Internet is a global public network. More and more people are getting connected to the Internet every day to take advantage of the Internetwork connectivity. It also brings in a lot of risk on the Internet because there are both harmless and harmful users on the Internet. While an organization makes its information system available to harmless Internet users, at the same time the information is available to the malicious users as well. Most organizations deploy firewalls to protect their private network from the public network. But, no network can be hundred percent secured. This is because; the connectivity requires some kind of access to be granted on the internal systems to Internet users. The firewall provides security by allowing only specific services through it. The firewall implements defined rules to each packet reaching to its network interface. The IDS complements the firewall security by detected if someone tries to break in through the firewall or manages to break in the firewall security and tried to have access on any system in the trusted site and alerted the system administrator in case there is a breach in security. However, at present, IDSs suffer from several limitations. To address these limitations and learn network security threats, it is necessary to perform alert correlation. Alert correlation focuses on discovering various relationships between individual alerts. Intrusion alert correlation techniques correlate alerts into meaningful groups or attack scenarios for ease to understand by human analysts. In order to be sure about the alert correlation working properly, this thesis proposed to use attack scenarios by correlating alerts on the basis of prerequisites and consequences of intrusions. The architecture of the experimental environment based on the prerequisites and consequences of different types of attacks, the proposed approach correlates alerts by matching the consequence of some previous alerts and the prerequisite of some later ones with OS-level logs. As a result, the accuracy of the proposed method and its advantage demonstrated to focus on building IDS alert correlation with OS-level logs in information security systems. kayıtları ile korelasyonu sonucunda gösterilmiştir.


We apply a four-dimensional variational (4D-Var) data assimilation system to optimize carbon monoxide (CO) emissions and to reduce the uncertainty of emission estimates from individual sources using the chemistry transport model TM5.

In the first study only a limited amount of surface network observations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory (NOAA/ESRL) Global Monitoring Division (GMD) is used to test the 4D-Var system. Uncertainty reduction up to 60% in yearly emissions is observed over well-constrained regions and the inferred emissions compare well with recent studies for 2004. However, since the observations only constrain total CO emissions, the 4D-Var system has difficulties separating anthropogenic and biogenic sources in particular. The inferred emissions are validated with NOAA aircraft data over North America and the agreement is significantly improved from the prior to posterior simulation. Validation with the Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument shows a slight improved agreement over the well-constrained Northern Hemisphere and in the tropics (except for the African continent). However, the model simulation with posterior emissions underestimates MOPITT CO total columns on the remote Southern Hemisphere (SH) by about 10%. This is caused by a reduction in SH CO sources mainly due to surface stations on the high southern latitudes.

In the second study, we compare two global inversions to estimate carbon monoxide (CO) emissions for 2004. Either surface flask observations from NOAA or CO total columns from the MOPITT instrument are assimilated in a 4D-Var framework. In the Southern Hemisphere (SH) three important findings are reported. First, due to their different vertical sensitivity, the stations-only inversion increases SH biomass burning emissions by 108 Tg CO/yr more than the MOPITT-only inversion. Conversely, the MOPITT-only inversion results in SH natural emissions (mainly CO from oxidation of NMVOCs) that are 185 Tg CO/yr higher compared to the stations-only inversion.

Second, MOPITT-only derived biomass burning emissions are reduced with respect to the prior which is in contrast to previous (inverse) modeling studies.

Finally, MOPITT derived total emissions are significantly higher for South America and Africa compared to the stations-only inversion. This is likely due to a positive bias in the MOPITT V4 product. This bias is also apparent from validation with surface stations and ground-truth FTIR columns.

In the final study we present the first inverse modeling study to estimate CO emissions constrained by both surface (NOAA) and satellite (MOPITT) observations using a bias correction scheme. This approach leads to the identification of a positive bias of maximum 5 ppb in MOPITT column-averaged CO mixing ratios in the remote Southern Hemisphere (SH). The 4D-Var system is used to estimate CO emissions over South America in the period 2006-2010 and to analyze the interannual variability (IAV) of these emissions. We infer robust, high spatial resolution CO emission estimates that show slightly smaller IAV due to fires compared to the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED3) prior emissions. Moreover, CO emissions probably associated with pre-harvest burning of sugar cane plantations are underestimated in current inventories by 50-100%.


Communities are fundamental entities for the characterization of the structure of real networks. The standard approach to the identification of communities in networks is based on the optimization of a quality function known as "modularity". Although modularity has been at the center of an intense research activity and many methods for its maximization have been proposed, not much it is yet known about the necessary conditions that communities need to satisfy in order to be detectable with modularity maximization methods. Here, we develop a simple theory to establish these conditions, and we successfully apply it to various classes of network models. Our main result is that heterogeneity in the degree distribution helps modularity to correctly recover the community structure of a network and that, in the realistic case of scale-free networks with degree exponent \gamma < 2.5, modularity is always able to detect the presence of communities.


Stuyvesant. Boston Latin. Bronx Science. Thomas Jefferson. Lowell. Illinois Math and Science Academy. These are some of the highest-achieving high schools in the United States. In contrast to elite boarding and day schools such as Andover and Sidwell Friends, however, they are public. And unlike the comprehensive taxpayer-funded options in affluent suburbs such as Palo Alto and Winnetka, they don't admit everyone who lives in their attendance area. Sometimes called "exam schools," these academically selective institutions have long been a part of the American secondary-education landscape. The schools are diverse in origin and purpose. No single catalyst describes why or how they began as or morphed into academically selective institutions. Some arose from a desire (among parents, superintendents, school boards, governors, legislators) to provide a self-contained, high-powered college-prep education for able youngsters in a community, region, or state. Others started through philanthropic ventures or as university initiatives. A number of them were products of the country's efforts to desegregate--and integrate--its public-education system, prompted by court orders, civil rights enforcers and activists, or federal "magnet school" dollars. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Exam schools are sometimes controversial because "selectivity" is hard to reconcile with the mission of "public" education. Even school-choice advocates typically assert that, while families should be free to choose their children's schools, schools have no business selecting their pupils. Other people are troubled by reports of insufficient "diversity" among the youngsters admitted to such schools. With such criticisms in mind, we set out to explore this unique and little-understood sector of the education landscape. Wanting first to dete-mine how many there are and where they are located, we also wondered whether the "exam school" could be a worthy response to the dilemma of how best to develop the talents of our nation's high-performing and high-potential youth in a climate consumed with gap closing and leaving no child behind. Could the selective public high school play a larger role in educating our country's high-achieving pupils? Who Goes There? Almost all the schools have far more applicants than they can accommodate. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed accept fewer than half of their applicants. About one-quarter also reported rising numbers of applications in recent years, perhaps due to media attention, awards, school performance, population growth, and the closing of underperforming schools in the area. Respondents also noted changes in the composition of their applicant pools, mainly increases in the number who are female, Asian, or Hispanic. Several schools reported a decrease in the number of white applicants in recent years. Nearly all schools we surveyed engaged in earnest, wide-ranging out-reach to expand or diversify their applicant pools. A few also engage in "affirmative action" within the selection process. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The schools' actual admission criteria and procedures are interesting, variegated, and somewhat sensitive. Some school officials are uneasy about the practice of selectivity, given possible allegations of "elitism" and anxiety over pupil diversity. Still, most rely primarily on applicants' prior school performance and scores on various tests. Viewed as a whole, selective public high schools have a surprising demographic profile. Their overall student body is only slightly less poor than the universe of U.S. public school students. Some schools, we expected, would enroll many Asian American youngsters, but we were struck when they turned out to comprise 21 percent of the schools' total enrollment, though they make up only 5 percent of students in all public high schools. More striking still: African Americans are also "overrepresented" in these schools, comprising 30 percent of enrollments versus 17 percent in the larger high-school population. …


In this paper, we will deliberate how to control home appliances, safety and security system using GSM technology by using android application through android mobile phone. We will also show that we can control the appliances even in the absence of an android phone by sending a normal SMS. The advantage of using GSM technology is that we can control the home appliances from remote places anywhere in the world. This system allows the owner to control the appliances and to receive a feedback status of the home appliances by sending instructions in form of SMS as well as through an android application. For the home security system we are using an antitheft reporting system which will report the owner by ringing an alarm and by sending an SMS. Also for the safety system in case of fire or gas leakage it will report the owner by sending a SMS and also by ringing an alarm. Thus by using GSM technology, it provides the wireless access to the devices to be controlled.


Members of the Kelch-like family display various functions at the cellular level, such as being involved in signalling pathways, as mediators of cytoskeletal changes and most prominently by targeting specific substrates for proteasomal degradation.
Previous studies suggested a role for Kelch-like 31 (Klhl31) during myogenesis, as its expression is dependent on signals responsible for the induction of myogenesis in the somites and is slightly delayed compared to the expression of early myogenic regulatory factors.
With this study we wanted to analyse the function of Klhl31 during myogenesis in more detail. Using C2C12 mouse myotubes as our model cell line to study myogenic differentiation and myofibrillogenesis, we found that Klhl31 is closely associated with Actin fibres in differentiated, multi-nucleated myotubes and that observed co-localisation can be linked to C2C12 differentiation. Furthermore, we used a Yeast-2-Hybrid screen approach and GST-pull downs to find interaction partners for Klhl31. Putative interacting proteins for Klhl31 were analysed and found to be structural components of the sarcomere with many of them also being involved in myofibrillogenesis, such as Nebulin, Actin, CapZ and tropomyosin.
We also analysed a possible role of Klhl31 in proteasomal degradation, as Klhl31 was shown to negatively regulate canonical Wnt-signalling. We gathered evidence that Klhl31 might interact with components of E3-Ubiquitin ligase complexes and might target specific substrates including itself for degradation by the 26S proteasome.
Furthermore, we analysed the expression of Klhl31 during heart development in chick embryos, where it was restricted to the myocardium.
We concluded that Klhl31 might be important during myofibrillogenesis in striated muscles. A role for Klhl31 in mature muscle might involve providing structural stabilisation in sarcomeres and during muscle contraction.


