Toxin insights into nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Venomous species have evolved cocktails of bioactive peptides to facilitate prey capture. Given their often exquisite potency and target selectivity, venom peptides provide unique biochemical tools for probing the function of membrane proteins at the molecular level. in the field of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), the subtype specific snake alpha-neurotoxins and cone snail alpha-conotoxins have been widely used to probe receptor structure and function in native tissues and recombinant systems. However, only recently has it been possible to generate an accurate molecular view of these nAChR-toxin interactions. Crystal structures of AChBP, a homologue of the nAChR ligand binding domain, have now been solved in complex with alpha-cobratoxin, alpha-conotoxin PnIA and alpha-conotoxin Iml. The orientation of all three toxins in the ACh binding site confirms many of the predictions obtained from mutagenesis and docking simulations on homology models of mammalian nAChR. The precise understanding of the molecular determinants of these complexes is expected to contribute to the development of more selective nAChR modulators. In this commentary, we review the structural data on nAChR-toxin interactions and discuss their implications for the design of novel ligands acting at the nAChR. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Use of drought response index for identification of drought tolerant genotypes in rainfed lowland rice

Drought is a major constraint for rice production in the rainfed lowlands in Southeast Asia and Eastern India. The breeding programs for tainted lowland rice in these regions focus on adaptation to a range of drought conditions. However, a method of selection of drought tolerant genotypes has not been established and is considered to be one of the constraints faced by rice breeders. Drought response index (DRI) is based on grain yield adjusted for variation in potential yield and flowering date, and has been used recently, but its consistency among drought environments and hence its usefulness is not certain. In order to establish a selection method and subsequently to identify donor parents for drought resistance breeding, a series of experiments with 15 contrasting genotypes was conducted under well-watered and managed drought conditions at two sites for 5 years in Cambodia. Water level in the field was recorded and used to estimate the relative water level (WLREL) around flowering as an index of the severity of water deficit at the time of flowering for each entry. This was used to determine if DRI or yield reduction was due to drought tolerance or related to the amount of available water at flowering, i.e. drought escape. Grain yield reduction due to drought ranged from 12 to 46%. The drought occurred mainly during the reproductive phase, while four experiments had water stress from the early vegetative stage. There was significant variation for water availability around flowering among the nine experiments and this was associated with variation in mean yield reduction. Genotypic variation in DRI was consistent among most experiments, and genotypic mean DRI ranged from -0.54 to 0.47 (LSD 5% = 0.47). Genotypic variation in DRI was not related to WLREL around flowering in the nine environments. It is concluded that selection for DRI under drought conditions would allow breeders to identify donor lines with high drought tolerance as an important component of breeding better adapted varieties for the rainfed lowlands; two genotypes were identified with high DRI and low yield reduction and were subsequently used in the breeding program in Cambodia. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DEMANDA DE MÃO DE OBRA DA PETROBRAS POR NÍVEIS DE COMPETÊNCIAS A PARTIR DA DESCOBERTA DO PRÉ-SAL

A pesquisa possui como objetivo geral levantar, analisar, quantificar e classificar por níveis de competências quais foram os profissionais recrutados pela Petrobras no período pós-descoberta da camada do pré-sal brasileiro. A pesquisa se justifica pela previsão de crescimento da produção nacional de petróleo e gás natural estimada para os próximos anos o que poderá causar um descompasso entre a oferta e a demanda de mão de obra para o seu desenvolvimento. A abordagem metodológica desenvolvida para realização da pesquisa foi a da pesquisa exploratória, descritiva e documental, através de análise qualitativa e quantitativa longitudinal. Como resultado, a pesquisa revelou que a Petrobras não recruta profissionais para posições de nível gerencial. Os resultados demonstraram ainda que 56,8% das vagas abertas ao recrutamento são destinadas aos profissionais com formação de nível médio e que 76,4porcento das vagas são relacionadas ao processo fabril evidenciando que a Petrobras utiliza como porta de entrada a contratação de profissionais de nível médio com formação técnica. Ao realizar a classificação e qualificação da oferta de vagas abertas ao recrutamento a pesquisa identificou cinco grupos de profissionais distribuídos por três eixos de carreira e quatro níveis salariais que quando categorizados por níveis de competências que foram responsáveis por 69porcento de todas as vagas abertas ao recrutamento. Os dois primeiros grupos em relevância estão relacionados ao eixo de carreira de operações industriais onde o nível superior (O6) e o nível inferior (O1) foram os responsáveis por 22porcento e 21porcento respectivamente do total da oferta de vagas no período. O terceiro grupo em importância diz respeito ao eixo de carreira engenharia, processos e projetos onde os profissionais categorizados com nível médio (E3) numa escala de dois a cinco foram os responsáveis por 13porcento do total de vagas abertas. O quarto e quinto grupos estão relacionados ao eixo de carreira gestão de negócios e categorizados por níveis de competências nos níveis três (G3) e quatro (G4) em uma escala de um a cinco sendo estes responsáveis 7porcento e 6porcento do total de vagas.

