijo Carvalho, Rui

    2017-01-01

    The ability to locally functionalize the surface of glass and polymers allows for myriad biomedical and chemical applications. When we started this research enclosed surfaces such as microfluidic channels were not easily amenable to localized functionalization. Furthermore, pre-functionalization

  15. Identification, Localization, and Functional Implications of the Microdomain-Forming Stomatin Family in the Ciliated Protozoan Paramecium tetraurelia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stuermer, Claudia A. O.; Plattner, Helmut

    2013-01-01

    The SPFH protein superfamily is assumed to occur universally in eukaryotes, but information from protozoa is scarce. In the Paramecium genome, we found only Stomatins, 20 paralogs grouped in 8 families, STO1 to STO8. According to cDNA analysis, all are expressed, and molecular modeling shows the typical SPFH domain structure for all subgroups. For further analysis we used family-specific sequences for fluorescence and immunogold labeling, gene silencing, and functional tests. With all family members tested, we found a patchy localization at/near the cell surface and on vesicles. The Sto1p and Sto4p families are also associated with the contractile vacuole complex. Sto4p also makes puncta on some food vacuoles and is abundant on vesicles recycling from the release site of spent food vacuoles to the site of nascent food vacuole formation. Silencing of the STO1 family reduces mechanosensitivity (ciliary reversal upon touching an obstacle), thus suggesting relevance for positioning of mechanosensitive channels in the plasmalemma. Silencing of STO4 members increases pulsation frequency of the contractile vacuole complex and reduces phagocytotic activity of Paramecium cells. In summary, Sto1p and Sto4p members seem to be involved in positioning specific superficial and intracellular microdomain-based membrane components whose functions may depend on mechanosensation (extracellular stimuli and internal osmotic pressure). PMID:23376944

  16. Comments on the locality in density-functional theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindgren, Ingvar; Salomonson, Sten

    2003-01-01

    The 'locality hypothesis' in density-functional theory (DFT), implying that the functional derivative is equivalent to a multiplicative local function, forms the basis of models of Kohn-Sham type. This has been generally accepted by the community since the advent of the model, and has later been formally proved for a large class of functionals. The hypothesis has recently been questioned by Nesbet [Phys. Rev. A 58, R12 (1998) and Phys. Rev. A 65, 010502 (2001)], who claims that it fails for the kinetic-energy functional for a system with more than two noninteracting electrons with a nondegenerate ground state. This conclusion has been questioned by Gal [Phys. Rev. A 62, 044501 (2000)] and by Holas and March [Phys. Rev. A 64, 016501 (2001)]. We claim that the arguments of Nesbet are incorrect, since the orbital functional used for the kinetic energy is not a unique functional of the total density in the domain of unnormalized orbitals. We have demonstrated that with a proper definition of the kinetic energy, which is a unique density functional also in the unnormalized region, the derivative can be represented by a single local multiplicative function for all v-representable densities. Therefore, we consider the controversy connected with the issue raised by Nesbet as resolved. We believe that the proof of the differentiability given here can be extended to larger groups of DFT functionals, and works along these lines are in progress

  17. How do electron localization functions describe π-electron delocalization?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steinmann, Stephan N; Mo, Yirong; Corminboeuf, Clemence

    2011-12-14

    Scalar fields provide an intuitive picture of chemical bonding. In particular, the electron localization function (ELF) has proven to be highly valuable in interpreting a broad range of bonding patterns. The discrimination between enhanced or reduced electron (de)localization within cyclic π-conjugated systems remains, however, challenging for ELF. In order to clearly distinguish between the local properties of ten highly and weakly π-(de)localized prototype systems, we compare the ELFs of both the canonical wave functions and electron-localized states (diabatic) with those of two closely related scalar fields: the electron localizability indicator (ELI-D) and the localized orbital locator (LOL). The simplest LOL function distinguishes enhanced from weak π-(de)localization in an insightful and reliable manner. LOL offers the finest contrast between annulenes with 4n/4n + 2 π electrons and their inorganic analogues as well as between hyperconjugated cyclopentadiene derivatives. LOL(π) also gives an appealing and intuitive picture of the π-bond. In contrast, the most popular ELF fails to capture subtle contrasting local electronic properties and suffers from the arbitrariness of the σ/π dissection. The orbital separation of the most recent ELI-D is clear-cut but the interpretations sometime less straightforward in the present context.

  18. Local functional connectivity suggests functional immaturity in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcos-Vidal, Luis; Martínez-García, Magdalena; Pretus, Clara; Garcia-Garcia, David; Martínez, Kenia; Janssen, Joost; Vilarroya, Oscar; Castellanos, Francisco X; Desco, Manuel; Sepulcre, Jorge; Carmona, Susanna

    2018-06-01

    Previous studies have associated Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with a maturational lag of brain functional networks. Functional connectivity of the human brain changes from primarily local to more distant connectivity patterns during typical development. Under the maturational lag hypothesis, we expect children with ADHD to exhibit increased local connectivity and decreased distant connectivity compared with neurotypically developing (ND) children. We applied a graph-theory method to compute local and distant connectivity levels and cross-sectionally compared them in a sample of 120 children with ADHD and 120 age-matched ND children (age range = 7-17 years). In addition, we measured if potential group differences in local and distant connectivity were stable across the age range considered. Finally, we assessed the clinical relevance of observed group differences by correlating the connectivity levels and ADHD symptoms severity separately for each group. Children with ADHD exhibited more local connectivity than age-matched ND children in multiple brain regions, mainly overlapping with default mode, fronto-parietal and ventral attentional functional networks (p attentional networks, the severity of clinical symptoms is related to atypical functional connectivity within somatomotor areas. Additionally, our findings are in line with the view of ADHD as a disorder of deviated maturational trajectories, mainly affecting somatomotor areas, rather than delays that normalize with age. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Multivariate localization methods for ensemble Kalman filtering

    KAUST Repository

    Roh, S.

    2015-12-03

    In ensemble Kalman filtering (EnKF), the small number of ensemble members that is feasible to use in a practical data assimilation application leads to sampling variability of the estimates of the background error covariances. The standard approach to reducing the effects of this sampling variability, which has also been found to be highly efficient in improving the performance of EnKF, is the localization of the estimates of the covariances. One family of localization techniques is based on taking the Schur (element-wise) product of the ensemble-based sample covariance matrix and a correlation matrix whose entries are obtained by the discretization of a distance-dependent correlation function. While the proper definition of the localization function for a single state variable has been extensively investigated, a rigorous definition of the localization function for multiple state variables that exist at the same locations has been seldom considered. This paper introduces two strategies for the construction of localization functions for multiple state variables. The proposed localization functions are tested by assimilating simulated observations experiments into the bivariate Lorenz 95 model with their help.

  20. Multivariate localization methods for ensemble Kalman filtering

    KAUST Repository

    Roh, S.

    2015-05-08

    In ensemble Kalman filtering (EnKF), the small number of ensemble members that is feasible to use in a practical data assimilation application leads to sampling variability of the estimates of the background error covariances. The standard approach to reducing the effects of this sampling variability, which has also been found to be highly efficient in improving the performance of EnKF, is the localization of the estimates of the covariances. One family of localization techniques is based on taking the Schur (entry-wise) product of the ensemble-based sample covariance matrix and a correlation matrix whose entries are obtained by the discretization of a distance-dependent correlation function. While the proper definition of the localization function for a single state variable has been extensively investigated, a rigorous definition of the localization function for multiple state variables has been seldom considered. This paper introduces two strategies for the construction of localization functions for multiple state variables. The proposed localization functions are tested by assimilating simulated observations experiments into the bivariate Lorenz 95 model with their help.

  1. Multivariate localization methods for ensemble Kalman filtering

    KAUST Repository

    Roh, S.; Jun, M.; Szunyogh, I.; Genton, Marc G.

    2015-01-01

    In ensemble Kalman filtering (EnKF), the small number of ensemble members that is feasible to use in a practical data assimilation application leads to sampling variability of the estimates of the background error covariances. The standard approach to reducing the effects of this sampling variability, which has also been found to be highly efficient in improving the performance of EnKF, is the localization of the estimates of the covariances. One family of localization techniques is based on taking the Schur (entry-wise) product of the ensemble-based sample covariance matrix and a correlation matrix whose entries are obtained by the discretization of a distance-dependent correlation function. While the proper definition of the localization function for a single state variable has been extensively investigated, a rigorous definition of the localization function for multiple state variables has been seldom considered. This paper introduces two strategies for the construction of localization functions for multiple state variables. The proposed localization functions are tested by assimilating simulated observations experiments into the bivariate Lorenz 95 model with their help.

  2. Multivariate localization methods for ensemble Kalman filtering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roh, S.; Jun, M.; Szunyogh, I.; Genton, M. G.

    2015-12-01

    In ensemble Kalman filtering (EnKF), the small number of ensemble members that is feasible to use in a practical data assimilation application leads to sampling variability of the estimates of the background error covariances. The standard approach to reducing the effects of this sampling variability, which has also been found to be highly efficient in improving the performance of EnKF, is the localization of the estimates of the covariances. One family of localization techniques is based on taking the Schur (element-wise) product of the ensemble-based sample covariance matrix and a correlation matrix whose entries are obtained by the discretization of a distance-dependent correlation function. While the proper definition of the localization function for a single state variable has been extensively investigated, a rigorous definition of the localization function for multiple state variables that exist at the same locations has been seldom considered. This paper introduces two strategies for the construction of localization functions for multiple state variables. The proposed localization functions are tested by assimilating simulated observations experiments into the bivariate Lorenz 95 model with their help.

  3. Local hybrid functionals with orbital-free mixing functions and balanced elimination of self-interaction error

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, Piotr de; Corminboeuf, Clémence

    2015-01-01

    The recently introduced density overlap regions indicator (DORI) [P. de Silva and C. Corminboeuf, J. Chem. Theory Comput. 10(9), 3745–3756 (2014)] is a density-dependent scalar field revealing regions of high density overlap between shells, atoms, and molecules. In this work, we exploit its properties to construct local hybrid exchange-correlation functionals aiming at balanced reduction of the self-interaction error. We show that DORI can successfully replace the ratio of the von Weizsäcker and exact positive-definite kinetic energy densities, which is commonly used in mixing functions of local hybrids. Additionally, we introduce several semi-empirical parameters to control the local and global admixture of exact exchange. The most promising of our local hybrids clearly outperforms the underlying semi-local functionals as well as their global hybrids

  4. Towards improved local hybrid functionals by calibration of exchange-energy densities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arbuznikov, Alexei V.; Kaupp, Martin

    2014-01-01

    A new approach for the calibration of (semi-)local and exact exchange-energy densities in the context of local hybrid functionals is reported. The calibration functions are derived from only the electron density and its spatial derivatives, avoiding spatial derivatives of the exact-exchange energy density or other computationally unfavorable contributions. The calibration functions fulfill the seven more important out of nine known exact constraints. It is shown that calibration improves substantially the definition of a non-dynamical correlation energy term for generalized gradient approximation (GGA)-based local hybrids. Moreover, gauge artifacts in the potential-energy curves of noble-gas dimers may be corrected by calibration. The developed calibration functions are then evaluated for a large range of energy-related properties (atomization energies, reaction barriers, ionization potentials, electron affinities, and total atomic energies) of three sets of local hybrids, using a simple one-parameter local-mixing. The functionals are based on (a) local spin-density approximation (LSDA) or (b) Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) exchange and correlation, and on (c) Becke-88 (B88) exchange and Lee-Yang-Parr (LYP) correlation. While the uncalibrated GGA-based functionals usually provide very poor thermochemical data, calibration allows a dramatic improvement, accompanied by only a small deterioration of reaction barriers. In particular, an optimized BLYP-based local-hybrid functional has been found that is a substantial improvement over the underlying global hybrids, as well as over previously reported LSDA-based local hybrids. It is expected that the present calibration approach will pave the way towards new generations of more accurate hyper-GGA functionals based on a local mixing of exchange-energy densities

  5. Local Fractional Adomian Decomposition and Function Decomposition Methods for Laplace Equation within Local Fractional Operators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sheng-Ping Yan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We perform a comparison between the local fractional Adomian decomposition and local fractional function decomposition methods applied to the Laplace equation. The operators are taken in the local sense. The results illustrate the significant features of the two methods which are both very effective and straightforward for solving the differential equations with local fractional derivative.

  6. Effects on functional outcome after IORT-containing multimodality treatment for locally advanced primary and locally recurrent rectal cancer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mannaerts, GHH; Rutten, HJT; Martijn, H; Hanssens, PEJ; Wiggers, T

    2002-01-01

    Purpose: In the treatment of patients with locally advanced primary or locally recurrent rectal cancer, much attention is focused on. the oncologic outcome. Little is known about the functional outcome. In this study, the functional outcome after a multimodality treatment for locally advanced

  7. Operator functions and localization of spectra

    CERN Document Server

    Gil’, Michael I

    2003-01-01

    "Operator Functions and Localization of Spectra" is the first book that presents a systematic exposition of bounds for the spectra of various linear nonself-adjoint operators in a Hilbert space, having discrete and continuous spectra. In particular bounds for the spectra of integral, differential and integro-differential operators, as well as finite and infinite matrices are established. The volume also presents a systematic exposition of estimates for norms of operator-valued functions and their applications.

  8. Lipid dependence of ABC transporter localization and function

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klappe, Karin; Hummel, Ina; Hoekstra, Dick; Kok, Jan Willem

    2009-01-01

    Lipid rafts have been implicated in many cellular functions, including protein and lipid transport and signal transduction. ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters have also been localized in these membrane domains. In this review the evidence for this specific localization will be evaluated and

  9. Robust localized-orbital transferability using the Harris functional

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hierse, W.; Stechel, E.B.

    1996-01-01

    Replacing diagonalization in a density-functional code by an order-N algorithm does not automatically produce large efficiency gains, at least for system sizes accessible to the current generation of computers. However, both efficiency and conceptual advantages do arise from the transfer of local electronic structure between locally similar, but globally different systems. Order-N methods produce potentially transferable local electronic structure. For practical applications, it is desirable that electronic structure be transferable between subsystems of similar yet somewhat different geometry. We show, in the context of molecular deformations of a simple hydrocarbon system, that this can be accomplished by combining a transfer prescription with the Harris functional. We show proof of principle and discuss the resulting efficiency gains. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

  10. A local dynamic correlation function from inelastic neutron scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McQueeney, R.J.

    1997-01-01

    Information about local and dynamic atomic correlations can be obtained from inelastic neutron scattering measurements by Fourier transform of the Q-dependent intensity oscillations at a particular frequency. A local dynamic structure function, S(r,ω), is defined from the dynamic scattering function, S(Q,ω), such that the elastic and frequency-integrated limits correspond to the average and instantaneous pair-distribution functions, respectively. As an example, S(r,ω) is calculated for polycrystalline aluminum in a model where atomic motions are entirely due to harmonic phonons

  11. Properties of field functionals and characterization of local functionals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brouder, Christian; Dang, Nguyen Viet; Laurent-Gengoux, Camille; Rejzner, Kasia

    2018-02-01

    Functionals (i.e., functions of functions) are widely used in quantum field theory and solid-state physics. In this paper, functionals are given a rigorous mathematical framework and their main properties are described. The choice of the proper space of test functions (smooth functions) and of the relevant concept of differential (Bastiani differential) are discussed. The relation between the multiple derivatives of a functional and the corresponding distributions is described in detail. It is proved that, in a neighborhood of every test function, the support of a smooth functional is uniformly compactly supported and the order of the corresponding distribution is uniformly bounded. Relying on a recent work by Dabrowski, several spaces of functionals are furnished with a complete and nuclear topology. In view of physical applications, it is shown that most formal manipulations can be given a rigorous meaning. A new concept of local functionals is proposed and two characterizations of them are given: the first one uses the additivity (or Hammerstein) property, the second one is a variant of Peetre's theorem. Finally, the first step of a cohomological approach to quantum field theory is carried out by proving a global Poincaré lemma and defining multi-vector fields and graded functionals within our framework.

  12. Cultivating Political Powerhouses: TFA Corps Members Experiences That Shape Local Political Engagement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobsen, Rebecca; White, Rachel; Reckhow, Sarah

    2016-01-01

    In recent years, Teach for America (TFA) has invested in developing corps members as leaders. Although TFA asks corps members for a two-year commitment, TFA celebrates the achievements of alumni who have gone on to careers in politics, public policy, and advocacy. Thus, many community leaders see the arrival of TFA corps members as having a…

  13. Unstable volatility functions: the break preserving local linear estimator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Casas, Isabel; Gijbels, Irene

    The objective of this paper is to introduce the break preserving local linear (BPLL) estimator for the estimation of unstable volatility functions. Breaks in the structure of the conditional mean and/or the volatility functions are common in Finance. Markov switching models (Hamilton, 1989......) and threshold models (Lin and Terasvirta, 1994) are amongst the most popular models to describe the behaviour of data with structural breaks. The local linear (LL) estimator is not consistent at points where the volatility function has a break and it may even report negative values for finite samples...

  14. On locally uniformly linearizable high breakdown location and scale functionals

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Davies, P.L.

    1998-01-01

    This article gives two constructions of a weighted mean which has a large domain, is affinely equivariant, has a locally high breakdown point and is locally uniformly linearizable. One construction is based on $M$-functionals with smooth defining $\\psi$- and $\\chi$ -functions which are used to

  15. Local Organisation and Cultural Identity in Greenland in a National Perspective

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dybbroe, Susanne

    1991-01-01

    Important contributions have been made to understand the function of locality in the construction of cultural identity. Focus has variously been directed at the role of place and the role of aspects of social organisation in creating a symbolic bond between members of local communities. The article...

  16. FUNCTIONING OF THE SYSTEM OF LOCAL AGRICULTURAL MARKETS: INSTITUTIONAL ASPECTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yurij Prudnikov

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this article is the generalization and systematisation of features of modern institutional support for functioning and development of a system of local agricultural markets. The methodology of research is formed on the basis of systematic approach to the studying socio-economic phenomena and processes that are taking place in a process of functioning and development of the system of local agricultural markets. Research results – based on the system analysis there are substantiated features of functioning and development of the system of local agricultural markets from the point of view of its institutional support. The stated is done with the purpose of determination of practicability, goal orientation, volumes, purpose and tasks of government intervention into the process of functioning and development of the system of local agricultural markets. Applying a general scheme of system analysis to the system of management of local agricultural markets and taking into account that the management system consists of two subsystems – management and controlled, in the context of this research there is made characteristics of the system in the form of answers to a specified list of questions. The essence of developed theoretical and methodological approach lies in the development of legitimate answers to four key questions peculiar and relevantly placed for each stage of research: 1 determination of elements of internal and external environments, which are included to the system of local agricultural markets; 2 characteristics of relations and connections among revealed system elements; 3 a process of functioning of the system of local agricultural markets as itself; 4 features of development of the system of local agricultural markets. Developed measures of regulatory nature aimed at overcoming identified disadvantages and development of the system of local agricultural markets are directed to the satisfaction of needs of target

  17. An Evolutionary-Conserved Function of Mammalian Notch Family Members as Cell Adhesion Molecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murata, Akihiko; Yoshino, Miya; Hikosaka, Mari; Okuyama, Kazuki; Zhou, Lan; Sakano, Seiji; Yagita, Hideo; Hayashi, Shin-Ichi

    2014-01-01

    Notch family members were first identified as cell adhesion molecules by cell aggregation assays in Drosophila studies. However, they are generally recognized as signaling molecules, and it was unclear if their adhesion function was restricted to Drosophila. We previously demonstrated that a mouse Notch ligand, Delta-like 1 (Dll1) functioned as a cell adhesion molecule. We here investigated whether this adhesion function was conserved in the diversified mammalian Notch ligands consisted of two families, Delta-like (Dll1, Dll3 and Dll4) and Jagged (Jag1 and Jag2). The forced expression of mouse Dll1, Dll4, Jag1, and Jag2, but not Dll3, on stromal cells induced the rapid and enhanced adhesion of cultured mast cells (MCs). This was attributed to the binding of Notch1 and Notch2 on MCs to each Notch ligand on the stromal cells themselves, and not the activation of Notch signaling. Notch receptor-ligand binding strongly supported the tethering of MCs to stromal cells, the first step of cell adhesion. However, the Jag2-mediated adhesion of MCs was weaker and unlike other ligands appeared to require additional factor(s) in addition to the receptor-ligand binding. Taken together, these results demonstrated that the function of cell adhesion was conserved in mammalian as well as Drosophila Notch family members. Since Notch receptor-ligand interaction plays important roles in a broad spectrum of biological processes ranging from embryogenesis to disorders, our finding will provide a new perspective on these issues from the aspect of cell adhesion. PMID:25255288

  18. Function reconstruction from noisy local averages

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Yu; Huang Jianguo; Han Weimin

    2008-01-01

    A regularization method is proposed for the function reconstruction from noisy local averages in any dimension. Error bounds for the approximate solution in L 2 -norm are derived. A number of numerical examples are provided to show computational performance of the method, with the regularization parameters selected by different strategies

  19. Local-scaling density-functional method: Intraorbit and interorbit density optimizations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koga, T.; Yamamoto, Y.; Ludena, E.V.

    1991-01-01

    The recently proposed local-scaling density-functional theory provides us with a practical method for the direct variational determination of the electron density function ρ(r). The structure of ''orbits,'' which ensures the one-to-one correspondence between the electron density ρ(r) and the N-electron wave function Ψ({r k }), is studied in detail. For the realization of the local-scaling density-functional calculations, procedures for intraorbit and interorbit optimizations of the electron density function are proposed. These procedures are numerically illustrated for the helium atom in its ground state at the beyond-Hartree-Fock level

  20. The consideration of rights in delivery aspiration services of the regional representative members to the community

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sundari, I. P.; Mariana, D.; Sjoraida, D. F.

    2018-03-01

    This study examines the performance of the local representative members in serving and channeling people’s aspiration in Sumedang Regency, Indonesia. How the elected members serve their constituents and how they consider the people’s rights were the questions to be answered in this study. The study used a qualitative approach to get the natural settings in which there are many behaviors and events occurred. This study also uses an institutional theory (institutionalism), because the theory could lead the researchers to find the structure, regulation and institutional procedures which could have a significant impact on a public policy and cannot be ignored in policy analysis. This study found that to carry out their functions as elected representatives, the members of the provincial parliament always make themselves available for the community. In doing so, the members of the provincial parliament, among others, absorb and collect the constituents’ aspiration through regular working visits; accommodate and follow up the aspirations and complaints; morally and politically provide accountability to the constituencies. In addition, to receive complaints coming to the local parliament’s office, public aspiration was also obtained in working visits on a regular basis by the members of local parliament in Sumedang as their own region at recess time. In terms of rights, all the services were conducted to fulfill them. Even so, some people still doubt the veracity of such works.

  1. Structure of BRS-invariant local functionals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brandt, F.

    1993-01-01

    For a large class of gauge theories a nilpotent BRS-operator s is constructed and its cohomology in the space of local functionals of the off-shell fields is shown to be isomorphic to the cohomology of s=s+d on functions f(C,T) of tensor fields T and of variables C which are constructed of the ghosts and the connection forms. The result allows general statements about the structure of invariant classical actions and anomaly cadidates whose BRS-variation vanishes off-shell. The assumptions under which the result holds are thoroughly discussed. (orig.)

  2. Computerized emission transaxial tomography and determination of local brain function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuhl, D.E.; Alavi, A.; Reivich, M.; Edwards, R.Q.; Fenton, C.A.; Zimmerman, R.A.

    1975-01-01

    Accurate knowledge of regional function in the brain would be of great value for the detection and localization of a wide variety of diseases and for assessment of patients under treatment. The management of patients would be greatly improved with a day-to-day knowledge of the status of blood flow, blood volume, metabolism, permeability, brain swelling, and other functions on a local basis throughout the brain. In the past this kind of information has not been available. Instead, function has usually been examined only for the organ as a whole and regional information has been restricted to morphology as determined by radiographic or radionuclide imaging studies. Three-dimensional radionuclide reconstruction imaging will become more important in the study of the brain, providing accurate measurement of radionuclide concentration within functional structural units of the brain. Measurement of local function with three-dimensional resolution throughout the brain and without the necessity for intracarotid injection of indicator could therefore provide a significant advance over presently available methods

  3. Expression of most matrix metalloproteinase family members in breast cancer represents a tumor-induced host response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heppner, K. J.; Matrisian, L. M.; Jensen, R. A.; Rodgers, W. H.

    1996-01-01

    Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family members have been associated with advanced-stage cancer and contribute to tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis as determined by inhibitor studies. In situ hybridization was performed to analyze the expression and localization of all known MMPs in a series of human breast cancer biopsy specimens. Most MMPs were localized to tumor stroma, and all MMPs had very distinct expression patterns. Matrilysin was expressed by morphologically normal epithelial ducts within tumors and in tissue from reduction mammoplasties, and by epithelial-derived tumor cells. Many family members, including stromelysin-3, gelatinase A, MT-MMP, interstitial collagenase, and stromelysin-1 were localized to fibroblasts of tumor stroma of invasive cancers but in quite distinct, and generally widespread, patterns. Gelatinase B, collagenase-3, and metalloelastase expression were more focal; gelatinase B was primarily localized to endothelial cells, collagenase-3 to isolated tumor cells, and metalloelastase to cytokeratin-negative, macrophage-like cells. The MMP inhibitor, TIMP-1, was expressed in both stromal and tumor components in most tumors, and neither stromelysin-2 nor neutrophil collagenase were detected in any of the tumors. These results indicate that there is very tight and complex regulation in the expression of MMP family members in breast cancer that generally represents a host response to the tumor and emphasize the need to further evaluate differential functions for MMP family members in breast tumor progression. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 PMID:8686751

  4. Non-local ground-state functional for quantum spin chains with translational broken symmetry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Libero, Valter L.; Penteado, Poliana H.; Veiga, Rodrigo S. [Universidade de Sao Paulo (IFSC/USP), Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil). Inst. de Fisica

    2011-07-01

    Full text. Thanks to the development and use of new materials with special doping, it becomes relevant the study of Heisenberg spin-chains with broken translational symmetry, induced for instance by finite-size effects, bond defects or by impurity spin in the chain. The exact numerical results demands huge computational efforts, due to the size of the Hilbert space involved and the lack of symmetry to exploit. Density Functional Theory (DFT) has been considered a simple alternative to obtain ground-state properties for such systems. Usually, DFT starts with a uniform system to build the correlation energy and after implement a local approximation to construct local functionals. Based on our prove of the Hohenberg-Kohn theorem for Heisenberg models, and in order to describe more realistic models, we have recently developed a non-local exchange functional for the ground-state energy of quantum-spin chains. A alternating-bond chain is used to obtain the correlation energy and a local unit-cell approximation - LUCA, is defined in the context of DFT. The alternating chain is a good starting point to construct functionals since it is intrinsically non-homogeneous, therefore instead of the usual local approximation (like LDA for electronic systems) we need to introduce an approximation based upon a unit cell concept, that renders a non-local functional in the bond exchange interaction. The agreement with exact numerical data (obtained only for small chains, although the functional can be applied for chains with arbitrary size) is significantly better than in our previous local formulation, even for chains with several ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic bond defects. These results encourage us to extend the concept of LUCA for chains with alternating-spin magnitudes. We also have constructed a non-local functional based on an alternating-spin chain, instead of a local alternating-bond, using spin-wave-theory. Because of its non-local nature, this functional is expected to

  5. Non-local ground-state functional for quantum spin chains with translational broken symmetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Libero, Valter L.; Penteado, Poliana H.; Veiga, Rodrigo S.

    2011-01-01

    Full text. Thanks to the development and use of new materials with special doping, it becomes relevant the study of Heisenberg spin-chains with broken translational symmetry, induced for instance by finite-size effects, bond defects or by impurity spin in the chain. The exact numerical results demands huge computational efforts, due to the size of the Hilbert space involved and the lack of symmetry to exploit. Density Functional Theory (DFT) has been considered a simple alternative to obtain ground-state properties for such systems. Usually, DFT starts with a uniform system to build the correlation energy and after implement a local approximation to construct local functionals. Based on our prove of the Hohenberg-Kohn theorem for Heisenberg models, and in order to describe more realistic models, we have recently developed a non-local exchange functional for the ground-state energy of quantum-spin chains. A alternating-bond chain is used to obtain the correlation energy and a local unit-cell approximation - LUCA, is defined in the context of DFT. The alternating chain is a good starting point to construct functionals since it is intrinsically non-homogeneous, therefore instead of the usual local approximation (like LDA for electronic systems) we need to introduce an approximation based upon a unit cell concept, that renders a non-local functional in the bond exchange interaction. The agreement with exact numerical data (obtained only for small chains, although the functional can be applied for chains with arbitrary size) is significantly better than in our previous local formulation, even for chains with several ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic bond defects. These results encourage us to extend the concept of LUCA for chains with alternating-spin magnitudes. We also have constructed a non-local functional based on an alternating-spin chain, instead of a local alternating-bond, using spin-wave-theory. Because of its non-local nature, this functional is expected to

  6. LOCAL ENTROPY FUNCTION OF DYNAMICAL SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    İsmail TOK

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available In this work, we first,define the entropy function of the topological dynamical system and investigate basic properties of this function without going into details. Let (X,A,T be a probability measure space and consider P = { pl5p2,...,pn} a finite measurable partition of all sub-sets of topological dynamical system (X,T.Then,the quantity H (P = ^ zpt is called the i=1 entropy function of finite measurable partition P.Where f-1 log t if 0 0.If diam(P < s,then the quantity L^ (T = h^ (T - h^ (T,P is called a local entropy function of topological dynamical system (X,T . In conclusion, Let (X,T and (Y,S be two topological dynamical system. If TxS is a transformation defined on the product space (XxY,TxS with (TxS(x , y = (Tx,Sy for all (x,y X x Y.Then L ^^ (TxS = L^d(T + L (S .and, we prove some fundamental properties of this function.

  7. Functionals of Brownian motion, localization and metric graphs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Comtet, Alain; Desbois, Jean; Texier, Christophe

    2005-01-01

    We review several results related to the problem of a quantum particle in a random environment. In an introductory part, we recall how several functionals of Brownian motion arise in the study of electronic transport in weakly disordered metals (weak localization). Two aspects of the physics of the one-dimensional strong localization are reviewed: some properties of the scattering by a random potential (time delay distribution) and a study of the spectrum of a random potential on a bounded domain (the extreme value statistics of the eigenvalues). Then we mention several results concerning the diffusion on graphs, and more generally the spectral properties of the Schroedinger operator on graphs. The interest of spectral determinants as generating functions characterizing the diffusion on graphs is illustrated. Finally, we consider a two-dimensional model of a charged particle coupled to the random magnetic field due to magnetic vortices. We recall the connection between spectral properties of this model and winding functionals of planar Brownian motion. (topical review)

  8. Multidimensional stochastic approximation using locally contractive functions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawton, W. M.

    1975-01-01

    A Robbins-Monro type multidimensional stochastic approximation algorithm which converges in mean square and with probability one to the fixed point of a locally contractive regression function is developed. The algorithm is applied to obtain maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters for a mixture of multivariate normal distributions.

  9. Quantitative protein localization signatures reveal an association between spatial and functional divergences of proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loo, Lit-Hsin; Laksameethanasan, Danai; Tung, Yi-Ling

    2014-03-01

    Protein subcellular localization is a major determinant of protein function. However, this important protein feature is often described in terms of discrete and qualitative categories of subcellular compartments, and therefore it has limited applications in quantitative protein function analyses. Here, we present Protein Localization Analysis and Search Tools (PLAST), an automated analysis framework for constructing and comparing quantitative signatures of protein subcellular localization patterns based on microscopy images. PLAST produces human-interpretable protein localization maps that quantitatively describe the similarities in the localization patterns of proteins and major subcellular compartments, without requiring manual assignment or supervised learning of these compartments. Using the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system, we show that PLAST is more accurate than existing, qualitative protein localization annotations in identifying known co-localized proteins. Furthermore, we demonstrate that PLAST can reveal protein localization-function relationships that are not obvious from these annotations. First, we identified proteins that have similar localization patterns and participate in closely-related biological processes, but do not necessarily form stable complexes with each other or localize at the same organelles. Second, we found an association between spatial and functional divergences of proteins during evolution. Surprisingly, as proteins with common ancestors evolve, they tend to develop more diverged subcellular localization patterns, but still occupy similar numbers of compartments. This suggests that divergence of protein localization might be more frequently due to the development of more specific localization patterns over ancestral compartments than the occupation of new compartments. PLAST enables systematic and quantitative analyses of protein localization-function relationships, and will be useful to elucidate protein

  10. Quality function deployment applied to local traffic accident reduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sohn, S Y

    1999-11-01

    One of the major tasks of police stations is the management of local road traffic accidents. Proper prevention policy which reflects the local accident characteristics could immensely help individual police stations in decreasing various severity levels of road traffic accidents. In order to relate accident variation to local driving environmental characteristics, we use both cluster analysis and Poisson regression. The fitted result at the level of each cluster for each type of accident severity is utilized as an input to quality function deployment. Quality function deployment (QFD) has been applied to customer satisfaction in various industrial quality improvement settings, where several types of customer requirements are related to various control factors. We show how QFD enables one to set priorities on various road accident control policies to which each police station has to pay particular attention.

  11. Turnover of amyloid precursor protein family members determines their nuclear signaling capability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gersbacher, Manuel T; Goodger, Zoë V; Trutzel, Annette; Bundschuh, Diana; Nitsch, Roger M; Konietzko, Uwe

    2013-01-01

    The amyloid precursor protein (APP) as well as its homologues, APP-like protein 1 and 2 (APLP1 and APLP2), are cleaved by α-, β-, and γ-secretases, resulting in the release of their intracellular domains (ICDs). We have shown that the APP intracellular domain (AICD) is transported to the nucleus by Fe65 where they jointly bind the histone acetyltransferase Tip60 and localize to spherical nuclear complexes (AFT complexes), which are thought to be sites of transcription. We have now analyzed the subcellular localization and turnover of the APP family members. Similarly to AICD, the ICD of APLP2 localizes to spherical nuclear complexes together with Fe65 and Tip60. In contrast, the ICD of APLP1, despite binding to Fe65, does not translocate to the nucleus. In addition, APLP1 predominantly localizes to the plasma membrane, whereas APP and APLP2 are detected in vesicular structures. APLP1 also demonstrates a much slower turnover of the full-length protein compared to APP and APLP2. We further show that the ICDs of all APP family members are degraded by the proteasome and that the N-terminal amino acids of ICDs determine ICD degradation rate. Together, our results suggest that different nuclear signaling capabilities of APP family members are due to different rates of full-length protein processing and ICD proteasomal degradation. Our results provide evidence in support of a common nuclear signaling function for APP and APLP2 that is absent in APLP1, but suggest that APLP1 has a regulatory role in the nuclear translocation of APP family ICDs due to the sequestration of Fe65.

  12. Differentiability in density-functional theory: Further study of the locality theorem

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindgren, Ingvar; Salomonson, Sten

    2004-01-01

    The locality theorem in density-functional theory (DFT) states that the functional derivative of the Hohenberg-Kohn universal functional can be expressed as a local multiplicative potential function, and this is the basis of DFT and of the successful Kohn-Sham model. Nesbet has in several papers [Phys. Rev. A 58, R12 (1998); ibid.65, 010502 (2001); Adv. Quant. Chem, 43, 1 (2003)] claimed that this theorem is in conflict with fundamental quantum physics, and as a consequence that the Hohenberg-Kohn theory cannot be generally valid. We have commented upon these works [Comment, Phys. Rev. A 67, 056501 (2003)] and recently extended the arguments [Adv. Quantum Chem. 43, 95 (2003)]. We have shown that there is no such conflict and that the locality theorem is inherently exact. In the present work we have furthermore verified this numerically by constructing a local Kohn-Sham potential for the 1s2s 3 S state of helium that generates the many-body electron density and shown that the corresponding 2s Kohn-Sham orbital eigenvalue agrees with the ionization energy to nine digits. Similar result is obtained with the Hartree-Fock density. Therefore, in addition to verifying the locality theorem, this result also confirms the so-called ionization-potential theorem

  13. Local electric dipole moments for periodic systems via density functional theory embedding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luber, Sandra

    2014-12-21

    We describe a novel approach for the calculation of local electric dipole moments for periodic systems. Since the position operator is ill-defined in periodic systems, maximally localized Wannier functions based on the Berry-phase approach are usually employed for the evaluation of local contributions to the total electric dipole moment of the system. We propose an alternative approach: within a subsystem-density functional theory based embedding scheme, subset electric dipole moments are derived without any additional localization procedure, both for hybrid and non-hybrid exchange-correlation functionals. This opens the way to a computationally efficient evaluation of local electric dipole moments in (molecular) periodic systems as well as their rigorous splitting into atomic electric dipole moments. As examples, Infrared spectra of liquid ethylene carbonate and dimethyl carbonate are presented, which are commonly employed as solvents in Lithium ion batteries.

  14. Local electric dipole moments for periodic systems via density functional theory embedding

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Luber, Sandra, E-mail: sandra.luber@chem.uzh.ch [Institut für Chemie, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich (Switzerland)

    2014-12-21

    We describe a novel approach for the calculation of local electric dipole moments for periodic systems. Since the position operator is ill-defined in periodic systems, maximally localized Wannier functions based on the Berry-phase approach are usually employed for the evaluation of local contributions to the total electric dipole moment of the system. We propose an alternative approach: within a subsystem-density functional theory based embedding scheme, subset electric dipole moments are derived without any additional localization procedure, both for hybrid and non-hybrid exchange–correlation functionals. This opens the way to a computationally efficient evaluation of local electric dipole moments in (molecular) periodic systems as well as their rigorous splitting into atomic electric dipole moments. As examples, Infrared spectra of liquid ethylene carbonate and dimethyl carbonate are presented, which are commonly employed as solvents in Lithium ion batteries.

  15. Local Extrema of the $\\Xi(t)$ Function and The Riemann Hypothesis

    OpenAIRE

    Kobayashi, Hisashi

    2016-01-01

    In the present paper we obtain a necessary and sufficient condition to prove the Riemann hypothesis in terms of certain properties of local extrema of the function $\\Xi(t)=\\xi(\\tfrac{1}{2}+it)$. First, we prove that positivity of all local maxima and negativity of all local minima of $\\Xi(t)$ form a necessary condition for the Riemann hypothesis to be true. After showing that any extremum point of $\\Xi(t)$ is a saddle point of the function $\\Re\\{\\xi(s)\\}$, we prove that the above properties o...

  16. Effects on functional outcome after IORT-containing multimodality treatment for locally advanced primary and locally recurrent rectal cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mannaerts, Guido H.H.; Rutten, Harm J.T.; Martijn, Hendrik; Hanssens, Patrick E.J.; Wiggers, Theo

    2002-01-01

    Purpose: In the treatment of patients with locally advanced primary or locally recurrent rectal cancer, much attention is focused on the oncologic outcome. Little is known about the functional outcome. In this study, the functional outcome after a multimodality treatment for locally advanced primary and locally recurrent rectal cancer is analyzed. Methods and Materials: Between 1994 and 1999, 55 patients with locally advanced primary and 66 patients with locally recurrent rectal cancer were treated with high-dose preoperative external beam irradiation, followed by extended surgery and intraoperative radiotherapy. To assess long-term functional outcome, all patients still alive (n = 97) were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding ongoing morbidity, as well as functional and social impairment. Seventy-six of the 79 patients (96%) returned the questionnaire. The median follow-up was 14 months (range: 4-60 months). Results: The questionnaire revealed fatigue in 44%, perineal pain in 42%, radiating pain in the leg(s) in 21%, walking difficulties in 36%, and voiding dysfunction in 42% of the patients as symptoms of ongoing morbidity. Functional impairment consisted of requiring help with basic activities in 15% and sexual inactivity in 56% of the respondents. Social handicap was demonstrated by loss of former lifestyle in 44% and loss of professional occupation in 40% of patients. Conclusions: As a result of multimodality treatment, the majority of these patients have to deal with long-term physical morbidity, the need for help with daily care, and considerable social impairment. These consequences must be weighed against the chance of cure if the patient is treated and the disability eventually caused by uncontrolled tumor progression if the patient is not treated. These potential drawbacks should be discussed with the patient preoperatively and taken into account when designing a treatment strategy

  17. Feasibility study and functional requirements for a digital non-conventional literature system at INIS and Member Sites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendley, T.; Dixon, R.

    1993-03-01

    The aim of any Non-Conventional Literature (NCL) system will be to improve the service INIS provides to members, reducing the operational cost of administering the NCL service by the streamlining of procedures, allowing INIS to provide NCL to members using media relevant to the needs of members and positioning INIS so that as a member's needs change these needs can be catered for. Specific functional requirements include the receipt and checking of NCL documents and bibliographic data, conversion of received NCL into digital image form accessed by an image index database referenced alongside the existing bibliographic database and output of NCL to digital interchange/distribution media in addition to microfiche and possibly paper. The quality of service to members in terms of document quality and turn around time must be at least maintained. The study was undertaken by Cimtech consultants between December 1992 and March 1993. Approximate costs and benefits of implementing a digital NCL system were identified. Some outstanding issues need to be resolved. This could include a pilot system being introduced which would allow requirements to be defined more fully and operational experience to be gained. (Author)

  18. Perspectives and expectations of union member and non- union member teachers on teacher unions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tuncer FİDAN

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Unions, which can be regarded as one of the constitutive elements of democracy, are the pressure groups in political and social fields. Unions were born out of industrial confrontations and expanded into the field of public services over time, and thus teachers – who are also public employees-, also obtained the right to establish and affiliate to unions. In this research the views of union member and non-union member teachers on the most important functions and operational effectiveness of unions, teachers’ expectations from unions and teachers’ evaluation of the solidarity, competition and cooperation between unions were determined and the perspectives of teachers on unionization were revealed. qualitative research design was used. The data needed were collected through semi-structured interviews from volunteering union member and non-union member teachers who were working in the primary and secondary schools in Ankara province and who were selected through “maximum variation sampling approach”. The data were then analyzed by using the content analysis technique. In conclusion, it was found that political ideology was the most important reason for membership of teachers’ unions. Protection and development of personal rights was found to be the most important function of teacher unions and unions were thought to be insufficient in performing those functions.

  19. THE FUNCTIONING OF THE BOARDS OF NORMATIVISM: ECONOMIC AND LEGAL AT LOCAL AUTHORITY LEVEL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ADELIN UNGUREANU

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Public administration is an area with particularly social impact over all members of society. In the autonomous administrative authorities, local councils have important responsibilities in the organization of local community life. Within these councils several specialized committees operate and those that have the highest volume of activity are usually economic and legal committee. Their role is to filter out under a particular form, the specific procedure being the approval of local initiatives in the field of specific activity, namely economic and financial and legal. The effects of this operation need to be reflected in the adoption of decisions that meet not only the initiator's intentions, but also the point of view of local elected officials who are specialized in a particular area and reunited within the previous committees.

  20. Intracellular localization of Arabidopsis sulfurtransferases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bauer, Michael; Dietrich, Christof; Nowak, Katharina; Sierralta, Walter D; Papenbrock, Jutta

    2004-06-01

    Sulfurtransferases (Str) comprise a group of enzymes widely distributed in archaea, eubacteria, and eukaryota which catalyze the transfer of a sulfur atom from suitable sulfur donors to nucleophilic sulfur acceptors. In all organisms analyzed to date, small gene families encoding Str proteins have been identified. The gene products were localized to different compartments of the cells. Our interest concerns the localization of Str proteins encoded in the nuclear genome of Arabidopsis. Computer-based prediction methods revealed localization in different compartments of the cell for six putative AtStrs. Several methods were used to determine the localization of the AtStr proteins experimentally. For AtStr1, a mitochondrial localization was demonstrated by immunodetection in the proteome of isolated mitochondria resolved by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and subsequent blotting. The respective mature AtStr1 protein was identified by mass spectrometry sequencing. The same result was obtained by transient expression of fusion constructs with the green fluorescent protein in Arabidopsis protoplasts, whereas AtStr2 was exclusively localized to the cytoplasm by this method. Three members of the single-domain AtStr were localized in the chloroplasts as demonstrated by transient expression of green fluorescent protein fusions in protoplasts and stomata, whereas the single-domain AtStr18 was shown to be cytoplasmic. The remarkable subcellular distribution of AtStr15 was additionally analyzed by transmission electron immunomicroscopy using a monospecific antibody against green fluorescent protein, indicating an attachment to the thylakoid membrane. The knowledge of the intracellular localization of the members of this multiprotein family will help elucidate their specific functions in the organism.

  1. Global and local curvature in density functional theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Qing; Ioannidis, Efthymios I; Kulik, Heather J

    2016-08-07

    Piecewise linearity of the energy with respect to fractional electron removal or addition is a requirement of an electronic structure method that necessitates the presence of a derivative discontinuity at integer electron occupation. Semi-local exchange-correlation (xc) approximations within density functional theory (DFT) fail to reproduce this behavior, giving rise to deviations from linearity with a convex global curvature that is evidence of many-electron, self-interaction error and electron delocalization. Popular functional tuning strategies focus on reproducing piecewise linearity, especially to improve predictions of optical properties. In a divergent approach, Hubbard U-augmented DFT (i.e., DFT+U) treats self-interaction errors by reducing the local curvature of the energy with respect to electron removal or addition from one localized subshell to the surrounding system. Although it has been suggested that DFT+U should simultaneously alleviate global and local curvature in the atomic limit, no detailed study on real systems has been carried out to probe the validity of this statement. In this work, we show when DFT+U should minimize deviations from linearity and demonstrate that a "+U" correction will never worsen the deviation from linearity of the underlying xc approximation. However, we explain varying degrees of efficiency of the approach over 27 octahedral transition metal complexes with respect to transition metal (Sc-Cu) and ligand strength (CO, NH3, and H2O) and investigate select pathological cases where the delocalization error is invisible to DFT+U within an atomic projection framework. Finally, we demonstrate that the global and local curvatures represent different quantities that show opposing behavior with increasing ligand field strength, and we identify where these two may still coincide.

  2. Geometry optimization of molecules within an LCGTO local-density functional approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mintmire, J.W.

    1990-01-01

    We describe our implementation of geometry optimization techniques within the linear combination of Gaussian-type orbitals (LCGTO) approach to local-density functional theory. The algorithm for geometry optimization is based on the evaluation of the gradient of the total energy with respect to internal coordinates within the local-density functional scheme. We present optimization results for a range of small molecules which serve as test cases for our approach

  3. Functional Maps of Neocortical Local Circuitry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomson, Alex M.; Lamy, Christophe

    2007-01-01

    This review aims to summarize data obtained with different techniques to provide a functional map of the local circuit connections made by neocortical neurones, a reference for those interested in cortical circuitry and the numerical information required by those wishing to model the circuit. A brief description of the main techniques used to study circuitry is followed by outline descriptions of the major classes of neocortical excitatory and inhibitory neurones and the connections that each layer makes with other cortical and subcortical regions. Maps summarizing the projection patterns of each class of neurone within the local circuit and tables of the properties of these local circuit connections are provided. This review relies primarily on anatomical studies that have identified the classes of neurones and their local and long distance connections and on paired intracellular and whole-cell recordings which have documented the properties of the connections between them. A large number of different types of synaptic connections have been described, but for some there are only a few published examples and for others the details that can only be obtained with paired recordings and dye-filling are lacking. A further complication is provided by the range of species, technical approaches and age groups used in these studies. Wherever possible the range of available data are summarised and compared. To fill some of the more obvious gaps for the less well-documented cases, data obtained with other methods are also summarized. PMID:18982117

  4. The effectiveness of Cluster Organization Functions from a Member Company Perspective: The Case of Food Valley Organization

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Omta, S.W.F.; Fortuin, F.T.J.M.

    2011-01-01

    This paper aims to analyze the effectiveness of the different cluster organization functions (services, activities and information sources) of Food Valley Organization in the Dutch agifood innovation system, as evaluated by its member companies. It is concluded that, in accordance with cluster

  5. Quasi-particle energy spectra in local reduced density matrix functional theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lathiotakis, Nektarios N; Helbig, Nicole; Rubio, Angel; Gidopoulos, Nikitas I

    2014-10-28

    Recently, we introduced [N. N. Lathiotakis, N. Helbig, A. Rubio, and N. I. Gidopoulos, Phys. Rev. A 90, 032511 (2014)] local reduced density matrix functional theory (local RDMFT), a theoretical scheme capable of incorporating static correlation effects in Kohn-Sham equations. Here, we apply local RDMFT to molecular systems of relatively large size, as a demonstration of its computational efficiency and its accuracy in predicting single-electron properties from the eigenvalue spectrum of the single-particle Hamiltonian with a local effective potential. We present encouraging results on the photoelectron spectrum of molecular systems and the relative stability of C20 isotopes. In addition, we propose a modelling of the fractional occupancies as functions of the orbital energies that further improves the efficiency of the method useful in applications to large systems and solids.

  6. Soyasaponin Bh, a Triterpene Saponin Containing a Unique Hemiacetal-Functional Five-Membered Ring from Glycine max (Soybeans)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soybeans (Glycine max L. Merill) and soy-based food products are major dietary sources of saponins. An oleanane triterpenoid saponin, soyasaponin Bh (1) containing a unique five-membered ring with a hemiacetal functionality together with seven known saponins were isolated from soybeans. Their struct...

  7. Members of the Candidate Phyla Radiation are functionally differentiated by carbon and nitrogen cycling capabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danczak, R.; Johnston, M.; Kenah, C.; Slattery, M.; Wrighton, K. C.; Wilkins, M.

    2017-12-01

    The Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR) is a recently described expansion of the tree of life that represents more than 15% of all bacterial diversity and putatively contains over 70 different phyla. Despite this broad phylogenetic variation, these microorganisms often feature limited functional diversity, with members generally characterized as obligate fermenters. Additionally, much of the data describing CPR phyla has been generated from a limited number of environments, constraining our knowledge of their functional roles and biogeographical distribution. To better understand subsurface CPR microorganisms, we sampled four groundwater wells over two years across three Ohio counties. Samples were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Amplicon results indicated that CPR members comprised 2-20% of the microbial communities, with relative abundances stable through time in Athens and Greene county samples but dynamic in Licking county groundwater. Shotgun metagenomic analyses generated 71 putative CPR genomes, representing roughly 32 known phyla and potentially two new phyla, Candidatus Brownbacteria and Candidatus Hugbacteria. While these genomes largely mirrored typical CPR metabolism, some features were previously uncharacterized. For instance, a nirK-encoded nitrite reductase was found in four of our Parcubacteria genomes and multiple CPR genomes from other studies, indicating a possibly undescribed role for these microorganisms in denitrification. Additionally, glycoside hydrolase (GH) family profiles for our genomes and over 2000 other CPR genomes were analyzed to characterize their carbon processing potential. Although common trends were present throughout the radiation, differences highlighted mechanisms that may allow microorganisms across the CPR to occupy various subsurface niches. For example, members of the Microgenomates superphylum appear to potentially degrade a wider range of carbon substrates than other CPR phyla. The

  8. Cracking in Flexural Reinforced Concrete Members

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Annette Beedholm; Fisker, Jakob; Hagsten, Lars German

    2017-01-01

    The system of cracks developing in reinforced concrete is in many aspects essential when modelling structures in both serviceability- and ultimate limit state. This paper discusses the behavior concerning crack development in flexural members observed from tests and associates it with two different...... existing models. From the investigations an approach is proposed on how to predict the crack pattern in flexural members involving two different crack systems; primary flexural cracks and local secondary cracks. The results of the approach is in overall good agreement with the observed tests and captures...... the pronounced size effect associated with flexural cracking in which the crack spacing and crack widths are approximately proportional to the depth of the member....

  9. Land Use and Land Cover, Existing land use derived from orthoimagery. Ground-truthing from discussion with local plan commission members., Published in 2000, 1:12000 (1in=1000ft) scale, Portage County Government.

    Data.gov (United States)

    NSGIC Local Govt | GIS Inventory — Land Use and Land Cover dataset current as of 2000. Existing land use derived from orthoimagery. Ground-truthing from discussion with local plan commission members..

  10. Epigenetic modifications by Trithorax group proteins during early embryogenesis: do members of Trx-G function as maternal effect genes?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andreu-Vieyra, Claudia; Matzuk, Martin M

    2007-02-01

    Maternal effect genes encode transcripts that are expressed during oogenesis. These gene products are stored in the oocyte and become functional during resumption of meiosis and zygote genome activation, and in embryonic stem cells. To date, a few maternal effect genes have been identified in mammals. Epigenetic modifications have been shown to be important during early embryonic development and involve DNA methylation and post-translational modification of core histones. During development, two families of proteins have been shown to be involved in epigenetic changes: Trithorax group (Trx-G) and Polycomb group (Pc-G) proteins. Trx-G proteins function as transcriptional activators and have been shown to accumulate in the oocyte. Deletion of Trx-G members using conventional knockout technology results in embryonic lethality in the majority of the cases analysed to date. Recent studies using conditional knockout mice have revealed that at least one family member is necessary for zygote genome activation. We propose that other Trx-G members may also regulate embryonic genome activation and that the use of oocyte-specific deletor mouse lines will help clarify their roles in this process.

  11. Polarization-induced local pore-wall functionalization for biosensing: from micropore to nanopore.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jie; Pham, Pascale; Haguet, Vincent; Sauter-Starace, Fabien; Leroy, Loïc; Roget, André; Descamps, Emeline; Bouchet, Aurélie; Buhot, Arnaud; Mailley, Pascal; Livache, Thierry

    2012-04-03

    The use of biological-probe-modified solid-state pores in biosensing is currently hindered by difficulties in pore-wall functionalization. The surface to be functionalized is small and difficult to target and is usually chemically similar to the bulk membrane. Herein, we demonstrate the contactless electrofunctionalization (CLEF) approach and its mechanism. This technique enables the one-step local functionalization of the single pore wall fabricated in a silica-covered silicon membrane. CLEF is induced by polarization of the pore membrane in an electric field and requires a sandwich-like composition and a conducting or semiconducting core for the pore membrane. The defects in the silica layer of the micropore wall enable the creation of an electric pathway through the silica layer, which allows electrochemical reactions to take place locally on the pore wall. The pore diameter is not a limiting factor for local wall modification using CLEF. Nanopores with a diameter of 200 nm fabricated in a silicon membrane and covered with native silica layer have been successfully functionalized with this method, and localized pore-wall modification was obtained. Furthermore, through proof-of-concept experiments using ODN-modified nanopores, we show that functionalized nanopores are suitable for translocation-based biosensing.

