Determination of anthropogenic changes on the urbanized territories using GIS technology

The research aim is to obtain a cartographic model of an urbanized territory by means of thermal survey in an infrared range. With this cartographic model, it will be then possible to reduce the zones in the urbanized territories differing in the level of superficial heat. Further, we will be able to reduce the proof thermal anomalies and thermal structures of the localities that are related to the natural and anthropogenic systems. On the examples of the cities of Ukraine – Energodar and Nikopol, we defined the sources of caloradiances from major industrial concerns as well as from thermal and nuclear power plants. For comparison, we built the model of thermal structure of the city of Tokai and the nuclear power plant with the same name Tokai (Japan). The sources of caloradiances can be, for example, pipes of thermal power stations, ponds-coolers, corps of steel-making production, and other similar objects. If the sizes of such source are known, then we are able to get the absolute values of temperatures

Testing the Effects of Message Framing on Physical Activity Motivation in Active and Non-Active Adults

PURPOSE: Understanding how to best “sell” physical activity (PA) is a critical goal. This study investigated the effects of message framing on motivation to participate in a PA program, and tested whether the effectiveness of messages framed to promote either affective benefits, physical health benefits, or a combination of benefits varied based on one’s current PA status. METHODS: Adult participants (N=188) from a Midwestern university, who were recruited via email, completed an online survey assessing demographic information and current stage of change. They then viewed one of four randomly assigned promotional flyers for a PA program offered on campus. The flyers mentioned either the: (a) affective benefits of program participation (e.g., improved mood), (b) physical health benefits (e.g., improved fitness), (c) a combination of affective and physical health benefits, or (d) a control message noting some generic aspects of the program (e.g., clean facilities). After viewing the flyer, participants responded to a series of questions about the content of the flyers (manipulation checks) and their perceived behavioral control for participating in the program, followed by their interest in the program, intention to participate, the likelihood of participating, and whether they wanted to sign-up. RESULTS: A series of 2 (PA status: active, non-active) x 4 (message: affective, physical health, combination, control) ANCOVAs found that, after accounting for perceived control, the effectiveness of the different promotional messages on intention and likelihood of participating varied based on the respondents’ PA status. The major finding was messages promoting affective benefits led to significantly greater intention and likelihood of participation for those who are active. For the non-active participants, however, messages promoting physical health benefits led to significantly greater intention and likelihood of participation compared to other messaging types. No group or message differences were found with regard to interest in the program. Further, a chi-square analysis found no differences in participants’ yes or no response to wanting to schedule a session in the program at that time. CONCLUSION: Using message framing to sell PA may help increase intention and likelihood to participate. However, the type of message that effectively promotes PA appears to vary depending on the message receiver’s current PA

"No pensábamos que fuera a tener buena acogida": la victoria legal de la Alianza Gay de Estudiantes sobre la Virginia Commonwealth University, 1974-1976

In 1974, a group of college students attempted to undertake the simple act of registering an official student organization at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). In contrast to every other student group that had sought such status, the group, the Gay Alliance of Students (GAS), was denied registration. They were denied because the group was composed of LGBTQI+ students who wanted to promote the well-being and understanding of themselves and other LGBTQI+ individuals on campus. This article examines the founding, experience, and legal battles of GAS, an important organization in both the history of LGBTQI+ students and the history of LGBTQI+ rights more broadly. In response to its denial, GAS sued VCU in US federal district court, claiming violations of its fundamental rights under the US Constitution. After a split decision in its initial case, GAS appealed and won a resounding victory over VCU administrators and their attempts to deny LGBTQI+ students their rights. That victory was the first ever for an LGBTQI+ student organization at the federal appellate level and set a precedent for other LGBTQI+ students in five states. This article uses historical methods to situate these efforts in their institutional and local context, contribute to the nascent literature on LGBTQI+ student legal cases, and consider this key case that had implications beyond VCU and, indeed, beyond higher education.En 1974, un grupo de estudiantes universitarios intentó llevar a cabo el sencillo acto de registrar una organización estudiantil oficial en la Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). A diferencia de todos los demás grupos de estudiantes que habían solicitado dicho estatus, al grupo, la Alianza Gay de Estudiantes (GAS), se le denegó el registro. Se les denegó porque el grupo estaba compuesto por estudiantes LGBTQI+ que querían promover el bienestar y la comprensión de sí mismos y de otras personas LGBTQI+ en el campus. Este artículo examina la fundación, la experiencia y las batallas legales de GAS, una organización importante tanto en la historia de los estudiantes LGBTQI+ como en la historia de los derechos LGBTQI+ en general. En respuesta a su denegación, GAS demandó a VCU ante un tribunal federal de distrito de EE.UU., alegando violaciones de sus derechos fundamentales en virtud de la Constitución de EEUU.. Tras una decisión dividida en su caso inicial, GAS apeló y obtuvo una rotunda victoria sobre los administradores de VCU y sus intentos de negar a los estudiantes LGBTQI+ sus derechos. Esa victoria fue la primera de una organización estudiantil LGBTQI+ a nivel de apelación federal y sentó un precedente para otros estudiantes LGBTQI+ en cinco estados. Este artículo utiliza métodos históricos para situar estos esfuerzos en su contexto institucional y local, contribuir a la incipiente literatura sobre casos legales de estudiantes LGBTQI+ y considerar este caso clave que tuvo implicaciones más allá de VCU y, de hecho, más allá de la educación superior

