Assessment of the efficiency of outsourcing at industrial enterprises

A method for assessing the effectiveness of business process outsourcing is proposed. Also elements of income and costs in outsourcing are described

Разработка GSM-контроллера для систем управления беспроводным доступом к объекту

Выпускная квалификационная работа 122 с., 25 рис., 26 табл., 22 источников, 7 прил. Ключевые слова: GSM-контроллер доступа, смс, мобильный телефон, разграничение доступа, управление исполнительными механизмами. Объектом исследования является: Объектом исследования является GSM-контроллер доступа осуществляющий дистанционное управления простыми исполнительными механизмами, например включение и отключение электромагнитного или электромеханического замков, управление приводами автоматических гаражных ворот или шлагбаумов. Цель работы: Разработка GSM-контроллера для систем управления беспроводным доступом к объекту. В процессе исследования проводились разработка структурной, принципиальной, функциональной схем, печатной платы, управляющая программа для микроконтрGraduation thesis 122 p., 25 Fig., 26 tab., 22 sources 7 ADJ. Keywords: GSM access controller, SMS, mobile phone, access control, control of actuators. The object of the study is: the Object of study is the GSM access controller performing remote control simple actuators, such as switching on and off of the electromagnetic or Electromechanical locks, drive control automatic garage doors or gates. Goal: to Develop the GSM-controller for control systems with wireless access to the object. In the process of research was conducted to develop a structural, fundamental, functional diagrams, printed circuit Board, the control program for the microcontroller is written in C for AVR In the result of the study: the Developed graduation project "GSM-controller for managing wireless access to th

Identification of T-Cell Antigens Specific for Latent Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection

BACKGROUND: T-cell responses against dormancy-, resuscitation-, and reactivation-associated antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are candidate biomarkers of latent infection in humans. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We established an assay based on two rounds of in vitro restimulation and intracellular cytokine analysis that detects T-cell responses to antigens expressed during latent M. tuberculosis infection. Comparison between active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients and healthy latently M. tuberculosis-infected donors (LTBI) revealed significantly higher T-cell responses against 7 of 35 tested M. tuberculosis latency-associated antigens in LTBI. Notably, T cells specific for Rv3407 were exclusively detected in LTBI but not in TB patients. The T-cell IFNgamma response against Rv3407 in individual donors was the most influential factor in discrimination analysis that classified TB patients and LTBI with 83% accuracy using cross-validation. Rv3407 peptide pool stimulations revealed distinct candidate epitopes in four LTBI. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings further support the hypothesis that the latency-associated antigens can be exploited as biomarkers for LTBI

The seeds of divergence: the economy of French North America, 1688 to 1760

Generally, Canada has been ignored in the literature on the colonial origins of divergence with most of the attention going to the United States. Late nineteenth century estimates of income per capita show that Canada was relatively poorer than the United States and that within Canada, the French and Catholic population of Quebec was considerably poorer. Was this gap long standing? Some evidence has been advanced for earlier periods, but it is quite limited and not well-suited for comparison with other societies. This thesis aims to contribute both to Canadian economic history and to comparative work on inequality across nations during the early modern period. With the use of novel prices and wages from Quebec—which was then the largest settlement in Canada and under French rule—a price index, a series of real wages and a measurement of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are constructed. They are used to shed light both on the course of economic development until the French were defeated by the British in 1760 and on standards of living in that colony relative to the mother country, France, as well as the American colonies. The work is divided into three components. The first component relates to the construction of a price index. The absence of such an index has been a thorn in the side of Canadian historians as it has limited the ability of historians to obtain real values of wages, output and living standards. This index shows that prices did not follow any trend and remained at a stable level. However, there were episodes of wide swings—mostly due to wars and the monetary experiment of playing card money. The creation of this index lays the foundation of the next component. The second component constructs a standardized real wage series in the form of welfare ratios (a consumption basket divided by nominal wage rate multiplied by length of work year) to compare Canada with France, England and Colonial America. Two measures are derived. The first relies on a “bare bones” definition of consumption with a large share of land-intensive goods. This measure indicates that Canada was poorer than England and Colonial America and not appreciably richer than France. However, this measure overestimates the relative position of Canada to the Old World because of the strong presence of land-intensive goods. A second measure is created using a “respectable” definition of consumption in which the basket includes a larger share of manufactured goods and capital-intensive goods. This second basket better reflects differences in living standards since the abundance of land in Canada (and Colonial America) made it easy to achieve bare subsistence, but the scarcity of capital and skilled labor made the consumption of luxuries and manufactured goods (clothing, lighting, imported goods) highly expensive. With this measure, the advantage of New France over France evaporates and turns slightly negative. In comparison with Britain and Colonial America, the gap widens appreciably. This element is the most important for future research. By showing a reversal because of a shift to a different type of basket, it shows that Old World and New World comparisons are very sensitive to how we measure the cost of living. Furthermore, there are no sustained improvements in living standards over the period regardless of the measure used. Gaps in living standards observed later in the nineteenth century existed as far back as the seventeenth century. In a wider American perspective that includes the Spanish colonies, Canada fares better. The third component computes a new series for Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is to avoid problems associated with using real wages in the form of welfare ratios which assume a constant labor supply. This assumption is hard to defend in the case of Colonial Canada as there were many signs of increasing industriousness during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The GDP series suggest no long-run trend in living standards (from 1688 to circa 1765). The long peace era of 1713 to 1740 was marked by modest economic growth which offset a steady decline that had started in 1688, but by 1760 (as a result of constant warfare) living standards had sunk below their 1688 levels. These developments are accompanied by observations that suggest that other indicators of living standard declined. The flat-lining of incomes is accompanied by substantial increases in the amount of time worked, rising mortality and rising infant mortality. In addition, comparisons of incomes with the American colonies confirm the results obtained with wages— Canada was considerably poorer. At the end, a long conclusion is provides an exploratory discussion of why Canada would have diverged early on. In structural terms, it is argued that the French colony was plagued by the problem of a small population which prohibited the existence of scale effects. In combination with the fact that it was dispersed throughout the territory, the small population of New France limited the scope for specialization and economies of scale. However, this problem was in part created, and in part aggravated, by institutional factors like seigneurial tenure. The colonial origins of French America’s divergence from the rest of North America are thus partly institutional

