The utility of molecular genetic analysis of museum specimens in studying deep-sea fish

The damaging effect of formalin on DNA and the inhibition of PCR are serious problems in molecular studies. The aims of the project were to investigate the possibility of using formalin-fixed, Steedman's preserved museum specimens in molecular investigations, especially organisms with unstudied genomes. A number of DNA extraction protocols and different pre-washing/drying regimes were tested. These gave different levels of success, but a guanidinium-based protocol developed in this study gave the best results. RAPD-PCR methodology was employed to test its applicability on preserved specimens, and it was used as a test of the efficiency of DNA extraction/amplifications and for developing species-specific PCR primers. Attempts to amplify mitochondrial DNA sequences with the six mitochondrial genes were mostly unsuccessful. Sporadic amplifications were obtained with primers of 16S and COIII genes. This study provided the first molecular data on deep-sea fish (Nezumia aequalis and N. micronychodon) exclusively using formalin-fixed, Steedman's preserved museum specimens. Two genomic sequences of these fishes were determined and submitted to the GenBank database under accession numbers AY826774 - AY826792. Three specific primer sets (RAPD-derived) for Nezumia aequalis and N. micronychodon were designed to amplify PCR product sizes 300 bp - 350 bp. This study has demonstrated that an appropriate strategy and molecular approach could lead to the successful use of museum and other formalin-fixed archival collections even on organisms with unstudied genomes. Supplementary evidence, related to the method of preservation, the usage of particular DNA extraction protocol and PCR marker system, was obtained from ten differently preserved mackerel (Scomber scombrus) specimens. This study confirmed that the DNA extracted from preserved specimens possesses unique characteristics that make molecular investigations very difficult. Because of this, it is proposed that DNA extracted from preserved specimens should be referred to as "archival DNA (arDNA)"

Property rights, corruption, enforcement of contract and economic development in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Thesis(Master) --KDI School:Master of Public Policy,2012masterpublishedby Nadza Kazic

LEGAL CHALLENGES IN REGULATION OF MINIMUM AGE OF CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Every minor can commit a criminal act, but in formal sense not every minor will be criminally responsible. Even if committing an act that in material sense have its consequences and all objective elements of a crime, possibility for imposing of criminal sanctions is still determined by minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR). When reaching into certain age minors are held to be criminally responsible and punishable. This article is focusing to the matter of establishment of minimum age of criminal responsibility, so comparative review of systems for its establishment and contemporary world tendencies will be discussed in it. In particular, this paper will be devoted to the establishment of MACR in Bosnia and Herzegovina from both historical and positive law insight. The age from which one will be held criminally responsible is an issue predisposed by several factors and choosing the optimum age will be discussed as the challenging question in this paper because it includes or excludes minors from the reach of criminal justice system that has unquestionable impact in their future life

The IUBMB enzyme nomenclature decision tree

Abstract only availableThis project attempts to map the decisions involved in categorizing an enzyme using the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) enzyme nomenclature. The recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee of IUBMB on the nomenclature and classification of enzyme-catalyzed reactions is complex and archaic, with rules that almost always have an exception. The IUBMB enzyme nomenclature was devised in 1961 by the first Enzyme Commission. It is a system of categorizing enzymes based on the biochemical reactions they catalyze. The system categorizes an enzyme into one of six main classes (oxidoreductases, transferases, hydrolases, lyases, isomerases, and ligases), a subclass, and a subsubclass based on the element of the biochemical reaction equation, such as the biochemical acceptor and donor. This research project looks at the IUBMB enzyme nomenclature with the purpose of defining a decision tree that would closely represent its taxonomy. The tree would be used in the programming of an automatic enzyme classifier, which when given the biochemical equation that an enzyme catalyzes, categorizes the enzyme in its final subsubclass. Techniques, such as the statistical analysis of chemical equation topologies and compound distribution, have been used to avoid the necessity of programming the underlying principals of chemistry, such as how to distinguish if a reaction is an oxidation-reduction reaction. This project is ongoing.National Library of Medicine Training Gran

Creep and fatigue analysis of reinforced concrete structures

A computional procedure for the creep and fatigue analysis of reinforced concrete structures exposed to flexure is presented. The fatigue loading effects are modified into an equivalent creep analysis. The analysis is based on the finite element method employing beam elements. The material behavior of steel, concrete and bond between reinforcement and concrete are described as realisticly as possible. For the reinforcing steel the stress-strain behavior as measured in tests or given in codes is assumed. For the stress-strain behavior of concrete in compression under static loading, the proposal by Park/Pauley is taken. The influence of sustained or fatigue loading is taken into account by using the isochrone σ-ε-relationship valid for t > t o or N > 1 respectively; whereby the creep coefficients for both type of loadings are taken from MC90. For sustained and fatigue loading the isochrone bond stressslip relationship is used. The creep coefficients are taken from MC90. The accuracy of the proposed model is checked by comparing the behavior of some test beams under sustained and fatigue loading with the predictions

Integrating quantitative and qualitative methodologies for the assessment of health care systems: emergency medicine in post-conflict Serbia

BACKGROUND: Due to the complexity of health system reform in the post-conflict, post-disaster, and development settings, attempts to restructure health services are fraught with pitfalls that are often unanticipated because of inadequate preliminary assessments. Our proposed Integrated Multimodal Assessment – combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies – may provide a more robust mechanism for identifying programmatic priorities and critical barriers for appropriate and sustainable health system interventions. The purpose of this study is to describe this novel multimodal assessment using emergency medicine in post-conflict Serbia as a model. METHODS: Integrated quantitative and qualitative methodologies – system characterization and observation, focus group discussions, free-response questionnaires, and by-person factor analysis – were used to identify needs, problems, and potential barriers to the development of emergency medicine in Serbia. Participants included emergency and pre-hospital personnel from all emergency medical institutions in Belgrade. RESULTS: Demographic data indicate a loosely ordered network of part-time emergency departments supported by 24-hour pre-hospital services and an academic emergency center. Focus groups and questionnaires reveal significant impediments to delivery of care and suggest development priorities. By-person factor analysis subsequently divides respondents into distinctive attitudinal types, compares participant opinions, and identifies programmatic priorities. CONCLUSIONS: By combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies, our Integrated Multimodal Assessment identified critical needs and barriers to emergency medicine development in Serbia and may serve as a model for future health system assessments in post-conflict, post-disaster, and development settings