  12. High-frequency asymptotics of the local vertex function. Algorithmic implementations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tagliavini, Agnese; Wentzell, Nils [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Eberhard Karls Universitaet, 72076 Tuebingen (Germany); Institute for Solid State Physics, Vienna University of Technology, 1040 Vienna (Austria); Li, Gang; Rohringer, Georg; Held, Karsten; Toschi, Alessandro [Institute for Solid State Physics, Vienna University of Technology, 1040 Vienna (Austria); Taranto, Ciro [Institute for Solid State Physics, Vienna University of Technology, 1040 Vienna (Austria); Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, D-70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Andergassen, Sabine [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Eberhard Karls Universitaet, 72076 Tuebingen (Germany)

    2016-07-01

    Local vertex functions are a crucial ingredient of several forefront many-body algorithms in condensed matter physics. However, the full treatment of their frequency dependence poses a huge limitation to the numerical performance. A significant advancement requires an efficient treatment of the high-frequency asymptotic behavior of the vertex functions. We here provide a detailed diagrammatic analysis of the high-frequency asymptotic structures and their physical interpretation. Based on these insights, we propose a frequency parametrization, which captures the whole high-frequency asymptotics for arbitrary values of the local Coulomb interaction and electronic density. We present its algorithmic implementation in many-body solvers based on parquet-equations as well as functional renormalization group schemes and assess its validity by comparing our results for the single impurity Anderson model with exact diagonalization calculations.

  13. Lamin B Receptor: Interplay between Structure, Function and Localization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eleni Nikolakaki

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Lamin B receptor (LBR is an integral protein of the inner nuclear membrane, containing a hydrophilic N-terminal end protruding into the nucleoplasm, eight hydrophobic segments that span the membrane and a short, nucleoplasmic C-terminal tail. Two seemingly unrelated functions have been attributed to LBR. Its N-terminal domain tethers heterochromatin to the nuclear periphery, thus contributing to the shape of interphase nuclear architecture, while its transmembrane domains exhibit sterol reductase activity. Mutations within the transmembrane segments result in defects in cholesterol synthesis and are associated with diseases such as the Pelger–Huët anomaly and Greenberg skeletal dysplasia, whereas no such harmful mutations related to the anchoring properties of LBR have been reported so far. Recent evidence suggests a dynamic regulation of LBR expression levels, structural organization, localization and function, in response to various signals. The molecular mechanisms underlying this dynamic behavior have not yet been fully unraveled. Here, we provide an overview of the current knowledge of the interplay between the structure, function and localization of LBR, and hint at the interconnection of the two distinct functions of LBR.

  14. 45 CFR 703.9 - Reimbursement of members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Reimbursement of members. 703.9 Section 703.9... AND FUNCTIONS OF STATE ADVISORY COMMITTEES § 703.9 Reimbursement of members. (a) Advisory Committee members may be reimbursed by the Commission by a per diem subsistence allowance and for travel expenses at...

  15. The geometrically averaged density of states calculated from the local Green's function as a measure of localization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wortis, R.; Song Yun; Atkinson, W.A.

    2008-01-01

    With the goal of measuring localization in disordered interacting systems, we examine the finite-size scaling of the geometrically averaged density of states calculated from the local Green's function with finite energy resolution. Our results show that, unlike in a simple energy binning procedure, there is no limit in which the finite energy resolution is irrelevant

  16. Super-resolution links vinculin localization to function in focal adhesions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giannone, Grégory

    2015-07-01

    Integrin-based focal adhesions integrate biochemical and biomechanical signals from the extracellular matrix and the actin cytoskeleton. The combination of three-dimensional super-resolution imaging and loss- or gain-of-function protein mutants now links the nanoscale dynamic localization of proteins to their activation and function within focal adhesions.

  17. Intracellular Localization of Arabidopsis Sulfurtransferases1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bauer, Michael; Dietrich, Christof; Nowak, Katharina; Sierralta, Walter D.; Papenbrock, Jutta

    2004-01-01

    Sulfurtransferases (Str) comprise a group of enzymes widely distributed in archaea, eubacteria, and eukaryota which catalyze the transfer of a sulfur atom from suitable sulfur donors to nucleophilic sulfur acceptors. In all organisms analyzed to date, small gene families encoding Str proteins have been identified. The gene products were localized to different compartments of the cells. Our interest concerns the localization of Str proteins encoded in the nuclear genome of Arabidopsis. Computer-based prediction methods revealed localization in different compartments of the cell for six putative AtStrs. Several methods were used to determine the localization of the AtStr proteins experimentally. For AtStr1, a mitochondrial localization was demonstrated by immunodetection in the proteome of isolated mitochondria resolved by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and subsequent blotting. The respective mature AtStr1 protein was identified by mass spectrometry sequencing. The same result was obtained by transient expression of fusion constructs with the green fluorescent protein in Arabidopsis protoplasts, whereas AtStr2 was exclusively localized to the cytoplasm by this method. Three members of the single-domain AtStr were localized in the chloroplasts as demonstrated by transient expression of green fluorescent protein fusions in protoplasts and stomata, whereas the single-domain AtStr18 was shown to be cytoplasmic. The remarkable subcellular distribution of AtStr15 was additionally analyzed by transmission electron immunomicroscopy using a monospecific antibody against green fluorescent protein, indicating an attachment to the thylakoid membrane. The knowledge of the intracellular localization of the members of this multiprotein family will help elucidate their specific functions in the organism. PMID:15181206

  18. Prevalence of psychiatric disorders and functional impairment after loss of a family member: a longitudinal study after the 2004 Tsunami.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kristensen, Pål; Weisaeth, Lars; Hussain, Ajmal; Heir, Trond

    2015-01-01

    Bereavement following disasters is a devastating experience for family members. The aim of this study was to examine the long-term mental health effects of losing a loved one in a natural disaster. Ninety-four Norwegians aged 18-80 years who lost close family members in the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami were evaluated 2 and 6 years after the disaster. The participants were either staying in an affected area at the time of the disaster (i.e., directly exposed) or not (i.e., not directly exposed). The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was assessed by the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I). Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) was self-reported using the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG), and functional impairment was self-reported using the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS). We did not identify a significant decrease in the prevalence of PGD, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or major depressive disorder (MDD) from 2 to 6 years. Approximately, one-third of the bereaved (36%) had a psychiatric disorder 6 years after the tsunami. The most common disorder was PGD (12%) followed by general anxiety disorder (GAD, 11%), agoraphobia (11%), and MDD (10%). The prevalence of PTSD and MDD was higher among family members who were directly exposed to the disaster compared to those who were not (21 vs. 0%, and 25 vs. 3%). PGD was associated with functional impairment independent of other disorders. Loss of a close family member in a natural disaster can have a substantial adverse long-term effect on mental health and everyday functioning. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Identification and functional characterization of a solute carrier family 15, member 4 gene in Litopenaeus vannamei.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yong-Gui; Yuan, Kai; Zhang, Ze-Zhi; Yuan, Feng-Hua; Weng, Shao-Ping; Yue, Hai-Tao; He, Jian-Guo; Chen, Yi-Hong

    2016-04-01

    Innate immunity in shrimp is important in resisting bacterial infection. The NF-κB pathway is pivotal in such an immune response. This study cloned and functionally characterized the solute carrier family (SLC) 15 member A 4 (LvSLC15A4) gene in Litopenaeus vannamei. The open reading frame of LvSLC15A4 is 1, 902 bp long and encodes a putative 633-amino acid protein, which is localized in the plasma membrane and intracellular vesicular compartments. Results of the reporter gene assay showed that LvSLC15A4 upregulated NF-κB target genes, including the immediate-early gene 1 of white spot syndrome virus, as well as several antimicrobial peptide genes, such as pen4, CecA, AttA, and Mtk in S2 cells. Moreover, knocked-down expression of LvSLC15A4 reduced pen4 expression in L. vannamei. LvSLC15A4 down-regulation also increased the cumulative mortality of Vibrio parahemolyticus-infected L. vannamei. Furthermore, LvSLC15A4 expression was induced by unfolded protein response (UPR) in L. vannamei hematocytes. These results suggest that LvSLC15A4 participates in L. vannamei innate immunity via the NF-κB pathway and thus may be related to UPR. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Star-product functions in higher-spin theory and locality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vasiliev, M.A. [I.E. Tamm Department of Theoretical Physics, Lebedev Physical Institute,Leninsky prospect 53, 119991, Moscow (Russian Federation)

    2015-06-04

    Properties of the functional classes of star-product elements associated with higher-spin gauge fields and gauge parameters are elaborated. Cohomological interpretation of the nonlinear higher-spin equations is given. An algebra ℋ, where solutions of the nonlinear higher-spin equations are valued, is found. A conjecture on the classes of star-product functions underlying (non)local maps and gauge transformations in the nonlinear higher-spin theory is proposed.

  1. Molecular and Functional Characterization of Mouse S5D-SRCRB: A New Group B Member of the Scavenger Receptor Cysteine-Rich Superfamily

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Miró-Julià, Cristina; Roselló, Sandra; Martínez, Vanesa G

    2011-01-01

    The scavenger receptor cysteine-rich superfamily (SRCR-SF) members are transmembrane and/or secreted receptors exhibiting one or several repeats of a cysteine-rich protein module of ∼100 aa, named scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR). Two types of SRCR domains (A or B) have been reported, which...... differ in the number of coding exons and intradomain cysteines. Although no unifying function has been reported for SRCR-SF members, recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) was recently shown for some of them. In this article, we report the structural and functional characterization...

  2. Sexual function with localized prostate cancer: active surveillance vs radical therapy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Bergh, Roderick C. N.; Korfage, Ida J.; Roobol, Monique J.; Bangma, Chris H.; de Koning, Harry J.; Steyerberg, Ewout W.; Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise

    2012-01-01

    OBJECTIVE To compare sexual function of men with localized prostate cancer (PCa) on active surveillance (AS) with similar patients who received radical therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Two groups of men with screening-detected localized PCa were compared. The first were men on AS within the prospective

  3. Functional analysis of the Escherichia coli genome for members of the alpha/beta hydrolase family.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, L; Godzik, A; Skolnick, J; Fetrow, J S

    1998-01-01

    Database-searching methods based on sequence similarity have become the most commonly used tools for characterizing newly sequenced proteins. Due to the often underestimated functional diversity in protein families and superfamilies, however, it is difficult to make the characterization specific and accurate. In this work, we have extended a method for active-site identification from predicted protein structures. The structural conservation and variation of the active sites of the alpha/beta hydrolases with known structures were studied. The similarities were incorporated into a three-dimensional motif that specifies essential requirements for the enzymatic functions. A threading algorithm was used to align 651 Escherichia coli open reading frames (ORFs) to one of the members of the alpha/beta hydrolase fold family. These ORFs were then screened according to our three-dimensional motif and with an extra requirement that demands conservation of the key active-site residues among the proteins that bear significant sequence similarity to the ORFs. 17 ORFs from E. coli were predicted to have hydrolase activity and their putative active-site residues were identified. Most were in agreement with the experiments and results of other database-searching methods. The study further suggests that YHET_ECOLI, a hypothetical protein classified as a member of the UPF0017 family (an uncharacterized protein family), bears all the hallmarks of the alpha/beta hydrolase family. The novel feature of our method is that it uses three-dimensional structural information for function prediction. The results demonstrate the importance and necessity of such a method to fill the gap between sequence alignment and function prediction; furthermore, the method provides a way to verify the structure predictions, which enables an expansion of the applicable scope of the threading algorithms.

  4. Direct functionalization of pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes by diazonium-based method with various five-membered S- or N- heteroaromatic amines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leinonen, Heli; Lajunen, Marja

    2012-01-01

    Reactivity of five-membered, variously substituted, heteroaromatic diazonium salts was studied toward pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), prepared by high-pressure CO conversion (HiPCO) method. Average size range of individual HiPCO SWCNTs was 0.8–1.2 nm (diameter) and 100–1,000 nm (length). Functionalizations were performed by a one-pot diazotization–dediazotization method with methyl-2-aminothiophene-3-carboxylate, 2-aminothiophene-3-carbonitrile, 2-aminoimidazole sulfate, or 3-aminopyrazole in acetic acid using sodium nitrite at room temperature or by heating. According to Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, all used heterocyclic diazonium salts formed a covalent bond with SWCNTs and yielded new kinds of five-membered heterocycle-functionalized SWCNTs. Methyl-2-thiophenyl-3-carboxylate-functionalized SWCNTs formed a highly soluble, stable dispersion in tetrahydrofuran (THF), 3-pyrazoyl-functionalized SWCNTs in ethanol, and 2-imidazoyl- or 2-thiophenyl-3-carbonitrile-functionalized SWCNTs in ethanol and THF. The thermogravimetric analysis as well as energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy imaging of the products confirmed the successful functionalization of SWCNTs.

  5. Direct functionalization of pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes by diazonium-based method with various five-membered S- or N- heteroaromatic amines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leinonen, Heli; Lajunen, Marja, E-mail: marja.lajunen@oulu.fi [University of Oulu, Department of Chemistry (Finland)

    2012-09-15

    Reactivity of five-membered, variously substituted, heteroaromatic diazonium salts was studied toward pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), prepared by high-pressure CO conversion (HiPCO) method. Average size range of individual HiPCO SWCNTs was 0.8-1.2 nm (diameter) and 100-1,000 nm (length). Functionalizations were performed by a one-pot diazotization-dediazotization method with methyl-2-aminothiophene-3-carboxylate, 2-aminothiophene-3-carbonitrile, 2-aminoimidazole sulfate, or 3-aminopyrazole in acetic acid using sodium nitrite at room temperature or by heating. According to Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, all used heterocyclic diazonium salts formed a covalent bond with SWCNTs and yielded new kinds of five-membered heterocycle-functionalized SWCNTs. Methyl-2-thiophenyl-3-carboxylate-functionalized SWCNTs formed a highly soluble, stable dispersion in tetrahydrofuran (THF), 3-pyrazoyl-functionalized SWCNTs in ethanol, and 2-imidazoyl- or 2-thiophenyl-3-carbonitrile-functionalized SWCNTs in ethanol and THF. The thermogravimetric analysis as well as energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy imaging of the products confirmed the successful functionalization of SWCNTs.

  6. Direct functionalization of pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes by diazonium-based method with various five-membered S- or N- heteroaromatic amines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leinonen, Heli; Lajunen, Marja

    2012-09-01

    Reactivity of five-membered, variously substituted, heteroaromatic diazonium salts was studied toward pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), prepared by high-pressure CO conversion (HiPCO) method. Average size range of individual HiPCO SWCNTs was 0.8-1.2 nm (diameter) and 100-1,000 nm (length). Functionalizations were performed by a one-pot diazotization-dediazotization method with methyl-2-aminothiophene-3-carboxylate, 2-aminothiophene-3-carbonitrile, 2-aminoimidazole sulfate, or 3-aminopyrazole in acetic acid using sodium nitrite at room temperature or by heating. According to Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, all used heterocyclic diazonium salts formed a covalent bond with SWCNTs and yielded new kinds of five-membered heterocycle-functionalized SWCNTs. Methyl-2-thiophenyl-3-carboxylate-functionalized SWCNTs formed a highly soluble, stable dispersion in tetrahydrofuran (THF), 3-pyrazoyl-functionalized SWCNTs in ethanol, and 2-imidazoyl- or 2-thiophenyl-3-carbonitrile-functionalized SWCNTs in ethanol and THF. The thermogravimetric analysis as well as energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy imaging of the products confirmed the successful functionalization of SWCNTs.

  7. Comparative Assessment of Mediterranean Gorgonian-Associated Microbial Communities Reveals Conserved Core and Locally Variant Bacteria

    KAUST Repository

    van de Water, Jeroen A J M

    2016-10-10

    Gorgonians are key habitat-forming species of Mediterranean benthic communities, but their populations have suffered from mass mortality events linked to high summer seawater temperatures and microbial disease. However, our knowledge on the diversity, dynamics and function of gorgonian-associated microbial communities is limited. Here, we analysed the spatial variability of the microbiomes of five sympatric gorgonian species (Eunicella singularis, Eunicella cavolini, Eunicella verrucosa, Leptogorgia sarmentosa and Paramuricea clavata), collected from the Mediterranean Sea over a scale of ∼1100 km, using next-generation amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The microbiomes of all gorgonian species were generally dominated by members of the genus Endozoicomonas, which were at very low abundance in the surrounding seawater. Although the composition of the core microbiome (operational taxonomic units consistently present in a species) was found to be unique for each host species, significant overlap was observed. These spatially consistent associations between gorgonians and their core bacteria suggest intricate symbiotic relationships and regulation of the microbiome composition by the host. At the same time, local variations in microbiome composition were observed. Functional predictive profiling indicated that these differences could be attributed to seawater pollution. Taken together, our data indicate that gorgonian-associated microbiomes are composed of spatially conserved bacteria (core microbiome members) and locally variant members, and that local pollution may influence these local associations, potentially impacting gorgonian health.

  8. Importance of the correlation contribution for local hybrid functionals: range separation and self-interaction corrections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arbuznikov, Alexei V; Kaupp, Martin

    2012-01-07

    Local hybrid functionals with their position-dependent exact-exchange admixture are a conceptually simple and promising extension of the concept of a hybrid functional. Local hybrids based on a simple mixing of the local spin density approximation (LSDA) with exact exchange have been shown to be successful for thermochemistry, reaction barriers, and a range of other properties. So far, the combination of this generation of local hybrids with an LSDA correlation functional has been found to give the most favorable results for atomization energies, for a range of local mixing functions (LMFs) governing the exact-exchange admixture. Here, we show that the choice of correlation functional to be used with local hybrid exchange crucially influences the parameterization also of the exchange part as well as the overall performance. A novel ansatz for the correlation part of local hybrids is suggested based on (i) range-separation of LSDA correlation into short-range (SR) and long-range (LR) parts, and (ii) partial or full elimination of the one-electron self-correlation from the SR part. It is shown that such modified correlation functionals allow overall larger exact exchange admixture in thermochemically competitive local hybrids than before. This results in improvements for reaction barriers and for other properties crucially influenced by self-interaction errors, as demonstrated by a number of examples. Based on the range-separation approach, a fresh view on the breakdown of the correlation energy into dynamical and non-dynamical parts is suggested.

  9. Local density approximation for exchange in excited-state density functional theory

    OpenAIRE

    Harbola, Manoj K.; Samal, Prasanjit

    2004-01-01

    Local density approximation for the exchange energy is made for treatment of excited-states in density-functional theory. It is shown that taking care of the state-dependence of the LDA exchange energy functional leads to accurate excitation energies.

  10. FOURIER COEFFICIENTS OF CONTINUOUS FUNCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO LOCALIZED HAAR SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. S. Belkina

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available We construct a nontrivial example of a continuous function f* on [0, 1]² which is orthogonal to tensor products of Haar functions supported on intervals of the same length. This example clarifies the possible behaviour of Fourier coefficients of continuous functions with respect to a localized Haar system. The function f* has fractal structure. We give lower bounds on its smoothness.

  11. Community Members Draw the Line

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gregory Freeland

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates whether a community-based task force’s redistricting plan in Ventura County, California, positively affected fair representation, social equity issues, community interests, and the electoral process. Examination and evaluation of the organizational strategies and collaborations involved in the task force’s redistricting process find that the Board of Supervisors districts that members of the community drew were successful in improving and maintaining fair representation. This finding is based on comparing supervisorial votes and policies with community members’ votes on state propositions and local measures, in addition to conducting interviews with task force members, politicians, and community activists. This study finds that citizen participation in governmental processes improves overall community health and political participation.

  12. Local functional derivative of the total energy and the shell structure in atoms and molecules

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pino, R.; Markvoort, Albert. J.; Santen, van R.A.; Hilbers, P.A.J.

    2003-01-01

    The full and local Thomas–Fermi–Dirac energy functional derivatives are evaluated at Hartree–Fock densities for several atoms and molecules. These functions are interpreted as local chemical potentials and related mainly to kinetic energy functional derivatives. They are able to reveal the shell

  13. Local extremal problems for bounded analytic functions without zeros

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prokhorov, D V; Romanova, S V

    2006-01-01

    In the class B(t), t>0, of all functions f(z,t)=e -t +c 1 (t)z+c 2 (t)z 2 +... that are analytic in the unit disc U and such that 0 0. We suggest an algorithm for determining those t>0 for which the canonical functions provide the local maximum of Re c n (t) in B(t). We describe the set of functionals Lf)=Σ k=0 n λ k c k for which the canonical functions provide the maximum of Re L(f) in B(t) for small and large values of t. The proofs are based on optimization methods for solutions of control systems of differential equations

  14. Local extremal problems for bounded analytic functions without zeros

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prokhorov, D. V.; Romanova, S. V.

    2006-08-01

    In the class B(t), t>0, of all functions f(z,t)=e^{-t}+c_1(t)z+c_2(t)z^2+\\dots that are analytic in the unit disc U and such that 00. We suggest an algorithm for determining those t>0 for which the canonical functions provide the local maximum of \\operatorname{Re}c_n(t) in B(t). We describe the set of functionals L(f)=\\sum_{k=0}^n\\lambda_kc_k for which the canonical functions provide the maximum of \\operatorname{Re}L(f) in B(t) for small and large values of t. The proofs are based on optimization methods for solutions of control systems of differential equations.

  15. Local gradient estimate for harmonic functions on Finsler manifolds

    OpenAIRE

    Xia, Chao

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, we prove the local gradient estimate for harmonic functions on complete, noncompact Finsler measure spaces under the condition that the weighted Ricci curvature has a lower bound. As applications, we obtain Liouville type theorem on Finsler manifolds with nonnegative Ricci curvature.

  16. The Ironbridge Gorge Heritage Site and its local and regional functions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cudny Waldemar

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to the issue of heritage and its functions. Based on the existing literature, the author presents the definition of heritage, the classification of heritage resources, and its most important impacts. The aim of the article was to show the functions that may be performed by a heritage site, locally and regionally. The example used by the author is the Ironbridge Gorge Heritage Site in the United Kingdom. Most heritage functions described by other authors are confirmed in this case study. The cultural heritage of the Ironbridge Gorge creates an opportunity to undertake various local and regional activities, having first of all an educational influence on the inhabitants, school youth and tourists. We must not ignore the economicinfluences, such as financing the activity of the Ironbridge Trust (the institution administering the site, generating income for local firms providing service to tourists, or for construction companies. This income helps to preserve and conserve the tangible heritage of the Ironbridge Gorge, as well as to generate jobs in heritage management, conservation and heritage tourism. Other effects of the Ironbridge Gorge Site include a socio-cultural impact or that related to sustainable development.

  17. Skill improvement among coalition members in the California Healthy Cities and Communities Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kegler, Michelle C; Norton, Barbara L; Aronson, Robert

    2007-06-01

    Community-driven, collaborative approaches to health promotion have the potential to enhance skills among community members and, in turn, increase community capacity. This study uses data from an evaluation of the California Healthy Cities and Communities (CHCC) Program to examine whether, and how, community problem-solving and collaboration skills are improved among coalition members and local coordinators in 20 participating communities. Methods include semi-structured interviews with coordinators and mailed surveys with coalition members (n=330 in planning phase and n=243 in implementation phase). The largest number of coordinators reported skill improvement in defining health broadly and assessing needs and assets. Similarly, coalition members reported greatest skill improvement for defining health broadly, assessing needs and assets and setting priorities and developing action plans. Modest correlations were observed between number of roles played in the local healthy cities and communities project and each skill area assessed. Time committed to the local CHCC coalition and its activities was not meaningfully correlated with any of the skills. Types of skill-building opportunities may be more important than number of hours devoted to meetings and activities in strengthening community problem-solving and collaboration skills among coalition members.

  18. Functional genomic analysis supports conservation of function among cellulose synthase-like a gene family members and suggests diverse roles of mannans in plants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liepman, Aaron H; Nairn, C Joseph; Willats, William G T

    2007-01-01

    from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), guar (Cyamopsis tetragonolobus), and Populus trichocarpa catalyze beta-1,4-mannan and glucomannan synthase reactions in vitro. Mannan polysaccharides and homologs of CslA genes appear to be present in all lineages of land plants analyzed to date. In many plants......, the CslA genes are members of extended multigene families; however, it is not known whether all CslA proteins are glucomannan synthases. CslA proteins from diverse land plant species, including representatives of the mono- and dicotyledonous angiosperms, gymnosperms, and bryophytes, were produced...... they are prevalent at cell junctions and in buds. Taken together, these results demonstrate that members of the CslA gene family from diverse plant species encode glucomannan synthases and support the hypothesis that mannans function in metabolic networks devoted to other cellular processes in addition to cell wall...

  19. Short-Term Faculty Members: A National Dilemma and a Local Solution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Killingsworth, M. Jimmie; And Others

    1989-01-01

    Surveys English department chairs nationwide, examining the status of full-time non-tenure-track teachers in English departments of PhD-granting institutions. Finds that universities commonly hire short-term lecturers to teach when regular faculty members are "too expensive" for the job. Reports a plan adopted by Texas Tech University to deal with…

  20. The asymptotic behavior of Frobenius-Perron operator with local lower-bound function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding Yiming

    2003-01-01

    Let (X,Σ,μ) be a σ-finite measure space, S:X→X be a nonsingular transformation and P S :L 1 →L 1 be the Frobenius-Perron operator associated with S. It is proved that if P S satisfies the local lower-bound function condition then for every f is a subset of D the sequence {P S n f} converges strongly to a stationary density of P S as n→∞. The statistical stability of S is also concerned via the local lower-bound function method

  1. Selective individual primary cell capture using locally bio-functionalized micropores.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jie Liu

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Solid-state micropores have been widely employed for 6 decades to recognize and size flowing unlabeled cells. However, the resistive-pulse technique presents limitations when the cells to be differentiated have overlapping dimension ranges such as B and T lymphocytes. An alternative approach would be to specifically capture cells by solid-state micropores. Here, the inner wall of 15-µm pores made in 10 µm-thick silicon membranes was covered with antibodies specific to cell surface proteins of B or T lymphocytes. The selective trapping of individual unlabeled cells in a bio-functionalized micropore makes them recognizable just using optical microscopy. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We locally deposited oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN and ODN-conjugated antibody probes on the inner wall of the micropores by forming thin films of polypyrrole-ODN copolymers using contactless electro-functionalization. The trapping capabilities of the bio-functionalized micropores were validated using optical microscopy and the resistive-pulse technique by selectively capturing polystyrene microbeads coated with complementary ODN. B or T lymphocytes from a mouse splenocyte suspension were specifically immobilized on micropore walls functionalized with complementary ODN-conjugated antibodies targeting cell surface proteins. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The results showed that locally bio-functionalized micropores can isolate target cells from a suspension during their translocation throughout the pore, including among cells of similar dimensions in complex mixtures.

  2. Selective Individual Primary Cell Capture Using Locally Bio-Functionalized Micropores

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jie; Bombera, Radoslaw; Leroy, Loïc; Roupioz, Yoann; Baganizi, Dieudonné R.; Marche, Patrice N.; Haguet, Vincent; Mailley, Pascal; Livache, Thierry

    2013-01-01

    Background Solid-state micropores have been widely employed for 6 decades to recognize and size flowing unlabeled cells. However, the resistive-pulse technique presents limitations when the cells to be differentiated have overlapping dimension ranges such as B and T lymphocytes. An alternative approach would be to specifically capture cells by solid-state micropores. Here, the inner wall of 15-µm pores made in 10 µm-thick silicon membranes was covered with antibodies specific to cell surface proteins of B or T lymphocytes. The selective trapping of individual unlabeled cells in a bio-functionalized micropore makes them recognizable just using optical microscopy. Methodology/Principal Findings We locally deposited oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) and ODN-conjugated antibody probes on the inner wall of the micropores by forming thin films of polypyrrole-ODN copolymers using contactless electro-functionalization. The trapping capabilities of the bio-functionalized micropores were validated using optical microscopy and the resistive-pulse technique by selectively capturing polystyrene microbeads coated with complementary ODN. B or T lymphocytes from a mouse splenocyte suspension were specifically immobilized on micropore walls functionalized with complementary ODN-conjugated antibodies targeting cell surface proteins. Conclusions/Significance The results showed that locally bio-functionalized micropores can isolate target cells from a suspension during their translocation throughout the pore, including among cells of similar dimensions in complex mixtures. PMID:23469221

  3. Education of ethics committee members: experiences from Croatia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borovecki, A; ten Have, H; Oresković, S

    2006-03-01

    To study knowledge and attitudes of hospital ethics committee members at the first workshop for ethics committees in Croatia. Before/after cross-sectional study using a self administered questionnaire. Educational workshop for members of hospital ethics committees, Zagreb, 2003. Knowledge and attitudes of participants before and after the workshop; everyday functioning of hospital ethics committees. The majority of the respondents came from committees with at least five members. The majority of ethics committees were appointed by the governing bodies of their hospitals. Most committees were founded after the implementation of the law on health protection in 1997. Membership structure (three physicians and two members from other fields) and functions were established on the basis of that law. Analysis of research protocols was the main part of their work. Other important functions-education, case analysis, guidelines formation-were neglected. Members' level of knowledge was not sufficient for the complicated tasks they were supposed to perform. However, it was significantly higher after the workshop. Most respondents felt their knowledge should be improved by additional education. Their views on certain issues and bioethical dilemmas displayed a high level of paternalism and over protectiveness, which did not change after the workshop. The committees developed according to bureaucratic requirements. Furthermore, there are concerns about members' knowledge levels. More efforts need to be made to use education to improve the quality of the work. Additional research is necessary to explore ethics committees' work in Croatia especially in the hospital setting.

  4. Optimally localized Wannier functions for quasi one-dimensional nonperiodic insulators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cornean, Horia; Nenciu, A.; Nenciu, Gheorghe

    2008-01-01

    It is proved that for general, not necessarily periodic, quasi one-dimensional systems the band position operator corresponding to an isolated part of the energy spectrum has discrete spectrum and its eigenfunctions have the same spatial localization as the corresponding spectral projection....... As a consequence, an eigenbasis of the band position operator provides a basis of optimally localized (generalized) Wannier functions for quasi one-dimensional systems, and this proves the strong Marzari-Vanderbilt conjecture. If the system has some translation symmetries (e.g. usual translations, screw...

  5. Optimally localized Wannier functions for quasi one-dimensional nonperiodic insulators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cornean, Horia; Nenciu, A.; Nenciu, Gheorghe

    It is proved that for general, not necessarily periodic quasi one dimensional systems, the band position operator corresponding to an isolated part of the energy spectrum has discrete spectrum and its eigenfunctions have the same spatial localization as the corresponding spectral projection....... As a consequence, an eigenbasis of the band position operator provides a basis of optimally localized (generalized) Wannier functions for quasi one dimensional systems. If the system has some translation symmetries (e.g. usual translations, screw transformations), they are "inherited" bythe Wannier basis....

  6. Towards a Density Functional Theory Exchange-Correlation Functional able to describe localization/delocalization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mattsson, Ann E.; Wills, John M.

    2013-03-01

    The inability to computationally describe the physics governing the properties of actinides and their alloys is the poster child of failure of existing Density Functional Theory exchange-correlation functionals. The intricate competition between localization and delocalization of the electrons, present in these materials, exposes the limitations of functionals only designed to properly describe one or the other situation. We will discuss the manifestation of this competition in real materials and propositions on how to construct a functional able to accurately describe properties of these materials. I addition we will discuss both the importance of using the Dirac equation to describe the relativistic effects in these materials, and the connection to the physics of transition metal oxides. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

  7. A Putative Chloroplast-Localized Ca(2+)/H(+) Antiporter CCHA1 Is Involved in Calcium and pH Homeostasis and Required for PSII Function in Arabidopsis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chao; Xu, Weitao; Jin, Honglei; Zhang, Taijie; Lai, Jianbin; Zhou, Xuan; Zhang, Shengchun; Liu, Shengjie; Duan, Xuewu; Wang, Hongbin; Peng, Changlian; Yang, Chengwei

    2016-08-01

    Calcium is important for chloroplast, not only in its photosynthetic but also nonphotosynthetic functions. Multiple Ca(2+)/H(+) transporters and channels have been described and studied in the plasma membrane and organelle membranes of plant cells; however, the molecular identity and physiological roles of chloroplast Ca(2+)/H(+) antiporters have remained unknown. Here we report the identification and characterization of a member of the UPF0016 family, CCHA1 (a chloroplast-localized potential Ca(2+)/H(+) antiporter), in Arabidopsis thaliana. We observed that the ccha1 mutant plants developed pale green leaves and showed severely stunted growth along with impaired photosystem II (PSII) function. CCHA1 localizes to the chloroplasts, and the levels of the PSII core subunits and the oxygen-evolving complex were significantly decreased in the ccha1 mutants compared with the wild type. In high Ca(2+) concentrations, Arabidopsis CCHA1 partially rescued the growth defect of yeast gdt1Δ null mutant, which is defective in a Ca(2+)/H(+) antiporter. The ccha1 mutant plants also showed significant sensitivity to high concentrations of CaCl2 and MnCl2, as well as variation in pH. Taken these results together, we propose that CCHA1 might encode a putative chloroplast-localized Ca(2+)/H(+) antiporter with critical functions in the regulation of PSII and in chloroplast Ca(2+) and pH homeostasis in Arabidopsis. Copyright © 2016 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Multiscale finite element methods for high-contrast problems using local spectral basis functions

    KAUST Repository

    Efendiev, Yalchin

    2011-02-01

    In this paper we study multiscale finite element methods (MsFEMs) using spectral multiscale basis functions that are designed for high-contrast problems. Multiscale basis functions are constructed using eigenvectors of a carefully selected local spectral problem. This local spectral problem strongly depends on the choice of initial partition of unity functions. The resulting space enriches the initial multiscale space using eigenvectors of local spectral problem. The eigenvectors corresponding to small, asymptotically vanishing, eigenvalues detect important features of the solutions that are not captured by initial multiscale basis functions. Multiscale basis functions are constructed such that they span these eigenfunctions that correspond to small, asymptotically vanishing, eigenvalues. We present a convergence study that shows that the convergence rate (in energy norm) is proportional to (H/Λ*)1/2, where Λ* is proportional to the minimum of the eigenvalues that the corresponding eigenvectors are not included in the coarse space. Thus, we would like to reach to a larger eigenvalue with a smaller coarse space. This is accomplished with a careful choice of initial multiscale basis functions and the setup of the eigenvalue problems. Numerical results are presented to back-up our theoretical results and to show higher accuracy of MsFEMs with spectral multiscale basis functions. We also present a hierarchical construction of the eigenvectors that provides CPU savings. © 2010.

  9. DECENTRALIZATION, ELIGIBILITY OF AUTHORITIES AND CONSULTATION OF CITIZENS - EVIDENCE OF THE OCCURRENCE OF AUTONOMY IN LOCAL PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION MANAGEMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ZAHARIA PETRONELA

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Being important for the proper functioning of the management activity conducted at the local public administration level, local autonomy cannot occur without the support coming from other rules of organization and functioning of local administrative system. From this perspective, in this paper we propose to analyze the content of decentralization, eligibility of authorities and consultation of citizens in solving local problems, in order to highlight how each of these principles demonstrates the efficiency of autonomy. Moving power from central public administration authorities to local authorities in the decentralization process, making authorities of administrative-territorial units eligible and the involvement of local community members in solving problems affecting them are clear evidence of the occurrence of autonomy in local public administration management.

  10. Semi-Local DFT Functionals with Exact-Exchange-Like Features: Beyond the AK13

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armiento, Rickard

    The Armiento-Kümmel functional from 2013 (AK13) is a non-empirical semi-local exchange functional on generalized gradient approximation form (GGA) in Kohn-Sham (KS) density functional theory (DFT). Recent works have established that AK13 gives improved electronic-structure exchange features over other semi-local methods, with a qualitatively improved orbital description and band structure. For example, the Kohn-Sham band gap is greatly extended, as it is for exact exchange. This talk outlines recent efforts towards new exchange-correlation functionals based on, and extending, the AK13 design ideas. The aim is to improve the quantitative accuracy, the description of energetics, and to address other issues found with the original formulation. Swedish e-Science Research Centre (SeRC).

  11. Positive definite functions and dual pairs of locally convex spaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Alpay

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Using pairs of locally convex topological vector spaces in duality and topologies defined by directed families of sets bounded with respect to the duality, we prove general factorization theorems and general dilation theorems for operator-valued positive definite functions.

  12. Chemical Functionalization of Graphene Family Members

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vacchi, Isabella Anna; Ménard-Moyon, Cécilia; Bianco, Alberto

    2017-01-01

    Thanks to their outstanding physicochemical properties, graphene and its derivatives are interesting nanomaterials with a high potential in several fields. Graphene, graphene oxide, and reduced graphene oxide, however, differ partially in their characteristics due to their diverse surface composition. Those differences influence the chemical reactivity of these materials. In the following chapter the reactivity and main functionalization reactions performed on graphene, graphene oxide, and reduced graphene oxide are discussed. A part is also dedicated to the main analytical techniques used for characterization of these materials. Functionalization of graphene and its derivatives is highly important to modulate their characteristics and design graphene-based conjugates with novel properties. Functionalization can be covalent by forming strong and stable bonds with the graphene surface, or non-covalent via π-π, electrostatic, hydrophobic, and/or van der Waals interactions. Both types of functionalization are currently exploited.

  13. Long-term labour productivity and GDP projections for the EU25 Member States : a production function framework

    OpenAIRE

    Carone, Giuseppe; Denis, Cécile; Mc Morrow, Kieran; Mourre, Gilles; Röger, Werner

    2006-01-01

    This paper presents the results of long run labour productivity and GDP growth rate projections (until 2050) for each of the 25 EU Member States and provides a detailed overview of the forecast methodology used. These projections were undertaken in order to provide an internationally comparable macroeconomic framework against which to assess the potential economic and fiscal effects of ageing populations. The projections presented in this paper, using a common production function methodology ...

  14. Long-term labour productivity and GDP projections for the EU25 Member States : a production function framework

    OpenAIRE

    Carone, Giuseppe; Denis, Cécile; Mc Morrow, Kieran; Mourre, Gilles; Röger, Werner

    2006-01-01

    This paper presents the results of long run labour productivity and GDP growth rate projections (until 2050) for each of the 25 EU Member States and provides a detailed overview of the forecast methodology used. These projections were undertaken in order to provide an internationally comparable macroeconomic framework against which to assess the potential economic and fiscal effects of ageing populations. The projections presented in this paper, using a common production function methodol...

  15. Identification and functional analysis of two Golgi-localized UDP-galactofuranose transporters with overlapping functions in Aspergillus niger.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Joohae; Tefsen, Boris; Heemskerk, Marc J; Lagendijk, Ellen L; van den Hondel, Cees A M J J; van Die, Irma; Ram, Arthur F J

    2015-11-02

    Galactofuranose (Galf)-containing glycoconjugates are present in numerous microbes, including filamentous fungi where they are important for morphology, virulence and maintaining cell wall integrity. The incorporation of Galf-residues into galactomannan, galactomannoproteins and glycolipids is carried out by Golgi-localized Galf transferases. The nucleotide sugar donor used by these transferases (UDP-Galf) is produced in the cytoplasm and has to be transported to the lumen of the Golgi by a dedicated nucleotide sugar transporter. Based on homology with recently identified UDP-Galf-transporters in A. fumigatus and A. nidulans, two putative UDP-Galf-transporters in A. niger were found. Their function and localization was determined by gene deletions and GFP-tagging studies, respectively. The two putative UDP-Galf-transporters in A. niger are homologous to each other and are predicted to contain eleven transmembrane domains (UgtA) or ten transmembrane domains (UgtB) due to a reduced length of the C-terminal part of the UgtB protein. The presence of two putative UDP-Galf-transporters in the genome was not unique for A. niger. From the twenty Aspergillus species analysed, nine species contained two additional putative UDP-Galf-transporters. Three of the nine species were outside the Aspergillus section nigri, indication an early duplication of UDP-Galf-transporters and subsequent loss of the UgtB copy in several aspergilli. Deletion analysis of the single and double mutants in A. niger indicated that the two putative UDP-Galf-transporters (named UgtA and UgtB) have a redundant function in UDP-Galf-transport as only the double mutant displayed a Galf-negative phenotype. The Galf-negative phenotype of the double mutant could be complemented by expressing either CFP-UgtA or CFP-UgtB fusion proteins from their endogenous promoters, indicating that both CFP-tagged proteins are functional. Both Ugt proteins co-localize with each other as well as with the GDP

  16. Novel p47(phox)-related organizers regulate localized NADPH oxidase 1 (Nox1) activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gianni, Davide; Diaz, Begoña; Taulet, Nicolas; Fowler, Bruce; Courtneidge, Sara A; Bokoch, Gary M

    2009-09-15

    The mechanisms that determine localized formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through NADPH (reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) oxidase (Nox) family members in nonphagocytic cells are unknown. We show that the c-Src substrate proteins Tks4 (tyrosine kinase substrate with four SH3 domains) and Tks5 are functional members of a p47(phox)-related organizer superfamily. Tks proteins selectively support Nox1 and Nox3 (and not Nox2 and Nox4) activity in reconstituted cellular systems and interact with the NoxA1 activator protein through an Src homology 3 domain-mediated interaction. Endogenous Tks4 is required for Rac guanosine triphosphatase- and Nox1-dependent ROS production by DLD1 colon cancer cells. Our results are consistent with the Tks-mediated recruitment of Nox1 to invadopodia that form in DLD1 cells in a Tks- and Nox-dependent fashion. We propose that Tks organizers represent previously unrecognized members of an organizer superfamily that link Nox to localized ROS formation.

  17. THIN-WALLED CROSS SECTION SHAPE INFLUENCE ON STEEL MEMBER RESISTANCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elżbieta Urbańska-Galewska

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available This work describes why trending thin-walled technology is achieving popularity in steel construction sector. A purpose of this article is to present the influence of the cold-formed element cross-section shape on an axial compression and a bending moment resistance. The authors have considered four different shapes assuming constant section area and thickness. Calculations were based on three different steel grades taking into account local, distortional and overall buckling. The results are presented in a tabular and a graphical way and clearly confirm that cross-section forming distinctly impact the cold-formed member resistance. The authors choose these cross-sections that work better in compression state and the other (those slender and high that function more efficiently are subjected to bending.

  18. Functional brain networks develop from a "local to distributed" organization.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Damien A Fair

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available The mature human brain is organized into a collection of specialized functional networks that flexibly interact to support various cognitive functions. Studies of development often attempt to identify the organizing principles that guide the maturation of these functional networks. In this report, we combine resting state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI, graph analysis, community detection, and spring-embedding visualization techniques to analyze four separate networks defined in earlier studies. As we have previously reported, we find, across development, a trend toward 'segregation' (a general decrease in correlation strength between regions close in anatomical space and 'integration' (an increased correlation strength between selected regions distant in space. The generalization of these earlier trends across multiple networks suggests that this is a general developmental principle for changes in functional connectivity that would extend to large-scale graph theoretic analyses of large-scale brain networks. Communities in children are predominantly arranged by anatomical proximity, while communities in adults predominantly reflect functional relationships, as defined from adult fMRI studies. In sum, over development, the organization of multiple functional networks shifts from a local anatomical emphasis in children to a more "distributed" architecture in young adults. We argue that this "local to distributed" developmental characterization has important implications for understanding the development of neural systems underlying cognition. Further, graph metrics (e.g., clustering coefficients and average path lengths are similar in child and adult graphs, with both showing "small-world"-like properties, while community detection by modularity optimization reveals stable communities within the graphs that are clearly different between young children and young adults. These observations suggest that early school age children and adults

  19. Functional brain networks develop from a "local to distributed" organization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fair, Damien A; Cohen, Alexander L; Power, Jonathan D; Dosenbach, Nico U F; Church, Jessica A; Miezin, Francis M; Schlaggar, Bradley L; Petersen, Steven E

    2009-05-01

    The mature human brain is organized into a collection of specialized functional networks that flexibly interact to support various cognitive functions. Studies of development often attempt to identify the organizing principles that guide the maturation of these functional networks. In this report, we combine resting state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI), graph analysis, community detection, and spring-embedding visualization techniques to analyze four separate networks defined in earlier studies. As we have previously reported, we find, across development, a trend toward 'segregation' (a general decrease in correlation strength) between regions close in anatomical space and 'integration' (an increased correlation strength) between selected regions distant in space. The generalization of these earlier trends across multiple networks suggests that this is a general developmental principle for changes in functional connectivity that would extend to large-scale graph theoretic analyses of large-scale brain networks. Communities in children are predominantly arranged by anatomical proximity, while communities in adults predominantly reflect functional relationships, as defined from adult fMRI studies. In sum, over development, the organization of multiple functional networks shifts from a local anatomical emphasis in children to a more "distributed" architecture in young adults. We argue that this "local to distributed" developmental characterization has important implications for understanding the development of neural systems underlying cognition. Further, graph metrics (e.g., clustering coefficients and average path lengths) are similar in child and adult graphs, with both showing "small-world"-like properties, while community detection by modularity optimization reveals stable communities within the graphs that are clearly different between young children and young adults. These observations suggest that early school age children and adults both have

  20. UPF201 Archaeal Specific Family Members Reveals Structural Similarity to RNA-Binding Proteins but Low Likelihood for RNA-Binding Function

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rao, K.N.; Swaminathan, S.; Burley, S. K.

    2008-12-11

    We have determined X-ray crystal structures of four members of an archaeal specific family of proteins of unknown function (UPF0201; Pfam classification: DUF54) to advance our understanding of the genetic repertoire of archaea. Despite low pairwise amino acid sequence identities (10-40%) and the absence of conserved sequence motifs, the three-dimensional structures of these proteins are remarkably similar to one another. Their common polypeptide chain fold, encompassing a five-stranded antiparallel {beta}-sheet and five {alpha}-helices, proved to be quite unexpectedly similar to that of the RRM-type RNA-binding domain of the ribosomal L5 protein, which is responsible for binding the 5S- rRNA. Structure-based sequence alignments enabled construction of a phylogenetic tree relating UPF0201 family members to L5 ribosomal proteins and other structurally similar RNA binding proteins, thereby expanding our understanding of the evolutionary purview of the RRM superfamily. Analyses of the surfaces of these newly determined UPF0201 structures suggest that they probably do not function as RNA binding proteins, and that this domain specific family of proteins has acquired a novel function in archaebacteria, which awaits experimental elucidation.

  1. EU MEMBER STATES AND FISCAL DECENTRALIZATION– EMPIRICAL COMPARISON

    OpenAIRE

    Žan Oplotnik; Mateja Finžgar

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of an article is to compare systems of fiscal decentralization in EU member states according to selected quantitative criteria and European Charter of Local Self-Government principles. The results show that a higher number of lower levels of government usually indicate a greater share of local finance within the total public finance, however, this finding does not confirm the inverse link. Even though the structure of expenditures in EU countries is similar, the shares of funds fo...

  2. Nano-optical functionality based on local photoisomerization in photochromic single crystal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakagomi, Ryo; Uchiyama, Kazuharu; Kubota, Satoru; Hatano, Eri; Uchida, Kingo; Naruse, Makoto; Hori, Hirokazu

    2018-01-01

    Towards the construction of functional devices and systems using optical near-field processes, we demonstrate the multivalent features in the path-branching phenomena in a photochromic single crystal observed in optical phase change between colorless (1o) and blue-colored (1c) phases that transmits in subwavelength scale over a macroscopic spatial range associated with local mechanical distortions induced. To observe the near-field optical processes of transmission path branching, we have developed a top-to-bottom double-probe scanning near-field optical microscope capable of nanometer-scale correlation measurements by two individually position-controlled probes that face each other sandwiching the photochromic material. We have experimentally confirmed that a local near-field optical excitation applied to one side of the photochromic crystal by a probe tip resulted in characteristic structures of subwavelength scale around 100 nm or less that are observed by the other probe tip located on the opposite side. The structures are different from those resulting from far-field excitations that are quantitively evaluated by autocorrelations. The results suggest that the mechanical distortion caused by the local phase change in the photochromic crystal suppresses the phase change of the neighboring molecules. This new type of optical-near-field-induced local photoisomerization has the potential to allow the construction of functional devices with multivalent properties for natural intelligence.

  3. Supersymmetric localization for BPS black hole entropy: 1-loop partition function from vector multiplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gupta, Rajesh Kumar; Ito, Yuto; Jeon, Imtak

    2015-01-01

    We use the techniques of supersymmetric localization to compute the BPS black hole entropy in N=2 supergravity. We focus on the n_v+1 vector multiplets on the black hole near horizon background which is AdS_2× S"2 space. We find the localizing saddle point of the vector multiplets by solving the localization equations, and compute the exact one-loop partition function on the saddle point. Furthermore, we propose the appropriate functional integration measure. Through this measure, the one-loop determinant is written in terms of the radius of the physical metric, which depends on the localizing saddle point value of the vector multiplets. The result for the one-loop determinant is consistent with the logarithmic corrections to the BPS black hole entropy from vector multiplets.

  4. Can community members identify tropical tree species for REDD+ carbon and biodiversity measurements?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhao, Mingxu; Brofeldt, Søren; Li, Qiaohong

    2016-01-01

    to take advantage of the same data for detecting changes in the tree diversity, using the richness and abundance of canopy trees as a proxy for biodiversity. If local community members are already assessing the above-ground biomass in a representative network of forest vegetation plots, it may require...... minimal further effort to collect data on the diversity of trees. We compare community members and trained scientists' data on tree diversity in permanent vegetation plots in montane forest in Yunnan, China. We show that local community members here can collect tree diversity data of comparable quality...... to trained botanists, at one third the cost. Without access to herbaria, identification guides or the Internet, community members could provide the ethno-taxonomical names for 95% of 1071 trees in 60 vegetation plots. Moreover, we show that the community-led survey spent 89% of the expenses at village level...

  5. Local quark-hadron duality of nucleon spin structure functions with target mass corrections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong, Y.B. . E-mail dongyb@mail.ihep.ac.cn; Chen, D.Y.

    2007-01-01

    Target mass corrections to nucleon spin structure functions are analyzed. Our results show that the corrections are important to the structure functions in a large x region. Moreover, they play a remarkable role to the local quark-hadron duality of the nucleon spin structure functions in three individual inelastic resonance production regions

  6. Imaging local brain function with emission computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuhl, D.E.

    1984-01-01

    Positron emission tomography (PET) using 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) was used to map local cerebral glucose utilization in the study of local cerebral function. This information differs fundamentally from structural assessment by means of computed tomography (CT). In normal human volunteers, the FDG scan was used to determine the cerebral metabolic response to conrolled sensory stimulation and the effects of aging. Cerebral metabolic patterns are distinctive among depressed and demented elderly patients. The FDG scan appears normal in the depressed patient, studded with multiple metabolic defects in patients with multiple infarct dementia, and in the patients with Alzheimer disease, metabolism is particularly reduced in the parietal cortex, but only slightly reduced in the caudate and thalamus. The interictal FDG scan effectively detects hypometabolic brain zones that are sites of onset for seizures in patients with partial epilepsy, even though these zones usually appear normal on CT scans. The future prospects of PET are discussed

  7. Effect of wave-function localization on the time delay in photoemission from surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, C.-H.; Thumm, U.

    2011-01-01

    We investigate streaking time delays in the photoemission from a solid model surface as a function of the degree of localization of the initial-state wave functions. We consider a one-dimensional slab with lattice constant a latt of attractive Gaussian-shaped core potentials of width σ. The parameter σ/a latt thus controls the overlap between adjacent core potentials and localization of the electronic eigenfunctions on the lattice points. Small values of σ/a latt latt > or approx 0.4. By numerically solving the time-dependent Schroedinger equation, we calculate photoemission spectra from which we deduce a characteristic bimodal shape of the band-averaged photoemission time delay: as the slab eigenfunctions become increasingly delocalized, the time delay quickly decreases near σ/a latt =0.3 from relatively large values below σ/a latt ∼0.2 to much smaller delays above σ/a latt ∼0.4. This change in wave-function localization facilitates the interpretation of a recently measured apparent relative time delay between the photoemission from core and conduction-band levels of a tungsten surface.

  8. Globally COnstrained Local Function Approximation via Hierarchical Modelling, a Framework for System Modelling under Partial Information

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Øjelund, Henrik; Sadegh, Payman

    2000-01-01

    be obtained. This paper presents a new approach for system modelling under partial (global) information (or the so called Gray-box modelling) that seeks to perserve the benefits of the global as well as local methodologies sithin a unified framework. While the proposed technique relies on local approximations......Local function approximations concern fitting low order models to weighted data in neighbourhoods of the points where the approximations are desired. Despite their generality and convenience of use, local models typically suffer, among others, from difficulties arising in physical interpretation...... simultaneously with the (local estimates of) function values. The approach is applied to modelling of a linear time variant dynamic system under prior linear time invariant structure where local regression fails as a result of high dimensionality....

  9. Localization of Broca's Area Using Functional MR Imaging: Quantitative Evaluation of Paradigms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Chi Heon; Kim, Jae-Hun; Chung, Chun Kee; Kim, June Sic; Lee, Jong-Min; Lee, Sang Kun

    2009-04-01

    Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is frequently used to localize language areas in a non-invasive manner. Various paradigms for presurgical localization of language areas have been developed, but a systematic quantitative evaluation of the efficiency of those paradigms has not been performed. In the present study, the authors analyzed different language paradigms to see which paradigm is most efficient in localizing frontal language areas. Five men and five women with no neurological deficits participated (mean age, 24 years) in this study. All volunteers were right-handed. Each subject performed 4 tasks, including fixation (Fix), sentence reading (SR), pseudoword reading (PR), and word generation (WG). Fixation and pseudoword reading were used as contrasts. The functional area was defined as the area(s) with a t-value of more than 3.92 in fMRI with different tasks. To apply an anatomical constraint, we used a brain atlas mapping system, which is available in AFNI, to define the anatomical frontal language area. The numbers of voxels in overlapped area between anatomical and functional area were individually counted in the frontal expressive language area. Of the various combinations, the word generation task was most effective in delineating the frontal expressive language area when fixation was used as a contrast (plocalizing Broca's area was 81% and specificity was 70%. Word generation versus fixation could effectively and reliably delineate the frontal language area. A customized effective paradigm should be analyzed in order to evaluate various language functions.

  10. The BEACH Domain Protein SPIRRIG Is Essential for Arabidopsis Salt Stress Tolerance and Functions as a Regulator of Transcript Stabilization and Localization.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandra Steffens

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Members of the highly conserved class of BEACH domain containing proteins (BDCPs have been established as broad facilitators of protein-protein interactions and membrane dynamics in the context of human diseases like albinism, bleeding diathesis, impaired cellular immunity, cancer predisposition, and neurological dysfunctions. Also, the Arabidopsis thaliana BDCP SPIRRIG (SPI is important for membrane integrity, as spi mutants exhibit split vacuoles. In this work, we report a novel molecular function of the BDCP SPI in ribonucleoprotein particle formation. We show that SPI interacts with the P-body core component DECAPPING PROTEIN 1 (DCP1, associates to mRNA processing bodies (P-bodies, and regulates their assembly upon salt stress. The finding that spi mutants exhibit salt hypersensitivity suggests that the local function of SPI at P-bodies is of biological relevance. Transcriptome-wide analysis revealed qualitative differences in the salt stress-regulated transcriptional response of Col-0 and spi. We show that SPI regulates the salt stress-dependent post-transcriptional stabilization, cytoplasmic agglomeration, and localization to P-bodies of a subset of salt stress-regulated mRNAs. Finally, we show that the PH-BEACH domains of SPI and its human homolog FAN (Factor Associated with Neutral sphingomyelinase activation interact with DCP1 isoforms from plants, mammals, and yeast, suggesting the evolutionary conservation of an association of BDCPs and P-bodies.

