A Business Curriculum for the Commonwealth of Independent States

Eastern Europe and the former states of the Soviet Union have undergone and continue to undergo a period of dramatic transformation from centralized economies to free market systems. This has involved a shift from public to private ownership for many large state enterprises, and it has also involved the development and launch of many new business ventures. Privatization as it is called, has created a demand for American style business education, capabilities, and experiences

Cloning and characterization of a conjugated bile acid hydrolase gene from Clostridium perfringens.

The gene encoding a conjugated bile acid hydrolase (CBAH) from Clostridium perfringens 13 has been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, and its nucleotide sequence has been determined. Nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequence analyses indicated that the gene product is related to two previously characterized amidases, a CBAH from Lactobacillus plantarum (40% identity) and a penicillin V amidase from Bacillus sphaericus (34% identity). The product is apparently unrelated to a CBAH from C. perfringens for which N-terminal sequence information was determined. The gene product was purified from recombinant E. coli and used to raise antibody in rabbits. The presence of the protein in C. perfringens was then confirmed by immunoblot analysis. The protein was shown to have a native molecular weight of 147,000 and a subunit molecular weight of 36,100, indicating its probable existence as a tetramer. Disruption of the chromosomal C. perfringens CBAH gene with a chloramphenicol resistance cartridge resulted in a mutant strain which retained partial CBAH activity. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by enzymatic activity staining and immunoblotting indicated that the mutant strain no longer expressed the cloned CBAH (CBAH-1) but did express at least one additional CBAH (CBAH-2). CBAH-2 was immunologically distinct from CBAH-1, and its mobility on native polyacrylamide gels was different from that of CBAH-1. Furthermore, comparisons of pH optima and substrate specificities of CBAH activities from recombinant E. coli and wild-type and mutant C. perfringens provided further evidence for the presence of multiple CBAH activities in C. perfringens. Originally published Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 61, No. 7, July 199

The Asian Studies Consortium: An Innovative Approach to Study in Japan

Japan\u27s dramatic re-emergence as a world power in the \u2780s led a num­ber of U.S. colleges and universities to incorporate courses on Japanese history, politics, culture, management practices and language into their curricula. Simultaneously, there has been a flurry of activity to develop study abroad experiences in Japan to expose American students to Japa­nese culture and language. Chambers and Cummings (1990) document ap­proximately 90 programs involving a U.S. school and a Japanese partner. For a variety of reasons a number of these ambitious ventures have not been entirely successful. One of the major impediments to launching a successful study abroad program in Japan has been the language barrier (Li, 1993). Most U.S. students do not speak Japanese and those who do may not speak it well. A second impediment has been incompatibility of curricula between U.S. and Japanese universities. A third stumbling block has been lack of faculty support and accompanying concern about the degree of academic rigor (Ll, 1993). Finally, financial concerns and constraints have prevented most small colleges and universities from developing programs in Japan

Personhood, consciousness, and god : how to be a proper pantheist

© Springer Nature B.V. 2018In this paper I develop a theory of personhood which leaves open the possibility of construing the universe as a person. If successful, it removes one bar to endorsing pantheism. I do this by examining a rising school of thought on personhood, on which persons, or selves, are understood as identical to episodes of consciousness. Through a critique of this experiential approach to personhood, I develop a theory of self as constituted of qualitative mental contents, but where these contents are also capable of unconscious existence. On this theory, though we can be conscious of our selves, consciousness turns out to be inessential to personhood. This move, I then argue, provides resources for responding to the pantheist’s problem of God’s person.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Long-segment thoracoabdominal aortic occlusions in childhood

Developmental coarctation, hypoplasia, and occlusion of the abdominal aorta is a rare disease encompassing many differing etiologies and diverse methods of treatment. Long-segment thoracoabdominal aortic occlusion, an extreme manifestation of this disorder, has not previously been reported in children. Two pediatric patients with this entity, a 5- and 13-year-old with uncontrolled hypertension, underwent extensive arterial reconstructions for this entity and provided the impetus for this report. An ascending thoracic aorta to infrarenal aortic expanded polytetrafluoroethylene bypass was undertaken in the younger child. A distal thoracic aorto-bi-iliac artery expanded polytetrafluoroethylene bypass, with implantation of the left renal artery to one graft limb and a right renal artery bypass originating from the other limb, was performed in the older child. There were no major perioperative complications. Both patients were discharged with easily controlled blood pressures. They have remained normotensive at 13 and 14 months follow-up

Lipid Exchange between Borrelia burgdorferi and Host Cells

Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, has cholesterol and cholesterol-glycolipids that are essential for bacterial fitness, are antigenic, and could be important in mediating interactions with cells of the eukaryotic host. We show that the spirochetes can acquire cholesterol from plasma membranes of epithelial cells. In addition, through fluorescent and confocal microscopy combined with biochemical approaches, we demonstrated that B. burgdorferi labeled with the fluorescent cholesterol analog BODIPY-cholesterol or 3H-labeled cholesterol transfer both cholesterol and cholesterol-glycolipids to HeLa cells. The transfer occurs through two different mechanisms, by direct contact between the bacteria and eukaryotic cell and/or through release of outer membrane vesicles. Thus, two-way lipid exchange between spirochetes and host cells can occur. This lipid exchange could be an important process that contributes to the pathogenesis of Lyme disease

Speed and Agility Prediction Models in High School Football Players

Background: Optimal relationships between speed, agility, power and body mass are essential in American football. An increase in body mass, theoretically, reduces acceleration (Newton’s 2nd Law). However, an increase in lean body mass may enhance overall force or power generating potential and momentum of an athlete. Body mass, height, and vertical jump height are routinely measured, easily obtainable, and may be used as predictors of speed and agility. Purpose: To determine associations between height, vertical jump height, and body mass to speed and agility in high school football players. Methods: Data were collected on 1261 male football players (16.4±0.9yrs, 179.7±6.9cm, 87.5±18.4kg) at a regional football combine. In successive order, each athlete completed the following tests: height (HT; cm), body mass (BM; kg), 40-yard sprint (SP; s), pro-agility (AG; s), and vertical jump (VJ; cm). The data were collected after a self selected warm-up and athletes were provided three trials on performance drills. HT was measured using a standard stadiometer and BM using a calibrated scale. SP and AG times were measured with hand held stop watches. Finally, a contact mat was used to measure flight time during a countermovement VJ; subsequently VJ height was calculated from flight time using freely falling body equations. Model prediction equations for SP and AG were generated using SigmaStat statistical software package. For each equation, HT, BM, and VJ were set as predictor variables. Non-significant variables were eliminated from the model with an alpha level of p \u3c 0.05. Results: VJ (R=-0.73), BM (R= 0.67), and HT (R = 0.17), were all significant predictors of SP. The combined regression model SP(s) = 6.60561–0.0217VJ+0.00753BM– 0.00438HT explains 73% of the variance in forty yard sprint time (R=0.086; SEE =0.20). HT (R=0.08), BM (R=0.44), and VJ (-0.62) were significantly correlated with AG and were included in the combined regression model: AG(s) = 6.479-0.00437HT+0.00394BM-0.0180VJ (R=0.40; SEE=0.304). Conclusions: HT, VJ, and BM are strong predictors of linear speed. American football players may be able to increase speed by engaging in exercise programs that reduce body mass and improve vertical ground reaction force production. However, these data suggest that HT, BM, and VJ are not as strong of predictors of agility. Future research should address associations between other potential testing constructs and agility in American football players