Bioinformatics models in drug abuse and Neuro-AIDS: Using and developing databases

The magnitude of the problems of drug abuse and Neuro-AIDS warrants the development of novel approaches for testing hypotheses in diagnosis and treatment ranging from cell culture models to developing databases. In this study, cultured neurons were treated with/without HIV-TAT, ENV, or cocaine in a 2x2x2 expression study design. RNA was purified, labeled, and expression data were produced and analyzed using ANOVA. Thus, we identified 35 genes that were significantly expressed across treatment conditions. A diagram is presented showing examples of molecular relationships involving a significantly expressed gene in the current study (SOX2). Also, we use this information to discuss examples of gene expression interactions as a means to portray significance and complexity of gene expression studies in Drug Abuse and Neuro-AIDS. Furthermore, we discuss here that critical interactions remain undetected, which may be unravelled by developing robust database systems containing large datasets and gleaned information from collaborating scientists . Hence, we are developing a public domain database we named The Agora database , that will served as a shared infrastructure to query, deposit, and review information related to drug abuse and dementias including Neuro-AIDS. A workflow of this database is also outlined in this paper

Putting semantics into the semantic web: How well can it capture biology

Could the Semantic Web work for computations of biological interest in the way it’s intended to work for movie reviews and commercial transactions? It would be wonderful if it could, so it’s worth looking to see if its infrastructure is adequate to the job. The technologies of the Semantic Web make several crucial assumptions. I examine those assumptions; argue that they create significant problems; and suggest some alternative ways of achieving the Semantic Web’s goals for biology. 1

Auswirkungen des Blaulichts auf den Schlaf des Menschen

Hintergrund: Die Wichtigkeit des Schlafs ist allgemein bekannt. Genügend Schlaf wird mit einer Verbesserung der physischen und psychischen Fähigkeiten assoziiert. Wieviel Schlaf genügt ist von Person und Lebensweise abhängig. Sportlerinnen profitieren von acht bis zehn Stunden Schlaf, für einen nicht sportlichen Alltag können hingegen sieben Stunden ausreichend sein. Neben der Länge des Nachtschlafs ist auch die Architektur von Bedeutung. Genügend Anteile von REM und NREM sind ebenso unerlässlich wie die Dauer des Schlafs. Die verschiedenen Schlafstadien sind für verschiedene Funktionen wichtig, so ist beispielsweise die Tiefschlafphase für die Produktion von Wachstumshormonen und Testosteron essentiell. Der NREM Schlaf hingegen ist für die Verarbeitung von Informationen und die Erholung des Gehirnes verantwortlich. Das Verwenden von elektronischen Geräten vor dem Schlafen gehen wird mit schlechtem Schlaf assoziiert. Blaulichtfilterbrillen und Nahrungsergänzungsmittel sollen Abhilfe verschaffen und erfreuen sich einer wachsenden Beliebtheit. Ziel: Die Intention dieser Diplomarbeit war es herauszufinden, ob und wie stark das sogenannte blaue Licht den Schlaf negativ beeinflusst. Weitere Ziele waren die Vorteile von Blaulichtfilterbrillen und dem Verwenden von Hardcover Büchern gegenüber Tablets herauszufinden. Methode: Eine wissenschaftliche Beantwortung der Forschungsfrage wurde mittels einer systematischen Literaturrecherche angestrebt. Für die Recherche wurden die Onlinedatenbanken „PubMed“, „Science Direct“ und „Web of Science“ verwendet. Nach dem systematischen Ausschlussverfahren wurden 13 Studien in dieser Diplomarbeit verwendet, beschrieben und anschließend diskutiert. Ergebnisse: Elektronische Geräte, beziehungsweise blaues Licht, stört den Nachtschlaf signifikant. Die Studienlage zeigt eindeutig, dass das Verwenden von Tablets oder Smartphones ohne Blaulichtfilter(brillen) zu einer Schlafrestriktion oder Veränderung der Architektur führen kann.Background: The importance of a good night sleep is well known. Enough sleep is associated with good mood and a better physical performance. The amount of sleep depends on individual needs and lifestyle. Athletes need at least eight to ten hours of night sleep to recover well from training and competition. Non – athletes can perform well on daily tasks with seven hours of sleep. Beside the hours of sleep the architecture is important as well. A good amount of REM and NREM sleep is crucial. NREM or deep sleep is associated with human growth hormone and testosterone secretion for example. NREM sleep is associated with learning and memorizing new skills. Electronic devices can disturb night sleep. Blue blocking lenses and supplements are gaining popularity nowadays. Aim: The aim of this Diploma Thesis was to investigate the influences of blue light on human night sleep. Another aim was to determine the positive effects of blue blocking lenses and reading from a hardcover book vs tablet computer. Methods: A scientifically answer to the question was approached through a systematic literature research. For this purpose, the online databases “PubMed”, “Science Direct” and “Web of Science” were consulted. After a systematic exclusion procedure thirteen studies were elected, described and discussed. Results: Blue light significantly disturb night sleep. Data shows that the usage of electronic devices without blue blocking filters or lenses can influence the sleep architecture in a negative way