Genetics of fat storage in flies and worms: what went wrong?

Body weight and fat storage are strongly influenced by an individual’s genetic makeup. In humans, genetic polymorphisms have been identified that have effects on body mass index (BMI) and fat content (Meyre et al., 2009; Speliotes et al., 2010; Choquet and Meyre, 2011a), and studies of monogenic rodent models of obesity have defined a variety of genes and signaling pathways that control fat storage and metabolism (Barsh and Schwartz, 2002). However, many other genes that regulate these processes undoubtedly remain to be discovered. Although forward genetic screens in the mouse have the potential to identify new obesity genes, such screens are expensive and lengthy endeavors

The Drosophila immunoglobulin gene turtle encodes guidance molecules involved in axon pathfinding

Background: Neuronal growth cones follow specific pathways over long distances in order to reach their appropriate targets. Research over the past 15 years has yielded a large body of information concerning the molecules that regulate this process. Some of these molecules, such as the evolutionarily conserved netrin and slit proteins, are expressed in the embryonic midline, an area of extreme importance for early axon pathfinding decisions. A general model has emerged in which netrin attracts commissural axons towards the midline while slit forces them out. However, a large number of commissural axons successfully cross the midline even in the complete absence of netrin signaling, indicating the presence of a yet unidentified midline attractant. Results: The evolutionarily conserved Ig proteins encoded by the turtle/Dasm1 genes are found in Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans, and mammals. In Drosophila the turtle gene encodes five proteins, two of which are diffusible, that are expressed in many areas, including the vicinity of the midline. Using both molecular null alleles and transgenic expression of the different isoforms, we show that the turtle encoded proteins function as non-cell autonomous axonal attractants that promote midline crossing via a netrin-independent mechanism. turtle mutants also have either stalled or missing axon projections, while overexpression of the different turtle isoforms produces invasive neurons and branching axons that do not respect the histological divisions of the nervous system. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the turtle proteins function as axon guidance cues that promote midline attraction, axon branching, and axonal invasiveness. The latter two capabilities are required by migrating axons to explore densely packed targets

Incorporation of fault rock properties into production simulation models

This thesis has two aims. First, to investigate the importance of incorporating the multiphase flow properties of faults into production simulation models. Second, to investigate methodologies to incorporate the multiphase flow properties of faults into production simulation models. Tests using simple simulation models suggest that in some situations it is not particularly important to take into account the multiphase flow properties of faults, whereas in other situations the multiphase properties have proved very important. The differences depend on drive mechanism, well position, and the capillary pressure distribution along the fault as well on the parameters that need to be modelled (e. g. bottom-hole pressures, hydrocarbon production rates, water cuts, etc. ). The results show that it is possible for hydrocarbons to flow across a sealing fault (i. e. 100% water saturation) as a result of its threshold pressure being overcome. The relative permeability of fault rocks may be one of the largest unknowns in simulating fluid in structurally complex petroleum reservoirs. Microstructural and petrophysical measurements are conducted on faults from core within the Pierce Field, North Sea. The results are used to calculate transmissibility multipliers (TMs) required to take into account the effect of faults on fluid flow within the Pierce production simulation model. The fault multiphase flow behaviour is approximated by varying the TMs as a function of height above the free water level. This methodology results in an improved history match of production data. Further, the improved model is then used to plan the optimal time to conduct a follow-up 3D seismic survey to identify unswept compartments. Further, an alternative model was proposed to overcome some of the possible limitations that the previous TM treatments may have at certain stages of a reservoir life. The similar behaviour of the different proposed fault models for the Pierce Field indicate that the current faulting system in this model is not largely responsible for the history mismatch in water production. Multiphase flow properties of faults can be incorporated into production simulation models using dynamic pseudofunctions. In this thesis, different dynamic pseudofunctions are generated by conducting high-resolution fluid flow models at the scale of the reservoir simulation grid block, using flow rates similar to those that are likely to be encountered within petroleum reservoirs. In these high-resolution models, both the fault and reservoir rock are given their own capillary pressure and relative permeability curves. The results of the simulations are used to create pseudocurves that are then incorporated into the up-scaled production simulation model to account for the presence of both the fault and undeformed reservoir. Different flow regimes are used to compare the performance of each pseudoisation method with the conventional, single-phase TM fault representations. The results presented in this thesis show that it is more important to incorporate fault multiphase properties in capillary dominated flow regimes than in those that are viscosity dominated. It should, however, be emphasised that the Brooks-Corey relations used to estimate relative permeability and capillary pressure curves of the fault rock in this study have a significant influence on some of these conclusions. In other words, these conclusions may not be valid if the relative permeability curves of fault rocks are very different to those calculated using the aforementioned relationships. Finally, an integrated workflow is outlined showing how dynamic pseudofunctions can be generated in fault juxtaposition models by taking advantage of the dynamic flux preservation feature in Eclipse 10OTM simulator

