Models of life: epigenetics, diversity and cycles

Science.gov (United States)

Sneppen, Kim

2017-04-01

This review emphasizes aspects of biology that can be understood through repeated applications of simple causal rules. The selected topics include perspectives on gene regulation, phage lambda development, epigenetics, microbial ecology, as well as model approaches to diversity and to punctuated equilibrium in evolution. Two outstanding features are repeatedly described. One is the minimal number of rules to sustain specific states of complex systems for a long time. The other is the collapse of such states and the subsequent dynamical cycle of situations that restitute the system to a potentially new metastable state.

Three-Dimensional Structural Aspects of Protein–Polysaccharide Interactions

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Masamichi Nagae

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Linear polysaccharides are typically composed of repeating mono- or disaccharide units and are ubiquitous among living organisms. Polysaccharide diversity arises from chain-length variation, branching, and additional modifications. Structural diversity is associated with various physiological functions, which are often regulated by cognate polysaccharide-binding proteins. Proteins that interact with linear polysaccharides have been identified or developed, such as galectins and polysaccharide-specific antibodies, respectively. Currently, data is accumulating on the three-dimensional structure of polysaccharide-binding proteins. These proteins are classified into two types: exo-type and endo-type. The former group specifically interacts with the terminal units of polysaccharides, whereas the latter with internal units. In this review, we describe the structural aspects of exo-type and endo-type protein-polysaccharide interactions. Further, we discuss the structural basis for affinity and specificity enhancement in the face of inherently weak binding interactions.

Ecological Aspect of Dam Design for Flood Regulation and Sustainable Urban Development

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Badenko Vladimir

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Many floodplains are excluded from urban development because the floods cause considerable damage to people’s lives and properties. This requires the development of new approaches to flood management and mitigation for support sustainable urban development. In present study as the measures for mitigation of flash floods, the regulation of river flow by the system of detention reservoirs for flood diversion with dams, which do not need any operation management, are analyzed concerning of Far East region of Russia. The main objective of this paper is to develop a method for analysis how the dam site selection meets the environmental criterion. The method to justify a selection of self-regulated flood dam parameters, primarily a height of a dam and its location on a water stream, providing minimization of impact on the environment have been developed. The result for Selemdzha river basin in Far East monsoon region of Russian Federation is analyzed. The result shows the robustness of the method.

The Arabidopsis synaptotagmin SYTA regulates the cell-to-cell movement of diverse plant viruses

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Asako eUchiyama

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Synaptotagmins are a large gene family in animals that have been extensively characterized due to their role as calcium sensors to regulate synaptic vesicle exocytosis and endocytosis in neurons, and dense core vesicle exocytosis for hormone secretion from neuroendocrine cells. Thought to be exclusive to animals, synaptotagmins have recently been characterized in Arabidopsis thaliana, in which they comprise a five gene family. Using infectivity and leaf-based functional assays, we have shown that Arabidopsis SYTA regulates endocytosis and marks an endosomal vesicle recycling pathway to regulate movement protein-mediated trafficking of the Begomovirus Cabbage leaf curl virus (CaLCuV and the Tobamovirus Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV through plasmodesmata (Lewis and Lazarowitz, 2010. To determine whether SYTA has a central role in regulating the cell-to-cell trafficking of a wider range of diverse plant viruses, we extended our studies here to examine the role of SYTA in the cell-to-cell movement of additional plant viruses that employ different modes of movement, namely the Potyvirus Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV, the Caulimovirus Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV and the Tobamovirus Turnip vein clearing virus (TVCV, which in contrast to TMV does efficiently infect Arabidopsis. We found that both TuMV and TVCV systemic infection, and the cell-to-cell trafficking of the their movement proteins, were delayed in the Arabidopsis Col-0 syta-1 knockdown mutant. In contrast, CaMV systemic infection was not inhibited in syta-1. Our studies show that SYTA is a key regulator of plant virus intercellular movement, being necessary for the ability of diverse cell-to-cell movement proteins encoded by Begomoviruses (CaLCuV MP, Tobamoviruses (TVCV and TMV 30K protein and Potyviruses (TuMV P3N-PIPO to alter PD and thereby mediate virus cell-to-cell spread.

Diversity and Difference Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Risberg, Annette; Pilhofer, Katharina

2018-01-01

In the paper, we reflect on power aspects of categories, and the implications of using pre-established categories in diversity and difference research. With inspiration from intersectionality we discuss how categories and categorization can contribute to continue patterns of inequality and discri......In the paper, we reflect on power aspects of categories, and the implications of using pre-established categories in diversity and difference research. With inspiration from intersectionality we discuss how categories and categorization can contribute to continue patterns of inequality...

Neuropeptide diversity and the regulation of social behavior in New World primates

Science.gov (United States)

French, Jeffrey A.; Taylor, Jack H.; Mustoe, Aaryn C.; Cavanaugh, Jon

2016-01-01

Oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) are important hypothalamic neuropeptides that regulate peripheral physiology, and have emerged as important modulators of brain function, particularly in the social realm. OT structure and the genes that ultimately determine structure are highly conserved among diverse eutherian mammals, but recent discoveries have identified surprising variability in OT and peptide structure in New World monkeys (NWM), with five new OT variants identified to date. This review explores these new findings in light of comparative OT/AVP ligand evolution, documents coevolutionary changes in the oxytocin and vasopressin receptors (OTR and V1aR), and highlights the distribution of neuropeptidergic neurons and receptors in the primate brain. Finally, the behavioral consequences of OT and AVP in regulating NWM sociality are summarized, demonstrating important neuromodulatory effects of these compounds and OT ligand-specific influences in certain social domains. PMID:27020799

Cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs) mediate diverse aspects of cell-cell communication in plant reproduction and development.

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Eleanor; Costa, Liliana M; Gutierrez-Marcos, Jose

2011-03-01

Cell-cell communication in plants is essential for the correct co-ordination of reproduction, growth, and development. Studies to dissect this mode of communication have previously focussed primarily on the action of plant hormones as mediators of intercellular signalling. In animals, peptide signalling is a well-documented intercellular communication system, however, relatively little is known about this system in plants. In recent years, numerous reports have emerged about small, secreted peptides controlling different aspects of plant reproduction. Interestingly, most of these peptides are cysteine-rich, and there is convincing evidence suggesting multiple roles for related cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs) as signalling factors in developmental patterning as well as during plant pathogen responses and symbiosis. In this review, we discuss how CRPs are emerging as key signalling factors in regulating multiple aspects of vegetative growth and reproductive development in plants.

DIVERSITY in binding, regulation, and evolution revealed from high-throughput ChIP.

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Mitra, Sneha; Biswas, Anushua; Narlikar, Leelavati

2018-04-23

Genome-wide in vivo protein-DNA interactions are routinely mapped using high-throughput chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). ChIP-reported regions are typically investigated for enriched sequence-motifs, which are likely to model the DNA-binding specificity of the profiled protein and/or of co-occurring proteins. However, simple enrichment analyses can miss insights into the binding-activity of the protein. Note that ChIP reports regions making direct contact with the protein as well as those binding through intermediaries. For example, consider a ChIP experiment targeting protein X, which binds DNA at its cognate sites, but simultaneously interacts with four other proteins. Each of these proteins also binds to its own specific cognate sites along distant parts of the genome, a scenario consistent with the current view of transcriptional hubs and chromatin loops. Since ChIP will pull down all X-associated regions, the final reported data will be a union of five distinct sets of regions, each containing binding sites of one of the five proteins, respectively. Characterizing all five different motifs and the corresponding sets is important to interpret the ChIP experiment and ultimately, the role of X in regulation. We present diversity which attempts exactly this: it partitions the data so that each partition can be characterized with its own de novo motif. Diversity uses a Bayesian approach to identify the optimal number of motifs and the associated partitions, which together explain the entire dataset. This is in contrast to standard motif finders, which report motifs individually enriched in the data, but do not necessarily explain all reported regions. We show that the different motifs and associated regions identified by diversity give insights into the various complexes that may be forming along the chromatin, something that has so far not been attempted from ChIP data. Webserver at http://diversity.ncl.res.in/; standalone (Mac OS X/Linux) from https://github.com/NarlikarLab/DIVERSITY

Comparing the importance of different aspects of quality of life to older adults across diverse cultures.

Science.gov (United States)

Molzahn, Anita E; Kalfoss, Mary; Schick Makaroff, Kara; Skevington, Suzanne M

2011-03-01

there is limited research examining the relative importance of aspects of quality of life (QOL) to older adults across cultures. to examine the relative importance of 31 internationally agreed areas of QOL to older adults in 22 countries in relation to health status, age and level of economic development. a survey quota sampling design was used to collect cross-cultural data. This study reports a secondary analysis of WHOQOL-OLD pilot study, which was collected simultaneously in 22 centres. a variety of community, primary, secondary and tertiary health care settings located in Australia, France, Switzerland, England, Scotland, USA, Israel, Spain, Japan, China (mainland and Hong Kong), Turkey, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Brazil and Uruguay. the total sample contained 7,401 people over 60 years with a mean age of 73.1 years; 57.8% were women and 70.1% considered themselves 'healthy'. there were significant differences in the importance given to various aspects of QOL for people living in medium and high-development countries. Culture explained 15.9% of the variance in the importance ratings of QOL. However, the interaction showed that cultural differences were reduced once health status, gender and age were taken into account. The importance of QOL to age bands in different cultures was not significantly affected by whether or not participants perceived themselves to be healthy. understanding the self-reported importance of diverse aspects of QOL for different cultures and for healthy and less healthy people may assist national and international policy makers to decide on priorities for the development of programmes for the ageing population.

Phylogenetically diverse macrophyte community promotes species diversity of mobile epi-benthic invertebrates

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamoto, Kenta; Hayakawa, Jun; Kawamura, Tomohiko; Kodama, Masafumi; Yamada, Hideaki; Kitagawa, Takashi; Watanabe, Yoshiro

2018-07-01

Various aspects of plant diversity such as species diversity and phylogenetic diversity enhance the species diversity of associated animals in terrestrial systems. In marine systems, however, the effects of macrophyte diversity on the species diversity of associated animals have received little attention. Here, we sampled in a subtropical seagrass-seaweed mixed bed to elucidate the effect of the macrophyte phylogenetic diversity based on the taxonomic relatedness as well as the macrophyte species diversity on species diversity of mobile epi-benthic invertebrates. Using regression analyses for each macrophyte parameter as well as multiple regression analyses, we found that the macrophyte phylogenetic diversity (taxonomic diversity index: Delta) positively influenced the invertebrate species richness and diversity index (H‧). Although the macrophyte species richness and H‧ also positively influenced the invertebrate species richness, the best fit model for invertebrate species richness did not include them, suggesting that the macrophyte species diversity indirectly influenced invertebrate species diversity. Possible explanations of the effects of macrophyte Delta on the invertebrate species diversity were the niche complementarity effect and the selection effect. This is the first study which demonstrates that macrophyte phylogenetic diversity has a strong effect on the species diversity of mobile epi-benthic invertebrates.

Transposable element dynamics and PIWI regulation impacts lncRNA and gene expression diversity in Drosophila ovarian cell cultures.

Science.gov (United States)

Sytnikova, Yuliya A; Rahman, Reazur; Chirn, Gung-Wei; Clark, Josef P; Lau, Nelson C

2014-12-01

Piwi proteins and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) repress transposable elements (TEs) from mobilizing in gonadal cells. To determine the spectrum of piRNA-regulated targets that may extend beyond TEs, we conducted a genome-wide survey for transcripts associated with PIWI and for transcripts affected by PIWI knockdown in Drosophila ovarian somatic sheet (OSS) cells, a follicle cell line expressing the Piwi pathway. Despite the immense sequence diversity among OSS cell piRNAs, our analysis indicates that TE transcripts are the major transcripts associated with and directly regulated by PIWI. However, several coding genes were indirectly regulated by PIWI via an adjacent de novo TE insertion that generated a nascent TE transcript. Interestingly, we noticed that PIWI-regulated genes in OSS cells greatly differed from genes affected in a related follicle cell culture, ovarian somatic cells (OSCs). Therefore, we characterized the distinct genomic TE insertions across four OSS and OSC lines and discovered dynamic TE landscapes in gonadal cultures that were defined by a subset of active TEs. Particular de novo TEs appeared to stimulate the expression of novel candidate long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in a cell lineage-specific manner, and some of these TE-associated lncRNAs were associated with PIWI and overlapped PIWI-regulated genes. Our analyses of OSCs and OSS cells demonstrate that despite having a Piwi pathway to suppress endogenous mobile elements, gonadal cell TE landscapes can still dramatically change and create transcriptome diversity. © 2014 Sytnikova et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

An architecture for diversity-aware search for medical web content.

Science.gov (United States)

Denecke, K

2012-01-01

The Web provides a huge source of information, also on medical and health-related issues. In particular the content of medical social media data can be diverse due to the background of an author, the source or the topic. Diversity in this context means that a document covers different aspects of a topic or a topic is described in different ways. In this paper, we introduce an approach that allows to consider the diverse aspects of a search query when providing retrieval results to a user. We introduce a system architecture for a diversity-aware search engine that allows retrieving medical information from the web. The diversity of retrieval results is assessed by calculating diversity measures that rely upon semantic information derived from a mapping to concepts of a medical terminology. Considering these measures, the result set is diversified by ranking more diverse texts higher. The methods and system architecture are implemented in a retrieval engine for medical web content. The diversity measures reflect the diversity of aspects considered in a text and its type of information content. They are used for result presentation, filtering and ranking. In a user evaluation we assess the user satisfaction with an ordering of retrieval results that considers the diversity measures. It is shown through the evaluation that diversity-aware retrieval considering diversity measures in ranking could increase the user satisfaction with retrieval results.

Diversity and aspects of the ecology of social wasps (Vespidae, Polistinae in Central Amazonian "terra firme" forest

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Alexandre Somavilla

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Diversity and aspects of the ecology of social wasps (Vespidae, Polistinae in Central Amazonian "terra firme" forest. The knowledge of social wasp richness and biology in the Amazonian region is considered insufficient. Although the Amazonas state is the largest in the region, until now only two brief surveys were conducted there. Considering that the systematic inventory of an area is the first step towards its conservation and wise use, this study presents faunal data on social wasp diversity in a 25 km² area of "terra firme" (upland forest at the Ducke Reserve, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. Wasps were collected in the understory, following a protocol of three collectors walking along 60 trails 1,000 m in extension for 16 days between August and October 2010. Methods used were active search of individuals with entomological nets and nest collecting. Fifty-eight species of social wasps, allocated in 13 genera, were recorded; 67% of the collected species belong to Polybia, Agelaia and Mischocyttarus; other genera were represented by only four species or less. The most frequent species in active searches were Agelaia fulvofasciata (DeGeer, 1773, Agelaia testacea (Fabricius, 1804 and Angiopolybia pallens (Lepeletier, 1836. Twelve species were collected in nests. Prior to this study, 65 Polistinae species were deposited at the INPA Collection. Collecting in the study grid, an area not previously sampled for wasps, resulted in an increase of 25% species, and species richness was 86. According to the results, there is evidence that the diversity of social wasps at the Ducke Reserve is even higher, making it one of the richest areas in the Brazilian Amazonia.

Some regulation aspects in dismantling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niel, J.C.

1993-01-01

In the French regulation framework, operations linked to dismantling are controlled by an overall technical and legislative system applied to all the different stages of the facility (commissioning, etc.). Government control on facilities under dismantling is aimed at dismantling operation safety and security, and dismantling waste processing in order to ensure public and environmental protection

Lampreys as Diverse Model Organisms in the Genomics Era.

Science.gov (United States)

McCauley, David W; Docker, Margaret F; Whyard, Steve; Li, Weiming

2015-11-01

Lampreys, one of the two surviving groups of ancient vertebrates, have become important models for study in diverse fields of biology. Lampreys (of which there are approximately 40 species) are being studied, for example, (a) to control pest sea lamprey in the North American Great Lakes and to restore declining populations of native species elsewhere; (b) in biomedical research, focusing particularly on the regenerative capability of lampreys; and (c) by developmental biologists studying the evolution of key vertebrate characters. Although a lack of genetic resources has hindered research on the mechanisms regulating many aspects of lamprey life history and development, formerly intractable questions are now amenable to investigation following the recent publication of the sea lamprey genome. Here, we provide an overview of the ways in which genomic tools are currently being deployed to tackle diverse research questions and suggest several areas that may benefit from the availability of the sea lamprey genome.

Leadership and Diversity: Theory and Research

Science.gov (United States)

Lumby, Jacky; Morrison, Marlene

2010-01-01

Diversity has become a ubiquitous term within education, often harnessed with a second concept, that of inclusion. Despite heightened interest, theorists in education leadership have remained relatively uninterested in multiple aspects of identity and diversity. This article explores the epistemological and methodological implications of moving…

The Regulation of the Security of Electronic Information in Lithuania and Russia: the Comparative Aspects

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Darius Štitilis

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Cybercrime has become a global phenomenon, which is causing more harm to individual citizens, organizations, society and the state. Most countries in the world compare cybercrime with such offences as terrorism and drug trafficking due to its risks and profitability. Therefore, the legal regulation of cybercrime is one of the most relevant problems in the world, including Lithuania and our neighbouring country, Russia. So far cybercrime analysis in scientific literature has been rather limited. We have not succeeded in finding a comparison between the regulatory practices of cybercrime in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Lithuania in any of the references. The main goal of the thesis paper is to analyse and to compare the electronic information security legal framework of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Lithuania. The article consists of two parts. The first part deals with the comparative aspect of strategic documents—the program governing electronic information protection in Lithuania and the Russian Federation. The second part of the article examines the comparative aspect of electronic information protection legislative, legal framework Republic of Lithuania and the Russian Federation. It was found that at the moment in both countries there is a strategic document which defines the planned state policy in this area, but the lack of a Lithuanian Law which can fully and consistently regulate social relations in relation to electronic information security. Several different approaches have been used in the research. The authors have used a comparative method to investigate the Lithuanian and Russian legal framework for the security of electronic information. Empirical analysis of legal documents was used to determine the legal regulation of the security of electronic information in Lithuania and Russia. Legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania and the Russian Federation have been analysed. Having analysed the official

The Regulation of the Security of Electronic Information in Lithuania and Russia: the Comparative Aspects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darius Štitilis

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Cybercrime has become a global phenomenon, which is causing more harm to individual citizens, organizations, society and the state. Most countries in the world compare cybercrime with such offences as terrorism and drug trafficking due to its risks and profitability. Therefore, the legal regulation of cybercrime is one of the most relevant problems in the world, including Lithuania and our neighbouring country, Russia. So far cybercrime analysis in scientific literature has been rather limited. We have not succeeded in finding a comparison between the regulatory practices of cybercrime in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Lithuania in any of the references.The main goal of the thesis paper is to analyse and to compare the electronic information security legal framework of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Lithuania.The article consists of two parts. The first part deals with the comparative aspect of strategic documents—the program governing electronic information protection in Lithuania and the Russian Federation.The second part of the article examines the comparative aspect of electronic information protection legislative, legal framework Republic of Lithuania and the Russian Federation. It was found that at the moment in both countries there is a strategic document which defines the planned state policy in this area, but the lack of a Lithuanian Law which can fully and consistently regulate social relations in relation to electronic information security.Several different approaches have been used in the research. The authors have used a comparative method to investigate the Lithuanian and Russian legal framework for the security of electronic information. Empirical analysis of legal documents was used to determine the legal regulation of the security of electronic information in Lithuania and Russia. Legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania and the Russian Federation have been analysed. Having analysed the official

CRISPR-Cas Adaptive Immune Systems of the Sulfolobales: Unravelling Their Complexity and Diversity

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Roger A. Garrett

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The Sulfolobales have provided good model organisms for studying CRISPR-Cas systems of the crenarchaeal kingdom of the archaea. These organisms are infected by a wide range of exceptional archaea-specific viruses and conjugative plasmids, and their CRISPR-Cas systems generally exhibit extensive structural and functional diversity. They carry large and multiple CRISPR loci and often multiple copies of diverse Type I and Type III interference modules as well as more homogeneous adaptation modules. These acidothermophilic organisms have recently provided seminal insights into both the adaptation process, the diverse modes of interference, and their modes of regulation. The functions of the adaptation and interference modules tend to be loosely coupled and the stringency of the crRNA-DNA sequence matching during DNA interference is relatively low, in contrast to some more streamlined CRISPR-Cas systems of bacteria. Despite this, there is evidence for a complex and differential regulation of expression of the diverse functional modules in response to viral infection. Recent work also supports critical roles for non-core Cas proteins, especially during Type III-directed interference, and this is consistent with these proteins tending to coevolve with core Cas proteins. Various novel aspects of CRISPR-Cas systems of the Sulfolobales are considered including an alternative spacer acquisition mechanism, reversible spacer acquisition, the formation and significance of antisense CRISPR RNAs, and a novel mechanism for avoidance of CRISPR-Cas defense. Finally, questions regarding the basis for the complexity, diversity, and apparent redundancy, of the intracellular CRISPR-Cas systems are discussed.

Modern aspects of tax regulation of investment activity

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E.S. Podakov

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The article investigates the tax regulation of investment activity in modern conditions. Scientists studied different views about the impact of tax regulations on the investment activity in the country. The author determines that the tax regulation of investment activity involves the use of state mechanisms taxation of certain measures to improve investment conditions. The subject is the state tax regulations, and the object is the investment activity of individual and institutional investors of any form of ownership including organizational and legal forms. Such regulation is performed by using complex special tools. The possible methods of tax stimulation of investment processes are described. The article deals with the current results of tax reform in Ukraine and predicts its possible consequences for agricultural producers. The rating positions of Ukraine according to international organizations are showed. The systematic analysis has been carried out and the impact of differential tax rates, tax exemption for a specified period, reducing the tax base, elimination of double taxation on investment activity in certain areas have been researched. The special instruments of investment activity tax regulation are considered. The options for improving investment activity by introducing effective tax regulation are determined.

Regulation of the energy infrastructure. Load management. Part 1. Fiscal aspects of energy networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smits, L.

2008-01-01

The Dutch energy system depends on the presence of a good infrastructure. For many decades little attention was paid to infrastructure, but due to the liberalization infrastructure is receiving renewed attention. The grids are now considered the backbone of the energy system and essential for security of supply. Moreover, future electricity plants may have to adhere to the 'zero emission' demands in the future and (nearly) empty oil and gas fields will be used for underground storage of substances such as CO2. This new series addresses the existing and new regulation for the energy infrastructure. This edition addresses a number of fiscal aspects of the energy infrastructure. [mk] [nl

Diverse Genetic Regulon of the Virulence-Associated Transcriptional Regulator MucR in Brucella abortus 2308

Science.gov (United States)

Caswell, Clayton C.; Elhassanny, Ahmed E. M.; Planchin, Emilie E.; Roux, Christelle M.; Weeks-Gorospe, Jenni N.; Ficht, Thomas A.; Dunman, Paul M.

2013-01-01

The Ros-type regulator MucR is one of the few transcriptional regulators that have been linked to virulence in Brucella. Here, we show that a Brucella abortus in-frame mucR deletion strain exhibits a pronounced growth defect during in vitro cultivation and, more importantly, that the mucR mutant is attenuated in cultured macrophages and in mice. The genetic basis for the attenuation of Brucella mucR mutants has not been defined previously, but in the present study the genes regulated by MucR in B. abortus have been elucidated using microarray analysis and real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). In B. abortus 2308, MucR regulates a wide variety of genes whose products may function in establishing and maintaining cell envelope integrity, polysaccharide biosynthesis, iron homeostasis, genome plasticity, and transcriptional regulation. Particularly notable among the MucR-regulated genes identified is arsR6 (nolR), which encodes a transcriptional regulator previously linked to virulence in Brucella melitensis 16 M. Importantly, electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) determined that a recombinant MucR protein binds directly to the promoter regions of several genes repressed by MucR (including arsR6 [nolR]), and in Brucella, as in other alphaproteobacteria, MucR binds to its own promoter to repress expression of the gene that encodes it. Overall, these studies have uncovered the diverse genetic regulon of MucR in Brucella, and in doing so this work has begun to define the MucR-controlled genetic circuitry whose misregulation contributes to the virulence defect of Brucella mucR mutants. PMID:23319565

Physiological and biochemical aspects of the avian uropygial gland

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A. Salibian

Full Text Available This review discusses different aspects of the uropygial gland of birds. The gland exhibits a striking morphological diversity in size, shape and presence/absence of tufts of feathers. It was shown that acidic mucins, neutral lipids, glycolipids and phospholipids are normal components of secretion. Several morphological and physiological aspects of the gland were studied on Rock Pigeon Columba livia Gmelin, 1879. The amount of the uropygial gland secretion, its lipid content and fatty acids profile were determined. The extracted lipid mixture contained of C14 to C20 fatty acids, mostly unsaturated; the saturated fatty acids were mainly 14:0, 16:0 and 18:0. No correlation was found between the size of the gland and the aquatic/terrestrial nature of the species. Ablation of the gland did not affect survival, body weight, feeding rate and serum cholesterol, total lipids or calcium levels after 32-120 days. The possible role of the gland in the protection against lipophilic compounds was discussed. The function of the gland is still a subject of controversy. It is accepted that its secretion confers water-repellent properties on the feather coat and maintain the suppleness of the feathers. Other physiological roles of the gland secretion may be associated to pheromone production, control of plumage hygiene, thermal insulation and defence against predators. Concerning the endocrine regulation of the uropygial function, there is scarce information presenting evidence for steroid regulated mechanisms.

USCG Diversity: Moving Beyond Training, Rules, and Regulations

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-01

understood meaning of the term “diversity” and suggests that true workplace diversity is not based on racial or gender representation alone...as well. It results in stereotypes and stigmatization” (Page, 2007, p. 364). When such attention is paid to race and gender as diversity markers...goal is to eliminate race inequality and gender inequality in the DfT. 88 The Gender Equality Scheme also lists departmental workforce targets

Towards managing diversity: Cultural aspects of conflict management in organizations

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Dorothea Hamdorf

2003-10-01

Full Text Available This study investigated cultural aspects of conflict management in organizations in response to the growing need for an understanding of how people from diverse cultural backgrounds can work together without the often-resulting problem of intercultural conflict. Culture was evaluated through self-assessments of how independent or interdependent the subjects were (Markus & Kitayama, 1991, and conflict behavior through eight conflict management styles: dominating, integrating, compromising, avoiding, obliging, emotion, neglect and third-party help (Rahim, 1983; Ting-Toomey et al., 2000. Furthermore, drawing upon face-negotiation theory (Ting-Toomey, 1988; Ting-Toomey & Kurogi, 1998, a test was made of whether self-face, other-face and mutual-face concerns could explain cultural differences in conflict behavior. A total of 185 professionals from different countries completed an Internet questionnaire. An exploratory factor analysis of the eight styles revealed three factors which seem to describe direct, indirect and integrating plus compromising conflict behaviors. In line with this study's hypotheses, persons with a tendency to act independently mentioned direct styles, as well as integrating, and persons with a tendency to act interdependently mentioned indirect styles in addition to integrating and compromising. Furthermore, a concern for self-face maintenance was related to direct conflict behavior, a concern for other-face maintenance to indirect conflict behavior, and a concern for mutual-face maintenance to integrating and compromising. However, persons with a tendency to act independently do not seem to be particularly concerned about self-face maintenance. Persons with a tendency to act interdependently, on the other hand, show other- and mutual-face concerns in conflict situations. It was concluded that face concerns do play a crucial role, but mainly in explaining the conflict behavior of persons with a tendency to act interdependently

Multi-Aspect Group Formation using Facility Location Analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neshati, Mahmood; Beigy, Hamid; Hiemstra, Djoerd

2012-01-01

In this paper, we propose an optimization framework to retrieve an optimal group of experts to perform a given multi-aspect task/project. Each task needs a diverse set of skills and the group of assigned experts should be able to collectively cover all required aspects of the task. We consider three

Diversity, occurrence and socio-economic aspects of snappers and job fish (Family: Lutjanidae) fisheries from Gulf of Mannar region, south-east coast of India.

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Murugan, A.; Vinod, K.; Saravanan, K.R.; Anbalagan, T.; Saravanan, R.; Sanaye, S.V.; Mojjada, S.K.; Rajagopal, S.; Balasubramanian, T.

Journal of Geo-Marine Sciences Vol. 43 (4), April 2014, pp. 618-633 Diversity, occurrence and socio-economic aspects of snappers and job fish (Family: Lutjanidae) fisheries from Gulf of Mannar region, south-east coast of India A. Murugan...] Introduction The role of human activity on marine ecosystems is receiving increased attention with the perception that human activities are causing considerable economic loss for local fishing communities1. In particular, the increase in fishing pressure...

Legal aspects and regulations of roentgenofluorographic examinations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasil'ev, Yu.D.

1988-01-01

Organization and execution of roentgenofluorographic examinations in the USSR is supervised by laws of the Ministry of public health of the USSR, instructions, methodical recommendations. These documents and their additions concerning preventive measures against tuberculosis, standard norms of medical personnel, necessary preventive examinations and other aspects of conducting roentgenofluorographic examinations are discussed

Plate tectonic regulation of global marine animal diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Zaffos, Andrew; Finnegan, Seth; Peters, Shanan E.

2017-05-01

Valentine and Moores [Valentine JW, Moores EM (1970) Nature 228:657-659] hypothesized that plate tectonics regulates global biodiversity by changing the geographic arrangement of continental crust, but the data required to fully test the hypothesis were not available. Here, we use a global database of marine animal fossil occurrences and a paleogeographic reconstruction model to test the hypothesis that temporal patterns of continental fragmentation have impacted global Phanerozoic biodiversity. We find a positive correlation between global marine invertebrate genus richness and an independently derived quantitative index describing the fragmentation of continental crust during supercontinental coalescence-breakup cycles. The observed positive correlation between global biodiversity and continental fragmentation is not readily attributable to commonly cited vagaries of the fossil record, including changing quantities of marine rock or time-variable sampling effort. Because many different environmental and biotic factors may covary with changes in the geographic arrangement of continental crust, it is difficult to identify a specific causal mechanism. However, cross-correlation indicates that the state of continental fragmentation at a given time is positively correlated with the state of global biodiversity for tens of millions of years afterward. There is also evidence to suggest that continental fragmentation promotes increasing marine richness, but that coalescence alone has only a small negative or stabilizing effect. Together, these results suggest that continental fragmentation, particularly during the Mesozoic breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea, has exerted a first-order control on the long-term trajectory of Phanerozoic marine animal diversity.

Networking for Successful Diversity Recruiting: Creating a Highly Diverse Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program by Networking with Mentors, Faculty, and Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Dalbotten, D. M.; Berthelote, A.; Watts, N. B.

2017-12-01

Successfully recruiting for diversity begins as you plan your program and make sure that all elements of the program support diverse participation. The REU on Sustainable Land and Water Resources continues to be one of the most diverse NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduate Programs in the geosciences. Every aspect of the program, from recruiting, the application process, selecting participants, and the methods developed to support participant success have been scrutinized and tailored towards broadening participation. While the focus of the research has been on collaboration with Native American reservations to create community-based participatory research projects and improving access for Native American students, the PIs strive for ethnic and cultural diversity of the participants. Emphasis on networking and building relationships with minority-serving institutions has led to increasing numbers of underrepresented students applying to the REU. In 2017, a full 30% of our applications were from underrepresented groups. The authors will discuss methods for improved diversity recruiting, as well as ways to make every aspect of your program support diversity in the geosciences.

Defying stereotypes: the elusive search for a universal model of LysR-type regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Momany, Cory; Neidle, Ellen L

2012-02-01

LysR-type transcriptional regulators (LTTRs) compose the largest family of homologous regulators in bacteria. Considering their prevalence, it is not surprising that LTTRs control diverse metabolic functions. Arguably, the most unexpected aspect of LTTRs is the paucity of available structural information. Solubility issues are notoriously problematic, and structural studies have only recently begun to flourish. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Taylor et al. (2012) present the structure of AphB, a LysR-type regulator of virulence in Vibrio cholerae. This contribution adds significantly to the group of known full-length atomic LTTR structures, which remains small. Importantly, this report also describes an active-form variant. Small conformational changes in the effector-binding domain translate to global reorganization of the DNA-binding domain. Emerging from these results is a model of theme-and-variation among LTTRs rather than a unified regulatory scheme. Despite common structural folds, LTTRs exhibit differences in oligomerization, promoter recognition and communication with RNA polymerase. Such variation mirrors the diversity in sequence and function associated with members of this very large family. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Matrix regulators in neural stem cell functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wade, Anna; McKinney, Andrew; Phillips, Joanna J

2014-08-01

Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) reside within a complex and dynamic extracellular microenvironment, or niche. This niche regulates fundamental aspects of their behavior during normal neural development and repair. Precise yet dynamic regulation of NSPC self-renewal, migration, and differentiation is critical and must persist over the life of an organism. In this review, we summarize some of the major components of the NSPC niche and provide examples of how cues from the extracellular matrix regulate NSPC behaviors. We use proteoglycans to illustrate the many diverse roles of the niche in providing temporal and spatial regulation of cellular behavior. The NSPC niche is comprised of multiple components that include; soluble ligands, such as growth factors, morphogens, chemokines, and neurotransmitters, the extracellular matrix, and cellular components. As illustrated by proteoglycans, a major component of the extracellular matrix, the NSPC, niche provides temporal and spatial regulation of NSPC behaviors. The factors that control NSPC behavior are vital to understand as we attempt to modulate normal neural development and repair. Furthermore, an improved understanding of how these factors regulate cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation, crucial for malignancy, may reveal novel anti-tumor strategies. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Matrix-mediated cell behaviour and properties. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bacterial translational regulations: high diversity between all mRNAs and major role in gene expression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Picard Flora

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In bacteria, the weak correlations at the genome scale between mRNA and protein levels suggest that not all mRNAs are translated with the same efficiency. To experimentally explore mRNA translational level regulation at the systemic level, the detailed translational status (translatome of all mRNAs was measured in the model bacterium Lactococcus lactis in exponential phase growth. Results Results demonstrated that only part of the entire population of each mRNA species was engaged in translation. For transcripts involved in translation, the polysome size reached a maximum of 18 ribosomes. The fraction of mRNA engaged in translation (ribosome occupancy and ribosome density were not constant for all genes. This high degree of variability was analyzed by bioinformatics and statistical modeling in order to identify general rules of translational regulation. For most of the genes, the ribosome density was lower than the maximum value revealing major control of translation by initiation. Gene function was a major translational regulatory determinant. Both ribosome occupancy and ribosome density were particularly high for transcriptional regulators, demonstrating the positive role of translational regulation in the coordination of transcriptional networks. mRNA stability was a negative regulatory factor of ribosome occupancy and ribosome density, suggesting antagonistic regulation of translation and mRNA stability. Furthermore, ribosome occupancy was identified as a key component of intracellular protein levels underlining the importance of translational regulation. Conclusions We have determined, for the first time in a bacterium, the detailed translational status for all mRNAs present in the cell. We have demonstrated experimentally the high diversity of translational states allowing individual gene differentiation and the importance of translation-level regulation in the complex process linking gene expression to protein

Survey of legal aspects, regulations, standards and guidelines applicable to radioactive waste management of the Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor - RMB

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salvetti, T.C.; Marumo, J.T.

2017-01-01

In Brazil, the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) and Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) are the agencies responsible for the execution, regulation and control of nuclear and environmental policies, respectively. Such regulatory activities are very comprehensive (IBAMA) or too specific (CNEN), revealing other aspects that would, also, need to be observed so that the management could be carried out efficiently (quality) and effectively (safety), including the three governmental administrative levels: Federal, State and Municipal. In addition to laws, regulations, decrees and resolutions, there are also national and international standards and guides that provide guidelines for structuring the current management and the use of best regulatory practices. The Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor Enterprise (RMB) is a CNEN project, complying with a Multi-Year Plan of the Brazilian Ministry of Planning, Development and Management (MPDG). The Enterprise is being developed under the responsibility of the Directorate of Research and Development - DPD of CNEN and will have a facility for treatment and initial temporary storage of the radioactive waste generated by the operation of the research reactor and the activities carried out in the associated laboratories. The RMB will be built in the city of IPERÓ, located in the state of São Paulo, near ARAMAR Experimental Center of the Brazilian Navy. This work aims to present the research results regarding the various aspects that regulate, legislate and standardize the practices proposed to the Radioactive Waste Management of the RMB project. (author)

Survey of legal aspects, regulations, standards and guidelines applicable to radioactive waste management of the Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor - RMB

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salvetti, T.C.; Marumo, J.T., E-mail: salvetti@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2017-07-01

In Brazil, the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) and Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) are the agencies responsible for the execution, regulation and control of nuclear and environmental policies, respectively. Such regulatory activities are very comprehensive (IBAMA) or too specific (CNEN), revealing other aspects that would, also, need to be observed so that the management could be carried out efficiently (quality) and effectively (safety), including the three governmental administrative levels: Federal, State and Municipal. In addition to laws, regulations, decrees and resolutions, there are also national and international standards and guides that provide guidelines for structuring the current management and the use of best regulatory practices. The Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor Enterprise (RMB) is a CNEN project, complying with a Multi-Year Plan of the Brazilian Ministry of Planning, Development and Management (MPDG). The Enterprise is being developed under the responsibility of the Directorate of Research and Development - DPD of CNEN and will have a facility for treatment and initial temporary storage of the radioactive waste generated by the operation of the research reactor and the activities carried out in the associated laboratories. The RMB will be built in the city of IPERÓ, located in the state of São Paulo, near ARAMAR Experimental Center of the Brazilian Navy. This work aims to present the research results regarding the various aspects that regulate, legislate and standardize the practices proposed to the Radioactive Waste Management of the RMB project. (author)

International aspect of waste regulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nercy, B. de.

1981-01-01

The international agreements respecting the immersion of waste in the sea, the transportation of radioactive waste and the civil liability of the operators are examined. The specialized international organizations (IAEA, NEA, EEC) have, for many years now, been making a significant effort to bring together and unify the technical rules and legal standards. Finally, an endeavour is made to single out the broad lines of the foreign regulations relating to the long term control of radioactive waste which is beginning to come to light in various countries [fr

48 CFR 970.5226-1 - Diversity plan.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Diversity plan. 970.5226-1... and Operating Contracts 970.5226-1 Diversity plan. As prescribed in 48 CFR 970.2671-2, insert the following clause: Diversity Plan (DEC 2000) The Contractor shall submit a Diversity Plan to the contracting...

Strength in diversity

CERN Multimedia

2012-01-01

Diversity has always been science’s big secret, yet it’s a secret we’ve always been keen to share. CERN was founded on the basis of bringing a diverse mix of people together to pursue common aims, and it’s one of the things that’s driven this Organization’s success over the decades.   Now, we are launching a new diversity programme aimed at strengthening our tradition of inclusiveness. This programme is being launched with a range of key goals in mind for the 2012-2014 timeframe. We’ll be striving to achieve a fair gender balance across all professional categories, and to provide strong gender role models across the Organization. We’ll be improving our career development processes to allow people to progress through both technical and managerial pathways, and we’ll be re-launching workshops that bring people from diverse professions and generations together to share their experience on key aspects of lif...

48 CFR 46.707 - Pricing aspects of fixed-price incentive contract warranties.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Pricing aspects of fixed-price incentive contract warranties. 46.707 Section 46.707 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION CONTRACT MANAGEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE Warranties 46.707 Pricing aspects of...

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.

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.

Aspects of ribonucleotide reductase regulation and genome stability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Helena Berner Nedergaard

yeast, and Sml1, Hug1, and Dif1 in budding yeast. An elevated, as well as a reduced dNTP pool is shown to lead to an increase in spontaneous mutation rates, hence regulation of RNR is very important in order to maintain genomic stability. No human inhibitory proteins have yet been identified to regulate....... RNR consists of two subunits: R1 and R2, both of which are essential. The activity of RNR is strictly regulated to control the dNTP pool, both by allosteric feedback control and transcriptional and translational controls. Four inhibitory proteins of RNR have been identified in yeast: Spd1 in fission...... the human RNR enzyme. In this study regulation of human RNR was investigated using a fission yeast strain that depended solely on the human genes of R1 and R2 for dNTP synthesis. Even though this strain could grow like wild-type fission yeast it was hypersensitive to hydroxyurea (HU) and depended...

Mitochondrial uncoupling proteins regulate angiotensin-converting enzyme expression: crosstalk between cellular and endocrine metabolic regulators suggested by RNA interference and genetic studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhamrait, Sukhbir S; Maubaret, Cecilia; Pedersen-Bjergaard, Ulrik; Brull, David J; Gohlke, Peter; Payne, John R; World, Michael; Thorsteinsson, Birger; Humphries, Steve E; Montgomery, Hugh E

2016-07-01

Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) regulate mitochondrial function, and thus cellular metabolism. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is the central component of endocrine and local tissue renin-angiotensin systems (RAS), which also regulate diverse aspects of whole-body metabolism and mitochondrial function (partly through altering mitochondrial UCP expression). We show that ACE expression also appears to be regulated by mitochondrial UCPs. In genetic analysis of two unrelated populations (healthy young UK men and Scandinavian diabetic patients) serum ACE (sACE) activity was significantly higher amongst UCP3-55C (rather than T) and UCP2 I (rather than D) allele carriers. RNA interference against UCP2 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells reduced UCP2 mRNA sixfold (P sACE suggests a novel means of crosstalk between (and mutual regulation of) cellular and endocrine metabolism. This might partly explain the reduced risk of developing diabetes and metabolic syndrome with RAS antagonists and offer insight into the origins of cardiovascular disease in which UCPs and ACE both play a role. © 2016 The Authors. BioEssays published by WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

Mitochondrial uncoupling proteins regulate angiotensin‐converting enzyme expression: crosstalk between cellular and endocrine metabolic regulators suggested by RNA interference and genetic studies

Science.gov (United States)

Maubaret, Cecilia; Pedersen‐Bjergaard, Ulrik; Brull, David J.; Gohlke, Peter; Payne, John R.; World, Michael; Thorsteinsson, Birger; Humphries, Steve E.; Montgomery, Hugh E.

2015-01-01

Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) regulate mitochondrial function, and thus cellular metabolism. Angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) is the central component of endocrine and local tissue renin–angiotensin systems (RAS), which also regulate diverse aspects of whole‐body metabolism and mitochondrial function (partly through altering mitochondrial UCP expression). We show that ACE expression also appears to be regulated by mitochondrial UCPs. In genetic analysis of two unrelated populations (healthy young UK men and Scandinavian diabetic patients) serum ACE (sACE) activity was significantly higher amongst UCP3‐55C (rather than T) and UCP2 I (rather than D) allele carriers. RNA interference against UCP2 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells reduced UCP2 mRNA sixfold (P sACE suggests a novel means of crosstalk between (and mutual regulation of) cellular and endocrine metabolism. This might partly explain the reduced risk of developing diabetes and metabolic syndrome with RAS antagonists and offer insight into the origins of cardiovascular disease in which UCPs and ACE both play a role. PMID:27347560

Picturing diversity in the ATLAS collaboration

CERN Document Server

Biondi, Silvia; The ATLAS collaboration

2017-01-01

With over 3000 members from 178 institutes, the ATLAS Collaboration is naturally diverse. However, capturing this diversity through pictures can be a challenge. Photography is a powerful tool, allowing us to reveal the faces behind a story and give the public the unique opportunity to understand and appreciate the human aspects of ATLAS's scientific research. The role of photographs in portraying the diversity of the ATLAS Collaboration and on various communication platforms will be described. Their impact will be examined, with focus on engagement of new audiences.

Diversity Indices as Measures of Functional Annotation Methods in Metagenomics Studies

KAUST Repository

Jankovic, Boris R.

2016-01-01

in the ecosystems and species diversity studies can be successfully used in evaluating certain aspects of the methods employed in metagenomics studies. We show that when applying the concept of Hill’s diversity, the analysis of variations in the diversity order

Management practices in Australasian ethical investment products: a role for regulation?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haigh, Matthew; Guthrie, James

2010-01-01

This paper adds to the literatures on socially responsible investment (SRI), investment management, regulation of financial services and social accounting by providing a comprehensive survey of investment methods used in SRI products and regulated social reporting in financial services. Australian...... a four-year period: 2004-2007. These aspects were further examined in 18 case studies. Over the period, diversity and intensity of construction methods had increased both within and between investment managers. The non-standard nature of management consultation used in SRI products, marketing needs...... debates and other public reports. Portfolio construction styles of 86 SRI products managed by 63 financial institutions in Australia and New Zealand were chosen for analysis. Statistical analysis was conducted to identify associations between styles, construction methods and assessment techniques over...

Impact of California firearms sales laws and dealer regulations on the illegal diversion of guns.

Science.gov (United States)

Pierce, Glenn L; Braga, Anthony A; Wintemute, Garen J

2015-06-01

The available evidence suggests that more restrictive state firearm sales laws can reduce criminal access to guns. California has firearm-related laws that are more stringent than many other states and regulates its retail firearms dealers to a unique degree. This research seeks to examine the effect of more restrictive state gun laws and regulations on the illegal diversion of guns to criminals. Survival analyses are used to determine whether state firearm sales laws, particularly California's legal context and regulatory regime, impact the distribution of time-to-crime of recovered firearms in that state relative to other US states. USA. 225,392 traced firearms, where the first retail purchasers and the gun possessors were different individuals, recovered by law enforcement agencies between 2003 and 2006. The increased stringency of state-level firearms laws and regulations leads to consistently older firearms being recovered. California was associated with the oldest recovered crime guns compared with guns associated with other states. These patterns persisted regardless of whether firearms were first purchased within the recovery state or in another state. These findings suggest that more restrictive gun sales laws and gun dealer regulations do make it more difficult for criminals to acquire new guns first purchased at retail outlets. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Picturing diversity in the ATLAS experiment.

CERN Document Server

Biondi, Silvia; The ATLAS collaboration

2017-01-01

With over 3,000 members from 178 institutes, the ATLAS Collaboration is naturally diverse. However, capturing this diversity through pictures can be a challenge. Photography is a powerful tool, allowing us to reveal the faces behind a story and give the public the unique opportunity to understand and appreciate the human aspects of ATLAS’s scientific research. The role of photographs in portraying the diversity of the ATLAS Collaboration will be described. Their role on various communication platforms will be described and their impact examined, with focus on engagement of new audiences.

Meeting diversity in ergonomics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Looze, M.P. de; Pikaar, R.

2006-01-01

The plenary lectures from the 16th World Congress on Ergonomics, Maastricht, July 10-14, 2006, have been documented in this special issue. Its theme was ‘Meeting Diversity'. The contributions, ranging from scientific papers to technical notes or short statements, cover different aspects of the

Cultures of Diversity: Considering Scientific and Humanistic Understandings in Introductory Psychology

Science.gov (United States)

Guest, Andrew M.; Simmons, Zachary L.; Downs, Andrew; Pitzer, Mark R.

2017-01-01

Teachers of psychology tend to agree that learning about diversity is an important goal for undergraduate psychology courses. There is significantly less agreement about what aspects of diversity psychology students should understand. The current research proposes and investigates two potentially distinct ways students might understand diversity:…

Multiple oxygen tension environments reveal diverse patterns of transcriptional regulation in primary astrocytes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wayne Chadwick

Full Text Available The central nervous system normally functions at O(2 levels which would be regarded as hypoxic by most other tissues. However, most in vitro studies of neurons and astrocytes are conducted under hyperoxic conditions without consideration of O(2-dependent cellular adaptation. We analyzed the reactivity of astrocytes to 1, 4 and 9% O(2 tensions compared to the cell culture standard of 20% O(2, to investigate their ability to sense and translate this O(2 information to transcriptional activity. Variance of ambient O(2 tension for rat astrocytes resulted in profound changes in ribosomal activity, cytoskeletal and energy-regulatory mechanisms and cytokine-related signaling. Clustering of transcriptional regulation patterns revealed four distinct response pattern groups that directionally pivoted around the 4% O(2 tension, or demonstrated coherent ascending/decreasing gene expression patterns in response to diverse oxygen tensions. Immune response and cell cycle/cancer-related signaling pathway transcriptomic subsets were significantly activated with increasing hypoxia, whilst hemostatic and cardiovascular signaling mechanisms were attenuated with increasing hypoxia. Our data indicate that variant O(2 tensions induce specific and physiologically-focused transcript regulation patterns that may underpin important physiological mechanisms that connect higher neurological activity to astrocytic function and ambient oxygen environments. These strongly defined patterns demonstrate a strong bias for physiological transcript programs to pivot around the 4% O(2 tension, while uni-modal programs that do not, appear more related to pathological actions. The functional interaction of these transcriptional 'programs' may serve to regulate the dynamic vascular responsivity of the central nervous system during periods of stress or heightened activity.

Diversity, intent, and aggregated search

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Rijke, M.

2014-01-01

Diversity, intent and aggregated search are three core retrieval concepts that receive significant attention. In search result diversification one typically considers the relevance of a document in light of other retrieved documents. The goal is to identify the probable "aspects" of an ambiguous

[Psychological aspects of emotional regulation in smoking dependency].

Science.gov (United States)

Carton, S

2001-04-01

We reviewed the literature on the relationships between smoking and affect regulation. There is strong evidence that vulnerability to smoking dependence is a function of a high initial sensitivity to nicotine, which produces reinforcing consequences that lead to chronic use. These strong reinforcers of tobacco dependence include regulation of mood and modulation of arousal. We focused on studies concerned with the subjective component of arousal and emotional experience. We discuss first the models and classifications used to differentiate types of smoking as related to the management of emotions and studies evaluating the stimulant and subjective effects of smoking behavior, questioning the paradoxical tranquilizing and anxiety-reducing effects of nicotine. We also looked into the mood regulation effects that may explain the strong relationships observed between depression and smoking and finally focus on some of the personality risk factors that may make individuals more susceptible to these rewarding properties of smoking.

We are diverse but belonging to the same team: an empirical study on the relationship between diversity and identification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beatrice Venturini

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The present study aims to highlights the role of work group culture and gender diversity on work group functioning. Gender diversity is an aspect of organizational life and research on the effect of workgroup composition has yielded ambiguous results. The categorization elaboration model (van Knippenberg, De Dreu & Homan, 2004 addresses this issue and suggests examining factors influencing the relationship between work group diversity and work group functioning. The present study proposes that the group gender diversity affects group identification and that this effect is contingent on group norms. 18 work groups in an information technology enterprise were involved. Results confirmed the hypothesis. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

School ethnic diversity and students' interethnic relations.