Down-regulation of the inhibitor of growth 1 (ING1) tumor suppressor sensitizes glioblastoma cells to cisplatin-induced cell death

Hintergrund: Die Prognose von Patienten mit hochmalignen Tumoren des zentralen Nervensystems ist trotz eines zunehmenden Verständnisses der Pathogenese der Tumorerkrankung und verbesserten diagnostischen und therapeutischen Optionen in der Behandlung weiterhin ungünstig. Potentielle Tumorsuppressorgene, wie ING1, wurden in den letzten Jahren näher charakterisiert und ihre Funktion in Gehirntumoren analysiert. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden die Chemosensitivität von Glioblastomzelllinien und der potentielle Einfluss von ING1 als Tumorsuppressorgen in der Tumorgenese untersucht. Material und Methoden: Glioblastomzellen der LN229-Zelllinie wurden hinsichtlich des Expressionsniveaus von ING1 vor und nach Behandlung mit zytostatischen Substanzen und ionisie-render Bestrahlung auf RNS- und Proteinniveau untersucht. Zusätzlich erfolgten durchflusszytometrische Zellzyklusanalysen nach siRNS-Behandlung zur Untersuchung der Rolle von ING1 bei der Apoptose in diesen Zellen. Ergebnis: In Glioblastomzellen der LN229 Zelllinie mit nachgewiesener Mutation des TP53-Gens konnte nach zytostatischer Behandlung mit Cisplatin bzw. ionisierender Bestrahlung ein Anstieg der ING1 Expression nachgewiesen werden. Die ING1-Isoform ING1a, die eine Beteiligung an Histondeacetylaseprozessen besitzt, zeigte hierbei eine fünfzigfach stärkere Induktion als ING1b, welche in die Ausbildung von Histonacetylaseprozessen involviert ist. Durch siRNS-Behandlung der Zellen mit reduzierter ING1-Expression konnte in vitro nach zytostatischer Behandlung mit Cisplatin eine akzelerierte Zellzyklusprogression mit beschleunigtem Eintritt in die Apoptose nachgewiesen werden. Diskussion: In malignen Glioblastomen ist ein reduzierter ING1-Expressionsspiegel mit einer erhöhten Cisplatinsensitivität assoziiert. Dies wird durch eine reduzierte HDAC-Aktivität mit gesteigerter Formation der DNS und besserer Cisplatinwirkung an der DNS verursacht. Somit kann die Bestimmung der individuellen ING1-Expressionsniveaus in malignen Gliomen vor geplanter Therapie mit Cisplatin und HDAC-Inhibitoren einen prädiktiven Wert besitzen.Background: The prognosis of patients with high-grade malignant tumors of the central nervous system despite increasing understanding of the pathogenesis and improved diagnostic and thera-peutic options in the treatment remains unfavorable. Potential tumor suppressor genes, such as ING1 has been characterized and analyzed in their potential function in brain tumors. In the present study, the chemosensitivity of glioblastoma cell lines and the potential influence of ING1 in tumorigenesis has been studied as a tumor suppressor gene. Material and Methods: Glioblastoma cell line LN229 cells were examined for the expression level of ING1 before and after exposure of the cell line to cytostatic agents and ionizing radiation on RNA and protein level of ING1. In addition flow cytometric cell cycle analysis was per-formed after siRNA-treatment to represent the induction of apoptosis. Results: An increase in ING1 expression was detected in LN229 glioblastoma cell line with confirmed mutation of the TP53 gene and treatment with cytostatics as cisplatin or ionizing radiation. The ING1 isoform ING1a, which owns a stake in histon deacetylase acitivity, showed a stronger induction than ING1b, which is involved in histone actyle acitvity. By siRNA-treatment of the cells with reduced expression ING1 we showed in vitro after treatment with cisplatin an accelerated cell cycle progression with accelerated entry detected in apoptosis. Discussion: In malignant glioblastoma cell line a reduced ING1 expression level is associated with an increased chemosensitivity to cisplatin treatment. This is caused by a reduced HDAC activity with increased formation of the DNA and a better damage to the DNS. Thus the determination of the individual ING1 expression levels in malignant gliomas may have prior to the therapy with cisplatin and HDAC inhibitors as a predictive value