The transformation of the culture of the North American continent since the 15th century is one of the great historical events of the past 500 years. For good or bad, it has shaped the destinies of millions of people of all races, transformed the nature of international politics, and altered the concept of personal possibilities in every country. The magnitude and diversity of the migration to North America has made analysis of the process as a whole quite difficult, mainly because the peopling of North America was not a single movement but hundreds of separate movements, each with its own story, foundations, rationale, and outcome. Encyclopedia of North American Immigration is a solid, comprehensive one-volume encyclopedia consisting of more than 300 A-to-Z entries on events, themes, people, places, and legislation related to immigration. This valuable reference to a popular and ever-changing topic provides straightforward and concise information on the groups, policies, and events that defined the world's greatest migration of peoples and shaped their reception in North America. Each of the articles includes an extensive, up-to-date bibliography that will provide every reader with the necessary resources for further research. Historical black-and-white photographs, as well as maps and graphs, are enhanced by a general bibliography, a subject index, and a general index.


Current implementations of MPI are unaware of accelerator memory (i.e., GPU device memory) and require programmers to explicitly move data between memory spaces. This approach is inefficient, especially for intranode communication where it can result in several extra copy operations. In this work, we integrate GPU-awareness into a popular MPI runtime system and develop techniques to significantly reduce the cost of intranode communication involving one or more GPUs. Experiment results show an up to 2x increase in bandwidth, resulting in an average of 4.3% improvement to the total execution time of a halo exchange benchmark.


The political economy models of targeting postulate that going universal is a win‐win situation, for the poor and the middle class, as well as those who are in power. This article critically discusses the assumptions behind the political economy arguments of targeting and tests whether a universal mechanism is bound to politically excel in a low‐income country context. On the basis of attitudinal surveys with the urban, rural and student population in Zambia, we do not find any support for the predictions of the political economy models. We discuss the assumptions of the political economy models in the light of these findings and consider potentially decisive parameters that the models currently do not incorporate.


The mid-Tertiary Pacencia Group comprises over 2 km of continental sediments. It was deposited in a half-graben basin thought to have been active since early Tertiary times. Conglomerates along the western basin margin were deposited as longitudinal bars, rare transverse bars and channel fills with subsidiary debris flows, all in a distal fan pebbly braided stream environment. No proximal fan sediments are exposed. Petrographic and palaeocurrent analysis indicates these sediments were derived from Cretaceous and possibly Jurassic source areas to the northwest. To the east, within the basin, a succession of sands, silts, muds, thick evaporites and rare carbonates were deposited in playa sub-environments. Saliferous muds (central salt pan) are overlain by interbedded red mudstones and thin, high-energy ribbon and sheet sands (marginal dry mudflat and sandflat). Certain sand bodies carry stratiform Cui/Agi/Au mineralization. Lakes existed at various stages and were fed by permanent fluvial systems. The playa sediments were derived from crystalline source areas to the east. Proximal fan facies and sediment sources are now buried under the volcanic Andes.


The Universe in Your Hand-Christophe Galfard 2016-04-19 "If Ms. Frizzle were a physics student of Stephen Hawking, she might have written THE UNIVERSE IN YOUR HAND, a wild tour through the reaches of time and space, from the interior of a proton to the Big Bang to the rough suburbs of a black hole. It's friendly, excitable, erudite, and cosmic." —Jordan Ellenberg, New York Times besteselling author of How Not To Be Wrong Quantum physics, black holes, string theory, the Big Bang, dark matter, dark energy, parallel universes: even if we are interested in these fundamental concepts of our world, their language is the language of math. Which means that despite our best intentions of finally grasping, say, Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, most of us are quickly brought up short by a snarl of nasty equations or an incomprehensible graph. Christophe Galfard's mission in life is to spread modern scientific ideas to the general public in entertaining ways. Using his considerable skills as a brilliant theoretical physicist and successful young adult author, The Universe in Your Hand employs the immediacy of simple, direct language to show us, not explain to us, the theories that underpin everything we know about our universe. To understand what happens to a dying star, we are asked to picture ourselves floating in space in front of it. To get acquainted with the quantum world, we are shrunk to the size of an atom and then taken on a journey. Employing everyday similes and metaphors, addressing the reader directly, and writing stories rather than equations renders these astoundingly complex ideas in an immediate and visceral way. Utterly captivating and entirely unique, The Universe in Your Hand will find its place among other classics in the field.


Abstract Palaeogeography is the representation of the past surface of the Earth. It provides the spatial context for investigating how the Earth evolves through time, how complex processes interact and the juxtaposition of spatial information. In hydrocarbon exploration, palaeogeographies have been used to map and investigate the juxtaposition, distribution and quality of play elements (source, reservoir, seal and trap), as boundary conditions for source-to-sink analysis, climate modelling and lithofacies retrodiction, but most commonly as the backdrop for presentations and montages. This paper demonstrates how palaeogeography has been and can be used within an exploration workflow to help mitigate exploration risk. A comprehensive workflow for building palaeogeographies is described which is designed to provide a standard approach that can be applied to a range of tasks in exploration and academia. This is drawn from an analysis of the history of palaeogeography and how it has been applied to exploration in the past and why. Map applications, resolution and content depend on where in the exploration and production (E&P) cycle the map is used. This is illustrated here through three case studies, from the strategic decisions of global new ventures exploration to the more detailed basin and petroleum analyses of regional asset teams evaluating basins and plays. Through this, the paper also addresses three commonly asked questions: (1) How can I use palaeogeography in my workflow? (2) How reliable are the maps? (3) How do I build a palaeogeography?


This paper examines the role of supermarkets in developing countries from a "food policy" perspective. The entire food system is being affected by supermarkets, from supply chains impacting small farmers, through traditional marketing channels, to opportunities facing consumers. Issues of macroeconomic impact, distribution of benefits by income class and health consequences of behavioural change by consumers in the face of new consumption possibilities are among the themes discussed.


Several applications benefit from learning coupled representations able to describe data from multiple sources. For instance, cross-domain dictionary learning methods demonstrated to be particularly effective. In this paper we introduce Multi-Paced Dictionary Learning (MPDL) and propose an instantiation of it under the framework of cross-domain dictionary learning. MPDL is inspired by previous works on self-paced learning, a framework able to enhance the accuracy of conventional learning models by presenting the training data in a meaningful order, i.e. easy samples are provided first. However, most of existing self-paced learning methods only consider a single modality, while MPDL is specifically designed to assess the learning pace when data from multiple sources are available. We present the model and propose an efficient algorithm to learn the dictionaries and codes. The approach is validated via experiments on two different tasks, namely cross-media retrieval and sketch-to-photo face recognition, using publicly available datasets.


The mechanism of action of metformin was studied by comparing glucose turnover before and after a 75-g oral glucose load in 10 nonobese men with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) during metformin and placebo therapy by the combined application of the forearm and double-isotope techniques. During the study, 9 of the 10 patients were regularly receiving glibenclamide therapy. In 5 of the men, the first study was performed during metformin therapy, and the second study was done during placebo administration; in the other 5 subjects, the order was reversed. The interval between the studies was at least 3 mo. The metformin dosage was 1 g twice daily in 9 of the patients and 850 mg thrice daily in the 10th subject. In the basal state, metformin administration reduced plasma glucose levels from 172 ± 14 to 103 ± 9 mg/dl (P < .005), hepatic glucose output (HGO) from 2.67 ± 0.15 to 2.20 ± 0.20 mg · kg−1 · min−1 (P < .02), and forearm glucose uptake (FGU) from 0.106 ± 0.18 to 0.039 ± 0.016 mg · 100 ml−1 forearm · min−1 (P < .005), whereas insulin (23 ± 6 μU ml) and lactate (1.56 ± 0.18 mM) levels were unchanged. Although the oral glucose tolerance curve (OGTC) was significantly lowered by metformin, the incremental area under the curve and the insulin response were unchanged. The systemic appearance of ingested glucose was unaffected by metformin; 64 ± 2% of the load was recovered peripherally in 3 h. The rise in FGU and total glucose disappearance in 3 h after glucose loading was unaffected by metformin. From 0 to 180 min after glucose loading, HGO was suppressed by 45.3 and 44.5% of the corresponding basal value without and with metformin treatment, respectively. Peak lactate levels were noted 90 min after glucose loading and were increased during metformin treatment from 2.10 ± 0.23 to 2.92 ± 0.32 mM (P < .05). We conclude that 1) metformin markedly lowers the OGTC in NIDDM; 2) lowering of the OGTC is due entirely to a fall in the basal glucose concentration; and 3) because fasting insulin levels were unchanged, the reduction in basal HGO and fasting glucose concentrations by metformin is the result of a druginduced increase in hepatic insulin sensitivity.