Science.gov (United States)

Thijs, Jochem; Verkuyten, Maykel

2014-03-01

School ethnic desegregation has been a topic of strong societal and educational concern. Research has examined the effects of ethnic school composition on students' interethnic relations with diverging outcomes and sometimes inconsistent results. In this review paper, we provide an assessment of this literature to explain why and when school desegregation might improve or worsen ethnic relations and to identify important future research directions. We discuss different theoretical perspectives predicting positive versus negative aspects of school ethnic diversity: intergroup contact theory and the perspectives of group threat and power differences. Subsequently, we consider a number of school and educational characteristics that can moderate the impact of ethnic diversity on students' interethnic relations and that could be considered in future research. Furthermore, we discuss the need for studying underlying psychological and social processes as well as the importance of investigating interethnic relations in combination with academic adjustment. School ethnic diversity is not enough to promote interethnic tolerance. It is important to examine diversity in relation to other aspects of the school environment that may influence how students respond to the ethnic diversity within school. Important factors to consider are the presence of multicultural education and inclusive school identities, student-teacher relationships, and peer norms and networks, but also the role of parents and of peer relations outside the school context. © 2013 The British Psychological Society.

Self-regulation of trilobite diversity in Murero (middle Cambrian, Spain) due to compensatory extinction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lopez-Villalta, J.S.

2016-07-01

As species accumulate in a community, competition for available ecospace is expected to prevent the addition of new species and to facilitate species extinction, thus producing a dynamic equilibrium of diversity. This mechanism remains under debate since its empirical support comes mainly from indirect or partial evidence, with very few direct tests at the species level. Here a new method is described to detect the presence of selfregulation feedbacks between species richness and turnover rates. It consists of Monte Carlo simulations which randomize the distribution of species ranges among stratigraphic intervals, providing predictions which allow the detection of genuine self-regulation feedbacks in the real data. Since the simulations include any potential bias due to preservation, sampling, or change in depositional environment, and these biases would also affect the real dataset, they are thus ruled out as explanations for any difference found. This method is applied to one of the best known fossiliferous sequences worldwide, the Rambla de Valdemiedes in Murero (RV1 section, middle Cambrian, Spain), a classic locality that has been studied for more than 150 years and which stands out due to its excellent sampling density, continuous deposition, and homogeneous fossil preservation. The results show that trilobite species richness was self-regulated due to positive feedback with extinction rate, which implies that compensatory extinction regulated this fauna in spite of the on-going Cambrian radiation. The lack of evidence of any origination feedback suggests ecological opportunities were not limiting for new species to colonize this Cambrian community. (Author)

PRACTICAL ASPECTS REGARDING FIDUCIARY OPERATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bazil Oglindă

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The trusts have been frequently used in the countries which function under the Anglo-Saxon law system, but it most certainly represents an innovation in the new Romanian legislation. For this reason, in this paper, we tried to highlight the main differences between the trust regulated in the Romanian Civil code and its corespondent in other legal systems. Observing that the trust in an institution that is mainly theoretical, and the reluctance of practicioners in using it, we tried to analyze the trust, regarding its practical side. In this paper, we will take into consideration the following aspects: the rights that the trustee acquires after establishing the trust, that will be explained through the new regulations regarding the division of assets, the quality of the parties and the limits in which the trustee may be held liable. Other important aspects are: the means that the new regulations provide in order to protect the interests of the creditors and at the same time, the fiduciary assets; the formalities which the law requires and the means of termination of the contract. In the end, in order to identify alternative solutions, we will compare the trust (regulated in the Civil code with the management of assets that belong to a third party.

Stochastic and deterministic processes regulate spatio-temporal variation in seed bank diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Alejandro A. Royo; Todd E. Ristau

2013-01-01

Seed banks often serve as reservoirs of taxonomic and genetic diversity that buffer plant populations and influence post-disturbance vegetation trajectories; yet evaluating their importance requires understanding how their composition varies within and across spatial and temporal scales (α- and β-diversity). Shifts in seed bank diversity are strongly...

Annotated Bibliography of Diversity Research Issues in the Navy and U. S. Military

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Burress, Landrus; Uriell, Zannette A; Kee, Amanda R; Rosenfeld, Paul; Alderton, David L

2008-01-01

...) has been conducting research for many years on aspects of diversity and diversity-related issues such as equal opportunity, discrimination, equity in discipline, sexual harassment, and pregnancy...

White Librarianship in Blackface: Diversity Initiatives in LIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

April Hathcock

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In Brief: Whiteness—an ideological practice that can extend beyond notions of racial supremacy to other areas of dominance—has permeated every aspect of librarianship, extending even to the initiatives we claim are committed to increasing diversity. This state of affairs, however, need not remain. This article examines the ways in which whiteness controls diversity initiatives in […

Cultural diversity in the digital age: EU competences, policies and regulations for diverse audio-visual and online content

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Irion, K.; Valcke, P.; Psychogiopoulou, E.

2015-01-01

Cultural diversity is a multifaceted concept that differs from the notion of media pluralism. However, the two concepts share important concerns particularly as regards content production, content distribution and access to content. This chapter considers the EU’s role in contributing to diverse

Species Diversity Enhances Predator Growth Rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olson, M.H.; Jacobs, R.P.; O'Donnell, E.B.

2007-01-01

Predators can be important top-down regulators of community structure and are known to have both positive and negative effects on species diversity. However, little is known about the reciprocal effects of species diversity on predators. Across a set of 80 lakes in Connecticut, USA, we found a strong positive correlation between prey species diversity (using the Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index) and growth rates of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). This correlation was strongest for small predators and decreased with body size. Although the underlying mechanisms are not known, the correlation is not driven by total fish abundance, predator abundance, or productivity.

Personalized medicine and human genetic diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Yi-Fan; Goldstein, David B; Angrist, Misha; Cavalleri, Gianpiero

2014-07-24

Human genetic diversity has long been studied both to understand how genetic variation influences risk of disease and infer aspects of human evolutionary history. In this article, we review historical and contemporary views of human genetic diversity, the rare and common mutations implicated in human disease susceptibility, and the relevance of genetic diversity to personalized medicine. First, we describe the development of thought about diversity through the 20th century and through more modern studies including genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and next-generation sequencing. We introduce several examples, such as sickle cell anemia and Tay-Sachs disease that are caused by rare mutations and are more frequent in certain geographical populations, and common treatment responses that are caused by common variants, such as hepatitis C infection. We conclude with comments about the continued relevance of human genetic diversity in medical genetics and personalized medicine more generally. Copyright © 2014 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

Instruments for the regulation of the electric power projects: An integrated vision of the socio-environmental aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Regini Nutti, Miriam; Milazzo, Maria Luiza; Rodriguez Garcia, Eduardo; Menezes, Carlos Frederico; Pompeu Serran, Flavia; Sebastiao Costa, Luiz; Neves Mundim, Rogerio

1999-01-01

The process of institutional change in the Brazilian electric sector accelerated the revision or elaboration of relating normative documents to the elaboration of studies and generation projects and electric power transmission. These documents were produced in a cooperative way by initiative of the organ federal regulator, under the coordination of ELETROBRAS and with the collaboration of technical teams of about ten Brazilian companies of energy. The aspects socio-environmental was absorbed in the normative documents, starting from an integrated vision of content and of the activities proposed with the energy studies and of engineering, allowing to diminish the relating uncertainties to the implementation of the projects and to assist to the national and sector environmental politics

The psycholinguistic approach to unity and diversity The psycholinguistic approach to unity and diversity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonor Scliar Cabral

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Some aspects of contemporary communication regarding unity and diversity will be examined as follows. On the one hand, globalization provided mainly by mass media, particularly by Internet and the on line electronic mail, will be scrutinized in relation to its psycholinguistic consequences: What are the differences that appear in human processing and how is the logical distinction between unity and diversity faced? How deep are the changes experienced by children, who are acquiring and learning their oral and written languages, using such media? On the other hand, despite globalization, the geometrical growth of science and technology brings with it a parallel lexical explosion: specific texts undermine the possibility of their comprehension by the outsider as if the text was written in a foreign language, and so, the unity of communication is broken and distortions may appear. Some aspects of contemporary communication regarding unity and diversity will be examined as follows. On the one hand, globalization provided mainly by mass media, particularly by Internet and the on line electronic mail, will be scrutinized in relation to its psycholinguistic consequences: What are the differences that appear in human processing and how is the logical distinction between unity and diversity faced? How deep are the changes experienced by children, who are acquiring and learning their oral and written languages, using such media? On the other hand, despite globalization, the geometrical growth of science and technology brings with it a parallel lexical explosion: specific texts undermine the possibility of their comprehension by the outsider as if the text was written in a foreign language, and so, the unity of communication is broken and distortions may appear.

Legal aspects of radiactive installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malheiros, T.M.M.; Knoefell, T.M.J.

1988-01-01

The goal of this paper is to discuss the main legal aspects related to the application of ionizing radiation in the industry, medicine, agriculture, scientific activities to envisage from the in force legislation the competence and responsibility for the control of radiation facilities comprising regulation, licensing and inspection. Legislation does not embrace all the aspects related to radiation facilities regarding to the specific provisions on civil liability concerning damages caused by non nuclear radiological accidents. The law nr.6.453 is applied only to nuclear accident, as defined in its rules. (author) [pt

Doing Diversity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Just, Sine Nørholm; Christiansen, Tanja Juul

2012-01-01

Questions of agency in text–audience relations are less studied than other aspects of rhetorical agency. We suggest conceptualizing and analyzing the relationship between texts and audiences from the perspective of performativity, as it has been developed by Judith Butler. Thus, we argue that texts...... invite audiences to take up subject positions, understood as combinations of identity and agency. Danish diversity management rhetoric functions as an illustrative example; in analyzing this type of rhetoric we show how subjects are called into restrained positions of similarity/difference and thereby...

A functional genomics screen in planarians reveals regulators of whole-brain regeneration

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts-Galbraith, Rachel H; Brubacher, John L; Newmark, Phillip A

2016-01-01

Planarians regenerate all body parts after injury, including the central nervous system (CNS). We capitalized on this distinctive trait and completed a gene expression-guided functional screen to identify factors that regulate diverse aspects of neural regeneration in Schmidtea mediterranea. Our screen revealed molecules that influence neural cell fates, support the formation of a major connective hub, and promote reestablishment of chemosensory behavior. We also identified genes that encode signaling molecules with roles in head regeneration, including some that are produced in a previously uncharacterized parenchymal population of cells. Finally, we explored genes downregulated during planarian regeneration and characterized, for the first time, glial cells in the planarian CNS that respond to injury by repressing several transcripts. Collectively, our studies revealed diverse molecules and cell types that underlie an animal’s ability to regenerate its brain. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.17002.001 PMID:27612384

Integrating and differentiating aspects of self-regulation: effortful control, executive functioning, and links to negative affectivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Bridgett, David J; Oddi, Kate B; Laake, Lauren M; Murdock, Kyle W; Bachmann, Melissa N

2013-02-01

Subdisciplines within psychology frequently examine self-regulation from different frameworks despite conceptually similar definitions of constructs. In the current study, similarities and differences between effortful control, based on the psychobiological model of temperament (Rothbart, Derryberry, & Posner, 1994), and executive functioning are examined and empirically tested in three studies (n = 509). Structural equation modeling indicated that effortful control and executive functioning are strongly associated and overlapping constructs (Study 1). Additionally, results indicated that effortful control is related to the executive function of updating/monitoring information in working memory, but not inhibition (Studies 2 and 3). Study 3 also demonstrates that better updating/monitoring information in working memory and better effortful control were uniquely linked to lower dispositional negative affect, whereas the executive function of low/poor inhibition was uniquely associated with an increased tendency to express negative affect. Furthermore, dispositional negative affect mediated the links between effortful control and, separately, the executive function of updating/monitoring information in working memory and the tendency to express negative affect. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed, and a potential framework for guiding future work directed at integrating and differentiating aspects of self-regulation is suggested. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Why diversity means more than just gender

CERN Multimedia

2016-01-01

In this, my first message to the personnel, I’d like to focus on diversity. In all my time representing Switzerland in Council bodies, and looking at CERN from the outside, I was always impressed by the way in which the Organization deals with this issue. Fairness is intrinsic to a place like CERN, as it is to science, and I think that’s the key, because fairness is at the heart of nurturing diversity.   Whether we’re talking about the biosphere, what we eat or the place where we work, diversity is key. But in all these cases, nurturing diversity requires effort, and that’s as true for CERN as it is for anywhere else. That’s why we have a diversity office to help us. It’s why we have policies that promote diversity, and it’s one of the reasons why we have a code of conduct to guide us in our working relationships. People often equate diversity with visible aspects such as gender and ethnicity, but there’s a l...

Critical reflections on managing cultural diversity in workplaces in Slovenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Brezigar

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The paper focuses on managing cultural diversity at workplaces in Slovenia. The author critically reflects on some aspects of research and studies that have been carried out both on discrimination as well as managing diversity in Slovenia between 2007 and 2013, and finds the cause of the inability of organisations to adopt policies on managing diversity in the lack of competences and skills associated with cultural sensibility. The author maintains that whereas workplaces are bound to become more and more diverse, the predominant approach towards diversity in workplaces in Slovenia tends to either dismiss (cultural diversity as inconsequential or treat it as a nuisance that needs to be dealt with, thus failing to grasp the advantages which such diversity could bring.

Environmental aspects of parking garages. Living in a compact city

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koopmans, J.F.W.; Suverkoop, D.J.

2005-01-01

An overview is given of environmental aspects of parking garages in the Netherlands with respect to environmental legislation and regulations, focusing on noise pollution, lighting aspects (of cars and the parking buildings), air quality, and fire safety [nl

Radiation safety and regulatory aspects in Medical Facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banerjee, Sharmila

2017-01-01

Radiation safety and regulatory aspect of medical facilities are relevant in the context where radiation is used in providing healthcare to human patients. These include facilities, which carry out radiological procedures in diagnostic radiology, including dentistry, image-guided interventional procedures, nuclear medicine, and radiation therapy. The safety regulations provide recommendations and guidance on meeting the requirements for the safe use of radiation in medicine. The different safety aspects which come under its purview are the personnel involved in medical facilities where radiological procedures are performed which include the medical practitioners, radiation technologists, medical physicists, radiopharmacists, radiation protection and over and above all the patients. Regulatory aspects cover the guidelines provided by ethics committees, which regulate the administration of radioactive formulation in human patients. Nuclear medicine is a modality that utilizes radiopharmaceuticals either for diagnosis of physiological disorders related to anatomy, physiology and patho-physiology and for diagnosis and treatment of cancer

Official regulations and perceptual aspects of bell ringing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kovačič Mojca

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Through the analytical approach of studying official and perception-related discourse on bell ringing I accentuate the complexity of aspects that the sound of church bell presents in contemporary society. I point out the misleading officially defined level of noise nuisance and reveal how, when and why bell ringing is perceived as a positive or negative part of the acoustic environment. The study argues for a holistic approach to the noise nuisance issues, still much underestimated in the official discourse, that co-create our everyday soundscape.

Cultural diversity for virtual characters investigating behavioral aspects across cultures

CERN Document Server

Endrass, Birgit

2014-01-01

Culture plays a crucial role in our lives. Depending on our cultural background, we judge on and react to everything that we encounter. Subtle differences in behavior can lead to misunderstandings or even culture shock. In a similar manner, virtual characters can be declined by certain user groups when showing culturally inappropriate behavior. But how can social aspects such as culture be integrated into the behavioral models of virtual characters Birgit Endrass addresses this question by carrying out a hybrid approach that is based on theoretical background from the social sciences as well a

Coevolution Pattern and Functional Conservation or Divergence of miR167s and their targets across Diverse Plant Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Barik, Suvakanta; Kumar, Ashutosh; Sarkar Das, Shabari; Yadav, Sandeep; Gautam, Vibhav; Singh, Archita; Singh, Sharmila; Sarkar, Ananda K

2015-10-13

microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of endogenously produced small non-coding RNAs of 20-21 nt length, processed from precursor miRNAs, regulate many developmental processes by negatively regulating the target genes in both animals and plants. The coevolutionary pattern of a miRNA family and their targets underscores its functional conservation or diversification. The miR167 regulates various aspects of plant development in Arabidopsis by targeting ARF6 and ARF8. The evolutionary conservation or divergence of miR167s and their target genes are poorly understood till now. Here we show the evolutionary relationship among 153 MIR167 genes obtained from 33 diverse plant species. We found that out of the 153 of miR167 sequences retrieved from the "miRBase", 27 have been annotated to be processed from the 3' end, and have diverged distinctively from the other miR167s produced from 5' end. Our analysis reveals that gma-miR167h/i and mdm-miR167a are processed from 3' end and have evolved separately, diverged most resulting in novel targets other than their known ones, and thus led to functional diversification, especially in apple and soybean. We also show that mostly conserved miR167 sequences and their target AUXIN RESPONSE FACTORS (ARFs) have gone through parallel evolution leading to functional diversification among diverse plant species.

Aspect-Oriented Model Development at Different Levels of Abstraction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Alférez, Mauricio; Amálio, Nuno; Ciraci, S.; Fleurey, Franck; Kienzle, Jörg; Klein, Jacques; Kramer, Max; Mosser, Sebastien; Mussbacher, Gunter; Roubtsova, Ella; Zhang, Gefei; France, Robert B.; Kuester, Jochen M.; Bordbar, Behzad; Paige, Richard F.

2011-01-01

The last decade has seen the development of diverse aspect- oriented modeling (AOM) approaches. This paper presents eight different AOM approaches that produce models at different level of abstraction. The approaches are different with respect to the phases of the development lifecycle they target,

Code of practice for the temporary diversion of water from hydrostatic testing of pipelines: Water Act - Water (Ministerial) Regulation No. 205

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

A series of administrative procedures are described in this regulation regarding the temporary diversion of water for hydrostatic testing of pipelines in Alberta. These include the notification and timing of the release of water, where the test will occur and the possible effect of water release on the environment. The requirements of a hydrostatic test plan are described in point form. In accordance with the regulation, a person responsible for the testing must ensure that the testing does not cause a significant adverse effect on the aquatic environment or on any household user. Should this occur, all adverse effects on the aquatic environment should be fully mitigated. The reporting schedule and record keeping information are also covered. 2 tabs., 1 figs

The Principle of diversity in journalism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauro Porto

2005-06-01

Full Text Available This article discusses a journalistic value that has important consequences for political deliberation: diversity. After identifying the key dimensions of the principle of media diversity, the text presents a case study about Jornal Nacional’s coverage of the 2002 presidential election. The study suggests that, although the campaign coverage was balanced and fair, it did not include a diversity of voices in the controversies about the main theme of the electoral process: the economy. Such lack of diversity restrictedthe range of interpretations to which voters were exposed. In 2002, the process of political deliberation was characterized by a media environment with low levels of diversity in terms of access of voicesand interpretive frames. Based on the notion of public interest, the article concludes by proposing measures to promote media diversity, including the fi elds of content regulation, journalistic norms and the role of civil society.

Regulating the Regulator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-08-26

The article reports on a challenge to the UK electricity regulator to defend his record by the Coalition for Fair Electricity Regulation (COFFER). The challenge centres on whether the obligation for the regional electric companies (REC) to purchase power from the cheapest source is being enforced. This is related to the wider issue of whether the REC's support of combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) is economic. COFFER considers that uneconomic gas-fired power plants are being allowed to displace economic coal-fired stations. Aspects discussed include the background to the dispute and the costs of CCGT and coal fired power generation. 1 fig., 1 tab.

Board Diversity and Self-Regulation in Dutch Pension Funds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Lecq, S.G.; Swinkels, L.A.P.; Shi, Lin

2017-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the change in pension fund board diversity after selfregulation was introduced, and investigate which pension fund characteristics influence compliance with selfregulation. In addition, the authors analyze whether compliance might be achieved by

Legal frameworks and key concepts regulating diversion and treatment of mentally disordered offenders in European Union member states.

Science.gov (United States)

Dressing, Harald; Salize, Hans Joachim; Gordon, Harvey

2007-10-01

There is only limited research on the various legal regulations governing assessment, placement and treatment of mentally ill offenders in European Union member states (EU-member states). To provide a structured description and cross-boundary comparison of legal frameworks regulating diversion and treatment of mentally disordered offenders in EU-member states before the extension in May 2004. A special focus is on the concept of criminal responsibility. Information on legislation and practice concerning the assessment, placement and treatment of mentally ill offenders was gathered by means of a detailed, structured questionnaire which was filled in by national experts. The legal regulations relevant for forensic psychiatry in EU-member states are outlined. Definitions of mental disorders given within these acts are introduced and compared with ICD-10 diagnoses. Finally the application of the concept of criminal responsibility by the law and in routine practice is presented. Legal frameworks for the processing and placement of mentally disordered offenders varied markedly across EU-member states. Since May 2004 the European Union has expanded to 25 member states and in January 2007 it will reach 27. With increasing mobility across Europe, the need for increasing trans-national co-operation is becoming apparent in which great variation in legal tradition pertains.

Novel aspects of Na+,K+-ATPase

OpenAIRE

Aizman, Oleg

2002-01-01

Na,K-ATPase, an integral membrane protein expressed in each eukaryotic cell, serves as the major determinant of intracellular ion composition. In the current study we investigated novel aspects of Na,K-ATPase function and regulation. It is well established that Na,K-ATPase activity is regulated by reversible phosphorylation. New findings in this study are: 1) the level of intracellular Ca 2. concentration determines the functional effects of PKA and PKC-mediated Na,K-ATP...

Behavioural, ecological, and evolutionary aspects of diversity in frog colour patterns

OpenAIRE

Rojas Zuluaga, Bibiana

2017-01-01

The role of colours and colour patterns in behavioural ecology has been extensively studied in a variety of contexts and taxa, while almost overlooked in many others. For decades anurans have been the focus of research on acoustic signalling due to the prominence of vocalisations in their communication. Much less attention has been paid to the enormous diversity of colours, colour patterns, and other types of putative visual signals exhibited by frogs. With the exception of some anecdotal obs...

National diversity and team performance: the moderating role of interactional justice climate

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buengeler, C.; den Hartog, D.N.

2015-01-01

In this team-level study, we present and test a model in which two aspects of interactional justice climate, its level and its strength, interact to moderate the effects of national diversity on team performance. Connecting the literatures on team diversity and (interactional) justice climate, we

Polypyrimidine Tract Binding Protein Homologs from Arabidopsis Are Key Regulators of Alternative Splicing with Implications in Fundamental Developmental Processes[W

Science.gov (United States)

Rühl, Christina; Stauffer, Eva; Kahles, André; Wagner, Gabriele; Drechsel, Gabriele; Rätsch, Gunnar; Wachter, Andreas

2012-01-01

Alternative splicing (AS) generates transcript variants by variable exon/intron definition and massively expands transcriptome diversity. Changes in AS patterns have been found to be linked to manifold biological processes, yet fundamental aspects, such as the regulation of AS and its functional implications, largely remain to be addressed. In this work, widespread AS regulation by Arabidopsis thaliana Polypyrimidine tract binding protein homologs (PTBs) was revealed. In total, 452 AS events derived from 307 distinct genes were found to be responsive to the levels of the splicing factors PTB1 and PTB2, which predominantly triggered splicing of regulated introns, inclusion of cassette exons, and usage of upstream 5′ splice sites. By contrast, no major AS regulatory function of the distantly related PTB3 was found. Dependent on their position within the mRNA, PTB-regulated events can both modify the untranslated regions and give rise to alternative protein products. We find that PTB-mediated AS events are connected to diverse biological processes, and the functional implications of selected instances were further elucidated. Specifically, PTB misexpression changes AS of PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR6, coinciding with altered rates of abscisic acid–dependent seed germination. Furthermore, AS patterns as well as the expression of key flowering regulators were massively changed in a PTB1/2 level-dependent manner. PMID:23192226

Addressing Diversity in the Decade of Behavior: Focus on Women of Color.

Science.gov (United States)

Russo, Nancy Felipe; Vaz, Kim

2001-01-01

Discusses the lives of women of color, illustrating diversity-minded feminist principles that may inform research and program development related to other aspects of diversity. Notes perspectives and priorities of women of color in psychology. Considers why implementing feminist psychology's inclusive vision for research is a continuing struggle,…

Regulation, control, tele-management; Regulation, commande, telegestion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-07-01

In 1998, the French public authorities have started an ambitious energy mastery policy under the auspices of the Agency of environment and energy mastery (Ademe). One aspect of this policy concerns the R and D, industrial development and applications of automation and computerized control to the energy systems of buildings. This RCT 2000 seminar takes stock of the recent advances in this domain 7 years after the previous RCT issue. The first day of the seminar was devoted to new developments in regulation and control (ergonomics aspects, lighting systems, air conditioning in accommodations, solar systems etc..). Stress was put on the revolution expected with the introduction of domestic computer applications and Internet. This first day ended with a precise status of the standardization and future regulatory aspects. The second day was dealing with tele-management and technical management systems for buildings with an analysis of the impact of Internet and of the sensors and actuators capacity in information processing. The consequences and new requirements of the thermal regulation 2000 and the factors of success of a new start-up of the tele-management market in local authorities and social accommodations were analyzed too. (J.S.)

Functional & phylogenetic diversity of copepod communities

Science.gov (United States)

Benedetti, F.; Ayata, S. D.; Blanco-Bercial, L.; Cornils, A.; Guilhaumon, F.

2016-02-01

The diversity of natural communities is classically estimated through species identification (taxonomic diversity) but can also be estimated from the ecological functions performed by the species (functional diversity), or from the phylogenetic relationships among them (phylogenetic diversity). Estimating functional diversity requires the definition of specific functional traits, i.e., phenotypic characteristics that impact fitness and are relevant to ecosystem functioning. Estimating phylogenetic diversity requires the description of phylogenetic relationships, for instance by using molecular tools. In the present study, we focused on the functional and phylogenetic diversity of copepod surface communities in the Mediterranean Sea. First, we implemented a specific trait database for the most commonly-sampled and abundant copepod species of the Mediterranean Sea. Our database includes 191 species, described by seven traits encompassing diverse ecological functions: minimal and maximal body length, trophic group, feeding type, spawning strategy, diel vertical migration and vertical habitat. Clustering analysis in the functional trait space revealed that Mediterranean copepods can be gathered into groups that have different ecological roles. Second, we reconstructed a phylogenetic tree using the available sequences of 18S rRNA. Our tree included 154 of the analyzed Mediterranean copepod species. We used these two datasets to describe the functional and phylogenetic diversity of copepod surface communities in the Mediterranean Sea. The replacement component (turn-over) and the species richness difference component (nestedness) of the beta diversity indices were identified. Finally, by comparing various and complementary aspects of plankton diversity (taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity) we were able to gain a better understanding of the relationships among the zooplankton community, biodiversity, ecosystem function, and environmental forcing.

Diversity Strategies to Mitigate Postulated Common Cause Failure Vulnerabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood, Richard Thomas

2010-01-01

This paper describes an approach to establish effective mitigating strategies that can resolve potential common-cause failure (CCF) vulnerabilities in instrumentation and control (I and C) systems at nuclear power plants. A particular objective in the development of these strategies, which consist of combinations of diversity attributes and their associated criteria, is to address the unique characteristics of digital technology that can contribute to CCF concerns. The research approach employed to establish diversity strategies involves investigation of available documentation on diversity usage and experience from nuclear power and non-nuclear industries, capture of expert knowledge and lessons learned, determination of common practices, and assessment of the nature of CCFs and compensating diversity attributes. The resulting diversity strategies address considerations such as the effect of technology choices, the nature of CCF vulnerabilities, and the prospective impact of each diversity type. In particular, the impact of each attribute and criterion on the purpose, process, product, and performance aspects of diverse systems are considered.

How to Break the Cycle of Low Workforce Diversity: A Model for Change

NARCIS (Netherlands)

O'Brien, K.R.; Scheffer, M.; Nes, van E.H.

2015-01-01

Social justice concerns but also perceived business advantage are behind a widespread drive to increase workplace diversity. However, dominance in terms of ethnicity, gender or other aspects of diversity has been resistant to change in many sectors. The different factors which contribute to low

Rent control and other aspects of tenancy law in Sweden, Denmark and Finland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Norberg, Per; Juul-Sandberg, Jakob

In the Nordic EU member states legislation on landlord’s and tenant’s rights is defined from a socio-economic aspect. The three countries share a common legal »core« which originates from common contract law principles. Tenancy law regulation is different in major areas – especially rent regulation....... In other areas the regulation is quite alike and the results are most often a result of trying to keep the balance between the tenant’s rights to dispose over a home contrary to the landlord’s rights as a property owner. This paper will explore some different aspects of tenancy law regulation – especially...

Discrepancies in Parents' and Children's Reports of Child Emotion Regulation

Science.gov (United States)

Hourigan, Shannon E.; Goodman, Kimberly L.; Southam-Gerow, Michael A.

2011-01-01

The ability to regulate one's emotions effectively has been linked with many aspects of well-being. The current study examined discrepancies between mothers' and children's reports of child emotion regulation. This investigation examined patterns of discrepancies for key aspects of emotion regulation (i.e., inhibition and dysregulated expression)…

How Elementary School Students' Motivation Is Connected to Self-Regulation

Science.gov (United States)

Jarvela, Sanna; Jarvenoja, Hanna; Malmberg, Jonna

2012-01-01

Empirical research reveals that students face difficulties engaging in learning and achieving their goals in a variety of learning contexts. To study effectively, students need to regulate their learning process. In spite of increased understanding of cognitive aspects of self-regulation, motivational aspects of regulation have not yet been…

Diversity and regulation of ATP sulfurylase in photosynthetic organisms

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Prioretti, L.; Gontero, B.; Hell, R.; Giordano, Mario

2014-01-01

Roč. 5, č. 597 (2014), s. 1-12 ISSN 1664-462X Grant - others:Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft(DD) SPP1710, He1848/13-1; Italian Ministry of Agrigulture(IT) MIPAF, Bioforme project Institutional support: RVO:61388971 Keywords : sulfurylase * diversity * algae * cyanobacteria Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 3.948, year: 2014

Diverse oligomeric states of CEACAM IgV domains.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonsor, Daniel A; Günther, Sebastian; Beadenkopf, Robert; Beckett, Dorothy; Sundberg, Eric J

2015-11-03

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecules (CEACAMs) comprise a large family of cell surface adhesion molecules that bind to themselves and other family members to carry out numerous cellular functions, including proliferation, signaling, differentiation, tumor suppression, and survival. They also play diverse and significant roles in immunity and infection. The formation of CEACAM oligomers is caused predominantly by interactions between their N-terminal IgV domains. Although X-ray crystal structures of CEACAM IgV domain homodimers have been described, how CEACAMs form heterodimers or remain monomers is poorly understood. To address this key aspect of CEACAM function, we determined the crystal structures of IgV domains that form a homodimeric CEACAM6 complex, monomeric CEACAM8, and a heterodimeric CEACAM6-CEACAM8 complex. To confirm and quantify these interactions in solution, we used analytical ultracentrifugation to measure the dimerization constants of CEACAM homodimers and isothermal titration calorimetry to determine the thermodynamic parameters and binding affinities of CEACAM heterodimers. We found the CEACAM6-CEACAM8 heterodimeric state to be substantially favored energetically relative to the CEACAM6 homodimer. Our data provide a molecular basis for the adoption of the diverse oligomeric states known to exist for CEACAMs and suggest ways in which CEACAM6 and CEACAM8 regulate the biological functions of one another, as well as of additional CEACAMs with which they interact, both in cis and in trans.

A review of visual perception mechanisms that regulate rapid adaptive camouflage in cuttlefish.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiao, Chuan-Chin; Chubb, Charles; Hanlon, Roger T

2015-09-01

We review recent research on the visual mechanisms of rapid adaptive camouflage in cuttlefish. These neurophysiologically complex marine invertebrates can camouflage themselves against almost any background, yet their ability to quickly (0.5-2 s) alter their body patterns on different visual backgrounds poses a vexing challenge: how to pick the correct body pattern amongst their repertoire. The ability of cuttlefish to change appropriately requires a visual system that can rapidly assess complex visual scenes and produce the motor responses-the neurally controlled body patterns-that achieve camouflage. Using specifically designed visual backgrounds and assessing the corresponding body patterns quantitatively, we and others have uncovered several aspects of scene variation that are important in regulating cuttlefish patterning responses. These include spatial scale of background pattern, background intensity, background contrast, object edge properties, object contrast polarity, object depth, and the presence of 3D objects. Moreover, arm postures and skin papillae are also regulated visually for additional aspects of concealment. By integrating these visual cues, cuttlefish are able to rapidly select appropriate body patterns for concealment throughout diverse natural environments. This sensorimotor approach of studying cuttlefish camouflage thus provides unique insights into the mechanisms of visual perception in an invertebrate image-forming eye.

Introducing GIS across Levels: Designing for Diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Barros, Joana

2017-01-01

The paper proposes a strategy for designing introductory GIS modules at Birkbeck, University of London. Seven design aspects or elements (content, practical exercises, assessment, pace, mode, level of support, and level of difficulty) for tailoring modules at appropriate levels and for diversity are introduced and their application in Birkbeck's…

Diversity and Leadership in a Changing World

Science.gov (United States)

Eagly, Alice H.; Chin, Jean Lau

2010-01-01

Scholars of leadership have infrequently addressed the diversity of leaders and followers in terms of culture, gender, race and ethnicity, or sexual orientation. This omission has weakened the ability of research and theory to address some of the most provocative aspects of contemporary leadership, including (a) the limited access of individuals…

Experimental Manipulation of Grassland Plant Diversity Induces Complex Shifts in Aboveground Arthropod Diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Hertzog, Lionel R; Meyer, Sebastian T; Weisser, Wolfgang W; Ebeling, Anne

2016-01-01

Changes in producer diversity cause multiple changes in consumer communities through various mechanisms. However, past analyses investigating the relationship between plant diversity and arthropod consumers focused only on few aspects of arthropod diversity, e.g. species richness and abundance. Yet, shifts in understudied facets of arthropod diversity like relative abundances or species dominance may have strong effects on arthropod-mediated ecosystem functions. Here we analyze the relationship between plant species richness and arthropod diversity using four complementary diversity indices, namely: abundance, species richness, evenness (equitability of the abundance distribution) and dominance (relative abundance of the dominant species). Along an experimental gradient of plant species richness (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 60 plant species), we sampled herbivorous and carnivorous arthropods using pitfall traps and suction sampling during a whole vegetation period. We tested whether plant species richness affects consumer diversity directly (i), or indirectly through increased productivity (ii). Further, we tested the impact of plant community composition on arthropod diversity by testing for the effects of plant functional groups (iii). Abundance and species richness of both herbivores and carnivores increased with increasing plant species richness, but the underlying mechanisms differed between the two trophic groups. While higher species richness in herbivores was caused by an increase in resource diversity, carnivore richness was driven by plant productivity. Evenness of herbivore communities did not change along the gradient in plant species richness, whereas evenness of carnivores declined. The abundance of dominant herbivore species showed no response to changes in plant species richness, but the dominant carnivores were more abundant in species-rich plant communities. The functional composition of plant communities had small impacts on herbivore communities, whereas

Experimental Manipulation of Grassland Plant Diversity Induces Complex Shifts in Aboveground Arthropod Diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Hertzog, Lionel R.; Meyer, Sebastian T.; Weisser, Wolfgang W.; Ebeling, Anne

2016-01-01

Changes in producer diversity cause multiple changes in consumer communities through various mechanisms. However, past analyses investigating the relationship between plant diversity and arthropod consumers focused only on few aspects of arthropod diversity, e.g. species richness and abundance. Yet, shifts in understudied facets of arthropod diversity like relative abundances or species dominance may have strong effects on arthropod-mediated ecosystem functions. Here we analyze the relationship between plant species richness and arthropod diversity using four complementary diversity indices, namely: abundance, species richness, evenness (equitability of the abundance distribution) and dominance (relative abundance of the dominant species). Along an experimental gradient of plant species richness (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 60 plant species), we sampled herbivorous and carnivorous arthropods using pitfall traps and suction sampling during a whole vegetation period. We tested whether plant species richness affects consumer diversity directly (i), or indirectly through increased productivity (ii). Further, we tested the impact of plant community composition on arthropod diversity by testing for the effects of plant functional groups (iii). Abundance and species richness of both herbivores and carnivores increased with increasing plant species richness, but the underlying mechanisms differed between the two trophic groups. While higher species richness in herbivores was caused by an increase in resource diversity, carnivore richness was driven by plant productivity. Evenness of herbivore communities did not change along the gradient in plant species richness, whereas evenness of carnivores declined. The abundance of dominant herbivore species showed no response to changes in plant species richness, but the dominant carnivores were more abundant in species-rich plant communities. The functional composition of plant communities had small impacts on herbivore communities, whereas

Tagging like Humans: Diverse and Distinct Image Annotation

KAUST Repository

Wu, Baoyuan

2018-03-31

In this work we propose a new automatic image annotation model, dubbed {\\\\bf diverse and distinct image annotation} (D2IA). The generative model D2IA is inspired by the ensemble of human annotations, which create semantically relevant, yet distinct and diverse tags. In D2IA, we generate a relevant and distinct tag subset, in which the tags are relevant to the image contents and semantically distinct to each other, using sequential sampling from a determinantal point process (DPP) model. Multiple such tag subsets that cover diverse semantic aspects or diverse semantic levels of the image contents are generated by randomly perturbing the DPP sampling process. We leverage a generative adversarial network (GAN) model to train D2IA. Extensive experiments including quantitative and qualitative comparisons, as well as human subject studies, on two benchmark datasets demonstrate that the proposed model can produce more diverse and distinct tags than the state-of-the-arts.

Teaching about Psychosocial Aspects of Disability: Emphasizing Person-Environment Relations

Science.gov (United States)

Dunn, Dana S.

2016-01-01

This article presents some psychosocial aspects of disability linked to the person--environment relation that teachers should share in the psychology classroom. Disability is an often-overlooked form of diversity, one that teachers should discuss alongside race, gender, sexual orientation, social class/socioeconomic status (SES), religiosity, and…

Diversity and ecological aspects of aquatic insect communities from montane streams in southern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruna Marmitt Braun

2014-06-01

Full Text Available AIMS: In this study, the diversity of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera and Coleoptera communities was surveyed in the Toropi River basin, a watershed localized in a slope region, in southernmost Brazil. The influence of some local abiotic factors on the most common genera was also analyzed. METHODS: Samplings were conducted at 40 sites in 1st-4th order streams, along a short elevation gradient (70-500 m, with a Surber sampler. Water physico-chemical factors, as well as substrate type, were obtained at each site. RESULTS: At all, 5,320 specimens were collected, belonging to 18 families and 52 genera. The caddisflies Austrotinodes and Celaenotrichia, and an undescribed Elmidae, Genus M, are new records for the region. The caddisfly Smicridea was the most frequent genus in the study area. The mayflies Camelobaetidius, Paracloeodes and Americabaetis were influenced by stream order. Smicridea was related to air temperature, while the mayfly Thraulodes was influenced by high levels of electrical conductivity. CONCLUSIONS: The high diversity found in the study area, compared to other Brazilian regions, reflects the environmental heterogeneity in the region. These data show that hydrographic basins in slope areas from extreme Southern Brazil sustain high levels of diversity of aquatic insect communities.

Approaches to measuring cultural diversity in recreation

Science.gov (United States)

Chieh-Lu Li; James D. Absher; Yi-Chung Hsu; Alan R. Graefe

2008-01-01

Measuring cultural diversity in recreation has become an important topic because of the increasing coverage of and interest in ethnicity and cross-cultural aspects of recreation. Introducing theories and methods from established disciplines other than leisure studies/recreation and park studies is necessary to understand this important issue. In this article, we first...

The Mucosal Immune System and Its Regulation by Autophagy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kabat, Agnieszka M; Pott, Johanna; Maloy, Kevin J

2016-01-01

The gastrointestinal tract presents a unique challenge to the mucosal immune system, which has to constantly monitor the vast surface for the presence of pathogens, while at the same time maintaining tolerance to beneficial or innocuous antigens. In the intestinal mucosa, specialized innate and adaptive immune components participate in directing appropriate immune responses toward these diverse challenges. Recent studies provide compelling evidence that the process of autophagy influences several aspects of mucosal immune responses. Initially described as a "self-eating" survival pathway that enables nutrient recycling during starvation, autophagy has now been connected to multiple cellular responses, including several aspects of immunity. Initial links between autophagy and host immunity came from the observations that autophagy can target intracellular bacteria for degradation. However, subsequent studies indicated that autophagy plays a much broader role in immune responses, as it can impact antigen processing, thymic selection, lymphocyte homeostasis, and the regulation of immunoglobulin and cytokine secretion. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of mucosal immune cells and discuss how autophagy influences many aspects of their physiology and function. We focus on cell type-specific roles of autophagy in the gut, with a particular emphasis on the effects of autophagy on the intestinal T cell compartment. We also provide a perspective on how manipulation of autophagy may potentially be used to treat mucosal inflammatory disorders.

Identification of circular RNAs from the parental genes involved in multiple aspects of cellular metabolism in barley

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shirvanehdeh, Behrooz Darbani; Noeparvar, Shahin; Borg, Søren

2016-01-01

circular RNAs as novel interactors in the regulation of gene expression in plants and imply the comprehensiveness of this regulatory pathway by identifying circular RNAs for a diverse set of genes. These genes are involved in several aspects of cellular metabolism as hormonal signaling, intracellular...... protein sorting, carbohydrate metabolism and cell-wall biogenesis, respiration, amino acid biosynthesis, transcription and translation, and protein ubiquitination. Additionally, these parental loci of circular RNAs, from both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, encode for different transcript classes...... and elucidate their cellular-level alterations across tissues and in response to micronutrients iron and zinc. In further support of circular RNAs’ functional roles in plants, we report several cases where fluctuations of circRNAs do not correlate with the levels of their parental-loci encoded linear...

Ethical aspect price decision making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grubor Aleksandar

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Price decision making in a marketing program framework creatings is a complicated and delicated part of marketing management, especially to keep in sight culminating of mass external factors. In a market economies price policy as a marketing mix instrument rarely is regulated by the law, which opening the ethical aspect questions of price decision making process. The ethics in the price decision making means consideration of the inner law of the individual (marketing managers and/or consumers, whose irreverence does not entail any juridical sanctions, rather its application is sanctioned by the self - awareness. The acception and stability of the ethical aspect price decision making are determined by the characteristic of selected marketing environment.

Regulation of neurite morphogenesis by interaction between R7 regulator of G protein signaling complexes and G protein subunit Gα13.

Science.gov (United States)

Scherer, Stephanie L; Cain, Matthew D; Kanai, Stanley M; Kaltenbronn, Kevin M; Blumer, Kendall J

2017-06-16

The R7 regulator of G protein signaling family (R7-RGS) critically regulates nervous system development and function. Mice lacking all R7-RGS subtypes exhibit diverse neurological phenotypes, and humans bearing mutations in the retinal R7-RGS isoform RGS9-1 have vision deficits. Although each R7-RGS subtype forms heterotrimeric complexes with Gβ 5 and R7-RGS-binding protein (R7BP) that regulate G protein-coupled receptor signaling by accelerating deactivation of G i/o α-subunits, several neurological phenotypes of R7-RGS knock-out mice are not readily explained by dysregulated G i/o signaling. Accordingly, we used tandem affinity purification and LC-MS/MS to search for novel proteins that interact with R7-RGS heterotrimers in the mouse brain. Among several proteins detected, we focused on Gα 13 because it had not been linked to R7-RGS complexes before. Split-luciferase complementation assays indicated that Gα 13 in its active or inactive state interacts with R7-RGS heterotrimers containing any R7-RGS isoform. LARG (leukemia-associated Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF)), PDZ-RhoGEF, and p115RhoGEF augmented interaction between activated Gα 13 and R7-RGS heterotrimers, indicating that these effector RhoGEFs can engage Gα 13 ·R7-RGS complexes. Because Gα 13 /R7-RGS interaction required R7BP, we analyzed phenotypes of neuronal cell lines expressing RGS7 and Gβ 5 with or without R7BP. We found that neurite retraction evoked by Gα 12/13 -dependent lysophosphatidic acid receptors was augmented in R7BP-expressing cells. R7BP expression blunted neurite formation evoked by serum starvation by signaling mechanisms involving Gα 12/13 but not Gα i/o These findings provide the first evidence that R7-RGS heterotrimers interact with Gα 13 to augment signaling pathways that regulate neurite morphogenesis. This mechanism expands the diversity of functions whereby R7-RGS complexes regulate critical aspects of nervous system development and function. © 2017 by

A LDA-based approach to promoting ranking diversity for genomics information retrieval.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yan; Yin, Xiaoshi; Li, Zhoujun; Hu, Xiaohua; Huang, Jimmy Xiangji

2012-06-11

In the biomedical domain, there are immense data and tremendous increase of genomics and biomedical relevant publications. The wealth of information has led to an increasing amount of interest in and need for applying information retrieval techniques to access the scientific literature in genomics and related biomedical disciplines. In many cases, the desired information of a query asked by biologists is a list of a certain type of entities covering different aspects that are related to the question, such as cells, genes, diseases, proteins, mutations, etc. Hence, it is important of a biomedical IR system to be able to provide relevant and diverse answers to fulfill biologists' information needs. However traditional IR model only concerns with the relevance between retrieved documents and user query, but does not take redundancy between retrieved documents into account. This will lead to high redundancy and low diversity in the retrieval ranked lists. In this paper, we propose an approach which employs a topic generative model called Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to promoting ranking diversity for biomedical information retrieval. Different from other approaches or models which consider aspects on word level, our approach assumes that aspects should be identified by the topics of retrieved documents. We present LDA model to discover topic distribution of retrieval passages and word distribution of each topic dimension, and then re-rank retrieval results with topic distribution similarity between passages based on N-size slide window. We perform our approach on TREC 2007 Genomics collection and two distinctive IR baseline runs, which can achieve 8% improvement over the highest Aspect MAP reported in TREC 2007 Genomics track. The proposed method is the first study of adopting topic model to genomics information retrieval, and demonstrates its effectiveness in promoting ranking diversity as well as in improving relevance of ranked lists of genomics search

Multicontext Diversity: The critical dimension of diversity that can attract students and help them thrive

Science.gov (United States)

Weissmann, G. S.; Ibarra, R.; Howland-Davis, M.

2017-12-01

Diversity programs on college campuses have expanded over the past several decades, bringing a broad range of students to academia; however, these programs have not resulted in diversification of faculty or PhD students. Current diversity programs generally focus on two dimensions of diversity: (1) structural diversity, which aims to bring in students from underrepresented groups to college campuses through scholarships, admissions policies, and targeted marketing; and (2) multicultural diversity, which uses programs designed to give students from underrepresented groups homes on campus and programs designed to study cultural aspects of different groups. Though these programs are important, something else must be controlling the lack of minority participation in STEM at advanced levels. We posit that a third dimension of diversity, context diversity, is lacking in university education, especially in STEM fields, and without accessing this form of diversity, programs will never benefit from the broader diversity of society. Context diversity results through application of Multicontext theory, which both explains and predicts the inclusion of exclusion of people within an institutional culture. It describes how different cultures approach understanding the world around them. This "cultural ways of knowing and doing" has been described using a binary system, consisting of "Low Context" and "High Context" cultures. Ibarra (2001) described how a spectrum exists between these end members, and thus individuals brought up in different cultures will understand the world from somewhere along this context diversity spectrum. Academic culture tends to fall on the low context side of the spectrum. Thus, students (and faculty) who come from cultures that tend toward the high context side of the spectrum often feel excluded from the academic setting, especially in STEM fields which tend to be strongly low context in nature. A high percentage of students from underrepresented

Practices of weight regulation among elite athletes in combat sports: a matter of mental advantage?

Science.gov (United States)

Pettersson, Stefan; Ekström, Marianne Pipping; Berg, Christina M

2013-01-01

The combination of extensive weight loss and inadequate nutritional strategies used to lose weight rapidly for competition in weight-category sports may negatively affect athletic performance and health. To explore the reasoning of elite combat-sport athletes about rapid weight loss and regaining of weight before competitions. Qualitative study. With grounded theory as a theoretical framework, we employed a cross-examinational approach including interviews, observations, and Internet sources. Sports observations were obtained at competitions and statements by combat-sport athletes were collected on the Internet. Participants in the interviews were 14 Swedish national team athletes (9 men, 5 women; age range, 18 to 36 years) in 3 Olympic combat sports (wrestling, judo, and taekwondo). Semistructured interviews with 14 athletes from the Swedish national teams in wrestling, judo, and taekwondo were conducted at a location of each participant's choice. The field observations were conducted at European competitions in these 3 sports. In addition, interviews and statements made by athletes in combat sports were collected on the Internet. Positive aspects of weight regulation other than gaining physical advantage emerged from the data during the analysis: sport identity, mental diversion, and mental advantage. Together and individually, these categories point toward the positive aspects of weight regulation experienced by the athletes. Practicing weight regulation mediates a self-image of being "a real athlete." Weight regulation is also considered mentally important as a part of the precompetition preparation, serving as a coping strategy by creating a feeling of increased focus and commitment. Moreover, a mental advantage relative to one's opponents can be gained through the practice of weight regulation. Weight regulation has mentally important functions extending beyond the common notion that combat-sport athletes reduce their weight merely to gain a physical edge

Practices of Weight Regulation Among Elite Athletes in Combat Sports: A Matter of Mental Advantage?

