Survey Report Albania

In April and May 2019, more than one hundred surveys were distributed amongst influential figures in Albania. The survey aimed to gather their views on the role of religion in Albania and the Western Balkans

E3 ubiquitin ligases: key regulators of hormone signaling in plants

Ubiquitin-mediated control of protein stability is central to most aspects of plant hormone signaling. Attachment of ubiquitin to target proteins occurs via an enzymatic cascade with the final step being catalyzed by a family of enzymes known as E3 ubiquitin ligases, which have been classified based on their protein domains and structures. While E3 ubiquitin ligases are conserved among eukaryotes, in plants they are well-known to fulfill unique roles as central regulators of phytohormone signaling, including hormone perception and regulation of hormone biosynthesis. This review will highlight up-to-date findings that have refined well-known E3 ligase-substrate interactions and defined novel E3 ligase substrates that mediate numerous hormone signaling pathways. Additionally, examples of how particular E3 ligases may mediate hormone crosstalk will be discussed as an emerging theme. Looking forward, promising experimental approaches and methods that will provide deeper mechanistic insight into the roles of E3 ubiquitin ligases in plants will be considered

Repercussions of a Disruption: The Impact of Global ICT Supply Chain Trends in Kosovo

This study seeks to analyze what type of impact the global ICT supply chain trends, apparent in the last two and a half years, have had in Kosovo. Specifically, the study will focus on two areas, the global shortage of electronic chips, affecting the hardware sector, and a rise in demand for software, due to the transition of working from home following the recent COVID- 19 pandemic. A parallel will be drawn between the global trends and Kosovo. The research methodology is comprised of a combination of primary and secondary data. Primary data has been collected through interviews with representatives from various businesses in Kosovo, and a survey distributed to students and employees in different industries. Secondary data has been acquired through literature review, providing a reflection of the global situation in both sectors. The results of the primary data support the ones from secondary data, showing that Kosovo has in fact been heavily impacted by the global supply chain trends. Businesses operating in industries that sell products or provide services that require electronic chips have felt the impact of the global shortage, creating a domino effect that caused other issues, such as having to change the way they handle their inventory, the way they do marketing, and even begin prioritizing some clients over others. On the other hand, there is a notable increase in the usage of software for work or school activities, ensuing from the need to operate from a home environment

PERBANDINGAN KONSUMSI ENERGI DAN TINGKAT KELELAHAN TERHADAP OFFENSE DAN DEFENSE DALAM OLAHRAGA PERMAINAN BOLA BASKET

Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk mengetahui perbedaan tingkat kelelahan dan konsumsi energi ketika offense dan defense dalam olahraga permainan bola basket. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif komparatif. Dengan instrument menggunakan alat Polar FT7 untuk mengukur energi yang dikeluarkan (cal) dan Lactate Analyzer (Accytrend Plus) untuk mengukur kadar asam laktat (mmol/l). Sampel yang digunakan adalah anggota UKM Bola Basket UPI sebanyak 5 orang yang diambil dengan menggunakan teknik purposive sampling. Berdasarkan hasil uji statistik, dengan nilai signifikan 0.320 > 0.05, H2 diterima maka data bisa ditarik kesimpulan tidak terdapat perbedaan yang signifikan pada energi yang dikeluarkan ketika offense dan defense pada olahraga permainan bola basket. Kemudian dengan nilai signifikan 0.01<0.05, H1 ditolak terdapat perbedaan yang signifikan pada asam laktat yang dikeluarkan ketika offense dan defense pada olahraga bola basket.;--- The purpose of this study is to determine differences in levels of fatigue and energy consumption on offense and defense in basketball games. This study uses comparative descriptive method. This research was conducted by the instrument using the Polar FT7 tool to measure the energy expended (cal) and Lactate Analyzer (Accytrend Plus) to measure lactic acid levels (mmol / l). The sample used was a member of Basketball UPI as many as 5 people taken by using purposive sampling technique. Based on the results of statistical tests, with significant value 0.320> 0.05, H2 is accepted then the data can be concluded that there was no significant difference in the energy expended on offense and defense in basketball games. Then with 0:01 significant value of <0.05, H1 denied that there were significant differences in the lactic acid expended on offense and defense in basketball game

When Words Mean a Lot: The Experiences of Female Prisoners in Senegal and the Effects of their Incarceration on their Families

This study offers an in-depth examination of the impact of women\u27s incarceration on families in Senegal. It outlines the historical background, delineates the problem areas in the impact of the incarceration of female offenders, and discusses the re-creation of family relationships in a context of survival or accommodation of prison life

Investigating proactive balance control in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury while walking on a known slippery surface