  11. The shortcomings of semi-local and hybrid functionals: what we can learn from surface science studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stroppa, A; Kresse, G

    2008-01-01

    A study of the adsorption of CO on late 4d and 5d transition metal (111) surfaces (Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Os, Ir and Pt) considering atop and hollow site adsorption is presented. The applied functionals include the gradient-corrected Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) and Becke-Lee-Yang-Parr (BLYP) functionals, and the corresponding hybrid Hartree-Fock density functionals HSE and B3LYP. We find that PBE-based hybrid functionals (specifically HSE) yield, with the exception of Pt, the correct site order on all considered metals, but they also considerably overestimate the adsorption energies compared to experiment. On the other hand, the semi-local BLYP functional and the corresponding hybrid functional B3LYP yield very satisfactory adsorption energies and the correct adsorption site for all surfaces. We are thus faced with a Procrustean problem: the B3LYP and BLYP functionals seem to be the overall best choice for describing adsorption on metal surfaces, but they simultaneously fail to account well for the properties of the metal, vastly overestimating the equilibrium volume and underestimating the atomization energies. Setting out from these observations, general conclusions are drawn on the relative merits and drawbacks of various semi-local and hybrid functionals. The discussion includes a revised version of the PBE functional specifically optimized for bulk properties and surface energies (PBEsol), a revised version of the PBE functional specifically optimized to predict accurate adsorption energies (rPBE), as well as the aforementioned BLYP functional. We conclude that no semi-local functional is capable of describing all aspects properly, and including non-local exchange also only improves some but worsens other properties

  12. Order- N Green's Function Technique for Local Environment Effects in Alloys

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abrikosov, I. A.; Niklasson, A. M. N.; Simak, S. I.

    1996-01-01

    We have developed a new approach to the calculations of ground state properties of large crystalline systems with arbitrary atomic configurations based on a Green's function technique in conjunction with a self-consistent effective medium for the underlying randomly occupied lattice. The locally...

  13. Local control and functional results after twice-daily radiotherapy for Ewing's sarcoma of the extremities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolek, Timothy W.; Marcus, Robert B.; Mendenhall, Nancy Price; Scarborough, Mark T.; Graham-Pole, John

    1996-01-01

    Purpose: Radiotherapy (RT) has been the predominant local treatment for Ewing's sarcoma of bone at the University of Florida. Twice-daily hyperfractionated RT was initiated in 1982 to improve local control and functional outcome. This retrospective review compares the results of once-daily vs. twice-daily RT in patients with primary Ewing's sarcoma of an extremity, with emphasis on functional outcome. Methods and Materials: Between June 1971 and January 1990, 37 patients were treated at the University of Florida for nonmetastatic Ewing's sarcoma of bone with a primary lesion in an extremity. Three patients underwent amputation. Of 34 patients treated with RT, 31 had RT alone and 3 had a combination of RT and local excision. Before 1982, 14 patients received once-daily RT; since 1982, 17 patients have received twice-daily RT. Doses of once-daily RT varied from 47 to 61 Gy at 1.8-2 Gy per fraction. Doses of twice-daily RT varied, depending on the response of the soft-tissue component of the tumor to chemotherapy, and ranged from 50.4 to 60 Gy at 1.2 Gy per fraction. Some patients in the twice-daily RT group also received total body irradiation 1-3 months after local RT as part of a conditioning regimen before marrow-ablative therapy with stem cell rescue. They received either 8 Gy in two once-daily fractions or 12 Gy in six twice-daily fractions. The six patients who received surgery were excluded from local control analysis. Local control rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier (actuarial) method. Fifteen patients had a formal functional evaluation. Results: In the 31 patients treated with RT alone, the actuarial local control rate at 5 years was 81% for patients treated twice daily and 77% for those treated once daily (p = NS). No posttreatment pathologic fractures occurred in patients treated twice daily, whereas five fractures occurred in those treated once daily (p = 0.01). On functional evaluation, less loss in range of motion (15 deg. vs. 28 deg. of loss

  14. The ETRAMP family member SEP2 is expressed throughout Plasmodium berghei life cycle and is released during sporozoite gliding motility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Currà, Chiara; Di Luca, Marco; Picci, Leonardo; de Sousa Silva Gomes dos Santos, Carina; Siden-Kiamos, Inga; Pace, Tomasino; Ponzi, Marta

    2013-01-01

    The early transcribed membrane proteins ETRAMPs belong to a family of small, transmembrane molecules unique to Plasmodium parasite, which share a signal peptide followed by a short lysine-rich stretch, a transmembrane domain and a variable, highly charged C-terminal region. ETRAMPs are usually expressed in a stage-specific manner. In the blood stages they localize to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane and, in described cases, to vesicle-like structures exported to the host erythrocyte cytosol. Two family members of the rodent parasite Plasmodium berghei, uis3 and uis4, localize to secretory organelles of sporozoites and to the parasitophorous membrane vacuole of the liver stages. By the use of specific antibodies and the generation of transgenic lines, we showed that the P. berghei ETRAMP family member SEP2 is abundantly expressed in gametocytes as well as in mosquito and liver stages. In intracellular parasite stages, SEP2 is routed to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane while, in invasive ookinete and sporozoite stages, it localizes to the parasite surface. To date SEP2 is the only ETRAMP protein detected throughout the parasite life cycle. Furthermore, SEP2 is also released during gliding motility of salivary gland sporozoites. A limited number of proteins are known to be involved in this key function and the best characterized, the CSP and TRAP, are both promising transmission-blocking candidates. Our results suggest that ETRAMP members may be viewed as new potential candidates for malaria control.

  15. Transforming growth factor β family members in regulation of vascular function: in the light of vascular conditional knockouts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jakobsson, Lars; van Meeteren, Laurens A

    2013-05-15

    Blood vessels are composed of endothelial cells, mural cells (smooth muscle cells and pericytes) and their shared basement membrane. During embryonic development a multitude of signaling components orchestrate the formation of new vessels. The process is highly dependent on correct dosage, spacing and timing of these signaling molecules. As vessels mature some cascades remain active, albeit at very low levels, and may be reactivated upon demand. Members of the Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) protein family are strongly engaged in developmental angiogenesis but are also regulators of vascular integrity in the adult. In humans various genetic alterations within this protein family cause vascular disorders, involving disintegration of vascular integrity. Here we summarize and discuss recent data gathered from conditional and endothelial cell specific genetic loss-of-function of members of the TGF-β family in the mouse. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Localization and function of histamine H3 receptor in the nasal mucosa

    OpenAIRE

    Suzuki, Shinya; Takeuchi, Kazuhiko; Majima, Yuichi

    2008-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Histamine is an important chemical mediator of allergic rhinitis (AR). Histamine H3 receptors H3R are located on cholinergic and NANC neurons of the myenteric plexus, and activation of H3R regulates gastric acid secretion. However, little is known about the localization and function of H3R in the upper airway. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the localization and possible function of H3R in the nasal mucosa. METHODS: We extracted total RNA from the inferior tu...

  17. Characterization of the spatial structure of local functional connectivity using multi-distance average correlation measures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macia, Didac; Pujol, Jesus; Blanco-Hinojo, Laura; Martínez-Vilavella, Gerard; Martín-Santos, Rocío; Deus, Joan

    2018-04-24

    There is ample evidence from basic research in neuroscience of the importance of local cortico-cortical networks. Millimetric resolution is achievable with current functional MRI (fMRI) scanners and sequences, and consequently a number of "local" activity similarity measures have been defined to describe patterns of segregation and integration at this spatial scale. We have introduced the use of Iso-Distant local Average Correlation (IDAC), easily defined as the average fMRI temporal correlation of a given voxel with other voxels placed at increasingly separated iso-distant intervals, to characterize the curve of local fMRI signal similarities. IDAC curves can be statistically compared using parametric multivariate statistics. Furthermore, by using RGB color-coding to display jointly IDAC values belonging to three different distance lags, IDAC curves can also be displayed as multi-distance IDAC maps. We applied IDAC analysis to a sample of 41 subjects scanned under two different conditions, a resting state and an auditory-visual continuous stimulation. Multi-distance IDAC mapping was able to discriminate between gross anatomo-functional cortical areas and, moreover, was sensitive to modulation between the two brain conditions in areas known to activate and de-activate during audio-visual tasks. Unlike previous fMRI local similarity measures already in use, our approach draws special attention to the continuous smooth pattern of local functional connectivity.

  18. Impact of local anaesthetics and needle calibres used for painless PRP injections on platelet functionality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bausset, Olivier; Magalon, Jeremy; Giraudo, Laurent; Louis, Marie-Laure; Serratrice, Nicolas; Frere, Corrine; Magalon, Guy; Dignat-George, Françoise; Sabatier, Florence

    2014-01-01

    The platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous biotherapy commonly used for its healing properties. Once activated, platelets released a real "cocktail" of growth factor and cytokines implied in numerous regenerative processes. However the impact of medical practices associated to PRP therapeutic use on platelets functionality remains poorly known. we evaluated the in vitro effects of two commonly used local anesthetics (Xylocaine(*) and Naropin(*)) on PRP functionality. We also investigated the quantity and quality of PRP that passed through the smallest gauge needle commercialized. PRP from 9 healthy volunteers were prepared using our previously described home made purification protocol. Platelet aggregation capacity was evaluated by aggregometry assays and the growth factor release was determined by ELISA after platelet activation. We also evaluated the platelet activation status, reactivity and stability of platelets by flow cytometry using the P-selectin expression marker. the association of local anaesthetics with PRP injections resulted in a significant decrease of platelets functionality, assessed by their capacity of aggregating. Local anaesthetics did not interfere with the growth factor release. The different needle sizes and calibres tested for PRP injections did not influence the platelet functionality. the use of local anaesthetics to prevent pain during PRP injections could compromise the therapeutic potential of PRP. These results suggest using carefully local anaesthetics or limiting their use as often is possible. To minimize injection pain, we recommend using 30 G needles. These data will lead to clinical recommendations for painless and controlled PRP injections.

  19. GPR158, an orphan member of G protein-coupled receptor Family C: glucocorticoid-stimulated expression and novel nuclear role.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Nitin; Itakura, Tatsuo; Gonzalez, Jose M; Schwartz, Stephen G; Fini, M Elizabeth

    2013-01-01

    Members of the large G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) clan are implicated in many physiological and disease processes, making them important therapeutic drug targets. In the present study, we follow up on results of a pilot study suggesting a functional relationship between glucocorticoid (GC)-induced ocular hypertension and GPR158, one of three orphan members of the GPCR Family C. GC treatment increases levels of GPR158 mRNA and protein through transcriptional mechanisms, in cultured trabecular meshwork (TBM) cells derived from the eye's aqueous outflow pathway. Like treatment with GCs, transient overexpression of GPR158 stimulates cell proliferation, while siRNA knockdown of endogenous GPR158 has the opposite effect. Both endogenous and overexpressed GPR158 show an unusual subcellular localization pattern, being found almost entirely in the nucleus. However, when cells are treated with inhibitors of clathrin-mediated endocytosis, GPR158 is shifted to the plasma membrane. Mutation of a bipartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) in the 8(th) helix also shifts GPR158 out of the nucleus, but in this case the protein is found in vesicles localized in the cytoplasm. These results suggest that newly synthesized GPR158 first traffics to the plasma membrane, where it rapidly undergoes endocytosis and translocation to the nucleus. Significantly, mutation of the NLS abrogates GPR158-mediated enhancement of cell proliferation, indicating a functional requirement for nuclear localization. GPR158 overexpression upregulates levels of the cell cycle regulator cyclin D1, but mutation of the NLS reverses this. Overexpression of GPR158 enhances the barrier function of a TBM cell monolayer, which is associated with an increase in the levels of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and occludin, similar to reported studies on GC treatment. Regulated paracellular permeability controls aqueous outflow facility in vivo. Since GCs stimulate GPR158 expression, the result is consistent with a

  20. Aberrant patterns of local and long-range functional connectivity densities in schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Chuanxin; Zhang, Wei; Chen, Guangdong; Tian, Hongjun; Li, Jie; Qu, Hongru; Cheng, Langlang; Zhu, Jingjing; Zhuo, Chuanjun

    2017-07-18

    Schizophrenia is a disorder of brain dysconnectivity, and both the connection strength and connection number are disrupted in patients with schizophrenia. The functional connectivity density (FCD) can reflect alterations in the connection number. Alterations in the global FCD (gFCD) in schizophrenia were previously demonstrated; however, alterations in two other indices of the pathological characteristics of the brain, local FCD (lFCD) and long-range FCD (lrFCD), have not been revealed. To investigate lFCD and lrFCD alterations in patients with schizophrenia, 95 patients and 93 matched healthy controls were examined using structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. lFCD and lrFCD were measured using FCD mapping, and differences were identified using a two-sample t-test in a voxel-wise manner, with age and gender considered to increase variability. Multiple comparisons were performed using a false discovery rate method with a corrected threshold of Pschizophrenia is a disorder of brain dysconnectivity, particularly affecting the local functional connectivity network, and support the hypothesis that schizophrenia is associated with a widespread cortical functional connectivity/activity deficit, with hyper- and/or hypo-connectivity/activity coexisting in some cortical or subcortical regions.

  1. Pluronic F127 nanomicelles engineered with nuclear localized functionality for targeted drug delivery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Yong-Yong; Li, Lan; Dong, Hai-Qing; Cai, Xiao-Jun; Ren, Tian-Bin

    2013-01-01

    PKKKRKV (Pro-Lys-Lys-Lys-Arg-Lys-Val, PV7), a seven amino acid peptide, has emerged as one of the primary nuclear localization signals that can be targeted into cell nucleus via the nuclear import machinery. Taking advantage of chemical diversity and biological activities of this short peptide sequence, in this study, Pluronic F127 nanomicelles engineered with nuclear localized functionality were successfully developed for intracellular drug delivery. These nanomicelles with the size ∼ 100 nm were self-assembled from F127 polymer that was flanked with two PV7 sequences at its both terminal ends. Hydrophobic anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) with inherent fluorescence was chosen as the model drug, which was found to be efficiently encapsulated into nanomicelles with the encapsulation efficiency at 72.68%. In comparison with the non-functionalized namomicelles, the microscopic observation reveals that PV7 functionalized nanomicelles display a higher cellular uptake, especially into the nucleus of HepG2 cells, due to the nuclear localization signal effects. Both cytotoxicity and apoptosis studies show that the DOX-loaded nanomicelles were more potent than drug nanomicelles without nuclear targeting functionality. It was thus concluded that PV7 functionalized nanomicelles could be a potentially alternative vehicle for nuclear targeting drug delivery. - Highlights: ► A new nuclear targeted drug delivery system based on micelles is developed. ► This micellar system features a core-shell structure with the size peaked at 100 nm. ► PV7, a short peptide sequence, is adopted as a nuclear targeting ligand. ► PV7 functionalized drug loaded micelles are more potent in killing tumor cells

  2. The Local Group: Our Galactic Neighborhood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodge, Paul

    1987-01-01

    Presents information on the properties and largest spirals of the Local Group galaxies. Explains the three categories of galaxies, identifies the brightest members of the Local Group, and discusses recent discoveries within the group. (ML)

  3. 3-Adic Cantor function on local fields and its p-adic derivative

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qiu Hua; Su Weiyi

    2007-01-01

    The problem of 'rate of change' for fractal functions is a very important one in the study of local fields. In 1992, Su Weiyi has given a definition of derivative by virtue of pseudo-differential operators [Su W. Pseudo-differential operators and derivatives on locally compact Vilenkin groups. Sci China [series A] 1992;35(7A):826-36. Su W. Gibbs-Butzer derivatives and the applications. Numer Funct Anal Optimiz 1995;16(5 and 6):805-24. [2,3

  4. Local Area Network Material Accounting System (LANMAS) Functions and Features Overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robichaux, J.J.

    1998-07-01

    The Local Area Network Material Accounting System (LANMAS) application is a standardized approach to comply with the DOE Order 5633.3B, control and Accountability of Nuclear Material, material accounting requirements. This paper provides a general overview of the functions and features included in the LANMAS application

  5. The Approach to an Estimation of a Local Area Network Functioning Efficiency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. M. Taraskin

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available In the article authors call attention to a choice of system of metrics, which permits to take a qualitative assessment of local area network functioning efficiency in condition of computer attacks.

  6. Insulin in the brain: sources, localization and functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghasemi, Rasoul; Haeri, Ali; Dargahi, Leila; Mohamed, Zahurin; Ahmadiani, Abolhassan

    2013-02-01

    Historically, insulin is best known for its role in peripheral glucose homeostasis, and insulin signaling in the brain has received less attention. Insulin-independent brain glucose uptake has been the main reason for considering the brain as an insulin-insensitive organ. However, recent findings showing a high concentration of insulin in brain extracts, and expression of insulin receptors (IRs) in central nervous system tissues have gathered considerable attention over the sources, localization, and functions of insulin in the brain. This review summarizes the current status of knowledge of the peripheral and central sources of insulin in the brain, site-specific expression of IRs, and also neurophysiological functions of insulin including the regulation of food intake, weight control, reproduction, and cognition and memory formation. This review also considers the neuromodulatory and neurotrophic effects of insulin, resulting in proliferation, differentiation, and neurite outgrowth, introducing insulin as an attractive tool for neuroprotection against apoptosis, oxidative stress, beta amyloid toxicity, and brain ischemia.

  7. Rapid adjustment of bird community compositions to local climatic variations and its functional consequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaüzère, Pierre; Jiguet, Frédéric; Devictor, Vincent

    2015-09-01

    The local spatial congruence between climate changes and community changes has rarely been studied over large areas. We proposed one of the first comprehensive frameworks tracking local changes in community composition related to climate changes. First, we investigated whether and how 12 years of changes in the local composition of bird communities were related to local climate variations. Then, we tested the consequences of this climate-induced adjustment of communities on Grinnellian (habitat-related) and Eltonian (function-related) homogenization. A standardized protocol monitoring spatial and temporal trends of birds over France from 2001 to 2012 was used. For each plot and each year, we used the spring temperature and the spring precipitations and calculated three indices reflecting the thermal niche, the habitat specialization, and the functional originality of the species within a community. We then used a moving-window approach to estimate the spatial distribution of the temporal trends in each of these indices and their congruency with local climatic variations. Temperature fluctuations and community dynamics were found to be highly variable in space, but their variations were finely congruent. More interestingly, the community adjustment to temperature variations was nonmonotonous. Instead, unexplained fluctuations in community composition were observed up to a certain threshold of climate change intensity, above which a change in community composition was observed. This shift corresponded to a significant decrease in the relative abundance of habitat specialists and functionally original species within communities, regardless of the direction of temperature change. The investigation of variations in climate and community responses appears to be a central step toward a better understanding of climate change effects on biodiversity. Our results suggest a fine-scale and short-term adjustment of community composition to temperature changes. Moreover

  8. Communicating one's local address and emergency contact details

    CERN Multimedia

    Information Technology Department, AIS (Administrative Information Services) Group; Human Resources Department, SPS (Services, Procedures and Social) Group

    2007-01-01

    As part of the ongoing simplification of procedures and rationalisation of administrative processes, the IT, PH (Users Office) and HR Departments have developed two new EDH forms for communicating or updating one's local address and emergency contact details. This is the first time that the forms relating to an official HR procedure can be accessed on a self-service basis and directly updated by the members of personnel themselves. The information recorded remains confidential and may only be accessed by the authorised administrative services and the emergency services. Local address: Members of the personnel must declare any change in their local address (Art. R V 1.38 of the Staff Regulations). This declaration is henceforth made by directly filling out the EDH document indicated below, and without requiring any other spontaneous formality vis-à-vis the department secretariat or the Users Office. It is also possible for any member of the personnel to check whether the local address in the Organizati...

  9. 3-Adic Cantor function on local fields and its p-adic derivative

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qiu Hua [Department of Mathematics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)]. E-mail: huatony@eyou.com; Su Weiyi [Department of Mathematics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)]. E-mail: suqiu@nju.edu.cn

    2007-08-15

    The problem of 'rate of change' for fractal functions is a very important one in the study of local fields. In 1992, Su Weiyi has given a definition of derivative by virtue of pseudo-differential operators [Su W. Pseudo-differential operators and derivatives on locally compact Vilenkin groups. Sci China [series A] 1992;35(7A):826-36. Su W. Gibbs-Butzer derivatives and the applications. Numer Funct Anal Optimiz 1995;16(5 and 6):805-24. [2,3

  10. Localization and function of ATP-sensitive potassium channels in human skeletal muscle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Jens Jung; Kristensen, Michael; Hellsten, Ylva

    2003-01-01

    The present study investigated the localization of ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels in human skeletal muscle and the functional importance of these channels for human muscle K+ distribution at rest and during muscle activity. Membrane fractionation based on the giant vesicle technique...... or the sucrose-gradient technique in combination with Western blotting demonstrated that the KATP channels are mainly located in the sarcolemma. This localization was confirmed by immunohistochemical measurements. With the microdialysis technique, it was demonstrated that local application of the KATP channel...... to in vitro conditions, the present study demonstrated that under in vivo conditions the KATP channels are active at rest and contribute to the accumulation of interstitial K+....

  11. Complex Determinants in Specific Members of the Mannose Receptor Family Govern Collagen Endocytosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jürgensen, Henrik J; Johansson, Kristina; Madsen, Daniel H

    2014-01-01

    Members of the well-conserved mannose receptor (MR) protein family have been functionally implicated in diverse biological and pathological processes. Importantly, a proposed common function is the internalization of collagen for intracellular degradation occurring during bone development, cancer...... invasion, and fibrosis protection. This functional relationship is suggested by a common endocytic capability and a candidate collagen-binding domain. Here we conducted a comparative investigation of each member's ability to facilitate intracellular collagen degradation. As expected, the family members u......PARAP/Endo180 and MR bound collagens in a purified system and internalized collagens for degradation in cellular settings. In contrast, the remaining family members, PLA2R and DEC-205, showed no collagen binding activity and were unable to mediate collagen internalization. To pinpoint the structural elements...

  12. Large-Eddy Simulation Using Projection onto Local Basis Functions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pope, S. B.

    In the traditional approach to LES for inhomogeneous flows, the resolved fields are obtained by a filtering operation (with filter width Delta). The equations governing the resolved fields are then partial differential equations, which are solved numerically (on a grid of spacing h). For an LES computation of a given magnitude (i.e., given h), there are conflicting considerations in the choice of Delta: to resolve a large range of turbulent motions, Delta should be small; to solve the equations with numerical accuracy, Delta should be large. In the alternative approach advanced here, this conflict is avoided. The resolved fields are defined by projection onto local basis functions, so that the governing equations are ordinary differential equations for the evolution of the basis-function coefficients. There is no issue of numerical spatial discretization errors. A general methodology for modelling the effects of the residual motions is developed. The model is based directly on the basis-function coefficients, and its effect is to smooth the fields where their rates of change are not well resolved by the basis functions. Demonstration calculations are performed for Burgers' equation.

  13. The Link Between Leader-Member Exchange, Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Job Satisfaction: A Case Study on Local Government

    OpenAIRE

    Rashidah Mohamad Ibrahim; Aziz Amin; Munir Salleh

    2014-01-01

    Being the lowest level of government after Federal and State governments, local governments are considered as the managers of urban environment due to their multifarious services functions which drives the economic growth and social development of a particular district. The heterogeneous services provided are constantly being reviewed and appraised by the public where statistics from Public Complaint Bureau showed worrying numbers with high number of complaints being recorded for four consecu...

  14. Mappings for Special Functions on Cantor Sets and Special Integral Transforms via Local Fractional Operators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yang Zhao

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The mappings for some special functions on Cantor sets are investigated. Meanwhile, we apply the local fractional Fourier series, Fourier transforms, and Laplace transforms to solve three local fractional differential equations, and the corresponding nondifferentiable solutions were presented.

  15. Comparing the Selected Transfer Functions and Local Optimization Methods for Neural Network Flood Runoff Forecast

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petr Maca

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The presented paper aims to analyze the influence of the selection of transfer function and training algorithms on neural network flood runoff forecast. Nine of the most significant flood events, caused by the extreme rainfall, were selected from 10 years of measurement on small headwater catchment in the Czech Republic, and flood runoff forecast was investigated using the extensive set of multilayer perceptrons with one hidden layer of neurons. The analyzed artificial neural network models with 11 different activation functions in hidden layer were trained using 7 local optimization algorithms. The results show that the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm was superior compared to the remaining tested local optimization methods. When comparing the 11 nonlinear transfer functions, used in hidden layer neurons, the RootSig function was superior compared to the rest of analyzed activation functions.

  16. Diversity and functional traits of culturable microbiome members, including cyanobacteria in the rice phyllosphere.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venkatachalam, S; Ranjan, K; Prasanna, R; Ramakrishnan, B; Thapa, S; Kanchan, A

    2016-07-01

    The diversity and abundance of culturable microbiome members of the rice phyllosphere was investigated using cv. Pusa Punjab Basmati 1509. Both diversity and species richness of bacteria were significantly higher in plants in pots in a semi-controlled environment than those in fields. Application of fertilisers reduced both diversity and species richness in field-grown plants under a conventional flooded system of rice intensification (SRI) and in dry-seeded rice (DSR) modes. Sequence analyses of 16S rDNA of culturable bacteria, those selected after amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA), showed the dominance of α-proteobacteria (35%) and actinobacteria (38%); Pantoea, Exiguobacterium and Bacillus were common among the culturable phyllospheric bacteria. About 34% of 83 culturable bacterial isolates had higher potential (>2 μg·ml(-1) ) for indole acetic acid production in the absence of tryptophan. Interestingly, the phyllosphere bacterial isolates from the pot experiment had significantly higher potential for nitrogen fixation than isolates from the field experiment. Enrichment for cyanobacteria showed both unicellular forms and non-heterocystous filaments under aerobic as well as anaerobic conditions. PCR-DGGE analysis of these showed that aerobic and anaerobic conditions as well as the three modes of cultivation of rice in the field strongly influenced the number and abundance of phylotypes. The adaptability and functional traits of these culturable microbiome members suggest enormous diversity in the phyllosphere, including potential for plant growth promotion, which was also significantly influenced by the different methods of growing rice. © 2016 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

  17. Ejaculatory Function After Permanent 125I Prostate Brachytherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huyghe, Eric; Delannes, Martine; Wagner, Fabien M.; Delaunay, Boris; Nohra, Joe; Thoulouzan, Matthieu; Shut-Yee, J. Yeung; Plante, Pierre; Soulie, Michel; Thonneau, Patrick; Bachaud, Jean Marc

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: Ejaculatory function is an underreported aspect of male sexuality in men treated for prostate cancer. We conducted the first detailed analysis of ejaculatory function in patients treated with permanent 125 I prostate brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer. Patients and Methods: Of 270 sexually active men with localized prostate cancer treated with permanent 125 I prostate brachytherapy, 241 (89%), with a mean age of 65 years (range, 43-80), responded to a mailed questionnaire derived from the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire regarding ejaculatory function. Five aspects of ejaculatory function were examined: frequency, volume, dry ejaculation, pleasure, and pain. Results: Of the 241 sexually active men, 81.3% had conserved ejaculatory function after prostate brachytherapy; however, the number of patients with rare/absent ejaculatory function was double the pretreatment number (p < .0001). The latter finding was correlated with age (p < .001) and the preimplant International Index of Erectile Function score (p < .001). However, 84.9% of patients with maintained ejaculatory function after implantation reported a reduced volume of ejaculate compared with 26.9% before (p < .001), with dry ejaculation accounting for 18.7% of these cases. After treatment, 30.3% of the patients experienced painful ejaculation compared with 12.9% before (p = .0001), and this was associated with a greater number of implanted needles (p = .021) and the existence of painful ejaculation before implantation (p < .0001). After implantation, 10% of patients who continued to be sexually active experienced no orgasm compared with only 1% before treatment. in addition, more patients experienced late/difficult or weak orgasms (p = .001). Conclusion: Most men treated with brachytherapy have conserved ejaculatory function after prostate brachytherapy. However, most of these men experience a reduction in volume and a deterioration in orgasm.

  18. Novel p47phox-related organizers regulate NADPH oxidase 1 (Nox1) activity and localization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gianni, Davide; Diaz, Begoña; Taulet, Nicolas; Fowler, Bruce; Courtneidge, Sara A.; Bokoch, Gary M.

    2010-01-01

    The mechanisms that determine localized formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) via NADPH oxidases (Nox) in nonphagocytic cells are unknown. We show that the c-Src substrate proteins Tks4 and Tks5 are functional members of a p47phox-related organizer superfamily. Tks proteins selectively support Nox1 and Nox3 (vs. Nox2 and Nox4) activity in reconstituted cellular systems, and interact with the NoxA1 activator protein through an SH3-mediated interaction. Endogenous Tks4 is required for Rac GTPase-dependent ROS production by DLD1 colon cancer cells. Tks4 recruits Nox1 to invadopodia that form in DLD1 cells in a Tks- and Nox-dependent fashion. We propose that Tks organizers represent novel members of an organizer superfamily that link Nox to localized ROS formation. PMID:19755710

  19. Identification of signals that facilitate isoform specific nucleolar localization of myosin IC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schwab, Ryan S.; Ihnatovych, Ivanna; Yunus, Sharifah Z.S.A.; Domaradzki, Tera [Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University at Buffalo—State University of New York, Buffalo, NY (United States); Hofmann, Wilma A., E-mail: whofmann@buffalo.edu [Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University at Buffalo—State University of New York, Buffalo, NY (United States)

    2013-05-01

    Myosin IC is a single headed member of the myosin superfamily that localizes to the cytoplasm and the nucleus, where it is involved in transcription by RNA polymerases I and II, intranuclear transport, and nuclear export. In mammalian cells, three isoforms of myosin IC are expressed that differ only in the addition of short isoform-specific N-terminal peptides. Despite the high sequence homology, the isoforms show differences in cellular distribution, in localization to nuclear substructures, and in their interaction with nuclear proteins through yet unknown mechanisms. In this study, we used EGFP-fusion constructs that express truncated or mutated versions of myosin IC isoforms to detect regions that are involved in isoform-specific localization. We identified two nucleolar localization signals (NoLS). One NoLS is located in the myosin IC isoform B specific N-terminal peptide, the second NoLS is located upstream of the neck region within the head domain. We demonstrate that both NoLS are functional and necessary for nucleolar localization of specifically myosin IC isoform B. Our data provide a first mechanistic explanation for the observed functional differences between the myosin IC isoforms and are an important step toward our understanding of the underlying mechanisms that regulate the various and distinct functions of myosin IC isoforms. - Highlights: ► Two NoLS have been identified in the myosin IC isoform B sequence. ► Both NoLS are necessary for myosin IC isoform B specific nucleolar localization. ► First mechanistic explanation of functional differences between the isoforms.

  20. Computing wave functions in multichannel collisions with non-local potentials using the R-matrix method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonitati, Joey; Slimmer, Ben; Li, Weichuan; Potel, Gregory; Nunes, Filomena

    2017-09-01

    The calculable form of the R-matrix method has been previously shown to be a useful tool in approximately solving the Schrodinger equation in nuclear scattering problems. We use this technique combined with the Gauss quadrature for the Lagrange-mesh method to efficiently solve for the wave functions of projectile nuclei in low energy collisions (1-100 MeV) involving an arbitrary number of channels. We include the local Woods-Saxon potential, the non-local potential of Perey and Buck, a Coulomb potential, and a coupling potential to computationally solve for the wave function of two nuclei at short distances. Object oriented programming is used to increase modularity, and parallel programming techniques are introduced to reduce computation time. We conclude that the R-matrix method is an effective method to predict the wave functions of nuclei in scattering problems involving both multiple channels and non-local potentials. Michigan State University iCER ACRES REU.

  1. Natural frequencies of the frames having curved member

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tekelioglu, M.; Ozyigit, H.A.; Ridvan, H.

    2001-01-01

    In-plane and out-of-plane vibrations of a frame having a curved member are studied. Although the analysis is carried out on a frame having a straight and a curve beam, it can be applicable for all the frame type structures. Different end conditions are considered for the system. Rotary inertia and extensional effects are included for the curved member. Finite element method is used as analysis tool. Natural frequencies of the curved beams for different end conditions are calculated first, and then the frequencies of the frames are investigated. The transformation from local coordinates to global coordinates for curved beams needs special attention in the analysis. The results are compared with other methods. (author)

  2. Multidrug Resistance-Related Protein 1 (MRP1) Function and Localization Depend on Cortical Actin

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hummel, Ina; Klappe, Karin; Ercan, Cigdem; Kok, Jan Willem

    MRP1 (ABCC1) is known to be localized in lipid rafts. Here we show in two different cell lines that localization of Mrp1/MRP1 (Abcc1/ABCC1) in lipid rafts and its function as an efflux pump are dependent on cortical actin. Latrunculin B disrupts both cortical actin and actin stress fibers. This

  3. Nurse IOM members' contributions to the Institute of Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grey, Margaret; Holzemer, William L; Larson, Elaine

    2012-01-01

    Nursing is the largest health care profession, and Institute of Medicine (IOM) nurse members have the potential to contribute to health policy through IOM activities. We studied reported activities of IOM nurse members. To describe activities of IOM nurse members within the IOM. An e-mail survey was conducted that asked nurse IOM members to assess self-reported IOM activities. Of 57 members, 47 had functioning e-mail addresses, and 33 usable responses were received. The survey consisted of 9 questions dealing with roles and responsibilities undertaken in the previous 5 years. Data analyses were descriptive. The data suggest that nurses have made considerable contributions to the IOM and their participation seems to be as high, or higher, than other disciplines. In an era of health care reform, there is additional opportunity for nurse IOM members to enhance their work in the IOM. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Functional classification of protein structures by local structure matching in graph representation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mills, Caitlyn L; Garg, Rohan; Lee, Joslynn S; Tian, Liang; Suciu, Alexandru; Cooperman, Gene; Beuning, Penny J; Ondrechen, Mary Jo

    2018-03-31

    As a result of high-throughput protein structure initiatives, over 14,400 protein structures have been solved by structural genomics (SG) centers and participating research groups. While the totality of SG data represents a tremendous contribution to genomics and structural biology, reliable functional information for these proteins is generally lacking. Better functional predictions for SG proteins will add substantial value to the structural information already obtained. Our method described herein, Graph Representation of Active Sites for Prediction of Function (GRASP-Func), predicts quickly and accurately the biochemical function of proteins by representing residues at the predicted local active site as graphs rather than in Cartesian coordinates. We compare the GRASP-Func method to our previously reported method, structurally aligned local sites of activity (SALSA), using the ribulose phosphate binding barrel (RPBB), 6-hairpin glycosidase (6-HG), and Concanavalin A-like Lectins/Glucanase (CAL/G) superfamilies as test cases. In each of the superfamilies, SALSA and the much faster method GRASP-Func yield similar correct classification of previously characterized proteins, providing a validated benchmark for the new method. In addition, we analyzed SG proteins using our SALSA and GRASP-Func methods to predict function. Forty-one SG proteins in the RPBB superfamily, nine SG proteins in the 6-HG superfamily, and one SG protein in the CAL/G superfamily were successfully classified into one of the functional families in their respective superfamily by both methods. This improved, faster, validated computational method can yield more reliable predictions of function that can be used for a wide variety of applications by the community. © 2018 The Authors Protein Science published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Protein Society.

  5. Biomaterial associated impairment of local neutrophil function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaplan, S S; Basford, R E; Kormos, R L; Hardesty, R L; Simmons, R L; Mora, E M; Cardona, M; Griffith, B L

    1990-01-01

    The effect of biomaterials on neutrophil function was studied in vitro to determine if these materials activated neutrophils and to determine the subsequent response of these neutrophils to further stimulation. Two biomaterials--polyurethane, a commonly used substance, and Velcro pile (used in the Jarvik 7 heart)--were evaluated. Two control substances, polyethylene and serum-coated polystyrene, were used for comparison. Neutrophil superoxide release was measured following incubation with these materials for 10, 30, and 120 min in the absence of additional stimulation and after stimulation with formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (fMLP) or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). The authors observed that the incubation of neutrophils on both polyurethane and Velcro resulted in substantially increased superoxide release that was greater after the 10 min than after the 30 or 120 min association. These activated neutrophils exhibited a poor additional response to fMLP but responded well to PMA. The effect of implantation of the Novacor left ventricular assist device on peripheral blood neutrophil function was also evaluated. The peripheral blood neutrophils exhibited normal superoxide release and chemotaxis. These studies suggest that biomaterials may have a profound local effect on neutrophils, which may predispose the patient to periprosthetic infection, but that the reactivity of circulating neutrophils is unimpaired.

  6. Igusa's $p$-Adic local zeta function and the monodromy conjecture for non-degenerate surface singularities

    CERN Document Server

    Bories, Bart

    2016-01-01

    In 2011 Lemahieu and Van Proeyen proved the Monodromy Conjecture for the local topological zeta function of a non-degenerate surface singularity. The authors start from their work and obtain the same result for Igusa's p-adic and the motivic zeta function. In the p-adic case, this is, for a polynomial f\\in\\mathbf{Z}[x,y,z] satisfying f(0,0,0)=0 and non-degenerate with respect to its Newton polyhedron, we show that every pole of the local p-adic zeta function of f induces an eigenvalue of the local monodromy of f at some point of f^{-1}(0)\\subset\\mathbf{C}^3 close to the origin. Essentially the entire paper is dedicated to proving that, for f as above, certain candidate poles of Igusa's p-adic zeta function of f, arising from so-called B_1-facets of the Newton polyhedron of f, are actually not poles. This turns out to be much harder than in the topological setting. The combinatorial proof is preceded by a study of the integral points in three-dimensional fundamental parallelepipeds. Together with the work of L...

  7. Local-scale Partitioning of Functional and Phylogenetic Beta Diversity in a Tropical Tree Assemblage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jie; Swenson, Nathan G; Zhang, Guocheng; Ci, Xiuqin; Cao, Min; Sha, Liqing; Li, Jie; Ferry Slik, J W; Lin, Luxiang

    2015-08-03

    The relative degree to which stochastic and deterministic processes underpin community assembly is a central problem in ecology. Quantifying local-scale phylogenetic and functional beta diversity may shed new light on this problem. We used species distribution, soil, trait and phylogenetic data to quantify whether environmental distance, geographic distance or their combination are the strongest predictors of phylogenetic and functional beta diversity on local scales in a 20-ha tropical seasonal rainforest dynamics plot in southwest China. The patterns of phylogenetic and functional beta diversity were generally consistent. The phylogenetic and functional dissimilarity between subplots (10 × 10 m, 20 × 20 m, 50 × 50 m and 100 × 100 m) was often higher than that expected by chance. The turnover of lineages and species function within habitats was generally slower than that across habitats. Partitioning the variation in phylogenetic and functional beta diversity showed that environmental distance was generally a better predictor of beta diversity than geographic distance thereby lending relatively more support for deterministic environmental filtering over stochastic processes. Overall, our results highlight that deterministic processes play a stronger role than stochastic processes in structuring community composition in this diverse assemblage of tropical trees.

  8. Localization--the revolution in consumer markets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rigby, Darrell K; Vishwanath, Vijay

    2006-04-01

    Standardization has been a powerful strategy in consumer markets, but it's reached the point of diminishing returns. And diversity is not the only chink in standardization's armor: Attempts to build stores in the remaining attractive locations often meet fierce resistance from community activists. From California to Florida to New Jersey, neighborhoods are passing ordinances that dictate the sizes and even architectural styles of new shops. Building more of the same--long the cornerstone of retailer growth--seems to be tapped out as a strategy. Of course, a company can't customize every element of its business in every location. Strategists have begun to use clustering techniques to simplify and smooth out decision making and to focus their efforts on the relatively small number of variables that usually drive the bulk of consumer purchases. The customization-by-clusters approach, which began as a strategy for grocery stores in 1995, has since proven effective in drugstores, department stores, mass merchants, big-box retailers, restaurants, apparel companies, and a variety of consumer goods manufacturers. Clustering sorts things into groups, so that the associations are strong between members of the same cluster and weak between members of different clusters. In fact, by centralizing data-intensive and scale-sensitive functions (such as store design, merchandise assortment, buying, and supply chain management), localization liberates store personnel to do what they do best: Test innovative solutions to local challenges and forge strong bonds with communities. Ultimately, all companies serving consumers will face the challenge of local customization. We are advancing to a world where the strategies of the most successful businesses will be as diverse as the communities they serve.

  9. Local sleep homeostasis in the avian brain: convergence of sleep function in mammals and birds?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lesku, John A; Vyssotski, Alexei L; Martinez-Gonzalez, Dolores; Wilzeck, Christiane; Rattenborg, Niels C

    2011-08-22

    The function of the brain activity that defines slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in mammals is unknown. During SWS, the level of electroencephalogram slow wave activity (SWA or 0.5-4.5 Hz power density) increases and decreases as a function of prior time spent awake and asleep, respectively. Such dynamics occur in response to waking brain use, as SWA increases locally in brain regions used more extensively during prior wakefulness. Thus, SWA is thought to reflect homeostatically regulated processes potentially tied to maintaining optimal brain functioning. Interestingly, birds also engage in SWS and REM sleep, a similarity that arose via convergent evolution, as sleeping reptiles and amphibians do not show similar brain activity. Although birds deprived of sleep show global increases in SWA during subsequent sleep, it is unclear whether avian sleep is likewise regulated locally. Here, we provide, to our knowledge, the first electrophysiological evidence for local sleep homeostasis in the avian brain. After staying awake watching David Attenborough's The Life of Birds with only one eye, SWA and the slope of slow waves (a purported marker of synaptic strength) increased only in the hyperpallium--a primary visual processing region--neurologically connected to the stimulated eye. Asymmetries were specific to the hyperpallium, as the non-visual mesopallium showed a symmetric increase in SWA and wave slope. Thus, hypotheses for the function of mammalian SWS that rely on local sleep homeostasis may apply also to birds.

  10. Identification and functional characterization of a novel bipartite nuclear localization sequence in ARID1A

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bateman, Nicholas W. [Women' s Health Integrated Research Center at Inova Health System, Gynecologic Cancer Center of Excellence, Annandale 22003, VA (United States); The John P. Murtha Cancer Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, 8901 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda 20889, MD (United States); Shoji, Yutaka [Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids 49503, MI (United States); Conrads, Kelly A.; Stroop, Kevin D. [Women' s Health Integrated Research Center at Inova Health System, Gynecologic Cancer Center of Excellence, Annandale 22003, VA (United States); Hamilton, Chad A. [Women' s Health Integrated Research Center at Inova Health System, Gynecologic Cancer Center of Excellence, Annandale 22003, VA (United States); The John P. Murtha Cancer Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, 8901 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda 20889, MD (United States); Gynecologic Oncology Service, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, 8901 Wisconsin Ave, MD, Bethesda, 20889 (United States); Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda 20814, MD (United States); Darcy, Kathleen M. [Women' s Health Integrated Research Center at Inova Health System, Gynecologic Cancer Center of Excellence, Annandale 22003, VA (United States); The John P. Murtha Cancer Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, 8901 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda 20889, MD (United States); Maxwell, George L. [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA 22042 (United States); Risinger, John I. [Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids 49503, MI (United States); and others

    2016-01-01

    AT-rich interactive domain-containing protein 1A (ARID1A) is a recently identified nuclear tumor suppressor frequently altered in solid tumor malignancies. We have identified a bipartite-like nuclear localization sequence (NLS) that contributes to nuclear import of ARID1A not previously described. We functionally confirm activity using GFP constructs fused with wild-type or mutant NLS sequences. We further show that cyto-nuclear localized, bipartite NLS mutant ARID1A exhibits greater stability than nuclear-localized, wild-type ARID1A. Identification of this undescribed functional NLS within ARID1A contributes vital insights to rationalize the impact of ARID1A missense mutations observed in patient tumors. - Highlights: • We have identified a bipartite nuclear localization sequence (NLS) in ARID1A. • Confirmation of the NLS was performed using GFP constructs. • NLS mutant ARID1A exhibits greater stability than wild-type ARID1A.

  11. Local electronic and electrical properties of functionalized graphene nano flakes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chutia, Arunabhiram; Sahnoun, Riadh; Deka, Ramesh C.; Zhu, Zhigang; Tsuboi, Hideyuki; Takaba, Hiromitsu; Miyamoto, Akira

    2011-01-01

    Based on experimental findings models of amorphous graphene related carbon materials were generated using graphene nano flakes. On the optimized structures detailed local electronic properties were investigated using density functional theory. The electrical conductivities of all these models were also estimated using an in-house program based on tight-binding method. The calculated electrical conductivity values of all the models agreed well with the trend of calculated energy gap and graphitic character.

  12. A spectroscopic approach toward depression diagnosis: local metabolism meets functional connectivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demenescu, Liliana Ramona; Colic, Lejla; Li, Meng; Safron, Adam; Biswal, B; Metzger, Coraline Danielle; Li, Shijia; Walter, Martin

    2017-03-01

    Abnormal anterior insula (AI) response and functional connectivity (FC) is associated with depression. In addition to clinical features, such as severity, AI FC and its metabolism further predicted therapeutic response. Abnormal FC between anterior cingulate and AI covaried with reduced glutamate level within cingulate cortex. Recently, deficient glial glutamate conversion was found in AI in major depression disorder (MDD). We therefore postulate a local glutamatergic mechanism in insula cortex of depressive patients, which is correlated with symptoms severity and itself influences AI's network connectivity in MDD. Twenty-five MDD patients and 25 healthy controls (HC) matched on age and sex underwent resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans. To determine the role of local glutamate-glutamine complex (Glx) ratio on whole brain AI FC, we conducted regression analysis with Glx relative to creatine (Cr) ratio as factor of interest and age, sex, and voxel tissue composition as nuisance factors. We found that in MDD, but not in HC, AI Glx/Cr ratio correlated positively with AI FC to right supramarginal gyrus and negatively with AI FC toward left occipital cortex (p family wise error). AI Glx/Cr level was negatively correlated with HAMD score (p disintegration of insula toward low level and supramodal integration areas, in MDD. While causality cannot directly be inferred from such correlation, our finding helps to define a multilevel network of response-predicting regions based on local metabolism and connectivity strength.

  13. The effects of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on local governments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Makoto; Dake, Kinji

    2012-01-01

    All Japan council of local governments with atomic power stations consisted of 24 reactor site and 6 neighboring local governments to solve reactor site related problems. Nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station affected member local governments to be forced in severe conditions such as 'removal of administrative function' or 'refuge over a wide district beyond local government area', not imagined before. The council set up working group for thirteen local governments themselves to investigate this disaster and find safety and prevention of disaster measures to be deployed in nuclear administration, which published report in March 2012. This article described outline of investigation and derived problems and direction of their solution. Main items were related with communication, resident evacuation, prevention of disaster system, and management of refuge site. (T. Tanaka)

  14. Cell array-based intracellular localization screening reveals novel functional features of human chromosome 21 proteins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kahlem Pascal

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Trisomy of human chromosome 21 (Chr21 results in Down's syndrome, a complex developmental and neurodegenerative disease. Molecular analysis of Down's syndrome, however, poses a particular challenge, because the aneuploid region of Chr21 contains many genes of unknown function. Subcellular localization of human Chr21 proteins may contribute to further understanding of the functions and regulatory mechanisms of the genes that code for these proteins. Following this idea, we used a transfected-cell array technique to perform a rapid and cost-effective analysis of the intracellular distribution of Chr 21 proteins. Results We chose 89 genes that were distributed over the majority of 21q, ranging from RBM11 (14.5 Mb to MCM3AP (46.6 Mb, with part of them expressed aberrantly in the Down's syndrome mouse model. Open reading frames of these genes were cloned into a mammalian expression vector with an amino-terminal His6 tag. All of the constructs were arrayed on glass slides and reverse transfected into HEK293T cells for protein expression. Co-localization detection using a set of organelle markers was carried out for each Chr21 protein. Here, we report the subcellular localization properties of 52 proteins. For 34 of these proteins, their localization is described for the first time. Furthermore, the alteration in cell morphology and growth as a result of protein over-expression for claudin-8 and claudin-14 genes has been characterized. Conclusion The cell array-based protein expression and detection approach is a cost-effective platform for large-scale functional analyses, including protein subcellular localization and cell phenotype screening. The results from this study reveal novel functional features of human Chr21 proteins, which should contribute to further understanding of the molecular pathology of Down's syndrome.

  15. Development of probiotic mutandabota, a locally sustainable functional food incorporating Lactobacillus rhamnosus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mpofu, A.

    2015-01-01

    Development of probiotic mutandabota, a locally sustainable functional food incorporating Lactobacillus rhamnosus

    Mutandabota or umlondo is an indigenous food that is consumed in Southern Africa on a daily basis. The product is made by

  16. Hybrid local piezoelectric and conductive functions for high performance airborne sound absorption

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahimabady, Mojtaba; Statharas, Eleftherios Christos; Yao, Kui; Sharifzadeh Mirshekarloo, Meysam; Chen, Shuting; Tay, Francis Eng Hock

    2017-12-01

    A concept of hybrid local piezoelectric and electrical conductive functions for improving airborne sound absorption is proposed and demonstrated in composite foam made of porous polar polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) mixed with conductive single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT). According to our hybrid material function design, the local piezoelectric effect in the PVDF matrix with the polar structure and the electrical resistive loss of SWCNT enhanced sound energy conversion to electrical energy and subsequently to thermal energy, respectively, in addition to the other known sound absorption mechanisms in a porous material. It is found that the overall energy conversion and hence the sound absorption performance are maximized when the concentration of the SWCNT is around the conductivity percolation threshold. For the optimal composition of PVDF/5 wt. % SWCNT, a sound reduction coefficient of larger than 0.58 has been obtained, with a high sound absorption coefficient higher than 50% at 600 Hz, showing their great values for passive noise mitigation even at a low frequency.

  17. The functional localization of cytochromes b in the respiratory chain of anaerobically grown Proteus mirabilis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Wielink, J E; Reijnders, W N; Van Spanning, R J; Oltmann, L F; Stouthamer, A.H.

    1986-01-01

    The functional localization of the cytochromes b found in anaerobically grown Proteus mirabilis was investigated. From light absorption spectra, scanned during uninhibited and HQNO-inhibited electron transport to various electron acceptors, it was concluded that all cytochromes b function between

  18. Off-critical local height probabilities on a plane and critical partition functions on a cylinder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omar Foda

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available We compute off-critical local height probabilities in regime-III restricted solid-on-solid models in a 4N-quadrant spiral geometry, with periodic boundary conditions in the angular direction, and fixed boundary conditions in the radial direction, as a function of N, the winding number of the spiral, and τ, the departure from criticality of the model, and observe that the result depends only on the product Nτ. In the limit N→1, τ→τ0, such that τ0 is finite, we recover the off-critical local height probability on a plane, τ0-away from criticality. In the limit N→∞, τ→0, such that Nτ=τ0 is finite, and following a conformal transformation, we obtain a critical partition function on a cylinder of aspect-ratio τ0. We conclude that the off-critical local height probability on a plane, τ0-away from criticality, is equal to a critical partition function on a cylinder of aspect-ratio τ0, in agreement with a result of Saleur and Bauer.

  19. [Perioperative changes of coagulation functions in the local advanced liver cancer patients receiving liver transplantation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Hao-Yuan; Zhao, Qing-Yu; Yuan, Yun-Fei

    2008-07-01

    Liver transplantation is widely accepted as an effective therapy of hepatoma. Perioperative dynamic observation of coagulation function is important for graft-receivers. This study was to explore perioperative changes of coagulation functions in the local advanced liver cancer patients who received liver transplantation. Clinical data of 31 local advanced liver cancer patients, underwent liver transplantation from Sep. 2003 to Jan. 2007, were analyzed. Platelet (PLT) counting, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen (Fib) and international normalized ratio (INR) before operation, at anhepatic phase and the first week after operation were analyzed to evaluate congulation function. The coagulation functions of most patients were normal before operation. The six parameters varied significantly at anhepatic phase and on most days of the first week after operation when compared with the preoperative levels (Pfunctions of local advanced liver cancer patients shift from hypocoagulatory to hypercoagulatory or normal in perioperative period, therefore, prevention of bleeding should be focused on at anhepatic phase and on 1-2 days after operation while prevention of thrombosis should be focused on after the first week after operation. The degree of liver cirrhosis and Child-Pugh level could help to evaluate postoperative coagulation disorder.

  20. Dual effect of local anesthetics on the function of excitable rod outer segment disk membrane

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mashimo, T.; Abe, K.; Yoshiya, I.

    1986-04-01

    The effects of local anesthetics and a divalent cation, Ca2+, on the function of rhodopsin were estimated from the measurements of light-induced proton uptake. The light-induced proton uptake by rhodopsin in the rod outer segment disk membrane was enhanced at lower pH (4) but depressed at higher pHs (6 to 8) by the tertiary amine local anesthetics lidocaine, bupivacaine, tetracaine, and dibucaine. The order of local anesthetic-induced depression of the proton uptake followed that of their clinical anesthetic potencies. The depression of the proton uptake versus the concentration of the uncharged form of local anesthetic nearly describes the same curve for small and large dose of added anesthetic. Furthermore, a neutral local anesthetic, benzocaine, depressed the proton uptake at all pHs between 4 and 7. These results indicate that the depression of the proton uptake is due to the effect of only the uncharged form. It is hypothesized that the uncharged form of local anesthetics interacts hydrophobically with the rhodopsin in the disk membrane. The dual effect of local anesthetics on the proton uptake, on the other hand, suggests that the activation of the function of rhodopsin may be caused by the charged form. There was no significant change in the light-induced proton uptake by rhodopsin when 1 mM of Ca2+ was introduced into the disk membrane at varying pHs in the absence or presence of local anesthetics. This fact indicates that Ca2+ ion does not influence the diprotonating process of metarhodopsin; neither does it interfere with the local anesthetic-induced changes in the rhodopsin molecule.

