Hybrid strains useful in transferring genes between species

Hybrid strains useful in transferring genes between specie

Variation within genus Neurospora of properties and control of aryl sulfatase

Variation within genus Neurospora of properties and control of aryl sulfatas

UJI AKTIVITAS ANTIBAKTERI FRAKSI BUTANOL, ETIL ASETAT, DAN n-HEKSAN DAUN BINAHONG (Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Stennis) TERHADAP BAKTERI Propionibacterium acnes ATCC 37533 SECARA IN VITRO

Salah satu tanaman yang berkhasiat sebagai antibakteri adalah daun binahong. Kandungan senyawa dari daun binahong adalah flavonoid yaitu (8-Glukopyranosyl-4’5,7-trihydroxyflavone), Steroid yaitu (Stigmasterol).Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk melihat apakah fraksi butanol, etil asetat dan n-heksan daun binahong (Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis) dapat menghambat bakteri Propionibacterium acnes. Pada uji aktivitas antibakteri menggunakan mueler Hinton Agar (MHA) dengan metode difusi cakram menggunakan  konsentrasi 200 mg/ml, 100 mg/ml, 50 mg/ml, 25 mg/ml, 25 mg/ml serta klindamisin sebagai kontrol positif. Fraksi ekstrak etanol 96% daun binahong (Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis) yang memiliki daya hambat paling besar terhadap bakteri Propionibacterium acnes adalah fraksi n-heksan sebesar 14.99 mm, sedangkan  fraksi etil asetat sebesar 12.68 mm dan fraksi butanol sebesar 8.88 mm. Kata Kunci : Daun Binahong (Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Stennis), Propionibacterium   acnes, MHA.

Decorrelation using Optimal Transport

Being able to decorrelate a feature space from protected attributes is an area of active research and study in ethics, fairness, and also natural sciences. We introduce a novel decorrelation method using Convex Neural Optimal Transport Solvers (Cnots), that is able to decorrelate continuous feature space against protected attributes with optimal transport. We demonstrate how well it performs in the context of jet classification in high energy physics, where classifier scores are desired to be decorrelated from the mass of a jet. The decorrelation achieved in binary classification approaches the levels achieved by the state-of-the-art using conditional normalising flows. When moving to multiclass outputs the optimal transport approach performs significantly better than the state-of-the-art, suggesting substantial gains at decorrelating multidimensional feature spaces

Flow Away your Differences: Conditional Normalizing Flows as an Improvement to Reweighting

We present an alternative to reweighting techniques for modifying distributions to account for a desired change in an underlying conditional distribution, as is often needed to correct for mis-modelling in a simulated sample. We employ conditional normalizing flows to learn the full conditional probability distribution from which we sample new events for conditional values drawn from the target distribution to produce the desired, altered distribution. In contrast to common reweighting techniques, this procedure is independent of binning choice and does not rely on an estimate of the density ratio between two distributions. In several toy examples we show that normalizing flows outperform reweighting approaches to match the distribution of the target.We demonstrate that the corrected distribution closes well with the ground truth, and a statistical uncertainty on the training dataset can be ascertained with bootstrapping. In our examples, this leads to a statistical precision up to three times greater than using reweighting techniques with identical sample sizes for the source and target distributions. We also explore an application in the context of high energy particle physics.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figure

State of the art of Supply Chain Performance Measurement in Danish industrial companies