Science.gov (United States)

Pettersson, Stefan; Ekström, Marianne Pipping; Berg, Christina M

2013-01-01

Context The combination of extensive weight loss and inadequate nutritional strategies used to lose weight rapidly for competition in weight-category sports may negatively affect athletic performance and health. Objective To explore the reasoning of elite combat-sport athletes about rapid weight loss and regaining of weight before competitions. Design Qualitative study. Setting With grounded theory as a theoretical framework, we employed a cross-examinational approach including interviews, observations, and Internet sources. Sports observations were obtained at competitions and statements by combat-sport athletes were collected on the Internet. Patients or Other Participants Participants in the interviews were 14 Swedish national team athletes (9 men, 5 women; age range, 18 to 36 years) in 3 Olympic combat sports (wrestling, judo, and taekwondo). Data Collection and Analysis Semistructured interviews with 14 athletes from the Swedish national teams in wrestling, judo, and taekwondo were conducted at a location of each participant's choice. The field observations were conducted at European competitions in these 3 sports. In addition, interviews and statements made by athletes in combat sports were collected on the Internet. Results Positive aspects of weight regulation other than gaining physical advantage emerged from the data during the analysis: sport identity, mental diversion, and mental advantage. Together and individually, these categories point toward the positive aspects of weight regulation experienced by the athletes. Practicing weight regulation mediates a self-image of being “a real athlete.” Weight regulation is also considered mentally important as a part of the precompetition preparation, serving as a coping strategy by creating a feeling of increased focus and commitment. Moreover, a mental advantage relative to one's opponents can be gained through the practice of weight regulation. Conclusions Weight regulation has mentally important functions

Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Managers and Employees Attitude Towards Managing the Workplace Diversity

OpenAIRE

Babita Mukherjee; Dikshit Gambhir; Arooj Yaswi

2015-01-01

In this era of globalization, workplace diversity has become the salient aspect of any organization. It helps to increase productivity, efficiency and maintain a positive work environment within the organization. The study assessed the attitude difference that managers come across and how to get benefited from the diversity in the workforce. The investigation was set out to find the relationship between openness to diversity and managerial attitude, based on the data collected from 213 manage...

Psychosocial aspects of 'mixedness' in Scandinavia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singla, Rashmi

, characterised by ambivalence and exclusion of ethnic diversity. The theoretical framework combines transnationalism, narrative approach and life-course understandings. The project is conducted through statistical exploration and in-depth interviews. Discussing the concept of mixed race/ethnicity, some results...... aspects of native Danes and Asian including members of the South Asian diaspora and children of mixed parentage, based on an ongoing empirical project in Denmark. They face both possibilities and difficulties in relation to their self understandings, family and network in interplay with the broad society...

Diverse microRNAs with convergent functions regulate tumorigenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Min-Yan; Zhang, Wei; Yang, Tao

2016-02-01

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate several biological processes, including tumorigenesis. In order to comprehend the roles of miRNAs in cancer, various screens were performed to investigate the changes in the expression levels of miRNAs that occur in different types of cancer. The present review focuses on the results of five recent screens, whereby a number of overlapping miRNAs were identified to be downregulated or differentially regulated, whereas no miRNAs were observed to be frequently upregulated. Furthermore, the majority of the miRNAs that were common to >1 screen were involved in signaling networks, including wingless-related integration site, receptor tyrosine kinase and transforming growth factor-β, or in cell cycle checkpoint control. The present review will discuss the aforementioned miRNAs implicated in cell cycle checkpoint control and signaling networks.

Tomato Fruits Show Wide Phenomic Diversity but Fruit Developmental Genes Show Low Genomic Diversity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vijee Mohan

Full Text Available Domestication of tomato has resulted in large diversity in fruit phenotypes. An intensive phenotyping of 127 tomato accessions from 20 countries revealed extensive morphological diversity in fruit traits. The diversity in fruit traits clustered the accessions into nine classes and identified certain promising lines having desirable traits pertaining to total soluble salts (TSS, carotenoids, ripening index, weight and shape. Factor analysis of the morphometric data from Tomato Analyzer showed that the fruit shape is a complex trait shared by several factors. The 100% variance between round and flat fruit shapes was explained by one discriminant function having a canonical correlation of 0.874 by stepwise discriminant analysis. A set of 10 genes (ACS2, COP1, CYC-B, RIN, MSH2, NAC-NOR, PHOT1, PHYA, PHYB and PSY1 involved in various plant developmental processes were screened for SNP polymorphism by EcoTILLING. The genetic diversity in these genes revealed a total of 36 non-synonymous and 18 synonymous changes leading to the identification of 28 haplotypes. The average frequency of polymorphism across the genes was 0.038/Kb. Significant negative Tajima'D statistic in two of the genes, ACS2 and PHOT1 indicated the presence of rare alleles in low frequency. Our study indicates that while there is low polymorphic diversity in the genes regulating plant development, the population shows wider phenotype diversity. Nonetheless, morphological and genetic diversity of the present collection can be further exploited as potential resources in future.

Equal opportunities in diversity

CERN Multimedia

Laëtitia Pedroso

2010-01-01

Promoting equal opportunities at CERN and advising the Director-General on all related matters is the task of the Equal Opportunities Officer, Doris Chromek-Burckhart, and Tim Smith, chair of the Equal Opportunities Advisory Panel. Changes are being introduced: in future, the focus of their work will be broadened to cover all aspects of diversity promotion.   The term "equal opportunities" has always been broader in scope than the equal treatment of men and women but this is what it has traditionally been confined to in practice. "We wanted to change how people see our mission", explains Doris Chromek-Burckhart. The word "diversity" has much wider connotations than "equal opportunities" and makes it clearer that we are also dealing with differences in nationality, religion, age, culture and physical ability”. Getting away from the old clichés is vital to ensuring equal treatment for everyone. The diversit...

Regulation of mat responses by a differentiation MAPK pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheelarani Karunanithi

Full Text Available Fungal species exhibit diverse behaviors when presented with extracellular challenges. Pathogenic fungi can undergo cell differentiation and biofilm formation in response to fluctuating nutrient levels, and these responses are required for virulence. In the model fungal eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae, nutrient limitation induces filamentous growth and biofilm/mat formation. Both responses require the same signal transduction (MAPK pathway and the same cell adhesion molecule (Flo11 but have been studied under different conditions. We found that filamentous growth and mat formation are aspects of a related response that is regulated by the MAPK pathway. Cells in yeast-form mats differentiated into pseudohyphae in response to nutrient limitation. The MAPK pathway regulated mat expansion (in the plane of the XY-axis and substrate invasion (downward in the plane of the Z-axis, which optimized the mat's response to extracellular nutrient levels. The MAPK pathway also regulated an upward growth pattern (in the plane of the Z-axis in response to nutrient limitation and changes in surface rigidity. Upward growth allowed for another level of mat responsiveness and resembled a type of colonial chemorepulsion. Together our results show that signaling pathways play critical roles in regulating social behaviors in which fungal cells participate. Signaling pathways may regulate similar processes in pathogens, whose highly nuanced responses are required for virulence.

Organizational Diversity Commitment: A Web-Based Investigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasconcelos Anselmo Ferreira

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to examine organizational held values and beliefs related to diversity, particularly derived from the corporate websites of the best companies to work for in Brazil, that is, an annual edition published by Época magazine along with the Great Place to Work® Institute (GPTW. Therefore, this study focuses on how these companies are addressing the themes of diversity, inclusion, and discrimination through their organizational discourses. More specifically, it draws exclusively on the statements and corporative documents posted on their websites. Overall, findings indicated that barely 57 (43.8% of the 130 companies awarded by GPTW-Época 2014’s list showed some interest in providing a discourse toward diversity/inclusion issues in their websites. Moreover, no more than 31 firms (54.4% of the sample depicted a compelling or somewhat acceptable diversity discourse (i.e., an indication that this issue has been addressed, yet it requires additional measures. Taken as a whole, results suggest that diversity appears to be a topic of low status in the most of the best organizations to work for in Brazil. In general, multinational corporations tend to put aside desirable aspects on their statements, even so they enact better diversity, inclusion, and anti-discrimination discourses than Brazilian firms.

Regulations for the safe transport of radioactive materials. Notes on certain aspects of the regulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1961-01-01

The notes attempt to provide some broad general guidance to users as to the purpose of the regulations and their working out in practice. They contain also the scientific background to the classification of radioisotopes for transport purposes given in the regulations. Furthermore, an approach was made to the difficult question of design of containers in relation to the factors that have to be taken into account by competent authorities in approving Type B containers, with a view both to helping those concerned on both sides of this transport problem, and to stimulating further thought on the subject, in order to build up a corpus of practical experience in this field.

Regulating the new information intermediaries as gatekeepers of information diversity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Helberger, N.; Kleinen-von Königslöw, K.; van der Noll, R.

2015-01-01

Purpose - The purposes of this paper are to deal with the questions: because search engines, social networks and app-stores are often referred to as gatekeepers to diverse information access, what is the evidence to substantiate these gatekeeper concerns, and to what extent are existing regulatory

Global issues of genetic diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Vida, G

1994-01-01

Genetic diversity within species is highly significant during their adaptation to environmental changes and, consequently, for their long-term survival. The genetic variability of species is also the basis for the evolution of higher levels of biodiversity, the evolution of species, and it might be an indispensible prerequisite for the functioning of our biosphere. Studies which promote understanding of the maintenance and the functional aspects of biodiversity at any level are therefore essential for the future welfare of mankind.

Diverse mechanisms of metaeffector activity in an intracellular bacterial pathogen, Legionella pneumophila.

Science.gov (United States)

Urbanus, Malene L; Quaile, Andrew T; Stogios, Peter J; Morar, Mariya; Rao, Chitong; Di Leo, Rosa; Evdokimova, Elena; Lam, Mandy; Oatway, Christina; Cuff, Marianne E; Osipiuk, Jerzy; Michalska, Karolina; Nocek, Boguslaw P; Taipale, Mikko; Savchenko, Alexei; Ensminger, Alexander W

2016-12-16

Pathogens deliver complex arsenals of translocated effector proteins to host cells during infection, but the extent to which these proteins are regulated once inside the eukaryotic cell remains poorly defined. Among all bacterial pathogens, Legionella pneumophila maintains the largest known set of translocated substrates, delivering over 300 proteins to the host cell via its Type IVB, Icm/Dot translocation system. Backed by a few notable examples of effector-effector regulation in L. pneumophila, we sought to define the extent of this phenomenon through a systematic analysis of effector-effector functional interaction. We used Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an established proxy for the eukaryotic host, to query > 108,000 pairwise genetic interactions between two compatible expression libraries of ~330 L. pneumophila-translocated substrates. While capturing all known examples of effector-effector suppression, we identify fourteen novel translocated substrates that suppress the activity of other bacterial effectors and one pair with synergistic activities. In at least nine instances, this regulation is direct-a hallmark of an emerging class of proteins called metaeffectors, or "effectors of effectors". Through detailed structural and functional analysis, we show that metaeffector activity derives from a diverse range of mechanisms, shapes evolution, and can be used to reveal important aspects of each cognate effector's function. Metaeffectors, along with other, indirect, forms of effector-effector modulation, may be a common feature of many intracellular pathogens-with unrealized potential to inform our understanding of how pathogens regulate their interactions with the host cell. © 2016 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.

Phosphoinositides: Tiny Lipids With Giant Impact on Cell Regulation

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Phosphoinositides (PIs) make up only a small fraction of cellular phospholipids, yet they control almost all aspects of a cell's life and death. These lipids gained tremendous research interest as plasma membrane signaling molecules when discovered in the 1970s and 1980s. Research in the last 15 years has added a wide range of biological processes regulated by PIs, turning these lipids into one of the most universal signaling entities in eukaryotic cells. PIs control organelle biology by regulating vesicular trafficking, but they also modulate lipid distribution and metabolism via their close relationship with lipid transfer proteins. PIs regulate ion channels, pumps, and transporters and control both endocytic and exocytic processes. The nuclear phosphoinositides have grown from being an epiphenomenon to a research area of its own. As expected from such pleiotropic regulators, derangements of phosphoinositide metabolism are responsible for a number of human diseases ranging from rare genetic disorders to the most common ones such as cancer, obesity, and diabetes. Moreover, it is increasingly evident that a number of infectious agents hijack the PI regulatory systems of host cells for their intracellular movements, replication, and assembly. As a result, PI converting enzymes began to be noticed by pharmaceutical companies as potential therapeutic targets. This review is an attempt to give an overview of this enormous research field focusing on major developments in diverse areas of basic science linked to cellular physiology and disease. PMID:23899561

Regulating nuclear fuel waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

When Parliament passed the Atomic Energy Control Act in 1946, it erected the framework for nuclear safety in Canada. Under the Act, the government created the Atomic Energy Control Board and gave it the authority to make and enforce regulations governing every aspect of nuclear power production and use in this country. The Act gives the Control Board the flexibility to amend its regulations to adapt to changes in technology, health and safety standards, co-operative agreements with provincial agencies and policy regarding trade in nuclear materials. This flexibility has allowed the Control Board to successfully regulate the nuclear industry for more than 40 years. Its mission statement 'to ensure that the use of nuclear energy in Canada does not pose undue risk to health, safety, security and the environment' concisely states the Control Board's primary objective. The Atomic Energy Control Board regulates all aspects of nuclear energy in Canada to ensure there is no undue risk to health, safety, security or the environment. It does this through a multi-stage licensing process

Novel aspects of plasma control in ITER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Humphreys, D.; Jackson, G.; Walker, M.; Welander, A. [General Atomics P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, California 92186-5608 (United States); Ambrosino, G.; Pironti, A. [CREATE/University of Naples Federico II, Napoli (Italy); Vries, P. de; Kim, S. H.; Snipes, J.; Winter, A.; Zabeo, L. [ITER Organization, St. Paul Lez durance Cedex (France); Felici, F. [Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven (Netherlands); Kallenbach, A.; Raupp, G.; Treutterer, W. [Max-Planck Institut für Plasmaphysik, Garching (Germany); Kolemen, E. [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-0451 (United States); Lister, J.; Sauter, O. [Centre de Recherches en Physique des Plasmas, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Lausanne (Switzerland); Moreau, D. [CEA, IRFM, 13108 St. Paul-lez Durance (France); Schuster, E. [Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (United States)

2015-02-15

ITER plasma control design solutions and performance requirements are strongly driven by its nuclear mission, aggressive commissioning constraints, and limited number of operational discharges. In addition, high plasma energy content, heat fluxes, neutron fluxes, and very long pulse operation place novel demands on control performance in many areas ranging from plasma boundary and divertor regulation to plasma kinetics and stability control. Both commissioning and experimental operations schedules provide limited time for tuning of control algorithms relative to operating devices. Although many aspects of the control solutions required by ITER have been well-demonstrated in present devices and even designed satisfactorily for ITER application, many elements unique to ITER including various crucial integration issues are presently under development. We describe selected novel aspects of plasma control in ITER, identifying unique parts of the control problem and highlighting some key areas of research remaining. Novel control areas described include control physics understanding (e.g., current profile regulation, tearing mode (TM) suppression), control mathematics (e.g., algorithmic and simulation approaches to high confidence robust performance), and integration solutions (e.g., methods for management of highly subscribed control resources). We identify unique aspects of the ITER TM suppression scheme, which will pulse gyrotrons to drive current within a magnetic island, and turn the drive off following suppression in order to minimize use of auxiliary power and maximize fusion gain. The potential role of active current profile control and approaches to design in ITER are discussed. Issues and approaches to fault handling algorithms are described, along with novel aspects of actuator sharing in ITER.

Women, children and advertising - legal and ethical aspects

OpenAIRE

Stejskalová, Radka

2012-01-01

The thesis titled "Women, children and advertising - legal and ethical aspects" deals with the portrayal of women and children in advertising. The aim of the thesis is to analyze advertising with a focus on the portrayal of women and children present to Arbitration Committee in the reporting period and propose recommendations for the future. The work also deals with the importance of legal and ethical rules that regulate advertising and focuses on content regulation of women and children.

Contract & agency labour: beyond self-regulation?

OpenAIRE

Cotton, Elizabeth

2010-01-01

A paper about the regulation of contract labour. Academic and legal aspects as well as case studies of global union federation work to organise and regulate contract labour in Thailand, Pakistan, Colombia, South Korea and at international level.

Regulating Listed Companies: Between Company Law and Financial Market Law in Danish Law

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Nis Jul

2011-01-01

The article discusses different elements and aspects of the regulation of listed companies in particular whether such regulation should be placed in company law or in financial marked law.......The article discusses different elements and aspects of the regulation of listed companies in particular whether such regulation should be placed in company law or in financial marked law....

A Christian Value? Faculty Diversity at Southern Evangelical Campuses

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Marquita; Mamiseishvili, Ketevan

2016-01-01

This case study research project examined efforts at three member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), all located in the southern United States, to increase faculty diversity. The study also explored how these efforts related to institutional mission and what aspects within the history of evangelicalism…

Extending the concept of emotion regulation with model-based fMRI

OpenAIRE

Mulej Bratec, Satja

2016-01-01

Effective emotion regulation is essential for our social and emotional well-being. Yet, the concept of emotion regulation, as it is conventionally regarded in the field, does not take important aspects of emotions and emotion regulation into account. The overarching aim of the current thesis was to include such missing aspects and thereby expand the concept of emotion regulation. The expansion occurred in two directions: firstly, the definition of emotion within the field of emotion regulatio...

Gender diversity in the boardroom. Context and Spanish case

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angela Giovinco

2014-11-01

Full Text Available In the wake of the 2008 economic financial crisis, several corporate governance issues have became more relevant in the daily corporate life, among them Gender Diversity. Institutional investors, due to the critical environment began to scrupulously analyze the companies, in which they invest, monitoring the level of compliance with corporate governance best practices, something which has been neglected in the past. This lead to the view that companies in line with best practice were able to reduce risks and consequently become more stable enabling them to increase company value. Starting from 1977 several aspects of the gender diversity have been analyzed and several theories have been produced by experts in this field. In 1977, the author of Men and Women of the Corporation, Kanter, showed evidence of the benefits for a company to have a more balanced boardroom. In the last decade many researchers have dedicated their study on how more women directors could affect corporate value. The flow of theories can be classified in two categories. At the beginning, gender diversity was considered as simply the need to have more women on board, then and more recently as diversity of skills, expertise, culture and backgrounds. The interest for this argument has become wide spread, grabbing the attention of entities at different levels, including those in charge of regulating markets. Many European countries amended their Corporate Governance Codes and laws pushing for the increase of women on boards. With the intensification of different regulations, the European Commission issued a regulation, with the aim of encouraging higher participation of women at board level. Their aim was also to align all European countries rules, conscious of the relevance for companies operating in the same European environment, to work in a global market with common rules. The increased attention towards gender diversity also partly derived from the actions of proxy advisors

Regulating the Digital Television Infrastructure in the EU. Room for Citizenship Interests?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eliza Varney

2006-09-01

Full Text Available This article argues that the regulation of the DTV infrastructure cannot be limited to economic concerns and that it must also address citizenship values. The analysis focuses on the regulatory framework for electronic communications (eCommunications in the European Union, with a particular emphasis on the control of bottleneck facilities. The argument for bringing public policy considerations under the European framework on eCommunications faces major difficulties. This could be achieved only in the long term and is dependent on the shaping of the European democratic dimension and on a greater supranational competence in matters such as pluralism and diversity in the communications sector. Under the current framework, public policy concerns in the communications sector are gradually forgotten, while the regulators are giving in to commercial pressures. The maintenance of the status quo commits the protection of citizenship values to an uncertain future and, unless we are prepared to look beyond economic interests in eCommunications, the commodification of the public will become an irreversible aspect of a market-dominated reality.

Diversity: A key aspect of 21st century faculty roles as implemented in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars program.

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Linda Thompson; Campbell, Jacquelyn; Deming, Katie

Academic nursing faculty play a vital role in recruiting a diverse student body to increase the diversity of the profession and educate students to provide culturally sensitive care to expand equitable health care. The purpose of the study is to present the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars program diversity initiatives and outcomes. Data on the diversity of the 90 scholars and their diversity-related leadership positions were compiled. Although the program was designed with selection criteria to encourage racial/ethnic and gender diversity, it was not until a diversity strategic plan was designed and implemented that sufficient diversity in the applicant pool and consistent diversity among the scholars was achieved. The program also included highly evaluated leadership content in diversity and inclusion. Lessons learned from the program are important for the assurance of continued diversity among tenure-track nursing faculty, commitment to diversity in the nursing workforce among all faculty, and support in nursing education on providing culturally sensitive nursing care and nursing research that addresses health inequities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sources of beta diversity in estuarine benthic macro-invertebrate communities in the Baltic Sea - North Sea transition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Josefson, Alf B.; Göke, Cordula

Identification of sources of beta diversity, the change of diversity, is important to understand regulation of overall diversity. Additive partitioning of diversity (species richness and expH) compared to random, was performed on a quantitative benthic macro-invertebrate collection of > 400 speci...

The implementation of the international experience of regulation of contruction risk insurance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. L. Melko

2017-03-01

In general, governmental regulation of insurance activity in construction area is implemented in such forms as: the formation of the legal framework, the implementation of insurance supervision and control, the registration and licensing of the insurance. The regulation of the insurance sector is diverse in its nature. Processes of the regulation of the insurance business have to consider a number of diverse interests of both insurers and insurance holders. The effectiveness of the regulation depends on the fullness of consideration of long-term market factors.

Legal aspects of auxillary reproductive technologies in infertility treatment

OpenAIRE

V.Yu. Albitskiy; N.D. Odinayeva; V.O. Mansimova

2011-01-01

The article presents several aspects of legal regulation of auxillary reproductive technologies in treatment of infertility in Russia and other countries.Key words: auxillary reproductive technologies, method of extracorporeal fertilization, newborn, premature newborn, multiple pregnancy, embryo, infertility, law.

Combinatorial regulation of tissue specification by GATA and FOG factors

Science.gov (United States)

Chlon, Timothy M.; Crispino, John D.

2012-01-01

The development of complex organisms requires the formation of diverse cell types from common stem and progenitor cells. GATA family transcriptional regulators and their dedicated co-factors, termed Friend of GATA (FOG) proteins, control cell fate and differentiation in multiple tissue types from Drosophila to man. FOGs can both facilitate and antagonize GATA factor transcriptional regulation depending on the factor, cell, and even the specific gene target. In this review, we highlight recent studies that have elucidated mechanisms by which FOGs regulate GATA factor function and discuss how these factors use these diverse modes of gene regulation to control cell lineage specification throughout metazoans. PMID:23048181

Fertility regulation as identity maintenance: Understanding the social aspects of birth control.

Science.gov (United States)

Marston, Cicely; Renedo, Alicia; Nyaaba, Gertrude Nsorma

2018-02-01

We take a dialogical approach to exploring fertility regulation practices and show how they can maintain or express social identity. We identify three themes in educated Ghanaian women's accounts of how they navigate conflicting social demands on their identity when trying to regulate fertility: secrecy and silence - hiding contraception use and avoiding talking about it; tolerating uncertainty - such as using unreliable but more socially acceptable contraception; and wanting to be fertile and protecting menses. Family planning programmes that fail to tackle such social-psychological obstacles to regulating fertility will risk reproducing social spaces where women struggle to claim their reproductive rights.

Floristic aspects and diversity of regenerated arboreal species under a stand of Anadenanthera peregrina Speg.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gutenberg de Almeida Nascimento

2009-06-01

Full Text Available This study was conducted at the campus of the Federal University of Lavras, Minas Gerais state, in an area of 7.56ha which in earlier times was planted with Anadenanthera peregrina. It aimed to describe the floristic composition of the site so asto provide a theoretical basis to assist future local management interventions. A total of 81 plots, each measuring 10x10m, wereallocated and arranged in such way as to cover as much apparent variation in the physiognomic gradient of the vegetation as possible.All individuals with DBH (diameter at breast height > 5.0 cm were recorded. Each individual had their DBH and height recorded.Diversity was assessed using Shannon, Pielou and Jentsen indices and compared to adjacent areas and to other areas with similarhistory of land use. The sampling procedure recorded 1,180 individuals, distributed among 25 families and 66 species. The familypresenting the largest number of recorded species was Fabaceae, with 16 species (24.24%. The genera presenting the greatest floristicrichness were Casearia, with four species, Machaerium and Rollinia, each with three species, and Anadenanthera, Tapirira, Cordia,Protium, Inga, Ocotea, Miconia, Cedrela and Myrcia, each with two species. The Shannon diversity index (H was 1.47 nats.ind-1,indicating that the local community has low species diversity.

Regulatory and legal aspects in industrial mining industries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magalhaes, Maisa Haiidamus

2016-01-01

The regulation between the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission - CNEN performance and the mineral industries that produces NORM is presented. Besides the legal aspects, some comments from the point of view of the supervisory and licensing body about their performance in the radiation protection area are pointed out

Diversity and leadership in a changing world.

Science.gov (United States)

Eagly, Alice H; Chin, Jean Lau

2010-04-01

Scholars of leadership have infrequently addressed the diversity of leaders and followers in terms of culture, gender, race and ethnicity, or sexual orientation. This omission has weakened the ability of research and theory to address some of the most provocative aspects of contemporary leadership, including (a) the limited access of individuals from diverse identity groups to leadership roles; (b) the shaping of leaders' behavior by their dual identities as leaders and members of gender, racial, ethnic, or other identity groups; and (c) the potential of individuals from groups formerly excluded from leadership roles to provide excellent leadership because of their differences from traditional leaders. In addressing such issues, we argue that the joining of the two bodies of theory and research--one pertaining to leadership and the other to diversity--enriches both domains of knowledge and provides guidelines for optimizing leadership in contemporary organizations and nations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Kinetic and Thermodynamic Aspects of Cellular Thiol-Disulfide Redox Regulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Kristine Steen; Hansen, Rosa Erritzøe; Winther, Jakob R

2009-01-01

. In the cytosol regulatory disulfide bonds are typically formed in spite of the prevailing reducing conditions and may thereby function as redox switches. Such disulfide bonds are protected from enzymatic reduction by kinetic barriers and are thus allowed to exist long enough to elicit the signal. Factors......Regulation of intracellular thiol-disulfide redox status is an essential part of cellular homeostasis. This involves the regulation of both oxidative and reductive pathways, production of oxidant scavengers and, importantly, the ability of cells to respond to changes in the redox environment...... that affect the rate of thiol-disulfide exchange and stability of disulfide bonds are discussed within the framework of the underlying chemical foundations. This includes the effect of thiol acidity (pKa), the local electrostatic environment, molecular strain and entropy. Even though a thiol-disulfide...

Examining the Predictive Relations between Two Aspects of Self-Regulation and Growth in Preschool Children’s Early Literacy Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Lonigan, Christopher J.; Allan, Darcey M.; Phillips, Beth M.

2016-01-01

There is strong evidence that self-regulatory processes are linked to early academic skills both concurrently and longitudinally. The majority of extant longitudinal studies, however, have been conducted using autoregressive techniques that may not accurately model change across time. The purpose of this study was to examine the unique associations between two components of self-regulation, attention and executive functioning (EF), and growth in early literacy skills over the preschool year using latent-growth-curve analysis. The sample included 1,082 preschool children (M-age = 55.0 months, SD = 3.73). Children completed measures of vocabulary, syntax, phonological awareness, print knowledge, cognitive ability, and self-regulation, and children’s classroom teachers completed a behavior rating measure. To examine the independent relations of the self-regulatory skills and cognitive ability with children’s initial early literacy skills and growth across the preschool year, growth models in which the intercept and slope were simultaneously regressed on each of the predictor variables were examined. Because of the significant relation between intercept and slope for most outcomes, slope was regressed on intercept in the models to allow a determination of direct and indirect effects of the predictors on growth in children’s language and literacy skills across the preschool year. In general, both teacher-rated inattention and directly measured EF were uniquely associated with initial skills level; however, only teacher-rated inattention uniquely predicted growth in early literacy skills. These findings suggest that teacher-ratings of inattention may measure an aspect of self-regulation that is particularly associated with the acquisition of academic skills in early childhood. PMID:27854463

Adenine N6-methylation in diverse fungi

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Seidl, Michael F.

2017-01-01

A DNA modification - methylation of cytosines and adenines - has important roles in diverse processes such as regulation of gene expression and genome stability, yet until recently adenine methylation had been considered to be only a hallmark of prokaryotes. A new study identifies abundant

Phylogenetic analysis reveals conservation and diversification of micro RNA166 genes among diverse plant species.

Science.gov (United States)

Barik, Suvakanta; SarkarDas, Shabari; Singh, Archita; Gautam, Vibhav; Kumar, Pramod; Majee, Manoj; Sarkar, Ananda K

2014-01-01

Similar to the majority of the microRNAs, mature miR166s are derived from multiple members of MIR166 genes (precursors) and regulate various aspects of plant development by negatively regulating their target genes (Class III HD-ZIP). The evolutionary conservation or functional diversification of miRNA166 family members remains elusive. Here, we show the phylogenetic relationships among MIR166 precursor and mature sequences from three diverse model plant species. Despite strong conservation, some mature miR166 sequences, such as ppt-miR166m, have undergone sequence variation. Critical sequence variation in ppt-miR166m has led to functional diversification, as it targets non-HD-ZIPIII gene transcript (s). MIR166 precursor sequences have diverged in a lineage specific manner, and both precursors and mature osa-miR166i/j are highly conserved. Interestingly, polycistronic MIR166s were present in Physcomitrella and Oryza but not in Arabidopsis. The nature of cis-regulatory motifs on the upstream promoter sequences of MIR166 genes indicates their possible contribution to the functional variation observed among miR166 species. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An evaluation of a risk-based environmental regulation in Brazil: Limitations to risk management of hazardous installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naime, Andre

2017-01-01

The environmental regulation of hazardous projects with risk-based decision-making processes can lead to a deficient management of human exposure to technological hazards. Such an approach for regulation is criticized for simplifying the complexity of decisions involving the economic, social, and environmental aspects of the installation and operation of hazardous facilities in urban areas. Results of a Brazilian case study indicate that oil and gas transmission pipelines may represent a threat to diverse communities if the relationship between such linear projects and human populations is overlooked by regulatory bodies. Results also corroborate known challenges to the implementation of EIA processes and outline limitations to an effective environmental and risk management. Two preliminary topics are discussed to strengthen similar regulatory practices. Firstly, an effective integration between social impact assessment and risk assessment in EIA processes to have a more comprehensive understanding of the social fabric. Secondly, the advancement of traditional management practices for hazardous installations to pursue a strong transition from assessment and evaluation to management and control and to promote an effective interaction between land-use planning and environmental regulation.

An evaluation of a risk-based environmental regulation in Brazil: Limitations to risk management of hazardous installations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naime, Andre, E-mail: andre.naime.ibama@gmail.com

2017-03-15

The environmental regulation of hazardous projects with risk-based decision-making processes can lead to a deficient management of human exposure to technological hazards. Such an approach for regulation is criticized for simplifying the complexity of decisions involving the economic, social, and environmental aspects of the installation and operation of hazardous facilities in urban areas. Results of a Brazilian case study indicate that oil and gas transmission pipelines may represent a threat to diverse communities if the relationship between such linear projects and human populations is overlooked by regulatory bodies. Results also corroborate known challenges to the implementation of EIA processes and outline limitations to an effective environmental and risk management. Two preliminary topics are discussed to strengthen similar regulatory practices. Firstly, an effective integration between social impact assessment and risk assessment in EIA processes to have a more comprehensive understanding of the social fabric. Secondly, the advancement of traditional management practices for hazardous installations to pursue a strong transition from assessment and evaluation to management and control and to promote an effective interaction between land-use planning and environmental regulation.

The organization of diversity in a boxing club : Governmentality and entangled rationalities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dortants, Marianne; Knoppers, Annelies

2016-01-01

This study answers a recent call for research on the complexity, locality, and use of power in the governing of diversity in organizations. We used the concepts of governmentally and of governing sameness and difference to explore multiple and heterogeneous ways of regulating gender diversity in

Therapeutic aspects of Tulsi unraveled: A review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naveen Srinivas

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The purpose of the paper was to review the diverse pharmaceutical aspects of Tulsi. Materials and Methods: Several publications and books were electronically searched in google using the keywords “Tulsi as a medicine,” “Tulsi as a medicinal plant,” “Medicinal properties of Ocimum sanctum,” and “Tulsi in dentistry.” The search was limited to articles and books in the English literature. To prepare a thorough review on the therapeutic aspects of Tulsi, the contents were screened between the year 1985 to 2015 by going through the title and abstracts, and further shortlisting articles for full text reading. Conclusion: The present review revealed that Tulsi has an extensive array of medicinal uses, as evidenced by various studies conducted, but its use in allopathic medicine is still limited because of the lack of clinical trials on humans.

Importance of Mediator complex in the regulation and integration of diverse signaling pathways in plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Subhasis eSamanta

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Basic transcriptional machinery in eukaryotes is assisted by a number of cofactors, which either increase or decrease the rate of transcription. Mediator complex is one such cofactor, and recently has drawn a lot of interest because of its integrative power to converge different signaling pathways before channelling the transcription instructions to the RNA polymerase II machinery. Like yeast and metazoans, plants do possess the Mediator complex across the kingdom, and its isolation and subunit analyses have been reported from the model plant, Arabidopsis. Genetic and molecular analyses have unravelled important regulatory roles of Mediator subunits at every stage of plant life cycle starting from flowering to embryo and organ development, to even size determination. It also contributes immensely to the survival of plants against different environmental vagaries by the timely activation of its resistance mechanisms. Here, we have provided an overview of plant Mediator complex starting from its discovery to regulation of stoichiometry of its subunits. We have also reviewed involvement of different Mediator subunits in different processes and pathways including defense response pathways evoked by diverse biotic cues. Wherever possible, attempts have been made to provide mechanistic insight of Mediator’s involvement in these processes.

Importance of Mediator complex in the regulation and integration of diverse signaling pathways in plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Samanta, Subhasis; Thakur, Jitendra K

2015-01-01

Basic transcriptional machinery in eukaryotes is assisted by a number of cofactors, which either increase or decrease the rate of transcription. Mediator complex is one such cofactor, and recently has drawn a lot of interest because of its integrative power to converge different signaling pathways before channeling the transcription instructions to the RNA polymerase II machinery. Like yeast and metazoans, plants do possess the Mediator complex across the kingdom, and its isolation and subunit analyses have been reported from the model plant, Arabidopsis. Genetic, and molecular analyses have unraveled important regulatory roles of Mediator subunits at every stage of plant life cycle starting from flowering to embryo and organ development, to even size determination. It also contributes immensely to the survival of plants against different environmental vagaries by the timely activation of its resistance mechanisms. Here, we have provided an overview of plant Mediator complex starting from its discovery to regulation of stoichiometry of its subunits. We have also reviewed involvement of different Mediator subunits in different processes and pathways including defense response pathways evoked by diverse biotic cues. Wherever possible, attempts have been made to provide mechanistic insight of Mediator's involvement in these processes.

Legal aspects of auxillary reproductive technologies in infertility treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V.Yu. Albitskiy

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The article presents several aspects of legal regulation of auxillary reproductive technologies in treatment of infertility in Russia and other countries.Key words: auxillary reproductive technologies, method of extracorporeal fertilization, newborn, premature newborn, multiple pregnancy, embryo, infertility, law.

Mitochondrial Biogenesis in Diverse Cauliflower Cultivars under Mild and Severe Drought. Impaired Coordination of Selected Transcript and Proteomic Responses, and Regulation of Various Multifunctional Proteins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michał Rurek

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Mitochondrial responses under drought within Brassica genus are poorly understood. The main goal of this study was to investigate mitochondrial biogenesis of three cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis cultivars with varying drought tolerance. Diverse quantitative changes (decreases in abundance mostly in the mitochondrial proteome were assessed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D PAGE coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS. Respiratory (e.g., complex II, IV (CII, CIV and ATP synthase subunits, transporter (including diverse porin isoforms and matrix multifunctional proteins (e.g., components of RNA editing machinery were diversely affected in their abundance under two drought levels. Western immunoassays showed additional cultivar-specific responses of selected mitochondrial proteins. Dehydrin-related tryptic peptides (found in several 2D spots immunopositive with dehydrin-specific antisera highlighted the relevance of mitochondrial dehydrin-like proteins for the drought response. The abundance of selected mRNAs participating in drought response was also determined. We conclude that mitochondrial biogenesis was strongly, but diversely affected in various cauliflower cultivars, and associated with drought tolerance at the proteomic and functional levels. However, discussed alternative oxidase (AOX regulation at the RNA and protein level were largely uncoordinated due to the altered availability of transcripts for translation, mRNA/ribosome interactions, and/or miRNA impact on transcript abundance and translation.

Mitochondrial Biogenesis in Diverse Cauliflower Cultivars under Mild and Severe Drought. Impaired Coordination of Selected Transcript and Proteomic Responses, and Regulation of Various Multifunctional Proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Rurek, Michał; Czołpińska, Magdalena; Staszak, Aleksandra Maria; Nowak, Witold; Krzesiński, Włodzimierz; Spiżewski, Tomasz

2018-01-01

Mitochondrial responses under drought within Brassica genus are poorly understood. The main goal of this study was to investigate mitochondrial biogenesis of three cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) cultivars with varying drought tolerance. Diverse quantitative changes (decreases in abundance mostly) in the mitochondrial proteome were assessed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D PAGE) coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Respiratory (e.g., complex II, IV (CII, CIV) and ATP synthase subunits), transporter (including diverse porin isoforms) and matrix multifunctional proteins (e.g., components of RNA editing machinery) were diversely affected in their abundance under two drought levels. Western immunoassays showed additional cultivar-specific responses of selected mitochondrial proteins. Dehydrin-related tryptic peptides (found in several 2D spots) immunopositive with dehydrin-specific antisera highlighted the relevance of mitochondrial dehydrin-like proteins for the drought response. The abundance of selected mRNAs participating in drought response was also determined. We conclude that mitochondrial biogenesis was strongly, but diversely affected in various cauliflower cultivars, and associated with drought tolerance at the proteomic and functional levels. However, discussed alternative oxidase (AOX) regulation at the RNA and protein level were largely uncoordinated due to the altered availability of transcripts for translation, mRNA/ribosome interactions, and/or miRNA impact on transcript abundance and translation. PMID:29642585

Legal aspects of nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kraut, A.

1981-01-01

The legal basis for the use of nuclear energy is generally given by an Atomic Energy Act. Additionally, however, a system of regulations and standards has to be set up to lay down more detailed requirements. The fundamental philosophy and strategy has to be specified by governmental organizations. For the specification and implementation of the requirements some minimum organizational arrangements are necessary, which are not only restricted to governmental organizations. Furthermore procedural regulations have to be laid down before the implementation phase. This includes aspects like public participation in the licensing procedure. In practice, however, the implementation of the legal requirements always shows some weakness of the basic legal requirements. To learn from this experience some examples are presented, which gave rise to difficulties in the implementation procedure. (orig./RW)

Endocrine aspects of cancer gene therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Barzon, Luisa; Boscaro, Marco; Palù, Giorgio

2004-02-01

The field of cancer gene therapy is in continuous expansion, and technology is quickly moving ahead as far as gene targeting and regulation of gene expression are concerned. This review focuses on the endocrine aspects of gene therapy, including the possibility to exploit hormone and hormone receptor functions for regulating therapeutic gene expression, the use of endocrine-specific genes as new therapeutic tools, the effects of viral vector delivery and transgene expression on the endocrine system, and the endocrine response to viral vector delivery. Present ethical concerns of gene therapy and the risk of germ cell transduction are also discussed, along with potential lines of innovation to improve cell and gene targeting.

PR Toxin - Biosynthesis, Genetic Regulation, Toxicological Potential, Prevention and Control Measures: Overview and Challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Dubey, Manish K; Aamir, Mohd; Kaushik, Manish S; Khare, Saumya; Meena, Mukesh; Singh, Surendra; Upadhyay, Ram S

2018-01-01

Out of the various mycotoxigenic food and feed contaminant, the fungal species belonging to Penicillium genera, particularly Penicillium roqueforti is of great economic importance, and well known for its crucial role in the manufacturing of Roquefort and Gorgonzola cheese. The mycotoxicosis effect of this mold is due to secretion of several metabolites, of which PR toxin is of considerable importance, with regard to food quality and safety challenges issues. The food products and silages enriched with PR toxin could lead into damage to vital internal organs, gastrointestinal perturbations, carcinogenicity, immunotoxicity, necrosis, and enzyme inhibition. Moreover, it also has the significant mutagenic potential to disrupt/alter the crucial processes like DNA replication, transcription, and translation at the molecular level. The high genetic diversities in between the various strains of P. roqueforti persuaded their nominations with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), accordingly to the cheese type, they have been employed. Recently, the biosynthetic mechanism and toxicogenetic studies unraveled the role of ari1 and prx gene clusters that cross-talk with the synthesis of other metabolites or involve other cross-regulatory pathways to negatively regulate/inhibit the other biosynthetic route targeted for production of a strain-specific metabolites. Interestingly, the chemical conversion that imparts toxic properties to PR toxin is the substitution/oxidation of functional hydroxyl group (-OH) to aldehyde group (-CHO). The rapid conversion of PR toxin to the other derivatives such as PR imine, PR amide, and PR acid, based on conditions available reflects their unstability and degradative aspects. Since the PR toxin-induced toxicity could not be eliminated safely, the assessment of dose-response and other pharmacological aspects for its safe consumption is indispensable. The present review describes the natural occurrences, diversity, biosynthesis, genetics

Aspects on Media Self Regulation Reflected in the Activity of Romanian Journalists

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela Aurelia Popa

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The media organizations in Romania, reticent to the idea to constraint the press freedom, manage to understand the importance of implementing a system of media responsibility. Therefore, the present study is a research in incipient stage that begins with the identification of the initiatives of media self regulation as an alternative to the efforts of enacting press in Romania. The identification of the self regulating system in Romania will be accomplished through the description of the context of development of the media responsibility system in the Romanian journalistic culture and by underlining the self regulation initiatives. For the delineation and establishment of such important self regulation initiatives, the activity of an ethical instance is necessary, for the defense and solving cases of norms contained by the new deontological code. The establishment of such an instance in Romania will represent a viable solution for the development of a more ethical professional environment that confirms the assumption of media responsibility for the adhesion to quality journalistic standards.

Genetic diversity and trait genomic prediction in a pea diversity panel.

Science.gov (United States)

Burstin, Judith; Salloignon, Pauline; Chabert-Martinello, Marianne; Magnin-Robert, Jean-Bernard; Siol, Mathieu; Jacquin, Françoise; Chauveau, Aurélie; Pont, Caroline; Aubert, Grégoire; Delaitre, Catherine; Truntzer, Caroline; Duc, Gérard

2015-02-21

Pea (Pisum sativum L.), a major pulse crop grown for its protein-rich seeds, is an important component of agroecological cropping systems in diverse regions of the world. New breeding challenges imposed by global climate change and new regulations urge pea breeders to undertake more efficient methods of selection and better take advantage of the large genetic diversity present in the Pisum sativum genepool. Diversity studies conducted so far in pea used Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) and Retrotransposon Based Insertion Polymorphism (RBIP) markers. Recently, SNP marker panels have been developed that will be useful for genetic diversity assessment and marker-assisted selection. A collection of diverse pea accessions, including landraces and cultivars of garden, field or fodder peas as well as wild peas was characterised at the molecular level using newly developed SNP markers, as well as SSR markers and RBIP markers. The three types of markers were used to describe the structure of the collection and revealed different pictures of the genetic diversity among the collection. SSR showed the fastest rate of evolution and RBIP the slowest rate of evolution, pointing to their contrasted mode of evolution. SNP markers were then used to predict phenotypes -the date of flowering (BegFlo), the number of seeds per plant (Nseed) and thousand seed weight (TSW)- that were recorded for the collection. Different statistical methods were tested including the LASSO (Least Absolute Shrinkage ans Selection Operator), PLS (Partial Least Squares), SPLS (Sparse Partial Least Squares), Bayes A, Bayes B and GBLUP (Genomic Best Linear Unbiased Prediction) methods and the structure of the collection was taken into account in the prediction. Despite a limited number of 331 markers used for prediction, TSW was reliably predicted. The development of marker assisted selection has not reached its full potential in pea until now. This paper shows that the high-throughput SNP arrays that are being

Masks for high aspect ratio x-ray lithography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malek, C.K.; Jackson, K.H.; Bonivert, W.D.; Hruby, J.

1997-01-01

Fabrication of very high aspect ratio microstructures, as well as ultra-high precision manufacturing is of increasing interest in a multitude of applications. Fields as diverse as micromechanics, robotics, integrated optics, and sensors benefit from this technology. The scale-length of this spatial regime is between what can be achieved using classical machine tool operations and that which is used in microelectronics. This requires new manufacturing techniques, such as the LIGA process, which combines x-ray lithography, electroforming, and plastic molding

Theoretical Aspects of Cross-border Integration-based Economic Cooperation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bilchak V.

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In this article the author analyses theoretical aspects of border economy in the conditions of modern processes of integration. The author describes the existing schools and concepts of integration stressing the role of government regulation relating to the deformations in the development of the world economic mechanism. Modern studies focus on the evolution of integration processes, which has largely affected the key elements of the world economic mechanism from classical political economy, monopoly regulation. This resulted in monopolistic competition, imperfect competition, and oligopoly – largely, through all fields and poles of economic growth to certain elements of government regulation and social reproduction on the international scale. The author examines the key elements and stages of economic integration. These stages assume a number of consecutive forms: free trade zone, customs union, common market, complete economic integration, and economic union. The article shows that the transition occurs from the lowest to the highest stages — from the processes of integration involving, firstly, trade market and then capital and labour markets to the integration of social sphere. The theoretical aspects of all these transformations can be easily traced in the case of EU integration processes.

Embracing "Soft Skill" Diversity in the Workplace (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, T.

2010-12-01

to implement “soft skill” diversity practices in your work environment. Most workplaces are made up of many aspects of diversity already so why not embrace it and use it to your competitive advantage.

Corruption, Institutions and Regulation

OpenAIRE

Michael Breen; Robert Gillanders

2011-01-01

We analyze the effects of corruption and institutional quality on the quality of business regulation. Our key findings indicate that corruption negatively aspects the quality of regulation and that general institutional quality is insignificant once corruption is controlled for. These findings hold over a number of specifications which include additional exogenous historical and geographic controls. The findings imply that policy-makers should focus on curbing corruption to improve regulat...

Purpose of Engagement in Academic Self-Regulation

Science.gov (United States)

Lichtinger, Einat; Kaplan, Avi

2011-01-01

"Academic self-regulation" refers to the self-generated, reflective, and strategic engagement in academic tasks (Zimmerman, 2000). Self-regulation is crucial for academic success, particularly in higher education, where students are required to take increased responsibility for their learning and where the diversity of courses and activities may…

Shift systems in nuclear power plants - aspects for planning, shift systems, utility practice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grauf, E.

1986-01-01

This lecture contains the most important aspects of shift structure and shift organisation. The criteria for shift planning involving essential tasks, duties, laws and regulations, medical aspects, social aspects, will be presented. In the Federal Republic of Germany some basic models were established, which will be shown and explained with special reference to the number of teams, size of shift crews and absence regulations. Moreover, the lecture will deal with rotation systems and provisions for the transfer of shift responsibilities. By example of a utility plant commissioning time scale (1300 MW PWR) the practice of shift installations will be shown as well as the most important points of education and training. Within this compass the criteria and requirements for training and education of operational personnel in the Federal Republic of Germany will also be touched. (orig.)

Socio-Psychological Aspects of Entrepreneurial Motivation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luhova Viktoriia M.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of the article is to study entrepreneurial motivation and socio-psychological aspects that determine it. In the article, the urgency of the study of socio-psychological aspects of motivation is substantiated. The list and essence of concepts related to the concept “motivation” are specified. The features of personal needs of entrepreneurs are determined. The groups of entrepreneurial motives are considered. The psychological properties of an entrepreneur’s personality are examined. The role of the positive self-identity in providing entrepreneurial motivation is substantiated. The values and value orientations typical for entrepreneurs are determined. The peculiarities of the Ukrainian mentality that are most clearly traced in the activity and behavior of entrepreneurs are considered. Specific features of normative regulation of human behavior in modern society are determined.

Circuit variability interacts with excitatory-inhibitory diversity of interneurons to regulate network encoding capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Kuo-Ting; Hu, Chin-Kun; Li, Kuan-Wei; Hwang, Wen-Liang; Chou, Ya-Hui

2018-05-23

Local interneurons (LNs) in the Drosophila olfactory system exhibit neuronal diversity and variability, yet it is still unknown how these features impact information encoding capacity and reliability in a complex LN network. We employed two strategies to construct a diverse excitatory-inhibitory neural network beginning with a ring network structure and then introduced distinct types of inhibitory interneurons and circuit variability to the simulated network. The continuity of activity within the node ensemble (oscillation pattern) was used as a readout to describe the temporal dynamics of network activity. We found that inhibitory interneurons enhance the encoding capacity by protecting the network from extremely short activation periods when the network wiring complexity is very high. In addition, distinct types of interneurons have differential effects on encoding capacity and reliability. Circuit variability may enhance the encoding reliability, with or without compromising encoding capacity. Therefore, we have described how circuit variability of interneurons may interact with excitatory-inhibitory diversity to enhance the encoding capacity and distinguishability of neural networks. In this work, we evaluate the effects of different types and degrees of connection diversity on a ring model, which may simulate interneuron networks in the Drosophila olfactory system or other biological systems.

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...

Attracting and Maintaining Demographic Diversity in Energy: Lessons from Petroleum Engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Plaksina, Tatyana

2017-11-01

Diversity is important for any organization, its development and growth. However, frequently we observe that, if left to their own devices, many social and professional communities become self-selective, less susceptible to change, and, thus, less diverse. For example, this phenomenon can be readily observed in the academia when a professor forms a research group that is mostly comprised of people from certain origin or personal qualities. While on an individual level, this situation can be quite convenient and even beneficial, on the large scale the lack of diversity creates severe distortions and discourages many talented individuals from joining the group, organization, or industry in general. Diversity that includes ethnic, age, and gender aspects is a serious concern in overall energy industry and academia. One of the most prominent field impacted by diversity problems is petroleum engineering which can be used as a learning opportunity for other branches of energy industry. Using petroleum engineering community, we can understand what processes have led it to become self-selective, what measures have been applied to changes the situation and introduce more diversity.

Misplacing Nema? A Consideration of Some Problematic Aspects of South Africa's New EIA Regulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E Couzens

2010-12-01

Full Text Available In mid-2006, new Regulations governing environmental impact assessment were published in terms of the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998. It is argued in this article that the old Regulations under the Environment Conservation Act 73 of 1989, which were replaced, had proved inadequate not because of any inherent deficiency, but because they were never properly implemented and because they were instead subjected to much inaccurate criticism. The article then canvasses the old Regulations and considers criticisms thereof, before canvassing the new Regulations and assessing differences between the old and the new. Various specific concerns and potential shortcomings are raised and considered; and various interpretations are offered of problematic provisions. A prognosis for the success and/or failure of the new Regulations is then put forward in the context of the South African government's present approach to economic growth, environmental protection and the enforcement of environmental legislation. Finally, it is argued that there are danger signs that the new Regulations will be as misunderstood and misapplied as were the old Regulations and that the fundamental principles of the National Environmental Management Act are likely not to be adhered to in the implementation of the new Regulations.

