Telecommunications in the IS Curriculum

A major shift away from centralized data processing to distributed system and an increasing emphasis on the use of IS technology to link individuals and entities inside and outside the orgaxiizatioit has created an imperative to integrate the study of telecoIninuiiicatioris networks into the IS curriculum. The subject of this tutorial is to exploie the appropriate dornain of telecommunications subjects to be included in the IS curriculum md to discuss various approaches to developicg arid teaching courses in telecoininunicatioiis

Lie Superalgebras and the Multiplet Structure of the Genetic Code II: Branching Schemes

Continuing our attempt to explain the degeneracy of the genetic code using basic classical Lie superalgebras, we present the branching schemes for the typical codon representations (typical 64-dimensional irreducible representations) of basic classical Lie superalgebras and find three schemes that do reproduce the degeneracies of the standard code, based on the orthosymplectic algebra osp(5|2) and differing only in details of the symmetry breaking pattern during the last step.Comment: 34 pages, 9 tables, LaTe

Investigating the Portrayal and Influence of Sustainability Claims in an Environmental Advertising Context

The ability of consumer judges to identify sustainable messages in environmental advertising and the effect of these messages is explored. A content analysis provides insight into these judges’ perceptions of the depth of environmental advertising messages. An experiment investigates the influence of sustainable messages and includes collection of cognitive response data to evaluate the cognitive dimension of sustainability messages. Content analysis results suggest that sustainability messages may influence how environmental advertisements are perceived. These findings are supported by the cognitive response data, which shows cognitive differences across advertisements, and the experimental manipulation that suggests sustainable ads may be more involving to consumers

Host jumps shaped the diversity of extant rust fungi (Pucciniales)

* The aim of this study was to determine the evolutionary time line for rust fungi and date key speciation events using a molecular clock. Evidence is provided that supports a contemporary view for a recent origin of rust fungi, with a common ancestor on a flowering plant. * Divergence times for > 20 genera of rust fungi were studied with Bayesian evolutionary analyses. A relaxed molecular clock was applied to ribosomal and mitochondrial genes, calibrated against estimated divergence times for the hosts of rust fungi, such as Acacia (Fabaceae), angiosperms and the cupressophytes. * Results showed that rust fungi shared a most recent common ancestor with a mean age between 113 and 115 million yr. This dates rust fungi to the Cretaceous period, which is much younger than previous estimations. Host jumps, whether taxonomically large or between host genera in the same family, most probably shaped the diversity of rust genera. Likewise, species diversified by host shifts (through coevolution) or via subsequent host jumps. This is in contrast to strict coevolution with their hosts. * Puccinia psidii was recovered in Sphaerophragmiaceae, a family distinct from Raveneliaceae, which were regarded as confamilial in previous studies

20+ Years of Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Observations in the U.S., and Comparison with Climatological Co-variates

No abstract availabl

The threshold hypothesis revisited: bilingual lexical knowledge and non-verbal IQ development

The threshold hypothesis (Cummins 1976 et passim) is one of the most influential theoretical frameworks on the relation between bilingualism and cognition. The aim of our study is to contribute towards an operationalisation of the threshold hypothesis. We analyse data from 100 Turkish-English successive bilingual children and from their parents, and investigate the relation between bilingualism and cognition. When compared with monolingual control groups, the bilinguals in our study have smaller vocabulary sizes in both languages. However, when both vocabularies are taken together and the total conceptual vocabulary is computed no bilingual disadvantage can be identified. Children with parental support for L1 outperform the monolingual control groups in our study in terms of non-verbal intelligence scores. The originality of the present study resides in the fact that, to our knowledge, for the first time parental support for L1 and dominance in L1 is linked to the cognitive development of the children

A role for ColV plasmids in the evolution of pathogenic Escherichia coli ST58

Escherichia coli ST58 has recently emerged as a globally disseminated uropathogen that often progresses to sepsis. Unlike most pandemic extra-intestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), which belong to pathogenic phylogroup B2, ST58 belongs to the environmental/commensal phylogroup B1. Here, we present a pan-genomic analysis of a global collection of 752 ST58 isolates from diverse sources. We identify a large ST58 sub-lineage characterized by near ubiquitous carriage of ColV plasmids, which carry genes encoding virulence factors, and by a distinct accessory genome including genes typical of the Yersiniabactin High Pathogenicity Island. This sub-lineage includes three-quarters of all ExPEC sequences in our study and has a broad host range, although poultry and porcine sources predominate. By contrast, strains isolated from cattle often lack ColV plasmids. Our data indicate that ColV plasmid acquisition contributed to the divergence of the major ST58 sub-lineage, and different sub-lineages inhabit poultry, swine and cattle

Prevalence and Predictors of Vitamin D Insufficiency in Children: A Great Britain Population Based Study

Objectives To evaluate the prevalence and predictors of vitamin D insufficiency (VDI) in children In Great Britain. Design A nationally representative cross-sectional study survey of children (1102) aged 4–18 years (999 white, 570 male) living in private households (January 1997–1998). Interventions provided information about dietary habits, physical activity, socio-demographics, and blood sample. Outcome measures were vitamin D insufficiency (<50 nmol/L). Results Vitamin D levels (mean = 62.1 nmol/L, 95%CI 60.4–63.7) were insufficient in 35%, and decreased with age in both sexes (p<0.001). Young People living between 53–59 degrees latitude had lower levels (compared with 50–53 degrees, p = 0.045). Dietary intake and gender had no effect on vitamin D status. A logistic regression model showed increased risk of VDI in the following: adolescents (14–18 years old), odds ratio (OR) = 3.6 (95%CI 1.8–7.2) compared with younger children (4–8 years); non white children (OR = 37 [95%CI 15–90]); blood levels taken December-May (OR = 6.5 [95%CI 4.3–10.1]); on income support (OR = 2.2 [95%CI 1.3–3.9]); not taking vitamin D supplementation (OR = 3.7 [95%CI 1.4–9.8]); being overweight (OR 1.6 [95%CI 1.0–2.5]); <1/2 hour outdoor exercise/day/week (OR = 1.5 [95%CI 1.0–2.3]); watched >2.5 hours of TV/day/week (OR = 1.6[95%CI 1.0–2.4]). Conclusion We confirm a previously under-recognised risk of VDI in adolescents. The marked higher risk for VDI in non-white children suggests they should be targeted in any preventative strategies. The association of higher risk of VDI among children who exercised less outdoors, watched more TV and were overweight highlights potentially modifiable risk factors. Clearer guidelines and an increased awareness especially in adolescents are needed, as there are no recommendations for vitamin D supplementation in older children