  1. Skeletal muscle myoblasts possess a stretch-responsive local angiotensin signalling system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, Adam P W; Baker, Jeff; De Lisio, Michael; Parise, Gianni

    2011-06-01

    A paucity of information exists regarding the presence of local renin-angiotensin systems (RASs) in skeletal muscle and associated muscle stem cells. Skeletal muscle and muscle stem cells were isolated from C57BL/6 mice and examined for the presence of a local RAS using quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC), Western blotting and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Furthermore, the effect of mechanical stimulation on RAS member gene expression was analysed. Whole skeletal muscle, primary myoblasts and C2C12 derived myoblasts and myotubes differentially expressed members of the RAS including angiotensinogen, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensin II (Ang II) type 1 (AT(1)) and type 2 (AT(2)). Renin transcripts were never detected, however, mRNA for the 'renin-like' enzyme cathepsin D was observed and Ang I and Ang II were identified in cell culture supernatants from proliferating myoblasts. AT(1) appeared to co-localise with polymerised actin filaments in proliferating myoblasts and was primarily found in the nucleus of terminally differentiated myotubes. Furthermore, mechanical stretch of proliferating and differentiating C2C12 cells differentially induced mRNA expression of angiotensinogen, AT(1) and AT(2). Proliferating and differentiated muscle stem cells possess a local stress-responsive RAS in vitro. The precise function of a local RAS in myoblasts remains unknown. However, evidence presented here suggests that Ang II may be a regulator of skeletal muscle myoblasts.

  2. Helping concerned family members of individuals with substance use and concurrent disorders: An evaluation of a family member-oriented treatment program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denomme, William James; Benhanoh, Orry

    2017-08-01

    There is a growing body of research demonstrating that families of individuals with substance use and concurrent disorders (SUCD) experience a wide range of biopsychosocial problems that significantly impedes their quality of life and health. However, there has been a relative lack of treatment programs primarily focused on improving the well-being and quality of life of these family members. The current study assessed the efficacy of such a program at reducing stress, increasing perceived social support from family and friends, and increasing general, dyadic, and self-rated family functioning within these concerned family members. A sample of 125 family members of individuals with SUCDs was recruited, of which 97 participated in the treatment program and 28 were used as the comparison group. Results indicated that the treatment program significantly reduced stress, increased perceived social support from family and friends, and increased general, dyadic and self-rated family functioning. A perceived personal benefits questionnaire demonstrated that participants had a better understanding of SUCDs, better coping capabilities in regard to emotional difficulties, adopted stronger coping methods, participated in more leisure activities, and improved their relationship with the individual with a SUCD. The results of the current study further demonstrate the need to implement more of these family-member oriented psycho-educational treatment programs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Abnormal functional global and local brain connectivity in female patients with anorexia nervosa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geisler, Daniel; Borchardt, Viola; Lord, Anton R.; Boehm, Ilka; Ritschel, Franziska; Zwipp, Johannes; Clas, Sabine; King, Joseph A.; Wolff-Stephan, Silvia; Roessner, Veit; Walter, Martin; Ehrlich, Stefan

    2016-01-01

    Background Previous resting-state functional connectivity studies in patients with anorexia nervosa used independent component analysis or seed-based connectivity analysis to probe specific brain networks. Instead, modelling the entire brain as a complex network allows determination of graph-theoretical metrics, which describe global and local properties of how brain networks are organized and how they interact. Methods To determine differences in network properties between female patients with acute anorexia nervosa and pairwise matched healthy controls, we used resting-state fMRI and computed well-established global and local graph metrics across a range of network densities. Results Our analyses included 35 patients and 35 controls. We found that the global functional network structure in patients with anorexia nervosa is characterized by increases in both characteristic path length (longer average routes between nodes) and assortativity (more nodes with a similar connectedness link together). Accordingly, we found locally decreased connectivity strength and increased path length in the posterior insula and thalamus. Limitations The present results may be limited to the methods applied during preprocessing and network construction. Conclusion We demonstrated anorexia nervosa–related changes in the network configuration for, to our knowledge, the first time using resting-state fMRI and graph-theoretical measures. Our findings revealed an altered global brain network architecture accompanied by local degradations indicating wide-scale disturbance in information flow across brain networks in patients with acute anorexia nervosa. Reduced local network efficiency in the thalamus and posterior insula may reflect a mechanism that helps explain the impaired integration of visuospatial and homeostatic signals in patients with this disorder, which is thought to be linked to abnormal representations of body size and hunger. PMID:26252451

  4. ON SOME TERMS DENOTING CREW MEMBERS ON DUBROVNIK SHIPS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ariana Violić-Koprivec

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper discusses selected terms denoting crew members on Dubrovnik ships throughout the history. The titles of the most important crew members are analyzed based on the corpus of the 18th century documents, literary works, and technical literature. The goal is to determine which terms are typical of the Dubrovnik area, whether their meanings have become restricted or extended, and how they have disappeared or remained in use over the centuries. It is obvious that the importance of individual crew members and their positions changed with time. Their responsibilities occasionally overlapped, and certain terms for their positions coexisted as synonyms, either belonging to the standard or local, i.e. colloquial use. A comparative analysis has revealed some specific features of the Dubrovnik maritime terminology referring to the ship’s crew. The terms škrivan, nokjer, nostromo, pilot, gvardijan and dispensjer are lexemes specific for this area. This is confirmed by their use in literary works.

  5. Electron and Nucleon Localization Functions of Oganesson: Approaching the Thomas-Fermi Limit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jerabek, Paul; Schuetrumpf, Bastian; Schwerdtfeger, Peter; Nazarewicz, Witold

    2018-02-01

    Fermion localization functions are used to discuss electronic and nucleonic shell structure effects in the superheavy element oganesson, the heaviest element discovered to date. Spin-orbit splitting in the 7 p electronic shell becomes so large (˜10 eV ) that Og is expected to show uniform-gas-like behavior in the valence region with a rather large dipole polarizability compared to the lighter rare gas elements. The nucleon localization in Og is also predicted to undergo a transition to the Thomas-Fermi gas behavior in the valence region. This effect, particularly strong for neutrons, is due to the high density of single-particle orbitals.

  6. Can Community Members Identify Tropical Tree Species for REDD+ Carbon and Biodiversity Measurements?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Mingxu; Brofeldt, Søren; Li, Qiaohong; Xu, Jianchu; Danielsen, Finn; Læssøe, Simon Bjarke Lægaard; Poulsen, Michael Køie; Gottlieb, Anna; Maxwell, James Franklin; Theilade, Ida

    2016-01-01

    Biodiversity conservation is a required co-benefit of REDD+. Biodiversity monitoring is therefore needed, yet in most areas it will be constrained by limitations in the available human professional and financial resources. REDD+ programs that use forest plots for biomass monitoring may be able to take advantage of the same data for detecting changes in the tree diversity, using the richness and abundance of canopy trees as a proxy for biodiversity. If local community members are already assessing the above-ground biomass in a representative network of forest vegetation plots, it may require minimal further effort to collect data on the diversity of trees. We compare community members and trained scientists' data on tree diversity in permanent vegetation plots in montane forest in Yunnan, China. We show that local community members here can collect tree diversity data of comparable quality to trained botanists, at one third the cost. Without access to herbaria, identification guides or the Internet, community members could provide the ethno-taxonomical names for 95% of 1071 trees in 60 vegetation plots. Moreover, we show that the community-led survey spent 89% of the expenses at village level as opposed to 23% of funds in the monitoring by botanists. In participatory REDD+ programs in areas where community members demonstrate great knowledge of forest trees, community-based collection of tree diversity data can be a cost-effective approach for obtaining tree diversity information.

  7. Can Community Members Identify Tropical Tree Species for REDD+ Carbon and Biodiversity Measurements?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mingxu Zhao

    Full Text Available Biodiversity conservation is a required co-benefit of REDD+. Biodiversity monitoring is therefore needed, yet in most areas it will be constrained by limitations in the available human professional and financial resources. REDD+ programs that use forest plots for biomass monitoring may be able to take advantage of the same data for detecting changes in the tree diversity, using the richness and abundance of canopy trees as a proxy for biodiversity. If local community members are already assessing the above-ground biomass in a representative network of forest vegetation plots, it may require minimal further effort to collect data on the diversity of trees. We compare community members and trained scientists' data on tree diversity in permanent vegetation plots in montane forest in Yunnan, China. We show that local community members here can collect tree diversity data of comparable quality to trained botanists, at one third the cost. Without access to herbaria, identification guides or the Internet, community members could provide the ethno-taxonomical names for 95% of 1071 trees in 60 vegetation plots. Moreover, we show that the community-led survey spent 89% of the expenses at village level as opposed to 23% of funds in the monitoring by botanists. In participatory REDD+ programs in areas where community members demonstrate great knowledge of forest trees, community-based collection of tree diversity data can be a cost-effective approach for obtaining tree diversity information.

  8. Introducing Anisotropic Minkowski Functionals and Quantitative Anisotropy Measures for Local Structure Analysis in Biomedical Imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wismüller, Axel; De, Titas; Lochmüller, Eva; Eckstein, Felix; Nagarajan, Mahesh B.

    2017-01-01

    The ability of Minkowski Functionals to characterize local structure in different biological tissue types has been demonstrated in a variety of medical image processing tasks. We introduce anisotropic Minkowski Functionals (AMFs) as a novel variant that captures the inherent anisotropy of the underlying gray-level structures. To quantify the anisotropy characterized by our approach, we further introduce a method to compute a quantitative measure motivated by a technique utilized in MR diffusion tensor imaging, namely fractional anisotropy. We showcase the applicability of our method in the research context of characterizing the local structure properties of trabecular bone micro-architecture in the proximal femur as visualized on multi-detector CT. To this end, AMFs were computed locally for each pixel of ROIs extracted from the head, neck and trochanter regions. Fractional anisotropy was then used to quantify the local anisotropy of the trabecular structures found in these ROIs and to compare its distribution in different anatomical regions. Our results suggest a significantly greater concentration of anisotropic trabecular structures in the head and neck regions when compared to the trochanter region (p < 10−4). We also evaluated the ability of such AMFs to predict bone strength in the femoral head of proximal femur specimens obtained from 50 donors. Our results suggest that such AMFs, when used in conjunction with multi-regression models, can outperform more conventional features such as BMD in predicting failure load. We conclude that such anisotropic Minkowski Functionals can capture valuable information regarding directional attributes of local structure, which may be useful in a wide scope of biomedical imaging applications. PMID:29170580

  9. An evaluation of knowledge, attitude, and practice of institutional ethics committee members from eastern India regarding ethics committee functioning and pharmacovigilance activities conducted during clinical trials: A pilot study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Subhrojyoti Bhowmick

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose of study: The vital responsibility of Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC members is to ensure the safety of the subjects participating in clinical trials. Hence, it is essential for IEC members to be aware of the common pharmacovigilance strategies followed during clinical trials. However, the information about the knowledge, attitude, and practice of IEC members regarding the pharmacovigilance activities followed during clinical trials is scarce worldwide, especially in India. Hence, this cross-sectional study was designed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of IEC members of 10 hospitals of Kolkata, India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study using a self-administered, validated questionnaire was conducted among 10 hospitals (five government and five corporate hospitals in Kolkata conducting active clinical research and having functional Ethics Committees (ECs in the month of September-November, 2012. An IEC approval was taken for this study. Two reminders were given to all EC members through telephone/e-mail for completion and returning of the forms. The filled in forms were returned to their respective Member Secretaries, from whom authors′ collected the forms. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 software and MS-Excel 2007. Categorical data were analyzed using Chi-square test and a P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Out of the 100 distributed questionnaires, 40 were returned of which 10 were not filled properly. Overall awareness regarding different pharmacovigilance terminologies and activities among EC members from nonmedical background (71.43% was found to be more than that of the medical members (68.75%, though the figure was not statistically significant. Majority of the members (75% felt that EC should decide compensation in case of a serious adverse event. Conclusion: The present study signifies that there is a low level of awareness in IEC members of Kolkata regarding

  10. Surface green function matching for a three-dimensional non-local continuum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Idiodi, J.O.A.

    1985-07-01

    With a view toward helping to bridge the gap, from the continuum side, between discrete and continuum models of crystalline, elastic solids, explicit results are presented for non-local stress tensors that describe exactly some lattice dynamical models that have been widely used in the literature for cubic lattices. The Surface Green Function Matching (SGFM) method, which has been used successfully for a variety of surface problems, is then extended, within a continuum approach, to a non-local continuum that models a three-dimensional discrete lattice. The practical use of the method is demonstrated by performing a fairly complete analytical study of the vibrational surface modes of the SCC semi-infinite medium. Some results are presented for the [100] direction of the (001) surface of the SCC lattice. (author)

  11. Localization and Functionality of the Inflammasome in Neutrophils

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bakele, Martina; Joos, Melanie; Burdi, Sofia

    2014-01-01

    Neutrophils represent the major fraction of circulating immune cells and are rapidly recruited to sites of infection and inflammation. The inflammasome is a multiprotein complex that regulates the generation of IL-1 family proteins. The precise subcellular localization and functionality...... of the inflammasome in human neutrophils are poorly defined. Here we demonstrate that highly purified human neutrophils express key components of the NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), and absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) inflammasomes, particularly apoptosis-associated speck-like protein...... and released as protein, highly purified neutrophils neither expressed nor released IL-1α at baseline or upon stimulation. Upon inflammasome activation, highly purified neutrophils released substantially lower levels of IL-1β protein compared with partially purified neutrophils. Serine proteases and caspases...

  12. Item bias in self-reported functional ability among 75-year-old men and women in three Nordic localities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Avlund, K; Era, P; Davidsen, M

    1996-01-01

    to geographical locality and gender. Information about self-reported functional ability was gathered from surveys on 75-year-old men and women in Glostrup (Denmark), Göteborg (Sweden) and Jyväskylä (Finland). The data were collected by structured home interviews about mobility and Physical activities of daily......The purpose of this article is to analyse item bias in a measure of self-reported functional ability among 75-year-old people in three Nordic localities. The present item bias analysis examines whether the construction of a functional ability index from several variables results in bias in relation...... living (PADL) in relation to tiredness, reduced speed and dependency and combined into three tiredness-scales, three reduced speed-scales and two dependency-scales. The analysis revealed item bias regarding geographical locality in seven out of eight of the functional ability scales, but nearly no bias...

  13. Structure-function relationship of a plant NCS1 member - Homology modeling and mutagenesis identified residues critical for substrate specificity of PLUTO, a nucleobase transporter from arabidopsis

    KAUST Repository

    Witz, Sandra; Panwar, Pankaj; Schober, Markus; Deppe, Johannes; Pasha, Farhan Ahmad; Lemieux, M. Joanne; Mö hlmann, Torsten

    2014-01-01

    . Furthermore, competition studies confirmed these results. The present study defines the molecular determinants for PLUTO substrate binding and demonstrates key differences in structure-function relations between PLUTO and other NCS1 family members. 2014 Witz

  14. Development of magnetostrictive active members for control of space structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Bruce G.; Avakian, Kevin M.; Fenn, Ralph C.; Gaffney, Monique S.; Gerver, Michael J.; Hawkey, Timothy J.; Boudreau, Donald J.

    1992-08-01

    The goal of this Phase 2 Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) project was to determine the technical feasibility of developing magnetostrictive active members for use as truss elements in space structures. Active members control elastic vibrations of truss-based space structures and integrate the functions of truss structure element, actively controlled actuator, and sensor. The active members must control structural motion to the sub-micron level and, for many proposed space applications, work at cryogenic temperatures. Under this program both room temperature and cryogenic temperature magnetostrictive active members were designed, fabricated, and tested. The results of these performance tests indicated that room temperature magnetostrictive actuators feature higher strain, stiffness, and force capability with lower amplifier requirements than similarly sized piezoelectric or electrostrictive active members, at the cost of higher mass. Two different cryogenic temperature magnetostrictive materials were tested at liquid nitrogen temperatures, both with larger strain capability than the room temperature magnetostrictive materials. The cryogenic active member development included the design and fabrication of a cryostat that allows operation of the cryogenic active member in a space structure testbed.

  15. Structural Health Monitoring Based on Combined Structural Global and Local Frequencies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jilin Hou

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a parameter estimation method for Structural Health Monitoring based on the combined measured structural global frequencies and structural local frequencies. First, the global test is experimented to obtain the low order modes which can reflect the global information of the structure. Secondly, the mass is added on the member of structure to increase the local dynamic characteristic and to make the member have local primary frequency, which belongs to structural local frequency and is sensitive to local parameters. Then the parameters of the structure can be optimized accurately using the combined structural global frequencies and structural local frequencies. The effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method are verified by the experiment of a space truss.

  16. The subcellular localization of IGFBP5 affects its cell growth and migration functions in breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akkiprik, Mustafa; Hu, Limei; Sahin, Aysegul; Hao, Xishan; Zhang, Wei

    2009-01-01

    Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 (IGFBP5) has been shown to be associated with breast cancer metastasis in clinical marker studies. However, a major difficulty in understanding how IGFBP5 functions in this capacity is the paradoxical observation that ectopic overexpression of IGFBP5 in breast cancer cell lines results in suppressed cellular proliferation. In cancer tissues, IGFBP5 resides mainly in the cytoplasm; however, in transfected cells, IGFBP5 is mainly located in the nucleus. We hypothesized that subcellular localization of IGFBP5 affects its functions in host cells. To test this hypothesis, we generated wild-type and mutant IGFBP5 expression constructs. The mutation occurs within the nuclear localization sequence (NLS) of the protein and is generated by site-directed mutagenesis using the wild-type IGFBP5 expression construct as a template. Next, we transfected each expression construct into MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells to establish stable clones overexpressing either wild-type or mutant IGFBP5. Functional analysis revealed that cells overexpressing wild-type IGFBP5 had significantly lower cell growth rate and motility than the vector-transfected cells, whereas cells overexpressing mutant IGFBP5 demonstrated a significantly higher ability to proliferate and migrate. To illustrate the subcellular localization of the proteins, we generated wild-type and mutant IGFBP5-pDsRed fluorescence fusion constructs. Fluorescence microscopy imaging revealed that mutation of the NLS in IGFBP5 switched the accumulation of IGFBP5 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm of the protein. Together, these findings imply that the mutant form of IGFBP5 increases proliferation and motility of breast cancer cells and that mutation of the NLS in IGFBP5 results in localization of IGFBP5 in the cytoplasm, suggesting that subcellular localization of IGFBP5 affects its cell growth and migration functions in the breast cancer cells

  17. Continued benefits of a technical assistance web site to local tobacco control coalitions during a state budget shortfall.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buller, David B; Young, Walter F; Bettinghaus, Erwin P; Borland, Ron; Walther, Joseph B; Helme, Donald; Andersen, Peter A; Cutter, Gary R; Maloy, Julie A

    2011-01-01

    A state budget shortfall defunded 10 local tobacco coalitions during a randomized trial but defunded coalitions continued to have access to 2 technical assistance Web sites. To test the ability of Web-based technology to provide technical assistance to local tobacco control coalitions. Randomized 2-group trial with local tobacco control coalitions as the unit of randomization. Local communities (ie, counties) within the State of Colorado. Leaders and members in 34 local tobacco control coalitions funded by the state health department in Colorado. Two technical assistance Web sites: A Basic Web site with text-based information and a multimedia Enhanced Web site containing learning modules, resources, and communication features. Use of the Web sites in minutes, pages, and session and evaluations of coalition functioning on coalition development, conflict resolution, leadership satisfaction, decision-making satisfaction, shared mission, personal involvement, and organization involvement in survey of leaders and members. Coalitions that were defunded but had access to the multimedia Enhanced Web site during the Fully Funded period and after defunding continued to use it (treatment group × funding status × period, F(3,714) = 3.18, P = .0234). Coalitions with access to the Basic Web site had low Web site use throughout and use by defunded coalitions was nearly zero when funding ceased. Members in defunded Basic Web site coalitions reported that their coalitions functioned worse than defunded Enhanced Web site coalitions (coalition development: group × status, F(1,360) = 4.81, P = .029; conflict resolution: group × status, F(1,306) = 5.69, P = .018; leadership satisfaction: group × status, F(1,342) = 5.69, P = .023). The Enhanced Web site may have had a protective effect on defunded coalitions. Defunded coalitions may have increased their capacity by using the Enhanced Web site when fully funded or by continuing to use the available online resources after defunding

  18. METHODS FOR LOCAL CHANGES IN THE PLASTIC DEFORMATION DIAGNOSTICS ON THE WORK FUNCTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. V. Panteleyev

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper describes the electronic work function measurements by the contact potential difference technique, and experimental demonstration of the possibility of these methods application for the stress-strain state of the surface layer of the metals and alloys. The techniques end examples of their application of localization of plastic deformation studies using the Kelvin probe are developed and present. The study topology of work function the deformed surface possible to determine the type of deformation and dynamics of

  19. Relative roles of local disturbance, current climate and palaeoclimate in determining phylogenetic and functional diversity in Chinese forests

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Feng, Gang; Mi, Xiangcheng; Bøcher, Peder Klith

    2014-01-01

    their relative roles in determining woody plant phylogenetic and functional diversity in this important hotspot for woody plant diversity. Local disturbance was the best predictor of functional diversity as represented by maximum canopy height (Hmax), probably reflecting the dominant role of competition...... studied, their relative importance for other aspects of diversity, notably phylogenetic and functional diversity is so far little studied. Here, we link data from large Chinese forest plots to data on current and Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) climate as well as local disturbance regimes to study...

  20. Predictive modelling of grain size distributions from marine electromagnetic profiling data using end-member analysis and a radial basis function network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baasch, B.; M"uller, H.; von Dobeneck, T.

    2018-04-01

    In this work we present a new methodology to predict grain-size distributions from geophysical data. Specifically, electric conductivity and magnetic susceptibility of seafloor sediments recovered from electromagnetic profiling data are used to predict grain-size distributions along shelf-wide survey lines. Field data from the NW Iberian shelf are investigated and reveal a strong relation between the electromagnetic properties and grain-size distribution. The here presented workflow combines unsupervised and supervised machine learning techniques. Nonnegative matrix factorisation is used to determine grain-size end-members from sediment surface samples. Four end-members were found which well represent the variety of sediments in the study area. A radial-basis function network modified for prediction of compositional data is then used to estimate the abundances of these end-members from the electromagnetic properties. The end-members together with their predicted abundances are finally back transformed to grain-size distributions. A minimum spatial variation constraint is implemented in the training of the network to avoid overfitting and to respect the spatial distribution of sediment patterns. The predicted models are tested via leave-one-out cross-validation revealing high prediction accuracy with coefficients of determination (R2) between 0.76 and 0.89. The predicted grain-size distributions represent the well-known sediment facies and patterns on the NW Iberian shelf and provide new insights into their distribution, transition and dynamics. This study suggests that electromagnetic benthic profiling in combination with machine learning techniques is a powerful tool to estimate grain-size distribution of marine sediments.

  1. FMEA team performance in health care: A qualitative analysis of team member perceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wetterneck, Tosha B; Hundt, Ann Schoofs; Carayon, Pascale

    2009-06-01

    : Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a commonly used prospective risk assessment approach in health care. Failure mode and effects analyses are time consuming and resource intensive, and team performance is crucial for FMEA success. We evaluate FMEA team members' perceptions of FMEA team performance to provide recommendations to improve the FMEA process in health care organizations. : Structured interviews and survey questionnaires were administered to team members of 2 FMEA teams at a Midwest Hospital to evaluate team member perceptions of FMEA team performance and factors influencing team performance. Interview transcripts underwent content analysis, and descriptive statistics were performed on questionnaire results to identify and quantify FMEA team performance. Theme-based nodes were categorized using the input-process-outcome model for team performance. : Twenty-eight interviews and questionnaires were completed by 24 team members. Four persons participated on both teams. There were significant differences between the 2 teams regarding perceptions of team functioning and overall team effectiveness that are explained by difference in team inputs and process (e.g., leadership/facilitation, team objectives, attendance of process owners). : Evaluation of team members' perceptions of team functioning produced useful insights that can be used to model future team functioning. Guidelines for FMEA team success are provided.

  2. Localization of periodic orbits of polynomial vector fields of even degree by linear functions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Starkov, Konstantin E. [CITEDI-IPN, Av. del Parque 1310, Mesa de Otay, Tijuana, BC (Mexico)] e-mail: konst@citedi.mx

    2005-08-01

    This paper is concerned with the localization problem of periodic orbits of polynomial vector fields of even degree by using linear functions. Conditions of the localization of all periodic orbits in sets of a simple structure are obtained. Our results are based on the solution of the conditional extremum problem and the application of homogeneous polynomial forms of even degrees. As examples, the Lanford system, the jerky system with one quadratic monomial and a quartically perturbed harmonic oscillator are considered.

  3. Localization of periodic orbits of polynomial vector fields of even degree by linear functions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Starkov, Konstantin E.

    2005-01-01

    This paper is concerned with the localization problem of periodic orbits of polynomial vector fields of even degree by using linear functions. Conditions of the localization of all periodic orbits in sets of a simple structure are obtained. Our results are based on the solution of the conditional extremum problem and the application of homogeneous polynomial forms of even degrees. As examples, the Lanford system, the jerky system with one quadratic monomial and a quartically perturbed harmonic oscillator are considered

  4. Partitioning the regional and local drivers of phylogenetic and functional diversity along temperate elevational gradients on an East Asian peninsula.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chun, Jung-Hwa; Lee, Chang-Bae

    2018-02-12

    Species-centric approaches to biodiversity in ecological research are limited in their ability to reflect the evolutionary history and functional diversity of community assembly. Recently, the introduction of alternative facets of biodiversity, such as phylogenetic and functional diversity, has shed light on this problem and improved our understanding of the processes underlying biodiversity patterns. Here, we investigated the phylogenetic and functional diversity patterns of α, β and γ components in woody plant assemblages along regional and local elevational gradients in South Korea. Although the patterns of phylogenetic and functional diversity varied along regional and local elevational transects, the main drivers were partitioned into two categories: regional area or climate for phylogenetic diversity, depending on whether the transect was at a regional or local scale; and habitat heterogeneity for functional diversity, which was derived in elevational bands. Moreover, environmental distance was more important than was geographic distance for phylogenetic and functional β diversity between paired elevational bands. These results support the hypothesis that niche-based deterministic processes such as environmental filtering and competitive exclusion are fundamental in structuring woody plant assemblages along temperate elevational gradients regardless of scale (regional vs. local) in our study areas.

  5. BENEFITS OF LOCAL PRODUCTIVE ARRANGEMENTS (LPA: PERCEPTIONS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE APICULTURE NETWORK ‘REDE ABELHA CEARÁ’ - BRAZIL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oderlene Vieira de Oliveira

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Many projects are currently being developed in Brazil by governmental and non-governmental agencies to support community-based production initiatives, especially through local productive arrangements (LPA. The apiculture network ‛Rede Abelha Ceará’ in Northeastern Brazil is an example of the dynamics of this novel form of productive organization, in which small-scale producers increase their competitiveness through LPAs. The present study poses the question: What are the perceptions of the members of ‛Rede Abelha Ceará’ regarding the dynamics of the network? To answer the question, we inquired beekeepers about the benefits obtained from their affiliation with the network. The investigation took the form of case study with findings submitted to content analysis. The results show that beekeepers recognized benefits derived from participation in the network, especially as related to cooperative purchasing, access to government credit and training in honey production processes. However, the synergy of the network was not fully exploited as half the interviewees reported not using the network logo on their products.

  6. Non-local energy density functionals: models plus some exact general results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    March, N.H.

    2001-02-01

    Holas and March (Phys. Rev. A51, 2040, 1995) gave a formally exact expression for the force - δV xc (r-tilde)/δr-tilde associated with the exchange-correlation potential V xc (r-tilde) of density functional theory. This forged a precise link between first- and second-order density matrices and V xc (r-tilde). Here models are presented in which these low-order matrices can be related to the ground-state electron density. This allows non-local energy density functionals to be constructed within the framework of such models. Finally, results emerging from these models have led to the derivation of some exact 'nuclear cusp' relations for exchange and correlation energy densities in molecules, clusters and condensed phases. (author)

  7. Party Members in Context. Social networks and local branches as context for party membership

    OpenAIRE

    Paulis, Emilien

    2018-01-01

    In this doctoral dissertation, I put party members and activists back in context. I stress theimportance of two contextual dimensions, often overlooked in the scientific literature. On theone hand, I put forward social network explanations of party membership and activism,emphasizing the importance of social interactions, relations and structures, which were scarcelyexplored as potential triggers. Like other forms of participation, party membership haspredominantly been portrayed through indi...

  8. Expression, localization and possible functions of aquaporins 3 and 8 in rat digestive system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, G X; Dong, P P; Peng, R; Li, J; Zhang, D Y; Wang, J Y; Shen, X Z; Dong, L; Sun, J Y

    2016-01-01

    Although aquaporins (AQPs) play important roles in transcellular water movement, their precise quantification and localization remains controversial. We investigated expression levels and localizations of AQP3 and AQP8 and their possible functions in the rat digestive system using real-time polymerase chain reactions, western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. We investigated the expression levels and localizations of AQP3 and AQP8 in esophagus, forestomach, glandular stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, proximal and distal colon, and liver. AQP3 was expressed in the basolateral membranes of stratified epithelia (esophagus and forestomach) and simple columnar epithelia (glandular stomach, ileum, and proximal and distal colon). Expression was particularly abundant in the esophagus, and proximal and distal colon. AQP8 was found in the subapical compartment of columnar epithelial cells of the jejunum, ileum, proximal colon and liver; the most intense staining occurred in the jejunum. Our results suggest that AQP3 and AQP8 play significant roles in intestinal function and/or fluid homeostasis and may be an important subject for future investigation of disorders that involve disruption of intestinal fluid homeostasis, such as inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

  9. First principles calculations for liquids and solids using maximally localized Wannier functions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swartz, Charles W., VI

    The field of condensed matter computational physics has seen an explosion of applicability over the last 50+ years. Since the very first calculations with ENIAC and MANIAC the field has continued to pushed the boundaries of what is possible; from the first large-scale molecular dynamics simulation, to the implementation of Density Functional Theory and large scale Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics, to million-core turbulence calculations by Standford. These milestones represent not only technological advances but theoretical breakthroughs and algorithmic improvements as well. The work in this thesis was completed in the hopes of furthering such advancement, even by a small fraction. Here we will focus mainly on the calculation of electronic and structural properties of solids and liquids, where we shall implement a wide range of novel approaches that are both computational efficient and physically enlightening. To this end we routinely will work with maximally localized Wannier functions (MLWFs) which have recently seen a revival in mainstream scientific literature. MLWFs present us with interesting opportunity to calculate a localized orbital within the planewave formalism of atomistic simulations. Such a localization will prove to be invaluable in the construction of layer-based superlattice models, linear scaling hybrid functional schemes and model quasiparticle calculations. In the first application of MLWF we will look at modeling functional piezoelectricity in superlattices. Based on the locality principle of insulating superlattices, we apply the method of Wu et al to the piezoelectric strains of individual layers under iifixed displacement field. For a superlattice of arbitrary stacking sequence an accurate model is acquired for predicting piezoelectricity. By applying the model in the superlattices where ferroelectric and antiferrodistortive modes are in competition, functional piezoelectricity can be achieved. A strong nonlinear effect is observed and can

  10. Entanglement quantification by local unitary operations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Monras, A.; Giampaolo, S. M.; Gualdi, G.; Illuminati, F. [Dipartimento di Matematica e Informatica, Universita degli Studi di Salerno, CNISM, Unita di Salerno, and INFN, Sezione di Napoli-Gruppo Collegato di Salerno, Via Ponte don Melillo, I-84084 Fisciano (Italy); Adesso, G.; Davies, G. B. [School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD (United Kingdom)

    2011-07-15

    Invariance under local unitary operations is a fundamental property that must be obeyed by every proper measure of quantum entanglement. However, this is not the only aspect of entanglement theory where local unitary operations play a relevant role. In the present work we show that the application of suitable local unitary operations defines a family of bipartite entanglement monotones, collectively referred to as ''mirror entanglement.'' They are constructed by first considering the (squared) Hilbert-Schmidt distance of the state from the set of states obtained by applying to it a given local unitary operator. To the action of each different local unitary operator there corresponds a different distance. We then minimize these distances over the sets of local unitary operations with different spectra, obtaining an entire family of different entanglement monotones. We show that these mirror-entanglement monotones are organized in a hierarchical structure, and we establish the conditions that need to be imposed on the spectrum of a local unitary operator for the associated mirror entanglement to be faithful, i.e., to vanish in and only in separable pure states. We analyze in detail the properties of one particularly relevant member of the family, the ''stellar mirror entanglement'' associated with the traceless local unitary operations with nondegenerate spectra and equispaced eigenvalues in the complex plane. This particular measure generalizes the original analysis of S. M. Giampaolo and F. Illuminati [Phys. Rev. A 76, 042301 (2007)], valid for qubits and qutrits. We prove that the stellar entanglement is a faithful bipartite entanglement monotone in any dimension and that it is bounded from below by a function proportional to the linear entropy and from above by the linear entropy itself, coinciding with it in two- and three-dimensional spaces.

  11. Entanglement quantification by local unitary operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monras, A.; Adesso, G.; Giampaolo, S. M.; Gualdi, G.; Davies, G. B.; Illuminati, F.

    2011-07-01

    Invariance under local unitary operations is a fundamental property that must be obeyed by every proper measure of quantum entanglement. However, this is not the only aspect of entanglement theory where local unitary operations play a relevant role. In the present work we show that the application of suitable local unitary operations defines a family of bipartite entanglement monotones, collectively referred to as “mirror entanglement.” They are constructed by first considering the (squared) Hilbert-Schmidt distance of the state from the set of states obtained by applying to it a given local unitary operator. To the action of each different local unitary operator there corresponds a different distance. We then minimize these distances over the sets of local unitary operations with different spectra, obtaining an entire family of different entanglement monotones. We show that these mirror-entanglement monotones are organized in a hierarchical structure, and we establish the conditions that need to be imposed on the spectrum of a local unitary operator for the associated mirror entanglement to be faithful, i.e., to vanish in and only in separable pure states. We analyze in detail the properties of one particularly relevant member of the family, the “stellar mirror entanglement” associated with the traceless local unitary operations with nondegenerate spectra and equispaced eigenvalues in the complex plane. This particular measure generalizes the original analysis of S. M. Giampaolo and F. Illuminati [Phys. Rev. APLRAAN1050-294710.1103/PhysRevA.76.042301 76, 042301 (2007)], valid for qubits and qutrits. We prove that the stellar entanglement is a faithful bipartite entanglement monotone in any dimension and that it is bounded from below by a function proportional to the linear entropy and from above by the linear entropy itself, coinciding with it in two- and three-dimensional spaces.

  12. Entanglement quantification by local unitary operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Monras, A.; Giampaolo, S. M.; Gualdi, G.; Illuminati, F.; Adesso, G.; Davies, G. B.

    2011-01-01

    Invariance under local unitary operations is a fundamental property that must be obeyed by every proper measure of quantum entanglement. However, this is not the only aspect of entanglement theory where local unitary operations play a relevant role. In the present work we show that the application of suitable local unitary operations defines a family of bipartite entanglement monotones, collectively referred to as ''mirror entanglement.'' They are constructed by first considering the (squared) Hilbert-Schmidt distance of the state from the set of states obtained by applying to it a given local unitary operator. To the action of each different local unitary operator there corresponds a different distance. We then minimize these distances over the sets of local unitary operations with different spectra, obtaining an entire family of different entanglement monotones. We show that these mirror-entanglement monotones are organized in a hierarchical structure, and we establish the conditions that need to be imposed on the spectrum of a local unitary operator for the associated mirror entanglement to be faithful, i.e., to vanish in and only in separable pure states. We analyze in detail the properties of one particularly relevant member of the family, the ''stellar mirror entanglement'' associated with the traceless local unitary operations with nondegenerate spectra and equispaced eigenvalues in the complex plane. This particular measure generalizes the original analysis of S. M. Giampaolo and F. Illuminati [Phys. Rev. A 76, 042301 (2007)], valid for qubits and qutrits. We prove that the stellar entanglement is a faithful bipartite entanglement monotone in any dimension and that it is bounded from below by a function proportional to the linear entropy and from above by the linear entropy itself, coinciding with it in two- and three-dimensional spaces.

  13. Preserved local but disrupted contextual figure-ground influences in an individual with abnormal function of intermediate visual areas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brooks, Joseph L.; Gilaie-Dotan, Sharon; Rees, Geraint; Bentin, Shlomo; Driver, Jon

    2012-01-01

    Visual perception depends not only on local stimulus features but also on their relationship to the surrounding stimulus context, as evident in both local and contextual influences on figure-ground segmentation. Intermediate visual areas may play a role in such contextual influences, as we tested here by examining LG, a rare case of developmental visual agnosia. LG has no evident abnormality of brain structure and functional neuroimaging showed relatively normal V1 function, but his intermediate visual areas (V2/V3) function abnormally. We found that contextual influences on figure-ground organization were selectively disrupted in LG, while local sources of figure-ground influences were preserved. Effects of object knowledge and familiarity on figure-ground organization were also significantly diminished. Our results suggest that the mechanisms mediating contextual and familiarity influences on figure-ground organization are dissociable from those mediating local influences on figure-ground assignment. The disruption of contextual processing in intermediate visual areas may play a role in the substantial object recognition difficulties experienced by LG. PMID:22947116

  14. A Non-Member Spouse's Entitlement To The Member's Pension Interest

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Motseotsile Clement Marumoagae

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available It is important that married couples seek legal advice with regard to the assets falling within their joint estate, more particularly their retirement benefits. This article reflects on the entitlement (if any of non-member spouses to their spouses' retirement fund benefits. Pension benefits can be due before, during or after divorce, and parties to the marriage should be aware of their rights with regard to the accruing pension benefits of their spouses. While it is settled law that non-member spouses are entitled to receive a portion of their member spouses' pension benefits (known as "pension interest" immediately on divorce, it is not particularly clear whether non-member spouses are also entitled to receive the same before or sometime after divorce. In this article I provide a contextual understanding of the entitlements (if any which spouses or former spouses of members of pension funds have on such member spouses' retirement benefits. Furthermore, it shown in this article that various divisions of South African High Courts have been inconsistent in how they have approached the issue of the pension interest between divorcing spouses or divorced ex-spouses.

  15. High precision wavefront control in point spread function engineering for single emitter localization

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Siemons, M.E.; Thorsen, R.Ø; Smith, C.S.; Stallinga, S.

    2018-01-01

    Point spread function (PSF) engineering is used in single emitter localization to measure the emitter position in 3D and possibly other parameters such as the emission color or dipole orientation as well. Advanced PSF models such as spline fits to experimental PSFs or the vectorial PSF model can

  16. THE LOCAL [C ii] 158 μ m EMISSION LINE LUMINOSITY FUNCTION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hemmati, Shoubaneh; Yan, Lin; Capak, Peter; Faisst, Andreas; Masters, Daniel [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena CA 91125 (United States); Diaz-Santos, Tanio [Nucleo de Astronomia de la Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad Diego Portales, Av. Ejercito Libertador 441, Santiago (Chile); Armus, Lee, E-mail: shemmati@ipac.caltech.edu [Spitzer Science Center, Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

    2017-01-01

    We present, for the first time, the local [C ii] 158 μ m emission line luminosity function measured using a sample of more than 500 galaxies from the Revised Bright Galaxy Sample. [C ii] luminosities are measured from the Herschel PACS observations of the Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) in the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey and estimated for the rest of the sample based on the far-infrared (far-IR) luminosity and color. The sample covers 91.3% of the sky and is complete at S{sub 60μm} > 5.24 Jy. We calculate the completeness as a function of [C ii] line luminosity and distance, based on the far-IR color and flux densities. The [C ii] luminosity function is constrained in the range ∼10{sup 7–9} L{sub ⊙} from both the 1/ V{sub max} and a maximum likelihood methods. The shape of our derived [C ii] emission line luminosity function agrees well with the IR luminosity function. For the CO(1-0) and [C ii] luminosity functions to agree, we propose a varying ratio of [C ii]/CO(1-0) as a function of CO luminosity, with larger ratios for fainter CO luminosities. Limited [C ii] high-redshift observations as well as estimates based on the IR and UV luminosity functions are suggestive of an evolution in the [C ii] luminosity function similar to the evolution trend of the cosmic star formation rate density. Deep surveys using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array with full capability will be able to confirm this prediction.

  17. Probing Local Ionic Dynamics in Functional Oxides: From Nanometer to Atomic Scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalinin, Sergei

    2014-03-01

    Vacancy-mediated electrochemical reactions in oxides underpin multiple applications ranging from electroresistive memories, to chemical sensors to energy conversion systems such as fuel cells. Understanding the functionality in these systems requires probing reversible (oxygen reduction/evolution reaction) and irreversible (cathode degradation and activation, formation of conductive filaments) electrochemical processes. In this talk, I summarize recent advances in probing and controlling these transformations locally on nanometer level using scanning probe microscopy. The localized tip concentrates the electric field in the nanometer scale volume of material, inducing local transition. Measured simultaneously electromechanical response (piezoresponse) or current (conductive AFM) provides the information on the bias-induced changes in material. Here, I illustrate how these methods can be extended to study local electrochemical transformations, including vacancy dynamics in oxides such as titanates, LaxSr1-xCoO3, BiFeO3, and YxZr1-xO2. The formation of electromechanical hysteresis loops and their bias-, temperature- and environment dependences provide insight into local electrochemical mechanisms. In materials such as lanthanum-strontium cobaltite, mapping both reversible vacancy motion and vacancy ordering and static deformation is possible, and can be corroborated by post mortem STEM/EELS studies. In ceria, a broad gamut of electrochemical behaviors is observed as a function of temperature and humidity. The possible strategies for elucidation ionic motion at the electroactive interfaces in oxides using high-resolution electron microscopy and combined ex-situ and in-situ STEM-SPM studies are discussed. In the second part of the talk, probing electrochemical phenomena on in-situ grown surfaces with atomic resolution is illustrated. I present an approach based on the multivariate statistical analysis of the coordination spheres of individual atoms to reveal

  18. Investigation of impairment of liver function in local residents of Miaofeng Village, Wushan County, China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YANG Zhongxia

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available ObjectiveTo assess the impairment of liver function and investigate possible causes in local residents in Miaofeng Village, Mali Town, Wushan County, Gansu Province, China, and to provide a basis for the etiological study of idiopathic liver damage. MethodsThe residents in Miaofeng Village were screened for liver function and an epidemiological study was conducted. Serological testing was performed for those with abnormal screening results. Trace elements in drinking water and soil such as arsenic, chromium, and selenium were also tested. ResultsOf all residents, 23.8% and 10.7% showed abnormal levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, respectively. Positivity of HBsAg was detected in 11 cases, fatty liver was identified in 3 cases, and absence of selenium in soil was also confirmed. ConclusionA proportion of local residents in Miaofeng Village have impaired liver function and the absence of selenium in soil may be a contributing factor to this phenomenon.

  19. Local buckling of composite channel columns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szymczak, Czesław; Kujawa, Marcin

    2018-05-01

    The investigation concerns local buckling of compressed flanges of axially compressed composite channel columns. Cooperation of the member flange and web is taken into account here. The buckling mode of the member flange is defined by rotation angle a flange about the line of its connection with the web. The channel column under investigation is made of unidirectional fibre-reinforced laminate. Two approaches to member orthotropic material modelling are performed: the homogenization with the aid of theory of mixture and periodicity cell or homogenization upon the Voigt-Reuss hypothesis. The fundamental differential equation of local buckling is derived with the aid of the stationary total potential energy principle. The critical buckling stress corresponding to a number of buckling half-waves is assumed to be a minimum eigenvalue of the equation. Some numerical examples dealing with columns are given here. The analytical results are compared with the finite element stability analysis carried out by means of ABAQUS software. The paper is focused on a close analytical solution of the critical buckling stress and the associated buckling mode while the web-flange cooperation is assumed.

  20. Composition and partition functions of partially ionized hydrogen plasma in Non-Local Thermal Equilibrium (Non-LThE) and Non-Local Chemical Equilibrium (Non-LChE)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Kuan; Eddy, T.L.

    1993-01-01

    A GTME (Generalized MultiThermodynamic Equilibrium) plasma model is developed for plasmas in both Non-LThE (Non-Local Thermal Equilibrium) and Non-LChE (Non-Local Chemical Equilibrium). The model uses multitemperatures for thermal nonequilibrium and non-zero chemical affinities as a measure of the deviation from chemical equilibrium. The plasma is treated as an ideal gas with the Debye-Hueckel approximation employed for pressure correction. The proration method is used when the cutoff energy level is between two discrete levels. The composition and internal partition functions of a hydrogen plasma are presented for electron temperatures ranging from 5000 to 35000 K and pressures from 0.1 to 1000 kPa. Number densities of 7 different species of hydrogen plasma and internal partition functions of different energy modes (rotational, vibrational, and electronic excitation) are computed for three affinity values. The results differ from other plasma properties in that they 1) are not based on equilibrium properties; and 2) are expressed as a function of different energy distribution parameters (temperatures) within each energy mode of each species as appropriate. The computed number densities and partition functions are applicable to calculating the thermodynamic, transport, and radiation properties of a hydrogen plasma not in thermal and chemical equilibria. The nonequilibrium plasma model and plasma compositions presented in this paper are very useful to the diagnosis of high-speed and/or low-pressure plasma flows in which the assumptions of local thermal and chemical equilibrium are invalid. (orig.)

  1. Decoding Pigeon Behavior Outcomes Using Functional Connections among Local Field Potentials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yan; Liu, Xinyu; Li, Shan; Wan, Hong

    2018-01-01

    Recent studies indicate that the local field potential (LFP) carries information about an animal's behavior, but issues regarding whether there are any relationships between the LFP functional networks and behavior tasks as well as whether it is possible to employ LFP network features to decode the behavioral outcome in a single trial remain unresolved. In this study, we developed a network-based method to decode the behavioral outcomes in pigeons by using the functional connectivity strength values among LFPs recorded from the nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL). In our method, the functional connectivity strengths were first computed based on the synchronization likelihood. Second, the strength values were unwrapped into row vectors and their dimensions were then reduced by principal component analysis. Finally, the behavioral outcomes in single trials were decoded using leave-one-out combined with the k -nearest neighbor method. The results showed that the LFP functional network based on the gamma-band was related to the goal-directed behavior of pigeons. Moreover, the accuracy of the network features (74 ± 8%) was significantly higher than that of the power features (61 ± 12%). The proposed method provides a powerful tool for decoding animal behavior outcomes using a neural functional network.

  2. Atom localization and center-of-mass wave-function determination via multiple simultaneous quadrature measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Evers, Joerg; Qamar, Shahid; Zubairy, M. Suhail

    2007-01-01

    We discuss localization and center-of-mass wave-function measurement of a quantum particle using multiple simultaneous dispersive interactions of the particle with different standing-wave fields. In particular, we consider objects with an internal structure consisting of a single ground state and several excited states. The transitions between ground and the corresponding excited states are coupled to the light fields in the dispersive limit, thus giving rise to a phase shift of the light field during the interaction. We show that multiple simultaneous measurements allow both an increase in the measurement or localization precision in a single direction and the performance of multidimensional measurements or localization. Further, we show that multiple measurements may relax the experimental requirements for each individual measurement

  3. Locally optimal control under unknown dynamics with learnt cost function: application to industrial robot positioning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guérin, Joris; Gibaru, Olivier; Thiery, Stéphane; Nyiri, Eric

    2017-01-01

    Recent methods of Reinforcement Learning have enabled to solve difficult, high dimensional, robotic tasks under unknown dynamics using iterative Linear Quadratic Gaussian control theory. These algorithms are based on building a local time-varying linear model of the dynamics from data gathered through interaction with the environment. In such tasks, the cost function is often expressed directly in terms of the state and control variables so that it can be locally quadratized to run the algorithm. If the cost is expressed in terms of other variables, a model is required to compute the cost function from the variables manipulated. We propose a method to learn the cost function directly from the data, in the same way as for the dynamics. This way, the cost function can be defined in terms of any measurable quantity and thus can be chosen more appropriately for the task to be carried out. With our method, any sensor information can be used to design the cost function. We demonstrate the efficiency of this method through simulating, with the V-REP software, the learning of a Cartesian positioning task on several industrial robots with different characteristics. The robots are controlled in joint space and no model is provided a priori. Our results are compared with another model free technique, consisting in writing the cost function as a state variable.

  4. Globally-Optimized Local Pseudopotentials for (Orbital-Free) Density Functional Theory Simulations of Liquids and Solids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Del Rio, Beatriz G; Dieterich, Johannes M; Carter, Emily A

    2017-08-08

    The accuracy of local pseudopotentials (LPSs) is one of two major determinants of the fidelity of orbital-free density functional theory (OFDFT) simulations. We present a global optimization strategy for LPSs that enables OFDFT to reproduce solid and liquid properties obtained from Kohn-Sham DFT. Our optimization strategy can fit arbitrary properties from both solid and liquid phases, so the resulting globally optimized local pseudopotentials (goLPSs) can be used in solid and/or liquid-phase simulations depending on the fitting process. We show three test cases proving that we can (1) improve solid properties compared to our previous bulk-derived local pseudopotential generation scheme; (2) refine predicted liquid and solid properties by adding force matching data; and (3) generate a from-scratch, accurate goLPS from the local channel of a non-local pseudopotential. The proposed scheme therefore serves as a full and improved LPS construction protocol.

  5. Information from the Legal Service and the HR Department for members of the personnel residing in France

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2007-01-01

    Declaration of income for 2006 Members of the personnel are invited to take note of the following information on the procedure for completing the 2006 declaration of income form, which must be returned by 31st May 2007 at the latest. Who is required to complete the form? Where can it be obtained? All members of the personnel1 residing in France, whether or not they are of French nationality2, are required to complete a declaration of income form for 2006 according to the following instructions and to return a signed copy to their local tax office by 31st May 2007 at the latest. Members of the personnel should receive a 2006 income declaration form at the end of April/ beginning of May. Failing this, they should procure one from their local tax office, public finance office ('Trésorerie') or town hall or download one from the Finance Ministry's website (www.finances.gouv.fr ). Completing the declaration form Members of the personnel must compete a HARD-COPY FORM only.It is not possible to make a decla...

  6. Information from the Legal Service and the HR Department for members of the personnel residing in FRANCE

    CERN Document Server

    HR Department

    2007-01-01

    Declaration of income for 2006 Members of the personnel are invited to take note of the following information on the procedure for completing the 2006 declaration of income form, which must be returned by 31st May 2007 at the latest. Who is required to complete the form? Where can it be obtained? All members of the personnel1 residing in France, whether or not they are of French nationality2, are required to complete a declaration of income form for 2006 according to the following instructions and to return a signed copy to their local tax office by 31st May 2007 at the latest. Members of the personnel should receive a 2006 income declaration form at the end of April/ beginning of May. Failing this, they should procure one from their local tax office, public finance office ('Trésorerie') or town hall or download one from the Finance Ministry's website (www.finances.gouv.fr ). Completing the declaration form Members of the personnel must compete a HARD-COPY FORM only.It is not possible to make a decla...

  7. The Capacity and Institution Building (CIB Working Group of United Cities and Local Governments: Towards Improving Aid Effectiveness in the Local Government Sector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tim Kehoe

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available The United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG Capacity and Institution Building (CIB Working Group gather together professional practitioners of local government associations (LGAs and individual local governments active in international cooperation, with the overall objective to improve the quality, coordination and alignment of their development cooperation interventions. The Working Group is the successor of the CIB Platform, which existed for many years within the former International Union of Local Authorities (IULA as an informal gathering of staff members of local government associations (LGAs involved in the field of municipal international cooperation (MIC and association capacity building (ACB. In addition to information exchange, the CIB Platform undertook specific initiatives such as a World Bank-funded program supporting ACB in several countries. In May 2004, the CIB was integrated into the structures of the newly-founded UCLG organisation, and its membership was expanded to also include staff members of international departments of cities active in international cooperation.

  8. The reprogramming factor nuclear receptor subfamily 5, group A, member 2 cannot replace octamer-binding transcription factor 4 function in the self-renewal of embryonic stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Kyeng-Won; Oh, Hye-Rim; Lee, Jaeyoung; Lim, Bobae; Han, Yong-Mahn; Oh, Junseo; Kim, Jungho

    2014-02-01

    Although octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct-4) is one of the most intensively studied factors in mammalian development, no cellular genes capable of replacing Oct-4 function in embryonic stem (ES) cells have been found. Recent data show that nuclear receptor subfamily 5, group A, member 2 (Nr5a2) is able to replace Oct-4 function in the reprogramming process; however, it is unclear whether Nr5a2 can replace Oct-4 function in ES cells. In this study, the ability of Nr5a2 to maintain self-renewal and pluripotency in ES cells was investigated. Nr5a2 localized to the nucleus in ES cells, similarly to Oct-4. However, expression of Nr5a2 failed to rescue the stem cell phenotype or to maintain the self-renewal ability of ES cells. Furthermore, as compared with Oct-4-expressing ES cells, Nr5a2-expressing ES cells showed a reduced number of cells in S-phase, did not expand normally, and did not remain in an undifferentiated state. Ectopic expression of Nr5a2 in ES cells was not able to activate transcription of ES cell-specific genes, and gene expression profiling demonstrated differences between Nr5a2-expressing and Oct-4-expressing ES cells. In addition, Nr5a2-expressing ES cells were not able to form teratomas in nude mice. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that the gene regulation properties of Nr5a2 and Oct-4 and their abilities to confer self-renewal and pluripotency of ES cells differ. The present study provides strong evidence that Nr5a2 cannot replace Oct-4 function in ES cells. © 2013 FEBS.

  9. Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.63) is Palau which deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the Statute on 2 March 2007. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 144 Member States became Members [fr

  10. Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.63) is Palau which deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the Statute on 2 March 2007. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 144 Member States became Members [es

  11. Communication: Hole localization in Al-doped quartz SiO{sub 2} within ab initio hybrid-functional DFT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gerosa, Matteo [Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, via Ponzio 34/3, 20133 Milano (Italy); Di Valentin, Cristiana; Pacchioni, Gianfranco [Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Università di Milano-Bicocca, via R. Cozzi 55, 20125 Milan (Italy); Bottani, Carlo Enrico, E-mail: carlo.bottani@polimi.it [Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, via Ponzio 34/3, 20133 Milano (Italy); Center for Nano Science and Technology @Polimi, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Pascoli 70/3, 20133 Milano (Italy); Onida, Giovanni [Dipartimento di Fisica dell’ Universita’ degli Studi di Milano and European Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility (ETSF), Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milan (Italy)

    2015-09-21

    We investigate the long-standing problem of hole localization at the Al impurity in quartz SiO{sub 2}, using a relatively recent DFT hybrid-functional method in which the exchange fraction is obtained ab initio, based on an analogy with the static many-body COHSEX approximation to the electron self-energy. As the amount of the admixed exact exchange in hybrid functionals has been shown to be determinant for properly capturing the hole localization, this problem constitutes a prototypical benchmark for the accuracy of the method, allowing one to assess to what extent self-interaction effects are avoided. We obtain good results in terms of description of the charge localization and structural distortion around the Al center, improving with respect to the more popular B3LYP hybrid-functional approach. We also discuss the accuracy of computed hyperfine parameters, by comparison with previous calculations based on other self-interaction-free methods, as well as experimental values. We discuss and rationalize the limitations of our approach in computing defect-related excitation energies in low-dielectric-constant insulators.