Some aspects in the legal regulation of the dams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tancev, Ljubomir

1996-01-01

In order to ensure high quality and low cost design and building of dams and appurtenant structures, as well as safe exploitation, it is obvious to have appropriate legislation. Keeping in mind that the dams are unique structures, for the design stage the legislation should be less strong. For the next phases - building, maintenance and exploitation - detail and rigorous legislation is recommended. It is emphasised that the engineers should have more freedom designing the dams, but they should be obvious to apply the most recent achievement in the field of the dam design and construction. For illustration, some aspects of three important questions are discussed - 1) the choice of maximum flood discharge, 2) the application of new materials and construction methods and 3) the application of modern methods for static and dynamic analysis of dams. (Author)

Ethnic diversity in the nurse workforce: a literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Otto, Laureen A; Gurney, Cindy

2006-01-01

In the 2000-2003 New York State Nurses Association Strategic Plan, the Board of Directors called for an assessment of the progress made toward achieving an ethnically diverse nursing workforce as reflected in the literature. In this paper the authors have responded to that request and offer a snapshot of progress as well as standstills in the journey toward diversity. Although the literature has tended to focus on cultural competency of the healthcare worker, and includes numerous calls for action to diversify the nurse workforce, very little scholarly work has been conducted that rigorously evaluates such diversification activities. The purpose of this literature review is to explore existing scholarly work in ethnic diversity at three levels: in the general workforce, the healthcare workforce, and the nursing workforce. The authors explored the literature as it addresses two aspects: academic and career factors influencing diversity; and recruitment, retention, and other strategies employed to diversify the workforce. By exploring the existing research, gaps can be identified in order to either direct further research, or target funding to recruitment strategies to effectively enhance a more ethnically diverse nurse workforce.

PR Toxin – Biosynthesis, Genetic Regulation, Toxicological Potential, Prevention and Control Measures: Overview and Challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manish K. Dubey

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Out of the various mycotoxigenic food and feed contaminant, the fungal species belonging to Penicillium genera, particularly Penicillium roqueforti is of great economic importance, and well known for its crucial role in the manufacturing of Roquefort and Gorgonzola cheese. The mycotoxicosis effect of this mold is due to secretion of several metabolites, of which PR toxin is of considerable importance, with regard to food quality and safety challenges issues. The food products and silages enriched with PR toxin could lead into damage to vital internal organs, gastrointestinal perturbations, carcinogenicity, immunotoxicity, necrosis, and enzyme inhibition. Moreover, it also has the significant mutagenic potential to disrupt/alter the crucial processes like DNA replication, transcription, and translation at the molecular level. The high genetic diversities in between the various strains of P. roqueforti persuaded their nominations with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI, accordingly to the cheese type, they have been employed. Recently, the biosynthetic mechanism and toxicogenetic studies unraveled the role of ari1 and prx gene clusters that cross-talk with the synthesis of other metabolites or involve other cross-regulatory pathways to negatively regulate/inhibit the other biosynthetic route targeted for production of a strain-specific metabolites. Interestingly, the chemical conversion that imparts toxic properties to PR toxin is the substitution/oxidation of functional hydroxyl group (-OH to aldehyde group (-CHO. The rapid conversion of PR toxin to the other derivatives such as PR imine, PR amide, and PR acid, based on conditions available reflects their unstability and degradative aspects. Since the PR toxin-induced toxicity could not be eliminated safely, the assessment of dose-response and other pharmacological aspects for its safe consumption is indispensable. The present review describes the natural occurrences, diversity, biosynthesis

PR Toxin – Biosynthesis, Genetic Regulation, Toxicological Potential, Prevention and Control Measures: Overview and Challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Dubey, Manish K.; Aamir, Mohd; Kaushik, Manish S.; Khare, Saumya; Meena, Mukesh; Singh, Surendra; Upadhyay, Ram S.

2018-01-01

Out of the various mycotoxigenic food and feed contaminant, the fungal species belonging to Penicillium genera, particularly Penicillium roqueforti is of great economic importance, and well known for its crucial role in the manufacturing of Roquefort and Gorgonzola cheese. The mycotoxicosis effect of this mold is due to secretion of several metabolites, of which PR toxin is of considerable importance, with regard to food quality and safety challenges issues. The food products and silages enriched with PR toxin could lead into damage to vital internal organs, gastrointestinal perturbations, carcinogenicity, immunotoxicity, necrosis, and enzyme inhibition. Moreover, it also has the significant mutagenic potential to disrupt/alter the crucial processes like DNA replication, transcription, and translation at the molecular level. The high genetic diversities in between the various strains of P. roqueforti persuaded their nominations with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), accordingly to the cheese type, they have been employed. Recently, the biosynthetic mechanism and toxicogenetic studies unraveled the role of ari1 and prx gene clusters that cross-talk with the synthesis of other metabolites or involve other cross-regulatory pathways to negatively regulate/inhibit the other biosynthetic route targeted for production of a strain-specific metabolites. Interestingly, the chemical conversion that imparts toxic properties to PR toxin is the substitution/oxidation of functional hydroxyl group (-OH) to aldehyde group (-CHO). The rapid conversion of PR toxin to the other derivatives such as PR imine, PR amide, and PR acid, based on conditions available reflects their unstability and degradative aspects. Since the PR toxin-induced toxicity could not be eliminated safely, the assessment of dose-response and other pharmacological aspects for its safe consumption is indispensable. The present review describes the natural occurrences, diversity, biosynthesis, genetics

International acceptance of irradiated food. Legal aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

The three international organizations competent in the field of irradiation processing for the preservation of food (FAO, WHO, IAEA), convened, at the end of 1977, an Advisory Group to revise and update the recommendations of a similar group which met in early 1972. The Advisory Group considered how national regulations could be harmonized so as to facilitate the international movement of irradiated food. This publication contains the Report of the Advisory Group, which summarizes the considerations of the Group on regulatory control over the irradiation plant and irradiation of foods, and on assurances for comparability of control (international labelling and documentation). Annexes 1 to 6 are included in order to complete the relevant information on the legal aspects of this subject. They include a Draft General Standard for Irradiated Foods, a Draft Code of Practice for the Operation of Radiation Facilities Used for the Treatment of Foods, Recommendations of a Consultation Group on the Legal Aspects of Food Irradiation, a Listing of the Legislation on Food Irradiation Adopted in Member States (1971-1976), and Model Regulations for the Control of and Trade in Irradiated Food

Dynamic protein S-palmitoylation mediates parasite life cycle progression and diverse mechanisms of virulence.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Robert W B; Sharma, Aabha I; Engman, David M

2017-04-01

Eukaryotic parasites possess complex life cycles and utilize an assortment of molecular mechanisms to overcome physical barriers, suppress and/or bypass the host immune response, including invading host cells where they can replicate in a protected intracellular niche. Protein S-palmitoylation is a dynamic post-translational modification in which the fatty acid palmitate is covalently linked to cysteine residues on proteins by the enzyme palmitoyl acyltransferase (PAT) and can be removed by lysosomal palmitoyl-protein thioesterase (PPT) or cytosolic acyl-protein thioesterase (APT). In addition to anchoring proteins to intracellular membranes, functions of dynamic palmitoylation include - targeting proteins to specific intracellular compartments via trafficking pathways, regulating the cycling of proteins between membranes, modulating protein function and regulating protein stability. Recent studies in the eukaryotic parasites - Plasmodium falciparum, Toxoplasma gondii, Trypanosoma brucei, Cryptococcus neoformans and Giardia lamblia - have identified large families of PATs and palmitoylated proteins. Many palmitoylated proteins are important for diverse aspects of pathogenesis, including differentiation into infective life cycle stages, biogenesis and tethering of secretory organelles, assembling the machinery powering motility and targeting virulence factors to the plasma membrane. This review aims to summarize our current knowledge of palmitoylation in eukaryotic parasites, highlighting five exemplary mechanisms of parasite virulence dependent on palmitoylation.

The Organic Regulations - Modernist decisions with major impact upon the Romanian Principalities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gheorghe Florin Hostiuc

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Since 1848 great changes have occurred in Europe regarding the Church institution, its role and involvement in the social and political life. The Enlightenment ideas bring a new wind, a less religious one. The double-headed medieval government model fades away and finally disappears. The separation of powers in state becomes the directive. In such circumstances, the Romanian Principalities also witness a quite slow but firm process of removing the Church from the political decisional area. There occur new forms of dispute between the secular and the religious powers. The influences upon the ecclesial institutions have been diverse, both positive and negative. The Organic Regulations imposed in the Principalities shall help the Orthodox Church refine and mould certain organizational aspects, and on the other hand they shall open the way to quite acute intrusions of the laity into the Church.

Who Are You? Racial Diversity in Contemporary Wonderland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rebecca Ciezarek

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Since its publication in 1865, Alice in Wonderland has established itself as a flexible text, translated into over 150 languages, and adapted across various media. In English-language adaptations, alterations to text and images have created a multitude of retellings, yet one aspect of the original story remains: that Alice is visually established as a Caucasian child. This paper examines three picturebook adaptations of Wonderland for how each of the new narratives reflects their culturally diverse readerships. The study of these adaptations is connected to research on literacy development, and culturally diverse classrooms, which show how diverse literature benefits all readers. With the 150th anniversary of Wonderland’s publication in 2015, this paper has a dual aim: to showcase the potential of Wonderland to act as an effective tool within classrooms to foster a sense of inclusion, and to demonstrate how future adaptations of Wonderland can be created which visually mirror their global readers.

Gender diversity of boardrooms and firm financial performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perihan Iren

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The impact of boardroom diversity on firm financial performance has attracted growing research interest in recent years. However, due to the lack of readily available datasets for other parts of the world, most of the evidence is based on the US data. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between gender diversity in the boardrooms and firm financial performance in a region, where it has never been studied before. Using a sample of 60 firms listed in Abu Dhabi and Dubai Stock Exchanges, first the impact of gender diverse boards on the accounting value of the firms is analyzed. Afterwards, stock price reactions to the announcement of the gender quotas on corporate boards in the UAE are examined. The results do not show a significant impact of female directors on the firm’s both accounting and market value. However, these results should be interpreted carefully since the presence of women in leading positions might affect different aspects of the firm practices

Diverse Brain Myeloid Expression Profiles Reveal Distinct Microglial Activation States and Aspects of Alzheimer’s Disease Not Evident in Mouse Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brad A. Friedman

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Microglia, the CNS-resident immune cells, play important roles in disease, but the spectrum of their possible activation states is not well understood. We derived co-regulated gene modules from transcriptional profiles of CNS myeloid cells of diverse mouse models, including new tauopathy model datasets. Using these modules to interpret single-cell data from an Alzheimer’s disease (AD model, we identified microglial subsets—distinct from previously reported “disease-associated microglia”—expressing interferon-related or proliferation modules. We then analyzed whole-tissue RNA profiles from human neurodegenerative diseases, including a new AD dataset. Correcting for altered cellular composition of AD tissue, we observed elevated expression of the neurodegeneration-related modules, but also modules not implicated using expression profiles from mouse models alone. We provide a searchable, interactive database for exploring gene expression in all these datasets (http://research-pub.gene.com/BrainMyeloidLandscape. Understanding the dimensions of CNS myeloid cell activation in human disease may reveal opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

Diversity in midwifery care: working toward social justice.

Science.gov (United States)

Burton, Nadya; Ariss, Rachel

2014-08-01

As midwifery moved from lay practice to a regulated health-care profession in Ontario toward the end of the twentieth century, it brought with it many of its social movement goals and aspirations. Among these was the desire to attend to diversity and equity in the provision of birthing care. Drawing on interviews with currently practicing Ontario midwives, this paper focuses on midwives' conceptualizations of diversity and explores their everyday work to support and strengthen diversity among those using and those providing midwifery care. We argue that midwifery's recent relocation within state structured health care means neither that the social change projects of midwifery are complete nor that midwifery has abandoned its movement-based commitment to social change. Responses to social diversity in health care range from efforts to simply improve access to care to analyses of the role of social justice in recognizing the needs of diverse populations. The social justice aspiration to "create a better world" continues to animate the work of midwives postregulation. This paper explores the legacy of midwifery as a social movement, addressing the connections between diversity, social justice and midwifery care.

Identification of Circular RNAs From the Parental Genes Involved in Multiple Aspects of Cellular Metabolism in Barley

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Behrooz eDarbani

2016-06-01

Full Text Available RNA circularization made by head-to-tail back-splicing events is involved in the regulation of gene expression from transcriptional to post-translational levels. By exploiting RNA-Seq data and down-stream analysis, we shed light on the importance of circular RNAs in plants. The results introduce circular RNAs as novel interactors in the regulation of gene expression in plants and imply the comprehensiveness of this regulatory pathway by identifying circular RNAs for a diverse set of genes. These genes are involved in several aspects of cellular metabolism as hormonal signaling, intracellular protein sorting, carbohydrate metabolism and cell-wall biogenesis, respiration, amino acid biosynthesis, transcription and translation, and protein ubiquitination. Additionally, these parental loci of circular RNAs, from both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, encode for different transcript classes including protein coding transcripts, microRNA, rRNA, and long non-coding/microprotein coding RNAs. The results shed light on the mitochondrial exonic circular RNAs and imply the importance of circular RNAs for regulation of mitochondrial genes. Importantly, we introduce circular RNAs in barley and elucidate their cellular-level alterations across tissues and in response to micronutrients iron and zinc. In further support of circular RNAs' functional roles in plants, we report several cases where fluctuations of circRNAs do not correlate with the levels of their parental-loci encoded linear transcripts.Keywords: circular RNAs, coding and non-coding transcripts, leaves, seeds, transfer cells, micronutrients, mitochondria

Evolutionary aspects of non-cell-autonomous regulation in vascular plants: structural background and models to study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anastasiia I. Evkaikina

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Plasmodesmata (PD serve for the exchange of information in form of miRNA, proteins and mRNA between adjacent cells in the course of plant development. This fundamental role of PD is well established in angiosperms but has not yet been traced back to the evolutionary ancient plant taxa where functional studies lag behind studies of PD structure and ontogenetic origin. There is convincing evidence that the ability to form secondary (post-cytokinesis PD, which can connect any adjacent cells, contrary to primary PD which form during cytokinesis and link only cells of the same lineage, appeared in the evolution of higher plants at least twice: in seed plants and in some representatives of the Lycopodiophyta. The (inability to form secondary PD is manifested in the symplastic organization of the shoot apical meristem (SAM which in most taxa of seedless vascular plants differs dramatically from that in seed plants. Lycopodiophyta appear to be suitable models to analyze the transport of developmental regulators via PD in SAMs with symplastic organization both different from, as well as analogous to, that in angiosperms, and to understand the evolutionary aspects of the role of this transport in the morphogenesis of vascular plant taxa.

Is there a positive relationship between naturalness and genetic diversity in forest tree communities?

OpenAIRE

Wehenkel, C.; Corral-Rivas, J. J.; Castellanos-Bocaz, H. A.; Pinedo-Alvarez, A.

2009-01-01

The concepts of genetic diversity and naturalness are well known as measures of conservation values and as descriptors of state or condition. A lack of research evaluating the relationship between genetic diversity and naturalness in biological communities, along with the possible implications in terms of evolutionary aspects and conservation management, make this subject particularly important as regards forest tree communities.We therefore examined the following hypothesis: the genetic dive...

Identity, Diversity and Diversity Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holck, Lotte; Muhr, Sara Louise; Villeseche, Florence

2016-01-01

– The work can encourage policy makers, diversity and HR managers to question their own practices and assumptions leading to more theoretical informed diversity management practices. Originality/value – The theoretical connections between identity and diversity literature have so far not been reviewed......The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the identity and diversity literatures and discuss how a better understanding of the theoretical connections between the two informs both diversity research and diversity management practices. Design/methodology/approach – Literature...... and limitations – is crucial for successful diversity management research and practice. Research limitations/implications – The authors argue for a better understanding of differences, overlaps and limits of different identity perspectives, and for a stronger engagement with practice. Practical implications...

Cytochrome P450 regulation: the interplay between its heme and apoprotein moieties in synthesis, assembly, repair, and disposal.

Science.gov (United States)

Correia, Maria Almira; Sinclair, Peter R; De Matteis, Francesco

2011-02-01

Heme is vital to our aerobic universe. Heme cellular content is finely tuned through an exquisite control of synthesis and degradation. Heme deficiency is deleterious to cells, whereas excess heme is toxic. Most of the cellular heme serves as the prosthetic moiety of functionally diverse hemoproteins, including cytochromes P450 (P450s). In the liver, P450s are its major consumers, with >50% of hepatic heme committed to their synthesis. Prosthetic heme is the sine qua non of P450 catalytic biotransformation of both endo- and xenobiotics. This well-recognized functional role notwithstanding, heme also regulates P450 protein synthesis, assembly, repair, and disposal. These less well-appreciated aspects are reviewed herein.

[Neurobiological aspects of personality disorders and emotional instability].

Science.gov (United States)

Petrovic, Predrag

2016-12-06

Neurobiological aspects of personality disorders and emotional instability ADHD and mental disorders encompassing emotional instability such as emotionally unstable personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder can potentially be explained by a suboptimal regulation of information processing in the brain. ADHD involves suboptimal function of non-emotional attentional regulatory processes and emotional instability involves suboptimal emotional regulation. A network including prefrontal areas, anterior cingulate cortex, basal ganglia and specific neuromodulatory systems such as the dopamine system are dysfunctional in both ADHD and emotional instability. One might suggest that a dimensional view better describes these mental states than categorical diagnoses.

Managing cultural diversity and the process of knowledge sharing: A case from Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauring, Jakob

2009-01-01

Ideas of linking cultural diversity and knowledge resources have recently gained momentum in organizational literature, however, little is known about actual knowledge-sharing processes in culturally diverse organizations. This paper contributes to mending such limitations by first reviewing three...... dominant perspectives in the literature relevant to understanding these processes. It is then argued that these perspectives contribute focusing on different aspects of human diversity in organizations and, therefore, that they should not be separated in the analysis of the complex settings that culturally...... diverse organizations represent. This is illustrated with data from an ethnographic fieldwork in a Danish multicultural organization. The final section reflects on implications of using a combination of different theories in analyzing the results, and suggests other possibilities for future research....

Evolution of microRNA diversity and regulation in animals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berezikov, E.

2011-01-01

In the past decade, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been uncovered as key regulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. The ancient origin of miRNAs, their dramatic expansion in bilaterian animals and their function in providing robustness to transcriptional programmes suggest that miRNAs

From Religious Diversity to Political Competition: The Differentiation Process of Pentecostalism in Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberto da Silva Moreira

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The growing religious diversity in Brazil has more to do with a differentiation process within Pentecostalism itself than with the presence of very diverse religious groups. Starting with the analysis of such differentiation process, the article aims to discuss the need of terminological improvement and eventually the necessity of Keynesian rules adopted by the State to regulate ultraliberal religious markets. In unequal societies and religious markets such as those in Brazil, Pentecostal leaders’ greedy attitudes regarding their own adherents and aggressive intolerance against other religions’ followers are coherent with a functionalist religious market conception. In this view, highly aggressive strategies of some Pentecostal churches vis-à-vis other adversaries are seen as belonging to the normal functioning of a (neo-liberal self-regulated social subsystem. Therefore, reflections on religious diversity inspired on a market model assume neoliberal macro conditions (total deregulation and free competition as granted or desirable. Religious diversity would appear as the “natural” consequence of religious competition. However, put in Beckford’s terms, how can religious pluralism be achieved under terrible conditions of religious diversity? Intolerant attitudes of neo-Pentecostal leaders undermine the very bases of democracy and put the discussion on religious diversity and pluralism under new theoretical and political exigencies.

Current perspectives on cognitive diversity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea eBender

2016-04-01

Full Text Available To what extent is cognition influenced by a person’s cultural background? This question has remained controversial in large fields of the cognitive sciences, including cognitive psychology, and is also underexplored in anthropology. In this perspective article, findings from a recent wave of cross-cultural studies will be outlined with respect to three aspects of cognition: perception and categorization, number representation and counting, and explanatory frameworks and beliefs. Identifying similarities and differences between these domains allows for general conclusions regarding cognitive diversity and helps to highlight the importance of culturally shaped content for a comprehensive understanding of cognition.

Non-proliferation aspects of long term assurance of supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-01-01

The meetings in this section deal with the non-proliferation aspects of long-term assurance of supply of the nuclear fuel cycle. A list of 12 fundamental questions concerning the observation and application of the non-proliferation regulations is followed by the comments made by representatives of 10 countries

Diversity modelling for electrical power system simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharip, R M; Abu Zarim, M A U A

2013-01-01

This paper considers diversity of generation and demand profiles against the different future energy scenarios and evaluates these on a technical basis. Compared to previous studies, this research applied a forecasting concept based on possible growth rates from publically electrical distribution scenarios concerning the UK. These scenarios were created by different bodies considering aspects such as environment, policy, regulation, economic and technical. In line with these scenarios, forecasting is on a long term timescale (up to every ten years from 2020 until 2050) in order to create a possible output of generation mix and demand profiles to be used as an appropriate boundary condition for the network simulation. The network considered is a segment of rural LV populated with a mixture of different housing types. The profiles for the 'future' energy and demand have been successfully modelled by applying a forecasting method. The network results under these profiles shows for the cases studied that even though the value of the power produced from each Micro-generation is often in line with the demand requirements of an individual dwelling there will be no problems arising from high penetration of Micro-generation and demand side management for each dwellings considered. The results obtained highlight the technical issues/changes for energy delivery and management to rural customers under the future energy scenarios

Diversity modelling for electrical power system simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Sharip, R. M.; Abu Zarim, M. A. U. A.

2013-12-01

This paper considers diversity of generation and demand profiles against the different future energy scenarios and evaluates these on a technical basis. Compared to previous studies, this research applied a forecasting concept based on possible growth rates from publically electrical distribution scenarios concerning the UK. These scenarios were created by different bodies considering aspects such as environment, policy, regulation, economic and technical. In line with these scenarios, forecasting is on a long term timescale (up to every ten years from 2020 until 2050) in order to create a possible output of generation mix and demand profiles to be used as an appropriate boundary condition for the network simulation. The network considered is a segment of rural LV populated with a mixture of different housing types. The profiles for the 'future' energy and demand have been successfully modelled by applying a forecasting method. The network results under these profiles shows for the cases studied that even though the value of the power produced from each Micro-generation is often in line with the demand requirements of an individual dwelling there will be no problems arising from high penetration of Micro-generation and demand side management for each dwellings considered. The results obtained highlight the technical issues/changes for energy delivery and management to rural customers under the future energy scenarios.

Emotion Regulation in Children with Down Syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Maureen C.; Walden, Tedra A.

This study presents a preliminary exploration of emotion regulation in a sample of 20 children (ages 3-18 years) with Down Syndrome. Three aspects of emotion regulation (modulation, organization, flexibility) were predicted from emotion variables (affect intensity, affective expression, and autonomy-curiosity and motivation) in backward regression…

Environmental aspects of decentralized electricity production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henry, J.P.

1991-01-01

Renewable energy sources are the focus of considerable interest because they do not place future generations at risk; the development of cogeneration has been favorably received on the whole because it uses energy that would otherwise be lost. Difficulties are sometimes encountered in the development of small-scale hydroelectric facilities (older facilities negative aspects, over production impression in France, etc.). Environmental protection regulations do not distinguish between centralized and decentralized electricity production, but between large and small production facilities

Molecular markers: a potential resource for ginger genetic diversity studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Ismail, Nor Asiah; Rafii, M Y; Mahmud, T M M; Hanafi, M M; Miah, Gous

2016-12-01

Ginger is an economically important and valuable plant around the world. Ginger is used as a food, spice, condiment, medicine and ornament. There is available information on biochemical aspects of ginger, but few studies have been reported on its molecular aspects. The main objective of this review is to accumulate the available molecular marker information and its application in diverse ginger studies. This review article was prepared by combing material from published articles and our own research. Molecular markers allow the identification and characterization of plant genotypes through direct access to hereditary material. In crop species, molecular markers are applied in different aspects and are useful in breeding programs. In ginger, molecular markers are commonly used to identify genetic variation and classify the relatedness among varieties, accessions, and species. Consequently, it provides important input in determining resourceful management strategies for ginger improvement programs. Alternatively, a molecular marker could function as a harmonizing tool for documenting species. This review highlights the application of molecular markers (isozyme, RAPD, AFLP, SSR, ISSR and others such as RFLP, SCAR, NBS and SNP) in genetic diversity studies of ginger species. Some insights on the advantages of the markers are discussed. The detection of genetic variation among promising cultivars of ginger has significance for ginger improvement programs. This update of recent literature will help researchers and students select the appropriate molecular markers for ginger-related research.

STRATEGIC CHANGES IN THE SOCIO-CULTURAL LEVEL. CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, BETWEEN "UNITY IN DIVERSITY" AND DISSOLUTION IN DIVERSITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramona-Gabriela EANA

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Change existed in various forms in all stages of development of human society, is that we were dealing with in all economic aspects, social, cultural or others, all of which have affected human existence. A complex phenomenon, which occurs in a longer or shorter period of time and which requires humans to be located in the center, through their own will, constituted into a veritable binder between cause and effect, old and new, nature and culture. Today the exchange of cultural information in the context of international system allows groups of people to interact generating complex changes, so it is essential to take into account processes that could limit diversity in evolution. As well as the cultural phenomenon develops by increasing its social size, density and diversity, society will always be interested in the way how every new element changes human individual universe.

Diversity, assembly and regulation of archaeal type IV pili-like and non-type-IV pili-like surface structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Lassak, Kerstin; Ghosh, Abhrajyoti; Albers, Sonja-Verena

2012-01-01

Archaea have evolved fascinating surface structures allowing rapid adaptation to changing environments. The archaeal surface appendages display such diverse biological roles as motility, adhesion, biofilm formation, exchange of genetic material and species-specific interactions and, in turn, increase fitness of the cells. Intriguingly, despite sharing the same functions with their bacterial counterparts, the assembly mechanism of many archaeal surface structures is rather related to assembly of bacterial type IV pili. This review summarizes our state-of-the-art knowledge about unique structural and biochemical properties of archaeal surface appendages with a particular focus on archaeal type IV pili-like structures. The latter comprise not only widely distributed archaella (formerly known as archaeal flagella), but also different highly specialized archaeal pili, which are often restricted to certain species. Recent findings regarding assembly mechanisms, structural aspects and physiological roles of these type IV pili-like structures will be discussed in detail. Recently, first regulatory proteins involved in transition from both planktonic to sessile lifestyle and in assembly of archaella were identified. To conclude, we provide novel insights into regulatory mechanisms underlying the assembly of archaeal surface structures. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Functional diversity of fish in estuaries at a global extent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rita P Vasconcelos

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Biodiversity is currently viewed as a framework encompassing multiple facets of the variety of life, including taxonomic and functional aspects. Species richness and composition of fish assemblages in estuaries is defined by global to local processes acting on community colonization. The present study further investigates how biodiversity of fish assemblages varies among estuaries globally, by simultaneously analysing taxonomic and functional richness and diversity of assemblages. A comprehensive worldwide database was compiled on the fish assemblage composition and environmental characteristics of estuaries. In addition, functional attributes of the fish species were characterized such as body size, habitat use and trophic ecology. We investigated the relationship between taxonomic and functional aspects of biodiversity, i.e. the match or mismatch between the two. We also explored how functional diversity of fish assemblages varied among estuaries globally and related to environmental features of estuaries, i.e. historic and contemporary, global and local constraints. The results are explored in the context of ecosystem functioning and resilience, and outcomes relevant to assist in prioritizing conservation efforts are highlighted.

Study between neurophysiological aspects and regulation documents on preschool in Italy

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GAETANO RAIOLA

2011-04-01

Full Text Available In recent years Italian pres-chool, or as called commonly pre-primary, infant, kindergarten or childhood schoolthat goes between 2 years old to 6, has been updated in the ministerial documents relating to the educationalactivities. At the same time, recent discoveries about the brain have changed the scientific bases on which arebased educational psycho-pedagogy theories concerning movement learning on motor control system such asclosed loop, open loop and motor imagery. The purpose of this work is to identify into the ministerial documentsregarding the educational activities such as aspects of psycho-pedagogy in the field of body and movementresearch that relates to neurological and scientific discoveries on motor control and movement learning. Themethod of research is mixed: theoretical-argumentative approach about scientific paradigms regarding the motorlearning in the early years of life and historical-documentary one about the ministerial documents relating to theteaching activities. The results did not carry out particular aspects of education and didactics that can beconnected to the new neuro-scientific theories and suggest to update theirs. All ministerial documents publisheddo not provide any reference to recent discoveries related to the theory of movement and to correlate theseaccording to didactics of motor activities. It might be useful to deepen further the study and deliver the results tothe governmental Experts for the necessary updates to fill up the vacuum.

Compilation and synthesis for embedded reconfigurable systems an aspect-oriented approach

CERN Document Server

Diniz, Pedro; Coutinho, José; Petrov, Zlatko

2013-01-01

This book provides techniques to tackle the design challenges raised by the increasing diversity and complexity of emerging, heterogeneous architectures for embedded systems. It describes an approach based on techniques from software engineering called aspect-oriented programming, which allow designers to control today’s sophisticated design tool chains, while maintaining a single application source code.  Readers are introduced to the basic concepts of an aspect-oriented, domain specific language that enables control of a wide range of compilation and synthesis tools in the partitioning and mapping of an application to a heterogeneous (and possibly multi-core) target architecture.  Several examples are presented that illustrate the benefits of the approach developed for applications from avionics and digital signal processing. Using the aspect-oriented programming techniques presented in this book, developers can reuse extensive sections of their designs, while preserving the original application source-...

Diversity of herbaceous plants and bacterial communities regulates soil resistome across forest biomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Hang-Wei; Wang, Jun-Tao; Singh, Brajesh K; Liu, Yu-Rong; Chen, Yong-Liang; Zhang, Yu-Jing; He, Ji-Zheng

2018-04-24

Antibiotic resistance is ancient and prevalent in natural ecosystems and evolved long before the utilization of synthetic antibiotics started, but factors influencing the large-scale distribution patterns of natural antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) remain largely unknown. Here, a large-scale investigation over 4000 km was performed to profile soil ARGs, plant communities and bacterial communities from 300 quadrats across five forest biomes with minimal human impact. We detected diverse and abundant ARGs in forests, including over 160 genes conferring resistance to eight major categories of antibiotics. The diversity of ARGs was strongly and positively correlated with the diversity of bacteria, herbaceous plants and mobile genetic elements (MGEs). The ARG composition was strongly correlated with the taxonomic structure of bacteria and herbs. Consistent with this strong correlation, structural equation modelling demonstrated that the positive effects of bacterial and herb communities on ARG patterns were maintained even when simultaneously accounting for multiple drivers (climate, spatial predictors and edaphic factors). These findings suggest a paradigm that the interactions between aboveground and belowground communities shape the large-scale distribution of soil resistomes, providing new knowledge for tackling the emerging environmental antibiotic resistance. © 2018 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Ecosystem Functions across Trophic Levels Are Linked to Functional and Phylogenetic Diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Patrick L.; Davies, T. Jonathan; Gonzalez, Andrew

2015-01-01

In experimental systems, it has been shown that biodiversity indices based on traits or phylogeny can outperform species richness as predictors of plant ecosystem function. However, it is unclear whether this pattern extends to the function of food webs in natural ecosystems. Here we tested whether zooplankton functional and phylogenetic diversity explains the functioning of 23 natural pond communities. We used two measures of ecosystem function: (1) zooplankton community biomass and (2) phytoplankton abundance (Chl a). We tested for diversity-ecosystem function relationships within and across trophic levels. We found a strong correlation between zooplankton diversity and ecosystem function, whereas local environmental conditions were less important. Further, the positive diversity-ecosystem function relationships were more pronounced for measures of functional and phylogenetic diversity than for species richness. Zooplankton and phytoplankton biomass were best predicted by different indices, suggesting that the two functions are dependent upon different aspects of diversity. Zooplankton community biomass was best predicted by zooplankton trait-based functional richness, while phytoplankton abundance was best predicted by zooplankton phylogenetic diversity. Our results suggest that the positive relationship between diversity and ecosystem function can extend across trophic levels in natural environments, and that greater insight into variation in ecosystem function can be gained by combining functional and phylogenetic diversity measures. PMID:25693188

Teachers’ beliefs about diversity: an analysis from a personal and professional perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esther Chiner Sanz

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine the beliefs that teachers have about diversity and their level of sensitivity towards some topics related to it. Moreover, beliefs were compared according to teachers’ personal and professional views and teaching experience. The Personal and Professional Beliefs about Diversity Scales (Pohan and Aguilar, 1999 were administered to a sample of 233 teachers. Results showed highly positive beliefs towards diversity in all its dimensions (cultural, linguistic and social diversity, ability, gender, sexual orientation and religion, especially regarding its personal implications compared to the professional ones. Likewise, it was observed a significant relationship between years of teaching experience and professional beliefs about diversity, so teachers with no school experience showed a higher tolerance than those with teaching experience, mainly in aspects related to cultural, linguistic and social differences, ability and gender. The implications that these results have for educational practice and the need for the development of multicultural education courses that favour an effective teaching are discussed.

Visual characterization and diversity quantification of chemical libraries: 2. Analysis and selection of size-independent, subspace-specific diversity indices.

Science.gov (United States)

Colliandre, Lionel; Le Guilloux, Vincent; Bourg, Stephane; Morin-Allory, Luc

2012-02-27

High Throughput Screening (HTS) is a standard technique widely used to find hit compounds in drug discovery projects. The high costs associated with such experiments have highlighted the need to carefully design screening libraries in order to avoid wasting resources. Molecular diversity is an established concept that has been used to this end for many years. In this article, a new approach to quantify the molecular diversity of screening libraries is presented. The approach is based on the Delimited Reference Chemical Subspace (DRCS) methodology, a new method that can be used to delimit the densest subspace spanned by a reference library in a reduced 2D continuous space. A total of 22 diversity indices were implemented or adapted to this methodology, which is used here to remove outliers and obtain a relevant cell-based partition of the subspace. The behavior of these indices was assessed and compared in various extreme situations and with respect to a set of theoretical rules that a diversity function should satisfy when libraries of different sizes have to be compared. Some gold standard indices are found inappropriate in such a context, while none of the tested indices behave perfectly in all cases. Five DRCS-based indices accounting for different aspects of diversity were finally selected, and a simple framework is proposed to use them effectively. Various libraries have been profiled with respect to more specific subspaces, which further illustrate the interest of the method.

76 FR 28193 - Amendments to Material Control and Accounting Regulations

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-16

...] Amendments to Material Control and Accounting Regulations AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION... amendments to the material control and accounting (MC&A) regulations. These regulations apply to NRC... ``accounting,'' and thus does not fully describe the accounting aspects that MC&A programs must include...

The Drosophila T-box transcription factor Midline functions within the Notch–Delta signaling pathway to specify sensory organ precursor cell fates and regulates cell survival within the eye imaginal disc

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Sudeshna; Chen, Q. Brent; Saucier, Joseph D.; Drescher, Brandon; Zong, Yan; Morgan, Sarah; Forstall, John; Meriwether, Andrew; Toranzo, Randy; Leal, Sandra M.

2014-01-01

We report that the T-box transcription factor Midline (Mid), an evolutionary conserved homolog of the vertebrate Tbx20 protein, functions within the Notch–Delta signaling pathway essential for specifying the fates of sensory organ precursor cells. This complements an established history of research showing that Mid regulates the cell-fate specification of diverse cell types within the developing heart, epidermis and central nervous system. Tbx20 has been detected in diverse neuronal and epithelial cells of embryonic eye tissues in both mice and humans. However, the mechanisms by which either Mid or Tbx20 function to regulate cell-fate specification or other critical aspects of eye development including cell survival have not yet been elucidated. We have also gathered preliminary evidence suggesting that Mid may play an indirect, but vital role in selecting SOP cells within the third-instar larval eye disc by regulating the expression of the proneural gene atonal. During subsequent pupal stages, Mid specifies SOP cell fates as a member of the Notch–Delta signaling hierarchy and is essential for maintaining cell viability within by inhibiting apoptotic pathways. We present several new hypotheses that seek to understand the role of Mid in regulating developmental processes downstream of the Notch receptor that are critical for specifying unique cell fates, patterning the adult eye and maintaining cellular homeostasis during eye disc morphogenesis. PMID:23962751

Are diverse societies less cohesive? Testing contact and mediated contact theories.

Science.gov (United States)

McKenna, Sarah; Lee, Eunro; Klik, Kathleen A; Markus, Andrew; Hewstone, Miles; Reynolds, Katherine J

2018-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated that there is a negative relationship between ethnic diversity in a local community and social cohesion. Often the way social cohesion is assessed, though, varies across studies and only some aspects of the construct are included (e.g., trust). The current research explores the relationship between diversity and social cohesion across a number of indicators of social cohesion including neighbourhood social capital, safety, belonging, generalized trust, and volunteering. Furthermore, social psychological theories concerning the role of positive contact and its impact on feelings of threat are investigated. Using a sample of 1070 third generation 'majority' Australians and structural equation modelling (SEM), findings suggest ethnic diversity is related to positive intergroup contact, and that contact showed beneficial impacts for some indicators of social cohesion both directly and indirectly through reducing perceived threat. When interethnic contact and perceived threat are included in the model there is no direct negative effect between diversity and social cohesion. The theoretical implications of these findings are outlined including the importance of facilitating opportunities for positive contact in diverse communities.

Task Force on Culture and Ethnic Diversity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singla, Rashmi

differences. Key words: work motivation, (sub) cultural differences, meta-representation. Email: kolman@pef.czu.cz 3.Abstract for presentation in Symposium Case conceptualization, relationship building and intervention challenges with culturally diverse clients among clinical psychologists: a case...... of knowledge originating from different geographical contexts. The initiative taken by the psychology students in Århus University, the specific course dynamic developed and the evaluation is to be delineated in the paper. In addition, both pedagogical psychological aspects and long term consequences...

Legal aspects and international implications of food irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerard, Alain.

1977-11-01

This paper reports on the status of work on food irradiation at international level, namely the IAEA/FAO/WHO Vienna recommendations, the proposed EEC directive, and the Codex alimentarius draft standards. It then deals with the legal aspects of the subject, in particular the problems concerning definitions, controls and instructions, and finally reviews the regulations for international trade in irradiated foodstuffs. (NEA) [fr

Legal Aspects of Regulating Lobbying in the United States of America and Canada

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Elena A. Kremyanskaya

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The author reviews history and peculiarities of the legal regulations of lobbying in USA and Canada, points out the tendencies of the legislation development. USA and Canada are among the first countries, which included legal regulations on the lobbying relations in the state government. The author explores the evolution of development of the lobbying legislation in the USA, and in particular reviews the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1976, Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, as well as evolution of the Canadian legislation, where the Act on Lobbying of 1989 is in force, which had substantial changes during the last ten years. Taking into consideration the territorial form of state, the author reviews not only the federal legislation, but also laws on the level of states and provinces of these federations. Besides, the author covers the activity of the control bodies, order of registration and reporting by lobbyists of their professional activity, reveals pro and cons of the legal regulations of such institution as lobbying. In the article there is the list of information, which should be provided by lobbyists to the control bodies and the author correctly mentions that this list in USA is much wider, comparing to Canadian regulations. In the article the author reviews the liability for violations of lobbying legislation. In particular, in the USA the criminal liability is applied up to 5 years of imprisonment and financial penalties up to 200 thousand US dollars. Based on the USA and Canada experience the author reveals the key issues, which should be fixed by the legal regulations in the country and in particular: the clear definition of the lobbying and lobbyist, necessity of disclosure on the information about client and amounts paid, fixing in the control mechanisms and liability.

Human capital diversity in the creation of social capital for team creativity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Han, J.; Han, J; Brass, D.

2014-01-01

We highlight the social aspects of team creativity by proposing that team creativity is influenced by two types of team social capital: bridging and bonding social capital. Going beyond the structural perspective, we posit that team-level human capital diversity is one of the potential antecedents

Pharyngoceles aspects in imaging exams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diniz, Fabio de Vilhena; Nakamura, Olavo Kyosen; Grassi, Caio Giometti; Barbosa Junior, Alcino Alves; Gomes, Regina Lucia Elia; Daniel, Mauro Miguel; Garcia, Marcio Ricardo Taveira; Funari, Marcelo Buarque de Gusmao

2010-01-01

Objective: the present study is aimed at showing the different characteristics of pharyngoceles in imaging exams (video fluoroscopic swallowing exam [VFSE] and computed tomography) and its correlation with clinical presentation. Material and method: pharyngocele cases were selected in imaging exams (video fluoroscopic swallowing exam [VFSE] and computed tomography) realized in our service, realizing clinical presentation correlation. Results: pharyngocele presents frequently with small dimensions and narrow orifice. When the size enlarges, clinical presentation is more evident and diverse, which can confuse with other cervical lesions that enlarge with Valsalva maneuver. Differential diagnosis can be done by imaging evaluation. Conclusion: we intended to demonstrate that many times pharyngocele can be presented with different aspects, not always being easy to recognize by clinics or imaging exams, but its diagnosis must be always remembered in our daily practice. (author)

Economic and Legal Aspects of Air Transport in Turkey

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Gisoo Mihandoust

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The aviation sector has highlighted the importance of economic and legal regulations in conjunction with the changes in the conditions of competition with the acceleration of globalization. The regulations in the aviation sector directly or indirectly affect the airline operators, which is critical as a result of its effects on the economic systems of the countries. Legal responsibilities in terms of influencing passenger rights and competition law issues; has a natural impact on shaping aviation regulations, sector dynamics and competitive conditions which is effecting the dynamic structure of the sector. This study aims to examine the economic and legal aspects of air transportation carried out in Turkey and to contribute to the literature as a result of the researches.

Four whole-istic aspects of schistosome granuloma biology: fractal arrangement, internal regulation, autopoietic component and closure

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HL Lenzi

2006-10-01

Full Text Available This paper centers on some whole-istic organizational and functional aspects of hepatic Schistosoma mansoni granuloma, which is an extremely complex system. First, it structurally develops a collagenic topology, originated bidirectionally from an inward and outward assembly of growth units. Inward growth appears to be originated from myofibroblasts derived from small portal vessel around intravascular entrapped eggs, while outward growth arises from hepatic stellate cells. The auto-assembly of the growth units defines the three-dimensional scaffold of the schistosome granulomas. The granuloma surface irregularity and its border presented fractal dimension equal to 1.58. Second, it is internally regulated by intricate networks of immuneneuroendocrine stimuli orchestrated by leptin and leptin receptors, substance P and Vasoactive intestinal peptide. Third, it can reach the population of ± 40,000 cells and presents an autopoietic component evidenced by internal proliferation (Ki-67+ Cells, and by expression of c-Kit+ Cells, leptin and leptin receptor (Ob-R, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF-R, and erythropoietin (Epo-R receptors. Fourth, the granulomas cells are intimately connected by pan-cadherins, occludin and connexin-43, building a state of closing (granuloma closure. In conclusion, the granuloma is characterized by transitory stages in such a way that its organized structure emerges as a global property which is greater than the sum of actions of its individual cells and extracellular matrix components.

INTERNATIONAL ASPECTS OF STATE REGULATION OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC RESPONSIBILITY OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP: EXPERIENCE FOR UKRAINE

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Ludmila Batchenko

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The subject of the study is the socio-economic aspects of the social responsibility of business (CSR in 4 countries. The purpose of the article is to study the experience in regulating the socio-economic responsibility of entrepreneurship in the United States, Sweden, India, and China to determine the direction of formation of the state mechanism of socio-economic responsibility of entrepreneurship (SERE in Ukraine. The methodology of the article became theoretical researches of foreign scientists, their synthesis, systematization, and analysis for the development of the application of experience in Ukrainian realities. The analysis showed how different states of CSR policy differ in each of these countries and made it possible to draw conclusions about the application in Ukraine. So, the experience of Sweden is useful in reviewing the social reporting obligation, as well as the experience of China. In the case of the USA, the role of the state in regulating CSRs in enterprises should be noted but, at the same time, the significant social consciousness of American entrepreneurs as recognized philanthropists, who are actively introducing ethical codes and key stewards from the implementation of CSR, are seen by society and aimed at improving the well-being of society. In China, the government plays an important role in the implementation of CSR for state-owned enterprises. In addition, laws are adopted to improve the rights of employees, to equalize gender differences, to increase the level of production, quality of products, which leads to an improvement in the quality of life of the country’s population. All this becomes relevant for Ukraine and can be used in our country as well. Indian experience draws attention through the adoption of a unique decision on the indifference of charity activities by Indian companies with a certain level of profit and the adoption of them by the rules of corporate social responsibility. In entrepreneurship

Embracing and Harnessing Diversity in the US Workforce: What Have We Learned?

Science.gov (United States)

Pope, Mark

2012-01-01

Cultural diversity in the US includes race, ethnicity, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, and other aspects of culture. American ethnic and racial minorities currently account for 31% of the US population, and growing. Their career development issues include the barriers they regularly encounter, such as discrimination;…

The development of regulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slokan Dusic, D.; Levstek, M.F.; Stritar, A.

2003-01-01

In October 2002, The Act on Protection Against Ionising Radiation and Nuclear Safety which regulates all aspects of protection against ionising radiation and nuclear safety entered into force in Slovenia. The Slovenian government and its responsible ministries shall issue several governmental and ministerial regulations to support the above - mentioned act. The Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA) which acts within the Ministry of the Environment, Spatial Planing and Energy takes an active part in drafting the regulations which are defined in the act. Due to a very comprehensive and pretentious task, that is to be completed in a relatively short period of time, taking into consideration the involvement of stakeholders and all competent ministries, the SNSA within the Quality Management System developed a special procedure that insures the systematic approach to the preparation of regulations. The article will briefly represent the process that: defines the preparation, development, harmonisation, review, approval and issue of regulations and uniforms the format of developed regulations. (author)

[The etiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder from the aspects of attachment theory, with special regard to perceived parental treatment, attachment patterns and emotion regulation difficulties].

Science.gov (United States)

Rejtô, Nóra; Papp, Gábor; Molnár, Judit

The focus of our study was the etiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder from attachment aspects. Our aim was to examine the representations of perceived parental treatment, attachment patterns and the level of emotion regulation of people who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder. 223 people participated in our study. The clinical group consisted of 92 persons with obsessive-compulsive symptoms, while the control group involved 131 people without OC symptoms. In the study we used the Young Parenting Inventory, the Relationship Questionnaire, and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Besides we compiled a questionnaire based on the DSM-5 and a demographic questionnaire. Respondents could fill the questionnaires online. The clinical group is characterized by significantly higher toxic frustration of each five basic emotional needs than the control group. Specifically, in the case of people with OC smptoms the toxic parental treatments for Defectiveness/ Shame, Dependence/Incompetence, Enmeshment/Undeveloped self, Entitlement/Grandiosity, Approval-seeking/ Recognition-seeking, Negativity/Pessimism, Emotional inhibition, Unrelenting standards/Hypercriticalness and Punitiveness were significantly more frequent than in the control group. The OC group is also characterized by significantly lower rate of secure attachment style, while dismissive attachment style proved to be the most frequent attachment style among them. The OC group also struggle with significantly higher level of emotion regulation difficulties.

Hmga2 regulates self-renewal of retinal progenitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Parameswaran, Sowmya; Xia, Xiaohuan; Hegde, Ganapati; Ahmad, Iqbal

2014-11-01

In vertebrate retina, histogenesis occurs over an extended period. To sustain the temporal generation of diverse cell types, retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) must self-renew. However, self-renewal and regulation of RPCs remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that cell-extrinsic factors coordinate with the epigenetic regulator high-mobility group AT-hook 2 (Hmga2) to regulate self-renewal of late retinal progenitor cells (RPCs). We observed that a small subset of RPCs was capable of clonal propagation and retained multipotentiality of parents in the presence of endothelial cells (ECs), known self-renewal regulators in various stem cell niches. The self-renewing effects, also observed in vivo, involve multiple intercellular signaling pathways, engaging Hmga2. As progenitors exhaust during retinal development, expression of Hmga2 progressively decreases. Analyses of Hmga2-expression perturbation, in vitro and in vivo, revealed that Hmga2 functionally helps to mediate cell-extrinsic influences on late-retinal progenitor self-renewal. Our results provide a framework for integrating the diverse intercellular influences elicited by epigenetic regulators for self-renewal in a dynamic stem cell niche: the developing vertebrate retina. © 2014. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Species richness, but not phylogenetic diversity, influences community biomass production and temporal stability in a re-examination of 16 grassland biodiversity studies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Venail, P.; Gross, K.; Oakley, T.H.; Narwani, A.; Allan, E.; Flombaum, P.; Isbell, F.; Joshi, J.; Reich, P.B.; Tilman, D.; Ruijven, van J.; Cardinale, B.J.

2015-01-01

1.Hundreds of experiments have now manipulated species richness of various groups of organisms and examined how this aspect of biological diversity influences ecosystem functioning. Ecologists have recently expanded this field to look at whether phylogenetic diversity among species, often quantified

Studies related to gender and geographic diversity in the ATLAS Collaboration

CERN Document Server

Pater, Joleen; The ATLAS collaboration

2016-01-01

This talk presents data showing aspects of the demographics and diversity of the collaboration, and how the various regions of the world are represented in ATLAS. In particular the relative fraction of women is discussed, both from various demographic perspectives as well as their share of contributions to, and recognition by the ATLAS experiment.

A Common STEP in the Synaptic Pathology of Diverse Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Micah A.; Lombroso, Paul J.

