ATP-Binding Cassette Systems of Brucella

Brucellosis is a prevalent zoonotic disease and is endemic in the Middle East, South America, and other areas of the world. In this study, complete inventories of putative functional ABC systems of five Brucella species have been compiled and compared. ABC systems of Brucella melitensis 16M, Brucella abortus 9-941, Brucella canis RM6/66, Brucella suis 1330, and Brucella ovis 63/290 were identified and aligned. High numbers of ABC systems, particularly nutrient importers, were found in all Brucella species. However, differences in the total numbers of ABC systems were identified (B. melitensis, 79; B. suis, 72; B. abortus 64; B. canis, 74; B. ovis, 59) as well as specific differences in the functional ABC systems of the Brucella species. Since B. ovis is not known to cause human brucellosis, functional ABC systems absent in the B. ovis genome may represent virulence factors in human brucellosis

ATP-binding cassette systems in Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei

BACKGROUND: ATP binding cassette (ABC) systems are responsible for the import and export of a wide variety of molecules across cell membranes and comprise one of largest protein superfamilies found in prokarya, eukarya and archea. ABC systems play important roles in bacterial lifestyle, virulence and survival. In this study, an inventory of the ABC systems of Burkholderia pseudomallei strain K96243 and Burkholderia mallei strain ATCC 23344 has been compiled using bioinformatic techniques. RESULTS: The ABC systems in the genomes of B. pseudomallei and B. mallei have been reannotated and subsequently compared. Differences in the number and types of encoded ABC systems in belonging to these organisms have been identified. For example, ABC systems involved in iron acquisition appear to be correlated with differences in genome size and lifestyles between these two closely related organisms. CONCLUSION: The availability of complete inventories of the ABC systems in B. pseudomallei and B. mallei has enabled a more detailed comparison of the encoded proteins in this family. This has resulted in the identification of ABC systems which may play key roles in the different lifestyles and pathogenic properties of these two bacteria. This information has the potential to be exploited for improved clinical identification of these organisms as well as in the development of new vaccines and therapeutics targeted against the diseases caused by these organisms

Deskripsi Kesalahan Siswa dalam Menyelesaikan Soal Matematika Berbasis PISA pada Konten Change and Relationshi

Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui deskripsi jenis kesalahan yang dilakukan siswa dalam menyelesaikan soal matematika berbasis PISA pada konten change and relationship ditinjau dari kemampuan awal yang diadapasi dari analisis kesalahan Newman. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif dengan pendekatan deskriptif melibatkan subjek sebanyak 6 siswa kelas IX yang dipilih berdasarkan nilai matematika dan rekomendasi guru. Instrumen penelitian menggunakan 4 butir soal matematika berbasis PISA yang dikhususkan pada konten change and relationship dan wawancara. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: (1) Siswa yang berkemampuan matematika tinggi melakukan jenis kesalahan transformasi, keterampilan proses, dan jawaban akhir; (2) Siswa yang berkemampuan matematika sedang melakukan jenis kesalahan transformasi, keterampilan proses, dan jawaban akhir; dan (3) Siswa yang berkemampuan matematika rendah melakukan jenis kesalahan yakni kesalahan pemahaman, transformasi, keterampilan proses, dan jawaban akhir

Explainable automated recognition of emotional states from canine facial expressions: the case of positive anticipation and frustration.

In animal research, automation of affective states recognition has so far mainly addressed pain in a few species. Emotional states remain uncharted territories, especially in dogs, due to the complexity of their facial morphology and expressions. This study contributes to fill this gap in two aspects. First, it is the first to address dog emotional states using a dataset obtained in a controlled experimental setting, including videos from (n = 29) Labrador Retrievers assumed to be in two experimentally induced emotional states: negative (frustration) and positive (anticipation). The dogs' facial expressions were measured using the Dogs Facial Action Coding System (DogFACS). Two different approaches are compared in relation to our aim: (1) a DogFACS-based approach with a two-step pipeline consisting of (i) a DogFACS variable detector and (ii) a positive/negative state Decision Tree classifier; (2) An approach using deep learning techniques with no intermediate representation. The approaches reach accuracy of above 71% and 89%, respectively, with the deep learning approach performing better. Secondly, this study is also the first to study explainability of AI models in the context of emotion in animals. The DogFACS-based approach provides decision trees, that is a mathematical representation which reflects previous findings by human experts in relation to certain facial expressions (DogFACS variables) being correlates of specific emotional states. The deep learning approach offers a different, visual form of explainability in the form of heatmaps reflecting regions of focus of the network's attention, which in some cases show focus clearly related to the nature of particular DogFACS variables. These heatmaps may hold the key to novel insights on the sensitivity of the network to nuanced pixel patterns reflecting information invisible to the human eye