تقييم الأمان القانوني في ضوء لائحة الإفلاس الأوروبية

This article examines the insolvency rules of the European Union, specifically, the Recast European Insolvency Regulation (EIR Recast 2015), in order to determine whether such rules help enhance legal certainty in cross-border insolvency cases involving corporate groups with the objective of reducing abusive forum shopping. The problem of cross-border insolvency with corporate groups is a very timely one, especially in light of the global growth of international trade, the movement towards the economic integration of various regions around the world, such as the European Union, the greater flow of capital, and the ease of global communications. Forum shopping refers to the practice of such a company seeking the most favourable jurisdiction for its insolvency proceedings. This practice is known as ‘abusive’ when it reaches the point when a particular interest group, in so doing, seeks to appropriate wealth that belongs to others. The outline of this article is as follows: Section 1 of this article starts by providing an overview of cross-border insolvency of corporate groups. Then Section 2 explores in depth the main provisions of the EIR Recast 2015 that are relevant to enhancing legal certainty in a way beneficial to reducing abusive forum shopping, Section 3 proposes some recommendations to improve the EIR Recast 2015 in regard to enhancing legal certainty with the objective of reducing abusive forum shopping, and Section 4 concludes.يتناول البحث قواعد الإفلاس وفق قوانين الاتحاد الأوروبي وبالتحديد لائحة الإفلاس للاتحاد الأوربي المعدلة لتحديد ما إذا كانت هذه القواعد تعزز الأمان القانوني في قضايا الإفلاس العابر للحدود المتضمن لمجموعات الشركات وذلك للحد من حالات التسوق القضائي الاستغلالي. وتعتبر مشكلة الإفلاس العابر الحدود من المشكلات المعاصرة في خضم التجارة الدولية والتكامل الاقتصادي بين مناطق العالم المختلفة كالاتحاد الأوروبي. ويقصد بالتسوق القضائي البحث من قبل الشركة عن المحكمة المفضلة لديها للقيام بإجراءات التفليسة. ويعد التسوق القضائي استغلالياً في حالة أنه حقق لأحد الأطراف مصلحة على محاسب الأطراف الأخرى. يتضمن المقال الأقسام الآتية: القسم الأول يلقي نظرة عامة على لائحة الإفلاس الأوروبية المعدلة، وتناول القسم الثاني اهم بنود اللائحة الأوربية المعدلة والتي تتعلق بتعزيز الأمان القانوني وتقليل التسوق القضائي الاستغلالي، كما يطرح القسم الثالث بعض المقترحات لتطوير اللائحة المعدلة بهدف تعزيز الأمان القانوني وذلك للحد من التسوق القضائي الاستغلالي، مع خاتمة في القسم الأخير

The relationship between mathematics teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge and their handling of student contributions: the case of Saudi trainee primary teachers

This research aimed to investigate how Saudi mathematics trainee primary teachers respond to their students’ contributions and the reasons for their actions. Also, to outline the possible influence of teachers’ knowledge, both subject matter knowledge (SMK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), on their handling of students’ contributions. To achieve these goals five participants were observed for eight lessons each and interviewed. The data from three out of the five participants formed three case studies of teachers with differences in terms of their SMK and PCK. Three lesson observations for each case plus the interviews were analysed. The Knowledge Quartet framework was used to analyse the data in order to highlight the knowledge of the trainees and to direct attention towards the incidents where the teachers responded to the students’ answers. The interactions in these incidents were also analysed by the (Initiation-Response-Feedback) IRF tool to classify the teachers’ responses in relation to the students’ contributions. The findings suggest that the trainees responded to the students’ answers usually with one of two types of response. Confirmation actions in which the teachers confirmed the correctness or the fault of a given answer and questioning actions where the teachers asked further questions usually before making a decision about the answer. They reasoned their ways of accepting correct answers into two types of reasons: class-focused and individual-focused actions. Conversely, the teachers’ justification of their rejection of incorrect answers fell into three groups: protection actions, checking actions and other. Moreover, the teachers’ SMK and PCK have influenced their response to the students’ answers. Their response approach was mainly shaped by the teachers’ beliefs of how mathematics is best learnt whereas PCK influenced the quality of their responses. Also, they depended mainly on their SMK, and to some extent on their PCK, in deciding to accept or reject answers

