A Queen’s Reputation: A Feminist Analysis of The Cultural Appropriations of Cleopatra

While there is no doubt that Cleopatra is considered a notable historical figure and popularly regarded character throughout modern media, there is a distinct pattern in her portrayal throughout time as a woman whose power is defined by her sexual promiscuity. Even throughout periods of powerful female monarchs, political change, and social progress her prowess as a leader has been assumingly attributed to her affairs with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. The purpose of this study is to examine how literature and media has contributed to this sexualized reputation of a queen who yielded authority over such a prosperous nation. This study additionally seeks to explain Cleopatra’s ranging cultural representations in performance and multimedia by closely examining these appropriations in their relevant historical contexts. Shakespeare’s play Antony and Cleopatra portrays a culturally exotic queen plainly ruled by both her passions and the men in her life. Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s immortalized film Cleopatra uses the scandalously renowned Elizabeth Taylor to display the queen as a fair sexual object capable solely of political manipulation. The bestselling videogame Dante’s Inferno represents Cleopatra as a discolored beastly creature capable of seducing her victims for the gains of Lucifer himself. Each of these works present the figure of a foreign queen in divergent historical contexts. Considering these various forms of media, this study argues that each of these representations has in some way contributed to Cleopatra’s iconicity in western culture as an image of uninhibited female sexuality

Chirped-Pulse Fourier Transform Microwave Spectroscopy In Pulsed Uniform Supersonic Flows

This dissertation is focused on the development of a new experimental apparatus that combines two powerful techniques: Chirped-Pulse Fourier-Transform Microwave (CP-FTMW) spectroscopy and uniform supersonic flows. This combination promises a nearly universal detection method that can deliver quantitative isomer, conformer, and vibrational level specific detection; characterize unstable reaction products and intermediates; and perform unique spectroscopic, kinetics and dynamics measurements. Thus, a new high-power Ka band (26 – 40 GHz) chirped pulse spectrometer with sub-MHz resolution was designed and constructed. In order to study smaller molecules, E-band (60 – 90 GHz) capabilities were also added to the spectrometer. A novel strategy for generating a pulsed uniform supersonic flow through a Laval nozzle is introduced. A new high-throughput pulsed piezoelectric stack valve was constructed and used to produce a cold (20 K) uniform flow with large volumes and densities (~1016 molecules cm-3). The uniform flow conditions for two of noble gases (argon and helium) were characterized using impact pressure measurements and rotational diagrams. It was demonstrated that a flow uniformity extending as far as 20 cm from the Laval nozzle exit can be achieved with a single compound turbo-molecular pump to maintain the operating pressure. Two benchmark reactive systems were used to illustrate and characterize the performance of the new apparatus CPUF: the photodissociation of SO2 at 193 nm, for which the vibrational populations of the SO product are monitored, and the reaction between CN and C2H2, for which the HCCCN product is detected in its vibrational ground-state. The results show that the combination also provides insight into the vibrational and rotational relaxation kinetics of the nascent reaction products. CPUF has been used to determine product branching in a multichannel reaction. This work, the CN + CH3CCH reaction was found to yield HCN via a direct H-abstraction reaction, while indirect addition/elimination pathways to HC3N, CH3C3N, and H2C3HCN were also probed. From these observations, quantitative branching ratios were established for all products as 12(5)%, 66(4)%, 22(6)% and 0(8)% into HCN, HC3N, CH3C3N, and H2C3HCN, respectively. The values are consistent with statistical calculations based on new ab initio results at the CBS-QB3 level of theory. New designer chirp schemes were developed for CPUF, targeting broader applications through reduced data acquisition time and enhanced signal

Reporting an Experience on Design and Implementation of e-Health Systems on Azure Cloud