The Profile of Creativity and Proposing Statistical Problem Quality Level Reviewed From Cognitive Style

Abstract. This research aims to reveal the profile about the level of creativity and the ability to propose statistical problem of students at Mathematics Education 2014 Batch in the State University of Makassar in terms of their cognitive style. This research uses explorative qualitative method by giving meta-cognitive scaffolding at the time of research. The hypothesis of research is that students who have field independent (FI) cognitive style in statistics problem posing from the provided information already able to propose the statistical problem that can be solved and create new data and the problem is already been included as a high quality statistical problem, while students who have dependent cognitive field (FD) commonly are still limited in statistics problem posing that can be finished and do not load new data and the problem is included as medium quality statistical problem. Keywords: scaffolding, cognitive style, field independent, field dependen

Immersion Lithography Defectivity Analysis at DUV Inspection Wavelength

ABSTRACT Significant effort has been directed in recent years towards the realization of immersion lithography at 193nm wavelength. Immersion lithography is likely a key enabling technology for the production of critical layers for 45nm and 32nm design rule (DR) devices. In spite of the significant progress in immersion lithography technology, there remain several key technology issues, with a critical issue of immersion lithography process induced defects. The benefits of the optical resolution and depth of focus, made possible by immersion lithography, are well understood. Yet, these benefits cannot come at the expense of increased defect counts and decreased production yield. Understanding the impact of the immersion lithography process parameters on wafer defects formation and defect counts, together with the ability to monitor, control and minimize the defect counts down to acceptable levels is imperative for successful introduction of immersion lithography for production of advanced DR's. In this report, we present experimental results of immersion lithography defectivity analysis focused on topcoat layer thickness parameters and resist bake temperatures. Wafers were exposed on the 1150i-α-immersion scanner and 1200B Scanner (ASML), defect inspection was performed using a DUV inspection tool (UVision TM , Applied Materials). Defect material analysis was performed for different defects. Higher sensitivity was demonstrated at DUV through detection of small defects not detected at the visible wavelength, indicating on the potential high sensitivity benefits of DUV inspection for this layer. The analysis indicates that certain types of defects are associated with different immersion process parameters. This type of analysis at DUV wavelengths would enable the optimization of immersion lithography processes, thus enabling the qualification of immersion processes for volume production

Molecular characterization of the intact mouse muscle spindle using a multi-omics approach

The proprioceptive system is essential for the control of coordinated movement, posture and skeletal integrity. The sense of proprioception is produced in the brain using peripheral sensory input from receptors such as the muscle spindle, which detects changes in the length of skeletal muscles. Despite its importance, the molecular composition of the muscle spindle is largely unknown. In this study, we generated comprehensive transcriptomic and proteomic datasets of the entire muscle spindle isolated from the murine deep masseter muscle. We then associated differentially expressed genes with the various tissues composing the spindle using bioinformatic analysis. Immunostaining verified these predictions, thus establishing new markers for the different spindle tissues. Utilizing these markers, we identified the differentiation stages the spindle capsule cells undergo during development. Together, these findings provide comprehensive molecular characterization of the intact spindle as well as new tools to study its development and function in health and disease

Deferiprone targets aconitase: Implication for Friedreich's ataxia treatment

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Friedreich ataxia is a neurological disease originating from an iron-sulfur cluster enzyme deficiency due to impaired iron handling in the mitochondrion, aconitase being particularly affected. As a mean to counteract disease progression, it has been suggested to chelate free mitochondrial iron. Recent years have witnessed a renewed interest in this strategy because of availability of deferiprone, a chelator preferentially targeting mitochondrial iron.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Control and Friedreich's ataxia patient cultured skin fibroblasts, frataxin-depleted neuroblastoma-derived cells (SK-N-AS) were studied for their response to iron chelation, with a particular attention paid to iron-sensitive aconitase activity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that a direct consequence of chelating mitochondrial free iron in various cell systems is a concentration and time dependent loss of aconitase activity. Impairing aconitase activity was shown to precede decreased cell proliferation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We conclude that, if chelating excessive mitochondrial iron may be beneficial at some stage of the disease, great attention should be paid to not fully deplete mitochondrial iron store in order to avoid undesirable consequences.</p

Development of SRF Cavity Tuners for CERN

Superconducting RF cavity developments are currently on-going for new accelerator projects at CERN such as HIE ISOLDE and HL-LHC. Mechanical RF tuning systems are required to compensate cavity frequency shifts of the cavities due to temperature, mechanical, pressure and RF effects on the cavity geometry. A rich history and experience is available for such mechanical tuners developed for existing RF cavities. Design constraints in the context of HIE ISOLDE and HL-LHC such as required resolution, space limitation, reliability and maintainability have led to new concepts in the tuning mechanisms. This paper will discuss such new approaches, their performances and planned developments