2012-01-01

Synaptic function is critical for proper cognition, and synaptopathologies have been implicated in diverse neuropsychiatric disorders. STriatal-Enriched protein tyrosine Phosphatase (STEP) is a brain-enriched tyrosine phosphatase that normally opposes synaptic strengthening by dephosphorylating key neuronal signaling molecules. STEP targets include N-methyl D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs), as well as extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and the tyrosine kinase Fyn. STEP-mediated dephosphorylation promotes the internalization of NMDARs and AMPARs and the inactivation of ERK and Fyn. Regulation of STEP is complex, and recent work has implicated STEP dysregulation in the pathophysiology of several neuropsychiatric disorders. Both high levels and low levels of STEP are found in a diverse group of illnesses. This review focuses on the role of STEP in three disorders in which STEP levels are elevated: Alzheimer’s disease, fragile X syndrome, and schizophrenia. The presence of elevated STEP in all three of these disorders raises the intriguing possibility that cognitive deficits resulting from diverse etiologies may share a common molecular pathway. PMID:23239949

AspectJ in action practical aspect-oriented programming

CERN Document Server

Laddad, Ramnivas

2003-01-01

A guide to aspect-oriented programming and the AspectJ language, this book provides code examples that enable quick implementation of functionality in a system. Thorough introductions to AOP and AspectJ will help developers learn or advance their knowledge of AspectJ. Examples of everyday situations in which AspectJ solutions can be applied, such as logging, policy enforcement, resource pooling, business logic, thread-safety, authentication and authorization, and transaction management are provided. In addition, design patterns and idioms are covered, as is business rule implementation. The latest technologies, such as JEES, JAAS, and log4j, are explained and connected with AspectJ.

Myocardial Na,K-ATPase: Clinical aspects

Science.gov (United States)

Kjeldsen, Keld

2003-01-01

The specific binding of digitalis glycosides to Na,K-ATPase is used as a tool for Na,K-ATPase quantification with high accuracy and precision. In myocardial biopsies from patients with heart failure, total Na,K-ATPase concentration is decreased by around 40%; a correlation exists between a decrease in heart function and a decrease in Na,K-ATPase concentration. During digitalization, around 30% of remaining pumps are occupied by digoxin. Myocardial Na,K-ATPase is also influenced by other drugs used for the treatment of heart failure. Thus, potassium loss during diuretic therapy has been found to reduce myocardial Na,K-ATPase, whereas angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors may stimulate Na,K pump activity. Furthermore, hyperaldosteronism induced by heart failure has been found to decrease Na,K-ATPase activity. Accordingly, treatment with the aldosterone antagonist, spironolactone, may also influence Na,K-ATPase activity. The importance of Na,K pump modulation with heart disease, inhibition in digitalization and other effects of medication should be considered in the context of sodium, potassium and calcium regulation. It is recommended that digoxin be administered to heart failure patients who, after institution of mortality-reducing therapy, still have heart failure symptoms, and that the therapy be continued if symptoms are revealed or reduced. Digitalis glycosides are the only safe inotropic drugs for oral use that improve hemodynamics in heart failure. An important aspect of myocardial Na,K pump affection in heart disease is its influence on extracellular potassium (Ke) homeostasis. Two important aspects should be considered: potassium handling among myocytes, and effects of potassium entering the extracellular space of the heart via the bloodstream. It should be noted that both of these aspects of Ke homeostasis are affected by regulatory aspects, eg, regulation of the Na,K pump by physiological and pathophysiological conditions, as well as by medical

Spatial pattern of tree diversity and evenness across forest types in Majella National Park, Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Redowan

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Background Estimation of tree diversity at broader scale is important for conservation planning. Tree diversity should be measured and understood in terms of diversity and evenness, two integral components to describe the structure of a biological community. Variation of the tree diversity and evenness with elevation, topographic relief, aspect, terrain shape, slope, soil nutrient, solar radiation etc. are well documented. Methods Present study explores the variation of tree diversity (measured as Shannon diversity and evenness indices of Majella National Park, Italy with five available forest types namely evergreen oak woods, deciduous oak woods, black/aleppo pine stands, hop-hornbeam forest and beech forest, using satellite, environmental and field data. Results Hop-hornbeam forest was found to be most diverse and even while evergreen Oak woods was the lowest diverse and even. Diversity and evenness of forest types were concurrent to each other i.e. forest type which was more diverse was also more even. As a broad pattern, majority portion of the study area belonged to medium diversity and high evenness class. Conclusions Satellite images and other GIS data proved useful tools in monitoring variation of tree diversity and evenness across various forest types. Present study findings may have implications in prioritizing conservation zones of high tree diversity at Majella.

Self-Regulation and School Achievement in Contexts : Aspects of Gender, Parenting, and Culture

OpenAIRE

Weis, Mirjam

2015-01-01

Scholars from multiple disciplines claim that self-regulation is an essential skill and motivation for positive developmental outcomes (e.g., Mischel, 2014; Moffitt et al., 2011; Tangney, Baumeister, & Boone, 2004). More specifically, self-regulation might play a central role for children’s school achievement (e.g., Blair, Ursache, Greenberg, Vernon-Feagans, & Investigators, 2015; McClelland et al., 2007; McClelland & Cameron, 2011; Suchodoletz, Trommsdorff, Heikamp, Wieber, & Gollwitzer, 200...

Screening criteria of volcanic hazards aspect in the NPP site evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nur Siwhan

2013-01-01

Studies have been conducted on the completeness of regulation in Indonesia particularly on volcanic hazards aspects in the evaluation of nuclear power plant site. Volcanic hazard aspect needed to identify potential external hazards that may endanger the safety of the operation of nuclear power plants. There are four stages for evaluating volcanic hazards, which are initial assessment, characterization sources of volcanic activity in the future, screening volcanic hazards and assessment of capable volcanic hazards. This paper discuss the third stage of the general evaluation which is the screening procedure of volcanic hazards. BAPETEN Chairman Regulation No. 2 Year of 2008 has only one screening criteria for missile volcanic phenomena, so it required screening criteria for other hazard phenomena that are pyroclastic flow density; lava flows; avalanche debris materials; lava; opening hole new eruptions, volcano missile; tsunamis; ground deformation; and hydrothermal system and ground water anomaly. (author)

AspectKE*

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Fan; Masuhara, Hidehiko; Aotani, Tomoyuki

2010-01-01

Enforcing security policies to distributed systems is difficult, in particular, when a system contains untrusted components. We designed AspectKE*, a distributed AOP language based on a tuple space, to tackle this issue. In AspectKE*, aspects can enforce access control policies that depend......KE*, and demonstrate usefulness of AspectKE* through a security aspect for a distributed chat system....

Regulation of GMOs in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yinliang

2008-12-01

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are created by biotechnology to serve people with much benefit while may impose risks to ecological environment and human health and therefore need careful regulation. During the past two decades, GMOs have been well developed in China and so has their corresponding regulation. This paper reviews and comments the multiple aspects of mainly the agricultural GMOs, including their safety assessment, control measures, trade activities, import, labels, and GM food, which have been prescribed by the corresponding laws, regulations and administrative measures. It is held that till present a framework for regulation of agricultural GMOs and GM food has been established basically in China, while a more comprehensive system for regulation of all kinds of GMOs and all kinds of related activities is still needed at present and in the future.

Self-Regulation: Relations with Theory of Mind and Social Behaviour

Science.gov (United States)

Korucu, Irem; Selcuk, Bilge; Harma, Mehmet

2017-01-01

It is argued that self-regulation skill is necessary both for displaying constructive behaviour and for controlling negative social behaviour, and self-regulation might affect social behaviours by increasing the ability to understand others' minds. In this research, in order to examine different aspects of self-regulation and their similarities…

The interplay of diversity training and diversity beliefs on team creativity in nationality diverse teams.

Science.gov (United States)

Homan, Astrid C; Buengeler, Claudia; Eckhoff, Robert A; van Ginkel, Wendy P; Voelpel, Sven C

2015-09-01

Attaining value from nationality diversity requires active diversity management, which organizations often employ in the form of diversity training programs. Interestingly, however, the previously reported effects of diversity training are often weak and, sometimes, even negative. This situation calls for research on the conditions under which diversity training helps or harms teams. We propose that diversity training can increase team creativity, but only for teams with less positive pretraining diversity beliefs (i.e., teams with a greater need for such training) and that are sufficiently diverse in nationality. Comparing the creativity of teams that attended nationality diversity training versus control training, we found that for teams with less positive diversity beliefs, diversity training increased creative performance when the team's nationality diversity was high, but undermined creativity when the team's nationality diversity was low. Diversity training had less impact on teams with more positive diversity beliefs, and training effects were not contingent upon these teams' diversity. Speaking to the underlying process, we showed that these interactive effects were driven by the experienced team efficacy of the team members. We discuss theoretical and practical implications for nationality diversity management. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Aspects and Polymorphism in AspectJ

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lorenz, David Harel; Ernst, Erik

2003-01-01

There are two important points of view on inclusion or subtype polymorphism in object-oriented programs, namely polymorphic access and dynamic dispatch. These features are essential for object-oriented programming, and it is worthwhile to consider whether they are supported in aspect-oriented......J as the basis for the presentation. The results are not exclusive to AspectJ---aspectual polymorphism may make aspects in any comparable AOSD language more expressive and reusable across programs, while preserving safety....

Education and cultural diversity - doi: 10.4025/actascieduc.v34i1.14528

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irizelda Martins de Souza e Silva

2012-05-01

Full Text Available This paper seeks to analyze the main issues concerning the main tensions to be resolved by the education, aiming to clear the theme of cultural diversity. Here in it is argued in the context of the emergence of concepts, such as cultural diversity, pluralism, multiculturalism, interculturality, identity, among others. This study is based on a research conducted by teachers of the area of public policy of the State University of Maringá, which examine important aspects of the history of Brazilian education, in particular documents of international organizations like UNESCO.

Cultural diversity: blind spot in medical curriculum documents, a document analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Paternotte, Emma; Fokkema, Joanne P I; van Loon, Karsten A; van Dulmen, Sandra; Scheele, Fedde

2014-08-22

Cultural diversity among patients presents specific challenges to physicians. Therefore, cultural diversity training is needed in medical education. In cases where strategic curriculum documents form the basis of medical training it is expected that the topic of cultural diversity is included in these documents, especially if these have been recently updated. The aim of this study was to assess the current formal status of cultural diversity training in the Netherlands, which is a multi-ethnic country with recently updated medical curriculum documents. In February and March 2013, a document analysis was performed of strategic curriculum documents for undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in the Netherlands. All text phrases that referred to cultural diversity were extracted from these documents. Subsequently, these phrases were sorted into objectives, training methods or evaluation tools to assess how they contributed to adequate curriculum design. Of a total of 52 documents, 33 documents contained phrases with information about cultural diversity training. Cultural diversity aspects were more prominently described in the curriculum documents for undergraduate education than in those for postgraduate education. The most specific information about cultural diversity was found in the blueprint for undergraduate medical education. In the postgraduate curriculum documents, attention to cultural diversity differed among specialties and was mainly superficial. Cultural diversity is an underrepresented topic in the Dutch documents that form the basis for actual medical training, although the documents have been updated recently. Attention to the topic is thus unwarranted. This situation does not fit the demand of a multi-ethnic society for doctors with cultural diversity competences. Multi-ethnic countries should be critical on the content of the bases for their medical educational curricula.

How to Break the Cycle of Low Workforce Diversity: A Model for Change.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine R O'Brien

Full Text Available Social justice concerns but also perceived business advantage are behind a widespread drive to increase workplace diversity. However, dominance in terms of ethnicity, gender or other aspects of diversity has been resistant to change in many sectors. The different factors which contribute to low diversity are often hotly contested and difficult to untangle. We propose that many of the barriers to change arise from self-reinforcing feedbacks between low group diversity and inclusivity. Using a dynamic model, we demonstrate how bias in employee appointment and departure can trap organizations in a state with much lower diversity than the applicant pool: a workforce diversity "poverty trap". Our results also illustrate that if turnover rate is low, employee diversity takes a very long time to change, even in the absence of any bias. The predicted rate of change in workforce composition depends on the rate at which employees enter and leave the organization, and on three measures of inclusion: applicant diversity, appointment bias and departure bias. Quantifying these three inclusion measures is the basis of a new, practical framework to identify barriers and opportunities to increasing workforce diversity. Because we used a systems approach to investigate underlying feedback mechanisms rather than context-specific causes of low workforce diversity, our results are applicable across a wide range of settings.

How to Break the Cycle of Low Workforce Diversity: A Model for Change.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Brien, Katherine R; Scheffer, Marten; van Nes, Egbert H; van der Lee, Romy

2015-01-01

Social justice concerns but also perceived business advantage are behind a widespread drive to increase workplace diversity. However, dominance in terms of ethnicity, gender or other aspects of diversity has been resistant to change in many sectors. The different factors which contribute to low diversity are often hotly contested and difficult to untangle. We propose that many of the barriers to change arise from self-reinforcing feedbacks between low group diversity and inclusivity. Using a dynamic model, we demonstrate how bias in employee appointment and departure can trap organizations in a state with much lower diversity than the applicant pool: a workforce diversity "poverty trap". Our results also illustrate that if turnover rate is low, employee diversity takes a very long time to change, even in the absence of any bias. The predicted rate of change in workforce composition depends on the rate at which employees enter and leave the organization, and on three measures of inclusion: applicant diversity, appointment bias and departure bias. Quantifying these three inclusion measures is the basis of a new, practical framework to identify barriers and opportunities to increasing workforce diversity. Because we used a systems approach to investigate underlying feedback mechanisms rather than context-specific causes of low workforce diversity, our results are applicable across a wide range of settings.

Expert Voices in Learning Improvisation: Shaping Regulation Processes through Experiential Influence

Science.gov (United States)

de Bruin, Leon R.

2017-01-01

Interpersonal and collaborative activity plays an important role in the social aspects of self-regulated learning (SRL) development. Peer, teacher and group interactions facilitate support for self-regulation, co-regulation and socially shared regulatory processes. Situated and experiential interplay facilitates personal, co-constructed and…

Chinese Parenting Styles and Children's Self-Regulated Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Juan; Prochner, Larry

2004-01-01

Self-regulated learning is an important aspect of student learning and academic achievement. Certain parenting styles help children develop self-regulated learning and encourage them to exert control over their own learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Chinese parenting style and children's involvement in…

Functional diversity of fish in estuaries at a global extent

OpenAIRE

Rita P Vasconcelos; Sébastien Villéger; François Guilhaumon

2015-01-01

Biodiversity is currently viewed as a framework encompassing multiple facets of the variety of life, including taxonomic and functional aspects. Species richness and composition of fish assemblages in estuaries is defined by global to local processes acting on community colonization. The present study further investigates how biodiversity of fish assemblages varies among estuaries globally, by simultaneously analysing taxonomic and functional richness and diversity of assemblages. A comprehen...

Does staff diversity imply openness to diversity?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauring, Jakob; Selmer, Jan

2013-01-01

Purpose – Post-secondary educational organizations are currently some of the most diverse settings to be found. However, few educational studies have dealt with staff diversity and hardly any has looked outside the USA. The purpose of this paper is to present a study of members of international...... university departments in Denmark. The authors set out to investigate the relationship between different types of staff diversity and openness to diversity in terms of linguistic, visible, value, and informational heterogeneity. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses responses from 489 staff members......, was unrelated or negatively associated with positive diversity attitudes. Originality/value – Few studies deal with the role of staff diversity and no prior studies the authors know of have examined the link between diversity types and openness to diversity....

Molecular structure and diversity of PBAN/Pyrokinin family peptides in ants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Man-Yeon eChoi

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Neuropeptides are the largest group of insect hormones. They are produced in the central and peripheral nervous systems and affect insect development, reproduction, feeding and behavior. A variety of neuropeptide families have been identified in insects. One of these families is the PBAN/pyrokinin family defined by a common FXPRLamide or similar amino acid fragment at the C-terminal end. These peptides, found in all insects studied thus far, have been conserved throughout evolution. The most well studied physiological function is regulation of moth sex pheromone biosynthesis through the Pheromone Biosynthesis Activating Neurohormone (PBAN, although several developmental functions have also been reported. Over the past years we have extended knowledge of the PBAN/pyrokinin family of peptides to ants, focusing mainly on the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. The fire ant is one of the most studied social insects and over the last 60 years a great deal has been learned about many aspects of this ant, including the behaviors and chemistry of pheromone communication. However, virtually nothing is known about the regulation of these pheromone systems. Recently, we demonstrated the presence of PBAN/pyrokinin immunoreactive neurons in the fire ant, and identified and characterized PBAN and additional neuropeptides. We have mapped the fire ant PBAN gene structure and determined the tissue expression level in the central nervous system of the ant. We review here our research to date on the molecular structure and diversity of ant PBAN/pyrokinin peptides in preparation for determining the function of the neuropeptides in ants and other social insects.

Feedback regulation between autophagy and PKA.

Science.gov (United States)

Torres-Quiroz, Francisco; Filteau, Marie; Landry, Christian R

2015-01-01

Protein kinase A (PKA) controls diverse cellular processes and homeostasis in eukaryotic cells. Many processes and substrates of PKA have been described and among them are direct regulators of autophagy. The mechanisms of PKA regulation and how they relate to autophagy remain to be fully understood. We constructed a reporter of PKA activity in yeast to identify genes affecting PKA regulation. The assay systematically measures relative protein-protein interactions between the regulatory and catalytic subunits of the PKA complex in a systematic set of genetic backgrounds. The candidate PKA regulators we identified span multiple processes and molecular functions (autophagy, methionine biosynthesis, TORC signaling, protein acetylation, and DNA repair), which themselves include processes regulated by PKA. These observations suggest the presence of many feedback loops acting through this key regulator. Many of the candidate regulators include genes involved in autophagy, suggesting that not only does PKA regulate autophagy but that autophagy also sends signals back to PKA.

ASPECTS CONCERNING THE JOINT VENTURE UNDER THE REGULATION OF THE NEW CIVIL CODE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana-Maria Lupulescu

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The New Civil Code makes the transition, for the first time in the Romanian legal system, from the duality to the unity of private law. Consequently, the Civil Code contains a legal regulation more structured and comprehensive, although not entirely safe from any criticism, in relation to the company, with particular reference to the simple company, regulation that expressly characterizes itself as the common law in this field. Within these general provisions, the legislator has considered the joint venture, to which, however, as in the previous regulation contained in the old Commercial Code – now repealed –, it does not devote too many legal provisions, in order to maintain the flexibility of this form of company. Therefore, this approach appears particularly useful for analysts in law and, especially, for practitioners, since it aims to achieve a comprehensive analysis of the joint venture, form of company with practical incidence.

Office of Economic Impact and Diversity 2003 annual report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2004-05-01

This report covers a one-year period in which the Office successfully completed several major activities. The Office of Economic Impact and Diversity (ED) is responsible for the development and implementation of Department-wide polices in the areas of small business, diversity and minority economic development. ED oversees civil rights laws, rules, and regulations, and establishes Department-wide civil rights policy. Additionally, ED promotes excellence in the workplace and adheres to the objectives stated below relative to the President’s Management Agenda (PMA): Strategic management of human capital; Competitive sourcing; Improved financial performance; Expanded electronic government, and Budget and performance integration

Emotion control in collaborative learning situations: do students regulate emotions evoked by social challenges?

Science.gov (United States)

Järvenoja, Hanna; Järvelä, Sanna

2009-09-01

During recent decades, self-regulated learning (SRL) has become a major research field. SRL successfully integrates the cognitive and motivational components of learning. Self-regulation is usually seen as an individual process, with the social aspects of regulation conceptualized as one aspect of the context. However, recent research has begun to investigate whether self-regulation processes are complemented by socially shared regulation processes. The presented study investigated what kind of socio-emotional challenges students experience during collaborative learning and whether the students regulate the emotions evoked during these situations. The interplay of the emotion regulation processes between the individual and the group was also studied. The sample for this study was 63 teacher education students who studied in groups of three to five during three collaborative learning tasks. Students' interpretations of experienced social challenges and their attempts to regulate emotions evoked by these challenges were collected following each task using the Adaptive Instrument for the Regulation of Emotions. The results indicated that students experienced a variety of social challenges. Students also reported the use of shared regulation in addition to self-regulation. Finally, the results suggested that intrinsic group dynamics are derived from both individual and social elements of collaborative situations. The findings of the study support the assumption that students can regulate emotions collaboratively as well as individually. The study contributes to our understanding of the social aspects of emotional regulation in collaborative learning contexts.

Regulations in the field of food irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-02-01

The material available for this review, as well as the Guidelines for Preparing Regulations for the Control of Food Irradiation Facilities adopted by ICGFI, the international Conference Document on the Acceptance, Control of and Trade in Irradiated Food, the draft European Economic Community Directive and the Codex General Standard and Code of Practice on food irradiation suggest that the following aspects may be subject to regulation: Food irradiation licensing, radiation safety, food hygiene, package labelling, inspection, certification for commercial purposes. The purpose of this review is to provide Member States with the information necessary for and special to the control of food processing by irradiation, so as to enable them to ensure that they have or they can adopt effective regulations governing all aspects of trade in irradiated food. Three countries have introduced in their food laws special provisions to regulate the processing of food by radiation. Twenty-three countries have issued such special regulations under the existing statutory authority of one of the executive branches: Seven countries either by reference or by incorporation in whole or in part in their regulations, gave recognition to the Codex Standard and Code of Practice. The absence of such specific recognition should not be interpreted, however, to mean that those countries have not accepted the Codex recommendations. Many provisions seem to have taken the Codex recommendations as a guide. 16 refs

Plant ABC transporters enable many unique aspects of a terrestrial plant's lifestyle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hwang, Jae-Ung; Song, Won-Yong; Hong, Daewoong

2016-01-01

Terrestrial plants have two to four times more ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter genes than other organisms, including their ancestral microalgae. Recent studies found that plants harboring mutations in these transporters exhibit dramatic phenotypes, many of which are related to developmental...... to propose that diverse ABC transporters enabled many unique and essential aspects of a terrestrial plant's lifestyle, by transporting various compounds across specific membranes of the plant....

Diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Portraits In Courage Vol. VIII Portraits In Courage Vol. IX Portraits In Courage Vol. X AF Sites Social -Wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce Executive Order 13548 : Virtual Diversity Conference Air Force Diversity & Inclusion Air Force Diversity Graphic There is no

Executive functions and self-regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hofmann, Wilhelm; Schmeichel, Brandon J; Baddeley, Alan D

2012-03-01

Self-regulation is a core aspect of adaptive human behavior that has been studied, largely in parallel, through the lenses of social and personality psychology as well as cognitive psychology. Here, we argue for more communication between these disciplines and highlight recent research that speaks to their connection. We outline how basic facets of executive functioning (working memory operations, behavioral inhibition, and task-switching) may subserve successful self-regulation. We also argue that temporary reductions in executive functions underlie many of the situational risk factors identified in the social psychological research on self-regulation and review recent evidence that the training of executive functions holds significant potential for improving poor self-regulation in problem populations. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How are we 'doing' cultural diversity? A look across English Canadian undergraduate medical school programmes.

Science.gov (United States)

Gustafson, Diana L; Reitmanova, Sylvia

2010-01-01

Cultural diversity education is a required curriculum component at all accredited North American medical schools. Each medical school determines its own content and pedagogical approaches. This preliminary study maps the approaches to cultural diversity education in English Canadian medical schools. A review of 14 English Canadian medical school websites was undertaken to identify the theoretical approaches to cultural diversity education. A PubMed search was also completed to identify the recent literature on cultural diversity medical education in Canada. Data were analysed using 10 criteria that distinguish pedagogical approaches, curricular structure, course content and theoretical understandings of cultural diversity. Based on the information posted on English Canadian medical school websites, all schools offer cultural diversity education although how each 'does' cultural diversity differs widely. Two medical schools have adopted the cultural competency model; five have adopted a critical cultural approach to diversity; and the remaining seven have incorporated some aspects of both approaches. More comprehensive research is needed to map the theoretical approaches to cultural diversity at Canadian medical schools and to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of these approaches on improving physician-patient relationships, reducing health disparities, improving health outcomes and producing positive learning outcomes in physicians.

Cocoa agronomy, quality, nutritional, and health aspects.

Science.gov (United States)

Badrie, Neela; Bekele, Frances; Sikora, Elzbieta; Sikora, Marek

2015-01-01

The history of cocoa and chocolate including the birth and the expansion of the chocolate industry was described. Recent developments in the industry and cocoa economy were briefly depicted. An overview of the classification of cacao as well as studies on phenotypic and genetic diversity was presented. Cocoa agronomic practices including traditional and modern propagation techniques were reviewed. Nutrition-related health benefits derived from cocoa consumption were listed and widely reviewed. The specific action of cocoa antioxidants was compared to those of teas and wines. Effects of adding milk to chocolate and chocolate drinks versus bioavailability of cocoa polyphenols were discussed. Finally, flavor, sensory, microbiological, and toxicological aspects of cocoa consumption were presented.

Legal aspects of nuclear waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofmann, H.

1981-01-01

The result of the study is that the nuclear waste management defined by sect. 9a of the Atomic Energy Law cannot be realized without violating the constitution or other relevant laws. This evaluation of the nuclear waste management concept is based on an in-depth discussion of technological difficulties involved in nuclear waste management, and on the examination of all existing rules and regulations (Radiation Protection Ordinance, intermediate storage and burial, and reprocessing) at home and abroad, which lead to legal aspects of nuclear waste management which, according to established German law, are to be characterized as being 'unclear'. The author demonstrates especially the lack of precision in law of the term 'radioactive waste'. He points out that a sufficient regulation on the dismantlement of nuclear reactors is missing and he sets forth uncertainties relating to administrative law which are involved in bringing in private companies for burial as it is provided by law. The concluding constitutional assessment of the nuclear waste management regulation of the Atomic Energy Law shows that sect. 9a of the Atomic Energy Law does not meet completely constitutional requirements. (orig./HP) [de

A walk into the LuxR regulators of Actinobacteria: phylogenomic distribution and functional diversity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catarina Lopes Santos

Full Text Available LuxR regulators are a widely studied group of bacterial helix-turn-helix (HTH transcription factors involved in the regulation of many genes coding for important traits at an ecological and medical level. This regulatory family is particularly known by their involvement in quorum-sensing (QS mechanisms, i.e., in the bacterial ability to communicate through the synthesis and binding of molecular signals. However, these studies have been mainly focused on gram-negative organisms, and the presence of LuxR regulators in the gram-positive Actinobacteria phylum is still poorly explored. In this manuscript, the presence of LuxR regulators among Actinobacteria was assayed using a domain-based strategy. A total of 991 proteins having one LuxR domain were identified in 53 genome-sequenced actinobacterial species, of which 59% had an additional domain. In most cases (53% this domain was REC (receiver domain, suggesting that LuxR regulators in Actinobacteria may either function as single transcription factors or as part of two-component systems. The frequency, distribution and evolutionary stability of each of these sub-families of regulators was analyzed and contextualized regarding the ecological niche occupied by each organism. The results show that the presence of extra-domains in the LuxR-regulators was likely driven by a general need to physically uncouple the signal sensing from the signal transduction. Moreover, the total frequency of LuxR regulators was shown to be dependent on genetic, metabolic and ecological variables. Finally, the functional annotation of the LuxR regulators revealed that the bacterial ecological niche has biased the specialization of these proteins. In the case of pathogens, our results suggest that LuxR regulators can be involved in virulence and are therefore promising targets for future studies in the health-related biotechnology field.

A Walk into the LuxR Regulators of Actinobacteria: Phylogenomic Distribution and Functional Diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Catarina Lopes; Correia-Neves, Margarida; Moradas-Ferreira, Pedro; Mendes, Marta Vaz

2012-01-01

LuxR regulators are a widely studied group of bacterial helix-turn-helix (HTH) transcription factors involved in the regulation of many genes coding for important traits at an ecological and medical level. This regulatory family is particularly known by their involvement in quorum-sensing (QS) mechanisms, i.e., in the bacterial ability to communicate through the synthesis and binding of molecular signals. However, these studies have been mainly focused on Gram-negative organisms, and the presence of LuxR regulators in the Gram-positive Actinobacteria phylum is still poorly explored. In this manuscript, the presence of LuxR regulators among Actinobacteria was assayed using a domain-based strategy. A total of 991 proteins having one LuxR domain were identified in 53 genome-sequenced actinobacterial species, of which 59% had an additional domain. In most cases (53%) this domain was REC (receiver domain), suggesting that LuxR regulators in Actinobacteria may either function as single transcription factors or as part of two-component systems. The frequency, distribution and evolutionary stability of each of these sub-families of regulators was analyzed and contextualized regarding the ecological niche occupied by each organism. The results show that the presence of extra-domains in the LuxR-regulators was likely driven by a general need to physically uncouple the signal sensing from the signal transduction. Moreover, the total frequency of LuxR regulators was shown to be dependent on genetic, metabolic and ecological variables. Finally, the functional annotation of the LuxR regulators revealed that the bacterial ecological niche has biased the specialization of these proteins. In the case of pathogens, our results suggest that LuxR regulators can be involved in virulence and are therefore promising targets for future studies in the health-related biotechnology field. PMID:23056438

Staff Rules and Regulations - Modification N°10 to the 11th edition

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2016-01-01

The Five-Yearly Review 2015 has concluded with the approval, by the Finance Committee and the Council on 16 and 17 December 2015, of the package of measures proposed by the Management (CERN/3213).   In accordance with the recommendations made and decisions taken at the Finance Committee and Council meetings relating to diversity-related aspects, which enter into force on 1 January 2016, the following pages of the Staff Rules and Regulations have been updated: Preamble, Contents – amendment on page iii.   Chapter II, Conditions of Employment and Association: - Section 1 (Employment and Association) - amendment on pages 11, 12, 14 and 15. - Section 4 (Leave) - amendment on pages 24, 25, 26 and 27. Chapter IV, Social Conditions: - Section 1 (Family, partners and family benefits) – amendment on page 37. - Section 2 (Social insurance cover) – amendment on page 39. Chapter V, Financial conditions: - Section 1 (Financ...

Legal aspects of dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pomarola, H.

1976-01-01

The use of ionizing radiations is regulated in France in all fields of application. The main principles governing inspection activities in the food industry are outlined. Conventional preservation methods are mentioned, after which a discussion is devoted to the preservation of food products by irradiation treatment and the increasing importance given to this technique. Consumer protection automatically implies the obligatory use of dosimetry by inspection organisms if the irradiated merchandise is likely to serve for human or animal consumption. Irradiation treatment permits are granted in a context of specific statutory texts mentioned here. Supervision is constant, but always both realistic and flexible. Each aspect of this treatment is discussed in maximum detail if not quite exhaustively, with special emphasis on dosimetry as an indispensable safety factor [fr

The selected aspects of emotional labour and emotion regulation in medical jobs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maciej Załuski

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Background: the term of emotional labour describes the processes which occur at the medical staff while carrying out emotional expectations of patients. There are links between emotional labour, work strain and the exhaustion of physical and emotional strenght. Goal of dissertation: to discuss certain problems connected with the phenomenon of the emotional labour and the emotion regulation processes which occur to the medical staff during the contact with patients. Summary and conclusion: there are a lot of research which confirm the negative health effects of some kinds of emotional labour and emotion regulation. Discussed issues rarely appear in Polish medical magazines in spite of the increasing number of foreign publications. Key words: emotional intelligence, interpersonal relations, health personnel

What Health-Related Functions Are Regulated by the Nervous System?

Science.gov (United States)

... What health-related functions are regulated by the nervous system? The nervous system plays a role in nearly every aspect of ... feeling emotions. Functions that are regulated by the nervous system include (but are not limited to): Brain growth ...

A Contrastive Study of Cultural Diversity of Learning Styles between China and the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Jian, Hong

2009-01-01

This paper makes a contrastive study of learning styles between China and the U.S. from five aspects and recognizes that the differences are due to the influence of cultural diversity such as individualism and collectivism, Confucianism, utilitarianism and pragmatism etc.

DEVELOPMENT OF AQUATIC MODELS FOR TESTING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENETIC DIVERSITY AND POPULATION EXTINCTION RISK

Science.gov (United States)

The relationship between population adaptive potential and extinction risk in a changing environment is not well understood. Although the expectation is that genetic diversity is directly related to the capacity of populations to adapt, the statistical and predictive aspects of ...

Safety and ethical aspects on retrievability: A Swedish nuclear regulator's view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toverud, Oe.; Wingefors, S.

2000-01-01

An important contribution to the discussion on retrieval in Sweden has been the ethical principle of the Swedish National Council for Nuclear Waste (KASAM). ''The KASAM Principle'' means that the present generation, which has reaped the benefits of nuclear energy, must also take care of the waste and not transfer the responsibility to future generations; a repository should be designed and constructed so that monitoring and remedial actions are not necessary in the future. However, future generations, probably with better knowledge and other values, must still have the freedom to make their own decisions; we should therefore not make monitoring and remedial action unnecessarily difficult. SKI generally supports the KASAM principle but its application in the individual case should be based on solid evidence that both aspects have been covered in a suggested repository design. There may be a number of possible reasons for retrieval of spent nuclear fuel from a repository and they range from technical to purely political. SKI supports that the repository shall not be designed so that it unnecessarily impairs future attempts to retrieve the waste, monitor or ''repair'' the repository. However, measures to facilitate any kind of access to the repository must not reduce the long term safety of the repository. SKI concludes that: Future generations may wish to retrieve the spent fuel from a sealed repository. Disposal method and repository design should consider this and not make such retrieval unnecessarily difficult. On the other hand, any measures taken to facilitate retrieval must not significantly impair the long term safety functions of the repository. It must be shown that the safety aspects have been adequately considered. Retrievability must always be discussed with caution, so that it will not give the impression of doubts concerning the safety of the repository. (author)

Operator/regulator interface: Organizational structure and responsibilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiebe, J S [American Electric Power Service Corp. (United States)

1997-09-01

In the context of promotion of safety culture for the nuclear power plants the following aspects are briefly described: operator/regulator interface regulatory organization; policy making body; operating organization; regulatory interface.

Diversity, Function and Transcriptional Regulation of Gut Innate Lymphocytes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucille eRankin

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The innate immune system plays a critical early role in host defense against viruses, bacteria and tumour cells. Until recently, natural killer (NK cells and lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi cells were the primary members of the innate lymphocyte family: NK cells form the front-line interface between the external environment and the adaptive immune system, while LTi cells are essential for secondary lymphoid tissue formation. More recently, it has become apparent that the composition of this family is much more diverse than previously appreciated and newly recognized populations play distinct and essential functions in tissue protection. Despite the importance of these cells, the developmental relationships between different innate lymphocyte populations (ILCs remain unclear. Here we review recent advances in our understanding of the development of different innate immune cell subsets, the transcriptional programs that might be involved in driving fate decisions during development, and their relationship to NK cells.

How diverse are diversity assessment methods? A comparative analysis and benchmarking of molecular descriptor space.

Science.gov (United States)

Koutsoukas, Alexios; Paricharak, Shardul; Galloway, Warren R J D; Spring, David R; Ijzerman, Adriaan P; Glen, Robert C; Marcus, David; Bender, Andreas

2014-01-27

initial population of 2587 compounds, covering the 25 largest human activity classes from ChEMBL and measured the coverage of activity classes by the subsets. Here, it was found that "Bayes Affinity Fingerprints" achieved an average coverage of 92% of activity classes. Using the descriptors ECFP4, GpiDAPH3, TGT, and random sampling, 91%, 84%, 84%, and 84% of the activity classes were represented in the selected compounds respectively, followed by BCUT, prop2D, MACCS, and PMI (in order of decreasing performance). In addition, we were able to show that there is no visible correlation between compound diversity in PMI space and in bioactivity space, despite frequent utilization of PMI plots to this end. To summarize, in this work, we assessed which descriptors select compounds with high coverage of bioactivity space, and can hence be used for diverse compound selection for biological screening. In cases where multiple descriptors are to be used for diversity selection, this work describes which descriptors behave complementarily, and can hence be used jointly to focus on different aspects of diversity in chemical space.

Selection of multiple umbrella species for functional and taxonomic diversity to represent urban biodiversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Sattler, T; Pezzatti, G B; Nobis, M P; Obrist, M K; Roth, T; Moretti, M

2014-04-01

Surrogates, such as umbrella species, are commonly used to reduce the complexity of quantifying biodiversity for conservation purposes. The presence of umbrella species is often indicative of high taxonomic diversity; however, functional diversity is now recognized as an important metric for biodiversity and thus should be considered when choosing umbrella species. We identified umbrella species associated with high taxonomic and functional biodiversity in urban areas in Switzerland. We analyzed 39,752 individuals of 574 animal species from 96 study plots and 1397 presences of 262 plant species from 58 plots. Thirty-one biodiversity measures of 7 taxonomic groups (plants, spiders, bees, ground beetles, lady bugs, weevils and birds) were included in within- and across-taxa analyses. Sixteen measures were taxonomical (species richness and species diversity), whereas 15 were functional (species traits including mobility, resource use, and reproduction). We used indicator value analysis to identify umbrella species associated with single or multiple biodiversity measures. Many umbrella species were indicators of high biodiversity within their own taxonomic group (from 33.3% in weevils to 93.8% in birds), to a lesser extent they were indicators across taxa. Principal component analysis revealed that umbrella species for multiple measures of biodiversity represented different aspects of biodiversity, especially with respect to measures of taxonomic and functional diversity. Thus, even umbrella species for multiple measures of biodiversity were complementary in the biodiversity aspects they represented. Thus, the choice of umbrella species based solely on taxonomic diversity is questionable and may not represent biodiversity comprehensively. Our results suggest that, depending on conservation priorities, managers should choose multiple and complementary umbrella species to assess the state of biodiversity. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Emotion Regulation in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Berkovits, Lauren; Eisenhower, Abbey; Blacher, Jan

2017-01-01

There has been little research connecting underlying emotion processes (e.g., emotion regulation) to frequent behavior problems in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examined the stability of emotion regulation and its relationship with other aspects of child functioning. Participants included 108 children with ASD,…

Wrecked regulation of intrinsically disordered proteins in diseases: Pathogenicity of deregulated regulators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimir N. Uversky

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Biologically active proteins without stable tertiary structure are common in all known proteomes. Functions of these intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs are typically related to regulation, signaling and control. Cellular levels of these important regulators are tightly regulated by a variety mechanisms ranging from firmly controlled expression to precisely targeted degradation. Functions of IDPs are controlled by binding to specific partners, alternative splicing, and posttranslational modifications among other means. In the norm, right amounts of precisely activated IDPs have to be present in right time at right places. Wrecked regulation brings havoc to the ordered world of disordered proteins, leading to protein misfolding, misidentification, and missignaling that give rise to numerous human diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and diabetes. Among factors inducing pathogenic transformations of IDPs are various cellular mechanisms, such as chromosomal translocations, damaged splicing, altered expression, frustrated posttranslational modifications, aberrant proteolytic degradation, and defective trafficking. This review presents some of the aspects of deregulated regulation of IDPs leading to human diseases.

Discovery of a “White-Gray-Opaque” Tristable Phenotypic Switching System in Candida albicans: Roles of Non-genetic Diversity in Host Adaptation

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Guobo; Dai, Yu; Nobile, Clarissa J.; Liang, Weihong; Cao, Chengjun; Zhang, Qiuyu; Zhong, Jin; Huang, Guanghua

2014-01-01

Non-genetic phenotypic variations play a critical role in the adaption to environmental changes in microbial organisms. Candida albicans, a major human fungal pathogen, can switch between several morphological phenotypes. This ability is critical for its commensal lifestyle and for its ability to cause infections. Here, we report the discovery of a novel morphological form in C. albicans, referred to as the “gray” phenotype, which forms a tristable phenotypic switching system with the previously reported white and opaque phenotypes. White, gray, and opaque cell types differ in a number of aspects including cellular and colony appearances, mating competency, secreted aspartyl proteinase (Sap) activities, and virulence. Of the three cell types, gray cells exhibit the highest Sap activity and the highest ability to cause cutaneous infections. The three phenotypes form a tristable phenotypic switching system, which is independent of the regulation of the mating type locus (MTL). Gray cells mate over 1,000 times more efficiently than do white cells, but less efficiently than do opaque cells. We further demonstrate that the master regulator of white-opaque switching, Wor1, is essential for opaque cell formation, but is not required for white-gray transitions. The Efg1 regulator is required for maintenance of the white phenotype, but is not required for gray-opaque transitions. Interestingly, the wor1/wor1 efg1/efg1 double mutant is locked in the gray phenotype, suggesting that Wor1 and Efg1 could function coordinately and play a central role in the regulation of gray cell formation. Global transcriptional analysis indicates that white, gray, and opaque cells exhibit distinct gene expression profiles, which partly explain their differences in causing infections, adaptation ability to diverse host niches, metabolic profiles, and stress responses. Therefore, the white-gray-opaque tristable phenotypic switching system in C. albicans may play a significant role in a wide

Consistency and Variability in Talk about "Diversity": An Empirical Analysis of Discursive Scope in Swiss Large Scale Enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anja Ostendorp

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Traditionally discussions of "diversity" in organizations either refer to an ideal "management" of a diverse workforce or to specific concerns of minorities. The term diversity, however, entails a growing number of translations. Highlighting this diversity of diversity, the concept cannot be merely conceived of as either social-normative or economic-functional. Therefore, the present study empirically scrutinizes the current scope of diversity-talk in Swiss large scale enterprises from a discursive psychological perspective. First, it provides five so-called interpretative repertoires which focus on: image, market, minorities, themes, and difference. Second, it discusses why and how persons oscillate between consistency and variability whenever they draw upon these different repertoires. Finally, it points out possibilities to combine them. This empirical approach to diversity in organizations offers new aspects to the current debate on diversity and introduces crucial concepts of a discursive psychological analysis. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs090218

The historic and national aspects of medical ethics and deontology.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prikhoda Igor' Viktorovich

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Researches of problems of medical ethics and deontology in activity of the medical worker presented. Historical and national aspects of the delivered problem are considered. They open diversity and complexity of realization of problems of formation of the person of the medical worker. The humanism in medicine makes its ethical basis and morals. The humanism serves moral development of the person of the medical worker. Without humanism the medicine loses the right on existence. Its scientific and professional principles conflict to its basic purpose - to serve the person.

Diversity and functions of intestinal mononuclear phagocytes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Joeris, Thorsten; Müller-Luda, K; Agace, William Winston

2017-01-01

The intestinal lamina propria (LP) contains a diverse array of mononuclear phagocyte (MNP) subsets, including conventional dendritic cells (cDC), monocytes and tissue-resident macrophages (mφ) that collectively play an essential role in mucosal homeostasis, infection and inflammation. In the curr......The intestinal lamina propria (LP) contains a diverse array of mononuclear phagocyte (MNP) subsets, including conventional dendritic cells (cDC), monocytes and tissue-resident macrophages (mφ) that collectively play an essential role in mucosal homeostasis, infection and inflammation....... In the current review we discuss the function of intestinal cDC and monocyte-derived MNP, highlighting how these subsets play several non-redundant roles in the regulation of intestinal immune responses. While much remains to be learnt, recent findings also underline how the various populations of MNP adapt...

Modeling the influence from ocean transport, mixing and grazing on phytoplankton diversity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adjou, Mohamed; Bendtsen, Jørgen; Richardson, Katherine

2012-01-01

Phytoplankton diversity, whether defined on the basis of functional groups or on the basis of numbers of individual species, is known to be heterogeneous throughout the global ocean. The factors regulating this diversity are generally poorly understood, although access to limiting nutrients...... in generating and maintaining diversity, we apply the model to quantify the potential role of zooplankton grazing and ocean transport for the coexistence of competing species and phytoplankton diversity. We analyze the sensitivity of phytoplankton biomass distributions to different types of grazing functional...... responses and show that preferential grazing on abundant species, for example as formulated by the Holling type III grazing function, is a key factor for maintaining species’ coexistence. Mixing and large-scale advection are shown to potentially have a significant impact on the distribution of phytoplankton...

Deciphering Transcriptional Regulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Valen, Eivind

The myriad of cells in the human body are all made from the same blueprint: the human genome. At the heart of this diversity lies the concept of gene regulation, the process in which it is decided which genes are used where and when. Genes do not function as on/off buttons, but more like a volume...... mostly near the start of the gene known as the promoter. This region contains patterns scattered in the DNA that the TFs can recognize and bind to. Such binding can prompt the assembly of the pre-initiation complex which ultimately leads to transcription of the gene. In order to achieve the regulation...... on what characterizes a hippocampus promoter. Pairing CAGE with TF binding site prediction we identi¿ed a likely key regulator of hippocampus. Finally, we developed a method for CAGE exploration. While the DeepCAGE library characterized a full 1.4 million transcription initiation events it did not capture...

Electrical and control aspects of the Sizewell B PWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

The pressurized water reactor, Sizewell-B, which is being built in Suffolk is well on in its construction schedule. This conference looked at the electrical and control aspects of the first PWR to be built in the United Kingdom. Although based on the standard Westinghouse PWR design, modifications have been made to meet the particular requirements of the site and the UK licensing regulations. There are 11 papers on all aspects of the electrical systems, 5 papers on the cables and cable installation, 5 on the main control rooms and auxiliary shutdown room, 5 on the integrated system and centralised operation, 6 on the monitoring and protection systems and 9 on the reactor protection systems. All 41 are indexed separately. (UK)

Genetic Diversity Of Plukenetia Volubilis L. Assessed By ISSR Markers*

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Ocelák M.

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The diversity and genetic relationships in 173 sacha inchi samples were analyzed using ISSR markers. Thirty ISSR primers were used, only 8 showed variability in tested samples. ISSR fragments ranged from 200 to 2500 bp. The mean number of bands per primer was 12 and the average number of polymorphic bands per primer was 11. The lowest percentages of polymorphic bands (27%, gene diversity (0.103, and Shannon’s information index (0.15 were exhibited by the Santa Lucia population, which was also geographically most distant. This fact may be attributed to a very small size of this group. In contrast, the Dos de Mayo population exhibited the highest percentage of polymorphic bands (78%, and the Santa Cruz population the highest Nei’s gene diversity index (0.238 and Shannon’s information index (0.357. The obtained level of genetic variability was 36% among tested populations and 64% within populations. Although the diversity indices were low, a cluster analysis revealed 8 clusters containing mainly samples belonging to individual populations. Principal coordinate analysis clearly distinguished Chumbaquihui, Pucallpa, Dos de Mayo, and Aguas de Oro populations, the others were intermixed. The obtained results indicated the level of genetic diversity present in this location of Peru, although it is influenced by anthropological aspects and independent on the geographical distances.

Symbiotic Dinoflagellate Functional Diversity Mediates Coral Survival under Ecological Crisis.

Science.gov (United States)

Suggett, David J; Warner, Mark E; Leggat, William

2017-10-01

Coral reefs have entered an era of 'ecological crisis' as climate change drives catastrophic reef loss worldwide. Coral growth and stress susceptibility are regulated by their endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (genus Symbiodinium). The phylogenetic diversity of Symbiodinium frequently corresponds to patterns of coral health and survival, but knowledge of functional diversity is ultimately necessary to reconcile broader ecological success over space and time. We explore here functional traits underpinning the complex biology of Symbiodinium that spans free-living algae to coral endosymbionts. In doing so we propose a mechanistic framework integrating the primary traits of resource acquisition and utilisation as a means to explain Symbiodinium functional diversity and to resolve the role of Symbiodinium in driving the stability of coral reefs under an uncertain future. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Regulation of Nuclear Trade: Non-Proliferation-Supply-safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

Volume II of the study on the regulation of nuclear trade deals with the national legislation of OECD countries with significant nuclear programmes and regulations in that field and, in essence, covers two aspects. The first concerns political and administrative controls over imports and exports of sensitive products, namely fissile materials and large nuclear equipment as well as technology transfers. In most cases, this description of the provisions applicable is completed with the list of nuclear items whose export is restricted. The second aspect concerns the licensing system governing trade in as well as the import and export of nuclear material to protect users and the public against the hazards created by its radioactive properties. This volume also contains information on regulations concerning physical protection, industrial property and transport, as well as on multilateral and bilateral agreements involving nuclear trade. (NEA) [fr

Modeling TH 2 responses and airway inflammation to understand fundamental mechanisms regulating the pathogenesis of asthma.

Science.gov (United States)

Foster, Paul S; Maltby, Steven; Rosenberg, Helene F; Tay, Hock L; Hogan, Simon P; Collison, Adam M; Yang, Ming; Kaiko, Gerard E; Hansbro, Philip M; Kumar, Rakesh K; Mattes, Joerg

2017-07-01

In this review, we highlight experiments conducted in our laboratories that have elucidated functional roles for CD4 + T-helper type-2 lymphocytes (T H 2 cells), their associated cytokines, and eosinophils in the regulation of hallmark features of allergic asthma. Notably, we consider the complexity of type-2 responses and studies that have explored integrated signaling among classical T H 2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13), which together with CCL11 (eotaxin-1) regulate critical aspects of eosinophil recruitment, allergic inflammation, and airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR). Among our most important findings, we have provided evidence that the initiation of T H 2 responses is regulated by airway epithelial cell-derived factors, including TRAIL and MID1, which promote T H 2 cell development via STAT6-dependent pathways. Further, we highlight studies demonstrating that microRNAs are key regulators of allergic inflammation and potential targets for anti-inflammatory therapy. On the background of T H 2 inflammation, we have demonstrated that innate immune cells (notably, airway macrophages) play essential roles in the generation of steroid-resistant inflammation and AHR secondary to allergen- and pathogen-induced exacerbations. Our work clearly indicates that understanding the diversity and spatiotemporal role of the inflammatory response and its interactions with resident airway cells is critical to advancing knowledge on asthma pathogenesis and the development of new therapeutic approaches. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Mechanisms and pathways of innate immune activation and regulation in health and cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Jun; Chen, Yongjun; Wang, Helen Y; Wang, Rong-Fu

2014-01-01

Research on innate immune signaling and regulation has recently focused on pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs) and their signaling pathways. Members of PRRs sense diverse microbial invasions or danger signals, and initiate innate immune signaling pathways, leading to proinflammatory cytokines production, which, in turn, instructs adaptive immune response development. Despite the diverse functions employed by innate immune signaling to respond to a variety of different pathogens, the innate immune response must be tightly regulated. Otherwise, aberrant, uncontrolled immune responses will lead to harmful, or even fatal, consequences. Therefore, it is essential to better discern innate immune signaling and many regulators, controlling various signaling pathways, have been identified. In this review, we focus on the recent advances in our understanding of the activation and regulation of innate immune signaling in the host response to pathogens and cancer.