  12. Local Government Internal Audit Compliance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Greg Jones

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Local government councils (LGC rely on a number of funding sources including state and federal governments as well as their community constituents to enable them to provide a range of public services. Given the constraints on these funding sources councils need to have in place a range of strategies and policies capable of providing good governance and must appropriately discharge their financial accountabilities. To assist LGC with meeting their governance and accountability obligations they often seek guidance from their key stakeholders. For example, in the Australian State of New South Wales (NSW, the Office of Local Government has developed a set of guidelines, the Internal Audit Guidelines. In 2010 the NSW Office of Local Government issued revised guidelines emphasising that an internal audit committee is an essential component of good governance. In addition, the guidelines explained that to improve the governance and accountability of the councils, these committees should be composed of a majority of independent members. To maintain committee independence the guidelines indicated that the Mayor should not be a member of the committee. However these are only guidelines, not legislated requirements and as such compliance with the guidelines, before they were revised, has been demonstrated to be quite low (Jones & Bowrey 2013. This study, based on a review of NSW Local Government Councils’ 2012/2013 reports, including Annual Reportsrelation to internal audit committees, to determine if the guidelines are effective in improving local government council governance.

  13. Local address and emergency contact details

    CERN Multimedia

    2013-01-01

    The HR Department would like to remind members of the personnel that they are responsible for ensuring that their personal data concerning local address and preferred emergency contact details remains valid and up-to-date.   Both are easily accessible via the links below: Local address: https://edh.cern.ch/Document/Personnel/LocalAddressChange   Emergency contacts: https://edh.cern.ch/Document/Personnel/EC   Please take a few minutes to check your details and modify if necessary. Thank you in advance. HR Department Head Office

  14. Functional Diversity of Fibroblast Growth Factors in Bone Formation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuichiro Takei

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The functional significance of fibroblast growth factor (FGF signaling in bone formation has been demonstrated through genetic loss-of-function and gain-of-function approaches. FGFs, comprising 22 family members, are classified into three subfamilies: canonical, hormone-like, and intracellular. The former two subfamilies activate their signaling pathways through FGF receptors (FGFRs. Currently, intracellular FGFs appear to be primarily involved in the nervous system. Canonical FGFs such as FGF2 play significant roles in bone formation, and precise spatiotemporal control of FGFs and FGFRs at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels may allow for the functional diversity of FGFs during bone formation. Recently, several research groups, including ours, have shown that FGF23, a member of the hormone-like FGF subfamily, is primarily expressed in osteocytes/osteoblasts. This polypeptide decreases serum phosphate levels by inhibiting renal phosphate reabsorption and vitamin D3 activation, resulting in mineralization defects in the bone. Thus, FGFs are involved in the positive and negative regulation of bone formation. In this review, we focus on the reciprocal roles of FGFs in bone formation in relation to their local versus systemic effects.

  15. Membrane-localized ubiquitin ligase ATL15 functions in sugar-responsive growth regulation in Arabidopsis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aoyama, Shoki; Terada, Saki; Sanagi, Miho; Hasegawa, Yoko; Lu, Yu; Morita, Yoshie; Chiba, Yukako; Sato, Takeo; Yamaguchi, Junji

    2017-09-09

    Ubiquitin ligases play important roles in regulating various cellular processes by modulating the protein function of specific ubiquitination targets. The Arabidopsis Tóxicos en Levadura (ATL) family is a group of plant-specific RING-type ubiquitin ligases that localize to membranes via their N-terminal transmembrane-like domains. To date, 91 ATL isoforms have been identified in the Arabidopsis genome, with several ATLs reported to be involved in regulating plant responses to environmental stresses. However, the functions of most ATLs remain unknown. This study, involving transcriptome database analysis, identifies ATL15 as a sugar responsive ATL gene in Arabidopsis. ATL15 expression was rapidly down-regulated in the presence of sugar. The ATL15 protein showed ubiquitin ligase activity in vitro and localized to plasma membrane and endomembrane compartments. Further genetic analyses demonstrated that the atl15 knockout mutants are insensitive to high glucose concentrations, whereas ATL15 overexpression depresses plant growth. In addition, endogenous glucose and starch amounts were reciprocally affected in the atl15 knockout mutants and the ATL15 overexpressors. These results suggest that ATL15 protein plays a significant role as a membrane-localized ubiquitin ligase that regulates sugar-responsive plant growth in Arabidopsis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. M dwarfs in the Local Milky Way: The Field Low-Mass Stellar Luminosity and Mass Functions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bochanski, Jr, John J. [Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)

    2008-01-01

    Modern sky surveys, such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Two-Micron All Sky Survey, have revolutionized how Astronomy is done. With millions of photometric and spectroscopic observations, global observational properties can be studied with unprecedented statistical significance. Low-mass stars dominate the local Milky Way, with tens of millions observed by SDSS within a few kpc. Thus, they make ideal tracers of the Galactic potential, and the thin and thick disks. In this thesis dissertation, I present my efforts to characterize the local low-mass stellar population, using a collection of observations from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). First, low-mass stellar template spectra were constructed from the co-addition of thousands of SDSS spectroscopic observations. These template spectra were used to quantify the observable changes introduced by chromospheric activity and metallicity. Furthermore, the average ugriz colors were measured as a function of spectral type. Next, the local kinematic structure of the Milky Way was quantified, using a special set of SDSS spectroscopic observations. Combining proper motions and radial velocities (measured using the spectral templates), along with distances, the full UVW space motions of over 7000 low-mass stars along one line of sight were computed. These stars were also separated kinematically to investigate other observational differences between the thin and thick disks. Finally, this dissertation details a project designed to measure the luminosity and mass functions of low-mass stars. Using a new technique optimized for large surveys, the field luminosity function (LF) and local stellar density profile are measured simultaneously. The sample size used to estimate the LF is nearly three orders of magnitude larger than any previous study, offering a definitive measurement of this quantity. The observed LF is transformed into a mass function (MF) and compared to previous studies.

  17. Damage Model of Reinforced Concrete Members under Cyclic Loading

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Bo Chen; Zhang, Jing Shu; Zhang, Yin Hua; Zhou, Jia Lai

    2018-06-01

    Based on the Kumar damage model, a new damage model for reinforced concrete members is established in this paper. According to the damage characteristics of reinforced concrete members subjected to cyclic loading, four judgment conditions for determining the rationality of damage models are put forward. An ideal damage index (D) is supposed to vary within a scale of zero (no damage) to one (collapse). D should be a monotone increasing function which tends to increase in the case of the same displacement amplitude. As for members under large displacement amplitude loading, the growth rate of D should be greater than that of D under small amplitude displacement loading. Subsequently, the Park-Ang damage model, the Niu-Ren damage model, the Lu-Wang damage model and the proposed damage model are analyzed for 30 experimental reinforced concrete members, including slabs, walls, beams and columns. The results show that current damage models do not fully matches the reasonable judgment conditions, but the proposed damage model does. Therefore, a conclusion can be drawn that the proposed damage model can be used for evaluating and predicting damage performance of RC members under cyclic loading.

  18. Method of local pointed function reduction of original shape in Fourier transformation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dosch, H.; Slavyanov, S.Yu.

    2002-01-01

    The method for analytical reduction of the original shape in the one-dimensional Fourier transformation by the fourier image modulus is proposed. The basic concept of the method consists in the presentation of the model shape in the form of the local peak functions sum. The eigenfunctions, generated by the linear differential equations with the polynomial coefficients, are selected as the latter ones. This provides for the possibility of managing the Fourier transformation without numerical integration. This reduces the reverse task to the nonlinear regression with a small number of the evaluated parameters and to the numerical or asymptotic study on the model peak functions - the eigenfunctions of the differential tasks and their fourier images [ru

  19. Members of the HCMV US12 family of predicted heptaspanning membrane proteins have unique intracellular distributions, including association with the cytoplasmic virion assembly complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Das, Subhendu; Pellett, Philip E.

    2007-01-01

    The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) US12 gene family is a group of 10 predicted seven-transmembrane domain proteins that have some features in common with G-protein-coupled receptors. Little is known of their patterns of expression, localization, or functional interactions. Here, we studied the intracellular localization of three US12 family members, US14, US17, and US18, with respect to various intracellular markers and the cytoplasmic virion assembly compartment (AC). The three proteins have distinct patterns of expression, which include associations with the AC. US14 is often distributed in a uniform granular manner throughout the cytoplasm, concentrating in the AC in some cells. US17 is expressed in a segmented manner, with its N-terminal domain localizing to the periphery of what we show here to be the AC and the C-terminal domain localizing to nuclei and the cytoplasm [Das, S., Skomorovska-Prokvolit, Y., Wang, F. Z., Pellett, P.E., 2006. Infection-dependent nuclear localization of US17, a member of the US12 family of human cytomegalovirus-encoded seven-transmembrane proteins. J. Virol. 80, 1191-1203]. Here, we show that the C-terminal domain is present at the center of the AC, in close association with markers of early endosomes; the N-terminal staining corresponds to an area stained by markers for the Golgi and trans-Golgi. US18 is distributed throughout the cytoplasm, concentrating in the AC at later stages of infection; it is localized more to the periphery of the AC than are US14 and US17C, in association with markers of the trans-Golgi. Although not detected in virions, their structures and localization in various zones within the AC suggest possible roles for these proteins in the process of virion maturation and egress

  20. Ketamine changes the local resting-state functional properties of anesthetized-monkey brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, Jia-Sheng; Liu, Zuxiang; Zhao, Can; Wei, Rui-Han; Zhao, Wen; Tian, Peng-Yu; Zhou, Xia; Yang, Zhao-Yang; Li, Xiao-Guang

    2017-11-01

    Ketamine is a well-known anesthetic. 'Recreational' use of ketamine common induces psychosis-like symptoms and cognitive impairments. The acute and chronic effects of ketamine on relevant brain circuits have been studied, but the effects of single-dose ketamine administration on the local resting-state functional properties of the brain remain unknown. In this study, we aimed to assess the effects of single-dose ketamine administration on the brain local intrinsic properties. We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to explore the ketamine-induced alterations of brain intrinsic properties. Seven adult rhesus monkeys were imaged with rs-fMRI to examine the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) in the brain before and after ketamine injection. Paired comparisons were used to detect the significantly altered regions. Results showed that the fALFF of the prefrontal cortex (p=0.046), caudate nucleus (left side, p=0.018; right side, p=0.025), and putamen (p=0.020) in post-injection stage significantly increased compared with those in pre-injection period. The ReHo of nucleus accumbens (p=0.049), caudate nucleus (p=0.037), and hippocampus (p=0.025) increased after ketamine injection, but that of prefrontal cortex decreased (pketamine administration can change the regional intensity and synchronism of brain activity, thereby providing evidence of ketamine-induced abnormal resting-state functional properties in primates. This evidence may help further elucidate the effects of ketamine on the cerebral resting status. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  1. Does formal mentoring for faculty members matter? A survey of clinical faculty members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mylona, Elza; Brubaker, Linda; Williams, Valerie N; Novielli, Karen D; Lyness, Jeffrey M; Pollart, Susan M; Dandar, Valerie; Bunton, Sarah A

    2016-06-01

    Mentoring relationships, for all medical school faculty members, are an important component of lifelong development and education, yet an understanding of mentoring among medical school clinical faculty members is incomplete. This study examined associations between formal mentoring relationships and aspects of faculty members' engagement and satisfaction. It then explored the variability of these associations across subgroups of clinical faculty members to understand the status of mentoring and outcomes of mentoring relationships. The authors hypothesised that academic clinical faculty members currently in formal mentoring relationships experience enhanced employee engagement and satisfaction with their department and institution. Medical school faculty members at 26 self-selected USA institutions participated in the 2011-2014 Faculty Forward Engagement Survey. Responses from clinical faculty members were analysed for relationships between mentoring status and perceptions of engagement by faculty members. Of the 11 953 clinical faculty respondents, almost one-third reported having a formal mentoring relationship (30%; 3529). Most mentored faculty indicated the relationship was important (86%; n = 3027), and over three-fourths were satisfied with their mentoring experience (77%; n = 2722). Mentored faculty members across ranks reported significantly higher levels of satisfaction and more positive perceptions of their roles in the organisation. Faculty members who were not receiving mentoring reported significantly less satisfaction with their workplace environment and lower overall satisfaction. Mentored clinical faculty members have significantly greater satisfaction with their department and institution. This multi-institutional study provides evidence that fostering mentoring opportunities may facilitate faculty members' satisfaction and engagement, which, in turn, may help medical schools retain high-quality faculty staff committed to the multidimensional

  2. Modeling resting-state functional networks when the cortex falls asleep: local and global changes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deco, Gustavo; Hagmann, Patric; Hudetz, Anthony G; Tononi, Giulio

    2014-12-01

    The transition from wakefulness to sleep represents the most conspicuous change in behavior and the level of consciousness occurring in the healthy brain. It is accompanied by similarly conspicuous changes in neural dynamics, traditionally exemplified by the change from "desynchronized" electroencephalogram activity in wake to globally synchronized slow wave activity of early sleep. However, unit and local field recordings indicate that the transition is more gradual than it might appear: On one hand, local slow waves already appear during wake; on the other hand, slow sleep waves are only rarely global. Studies with functional magnetic resonance imaging also reveal changes in resting-state functional connectivity (FC) between wake and slow wave sleep. However, it remains unclear how resting-state networks may change during this transition period. Here, we employ large-scale modeling of the human cortico-cortical anatomical connectivity to evaluate changes in resting-state FC when the model "falls asleep" due to the progressive decrease in arousal-promoting neuromodulation. When cholinergic neuromodulation is parametrically decreased, local slow waves appear, while the overall organization of resting-state networks does not change. Furthermore, we show that these local slow waves are structured macroscopically in networks that resemble the resting-state networks. In contrast, when the neuromodulator decrease further to very low levels, slow waves become global and resting-state networks merge into a single undifferentiated, broadly synchronized network. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  3. The effectiveness of cognitive behavioral stress management training on mental health, social interaction and family function in adolescents of families with one Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive member.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keypour, Maryam; Arman, Soroor; Maracy, Mohammad Reza

    2011-06-01

    This study evaluated stress management training to improve mental health, social interaction and family function among adolescents of families with one Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive member. There were 34 adolescents (13-18 years old) with at least one family member living with HIV from whom finally 15 attended the study and participated in 8 weekly sessions of stress management training. The tests used in this study were: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (self and parent report), General Health Questionnare-28 (GHQ-28) and Family Assessment Device (FAD), conducted before, after and three months after the intervention. The collected data were analyzed by repeated measure test using SPSS software (Version 18.0). Adolescents with one HIV positive family member showed high level of emotional problem (40%) and conduct problem (33.3%). There was a significant difference between before, after and 3months after intervention based on GHQ-28 mean scores and FAD mean sores (p social behavior based on SDQ (self report and parents report forms) in all three stages (before, after and three months after intervention). Stress management training is effective in improving mental health, family function and social interaction among adolescents living with parents infected with HIV/AIDS.

  4. Investigation of local load effect on damping characteristics of synchronous generator using transfer-function block-diagram model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pichai Aree

    2005-07-01

    Full Text Available The transfer-function block-diagram model of single-machine infinite-bus power system has been a popular analytical tool amongst power engineers for explaining and assessing synchronous generator dynamic behaviors. In previous studies, the effects of local load together with damper circuit on generator damping have not yet been addressed because neither of them was integrated into this model. Since the model only accounts for the generator main field circuit, it may not always yield a realistic damping assessment due to lack of damper circuit representation. This paper presents an extended transfer-function block-diagram model, which includes one of the q-axis damper circuits as well as local load. This allows a more realistic investigation of the local load effect on the generator damping. The extended model is applied to assess thegenerator dynamic performance. The results show that the damping power components mostly derived from the q-axis damper and the field circuits can be improved according to the local load. The frequency response method is employed to carry out the fundamental analysis.

  5. Relationship between Child and Parental Dental Anxiety with Child's Psychological Functioning and Behavior during the Administration of Local Anesthesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boka, Vasiliki; Arapostathis, Konstantinos; Kotsanos, Nikolaos; Karagiannis, Vassilis; van Loveren, Cor; Veerkamp, Jaap

    2016-01-01

    The aims of this study were to determine: 1) the relationship between children's psychological functioning, dental anxiety and cooperative behavior before and during local anesthesia, 2) the relationship of parental dental anxiety with all the above child characteristics. There was a convenient sample of 100 children (4-12 years). Child dental anxiety and psychological functioning were measured using the "Children's Fear Survey Schedule" (CFSS-DS) and the "Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire" (SDQ) respectively. Parental dental anxiety was measured using the "Modified Dental Anxiety Scale" (MDAS). All questionnaires were completed by parents. Before and during local anesthesia, the child behavior was scored by one experienced examiner, using the Venham scale. Non-parametric tests and correlations (Mann-Whitney, Spearman's rho) were used for the analysis. The mean SDQ score was 10±5.6 for boys (n=60) and 8.3±4.8 for girls (n=40) (p=0.038), but there was no correlation with children's age. The mean CFSS-DS score was 33.1±11.86 and there was no correlation with age or gender. Children with higher levels in the pro-social subscale of the SDQ had significantly less anxiety and better behavior before local anesthesia. Higher mean CFSS-DS scores were significantly associated with uncooperative behavior during local anesthesia (p=0.04). There was no correlation between parents' and their children's dental anxiety, psychological functioning and behavior. 46% of the children had previous dental experience in the last 6 months. As time since the last dental treatment increased, an improvement was found in children's behavior during local anesthesia. Child psychological functioning was related to dental anxiety and behavior during dental appointment involving local anesthesia.

  6. [The role of university hospital executive board members].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Debatin, J F; Rehr, J

    2009-09-01

    Demographic changes and medical progress in combination with vastly altered regulatory and economic environments have forced considerable change in the structure of German university hospitals in recent years. These changes have affected medical care as well as research and medical school training. To allow for more flexibility and a higher level of reactivity to the changing environment German university hospitals were transferred from state agencies to independent corporate structures. All but one remains wholly owned by the respective state governments. The governing structure of these independent medical hospitals consists of an executive board, generally made up of a medical director, a financial director, a director for nursing, and the dean of the medical faculty. In most hospitals, the medical director serves as chief executive officer. The regulations governing the composition and responsibility of the members of the executive board differ from state to state. These differences do affect to some degree the interactive effectiveness of the members of the executive boards. Modalities that stress the overall responsibility for all board members seem to work better than those that define clear portfolio limits. Even more than organizational and regulatory differences, the effectiveness of the work of the executive boards is influenced by the personality of the board members themselves. Success appears to be a clear function of the willingness of all members to work together.

  7. Meshfree Local Radial Basis Function Collocation Method with Image Nodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baek, Seung Ki; Kim, Minjae [Pukyong National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-07-15

    We numerically solve two-dimensional heat diffusion problems by using a simple variant of the meshfree local radial-basis function (RBF) collocation method. The main idea is to include an additional set of sample nodes outside the problem domain, similarly to the method of images in electrostatics, to perform collocation on the domain boundaries. We can thereby take into account the temperature profile as well as its gradients specified by boundary conditions at the same time, which holds true even for a node where two or more boundaries meet with different boundary conditions. We argue that the image method is computationally efficient when combined with the local RBF collocation method, whereas the addition of image nodes becomes very costly in case of the global collocation. We apply our modified method to a benchmark test of a boundary value problem, and find that this simple modification reduces the maximum error from the analytic solution significantly. The reduction is small for an initial value problem with simpler boundary conditions. We observe increased numerical instability, which has to be compensated for by a sufficient number of sample nodes and/or more careful parameter choices for time integration.

  8. The Functions of Constitutional Identity Performed in the Context of Constitutionalization of the EU Order and Europeanization of the Legal Orders of EU Member States

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Belov Martin

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This article provides an analysis of the functions performed by constitutional identity in constitutional discourses of both the EU and its Member States, in the context of emerging post-Westphalian and supranational constitutionalism. The analysis tries to demonstrate that constitutional identity may serve as one of the key normative ideologies, legitimation strategies and ordering schemes of EU constitutionalism. It reasserts through functional analysis the suitability of constitutional identity for organizing and explaining multiple constitutional orders in a non-hierarchical and inclusive way.

  9. Local climate and cultivation, but not ploidy, predict functional trait variation in Bouteloua gracilis (Poaceae)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butterfield, Bradley J.; Wood, Troy E.

    2015-01-01

    Efforts to improve the diversity of seed 18 resources for important restoration species has become a high priority for land managers in many parts of the world. Relationships between functional trait values and the environment from which seed sources are collected can provide important insights into patterns of local adaptation and guidelines for seed transfer. However, little is known about which functional traits exhibit genetic differentiation across populations of restoration species and thus may contribute to local adaptation. Here, we report the results of a common garden experiment aimed at assessing genetic (including ploidy level) and environmental regulation of several functional traits among populations of Bouteloua gracilis, a dominant C4 grass and the most highly utilized restoration species across much of the Colorado Plateau. We found that leaf size and specific leaf area (SLA) varied significantly among populations, and were strongly correlated with the source population environment from which seeds were collected. However, variation in ploidy level had no significant effect on functional traits. Leaves of plants grown from commercial seed releases were significantly larger and had lower SLA than those from natural populations, a result that is concordant with the overall relation between climate and these two functional traits. We suggest that the patterns of functional trait variation shown here may extend to other grass species in the western USA, and may serve as useful proxies for more extensive genecology research. Furthermore, we argue that care should be taken to develop commercial seed lines with functional trait values that match those of natural populations occupying climates similar to target restoration sites.

  10. Stratigraphy, artefact industries and hominid associations for Sterkfontein, member 5.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuman, K; Clarke, R J

    2000-06-01

    A revised stratigraphy for the early hominid site of Sterkfontein (Gauteng Province, South Africa) reveals a complex distribution of infills in the main excavation area between 2.8 and 1.4 m.y.a, as well as deposits dating to the mid to late Pleistocene. New research now shows that the Member 4 australopithecine breccia (2.8-2.6 Ma) extends further west than was previously thought, while a late phase of Member 4 is recognized in a southern area. The artefact-bearing breccias were defined sedimentologically as Member 5, but one supposed part of these younger breccias, the StW 53 infill, lacks in situ stone tools, although it does appear to post-date 2.6 Ma when artefacts first appear in the archaeological record. The StW 53 hominid, previously referred to Homo habilis, is here argued to be Australopithecus. The first artefact-bearing breccia of Member 5 is the Oldowan Infill, estimated at 2-1.7 Ma. It occupies a restricted distribution in Member 5 east and contains an expedient, flake-based tool industry associated with a few fossils of Paranthropos robustus. An enlarged cave opening subsequently admitted one or more Early Acheulean infills associated in Member 5 west with Homo ergaster. The artefacts attest to a larger site accumulation between ca. 1.7 and 1.4 Ma, with more intensive use of quartzite over quartz and a subtle but important shift to large flakes and heavier-duty tools. The available information on palaeoenvironments is summarized, showing an overall change from tropical to sub-tropical gallery forest, forest fringe and woodland conditions in Member 4 to more open woodland and grassland habitats in the later units, but with suggestions of a wet localized topography in the Paranthropus -bearing Oldowan Infill. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

  11. EU MEMBER STATES AND FISCAL DECENTRALIZATION– EMPIRICAL COMPARISON

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Žan Oplotnik

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of an article is to compare systems of fiscal decentralization in EU member states according to selected quantitative criteria and European Charter of Local Self-Government principles. The results show that a higher number of lower levels of government usually indicate a greater share of local finance within the total public finance, however, this finding does not confirm the inverse link. Even though the structure of expenditures in EU countries is similar, the shares of funds for the implementation of individual tasks differ significantly. On average, the countries allocate most funds to education, social security, healthcare, administration and political systems, with only a quarter of the countries recording the same or higher amounts of revenues than expenditures. Most of the countries still cover the existing deficit either through transfers from the central to lower levels of government or through equalization schemes or borrowing, which otherwise represents a departure from one of the basic principles of the Charter, which stipulates that financial resources must be commensurate with the responsibilities of local self-government.

  12. 75 FR 64728 - Cooperative Operating Philosophy-Serving the Members of Farm Credit System Institutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-20

    ... seven principles are voluntary and open membership, democratic member control, member economic... System (System) institutions are required to operate.\\1\\ The FCA emphasizes cooperative principles by... principles in the examination function and Financial Institution Rating System (FIRS) used to categorize the...

  13. HAM-5 functions as a MAP kinase scaffold during cell fusion in Neurospora crassa.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wilfried Jonkers

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Cell fusion in genetically identical Neurospora crassa germlings and in hyphae is a highly regulated process involving the activation of a conserved MAP kinase cascade that includes NRC-1, MEK-2 and MAK-2. During chemotrophic growth in germlings, the MAP kinase cascade members localize to conidial anastomosis tube (CAT tips every ∼8 minutes, perfectly out of phase with another protein that is recruited to the tip: SOFT, a recently identified scaffold for the MAK-1 MAP kinase pathway in Sordaria macrospora. How the MAK-2 oscillation process is initiated, maintained and what proteins regulate the MAP kinase cascade is currently unclear. A global phosphoproteomics approach using an allele of mak-2 (mak-2Q100G that can be specifically inhibited by the ATP analog 1NM-PP1 was utilized to identify MAK-2 kinase targets in germlings that were potentially involved in this process. One such putative target was HAM-5, a protein of unknown biochemical function. Previously, Δham-5 mutants were shown to be deficient for hyphal fusion. Here we show that HAM-5-GFP co-localized with NRC-1, MEK-2 and MAK-2 and oscillated with identical dynamics from the cytoplasm to CAT tips during chemotropic interactions. In the Δmak-2 strain, HAM-5-GFP localized to punctate complexes that did not oscillate, but still localized to the germling tip, suggesting that MAK-2 activity influences HAM-5 function/localization. However, MAK-2-GFP showed cytoplasmic and nuclear localization in a Δham-5 strain and did not localize to puncta. Via co-immunoprecipitation experiments, HAM-5 was shown to physically interact with NRC-1, MEK-2 and MAK-2, suggesting that it functions as a scaffold/transport hub for the MAP kinase cascade members for oscillation and chemotropic interactions during germling and hyphal fusion in N. crassa. The identification of HAM-5 as a scaffold-like protein will help to link the activation of MAK-2 cascade to upstream factors and proteins involved in this

  14. Factors That Contribute to Community Members' Support of Local Nature Centers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Browning, Matthew H. E. M.; Stern, Marc J.; Ardoin, Nicole M.; Heimlich, Joe E.

    2018-01-01

    Nature centers can serve as valuable community institutions if they are seen as providing important services to the community. Through survey research in communities surrounding 16 nature centers in the United States, we examine the attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs that drive hypothetical support for nature centers from local residents.…

  15. Communication: Near-locality of exchange and correlation density functionals for 1- and 2-electron systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Jianwei; Perdew, John P.; Yang, Zenghui; Peng, Haowei

    2016-05-01

    The uniform electron gas and the hydrogen atom play fundamental roles in condensed matter physics and quantum chemistry. The former has an infinite number of electrons uniformly distributed over the neutralizing positively charged background, and the latter only one electron bound to the proton. The uniform electron gas was used to derive the local spin density approximation to the exchange-correlation functional that undergirds the development of the Kohn-Sham density functional theory. We show here that the ground-state exchange-correlation energies of the hydrogen atom and many other 1- and 2-electron systems are modeled surprisingly well by a different local spin density approximation (LSDA0). LSDA0 is constructed to satisfy exact constraints but agrees surprisingly well with the exact results for a uniform two-electron density in a finite, curved three-dimensional space. We also apply LSDA0 to excited or noded 1-electron densities, where it works less well. Furthermore, we show that the localization of the exact exchange hole for a 1- or 2-electron ground state can be measured by the ratio of the exact exchange energy to its optimal lower bound.

  16. Communication: Near-locality of exchange and correlation density functionals for 1- and 2-electron systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Jianwei; Yang, Zenghui; Peng, Haowei [Department of Physics, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122 (United States); Perdew, John P. [Department of Physics, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122 (United States); Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122 (United States)

    2016-05-21

    The uniform electron gas and the hydrogen atom play fundamental roles in condensed matter physics and quantum chemistry. The former has an infinite number of electrons uniformly distributed over the neutralizing positively charged background, and the latter only one electron bound to the proton. The uniform electron gas was used to derive the local spin density approximation to the exchange-correlation functional that undergirds the development of the Kohn-Sham density functional theory. We show here that the ground-state exchange-correlation energies of the hydrogen atom and many other 1- and 2-electron systems are modeled surprisingly well by a different local spin density approximation (LSDA0). LSDA0 is constructed to satisfy exact constraints but agrees surprisingly well with the exact results for a uniform two-electron density in a finite, curved three-dimensional space. We also apply LSDA0 to excited or noded 1-electron densities, where it works less well. Furthermore, we show that the localization of the exact exchange hole for a 1- or 2-electron ground state can be measured by the ratio of the exact exchange energy to its optimal lower bound.

  17. Communication: Near-locality of exchange and correlation density functionals for 1- and 2-electron systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, Jianwei; Yang, Zenghui; Peng, Haowei; Perdew, John P.

    2016-01-01

    The uniform electron gas and the hydrogen atom play fundamental roles in condensed matter physics and quantum chemistry. The former has an infinite number of electrons uniformly distributed over the neutralizing positively charged background, and the latter only one electron bound to the proton. The uniform electron gas was used to derive the local spin density approximation to the exchange-correlation functional that undergirds the development of the Kohn-Sham density functional theory. We show here that the ground-state exchange-correlation energies of the hydrogen atom and many other 1- and 2-electron systems are modeled surprisingly well by a different local spin density approximation (LSDA0). LSDA0 is constructed to satisfy exact constraints but agrees surprisingly well with the exact results for a uniform two-electron density in a finite, curved three-dimensional space. We also apply LSDA0 to excited or noded 1-electron densities, where it works less well. Furthermore, we show that the localization of the exact exchange hole for a 1- or 2-electron ground state can be measured by the ratio of the exact exchange energy to its optimal lower bound.

  18. MN15-L: A New Local Exchange-Correlation Functional for Kohn-Sham Density Functional Theory with Broad Accuracy for Atoms, Molecules, and Solids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Haoyu S; He, Xiao; Truhlar, Donald G

    2016-03-08

    Kohn-Sham density functional theory is widely used for applications of electronic structure theory in chemistry, materials science, and condensed-matter physics, but the accuracy depends on the quality of the exchange-correlation functional. Here, we present a new local exchange-correlation functional called MN15-L that predicts accurate results for a broad range of molecular and solid-state properties including main-group bond energies, transition metal bond energies, reaction barrier heights, noncovalent interactions, atomic excitation energies, ionization potentials, electron affinities, total atomic energies, hydrocarbon thermochemistry, and lattice constants of solids. The MN15-L functional has the same mathematical form as a previous meta-nonseparable gradient approximation exchange-correlation functional, MN12-L, but it is improved because we optimized it against a larger database, designated 2015A, and included smoothness restraints; the optimization has a much better representation of transition metals. The mean unsigned error on 422 chemical energies is 2.32 kcal/mol, which is the best among all tested functionals, with or without nonlocal exchange. The MN15-L functional also provides good results for test sets that are outside the training set. A key issue is that the functional is local (no nonlocal exchange or nonlocal correlation), which makes it relatively economical for treating large and complex systems and solids. Another key advantage is that medium-range correlation energy is built in so that one does not need to add damped dispersion by molecular mechanics in order to predict accurate noncovalent binding energies. We believe that the MN15-L functional should be useful for a wide variety of applications in chemistry, physics, materials science, and molecular biology.

  19. Analysis of nuclear localization of interleukin-1 family cytokines by flow cytometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Ralf; Grimmel, Jan; Goedicke, Sybelle; Möbus, Anna M; Bulau, Ana-Maria; Bufler, Philip; Ali, Shafaqat; Martin, Michael U

    2013-01-31

    The dual function cytokines IL-1α, IL-33 and IL-37 are members of the IL-1 cytokine family. Besides of being able to bind to their cognate receptors on target cells, they can act intracellularly in the producing cell. All three are able to translocate to the nucleus and have been discussed to affect gene expression. In order to compare and quantitate nuclear translocation of these IL-1 family members we established a robust technique which enables to measure nuclear localization on a single cell level by flow cytometry. Vectors encoding fusion proteins of different IL-1 family members with enhanced green fluorescent protein were cloned and cell lines transiently transfected with these. Fluorescent fusion proteins in intact cells or in isolated nuclei were detected subsequently by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, respectively. Depending on the cellular system, cells and nuclei were distinguishable by flow cytometry in forward scatter/sideward scatter. Fluorescent fusion proteins were detectable in isolated nuclei up to three days following preparation. Signal intensity of fusion proteins of IL-33 and IL-37 in isolated nuclei but not of IL-1α, was markedly increased by fixation with paraformaldehyde, directly following cell lysis, indicating that IL-1α binds stronger to nuclear structures than IL-33 and IL-37. Nuclear translocation of fluorescent IL-37 fusion proteins in a stably transfected RAW264.7 mouse macrophage cell line required stimulation with lipopolysaccharide. Applying this method we demonstrated that a prolonged lag phase of more than 15h before LPS-stimulated nuclear translocation was detected. In summary, we present a robust method to analyze and quantitate nuclear localization of IL-1 cytokine family members. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Local activity determines functional connectivity in the resting human brain: a simultaneous FDG-PET/fMRI study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riedl, Valentin; Bienkowska, Katarzyna; Strobel, Carola; Tahmasian, Masoud; Grimmer, Timo; Förster, Stefan; Friston, Karl J; Sorg, Christian; Drzezga, Alexander

    2014-04-30

    Over the last decade, synchronized resting-state fluctuations of blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals between remote brain areas [so-called BOLD resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC)] have gained enormous relevance in systems and clinical neuroscience. However, the neural underpinnings of rs-FC are still incompletely understood. Using simultaneous positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging we here directly investigated the relationship between rs-FC and local neuronal activity in humans. Computational models suggest a mechanistic link between the dynamics of local neuronal activity and the functional coupling among distributed brain regions. Therefore, we hypothesized that the local activity (LA) of a region at rest determines its rs-FC. To test this hypothesis, we simultaneously measured both LA (glucose metabolism) and rs-FC (via synchronized BOLD fluctuations) during conditions of eyes closed or eyes open. During eyes open, LA increased in the visual system, and the salience network (i.e., cingulate and insular cortices) and the pattern of elevated LA coincided almost exactly with the spatial pattern of increased rs-FC. Specifically, the voxelwise regional profile of LA in these areas strongly correlated with the regional pattern of rs-FC among the same regions (e.g., LA in primary visual cortex accounts for ∼ 50%, and LA in anterior cingulate accounts for ∼ 20% of rs-FC with the visual system). These data provide the first direct evidence in humans that local neuronal activity determines BOLD FC at rest. Beyond its relevance for the neuronal basis of coherent BOLD signal fluctuations, our procedure may translate into clinical research particularly to investigate potentially aberrant links between local dynamics and remote functional coupling in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders.

  1. On the possibility of localizing of electron group functions using the notion of antisymmetrical orthogonality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Puchin, V.E.; Zapol, B.P.

    1990-11-01

    The authors try to solve the following problems: provided that variation freedom is not restricted and intragroup correlation is taken into account in a given approximation, is it possible to develop for group functions any analogue of the well known (in the case of orbitals) Adams-Gilbert-Kunz method that could give one a possibility to go from delocalized group functions to localized ones seeking for minimization of the intergroup correlation? 20 refs, 1 tab

  2. RABA Members Act in Distinct Steps of Subcellular Trafficking of the FLAGELLIN SENSING2 Receptor[W

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Seung-won; Tamaki, Takayuki; Ebine, Kazuo; Uemura, Tomohiro; Ueda, Takashi; Nakano, Akihiko

    2013-01-01

    Cell surface proteins play critical roles in the perception of environmental stimuli at the plasma membrane (PM) and ensuing signal transduction. Intracellular localization of such proteins must be strictly regulated, which requires elaborate integration of exocytic and endocytic trafficking pathways. Subcellular localization of Arabidopsis thaliana FLAGELLIN SENSING2 (FLS2), a receptor that recognizes bacterial flagellin, also depends on membrane trafficking. However, our understanding about the mechanisms involved is still limited. In this study, we visualized ligand-induced endocytosis of FLS2 using green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged FLS2 expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana. Upon treatment with the flg22 peptide, internalized FLS2-GFP from the PM was transported to a compartment with properties intermediate between the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and the multivesicular endosome. This compartment gradually discarded the TGN characteristics as it continued along the trafficking pathway. We further found that FLS2 endocytosis involves distinct RABA/RAB11 subgroups at different steps. Moreover, we demonstrated that transport of de novo–synthesized FLS2 to the PM also involves a distinct RABA/RAB11 subgroup. Our results demonstrate the complex regulatory system for properly localizing FLS2 and functional differentiation in RABA members in endo- and exocytosis. PMID:23532067

  3. Bioinformatic and Comparative Localization of Rab Proteins Reveals Functional Insights into the Uncharacterized GTPases Ypt10p and Ypt11p†

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buvelot Frei, Stéphanie; Rahl, Peter B.; Nussbaum, Maria; Briggs, Benjamin J.; Calero, Monica; Janeczko, Stephanie; Regan, Andrew D.; Chen, Catherine Z.; Barral, Yves; Whittaker, Gary R.; Collins, Ruth N.

    2006-01-01

    A striking characteristic of a Rab protein is its steady-state localization to the cytosolic surface of a particular subcellular membrane. In this study, we have undertaken a combined bioinformatic and experimental approach to examine the evolutionary conservation of Rab protein localization. A comprehensive primary sequence classification shows that 10 out of the 11 Rab proteins identified in the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) genome can be grouped within a major subclass, each comprising multiple Rab orthologs from diverse species. We compared the locations of individual yeast Rab proteins with their localizations following ectopic expression in mammalian cells. Our results suggest that green fluorescent protein-tagged Rab proteins maintain localizations across large evolutionary distances and that the major known player in the Rab localization pathway, mammalian Rab-GDI, is able to function in yeast. These findings enable us to provide insight into novel gene functions and classify the uncharacterized Rab proteins Ypt10p (YBR264C) as being involved in endocytic function and Ypt11p (YNL304W) as being localized to the endoplasmic reticulum, where we demonstrate it is required for organelle inheritance. PMID:16980630

  4. Modulation of functionally localized right insular cortex activity using real-time fMRI-based neurofeedback

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brian D Berman

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available The capacity for subjects to learn to volitionally control localized brain activity using neurofeedback is actively being investigated. We aimed to investigate the ability of healthy volunteers to quickly learn to use visual feedback during real-time functional MRI (rtfMRI to modulate brain activity within their anterior right insular cortex (RIC localized during a blink suppression task, an approach of possible interest in the use of rtfMRI to reduce urges. The RIC region of interest (RIC-ROI was functionally localized using a blink suppression task, and BOLD signal changes within RIC-ROI used to create a constantly updating display fed back to the subject in the scanner. Subjects were instructed to use emotional imagery to try and increase activity within RIC-ROI during four feedback training runs (FB1–FB4. A ‘control’ run (CNTRL before training and a ‘transfer’ run (XSFR after training were performed without feedback to assess for baseline abilities and learning effects. Fourteen participants completed all neurofeedback training runs. At the group level, increased BOLD activity was seen in the anterior RIC during all the FB runs, but a significant increase in the functionally defined RIC-ROI was only attained during FB2. In atlas-defined insular cortex ROIs, significant increases were seen bilaterally during the CNTRL, FB1, FB2, and FB4 runs. Increased activity within the insular cortices did not show lateralization. Training did, however, result in a significant increase in functional connectivity between the RIC-ROI and the medial frontal gyrus when comparing FB4 to FB1. Since neurofeedback training did not lead to an increase in BOLD signal across all feedback runs, we suggest that learning to control one’s brain activity in this fashion may require longer or repeated rtfMRI training sessions.

  5. Meta-analysis of rates of erectile function after treatment of localized prostate carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robinson, John W.; Moritz, Sabine; Fung, Tak

    2002-01-01

    Purpose: The results of a 1997 meta-analysis of the rates of erectile function after external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and radical prostatectomy have been widely used in patient and professional education materials and as a reference against which new findings are compared. With a number of recent publications, it is now possible to update this analysis and compare brachytherapy with or without EBRT with EBRT alone, standard and nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy, and cryotherapy. Methods: A comprehensive literature review and subsequent meta-analysis of the rates of erectile dysfunction associated with the treatments of localized prostate carcinoma was conducted. A simple logistic regression analysis was used to combine the data from the 54 articles that met the selection criteria. Results: The predicted probability of maintaining erectile function after brachytherapy was 0.76, after brachytherapy plus EBRT 0.60, after EBRT 0.55, after nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy 0.34, after standard radical prostatectomy 0.25, and after cryotherapy 0.13. When only studies reporting ≥2 years follow-up were considered, the only significant change was a decline in the probability for nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy. No brachytherapy studies had a follow-up of ≥2 years. When the probabilities were adjusted for age, the spread between the RT methods and surgical approaches was greater. Conclusion: The differences in the probability of maintaining erectile function after different treatments of localized prostate cancer are significant

  6. Intraoperative monitoring technician: a new member of the surgical team.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Molly S; Brown, Debra S

    2011-02-01

    As surgery needs have increased, the traditional surgical team has expanded to include personnel from radiology and perfusion services. A new surgical team member, the intraoperative monitoring technician, is needed to perform intraoperative monitoring during procedures that carry a higher risk of central and peripheral nerve injury. Including the intraoperative monitoring technician on the surgical team can create challenges, including surgical delays and anesthesia care considerations. When the surgical team members, including the surgeon, anesthesia care provider, and circulating nurse, understand and facilitate this new staff member's responsibilities, the technician is able to perform monitoring functions that promote the smooth flow of the surgical procedure and positive patient outcomes. Copyright © 2011 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Voxel Scale Complex Networks of Functional Connectivity in the Rat Brain: Neurochemical State Dependence of Global and Local Topological Properties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam J. Schwarz

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Network analysis of functional imaging data reveals emergent features of the brain as a function of its topological properties. However, the brain is not a homogeneous network, and the dependence of functional connectivity parameters on neuroanatomical substrate and parcellation scale is a key issue. Moreover, the extent to which these topological properties depend on underlying neurochemical changes remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated both global statistical properties and the local, voxel-scale distribution of connectivity parameters of the rat brain. Different neurotransmitter systems were stimulated by pharmacological challenge (d-amphetamine, fluoxetine, and nicotine to discriminate between stimulus-specific functional connectivity and more general features of the rat brain architecture. Although global connectivity parameters were similar, mapping of local connectivity parameters at high spatial resolution revealed strong neuroanatomical dependence of functional connectivity in the rat brain, with clear differentiation between the neocortex and older brain regions. Localized foci of high functional connectivity independent of drug challenge were found in the sensorimotor cortices, consistent with the high neuronal connectivity in these regions. Conversely, the topological properties and node roles in subcortical regions varied with neurochemical state and were dependent on the specific dynamics of the different functional processes elicited.

  8. Normative data and the influence of age and gender on power, balance, flexibility, and functional movement in healthy service members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teyhen, Deydre S; Riebel, Mark A; McArthur, Derrick R; Savini, Matthew; Jones, Mackenzie J; Goffar, Stephen L; Kiesel, Kyle B; Plisky, Phillip J

    2014-04-01

    Determine the influence of age and sex and describe normative data on field expedient tests associated with power, balance, trunk stability, mobility, and functional movement in a military population. Participants (n = 247) completed a series of clinical and functional tests, including closed-chain ankle dorsiflexion (DF), Functional Movement Screen (FMS), Y-Balance Test Lower Quarter (YBT-LQ), Y-Balance Test Upper Quarter (YBT-UQ), single leg vertical jump (SLVJ), 6-m timed hop (6-m timed), and triple hop. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Analysis of variance tests were performed to compare the results based on sex and age (30 years). Service members demonstrated DF of 34.2 ± 6.1°, FMS composite score of 16.2 ± 2.2, YBT-LQ normalized composite score of 96.9 ± 8.6%, YBT-UQ normalized composite score of 87.6 ± 9.6%, SLVJ of 26.9 ± 8.6 cm, 6-m hop of 2.4 ± 0.5 seconds, and a triple hop of 390.9 ± 110.8 cm. Men performed greater than women (p power, balance, and trunk stability tests, whereas younger individuals performed better on power, balance, mobility, and functional movement. Reprint & Copyright © 2014 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

  9. New correlation potential for the local-spin-density functional formalism. II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kolar, M.; Farkas, L.

    1982-01-01

    Using the new parameterization for the correlation potential which seems to be the best that is at present available within the local-spin-density (LSD) functional formalism, the Fermi contact term in light atoms (up to Ni) is calculated. Although the overall improvement of the previous LSD results is obtained, discrepancy between theory and experiment remains rather large. It seems that the local approximation for exchange and correlation fails to predict such quantities as magnetic-moment density near the nucleus. It is also shown that the self-interaction correction does not remedy this failure. Further, the effect of the nonzero nuclear radius is investigated and found to be most important in the lightest atoms (e.g. a factor of 0.664 appears in the case of Li). This fact was omitted in all previous calculations and throws doubt on the reported excellent agreement of the results of many-body perturbation theory with experiment. It was also verified that the contact approximation of the Fermi contact term is really good enough. (author)

  10. Exact-exchange spin-density functional theory of Wigner localization and phase transitions in quantum rings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Thorsten; Siegmund, Marc; Pankratov, Oleg

    2011-08-24

    We apply exact-exchange spin-density functional theory in the Krieger-Li-Iafrate approximation to interacting electrons in quantum rings of different widths. The rings are threaded by a magnetic flux that induces a persistent current. A weak space and spin symmetry breaking potential is introduced to allow for localized solutions. As the electron-electron interaction strength described by the dimensionless parameter r(S) is increased, we observe-at a fixed spin magnetic moment-the subsequent transition of both spin sub-systems from the Fermi liquid to the Wigner crystal state. A dramatic signature of Wigner crystallization is that the persistent current drops sharply with increasing r(S). We observe simultaneously the emergence of pronounced oscillations in the spin-resolved densities and in the electron localization functions indicating a spatial electron localization showing ferrimagnetic order after both spin sub-systems have undergone the Wigner crystallization. The critical r(S)(c) at the transition point is substantially smaller than in a fully spin-polarized system and decreases further with decreasing ring width. Relaxing the constraint of a fixed spin magnetic moment, we find that on increasing r(S) the stable phase changes from an unpolarized Fermi liquid to an antiferromagnetic Wigner crystal and finally to a fully polarized Fermi liquid. © 2011 IOP Publishing Ltd

  11. NWHSS Implement Family Member Assessment Component in the Millennium Cohort Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-01

    Response and Referral Rates (McMaster) Panel 4 Impact of Cognitive Dissonance Improvement Strategies *Open Discussion* Family Improvement... Cognitive Dissonance (Via Effort Justification) Study  This pilot study utilized a random selection of married Panel 4 Millennium Cohort members taking...Spousal and family  functioning  Determine service member  factors that are associated  with spouse reports of  marital  satisfaction  and  family

  12. Surface association and the MreB cytoskeleton regulate pilus production, localization and function in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cowles, Kimberly N; Gitai, Zemer

    2010-06-01

    Spatial organization of bacterial proteins influences many cellular processes, including division, chromosome segregation and motility. Virulence-associated proteins also localize to specific destinations within bacterial cells. However, the functions and mechanisms of virulence factor localization remain largely unknown. In this work, we demonstrate that polar assembly of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 type IV pilus is regulated by surface association in a manner that affects gene transcription, protein levels and protein localization. We also uncover one mechanism for this regulation that acts through the actin homologue MreB. Inactivation of MreB leads to mislocalization of the pilus retraction ATPase PilT, mislocalization of the pili themselves and a reduction in motility. Furthermore, the role of MreB in polar localization of PilT is modulated by surface association, corroborating our results that environmental factors influence the regulation of pilus production. Specifically, MreB mediates both the initiation and maintenance of PilT localization when cells are grown in suspension but only affects the initiation of localization when cells are grown on a surface. Together, these results suggest that the bacterial cytoskeleton provides a mechanism for the polar localization of P. aeruginosa pili and demonstrate that protein localization may represent an important aspect of virulence factor regulation in bacterial pathogens.

  13. A New Role for Local Police in Radiological Security

    Science.gov (United States)

    2007-09-01

    the review of government reports. The concept of using the community policing philosophy as a basis for a local police strategy for radiological...of José Padilla, a former Chicago gang member who became an al Qaeda associate. While many civil libertarians have questioned the subsequent...review the evolution of local policing and the development of current community policing philosophy that guiding the majority of today’s local law

  14. The Subcellular Localization and Functional Analysis of Fibrillarin2, a Nucleolar Protein in Nicotiana benthamiana

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luping Zheng

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Nucleolar proteins play important roles in plant cytology, growth, and development. Fibrillarin2 is a nucleolar protein of Nicotiana benthamiana (N. benthamiana. Its cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR and inserted into expression vector pEarley101 labeled with yellow fluorescent protein (YFP. The fusion protein was localized in the nucleolus and Cajal body of leaf epidermal cells of N. benthamiana. The N. benthamiana fibrillarin2 (NbFib2 protein has three functional domains (i.e., glycine and arginine rich domain, RNA-binding domain, and α-helical domain and a nuclear localization signal (NLS in C-terminal. The protein 3D structure analysis predicted that NbFib2 is an α/β protein. In addition, the virus induced gene silencing (VIGS approach was used to determine the function of NbFib2. Our results showed that symptoms including growth retardation, organ deformation, chlorosis, and necrosis appeared in NbFib2-silenced N. benthamiana.

  15. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2003-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.58) is Kyrgyzstan, which deposited the instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 10 September 2003. The list shows the dates on which the present 137 Member States became Members

  16. Functioning islet cell tumor of the pancreas. Localization with dynamic spiral CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, M.J.; Choi, B.I.; Han, J.K.; Chung, J.W.; Han, M.C.; Bae, S.H.

    1997-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of dynamic spiral CT, including multidimensional reformation, in the detection and localization of islet cell tumors of the pancreas. Material and Methods: Seven patients with histopathologically proven functioning islet cell tumors of the pancreas were studied with 2-phase contrast-enhanced spiral CT. Scanning of the arterial phase and late phase was started 30 s and 180 s, respectively, after injection of 100 ml of contrast medium at a rate of 3 ml/s. Results: Axial images in the arterial phase depicted the lesions in 5 patients, but in the late phase in only one patient. Multiplanar reformatted images of the arterial phase depicted the lesions in all 7 patients. Maximal intensity projection images demonstrated all lesions with information of their relationship to the vascular structure. Conclusion: Dynamic spiral CT with scanning during the arterial phase and retrospective multidimensional reformation is useful for preoperative detection and localization of small islet cell tumors of the pancreas. (orig.)

  17. Early stages of functional diversification in the Rab GTPase gene family revealed by genomic and localization studies in Paramecium species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bright, Lydia J; Gout, Jean-Francois; Lynch, Michael

    2017-04-15

    New gene functions arise within existing gene families as a result of gene duplication and subsequent diversification. To gain insight into the steps that led to the functional diversification of paralogues, we tracked duplicate retention patterns, expression-level divergence, and subcellular markers of functional diversification in the Rab GTPase gene family in three Paramecium aurelia species. After whole-genome duplication, Rab GTPase duplicates are more highly retained than other genes in the genome but appear to be diverging more rapidly in expression levels, consistent with early steps in functional diversification. However, by localizing specific Rab proteins in Paramecium cells, we found that paralogues from the two most recent whole-genome duplications had virtually identical localization patterns, and that less closely related paralogues showed evidence of both conservation and diversification. The functionally conserved paralogues appear to target to compartments associated with both endocytic and phagocytic recycling functions, confirming evolutionary and functional links between the two pathways in a divergent eukaryotic lineage. Because the functionally diversifying paralogues are still closely related to and derived from a clade of functionally conserved Rab11 genes, we were able to pinpoint three specific amino acid residues that may be driving the change in the localization and thus the function in these proteins. © 2017 Bright et al. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

  18. Regulation of Centromere Localization of the Drosophila Shugoshin MEI-S332 and Sister-Chromatid Cohesion in Meiosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nogueira, Cristina; Kashevsky, Helena; Pinto, Belinda; Clarke, Astrid; Orr-Weaver, Terry L.

    2014-01-01

    The Shugoshin (Sgo) protein family helps to ensure proper chromosome segregation by protecting cohesion at the centromere by preventing cleavage of the cohesin complex. Some Sgo proteins also influence other aspects of kinetochore-microtubule attachments. Although many Sgo members require Aurora B kinase to localize to the centromere, factors controlling delocalization are poorly understood and diverse. Moreover, it is not clear how Sgo function is inactivated and whether this is distinct from delocalization. We investigated these questions in Drosophila melanogaster, an organism with superb chromosome cytology to monitor Sgo localization and quantitative assays to test its function in sister-chromatid segregation in meiosis. Previous research showed that in mitosis in cell culture, phosphorylation of the Drosophila Sgo, MEI-S332, by Aurora B promotes centromere localization, whereas Polo phosphorylation promotes delocalization. These studies also suggested that MEI-S332 can be inactivated independently of delocalization, a conclusion supported here by localization and function studies in meiosis. Phosphoresistant and phosphomimetic mutants for the Aurora B and Polo phosphorylation sites were examined for effects on MEI-S332 localization and chromosome segregation in meiosis. Strikingly, MEI-S332 with a phosphomimetic mutation in the Aurora B phosphorylation site prematurely dissociates from the centromeres in meiosis I. Despite the absence of MEI-S332 on meiosis II centromeres in male meiosis, sister chromatids segregate normally, demonstrating that detectable levels of this Sgo are not essential for chromosome congression, kinetochore biorientation, or spindle assembly. PMID:25081981

  19. SLC25 Family Member Genetic Interactions Identify a Role for HEM25 in Yeast Electron Transport Chain Stability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dufay, J Noelia; Fernández-Murray, J Pedro; McMaster, Christopher R

    2017-06-07

    The SLC25 family member SLC25A38 (Hem25 in yeast) was recently identified as a mitochondrial glycine transporter that provides substrate to initiate heme/hemoglobin synthesis. Mutations in the human SLC25A38 gene cause congenital sideroblastic anemia. The full extent to which SLC25 family members coregulate heme synthesis with other mitochondrial functions is not clear. In this study, we surveyed 29 nonessential SLC25 family members in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for their ability to support growth in the presence and absence of HEM25 Six SLC25 family members were identified that were required for growth or for heme synthesis in cells lacking Hem25 function. Importantly, we determined that loss of function of the SLC25 family member Flx1, which imports FAD into mitochondria, together with loss of function of Hem25, resulted in inability to grow on media that required yeast cells to supply energy using mitochondrial respiration. We report that specific components of complexes of the electron transport chain are decreased in the absence of Flx1 and Hem25 function. In addition, we show that mitochondria from flx1 Δ hem25 Δ cells contain uncharacterized Cox2-containing high molecular weight aggregates. The functions of Flx1 and Hem25 provide a facile explanation for the decrease in heme level, and in specific electron transport chain complex components. Copyright © 2017 Dufay et al.