Signal processing in a loudspeaking telephone

One of the major problems associated with communication via a loudspeaking telephone (LST) is that, using analogue processing, duplex transmission is limited to low-loss lines and produces a low acoustic output. An architectural for an instrument has been developed and tested, which uses digital signal processing to provide duplex transmission between a LST and a telopnone handset over most of the B.T. network. Digital adaptive-filters are used in the duplex LST to cancel coupling between the loudspeaker and microphone, and across the transmit to receive paths of the 2-to-4-wire converter. Normal movement of a person in the acoustic path causes a loss of stability by increasing the level of coupling from the loudspeaker to the microphone, since there is a lag associated the adaptive filters learning about a non-stationary path, Control of the loop stability and the level of sidetone heard by the hadset user is by a microprocessoe, which continually monitors the system and regulates the gain. The result is a system which offers the best compromise available based on a set of measured parameters.A theory has been developed which gives the loop stability requirements based on the error between the parameters of the filter and those of the unknown path. The programme to develope a low-cost adaptive filter in LST produced a low-cost adaptive filter in LST produced a unique architecture which has a number of features not available in any similar system. These include automatic compensation for the rate of adaptation over a 36 dB range of output level, , 4 rates of adaptation (with a maximum of 465 dB/s), plus the ability to cascade up to 4 filters without loss o performance. A complex story has been developed to determine the adptation which can be achieved using finite-precision arithmatic. This enabled the development of an architecture which distributed the normalisation required to achieve optimum rate of adaptation over the useful input range. Comparison of theory and measurement for the adaptive filter show very close agreement. A single experimental LST was built and tested on connections to hanset telephones over the BT network. The LST demonstrated that duplex transmission was feasible using signal processing and produced a more comfortable means of communication beween people than methods emplying deep voice-switching to regulate the local-loop gain. Although, with the current level of processing power, it is not a panacea and attention must be directed toward the physical acoustic isolation between loudspeaker and microphone.

Influence of accommodation and refractive status on the peripheral refractive profile

AIM: The aim of the study was to determine, objectively and non-invasively, whether changes in accommodative demand modify differentially the peripheral refraction in emmetropic and myopic human eyes. METHODS: Forty subjects (19 male, 21 female) aged 20-30 years (mean 22.7 (SD 2.8) years), 21 emmetropes (mean spherical equivalent refractive error (MSE) -0.13 (SD 0.29) D) and 19 myopes (MSE -2.95 (SD 1.76) D) participated in the study. Ametropia was corrected with soft contact lenses (etafilcon A, 58% water content). Subjects viewed monocularly a stationary, high contrast (85%) Maltese cross at 0.0, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 D of accommodative demand and at 0, 10, 20 and 30 degrees field angle (nasal and temporal) through a +3.0 D Badal optical system. Static recordings of the accommodation response were obtained for each accommodative level, at each field angle, with an objective, open-view, infrared optometer. RESULTS: Peripheral mean spherical equivalent (M) data showed that the emmetropic cohort exhibited relative myopic shifts into the periphery, while the myopic group showed hypermetropic shifts. Increasing accommodative demand did not alter the peripheral refractive profile in either the temporal (p = 0.25) or nasal (p = 0.07) periphery with no differential accommodative effect between refractive groups in either the temporal (p = 0.77) or nasal (p = 0.73) field. Significant shifts in the J(0) astigmatic component were seen in the temporal (p<0.0005) and nasal (p<0.0005) fields with increasing eccentricity. Interaction effects between eccentricity and accommodative demand illustrated that increasing accommodative demand significantly altered the peripheral refractive profile in the temporal J(0) astigmatic component (p<0.0005). The nasal periphery, however, failed to show such an effect (p = 0.65). CONCLUSIONS: Alterations in peripheral refraction augmented by changes in ocular accommodation are relatively unaffected by refractive error for young, healthy human eyes.