Tissue-engineered bridging devices for surgical implantation into peripheral nerve injury sites could provide an attractive alternative to the nerve autograft. Here we report the development of an aligned cellular conduit which mimics key cellular and extracellular features of the autograft endoneurium.
Previous work from our group has shown that aligned Schwann cells within a tethered collagen gel can promote and guide neuron regeneration in vitro and in vivo. Combining this cellular alignment with plastic compression to stabilise collagen gels produces a robust cellular biomaterial with the potential to form nerve repair conduits to enhance neuronal growth and provide a directional cue to regenerating neurons.
Experiments using cell death assays, immunostaining and confocal microscopy show that Schwann cells in collagen gels survive plastic compression and also maintain their alignment following the compression process to form an aligned cellular collagen biomaterial. We have also demonstrated that dissociated DRG neurons growing on the surface of these aligned cellular sheets extend aligned neurites that appear guided by the orientation of the aligned Schwann cells. Rolling the flat sheets of aligned Schwann cells into columns provides a means to engineer fibers of aligned cells embedded within a robust collagen extracellular matrix. These engineered columns of aligned Schwann cells can then be packed together to form the endoneurium of a peripheral nerve repair device. In vitro testing of the engineered endoneurium within a silicone outer tube shows that neuronal growth is supported by this device, which has the potential to form an implantable conduit for peripheral nerve repair.


Study of linguistic diversity in Switzerland, including the sociocultural and political issues. In 2002, Expo. 02 - the Swiss National Exhibition - celebrated the modern identity of the Swiss Confederation and the electorate approved a historic change in relations with other countries by voting to join the United Nations. Yet, despite bilateral agreements regulating areas of common interest between Switzerland and the European Union, there are still strong fears that Swiss identity could be jeopardised by full membership, and that, within a wider framework, her quadrilingual composition could not be sustained. The experience which the Swiss have accumulated in dealing pragmatically and largely peacefully with different languages is detailed in the six essays of this volume. The special contemporary characteristics of German, French and Italian within Switzerland, the pressures on Romansh, the role played by Switzerland in integrating gender-neutral language into standard usage and the dominance of English as a means of communication between different language groups are amongst the topics discussed.


This article seeks to offer some degree of classification of Larry Cuban's view, about the impact of computer Technology on student learning. Cuban is a Professor of Education at the august Stanford University, where the lectures Methods of teaching social studies, history of School Reforms, Curriculum and Instruction Leadership. The context of Cuban's work was resident in his research in schools and universities in the technology rich heart-land of Silicon Valley. It was the findings of his studies in these institutions, which inspired his views that computers are not making the anticipated in roads into assisting students learning, as was previously believed, his book in 2001 "Oversold and underused" under pins his discontent with the prevailing views that computer technology is the answer to classroom learning problems. Cuban's conviction is supported by his research findings that both students and teachers use computers for less at school than at home. In addition, he found out those teachers who use computers as instructional tools do so infrequently and unimaginatively. It is hoped that this paper will contribute to the willingness of educators to be inspired to integrate computer technology in their classrooms in meaningful and fulfilled ways.


Opportunistic pathogens are particularly important at hospitals, as they are significantly responsible for nosocomial infections. In trying to understand the underlying reasons for the acquisition and evolution of virulence of opportunistic pathogens, this chapter addresses two topics. The first one is to know whether the environment where they grow during infection is changing through time and thus forcing their evolution. In other words, during infection, the infected patient is both the habitat and the food source of the infecting bacteria. The second topic addressed is the mechanisms of evolution, which allow bacteria that usually do not infect humans to produce a disease in sick people. The study of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from chronic and acute infections has demonstrated that transition to chronicity involves an increase in the ability to form biofilms and a concomitant reduction in the expression of the type III secretion system. This transition does not consist of phenotypic changes, but consists of the accumulation of adaptive mutations during the in-host evolution of this bacterial opportunistic pathogen. Concerning bacterial-protozoa interactions as forces shaping the evolution of bacterial opportunistic pathogens, it is important to recall that protozoa are major grazers of bacteria in natural environments. If natural nonclinical environments are relevant for the evolution of bacterial opportunistic pathogens, modifications of these environments can also produce changes in bacterial populations.


Churches in the United States, like individuals, are free to speak on any issue that they choose. However, if a church wishes to retain tax-exempt status, it must comply with the requirements of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. One of those requirements is that churches may not participate or intervene in political campaigns. Some churches, however, believe that their mission includes not just traditional religious teachings, but guidance on issue that affect the lives of their parishioners including politics. Those churches believe they are fulfilling their faith and mission when they offer this guidance. This has caused a tension between the Internal Revenue Service, which must enforce the tax laws, and churches that feel that it is part of their mission to speak out on social issues of the day, which may include political issues. With the 2008 U.S. Presidential election already in full swing, this issue has become more visible and more contentious. This paper examines the issues involved in churches, political speeches and tax-exempt status. It will propose that a limited exception be created for churches so that they may speak freely on all issues to their congregants, including politics, during regularly scheduled religious services.


Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a gothic novella by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson first published in 1886. The work is also known as The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or simply Jekyll & Hyde.It is about a London lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll,and the evil Edward Hyde. The novella's impact is such that it has become a part of the language, with the very phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" coming to mean a person who is vastly different in moral character from one situation to the next Subject: dr jekyll dr jekyll and mr hyde bookdr jekyll and mr hyde graphic noveldr jekyll and mr hyde originalstrange case of dr jekyll and mr hydedr jekyll and mr hydedr jekyll and mr hyde 1920


Background: Idiopathic clubfoot is characterized by an alteration of the morphology of the foot that cannot physiologically move on the ground. Tibialis anterior tendon transfer was is an effective method in the management of dynamic supination as well as prevention of clubfoot relapse in children. The aim of the current study to confirm the best management of split tibialis anterior tendon transfer in the treatment of residual clubfoot. Patients and methods: A prospective study included 18 patients (22 feet) with residual dynamic supination deformity following previous ponseti management. Patients underwent split transfer of the anterior tibial tendon at Zagazig University hospitals. Clinical and radiographic assessment of outcomes is performed at the end of healing. Results: The present study included 18 cases (12 males and 6 females) with mean age of 3.43 years ± 0.71 to assess outcome of split tibialis anterior tendon transfer in management of residual clubfoot. Patient age ranged from 2.5 years to 5 years old at the time of the operation, 9 with right foot affection, 5 with left foot deformity while 4 patients (8 feet) were bilateral. The majority of cases were males (66.7%) and females were (33.3%).Right side was affected in 9 cases (50%), the left was affected in five .cases (27.8%) while four cases (22.2%) were bilateral. The mean radiological measurment improvement of AP talocalcaneal angle, AP talofirst metatarsal angle, Lattalocalcanael angle, Lattalo-first metatarsal angle, Firstfifth metatarsal over lap, and the improvement of all angles were stastistically significant. The complication rate was 16.7% (3 cases) all had superfecial infection only. Conclusion: The anterior tibial tendon transfer is a practical method for achieving fully or split transfer due to both techniques have an excellent outcomes with low complication. It is simple and effective softtissue procedure to correct the muscle imbalance of the foot. The split tibialis tendon transfer are still better because of low risk of over correction which preserve some inversion function.


Background While several studies have documented the importance of hand washing in the university setting, the added role of environmental hygiene remains poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to characterize the personal and environmental hygiene habits of college students, define the determinants of hygiene in this population, and assess the relationship between reported hygiene behaviors, environmental contamination, and health status. Methods 501 undergraduate students completed a previously validated survey assessing baseline demographics, hygiene habits, determinants of hygiene, and health status. Sixty survey respondents had microbiological samples taken from eight standardized surfaces in their dormitory environment. Bacterial contamination was assessed using standard quantitative bacterial culture techniques. Additional culturing for coagulase-positive Staphylococcus and coliforms was performed using selective agar. Results While the vast majority of study participants (n = 461, 92%) believed that hand washing was important for infection prevention, there was a large amount of variation in reported personal hygiene practices. More women than men reported consistent hand washing before preparing food (p = .002) and after using the toilet (p = .001). Environmental hygiene showed similar variability although 73.3% (n = 367) of subjects reported dormitory cleaning at least once per month. Contamination of certain surfaces was common, with at least one third of all bookshelves, desks, refrigerator handles, toilet handles, and bathroom door handles positive for >10 CFU of bacteria per 4 cm2 area. Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus was detected in three participants' rooms (5%) and coliforms were present in six students' rooms (10%). Surface contamination with any bacteria did not vary by frequency of cleaning or frequency of illness (p>.05). Conclusions Our results suggest that surface contamination, while prevalent, is unrelated to reported hygiene or health in the university setting. Further research into environmental reservoirs of infectious diseases may delineate whether surface decontamination is an effective target of hygiene interventions in this population.


