Study of the Effect of Methyl Jasmonate Concentration on Aflatoxin B1 Biosynthesis by Aspergillus parasiticus in Yeast Extract Sucrose Medium

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a carcinogenic metabolite produced by certain Aspergillus species on agricultural commodities. AFB1 biosynthesis is affected by jasmonic acid and also by its methylester (MeJA), a plant growth regulator derived from linoleic acid. This study reports the effect of MeJA on the growth of A. parasiticus and AFB1 output in yeast extract sucrose (YES) medium when added at three different concentrations; namely, 10−2 M, 10−4 M, and 10−6 M. AFB1 determination was performed by immunoaffinity and HPLC. MeJA at 10−4 and 10−6 M concentrations had no significant effect on mycelial growth but did affect AFB1 production after the 7th day of incubation; on the 12th day, AFB1 production was increased by 212.7% and 141.6% compared to the control samples (addition of 10−6 M and 10−4 M MeJA, resp.). Treatment of A. parasiticus cultures with 10−2 M MeJA inhibited mycelial growth and AFB1 production as well. These results suggest that the effect of MeJA on AFB1 biosynthesis by A. parasiticus depends on the MeJA concentration used

INTERVENTION APPROACHES IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN ORDINARY SCHOOL TO ENHANCE SOCIAL INTERACTION IN A STUDENT WITH AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDER: A CASE STUDY

Co-education of students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) during the lesson of Physical Education (PE) in the Greek School constitutes contemporary educational reality. However, its success depends on many factors, with the most important being the effective employment of cooperative physical education methods for students with disabilities or no disabilities. The purpose of this case study was to analyze the impact of a physical education intervention program on the reinforcement of the social interaction of a student with ASD, aged 10, in the ordinary school. The intervention exercise program included the following specific educational approaches and intervention strategies: a) game with the support of an adult (adult support game) b) integrated playgroups with guided involvement (Integrated Play Groups Model) and c) games between peers providing a model to imitate. The duration of the program was eight weeks, with a frequency of three times per week, each lesson of PE (Physical Education) lasting 45 minutes. The data collection tools that were used in the pre-intervention program were the semi-structured interview and the «Autism Social Skills Profile» scale (Bellini & Hopf, 2007), which was adapted in the Greek Language by Syriopoulou- Delli, Agaliotis and Papaefstathiou (2016). It was used before and after the intervention. The results of the research study showed that the student with ASD had positive experiences through his relationship with his classmates, increased his level of participation in the lesson of Physical Education (PE) throughout the implementation of the intervention program, and improved his social reciprocity through interaction and collaboration with his peers, without displaying improper or detrimental social behavior patterns. Article visualizations

International Structural Competitiveness and the Hierarchy in the World Economy: Theoretical and Empirical Research Evidence

The aim of this paper is to determine the level of competitiveness of national economies and their resulting hierarchy in the world economy. Based on the assumption that there is a structural relationship between the competitiveness of a national economy and the level of its economic development, we identify the main structural factors of international competitiveness. These factors are the degree of diversification of the productive structure of a national economy and the strength of its domestic sectoral productive linkages—which are both related to the level of industrial and technological development and the technological structure of exports. The Technologically Advanced Domestic Value Added in Exports, which condenses the above structural factors, is proposed as a measure of the level of competitiveness of national economies. This measure is implemented in order to determine the hierarchical position of 43 economies in terms of their international competitiveness. In addition, another measure of international competitiveness, the Economic Complexity Index, is examined and tested. When comparing the examined economies’ hierarchical positions obtained by using the two measures, a high correlation and a strong positive linear relationship between them is revealed

Dysphonia Detection based on modulation spectral features and cepstral coefficients

In this paper, we combine modulation spectral features with mel-frequency cepstral coefficients for automatic detection of dysphonia. For classification purposes, dimensions of the original modulation spectra are reduced using higher order singular value decomposition (HOSVD). Most relevant features are selected based on their mutual information to discrimination between normophonic and dysphonic speakers made by experts. Features that highly correlate with voice alterations are associated then with a support vector machine (SVM) classifier to provide an automatic decision. Recognition experiments using two different databases suggest that the system provides complementary information to the standard mel-cepstral feature

A Validated Clinical Risk Prediction Model for Lung Cancer in Smokers of All Ages and Exposure Types:A HUNT Study

Lung cancer causes >1·6 million deaths annually, with early diagnosis being paramount to effective treatment. Here we present a validated risk assessment model for lung cancer screening.The prospective HUNT2 population study in Norway examined 65,237 people aged >20 years in 1995–97. After a median of 15·2 years, 583 lung cancer cases had been diagnosed; 552 (94·7%) ever-smokers and 31 (5·3%) never-smokers. We performed multivariable analyses of 36 candidate risk predictors, using multiple imputation of missing data and backwards feature selection with Cox regression. The resulting model was validated in an independent Norwegian prospective dataset of 45,341 ever-smokers, in which 675 lung cancers had been diagnosed after a median follow-up of 11·6 years.Our final HUNT Lung Cancer Model included age, pack-years, smoking intensity, years since smoking cessation, body mass index, daily cough, and hours of daily indoors exposure to smoke. External validation showed a 0·879 concordance index (95% CI [0·866–0·891]) with an area under the curve of 0·87 (95% CI [0·85–0·89]) within 6 years. Only 22% of ever-smokers would need screening to identify 81·85% of all lung cancers within 6 years.Our model of seven variables is simple, accurate, and useful for screening selection. Keywords: Early diagnosis, Lung cancer prediction, Ever-smokers, All smokers, All ages, Data-driven, Feature selection, External validatio

A Modern Industrial Policy for the Czech Republic: Optimizing the Structure of Production

The decreased demand for new vehicles will put pressure on the economy of the Czech Republic, a country deeply integrated into global value chains, as part of global vehicle production. The aim of this research was to define an appropriate industrial policy for the Czech Republic that will ensure that the country maintains its competitive position in the global market. A constrained optimization model was built, based on input–output analysis, to determine the optimal value-added structure and the intersectoral structure of the Czech economy for the country to retain its exporting character. The optimization problem was solved by using a particle swarm optimization algorithm. The results suggest that the optimal industrial policy plan for the country is the structural transformation of production, mainly targeting the development of technologically advanced sectors of manufacturing (such as: chemicals and chemical products; basic pharmaceutical products; computer, electronic, and optical products; electrical equipment; and machinery and equipment). The suggested restructuring process increased the domestic value-added in gross exports as a share of total exports by 6.77%, creating optimal production capabilities for the economy. The Czech Republic appears to have the potential for the implementation of an industrial policy, avoiding the increasingly vulnerable motor-vehicle sector

The macroeconomic impacts of the Attiki Odos motorway in the Greek Economy: An Input–Output Analysis

This paper estimates ex-post the macroeconomic impacts of the high-speed toll motorway investment of Attiki Odos, in the Athens Metropolitan Area in Greece. Attiki Odos is incorporated in the Trans-European Networksand it is a priority project aimed at developing the greater area of Athens and the Greek economy as a whole. The investment vector was assembled from figures calculated ex-post. The input-output model was used to estimate relative changes in output, employment and occupations by sector of economic activity. We show that the construction of the Attiki Odos grid has significantly affected the broader area