Sistema web para la gestión de ventas en la empresa Comercial & Distribuidora HR - Callao

La investigación realizada en la empresa Comercial & Distribuidora HR S.A.C. tuvo como objetivo implementar un sistema web para la gestión de ventas, mediante el uso de la metodología RUP para desarrollo de software. De metodología aplicada y experimental estudio la información que genera 80 productos, siendo la muestra la información de 33 productos. Mediante la aplicación de fichas de registro se observa la reducción de 12.6% a 5.7% en el indicador de tiempo promedio de productos almacenados, de 10.13% a 7.43% en el indicador de tiempo promedio en el registro de cotizaciones, 9.28% a 6.17% en el indicador tiempo promedio en el registro de ventas y el indicador porcentaje de crecimiento de ventas de 3.17% a 6.83% lo que concluye que el sistema web mejora la gestión de ventas

Novel functional view of the crocidolite asbestos-treated A549 human lung epithelial transcriptome reveals an intricate network of pathways with opposing functions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although exposure to asbestos is now regulated, patients continue to be diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, fibrosis and lung carcinoma because of the long latent period between exposure and clinical disease. Asbestosis is observed in approximately 200,000 patients annually and asbestos-related deaths are estimated at 4,000 annually<abbrgrp><abbr bid="B1">1</abbr></abbrgrp>. Although advances have been made using single gene/gene product or pathway studies, the complexity of the response to asbestos and the many unanswered questions suggested the need for a systems biology approach. The objective of this study was to generate a comprehensive view of the transcriptional changes induced by crocidolite asbestos in A549 human lung epithelial cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A statistically robust, comprehensive data set documenting the crocidolite-induced changes in the A549 transcriptome was collected. A systems biology approach involving global observations from gene ontological analyses coupled with functional network analyses was used to explore the effects of crocidolite in the context of known molecular interactions. The analyses uniquely document a transcriptome with function-based networks in cell death, cancer, cell cycle, cellular growth, proliferation, and gene expression. These functional modules show signs of a complex interplay between signaling pathways consisting of both novel and previously described asbestos-related genes/gene products. These networks allowed for the identification of novel, putative crocidolite-related genes, leading to several new hypotheses regarding genes that are important for the asbestos response. The global analysis revealed a transcriptome that bears signatures of both apoptosis/cell death and cell survival/proliferation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our analyses demonstrate the power of combining a statistically robust, comprehensive dataset and a functional network genomics approach to 1) identify and explore relationships between genes of known importance 2) identify novel candidate genes, and 3) observe the complex interplay between genes/gene products that function in seemingly different processes. This study represents the first function-based global approach toward understanding the response of human lung epithelial cells to the carcinogen crocidolite. Importantly, our investigation paints a much broader landscape for the crocidolite response than was previously appreciated and reveals novel paths to study. Our graphical representations of the function-based global network will be a valuable resource to model new research findings.</p

Modified Substrate Specificity of a Methyltransferase Domain by Protein Insertion Into an Adenylation Domain of the Bassianolide Synthetase

Background: Creating designer molecules using a combination of select domains from polyketide synthases and/or nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) continues to be a synthetic goal. However, an incomplete understanding of how protein-protein interactions and dynamics affect each of the domain functions stands as a major obstacle in the field. Of particular interest is understanding the basis for a class of methyltransferase domains (MT) that are found embedded within the adenylation domain (A) of fungal NRPS systems instead of in an end-to-end architecture. Results: The MT domain from bassianolide synthetase (BSLS) was removed and the truncated enzyme BSLS-ΔMT was recombinantly expressed. The biosynthesis of bassianolide was abolished and N-desmethylbassianolide was produced in low yields. Co-expression of BSLS-ΔMT with standalone MT did not recover bassianolide biosynthesis. In order to address the functional implications of the protein insertion, we characterized the N-methyltransferase activity of the MT domain as both the isolated domain (MTBSLS) and as part of the full NRPS megaenzyme. Surprisingly, the MTBSLS construct demonstrated a relaxed substrate specificity and preferentially methylated an amino acid (L-Phe-SNAC) that is rarely incorporated into the final product. By testing the preference of a series of MT constructs (BSLS, MTBSLS, cMT, XLcMT, and aMT) to L-Phe-SNAC and L-Leu-SNAC, we further showed that restricting and/or fixing the termini of the MTBSLS by crosslinking or embedding the MT within an A domain narrowed the substrate specificity of the methyltransferase toward L-Leu-SNAC, the preferred substrate for the BSLS megaenzyme. Conclusions: The embedding of MT into the A2 domain of BSLS is not required for the product assembly, but is critical for the overall yields of the final products. The substrate specificity of MT is significantly affected by the protein context within which it is present. While A domains are known to be responsible for selecting and activating the biosynthetic precursors for NRPS systems, our results suggest that embedding the MT acts as a secondary gatekeeper for the assembly line. This work thus provides new insights into the embedded MT domain in NRPSs, which will facilitate further engineering of this type of biosynthetic machinery to create structural diversity in natural products