Naive and primed/memory CD4 T cells are distinguished by changes in the expression of activation/adhesion molecules that correspond with an altered function. Adoptively transferred TCR transgenic (tg) CD4 T cells specific for ovalbumin peptide (OVA-pep) were analysed for changing phenotype and the speed of change in vivo following antigen challenge with alum-precipitated (ap) OVA-pep, a conjugate that stimulated a Th2-type cytokine response. The change of CD45RB in relation to number of divisions showed that the transition from CD45RB(hi) (naive) to CD45RB(low) (primed/memory) was incremental; with each cell cycle the number of CD45RB(hi) molecules on the cell surface was diluted by approximately half and replaced by the low-weight isoform. Similarly, the change to CD44(hi) expression increased gradually during four rounds of proliferation. The loss of CD62L expression occurred early and was independent of cell division. CD69 was up-regulated quickly within 1-2 cycles, but down-regulated after about seven divisions. The expression of CD49d was not altered during the early rounds of division, although it was up-regulated on 30-60% of tg T cells dividing repeatedly (>or=8 cycles). When analysed on day 3 following stimulation, CD25 was no longer up-regulated. The intra-peritoneal injection of ap-OVA-pep stimulated tg T cells in the spleen and mesenteric lymph node one day in advance of those in more distant peripheral lymph nodes. Evidence indicated that residual antigen persisted for at least 4 weeks and was able to stimulate naive tg T cells. However, residual antigen had no net effect on extending or reducing survival of the transferred population.


Accepted codes of conduct and established religions are features of human societies throughout the world. Why should this be? In this book, biologist Donald Broom argues that these aspects of human culture have evolved as a consequence of natural selection; that morally acceptable behaviour benefits the humans and other animals and that a principal function of religion is to underpin and encourage such behaviour. The author provides biological insights drawn especially from work on animal behaviour and presents ideas and information from the fields of philosophy and theology to produce a thought-provoking, interdisciplinary treatment. Scientists who read this book will gain an appreciation of the wider literature on morality and religion, and non-scientists will benefit from the author's extensive knowledge of the biological mechanisms underlying the behaviour of humans and other social animals.


"Virtual Clinical Excursions" is an innovative CD-ROM/workbook package that makes textbook content come alive and diminishes your anxiety about entering the clinical setting. "VCE" helps bridge the gap between the classroom and the real world by introducing you to clinical settings and critical thinking before you actually start clinical rotations - making the transition from nursing student to caregiver a smoother process. In this virtual hospital setting, you will interact with a variety of patients and gain valuable experience with documentation, communication, prioritization, medication safety, critical thinking, patient education, and care planning.


On-line first-order backpropagation is sufficiently fast and effective for many large-scale classification problems but for very high precision mappings, batch processing may be the method of choice. This paper reviews first- and second-order optimization methods for learning in feedforward neural networks. The viewpoint is that of optimization: many methods can be cast in the language of optimization techniques, allowing the transfer to neural nets of detailed results about computational complexity and safety procedures to ensure convergence and to avoid numerical problems. The review is not intended to deliver detailed prescriptions for the most appropriate methods in specific applications, but to illustrate the main characteristics of the different methods and their mutual relations.


This paper examines Bernard Stiegler's thinking about technics as developed in the first two volumes of his Technics and Time trilogy. It does so against the backdrop of Francis Fukuyama's highly influential thinking about technologically driven historical progress in The End of History and the Last Man (1992). The paper argues that Stiegler's account of an originary supplemental logic structuring the relation of the human to the technical offers an understanding of technological development which is radically different from that of Fukuyama. It shows how Stiegler's philosophy of time and technical prosthetics emerges in what is called a transformative combination of a range of thinkers (most notably Husserl, Heidegger, Derrida, and Virilio). It concludes by arguing that Stiegler's time of technics, together with his thinking of epiphylogenesis, epochal redoubling, and the evolution of technical systems, yields an understanding of historical time which implies very different conceptions of contemporary and future political development than those implied by Fukuyama's idiosyncratic Hegelian/Kojèvian model.


Objective: It has been proven that low and high body mass index (BMI) values increase health risks and mortality, and are associated with variations in fat-free mass (FFM) and body fat mass (BF). Fat-free mass index (FFMI; kg/m2) and body fat mass index (BFMI; kg/m2) however are better measures of body composition. FFMI and BFMI being age-, sex- and population-specific, are more exact and informative measures. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine FFMI and BFMI values in subjects with normal, overweight, and obese BMI in Austria. Methods: We measured the levels of FFM and BF in 153 healthy Caucasian men and 451 healthy Caucasian women between the ages of 18 to 80 years, using multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis. FFMI, BFMI, and %BF were then calculated for each subject. Results: Predicted FFMI values were 18.1 to 21.7 kg/m2 for men and 15.1 to 17 kg/m2 for women within the normal BMI ranges (18.5-24.9 kg/m2). Predicted BFMI values were 1.5 to 5.0 kg/m2 for men and 3.4 to 8.0 kg/m2 for women within the normal BMI ranges. BFMI values were above 8.0 and 11.7 kg/m2 in men and women, respectively, for obese BMI (>30 kg/m2). Normal ranges for %BF were 11.9 to 22.7 and 20.8 to 31.0 for men and women, respectively. Conclusion: A major finding of this study was that a significant number of individuals had a lower FFMI and a higher FMI than predicted for their weight indicating the necessity of body composition measurements in the clinical practice to optimize diagnosis and treatment.


Users' privacy on social media platforms continues to be important as users face numerous threats to their personal data. Social media sites such as Facebook store large amounts of users' personal data which make such sites prime targets for hackers. Research has shown that users have been subjected to privacy attacks in which hacked personal data are sold to online marketers. These incidents have prompted the need to protect users' privacy against data theft by third parties. We investigated the privacy risks that social media users on Facebook face when online. The privacy awareness of regular users of Facebook was evaluated through the observation of their online activities. Facebook was selected as a case study because it is the largest and most popular social media platform in South Africa. A sample group of Facebook users was selected for this study based on their activeness (or frequency of posting, uploaded or liking) on the site. Findings indicate that users' personal data can be obtained as they are publicly available on Facebook. The implication of this finding is that users lack adequate awareness
on protection tools designed to protect their personal data, and as a result, they risk losing their data and privacy.
Significance:
• This study serves as an assessment tool for the privacy and security features of the social media site Facebook. This assessment tool can help users of social media sites to evaluate their own behaviour and usage patterns on Facebook. It can also assist social media site designers in considering the effectiveness of current measures, which are designed to ensure that the privacy and safety of users are protected.


The number of organizations involved in the use of sport as a means for addressing different social issues continues to grow at a fast pace. This increasingly includes nonprofit charitable sport organizations registered in the United States. The purpose of this paper is to examine legal considerations related to how domestic and foreign nonprofit entities navigate U.S. laws and regulations impacting their international sport for development (SFD) efforts. This includes the following: (a) an analysis of the legal limitations on domestic nonprofits involved in foreign activities, (b) an evaluation of relevant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations and rulings related to cross-border giving from U.S. domestic charities, and (c) implications for foreign and domestic organizations operating or supporting SFD programs abroad. Findings from this analysis enhance our understanding of legal aspects in the SFD space. Furthermore, the information presented is also intended to serve as a resource guide for SFD practitioners.


Previous reports revealed up-regulation of L-type high voltage-gated calcium channels (HVCCs) in mouse brains with ethanol physical dependence. We investigated mechanisms of enhancement of L-type HVCC function using mouse cerebrocortical neurons exposed to 50 mM ethanol for 3 days and the brains of mouse physically dependent on ethanol. Ethanol facilitated 30 mM KCl-stimulated (45)Ca(2+) influx in dose- and duration-dependent manners, which was abolished by nifedipine, an inhibitor specific to L-type HVCCs, but not by inhibitors for other types of HVCCs. Increase in [(3)H]PN200-110 binding to the particulate fractions from the ethanol-treated neurons was due to increased B(max) value with no changes in K(d) value. Western blot analysis showed the increased expression of alpha1C, alpha1D, and alpha2/delta1 subunits with decreased beta4 subunit expression and no changes in expressions of alpha1A, alpha1B, alpha1F, and alpha2 subunits. A similar pattern of the changes in the expression of these subunits of L-type HVCCs were observed in the cerebral cortex from mouse with ethanol physical dependence. These results indicate that sustained ethanol exposure to the neurons induces up-regulation of L-type HVCCs, which is due to increased expressions of alpha1C, alpha1D, and alpha2/delta1 subunits, and produces no alterations in P/Q- and N-type HVCC functions.


The relationship between vocalization rate and nesting parameters in the polygynous Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris was studied in a breeding population of eastern Poland. There was a difference between individuals in mean length of boom train and males with high booming rate had longer boom trains. No correlation between the booming parameters and components of breeding success and harem size has been found. However, females settled earlier in the territories of males with early start of booming activity and high vocalization rates. The peak of the calling activity season was synchronised with the female fertility period. These results suggest that in relation to the laying date the seasonal pattern of booming indicates a mainly intersexual function of vocal activity among bitterns.


RDF, the core data format for the Semantic Web, is increasingly being deployed both from automated sources and via human authoring either directly or through tools that generate RDF output. As individuals build up large amounts of RDF data and as groups begin to collaborate on authoring knowledge stores in RDF, the need for some kind of version management becomes apparent. While there are many version control systems available for program source code and even for XML data, the use of version control for RDF data is not a widely explored area. This paper examines an existing version control system for program source code, Darcs, which is grounded in a semi-formal theory of patches, and proposes an adaptation to directly manage versions of an RDF triple store.