Electronic Health (e-Health) technology has brought the world with significant transformation from traditional paper-based medical practice to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)-based systems for automatic management (storage, processing, and archiving) of information. Traditionally e-Health systems have been designed to operate within stovepipes on dedicated networks, physical computers, and locally managed software platforms that make it susceptible to many serious limitations including: 1) lack of on-demand scalability during critical situations; 2) high administrative overheads and costs; and 3) in-efficient resource utilization and energy consumption due to lack of automation. In this paper, we present an approach to migrate the ICT systems in the e-Health sector from traditional in-house Client/Server (C/S) architecture to the virtualised cloud computing environment. To this end, we developed two cloud-based e-Health applications (Medical Practice Management System and Telemedicine Practice System) for demonstrating how cloud services can be leveraged for developing and deploying such applications. The Windows Azure cloud computing platform is selected as an example public cloud platform for our study. We conducted several performance evaluation experiments to understand the Quality Service (QoS) tradeoffs of our applications under variable workload on Azure.Comment: Submitted to third IEEE International Conference on Cloud and Green Computing (CGC 2013

Development of a whole genome sequencing method for Tick-borne encephalitis virus in low viraemic samples

Due to the rapid increase in Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) viral infections in Norway and in the Western Europe, attentions have been drawn to develop rapid screening and whole genome sequencing methods directly from the tick samples. This would facilitate the identification of Tick-Borne Encephalitis virus (TBEV) endemic area, to predict the neuroinvasive ability and the disease severity of the TBEV natural foci. In this study, the optimization of RT-PCR, PCR and the whole genome sequencing with Oxford Nanopore technology (ONT) were carried out using tenfold dilutions of total RNA extract of Vero E6 cell culture sample incubated with TBEV-Hochosterwitz strain (NCBI Acc. No. MT311861). Total of 172 tick samples, including nymph pools of ten nymphs per pool (76) and adult males (50) and adult females (46) were collected from Larvik, Norway and separately subjected to total RNA extractions and evaluated for TBEV using two separate semiquantitative real-time PCR techniques. Whole genome amplifications and Oxford Nanopore sequencing and reference-based mapping were carried out for the TBEV positive tick RNA samples against the best optimized primer schemes. Phylogenetic tree analysis was carried out for the TBEV genome sequence fragments to identify the evolutionary closest TBEV subtype. In addition, TBEV positive tick species were identified using 18S-rRNA sequences found in Oxford Nanopore reads by phylogenetic tree analysis. TBEV positive five nymph tick pools, five female and three male adult ticks were identified and the prevalence of TBEV at the study site found to be 0.68 ± 0.30%, 10.90% and 6.00%, respectively. Primer schemes {[(2E+2Q)+(2F+2R)] and [(G+S)+(H+T)]} were identified as suitable for the whole genome amplification of TBEV directly form the tick samples. The maximum average sequencing breadth over 20 reads and the sequencing coverage were fell below the 13.6% and 50.56%, respectively in the reconstructed TBEV genomes. All the TBEV genomic sequence fragments shown to have close evolutionary relationship to the TBEV-European subtype and the TBEV positive ticks were identified as Ixodes ricinus. The optimized primer schemes exhibited whole genome amplification ability over the low viraemic TBEV positive tick samples and having sequencing gaps in the reconstructed genomes. Further optimizations are necessary to improve the quality of the reconstructed TBEV genomes directly from the tick samples and which will lead to improve the accuracy in the predictions of the neuroinvasive ability of the TBEV strains

The population dynamics and morphological traits of the new species Alpheus Gatari in the Gulf of Cadiz (Spain)