Resonance studies of artificial earth satellites

Orbit determination from artificial satellite observations is a key process in obtaining information about the Earth and its environment. A study of the perturbations experienced by these satellites enables knowledge to be gained of the upper atmosphere, the gravity field, ocean tides, solid-Earth tides and solar radiation. The gravity field is expressed as a double infinite series of associated Legendre functions (tesseral harmonics). In contemporary global gravity field models the overall geoid is well determined. An independent check on these gravity field harmonics of a particular order may be made by analysis of satellites that pass through resonance of that order. For such satellites the perturbations of the orbital elements close to resonance are analysed to derive lumped harmonic coefficients. The orbital parameters of 1984-106A have been determined at 43 epochs, during which time the satellite was close to 14th order resonance. Analysis of the inclination and eccentricity yielded 6 lumped harmonic coefficients of order 14 whilst analysis of the mean motion yielded additional pairs of lumped harmonics of orders 14, 28 and 42, with the 14th order harmonics superseding those obtained from analysis of the inclination. This thesis concentrates in detail on the theoretical changes of a near-circular satellite orbit perturbed by the Earth's gravity field under the influence of minimal air-drag whilst in resonance with the Earth. The satellite 1984-106A experienced the interesting property of being temporarily trapped with respect to a secondary resonance parameter due to the low air-drag in 1987. This prompted the theoretical investigation of such a phenomenon. Expressions obtained for the resonance parameter led to the determination of 8 lumped harmonic coefficients, coincidental to those already obtained. All the derived lumped harmonic values arc used to test the accuracy of contemporary gravity field models and the underlying theory in this thesis.

Multicriteria Evaluation and Optimization of Hierarchical Systems

It is shown that any multicriteria problem can be represented by a hierarchical system. Separate properties of the object are evaluated at the lower level of the system, using a criteria vector, and a composition mechanism is used to evaluate the object as a whole at the upper level. The paper proposes a method to solve complex multicriteria problems of evaluation and optimization. It is based on nested scalar convolutions of vector- valued criteria and allows simple structural and parametrical synthesis of multicriteria hierarchical systems.

A vállalatok politikája – vállalati, társadalmi felelősségvállalás, vállalati közösségek és a vállalati stratégia jövője (Corporate policy – corporate social responsibility, corporate communities, and future of corporate strategy)

A vállalati társadalmi felelősségvállalás (CSR) a diszciplinarizálódás korai szakaszában különböző tudományos hagyományokból táplálkozva, a vállalatirányítás, az üzleti etika, a környezetgazdálkodás és a marketingkommunikáció határvidékének szélesítésével, különböző hangsúlyú kiterjesztésével igyekszik saját helyét kijelölni a gazdálkodástudomány keretei között. Jelen tanulmány egy, az érintetti elméletekből kiinduló, ám alapvetően történeti és politikai hagyományhoz köti a CSR jelenét és jövőjét, majd ebből a megközelítésből kiindulva helyezi el a CSR elméletét és lehetséges managementgyakorlatát a vállalatirányítás és a marketingkommunikáció világában. A szerző álláspontja szerint a CSR inkább forma, mint tartalom; az üzleti értelemben vett fenntarthatóságot a vállalatok kevésbé jó ügyek képviselete révén, mint az érintetti (stakeholder) demokrácia megvalósulásának elősegítésével teremthetik meg. Jelen dolgozat azt mutatja meg, hogy az érintetti demokrácia mint üzleti működési modell megvalósulása messzemenő következményekkel járhat mind a vállalatirányítás, mind a modern marketingkommunikáció számára. ______ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is in an early phase of disciplinarization and works towards establishing its level scholarly playing field from different traditions. It attempts to extend its territory on the boarderline of management, business ethics, environmental studies, and marketing-communications. This study applies a historical and political approach to the understanding of the present and future of CSR and places CSR in the area of management studies and marketing- communications from this starting point. CSR is more form than content; business sustanaibility is achieved less through good causes but via assisting in the establishment of stakeholder democracy. This study attempts to show what results stakeholder democracy as business modell would bring to the world of both corporate management and marketingcommunications.

A karcsú (lean) elvek alkalmazásának tapasztalatai az egészségügyi folyamatok fejlesztésében (Experiences of the adaptation of lean management in the development of healthcare processes)