  20. SLC25 Family Member Genetic Interactions Identify a Role for HEM25 in Yeast Electron Transport Chain Stability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Noelia Dufay

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The SLC25 family member SLC25A38 (Hem25 in yeast was recently identified as a mitochondrial glycine transporter that provides substrate to initiate heme/hemoglobin synthesis. Mutations in the human SLC25A38 gene cause congenital sideroblastic anemia. The full extent to which SLC25 family members coregulate heme synthesis with other mitochondrial functions is not clear. In this study, we surveyed 29 nonessential SLC25 family members in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for their ability to support growth in the presence and absence of HEM25. Six SLC25 family members were identified that were required for growth or for heme synthesis in cells lacking Hem25 function. Importantly, we determined that loss of function of the SLC25 family member Flx1, which imports FAD into mitochondria, together with loss of function of Hem25, resulted in inability to grow on media that required yeast cells to supply energy using mitochondrial respiration. We report that specific components of complexes of the electron transport chain are decreased in the absence of Flx1 and Hem25 function. In addition, we show that mitochondria from flx1Δ hem25Δ cells contain uncharacterized Cox2-containing high molecular weight aggregates. The functions of Flx1 and Hem25 provide a facile explanation for the decrease in heme level, and in specific electron transport chain complex components.

  1. Piezoelectric dynamic strain monitoring for detecting local seismic damage in steel buildings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurata, Masahiro; Li, Xiaohua; Fujita, Kohei; Yamaguchi, Mayako

    2013-01-01

    This research presents a methodology for damage detection along with a sensing system for monitoring seismic damage in steel buildings. The system extracts the location and extent of local damage, such as fracture at a beam–column connection, from changes in the bending moment distribution in a steel moment-resisting frame. We developed a dynamic strain-based sensing system utilizing piezoelectric film sensors and wireless sensing techniques to estimate the bending moments resisted by individual structural members under small amplitude loadings such as ambient vibrations and minor earthquakes. We introduce a new damage index that extracts local damage information from the comparative study of the dynamic strain responses of the structural members before and after a large earthquake event. The damage detection scheme was examined both analytically and numerically using a simple frame example. Then, the entire local damage detection scheme was verified through a series of vibration tests using a one-quarter-scale steel testbed that simulated seismic damage at member ends. (paper)

  2. Thermal effects in concrete members

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kar, A.K.

    1977-01-01

    When subjected to temperature changes and restrained from free movement, a member develops stresses. Restrained members are sometimes assumed to act independently of other members. A method of analysis and design for thermal stresses in such members is provided. The method of analysis, based on the ultimate strength concept, greatly reduces the computational efforts for determining thermal effects in concrete members. Available charts and tables and the recommendations given herein simplify the design. (Auth.)

  3. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.67) is Cambodia which deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the Statute on 23 November 2009. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 151 Member States became Members [fr

  4. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.63) is Palau which deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the Statute on 2 March 2007. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 144 Member States became Members

  5. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.67) is Cambodia which deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the Statute on 23 November 2009. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 151 Member States became Members

  6. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2008-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.64) is Nepal which deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the Statute on 8 July 2008. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 145 Member States became Members

  7. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.62) is Montenegro which deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the Statute on 30 October 2006. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 143 Member States became Members

  8. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.67) is Cambodia which deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the Statute on 23 November 2009. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 151 Member States became Members [ru

  9. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.67) is Cambodia which deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the Statute on 23 November 2009. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 151 Member States became Members [es

  10. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.60) is Chad, which deposited the instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 2 November 2005. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 139 Member States became Members

  11. Localization and expression of clarin-1, the Clrn1 gene product, in auditory hair cells and photoreceptors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zallocchi, Marisa; Meehan, Daniel T.; Delimont, Duane; Askew, Charles; Garrige, Suneetha; Gratton, Michael Anne; Rothermund-Franklin, Christie A.; Cosgrove, Dominic

    2009-01-01

    The Usher syndrome 3A (CLRN1) gene encodes clarin-1, which is a member of the tetraspanin family of transmembrane proteins. Although identified more than 6 years ago, little is known about its localization or function in the eye and ear. We developed a polyclonal antibody that react with all clarin-1 isoforms and used it to characterize protein expression in cochlea and retina. In the cochlea, we observe clarin-1expression in the stereocilia of P0 mice, and in synaptic terminals present at the base of the auditory hair cells from E18 to P6. In the retina, clarin-1 localizes to the connecting cilia, inner segment of photoreceptors and to the ribbon synapses. RT-PCR from P0 cochlea and P28 retina show mRNAs encoding only isoforms 2 and 3. Western-blots show that only isoform 2 is present in protein extracts from these same tissues. We examined clarin-1 expression in the immortomouse-derived hair cell line UB/OC-1. Only isoform 2 is expressed in UB/OC-1 at both mRNA and protein levels, suggesting this isoform is biologically relevant to hair cell function. The protein co-localizes with microtubules and post-transgolgi vesicles. The sub-cellular localization of clarin-1 in hair cells and photoreceptors suggests it functions at both the basal and apical poles of neurosensoriepithelia. PMID:19539019

  12. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.65) is the Sultanate of Oman which deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the Statute on 5 February 2009. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 146 Member States became Members

  13. Localized states in an unbounded neural field equation with smooth firing rate function: a multi-parameter analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faye, Grégory; Rankin, James; Chossat, Pascal

    2013-05-01

    The existence of spatially localized solutions in neural networks is an important topic in neuroscience as these solutions are considered to characterize working (short-term) memory. We work with an unbounded neural network represented by the neural field equation with smooth firing rate function and a wizard hat spatial connectivity. Noting that stationary solutions of our neural field equation are equivalent to homoclinic orbits in a related fourth order ordinary differential equation, we apply normal form theory for a reversible Hopf bifurcation to prove the existence of localized solutions; further, we present results concerning their stability. Numerical continuation is used to compute branches of localized solution that exhibit snaking-type behaviour. We describe in terms of three parameters the exact regions for which localized solutions persist.

  14. Recent Change of Locality as Risk Factor for Malaria Fever Among ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    DATONYE ALASIA

    immune travelers to malarious areas, has also been found to be a ... Youth Service Corps members serving in a district in southern ... Recent Change of Locality as Risk Factor for Malaria Fever Among New Residents of. Ahoada East Local ...

  15. Strengthening capacity for local evidence to inform local responders to HIV in a remote Solomon Island health service

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David MacLaren

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Background: Documenting specific knowledge and attitudes about HIV in the culturally diverse nation of Solomon Islands is essential to inform locally targeted public health responses. As part of a large capacity-strengthening project at Atoifi Adventist Hospital in East Kwaio, Solomon Islands, researchers, using a ‘learn-by-doing’ process, worked with participants in public health research methods. Methods: Overall, 43 people attended research capacity building workshops in 2011; eight joined the HIV study group. A cross-sectional survey including semi-structured interviews on HIV was conducted by the group. In February 2014, a hospital administrator was interviewed about how the 2011 study informed local HIV responses. Results: Of the 53 survey participants, 64% self-assessed as having little or no HIV knowledge, but 90% knew HIV could be transmitted between men and women during sex. Less than 50% knew HIV could be transmitted between two men having sex, 45% thought HIV could be transmitted by mosquitoes and 55% agreed condoms help protect from HIV. Most participants reported negative attitudes towards people with HIV. Three years later the health administrator reported ad hoc responses to HIV because of low HIV prevalence, increasing noncommunicable diseases, staff turnover and resource shortages. Discussion: This HIV study was used to strengthen research skills in local health professionals and community members in Solomon Islands. It showed that community members require accurate information about HIV transmission and that entrenched stigma is an issue. Although results provided local evidence for local response, ongoing health system challenges and little local HIV transmission meant HIV services remain rudimentary.

  16. The Structure-Function Linkage Database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akiva, Eyal; Brown, Shoshana; Almonacid, Daniel E; Barber, Alan E; Custer, Ashley F; Hicks, Michael A; Huang, Conrad C; Lauck, Florian; Mashiyama, Susan T; Meng, Elaine C; Mischel, David; Morris, John H; Ojha, Sunil; Schnoes, Alexandra M; Stryke, Doug; Yunes, Jeffrey M; Ferrin, Thomas E; Holliday, Gemma L; Babbitt, Patricia C

    2014-01-01

    The Structure-Function Linkage Database (SFLD, http://sfld.rbvi.ucsf.edu/) is a manually curated classification resource describing structure-function relationships for functionally diverse enzyme superfamilies. Members of such superfamilies are diverse in their overall reactions yet share a common ancestor and some conserved active site features associated with conserved functional attributes such as a partial reaction. Thus, despite their different functions, members of these superfamilies 'look alike', making them easy to misannotate. To address this complexity and enable rational transfer of functional features to unknowns only for those members for which we have sufficient functional information, we subdivide superfamily members into subgroups using sequence information, and lastly into families, sets of enzymes known to catalyze the same reaction using the same mechanistic strategy. Browsing and searching options in the SFLD provide access to all of these levels. The SFLD offers manually curated as well as automatically classified superfamily sets, both accompanied by search and download options for all hierarchical levels. Additional information includes multiple sequence alignments, tab-separated files of functional and other attributes, and sequence similarity networks. The latter provide a new and intuitively powerful way to visualize functional trends mapped to the context of sequence similarity.

  17. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.65) is the Sultanate of Oman which deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the Statute on 5 February 2009. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 146 Member States became Members [fr

  18. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2005-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.59) is the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, which deposited the instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 23 November 2004. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 138 Member States became Members

  19. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.65) is the Sultanate of Oman which deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the Statute on 5 February 2009. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 146 Member States became Members [es

  20. Project LOCAL - Bridging The Gap

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haven, Robert N.

    1975-01-01

    Project LOCAL, a not-for-profit regional consortium, offers a broad spectrum of in-service training courses tailored to meet the needs of educators in various disciplines and levels of experience. The purpose of these offerings is to bridge the communication gap between innovative centers in computer-oriented education and staff members in Boston…

  1. Localized Quantitative Characterization of Chemical Functionalization Effects on Adhesion Properties of SWNT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hao Lu

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Chemical modification of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT has been found to be an excellent method to promote SWNT dispersion, and possibly to improve interaction with matrices via covalent bonding. It is thus a quite promising technique to enhance the mechanical properties of SWNT-reinforced nanocomposites. However, the underlying mechanism of SWNT chemical functionalization effects on interfacial strength is not quantitatively understood, limiting their usefulness in the design of nanocomposites. In this work, an atomic force microscopy (AFM- based adhesive force mapping technique combined with a statistical analysis method were developed and implemented to study adhesive interactions of small SWNT bundles functionalized by amino, epoxide, and hydroperoxide groups as compared to SDS-treated SWNT in controlled environment. Finally, the importance of such localized quantitative measurements in SWNT-reinforced nanocomposites design and fabrication was also discussed.

  2. Deciding the Fate of Local Control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlechty, Phillip C.

    1992-01-01

    The fundamental job of school board members is to view themselves as moral and cultural leaders and to transform the needs of groups to a higher and more noble framework. Lists the National School Boards Association's statement on the governance role of the local school board. (MLF)

  3. An Algorithm Computing the Local $b$ Function by an Approximate Division Algorithm in $\\hat{\\mathcal{D}}$

    OpenAIRE

    Nakayama, Hiromasa

    2006-01-01

    We give an algorithm to compute the local $b$ function. In this algorithm, we use the Mora division algorithm in the ring of differential operators and an approximate division algorithm in the ring of differential operators with power series coefficient.

  4. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-01-01

    The new Members since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.61) are Belize, Mozambique and Malawi, which deposited their Instruments of Acceptance of the Statute on 31 March 2006, 18 September 2006 and 2 October 2006 respectively. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 142 Member States became Members [fr

  5. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-01-01

    The new Members since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.61) are Belize, Mozambique and Malawi, which deposited their Instruments of Acceptance of the Statute on 31 March 2006, 18 September 2006 and 2 October 2006 respectively. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 142 Member States became Members

  6. Ab initio study of symmetrical tilt grain boundaries in bcc Fe: structural units, magnetic moments, interfacial bonding, local energy and local stress

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhattacharya, Somesh Kr; Tanaka, Shingo; Kohyama, Masanori; Shiihara, Yoshinori

    2013-01-01

    We present first-principle calculations on symmetric tilt grain boundaries (GBs) in bcc Fe. Using density functional theory (DFT), we studied the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of Σ3(111) and Σ11(332) GBs formed by rotation around the [110] axis. The optimized structures, GB energies and GB excess free volumes are consistent with previous DFT and classical simulation studies. The GB configurations can be interpreted by the structural unit model as given by Nakashima and Takeuchi (2000 ISIJ 86 357). Both the GBs are composed of similar structural units of three- and five-membered rings with different densities at the interface according to the rotation angle. The interface atoms with larger atomic volumes reveal higher magnetic moments than the bulk value, while the interface atoms with shorter bond lengths have reduced magnetic moments in each GB. The charge density and local density of states reveal that the interface bonds with short bond lengths have more covalent nature, where minority-spin electrons play a dominant role as the typical nature of ferromagnetic Fe. In order to understand the structural stability of these GBs, we calculated the local energy and local stress for each atomic region using the scheme of Shiihara et al (2010 Phys. Rev. B 81 075441). In each GB, the interface atoms with larger atomic volumes and enhanced magnetic moments reveal larger local energy increase and tensile stress. The interface atoms constituting more covalent-like bonds with reduced magnetic moments have lower local energy increase, contributing to the stabilization, while compressive stress is generated at these atoms. The relative stability between the two GBs can be understood by the local energies at the structural units. The local energy and local stress analysis is a powerful tool to investigate the structural properties of GBs based on the behavior of valence electrons. (paper)

  7. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The new Members since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.66) are Bahrain, Burundi, Congo and Lesotho which deposited their Instruments of Acceptance of the Statute on 23 June 2009, 24 June 2009, 15 July 2009 and 13 July 2009, respectively. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 150 Member States became Members [fr

  8. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The new Members since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.66) are Bahrain, Burundi, Congo and Lesotho which deposited their Instruments of Acceptance of the Statute on 23 June 2009, 24 June 2009, 15 July 2009 and 13 July 2009, respectively. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 150 Member States became Members

  9. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The new Members since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.66) are Bahrain, Burundi, Congo and Lesotho which deposited their Instruments of Acceptance of the Statute on 23 June 2009, 24 June 2009, 15 July 2009 and 13 July 2009, respectively. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 150 Member States became Members [ru

  10. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The new Members since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.66) are Bahrain, Burundi, Congo and Lesotho which deposited their Instruments of Acceptance of the Statute on 23 June 2009, 24 June 2009, 15 July 2009 and 13 July 2009, respectively. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 150 Member States became Members [es

  11. Horizon wave function for single localized particles: GUP and quantum black-hole decay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Casadio, Roberto; Scardigli, Fabio

    2014-01-01

    A localized particle in Quantum Mechanics is described by a wave packet in position space, regardless of its energy. However, from the point of view of General Relativity, if the particle's energy density exceeds a certain threshold, it should be a black hole. To combine these two pictures, we introduce a horizon wave function determined by the particle wave function in position space, which eventually yields the probability that the particle is a black hole. The existence of a minimum mass for black holes naturally follows, albeit not in the form of a sharp value around the Planck scale, but rather like a vanishing probability that a particle much lighter than the Planck mass may be a black hole. We also show that our construction entails an effective generalized uncertainty principle (GUP), simply obtained by adding the uncertainties coming from the two wave functions associated with a particle. Finally, the decay of microscopic (quantum) black holes is also described in agreement with what the GUP predicts. (orig.)

  12. Coincidence of role expectations between staff and volunteer members of drug free community coalitions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldstein, Marc B; Sapere, Heather; Daviau, John

    2017-08-01

    Community coalitions have proliferated as a means of addressing a range of complex community problems. Such coalitions often consist of a small paid staff and volunteer members. The present study examines one likely contributor to coalition effectiveness: the degree of agreement on role expectations between paid staff and volunteer members. Role confusion occurs when paid staff and volunteers differ in their expectations of who is responsible for accomplishing specific tasks. Staff and volunteer members from 69 randomly selected Drug Free Coalitions in the United States as well as 21 Drug Free Coalitions in Connecticut were asked to respond to an online survey asking about 37 specific coalition tasks critical for effective coalition functioning and the degree to which paid staff and/or voluntary members should be responsible for accomplishing each. Our final sample consisted of 476 individuals from 35 coalitions. Using coalitions as the unit of analysis, we found significant differences between paid staff and volunteer coalition members on nine tasks reflecting four domains: meeting leadership and participation, (2) planning and implementation leadership, (3) publicity/media relations, and (4) logistical functions. Implications of these differences and ways that evaluators could help coalitions deal with differing role expectations were discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. First-Principles Momentum-Dependent Local Ansatz Wavefunction and Momentum Distribution Function Bands of Iron

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kakehashi, Yoshiro; Chandra, Sumal

    2016-04-01

    We have developed a first-principles local ansatz wavefunction approach with momentum-dependent variational parameters on the basis of the tight-binding LDA+U Hamiltonian. The theory goes beyond the first-principles Gutzwiller approach and quantitatively describes correlated electron systems. Using the theory, we find that the momentum distribution function (MDF) bands of paramagnetic bcc Fe along high-symmetry lines show a large deviation from the Fermi-Dirac function for the d electrons with eg symmetry and yield the momentum-dependent mass enhancement factors. The calculated average mass enhancement m*/m = 1.65 is consistent with low-temperature specific heat data as well as recent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) data.

  14. CDKL Family Kinases Have Evolved Distinct Structural Features and Ciliary Function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Canning

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Various kinases, including a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK family member, regulate the growth and functions of primary cilia, which perform essential roles in signaling and development. Neurological disorders linked to CDK-Like (CDKL proteins suggest that these underexplored kinases may have similar functions. Here, we present the crystal structures of human CDKL1, CDKL2, CDKL3, and CDKL5, revealing their evolutionary divergence from CDK and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs, including an unusual αJ helix important for CDKL2 and CDKL3 activity. C. elegans CDKL-1, most closely related to CDKL1–4 and localized to neuronal cilia transition zones, modulates cilium length; this depends on its kinase activity and αJ helix-containing C terminus. Human CDKL5, linked to Rett syndrome, also localizes to cilia, and it impairs ciliogenesis when overexpressed. CDKL5 patient mutations modeled in CDKL-1 cause localization and/or cilium length defects. Together, our studies establish a disease model system suggesting cilium length defects as a pathomechanism for neurological disorders, including epilepsy.

  15. 7 CFR 983.42 - Initial members and nomination of successor members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ...) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements and Orders; Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts), DEPARTMENT OF... alternate is selected shall serve in place of that member on the committee, and shall have and be able to... members of the committee shall serve for terms of two years: Provided, That four of the initially selected...

  16. Local and global processing of music in high-functioning persons with autism: beyond central coherence?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mottron, L; Peretz, I; Ménard, E

    2000-11-01

    A multi-modal abnormality in the integration of parts and whole has been proposed to account for a bias toward local stimuli in individuals with autism (Frith, 1989; Mottron & Belleville, 1993). In the current experiment, we examined the utility of hierarchical models in characterising musical information processing in autistic individuals. Participants were 13 high-functioning individuals with autism and 13 individuals of normal intelligence matched on chronological age, nonverbal IQ, and laterality, and without musical experience. The task consisted of same-different judgements of pairs of melodies. Differential local and global processing was assessed by manipulating the level, local or global, at which modifications occurred. No deficit was found in the two measures of global processing. In contrast, the clinical group performed better than the comparison group in the detection of change in nontransposed, contour-preserved melodies that tap local processing. These findings confirm the existence of a "local bias" in music perception in individuals with autism, but challenge the notion that it is accounted for by a deficit in global music processing. The present study suggests that enhanced processing of elementary physical properties of incoming stimuli, as found previously in the visual modality, may also exist in the auditory modality.

  17. The Structure–Function Linkage Database

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akiva, Eyal; Brown, Shoshana; Almonacid, Daniel E.; Barber, Alan E.; Custer, Ashley F.; Hicks, Michael A.; Huang, Conrad C.; Lauck, Florian; Mashiyama, Susan T.; Meng, Elaine C.; Mischel, David; Morris, John H.; Ojha, Sunil; Schnoes, Alexandra M.; Stryke, Doug; Yunes, Jeffrey M.; Ferrin, Thomas E.; Holliday, Gemma L.; Babbitt, Patricia C.

    2014-01-01

    The Structure–Function Linkage Database (SFLD, http://sfld.rbvi.ucsf.edu/) is a manually curated classification resource describing structure–function relationships for functionally diverse enzyme superfamilies. Members of such superfamilies are diverse in their overall reactions yet share a common ancestor and some conserved active site features associated with conserved functional attributes such as a partial reaction. Thus, despite their different functions, members of these superfamilies ‘look alike’, making them easy to misannotate. To address this complexity and enable rational transfer of functional features to unknowns only for those members for which we have sufficient functional information, we subdivide superfamily members into subgroups using sequence information, and lastly into families, sets of enzymes known to catalyze the same reaction using the same mechanistic strategy. Browsing and searching options in the SFLD provide access to all of these levels. The SFLD offers manually curated as well as automatically classified superfamily sets, both accompanied by search and download options for all hierarchical levels. Additional information includes multiple sequence alignments, tab-separated files of functional and other attributes, and sequence similarity networks. The latter provide a new and intuitively powerful way to visualize functional trends mapped to the context of sequence similarity. PMID:24271399

  18. Engaging with Community Advisory Boards (CABs) in Lusaka Zambia: perspectives from the research team and CAB members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mwinga, Alwyn; Moodley, Keymanthri

    2015-06-03

    The use of a Community Advisory Board (CAB) is one method of ensuring community engagement in community based research. To identify the process used to constitute CABs in Zambia, this paper draws on the perspectives of both research team members and CAB members from research groups who used CABs in Lusaka. Enabling and restricting factors impacting on the functioning of the CAB were identified. All studies approved by the University of Zambia Bioethics Research Committee (UBNZABREC) from 2008 - 2012 were reviewed to identify those studies that were likely to include a CAB. Eight teams with studies that included a CAB were identified. For each of these studies, consent was obtained to conduct an informal interview with a research team member and to obtain contact details for one CAB member. In total 14 interviews were conducted with 8 research team members and 6 CAB members from 12-30 August 2013. Identification of potential CAB members from the community and their participation in developing the terms of reference for CABs was perceived to have contributed to the success of the CAB. Due to the trust that the community had in members of their community the CABs were then in a stronger position to influence community participation in the research. Training of CAB members was identified as a factor that enhanced the functioning of a CAB. Lack of commitment and low literacy levels of CAB members posed a threat to the role of the CAB. Although compensation in the form of a stipend was not provided, CAB members were provided with transport reimbursements for attending meetings. Selection of CAB members from within the community contributed to community confidence in the CAB, enhancing its ability to act as an effective link between study team and community. This contributed positively to the conduct of the study and enhanced community awareness and acceptance of the research. However, establishment of study specific CABs has the potential to compromise CAB independence

  19. The Arabidopsis MTP8 transporter determines the localization of manganese and iron in seeds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chu, Heng-Hsuan; Car, Suzana; Socha, Amanda L.; Hindt, Maria N.; Punshon, Tracy; Guerinot, Mary Lou

    2017-09-08

    Understanding how seeds obtain and store nutrients is key to developing crops with higher agronomic and nutritional value. We have uncovered unique patterns of micronutrient localization in seeds using synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SXRF). Although all four members of the Arabidopsis thaliana Mn-CDF family can transport Mn, here we show that only mtp8-2 has an altered Mn distribution pattern in seeds. In an mtp8-2 mutant, Mn no longer accumulates in hypocotyl cortex cells and sub-epidermal cells of the embryonic cotyledons, but rather accumulates with Fe in the cells surrounding the vasculature, a pattern previously shown to be determined by the vacuolar transporter VIT1. We also show that MTP8, unlike the other three Mn-CDF family members, can transport Fe and is responsible for localization of Fe to the same cells that store Mn. When both the VIT1 and MTP8 transporters are non-functional, there is no accumulation of Fe or Mn in specific cell types; rather these elements are distributed amongst all cell types in the seed. Disruption of the putative Fe binding sites in MTP8 resulted in loss of ability to transport Fe but did not affect the ability to transport Mn.

  20. Early diagnostic value of Bcl-3 localization in colorectal cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saamarthy, Karunakar; Björner, Sofie; Johansson, Martin; Landberg, Göran; Massoumi, Ramin; Jirström, Karin; Masoumi, Katarzyna Chmielarska

    2015-01-01

    B-cell leukemia 3 (Bcl-3) is a member of the inhibitor of κB family, which regulates a wide range of biological processes by functioning as a transcriptional activator or as a repressor of target genes. Elevated expression, sustained nuclear accumulation, and uncontrolled activation of Bcl-3 causes increased cellular proliferation or survival, dependent on the tissue and type of stimuli. We retrospectively reviewed patients who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer at Skåne University Hospital in Malmö between 1st of January 1990 and 31st of December 1991. Bcl-3 localization in colorectal cancer was assessed by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarray and freshly isolated colon from patients. Correlation between Bcl-3 localization and clinicopathological parameters of the cohort were evaluated using the Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient. In addition, Bcl-3 expression and localization in colon adenocarcinoma cells were analysed by western blot, immunohistochemistry and subcellular fractionation separately. We found that Bcl-3 was mainly localized in the cytoplasm in the tumour tissue isolated from colon cancer patients. Normal colon samples from the same patients showed Bcl-3 localization in the nucleus. In three out of six colon cancer cell lines, we detected elevated levels of Bcl-3. In these cell lines Bcl-3 was accumulated in the cytosol. We confirmed these findings by analysing Bcl-3 localization in a colon tissue micro array consisting of 270 cases. In these samples Bcl-3 localization correlated with the proliferation marker Ki-67, but not with the apoptotic marker Caspase 3. These findings indicate that analysis of the subcellular localization of Bcl-3 could be a potential-early diagnostic marker in colon cancer

  1. Role of four-membered rings in C32 fullerene stability and mechanisms of generalized Stone-Wales transformation: a density functional theory investigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Weiwei; Dang, Jingshuang; Zhao, Xiang

    2011-08-28

    Density functional theory (DFT) methods have been applied to study C(32) fullerenes built from four-, five-, and six-membered rings. The relative energies of pure C(32) fullerenes have been evaluated to locate three most stable structures, 32:D(4d) with two squares, 1:D(3) without square and 5:C(s) with one square. Structural analysis reveals that there is a rearrangement pathway between the lowest energy classical isomer 1:D(3) and the lowest energy non-classical isomer 32:D(4d), and 5:C(s) behaves just as an intermediate between them. The kinetic processes of generalized Stone-Wales transformation (GSWT) with four-membered rings have been explored and two distinct reaction mechanisms are determined by all the transition states and intrinsic reaction coordinates with PBE1PBE/6-31G(d) approach for the first time. One mechanism is the concerted reaction with a rotating dimer closed to the cage surface and another is the stepwise reaction with a carbene-like sp(3) structure, whereas the latter is sorted into two paths based on four-membered ring vanishing before or after the formation of the carbene-like structure. It is indicated that there is no absolute preference for any mechanism, which depends on the adaptability of different reactants on the diverse mechanisms. Furthermore, it's found that the interconversion process with the participation of squares is more reactive than the rearrangement between C(60)_I(h) and C(60)_C(2v), implying some potential importance of non-classical small fullerenes in the fullerene isomerization.

  2. Context Matters: The Importance of Local Culture in Community Participation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prokopy, Linda Stalker; Aldrich, Daniel; Ayres, Janet; Amberg, Shannon M.; Molloy, Alicia; Saylor, Amber; Thompson, Aaron

    2012-01-01

    Encouraging members of the public to get engaged in local decision-making is a key role of Extension educators. The study reported here explores whether local context influences which individuals choose to attend public meetings about the community and the environment. The study surveyed meeting attendees and non-meeting attendees in three…

  3. Comparative Analysis of Minimum Income Guaranteed Schemes within the Member States of the European Union

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simona Maria Stănescu

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The commitment of the European Union (EU Member States towards accomplishing the commonly agreed goals (1997 European Employment Strategy, Lisbon 2000, and Europe 2020 is supported by a continuous assessment of domestic social policy tendencies. From this perspective, the main goal of the paper is to comparatively analyse the last safety net for the most vulnerable people. The screening of guaranteed minimum resources provides an overview of the applicable statutory basis, schemes in place, types of social benefits concerned, financing and organisation mechanisms, eligibility conditions, duration and time limits. As methodology, the article uses the MISSOC database, and due to the current lack of comparable information, recommendations for further harmonisation are included. 20 of the EU member states follow the minimum income guaranteed (MIG regulations adopted already during the pre-accession period and updated after the accession phase. Seven types of domestic regulations are in force, among which the most frequent ones are acts and laws (ten countries. Common concepts used are social, and assistance. Provided allowances are mainly focused on elderly people, unemployment benefits, pensions, allowances supporting various house related costs, and benefits for disabled people. In line with 2007, 2010, and 2014 data, the financing of guaranteed minimum resources continues to remain mainly central with a shift in 2014 towards mixed financing (both central and local. The management in 2014 continues to be mainly centrally organised but the local stakeholders are also empowered. The residency is the most frequent eligibility condition. No nationality is required in 24 EU member states, for all allowances (21 countries or for particular ones (three countries. 17 member states require no age conditions. Unlimited guaranteed minimum resources were provided in 2014 as long as the eligibility criteria were met in 23 EU member states.

  4. VizieR Online Data Catalog: NGC 6802 dwarf cluster members and non-members (Tang+, 2017)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, B.; Geisler, D.; Friel, E.; Villanova, S.; Smiljanic, R.; Casey, A. R.; Randich, S.; Magrini, L.; San, Roman I.; Munoz, C.; Cohen, R. E.; Mauro, F.; Bragaglia, A.; Donati, P.; Tautvaisiene, G.; Drazdauskas, A.; Zenoviene, R.; Snaith, O.; Sousa, S.; Adibekyan, V.; Costado, M. T.; Blanco-Cuaresma, S.; Jimenez-Esteban, F.; Carraro, G.; Zwitter, T.; Francois, P.; Jofre, P.; Sordo, R.; Gilmore, G.; Flaccomio, E.; Koposov, S.; Korn, A. J.; Lanzafame, A. C.; Pancino, E.; Bayo, A.; Damiani, F.; Franciosini, E.; Hourihane, A.; Lardo, C.; Lewis, J.; Monaco, L.; Morbidelli, L.; Prisinzano, L.; Sacco, G.; Worley, C. C.; Zaggia, S.

    2016-11-01

    The dwarf stars in NGC 6802 observed by GIRAFFE spectrograph are separated into four tables: 1. cluster members in the lower main sequence; 2. cluster members in the upper main sequence; 3. non-member dwarfs in the lower main sequence; 4. non-member dwarfs in the upper main sequence. The star coordinates, V band magnitude, V-I color, and radial velocity are given. (4 data files).

  5. D-Ribulose 5-Phosphate 3-Epimerase: Functional and Structural Relationships to Members of the Ribulose-Phosphate Binding (beta/alpha)8-Barrel Superfamily

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akana, J.; Federov, A.; Federov, E.; Novak, W.; Babbitt, P.; Almo, S.; Gerlt, J.

    2006-01-01

    The 'ribulose phosphate binding' superfamily defined by the Structural Classification of Proteins (SCOP) database is considered the result of divergent evolution from a common (β/α) 8 -barrel ancestor. The superfamily includes D-ribulose 5-phosphate 3-epimerase (RPE), orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (OMPDC), and 3-keto-L-gulonate 6-phosphate decarboxylase (KGPDC), members of the OMPDC suprafamily, as well as enzymes involved in histidine and tryptophan biosynthesis that utilize phosphorylated metabolites as substrates. We now report studies of the functional and structural relationships of RPE to the members of the superfamily. As suggested by the results of crystallographic studies of the RPEs from rice and Plasmodium falciparum, the RPE from Streptococcus pyogenes is activated by Zn 2+ which binds with a stoichiometry of one ion per polypeptide. Although wild type RPE has a high affinity for Zn 2+ and inactive apoenzyme cannot be prepared, the affinity for Zn 2+ is decreased by alanine substitutions for the two histidine residues that coordinate the Zn 2+ ion (H34A and H67A); these mutant proteins can be prepared in an inactive, metal-free form and activated by exogenous Zn 2+ . The crystal structure of the RPE was solved at 1.8 Angstroms resolution in the presence of D-xylitol 5-phosphate, an inert analogue of the D-xylulose 5-phosphate substrate. This structure suggests that the 2,3-enediolate intermediate in the 1,1-proton transfer reaction is stabilized by bidentate coordination to the Zn 2+ that also is liganded to His 34, Asp 36, His 67, and Asp 176; the carboxylate groups of the Asp residues are positioned also to function as the acid/base catalysts. Although the conformation of the bound analogue resembles those of ligands bound in the active sites of OMPDC and KGPDC, the identities of the active site residues that coordinate the essential Zn 2+ and participate as acid/base catalysts are not conserved. We conclude that only the phosphate

  6. D-Ribulose 5-Phosphate 3-Epimerase: Functional and Structural Relationships to Members of the Ribulose-Phosphate Binding (beta/alpha)8-Barrel Superfamily

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akana,J.; Federov, A.; Federov, E.; Novak, W.; Babbitt, P.; Almo, S.; Gerlt, J.

    2006-01-01

    The 'ribulose phosphate binding' superfamily defined by the Structural Classification of Proteins (SCOP) database is considered the result of divergent evolution from a common ({beta}/{alpha}){sub 8}-barrel ancestor. The superfamily includes D-ribulose 5-phosphate 3-epimerase (RPE), orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (OMPDC), and 3-keto-L-gulonate 6-phosphate decarboxylase (KGPDC), members of the OMPDC suprafamily, as well as enzymes involved in histidine and tryptophan biosynthesis that utilize phosphorylated metabolites as substrates. We now report studies of the functional and structural relationships of RPE to the members of the superfamily. As suggested by the results of crystallographic studies of the RPEs from rice and Plasmodium falciparum, the RPE from Streptococcus pyogenes is activated by Zn{sup 2+} which binds with a stoichiometry of one ion per polypeptide. Although wild type RPE has a high affinity for Zn{sup 2+} and inactive apoenzyme cannot be prepared, the affinity for Zn{sup 2+} is decreased by alanine substitutions for the two histidine residues that coordinate the Zn{sup 2+} ion (H34A and H67A); these mutant proteins can be prepared in an inactive, metal-free form and activated by exogenous Zn{sup 2+}. The crystal structure of the RPE was solved at 1.8 Angstroms resolution in the presence of D-xylitol 5-phosphate, an inert analogue of the D-xylulose 5-phosphate substrate. This structure suggests that the 2,3-enediolate intermediate in the 1,1-proton transfer reaction is stabilized by bidentate coordination to the Zn{sup 2+} that also is liganded to His 34, Asp 36, His 67, and Asp 176; the carboxylate groups of the Asp residues are positioned also to function as the acid/base catalysts. Although the conformation of the bound analogue resembles those of ligands bound in the active sites of OMPDC and KGPDC, the identities of the active site residues that coordinate the essential Zn{sup 2+} and participate as acid/base catalysts

  7. SOME CONSIDERATIONS ON LOCAL FINANCIAL AUTONOMY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CURRENT FINANCIAL CRISIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vezure Oana Sabina

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Financing of local authorities is currently at the Centre of the political discourse is a daily concern. Romania faces, usually with an attempt to offset the need for control and reduction of public spending with greater financial autonomy of local authorities. At the time, it was searched and searches for a path, a means to achieve a fair distribution of financial resources between the various levels of administration, budget reductions to all of them. If strengthening democracy means to strengthen local autonomy, then it means you have created a system for financing local authorities to be efficient, fair and pointing towards the economic needs of States. In other words, decentralization and local financing and the principle of subsidiarity are mutually dependent. Rightly, the decentralisation of financial management is considered to be the "backbone" of the administrative system of decentralisation, the financial resources being those which are operational link between the needs of local communities and the rules necessary to satisfy them. Thus, the lack of financial resources of the local self-government can result in failure to meet the needs of its members, which at the same time failure of administrative decentralization. The decentralisation of financial management can also be seen as the Government of some specific functions on the line of management authority and the tax revenue to the local public authorities.

  8. Apparatus for localizing disturbances in pressurized water reactors (PWR)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sykora, D.

    1989-01-01

    The invention according to CS-PS 177386, entitled ''Apparatus for increasing the efficiency and passivity of the functioning of a bubbling-vacuum system for localizing disturbances in nuclear power plants with a pressurized water reactor'', concerns an important area of nuclear power engineering that is being developed in the RGW member countries. The invention solves the problems of increasing the reliability and intensification during the operation of the above very important system for guaranteeing the safety of the standard nuclear power plants of Soviet design. The essence of the invention consists in the installation of a simple passively operating supplementary apparatus. Consequently, the following can be observed in the system: first an improvement and simultaneous increase in the reliability of its function during the critical transition period, which follows the filling of the second space with air from the first space; secondly, elimination of the hitherto unavoidable initiating role of the active sprinkler-condensation device present; thirdly, a more effective performance and subjection of the elements to disintegration of the water flowing from the bubbling condenser into the first space; and fourthly, an enhanced utilization of the heat-conducting ability of the water reservoir of the bubbling condenser. Representatives of the supplementary apparatus are autonomous and local secondary systems of the sprinkler-sprayer without an insert, which spray the water under the effect of gravity. 1 fig

  9. A highly conserved Poc1 protein characterized in embryos of the hydrozoan Clytia hemisphaerica: localization and functional studies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cécile Fourrage

    Full Text Available Poc1 (Protein of Centriole 1 proteins are highly conserved WD40 domain-containing centriole components, well characterized in the alga Chlamydomonas, the ciliated protazoan Tetrahymena, the insect Drosophila and in vertebrate cells including Xenopus and zebrafish embryos. Functions and localizations related to the centriole and ciliary axoneme have been demonstrated for Poc1 in a range of species. The vertebrate Poc1 protein has also been reported to show an additional association with mitochondria, including enrichment in the specialized "germ plasm" region of Xenopus oocytes. We have identified and characterized a highly conserved Poc1 protein in the cnidarian Clytia hemisphaerica. Clytia Poc1 mRNA was found to be strongly expressed in eggs and early embryos, showing a punctate perinuclear localization in young oocytes. Fluorescence-tagged Poc1 proteins expressed in developing embryos showed strong localization to centrioles, including basal bodies. Anti-human Poc1 antibodies decorated mitochondria in Clytia, as reported in human cells, but failed to recognise endogenous or fluorescent-tagged Clytia Poc1. Injection of specific morpholino oligonucleotides into Clytia eggs prior to fertilization to repress Poc1 mRNA translation interfered with cell division from the blastula stage, likely corresponding to when neosynthesis normally takes over from maternally supplied protein. Cell cycle lengthening and arrest were observed, phenotypes consistent with an impaired centriolar biogenesis or function. The specificity of the defects could be demonstrated by injection of synthetic Poc1 mRNA, which restored normal development. We conclude that in Clytia embryos, Poc1 has an essentially centriolar localization and function.

  10. Contribution of the Member State Support Programmes to IAEA safeguards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fortakov, V.; Gardiner, D.; Rautjaervi, J.

    1999-01-01

    Over the last twenty years, Member States of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have provided invaluable technical support to IAEA Safeguards. This support has covered practically all aspects of traditional safeguards activities and also those activities recently proposed and introduced for strengthening the safeguards system. As of August 1997, there were fourteen Member States, plus EURATOM, with active programmes in support of IAEA safeguards and the activities conducted under these Member State Support Programmes (MSSPs) are currently valued at an annual twenty million dollars of extra-budgetary contribution to the IAEA. The overall administration in the IAEA of the support programmes is the responsibility of Support Programmes Administration (SPA) in the Safeguards Division of Technical Services. This paper describes the roles and the contributions of the MSSPs, the functions of the MSSP administration activities, and the vital importance the IAEA attaches to the MSSPs. (author)

  11. Characterization of ppGalNAc-T18, a member of the vertebrate-specific Y subfamily of UDP-N-acetyl-α-D-galactosamine:polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xing; Wang, Jing; Li, Wei; Xu, Yingjiao; Shao, Dong; Xie, Yinyin; Xie, Wenxian; Kubota, Tomomi; Narimatsu, Hisashi; Zhang, Yan

    2012-05-01

    The first step of mucin-type O-glycosylation is catalyzed by members of the UDP-GalNAc:polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (ppGalNAc-T; EC 2.4.1.41) family. Each member of this family has unique substrate specificity and expression profiles. In this report, we describe a new subfamily of ppGalNAc-Ts, designated the Y subfamily. The Y subfamily consists of four members, ppGalNAc-T8, -T9, -T17 and -T18, in which the conserved YDX(5)WGGENXE sequence in the Gal/GalNAc-T motif of ppGalNAc-Ts is mutated to LDX(5)YGGENXE. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Y subfamily members only exist in vertebrates. All four Y subfamily members lack in vitro GalNAc-transferase activity toward classical substrates possibly because of the UDP-GalNAc-binding pocket mutants. However, ppGalNAc-T18, the newly identified defining member, was localized in the endoplasmic reticulum rather than the Golgi apparatus in lung carcinoma cells. The knockdown of ppGalNAc-T18 altered cell morphology, proliferation potential and changed cell O-glycosylation. ppGalNAc-T18 can also modulate the in vitro GalNAc-transferase activity of ppGalNAc-T2 and -T10, suggesting that it may be a chaperone-like protein. These findings suggest that the new Y subfamily of ppGalNAc-Ts plays an important role in protein glycosylation; characterizing their functions will provide new insight into the role of ppGalNAc-Ts.

  12. Modelling stream-fish functional traits in reference conditions: regional and local environmental correlates.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João M Oliveira

    Full Text Available Identifying the environmental gradients that control the functional structure of biological assemblages in reference conditions is fundamental to help river management and predict the consequences of anthropogenic stressors. Fish metrics (density of ecological guilds, and species richness from 117 least disturbed stream reaches in several western Iberia river basins were modelled with generalized linear models in order to investigate the importance of regional- and local-scale abiotic gradients to variation in functional structure of fish assemblages. Functional patterns were primarily associated with regional features, such as catchment elevation and slope, rainfall, and drainage area. Spatial variations of fish guilds were thus associated with broad geographic gradients, showing (1 pronounced latitudinal patterns, affected mainly by climatic factors and topography, or (2 at the basin level, strong upstream-downstream patterns related to stream position in the longitudinal gradient. Maximum native species richness was observed in midsize streams in accordance with the river continuum concept. The findings of our study emphasized the need to use a multi-scale approach in order to fully assess the factors that govern the functional organization of biotic assemblages in 'natural' streams, as well as to improve biomonitoring and restoration of fluvial ecosystems.

  13. Functionalization of Planet-Satellite Nanostructures Revealed by Nanoscopic Localization of Distinct Macromolecular Species

    KAUST Repository

    Rossner, Christian

    2016-09-26

    The development of a straightforward method is reported to form hybrid polymer/gold planet-satellite nanostructures (PlSNs) with functional polymer. Polyacrylate type polymer with benzyl chloride in its backbone as a macromolecular tracer is synthesized to study its localization within PlSNs by analyzing the elemental distribution of chlorine. The functionalized nanohybrid structures are analyzed by scanning transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and spectrum imaging. The results show that the RAFT (reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer) polymers\\' sulfur containing end groups are colocalized at the gold cores, both within nanohybrids of simple core-shell morphology and within higher order PlSNs, providing microscopic evidence for the affinity of the RAFT group toward gold surfaces. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA., Weinheim.

  14. Hydrogen plasmas beyond density-functional theory: dynamic correlations and the onset of localization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perrot, F.; Dharma-Wardana, M.W.C.

    1984-01-01

    The density-functional theory (DFT) equations - previously considered in their application to the study of a system of ions and electrons in thermodynamic equilibrium at arbitrary temperatures and pressure - are reviewed with attention given to extending their validity in obtaining the one-electron excitation spectrum. The DFT model developed here provides structure factors and Kohn-Sham eigenstates which are then used to calculate the self-energy of the one-electron Green function, thus transcending the local-density approximations and the well-known limitations of DFT, especially with regard to the excitation spectrum. The one-particle formalism used makes contact with the multiple-scattering theories of disordered materials, liquid metals, etc., and is a necessary first step to a future calculation of two-particle propagators and related properties. 28 references

  15. Karyopherin alpha7 (KPNA7), a divergent member of the importin alpha family of nuclear import receptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelley, Joshua B; Talley, Ashley M; Spencer, Adam; Gioeli, Daniel; Paschal, Bryce M

    2010-08-11

    Classical nuclear localization signal (NLS) dependent nuclear import is carried out by a heterodimer of importin alpha and importin beta. NLS cargo is recognized by importin alpha, which is bound by importin beta. Importin beta mediates translocation of the complex through the central channel of the nuclear pore, and upon reaching the nucleus, RanGTP binding to importin beta triggers disassembly of the complex. To date, six importin alpha family members, encoded by separate genes, have been described in humans. We sequenced and characterized a seventh member of the importin alpha family of transport factors, karyopherin alpha 7 (KPNA7), which is most closely related to KPNA2. The domain of KPNA7 that binds Importin beta (IBB) is divergent, and shows stronger binding to importin beta than the IBB domains from of other importin alpha family members. With regard to NLS recognition, KPNA7 binds to the retinoblastoma (RB) NLS to a similar degree as KPNA2, but it fails to bind the SV40-NLS and the human nucleoplasmin (NPM) NLS. KPNA7 shows a predominantly nuclear distribution under steady state conditions, which contrasts with KPNA2 which is primarily cytoplasmic. KPNA7 is a novel importin alpha family member in humans that belongs to the importin alpha2 subfamily. KPNA7 shows different subcellular localization and NLS binding characteristics compared to other members of the importin alpha family. These properties suggest that KPNA7 could be specialized for interactions with select NLS-containing proteins, potentially impacting developmental regulation.

  16. The terminal Permian in European Russia: Vyaznikovian Horizon, Nedubrovo Member, and Permian-Triassic boundary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lozovsky, V. R.; Balabanov, Yu. P.; Karasev, E. V.; Novikov, I. V.; Ponomarenko, A. G.; Yaroshenko, O. P.

    2016-07-01

    The comprehensive analysis of the data obtained on terrestrial vertebrata, ostracods, entomologic fauna, megaflora, and microflora in deposits of the Vyaznikovian Horizon and Nedubrovo Member, as well as the paleomagnetic data measured in enclosing rocks, confirms heterogeneity of these deposits. Accordingly, it is necessary to distinguish these two stratons in the terminal Permian of the East European Platform. The combined sequence of Triassic-Permian boundary deposits in the Moscow Syneclise, which is considered to be the most complete sequence in the East European Platform, is as follows (from bottom upward): Vyatkian deposits; Vyaznikovian Horizon, including Sokovka and Zhukovo members; Nedubrovo Member (Upper Permian); Astashikha and Ryabi members of the Vokhmian Horizon (Lower Triassic). None of the sequences of Permian-Triassic boundary deposits known in the area of study characterizes this sequence in full volume. In the north, the Triassic deposits are underlain by the Nedubrovo Member; in the south (the Klyazma River basin), the sections are underlain by the Vyaznikovian Horizon. The Permian-Triassic boundary adopted in the General Stratigraphic Scale of Russia for continental deposits of the East European platform (the lower boundary of the Astashikha Member) is more ancient than the one adopted in the International Stratigraphic Chart. The same geological situation is observed in the German Basin and other localities where Triassic continental deposits are developed. The ways of solving this problem are discussed in this article.

  17. Local Information Processing in Adults with High Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome: The Usefulness of Neuropsychological Tests and Self-Reports

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spek, Annelies A.; Scholte, Evert M.; Van Berckelaer-Onnes, Ina A.

    2011-01-01

    Local information processing in 42 adults with high functioning autism, 41 adults with Asperger syndrome and 41 neurotypical adults was examined. Contrary to our expectations, the disorder groups did not outperform the neurotypical group in the neuropsychological measures of local information processing. In line with our hypotheses, the…

  18. Functional localization and effective connectivity of cortical theta and alpha oscillatory activity during an attention task

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuichi Kitaura

    Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of this paper is to investigate cortical electric neuronal activity as an indicator of brain function, in a mental arithmetic task that requires sustained attention, as compared to the resting state condition. The two questions of interest are the cortical localization of different oscillatory activities, and the directional effective flow of oscillatory activity between regions of interest, in the task condition compared to resting state. In particular, theta and alpha activity are of interest here, due to their important role in attention processing. Methods: We adapted mental arithmetic as an attention ask in this study. Eyes closed 61-channel EEG was recorded in 14 participants during resting and in a mental arithmetic task (“serial sevens subtraction”. Functional localization and connectivity analyses were based on cortical signals of electric neuronal activity estimated with sLORETA (standardized low resolution electromagnetic tomography. Functional localization was based on the comparison of the cortical distributions of the generators of oscillatory activity between task and resting conditions. Assessment of effective connectivity was based on the iCoh (isolated effective coherence method, which provides an appropriate frequency decomposition of the directional flow of oscillatory activity between brain regions. Nine regions of interest comprising nodes from the dorsal and ventral attention networks were selected for the connectivity analysis. Results: Cortical spectral density distribution comparing task minus rest showed significant activity increase in medial prefrontal areas and decreased activity in left parietal lobe for the theta band, and decreased activity in parietal-occipital regions for the alpha1 band. At a global level, connections among right hemispheric nodes were predominantly decreased during the task condition, while connections among left hemispheric nodes were predominantly increased. At more

  19. Status and functioning of the European Commission's major accident reporting system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirchsteiger, C.

    1999-01-01

    This paper describes the background, functioning and status of the European Commission's Major Accident Reporting System (MARS), dedicated to collect, in a consistent way, data on major industrial accidents involving dangerous substances from the Member States of the European Union, to analyse and statistically process them, and to create subsets of all non-confidential accidents data and analysis results for export to all Member States. This modern information exchange and analysis tool is made up of two connected parts: one for each local unit (i.e., for the Competent Authority of each EU Member State), and one central part for the European Commission. The local, as well as the central parts of this information network, can serve both as data logging systems and, on different levels of complexity, as data analysis tools. The central database allows complex cluster and pattern analysis, identifying and analysing the succession of the disruptive factors leading to an accident. On this basis, 'lessons learned' can be formulated for the industry for the purposes of further accident prevention. Further, results from analysing data of major industrial accidents reported to MARS are presented. It can be shown that some of the main assumptions in the new 'Seveso II Directive' can directly be validated from MARS data. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

  20. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1999-01-01

    The document lists the 130 Member States of the Agency as of 1 December 1999. The new Member since the last issue of the list (INFCIRC/2/52) is Angola. The dates on which the present 130 Member States became Members, and the state Honduras) whose application for membership of the Agency has been approved by the General Conference but which has not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute are given in an Attachment

  1. First-principles momentum-dependent local ansatz wavefunction and momentum distribution function bands of iron

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kakehashi, Yoshiro; Chandra, Sumal

    2016-01-01

    We have developed a first-principles local ansatz wavefunction approach with momentum-dependent variational parameters on the basis of the tight-binding LDA+U Hamiltonian. The theory goes beyond the first-principles Gutzwiller approach and quantitatively describes correlated electron systems. Using the theory, we find that the momentum distribution function (MDF) bands of paramagnetic bcc Fe along high-symmetry lines show a large deviation from the Fermi–Dirac function for the d electrons with e g symmetry and yield the momentum-dependent mass enhancement factors. The calculated average mass enhancement m*/m = 1.65 is consistent with low-temperature specific heat data as well as recent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) data. (author)

  2. Determination of the Local Thermal Conductivity of Functionally Graded Materials by a Laser Flash Method

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zajas, Jan Jakub; Heiselberg, Per

    2013-01-01

    Determination of thermal conductivity of construction materials is essential to estimate their insulation capabilities. In most cases, homogenous materials are used and well developed methods exist for measurements of their thermal conductivity. The task becomes more challenging when dealing...... by scanning them point by point and determining the thermal conductivity as a function of the spatial dimensions. The method proves to be repeatable and of reasonable accuracy and can be used to determine the local thermal properties on a scale of millimeters. In this study, the method was successfully...... applied to create a map of thermal conductivity of a functionally graded material sample....

  3. Factors Associated With Civilian Employment, Work Satisfaction, and Performance Among National Guard Members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, C Beau; Zivin, Kara; Walters, Heather; Ganoczy, Dara; MacDermid Wadsworth, Shelley; Valenstein, Marcia

    2015-12-01

    Employment is a vital part of the postdeployment return to civilian life. This study investigated factors associated with employment-related outcomes (employment status, self-reported work performance, and self-reported work satisfaction) among National Guard members returning from Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New Dawn deployments. The sample consisted of 1,151 National Guard service members who had returned from overseas deployments approximately six months earlier. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were performed to examine associations between predictors and employment-related outcome variables. Higher-risk alcohol use was associated with reduced odds of being employed as well as with lower ratings of work satisfaction, whereas psychiatric symptom load was associated with lower self-reported work performance and work satisfaction ratings. Perceived social resources were associated with higher self-reported work performance and work satisfaction, whereas better physical functioning was associated with better self-reported work performance. Policy makers and clinicians may need to consider and assess alcohol use among unemployed National Guard members. They may also need to consider psychiatric symptom load and physical functioning among employed service members who perceive poor work performance and have low work satisfaction. Further research is needed on causal links between these predictors and employment outcomes.

  4. The effectiveness of cognitive behavioral stress management training on mental health, social interaction and family function in adolescents of families with one Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV positive member

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Keypour

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: This study evaluated stress management training to improve mental health, social interaction and family function among adolescents of families with one Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV positive member. Methods: There were 34 adolescents (13-18 years old with at least one family member living with HIV from whom finally 15 attended the study and participated in 8 weekly sessions of stress management training. The tests used in this study were: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (self and parent report, General Health Questionnare-28 (GHQ-28 and Family Assessment Device (FAD, conducted before, after and three months after the intervention. The collected data were analyzed by repeated measure test using SPSS software (Version 18.0. Results: Adolescents with one HIV positive family member showed high level of emotional problem (40% and conduct problem (33.3%. There was a significant difference between before, after and 3months after intervention based on GHQ-28 mean scores and FAD mean sores (p < 0.001. There was a significant difference between mean scores of peers′ relationship based on SDQ (self report and parents report forms before and after intervention, but there was no significant difference between mean scores of pro social behavior based on SDQ (self report and parents report forms in all three stages (before, after and three months after intervention. Conclusions: Stress management training is effective in improving mental health, family function and social interaction among adolescents living with parents infected with HIV/AIDS.