Ecological aspects of lake regulation in Northern Finland. Part 2. Geomorphology and vegetation of the littoral zone. Ekologiset naekoekohdat joidenkin Pohjois-Suomen jaervien saeaennoestelyssae. Osa 2. Rannan geomorfologia ja vesikasvillisuus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hellsten, S.; Alasaarela, E. (9830800FI); Keraenen, R.; Nykaenen, M. (Oulu Univ. (Finland)); Neuvonen, I. (Kainuun Vesi- ja ympaeristoepiiri, Kajaani (Finland))

1989-02-01

Ecological aspects of lake regulation were studied in certain lakes in northern Finland in 1984-1987. The general aims of the project were to analyze the effects of regulation on lake ecosystems and to produce information that can be applied when assessing the possible effects of hydroelectric projects. The effects of lake regulation were easy to observe in the littoral zone of Lake Ontojaervi, the sandy shores in particular were unstable both above and below the water level. The shores were very much steeper than those of Lake Lentua, which affected the distribution of bottom types, minerogenic bottoms were more common than in the latter lake. The results from the two lakes were used to calculate a simple model to forecast the distribution of bottom types of Lake Ontojaervi before regulation. The effect of penetration by ice was also easy to recognize on the shores of Lake Ontojaervi; the surface sediment being frozen to a greater depth than in Lake Lentua. Beneath the freezing zone in ice just pressed down on the sediment. The littoral vegetation decreased markedly after regulation and was entirely absent in open places. Changes in abundance were particularly clear, with decreases in the large isoetides and helophytes and increases of small isoetides. The results from Lake Lentua were used to formulate a simple ecological model for the frequency of macrophytes.

International frameworks, national problems: mining OHS regulation in South Africa and Australia

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Shaw, A

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Effective occupational health and safety (OHS) regulation is a critical foundation for healthy and safe mining, but the nature of the risks and the diversity of the mining industry create particular challenges for OHS regulation and enforcement...

Regulating the long-term safety of geological disposal of radioactive waste: practical issues and challenges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

Regulating the long-term safety of geological disposal of radioactive waste is a key part of making progress on the radioactive waste management issue. A survey of member countries has shown that differences exist both in the protection criteria being applied and in the methods for demonstrating compliance, reflecting historical and cultural differences between countries which in turn result in a diversity of decision-making approaches and frameworks. At the same time, however, these differences in criteria are unlikely to result in significant differences in long-term protection, as all the standards being proposed are well below levels at which actual effects of radiological exposure can be observed and a range of complementary requirements is foreseen. In order to enable experts from a wide range of backgrounds to debate the various aspects of these findings, the NEA organised an international workshop in November 2006 in Paris, France. Discussions focused on diversity in regulatory processes; the basis and tools for assuring long-term protection; ethical responsibilities of one generation to later generations and how these can be discharged; and adapting regulatory processes to the long time frames involved in implementing geological disposal. These proceedings include a summary of the viewpoints expressed as well as the 22 papers presented at the workshop. (author)

Corporate Governance Quality, Board Gender Diversity and Corporate Dividend Policy: Evidence from Jordan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayat S. Al-Rahahleh

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the impact of corporate governance quality and board gender diversity on the corporate dividend policy for a set of all non-financial companies listed on Amman Stock Exchange (ASE during the period 2009-2015. The results documented that corporate governance quality and board gender diversity proxies have positive impact on corporate dividend policy. The results also showed that the women representation on the boards of non-financial companies in Jordan is considered low relative to other countries. Particularly, the causes of the poor board gender diversity in Jordan range from lack of awareness about the benefits of gender diversity to the lack of legislation that regulates this issue. It is recommended to non-financial companies in Jordan to boost their compliance with the corporate governance code and adopt diversity policies to enhance the effectiveness of the boards and keep favorable relationships with their shareholders. Furthermore, regulatory bodies in Jordan should take a step towards encouraging gender diversity on boards.

Government regulation of gambling business

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stepasyuk S.A.

2017-05-01

Full Text Available the article deals with the problems of modern gambling business in the Russian Federation, political and legal, civil and economic aspects of state politics development in the field of activities regulation. The Federal Law regulating the activity of gambling business has been analyzed. The author has offered some developments of gambling business in the Russian Federation in order to increase the revenues to the budgets of the regions; to increase the attractiveness of the Russian resorts; to create more job opportunities and to eradicate unemployment.

Lipoprotein lipase: genetics, lipid uptake, and regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Merkel, Martin; Eckel, Robert H; Goldberg, Ira J

2002-12-01

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) regulates the plasma levels of triglyceride and HDL. Three aspects are reviewed. 1) Clinical implications of human LPL gene variations: common mutations and their effects on plasma lipids and coronary heart disease are discussed. 2) LPL actions in the nervous system, liver, and heart: the discussion focuses on LPL and tissue lipid uptake. 3) LPL gene regulation: the LPL promoter and its regulatory elements are described.

Technical and legal aspects of the decommissioning of nuclear installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rowden, M.A.; Fowler, S.E.

1983-01-01

Many of the plants licensed at the start of nuclear power programmes will require decommissioning in the 1990's and this issue should now be confronted by the nuclear industry, its regulators and governments. This paper deals with the United States programme and experience in the decommissioning of nuclear installations and describes alternative decommissioning methods including safety and financial aspects. (NEA) [fr

What Teachers Think about Self-Regulated Learning: Investigating Teacher Beliefs and Teacher Behavior of Enhancing Students’ Self-Regulation

OpenAIRE

Dignath-van Ewijk, Charlotte; van der Werf, Greetje

2012-01-01

In order to foster self-regulated learning (SRL), teachers should provide students with learning strategies, as well as with constructivist learning environments that allow them to self-regulate their learning. These two components complement each other. When investigating teachers’ promotion of SRL, not only teacher behavior, but also teachers’ beliefs as well as their knowledge about SRL are relevant aspects to consider. Therefore, this study seeks to examine teachers’ knowledge and beliefs...

Yeast diversity and native vigor for flavor phenotypes.

Science.gov (United States)

Carrau, Francisco; Gaggero, Carina; Aguilar, Pablo S

2015-03-01

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the yeast used widely for beer, bread, cider, and wine production, is the most resourceful eukaryotic model used for genetic engineering. A typical concern about using engineered yeasts for food production might be negative consumer perception of genetically modified organisms. However, we believe the true pitfall of using genetically modified yeasts is their limited capacity to either refine or improve the sensory properties of fermented foods under real production conditions. Alternatively, yeast diversity screening to improve the aroma and flavors could offer groundbreaking opportunities in food biotechnology. We propose a 'Yeast Flavor Diversity Screening' strategy which integrates knowledge from sensory analysis and natural whole-genome evolution with information about flavor metabolic networks and their regulation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetic Regulation of Phenotypic Plasticity and Canalisation in Yeast Growth.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anupama Yadav

Full Text Available The ability of a genotype to show diverse phenotypes in different environments is called phenotypic plasticity. Phenotypic plasticity helps populations to evade extinctions in novel environments, facilitates adaptation and fuels evolution. However, most studies focus on understanding the genetic basis of phenotypic regulation in specific environments. As a result, while it's evolutionary relevance is well established, genetic mechanisms regulating phenotypic plasticity and their overlap with the environment specific regulators is not well understood. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is highly sensitive to the environment, which acts as not just external stimulus but also as signalling cue for this unicellular, sessile organism. We used a previously published dataset of a biparental yeast population grown in 34 diverse environments and mapped genetic loci regulating variation in phenotypic plasticity, plasticity QTL, and compared them with environment-specific QTL. Plasticity QTL is one whose one allele exhibits high plasticity whereas the other shows a relatively canalised behaviour. We mapped phenotypic plasticity using two parameters-environmental variance, an environmental order-independent parameter and reaction norm (slope, an environmental order-dependent parameter. Our results show a partial overlap between pleiotropic QTL and plasticity QTL such that while some plasticity QTL are also pleiotropic, others have a significant effect on phenotypic plasticity without being significant in any environment independently. Furthermore, while some plasticity QTL are revealed only in specific environmental orders, we identify large effect plasticity QTL, which are order-independent such that whatever the order of the environments, one allele is always plastic and the other is canalised. Finally, we show that the environments can be divided into two categories based on the phenotypic diversity of the population within them and the two categories have

Meiosis: An Overview of Key Differences from Mitosis

Science.gov (United States)

Ohkura, Hiroyuki

2015-01-01

Meiosis is the specialized cell division that generates gametes. In contrast to mitosis, molecular mechanisms and regulation of meiosis are much less understood. Meiosis shares mechanisms and regulation with mitosis in many aspects, but also has critical differences from mitosis. This review highlights these differences between meiosis and mitosis. Recent studies using various model systems revealed differences in a surprisingly wide range of aspects, including cell-cycle regulation, recombination, postrecombination events, spindle assembly, chromosome–spindle interaction, and chromosome segregation. Although a great degree of diversity can be found among organisms, meiosis-specific processes, and regulation are generally conserved. PMID:25605710

Managing Cultural Diversity in Federal Germany: Bavaria and Berlin as Classic Antagonists

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caroline Schultz

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Due to the type of federalism applied in Germany the level of analysis best suited for studying integration is that of the 16 Länder. For comparing the approaches of two of these - Bavaria and Berlin - in managing migration-related diversity, the paper uses a double differentiation as analytical starting point. The first refers to the bulk of literature of different national models of integration and proposes two ideal types of integration/diversity policy. The second differentiation seizes the suggestion that integration in some areas of life is socially much more consequential than in others with the consequence that state intervention in these areas is much easier to justify from a normative point of view. From the descriptive comparison it becomes clear that both Länder, though coming from rather diverging starting points, by now employ hybrid strategies to accommodate or manage different aspects of cultural diversity.

Successful emotion regulation is predicted by amygdala activity and aspects of personality: A latent variable approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Morawetz, Carmen; Alexandrowicz, Rainer W; Heekeren, Hauke R

2017-04-01

The experience of emotions and their cognitive control are based upon neural responses in prefrontal and subcortical regions and could be affected by personality and temperamental traits. Previous studies established an association between activity in reappraisal-related brain regions (e.g., inferior frontal gyrus and amygdala) and emotion regulation success. Given these relationships, we aimed to further elucidate how individual differences in emotion regulation skills relate to brain activity within the emotion regulation network on the one hand, and personality/temperamental traits on the other. We directly examined the relationship between personality and temperamental traits, emotion regulation success and its underlying neuronal network in a large sample (N = 82) using an explicit emotion regulation task and functional MRI (fMRI). We applied a multimethodological analysis approach, combing standard activation-based analyses with structural equation modeling. First, we found that successful downregulation is predicted by activity in key regions related to emotion processing. Second, the individual ability to successfully upregulate emotions is strongly associated with the ability to identify feelings, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. Third, the successful downregulation of emotion is modulated by openness to experience and habitual use of reappraisal. Fourth, the ability to regulate emotions is best predicted by a combination of brain activity and personality as well temperamental traits. Using a multimethodological analysis approach, we provide a first step toward a causal model of individual differences in emotion regulation ability by linking biological systems underlying emotion regulation with descriptive constructs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Natural Selection and Genetic Diversity in the Butterfly Heliconius melpomene.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Simon H; Möst, Markus; Palmer, William J; Salazar, Camilo; McMillan, W Owen; Jiggins, Francis M; Jiggins, Chris D

2016-05-01

A combination of selective and neutral evolutionary forces shape patterns of genetic diversity in nature. Among the insects, most previous analyses of the roles of drift and selection in shaping variation across the genome have focused on the genus Drosophila A more complete understanding of these forces will come from analyzing other taxa that differ in population demography and other aspects of biology. We have analyzed diversity and signatures of selection in the neotropical Heliconius butterflies using resequenced genomes from 58 wild-caught individuals of Heliconius melpomene and another 21 resequenced genomes representing 11 related species. By comparing intraspecific diversity and interspecific divergence, we estimate that 31% of amino acid substitutions between Heliconius species are adaptive. Diversity at putatively neutral sites is negatively correlated with the local density of coding sites as well as nonsynonymous substitutions and positively correlated with recombination rate, indicating widespread linked selection. This process also manifests in significantly reduced diversity on longer chromosomes, consistent with lower recombination rates. Although hitchhiking around beneficial nonsynonymous mutations has significantly shaped genetic variation in H. melpomene, evidence for strong selective sweeps is limited overall. We did however identify two regions where distinct haplotypes have swept in different populations, leading to increased population differentiation. On the whole, our study suggests that positive selection is less pervasive in these butterflies as compared to fruit flies, a fact that curiously results in very similar levels of neutral diversity in these very different insects. Copyright © 2016 by the Genetics Society of America.

The interplay of diversity training and diversity beliefs on team creativity in nationality diverse teams

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Homan, A.C.; Buengeler, C.; Eckhoff, R.A.; van Ginkel, W.P.; Voelpel, S.C.

2015-01-01

Attaining value from nationality diversity requires active diversity management, which organizations often employ in the form of diversity training programs. Interestingly, however, the previously reported effects of diversity training are often weak and, sometimes, even negative. This situation

Review of Gender and Racial Diversity in Radiation Protection.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillenwalters, Elizabeth; Martinez, Nicole

2017-04-01

The rapidly changing demographics of the United States workforce include a large number of women and members of minority groups that are currently underrepresented in science and engineering-related education and careers. Recent research indicates that while singular incidents of sexism do exist, gender bias more often affects women in various subtle ways. The effects of stereotype threat and the lack of appropriate mentoring and female role models are samples of the possible factors contributing to performance and longevity for women in math-intensive fields. To address how this issue affects those in radiation protection, the current status of women in the field is reviewed as a progression through the scientific pipeline, from education and employment to positions in scientific bodies and professional recognition, with primary focus on American women and institutions. Racial diversity demographics are reviewed where available. Findings indicate women and minority racial groups are underrepresented in multiple aspects of education, research, and leadership. While gender diversity across the field has not yet reached gender parity, trending indicates that the percentage of women earning degrees in radiation protection has consistently increased over the last four decades. Diversity of racial groups, however, has remained fairly consistent and is well below national averages. Diverse perspectives have been documented in collective problem-solving to lead to more innovative solutions.

Translating conservation genetics into management: Pan-European minimum requirements for dynamic conservation units of forest tree genetic diversity

OpenAIRE

Koskela, Jarkko; Lefèvre, François; Schueler, Silvio; Kraigher, Hojka; Olrik, Ditte C.; Hubert, Jason; Longauer, Roman; Bozzano, Michele; Yrjänä, Leena; Alizoti, Paraskevi; Rotach, Peter; Vietto, Lorenzo; Bordács, Sándor; Myking, Tor; Eysteinsson, Thröstur

2013-01-01

This paper provides a review of theoretical and practical aspects related to genetic management of forest trees. The implementation of international commitments on forest genetic diversity has been slow and partly neglected. Conservation of forest genetic diversity is still riddled with problems, and complexities of national legal and administrative structures. Europe is an example of a complex region where the dis- tribution ranges of tree species extend across large geographical areas with ...

Effects of large herbivores on grassland arthropod diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

van Klink, R; van der Plas, F; van Noordwijk, C G E Toos; WallisDeVries, M F; Olff, H

2015-05-01

specific requirements of arthropods when applying grazing management and to include arthropods in monitoring schemes. Conservation strategies aiming at maximizing heterogeneity, including regulation of herbivore densities (through human interventions or top-down control), maintenance of different types of management in close proximity and rotational grazing regimes, are the most promising options to conserve arthropod diversity. © 2014 The Authors. Biological Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Cambridge Philosophical Society.

Legal aspects of the hydraulic fracturing method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Duraj

2011-12-01

Full Text Available In recent months the possibility of extracting shale gas by way of the hydraulic fracturing method in Poland as well as across EU territory has been widely discussed. The European Parliament is to decide whether to ban this method. There are various legal, ecological and economical aspects influencing European legislators. It is hard not to notice how strongly the anti- and pro- hydraulic fracturing lobbies are connected with business. At the moment there are no specific regulations that relate directly to this extraction method, neither in the EU as a whole nor in Poland. However, in Poland a new Geological and Mining Act is supposed to come into force on 1st January 2012, which will regulate natural gas extraction with a view to ensure proper extraction of shale gas in the near future. This article is aimed at showing Polish regulations, both planned and currently in force, as well as the relevant EU law in respect of shale gas extraction. The author would like to emphasize the need to create one coherent legislative regime which would enable entrepreneurs to commence extraction by way of hydraulic fracturing without creating a danger for the environment.

Consumer-related Legal Aspects of the Infromation Society

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Falch, Morten; Henten, Anders; Skouby, Knud Erik

1998-01-01

The general legal framework covering economic transactions has been created long before the creation of electronic commerce. Therefore most regulation more or less explicitly assumes that goods have a physical appearance and that all contractual issues are settled either orally or by use of paper...... into this new situation. This creates a number of legal and regulatory problems, which - if not resolved - may restrict further growth of electronic commerce. This paper deals with the consumer related aspects of this regulatory challenge....

Diverse crowds using diverse methods improves the scientific dialectic.

Science.gov (United States)

Motyl, Matt; Iyer, Ravi

2015-01-01

In science, diversity is vital to the development of new knowledge. We agree with Duarte et al. that we need more political diversity in social psychology, but contend that we need more religious diversity and methodological diversity as well. If some diversity is good, more is better (especially in science).

Thioredoxin Selectivity for Thiol-based Redox Regulation of Target Proteins in Chloroplasts*

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshida, Keisuke; Hara, Satoshi; Hisabori, Toru

2015-01-01

Redox regulation based on the thioredoxin (Trx) system is believed to ensure light-responsive control of various functions in chloroplasts. Five Trx subtypes have been reported to reside in chloroplasts, but their functional diversity in the redox regulation of Trx target proteins remains poorly clarified. To directly address this issue, we studied the Trx-dependent redox shifts of several chloroplast thiol-modulated enzymes in vitro and in vivo. In vitro assays using a series of Arabidopsis recombinant proteins provided new insights into Trx selectivity for the redox regulation as well as the underpinning for previous suggestions. Most notably, by combining the discrimination of thiol status with mass spectrometry and activity measurement, we identified an uncharacterized aspect of the reductive activation of NADP-malate dehydrogenase; two redox-active Cys pairs harbored in this enzyme were reduced via distinct utilization of Trxs even within a single polypeptide. In our in vitro assays, Trx-f was effective in reducing all thiol-modulated enzymes analyzed here. We then investigated the in vivo physiological relevance of these in vitro findings, using Arabidopsis wild-type and Trx-f-deficient plants. Photoreduction of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase was partially impaired in Trx-f-deficient plants, but the global impact of Trx-f deficiency on the redox behaviors of thiol-modulated enzymes was not as striking as expected from the in vitro data. Our results provide support for the in vivo functionality of the Trx system and also highlight the complexity and plasticity of the chloroplast redox network. PMID:25878252

CRISPR/Cas systems: new players in gene regulation and bacterial physiology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David eWeiss

2014-04-01

Full Text Available CRISPR-Cas systems are bacterial defenses against foreign nucleic acids derived from bacteriophages, plasmids or other sources. These systems are targeted in an RNA-dependent, sequence-specific manner, and are also adaptive, providing protection against previously encountered foreign elements. In addition to their canonical function in defense against foreign nucleic acid, their roles in various aspects of bacterial physiology are now being uncovered. We recently revealed a role for a Cas9-based Type II CRISPR-Cas system in the control of endogenous gene expression, a novel form of prokaryotic gene regulation. Cas9 functions in association with two small RNAs to target and alter the stability of an endogenous transcript encoding a bacterial lipoprotein (BLP. Since BLPs are recognized by the host innate immune protein Toll-like Receptor 2 (TLR2, CRISPR-Cas-mediated repression of BLP expression facilitates evasion of TLR2 by the intracellular bacterial pathogen Francisella novicida, and is essential for its virulence. Here we describe the Cas9 regulatory system in detail, as well as data on its role in controlling virulence traits of Neisseria meningitidis and Campylobacter jejuni. We also discuss potential roles of CRISPR-Cas systems in the response to envelope stress and other aspects of bacterial physiology. Since ~45% of bacteria and ~83% of Archaea encode these machineries, the newly appreciated regulatory functions of CRISPR-Cas systems are likely to play broad roles in controlling the pathogenesis and physiology of diverse prokaryotes.

Removal of regulations on black lung benefits. Final rule.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-30

This final rule removes regulations on the Black Lung program from the Social Security Administration's (SSA) chapter of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The Black Lung Consolidation of Administrative Responsibility Act transferred the responsibility for administering Part B of the Black Lung benefits program from SSA to the Department of Labor (DOL), and we are removing the regulations in recognition of the fact that we are no longer responsible for administering any aspect of the Part B Black Lung program. DOL concurs with this final rule removing the regulations.

Surrogacy: ethical, legal, and social aspects.

Science.gov (United States)

Bromham, D R

1995-09-01

In considering the interrelated ethical, legal and social aspects of surrogacy we acknowledge that society has long accepted the delegation of various parenteral functions and explore the role of a surrogate in relationship to this as well as alluding to commoner comparisons with prostitution and adultery. In particular, the "birth mother" rule, the public antipathy to "commercial" surrogacy and restrictive legislation are explored and found to be inappropriate. It is concluded that the regulation, surveillance and assessment needed to ensure the best outcome for all concerned would perhaps be easiest achieved in programmes that are formally licensed under permissive legislation and adequately funded by "commercial" means.

Activation and Regulation of Cellular Eicosanoid Biosynthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas G. Brock

2007-01-01

Full Text Available There is a growing appreciation for the wide variety of physiological responses that are regulated by lipid messengers. One particular group of lipid messengers, the eicosanoids, plays a central role in regulating immune and inflammatory responses in a receptor-mediated fashion. These mediators are related in that they are all derived from one polyunsaturated fatty acid, arachidonic acid. However, the various eicosanoids are synthesized by a wide variety of cell types by distinct enzymatic pathways, and have diverse roles in immunity and inflammation. In this review, the major pathways involved in the synthesis of eicosanoids, as well as key points of regulation, are presented.

Cultural intelligence: A Pathway for Emergency Responder Engagement with Ethnically Diverse Communities

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-01

Conceptualization and Measurement of Cultural Intelligence,” Social and Personality Psychology Compass 6, no. 4 (2012): 297, doi: 10.1111/j.1751...subjective culture .34 According to this research, “Subjective cultural aspects include hidden, psychological factors such as values, beliefs, norms...research from leading researchers in the “domains of international and cross - cultural management as well as management of domestic diversity.”65 A

Phosphatidylcholines as regulators of glucose and lipid homeostasis: Promises and potential risks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hohenester, Simon; Beuers, Ulrich

2011-01-01

Nuclear hormone receptors regulate diverse metabolic pathways and the orphan nuclear receptor LRH-1 (also known as NR5A2) regulates bile acid biosynthesis. Structural studies have identified phospholipids as potential LRH-1 ligands, but their functional relevance is unclear. Here we show that an

Don't all veins look alike? Comprehensively attending to diversity within the vascular surgical specialty.

Science.gov (United States)

Hancock, Ange-Marie; Hancock, Charles R

2010-04-01

Prior research has established diversity as a topic of empirical analysis in the vascular surgery literature. Building on the work of previously published articles on diversity in the Journal of Vascular Surgery and elsewhere, this article engages in a broad discussion of diversity in two interrelated arenas: educational/workplace diversity and culturally competent care. Interdisciplinary review of the literature indicates that diversity is often thought of as an end-state to be accomplished. A more fruitful way to encompass the changing aspects of diversity work is to think of diversity as a set of processes that can be adjusted based on a set of interrelated goals that matter differently to different groups. In considering diversity as a process, an approach to diversity emerges that considers both independent effects of gender and race/ethnicity as well as interactive effects between the two variables to address future trends in medical education. Such trends are diagnosed and multiple courses of intervention are offered as reasonable options for future efforts. A comprehensive definition of diversity will be established in order to encompass two different arenas in which diversity concerns arise: educational diversity and culturally competent patient care. Second, a discussion of the rationales for attention to diversity among vascular surgeons will provide different avenues into a conversation about diversity in the profession. In so doing, three successful efforts will be briefly discussed: the Ohio State University's MED-Path program, the Keck School of Medicine's chair-centered approach to diversity in residency training, and the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons' (AAOS) approach to culturally competent care. Copyright 2010. Published by Mosby, Inc.

The RNA chaperone, Hfq, controls two luxR-type regulators and plays a key role in pathogenesis and production of antibiotics in Serratia sp. ATCC 39006.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilf, Nabil M; Williamson, Neil R; Ramsay, Joshua P; Poulter, Simon; Bandyra, Kasia J; Salmond, George P C

2011-10-01

Serratia sp. ATCC 39006 (S39006) is a Gram-negative bacterium that is virulent in plant (potato) and animal (Caenorhabditis elegans) models. It produces two secondary metabolite antibiotics, a prodigiosin and a carbapenem, and the exoenzymes, pectate lyase and cellulase. A complex regulatory network that includes quorum sensing (QS) controls production of prodigiosin. While many aspects of the regulation of the metabolites and exoenzymes are well understood, the potential role in this network of the RNA chaperone Hfq and dependent small regulatory RNAs has not been characterized. Hfq is an RNA chaperone involved in post-transcriptional regulation that plays a key role in stress response and virulence in diverse bacterial species. To explore whether Hfq-dependent processes might contribute to the regulation of antibiotic production we constructed an S39006 Δhfq mutant. Production of prodigiosin and carbapenem was abolished in this mutant strain, while production of the QS signalling molecule, butanoyl homoserine lactone (BHL), was unaffected. Using transcriptional fusions, we found that Hfq regulates the QS response regulators, SmaR and CarR. Additionally, exoenzyme production and swimming motility were decreased in a Δhfq mutant, and virulence was attenuated in potato and C. elegans models. These results suggest that an Hfq-dependent pathway is involved in the regulation of virulence and secondary metabolite production in S39006. © 2011 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Content Analysis of Diet-Related Mobile Apps: A Self-Regulation Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Zahry, Nagwan R; Cheng, Ying; Peng, Wei

2016-10-01

Diet-related mobile apps hold promise in helping individuals self-regulate their eating behaviors. Nevertheless, little is known about the extent to which diet-related mobile apps incorporate the established behavior change theories and evidence-based practices that promote dietary self-regulation. Guided by the self-regulation aspect of Bandura's social cognitive theory and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this study conducts a content analysis of diet-related mobile apps for iPhone (N = 400). In terms of the adherence to the self-regulation aspect of the social cognitive theory, results show that although 72.5% of the apps incorporate at least one theoretical construct, few apps tap all three processes of self-regulation (i.e., self-observation/monitoring, judgment process, and self-reaction). Additionally, outcome expectation is manifested in a majority of the diet-related apps. In terms of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, while the diet-related apps equally emphasize setting goals for calorie intake or nutrient consumption, more apps feature nutrient tracking than calorie tracking. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Acetazolamide in cerebral diagnosis: Physiological and pathophysiological aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lerch, H.; Franke, W.G.; Templin, A.

1990-01-01

The sensitivity in the diagnosis of cerebrovascular diseases using radiotracers can be enhanced by the use of the acetazolamide test. In this paper we present and discuss some physiological and pathophysiological aspects of its mechanism. The physiological action of the carboanhydrase inhibitor is like the action of enhanced pCO 2 in the tissue, thus acting at the site of metabolic regulation. The reaction of the vascular bed is influenced in part by subcortical structures. Pathologically the reaction can be disturbed at first by an altered regulation with the vessels being mechanically intact, e.g. in hypoxia or transient ischemia. Secondly, the mechanics of the vessels may be not intact e.g., in atherosclerosis or surrounding edema. Lastly, the vessels have already dilated, e.g. poststenotically. All these facts have to be taken into consideration interpreting an acetazolamid test. (orig.) [de

Diversity management

OpenAIRE

Knákalová, Lucie

2009-01-01

The key topic of the work is diversity management, i.e. management of em-ployees" diversity within organization. Opening part of the work identifies the position of diversity within society and related phenomena such as stereotypes, biases and various forms of discrimination. Then the work discusses the role of diversity management in organizations, its principles and basic areas of focus. Attention is paid to certain social groups that the diversity management concept should especially deal ...

miReg: a resource for microRNA regulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barh Debmalya

2010-03-01

Full Text Available MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs are important cellular components that regulate gene expression at posttranscriptional level. Various upstream components regulate miR expression and any deregulation causes disease conditions. Therefore, understanding of miR regulatory network both at upstream and downstream level is crucial and a resource on this aspect will be helpful. Currently available miR databases are mostly related to downstream targets, sequences, or diseases. But as of now, no database is available that provides a complete picture of miR regulation in a specific condition.

Genetic Diversity Analysis in 27 Tomato Accessions Using Morphological and Molecular Markers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catur Herison

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Genetic diversity is the most important aspect in tomato breeding activities. Better assessment on the diversity of the collected accessions will come up with better result of the cultivar development. This study aimed at analyzing the genetic diversity of 27 tomato accessions by morphological and molecular markers. Twenty seven accessions collected from various regions of Indonesia were planted in the field and evaluated for their morphological traits, and RAPD analyzed for their molecular markers. The UPGMA clustering analyzes, elaborating the combination of morphological and molecular data, indicated that the tomato accessions could be grouped into 5 major groups with 70 % genetic similarity levels. Current study indicated that although many accessions came from different locations, they congregated into the same group. Cherry, Kudamati 1 and Lombok 3 were the farthest genetic distant accessions to the others. Those three genotypes will be the most valuable accessions, when they were crossed with other accessions, for designing a prospective breeding program in the future.

System certification progress in concept recognition in IAEA regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luna, R.E.; Pollog, T.

1995-01-01

System Certification is a regulatory concept which is intended to expand the scope of radioactive material transport regulations by allowing alternative means for proving compliance with the requisite standards of safety set out in transport regulations. In practice it may allow more stringent requirements in one aspect of the regulations to be substituted for less stringent application in other areas so long as the safety standard provided by regulation is preserved. The concept is widely perceived as the imposition of operational controls in exchange for relaxation of packaging standards, but that is only one possibility in the spectrum of potential actions under a System Certification provision in IAEA or national regulations

Targeted genome regulation via synthetic programmable transcriptional regulators

KAUST Repository

Piatek, Agnieszka Anna

2016-04-19

Regulation of gene transcription controls cellular functions and coordinates responses to developmental, physiological and environmental cues. Precise and efficient molecular tools are needed to characterize the functions of single and multiple genes in linear and interacting pathways in a native context. Modular DNA-binding domains from zinc fingers (ZFs) and transcriptional activator-like proteins (TALE) are amenable to bioengineering to bind DNA target sequences of interest. As a result, ZF and TALE proteins were used to develop synthetic programmable transcription factors. However, these systems are limited by the requirement to re-engineer proteins for each new target sequence. The clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated 9 (Cas9) genome editing tool was recently repurposed for targeted transcriptional regulation by inactivation of the nuclease activity of Cas9. Due to the facile engineering, simplicity, precision and amenability to library construction, the CRISPR/Cas9 system is poised to revolutionize the functional genomics field across diverse eukaryotic species. In this review, we discuss the development of synthetic customizable transcriptional regulators and provide insights into their current and potential applications, with special emphasis on plant systems, in characterization of gene functions, elucidation of molecular mechanisms and their biotechnological applications. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Lessons learned from application of the Swedish regulations for decommissioning of nuclear facilities - The regulator's perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Efraimsson, Henrik; Amft, Martin; Leisvik, Mathias

2016-01-01

The paper presents an overview of the Swedish regulations for decommissioning of nuclear facilities. It describes some of the experiences that the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority has gained from the application of these regulations. The focus of the present paper lies on administrative aspects of the care and maintenance operation and on the safety related documentation that has to be prepared before dismantling commences. Lessons learned during recent years will be considered when revising the regulations for decommissioning. Also these lessons learned will help to streamline the administration of the large NPP decommissioning projects that are anticipated to commence in Sweden in the near future. (authors)

Environmental aspects of electrochemistry and photoelectrochemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomkiewicz, M.; Yoneyama, H.; Hori, Y.

1993-01-01

Arguably, the end of this century marks the beginning of an era in which an equilibrium between men and environment is no longer an option but a necessity. A full life cycle of new and old technologies will soon be a requirement. Electrochemistry probably plays a more fundamental role toward the end of the life-cycle of many technologies as compared to the beginning of the cycle. This symposium is the first of its kind within the Electrochemical Society in its attempt to unify diverse aspects of the environmental picture. In addition to the scientific interest in the various topics, this diversity reflects the various priorities that emerge in different countries. In Japan a strong emphasis is being put on the environmental consequences of CO 2 accumulation and hence the strong emphasis on CO 2 fixation. In the US and Europe the detoxification of aquatic environments seems at present to attract higher priorities. Almost everywhere there is a need to remedy the cumulative effect of total neglect since the dawn of the industrial revolution that can be traced differently in different parts of the world. In a somewhat arbitrary way the authors have divided the contributions into three categories: (1) CO 2 fixation, (2) Photocatalysis with TiO 2 , (3) Electrochemical decontaminations. Although this partition was done mainly for editorial convenience, it follows closely the clustering at the meeting. Individual papers are cataloged separately for inclusion in the appropriate data bases

Molecular aspects of the nitrogen fixing system in pea root nodules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bisseling, T.

1980-01-01

The author considers symbiotic nitrogen fixation of Pisum sativum and Rhizobium leguminosarum. Some general aspects of nodule formation and the regulation of the proteins nitrogenase and leghemoglobin (Lb) have been studied. Synthesis of these proteins was studied by 35 SO 4 labelling of intact pea plants. The sequence of appearance of the proteins was determined with specific radioimmunoassays for each protein. (Auth.)

Fibrinogen-Related Proteins in Tissue Repair: How a Unique Domain with a Common Structure Controls Diverse Aspects of Wound Healing.

Science.gov (United States)

Zuliani-Alvarez, Lorena; Midwood, Kim S

2015-05-01

Significance: Fibrinogen-related proteins (FRePs) comprise an intriguing collection of extracellular molecules, each containing a conserved fibrinogen-like globe (FBG). This group includes the eponymous fibrinogen as well as the tenascin, angiopoietin, and ficolin families. Many of these proteins are upregulated during tissue repair and exhibit diverse roles during wound healing. Recent Advances: An increasing body of evidence highlights the specific expression of a number of FRePs following tissue injury and infection. Upon induction, each FReP uses its FBG domain to mediate quite distinct effects that contribute to different stages of tissue repair, such as driving coagulation, pathogen detection, inflammation, angiogenesis, and tissue remodeling. Critical Issues: Despite a high degree of homology among FRePs, each contains unique sequences that enable their diversification of function. Comparative analysis of the structure and function of FRePs and precise mapping of regions that interact with a variety of ligands has started to reveal the underlying molecular mechanisms by which these proteins play very different roles using their common domain. Future Directions: Fibrinogen has long been used in the clinic as a synthetic matrix serving as a scaffold or a delivery system to aid tissue repair. Novel therapeutic strategies are now emerging that harness the use of other FRePs to improve wound healing outcomes. As we learn more about the underlying mechanisms by which each FReP contributes to the repair response, specific blockade, or indeed potentiation, of their function offers real potential to enable regulation of distinct processes during pathological wound healing.

Development of European regulations on radiopharmaceuticals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kristensen, K.

1990-01-01

Separate regulatory systems are being developed on the use of radiopharmaceuticals including radiation protection of patients and personnel and on the quality including safety and efficacy of radiopharmaceuticals. Radiation protection legislation has been introduced in most western European Economic Community (EEC). Within the drug field radiopharmaceuticals have been excepted up till now. However, new EEC directive on radiopharmaceuticals will soon come into force. The work done on the preparation of regulations and guidelines will be discussed. This discussion will focus on the problems faced when radiation protection aspects shall be balanced to traditional requirements of pharmaceutical aspects

Assessing the Relationship of Self-regulation, Motivation and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

First Lady

regulated learning, motivation, anxiety and achievement in mathematics. A total of ... outcome of many events, it is an important aspect of social cognitive theory. .... students who have high internal control are better managers of their study.

Panel presentation: Should some type of incentive regulation replace traditional methods for regulating LDC's?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farman, R.D.

1992-01-01

This paper discusses the wants and fears of gas utility companies with regards to incentive regulation. The idea of replacing the traditional rate-of-return regulation with incentive regulation sound very desirous in that it should provide greater management flexibility, quicker and more streamlined regulatory processes, and utility financial rewards based on how well customer needs are met. However, the main fear is that this could result in arbitrary, inappropriate productivity or efficiency targets, or would embody a risk/reward ratio skewed more heavily toward financial penalties than opportunities to increase earnings. The paper presents some of the obstacles of traditional regulation which include a lack of incentive to minimize operational costs; a lack of incentive to introduce new technology, products, or services; prevent the need for flexibility to compete in contestable markets; and the diversion caused by utility managers having to manage the regulatory process rather than delivering value to customers. The paper concludes by comparing the incentive regulation program used in the telecommunications industry to the natural gas industry to demonstrate why the success of the telecommunications model doesn't apply to the gas utilities incentive model

The politics of nuclear safety regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adam, G.

2002-01-01

The paper discusses political aspects of decision making about the safety of nuclear power plants especially in Eastern Europe and in connection with the enlargement of the European Union. The problem of the Kozloduy NPP safety is also discussed. Recommendations on the policy and tasks for nuclear regulators are given

Regulation of beta cell replication

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lee, Ying C; Nielsen, Jens Høiriis

2008-01-01

Beta cell mass, at any given time, is governed by cell differentiation, neogenesis, increased or decreased cell size (cell hypertrophy or atrophy), cell death (apoptosis), and beta cell proliferation. Nutrients, hormones and growth factors coupled with their signalling intermediates have been...... suggested to play a role in beta cell mass regulation. In addition, genetic mouse model studies have indicated that cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases that determine cell cycle progression are involved in beta cell replication, and more recently, menin in association with cyclin-dependent kinase...... inhibitors has been demonstrated to be important in beta cell growth. In this review, we consider and highlight some aspects of cell cycle regulation in relation to beta cell replication. The role of cell cycle regulation in beta cell replication is mostly from studies in rodent models, but whether...

Influence of landslides on biophysical diversity — A perspective from British Columbia

Science.gov (United States)

Geertsema, Marten; Pojar, James J.

2007-09-01

Landslides have long been overlooked or underestimated as important natural disturbance agents. In particular the ecological role of landslides in maintaining biological diversity has been largely ignored. Here we provide a western Canadian ( British Columbian) perspective on the influences of landslides on biophysical diversity, which is related in several ways to biological diversity. We recognize several types of biophysical/ecological diversity: site diversity, soil diversity, and the derivative habitat or ecosystem (including aquatic ecosystems) diversity. There are also a variety of landslide types, depending on materials and on the rate and style of movement. We discuss the roles of different landslide types on various aspects of terrestrial diversity. Landslides are simultaneously depositional and erosional processes that influence sites by redistributing materials and changing surface expression — usually creating a complex microtopography that can include very dry ridges and hummocks, and sometimes depressions with standing water. Landslide impacts to site also influence soil and soil development. Portions of landslides with exposed parent material are set back to the initial stages of soil development and ecological succession. Landslides can also change soil density, structure, porosity, surface texture, chemistry and microclimate. By changing site and soil, landslides also influence habitat. Landslides influence habitat diversity by engendering a mosaic of seral stages (often both primary and secondary), and in overwhelmingly forested landscapes often create nodes or hotspots of non-forested habitat and biota. In some areas, like the boreal forest, there is an important interplay between landslides and fire, while on the coast of British Columbia debris and snow avalanches can be the dominant disturbance agent. Low-gradient and deep-seated landslides are often opportunistically colonized by beaver and other water and shrub-loving fauna. Sag ponds and

Diversity of governance arrangements for indigenous natural products in communal areas of Namibia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ndeinoma, A.; Wiersum, K.F.

2017-01-01

In several countries, it has been observed that development of policies and regulations for non-timber forest products (NTFPs) rarely follows a systematic approach. This paper characterises the diversity of governance arrangements for accessing and marketing indigenous natural products in communal

41 CFR 302-2.8 - When must I complete all aspects my relocation?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false When must I complete all aspects my relocation? 302-2.8 Section 302-2.8 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Travel Regulation System RELOCATION ALLOWANCES INTRODUCTION 2-EMPLOYEES ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS General Rules Time...

Simultaneous fabrication of very high aspect ratio positive nano- to milliscale structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Long Qing; Chan-Park, Mary B; Zhang, Qing; Chen, Peng; Li, Chang Ming; Li, Sai

2009-05-01

A simple and inexpensive technique for the simultaneous fabrication of positive (i.e., protruding), very high aspect (>10) ratio nanostructures together with micro- or millistructures is developed. The method involves using residual patterns of thin-film over-etching (RPTO) to produce sub-micro-/nanoscale features. The residual thin-film nanopattern is used as an etching mask for Si deep reactive ion etching. The etched Si structures are further reduced in size by Si thermal oxidation to produce amorphous SiO(2), which is subsequently etched away by HF. Two arrays of positive Si nanowalls are demonstrated with this combined RPTO-SiO(2)-HF technique. One array has a feature size of 150 nm and an aspect ratio of 26.7 and another has a feature size of 50 nm and an aspect ratio of 15. No other parallel reduction technique can achieve such a very high aspect ratio for 50-nm-wide nanowalls. As a demonstration of the technique to simultaneously achieve nano- and milliscale features, a simple Si nanofluidic master mold with positive features with dimensions varying continuously from 1 mm to 200 nm and a highest aspect ratio of 6.75 is fabricated; the narrow 200-nm section is 4.5 mm long. This Si master mold is then used as a mold for UV embossing. The embossed open channels are then closed by a cover with glue bonding. A high aspect ratio is necessary to produce unblocked closed channels after the cover bonding process of the nanofluidic chip. The combined method of RPTO, Si thermal oxidation, and HF etching can be used to make complex nanofluidic systems and nano-/micro-/millistructures for diverse applications.

Beyond the Diversity Crisis Model: Decentralized Diversity Planning and Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Damon A.

2008-01-01

This article critiques the diversity crises model of diversity planning in higher education and presents a decentralized diversity planning model. The model is based on interviews with the nation's leading diversity officers, a review of the literature and the authors own experiences leading diversity change initiatives in higher education. The…

Aspects of the regulation of long-chain fatty acid oxidation in bovine liver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jesse, B.W.; Emery, R.S.; Thomas, J.W.

1986-01-01

Factors involved in regulation of bovine hepatic fatty acid oxidation were examined using liver slices. Fatty acid oxidation was measured as the conversion of l-[ 14 C] palmitate to 14 CO 2 and total [ 14 C] acid-soluble metabolites. Extended (5 to 7 d) fasting of Holstein cows had relatively little effect on palmitate oxidation to acid-soluble metabolites by liver slices, although oxidation to CO 2 was decreased. Feeding a restricted roughage, high concentrate ration to lactating cows resulted in inhibition of palmitate oxidation. Insulin, glucose, and acetate inhibited palmitate oxidation by bovine liver slices. The authors suggest the regulation of bovine hepatic fatty acid oxidation may be less dependent on hormonally induced alterations in enzyme activity as observed in rat liver and more dependent upon action of rumen fermentation products or their metabolites on enzyme systems involved in fatty acid oxidation

The Kdp-ATPase system and its regulation

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2007-03-15

Mar 15, 2007 ... K+, the dominant intracellular cation, is required for various physiological processes like turgor homeostasis, pH regulation etc. Bacterial cells have evolved many diverse K+ transporters to maintain the desired concentration of internal K+. In E. coli, the KdpATPase (comprising of the KdpFABC complex), ...

Legal aspects of some internet marketing instruments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hana Kelblová

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The development of the Internet and sophisticated search engines such as e.g. Google together with the spread of social networks have introduced new marketing possibilities of addressing potential clients with offer of goods and services. Unlike most traditional marketing procedures, these instruments allow for targeting the business information directly at concrete individuals, taking into consideration their age, sex, education, hobbies. All this is based on their choice of words keyed into the search engines. This is the targeted advertising where consumer response can be accurately measured, e.i. the so called context advertising.The purpose of this paper is to analyse the legal aspects of some of the above mentioned internet marketing instruments, as even in this sphere legal regulation clearly lags behind the dynamically developing possibilities of the Internet as a means of communication. These marketing methods being viewed from the perspective of valid laws, several problem areas may be detected, which concern the right of privacy protection of natural person, intellectual property, or legal regulation of implied or unsolicited advertising.This paper concentrates on the summary of rules of law which regulate internet users privacy protection with respect to the Czech and Community laws, assessment of their efficiency and de lege ferenda discretion.

Situation on regulatory aspects of underground disposal of radioactivity wastes in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murano, T.; Asano, T.; Matsubara, N.

1978-01-01

At present, in Japan, there exists no law specifically regulating the underground disposal of radioactive wastes although various regulations deal with disposal safety measures in a general way. For the moment, apart from the need to gain public acceptance of such disposal, the problem is essentially one of technical feasibility, and a geological study is currently being undertaken by the Science and Technology Agency. This same Agency is also looking at the problem of a long-term waste management system, but it is the Nuclear Safety Commission, created in 1978, which will be primarily responsible for all regulatory aspects of safety. (NEA) [fr

Model Regulations for Decommissioning of Facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-07-01

The IAEA has systematic programmes to provide Member States with the guidance, services and training necessary for establishing a legal and regulatory framework, including the planning and implementation of decommissioning. The model regulations provided in this publication cover all aspects of the planning, conduct and termination of the decommissioning of facilities and management of the associated waste, in accordance with the relevant requirements of the IAEA safety standards. They provide a framework for establishing regulatory requirements and conditions of authorization to be incorporated into individual authorizations for the decommissioning of specific facilities. The model regulations also establish criteria to be used for assessing compliance with regulatory requirements. The publication will be of assistance to Member States in appraising the adequacy of their existing regulations and regulatory guides, and serves as a reference for those Member States developing regulations for the first time.

GOVERNMENT REGULATION OF THE ECONOMY: RISKS AND PROSPECTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. N. Rjahovskaja

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The efficiency of state regulation of the economy by the example of the Russian power industry and utilities, the reasons for the negative results, the validity of the concepts, analyzes the conceptual elements of the reform, the expected and the resulting effect, the reasons for failure and return to the state in the housing sector. Particular attention is given to certain aspects of the functioning of self-regulation institute inRussia. 

Consistent Regulation of Infrastructure Businesses: Some Economic Issues

OpenAIRE

Flavio M. Menezes

2008-01-01

This paper examines some important economic aspects associated with the notion that consistency in the regulation of infrastructure businesses is a desirable feature. It makes two important points. First, it is not easy to measure consistency. In particular, one cannot simply point to different regulatory parameters as evidence of inconsistent regulatory policy. Second, even if one does observe consistency emerging from decisions made by different regulators, it does not necessarily mean that...

Neonatal immune challenge does not affect body weight regulation in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, Sarah J; Mouihate, Abdeslam; Galic, Michael A; Ellis, Shaun L; Pittman, Quentin J

2007-08-01

The perinatal environment plays a crucial role in programming many aspects of adult physiology. Myriad stressors during pregnancy, from maternal immune challenge to nutritional deficiency, can alter long-term body weight set points of the offspring. In light of the increasing concern over body weight issues, such as obesity and anorexia, in modern societies and accumulating evidence that developmental stressors have long-lasting effects on other aspects of physiology (e.g., fever, pain), we explored the role of immune system activation during neonatal development and its impact on body weight regulation in adulthood. Here we present a thorough evaluation of the effects of immune system activation (LPS, 100 microg/kg ip) at postnatal days 3, 7, or 14 on long-term body weight, adiposity, and body weight regulation after a further LPS injection (50 microg/kg ip) or fasting and basal and LPS-induced circulating levels of the appetite-regulating proinflammatory cytokine leptin. We show that neonatal exposure to LPS at various times during the neonatal period has no long-term effects on growth, body weight, or adiposity. We also observed no effects on body weight regulation in response to a short fasting period or a further exposure to LPS. Despite reductions in circulating leptin levels in response to LPS during the neonatal period, no long-term effects on leptin were seen. These results convincingly demonstrate that adult body weight and weight regulation are, unlike many other aspects of adult physiology, resistant to programming by a febrile-dose neonatal immune challenge.

Functional role of diverse changes in sympathetic nerve activity in regulating arterial pressure during REM sleep.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshimoto, Misa; Yoshida, Ikue; Miki, Kenju

2011-08-01

This study aimed to investigate whether REM sleep evoked diverse changes in sympathetic outflows and, if so, to elucidate why REM sleep evokes diverse changes in sympathetic outflows. Male Wistar rats were chronically implanted with electrodes to measure renal (RSNA) and lumbar sympathetic nerve activity (LSNA), electroencephalogram, electromyogram, and electrocardiogram, and catheters to measure systemic arterial and central venous pressure; these parameters were measured simultaneously and continuously during the sleep-awake cycle in the same rat. REM sleep resulted in a step reduction in RNSA by 36.1% ± 2.7% (P sleep. In contrast to REM sleep, RSNA, LSNA, systemic arterial pressure, and heart rate increased in a unidirectional manner associated with increases in physical activity levels in the order from NREM sleep, quiet awake, moving, and grooming state. Thus, the relationship between RSNA vs. LSNA and systemic arterial pressure vs. heart rate observed during REM sleep was dissociated compared with that obtained during the other behavioral states. It is suggested that the diverse changes in sympathetic outflows during REM sleep may be needed to increase systemic arterial pressure by balancing vascular resistance between muscles and vegetative organs without depending on the heart.

The flagellar master operon flhDC is a pleiotropic regulator involved in motility and virulence of the fish pathogen Yersinia ruckeri.