Az elmúlt néhány évben a külföldi sajtóban és szakmai publikációkban egyre többször jelenik meg a „lean egészségügy”, azaz a karcsú menedzsment alkalmazása az egészségügyben mint téma. Habár az ez irányú kutatások még nemzetközi szinten is csak legfeljebb a hajnalukon tartanak, Magyarországon még szinte teljes a sötétség. Ennek a cikknek az a célja, hogy egyrészről felhívja a kutatók, de még inkább a egészségügyi dolgozók, menedzserek figyelmét erre a menedzsmenteszközre és filozófiára, mely új lehetőségeket kínál, másrészről, hogy áttekintést adjon a területen végzett nemzetközi kutatások eredményeiről. A tanulmány ennek megfelelően alapvetően két részre bontható. Az első felében az egészségügyi szolgáltatások helyzetének rövid jellemzése után a karcsú menedzsment alapjait és az egészségügyi szolgáltatásokban való alkalmazásának eszményét mutatja be. A második fele ugyanakkor 16 esettanulmány elemzésén keresztül bemutatja, hogy meddig jutott a világ a „lean egészségügy” ideájának megvalósításában. _______ In the past few years “Lean Healthcare” – the adaptation of lean management into healthcare settings – turns up as a topic often and often in foreign press and the in the professional publications. Although researches at international level in this field are at best at their dawning, in Hungary the darkness is almost complete. This article aims at one side to draw researchers’ and even more healthcare employees’ and managers’ attention to this management tool and philosophy, which offers new possibilities. From the other side to provide an overview of the results of the researches conducted in this field. Reflecting this doubled aim the study is divided into two major sections. In the first part the situation of the health care providers is shortly described followed by the introduction of the basics of the lean management and the idea of applying it into healthcare services. While the second part of the study shows how far the World reached in realizing the idea of “Lean Healthcare” by analyzing 16 cases.

Restructuring In The Hospitality Industry

In her dialogue entitled - Restructuring in the Hospitality Industry - Elisa S. Moncarz, Associate Professor, the School of Hospitality Management at Florida International University, intends for you to know the following: “Recent years have seen a proliferation of restructurings of major American corporations creating an extremely important issue that has affected U.S. business. This article discusses restructuring issues in the hospitality industry, focusing attention on its causes and motivations, as well as on its benefits and perils. The author considers the impact of restructuring on investors and management while examining recent restructurings involving hospitality firms.” In defining the concept of restructuring, Associate Professor Moncarz informs you, “Restructuring entails the implementation of fundamental and comprehensive modification of a company's operational and/or financial structure.” “It has, indeed, become fashionable to take a company apart and put it back together in a different form,” the author says. Additionally, Moncarz refers to a Wall Street Journal study, dated August 1985, which reveals that nearly half the large American corporations were, or were soon to be restructured in the 1984/85 time frame. There are several distinct types of restructurings and the author wants you to be aware of some of them. “…threats of takeover attempts, the larger part of all restructuring have been initiated willingly in order to expand or divest a company's line of business (i.e., operational restructurings) or redirect its finances (i.e., financial restructurings),” the author reveals. “Two principal types of operational restructurings are mergers and acquisitions [M&A], and divestitures [disposing of unwanted units or assets],” Moncarz further defines the concepts of expansion and divestiture. The author explains several types of financial restructuring sketches used in the hospitality industry, including stock re-purchasing, debt issuances and redemptions, swapping debt for equity, and effective theories of realigning debt through extending loans and/or revising terms. To expand their businesses, Moncarz makes anecdotal reference to several major food and beverage corporations that have successfully employed operational restructuring principles. The author wades into the shallow end of the hostile takeover pool by explaining some of the corporate restructuring concepts used to repel that aggressive technique. Walt Disney Company completely redesigned their entire upper level management structure in a successful effort to thwart a hostile takeover bid by corporate raider Saul P. Steinberg, Moncarz informs. To close, the author touches on leveraged buyouts [LBOs], and stock repurchases to divest unwanted divisions and immobilize hostile takeover attempts. A lengthy table of - Selected Restructurings in the Hospitality Industry [1982 to date of article] – is also included.

Achievement of generic baccalaureate student nurses using computer -assisted instruction simulations during a nursing review course

The use of computer assisted instruction (CAI) simulations as an instructional strategy provides nursing students with a critical thinking approach for evaluating risks and benefits and choosing correct alternatives in "safe" patient care situations. It was hypothesized that using CAI simulations during an upper level nursing review course would have a positive effect on the students' posttest scores. Subjects (n = 36) were senior nursing students enrolled in a nursing review course in an undergraduate baccalaureate program. A limitation of the study was the small sample size. The study employed a modified group experimental design using the t test for independent samples. The group who received the CAI simulations during the physiological system review demonstrated a significant increase (p $<$.01) in the posttest score mean when compared to the lecture-discussion group score mean. There was no significant difference between high and low clinical grade point average (GPA) students in the CAI and lecture-discussion groups and their score means on the posttest. However, score mean differences of the low clinical GPA students showed a greater increase for the CAI group than the lecture-discussion group. There was no significant difference between the groups in their system content subscore means on the exit examination completed three weeks later. It was concluded that CAI simulations are as effective as lecture-discussion in assisting upper level students to process information for clinical decision making. CAI simulations can be considered as an instructional strategy to supplement or replace lecture content during a review course, allowing more efficient use of faculty time. It is recommended that the study be repeated using a larger sample size. Further investigations are recommended in comparing the effectiveness of computer software formats and various instructional strategies for other learning situations and student populations. ^