  5. Local Knowledge About The Structure, Function And Conversion Of Landscape In The Karangwangi Village, Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ulfa Dwi Amelia, Fatiya; Iskandar, Johan

    2017-10-01

    Karangwangi people is one of indigenous people in West Java who has local knowledge about their nature thoroughly. They have local tradition about landscape ecosystem arrangement that based on sakral (sacred) norm. With this rule, local people will always try to preserve the sustainability of their natural environment. However, modernization, increasing population, decreasing forest, and increasing market economic penetration, causing this rule and structure of landscape in Karangwangi village has changed. Land conversion in Karangwangi was occur because of settlement and land investment by people outside the village. These behavior changes in tradition and landscape (structure, function and conversion) in Karangwangi may impact on their daily activities, and so do the changes in daily activities can change their behavior in tradition and landscape. This research was undertaken in the Village of Karangwangi, Sub-district of Cidaun, District of Cianjur, Province of West Java, Indonesia. This paper aims to identify how indigenous people in Karangwangi understand kinds of landscape and another conversion that was happen as a result of management. The method used in this paper is qualitative with ethno ecological approach. The resulted of the study show that local people in Karangwangi Village understand how chronological of landscape structure, function and conversion.

  6. Exploring functionally related enzymes using radially distributed properties of active sites around the reacting points of bound ligands

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ueno Keisuke

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Structural genomics approaches, particularly those solving the 3D structures of many proteins with unknown functions, have increased the desire for structure-based function predictions. However, prediction of enzyme function is difficult because one member of a superfamily may catalyze a different reaction than other members, whereas members of different superfamilies can catalyze the same reaction. In addition, conformational changes, mutations or the absence of a particular catalytic residue can prevent inference of the mechanism by which catalytic residues stabilize and promote the elementary reaction. A major hurdle for alignment-based methods for prediction of function is the absence (despite its importance of a measure of similarity of the physicochemical properties of catalytic sites. To solve this problem, the physicochemical features radially distributed around catalytic sites should be considered in addition to structural and sequence similarities. Results We showed that radial distribution functions (RDFs, which are associated with the local structural and physicochemical properties of catalytic active sites, are capable of clustering oxidoreductases and transferases by function. The catalytic sites of these enzymes were also characterized using the RDFs. The RDFs provided a measure of the similarity among the catalytic sites, detecting conformational changes caused by mutation of catalytic residues. Furthermore, the RDFs reinforced the classification of enzyme functions based on conventional sequence and structural alignments. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the application of RDFs provides advantages in the functional classification of enzymes by providing information about catalytic sites.

  7. THE FISCAL PRESSURE IN THE EU MEMBER STATES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DOBROTĂ GABRIELA

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available The development of an economy is determined in a significant proportion by the tax system structure, by how it exercises its functions and ensures the collection of state resources. A high tax efficiency, due to the acceptability of tax provisions are the ideal conditions of any tax system. In this context, it is obvious that most tax systems have undergone significant changes under the impact of the action of a complex system of factors. Increased need for resources in various countries was reflected in attempts to identify the relationship that allows both the securing of the necessary funds and their economic and social development. The quantification of the fiscal pressure on the EU member states show a wide range of tax rates. This paper makes a comparative analysis of the degree of taxation in the EU member states.

  8. Family members' experiences of autopsy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oppewal, F; Meyboom-de Jong, B

    Background. The experiences of family members will teach us how to handle an autopsy, the ultimate quality assessment tool. Objective. The aim of this study was to determine surviving family members' experience of autopsy. Method. Seven GPs were asked to approach surviving family members of

  9. Local work function analysis of Pt/TiO2 photocatalyst by a Kelvin probe force microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hiehata, K; Sasahara, A; Onishi, H

    2007-01-01

    Nanometre-sized Pt clusters were prepared on a TiO 2 (110)-(1 x 1) surface, and the lateral distribution of work function was examined by using a Kelvin probe force microscope. Local work function on the Pt clusters was smaller than that on the surrounding TiO 2 surface. Assuming that the dipole moments which perturb the work function are produced by uneven electron distribution, the decrease of the work function indicates electron transfer from the clusters to the TiO 2 surface. After decomposition of pivalate anions on the surfaces by UV irradiation, the work function increased on some Pt clusters. It is known that holes photoexcited in TiO 2 attach to pivalate anions to cause a decomposition reaction. Hence the increase of the observed work function by UV irradiation can be ascribed to the trapping of the accompanying electrons to the Pt clusters

  10. Abstract structure of partial function $*$-algebras over semi-direct product of locally compact groups

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arash Ghaani Farashahi

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This article presents a unified approach to the abstract notions of partial convolution and involution in $L^p$-function spaces over semi-direct product of locally compact groups. Let $H$ and $K$ be locally compact groups and $tau:Hto Aut(K$ be a continuous homomorphism.  Let $G_tau=Hltimes_tau K$ be the semi-direct product of $H$ and $K$ with respect to $tau$. We define left and right $tau$-convolution on $L^1(G_tau$ and we show that, with respect to each of them, the function space $L^1(G_tau$ is a Banach algebra. We define $tau$-convolution as a linear combination of the left and right $tau$-convolution and we show that the $tau$-convolution is commutative if and only if $K$ is abelian. We prove that there is a $tau$-involution on $L^1(G_tau$ such that with respect to the $tau$-involution and $tau$-convolution, $L^1(G_tau$ is a non-associative Banach $*$-algebra. It is also shown that when $K$ is abelian, the $tau$-involution and $tau$-convolution make $L^1(G_tau$ into a Jordan Banach $*$-algebra. Finally, we also present the generalized notation of $tau$-convolution for other $L^p$-spaces with $p>1$.

  11. A solution approach for non-linear analysis of concrete members

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hadi, N. M.; Das, S.

    1999-01-01

    Non-linear solution of reinforced concrete structural members, at and beyond its maximum strength poses complex numerical problems. This is due to the fact that concrete exhibits strain softening behaviour once it reaches its maximum strength. This paper introduces an improved non-linear solution capable to overcome the numerical problems efficiently. The paper also presents a new concept of modeling discrete cracks in concrete members by using gap elements. Gap elements are placed in between two adjacent concrete elements in tensile zone. The magnitude of elongation of gap elements, which represents the width of the crack in concrete, increases edith the increase of tensile stress in those elements. As a result, transfer of local from one concrete element to adjacent elements reduces. Results of non-linear finite element analysis of three concrete beams using this new solution strategy are compared with those obtained by other researchers, and a good agreement is achieved. (authors). 13 refs. 9 figs.,

  12. Tax system for members of the personnel living in France

    CERN Document Server

    HR Department

    2005-01-01

    - DECLARATION OF INCOME FOR 2004 - http://cern.ch/hr-web/internal/generalinfo/impots/impots.asp IMPORTANT Members of the personnel residing in France are requested to follow the instructions (seen and approved by the Tax Office (CDI) in Bellegarde) outlined below. To deal with the large number of requests for personal advice, the Human Resources Department has set up a Helpdesk, Tel. 72838, to direct you to the relevant in-house or outside services. However, as the Human Resources Department cannot speak for the tax authorities and does not have the necessary resources to handle all the problems that are referred to it, members of the personnel are strongly recommended to contact the French tax authorities directly, either at the information desks organised at the places and times given below or via their local tax offices ('Centre des Impôts' and/or 'Trésorerie'). Practical information on the procedures for income declaration and income tax calculation in France can be obtained o...

  13. Tax system for members of the personnel living in France

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2005-01-01

    - DECLARATION OF INCOME FOR 2004 - http://cern.ch/hr-web/internal/generalinfo/impots/impots.asp IMPORTANT Members of the personnel residing in France are requested to follow the instructions (seen and approved by the Tax Office (CDI) in Bellegarde) outlined below. To deal with the large number of requests for personal advice, the Human Resources Department has set up a Helpdesk, Tel. 72838, to direct you to the relevant in-house or outside services. However, as the Human Resources Department cannot speak for the tax authorities and does not have the necessary resources to handle all the problems that are referred to it, members of the personnel are strongly recommended to contact the French tax authorities directly, either at the information desks organised at the places and times given below or via their local tax offices ('Centre des Impôts' and/or 'Trésorerie'). Practical information on the procedures for income declaration and income tax calculation in France can be obtained on...

  14. Localized superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma, M.; Lee, P.A.

    1985-01-01

    We study the effects of Anderson localization on superconductivity by using a Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS)-type trial wave function which pairs electrons in exact time-reversed eigenstates of the single-particle Hamiltonian. Within this approximation, and neglecting localization effects on the effective Coulomb repulsion and the electron-phonon coupling, we find that superconductivity persists below the mobility edge. In fact, Anderson's theorem is valid in the localized phase as long as rhoΔ 0 L/sup d/ > 1 (rho is the density of states averaged over +- Δ 0 of the Fermi energy, Δ 0 the BCS gap parameter, and L the localization length). Hence the gap order parameter Δ(r) remains uniform in space at the BCS value Δ 0 . The superfluid density and response to electromagnetic perturbations, however, show marked differences from the ''dirty superconductor'' regime. For rhoΔ 0 L/sup d/ < 1, Δ(r) fluctuates spatially and eventually drops to zero. In the limit when states are site localized, the system crosses over into the ''Anderson negative-U glass.'' Considerations beyond the trial wave-function approximation will speed up the destruction of superconductivity. The superconductor formed from localized states has the property that its quasiparticle excitations are also localized. Such excitations can be probed by observing the normal current in a tunneling junction

  15. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2003-01-01

    The document lists the 135 Member States of the Agency as of 19 March 2003. The new Member since the last issue of the list (INFCIRC/2/56) is the Republic of Honduras. The dates on which the present 135 Member States became Members are given in an Attachment. It also shows the States whose application for membership of the Agency has been approved by the General Conference but which has not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute

  16. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2002-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.55) is the Republic of Botswana, which deposited the instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 20 March 2002. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 134 Member States became Members. It also shows the State whose application for membership of the Agency has been approved by the General Conference, but which has not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute

  17. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-01-01

    The document lists the 132 Member States of the Agency as of 1 June 2001. The new Members since the last issue of the list (INFCIRC/2/53) are Central African Republic and Azerbaijan. The dates on which the present 132 Member States became Members are given in an Attachment. It also shows the States whose application for membership of the Agency has been approved by the General Conference but which has not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute

  18. Comparison of Specialty Medication Use for Common Chronic Inflammatory Diseases Among Health Exchange and Other Commercially Insured Members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xiaoxue; Gautam, Santosh; Ruggieri, Alexander; Richards, Thomas; Devries, Andrea; Sylwestrzak, Gosia

    2018-01-01

    The Affordable Care Act of 2010 allows the purchase of health insurance through special marketplaces called "health exchanges." The majority of individuals enrolling in the exchanges were previously uninsured, older, and sicker than other commercially insured members. Early evidence also suggests that exchange plan members use more costly specialty drugs compared with other commercially insured members. To (a) examine patient characteristics and specialty drug use for common chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs) among exchange plan members compared with other commercially insured members and (b) explore variations in specialty drug use within exchange plans by metal tiers (bronze, silver, gold, and platinum), as well as across local markets. This analysis included adults aged ≥ 18 years who were enrolled in exchange plans (exchange population) and other commercial health plans (nonexchange population). The primary outcome was the likelihood of using specialty drugs prescribed to treat common CIDs, such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriatic arthritis, and psoriasis. The adjusted likelihood of using CID specialty drugs was calculated from logistic regression controlling for prevalence of CIDs and other health risk factors. A total of 931,384 exchange plan members and 2,682,855 nonexchange plan members were included in the analysis. Compared with the nonexchange population, the exchange population was older, more likely to be female, had more comorbid conditions, but filled fewer prescriptions. The 2 groups were similar in terms of CID prevalence. The observed likelihood of CID specialty drug use was 20.0% lower in the exchange versus the nonexchange populations (341 users per 100,000 exchange members vs. 427 users per 100,000 nonexchange members; P exchange population, the observed likelihood of CID specialty drug use was 132 per 100,000 bronze plan members (69.1% lower than nonexchange); 326 per 100

  19. Embryonal Fyn-associated substrate (EFS) and CASS4: The lesser-known CAS protein family members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deneka, Alexander; Korobeynikov, Vladislav; Golemis, Erica A

    2015-10-01

    The CAS (Crk-associated substrate) adaptor protein family consists of four members: CASS1/BCAR1/p130Cas, CASS2/NEDD9/HEF1/Cas-L, CASS3/EFS/Sin and CASS4/HEPL. While CAS proteins lack enzymatic activity, they contain specific recognition and binding sites for assembly of larger signaling complexes that are essential for cell proliferation, survival, migration, and other processes. All family members are intermediates in integrin-dependent signaling pathways mediated at focal adhesions, and associate with FAK and SRC family kinases to activate downstream effectors regulating the actin cytoskeleton. Most studies of CAS proteins to date have been focused on the first two members, BCAR1 and NEDD9, with altered expression of these proteins now appreciated as influencing disease development and prognosis for cancer and other serious pathological conditions. For these family members, additional mechanisms of action have been defined in receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling, estrogen receptor signaling or cell cycle progression, involving discrete partner proteins such as SHC, NSP proteins, or AURKA. By contrast, EFS and CASS4 have been less studied, although structure-function analyses indicate they conserve many elements with the better-known family members. Intriguingly, a number of recent studies have implicated these proteins in immune system function, and the pathogenesis of developmental disorders, autoimmune disorders including Crohn's disease, Alzheimer's disease, cancer and other diseases. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of EFS and CASS4 protein function in the context of the larger CAS family group. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Inference for local autocorrelations in locally stationary models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Zhibiao

    2015-04-01

    For non-stationary processes, the time-varying correlation structure provides useful insights into the underlying model dynamics. We study estimation and inferences for local autocorrelation process in locally stationary time series. Our constructed simultaneous confidence band can be used to address important hypothesis testing problems, such as whether the local autocorrelation process is indeed time-varying and whether the local autocorrelation is zero. In particular, our result provides an important generalization of the R function acf() to locally stationary Gaussian processes. Simulation studies and two empirical applications are developed. For the global temperature series, we find that the local autocorrelations are time-varying and have a "V" shape during 1910-1960. For the S&P 500 index, we conclude that the returns satisfy the efficient-market hypothesis whereas the magnitudes of returns show significant local autocorrelations.

  1. Sexual function disorders after local radiotherapy for carcinoma of the prostate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Heeringen, C.; Verbeek, E.; De Schryver, A.

    1988-01-01

    In order to contribute some insight into the extent to which local radiotherapy for carcinoma of the prostate is followed by disorders in sexual functioning, 18 patients whose age ranged from 60 to 82, were interviewed 4 to 45 months after their Radiotherapy (RT). Our results confirmed the fact that RT was followed by impotence as such in only a minority of cases (3 out of 12 or 0.25). However, when other aspects of sexuality were taken into account, a higher proportion appeared to have problems. In a substantial number of patients, psychogenic factors seemed to be (at least partly) responsible. More attention to these facts and, when necessary, psychiatric assistance, may help reduce the incidence of sexual disorders following RT to the prostate

  2. The members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.46) is Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 123 Member States became Members. It also shows the States whose applications for membership of the Agency have been approved by the General Conference but which have not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute and the State whose application for membership has been recommended by the Board of Governors for approval by the General Conference

  3. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-01-01

    No new Member has joined the Agency since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.45). The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 122 Member States became Members. It also shows the State whose application for membership of the Agency has been approved by the General Conference but which has not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute and the States whose applications for membership have been recommended by the Board of Governors for approval by the General Conference

  4. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2003-01-01

    The document lists the 136 Member States of the Agency as of 6 May 2003. The new Members since the last issue of the list (INFCIRC/2/57) are Eritrea and the Republic of Seychelles. Cambodia withdrew from the Agency with effect from 26 March 2003. The dates on which the present 136 Member States became Members are given in an Attachment. It also shows the States whose application for membership of the Agency has been approved by the General Conference but which has not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute

  5. The Members of the Agency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-09-11

    No new Member has joined the Agency since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.45). The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 122 Member States became Members. It also shows the State whose application for membership of the Agency has been approved by the General Conference but which has not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute and the States whose applications for membership have been recommended by the Board of Governors for approval by the General Conference.

  6. The members of the Agency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-02-26

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.46) is Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 123 Member States became Members. It also shows the States whose applications for membership of the Agency have been approved by the General Conference but which have not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute and the State whose application for membership has been recommended by the Board of Governors for approval by the General Conference.

  7. Localized reductions in resting-state functional connectivity in children with prenatal alcohol exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Jia; Taylor, Paul A; Jacobson, Sandra W; Molteno, Christopher D; Gohel, Suril; Biswal, Bharat B; Jacobson, Joseph L; Meintjes, Ernesta M

    2017-10-01

    Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are characterized by impairment in cognitive function that may or may not be accompanied by craniofacial anomalies, microcephaly, and/or growth retardation. Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI), which examines the low-frequency component of the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal in the absence of an explicit task, provides an efficient and powerful mechanism for studying functional brain networks even in low-functioning and young subjects. Studies using independent component analysis (ICA) have identified a set of resting-state networks (RSNs) that have been linked to distinct domains of cognitive and perceptual function, which are believed to reflect the intrinsic functional architecture of the brain. This study is the first to examine resting-state functional connectivity within these RSNs in FASD. Rs-fMRI scans were performed on 38 children with FASD (19 with either full fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or partial FAS (PFAS), 19 nonsyndromal heavily exposed (HE)), and 19 controls, mean age 11.3 ± 0.9 years, from the Cape Town Longitudinal Cohort. Nine resting-state networks were generated by ICA. Voxelwise group comparison between a combined FAS/PFAS group and controls revealed localized dose-dependent functional connectivity reductions in five regions in separate networks: anterior default mode, salience, ventral and dorsal attention, and R executive control. The former three also showed lower connectivity in the HE group. Gray matter connectivity deficits in four of the five networks appear to be related to deficits in white matter tracts that provide intra-RSN connections. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5217-5233, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Small but powerful: top predator local extinction affects ecosystem structure and function in an intermittent stream.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Lozano, Pablo; Verkaik, Iraima; Rieradevall, Maria; Prat, Narcís

    2015-01-01

    Top predator loss is a major global problem, with a current trend in biodiversity loss towards high trophic levels that modifies most ecosystems worldwide. Most research in this area is focused on large-bodied predators, despite the high extinction risk of small-bodied freshwater fish that often act as apex consumers. Consequently, it remains unknown if intermittent streams are affected by the consequences of top-predators' extirpations. The aim of our research was to determine how this global problem affects intermittent streams and, in particular, if the loss of a small-bodied top predator (1) leads to a 'mesopredator release', affects primary consumers and changes whole community structures, and (2) triggers a cascade effect modifying the ecosystem function. To address these questions, we studied the top-down effects of a small endangered fish species, Barbus meridionalis (the Mediterranean barbel), conducting an enclosure/exclosure mesocosm experiment in an intermittent stream where B. meridionalis became locally extinct following a wildfire. We found that top predator absence led to 'mesopredator release', and also to 'prey release' despite intraguild predation, which contrasts with traditional food web theory. In addition, B. meridionalis extirpation changed whole macroinvertebrate community composition and increased total macroinvertebrate density. Regarding ecosystem function, periphyton primary production decreased in apex consumer absence. In this study, the apex consumer was functionally irreplaceable; its local extinction led to the loss of an important functional role that resulted in major changes to the ecosystem's structure and function. This study evidences that intermittent streams can be affected by the consequences of apex consumers' extinctions, and that the loss of small-bodied top predators can lead to large ecosystem changes. We recommend the reintroduction of small-bodied apex consumers to systems where they have been extirpated, to restore

  9. Small but powerful: top predator local extinction affects ecosystem structure and function in an intermittent stream.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pablo Rodríguez-Lozano

    Full Text Available Top predator loss is a major global problem, with a current trend in biodiversity loss towards high trophic levels that modifies most ecosystems worldwide. Most research in this area is focused on large-bodied predators, despite the high extinction risk of small-bodied freshwater fish that often act as apex consumers. Consequently, it remains unknown if intermittent streams are affected by the consequences of top-predators' extirpations. The aim of our research was to determine how this global problem affects intermittent streams and, in particular, if the loss of a small-bodied top predator (1 leads to a 'mesopredator release', affects primary consumers and changes whole community structures, and (2 triggers a cascade effect modifying the ecosystem function. To address these questions, we studied the top-down effects of a small endangered fish species, Barbus meridionalis (the Mediterranean barbel, conducting an enclosure/exclosure mesocosm experiment in an intermittent stream where B. meridionalis became locally extinct following a wildfire. We found that top predator absence led to 'mesopredator release', and also to 'prey release' despite intraguild predation, which contrasts with traditional food web theory. In addition, B. meridionalis extirpation changed whole macroinvertebrate community composition and increased total macroinvertebrate density. Regarding ecosystem function, periphyton primary production decreased in apex consumer absence. In this study, the apex consumer was functionally irreplaceable; its local extinction led to the loss of an important functional role that resulted in major changes to the ecosystem's structure and function. This study evidences that intermittent streams can be affected by the consequences of apex consumers' extinctions, and that the loss of small-bodied top predators can lead to large ecosystem changes. We recommend the reintroduction of small-bodied apex consumers to systems where they have been

  10. Connecting the Members of Generation Y to Destination Brands: A Case Study of the CUBIS Project

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ralf Bochert

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available There is direct correlation between building powerful destination brands and the degree to which tourists and locals share the brands values. The massive penetration of the active population by Generation Y has generated a major shift in tourism marketing, based on the profile of this cohort. The members of Generation Y are very different from previous generations. The so-called “digital natives” share high technological proficiency; they like to share their skills; they are disloyal consumers; and they are affected by trends. In order to connect with members of Generation Y and to actively involve them into the life of tourist destinations, viral, participative, interactive, networked and versatile marketing techniques should be employed. This article introduces the Intelligent Solution for Brand Culturalization (CUBIS Project, which is a collaborative research initiative that offers to Destination Management Organizations an innovative idea of how to connect the members of Generation Y with destination brands using information and communication technologies (ICT. The CUBIS Project aims to create emotional attachment with the brand values and supports the adoption of the brand by young locals and tourists. The CUBIS idea is flexible and highly adaptable to other destinations. The article uses exploratory qualitative research in the form of a case study.

  11. Non-Overlapping Distributions and Functions of the VDAC Family in Ciliogenesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shubhra Majumder

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Centrosomes are major microtubule-organizing centers of animal cells that consist of two centrioles. In mitotic cells, centrosomes are duplicated to serve as the poles of the mitotic spindle, while in quiescent cells, centrosomes move to the apical membrane where the oldest centriole is transformed into a basal body to assemble a primary cilium. We recently showed that mitochondrial outer membrane porin VDAC3 localizes to centrosomes where it negatively regulates ciliogenesis. We show here that the other two family members, VDAC1 and VDAC2, best known for their function in mitochondrial bioenergetics, are also found at centrosomes. Like VDAC3, centrosomal VDAC1 is predominantly localized to the mother centriole, while VDAC2 localizes to centriolar satellites in a microtubule-dependent manner. Down-regulation of VDAC1 leads to inappropriate ciliogenesis, while its overexpression suppresses cilia formation, suggesting that VDAC1 and VDAC3 both negatively regulate ciliogenesis. However, this negative effect on ciliogenesis is not shared by VDAC2, which instead appears to promote maturation of primary cilia. Moreover, because overexpression of VDAC3 cannot compensate for depletion of VDAC1, our data suggest that while the entire VDAC family localizes to centrosomes, they have non-redundant functions in cilogenesis.

  12. 7 CFR 1425.19 - Member cooperatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Member cooperatives. 1425.19 Section 1425.19... OF AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS COOPERATIVE MARKETING ASSOCIATIONS § 1425.19 Member cooperatives. A CMA may obtain loans or LDP's on behalf of a member cooperative when the member...

  13. Functional characterization of AGAMOUS-subfamily members from cotton during reproductive development and in response to plant hormones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Moura, Stéfanie Menezes; Artico, Sinara; Lima, Cássio; Nardeli, Sarah Muniz; Berbel, Ana; Oliveira-Neto, Osmundo Brilhante; Grossi-de-Sá, Maria Fátima; Ferrándiz, Cristina; Madueño, Francisco; Alves-Ferreira, Márcio

    2017-03-01

    Expression analysis of the AG -subfamily members from G. hirsutum during flower and fruit development. Reproductive development in cotton, including the fruit and fiber formation, is a complex process; it involves the coordinated action of gene expression regulators, and it is highly influenced by plant hormones. Several studies have reported the identification and expression of the transcription factor family MADS-box members in cotton ovules and fibers; however, their roles are still elusive during the reproductive development in cotton. In this study, we evaluated the expression profiles of five MADS-box genes (GhMADS3, GhMADS4, GhMADS5, GhMADS6 and GhMADS7) belonging to the AGAMOUS-subfamily in Gossypium hirsutum. Phylogenetic and protein sequence analyses were performed using diploid (G. arboreum, G. raimondii) and tetraploid (G. barbadense, G. hirsutum) cotton genomes, as well as the AG-subfamily members from Arabidopsis thaliana, Petunia hybrida and Antirrhinum majus. qPCR analysis showed that the AG-subfamily genes had high expression during flower and fruit development in G. hirsutum. In situ hybridization analysis also substantiates the involvement of AG-subfamily members on reproductive tissues of G. hirsutum, including ovule and ovary. The effect of plant hormones on AG-subfamily genes expression was verified in cotton fruits treated with gibberellin, auxin and brassinosteroid. All the genes were significantly regulated in response to auxin, whereas only GhMADS3, GhMADS4 and GhMADS7 genes were also regulated by brassinosteroid treatment. In addition, we have investigated the GhMADS3 and GhMADS4 overexpression effects in Arabidopsis plants. Interestingly, the transgenic plants from both cotton AG-like genes in Arabidopsis significantly altered the fruit size compared to the control plants. This alteration suggests that cotton AG-like genes might act regulating fruit formation. Our results demonstrate that members of the AG-subfamily in G. hirsutum

  14. A self-interaction-free local hybrid functional: Accurate binding energies vis-à-vis accurate ionization potentials from Kohn-Sham eigenvalues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmidt, Tobias; Kümmel, Stephan; Kraisler, Eli; Makmal, Adi; Kronik, Leeor

    2014-01-01

    We present and test a new approximation for the exchange-correlation (xc) energy of Kohn-Sham density functional theory. It combines exact exchange with a compatible non-local correlation functional. The functional is by construction free of one-electron self-interaction, respects constraints derived from uniform coordinate scaling, and has the correct asymptotic behavior of the xc energy density. It contains one parameter that is not determined ab initio. We investigate whether it is possible to construct a functional that yields accurate binding energies and affords other advantages, specifically Kohn-Sham eigenvalues that reliably reflect ionization potentials. Tests for a set of atoms and small molecules show that within our local-hybrid form accurate binding energies can be achieved by proper optimization of the free parameter in our functional, along with an improvement in dissociation energy curves and in Kohn-Sham eigenvalues. However, the correspondence of the latter to experimental ionization potentials is not yet satisfactory, and if we choose to optimize their prediction, a rather different value of the functional's parameter is obtained. We put this finding in a larger context by discussing similar observations for other functionals and possible directions for further functional development that our findings suggest

  15. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2014-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.76) is Brunei Darussalam, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 18 February 2014. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 162 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [fr

  16. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.71) is Rwanda, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 4 September 2012. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 155 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [fr

  17. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.70) is Papua New Guinea, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 4 April 2012. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 154 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government

  18. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2013-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.74) is Swaziland, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 15 February 2013. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 159 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government

  19. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.71) is Rwanda, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 4 September 2012. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 155 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government

  20. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2014-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.76) is Brunei Darussalam, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 18 February 2014. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 162 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government

  1. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.73) is Trinidad and Tobago, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 9 November 2012. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 158 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government

  2. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.71) is Rwanda, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 4 September 2012. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 155 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [es

  3. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2014-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.76) is Brunei Darussalam, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 18 February 2014. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 162 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [es

  4. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.71) is Rwanda, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 4 September 2012. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 155 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [ru

  5. Inferring local ecological processes amid species pool influences

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lessard, Jean-Philippe; Belmaker, Jonathan; Myers, Jonathan A.

    2012-01-01

    studies, null models of community structure, and ecologically explicit definitions of the species pool as a means to compare predominant ecological processes among regions. By uniting concepts and tools from community ecology and macroecology, this approach might facilitate synthesis and resolve many......Resolving contingencies in community ecology requires comparative studies of local communities along broad-scale environmental gradients and in different biogeographic regions. However, comparisons of local ecological processes among regions require a synthetic understanding of how the species pool...... of potential community members influences the structure of ecological communities. Here, we outline an integrative approach for quantifying local ecological processes while explicitly accounting for species pool influences. Specifically, we highlight the utility of combining geographically replicated local...

  6. Buying Local or Imported Goods?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ayob, Abu H.; Hussain, Wan Mohd Hirwani Wan

    2016-01-01

    ’ purchasing decisions. Data was collected on 296 university students in Malaysia and analyzed through probit regression analysis. The findings reveal that foreign products from advanced countries are preferred by male students because of the superior quality and brand image. On the other hand, family members......This study attempts to profile non-income consumers by examining their decisions to buy local or imported products. Hypotheses were drawn from discussions on the comparative advantages of advanced and developing countries, as well as the effects of a product’s country-of-origin on customers...... encourage students to buy local products because they are perceived as being less expensive. Also, students who receive scholarships are more likely to buy local products than self-sponsored students. This research offers insights into ex-ante purchasing behavior in developing countries particularly among...

  7. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-01-01

    The new Members since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.54) are the Republic of Tajikistan, which deposited the instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 10 September 2001 and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which deposited the instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 31 October 2001. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 133 Member States became Members. It also shows the States whose applications for membership of the Agency have been approved by the General Conference, but which have not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute

  8. The members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-01-01

    The document lists the 124 Member States of the Agency as of 1 September 1996. The new Member since the last issue of the list (INFCIRC/2/Rev.47) is Georgia. In an attachment are given the dates on which the 124 Member States became Members, the State (Latvia) whose application for membership of the Agency has been approved by the General Conference but which has not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute and the State (Republic of Moldova) whose application for membership has been recommended by the Board of Governors for approval by the General Conference

  9. The members of the Agency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-09-10

    The document lists the 124 Member States of the Agency as of 1 September 1996. The new Member since the last issue of the list (INFCIRC/2/Rev.47) is Georgia. In an attachment are given the dates on which the 124 Member States became Members, the State (Latvia) whose application for membership of the Agency has been approved by the General Conference but which has not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute and the State (Republic of Moldova) whose application for membership has been recommended by the Board of Governors for approval by the General Conference.

  10. Dielectric function and its predicted effect on localized plasmon resonances of equiatomic Au–Cu

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Silva, K S B; Gentle, A; Arnold, M; Cortie, M B; Keast, V J

    2015-01-01

    Equiatomic (Au,Cu) solid solution orders below 658 K to form a tetragonal AuCu (I) phase with significant changes in physical properties and the crystal structure. The effect of ordering on the dielectric function of the material is controversial however, with inconsistent results reported in the literature. Since the nature of any localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in the nanostructures is very sensitive to the dielectric function, this uncertainty hinders the use of AuCu in plasmonic devices or structures. Therefore, we re-examine the question using a combination of measurements and computations. We find that no significant change in the dielectric function occurs when this material becomes ordered, at least over the range of photon energies relevant to LSPRs. The likely properties of LSPRs in plasmonic devices made of AuCu are analyzed. Use of the alloy offers some advantages over pure Cu, however pure Au would still be the superior option in most situations. (paper)

  11. Presynaptic DLG regulates synaptic function through the localization of voltage-activated Ca2+ Channels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Astorga, César; Jorquera, Ramón A.; Ramírez, Mauricio; Kohler, Andrés; López, Estefanía; Delgado, Ricardo; Córdova, Alex; Olguín, Patricio; Sierralta, Jimena

    2016-01-01

    The DLG-MAGUK subfamily of proteins plays a role on the recycling and clustering of glutamate receptors (GLUR) at the postsynaptic density. discs-large1 (dlg) is the only DLG-MAGUK gene in Drosophila and originates two main products, DLGA and DLGS97 which differ by the presence of an L27 domain. Combining electrophysiology, immunostaining and genetic manipulation at the pre and postsynaptic compartments we study the DLG contribution to the basal synaptic-function at the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction. Our results reveal a specific function of DLGS97 in the regulation of the size of GLUR fields and their subunit composition. Strikingly the absence of any of DLG proteins at the presynaptic terminal disrupts the clustering and localization of the calcium channel DmCa1A subunit (Cacophony), decreases the action potential-evoked release probability and alters short-term plasticity. Our results show for the first time a crucial role of DLG proteins in the presynaptic function in vivo. PMID:27573697

  12. Presynaptic DLG regulates synaptic function through the localization of voltage-activated Ca(2+) Channels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Astorga, César; Jorquera, Ramón A; Ramírez, Mauricio; Kohler, Andrés; López, Estefanía; Delgado, Ricardo; Córdova, Alex; Olguín, Patricio; Sierralta, Jimena

    2016-08-30

    The DLG-MAGUK subfamily of proteins plays a role on the recycling and clustering of glutamate receptors (GLUR) at the postsynaptic density. discs-large1 (dlg) is the only DLG-MAGUK gene in Drosophila and originates two main products, DLGA and DLGS97 which differ by the presence of an L27 domain. Combining electrophysiology, immunostaining and genetic manipulation at the pre and postsynaptic compartments we study the DLG contribution to the basal synaptic-function at the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction. Our results reveal a specific function of DLGS97 in the regulation of the size of GLUR fields and their subunit composition. Strikingly the absence of any of DLG proteins at the presynaptic terminal disrupts the clustering and localization of the calcium channel DmCa1A subunit (Cacophony), decreases the action potential-evoked release probability and alters short-term plasticity. Our results show for the first time a crucial role of DLG proteins in the presynaptic function in vivo.

  13. Prospects for local community wind energy projects in the UK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, Derek; Open Univ., Milton Keynes

    1993-01-01

    This paper examines the prospects for local community wind energy projects in the UK. After explaining the advantages of such projects compared to purely commercial developments, the scale and funding for the projects are discussed. It is argued that such projects are beneficial both financially to individual members and also to the local rural economies particularly in deprived regions. (UK)

  14. Emission computerized-tomography and determination of local brain function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuhl, D.E.; Alavi, A.; Reivich, M.; Edwards, R.Q.; Fenton, C.A.; Zimmerman, R.A.

    1975-01-01

    Methods for the three dimensional reconstruction of /sup 99m/Tc brain scans are described. The diagnostic advantages of computerized tomography in the localization of brain tumors and in measurements of local cerebral blood flow are discussed. (U.S.)

  15. The Dark Side of the Mushroom Spring Microbial Mat: Life in the Shadow of Chlorophototrophs. II. Metabolic Functions of Abundant Community Members Predicted from Metagenomic Analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thiel, Vera; Hügler, Michael; Ward, David M; Bryant, Donald A

    2017-01-01

    Microbial mat communities in the effluent channels of Octopus and Mushroom Springs within the Lower Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park have been extensively characterized. Previous studies have focused on the chlorophototrophic organisms of the phyla Cyanobacteria and Chloroflexi . However, the diversity and metabolic functions of the other portion of the community in the microoxic/anoxic region of the mat are poorly understood. We recently described the diverse but extremely uneven microbial assemblage in the undermat of Mushroom Spring based on 16S rRNA amplicon sequences, which was dominated by Roseiflexus members, filamentous anoxygenic chlorophototrophs. In this study, we analyzed the orange-colored undermat portion of the community of Mushroom Spring mats in a genome-centric approach and discuss the metabolic potentials of the major members. Metagenome binning recovered partial genomes of all abundant community members, ranging in completeness from ~28 to 96%, and allowed affiliation of function with taxonomic identity even for representatives of novel and Candidate phyla. Less complete metagenomic bins correlated with high microdiversity. The undermat portion of the community was found to be a mixture of phototrophic and chemotrophic organisms, which use bicarbonate as well as organic carbon sources derived from different cell components and fermentation products. The presence of rhodopsin genes in many taxa strengthens the hypothesis that light energy is of major importance. Evidence for the usage of all four bacterial carbon fixation pathways was found in the metagenome. Nitrogen fixation appears to be limited to Synechococcus spp. in the upper mat layer and Thermodesulfovibrio sp. in the undermat, and nitrate/nitrite metabolism was limited. A closed sulfur cycle is indicated by biological sulfate reduction combined with the presence of genes for sulfide oxidation mainly in phototrophs. Finally, a variety of undermat microorganisms have genes for

  16. The Dark Side of the Mushroom Spring Microbial Mat: Life in the Shadow of Chlorophototrophs. II. Metabolic Functions of Abundant Community Members Predicted from Metagenomic Analyses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vera Thiel

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Microbial mat communities in the effluent channels of Octopus and Mushroom Springs within the Lower Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park have been extensively characterized. Previous studies have focused on the chlorophototrophic organisms of the phyla Cyanobacteria and Chloroflexi. However, the diversity and metabolic functions of the other portion of the community in the microoxic/anoxic region of the mat are poorly understood. We recently described the diverse but extremely uneven microbial assemblage in the undermat of Mushroom Spring based on 16S rRNA amplicon sequences, which was dominated by Roseiflexus members, filamentous anoxygenic chlorophototrophs. In this study, we analyzed the orange-colored undermat portion of the community of Mushroom Spring mats in a genome-centric approach and discuss the metabolic potentials of the major members. Metagenome binning recovered partial genomes of all abundant community members, ranging in completeness from ~28 to 96%, and allowed affiliation of function with taxonomic identity even for representatives of novel and Candidate phyla. Less complete metagenomic bins correlated with high microdiversity. The undermat portion of the community was found to be a mixture of phototrophic and chemotrophic organisms, which use bicarbonate as well as organic carbon sources derived from different cell components and fermentation products. The presence of rhodopsin genes in many taxa strengthens the hypothesis that light energy is of major importance. Evidence for the usage of all four bacterial carbon fixation pathways was found in the metagenome. Nitrogen fixation appears to be limited to Synechococcus spp. in the upper mat layer and Thermodesulfovibrio sp. in the undermat, and nitrate/nitrite metabolism was limited. A closed sulfur cycle is indicated by biological sulfate reduction combined with the presence of genes for sulfide oxidation mainly in phototrophs. Finally, a variety of undermat

  17. Structure and age of the local association (Pleiades group)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eggen, O.J.

    1975-01-01

    The available photometric and motion parameters for some 500 early-type stars brighter than M/sub V/ = -1/sup m/ are used to compute space-motion vectors. It is concluded that (a) about one-third of the stars are members of the local association (Pleiades group) which are easily isolated from the other interarm stars because V = -25 km sec -1 ; (b) some 50 stars with aberrant velocity vectors, and often referred to as ''runaway stars'', may actually be members of the old-disk, or even the halo, population; (c) perhaps the local association (or Gould Belt) stars cannot be separated from other interarm objects on the basis of positional criteria alone; and (d) the age spread in the local association ranges from that of the cluster NGC 2287 to pre-main-sequence stars in several star-producing regions within the association including the large Taurus Aurigae dark cloud and isolated small clouds, such as that near HR 5999/6000. (19 figures, 11 tables, 47 references) (U.S.)

  18. Members of the LHC Resources Review Boards

    CERN Multimedia

    Maximilien Brice

    2002-01-01

    Photo 01: Members of the LHCRRB visiting Point 2, hosting the ALICE experiment From l. to r. : W. Korda, Head of the VIP Office; P. Rimmer, CERN public relations, J. Seed, Member of the LHCRRB, J.-P. Revol, ALICE CERN Team Leader; J. Bartke, Member of the LHCRRB; F. Suransky, Member of the LHCRRB; J. Schukraft, Spokesperson, ALICE experiment and S. Molinari, VIP Office. Photo 02: Members of the LHC Resources Review Boards visiting the ALICE magnet at Point 2. L. to. r.: O. Dines-Hansen, H. Boggild, S. Irgens-Jensens, H.A. Gustafsson Photo 03: Members of the LHCRRB visiting Point 2, hosting the ALICE experiment From l. t to r.: J.Richter, Member of the LHCRRB; H. Gutbrod, Deputy Spokesperson, ALICE experiment; G. Paic, ALICE experiment; D. Muller, Member of the LHCRRB; P. Brau-Munzinger, ALICE experiment; R. Santo, Member of the LHCRRB, A. Van Rijn, Member of the LHCRRB; J. Engelen, Member of the LHCRRB.

  19. Organizational Member Involvement in Physical Activity Coalitions across the United States: Development and Testing of a Novel Survey Instrument for Assessing Coalition Functioning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bornstein, Daniel B.; Pate, Russell R.; Beets, Michael W.; Saunders, Ruth P.; Blair, Steven N.

    2015-01-01

    Introduction: Coalitions are often composed of member organizations. Member involvement is thought to be associated with coalition success. No instrument currently exists for evaluating organizational member involvement in physical activity coalitions. This study aimed to develop a survey instrument for evaluating organizational member involvement…

  20. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.70) is Papua New Guinea, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 4 April 2012. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 154 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [fr

  1. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.69) is the Commonwealth of Dominica, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 17 February 2012. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 153 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [fr

  2. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2011-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.68) is the Lao People's Democratic Republic which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 4 November 2011. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 152 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statue with the depositary Government [fr

  3. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.73) is Trinidad and Tobago, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 9 November 2012. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 158 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [fr

  4. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.70) is Papua New Guinea, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 4 April 2012. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 154 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [ru

  5. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.69) is the Commonwealth of Dominica, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 17 February 2012. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 153 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government

  6. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.69) is the Commonwealth of Dominica, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 17 February 2012. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 153 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [es

  7. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2011-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.68) is the Lao People's Democratic Republic which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 4 November 2011. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 152 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statue with the depositary Government

  8. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2011-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.68) is the Lao People's Democratic Republic which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 4 November 2011. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 152 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statue with the depositary Government [es

  9. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.73) is Trinidad and Tobago, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 9 November 2012. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 158 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [es

  10. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Member since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.70) is Papua New Guinea, which deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute on 4 April 2012. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 154 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [es

  11. A functional neuroimaging study of sound localization: visual cortex activity predicts performance in early-blind individuals.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frédéric Gougoux

    2005-02-01

    Full Text Available Blind individuals often demonstrate enhanced nonvisual perceptual abilities. However, the neural substrate that underlies this improved performance remains to be fully understood. An earlier behavioral study demonstrated that some early-blind people localize sounds more accurately than sighted controls using monaural cues. In order to investigate the neural basis of these behavioral differences in humans, we carried out functional imaging studies using positron emission tomography and a speaker array that permitted pseudo-free-field presentations within the scanner. During binaural sound localization, a sighted control group showed decreased cerebral blood flow in the occipital lobe, which was not seen in early-blind individuals. During monaural sound localization (one ear plugged, the subgroup of early-blind subjects who were behaviorally superior at sound localization displayed two activation foci in the occipital cortex. This effect was not seen in blind persons who did not have superior monaural sound localization abilities, nor in sighted individuals. The degree of activation of one of these foci was strongly correlated with sound localization accuracy across the entire group of blind subjects. The results show that those blind persons who perform better than sighted persons recruit occipital areas to carry out auditory localization under monaural conditions. We therefore conclude that computations carried out in the occipital cortex specifically underlie the enhanced capacity to use monaural cues. Our findings shed light not only on intermodal compensatory mechanisms, but also on individual differences in these mechanisms and on inhibitory patterns that differ between sighted individuals and those deprived of vision early in life.

  12. Mechanical Behavior Analysis of Y-Type S-SRC Column in a Large-Space Vertical Hybrid Structure Using Local Fine Numerical Simulation Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianguang Yue

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In a large spatial structure, normally the important members are of special type and are the safety key for the global structure. In order to study the mechanical behavior details of the local member, it is difficult for the common test method to realize the complex spatial loading state of the local member. Therefore, a local-fine finite element model was proposed and a large-space vertical hybrid structure was numerically simulated. The seismic responses of the global structure and the Y-type S-SRC column were analyzed under El Centro seismic motions with the peak acceleration of 35 gal and 220 gal. The numerical model was verified with the results of the seismic shaking table test of the structure model. The failure mechanism and stiffness damage evolution of the Y-type S-SRC column were analyzed. The calculated results agreed well with the test results. It indicates that the local-fine FEM could reflect the mechanical details of the local members in a large spatial structure.

  13. Neural network integration during the perception of in-group and out-group members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greven, Inez M; Ramsey, Richard

    2017-11-01

    Group biases guide social interactions by promoting in-group favouritism, but the neural mechanisms underpinning group biases remain unclear. While neuroscience research has shown that distributed brain circuits are associated with seeing in-group and out-group members as "us" and "them", it is less clear how these networks exchange signals. This fMRI study uses functional connectivity analyses to investigate the contribution of functional integration to group bias modulation of person perception. Participants were assigned to an arbitrary group and during scanning they observed bodies of in-group or out-group members that cued the recall of positive or negative social knowledge. The results showed that functional coupling between perceptual and cognitive neural networks is tuned to particular combinations of group membership and social knowledge valence. Specifically, coupling between body perception and theory-of-mind networks is biased towards seeing a person that had previously been paired with information consistent with group bias (positive for in-group and negative for out-group). This demonstrates how brain regions associated with visual analysis of others and belief reasoning exchange and integrate signals when evaluating in-group and out-group members. The results update models of person perception by showing how and when interplay occurs between perceptual and extended systems when developing a representation of another person. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  14. Paradoxical role of an Egr transcription factor family member, Egr2/Krox20, in learning and memory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roseline Poirier

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available It is well established that Egr1/zif268, a member of the Egr family of transcription factors, is critical for the consolidation of several forms of memories. Recently, the Egr3 family member has also been implicated in learning and memory. Because Egr family members encode closely related zinc-finger transcription factors sharing a highly homologous DNA binding domain that recognises the same DNA sequence, they may have related functions in brain. Another Egr family member expressed in brain, Egr2/Krox20 is known to be crucial for normal hindbrain development and has been implicated in several inherited peripheral neuropathies; however, due to Egr2-null mice perinatal lethality, its potential role in cognitive functions in the adult has not been yet explored. Here, we generated Egr2 conditional mutant mice allowing postnatal, forebrain-specific Cre-mediated Egr2 excision and tested homozygous, heterozygous and control littermates on a battery of behavioural tasks to evaluate motor capacity, exploratory behaviour, emotional reactivity and learning and memory performance in spatial and non-spatial tasks. Egr2-deficient mice had no sign of locomotor, exploratory or anxiety disturbances. Surprisingly, they also had no impairment in spatial learning and memory, taste aversion memory or fear memory using a trace conditioning paradigm. On the contrary, Egr2-deficient mice had improved performance in motor learning on a rotarod, and in object recognition memory. These results clearly do not extend the phenotypic consequences resulting from either Egr1 or Egr3 loss-of-function to Egr2. In contrast, they indicate that Egr family members may have different, and in certain circumstances antagonistic functions in the adult brain.

  15. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Members since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.72) are Fiji and Togo, which deposited their instruments of acceptance of the Statute on 2 November 2012 and 1 November 2012, respectively. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 157 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [fr

  16. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Members since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.72) are Fiji and Togo, which deposited their instruments of acceptance of the Statute on 2 November 2012 and 1 November 2012, respectively. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 157 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [ru

  17. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2014-01-01

    The new Members since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.75) are San Marino and the Bahamas, which deposited their instruments of acceptance of the Statute on 25 November 2013 and 7 January 2014, respectively. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 161 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government

  18. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Members since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.72) are Fiji and Togo, which deposited their instruments of acceptance of the Statute on 2 November 2012 and 1 November 2012, respectively. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 157 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government

  19. The members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-01-01

    The 42nd revision of INFCIRC/2 lists the 113 Member States of the International Atomic Energy Agency as of 1 January 1993. It includes Slovenia as a new Member State as of 21 September 1992, Cambodia replaces the former name ''Democratic Kampuchea'' and Czechoslovakia was deleted as it ceased to be a member of the Agency as of 1 January 1993 (INFCIRC/417)

  20. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The new Members since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.72) are Fiji and Togo, which deposited their instruments of acceptance of the Statute on 2 November 2012 and 1 November 2012, respectively. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 157 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [es

  1. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2014-01-01

    The new Members since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.75) are San Marino and the Bahamas, which deposited their instruments of acceptance of the Statute on 25 November 2013 and 7 January 2014, respectively. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 161 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [es

  2. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2014-01-01

    The new Members since the last list of Member States was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.75) are San Marino and the Bahamas, which deposited their instruments of acceptance of the Statute on 25 November 2013 and 7 January 2014, respectively. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the present 161 Member States deposited instruments of ratification or acceptance of the Statute with the depositary Government [fr

  3. Spatial and temporal expression of immunoglobulin superfamily member 1 in the rat

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Joustra, Sjoerd D.; Meijer, Onno C.; Heinen, Charlotte A.; Mol, Isabel M.; Laghmani, El Houari; Sengers, Rozemarijn M. A.; Carreno, Gabriela; van Trotsenburg, A. S. Paul; Biermasz, Nienke R.; Bernard, Daniel J.; Wit, Jan M.; Oostdijk, Wilma; van Pelt, Ans M. M.; Hamer, Geert; Wagenaar, Gerry T. M.

    2015-01-01

    Loss-of-function mutations in the immunoglobulin superfamily member 1 (IGSF1) gene cause an X-linked syndrome of central hypothyroidism, macroorchidism, variable prolactin and GH deficiency, delayed pubertal testosterone rise, and obesity. To understand the pathophysiology of this syndrome,

  4. Local delivery of FTY720 in PCL membrane improves SCI functional recovery by reducing reactive astrogliosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Junjuan; Wang, Jiaqiu; Lu, Ping; Cai, Youzhi; Wang, Yafei; Hong, Lan; Ren, Hao; Heng, Boon Chin; Liu, Hua; Zhou, Jing; Ouyang, Hongwei

    2015-09-01

    FTY720 has recently been approved as an oral drug for treating relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, and exerts its therapeutic effect by acting as an immunological inhibitor targeting the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor subtype (S1P1) of T cells. Recently studies demonstrated positive efficacy of this drug on spinal cord injury (SCI) in animal models after systemic administration, albeit with significant adverse side effects. We hereby hypothesize that localized delivery of FTY720 can promote SCI recovery by reducing pathological astrogliosis. The mechanistic functions of FTY720 were investigated in vitro and in vivo utilizing immunofluorescence, histology, MRI and behavioral analysis. The in vitro study showed that FTY720 can reduce astrocyte migration and proliferation activated by S1P. FTY720 can prolong internalization of S1P1 and exert antagonistic effects on S1P1. In vivo study of SCI animal models demonstrated that local delivery of FTY720 with polycaprolactone (PCL) membrane significantly decreased S1P1 expression and glial scarring compared with the control group. Furthermore, FTY720-treated groups exhibited less cavitation volume and neuron loss, which significantly improved recovery of motor function. These findings demonstrated that localized delivery of FTY720 can promote SCI recovery by targeting the S1P1 receptor of astrocytes, provide a new therapeutic strategy for SCI treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. LARF: Instrumental Variable Estimation of Causal Effects through Local Average Response Functions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weihua An

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available LARF is an R package that provides instrumental variable estimation of treatment effects when both the endogenous treatment and its instrument (i.e., the treatment inducement are binary. The method (Abadie 2003 involves two steps. First, pseudo-weights are constructed from the probability of receiving the treatment inducement. By default LARF estimates the probability by a probit regression. It also provides semiparametric power series estimation of the probability and allows users to employ other external methods to estimate the probability. Second, the pseudo-weights are used to estimate the local average response function conditional on treatment and covariates. LARF provides both least squares and maximum likelihood estimates of the conditional treatment effects.

  6. Women in Politics in Ghana: A Study on Local Government in the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Women's participation in politics in Ghana is low, both at local and the national level. This reflects the global trend of women's participation in politics. This paper examines ways of deepening women's participation as assembly members in local government. It examines women's participation in politics with the aim of ...

  7. Electronic Transport Properties of One Dimensional Zno Nanowires Studied Using Maximally-Localized Wannier Functions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Xu; Gu, Yousong; Wang, Xueqiang

    2012-08-01

    One dimensional ZnO NWs with different diameters and lengths have been investigated using density functional theory (DFT) and Maximally Localized Wannier Functions (MLWFs). It is found that ZnO NWs are direct band gap semiconductors and there exist a turn on voltage for observable current. ZnO nanowires with different diameters and lengths show distinctive turn-on voltage thresholds in I-V characteristics curves. The diameters of ZnO NWs are greatly influent the transport properties of ZnO NWs. For the ZnO NW with large diameter that has more states and higher transmission coefficients leads to narrow band gap and low turn on voltage. In the case of thinner diameters, the length of ZnO NW can effects the electron tunneling and longer supercell lead to higher turn on voltage.

  8. Organic anion transporter (Slc22a) family members as mediators of toxicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sweet, Douglas H.

    2005-01-01

    Exposure of the body to toxic organic anions is unavoidable and occurs from both intentional and unintentional sources. Many hormones, neurotransmitters, and waste products of cellular metabolism, or their metabolites, are organic anions. The same is true for a wide variety of medications, herbicides, pesticides, plant and animal toxins, and industrial chemicals and solvents. Rapid and efficient elimination of these substances is often the body's best defense for limiting both systemic exposure and the duration of their pharmacological or toxicological effects. For organic anions, active transepithelial transport across the renal proximal tubule followed by elimination via the urine is a major pathway in this detoxification process. Accordingly, a large number of organic anion transport proteins belonging to several different gene families have been identified and found to be expressed in the proximal nephron. The function of these transporters, in combination with the high volume of renal blood flow, predisposes the kidney to increased toxic susceptibility. Understanding how the kidney mediates the transport of organic anions is integral to achieving desired therapeutic outcomes in response to drug interactions and chemical exposures, to understanding the progression of some disease states, and to predicting the influence of genetic variation upon these processes. This review will focus on the organic anion transporter (OAT) family and discuss the known members, their mechanisms of action, subcellular localization, and current evidence implicating their function as a determinant of the toxicity of certain endogenous and xenobiotic agents

  9. Colossal magnetoresistance in amino-functionalized graphene quantum dots at room temperature: manifestation of weak anti-localization and doorway to spintronics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, Rajarshi; Thapa, Ranjit; Kumar, Gundam Sandeep; Mazumder, Nilesh; Sen, Dipayan; Sinthika, S.; Das, Nirmalya S.; Chattopadhyay, Kalyan K.