An investigation into dictionary use by Saudi tertiary EFL students

The main purpose of this study was to investigate empirically the impacts of dictionary strategy instruction and exposure on the dictionary performance, perceptions of and attitudes towards dictionary use, and knowledge of dictionary strategy and use by tertiary students of English in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected by means of questionnaires, interviews, observation and students interview feedback. The study was carried out in two phases; phase I, in which 14 participants were chosen to carry out the interviews, and in which the questionnaire was conducted on 77 male students in the preparatory year at the College of Applied Health Science of Qassim University in Saudi Arabia; and phase II where four participants were chosen to carry out the training in dictionary use through a one-to-one tutorial mode. The data in the second phase were collected through observation and students interview feedback. The findings from phase I of the study indicated that the Saudi students did not have appropriate knowledge of their own dictionary. It revealed some instances of failing to take advantage of the potential of dictionary use for language learning and identified factors behind this ineffective use. It demonstrated how the teacher’s role was essential in this respect and could directly influence the process of dictionary implementation inside the classroom The results of phase II demonstrated that strategy training was effective in disseminating the knowledge and skills required of students in using their dictionaries to solve linguistic problems. More importantly, the results showed that the strategy training approach holds great potential for developing students' independence and that it moves them towards greater autonomy. Thus, it is recommended that training be provided to English language learners to optimise their use of this important tool. Finally, specific implications for both teaching and future research are identified

A comparative investigation of organizational commitment in government, public, and private organizations in Qatar

The purpose of this study was to investigate the antecedents and consequences of commitment in the developing nation of Qatar. Specifically, the influence of personal variables, job characteristics, organizational characteristics, and facets of job satisfaction of employees were investigated in relation to affective, continuance, and normative commitment.A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from a random sample of 780 employees from government, public, and private sector companies and completed questionnaires were received from 544 employees representing a response rate of 69.7%. Research data were tested using Pearson's correlation, Analysis of variance, and T-Tests.Statistically significant relationships were found between affective/normative commitment and almost all of the personal characteristics. However, only two demographic variables were statistically related to continuance commitment. Results indicated that employees with a high level of education, who were male, married with dependents, with long tenure and contract employment, reported higher levels of commitment than others. Interestingly, non Qatari employees showed higher levels of commitment than Qatari employees.Relationships between job and organizational characteristics and components of organizational commitment were found to be significant, although the relationships were only weak to moderate. Generally, the results indicated that the lack of equity, inefficient personal growth, lack of job security, lack of autonomy, lack of task identity, and insufficient feedback on performance were stated as possible reasons for low commitment in this study. Relationships were also found between job satisfaction variables and affective and normative commitment. However, relationships between continuance commitment and job satisfaction variables were weak. Regarding consequences of OC, the research found that increasing organizational commitment among employees led to lower turnover intentions and more acceptance of organizational changes

Caracterización y evaluación de un medio de crecimiento fúngico compuesto por pólenes en polvo de espadaña (Typha domingensis Pers.)