(Table 1) Comparisons of dynamic and static Young's moduli of basalt at DSDP Holes 69-504B, 70-504B and 83-504B

Compressional- and shear-wave velocity logs (Vp and Vs, respectively) that were run to a sub-basement depth of 1013 m (1287.5 m sub-bottom) in Hole 504B suggest the presence of Layer 2A and document the presence of layers 2B and 2C on the Costa Rica Rift. Layer 2A extends from the mudline to 225 m sub-basement and is characterized by compressional-wave velocities of 4.0 km/s or less. Layer 2B extends from 225 to 900 m and may be divided into two intervals: an upper level from 225 to 600 m in which Vp decreases slowly from 5.0 to 4.8 km/s and a lower level from 600 to about 900 m in which Vp increases slowly to 6.0 km/s. In Layer 2C, which was logged for about 100 m to a depth of 1 km, Vp and Vs appear to be constant at 6.0 and 3.2 km/s, respectively. This velocity structure is consistent with, but more detailed than the structure determined by the oblique seismic experiment in the same hole. Since laboratory measurements of the compressional- and shear-wave velocity of samples from Hole 504B at Pconfining = Pdifferential average 6.0 and 3.2 km/s respectively, and show only slight increases with depth, we conclude that the velocity structure of Layer 2 is controlled almost entirely by variations in porosity and that the crack porosity of Layer 2C approaches zero. A comparison between the compressional-wave velocities determined by logging and the formation porosities calculated from the results of the large-scale resistivity experiment using Archie's Law suggest that the velocity- porosity relation derived by Hyndman et al. (1984) for laboratory samples serves as an upper bound for Vp, and the noninteractive relation derived by Toksöz et al. (1976) for cracks with an aspect ratio a = 1/32 serves as a lower bound.

Implementação da infra-estrutura e protocolo de comunicação para tratamento e disponibilização de dados do projeto ePoste

The study consists in the structure elaboration and the ePoste project communicationprotocol, which is a system of monitoring by wireless communication with the aim tosensor and act with one or many public lighting points, and also the treatment of data todetect the activity in the sensors located on the posts. Previously the communication withsensors were made in locus and when data collect was necessary or the performance inthe devices, the operator had to move until the net place. Accordingly, the purpose has theconcern to increase the system dynamic, achieving the possible integrations with the systemsalready available to the lighting management. The same technology of communicationbetween the sensors are considerate, using the ZigBee protocol running on the meshnet, the communication with this net is made be internet through a gateway by GPRS,device with two basics functionalities, which bypass for data and the firmware update inthe sensor. This functionality test of data management is being tested; integrate way withlocal net of sensors and the internet data server operates. The protocol developed, besidesincorporating the ZigBee, that it is formation of framework in lower level, where definesbeginning, size and errors check, as well as the communication of sensor with the concentrator,which it is encapsulated in ZigBee; also the protocol of upper level, where thatit is the names, it was developed a platform of service to meet GET and POST requestsbeneath HTTP protocol, this service is implemented in the data server, which availablethe communication with the clients systems, in case, lighting management systems.

"Repräsentationen" Afrikas in deutschen Schulbüchern am Beispiel des Schulfachs Geschichte (Sek I und II). Eine Stichprobenanalyse

Dieser Artikel befasst sich mit der Repräsentation Afrikas in schulischen Geschichtsbüchern. Am Beispiel von drei aktuellen Lehrwerken zeigen die Autorinnen sowohl negative Darstellungsweisen als auch positive Entwicklungen in Bezug auf den Umgang mit dem Kontinent, seiner Geschichte und Bevölkerung auf. In einem abschließenden Teil stellen sie einen Zusammenhang zwischen den Analyseergebnissen und dem Bewusstsein über bis in die heutige Zeit reproduzierte Diskurse und über Alltagsrassismen dar. (DIPF/Orig.)

Bildung im Heidekreis 2014. Zweiter Bildungsbericht

Mit diesem Bildungsbericht wird nach 2012 zum zweiten Mal eine umfassende datengestützte Bildungsberichterstattung zur Verfügung gestellt. Der Bericht liefert die Fortschreibung der Daten aus den Bereichen frühkindliche, schulische und berufliche Bildung, zeigt aber auch neue Aspekte, etwa zur Hochschulbildung oder über Befragungen zur Kooperation von Schulen und außerschulischen Partnern sowie von Absolventinnen und Absolventen der Sekundarstufe II.