    2016-04-01

    In this work, we have demonstrated the signatures of localized surface distortions and disorders in functionalized graphene quantum dots (fGQD) and consequences in magneto-transport under weak field regime (~1 Tesla) at room temperature. Observed positive colossal magnetoresistance (MR) and its suppression is primarily explained by weak anti-localization phenomenon where competitive valley (inter and intra) dependent scattering takes place at room temperature under low magnetic field; analogous to low mobility disordered graphene samples. Furthermore, using ab-initio analysis we show that sub-lattice sensitive spin-polarized ground state exists in the GQD as a result of pz orbital asymmetry in GQD carbon atoms with amino functional groups. This spin polarized ground state is believed to help the weak anti-localization dependent magneto transport by generating more disorder and strain in a GQD lattice under applied magnetic field and lays the premise for future graphene quantum dot based spintronic applications.In this work, we have demonstrated the signatures of localized surface distortions and disorders in functionalized graphene quantum dots (fGQD) and consequences in magneto-transport under weak field regime (~1 Tesla) at room temperature. Observed positive colossal magnetoresistance (MR) and its suppression is primarily explained by weak anti-localization phenomenon where competitive valley (inter and intra) dependent scattering takes place at room temperature under low magnetic field; analogous to low mobility disordered graphene samples. Furthermore, using ab-initio analysis we show that sub-lattice sensitive spin-polarized ground state exists in the GQD as a result of pz orbital asymmetry in GQD carbon atoms with amino functional groups. This spin polarized ground state is believed to help the weak anti-localization dependent magneto transport by generating more disorder and strain in a GQD lattice under applied magnetic field and lays the premise for

  10. Local Energy Advising in Sweden: Historical Development and Lessons for Future Policy-Making

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Are E. Kjeang

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available In Sweden, energy-consulting services, here referred to as local energy advising (LEA, have traditionally contributed to improving household energy efficiency. The aim of this article is to analyze the development of this service from the 1970s, when the consultancy came into being, to the present day, through a review of documents and published literature. The analysis enables the understanding of the evolution of local energy advising as a policy instrument, and provides valuable insights for the future. Local energy advising has often been subsidized by the Swedish government and used as a state policy measure rather than a municipal one. As a policy measure, the function of the service has changed over time. In the early period, the oil crisis was a fact and the local advisers were used to inform households. In the 1980s, however, the task of energy-advising was taken over by the energy companies in the spirit of market liberalization. In the 1990s, Sweden became a member of the European Union, and the emphasis was put on general information campaigns. Recently, the development of decentralized energy systems (including micro-energy systems has necessitated targeting individuals with information. One important lesson to learn from the historical development of LEA is the imperativeness of providing energy advising at the local rather than the state level for better efficiency.

  11. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-01-01

    The new member since the last list of Member States of the Agency was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.44) is Yemen. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the 122 States became members of the Agency, as well as the State whose application for membership of the Agency was approved by the General Conference, but which has not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute

  12. The Members of the Agency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-02-13

    The new member since the last list of Member States of the Agency was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.44) is Yemen. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the 122 States became members of the Agency, as well as the State whose application for membership of the Agency was approved by the General Conference, but which has not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute.

  13. A novel fragile X syndrome mutation reveals a conserved role for the carboxy-terminus in FMRP localization and function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okray, Zeynep; de Esch, Celine E F; Van Esch, Hilde; Devriendt, Koen; Claeys, Annelies; Yan, Jiekun; Verbeeck, Jelle; Froyen, Guy; Willemsen, Rob; de Vrij, Femke M S; Hassan, Bassem A

    2015-04-01

    Loss of function of the FMR1 gene leads to fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common form of intellectual disability. The loss of FMR1 function is usually caused by epigenetic silencing of the FMR1 promoter leading to expansion and subsequent methylation of a CGG repeat in the 5' untranslated region. Very few coding sequence variations have been experimentally characterized and shown to be causal to the disease. Here, we describe a novel FMR1 mutation and reveal an unexpected nuclear export function for the C-terminus of FMRP. We screened a cohort of patients with typical FXS symptoms who tested negative for CGG repeat expansion in the FMR1 locus. In one patient, we identified a guanine insertion in FMR1 exon 15. This mutation alters the open reading frame creating a short novel C-terminal sequence, followed by a stop codon. We find that this novel peptide encodes a functional nuclear localization signal (NLS) targeting the patient FMRP to the nucleolus in human cells. We also reveal an evolutionarily conserved nuclear export function associated with the endogenous C-terminus of FMRP. In vivo analyses in Drosophila demonstrate that a patient-mimetic mutation alters the localization and function of Dfmrp in neurons, leading to neomorphic neuronal phenotypes. © 2015 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.

  14. Immunolocalization and distribution of functional temperature-sensitive TRP channels in salivary glands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sobhan, Ubaidus; Sato, Masaki; Shinomiya, Takashi; Okubo, Migiwa; Tsumura, Maki; Muramatsu, Takashi; Kawaguchi, Mitsuru; Tazaki, Masakazu; Shibukawa, Yoshiyuki

    2013-11-01

    Transient receptor potential (TRP) cation channels are unique cellular sensors involved in multiple cellular functions. Their role in salivary secretion remains to be elucidated. The expression and localization of temperature-sensitive TRP channels in salivary (submandibular, sublingual and parotid) glands were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time reverse transcription plus the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The effects of various TRP channel agonists on carbachol (CCh)-induced salivary secretion in the submandibular gland and on the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)]i) in a submandibular epithelial cell line were also investigated. Immunohistochemistry revealed the expression of TRP-melastatin subfamily member 8 (TRPM8) and TRP-ankyrin subfamily member 1 (TRPA1) in myoepithelial, acinar and ductal cells in the sublingual, submandibular and parotid glands. In addition, TRP-vanilloid subfamily member 1 (TRPV1), TRPV3 and TRPV4 were also expressed in myoepithelial, acinar and ductal cells in all three types of gland. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR results demonstrated the mRNA expression of TRPV1, TRPV3, TRPV4, TRPM8 and TRPA1 in acinar and ductal cells in these salivary glands. Perfusion of the entire submandibular gland with the TRPV1 agonist capsaicin (1 μM) via the submandibular artery significantly increased CCh-induced salivation, whereas perfusion with TRPM8 and TRPA1 agonists (0.5 μM WS12 and 100 μM allyl isothiocyanate) decreased it. Application of agonists for each of the thermosensitive TRP channels increased [Ca(2+)]i in a submandibular epithelial cell line. These results indicate that temperature-sensitive TRP channels are localized and distributed in acinar, ductal and myoepithelial cells in salivary glands and that they play a functional role in the regulation and/or modulation of salivary secretion.

  15. A SURVEY FOR NEW MEMBERS OF THE TAURUS STAR-FORMING REGION WITH THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luhman, K. L.; Mamajek, E. E.; Shukla, S. J.; Loutrel, N. P.

    2017-01-01

    Previous studies have found that ∼1 deg 2 fields surrounding the stellar aggregates in the Taurus star-forming region exhibit a surplus of solar-mass stars relative to denser clusters like IC 348 and the Orion Nebula Cluster. To test whether this difference reflects mass segregation in Taurus or a variation in the initial mass function, we have performed a survey for members of Taurus across a large field (∼40 deg 2 ) that was imaged by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We obtained optical and near-infrared spectra of candidate members identified with those images and the Two Micron All Sky Survey, as well as miscellaneous candidates that were selected with several other diagnostics of membership. We have classified 22 of the candidates as new members of Taurus, which includes one of the coolest known members (M9.75). Our updated census of members within the SDSS field shows a surplus of solar-mass stars relative to clusters, although it is less pronounced than in the smaller fields toward the stellar aggregates that were surveyed for previously measured mass functions in Taurus. In addition to spectra of our new members, we include in our study near-IR spectra of roughly half of the known members of Taurus, which are used to refine their spectral types and extinctions. We also present an updated set of near-IR standard spectra for classifying young stars and brown dwarfs at M and L types.

  16. A SURVEY FOR NEW MEMBERS OF THE TAURUS STAR-FORMING REGION WITH THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Luhman, K. L. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Mamajek, E. E. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 (United States); Shukla, S. J. [Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Loutrel, N. P., E-mail: kluhman@astro.psu.edu [eXtreme Gravity Institute, Department of Physics, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59715 (United States)

    2017-01-01

    Previous studies have found that ∼1 deg{sup 2} fields surrounding the stellar aggregates in the Taurus star-forming region exhibit a surplus of solar-mass stars relative to denser clusters like IC 348 and the Orion Nebula Cluster. To test whether this difference reflects mass segregation in Taurus or a variation in the initial mass function, we have performed a survey for members of Taurus across a large field (∼40 deg{sup 2}) that was imaged by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We obtained optical and near-infrared spectra of candidate members identified with those images and the Two Micron All Sky Survey, as well as miscellaneous candidates that were selected with several other diagnostics of membership. We have classified 22 of the candidates as new members of Taurus, which includes one of the coolest known members (M9.75). Our updated census of members within the SDSS field shows a surplus of solar-mass stars relative to clusters, although it is less pronounced than in the smaller fields toward the stellar aggregates that were surveyed for previously measured mass functions in Taurus. In addition to spectra of our new members, we include in our study near-IR spectra of roughly half of the known members of Taurus, which are used to refine their spectral types and extinctions. We also present an updated set of near-IR standard spectra for classifying young stars and brown dwarfs at M and L types.

  17. Fast evaluation of solid harmonic Gaussian integrals for local resolution-of-the-identity methods and range-separated hybrid functionals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golze, Dorothea; Benedikter, Niels; Iannuzzi, Marcella; Wilhelm, Jan; Hutter, Jürg

    2017-01-01

    An integral scheme for the efficient evaluation of two-center integrals over contracted solid harmonic Gaussian functions is presented. Integral expressions are derived for local operators that depend on the position vector of one of the two Gaussian centers. These expressions are then used to derive the formula for three-index overlap integrals where two of the three Gaussians are located at the same center. The efficient evaluation of the latter is essential for local resolution-of-the-identity techniques that employ an overlap metric. We compare the performance of our integral scheme to the widely used Cartesian Gaussian-based method of Obara and Saika (OS). Non-local interaction potentials such as standard Coulomb, modified Coulomb, and Gaussian-type operators, which occur in range-separated hybrid functionals, are also included in the performance tests. The speed-up with respect to the OS scheme is up to three orders of magnitude for both integrals and their derivatives. In particular, our method is increasingly efficient for large angular momenta and highly contracted basis sets.

  18. Hydrogen Exchange Differences between Chemoreceptor Signaling Complexes Localize to Functionally Important Subdomains

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    The goal of understanding mechanisms of transmembrane signaling, one of many key life processes mediated by membrane proteins, has motivated numerous studies of bacterial chemotaxis receptors. Ligand binding to the receptor causes a piston motion of an α helix in the periplasmic and transmembrane domains, but it is unclear how the signal is then propagated through the cytoplasmic domain to control the activity of the associated kinase CheA. Recent proposals suggest that signaling in the cytoplasmic domain involves opposing changes in dynamics in different subdomains. However, it has been difficult to measure dynamics within the functional system, consisting of extended arrays of receptor complexes with two other proteins, CheA and CheW. We have combined hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry with vesicle template assembly of functional complexes of the receptor cytoplasmic domain to reveal that there are significant signaling-associated changes in exchange, and these changes localize to key regions of the receptor involved in the excitation and adaptation responses. The methylation subdomain exhibits complex changes that include slower hydrogen exchange in complexes in a kinase-activating state, which may be partially consistent with proposals that this subdomain is stabilized in this state. The signaling subdomain exhibits significant protection from hydrogen exchange in complexes in a kinase-activating state, suggesting a tighter and/or larger interaction interface with CheA and CheW in this state. These first measurements of the stability of protein subdomains within functional signaling complexes demonstrate the promise of this approach for measuring functionally important protein dynamics within the various physiologically relevant states of multiprotein complexes. PMID:25420045

  19. THE VELOCITY FUNCTION IN THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT FROM ΛCDM AND ΛWDM CONSTRAINED SIMULATIONS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zavala, J.; Jing, Y. P.; Faltenbacher, A.; Yepes, G.; Hoffman, Y.; Gottloeber, S.; Catinella, B.

    2009-01-01

    Using constrained simulations of the local universe for generic cold dark matter (CDM) and for 1 keV warm dark matter (WDM), we investigate the difference in the abundance of dark matter halos in the local environment. We find that the mass function (MF) within 20 h -1 Mpc of the Local Group is ∼2 times larger than the universal MF in the 10 9 -10 13 h -1 M sun mass range. Imposing the field of view of the ongoing H I blind survey Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA) in our simulations, we predict that the velocity function (VF) in the Virgo-direction region (VdR) exceeds the universal VF by a factor of 3. Furthermore, employing a scheme to translate the halo VF into a galaxy VF, we compare the simulation results with a sample of galaxies from the early catalog release of ALFALFA. We find that our simulations are able to reproduce the VF in the 80-300 km s -1 velocity range, having a value ∼10 times larger than the universal VF in the VdR. In the low-velocity regime, 35-80 km s -1 , the WDM simulation reproduces the observed flattening of the VF. In contrast, the simulation with CDM predicts a steep rise in the VF toward lower velocities; for V max = 35 km s -1 , it forecasts ∼10 times more sources than the ones observed. If confirmed by the complete ALFALFA survey, our results indicate a potential problem for the CDM paradigm or for the conventional assumptions about energetic feedback in dwarf galaxies.

  20. MLL/WDR5 Complex Regulates Kif2A Localization to Ensure Chromosome Congression and Proper Spindle Assembly during Mitosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Aamir; Veeranki, Sailaja Naga; Chinchole, Akash; Tyagi, Shweta

    2017-06-19

    Mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL), along with multisubunit (WDR5, RbBP5, ASH2L, and DPY30) complex catalyzes the trimethylation of H3K4, leading to gene activation. Here, we characterize a chromatin-independent role for MLL during mitosis. MLL and WDR5 localize to the mitotic spindle apparatus, and loss of function of MLL complex by RNAi results in defects in chromosome congression and compromised spindle formation. We report interaction of MLL complex with several kinesin and dynein motors. We further show that the MLL complex associates with Kif2A, a member of the Kinesin-13 family of microtubule depolymerase, and regulates the spindle localization of Kif2A during mitosis. We have identified a conserved WDR5 interaction (Win) motif, so far unique to the MLL family, in Kif2A. The Win motif of Kif2A engages in direct interactions with WDR5 for its spindle localization. Our findings highlight a non-canonical mitotic function of MLL complex, which may have a direct impact on chromosomal stability, frequently compromised in cancer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Family members facilitating community re-integration and return to productivity following traumatic brain injury - motivations, roles and challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gagnon, Alicia; Lin, Jenny; Stergiou-Kita, Mary

    2016-01-01

    This study explores the experiences of family members in supporting community re-integration and return to productive occupations of the traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivor in order to: (i) describe family members' supportive roles, (ii) determine challenges family members experience in supporting the TBI survivor; and (iii) identify supports that family members require to maintain and enhance their roles. This qualitative descriptive study involved 14 interviews with immediate family members of TBI survivors. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Family members expressed strong motivation and engaged in six key roles to support TBI survivors: researcher, case manager, advocate, coach, activities of daily living (ADL)/instrumental ADLs and emotional supporter. Personal and family stressors and challenges navigating the health care system were perceived as challenges in meeting demands of their supportive roles. Stigma also presented a barrier to successful community and vocational re-integration. Subsequently, family members desired more education related to the functional implications of TBI, to be connected to health care and community resources, and sought a greater family-centred care approach. Family members require on-going counseling and community supports to prevent burnout and allow for their continued engagement in their supportive roles. Further education on how to navigate the health care system, access community programs and rights to workplace accommodation is also warranted. Family members are strongly motivated to support survivors' return to productive occupation following a traumatic brain injury, but require counseling and community support to enable their on-going engagement and prevent burnout. Family members can be further empowered through the implementation of family-centred care. Family members requested further education on the long-term functional implications of TBI, how to navigate the health care system, how to access community

  2. Electron localization in one-dimensional systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chao, K.A.

    1984-01-01

    The pure regional localization and the global localization have been investigated via the inverse participation ratio and te moment analysis. If the envelop function of a localized state is more complicated than the simple exponential function e sup(-r/xi), the inverse participation ratio is inadequate to describe the localization properties of an electron. This is the case discovered recently in a stereo-irregular chain fo atoms including the electron-electron interaction and the structure disorder. The localization properties in this system are analysed in terms of the moments. (Author) [pt

  3. Kretzoiarctos gen. nov., the oldest member of the giant panda clade.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abella, Juan; Alba, David M; Robles, Josep M; Valenciano, Alberto; Rotgers, Cheyenn; Carmona, Raül; Montoya, Plinio; Morales, Jorge

    2012-01-01

    The phylogenetic position of the giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca (Carnivora: Ursidae: Ailuropodinae), has been one of the most hotly debated topics by mammalian biologists and paleontologists during the last century. Based on molecular data, it is currently recognized as a true ursid, sister-taxon of the remaining extant bears, from which it would have diverged by the Early Miocene. However, from a paleobiogeographic and chronological perspective, the origin of the giant panda lineage has remained elusive due to the scarcity of the available Miocene fossil record. Until recently, the genus Ailurarctos from the Late Miocene of China (ca. 8-7 mya) was recognized as the oldest undoubted member of the Ailuropodinae, suggesting that the panda lineage might have originated from an Ursavus ancestor. The role of the purported ailuropodine Agriarctos, from the Miocene of Europe, in the origins of this clade has been generally dismissed due to the paucity of the available material. Here, we describe a new ailuropodine genus, Kretzoiarctos gen. nov., based on remains from two Middle Miocene (ca. 12-11 Ma) Spanish localities. A cladistic analysis of fossil and extant members of the Ursoidea confirms the inclusion of the new genus into the Ailuropodinae. Moreover, Kretzoiarctos precedes in time the previously-known, Late Miocene members of the giant panda clade from Eurasia (Agriarctos and Ailurarctos). The former can be therefore considered the oldest recorded member of the giant panda lineage, which has significant implications for understanding the origins of this clade from a paleobiogeographic viewpoint.

  4. Kretzoiarctos gen. nov., the oldest member of the giant panda clade.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Abella

    Full Text Available The phylogenetic position of the giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca (Carnivora: Ursidae: Ailuropodinae, has been one of the most hotly debated topics by mammalian biologists and paleontologists during the last century. Based on molecular data, it is currently recognized as a true ursid, sister-taxon of the remaining extant bears, from which it would have diverged by the Early Miocene. However, from a paleobiogeographic and chronological perspective, the origin of the giant panda lineage has remained elusive due to the scarcity of the available Miocene fossil record. Until recently, the genus Ailurarctos from the Late Miocene of China (ca. 8-7 mya was recognized as the oldest undoubted member of the Ailuropodinae, suggesting that the panda lineage might have originated from an Ursavus ancestor. The role of the purported ailuropodine Agriarctos, from the Miocene of Europe, in the origins of this clade has been generally dismissed due to the paucity of the available material. Here, we describe a new ailuropodine genus, Kretzoiarctos gen. nov., based on remains from two Middle Miocene (ca. 12-11 Ma Spanish localities. A cladistic analysis of fossil and extant members of the Ursoidea confirms the inclusion of the new genus into the Ailuropodinae. Moreover, Kretzoiarctos precedes in time the previously-known, Late Miocene members of the giant panda clade from Eurasia (Agriarctos and Ailurarctos. The former can be therefore considered the oldest recorded member of the giant panda lineage, which has significant implications for understanding the origins of this clade from a paleobiogeographic viewpoint.

  5. DOE's Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board: The Roles, Work, and Assessment of the Constituent Local Boards - 13587

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexander, Catherine; Freeman, Jenny; Cantrell, Yvette

    2013-01-01

    The charter for the Department of Energy's Environmental Management (EM) Site-Specific Advisory Board (SSAB) was approved under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) in 1994. With a unique mandate to provide public input on issues associated with the cleanup of nuclear legacy sites in the U.S., the EM SSAB comprises eight local boards, which are based at major EM sites. While each board is unique to the community in which it is located and reflects the diversity of the local population, the boards are governed by FACA, related regulations, and DOE policies that are intended to standardize agency advisory board operations. The EM SSAB local boards are made up of a diverse group of citizens who want to understand the mission and goals of the EM program and to help EM achieve those goals for the benefit of their communities. Some are quite passionate about their mission; others need to be coaxed into active participation. Maintaining productive relationships and a supportive environment for effective board operations is the challenge of board management for DOE EM and the board members themselves. DOE draws on research findings and best practices literature from academics and practitioners in the field of public involvement in its board management practices. The EM SSAB is also evaluated annually under the law to ensure that the investment of taxpayer dollars in the board is warranted in light of the contributions of the board. Further evaluation takes place at the agency and site levels in order to identify what aspects of board functioning the agency and board members find important to its success and to address areas where improvement is needed. Board contributions, compliance factors, and measurable outcomes related to board products and process areas are key to agency commitment to ongoing support of the boards and to participant satisfaction and thus continued member involvement. In addition to evaluation of these factors in improving board effectiveness

  6. Quasiparticle band structure of rocksalt-CdO determined using maximally localized Wannier functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dixit, H; Lamoen, D; Partoens, B

    2013-01-23

    CdO in the rocksalt structure is an indirect band gap semiconductor. Thus, in order to determine its band gap one needs to calculate the complete band structure. However, in practice, the exact evaluation of the quasiparticle band structure for the large number of k-points which constitute the different symmetry lines in the Brillouin zone can be an extremely demanding task compared to the standard density functional theory (DFT) calculation. In this paper we report the full quasiparticle band structure of CdO using a plane-wave pseudopotential approach. In order to reduce the computational effort and time, we make use of maximally localized Wannier functions (MLWFs). The MLWFs offer a highly accurate method for interpolation of the DFT or GW band structure from a coarse k-point mesh in the irreducible Brillouin zone, resulting in a much reduced computational effort. The present paper discusses the technical details of the scheme along with the results obtained for the quasiparticle band gap and the electron effective mass.

  7. Predictors of job satisfaction among academic faculty members: do instructional and clinical staff differ?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Kevin C; Song, Jae W; Kim, H Myra; Woolliscroft, James O; Quint, Elisabeth H; Lukacs, Nicholas W; Gyetko, Margaret R

    2010-10-01

    This study aimed to identify and compare predictors of job satisfaction between instructional and clinical faculty members. A 61-item faculty job satisfaction survey was distributed to 1898 academic faculty members at the University of Michigan Medical School. The anonymous survey was web-based. Questions covered topics on departmental organisation, research, clinical and teaching support, compensation, mentorship, and promotion. Levels of satisfaction were contrasted between faculty members on the two tracks, and predictors of job satisfaction were identified using linear regression models. Response rates for the instructional and clinical faculty groups were 43.1% and 46.7%, respectively. Clinical faculty members reported being less satisfied with how they were mentored and fewer reported understanding the process for promotion. There was no significant difference in overall job satisfaction between the two faculty groups. Surprisingly, clinical faculty members with mentors were significantly less satisfied with how they were mentored and with career advancement, and were significantly less likely to choose an academic career if they had to do it all over again compared with instructional faculty mentees. Additionally, senior-level clinical faculty members were significantly less satisfied with their opportunities to mentor junior faculty members compared with senior-level instructional faculty staff. Significant predictors of job satisfaction for both groups included areas of autonomy, meeting career expectations, work-life balance, and departmental leadership. In the clinical track only, compensation and career advancement variables also emerged as significant predictors of overall job satisfaction. Greater emphasis must be placed on faculty members' well-being at both the institutional level and the level of departmental leadership. Efforts to enhance job satisfaction and improve retention are more likely to succeed if they are directed by locally designed

  8. Understanding Heterogeneous Preferences of Cooperative Members

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kalogeras, N.; Pennings, J.M.E.; Lans, van der I.A.; Garcia, P.; Dijk, van G.

    2009-01-01

    We study the heterogeneity in the preference structure of cooperative members. Using conjoint analysis the utility that members attach to intra-organizational and strategic attributes of their cooperative is elicited. Recognizing that members are not homogenous, a concomitant finitemixture

  9. On the relation between orbital-localization and self-interaction errors in the density functional theory treatment of organic semiconductors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Körzdörfer, T

    2011-03-07

    It is commonly argued that the self-interaction error (SIE) inherent in semilocal density functionals is related to the degree of the electronic localization. Yet at the same time there exists a latent ambiguity in the definitions of the terms "localization" and "self-interaction," which ultimately prevents a clear and readily accessible quantification of this relationship. This problem is particularly pressing for organic semiconductor molecules, in which delocalized molecular orbitals typically alternate with localized ones, thus leading to major distortions in the eigenvalue spectra. This paper discusses the relation between localization and SIEs in organic semiconductors in detail. Its findings provide further insights into the SIE in the orbital energies and yield a new perspective on the failure of self-interaction corrections that identify delocalized orbital densities with electrons. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.

  10. A meshless local radial basis function method for two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Zhiheng

    2014-12-10

    A meshless local radial basis function method is developed for two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. The distributed nodes used to store the variables are obtained by the philosophy of an unstructured mesh, which results in two main advantages of the method. One is that the unstructured nodes generation in the computational domain is quite simple, without much concern about the mesh quality; the other is that the localization of the obtained collocations for the discretization of equations is performed conveniently with the supporting nodes. The algebraic system is solved by a semi-implicit pseudo-time method, in which the convective and source terms are explicitly marched by the Runge-Kutta method, and the diffusive terms are implicitly solved. The proposed method is validated by several benchmark problems, including natural convection in a square cavity, the lid-driven cavity flow, and the natural convection in a square cavity containing a circular cylinder, and very good agreement with the existing results are obtained.

  11. Localized, stepwise template growth of functional nanowires from an amino acid-supported framework in a microfluidic chip.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puigmartí-Luis, Josep; Rubio-Martínez, Marta; Imaz, Inhar; Cvetković, Benjamin Z; Abad, Llibertat; Pérez Del Pino, Angel; Maspoch, Daniel; Amabilino, David B

    2014-01-28

    A spatially controlled synthesis of nanowire bundles of the functional crystalline coordination polymer (CP) Ag(I)TCNQ (tetracyanoquinodimethane) from previously fabricated and trapped monovalent silver CP (Ag(I)Cys (cysteine)) using a room-temperature microfluidic-assisted templated growth method is demonstrated. The incorporation of microengineered pneumatic clamps in a two-layer polydimethylsiloxane-based (PDMS) microfluidic platform was used. Apart from guiding the formation of the Ag(I)Cys coordination polymer, this microfluidic approach enables a local trapping of the in situ synthesized structures with a simple pneumatic clamp actuation. This method not only enables continuous and multiple chemical events to be conducted upon the trapped structures, but the excellent fluid handling ensures a precise chemical activation of the amino acid-supported framework in a position controlled by interface and clamp location that leads to a site-specific growth of Ag(I)TCNQ nanowire bundles. The synthesis is conducted stepwise starting with Ag(I)Cys CPs, going through silver metal, and back to a functional CP (Ag(I)TCNQ); that is, a novel microfluidic controlled ligand exchange (CP → NP → CP) is presented. Additionally, the pneumatic clamps can be employed further to integrate the conductive Ag(I)TCNQ nanowire bundles onto electrode arrays located on a surface, hence facilitating the construction of the final functional interfaced systems from solution specifically with no need for postassembly manipulation. This localized self-supported growth of functional matter from an amino acid-based CP shows how sequential localized chemistry in a fluid cell can be used to integrate molecular systems onto device platforms using a chip incorporating microengineered pneumatic tools. The control of clamp pressure and in parallel the variation of relative flow rates of source solutions permit deposition of materials at different locations on a chip that could be useful for device

  12. Polymorphic light eruption and IL-1 family members: any difference with allergic contact dermatitis?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lembo, S; Caiazzo, G; Balato, N; Monfrecola, G; Patra, V; Wolf, P; Balato, A

    2017-09-13

    Polymorphic light eruption (PLE) is described as a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction (DTHR) toward a de novo light-induced antigen, yet to be identified. In effect, the inflammatory pathways of PLE and allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) share common patterns in terms of the mediators involved from the innate and adaptive immune system participating in the DTHR. As we have previously highlighted the role of interleukin (IL)-1 family members in ACD, we hypothesised that the same mediators could have similar functions in PLE. Our research aimed to assess the expression of certain IL-1family members in PLE patients vs. controls, and to compare it with ACD. The study population comprised 17 patients with PLE, 5 affected by ACD and 10 healthy controls in the same age range. Lesional and healthy skin samples were collected respectively from patients and donors. IL-36α, IL-36β, IL-36γ, IL-36 receptor antagonist (Ra), IL-1β, IL-33 gene and protein expressions were evaluated through RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Circulating proteins in the PLE patients were analysed by using western blot. The IL-36γ gene expression was significantly increased in PLE lesions compared to that in healthy controls and ACD lesions (***p PLE lesions compared to those of the healthy samples (***p PLE patients vs. controls (*p PLE with distinct differences from those in ACD, in particular with regard to IL-36γ mRNA regulation. Their role as activators of the local, and perhaps systemic, immune response, or as inhibitors of the immune tolerance machinery, needs further investigation.

  13. The infrared luminosity function of AKARI 90 μm galaxies in the local Universe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kilerci Eser, Ece; Goto, Tomotsugu

    2018-03-01

    Local infrared (IR) luminosity functions (LFs) are necessary benchmarks for high-redshift IR galaxy evolution studies. Any accurate IR LF evolution studies require accordingly accurate local IR LFs. We present IR galaxy LFs at redshifts of z ≤ 0.3 from AKARI space telescope, which performed an all-sky survey in six IR bands (9, 18, 65, 90, 140, and 160 μm) with 10 times better sensitivity than its precursor Infrared Astronomical Satellite. Availability of 160 μm filter is critically important in accurately measuring total IR luminosity of galaxies, covering across the peak of the dust emission. By combining data from Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 13 (DR 13), six-degree Field Galaxy Survey and the 2MASS Redshift Survey, we created a sample of 15 638 local IR galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts, factor of 7 larger compared to previously studied AKARI-SDSS sample. After carefully correcting for volume effects in both IR and optical, the obtained IR LFs agree well with previous studies, but comes with much smaller errors. Measured local IR luminosity density is ΩIR = 1.19 ± 0.05 × 108L⊙ Mpc-3. The contributions from luminous IR galaxies and ultraluminous IR galaxies to ΩIR are very small, 9.3 per cent and 0.9 per cent, respectively. There exists no future all-sky survey in far-IR wavelengths in the foreseeable future. The IR LFs obtained in this work will therefore remain an important benchmark for high-redshift studies for decades.

  14. Passive detection and localization of fatigue cracking in aluminum plates using Green's function reconstruction from ambient noise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yang; Xiao, Li; Qu, Wenzhong; Lu, Ye

    2017-11-01

    Recent theoretical and experimental studies have demonstrated that a local Green's function can be retrieved from the cross-correlation of ambient noise field. This technique can be used to detect fatigue cracking in metallic structures, owing to the fact that the presence of crack can lead to a change in Green's function. This paper presents a method of structural fatigue cracking characterization method by measuring Green's function reconstruction from noise excitation and verifies the feasibility of crack detection in poor noise source distribution. Fatigue cracks usually generate nonlinear effects, in which different wave amplitudes and frequency compositions can cause different nonlinear responses. This study also undertakes analysis of the capacity of the proposed approach to identify fatigue cracking under different noise amplitudes and frequency ranges. Experimental investigations of an aluminum plate are conducted to assess the cross-correlations of received noise between sensor pairs and finally to detect the introduced fatigue crack. A damage index is proposed according to the variation between cross-correlations obtained from the pristine crack closed state and the crack opening-closure state when sufficient noise amplitude is used to generate nonlinearity. A probability distribution map of damage is calculated based on damage indices. The fatigue crack introduced in the aluminum plate is successfully identified and oriented, verifying that a fatigue crack can be detected by reconstructing Green's functions from an imperfect diffuse field in which ambient noise sources exist locally. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Polyketide synthase chemistry does not direct biosynthetic divergence between 9- and 10-membered enediynes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horsman, Geoff P.; Chen, Yihua; Thorson, Jon S.; Shen, Ben

    2010-01-01

    Enediynes are potent antitumor antibiotics that are classified as 9- or 10-membered according to the size of the enediyne core structure. However, almost nothing is known about enediyne core biosynthesis, and the determinants of 9- versus 10-membered enediyne core biosynthetic divergence remain elusive. Previous work identified enediyne-specific polyketide synthases (PKSEs) that can be phylogenetically distinguished as being involved in 9- versus 10-membered enediyne biosynthesis, suggesting that biosynthetic divergence might originate from differing PKSE chemistries. Recent in vitro studies have identified several compounds produced by the PKSE and associated thioesterase (TE), but condition-dependent product profiles make it difficult to ascertain a true catalytic difference between 9- and 10-membered PKSE-TE systems. Here we report that PKSE chemistry does not direct 9- versus 10-membered enediyne core biosynthetic divergence as revealed by comparing the products from three 9-membered and two 10-membered PKSE-TE systems under identical conditions using robust in vivo assays. Three independent experiments support a common catalytic function for 9- and 10-membered PKSEs by the production of a heptaene metabolite from: (i) all five cognate PKSE-TE pairs in Escherichia coli; (ii) the C-1027 and calicheamicin cognate PKSE-TEs in Streptomyces lividans K4-114; and (iii) selected native producers of both 9- and 10-membered enediynes. Furthermore, PKSEs and TEs from different 9- and 10-membered enediyne biosynthetic machineries are freely interchangeable, revealing that 9- versus 10-membered enediyne core biosynthetic divergence occurs beyond the PKSE-TE level. These findings establish a starting point for determining the origins of this biosynthetic divergence. PMID:20534556

  16. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1999-01-01

    The document lists the 129 Member States of the Agency as of 1 June 1999. The new Member since the last issue of the list (INFCIRC/2/51) is Benin. The dates on which the present 129 states became Members, and the state (Honduras) whose application for membership of the Agency has been recommended by the Board of Governors to be considered at the 43rd session of the General Conference are given in an Attachment

  17. The Members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-01-01

    The document lists the 128 Member States of the Agency as of 18 September 1998. The new Member since the last issue of the list (INFCIRC/2/50) is Burkina Faso. In an attachment the dates on which the present 128 states became Members, and the state (Benin) whose application for membership of the Agency has been recommended by the Board of Governors to be considered at the 42nd session of the General Conference are given

  18. The Members of the Agency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-09-18

    The document lists the 128 Member States of the Agency as of 18 September 1998. The new Member since the last issue of the list (INFCIRC/2/50) is Burkina Faso. In an attachment the dates on which the present 128 states became Members, and the state (Benin) whose application for membership of the Agency has been recommended by the Board of Governors to be considered at the 42nd session of the General Conference are given

  19. The Members of the Agency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1999-06-16

    The document lists the 129 Member States of the Agency as of 1 June 1999. The new Member since the last issue of the list (INFCIRC/2/51) is Benin. The dates on which the present 129 states became Members, and the state (Honduras) whose application for membership of the Agency has been recommended by the Board of Governors to be considered at the 43rd session of the General Conference are given in an Attachment.

  20. Embedded Librarian as Research Team Member.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brahmi, Frances A; Kaplan, F Thomas D

    2017-03-01

    Adding a librarian to an upper extremity surgical and therapy practice has many advantages (educational, research, remaining on the cutting edge of technology). As an embedded team member, the librarian at the Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center prepares literature reviews, creates Google Scholar Alerts for individual clinicians, and introduces developing technologies such as 3-dimensional printers, Smartphone Apps, and online access to nontraditional resources. With the librarian relieving clinicians of these responsibilities, surgeons can devote more time to clinical and research activities. Private practices unable to support their own librarian could share access to a librarian via Skype, Face Time, and video conferencing. Another small practice alternative is contracting services from a local medical school library that designates a librarian as its liaison. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Local and Systemic Inflammation May Mediate Diesel Engine Exhaust-Induced Lung Function Impairment in a Chinese Occupational Cohort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Haitao; Duan, Huawei; Meng, Tao; Yang, Mo; Cui, Lianhua; Bin, Ping; Dai, Yufei; Niu, Yong; Shen, Meili; Zhang, Liping; Zheng, Yuxin; Leng, Shuguang

    2018-04-01

    Diesel exhaust (DE) as the major source of vehicle-emitted particle matter in ambient air impairs lung function. The objectives were to assess the contribution of local (eg, the fraction of exhaled nitric oxide [FeNO] and serum Club cell secretory protein [CC16]) and systemic (eg, serum C-reaction protein [CRP] and interleukin-6 [IL-6]) inflammation to DE-induced lung function impairment using a unique cohort of diesel engine testers (DETs, n = 137) and non-DETs (n = 127), made up of current and noncurrent smokers. Urinary metabolites, FeNO, serum markers, and spirometry were assessed. A 19% reduction in CC16 and a 94% increase in CRP were identified in DETs compared with non-DETs (all p values regulatory risk assessment. Local and systemic inflammation may be key processes that contribute to the subsequent development of obstructive lung disease in DE-exposed populations.

  2. Local visual perception bias in children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders; do we have the whole picture?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falkmer, Marita; Black, Melissa; Tang, Julia; Fitzgerald, Patrick; Girdler, Sonya; Leung, Denise; Ordqvist, Anna; Tan, Tele; Jahan, Ishrat; Falkmer, Torbjorn

    2016-01-01

    While local bias in visual processing in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been reported to result in difficulties in recognizing faces and facially expressed emotions, but superior ability in disembedding figures, associations between these abilities within a group of children with and without ASD have not been explored. Possible associations in performance on the Visual Perception Skills Figure-Ground test, a face recognition test and an emotion recognition test were investigated within 25 8-12-years-old children with high-functioning autism/Asperger syndrome, and in comparison to 33 typically developing children. Analyses indicated a weak positive correlation between accuracy in Figure-Ground recognition and emotion recognition. No other correlation estimates were significant. These findings challenge both the enhanced perceptual function hypothesis and the weak central coherence hypothesis, and accentuate the importance of further scrutinizing the existance and nature of local visual bias in ASD.

  3. Functional expression of TRPM8 and TRPA1 channels in rat odontoblasts.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maki Tsumura

    Full Text Available Odontoblasts produce dentin during development, throughout life, and in response to pathological conditions by sensing stimulation of exposed dentin. The functional properties and localization patterns of transient receptor potential (TRP melastatin subfamily member 8 (TRPM8 and ankyrin subfamily member 1 (TRPA1 channels in odontoblasts remain to be clarified. We investigated the localization and the pharmacological, biophysical, and mechano-sensitive properties of TRPM8 and TRPA1 channels in rat odontoblasts. Menthol and icilin increased the intracellular free Ca(2+ concentration ([Ca(2+]i. Icilin-, WS3-, or WS12-induced [Ca(2+]i increases were inhibited by capsazepine or 5-benzyloxytriptamine. The increase in [Ca(2+]i elicited by allyl isothiocyanate (AITC was inhibited by HC030031. WS12 and AITC exerted a desensitizing effect on [Ca(2+]i increase. Low-temperature stimuli elicited [Ca(2+]i increases that are sensitive to both 5-benzyloxytriptamine and HC030031. Hypotonic stimulation-induced membrane stretch increased [Ca(2+]i; HC030031 but not 5-benzyloxytriptamine inhibited the effect. The results suggest that TRPM8 channels in rat odontoblasts play a role in detecting low-temperature stimulation of the dentin surface and that TRPA1 channels are involved in sensing membrane stretching and low-temperature stimulation. The results also indicate that odontoblasts act as mechanical and thermal receptor cells, detecting the stimulation of exposed dentin to drive multiple cellular functions, such as sensory transduction.

  4. Direct localization of poles of a meromorphic function from measurements on an incomplete boundary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nara, Takaaki; Ando, Shigeru

    2010-01-01

    This paper proposes an algebraic method to reconstruct the positions of multiple poles in a meromorphic function field from measurements on an arbitrary simple arc in it. A novel issue is the exactness of the algorithm depending on whether the arc is open or closed, and whether it encloses or does not enclose the poles. We first obtain a differential equation that can equivalently determine the meromorphic function field. From it, we derive linear equations that relate the elementary symmetric polynomials of the pole positions to weighted integrals of the field along the simple arc and end-point terms of the arc when it is an open one. Eliminating the end-point terms based on an appropriate choice of weighting functions and a combination of the linear equations, we obtain a simple system of linear equations for solving the elementary symmetric polynomials. We also show that our algorithm can be applied to a 2D electric impedance tomography problem. The effects of the proximity of the poles, the number of measurements and noise on the localization accuracy are numerically examined.

  5. Anorectal Function and Quality of Life in Patients With Early Stage Rectal Cancer Treated With Chemoradiation and Local Excision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lynn, Patricio B; Renfro, Lindsay A; Carrero, Xiomara W; Shi, Qian; Strombom, Paul L; Chow, Oliver; Garcia-Aguilar, Julio

    2017-05-01

    Little is known about anorectal function and quality of life after chemoradiation followed by local excision, which is an alternative to total mesorectal excision for selected patients with early rectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to prospectively assess anorectal function and health-related quality of life of patients with T2N0 rectal cancer who were treated with an alternative approach. This was a prospective, phase II trial. The study was multicentric (American College of Surgeons Oncology Group trial Z6041). Patients with stage cT2N0 rectal adenocarcinomas were treated with an oxaliplatin/capecitabine-based chemoradiation regimen followed by local excision. Anorectal function and quality of life were assessed at enrollment and 1 year postoperatively with the Fecal Incontinence Severity Index, Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life scale, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Colorectal Questionnaire. Results were compared, and multivariable analysis was performed to identify predictors of outcome. Seventy-one patients (98%) were evaluated at enrollment and 66 (92%) at 1 year. Compared with baseline, no significant differences were found on Fecal Incontinence Severity Index scores at 1 year. Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life results were significantly worse in the lifestyle (p Cancer Therapy overall score, but the physical well-being subscale was significantly worse and emotional well-being was improved after surgery. Treatment with the original chemoradiation regimen predicted worse depression/self-perception and embarrassment scores in the Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life, and male sex was predictive of worse scores in the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy overall score and trial outcome index. Small sample size, relatively short follow-up, and absence of information before cancer diagnosis were study limitations. Chemoradiation followed by local excision had minimal impact on anorectal function 1 year after surgery. Overall quality of

  6. Strategi Komunikasi Persuasif Admin Facebook Pjbo (Pekanbaru Jual Beli Online) Dalam Menarik Minat Member Tersurvey Di Pekanbaru

    OpenAIRE

    Setiawan, Rendy; ", Nurjanah

    2017-01-01

    Pekanbaru Jual Beli Online or PJBO is an online group that used grou feature in social media Facebook. PJBO group page used as a place where Pekanbaru people commit online transaction in selling or buying various things and services. And over timethis group start to applying commercial function in a program named ‘member tersurvey'. ‘Member tersurvey' program is a transaction securities guarantee from admin for the members if they pay administration cost as much as Rp 10.000,00 (ten thousand ...

  7. Serum-dependent selective expression of EhTMKB1-9, a member of Entamoeba histolytica B1 family of transmembrane kinases.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shiteshu Shrimal

    Full Text Available Entamoeba histolytica transmembrane kinases (EhTMKs can be grouped into six distinct families on the basis of motifs and sequences. Analysis of the E. histolytica genome revealed the presence of 35 EhTMKB1 members on the basis of sequence identity (>or=95%. Only six homologs were full length containing an extracellular domain, a transmembrane segment and an intracellular kinase domain. Reverse transcription followed by polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR of the kinase domain was used to generate a library of expressed sequences. Sequencing of randomly picked clones from this library revealed that about 95% of the clones were identical with a single member, EhTMKB1-9, in proliferating cells. On serum starvation, the relative number of EhTMKB1-9 derived sequences decreased with concomitant increase in the sequences derived from another member, EhTMKB1-18. The change in their relative expression was quantified by real time PCR. Northern analysis and RNase protection assay were used to study the temporal nature of EhTMKB1-9 expression after serum replenishment of starved cells. The results showed that the expression of EhTMKB1-9 was sinusoidal. Specific transcriptional induction of EhTMKB1-9 upon serum replenishment was further confirmed by reporter gene (luciferase expression and the upstream sequence responsible for serum responsiveness was identified. EhTMKB1-9 is one of the first examples of an inducible gene in Entamoeba. The protein encoded by this member was functionally characterized. The recombinant kinase domain of EhTMKB1-9 displayed protein kinase activity. It is likely to have dual specificity as judged from its sensitivity to different kinase inhibitors. Immuno-localization showed EhTMKB1-9 to be a surface protein which decreased on serum starvation and got relocalized on serum replenishment. Cell lines expressing either EhTMKB1-9 without kinase domain, or EhTMKB1-9 antisense RNA, showed decreased cellular proliferation and target cell

  8. Thermal effects in concrete members

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kar, A.K.

    1977-01-01

    The proposed method of analysis for concrete members subjected to temperature changes is consistent with the requirements of ultimate strength design. This also facilitates the provision of the same safety margin as for other loads. Due to cracks and creep in concrete, thermal stresses are nonlinear; they are dependent on the effective member stiffness, which in turn vary with the magnitude of loading. Therefore it is inconsistent to have an ultimate strength design in conjunction with an analysis based on the linear elastic theory. It is proposed that when the requirements of serviceability are met, the neutral axis corresponding to the ultimate load capacity conditions be considered for temperature-induced loadings. This conforms with the fact that the thermal load, because of creep and formation of cracks in the member, can be self-relieving as the failure load condition or ultimate capacity is approached. The maximum thermal load that can develop in dependent on the effective cross section of the member. Recommendations are made for determining the average effective member stiffness, which lies between the stiffness corresponding to the cracked (at ultimate condition) and the uncracked sections. In the proposed method, thermal stresses are not considered completely self-relieving. The stresses are considered simultaneously with stresses resulting from other causes. A step-by-step approach is presented for analysis and design of concrete members subjected to temperature changes

  9. Evidence for intact local connectivity but disrupted regional function in the occipital lobe in children and adolescents with schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Tonya; Moeller, Steen; Schmidt, Marcus; Pardo, Jose V; Olman, Cheryl

    2012-08-01

    It has long been known that specific visual frequencies result in greater blood flow to the striate cortex. These peaks are thought to reflect synchrony of local neuronal firing that is reflective of local cortical networks. Since disrupted neural connectivity is a possible etiology for schizophrenia, our goal was to investigate whether localized connectivity, as measured by aberrant synchrony, is abnormal in children and adolescents with schizophrenia. Subjects included 25 children and adolescents with schizophrenia and 39 controls matched for age and gender. Subjects were scanned on a Siemens 3 Tesla Trio scanner while observing flashing checkerboard presented at either 1, 4, 8, or 12 Hz. Image processing included both a standard GLM model and a Fourier transform analysis. Patients had significantly smaller volume of activation in the occipital lobe compared to controls. There were no differences in the integral or percent signal change of the hemodynamic response function for each of the four frequencies. Occipital activation was stable during development between childhood and late adolescence. Finally, both patients and controls demonstrated an increased response between 4 and 8 Hz consistent with synchrony or entrainment in the neuronal response. Children and adolescents with schizophrenia had a significantly lower volume of activation in the occipital lobe in response to the flashing checkerboard task. However, features of intact local connectivity in patients, such as the hemodynamic response function and maximal response at 8 Hz, were normal. These results are consistent with abnormalities in regional connectivity with preserved local connectivity in early-onset schizophrenia. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. The 25 parsec local white dwarf population

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holberg, J. B.; Oswalt, T. D.; Sion, E. M.; McCook, G. P.

    2016-11-01

    We have extended our detailed survey of the local white dwarf population from 20 to 25 pc, effectively doubling the sample volume, which now includes 232 stars. In the process, new stars within 20 pc have been added, a more uniform set of distance estimates as well as improved spectral and binary classifications are available. The present 25 pc sample is estimated to be about 68 per cent complete (the corresponding 20 pc sample is now 86 per cent complete). The space density of white dwarfs is unchanged at 4.8 ± 0.5 × 10-3 pc-3. This new study includes a white dwarf mass distribution and luminosity function based on the 232 stars in the 25 pc sample. We find a significant excess of single stars over systems containing one or more companions (74 per cent versus 26 per cent). This suggests mechanisms that result in the loss of companions during binary system evolution. In addition, this updated sample exhibits a pronounced deficiency of nearby `Sirius-like' systems. 11 such systems were found within the 20 pc volume versus only one additional system found in the volume between 20 and 25 pc. An estimate of white dwarf birth rates during the last ˜8 Gyr is derived from individual remnant cooling ages. A discussion of likely ways new members of the local sample may be found is provided.

  11. The members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-01-01

    The new members since the last list of Member States of the Agency was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.42) are: Armenia, Coratia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands, the Slovak Republic and Uzbekistan. The Attachment to the circular shows the dates on which the 120 States became members of the Agency, as well as those States whose application for membership of the Agency was approved by the General Conference, but who have not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute

  12. The members of the Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-01-01

    The document lists the 127 Member States of the Agency as of 1 January 1998. The new Members since the last issue of of the list (INFCIRC/2/49) are Malta and the Republic of Moldova. In an attachment are given the dates on which the present 127 states become Members, the state (Burkina Faso) whose application for membership of the Agency has been approved by the General Conference but which has not deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute

  13. The members of the Agency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-01-15

    The document lists the 127 Member States of the Agency as of 1 January 1998. The new Members since the last issue of of the list (INFCIRC/2/49) are Malta and the Republic of Moldova. In an attachment are given the dates on which the present 127 states become Members, the state (Burkina Faso) whose application for membership of the Agency has been approved by the General Conference but which has not deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute.

  14. Decision-Making of Patients With Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators at End of Life: Family Members' Experiences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Mei Ching; Sulmasy, Daniel P; Gallo, Joseph; Kub, Joan; Hughes, Mark T; Russell, Stuart; Kellogg, Anela; Owens, Sharon G; Terry, Peter; Nolan, Marie T

    2017-07-01

    Many patients with advanced heart failure (HF) experience the life-extending benefits of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD), but at the end stage of HF, patients may experience shocks with increasing frequency and change the plan for end-of-life (EOL) care including the deactivation of the ICD. This report describes family members' experiences of patients with ICD making decisions at EOL. Understanding the decision-making of patients with ICD at EOL can promote informed decision-making and improve the quality of EOL care. This pilot study used a mixed methods approach to test the effects of a nurse-guided discussion in decision-making about ICD deactivation (turning off the defibrillation function) at the EOL. Interviews were conducted, audiotaped, and transcribed in 2012 to 2013 with 6 family members of patients with advanced HF and ICDs. Three researchers coded the data and identified themes in 2014. Three main themes described family members' experiences related to patients having HF with ICDs making health-care decision at EOL: decision-making preferences, patients' perception on ICD deactivation, and communication methods. Health-care providers need to have knowledge of patients' decision-making preferences. Preferences for decision-making include the allowing of appropriate people to involve and encourages direct conversation with family members even when advance directives is completed. Information of ICD function and the option of deactivation need to be clearly delivered to patients and family members. Education and guidelines will facilitate the communication of the preferences of EOL care.

  15. Foundations of complex analysis in non locally convex spaces function theory without convexity condition

    CERN Document Server

    Bayoumi, A

    2003-01-01

    All the existing books in Infinite Dimensional Complex Analysis focus on the problems of locally convex spaces. However, the theory without convexity condition is covered for the first time in this book. This shows that we are really working with a new, important and interesting field. Theory of functions and nonlinear analysis problems are widespread in the mathematical modeling of real world systems in a very broad range of applications. During the past three decades many new results from the author have helped to solve multiextreme problems arising from important situations, non-convex and

  16. E2F family members are differentially regulated by reversible acetylation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marzio, G; Wagener, C; Gutierrez, M I

    2000-01-01

    of the other E2F family members. Here we report that E2F-1, -2, and -3, but not E2F-4, -5, and -6, associate with and are acetylated by p300 and cAMP-response element-binding protein acetyltransferases. Acetylation occurs at three conserved lysine residues located at the N-terminal boundary of their DNA......The six members of the E2F family of transcription factors play a key role in the control of cell cycle progression by regulating the expression of genes involved in DNA replication and cell proliferation. E2F-1, -2, and -3 belong to a structural and functional subfamily distinct from those...

  17. A morphing strategy to couple non-local to local continuum mechanics

    KAUST Repository

    Lubineau, Gilles

    2012-06-01

    A method for coupling non-local continuum models with long-range central forces to local continuum models is proposed. First, a single unified model that encompasses both local and non-local continuum representations is introduced. This model can be purely non-local, purely local or a hybrid depending on the constitutive parameters. Then, the coupling between the non-local and local descriptions is performed through a transition (morphing) affecting only the constitutive parameters. An important feature is the definition of the morphing functions, which relies on energy equivalence. This approach is useful in large-scale modeling of materials that exhibit strong non-local effects. The computational cost can be reduced while maintaining a reasonable level of accuracy. Efficiency, robustness and basic properties of the approach are discussed using one- and two-dimensional examples. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

  18. A morphing strategy to couple non-local to local continuum mechanics

    KAUST Repository

    Lubineau, Gilles; Azdoud, Yan; Han, Fei; Rey, Christian C.; Askari, Abe H.

    2012-01-01

    A method for coupling non-local continuum models with long-range central forces to local continuum models is proposed. First, a single unified model that encompasses both local and non-local continuum representations is introduced. This model can be purely non-local, purely local or a hybrid depending on the constitutive parameters. Then, the coupling between the non-local and local descriptions is performed through a transition (morphing) affecting only the constitutive parameters. An important feature is the definition of the morphing functions, which relies on energy equivalence. This approach is useful in large-scale modeling of materials that exhibit strong non-local effects. The computational cost can be reduced while maintaining a reasonable level of accuracy. Efficiency, robustness and basic properties of the approach are discussed using one- and two-dimensional examples. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

  19. Local Government System in Japan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimir V. Redko

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to the issues of the activities of the local government of Japan. Particular attention is drawn to the legal framework and the material basis for the functioning of local self-government bodies. The system of local self-government is considered as a special form of self-government with a specific functional and meaning; system of municipal management and delegation of authority, as well as features of interaction between civil and imperious levels. The allocation of the city with a special status, as well as the financial structure of the local government of Japan, is considered in detail.

  20. Structures of Xishan village landslide in Li County, Sichuan, China, inferred from high-frequency receiver functions of local earthquakes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Z.; Chu, R.

    2017-12-01

    Teleseismic receiver function methods are widely used to study the deep structural information beneath the seismic station. However, teleseismic waveforms are difficult to extract the high-frequency receiver function, which are insufficient to constrain the shallow structure because of the inelastic attenuation effect of the earth. In this study, using the local earthquake waveforms collected from 3 broadband stations deployed on the Xishan village landslide in Li County in Sichuan Province, we used the high-frequency receiver function method to study the shallow structure beneath the landslide. We developed the Vp-k (Vp/Vs) staking method of receiver functions, and combined with the H-k stacking and waveform inversion methods of receiver functions to invert the landslide's thickness, S-wave velocity and average Vp/Vs ratio beneath these stations, and compared the thickness with the borehole results. Our results show small-scale lateral variety of velocity structure, a 78-143m/s lower S-wave velocity in the bottom layer and 2.4-3.1 Vp/Vs ratio in the landslide. The observed high Vp/Vs ratio and low S-wave velocity in the bottom layer of the landslide are consistent with low electrical resistivity and water-rich in the bottom layer, suggesting a weak shear strength and potential danger zone in landslide h1. Our study suggest that the local earthquake receiver function can obtain the shallow velocity structural information and supply some seismic constrains for the landslide catastrophe mitigation.