The annually reformulated trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) includes both influenza A/subtypes (H3N2 and H1N1) but only one of two influenza B/lineages (Yamagata or Victoria). In a recent series of clinical trials to evaluate prime-boost response across influenza B/lineages, influenza-naïve infants and toddlers originally primed with two doses of 2008–09 B/Yamagata-containing TIV were assessed after two doses of B/Victoria-containing TIV administered in the subsequent 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons. In these children, the Victoria-containing vaccines strongly recalled antibody to the initiating B/Yamagata antigen but induced only low B/Victoria antibody responses. To further evaluate this unexpected pattern of cross-lineage vaccine responses, we conducted additional immunogenicity assessment in mice. In the current study, mice were primed with two doses of 2008–09 Yamagata-containing TIV and subsequently boosted with two doses of 2010–11 Victoria-containing TIV (Group-Yam/Vic). With the same vaccines, we also assessed the reverse order of two-dose Victoria followed by two-dose Yamagata immunization (Group-Vic/Yam). The Group-Yam/Vic mice showed strong homologous responses to Yamagata antigen. However, as previously reported in children, subsequent doses of Victoria antigen substantially boosted Yamagata but induced only low antibody response to the immunizing Victoria component. The reverse order of Group-Vic/Yam mice also showed low homologous responses to Victoria but subsequent heterologous immunization with even a single dose of Yamagata antigen induced substantial boost response to both lineages. For influenza A/H3N2, homologous responses were comparably robust for the differing TIV variants and even a single follow-up dose of the heterologous strain, regardless of vaccine sequence, substantially boosted antibody to both strains. For H1N1, two doses of 2008–09 seasonal antigen significantly blunted response to two doses of the 2010–11 pandemic H1N1 antigen. Immunologic interactions between influenza viruses considered antigenically distant and in particular the cross-lineage influenza B and dominant Yamagata boost responses we have observed in both human and animal studies warrant further evaluation.


This article, part of a collective research study on the role of expertise in implementing employment policy programmes, focuses on the activities—specifically, making judgments and interacting with others—of public-sector personnel working in the framework of one of France's many experimental employment programmes, the Occupational Transition Contract. This unique, innovative project is in many respects in the spotlight of French current events. The special expertise of public agents working to assist redundant employees may be observed in how they successively or simultaneously use empathy, understanding and an ability to objectify throughout their interactions with persons "enrolled" in the programme. After detailing the programme's potential opportunities, we apply Christian Bessy and Francis Chateauraynaud's sociology of perception to study the dominant type of expertise used in it. We then bring in components of disposition sociology to bring to light the segmentation distinguishing actors from one other, the point being to explain regularities in types of expertise and how those may oscillate depending on the conditions in which the expertise is proffered and the varied, polymorphous profiles and experience of members of the small groups in charge of establishing and implementing the Occupational Transition Contract in particular areas of France. Attention to these activities and to interaction between programme "referents" (counsellors) and members brings to light how labour norms and accords have been profoundly transformed in the shift from the "lifelong job" notion to that of "sustainable employability."


Software-defined networking (SDN) increases the network programmability, promoting an effective development of networked systems of cloud scale. As the scale of the networks and systems is growing larger and larger with time, programmability of the systems and networks is researched intensively. Many emulators are proposed and implemented to emulate large and complex networks inside a single computer, or a cluster of computers in the research lab. However, the emulators lack the ability to represent large systems such as data center networks or content delivery networks. Many of the network algorithms and design choices can also be tested for their functionality and efficiency in a simulator environment. While network emulators and simulators exist, a generic network flow simulator that is easy to program a variety of highly distributed and gigantic systems is still lacking. This paper presents xSDN, an expressive simulator for dynamic network flows. Adhering to the principles of software-defined networking paradigm from the design, xSDN focuses to be lean, light-weight, easy to learn and configure, and efficient, that can simulate networks of a scale of million nodes within a few seconds.


The Maker movement has encouraged more people to start working with electronics and embedded processors. A key challenge in developing and debugging custom embedded systems is understanding their behavior, particularly at the boundary between hardware and software. Existing tools such as step debuggers and logic analyzers only focus on software or hardware, respectively. This paper presents a new development environment designed to illuminate the boundary between embedded code and circuits. Bifröst automatically instruments and captures the progress of the user's code, variable values, and the electrical and bus activity occurring at the interface between the processor and the circuit it operates in. This data is displayed in a linked visualization that allows navigation through time and program execution, enabling comparisons between variables in code and signals in circuits. Automatic checks can detect low-level hardware configuration and protocol issues, while user-authored checks can test particular application semantics. In an exploratory study with ten participants, we investigated how Bifröst influences debugging workflows.


Over the past few years vehicle usage has increased exponentially worldwide, but the capacities of transportation systems are still limited, and have not improved in a tantamount way to expeditiously cope with the number of vehicles traveling on them. As a result, road jamming and traffic correlated pollution has increased, and became complicated and chaotic, leading to an adverse effect socially and financially worldwide. Fortunately, Intelligent Transportation Systems are promising technologies that have been introduced to assist in reducing the side effects of these problems. The intelligence of these systems mainly depends on the accuracy and timely reliable application of real time traffic information. In this paper, we propose a novel mechanism based on queuing theory aiming at enhancing the load balancing and reducing waiting times on busy road intersections. The simulation results were obtained using the OpNet simulator and have shown that the proposed mechanism can effectively reduce average waiting time and queue lengths up to 44% and thus provide an efficient solution for the load balancing problem.


The paper proposes an artificial neural network (ANN)-based strategy for identification of reduced-order dynamic equivalents of power systems. This large-signal model is formulated in continuous-time and is therefore compatible with standard models of power system components. In a departure from previous works on the subject, we do not postulate a particular model structure for the equivalent, hence the label nonparametric. The approach uses only measurements at points where internal (retained) and external (reduced) systems are interfaced, and requires no knowledge of parameters and topology of the external subsystem. The procedure consists of two conceptual steps: (1) the first ("bottleneck") ANN is used to extract "states" of the reduced-order equivalent; and (2) the second (recurrent) ANN is embedded in an ordinary differential equations (ODEs) solver, and trained to approximate the "right-hand side," using the states extracted at the first step. We also describe an extension in which a third ANN is used to synthesize missing interface measurements from a historical database of system responses to various disturbances. We illustrate the capabilities of the approach on a multimachine benchmark example derived from the WSCC system.


ABSTRACT Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor (FGFR) signaling controls the migration of glial, mesodermal, and tracheal cells in Drosophila melanogaster. Little is known about the molecular events linking receptor activation to cytoskeletal rearrangements during cell migration. We have performed a functional characterization of Downstream-of-FGFR (Dof), a putative adapter protein that acts specifically in FGFR signal transduction in Drosophila. By combining reverse genetic, cell culture, and biochemical approaches, we demonstrate that Dof is a specific substrate for the two Drosophila FGFRs. After defining a minimal Dof rescue protein, we identify two regions important for Dof function in mesodermal and tracheal cell migration. The N-terminal 484 amino acids are strictly required for the interaction of Dof with the FGFRs. Upon receptor activation, tyrosine residue 515 becomes phosphorylated and recruits the phosphatase Corkscrew (Csw). Csw recruitment represents an essential step in FGF-induced cell migration and in the activation of the Ras/MAPK pathway. However, our results also indicate that the activation of Ras is not sufficient to activate the migration machinery in tracheal and mesodermal cells. Additional proteins binding either to the FGFRs, to Dof, or to Csw appear to be crucial for a chemotactic response.


A theoretical treatment of the high-order harmonic generation by electrons undergoing collisions with ions in a plasma in the presence of two single-mode linearly polarized fields is presented. Except for polarization, the two radiation fields may have arbitrary parameters. The treatment is based on an approximate solution of the Fokker–Planck equation for the plasma electron velocity distribution function. A set of representative numerical calculations is carried out. It is found that the generation of odd harmonics of each field is followed by the generation as well of satellites at mixed frequencies. For a given odd harmonic of one field, the satellites are shifted from it by multiple numbers of twice the frequency of the other field. When there are no coincident frequencies among the generated ones, the intensity of the odd harmonics of one field is found to decrease owing to the action of the other field. When, instead, the satellite frequencies of low-order harmonics coincide with the frequencies of high-order harmonics, a considerable enhancement of the latter is predicted. It is shown also that the harmonic intensity and the polarization direction depend significantly on the angle between the polarization directions of the two mixing fields.


This paper briefly presents and discusses the results of experimental tests undertaken to resolve an issue regarding the viability of multi-storey prestressed timber structures, specifically the reduction in prestress load over time. The test programme included full-scale specimens, reduced scale specimens and small blocks of laminated veneer lumber (LVL). Based on the experimental data, the creep functions of LVL in bending and compression parallel and perpendicular to the grain were evaluated. The creep perpendicular to the grain was found to be significantly larger (about four times) than the creep parallel to the grain. The prestress losses were found to be relatively low (around 10%) when timber is loaded parallel to grain only, such as a beam. However, the losses markedly increased and reached a 34% value when 11% of the frame's length was loaded perpendicular to grain. An attempt has been made to separate the contributions made to prestress losses by key factors, namely creep and mechano-sorption parallel and perpendicular to the grain of the LVL. Lastly, an analytical solution is proposed, developed and compared with the experimental values.


