Computational Comparative Genomics of Eu- and Prokaryotes

With the rapid advent of worldwide genome projects, scientists are confronted with a tremendous increase in the amount of novel information. However, the gap between data collection and interpretation is also growing. For this reason, genome databases contain a wealth of information which is accessible, but which may remain obscured. Much can be learned from comparing different genomes, as genomes of distant organisms may still encode proteins with high sequence similarity. The order of genes (colinearity) in genomes may also be conserved to some extent. We have employed both these observations to create a multi-functional, computational analysis system (genomeSCOUT 2), which allows for rapid identification and functional characterization of genes and proteins through genome comparison. Using a number of independent methods, information about different levels of protein homology (concerning e.g. orthologs and clusters of orthologous groups, COGs), as well as protein families and gene order, is collected and stored in several databases. These databases are then used for interactive comparison of genomes and subsequent analysis. genomeSCOUT 2 was extensively used for the analysis of two Listeria genomes (Figure 1; [1]). A free demo version of the genomeSCOUT / Listeria server is accessible at

Fly A Rocket! Programme: assembly, testing and post-flight review of a sounding rocket payload

The Fly a Rocket! programme is a hands-on project offered by the European Space Agency’s Education Office in collaboration with Andøya Space Education and the Norwegian Space Agency (Norsk Romsenter). The programme, which comprises an online pre-course and a hands-on launch campaign, represents a unique opportunity for european university students from different backgrounds to build, test, and launch a sounding rocket and obtain practical experience. The pre-course strengthened the understanding of rocket science of the students, and taught them about topics such as the rocket dynamics, propulsion, and orbital mechanics in preparation for the campaign. The students were divided into three teams, each with different responsibilities: Sensors Experiments, Telemetry and Data Readout, and Payload. The paper will focus on the work done by the team responsible for the rocket payload. The Payload team was responsible for the sensor placement of the rocket. They ensured the readiness of all the sensors and key components of the rocket. In addition, they were an integral part of the countdown procedure, the arming of the rocket and the performance of the sensors. After the launch, the data was analysed and presented according to four previously defined scientific cases. A GPS and a barometer were used in order to obtain the rocket trajectory. Both methods showed similar results. The GPS detected an apogee of 8630.11 ±2.4m. With an optical sensor it was possible to detect clouds which were verified with a humidity sensor. Additionally, the spin rate of the rocket could be detected with the optical sensor and a magnetometer by doing a Fourier Analysis. The rocket reached a spin rate of about 19 Hz after approximately 10 s after the firing. The results of the spin rate correspond to the results obtained with an accelerometer

A Declarative Framework for Security: Secure Concurrent Constraint Programming

International audienceDue to technological advances such as the Internet and mobile computing, Security has become a serious challenge involving several disciplines of Computer Science. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the analysis of security protocols and one promising approach is the development of formalisms that model communicating processes, in particular Process Calculi. The results are so far encouraging although most remains to be done. In this paper we report our observations and preliminary work on CCP as a framework for security protocols

Evaluierung des mechanischen Komforts von Sitzpolstern in Radhosen - Eine initiale Datenanalyse

Um den Einfluss des Sitzpolsters in Radhosen auf den mechanischen Komfort besser zu verstehen, wurden der Satteldruck und die Beckenbewegung in Abhängigkeit der Belastungsintensität sowie -dauer beim Radfahren analysiert. Die Ergebnisse der initialen Datenanalyse deuten darauf hin, dass weniger die Stabilitätsparameter, sondern eher die Druckwahrnehmung für die Beurteilung des mechanischen Komforts maßgeblich ist.In order to better understand the influence of the seat pad in cycling shorts on mechanical comfort, saddle pressure and pelvic movement were analyzed as a function of load intensity as well as duration during cycling. The results of the initial data analysis indicate that it is not so much the stability parameters but rather the pressure perception that is decisive for the assessment of mechanical comfort

Evaluation of reference values of standard semen parameters in fertile Egyptian men

The reference values of human semen, published in the WHO’s latest edition in 2010, were lower than those previously reported. The objective of this study was to evaluate reference values of standard semen parameters in fertile Egyptian men. This cross-sectional study included 240 fertile men. Men were considered fertile when their wives had recent spontaneous pregnancies with time to pregnancy (TTP) ≤12 months. The mean age of fertile men was 33.8 ± 0.5 years (range 20–55 years). The 5th percentiles (95% confidence interval) of macroscopic semen parameters were 1.5 ml for volume and 7.2 for pH. The 5th percentiles of microscopic parameters were 15 million/ ml for sperm concentration, 30 million per ejaculate for total sperm count, 50% for total motility, 40% for progressive motility, 62% for vitality, 4% for normal sperm forms and 0.1 million/ml for seminal leucocyte counts. In conclusion, fertile Egyptian men had higher reference values of sperm total motility, progressive motility and vitality, and lower reference values for total sperm counts as compared to those determined by the latest edition of the WHO laboratory manual in 2010. Other semen parameters were identical to those defined by the WHO 2010 manual

Chemotherapy-Induced Neuronal Maturation in Sinonasal Teratocarcinosarcoma—a Unique Observation

Sinonasal teratocarcinosarcoma (SNTCS) is a rare and highly malignant tumour with combined features of a teratoma and carcinosarcoma. We report the first case of a SNTCS in 23 year old male treated with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy followed by cranio-facial resection. The resection specimen displayed cellular maturation in the neuroectodermal component. The patient presented with a short history of nasal obstruction, epistaxis and headache. On imaging, a bone destroying lesion of left paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity was identified. The diagnosis of SNTCS could be offered only on the third biopsy which showed heterogeneous admixture of primitive neuroectodermal, epithelial and mesenchymal elements. An adequate sampling with high index of suspicion is needed to catch hold this rare tumor. Tumor was excised after 4 cycles of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. On microscopic examination, it showed similar epithelial and mesenchymal components as the pretreatment biopsies. However, the primitive neuroectodermal component displayed extensive neuronal maturation. The undifferentiated neuroectodermal cells were completely absent in the post chemotherapy specimen. This case throws light on the morphologic evidence of chemotherapy induced maturation in the neuroectodermal component within SNTCS, an event hitherto not reported in the literature in case of SNTCS