There are about more than 600 of Alpheus species have been identified under the 36 genera. Alpheus species are possible to be found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate seas and inhibiting a wide range of habitats, from tidal pool to deep sea areas, in both temperate and tropical areas. Some of them live in cool-temperate waters and few have colonized freshwater habitats, as well as mangroves and estuarine areas Major prominent feature of Alpheus species in enlarged or modified major chelea of the male organism. This group of species is highly abundant in spring and summer (warmer seasons) probably because the high nutrient availability and high primary production typical of those seasons help to maintain a high survival rate. Alpheus qatari, in the Persian Gulf, inhabiting the muddy substrate in the mangroves, in channels under rocks, and in the intertidal zone. The genetic analysis demonstrated that Alpheus qatari n. sp. is a new species, genetically different from the closest congeners A. buckupi and A. lobidens. Widely distributed Alpheus species are morphologicalyy divers group. The immense diversity of orbital hoods and chelipeds likely facilitated the diversification of snapping alpheids. Most of Alpheus species are burrowing organisms and In the alpheid group, one of the first pereiopods (chelipeds) bears a large claw with a snapping mechanism on the fingers, known as the snapping claw. No studies to date have examined the relationship between food availability and distribution patterns in alpheid shrimp populations. Some species are detritus feeders. the amount and quality of food present in the sediments could influence where they decide to construct a burrow. Snapping shrimp have different feeding habits, however most of them are omnivores. Usually feeding is occurred during night time, while day time they are staying in the burrows. Epiphytes on sea grass leaves are also possible food for the shrimp. These algae to be a primary source of organic matter for higher top levels in tropical sea grass beds. Despite the high number of Alpheus species, there are few studies about their population biology, especially in comparison with the extensive knowledge about the taxonomy and diversity of the family Alpheidae. There is a lack of information on the biological, ecological, and behavioral aspects of Alpheidae species. Information on population biology, such as the sex ratio, reproductive period, recruitment and the size at first maturity is essential to understand a species’ life history. Since A. qatari is a new exotic species in the Bay of Cadiz, we explore which factors (both biotic and abiotic) shape the distribution of this species. The main objective of this study is to analyse the A. qatari population structure on the San Pedro River (SW Atlantic Spanish coast) focusing on: (a) studying the population size distribution and sex-ratio during an annual period; (b) assessing whether a temperate region could shape the population dynamic of a tropical species. Bearing in mind that this is a new species, the morphological traits in males and females will also be analysed. Individuals of the snapping shrimp Alpheus qatari were collected along the 275 m stretch of the San Pedro River right bank, Cadiz, Spain (36°32’03.4”N 6°12’50.8”W) from June 2021 to April 2022, and carried alive to the laboratory at the Institute of Marine Science of Andalusia (CSIC) for further analysis. The sampling periods covered all four seasons: Summer (June to September), Autumn (September to December), Winter (December to March), and Spring (March to May). Total 383 organisms were recorded during sampling times July-2021 to May 2022, of which 174 were females (50 non-ovigerous and 124 ovigerous) and 188 were males. Ovigerous females were observed during the study period July-2021 to May 2022 .The average Sex ratio (Male:Female) was 1:0.92, i.e., its value did not differ significantly from the expected equal proportion ( X2 = 1.43, df =1, P >0.05). There is significant difference between male and females for the cephalothorax length (M–nn - Whitney = 15060, P 0.05). The largest individuals were observed during the months of August, September, October, and March (male=14 -14.99mm CL). For the ovigerous females, the largest individuals were observed in April (ovigerous female = 15.66mm CL) and the largest non-ovigerous females were observed in August (–on - ovigerous female = 14.75 mm CL). the percentage of females increased from July -to December in 2021. The maximum percentage of females was recorded during December 2021. With regards to males, the percentage increased from July to October and gradually decreased up to December. In the case of Females with eggs, the percentage of individuals was higher in summer and in spring. The size of females gradually decreased from July 2021 to November 2021 and increased from December 2021 to 2022 May. Ovigerous females were collected during the entire sampling period, with the smallest ones appearing mainly in summer (July) and the largest ones in spring (April-May). Two cohorts could be identified in males and females from July to October and, from November to May of the following year. The relationships between weight and lengths and the correlation coefficients were analyzed for all the demographic categories of Alpheus qatari during the 11-month study period at the San Pedro River. The significant correlation between the total weight and cephalothorax length was found to be a power function (P<0.05). Results from the morphological analysis showed that there is a significant difference between the relative chela length of males and females (W= 33473, p<0.05).A Kruskal-wallis test was performed to determine significant difference of the relative chela length between the three demography categories (H=155.58(2), p<0.001). Males showed a significantly larger chela than females. Female and ovigerous females did not show significant differences among their length. The Fulton´s condition factor (K index) was calculated for the males, females and ovigerous females at each month. A PERMANOVA test was performed for the factors Sex, Month, and Position of Chela, and the covariate cephalotorax length. Among these factors, Sex, Month and cephalothorax length showed significant differences, and there was no evidence for a two and three-way significant interactions. The Hureau Index was calculated for the males, females and ovigerous females for each month. A PERMANOVA test was performed for the factors Sex, Month, and Position of Chela, and the covariate cephalothorax length. Among these factors, Sex and Month showed significant differences. Overall, the fullness index (FI) of the stomach showed the highest values in autumn and, among the different demographic categories, the highest values occurred in females. The population traits of A. qatari in the San Pedro River are similar to other Alpheus populations. According to the results obtained, the sex ratio of the Alpheus qatari is not significantly different from the 1:1 ratio characteristic of other Alpheus species. In this study, most of the individuals collected were adults and only few of them had a small size, similar to other populations (Moraes et al, 2020). According to Costa-Zouza et al (2018), adults and juveniles are available during the whole annual period with a dominance of adults in most months. Thus, it could be assumed that adults are reproducing in another ground and migrate to the sampling area to grow. The significant correlation between the total weight and total length was found to be a power function in both sexes of A. qatari in the San Pedro River with a high correlation between both covariates. For instance, the values obtained from the length/weight relationship (LWR) of some shrimp species in the Iko River estuary showed that there was a high and significant correlation between both covariates. Our results revealed that A. qatari displayed a sexual dimorphism of the snapping claw with males having larger claws than females and showing a steeper allometric claw-body relation than females. The highest condition factor was recorded in summer, especially in August 2021. Males chela were heavier than the female ones at a similar size. These differences could explain that they are capable to reproduce or mate several times per year and protect females in their galleries. The fullness index value in this study also showed the fullness of gut of the organisms and, according to the results, the highest gut fullness value occurred in summer-autumn and the lowest one in winter, similar to other studies. During spring and summer, the seasonal food availability increases and enhances productivity (primary and secondary) within the coastal area, perhaps explaining the greater feeding intensity of the Alpheus species. This news Alpheus Qatari also follow some common feature of the family Alpheadea as sex ratio is not significantly apart from 1:1, males have significantly large chelea and Males are relatively larger than females