At mucosal sites, a single layer of epithelial cells separates the connective tissues of the mammalian body from the external environment. The gastrointestinal tract is the largest mucosal surface exposed to the environment and is colonized with an estimated 300 trillion beneficial commensal bacteria. These properties of mucosal sites help facilitate critical biological processes, including nutrient absorption, gas exchange and excretion of wastes, yet also renders mucosal sites particularly vulnerable to infection and inflammation. In order to maintain a state of health, complex immunoregulatory networks have evolved at mucosal sites to promote immunity, limit inflammation and maintain tissue homeostasis. Interleukin (IL)-22 is a member of the IL-10 cytokine family that is produced by both innate and adaptive immune cells, and acts directly on the mucosal epithelium to promote anti-microbial, reparative and inflammatory responses. Chapter 2 of this thesis examines the role and regulation of IL-22 production by innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) in promoting immunity to the enteric bacterial pathogen Citrobacter rodentium. The data identify that following infection, IL-23 promotes an IL-22+ CD4+ ILC response that is necessary and sufficient to promote enteric immunity, limit bacteria dissemination and prevent host morbidity and mortality. In addition to pathogenic bacteria, loss of containment and peripheral dissemination of beneficial commensal bacteria results in dysregulated systemic immune cell homeostasis, and is a hallmark of numerous chronic human diseases. Chapter 3 of this thesis demonstrates a novel role for IL-22-producing ILCs in containing intestinal commensal bacteria, limiting peripheral dissemination and induction of systemic inflammation. Finally, studies have identified both pathologic proinflammatory and beneficial tissue-protective functions for IL-22 in distinct models of infection and inflammation. Chapter 4 of this thesis identifies that the pathologic proinflammatory versus tissue-protective properties of IL-22 in a model of airway inflammation are regulated by Th17 cell-derived IL-17A. Collectively, studies presented in this thesis identify novel regulatory and functional aspects of IL-22 and ILCs, and demonstrate a critical role for this pathway in the immunoregulation of tissue homeostasis at mucosal sites. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Immunology First Advisor David Artis


AIM AND OBJECTIVE
To describe the rate of needlestick/sharp injuries in nursing students, to estimate the rate of vaccination administration and to define nursing students' status using universal precautions for protecting from blood-borne infections.

BACKGROUND
Nursing students have a high risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens because they may have insufficient background knowledge to recognise the level of risk posed by a particular patient and their inexperience with procedural skills and infection control procedures.

DESIGN
This study was designed as a retrospective and descriptive survey.

METHODS
The frequency and mechanism of needlestick/sharp injuries and hepatitis B immunisation were determined retrospectively by surveying students in three nursing schools. In November 2004, 473 students were questioned about needlestick/sharp injuries that they had sustained during their clinical practice and hepatitis B immunisations.

RESULTS
Forty-nine per cent of the students who responded sustained injuries; of these 74% were injured while on wards. The highest number (72.2%) had been injured by hollow-bore needles; 65.2% who were injured were not wearing gloves at the time of injury; 27% of injuries were associated with recapping the needle; 43.9% reported their injuries to administrators and the rate of those receiving medical assistance after needlestick/sharp injuries was less than not seeking assistance; 67.7% had been vaccinated against hepatitis B.

CONCLUSION
This study showed that nursing students frequently sustain needlestick/sharp injuries and hepatitis B immunisation rate was low.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
Findings will help in designing more intensive education programs directed at the students to increase their awareness of and compliance with Universal Precautions and in instituting policies so that they are fully immunised against hepatitis B before beginning clinical practice.


Background To examine the prospective association between higher blood pressure (BP) and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults. Methods A total of 9,642 middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults (≥45 years old; 47.30% men) without diabetes from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were included for analyses. Participants were categorized into three groups: normal BP, prehypertension, and hypertension, according to the 2010 Chinese Guidelines for the Management of Hypertension. The incidence of T2DM was determined by self-reported physician diagnosis during two follow-up surveys conducted in 2013 to 2014 and 2015 to 2016. Results During the 4-year follow-up, 429 participants (4.45%) developed T2DM, including 3.51% of the men and 5.29% of the women. The incidence rates of T2DM were 2.57%, 3.75%, and 6.71% in the normal BP, prehypertension, and hypertension groups, respectively. After adjustment for age, sex, education level, residence, smoking status, alcohol consumption, body mass index, waist circumference, and dyslipidemia, both prehypertension (odds ratio [OR], 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98 to 1.77) and hypertension (OR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.54 to 2.64) were associated with increased risk of T2DM, compared to those with a normal BP. The ORs associated with T2DM were 1.08 (95% CI, 1.03 to 1.13) for an increase of 10 mm Hg in systolic BP and 1.06 (95% CI, 1.01 to 1.10) for an increase of 5 mm Hg in diastolic BP. Conclusion Higher BP is a risk factor for T2DM in middle-aged and elderly Chines. It may be a potential target for diabetes prevention.


Until recently, studies of the fate of primary production in coastal upwelling systems have focused mainly on export through sinking of particulate organic matter (POM). In week-long deck incubations conducted during the upwelling season off Oregon, a large accumulation of carbon- rich (C:N ≥ 16) dissolved organic matter (DOM) occurred following nitrate depletion by diatom blooms. The response of bacterioplankton to the DOM release in the incubations was observed using flow cytometric analysis of abundances of bacteria with high nucleic acid (HNA) and low nucleic acid (LNA) content. Relatively small increases in the abundance of HNA bacteria were observed in nitrate-replete conditions (<1.0 × 10 6 cells ml -1 ). Coincident with nitrate depletion and accumulation of the DOM, abundances and growth rates of HNA bacteria increased rapidly while little response was observed from LNA bacteria. Although growth rates and abundances of HNA cells increased markedly, a net decrease in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was observed in only 1 incubation. Within approximately 1 d of nitrate going to depletion, HNA bacterial abundances peaked and then decreased rapidly, possibly due to flagellate grazing or viral lysing. These results indicate that on the timescale of upwelling/relaxation events, which generally last 7 to 10 d, environmental controls on bacterial populations may prevent complete degradation of phytoplankton-derived DOM, thus allowing some of this material to be exported from the system through physical processes following termination of the upwelling event.


In this paper, we show that the domination number $D$ of a random graph enjoys as sharp a concentration as does its chromatic number $\chi$. We first prove this fact for the sequence of graphs $\{G(n,p_n\},\; n\to\infty$, where a two point concentration is obtained with high probability for $p_n=p$ (fixed) or for a sequence $p_n$ that approaches zero sufficiently slowly. We then consider the infinite graph $G({\bf Z}^+, p)$, where $p$ is fixed, and prove a three point concentration for the domination number with probability one. The main results are proved using the second moment method together with the Borel Cantelli lemma.


The market of liquefied natural gas (LNG) is growing and presents the advantage of diversifying supplies. The LNG is fed at a temperature of -162°C and at atmospheric pressure. This study aims at the recovery of the LNG exergy during its gasification and heating before being delivered trough the network. An energy and exergy based analysis is performed for the definition of engine-cycle architectures using the ambient air as a heat source through an intermediate fluid, and LNG as a cold sink. The use of ambient air led to manage frosting problem. The intermediate two phase fluid with a controlled evaporating pressure, recovering heat from the air, is used to avoid the direct contact of humid air with very cold heat exchanger surface in order to limit the frost formation. In this paper, the challenge is to find the best engine-cycle architectures with minimized overall exergy destruction, moving up the efficiency of the entire system. Different systems including Organic Rankine cycles (ORCs) and Brayton cycles, operating as simple or cascade cycles are investigated. Pure working fluid, as well as mixtures of hydrocarbons are considered.


During 15 days in a relative quiet geomagnetic time around the M8.6 Sumatra earthquake on 28 March 2005, ionospheric perturbations occurred before this event on March 20, 22, 23, and 28,2005 in many parameters such as the electric field anti plasma parameters in the equatorial area. Since it was a quiet magnetic time, those four days referred above may be related to the preparation for this strong earthquake. The electron density showed two types of anomalies, one being a monotone increase in the single peak values with amplitudes exceeding 1 sigma, such as on March 20 and 28 in 2005; the other one changing the normal single peak to double crests and a trough in the equatorial area, which occurred on March 22 and 23, 2005. Both the anomalies are distributed over a very large area of 100 degrees longitude and 30 degrees latitude, presenting a long duration and global feature. The study of VLF electric field spectrums demonstrated that those anomalies were not presented in the geomagnetic conjugate feature. Electric field perturbations were concentrated in a relative smaller area than those of N(e) occurring only in the nearest orbit to the epicentre with only monotone increasing N(e) anomalies. It is thought that it is difficult for an electric field generated close to the seismic preparation area in the equatorial area to penetrate into the ionosphere directly, but it may occur through the coupling mechanism of lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere. Combined with the analysis of ion composition and varying shape, this shows that prior to this earthquake the variation in oxygen density reversed to that of hydrogen and helium density, similarly to other ionospheric precursors before other earthquakes. It is concluded that conjoint analysis among different parameters should he applied in order to distinguish the precursors related to the earthquakes.