Introduction: A great progressing occurs in microbiology Ulocladium sp. after culture media have been used in culturing, isolation, identification, and reservation of microorganisms. According to their components, culture media were divided into natural, synthetic, and semisynthetic, the natural medium contain almost all the nutritional requirements but in non-defined quantities. In the current work, the validity of Typha domingensis pollens as a new substrate for fungal culture medium was tested. Several physical and chemical characteristics of medium were detected. The growth of nine fungal isolates were evaluated on semisolid and broth media. Materials and Methods: Ten gram of starchy powder free from spike tissue + 15gm agar were used for one liter of Typha pollens agar (TPA). The growth of local isolates of Candida sp., Rhodotorula sp., Aspergillus niger, , Cladosporium sp., Trichoderma sp., Penicillium sp., Chrysosporium sp., and Microsporum sp. were tested on (TPA), and (PCA). Biomass of filamentous isolates was estimated by TP broth and PC broth.ANOVA test at level 0.05 was followed to clarify the significant increasing of biomass. To qualify the nutritional value of Typha pollens, the percentage oftotal nitrogen , carbon , phosphorus , and potassium were estimated . pH of TPA were detected as well as its color, transparency , and gelatin texture were practically evaluated . Results and Discussion : The chemical composition analysis showed that pollens powder contain C=58%, N=2.16%, P= 0.19%and K=3.36%. The pH was 6.72 at room temperature . Typha pollens agar support growth of all tested fungal isolates. The semisolid TPA had a typical characteristic for culturing and diagnosis of fungi including a suitable gelatin texture and a pale transparent yellow color . All tested fungi except Penicilliumsp. showed higher growth on TPA , on the other side the fungal biomass increased significantly by TP broth in comparison with PC broth (ANOVA test at 0.05 level). Conclusions : Pollens of cattail (T. domingensis ) provide a suitable environment , and nutritive requirements for fungi .It can be usedeasily and successfully as essential substrate for preparing culture medium for primary isolation of fungi. A farther studies were needed to gain a view about using T.domingensis pollens to isolate pathogenic fungi and bacteria

The Effect of flashing in reducing the tonal range of a transparency for photomechanical reproduction

Photographic processing and lithographic printing reproduction are two different processes. In photography, the transparency reproduces the original scene in continuous tone. Whereas, in lithographic printing, the reproduction is a result of an all-or-nothing process. A transparency may have a tonal range that exceeds the range that can be reproduced in lithographic printing. So tone compression is performed on transparencies that exceed the tonal range for printing. Avoiding tone compression during lithographic production results in considerable savings in cost and time. One of the methods to reduce tonal range is for the photographer to understand the relationship between emulsion flashing and the tonal range of transparencies. Flashing is the process of projecting nonimage white light to the film emulsion either before or after exposure, but prior to processing. This study investigated the relationship between flashing and exposure for a transparency which would reduce its tonal range and make it suitable for printing. The hypotheses under investigation were: (1) it is possible to flash Ektachrome transparency film by a predetermined amount of light to produce a desired reduction in the tonal range of a transparency, making it more acceptable to the printing range of lithographic printing when using coated paper; (2) the post-flashing technique produces the most acceptable result in achieving the desired tonal range as compared to the pre-flashing technique; (3) the flashing technique produces the same result in a transparency as the image prepared by the use of adjusting the lighting ratio in measured photography. An experimental investigation was conducted. A setup consisting of standard scales was photographed at various exposures and different degrees of flashing. The photography was performed using a 4X5 camera. The setup was illuminated at 45 angles by means of two strobe lights. Exposure was controlled by altering the aperture opening of the lens or fstop. The degree of flashing was determined by pre-exposing or post-exposing the Ektachrome transparency film emulsion to non-image white light through sheets of parchment paper placed at a distance of three inches from the camera lens. The amount of light that could reach the lens during flashing was controlled by varying the number of sheets of parchment paper. Thirty-two transparencies were photographed. The transparencies were processed by E-6 process. The tonal ranges of the transparencies were measured by means of a transmission densitometer. A visual test was conducted to determine the visual appeal of the transparencies by professionals in the field of photography and printing. The outcome of the experimental investigation showed that the tonal range of a transparency is reduced when the film emulsion is flashed. The results suggest that preflashing by an amount of a little over one-third of the light required for normal exposure and then exposing the film to the subject or setup at one and a half stop below the normal exposure produces transparencies that have a tonal range within the limits of lithographic printing and that are visually appealing. It was also shown that pre-flashing the film had a greater effect on reducing the tonal range than post-flashing. Moreover, the flashing technique was compared with methods used to reduce the tonal range by adjusting the lighting ratio. Based on these results, the first hypothesis was confirmed, the second was rejected, and the third was qualitatively accepte

Sensing properties of asymmetric double-layer-covered tapered fibers

A novel, to our knowledge, device based on a tapered optical fiber with a double-layer deposition including a metallic media is presented, and its properties are studied. The main novelty of the device consists of the introduction of a dielectric layer, whereas the systems depicted in the literature are simply metal-coated tapered fibers. The presence of the dielectric layer permits one to tune the response of the device to the refractive index of the surrounding medium. We have proved the suitability of this scheme for refractive-index sensing by depicting two measurement modes, namely, total power attenuation and spectral transmittance