Purpose: We have examined which dimensions are used by the largest Danish manufacturing companies to measure SCPM at operational, tactical and strategic level, how can these dimensions be classified, and how do these empirical results have implications for practice and selected SCPM-theories. Design/methodology/approach: A deductive structure based on a theoretical framework was used to design an empirical investigation of 54 Danish manufacturing companies, which all have revenue of more than DKK 500 million. Furthermore, qualitative investigation was done by analyzing four casecompanies in order to get a more in-depth picture of how SCPM is used in practice. Findings: The four most used SCPM metrics have downstream focus. Companies that use SCPM have a more deliberated split between metrics with focus on operational, tactical and strategic level. While the quantitative data indicates that non-financial measurements are most frequently used, the qualitative data implies that the companies use financial measures as basis for performance measurement and that results from non-financial measures have second priority. Research limitations/implications (if applicable): The model is limited to large Danish industrial companies and we propose to widen the model to upstream and downstream supply chain partners. Practical implications (if applicable): The paper shows the most important and most frequently used supply chain relevant key performance indicators as well as a process model of how to implement supply chain performance measurement in a company. Original/value: This paper closes the gap between theory and practice within the area of performance measurement and management within the context of supply chain management. The proposed SCPM model has been theoretically developed and empirically validated

Health-risk behaviour in deprived neighbourhoods compared with non-deprived neighbourhoods:a systematic literature review of quantitative observational studies

There has been increasing interest in neighbourhoods' influence on individuals' health-risk behaviours, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity and diet. The aim of this review was to systematically review recent studies on health-risk behaviour among adults who live in deprived neighbourhoods compared with those who live in non-deprived neighbourhoods and to summarise what kind of operationalisations of neighbourhood deprivation that were used in the studies.PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews were followed. Systematic searches were performed in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Sociological Abstracts using relevant search terms, Boolean operators, and truncation, and reference lists were scanned. Quantitative observational studies that examined health-risk behaviour in deprived neighbourhoods compared with non-deprived neighbourhoods were eligible for inclusion.The inclusion criteria were met by 22 studies. The available literature showed a positive association between smoking and physical inactivity and living in deprived neighbourhoods compared with non-deprived neighbourhoods. In regard to low fruit and vegetable consumption and alcohol consumption, the results were ambiguous, and no clear differences were found. Numerous different operationalisations of neighbourhood deprivation were used in the studies.Substantial evidence indicates that future health interventions in deprived neighbourhoods should focus on smoking and physical inactivity. We suggest that alcohol interventions should be population based rather than based on the specific needs of deprived neighbourhoods. More research is needed on fruit and vegetable consumption. In future studies, the lack of a uniform operationalisation of neighbourhood deprivation must be addressed

Acute Chloroform Ingestion Successfully Treated with Intravenously Administered N-acetylcysteine

Chloroform, a halogenated hydrocarbon, causes central nervous system depression, cardiac arrhythmias, and hepatotoxicity. We describe a case of chloroform ingestion with a confirmatory serum level and resultant hepatotoxicity successfully treated with intravenously administered N-acetylcysteine (NAC). A 19-year-old man attempting suicide ingested approximately 75 mL of chloroform. He was unresponsive and intubated upon arrival. Intravenously administered NAC was started after initial stabilization was complete. His vital signs were normal. Admission laboratory values revealed normal serum electrolytes, AST, ALT, PT, BUN, creatinine, and bilirubin. Serum ethanol level was 15 mg/dL, and aspirin and acetaminophen were undetectable. The patient was extubated but developed liver function abnormalities with a peak AST of 224 IU/L, ALT of 583 IU/L, and bilirubin level reaching 16.3 mg/dL. NAC was continued through hospital day 6. Serum chloroform level obtained on admission was 91 μg/mL. The patient was discharged to psychiatry without known sequelae and normal liver function tests. The average serum chloroform level in fatal cases of inhalational chloroform poisoning was 64 μg/mL, significantly lower than our patient. The toxicity is believed to be similar in both inhalation and ingestion routes of exposure, with mortality predominantly resulting from anoxia secondary to central nervous system depression. Hepatocellular toxicity is thought to result from free radical-induced oxidative damage. Previous reports describe survival after treatment with orally administered NAC, we report the first use of intravenously administered NAC for chloroform ingestion. Acute oral ingestion of chloroform is extremely rare. Our case illustrates that with appropriate supportive care, patients can recover from chloroform ingestion, and intravenously administered NAC may be of benefit in such cases