When Estelle van der Merwe started puppet making in the 1920s, she created, among others, a black character named Ta. The main scene enacted with Ta concerned a story in verse about a domestic servant being sent to buy some fish, but buying liquor instead, and in the end receiving a severe thrashing. The story in fact represents a version of an old Afrikaans folksong about a man called Meliengo Hoi, but- as has been the fate of the majority of these songs- it is nowadays virtually unknown. Yet it must have been quite popular during the early part of the century as versions were recorded in the Cape, the Free State and the Transvaal. As has happened with numerous folksongs, 'Meliengo Hoi' served as the basis for a new, in this instance satirical, script. It concerned the capers of Mr Vitlorio Carpio who, as Chairman of the United Nations' Special Committee for South West Africa, visited the region in 1962, and was eventualy signatory to a very favourable report. When a furore broke out, he claimed that his coffee had been poisoned and that he consequently did not grasp the contents of the communique. Rumour had it that in truth he had become too fond of South Africa's KWV brandy. Estelle van der Merwe immediately created a puppet called Carpio and she adopted Ta's script for him to enact. The song about 'Mallengo Hoi' faded further and further into oblivion. When in 1987 a newspaper reader enquired about someone he vaguely remembered called 'Mafienkahoi', the response was that 'she' was identified as some or other girl or woman, perhaps even a vicious British queen of yore.


Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reverse transcription is an error-prone process with an overall mutation rate of approximately 3.4 x 10(-5) per base per replication cycle. This rate can be modulated by changes in different components of the retrotranscription reaction. In particular, in vitro substitution of magnesium cations (Mg2+) by manganese cations (Mn2+) has been shown to increase misincorporation of deoxynucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs) and to alter substrate specificity. Here, it is shown that Mn2+ also increases the HIV mutation rate ex vivo. Treatment of permissive cells with Mn2+ and subsequent HIV infection resulted in at least 6-fold and 10-fold increases in the mutant and mutation frequencies respectively, thus illustrating a further example of how to influence HIV genetic variation.


The evaluation of small-companies performance includes financial and non-financial indicators of companies. The main source of information about financial indicators of business activities is the financial statements of a company; basing on them there is performed the evaluation of the company's business activities and financial status. The evaluation of small companies business performance and financial status have a significant role in making financial managerial decisions, as it help assessing the risks and potential benefits planning the perspective performance of the company.  Exploration and evaluation of the meaning of financial indicators, successful solution of business management problems can be reached by the development of a single financial indicators assessment system in the context of complex analysis of business performance. Despite the fact that in scientific literature the number of publications on this theme increases, the researchers have not arrived to a common view on the essence and composition of the financial performance indicators, as well as their measurement and assessment methods. The content of the article reveals various theoretical approaches to the understanding of the essence, classification of financial indicators and types of their measurement. According to the official statistical data each day every fourth company faces the insolvency procedure. The data of the Latvian businessmen survey show that the owners of small enterprises need a definite system of financial indicators to manage efficiently the financial situation in the company. As it is known, the most characteristic feature of small enterprises is limited financial resources and difficulties in receiving them. Due to it this theme has become very topical in the context of borrowed capital, for example, getting   bank loan. In order to evaluate the creditworthiness of the borrower financial institutions usually use the data about the average indicators of the branch calculated by LR Central Statistical Bureau and LTD "Lursoft". Ass regards financial indicators there are at least three conditions to be improved: -        applied models of financial indicators used by the institutions mentioned above were developed more than 10 years ago and they are considered to be universal, they do not consider the size of the enterprise and the form of business organization; -        simple selection of financial coefficients is the basis of these models with any logical interrelations; -        the most complex issue is the quality of information included into financial statements basing on which financial coefficients are calculated; international standards are not taken into account and there is no information whether financial statements are drafted according to the international standards. The ratings of companies published basing on such information by financial coefficients sometimes can mislead the users of financial statements taking into consideration the conditions mentioned above. The aim of the paper is to make recommendations on the development of the financial indicators system on the basis of study and generalization of the scientific publications, and analysis of Latvian practice in the field of a company performance, which the owners of small enterprises in Latvia could successfully apply for evaluation of the company's financial position. The offered system of financial indicators can be used in the future as a basis for developing a complex model for the evaluation of the financial status of small enterprises. In order to reach the aim of the research the following tasks have been put forward: ·   to investigate the essence of financial indicators and financial ratios, and to show their role in company performance; ·   to provide critical evaluation of the approach to the evaluation of financial indicators used in Latvia to assess business performance; ·   to develop recommendations for designing a financial indicators system for evaluation of a small company's business performance and its practical implementation. The research is based on the analysis and evaluation of special literature and scientific publications on the financial indicators of business activities and their role in the evaluation of business performance. The following methods have been used in the research: logical analysis ad synthesis, content analysis and a monographic method. The articles analyses and evaluates prior researches on the financial indicators of business performance, considered and systematized financial indicators for the evaluation of small companies' business performance. The results of the give research could be useful not only for the owners of small enterprises in Latvia, but also for private and public institutions having access to financial information about companies performance in Latvia. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eis.0.6.1554


This paper examines how the momentum of emotion can be modeled and reflected within expressive Internet communication systems. We describe a prototype real-time emotional communicator. A core component is the text-to-emotion extraction engine. The engine analyses the text that is input by users, extracts the emotion that is contained and outputs the parameters that are necessary to invoke an appropriate image expressing the emotion. The parameters include both the detected emotion and the intensity. The concept of 'Emotional Momentum' is incorporated in our engine to resolve ambiguity or conflicting emotional content that occur within individual sentences.


Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000224 EndHTML:0000004814 StartFragment:0000002412 EndFragment:0000004778 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/hastha82/Desktop/ temporary%20desktop%20folder/MARKS%20LAB/THESIS/final%20changes.doc Certain cell types harbor specialized lysosome-related organelles (LROs) that derive from the endocytic system like conventional lysosomes but have unique functions. The coexistence of LROs and lysosomes in some cell types implies the existence of sorting mechanisms that divert resident cargo proteins to LROs. Based on the pigment-synthesizing melanosome in melanocytes as a model LRO and two melanosomal resident proteins as model cargoes, current models suggest that cargoes are sorted from early endosomes to melanosomes via one of two independent pathways mediated by the multisubunit complexes AP-3 or BLOC-1, each of which is defective in subtypes of the LRO biogenesis disease Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome (HPS). An AP-3-related protein complex, AP-1, is thought to function in concert with BLOC-1. In this thesis, I assess the pigmentcell-specific putative transporter protein OCA2, as a third potential cargo protein with which to further dissect the relationships between AP-3, AP-1 and BLOC-1 in melanosomal transport. I first investigate the localization and site of action of OCA2. I use biochemical approaches in combination with site-directed mutagenesis and indirect immunofluorescence microscopic analysis of exogenously-expressed OCA2 in melanocytes to show that OCA2 is indeed a melanosome resident protein and does not function within the endoplasmic reticulum as has been suggested by other models. I show that melanosome localization is essential for OCA2 function and requires an acidic dileucine motif in the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain that can bind to both AP-3 and AP-1. Using site-directed mutagenesis in combination with yeast three hybrid assays and immunofluorescence microscopy analyses in melanocytes derived from mouse models of HPS and controls, I define the features of the OCA2 sorting signal that direct binding to AP-1 or AP-3 and show that OCA2 requires both AP-3 interaction and BLOC-1 for melanosomal localization. My results resolve a controversy regarding OCA2 localization, shed light on the interplay between AP-1 and AP-3 in melanosomal trafficking, and provide the first direct evidence for cooperation between BLOC-1 and AP-3 in trafficking to a LRO. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Cell & Molecular Biology First Advisor Michael S. Marks This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/403


1. The introduced North American crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus Dana, is expanding its range in Europe and locally often replaces two native crayfish species, Astacus astacus L. and Austropotamobius pallipes Lereboullet. Pacifastacus leniusculus is also expected to invade the habitat of a third native crayfish, the endangered Austropotamobius torrentium Schrank. Interspecific aggressive interactions and competition for shelter were experimentally studied in the laboratory to assess the potential impact of P. leniusculus on A. torrentium.

2. Neither species was inherently dominant in aggressive interactions, but dominance was strongly size-dependent, favouring the larger and faster growing species, P. leniusculus.

3. Access to limited shelter was generally determined by aggressive dominance, although species-specific preference also influenced the outcome of competition for shelter. Austropotamobius torrentium had a higher preference for experimental shelters and often defended these even against larger P. leniusculus.

4. In accordance with theoretical models of animal conflicts, agonistic interactions between equally sized contestants were more severe than between animals of different size.

5. The P. leniusculus used in the present experiment were infected with the crayfish plague, Aphanomyces astaci, to which the animals are resistant. The crayfish transmitted the disease to non-resistant A. torrentium which died ≈ 2 weeks after contact with P. leniusculus.


Kho Ping Hoo (1926–1994) is the most well-known of all Indonesian writers of popular silat stories, largely set in China, which describe the adventures and romances of legendary heroes famed for their skill in martial arts. It is less well-known that he began his career writing critical stories about socio-economic conditions in the late 50s and early 60s. This paper discusses one of these stories. It places the story in the context of political developments of the time, in particular as they affected the Chinese Indonesian community. The paper argues that this story and one or two others like it come at the end of a tradition of Sino-Indonesian literature which had flourished from the end of the nineteenth century until the mid-1950s. After 1960, Chinese-Indonesian writers cease writing realist fiction of any kind and write either silat stories or romantic stories set in middle class urban environments.


Incorporating dual-polarized operation and microphysics-based processing is becoming a challenge to future scientific and commercial airborne weather radars. This paper introduces a Monte Carlo simulation-based approach to address the theoretical basis and uncertainties of hydrometeor scattering along with sensor platform properties. Detailed characterizations of mixed-phase aviation hydrometeor hazards (rain, snow, hail, and mixtures) and the impact of melting on polarimetric radar signature at X-band frequency are discussed. A "single resolution cell" Monte Carlo dual-polarization variable simulation technique is described and then applied in different radar scanning scenarios based on numeric weather prediction model output weather fields. The produced dual-polarization signatures of an X-band array radar for different scan scenarios are analyzed.