Science.gov (United States)

Jozwick, A K S; Graf, J; Welch, T J

2017-03-01

To investigate the function of the master flagellar operon flhDC in the fish pathogen Yersinia ruckeri and compare the effect of a constructed flhD mutation to a naturally occurring fliR mutation causing loss-of-motility in emergent biotype 2 (BT2) strains. Yersinia ruckeri flhD and fliR mutants were constructed in a motile strain. Both mutations caused loss-of-motility, ablation of flagellin synthesis and phospholipase secretion, similar to naturally occurring BT2 strains. Transcriptome analysis confirmed flhDC regulation of flagellar, chemotaxis and phospholipase loci as well as other genes of diverse function. The flhD mutation confers a competitive advantage within the fish host when compared with its parent strain, while this advantage was not seen with the naturally occurring fliR mutation. An intact flhD is necessary for expression of the flagellar secretion system as well as other diverse loci, consistent with a role for flhD as a pleiotropic regulator. The maintenance of the flhD locus in Y. ruckeri strains suggests its importance for aspects of Y. ruckeri biology other than virulence, since the flhD mutation conferred a competitive advantage during experimental challenge of rainbow trout. Yersinia ruckeri is the causative agent of enteric red mouth disease, an invasive septicaemia that affects farmed salmonid fish species. Disease outbreaks can cause severe economic losses in aquaculture. BT2 variants, which have independently emerged worldwide, are an increasing threat to farmed fish production. Knowledge of mechanisms involved in virulence, conserved functions and gene regulation among strains may be exploited for the development of novel disease control strategies to prevent pathogen growth or virulence phenotypes within aquaculture. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Culturally diverse attitudes and beliefs of students majoring in speech-language pathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Franca, Maria Claudia; Smith, Linda McCabe; Nichols, Jane Luanne; Balan, Dianna Santos

Academic education in speech-language pathology should prepare students to provide professional services that mirror current knowledge, skills, and scope of practice in a pluralistic society. This study seeks to examine the impact of speech-language pathology (SLP) students prior multicultural experiences and previous formal education on attitudes and beliefs toward language diversity. A survey to investigate SLP students attitudes toward language diversity was applied. After the research study and instructions to complete the consent form questionnaire was presented by a research assistant, an announcement was given by a graduate student who speaks English as a second language with an accent. The participants then completed a questionnaire containing questions related to attitudes about the presentation of the announcement in particular and toward language diversity in general. Responses suggested a relationship between self-reported cultural bias and ability to concentrate on speech with an accent, and the extent of interaction with individuals from a cultural and linguistic diverse (CLD) background. Additional outcomes revealed that cultural bias may be predicted by factors related to amount of CLD exposure. Results of this study indicated critical areas that need to be considered when developing curricula in speech-language pathology programs. The results will be useful in determining procedures applicable in larger investigations, and encourage future research on attitudes and beliefs toward aspects of cultural diversity.

The Social Regulation of Emotion: An Integrative, Cross-Disciplinary Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Reeck, Crystal; Ames, Daniel R; Ochsner, Kevin N

2016-01-01

Research in emotion regulation has largely focused on how people manage their own emotions, but there is a growing recognition that the ways in which we regulate the emotions of others also are important. Drawing on work from diverse disciplines, we propose an integrative model of the psychological and neural processes supporting the social regulation of emotion. This organizing framework, the 'social regulatory cycle', specifies at multiple levels of description the act of regulating another person's emotions as well as the experience of being a target of regulation. The cycle describes the processing stages that lead regulators to attempt to change the emotions of a target person, the impact of regulation on the processes that generate emotions in the target, and the underlying neural systems. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

NPY modulates PYY function in the regulation of energy balance and glucose homeostasis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, L; Nguyen, A D; Lee, I-C J; Yulyaningsih, E; Riepler, S J; Stehrer, B; Enriquez, R F; Lin, S; Shi, Y-C; Baldock, P A; Sainsbury, A; Herzog, H

2012-08-01

Both the neuronal-derived neuropeptide Y (NPY) and the gut hormone peptide YY (PYY) have been implicated in the regulation of energy balance and glucose homeostasis. However, despite similar affinities for the same Y receptors, the co-ordinated actions of these two peptides in energy and glucose homeostasis remain largely unknown. To investigate the mechanisms and possible interactions between PYY with NPY in the regulation of these processes, we utilized NPY/PYY single and double mutant mouse models and examined parameters of energy balance and glucose homeostasis. PYY(-/-) mice exhibited increased fasting-induced food intake, enhanced fasting and oral glucose-induced serum insulin levels, and an impaired insulin tolerance, - changes not observed in NPY(-/-) mice. Interestingly, whereas PYY deficiency-induced impairment in insulin tolerance remained in NPY(-/-) PYY(-/-) mice, effects of PYY deficiency on fasting-induced food intake and serum insulin concentrations at baseline and after the oral glucose bolus were absent in NPY(-/-) PYY(-/-) mice, suggesting that NPY signalling may be required for PYY's action on insulin secretion and fasting-induced hyperphagia. Moreover, NPY(-/-) PYY(-/-) , but not NPY(-/-) or PYY(-/-) mice had significantly decreased daily food intake, indicating interactive control by NPY and PYY on spontaneous food intake. Furthermore, both NPY(-/-) and PYY(-/-) mice showed significantly reduced respiratory exchange ratio during the light phase, with no additive effects observed in NPY(-/-) PYY(-/-) mice, indicating that NPY and PYY may regulate oxidative fuel selection via partly shared mechanisms. Overall, physical activity and energy expenditure, however, are not significantly altered by NPY and PYY single or double deficiencies. These findings show significant and diverse interactions between NPY and PYY signalling in the regulation of different aspects of energy balance and glucose homeostasis. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Theoretical aspects on the phenomenon of contamination of ground waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Echeverri, G.E.

1998-01-01

The phenomenon of contamination of ground waters and the destination of certain constituents of the water keep in mind diverse mechanisms of physical nature, chemistry and biological; in this work it is consigned in a concise way, the theoretical aspects of these topics, that is to say, the basic principles of the ground water hydraulics, the fundamental concepts of the physics of the movement and the chemistry of the ground water, as well as the equations that govern the phenomenon of contamination of the mass of water contained in the interstices of the floors and the rocks, broadly used in the mathematical modeling of the phenomenon

Legal and Economic Aspects of the Macedonian Model of Franchising

OpenAIRE

Sotiroski, Ljupco; Filiposki, Oliver

2016-01-01

Franchising is done by global regulatory framework and has an impact to the national legal sources. This article aims to emphasize the importance and functionality of the legal and economic aspects of the Macedonian franchising module and practice. In respect of Macedonian case, the franchising mechanism is getting direct consequences of the national trade in the small and still developing Macedonian economy. The envisaged paper explores various options for national regulation in light of exi...

Mathematical aspects of quantum field theories

CERN Document Server

Strobl, Thomas

2015-01-01

Despite its long history and stunning experimental successes, the mathematical foundation of perturbative quantum field theory is still a subject of ongoing research. This book aims at presenting some of the most recent advances in the field, and at reflecting the diversity of approaches and tools invented and currently employed. Both leading experts and comparative newcomers to the field present their latest findings, helping readers to gain a better understanding of not only quantum but also classical field theories. Though the book offers a valuable resource for mathematicians and physicists alike, the focus is more on mathematical developments. This volume consists of four parts: The first Part covers local aspects of perturbative quantum field theory, with an emphasis on the axiomatization of the algebra behind the operator product expansion. The second Part highlights Chern-Simons gauge theories, while the third examines (semi-)classical field theories. In closing, Part 4 addresses factorization homolo...

Theoretical aspects of spatial-temporal modeling

CERN Document Server

Matsui, Tomoko

2015-01-01

This book provides a modern introductory tutorial on specialized theoretical aspects of spatial and temporal modeling. The areas covered involve a range of topics which reflect the diversity of this domain of research across a number of quantitative disciplines. For instance, the first chapter provides up-to-date coverage of particle association measures that underpin the theoretical properties of recently developed random set methods in space and time otherwise known as the class of probability hypothesis density framework (PHD filters). The second chapter gives an overview of recent advances in Monte Carlo methods for Bayesian filtering in high-dimensional spaces. In particular, the chapter explains how one may extend classical sequential Monte Carlo methods for filtering and static inference problems to high dimensions and big-data applications. The third chapter presents an overview of generalized families of processes that extend the class of Gaussian process models to heavy-tailed families known as alph...

Aspects of nuclear wastes disposal of use in teaching basic chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choppin, G.R.

1994-01-01

In this paper the utilization of several aspects of chemical issues in nuclear wastes disposal proposals are discussed. Equilibrium speciation, complexation competition, the effect of pH and complexation on redox speciation, sorption on colloids, etc. are a few examples of the chemical behavior of fission products and actinide metals in natural aquatic systems. A brief review of the types of nuclear wastes in the US and the proposed methods of disposal are presented to reflect the diversity of chemical problems involved and the opportunities they offer to use open-quotes realclose quotes examples in teaching

The Sg-1 Glycosyltransferase Locus Regulates Structural Diversity of Triterpenoid Saponins of Soybean[W][OA

Science.gov (United States)

Sayama, Takashi; Ono, Eiichiro; Takagi, Kyoko; Takada, Yoshitake; Horikawa, Manabu; Nakamoto, Yumi; Hirose, Aya; Sasama, Hiroko; Ohashi, Mihoko; Hasegawa, Hisakazu; Terakawa, Teruhiko; Kikuchi, Akio; Kato, Shin; Tatsuzaki, Nana; Tsukamoto, Chigen; Ishimoto, Masao

2012-01-01

Triterpene saponins are a diverse group of biologically functional products in plants. Saponins usually are glycosylated, which gives rise to a wide diversity of structures and functions. In the group A saponins of soybean (Glycine max), differences in the terminal sugar species located on the C-22 sugar chain of an aglycone core, soyasapogenol A, were observed to be under genetic control. Further genetic analyses and mapping revealed that the structural diversity of glycosylation was determined by multiple alleles of a single locus, Sg-1, and led to identification of a UDP-sugar–dependent glycosyltransferase gene (Glyma07g38460). Although their sequences are highly similar and both glycosylate the nonacetylated saponin A0-αg, the Sg-1a allele encodes the xylosyltransferase UGT73F4, whereas Sg-1b encodes the glucosyltransferase UGT73F2. Homology models and site-directed mutagenesis analyses showed that Ser-138 in Sg-1a and Gly-138 in Sg-1b proteins are crucial residues for their respective sugar donor specificities. Transgenic complementation tests followed by recombinant enzyme assays in vitro demonstrated that sg-10 is a loss-of-function allele of Sg-1. Considering that the terminal sugar species in the group A saponins are responsible for the strong bitterness and astringent aftertastes of soybean seeds, our findings herein provide useful tools to improve commercial properties of soybean products. PMID:22611180

Wellbeing: causes and consequences of emotion regulation in work settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Zammuner, V L; Galli, C

2005-10-01

Emotion regulation processes are a crucial aspect of the working role in jobs which require employee-customer interactions: What kinds of regulation processes are activated, with what frequency, and what are their correlates and consequences are important aspects to consider because of their potential implications for the well-being of individuals. To investigate these issues, a set of studies was carried out with Italian workers (N=769) performing service jobs in different sectors. Job-related, socio-demographic, and individual psychological variables were taken into account. The results confirmed the hypothesis that in service job-roles emotional labour (EL) is a component whose negative and positive implications for employees' well-being need to be considered. Emotional labour, embedded in a net of relationships with such job variables as frequency and duration of client-interaction, can result in high psychological costs for service workers. In particular, surface acting regulation was found to have a personal cost, indexed by the burnout dimensions of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization.

Improving the regulation of safety at DOE nuclear facilities. Final report: Appendices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-12-01

The report strongly recommends that, with the end of the Cold War, safety and health at DOE facilities should be regulated by outside agencies rather than by any regulatory scheme, DOE must maintain a strong internal safety management system; essentially all aspects of safety at DOE`s nuclear facilities should be externally regulated; and existing agencies rather than a new one should be responsible for external regulation.

Improving the regulation of safety at DOE nuclear facilities. Final report: Appendices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-12-01

The report strongly recommends that, with the end of the Cold War, safety and health at DOE facilities should be regulated by outside agencies rather than by any regulatory scheme, DOE must maintain a strong internal safety management system; essentially all aspects of safety at DOE's nuclear facilities should be externally regulated; and existing agencies rather than a new one should be responsible for external regulation

Developing National Regulations in the United Arab Emirates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaufer, Barry; Redwine, Kirk; Al Khafili, Helal; Hafidh, Salem

2011-01-01

The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), in preparing, issuing and implementing regulations is seeking to be consistent with IAEA Safety Standards, to use risk informed and performance-based methodologies, to capitalise on licensing in the country of origin and to follow internationally recognised practices. FANR's intent is to produce high level regulations which are not prescriptive and which focus on the essential aspects of safety. Regulatory guides will also be provided to assist licensees with compliance. This paper discusses an overview of the regulatory framework in the UAE, the planned scope of the proposed regulations, the approach being taken under an internal management system to develop these regulations and regulatory guides in the UAE and. The current status and future plans will also be provided. (authors)

Relevant aspects of a quality assurance program applied to a nuclear power plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandez, J.C.

1987-01-01

The purpose of this work was to enumerate the most relevant subjects to be taken into account for the elaboration of a Quality Assurance Program aimed to regulate a nuclear power plant operation. At first, it was necessary to point out the relevance that implies the presence of a group of personnel, experienced in quality assurance with enough knowledge on the technical and organizing aspects of the plant. Other aspect to be taken into account was the contemplation of the international requirements, through the International Atomic Energy Agency and of the national requirements that each country had set up by the corresponding regulating agencies. These organizations pointed out the minimum rules that must be followed for the adequate and efficient execution of a program. The Quality Assurance Manual and the program and work procedures constituted the Quality Assurance Program which must be checked as regards its fulfillment by auditors and quality assurance supervisions. (Author)

Central regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis: focus on clinical aspects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fliers, E.; Boelen, A.; van Trotsenburg, A. S. P.

2014-01-01

The hypothalamus is the most prominent brain region involved in setpoint regulation of the thyroid axis. It generates the diurnal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) rhythm, and it plays a central role in the adaptation of the thyroid axis to environmental factors such as caloric deprivation or

Effects of electromagnetic fields on human beings. Technical aspects and research results. - Regulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kieback, D.

1996-01-01

The present brochure of the Professional Association for Fine Mechanics and Electrical Engineering gives a selective account on the effects of electromagnetic fields on human beings. The second part deals with regulations for safety and health protection at working places exposed to electromagnetic fields. (VHE) [de

New aspects of protein stability and turnover in the regulation of genome integrity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gallina, Irene

of DNA repair is the control of protein abundance, both at a global cellular level, and locally at the site of damage. This is achieved through transcriptional regulation of protein synthesis and through the control of protein stability and turnover. In this study, we investigate the role of Rad56...... sensitivity when mutant. Prior to the work presented here,all these loci have been mapped to a specific gene except RAD56. We map the rad56-1 mutation to the NAT3 gene, which encodes the catalytic subunit of the NatB N-terminal acetyltransferase in yeast. Deletion of RAD56 causes sensitivity to X-rays, methyl......-scale studies investigating factors involved in DNA metabolism, but no specific function has been assigned to Cmr1. Taking advantage of a series of high-throughput screens we characterize Cmr1 as a chromatinassociated protein, involved in the regulation of fork progression in the presence of replication stress...

Improving the regulation of safety at DOE nuclear facilities. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-12-01

The report strongly recommends that, with the end of the Cold War, safety and health at DOE facilities should be regulated by outside agencies rather than by DOE itself. The three major recommendations are: under any regulatory scheme, DOE must maintain a strong internal safety management system; essentially all aspects of safety at DOE's nuclear facilities should be externally regulated; and existing agencies rather than a new one should be responsible for external regulation

Understanding the Posttranscriptional Regulation of Plant Responses to Abiotic Stress

KAUST Repository

Alshareef, Sahar

2017-01-01

Constitutive and alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs from multiexonic genes controls the diversity of the proteome; these precisely regulated processes also fine-tune responses to cues related to growth, development, and biotic and abiotic stresses

Studies related to gender and geographic diversity in the ATLAS Collaboration

CERN Document Server

The ATLAS collaboration

2016-01-01

The ATLAS Collaboration consists of about 5,300 members, with nationalities from 94 countries. There are about 2,800 scientific authors from 182 member institutions in 38 countries. This note presents data showing aspects of the demographics and diversity of the collaboration, and how the various regions of the world are represented in ATLAS. In particular the relative fraction of women is discussed, both from various demographic perspectives as well as their share of contributions to, and recognition by the ATLAS experiment.

Managing Workplace Diversity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harold Andrew Patrick

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Diversity management is a process intended to create and maintain a positive work environment where the similarities and differences of individuals are valued. The literature on diversity management has mostly emphasized on organization culture; its impact on diversity openness; human resource management practices; institutional environments and organizational contexts to diversity-related pressures, expectations, requirements, and incentives; perceived practices and organizational outcomes related to managing employee diversity; and several other issues. The current study examines the potential barriers to workplace diversity and suggests strategies to enhance workplace diversity and inclusiveness. It is based on a survey of 300 IT employees. The study concludes that successfully managing diversity can lead to more committed, better satisfied, better performing employees and potentially better financial performance for an organization.

Data base of the environmental aspects of the transuranics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pfuderer, H.

1975-01-01

Indexed and abstracted references to the environmental aspects of the transuranium elements are entered into and are retrievable from a dynamic, computerized information file (or data base) that is easily modified to reflect changing research needs. The information is distilled from the documents with the specific needs of the researcher in mind, such as numeric results, new methods, or instrumentation. The major areas of evaluation are: biological and medical studies on the effects of the transuranics, particularly as these elements relate to health considerations in man; biological and ecological availability, turnover, and food chain dynamics; analysis of environmental materials; environmental transport mechanisms, including resuspension; waste disposal as related to environmental concerns; monitoring; and regulations and standards for environmental levels. Annotated references are indexed to allow easy access for retrieving references to documents of interest to the user. The goal is to furnish the users all the references related to their specific query and few that are unrelated. This is done by liberal use of subject categories and keyterms. The studies on man and animals are divided into the subject categories of medical and biological aspects. Those aspects that are considered important when the document is analyzed are tabulated. These data are sought for in the article, included in the abstracts, and indexed with keyterms. This checklist is one of the ways the Data Base on the Environmental Aspects of the Transuranics strives to give users a reference to every paper in their subject area

Proteomic investigations of lysine acetylation identify diverse substrates of mitochondrial deacetylase sirt3

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sol, E-ri Maria; Wagner, Sebastian A; Weinert, Brian T

2012-01-01

Lysine acetylation is a posttranslational modification that is dynamically regulated by the activity of acetyltransferases and deacetylases. The human and mouse genomes encode 18 different lysine deacetylases (KDACs) which are key regulators of many cellular processes. Identifying substrates...... of KDACs and pinpointing the regulated acetylation sites on target proteins may provide important information about the molecular basis of their functions. Here we apply quantitative proteomics to identify endogenous substrates of the mitochondrial deacetylase Sirtuin 3 (Sirt3) by comparing site...... by modulating acetylation on diverse substrates. The experimental strategy described here is generic and can be applied to identify endogenous substrates of other lysine deacetylases....

On some aspects of nuclear safety surveillance and review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Ganjie; Zhu Hong; Zhou Shanyuan

2004-01-01

Five aspects of the nuclear safety surveillance and review are discussed: Strict implementation of nuclear safety regulation, making the nuclear safety surveillance and review more normalization, procedurization, scientific decision-making; Strictly requiring the applicant to comply with the requirements of codes, do not allowing the utilization of mixing of codes; Properly controlling the strictness for the review on significant non-conformance; Strengthening the co-operation between regional offices and technical support units, Properly treat the relations between administrational management unit and technical support units. (authors)

Beyond 16S rRNA Community Profiling: Intra-Species Diversity in the Gut Microbiota

Science.gov (United States)

Ellegaard, Kirsten M.; Engel, Philipp

2016-01-01

Interactions with microbes affect many aspects of animal biology, including immune system development, nutrition and health. In vertebrates, the gut microbiota is dominated by a small subset of phyla, but the species composition within these phyla is typically not conserved. Moreover, several recent studies have shown that bacterial species in the gut are composed of a multitude of strains, which frequently co-exist in their host, and may be host-specific. However, since the study of intra-species diversity is challenging, particularly in the setting of complex, host-associated microbial communities, our current understanding of the distribution, evolution and functional relevance of intra-species diversity in the gut is scarce. In order to unravel how genomic diversity translates into phenotypic diversity, community analyses going beyond 16S rRNA profiling, in combination with experimental approaches, are needed. Recently, the honeybee has emerged as a promising model for studying gut bacterial communities, particularly in terms of strain-level diversity. Unlike most other invertebrates, the honeybee gut is colonized by a remarkably consistent and specific core microbiota, which is dominated by only eight bacterial species. As for the vertebrate gut microbiota, these species are composed of highly diverse strains suggesting that similar evolutionary forces shape gut community structures in vertebrates and social insects. In this review, we outline current knowledge on the evolution and functional relevance of strain diversity within the gut microbiota, including recent insights gained from mammals and other animals such as the honeybee. We discuss methodological approaches and propose possible future avenues for studying strain diversity in complex bacterial communities. PMID:27708630

Religious Diversity and Freedom of Conscience in the Arabic Countries Facing Globalization and Migration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raoudha Elguédri

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Muslim societies are facing the new challenges of cultural and religious diversity. They are experiencing migratory phenomena, or because they are countries of immigration (such as in the Persian Gulf monarchies and emirates or countries that are becoming a new destination of migrants (such as Morocco and other North African nations. These challenges are increasingly urgent due to the effects of other globalization vectors such as new communication technologies that cross all boundaries and foster unprecedented conversions. The purpose of this contribution is limited to the religious aspect of the new forms of diversification faced by Muslim countries. The goal is to analyze to what extent this process biases traditional ways of managing religious diversity.

[Plant protection products and their residues : Aspects of consumer safety in context of the new EU regulations].

Science.gov (United States)

Banasiak, U; Michalski, B; Pfeil, R; Solecki, R

2010-06-01

The law regulating plant protection products (PPP) in the European Union (EU) was fundamentally revised through the introduction of Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009 which is due to enter into force on 14 June 2011. EU-wide harmonized maximum residue levels (MRLs) for the active substances of PPP in foods are laid down in Regulation (EC) No. 396/2005 and apply since entry into force of the regulation on 1 September 2008. The goal of both regulations is to strengthen the level of consumer protection. PPP are subject to a strict assessment of active substances, which is regulated at the EU level as well as an authorization procedure in the EU Member States. Prior to application for authorization of a PPP, the active substance(s) it contains must be included in a positive list. Tests regarding the toxicity and residue behavior of PPP must be conducted by the applicant, and the respective documents must be submitted to the authorities for evaluation. Following review of the required data, toxicological threshold values are derived, consumer exposure is assessed, and the risk to health is evaluated. The goal of this evaluation is to ensure that the use of PPP according to good plant protection practice does not have any harmful effects on human health.

Emotion (Dys)regulation and Links to Depressive Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Kovacs, Maria; Joormann, Jutta; Gotlib, Ian H.

2010-01-01

Clinical depression is a significant mental health problem that is associated with personal suffering and impaired functioning. These effects underscore the continuing need for new approaches that can inform researchers and clinicians when designing interventions. We propose that individual differences in the self-regulation of sadness and distress provide an important link between stress, depressed mood, and the onset of depressive disorder, and that if we have a better understanding of the ways children successfully manage negative emotions, we can better prevent and treat pediatric depression. In this article, we therefore examine the normative development of responses that children use to attenuate sadness, and aspects of the neurobiological infrastructure that both enable and constrain such self-regulatory efforts. We also address the emerging literature on affect regulation among children at familial risk for depressive disorders. We conclude that problems with adaptively self-regulating sadness and distress represent one pathway that can lead to juvenile-onset depression. And we need integrated, developmental studies of the psychosocial and neurobiological aspects of self-regulatory responses to sadness and distress in order to better understand this process, and to design age-sensitive intervention strategies for pediatric depression. PMID:20721304

New regulatory aspects of UF6 transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biaggio, A.L.; Lee Gonzales, H.M.; Lopez Vietri, J.R.; Novo, R.G.

1987-01-01

In nuclear industry, a great amount of uranium is transformed from a chemical form to another. When the fuel cycle requires enrichment, uranium hexafluoride (UF 6) is handled, stored and transported in great quantities. To analyze the risks involved in possible accidents associated with UF 6 , radiological and chemical aspects must be considered. So far, the international practice was based on the adoption of regulations from a particular country (ANSI No. 14.1-1982.U.S.A.). In this way, the adoption of these norms at international level is difficult. For that reason, the International Atomic Energy Agency has attempted to consider the chemical risks associated with UF 6 in order to establish a more universal basis ('Recommendations for Providing Protection during the Transport of Uranium Hexafluoride' IAEA-TECDOC-423, Vienna, June 1987 - Austria). A critical analysis of these recommendations is presented in this work. The coherence and the degree of completion of the new recommendations are evaluated and the safety level is compared with that of the accepted regulations for toxic or corrosive substances and for radioactive materials transport. (Author)

Self-Entrustment: How Trainees' Self-Regulated Learning Supports Participation in the Workplace

Science.gov (United States)

Sagasser, Margaretha H.; Kramer, Anneke W. M.; Fluit, Cornelia R. M. G.; van Weel, Chris; van der Vleuten, Cees P. M.

2017-01-01

Clinical workplaces offer postgraduate trainees a wealth of opportunities to learn from experience. To promote deliberate and meaningful learning self-regulated learning skills are foundational. We explored trainees' learning activities related to patient encounters to better understand what aspects of self-regulated learning contribute to…

Managing a culturally diverse workforce : Diversity perspectives in organizations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Podsiadlowski, Astrid; Gröschke, Daniela; Kogler, Marina; Springer, Cornelia; van der Zee, Karen

The authors conducted two studies to analyze why and how organizations approach and manage cultural diversity in the Austrian workplace and to identify organizations' diversity perspectives. In Study 1, 29 interviews revealed insights into organizational approaches to diversity and how these

Teaching for Diversity: Addressing Diversity Issues in Responsive ESL Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Jing

2013-01-01

Student diversity has become a typical phenomenon in American public schools. The impact of increasing diversity on literacy instruction is unchallenged. Teachers reinforce this message by often citing ESL student diversity as a barrier for literacy teaching. In order to better understand the complexity of diversity issues, I explored two ESL…

Carrots and Sticks: New Brunswick and Maine Forest Landowner Perceptions Toward Incentives and Regulations

Science.gov (United States)

Quartuch, Michael R.; Beckley, Thomas M.

2014-01-01

The governments of countries that allow private land ownership have two main tools to motivate landowner behavior: regulations and incentives. This research examines landowner preferences toward these policy tools and asks specifically: Do private forest landowners in New Brunswick and Maine believe that regulations and/or incentives are effective means to motivate responsible stewardship? Can landowners identify explicit regulations and policies that restrict property rights? Also, we were interested to see if any discernible differences existed between these adjacent jurisdictions from different countries, but that share similar forests and a similar settlement history. We identified and interviewed diverse landowners, recorded and transcribed our discussions, and analyzed the results using a grounded theory approach. Findings suggest that both New Brunswick and Maine participants are fairly comfortable with most regulations and many agreed that a combination of incentives and regulations are in fact useful. Furthermore, landowners in New Brunswick discussed non-monetary incentives as a mechanism to reward "good" stewardship; while Maine respondents articulated a degree of responsible stewardship that transcends a need to incentivize landowners. This study demonstrates that diverse landowners may be more comfortable with environmental regulations than previously understood and may be interested in non-monetary incentives.

Ego depletion and attention regulation under pressure: Is a temporary loss of self-control strength indeed related to impaired attention regulation?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Englert, C.; Zwemmer, K.; Bertrams, A.; Oudejans, R.R.D.

2015-01-01

In the current study we investigated whether ego depletion negatively affects attention regulation under pressure in sports by assessing participants' dart throwing performance and accompanying gaze behavior. According to the strength model of self-control, the most important aspect of self-control

Recycling of water of high pressure cleaning of pipes. Phase 1. Quality demands and economical aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Weers, A.W.; Zwaard, J.

1999-01-01

According to the regulation 6.1 in the current licence Surface Water Pollution Law (WVO, abbreviated in Dutch) of October 10, 1997, ECN carried out the first phase of a study on the title subject with respect to pipes applied in oil and gas exploration. In the present situation water of the so-called pipe-cleaner is transported via a seapipe after precipitation and membrane filtration. Next to the quality demands and economical aspects attention is paid to a number of environmental aspects

Regulations and guides for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

The purpose of the present Guide is to provide information, guidance and recommendations to assist the regulatory body of a Member State in establishing its own regulations and guides. It discusses the purpose, the method and procedure of establishment, and the content and legal status of these documents, and it explains how to use the Codes of Practice and Safety Guides issued by the IAEA under the Nuclear Safety Standards (NUSS) programme. Certain aspects of how to use other international standards and appropriate regulations and guides from other countries are discussed

NASFAA Diversity and Inclusion: Recommendations of the Professional Diversity Caucus

Science.gov (United States)

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, 2015

2015-01-01

NASFAA's Diversity and Inclusion Report emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusivity to NASFAA. Included in this report is a diversity statement developed by NASFAA's Professional Diversity Caucus, and approved by NASFAA's Board in March of 2015. The Caucus convened in the summer of 2014 to better understand issues related to diversity…

Capturing the Diversity in Lexical Diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Jarvis, Scott

2013-01-01

The range, variety, or diversity of words found in learners' language use is believed to reflect the complexity of their vocabulary knowledge as well as the level of their language proficiency. Many indices of lexical diversity have been proposed, most of which involve statistical relationships between types and tokens, and which ultimately…

Robust optical wireless links over turbulent media using diversity solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Moradi, Hassan

Free-space optic (FSO) technology, i.e., optical wireless communication (OWC), is widely recognized as superior to radio frequency (RF) in many aspects. Visible and invisible optical wireless links solve first/last mile connectivity problems and provide secure, jam-free communication. FSO is license-free and delivers high-speed data rates in the order of Gigabits. Its advantages have fostered significant research efforts aimed at utilizing optical wireless communication, e.g. visible light communication (VLC), for high-speed, secure, indoor communication under the IEEE 802.15.7 standard. However, conventional optical wireless links demand precise optical alignment and suffer from atmospheric turbulence. When compared with RF, they suffer a low degree of reliability and lack robustness. Pointing errors cause optical transceiver misalignment, adversely affecting system reliability. Furthermore, atmospheric turbulence causes irradiance fluctuations and beam broadening of transmitted light. Innovative solutions to overcome limitations on the exploitation of high-speed optical wireless links are greatly needed. Spatial diversity is known to improve RF wireless communication systems. Similar diversity approaches can be adapted for FSO systems to improve its reliability and robustness; however, careful diversity design is needed since FSO apertures typically remain unbalanced as a result of FSO system sensitivity to misalignment. Conventional diversity combining schemes require persistent aperture monitoring and repetitive switching, thus increasing FSO implementation complexities. Furthermore, current RF diversity combining schemes may not be optimized to address the issue of unbalanced FSO receiving apertures. This dissertation investigates two efficient diversity combining schemes for multi-receiving FSO systems: switched diversity combining and generalized selection combining. Both can be exploited to reduce complexity and improve combining efficiency. Unlike maximum

Response diversity determines the resilience of ecosystems to environmental change.

Science.gov (United States)

Mori, Akira S; Furukawa, Takuya; Sasaki, Takehiro

2013-05-01

A growing body of evidence highlights the importance of biodiversity for ecosystem stability and the maintenance of optimal ecosystem functionality. Conservation measures are thus essential to safeguard the ecosystem services that biodiversity provides and human society needs. Current anthropogenic threats may lead to detrimental (and perhaps irreversible) ecosystem degradation, providing strong motivation to evaluate the response of ecological communities to various anthropogenic pressures. In particular, ecosystem functions that sustain key ecosystem services should be identified and prioritized for conservation action. Traditional diversity measures (e.g. 'species richness') may not adequately capture the aspects of biodiversity most relevant to ecosystem stability and functionality, but several new concepts may be more appropriate. These include 'response diversity', describing the variation of responses to environmental change among species of a particular community. Response diversity may also be a key determinant of ecosystem resilience in the face of anthropogenic pressures and environmental uncertainty. However, current understanding of response diversity is poor, and we see an urgent need to disentangle the conceptual strands that pervade studies of the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Our review clarifies the links between response diversity and the maintenance of ecosystem functionality by focusing on the insurance hypothesis of biodiversity and the concept of functional redundancy. We provide a conceptual model to describe how loss of response diversity may cause ecosystem degradation through decreased ecosystem resilience. We explicitly explain how response diversity contributes to functional compensation and to spatio-temporal complementarity among species, leading to long-term maintenance of ecosystem multifunctionality. Recent quantitative studies suggest that traditional diversity measures may often be uncoupled from

Everything in Moderation--Dietary Diversity and Quality, Central Obesity and Risk of Diabetes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcia C de Oliveira Otto

Full Text Available Diet guidelines recommend increasing dietary diversity. Yet, metrics for dietary diversity have neither been well-defined nor evaluated for impact on metabolic health. Also, whether diversity has effects independent of diet quality is unknown. We characterized and evaluated associations of diet diversity and quality with abdominal obesity and type II diabetes (T2D in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. At baseline (2000-02, diet was assessed among 5,160 Whites, Hispanic, Blacks, and Chinese age 45-84 y and free of T2D, using a validated questionnaire. Three different aspects of diet diversity were characterized including count (number of different food items eaten more than once/week, a broad measure of diversity, evenness (Berry index, a measure of the spread of the diversity, and dissimilarity (Jaccard distance, a measure of the diversity of the attributes of the foods consumed. Diet quality was characterized using aHEI, DASH, and a priori pattern. Count and evenness were weakly positively correlated with diet quality (r with AHEI: 0.20, 0.04, while dissimilarity was moderately inversely correlated (r = -0.34. In multivariate models, neither count nor evenness was associated with change in waist circumference (WC or incident T2D. Greater food dissimilarity was associated with higher gain in WC (p-trend<0.01, with 120% higher gain in participants in the highest quintile of dissimilarity scores. Diet diversity was not associated with incident T2D. Also, none of the diversity metrics were associated with change in WC or incident T2D when restricted to only healthier or less healthy foods. Higher diet quality was associated with lower risk of T2D. Our findings provide little evidence for benefits of diet diversity for either abdominal obesity or diabetes. Greater dissimilarity among foods was actually associated with gain in WC. These results do not support the notion that "eating everything in moderation" leads to greater diet quality or

Diversity Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ravazzani, Silvia

2018-01-01

This entry provides an overview of diversity management which, in the context of organizations, consists in the strategic process of harnessing the potential of all employees to create an inclusive environment and, at the same time, contribute to meeting organizational goals. The entry first...... describes the complex construct of diversity that has been variously conceptualized in the literature, embracing multiple social and informational diversity dimensions such as gender, age, culture, values, and workstyle. This is followed by illustration of the historical development of diversity-management...... discourse and practice, and possible overarching approaches guiding organizations. It goes on to elucidate elements linked to the implementation of diversity management: positive and negative outcomes, most spread practices including communication, and contingency factors shaping the understanding...

Diversity Generator Mechanisms Are Essential Components of Biological Systems: The Two Queen Hypothesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eric Muraille

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Diversity is widely known to fuel adaptation and evolutionary processes and increase robustness at the population, species and ecosystem levels. The Neo-Darwinian paradigm proposes that the diversity of biological entities is the consequence of genetic changes arising spontaneously and randomly, without regard for their usefulness. However, a growing body of evidence demonstrates that the evolutionary process has shaped mechanisms, such as horizontal gene transfer mechanisms, meiosis and the adaptive immune system, which has resulted in the regulated generation of diversity among populations. Though their origins are unrelated, these diversity generator (DG mechanisms share common functional properties. They (i contribute to the great unpredictability of the composition and/or behavior of biological systems, (ii favor robustness and collectivism among populations and (iii operate mainly by manipulating the systems that control the interaction of living beings with their environment. The definition proposed here for DGs is based on these properties and can be used to identify them according to function. Interestingly, prokaryotic DGs appear to be mainly reactive, as they generate diversity in response to environmental stress. They are involved in the widely described Red Queen/arms race/Cairnsian dynamic. The emergence of multicellular organisms harboring K selection traits (longer reproductive life cycle and smaller population size has led to the acquisition of a new class of DGs that act anticipatively to stress pressures and generate a distinct dynamic called the “White Queen” here. The existence of DGs leads to the view of evolution as a more “intelligent” and Lamarckian-like process. Their repeated selection during evolution could be a neglected example of convergent evolution and suggests that some parts of the evolutionary process are tightly constrained by ecological factors, such as the population size, the generation time and

Human Aspect as a Critical Factor for Organization Sustainability in the Tourism Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehmet Ulus

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Organizations adopt diverse strategies to govern the technical and managerial aspects of sustainability implementation processes. The need for better leading and managing people-related issues emerges as companies aim for more effective change towards sustainability. The human aspect of the sustainability implementation process is mostly not paid enough attention, but it can significantly affect the success of a change management program by creating hurdles or easing the process. This study considers three human-related factors: resistance to change, internal communication, and employee engagement in sustainability activities of organizations. The aim of the study is to explore how these human factors are managed by tourism companies for organizational sustainability. For this purpose four companies from different sectors of tourism are chosen as case studies and the results are examined using qualitative data analysis techniques. The results indicate that the companies which are in a more advanced stage of sustainability implementation manage human factors using a greater number of channels and employ varied strategies. The results can provide insights into how organizations tackle the challenges of managing human aspect and display the practices that contribute to successful change management programs for achieving organizational sustainability through people.

Regulating health: transcending disciplinary boundaries.

Science.gov (United States)

Seddon, Toby

2013-03-01

Health and health care problems can be addressed from multiple disciplinary perspectives. This raises challenges for how to do cross-disciplinary scholarship in ways that are still robust, rigorous and coherent. This paper sets out one particular approach to cross-cutting research--regulation--which has proved extremely fertile for scholars working in diverse fields, from coal mine safety to tax compliance. The first part of the paper considers how regulatory ideas might be applied to health and health care research in general. The second part goes on to sketch out how a regulation perspective on one specific area, illicit drug policy, can open up new directions for research. In conclusion, a future research agenda is outlined for regulatory scholarship on health and health care.

Are we bridging the gap? A review of cultural diversity within stoma care.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper-Gamson, Louise

2017-09-28

The aim of this article is to highlight the aspects of how religion, ethnic grouping, age, gender, and learning disabilities affect how stoma care is approached and supported. It will try to highlight the positive and negative approaches documented so far and how this has affected the quality of stoma care given. By following guidelines set out by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2015) and the Association of Stoma Care Nurses (ASCN) (2015) the aim of the article will be to expand cultural awareness in stoma care nursing. By learning about the multifaceted aspects of culture as it applies to stoma care and then being able to apply that knowledge, usefully and skilfully, expands the SCN's ability to provide services for any cultural diverse client group.

A diversity oriented synthesis of natural product inspired molecular libraries.

Science.gov (United States)

Chauhan, Jyoti; Luthra, Tania; Gundla, Rambabu; Ferraro, Antonio; Holzgrabe, Ulrike; Sen, Subhabrata

2017-11-07

Natural products are the source of innumerable pharmaceutical drug candidates and also form an important aspect of herbal remedies. They are also a source of various bioactive compounds. Herein we have leveraged the structural attributes of several natural products in building a library of architecturally diverse chiral molecules by harnessing R-tryptophan as the chiral auxiliary. It is converted to its corresponding methyl ester 1 which in turn provided a bevy of 1-aryl-tetrahydro-β-carbolines 2a-d, which were then converted to chiral compounds via a diversity oriented synthetic strategy (DOS). In general, intermolecular and intramolecular ring rearrangements facilitated the formation of the final compounds. Four different classes of molecules with distinct architectures were generated, adding up to nearly twenty-two individual molecules. Phenotypic screening of a representative section of the library revealed two molecules that selectively inhibit MCF7 breast cancer cells with IC 50 of ∼5 μg mL -1 potency.

The legal regulation of career course in Latvian Police

OpenAIRE

Kitija Bite

2013-01-01

ANNOTATION The research „The legal regulation of career course in Latvian Police” describes the existing legal regulation of all Service elements. In order to unveil the intended purpose several aspects were analyzed – selection and professional training for the Service, organization of the career and termination of legal relationships. The structure of the research is constituted by the given elements, where a chapter is dedicated to each of them. With regard to foreign exp...

Facile Selective and Diverse Fabrication of Superhydrophobic, Superoleophobic-Superhydrophilic and Superamphiphobic Materials from Kaolin.

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Mengnan; Ma, Xuerui; He, Jinmei; Feng, Juan; Liu, Shanshan; Yao, Yali; Hou, Lingang; Liu, Xiangrong

2017-01-11

As the starting material, kaolin is selectively and diversely fabricated to the superhydrophobic, superoleophobic-superhydrophilic, and superamphiphobic materials, respectively. The wettability of the kaolin surface can be selectively controlled and regulated to different superwetting states by choosing the corresponding modification reagent. The procedure is facile to operate, and no special technique or equipment is required. In addition, the procedure is cost-effective and time-saving and the obtained super-repellent properties are very stable. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis demonstrates different changes of kaolin particles surfaces which are responsible for the different super-repellency. The scanning electron microscopy displays geometric micro- and nanometer structures of the obtained three kinds of super-repellent materials. The results show that kaolin has good applications in many kinds of superwetting materials. The method demonstrated in this paper provides a new strategy for regulating and controlling the wettability of solid surfaces selectively, diversely, and comprehensively.

Nature and autonomy: an organizational view of social and neurobiological aspects of self-regulation in behavior and development.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, R M; Kuhl, J; Deci, E L

1997-01-01

The concepts of self-regulation and autonomy are examined within an organizational framework. We begin by retracing the historical origins of the organizational viewpoint in early debates within the field of biology between vitalists and reductionists, from which the construct of self-regulation emerged. We then consider human autonomy as an evolved behavioral, developmental, and experiential phenomenon that operates at both neurobiological and psychological levels and requires very specific supports within higher order social organizations. We contrast autonomy or true self-regulation with controlling regulation (a nonautonomous form of intentional behavior) in phenomenological and functional terms, and we relate the forms of regulation to the developmental processes of intrinsic motivation and internalization. Subsequently, we describe how self-regulation versus control may be characterized by distinct neurobiological underpinnings, and we speculate about some of the adaptive advantages that may underlie the evolution of autonomy. Throughout, we argue that disturbances of autonomy, which have both biological and psychological etiologies, are central to many forms of psychopathology and social alienation.

A diverse host thrombospondin-type-1 repeat protein repertoire promotes symbiont colonization during establishment of cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Neubauer, Emilie-Fleur; Poole, Angela Z; Neubauer, Philipp; Detournay, Olivier; Tan, Kenneth; Davy, Simon K; Weis, Virginia M

2017-05-08

The mutualistic endosymbiosis between cnidarians and dinoflagellates is mediated by complex inter-partner signaling events, where the host cnidarian innate immune system plays a crucial role in recognition and regulation of symbionts. To date, little is known about the diversity of thrombospondin-type-1 repeat (TSR) domain proteins in basal metazoans or their potential role in regulation of cnidarian-dinoflagellate mutualisms. We reveal a large and diverse repertoire of TSR proteins in seven anthozoan species, and show that in the model sea anemone Aiptasia pallida the TSR domain promotes colonization of the host by the symbiotic dinoflagellate Symbiodinium minutum . Blocking TSR domains led to decreased colonization success, while adding exogenous TSRs resulted in a 'super colonization'. Furthermore, gene expression of TSR proteins was highest at early time-points during symbiosis establishment. Our work characterizes the diversity of cnidarian TSR proteins and provides evidence that these proteins play an important role in the establishment of cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis.

Development of an informative system on aspects of radiological protection in the medical practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopez B, G.M.; Martinez G, A.; Gonzalez R, N.; Hernandez A, R.; Valdes R, M.; Cardenas H, J.; Zaldivar H, W.; Diaz B, M.; Machado T, A.

2006-01-01

Today in day is difficult to imagine the development of the medical practices in the diagnosis and treatment of diverse illnesses without the use of the ionizing radiations. In spite of the diffusion and application of these practices, the patients and the public in general don't have full conscience of like the procedures are carried out and the risks that these involve. For it diverse international and national organizations in the last years recommend to include in the programs of radiological protection, all the information that should be given to the patients and the one public that attend as users to the medical institutions to undergo to procedures that imply the use of the ionizing radiations. In Cuba a growing and quick tendency exists to the introduction of nuclear techniques for medical ends, however paradoxically the relative aspects to the communication to the patients and the public in general about the risks of the procedures to that they will be subjected and in consequence on the measures to minimize them is not adequate. Keeping in mind the above-mentioned, specialists of national centers linked to the control and consultant ship in the topics of radiological protection in the medical practices that use ionizing radiations, they worked in the country in the design of an information system that should contribute to elevate the population's culture before the mentioned aspects. The present work describes the structure of this system in function of the different medical attention levels of our national health system. Additionally it exposes the development of a package of varied informative and training tools among those that are folding, posters, guides, instructions, CD Show that its approach general and specific aspects of the uses and risks of medical practices in nuclear medicine, radiodiagnostic and radiotherapy directed so much to health professionals, patients as public in general. (Author)

Rethinking Diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

1996

These three papers were presented at a symposium on rethinking diversity in human resource development (HRD) moderated by Neal Chalofsky at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development. "Diversity: A Double-Edged Sword" (Sally F. Angus) presents the notion of work force diversity through two differing perspectives in order to…

Organizational strategy and diversity management: diversity-sensitive orientation as a moderating influence.

Science.gov (United States)

Dansky, Kathryn H; Weech-Maldonado, Robert; De Souza, Gita; Dreachslin, Janice L

2003-01-01

Empirical studies on diversity suggest that health care organizations have been slow to embrace diversity management. We propose that sensitivity to diversity, at the corporate level, moderates strategic decision making, which influences human resource management practices such as diversity initiatives. This study of 203 hospitals explored the relationships among organizational strategy, organizational sensitivity to diversity, and diversity management practices.

Islamic Education With Multicultural Insight An Attempt Of Learning Unity In Diversity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farid Hasyim, M.Ag

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Education has a vital role in smartening up human life; it is not surprising that the way to measure the quality of a civilization is determined by the quality of its educators. In the modern and heterogenic era as today, education with multicultural insight is required in order to give understanding about the importance of unity and diversity, so it is expected that there will be no more violence in the name of race, ethnicity, culture and even religion. Islam is often perceived as a harsh, exclusive and sectarian religion, whereas Islam is full of moral values, compassion, tolerance and inclusion. In response, Islamic education is required to give an understanding to the world that Islam is a religion that respects multiculturalism. This is where Islamic education with multicultural insight must be present in order to explain the relationship between man and God (hablun min Allah, theological aspects; the relationship of unity, namely human relationships with others (hablun min al-nas, anthropo-sociological aspects; and human relationship with the natural surroundings (hablun mi al-’Alam, cosmological aspect.

Covariation of viral parameters with bacterial assemblage richness and diversity in the water column and sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Hewson, Ian; Fuhrman, Jed A.

2007-05-01

Viruses are hypothesized to maintain diversity in microbial assemblages by regulating the abundance of dominant competitors and thereby allowing less-dominant competitors to persist in assemblages; however, there have been few empirical data sets to support this idea. In this study, we examined the relationship between the ratio of viral abundance to bacterial abundance, viral production, and the relative richness and diversity of bacterial assemblage fingerprints, in samples taken from geographically widespread locations (North Pacific gyre, the Amazon River plume and adjacent North Atlantic gyre, Gulf of Mexico, Southern California Bight and Arafura—Coral Seas) which are oligo- to mesotrophic. Bacterial assemblage richness and diversity as measured by automated rRNA intergenic spacer (ARISA) fingerprinting were significantly and positively correlated with the ratio of virus abundance to bacteria abundance (VBR) and to the rate of virus production only in the oligotrophic North Pacific gyre. ARISA fingerprint richness/diversity were not significantly correlated to viral parameters when assessed across all samples in surface waters, suggesting there is not a singular global quantitative relationship between viral pressure and host diversity within well evolved host/virus systems in different geographic locations in plankton. In sediments off Southern California, viral parameters significantly and negatively correlated with ARISA diversity, suggesting strong viral interactions in this habitat. To examine covariation of viral parameters and the relative abundance and diversity of rarer bacterial taxa (i.e., less-dominant competitor), the richness and diversity of diazotroph communities was measured using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) of a portion ( nifH) of the nitrogenase gene. The richness and diversity of diazotrophic communities were significantly and negatively correlated with viral parameters across all locations. Since diazotrophs

Systems Analyses Reveal Shared and Diverse Attributes of Oct4 Regulation in Pluripotent Cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ding, Li; Paszkowski-Rogacz, Maciej; Winzi, Maria

2015-01-01

We combine a genome-scale RNAi screen in mouse epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) with genetic interaction, protein localization, and "protein-level dependency" studies-a systematic technique that uncovers post-transcriptional regulation-to delineate the network of factors that control the expression...... of Oct4, a key regulator of pluripotency. Our data signify that there are similarities, but also fundamental differences in Oct4 regulation in EpiSCs versus embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Through multiparametric data analyses, we predict that Tox4 is associating with the Paf1C complex, which maintains cell...... identity in both cell types, and validate that this protein-protein interaction exists in ESCs and EpiSCs. We also identify numerous knockdowns that increase Oct4 expression in EpiSCs, indicating that, in stark contrast to ESCs, Oct4 is under active repressive control in EpiSCs. These studies provide...

Personality and self-regulation: trait and information-processing perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoyle, Rick H

2006-12-01

This article introduces the special issue of Journal of Personality on personality and self-regulation. The goal of the issue is to illustrate and inspire research that integrates personality and process-oriented accounts of self-regulation. The article begins by discussing the trait perspective on self-regulation--distinguishing between temperament and personality accounts--and the information-processing perspective. Three approaches to integrating these perspectives are then presented. These range from methodological approaches, in which constructs representing the two perspectives are examined in integrated statistical models, to conceptual approaches, in which the two perspectives are unified in a holistic theoretical model of self-regulation. The article concludes with an overview of the special issue contributions, which are organized in four sections: broad, integrative models of personality and self-regulation; models that examine the developmental origins of self-regulation and self-regulatory styles; focused programs of research that concern specific aspects or applications of self-regulation; and strategies for increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of self-regulation.