Development Of Kinase Catalyzed Biotinylation To Study Phosphoproteomics

Kinase-catalyzed protein phosphorylation is involved in a wide variety of cellular events. Development of methods to identify phosphoproteins in normal and diseased states is critical to fully characterize cell biology. Our lab recently discovered kinase-catalyzed biotinylation, where ATP-biotin is utilized by kinases to label phosphopeptides or phosphoproteins with a biotin tag. To explore kinase-catalyzed biotinylation, kinetic measurements were obtained with various kinases and the data indicated that kinase-catalyzed biotinylation occurs with catalytic efficiency appropriate for phosphoproteomics application. Next, the susceptibility of the biotin tag to phosphatases was characterized and found that the phosphorylbiotin group was relatively insensitive to protein phosphatases. Importantly, robust kinase-catalyzed biotinylation occurs without the need for phosphatase inhibitor treatment. The results suggest that kinase-catalyzed biotinylation is well suited for phosphoproteomics studies, with particular utility towards monitoring low abundance phosphoproteins. Finally, we report application of kinase-catalyzed biotinylation to the enrichment of the phosphopeptides in cell lysates for mass spectrometry-based phosphoproteomics analysis. Significantly, the biotinylation strategy was used to enrich full-length phosphoprotein, which is challenging using metal ion purification. With the utility of ATP-biotin labeling for phosphoproteomics analysis established, kinase-catalyzed biotinylation can be applied to characterizing and understanding of the role of phosphorylation in various biological events

An unexpected case of venous and pulmonary thrombo-embolism in a patient treated with thalidomide for refractory erythema nodosum leprosum: a case report

Recent literature reports an increased incidence of venous thrombosis following thalidomide use in the treatment of diseases with disease-related thrombotic risks such as malignancy, as well as concomitant use with chemotherapy and/or systemic corticosteroids. We report a case of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) following thalidomide use in a patient with erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) reaction who was concurrently treated with prednisolone, as well as a review of relevant literature