BACKGROUND: Falls are a growing concern among individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI). As many as 83% of individuals with iSCI experience at least one fall per year. Most outdoor falls occur while walking on uneven or slippery surfaces. Individuals with iSCI employ proactive balance strategies to a greater extent than able-bodied (AB) individuals during normal walking, which is effective in reducing the intensity of an unexpected slip. Whether individuals with iSCI can use proactive balance strategies in a feedforward manner to adapt to expected slip perturbations and reduce slip/fall potential while walking has not been assessed. METHODS:19 individuals with iSCI (AIS D; 14 males; 61.01 ± 17.67 years) and 17 age- and sex-matched AB individuals (13 males; 60.86 ± 17.79 years) were included in the study. Low-friction steel rollers were used to induce a slip in the anterior-posterior (AP) direction. Participants completed three walking conditions: normal walking trials (NW), one unexpected slip trial (US), and four expected slip (ES) trials. Changes in kinematic and electromyography (EMG) data were analyzed to give an indication of feedforward adaptations to the slip. Outcome variables included step width, step length, center of mass (COM) velocity, foot-floor angle, medial-lateral and AP margin of stability (MOS), maximum post-slip velocity (PSV), and integrated EMG for tibialis anterior (TA), soleus (SOL), and gluteus RESULTS: Individuals with iSCI used feedforward behavioural strategies to a greater extent than AB individuals while approaching a known slippery surface including walking with shorter steps, a flatter foot-floor angle, a more anteriorly positioned COM, and slower COM velocity. AB and iSCI groups made similar changes in their muscle activity to proactively prepare for the ES trials. The main difference between groups was a reduced ability of individuals with iSCI to proactively modulate the amplitude of the trail SOL muscle compared to AB individuals. Both AB and iSCI groups were able to make significant feedforward adjustments to behaviour and muscle activity within 1-2 trials after experiencing an US. These proactive balance strategies were effective at reducing the maximum PSV and thus the slip/fall potential in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate that individuals with iSCI maintain the ability to make appropriate feedforward changes in behavior and muscle activity and do so in a similar manner to AB individuals

A role for Arabidopsis myosins in sugar-induced hypocotyl elongation

The ability of developing seedlings to respond and adapt to diverse environmental conditions including light is critical for their emergence and establishment (Benvenuti et al., 2001; Forcella et al., 2000; Salter et al., 2003; Yu and Huang, 2017). Cell expansion within the hypocotyl optimizes light and energy capture by the cotyledons, and enables the transition to autotrophic status (Botterweg-Paredes et al., 2020; Dowson‐Day and Millar, 1999; Oh et al., 2013). Hypocotyl elongation is regulated by multiple factors including temperature, phytohormones, circadian clock and light (Dowson‐Day and Millar, 1999; Ma et al., 2016; Procko et al., 2014; Reed et al., 2018; Yu and Huang, 2017). Endogenous and exogenous sugars are also important regulators of hypocotyl cell expansion (Lilley et al., 2012; Liu et al., 2011; Pfeiffer and Kutschera, 1995; Simon et al., 2018b; Singh et al., 2017; Zhang et al., 2010, 2015). Under constant darkness, the interaction between plant hormones such as brassinosteroid and gibberellin and sugar signalling is proposed to stimulate increase in hypocotyl length (Simon et al., 2018b; Zhang et al., 2010, 2015). Hypocotyl phenotypes are important tools in plant biology as they have been used to screen for mutants with altered responses to light and sugar signalling and some of the identified genes have revolutionized plant research (Nakano, 2019). In multicellular organisms, actomyosin-dependent transport constitutes an essential component of the cellular structure and dynamics (Duan and Tominaga, 2018; Kurth et al., 2017; Peremyslov et al., 2010). The Arabidopsis genome encodes 17 myosins classified into two distantly-related groups comprising 4 class VIII myosins and 13 class XI plant myosins (Haraguchi et al., 2019; Reddy and Day, 2001; Ryan and Nebenführ, 2018). The plant-specific-myosin XI has been implicated in diverse developmental processes (Cai et al., 2014), but the contribution of members of class VIII myosins including myosin1/ATM1 to plant development stills remains elusive

Spatiotemporal Trend Analysis of the Mean Annual Rainfall in Senegal

The spatiotemporal trends of annual rainfall in Senegal during 1940 - 2013 were investigated using the Mann–Kendall test and Theil–Sen’s slope estimator. Theil and Sen's slope estimator test was used for finding the magnitude of change over a time period. Inverse Weight Distance (IDW) technique in Arc GIS 10.2 was used to investigate spatial patterns of the trends over the entire country. For the period 1940-2013, the results of the analysis showed negative trends in annual rainfall at the whole country except for the Bakel station which exhibits a positive trend but not significant. While for the period 1984 - 2013, all the stations show a positive trend with 07 out of 22 stations exhibiting a significant trend at the 95% confidence interval. The spatial distribution of trend during the period 1940- 2013 showed a significant negative trend in the whole study of area except small areas located at the extreme South Est and West as well as North East and West. The trend magnitude varies between -4.41mm/year to 1.34 mm for the period 1940-2013 with a maximum negative magnitude at the Tambacounda station. For 1984-2013, the trend magnitude is positive for the whole country with values varying between 2.67 mm/year at Goudiry and 12.2 mm/year at Ziguinchor. Magnitudes are greater than 5 mm/year, for stations with significant positive trend