Escherichia coli EHEC Germany outbreak preliminary functional annotation using BG7 system

We have annotated the European outbreak E. coli EHEC genome sequenced by BGI (6-2-2011) and assembled with MIRA by Nick Loman (6-2-2011 ). Our system BG7, Bacterial Genome annotation of Era7 Bioinformatics, predicts ORFs and annotates them based on fragments of similarity with Uniprot proteins. We have predicted 6327 genes, 6156 encoding proteins y 171 corresponding to ribosomal and tRNA. Based on the preliminary results of our semi-automated method of annotation we have selected some predicted proteins with potential implications in pathogenicity and virulence.
There are 33 predicted genes annotated as toxins and we have found three putative hemolysins: Hemolysin E, a putative hemolysin expression modulating protein and a channel protein, hemolysin III family. We have found 31 predicted genes that could be related to specific antibiotic resistance: beta-lactamic, aminoglycoside, macrolide, polymyxin, tetracycline, fosfomycin and deoxycholate, novobiocin, chloramphenicol, bicyclomycin, norfloxacin and enoxacin and 6-mercaptopurine. This strain is rich in adhesion, secretion systems, pathogenicity and virulence related proteins. It seems to have a restriction-modification system, many proteins involved in Fe transport and utilization (siderophores as aerobactin and enterobactin), lysozyme, one inhibitor of pancreatic serine proteases, proteins involved in anaerobic respiration, antimicrobial peptides, and proteins involved in quorum sensing and biofilm formation that could confer competitive advantage to this strain

A policy critique of Stansted Airport's expansion to 25 million passengers per annum (MPPA)

In this paper we undertake a preliminary assessment of the regional planning and development implications of BAA Stansted Airport’s planning permission to grow to 25 million passengers per annum (mppa) by 2010. Our concern is not simply to consider the overall growth of the airport on the airport site itself but the nature and type of growth both on- and off-site. In this document we focus on the submitted planning permission documents and test them. The methodology we employed was to draw on published and unpublished numerical estimates of the airport’s growth – particularly including estimates produced by the airport owner, BAA, and their economic and planning consultants DTZ Pieda - and critically, and systematically analyse their figures. We adopted this approach because unless the figures which were employed in the initial calculations were correct then all of the subsequent projections which flow from them - and the polices which could then be based on them – could be flawed. The analysis is divided into two parts – firstly, are the growth forecasts correct?; and secondly, what do these forecasts actually mean in developmental terms? In effect, what we have done is to produce a critique of the existing body of evidence by questioning underpinning assumptions and then draw some preliminary conclusions for the region based on this analysis. A major focus of this report has been analyse the figures involved in the planning application to expand Stansted to 25mppa. Ironically, one of our key findings, that the local impact of Stansted’s proposed expansion in employment terms might well be less than was originally thought, might make it easier to gain the acceptance of the relevant local authorities involved to allow the development to take place. Our main overall findings are that the BAA projections over-estimate the local employment impact of the airport’s proposed growth and under-estimate its potential regional ‘transportation’ employment effect. These two findings are, of course, related to each other in important ways, and we also feel that they have potentially significant medium and long-term economic, competitiveness and planning policy implications for the East of England regio

COSEE OCEAN Inquiry Group Report: Opportunities for Creating Lifelong Ocean Science Literacy

This Inquiry Group Report for the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence Ocean Communities in Education And Social Networks (COSEE OCEAN) provides a fresh look at how broader ocean science literacy can be developed, especially through less-recognized channels such as opportunistic learning, the private and “third” sectors, and the enormously varied activities under the heading of informal science education. The 10 authors of this report (see Contributors section) have been working together for two years to find and review a range of issues and resources for current and potential ocean science literacy providers, both professional and volunteer. Several chapters provide a survey of useful materials and websites, while others offer ideas that will be new for many readers, including opportunities and unfamiliar venues for carrying out this enterprise. Included are chapters depicting a perhaps surprising plethora of channels for increasing ocean science literacy, both in school and especially, out of school. Other chapters discuss the societal contexts for using these channels, which include ideas for potential funding sources and cultural partners. Not every reader will find every chapter useful so each chapter is written to stand alone. This requires redundancy of some material from chapter to chapter. The primary authors for each chapter have their own writing styles and voice. Finally, given the varied topics of each chapter, some are dense with annotated lists of existing materials, while others were written to analyze fresh opportunities for the creation of new materials and projects. This report was written with several audiences in mind: the professional educators in the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) network; formal and informal educators who are looking for ways to incorporate ocean sciences in the work they do; and policymakers in both science and education who are concerned with using all available channels to improve the public understanding of such major concerns as global climate change, energy sources and uses, the health of local and global ecosystems, and natural resources such as seafood

ICT Investments and Technical Efficiency in Italian Manufacturing Firms: The Productivity Paradox Revisited

From the Seventies the importance of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has been a much debated question. A lot of studies are made in order to understand if the ICTs are able to increase economic growth, firm productivity and firm efficiency. In this study both the translog and the Cobb-Douglas production function are used in order to estimate the impact of information and communication technology on technical efficiency (TE) in the Italian manufacturing firms over the period 1995-2003. Results show that ICT investments positively and significantly affect firm technical efficiency. Moreover, group, size and geographical position are able to influence positively TE. Finally, results show that older firms are in average more efficient than younger ones.ICT investment, Productivity Paradox, Stochastic Frontier, Italian manufacturing firms

Aerospace medicine and biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 346)

This bibliography lists 134 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System during Jan. 1991. Subject coverage includes: aerospace medicine and psychology, life support systems and controlled environments, safety equipment, exobiology and extraterrestrial life, and flight crew behavior and performance

Quality Function Deployment and Fuzzy TOPSIS Methods in Decision Support System for Internet Service Provider Selection

Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a company or business organization that provides access to intenet and services related for individual consumer or companies. There are many ISP in Indonesia recently, and they have almost the same product to offered. This problem makes internet service provider selection become a major issue. Decision support system can be used to recommend the best ISP company based on need. The aim of this research is to used Quality Function Deployment with Fuzzy TOPSIS sequentially to select the best ISP company as needed, and implemented in decision support system for internet service provider selection. Quality Function Deployment and Fuzzy TOPSIS methods used to evaluate, and then recommend the ISP company by ranked. Quality Function Deployment method used to find out customers requirements about internet network, the weighting of the criteria and the assessment of each ISP company. Fuzzy TOPSIS used to rank ISP company. These two methods produce consistent ratings when sensitivity analysis is performed for fuzzy and crisp value. These two methods make decision support system result can be trusted