Uncertainty is an endemic condition of the Baltic Sea herring (Clupea harengus membras, L) fishery management. It is a condition exacerbated by the fishing fleet overcapacity and consequent exploitation of the herring stock at a level believed to be unsustainable. Some sources of uncertainty are mainly related to biology and fishing technique: the unsolved problem of herring assessment and management units, the recruitment–environment relationship and the reduction in mean weights-at-age, uncertain ageing of fish, the problem of unaccounted fishing mortality caused by the fish selection through the trawl net. Fishing fleet overcapacity is believed to be behind of the regulatory overfishing when setting the Total Allowable Catches (TACs) higher than the scientific advice (decision overfishing) and tolerating the extensive underreporting of catches (implementation overfishing). Two scenarios for the Central Baltic Sea herring fishery management options are constructed and the Bayesian networks are used to represent and update uncertainties encountered in the process of the management related situation assessment. First scenario represents the current status of the fishery management resulting in fishing mortality (F) higher than FMSY – the fishing mortality that corresponds to the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). The second scenario demonstrates the assumed potential impact of economic incentives (e.g. zoning, individual transferable quotas (ITQs), territorial use rights etc.) on the reduction of excessive fishing capacity and bringing actual fishing mortality closer to FMSY.


Sendai Wastewater Utility acquired the first certification of ISO55001 in Japan at March 2014. ISO55001 is the international standard for asset management systems and was published in January 2014. During the process towards certification, the maturity assessment, internal audit and certification exam based on ISO55001 were all executed. It was possible, therefore, to compare the three methods, and recognize their strengths and weaknesses. The methods complement each other when implemented simultaneously.


Background & Aim: Diagnosis of cystic fibrosis and hospitalization of a child can cause severe anxiety and stress in the parents, especially for the mother. Anxiety and stress consequently affect the treatment course of the child. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of partners' learning method on anxiety and stress in mothers of children with cystic fibrosis in 2016. Materials & Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 86 mothers of children with cystic fibrosis were selected by convenience sampling method. Mothers were randomly assigned to experimental group (n = 44) and control group (n = 42). The intervention group received three sessions in one week education by partners in learning method. Control group received the usual care. Data were collected by Spielberger Anxiety Inventory and Parenting Stress Index-Short Form and analyzed by SPSS software version 16, paired t-test, independent sample t-test and Chi-square. Results: No significant difference was found between the two groups in the level of anxiety and stress before intervention (P> 0.05). After intervention, the level of anxiety and stress in the intervention group was significantly decreased, compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Based on the findings, partners' learning method was effective in reducing anxiety and stress in mothers of children with cystic fibrosis. Therefore, this method can be used to reduce the anxiety and stress of


Ischemic tolerance decreases with aging, and the cardioprotective effect of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is impaired in middle-aged animals. We have demonstrated that short-term caloric restriction (CR) improves myocardial ischemic tolerance in young and old animals via the activation of adiponectin-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-mediated signaling. However, it is unknown whether prolonged CR confers cardioprotection in a similar manner. Furthermore, little is known regarding the myocardial expression of silent information regulator 1 (Sirt1; which reportedly mediates various aspects of the CR response) with prolonged CR. Thus, 6-mo-old male Fischer-344 rats were randomly divided into ad libitum (AL) and CR groups. Six months later, isolated perfused hearts were subjected to 25 min of global ischemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion with or without IPC. CR improved the recovery of left ventricular function and reduced infarct size after ischemia-reperfusion and restored the IPC effect. Serum adiponectin levels increased, but myocardial levels of total and phosphorylated AMPK did not change with prolonged CR. Total levels of Sirt1 did not change with CR; however, in the nuclear fraction, CR significantly increased Sirt1 and decreased acetyl-histone H3. Eleven rats from each group were given N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester in their drinking water for 4 wk before death. In these hearts, chronic inhibition of nitric oxide synthase prevented the increase in nuclear Sirt1 content by CR and abrogated CR-induced cardioprotection. These results demonstrate that 1) prolonged CR improves myocardial ischemic tolerance and restores the IPC effect in middle-aged rats and 2) CR-induced cardioprotection is associated with a nitric oxide-dependent increase in nuclear Sirt1 content.


The Industry 4.0 initiative imposes new requirements on cyber-physical systems in terms of interoperability, response time, communication capabilities, and more. A major approach to addressing these requirements is through the development and use of standard reference frameworks, architectures and models as well as the widespread and joint application of open industry standards. The aim of the article is to analyze the use of standards under the Fourth Industrial Revolution as well as to present and analyze some of the most applied standards in the field of monitoring and control of cyber-physical systems, such as AutomationML, OPC-UA, IEC-61449, IEC-61512. The reference architecture RAMI 4.0 was used to establish relationships and interactions between them.


Abstract On 14 June 2014 the Council of the University of Cape Town (UCT) voted to change race-based affirmative action in student admissions. The Council was ratifying an earlier decision by the predominantly White University Senate. According to the new policy race would be considered as only one among several factors, with the greater emphasis now being economic disadvantage. This paper argues that the new emphasis on economic disadvantage is a reflection of a long-standing tendency among left-liberal White academics to downplay race and privilege economic factors in their analysis of disadvantage in South Africa. The arguments behind the decision were that (1) race is an unscientific concept that takes South Africa back to apartheid-era thinking, and (2) that race should be replaced by class or economic disadvantage. These arguments are based on the assumption that race is a recent product of eighteenth century racism, and therefore an immoral and illegitimate social concept. Drawing on the non-biologistic approaches to race adopted by W. E. B. Du Bois, Tiyo Soga, Pixley ka Seme, S. E. K. Mqhayi, and Steve Biko, this paper argues that awareness of Black perspectives on race as a historical and cultural concept should have led to an appreciation of race as an integral part of people's identities, particularly those of the Black students on campus. Instead of engaging with these Black intellectual traditions, White academics railroaded their decisions through the governing structures. This decision played a part in the emergence of the #RhodesMustFall movement at UCT. This paper argues that South African sociology must place Black perspectives on race at the center of its curriculum. These perspectives have been expressed by Black writers since the emergence of a Black literary culture in the middle of the nineteenth century. These perspectives constitute what Henry Louis Gates, Jr. calls a shared "text of Blackness" (Gates 2014, p. 140). This would provide a practical example of the decolonization of the curriculum demanded by students throughout the university system.


In Real-Time Strategy (RTS) video games, players (controlled by humans or computers) build structures and recruit armies, fight for space and resources in order to control strategic points, destroy the opposing force and ultimately win the game. Players need to predict where and how the opponents will strike in order to best defend themselves. Conversely, assessing how the opponents will defend themselves is crucial to mounting a successful attack while exploiting the vulnerabilities in the opponent's defence strategy. In this context, to be truly adaptable, computer-controlled players need to recognize their opponents' behaviour, their goals, and their plans to achieve those goals. In this paper we analyze the algorithmic challenges behind behaviour recognition in RTS games and discuss a generic RTS behaviour recognition system that we are developing to address those challenges. The application domain is that of RTS games, but many of the key points we discuss also apply to other video game genres such as multiplayer first person shooter (FPS) games.


Eukaryotic striatin forms striatin-interacting phosphatase and kinase (STRIPAK) complexes that control many cellular processes including development, cellular transport, signal transduction, stem cell differentiation and cardiac functions. However, detailed knowledge of complex assembly and its roles in stress responses are currently poorly understood. Here, we discovered six striatin (StrA) interacting proteins (Sips), which form a heptameric complex in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. The complex consists of the striatin scaffold StrA, the Mob3-type kinase coactivator SipA, the SIKE-like protein SipB, the STRIP1/2 homolog SipC, the SLMAP-related protein SipD and the catalytic and regulatory phosphatase 2A subunits SipE (PpgA), and SipF, respectively. Single and double deletions of the complex components result in loss of multicellular light-dependent fungal development, secondary metabolite production (e.g. mycotoxin Sterigmatocystin) and reduced stress responses. sipA (Mob3) deletion is epistatic to strA deletion by supressing all the defects caused by the lack of striatin. The STRIPAK complex, which is established during vegetative growth and maintained during the early hours of light and dark development, is mainly formed on the nuclear envelope in the presence of the scaffold StrA. The loss of the scaffold revealed three STRIPAK subcomplexes: (I) SipA only interacts with StrA, (II) SipB-SipD is found as a heterodimer, (III) SipC, SipE and SipF exist as a heterotrimeric complex. The STRIPAK complex is required for proper expression of the heterotrimeric VeA-VelB-LaeA complex which coordinates fungal development and secondary metabolism. Furthermore, the STRIPAK complex modulates two important MAPK pathways by promoting phosphorylation of MpkB and restricting nuclear shuttling of MpkC in the absence of stress conditions. SipB in A. nidulans is similar to human suppressor of IKK-ε(SIKE) protein which supresses antiviral responses in mammals, while velvet family proteins show strong similarity to mammalian proinflammatory NF-KB proteins. The presence of these proteins in A. nidulans further strengthens the hypothesis that mammals and fungi use similar proteins for their immune response and secondary metabolite production, respectively.