Affective responses for the promotion of physical activity in emerging adulthood

Physical activity (PA) has mental and physical health benefits, yet many emerging adults (aged 18-29) are not meeting PA recommendations and thus, not reaping those benefits. Emerging adulthood is marked by new life experiences (e.g., changing residence) that are related to negative health effects which may be mitigated by PA. Affect may be one way to promote PA as hedonic theories posit that people are more likely to participate in behaviors that make them feel more pleasurable. Laboratory-based studies provide support for hedonic theories; however, laboratory investigations may not represent affective responses during PA in everyday life. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) can overcome laboratory limitations by using accelerometers and mobile phones to repeatedly capture affective responses during PA in real-time and -world settings. This study sought to examine (1) how PA influences affective responses during the behavior in real-world settings and (2) how affective responses during PA predicts minutes of PA the following day. Physically active emerging adults completed a 10-day study in which participants responded to EMA prompts randomly throughout the day and during PA bouts to assess affect. Participants wore an accelerometer during waking hours to assess PA and trigger EMA prompts during bouts of PA. Emerging adults (n = 80; Mage = 22.8; 79% Female; 56% White, 41% Black or African American; MBMI = 25.38) completed the 10-day study. Results for Aim 1 revealed that at the between-person level, emerging adults who, on average, engaged in a greater proportion of occasions of PA experienced increases in positive affect (b = 24.901, SE = 10.384, p = 0.017) and decreases in negative affect (b = -39.693, SE = 14.533, p = 0.006) but no difference in feelings of energy (b = 13.721, SE = 13.084, p = 0.295) or feelings of fatigue (b = -21.541, SE = 16.441, p = 0.190). At the within-person level, on occasions when emerging adults engaged in PA, they experienced a decrease in negative affect (b = -4.808, SE = 1.306, p &lt; 0.001) and feelings of fatigue (b = -7.224, SE = 1.900, p &lt; 0.001) and increases in feelings of energy (b = 14.231, SE = 2.065, p &lt; 0.001) but no difference in positive affect (b = 1.414, SE = 1.359, p = 0.298). Results for Aim 2 revealed that at the between-person level, emerging adults who, on average, experienced an increase in their average negative affect and feelings of energy during PA compared to non-PA occasions tended to engage in more next day PA (b = 0.025, SE = 0.011, p = 0.023) and less next day PA (b = -0.016, SE = 0.008, p = 0.036), respectively. At the between-person level, average changes in positive affect (b = 0.007, SE = 0.011, p = 0.502) and feelings of fatigue (b = 0.006, SE = 0.011, p = 0.596) during PA compared to non-PA occasions were not associated with next day PA. At the within-person level, on days when an individual experienced a larger than usual increase in feelings of fatigue during a bout of PA compared to during non-PA occasions, they engaged in less PA time the following day (b = -0.025, SE = 0.008, p = 0.002). At the within-person level, changes in positive affect (b = -0.009, SE = 0.009, p = 0.321), negative affect (b = -0.041, SE = 0.023, p = 0.077), and feelings of energy (b = 0.001, SE = 0.005, p = 0.855) during a bout of PA compared to during non-PA occasions were not associated with next day PA. Current findings suggests that interventions may consider promoting PA based on affective recommendations for immediate health benefits. Future work should examine differences in the association across the lifespan, in insufficiently active individuals, and across varying timescales to elucidate the pathway for effective health promotion

Biological Effect of Licochalcone C on the Regulation of PI3K/Akt/eNOS and NF-κB/iNOS/NO Signaling Pathways in H9c2 Cells in Response to LPS Stimulation

Polyphenols compounds are a group molecules present in many plants. They have antioxidant properties and can also be helpful in the management of sepsis. Licochalcone C (LicoC), a constituent of Glycyrrhiza glabra, has various biological and pharmacological properties. In saying this, the effect of LicoC on the inflammatory response that characterizes septic myocardial dysfunction is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to determine whether LicoC exhibits anti-inflammatory properties on H9c2 cells that are stimulated with lipopolysaccharide. Our results have shown that LicoC treatment represses nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) translocation and several downstream molecules, such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). Moreover, LicoC has upregulated the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) signaling pathway. Finally, 2-(4-Morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-1(4H)-benzopyran-4-one hydrochloride (LY294002), a specific PI3K inhibitor, blocked the protective effects of LicoC. These findings indicate that LicoC plays a pivotal role in cardiac dysfunction in sepsis-induced inflammation.The Italian Ministry for University and Research is acknowledged for financial support