Molecular aspects of bacterial pH sensing and homeostasis

Science.gov (United States)

Krulwich, Terry A.; Sachs, George; Padan, Etana

2011-01-01

Diverse mechanisms for pH-sensing and cytoplasmic pH homeostasis enable most bacteria to tolerate or grow at external pH values that are outside the cytoplasmic pH range they must maintain for growth. The most extreme cases are exemplified by the extremophiles that inhabit environments whose pH is below 3 or above 11. Here we describe how recent insights into the structure and function of key molecules and their regulators reveal novel strategies of bacterial pH-homeostasis. These insights may help us better target certain pathogens and better harness the capacities of environmental bacteria. PMID:21464825

General siting regulation and population distribution criteria for Greece

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kollas, J.; Yadigaroglu, G.

1983-01-01

A new national regulation for nuclear power plant siting is described. The main body of the regulation is similar in contents to the IAEA Code of Practice in siting, but exceeds its scope in certain areas and covers all aspects of the impact of the plant on the population and the environment of the region, including non-radiological effects. The regulation is accompanied by appendices which refer to site suitability criteria with respect to the radiological consequences from the operational states of the plant and with respect to accidents, including core-melt accidents; these reflect the particular geographic and demographic situation of Greece

Cultural diversity in Brazilian children’s literature: The project Literatura em Minha Casa in question

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flávia Ferreira de Paula

2016-08-01

Full Text Available This paper intends to search for representations of Brazilian cultural diversity in children’s literature of the Programa Nacional Biblioteca da Escola [National Program of School Library] (PNBE, in the editions of 2001, 2002, and 2003, years of the project Literatura em Minha Casa [Literature in My House], especially those addressed to fourth and fifth grades of Elementary School. The selection criteria of works claimed that the collections should “[…] present a small picture of the Brazilian culture […]” (Brasil, 2001; 2002; 2003, p. 12, understanding that culture as characterized by diversity. Therefore, the analysis was divided into two phases: the first dealt with ethnic plurality and the second with culture and regionalism. In general, the results showed that among 120 works analyzed, 15 had ethnic-racial diversity and 12 works presented aspects of regionalism and culture from different parts of Brazil.

EMS and process of identification and evaluation of environmental aspects: a proposal methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perotto, E.

2006-01-01

The Environmental Management System (EMS) is an instrument to manage the interaction between the organization and the environment. The scope od EMS is to reduce the environmental impact and to achieve improvements in overall performances. In particular, the focus point of EMS implementation is the method for identifying and assessing significant environmental aspects. The results of the literature and regulation reviews (Perotto 2006) have shown that rigourous repeatable and transparent methodologies do not exist. This paper presents a proposal method for identifying and assessing significant environmental aspects, that has all three of these important characteristics. In particular, the proposal methodology for assessing aspects is based on some criteria that are combined in a specific algorithm. It is important to specify that to make a correct application of the method a preliminary rigorous approach to investigating the environment and the activities of organizations is necessary [it

Gene expression regulation in photomorphogenesis from the perspective of the central dogma.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Shu-Hsing

2014-01-01

Depending on the environment a young seedling encounters, the developmental program following seed germination could be skotomorphogenesis in the dark or photomorphogenesis in the light. Light signals are interpreted by a repertoire of photoreceptors followed by sophisticated gene expression networks, eventually resulting in developmental changes. The expression and functions of photoreceptors and key signaling molecules are highly coordinated and regulated at multiple levels of the central dogma in molecular biology. Light activates gene expression through the actions of positive transcriptional regulators and the relaxation of chromatin by histone acetylation. Small regulatory RNAs help attenuate the expression of light-responsive genes. Alternative splicing, protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation, the formation of diverse transcriptional complexes, and selective protein degradation all contribute to proteome diversity and change the functions of individual proteins.

Inventory, differentiation, and proportional diversity: a consistent terminology for quantifying species diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Jurasinski, Gerald; Retzer, Vroni; Beierkuhnlein, Carl

2009-02-01

Almost half a century after Whittaker (Ecol Monogr 30:279-338, 1960) proposed his influential diversity concept, it is time for a critical reappraisal. Although the terms alpha, beta and gamma diversity introduced by Whittaker have become general textbook knowledge, the concept suffers from several drawbacks. First, alpha and gamma diversity share the same characteristics and are differentiated only by the scale at which they are applied. However, as scale is relative--depending on the organism(s) or ecosystems investigated--this is not a meaningful ecological criterion. Alpha and gamma diversity can instead be grouped together under the term "inventory diversity." Out of the three levels proposed by Whittaker, beta diversity is the one which receives the most contradictory comments regarding its usefulness ("key concept" vs. "abstruse concept"). Obviously beta diversity means different things to different people. Apart from the large variety of methods used to investigate it, the main reason for this may be different underlying data characteristics. A literature review reveals that the multitude of measures used to assess beta diversity can be sorted into two conceptually different groups. The first group directly takes species distinction into account and compares the similarity of sites (similarity indices, slope of the distance decay relationship, length of the ordination axis, and sum of squares of a species matrix). The second group relates species richness (or other summary diversity measures) of two (or more) different scales to each other (additive and multiplicative partitioning). Due to that important distinction, we suggest that beta diversity should be split into two levels, "differentiation diversity" (first group) and "proportional diversity" (second group). Thus, we propose to use the terms "inventory diversity" for within-sample diversity, "differentiation diversity" for compositional similarity between samples, and "proportional diversity" for the

Nuclear regulation in transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomain, J.P.

1986-01-01

The current state of nuclear regulations in the USA is examined. Since Three Mile Island the regulation of the nuclear power industry has been undergoing a noticeable transition. It will be argued here that the transition is characterized by two indicia. First, the primary focus of state and federal regulators has been on the financial aspects of the industry: this is best seen in the context of decisions allocating the costs of nuclear plant cancellations. Second, decisionmaking power has been decentralized: although the regulatory history of nuclear power demonstrates the tradition of centralized decisionmaking power (i.e., formerly the primary decisionmaking body was the Atomic Energy Commission), now States share decisionmaking power with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In Section 1 a brief legislative history of nuclear regulation is presented to establish the assertion that nuclear regulation, both de jure and de facto, was centralized. Next, Section 2 canvasses recent United States Supreme Court opinions regarding nuclear regulation. The Court frequently acts as policymaker through the consequences of its opinions, if not by its intent. In the area of nuclear policymaking, the Court has paid allegiance recently both to the tradition of centralization and to the movement toward decentralization. This dualism is reflected in other federal court decisions as well which will be briefly mentioned. Continuing the analysis of Federal regulation, Section 3 examines the current reform efforts of the NRC. Section 4 presents an examination of State responses to nuclear plant cancellations. In this section, State administrative agency and court decisions will be examined and recent State legislation will be discussed. (author)

Nuclear regulation in transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tomain, J.P. (Cincinnati Univ., OH, US. Coll. of Law)

1986-01-01

The current state of nuclear regulations in the USA is examined. Since Three Mile Island the regulation of the nuclear power industry has been undergoing a noticeable transition. It will be argued here that the transition is characterized by two indicia. First, the primary focus of state and federal regulators has been on the financial aspects of the industry: this is best seen in the context of decisions allocating the costs of nuclear plant cancellations. Second, decisionmaking power has been decentralized: although the regulatory history of nuclear power demonstrates the tradition of centralized decisionmaking power (i.e., formerly the primary decisionmaking body was the Atomic Energy Commission), now States share decisionmaking power with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In Section 1 a brief legislative history of nuclear regulation is presented to establish the assertion that nuclear regulation, both de jure and de facto, was centralized. Next, Section 2 canvasses recent United States Supreme Court opinions regarding nuclear regulation. The Court frequently acts as policymaker through the consequences of its opinions, if not by its intent. In the area of nuclear policymaking, the Court has paid allegiance recently both to the tradition of centralization and to the movement toward decentralization. This dualism is reflected in other federal court decisions as well which will be briefly mentioned. Continuing the analysis of Federal regulation, Section 3 examines the current reform efforts of the NRC. Section 4 presents an examination of State responses to nuclear plant cancellations. In this section, State administrative agency and court decisions will be examined and recent State legislation will be discussed.

Beyond billiard balls: transnational flows, cultural diversity and digital games

OpenAIRE

Kerr, Aphra

2010-01-01

Current mass media policy and regulation in Western Europe is primarily state‐based and increasingly based on the presumption that a competitive market will maximise individual choice and diversity. Policy interventions are primarily justified in terms of specific market failures including concentration of producers in the marketplace, the need to financially reward content developers financially for their work and issues related to distribution bottlenecks.1 Nevertheless, it is clear that at...

Setting the stage for a business case for leadership diversity in healthcare: history, research, and leverage.

Science.gov (United States)

Dotson, Ebbin; Nuru-Jeter, Amani

2012-01-01

Leveraging diversity to successfully influence business operations is a business imperative for many healthcare organizations as they look to leadership to help manage a new era of culturally competent, patient-centered care that reduces health and healthcare disparities. This article presents the foundation for a business case in leadership diversity within healthcare organizations and describes the need for research on managerial solutions to health and healthcare disparities. It provides a discussion of clinical, policy, and management implications that will help support a business case for improving the diversity of leadership in healthcare organizations as a way to reduce health and healthcare disparities. Historical contexts introduce aspects of the business case for leveraging leadership diversity based on a desire for a culturally competent care organization. Little research exists on the impact that the role of leadership plays in addressing health disparities from a healthcare management perspective. This article provides practitioners and researchers with a rationale to invest in leadership diversity. It discusses three strategies that will help set the stage for a business case. First, provide empirical evidence of the link between diversity and performance. Second, link investments in diversity to financial outcomes and organizational metrics of success. Third, make organizational leadership responsible for cultural competence as a performance measure. In order to address health and healthcare disparities, collaborations between researchers and practitioners are necessary to effectively implement these strategies.

Bacterial diversity and ecological function in lake water bodies

OpenAIRE

Lijuan Ren; Dan He; Peng Xing; Yujing Wang; Qinglong Wu

2013-01-01

The healthy development of lake ecosystems is a global issue. Bacteria are not only an integral component of food webs, but also play a key role in controlling and regulating water quality in lake ecosystems. Hence, in order to provide some suggestions for maintaining the long-term and healthy development of lake ecosystems, this review discusses and analyses concepts and assessment of bacterial diversity, the distribution of bacteria communities, mechanisms of formation, and the ecological f...

New insights into Blimp-1 in T lymphocytes: a divergent regulator of cell destiny and effector function.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Shin-Huei; Yeh, Li-Tzu; Chu, Chin-Chen; Yen, B Lin-Ju; Sytwu, Huey-Kang

2017-07-21

B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein-1 (Blimp-1) serves as a master regulator of the development and function of antibody-producing B cells. Given that its function in T lymphocytes has been identified within the past decade, we review recent findings with emphasis on its role in coordinated control of gene expression during the development, differentiation, and function of T cells. Expression of Blimp-1 is mainly confined to activated T cells and is essential for the production of interleukin (IL)-10 by a subset of forkhead box (Fox)p3 + regulatory T cells with an effector phenotype. Blimp-1 is also required to induce cell elimination in the thymus and critically modulates peripheral T cell activation and proliferation. In addition, Blimp-1 promotes T helper (Th) 2 lineage commitment and limits Th1, Th17 and follicular helper T cell differentiation. Furthermore, Blimp-1 coordinates with other transcription factors to regulate expression of IL-2, IL-21 and IL-10 in effector T lymphocytes. In CD8 + T cells, Blimp-1 expression is distinct in heterogeneous populations at the stages of clonal expansion, differentiation, contraction and memory formation when they encounter antigens. Moreover, Blimp-1 plays a fundamental role in coordinating cytokine receptor signaling networks and transcriptional programs to regulate diverse aspects of the formation and function of effector and memory CD8 + T cells and their exhaustion. Blimp-1 also functions as a gatekeeper of T cell activation and suppression to prevent or dampen autoimmune disease, antiviral responses and antitumor immunity. In this review, we discuss the emerging roles of Blimp-1 in the complex regulation of gene networks that regulate the destiny and effector function of T cells and provide a Blimp-1-dominated transcriptional framework for T lymphocyte homeostasis.

Current perspectives of CASA applications in diverse mammalian spermatozoa.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Horst, Gerhard; Maree, Liana; du Plessis, Stefan S

2018-03-26

Since the advent of computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA) some four decades ago, advances in computer technology and software algorithms have helped establish it as a research and diagnostic instrument for the analysis of spermatozoa. Despite mammalian spermatozoa being the most diverse cell type known, CASA is a great tool that has the capacity to provide rapid, reliable and objective quantitative assessment of sperm quality. This paper provides contemporary research findings illustrating the scientific and commercial applications of CASA and its ability to evaluate diverse mammalian spermatozoa (human, primates, rodents, domestic mammals, wildlife species) at both structural and functional levels. The potential of CASA to quantitatively measure essential aspects related to sperm subpopulations, hyperactivation, morphology and morphometry is also demonstrated. Furthermore, applications of CASA are provided for improved mammalian sperm quality assessment, evaluation of sperm functionality and the effect of different chemical substances or pathologies on sperm fertilising ability. It is clear that CASA has evolved significantly and is currently superior to many manual techniques in the research and clinical setting.

Building a More Diverse Workforce in HIV/AIDS Research: The Time has Come.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoff, David M; Cargill, Victoria A

2016-09-01

Investigators from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds are grossly underrepresented in the nation's biomedical research enterprise. Projections of current demographic trends suggest that population growth rates of minority populations will outpace that of the Caucasian population by 2060. Thus, this workforce will remain a poor reflection of the U.S. As a result of this underrepresentation of all sectors of the U.S. populace, the majority of the HIV research involving minority populations-those disproportionately impacted by HIV infection-will be conducted by investigators who do not resemble them. Although this does not necessarily preclude scientifically valid and important research, it produces research without the important cultural and contextual issues that can enhance the utility and generalizability of specific findings or interventions. The goal of this review is to not only raise awareness of the small numbers of minority investigators engaged in biomedical research, but also to identify the challenges to recruiting and retaining these investigators. In this article, while we discuss issues of diversity in general, the focus will be upon the mental health aspects of the HIV epidemic for illustrative purposes: to demonstrate the issues associated with enhancing investigator diversity as a strategy for remediating the chronic shortage of historically underrepresented investigators in scientific research. After presenting the magnitude of the problem and a rationale for enhancing diversity of the biomedical research workforce, we identify a number of potential reasons and challenges for the shortage of minority investigators. Aspects of the mentoring process, together with ten key suggestions, are discussed as the backdrop for the supplement papers that follow (dealing with mentoring principles, challenges, and mentoring-related issues on mentee, mentor, mentee-mentor relationship, and programs). By identifying these realities we hope to: (1) promote

Leisure managers’ perceptions of employee diversity and impact of employee diversity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Garib, Y.R.

2013-01-01

This aim of the study is to gain more insight in diversity perceptions and the diversity benefits in the leisure industry by investigating the impact of leisure managers’ diversity perceptions on organizational performance perceptions. The diversity typology of Harrison and Klein (2007) based on

Scale dependent drivers of wild bee diversity in tropical heterogeneous agricultural landscapes.

Science.gov (United States)

Basu, Parthiba; Parui, Arpan Kumar; Chatterjee, Soumik; Dutta, Aditi; Chakraborty, Pushan; Roberts, Stuart; Smith, Barbara

2016-10-01

Factors associated with agricultural intensification, for example, loss of seminatural vegetation and pesticide use has been shown to adversely affect the bee community. These factors may impact the bee community differently at different landscape scales. The scale dependency is expected to be more pronounced in heterogeneous landscapes. However, the scale-dependent response of the bee community to drivers of its decline is relatively understudied, especially in the tropics where the agricultural landscape is often heterogeneous. This study looked at effects of agricultural intensification on bee diversity at patch and landscape scales in a tropical agricultural landscape. Wild bees were sampled using 12 permanent pan trap stations. Patch and landscape characteristics were measured within a 100 m (patch scale) and a 500 m (landscape scale) radius of pan trap stations. Information on pesticide input was obtained from farmer surveys. Data on vegetation cover, productivity, and percentage of agricultural and fallow land (FL) were collected using satellite imagery. Intensive areas in a bee-site network were less specialized in terms of resources to attract rare bee species while the less intensive areas, which supported more rare species, were more vulnerable to disturbance. A combination of patch quality and diversity as well as pesticide use regulates species diversity at the landscape scale (500 m), whereas pesticide quantity drove diversity at the patch scale (100 m). At the landscape scale, specialization of each site in terms of resources for bees increased with increasing patch diversity and FL while at the patch scale specialization declined with increased pesticide use. Bee functional groups responded differentially to landscape characteristics as well as pesticide use. Wood nesting bees were negatively affected by the number of pesticides used but other bee functional groups were not sensitive to pesticides. Synthesis and Applications : Different factors

Plant cell surface receptor-mediated signaling - a common theme amid diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Yunxia; Zhou, Jinggeng; Shan, Libo; Meng, Xiangzong

2018-01-29

Sessile plants employ a diverse array of plasma membrane-bound receptors to perceive endogenous and exogenous signals for regulation of plant growth, development and immunity. These cell surface receptors include receptor-like kinases (RLKs) and receptor-like proteins (RLPs) that harbor different extracellular domains for perception of distinct ligands. Several RLK and RLP signaling pathways converge at the somatic embryogenesis receptor kinases (SERKs), which function as shared co-receptors. A repertoire of receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases (RLCKs) associate with the receptor complexes to relay intracellular signaling. Downstream of the receptor complexes, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are among the key signaling modules at which the signals converge, and these cascades regulate diverse cellular and physiological responses through phosphorylation of different downstream substrates. In this Review, we summarize the emerging common theme that underlies cell surface receptor-mediated signaling pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana : the dynamic association of RLKs and RLPs with specific co-receptors and RLCKs for signal transduction. We further discuss how signaling specificities are maintained through modules at which signals converge, with a focus on SERK-mediated receptor signaling. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Distance-Based Functional Diversity Measures and Their Decomposition: A Framework Based on Hill Numbers

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Chun-Huo; Chao, Anne

2014-01-01

Hill numbers (or the “effective number of species”) are increasingly used to characterize species diversity of an assemblage. This work extends Hill numbers to incorporate species pairwise functional distances calculated from species traits. We derive a parametric class of functional Hill numbers, which quantify “the effective number of equally abundant and (functionally) equally distinct species” in an assemblage. We also propose a class of mean functional diversity (per species), which quantifies the effective sum of functional distances between a fixed species to all other species. The product of the functional Hill number and the mean functional diversity thus quantifies the (total) functional diversity, i.e., the effective total distance between species of the assemblage. The three measures (functional Hill numbers, mean functional diversity and total functional diversity) quantify different aspects of species trait space, and all are based on species abundance and species pairwise functional distances. When all species are equally distinct, our functional Hill numbers reduce to ordinary Hill numbers. When species abundances are not considered or species are equally abundant, our total functional diversity reduces to the sum of all pairwise distances between species of an assemblage. The functional Hill numbers and the mean functional diversity both satisfy a replication principle, implying the total functional diversity satisfies a quadratic replication principle. When there are multiple assemblages defined by the investigator, each of the three measures of the pooled assemblage (gamma) can be multiplicatively decomposed into alpha and beta components, and the two components are independent. The resulting beta component measures pure functional differentiation among assemblages and can be further transformed to obtain several classes of normalized functional similarity (or differentiation) measures, including N-assemblage functional generalizations of

Distance-based functional diversity measures and their decomposition: a framework based on Hill numbers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chun-Huo Chiu

Full Text Available Hill numbers (or the "effective number of species" are increasingly used to characterize species diversity of an assemblage. This work extends Hill numbers to incorporate species pairwise functional distances calculated from species traits. We derive a parametric class of functional Hill numbers, which quantify "the effective number of equally abundant and (functionally equally distinct species" in an assemblage. We also propose a class of mean functional diversity (per species, which quantifies the effective sum of functional distances between a fixed species to all other species. The product of the functional Hill number and the mean functional diversity thus quantifies the (total functional diversity, i.e., the effective total distance between species of the assemblage. The three measures (functional Hill numbers, mean functional diversity and total functional diversity quantify different aspects of species trait space, and all are based on species abundance and species pairwise functional distances. When all species are equally distinct, our functional Hill numbers reduce to ordinary Hill numbers. When species abundances are not considered or species are equally abundant, our total functional diversity reduces to the sum of all pairwise distances between species of an assemblage. The functional Hill numbers and the mean functional diversity both satisfy a replication principle, implying the total functional diversity satisfies a quadratic replication principle. When there are multiple assemblages defined by the investigator, each of the three measures of the pooled assemblage (gamma can be multiplicatively decomposed into alpha and beta components, and the two components are independent. The resulting beta component measures pure functional differentiation among assemblages and can be further transformed to obtain several classes of normalized functional similarity (or differentiation measures, including N-assemblage functional

Immune regulation by microbiome metabolites.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Chang H

2018-03-22

Commensal microbes and the host immune system have been co-evolved for mutual regulation. Microbes regulate the host immune system, in part, by producing metabolites. A mounting body of evidence indicates that diverse microbial metabolites profoundly regulate the immune system via host receptors and other target molecules. Immune cells express metabolite-specific receptors such as P2X 7 , GPR41, GPR43, GPR109A, aryl hydrocarbon receptor precursor (AhR), pregnane X receptor (PXR), farnesoid X receptor (FXR), TGR5 and other molecular targets. Microbial metabolites and their receptors form an extensive array of signals to respond to changes in nutrition, health and immunological status. As a consequence, microbial metabolite signals contribute to nutrient harvest from diet, and regulate host metabolism and the immune system. Importantly, microbial metabolites bidirectionally function to promote both tolerance and immunity to effectively fight infection without developing inflammatory diseases. In pathogenic conditions, adverse effects of microbial metabolites have been observed as well. Key immune-regulatory functions of the metabolites, generated from carbohydrates, proteins and bile acids, are reviewed in this article. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Corporate coalitions and policy making in the European Union: how and why British American Tobacco promoted "Better Regulation".

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Katherine Elizabeth; Fooks, Gary; Gilmore, Anna B; Collin, Jeff; Weishaar, Heide

2015-04-01

Over the past fifteen years, an interconnected set of regulatory reforms, known as Better Regulation, has been adopted across Europe, marking a significant shift in the way that European Union policies are developed. There has been little exploration of the origins of these reforms, which include mandatory ex ante impact assessment. Drawing on documentary and interview data, this article discusses how and why large corporations, notably British American Tobacco (BAT), worked to influence and promote these reforms. Our analysis highlights (1) how policy entrepreneurs with sufficient resources (such as large corporations) can shape the membership and direction of advocacy coalitions; (2) the extent to which "think tanks" may be prepared to lobby on behalf of commercial clients; and (3) why regulated industries (including tobacco) may favor the use of "evidence tools," such as impact assessments, in policy making. We argue that a key aspect of BAT's ability to shape regulatory reform involved the deliberate construction of a vaguely defined idea that could be strategically adapted to appeal to diverse constituencies. We discuss the theoretical implications of this finding for the Advocacy Coalition Framework, as well as the practical implications of the findings for efforts to promote transparency and public health in the European Union. Copyright © 2015 by Duke University Press.

Retinoic acid signalling in thymocytes regulates T cell development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wendland, Kerstin; Sitnik, Katarzyna Maria; Kotarsky, Knut

in the regulatory regions of targetgenes. RA has been reported to play a direct role in regulating multiple aspects of peripheralT cell responses1, but whether endogenous RA signalling occurs in developingthymocytes and the potential impact of such signals in regulating T cell developmentremains unclear. To address......RARα. This blocks RA signalling in developing thymocytes from the DN3/4 stageonwards and thus allows us to study the role of RA in T cell development...

Video Games, Gender, Diversity, and Learning as Cultural Practice: Implications for Equitable Learning and Computing Participation through Games

Science.gov (United States)

Richard, Gabriela T.

2017-01-01

Games, play, and learning have a long and embedded history that outdates digital games by many years. However, video games, computing, and technology have significant and historically documented diversity issues, which privilege whites and males as content producers, computing and gaming experts, and STEM learners and employees. Many aspects of…

Role of Osmolytes in Regulating Immune System.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Tarun; Yadav, Manisha; Singh, Laishram Rajendrakumar

2016-01-01

The immune system has evolved to protect the host organism from diverse range of pathogenic microbes that are themselves constantly evolving. It is a complex network of cells, humoral factors, chemokines and cytokines. Dysregulation of immune system results in various kinds of immunological disorders. There are several external agents which govern the regulation of immune system. Recent studies have indicated the role of osmolytes in regulation of various immunological processes such as Ag-Ab interaction, Ig assembly, Ag presentation etc. In this present review, we have systematically discussed the role of osmolytes involved in regulation of several key immunological processes. Osmolytes are involved in the regulation of several key immunological processes such as immunoglobulin assembly and folding, immune cells proliferation, regulation of immune cells function, Ag-Ab interaction, antigen presentation, inflammatory response and protection against photo-immunosuppression. Hence, osmolytes and their transporters might be used as potential drug and drug targets respectively. This review is therefore designed to help clinicians in development of osmolyte based therapeutic strategies in the treatment of various immunological disorders. Appropriate future perspectives have also been included.

Multimodal designs for learning in contexts of diversity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arlene Archer

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to identify multimodal designs for learning in diverse and developing contexts, where access to resources remains vastly unequal. Using case studies from South African education, the paper explores ways of surfacing the range of students’ resources which are often not noticed or valued in formal educational settings. The studies showcased here demonstrate how ethnographic and textually-based approaches can be combined. Opening up the semiotic space of the classroom through multimodal designs for learning is important for finding innovative ways of addressing access, diversity, and past inequalities. This is of relevance not only to South Africa, but a range of global contexts. The paper argues that multimodal designs for learning can involve interrogating the relation between ‘tradition’ and ‘modernity’; harnessing students’ creative practices as resources for pedagogy; developing metalanguages for critical reflection; creating less regulated pedagogical spaces in order to enable useful teaching and learning practices.

The Origins of Diverse Domains of Mathematics: Generalist Genes but Specialist Environments

OpenAIRE

Kovas, Y.; Petrill, S. A.; Plomin, R.

2007-01-01

The authors assessed 2,502 ten-year-old children, members of 1,251 pairs of twins, on a Web-based battery of problems from 5 diverse aspects of mathematics assessed as part of the U.K. national curriculum. This 1st genetic study into the etiology of variation in different domains of mathematics showed that the heritability estimates were moderate and highly similar across domains and that these genetic influences were mostly general. Environmental factors unique to each twin in a family (rath...

Diversity and regulation of ATP sulfurylase in photosynthetic organisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura ePrioretti

2014-11-01

Full Text Available ATP sulfurylase (ATPS catalyzes the first committed step in the sulfate assimilation pathway, the activation of sulfate prior to its reduction. ATPS has been studied in only a few model organisms and even in these cases to a much smaller extent than the sulfate reduction and cysteine synthesis enzymes. This is possibly because the latter were considered of greater regulatory importance for sulfate assimilation. Recent evidences (reported in this paper challenge this view and suggest that ATPSes may have a crucial regulatory role in sulfate assimilation, at least in algae.In the ensuing text, we summarize the current knowledge on ATPS, with special attention to the processes that control its activity and gene(s expression. Special attention is given to algae ATPSes. The focus on algae is the consequence of the fact that a comprehensive investigation of ATPSes revealed that the algal enzymes, especially those that are most likely involved in the pathway of sulfate reduction to cysteine, possess features that are not present in other organisms. For instance, algae ATPSes show a great diversity of isoforms and a high content of cysteine residues, whose positions are often conserved. It is interesting that, at least with respect to the number of cysteines, the ATPSes of eukaryotic algae are closer to the marine cyanobacteria of the genera Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus and are more distant from freshwater cyanobacteria. These characteristics might have evolved in parallel with the radiation of algae in the oceans and the increase of sulfate concentration in seawater.

ASPECTS OF INTEGRATION MANAGEMENT METHODS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Artemy Varshapetian

2015-10-01

Full Text Available For manufacturing companies to succeed in today's unstable economic environment, it is necessary to restructure the main components of its activities: designing innovative product, production using modern reconfigurable manufacturing systems, a business model that takes into account the global strategy and management methods using modern management models and tools. The first three components are discussed in numerous publications, for example, (Koren, 2010 and is therefore not considered in the article. A large number of publications devoted to the methods and tools of production management, for example (Halevi, 2007. On the basis of what was said in the article discusses the possibility of the integration of only three methods have received in recent years, the most widely used, namely: Six Sigma method - SS (George et al., 2005 and supplements its-Design for six sigm? - DFSS (Taguchi, 2003; Lean production transformed with the development to the "Lean management" and further to the "Lean thinking" - Lean (Hirano et al., 2006; Theory of Constraints, developed E.Goldratt - TOC (Dettmer, 2001. The article investigates some aspects of this integration: applications in diverse fields, positive features, changes in management structure, etc.

Leaf bacterial diversity mediates plant diversity and ecosystem function relationships.

Science.gov (United States)

Laforest-Lapointe, Isabelle; Paquette, Alain; Messier, Christian; Kembel, Steven W

2017-06-01

Research on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has demonstrated links between plant diversity and ecosystem functions such as productivity. At other trophic levels, the plant microbiome has been shown to influence host plant fitness and function, and host-associated microbes have been proposed to influence ecosystem function through their role in defining the extended phenotype of host organisms However, the importance of the plant microbiome for ecosystem function has not been quantified in the context of the known importance of plant diversity and traits. Here, using a tree biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiment, we provide strong support for the hypothesis that leaf bacterial diversity is positively linked to ecosystem productivity, even after accounting for the role of plant diversity. Our results also show that host species identity, functional identity and functional diversity are the main determinants of leaf bacterial community structure and diversity. Our study provides evidence of a positive correlation between plant-associated microbial diversity and terrestrial ecosystem productivity, and a new mechanism by which models of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships can be improved.

Proposal for regulation of logging activities in oil wells using ionizing radiation sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hidrowoh, Jacob R.

2000-01-01

It covers general aspects of nuclear energy and the suitable legal frame for its application related to oil industry. Besides, a regulation proposal to control logging activities in Ecuador using ionizing radiation sources in oil wells. It was prepared taking into account the Ecuadorian Atomic Energy Commission criteria and international regulations

Managing Workplace Diversity

OpenAIRE

Harold Andrew Patrick; Vincent Raj Kumar

2012-01-01

Diversity management is a process intended to create and maintain a positive work environment where the similarities and differences of individuals are valued. The literature on diversity management has mostly emphasized on organization culture; its impact on diversity openness; human resource management practices; institutional environments and organizational contexts to diversity-related pressures, expectations, requ...

BAR domain proteins regulate Rho GTPase signaling.

Science.gov (United States)

Aspenström, Pontus

2014-01-01

BAR proteins comprise a heterogeneous group of multi-domain proteins with diverse biological functions. The common denominator is the Bin-Amphiphysin-Rvs (BAR) domain that not only confers targeting to lipid bilayers, but also provides scaffolding to mold lipid membranes into concave or convex surfaces. This function of BAR proteins is an important determinant in the dynamic reconstruction of membrane vesicles, as well as of the plasma membrane. Several BAR proteins function as linkers between cytoskeletal regulation and membrane dynamics. These links are provided by direct interactions between BAR proteins and actin-nucleation-promoting factors of the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein family and the Diaphanous-related formins. The Rho GTPases are key factors for orchestration of this intricate interplay. This review describes how BAR proteins regulate the activity of Rho GTPases, as well as how Rho GTPases regulate the function of BAR proteins. This mutual collaboration is a central factor in the regulation of vital cellular processes, such as cell migration, cytokinesis, intracellular transport, endocytosis, and exocytosis.

Computational Approaches to Understand Transcriptional Regulation and Alternative Promoter Usage in Mammals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Mette

erent aspects of transcriptional regulation. In the rst study we develop a machine learning framework to predict mRNA production, stalling and elongation of RNA polymerase II using publicly available histone modi cation data. The study reveals new pieces of information about the histone code. Besides...... into proteins. All cells need di erent proteins in di erent amounts to function properly. The transcription and translation are therefore highly regulated and the regulation is not fully understood. It is important to learn as much as possible about both transcriptional and translational regulation to better...

Regulation of Meiotic Recombination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gregory p. Copenhaver

2011-11-09

Meiotic recombination results in the heritable rearrangement of DNA, primarily through reciprocal exchange between homologous chromosome or gene conversion. In plants these events are critical for ensuring proper chromosome segregation, facilitating DNA repair and providing a basis for genetic diversity. Understanding this fundamental biological mechanism will directly facilitate trait mapping, conventional plant breeding, and development of genetic engineering techniques that will help support the responsible production and conversion of renewable resources for fuels, chemicals, and the conservation of energy (1-3). Substantial progress has been made in understanding the basal recombination machinery, much of which is conserved in organisms as diverse as yeast, plants and mammals (4, 5). Significantly less is known about the factors that regulate how often and where that basal machinery acts on higher eukaryotic chromosomes. One important mechanism for regulating the frequency and distribution of meiotic recombination is crossover interference - or the ability of one recombination event to influence nearby events. The MUS81 gene is thought to play an important role in regulating the influence of interference on crossing over. The immediate goals of this project are to use reverse genetics to identify mutants in two putative MUS81 homologs in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, characterize those mutants and initiate a novel forward genetic screen for additional regulators of meiotic recombination. The long-term goal of the project is to understand how meiotic recombination is regulated in higher eukaryotes with an emphasis on the molecular basis of crossover interference. The ability to monitor recombination in all four meiotic products (tetrad analysis) has been a powerful tool in the arsenal of yeast geneticists. Previously, the qrt mutant of Arabidopsis, which causes the four pollen products of male meiosis to remain attached, was developed as a facile system

Safety evaluation and regulation of chemicals. 2. Impact of regulations - improvement of methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Homburger, F [ed.

1985-01-01

This volume assesses the impact of new scientific knowledge on the testing and regulation of chemicals, including food additives, drugs, cosmetics, pesticides, and other commercial substances. Apart from describing the newest tests, regulations, and risk assessment strategies, chapters reflect changes forced by both the growing need for cost containment and the mounting pressure to find alternatives to animal testing. Based on an international congress, the book also brings the advantage of diversity in the background and nationality of the authors, thus allowing a view of central problems according to the different interests of academics, industry scientists, government scientists, and regulators. The book opens with coverage of national and international regulations designed to prevent and control damage to human health and the environment. Topics range from basic problems of policy design and enforcement to the specific requirements for chemical regulation in developing countries. The next chapters cover new tests, systems, and assays used in in vivo safety testing. Readers will find a critical assessment of tests used to determine teratogenicity, mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, neurotoxicity and chemical lethality. Other topics include factors operating in the public perception of chemical hazards, guidelines for decision making in the management and regulation of risks, and future trends in the methodology of safety evaluation. The volume concludes with an overview of in vitro methods for testing hepatotoxicity. Several short-term in vitro test models and limited in vivo bioassays are presented and evaluated in terms of their capacity to substitute for long-term animal studies. Expert and thorough in its coverage, the book offers a wealth of technical and practical information for toxicologists, pharmacologists, industrial policy makers, and government regulators. (orig.). With 67 figs., 34 tabs.

The public information aspects of nuclear regulatory inspection in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volgenau, E.

1977-01-01

The public information aspects of the regulation of nuclear power present a unique set of problems. Not only must the regulators communicate often complex technical information to the public, they must also assure the public, the press and the legislative bodies of the adequacy of the regulatory process and the safety of power plant operations. The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), recognizing the importance of a continuing, open dialogue with the public, has placed particular emphasis on informing the public of its operations. NRC's experiences have been both good and bad. On balance, however, the NRC believes it is following the best course by conducting its operations openly and candidly. (author)

Responding to environmental regulations through collaborative arrangements: Social aspects of manure partnerships in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Asai, Masayasu; Langer, Vibeke; Frederiksen, Pia

2014-01-01

In livestock-intensive regions of Europe, on-farm application of manure and other fertilisers is being increasingly regulated to protect aquatic environments. This study examined collaborative arrangements between intensive livestock farms in Denmark with surplus manure and farms requiring crop n...

Emotion Regulation in Mathematics Homework: An Empirical Study

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jianzhong

2018-01-01

The author examined 2 distinctive aspects of emotion regulation in mathematics homework, including emotion management and cognitive reappraisal. Participants were 1,799 high school students from 46 classes in China. Two multilevel models were run, 1 with emotion management and another with cognitive reappraisal as the dependent variable. Both…

Microbial iron management mechanisms in extremely acidic environments: comparative genomics evidence for diversity and versatility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nieto Pamela A

2008-11-01

uptake systems could reflect their obligatory occupation of extremely low pH environments where high concentrations of soluble iron may always be available and were oxidized sulfur species might not compromise iron speciation dynamics. Presence of bacterioferritin in the Acidithiobacilli, polyphosphate accumulation functions and variants of FieF-like diffusion facilitators in both Acidithiobacilli and Leptospirilla, indicate that they may remove or store iron under conditions of variable availability. In addition, the Fe(II-oxidizing capacity of both A. ferrooxidans and Leptospirilla could itself be a way to evade iron stress imposed by readily available Fe(II ions at low pH. Fur regulatory sites have been predicted for a number of gene clusters including iron related and non-iron related functions in both the Acidithiobacilli and Leptospirilla, laying the foundation for the future discovery of iron regulated and iron-phosphate coordinated regulatory control circuits. Conclusion In silico analyses of the genomes of acidophilic bacteria are beginning to tease apart the mechanisms that mediate iron uptake and homeostasis in low pH environments. Initial models pinpoint significant differences in abundance and diversity of iron management mechanisms between Leptospirilla and Acidithiobacilli, and begin to reveal how these two groups respond to iron cycling and iron fluctuations in naturally acidic environments and in industrial operations. Niche partitions and ecological successions between acidophilic microorganisms may be partially explained by these observed differences. Models derived from these analyses pave the way for improved hypothesis testing and well directed experimental investigation. In addition, aspects of these models should challenge investigators to evaluate alternative iron management strategies in non-acidophilic model organisms.

A FEW ASPECTS REGARDING THE SIMULATION OF CONTRACT IN THE ROMANIAN CIVIL CODE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tudor Vlad RĂDULESCU

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The article aims to analyze some key aspects of simulation in contracts, as regulated by the Romanian Civil Code . The process of simulation will be explained, based on the provisions of the previous Civil Code, but also with reference to the relevant provisions of the legislation of some European countries. The analyse will focus on the apparent act, and also on the secret one and a special emphasis on intention to simulate, animo simulandi, the key aspect of the matter. Also the effects of the simulation will be reviewed, both from the point of view of the parties and that of third parties, the concept of third parties having another meaning in this procedure.

Expert opinion on nanotechnology: risks, benefits, and regulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Besley, John C., E-mail: jbesley@sc.edu; Kramer, Victoria L. [University of South Carolina, School of Journalism and Mass Communications (United States); Priest, Susanna H. [University of Nevada, Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies (United States)

2008-04-15

A survey of American (US) nanotechnology researchers (N = 177) suggests a diversity of views about what areas are most important to the burgeoning field, as well as perceptions about the overall benefits and risks of such research. On average, respondents saw a range of technologies as key and viewed public health and environmental issues as areas where both risks and the need for regulation are greatest. These areas were also where respondents said current regulations were least adequate. Factor analyses of the survey questions suggest that, when considering both risks and regulations, respondents make a distinction between health and environmental risks, and what might be termed 'social risks' (e.g., invasion of privacy, use of nanotechnology in weapons, and economic impacts)

Expert opinion on nanotechnology: risks, benefits, and regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Besley, John C.; Kramer, Victoria L.; Priest, Susanna H.

2008-01-01

A survey of American (US) nanotechnology researchers (N = 177) suggests a diversity of views about what areas are most important to the burgeoning field, as well as perceptions about the overall benefits and risks of such research. On average, respondents saw a range of technologies as key and viewed public health and environmental issues as areas where both risks and the need for regulation are greatest. These areas were also where respondents said current regulations were least adequate. Factor analyses of the survey questions suggest that, when considering both risks and regulations, respondents make a distinction between health and environmental risks, and what might be termed 'social risks' (e.g., invasion of privacy, use of nanotechnology in weapons, and economic impacts)

Insurance: Accounting, Regulation, Actuarial Science

OpenAIRE

Alain Tosetti; Thomas Behar; Michel Fromenteau; Stéphane Ménart

2001-01-01

We shall be examining the following topics: (i) basic frameworks for accounting and for statutory insurance rules; and (ii) actuarial principles of insurance; for both life and nonlife (i.e. casualty and property) insurance.Section 1 introduces insurance terminology, regarding what an operation must include in order to be an insurance operation (the legal, statistical, financial or economic aspects), and introduces the accounting and regulation frameworks and the two actuarial models of insur...

Aspects of computation on asynchronous parallel processors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wright, M.

1989-01-01

The increasing availability of asynchronous parallel processors has provided opportunities for original and useful work in scientific computing. However, the field of parallel computing is still in a highly volatile state, and researchers display a wide range of opinion about many fundamental questions such as models of parallelism, approaches for detecting and analyzing parallelism of algorithms, and tools that allow software developers and users to make effective use of diverse forms of complex hardware. This volume collects the work of researchers specializing in different aspects of parallel computing, who met to discuss the framework and the mechanics of numerical computing. The far-reaching impact of high-performance asynchronous systems is reflected in the wide variety of topics, which include scientific applications (e.g. linear algebra, lattice gauge simulation, ordinary and partial differential equations), models of parallelism, parallel language features, task scheduling, automatic parallelization techniques, tools for algorithm development in parallel environments, and system design issues

Diversity in peer groups - the benefits and tensions it may entail

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauridsen, Karen M.; Madsen, Henning

One of the aspects of English Medium Instruction (EMI) and Internationalisation at Home (IaH) is that students are expected to work together in peer groups across linguistic and cultural barriers, e.g. to complete mandatory assignments in small groups. However, students’ attitude and response...... to this form of cooperation differ widely. This paper discusses the benefits and tensions of work in diverse peer groups exemplified by the findings of a study of student responses to intercultural collaboration in a master of business programme. One conclusion is that the international students are more...

Neglect of genetic diversity in implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Linda Laikre; Fred W. Allendorf; Laurel C. Aroner; C. Scott Baker; David P. Gregovich; Michael M. Hansen; Jennifer A. Jackson; Katherine C. Kendall; Kevin Mckelvey; Maile C. Neel; Isabelle Olivieri; Nils Ryman; Michael K. Schwartz; Ruth Short Bull; Jeffrey B. Stetz; David A. Tallmon; Barbara L. Taylor; Christina D. Vojta; Donald M. Waller; Robin S. Waples

2009-01-01

Genetic diversity is the foundation for all biological diversity; the persistence and evolutionary potential of species depend on it. World leaders have agreed on the conservation of genetic diversity as an explicit goal of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Nevertheless, actions to protect genetic diversity are largely lacking. With only months left to the...

Neuroendocrine Regulation of Maternal Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Bridges, Robert S.

2015-01-01

The expression of maternal behavior in mammals is regulated by the developmental and experiential events over a female’s lifetime. In this review the relationships between the endocrine and neural systems that play key roles in these developmental and experiential that affect both the establishment and maintenance of maternal care are presented. The involvement of the hormones estrogen, progesterone, and lactogens are discussed in the context of ligand, receptor, and gene activity in rodents and to a lesser extent in higher mammals. The roles of neuroendocrine factors, including oxytocin, vasopressin, classical neurotransmitters, and other neural gene products that regulate aspects of maternal care are set forth, and the interactions of hormones with central nervous system mediators of maternal behavior are discussed. The impact of prior developmental factors, including epigenetic events, and maternal experience on subsequent maternal care are assessed over the course of the female’s lifespan. It is proposed that common neuroendocrine mechanisms underlie the regulation of maternal care in mammals. PMID:25500107

A study on the environmental aspects of hydrogen pathways in Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Ji-Yong; Yu, Moo-Sang; Cha, Kyoung-Hoon; Lee, Soo-Yeon; Hur, Tak; Lim, Tae Won

2009-01-01

In this study, the environmental aspects of H 2 pathways are analyzed according to plausible H 2 production methods, production capacity, and distribution options in Korea, using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The target H 2 pathways analyzed are H 2 via naphtha steam reforming (Naphtha SR), H 2 via natural gas steam reforming (NG SR), H 2 via liquefied petroleum gas steam reforming (LPG SR), H 2 via water electrolysis with wind power (WE[Wind]), and H 2 via water electrolysis with Korea electricity mix (WE[KEM]). The results are then compared with those of conventional fuels (gasoline, diesel, and LPG) to identify which H 2 pathway has less environmental impact than the conventional fuels. Global warming (GW) impact, fossil fuel consumption (FFC) and regulated air emissions are studied to examine the environmental aspects of each fuel pathway. Given that H 2 technologies and infrastructures have yet to be fully commercialized, the environmental aspects of each pathway are analyzed in both their present status and a future scenario in 2015. LCA results show that WE[Wind] is superior regarding global warming potential (GWP), FFC and regulated air emissions. When gasoline is replaced with H 2 from WE[Wind], 99.8% and 99.9% of GWP and FFC can be reduced, respectively. Among the H 2 pathways based on fossil fuels, Naphtha SR[C] has the lowest values of GWP since the CO 2 capture equipment is attached to it. On the other hand, Naphtha SR[S] which is the station-type H 2 pathway does not have the CO 2 capture equipment. Naphtha SR[C] can reduce CO 2 emissions by 23.60 tons compared to gasoline over the entire life cycle of a vehicle. At present, Naphtha SR[C] appears to be environmentally efficient as H 2 conversion and infrastructure technologies have already been commercialized and are suitably developed in Korea. In 2015, however, among the H 2 pathways based on fossil fuels LPG SR[S] is expected to be the best pathway in terms of FFC and regulated air

Highlights and Comments from a Regulator's Workshop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jensen, Mikael

2002-01-01

Mikael Jensen (SSI, Sweden) presented the feedback of the regulatory workshop that took place in Sweden in September 2001, titled 'The Role of Future Society and Biosphere in Demonstrating Compliance with High-level Radioactive Waste Disposal Standards and Regulations'. The theme included questions such as how to meet regulatory compliance with an evolving biosphere and how will regulators judge compliance? During the Workshop, presentations were made from international regulatory aspects such as IAEA or ICRP. There were also very interesting country-by-country presentation such as the Finnish presentation by STUK which specifies limits on radionuclide releases from a repository after a thousand years or so. There appears to be a consensus on the relevance developing initiatives on the sustainable development, the protection of the environment and addressing long time scales. One technical aspects, the geosphere/biosphere interface, was viewed as a key issue for future study and analysis

OOAspectZ and aspect-oriented UML class diagrams for Aspect-oriented software modelling (AOSM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristian Vidal Silva

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Regarding modularised software development, Aspect-oriented programming (AOP identifies and represents individually crosscutting concerns during the software development cycle’s programming stage. This article proposes and applies OOAspectZ to formal Aspect-oriented requirement specifications for prior stages of the software development cycle. It particularly concerns requirement specification and the structural design of data and behaviour, along with describing and applying Aspect-oriented UML class diagrams to designing classes, aspects and associations among classes and aspects during Aspect-oriented software development (AOSD.OOAspectZ is a language integrating both Object-Z and AspectZ formal languages whereas Aspect-oriented UML class diagrams represent AOP code, object class and crosscutting concern class structure by means of stereotypes. This article shows and applies the main OOAspectZ and AO UML class diagram characteristics to Aspect-oriented software modelling (AOSM using a classic example of AOP. Ideas for future work concerning an actual AOP version are also indicated.

Molecular aspects of tumor cell migration and invasion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giuseppina Bozzuto

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Cell migration and invasion are crucial steps in many physiological events. However, they are also implicated in the physiopathology of many diseases, such as cancer. To spread through the tissues, tumor cells use mechanisms that involve several molecular actors: adhesion receptor families, receptor tyrosine kinases, cytoskeleton proteins, adapter and signalling proteins interplay in a complex scenario. The balance of cellular signals for proliferation and survival responses also regulates migratory behaviours of tumor cells. To complicate the scene of crime drug resistance players can interfere thus worsening this delicate situation. The complete understanding of this molecular jungle is an impossible mission: some molecular aspects are reviewed in this paper.

Internal representation of task rules by recurrent dynamics: the importance of the diversity of neural responses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mattia Rigotti

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Neural activity of behaving animals, especially in the prefrontal cortex, is highly heterogeneous, with selective responses to diverse aspects of the executed task. We propose a general model of recurrent neural networks that perform complex rule-based tasks, and we show that the diversity of neuronal responses plays a fundamental role when the behavioral responses are context dependent. Specifically, we found that when the inner mental states encoding the task rules are represented by stable patterns of neural activity (attractors of the neural dynamics, the neurons must be selective for combinations of sensory stimuli and inner mental states. Such mixed selectivity is easily obtained by neurons that connect with random synaptic strengths both to the recurrent network and to neurons encoding sensory inputs. The number of randomly connected neurons needed to solve a task is on average only three times as large as the number of neurons needed in a network designed ad hoc. Moreover, the number of needed neurons grows only linearly with the number of task-relevant events and mental states, provided that each neuron responds to a large proportion of events (dense/distributed coding. A biologically realistic implementation of the model captures several aspects of the activity recorded from monkeys performing context dependent tasks. Our findings explain the importance of the diversity of neural responses and provide us with simple and general principles for designing attractor neural networks that perform complex computation.

Study on effects of environmental regulation on competitiveness

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Man Ok; Lim, Hyun Jeong [Korea Environment Institute, Seoul (Korea)

1999-12-01

For Korea, the claim that the enhancement of environmental regulation is worsening the international competitiveness of the business is dominant. However, it is too early to reestablish a relationship between environmental regulation and competitiveness with the above new aspect. In fact, the economic development, which is brought a quantitative growth, and the maintenance of environmental quality, which is brought a qualitative growth, are very important on decision making in economic and social policy. In this study, it represents the results of existing positive studies on the relationship between the enhancement of environmental regulation, trade and productivity. Moreover, the objective of this study is on applying it based on the data of Korea. 86 refs., 13 figs., 35 tabs.

Diversity: A Philosophical Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sahotra Sarkar

2010-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, diversity, whether it be ecological, biological, cultural, or linguistic diversity, has emerged as a major cultural value. This paper analyzes whether a single concept of diversity can underwrite discussions of diversity in different disciplines. More importantly, it analyzes the normative justification for the endorsement of diversity as a goal in all contexts. It concludes that no more than a relatively trivial concept of diversity as richness is common to all contexts. Moreover, there is no universal justification for the endorsement of diversity. Arguments to justify the protection of diversity must be tailored to individual contexts.