Safety Aspects of Using Vehicle Hazard Warning Lights: Volume 1. Executive Summary

DOT-FH-11-9385This report describes a series of experiments that were conducted to examine the effectiveness of four-way flashers. Both the disabled vehicle situation and the slow-moving vehicle situation were examined at two- and four-lane locations under both daylight and nighttime conditions. The disabled vehicle tests involved parking a test vehicle (either a car or a tractor-trailer) at the side of the road and monitoring the behavior of drivers. The slow-moving vehicle tests involved introducing a staged slow-moving vehicle (either a car or a tractor-trailer) into the traffic stream and observing the overtaking vehicles. At the disabled vehicle, red and amber four-way flashers as well as flares, reflectorized triangles, headlights, and other situational factors were evaluated. For the slow-moving vehicle tests, the effects of red and amber flashers as well as a 30 and 40 mph (48.3 and 64.4 kph) slow-moving vehicle were examined. For both the disabled and the slow-moving vehicle situations, it was found that four-way flashers are effective at reducing the inherent danger. In the disabled situation, it was found that approaching motorists slow down sooner and slow down more when flashers are displayed. In the slow-moving situation, it was found that drivers of overtaking vehicles approach more cautiously and pass more carefully. In both situations flashers increase the awareness of the drivers of overtaking vehicles

Safety Aspects of Using Vehicle Hazard Warning Lights: Volume 2. Final Report

DOT-FH-11-9385This report describes a series of experiments that were conducted to examine the effectiveness of four-way flashers. Both the disabled vehicle situation and the slow-moving vehicle situation were examined at two- and four-lane locations under both daylight and nighttime conditions. The disabled vehicle tests involved parking a test vehicle (either a car or a tractor-trailer) at the side of the road and monitoring the behavior of drivers. The slow-moving vehicle tests involved introducing a staged slow-moving vehicle (either a car or a tractor-trailer) into the traffic stream and observing the overtaking vehicles. At the disabled vehicle, red and amber four-way flashers as well as flares, reflectorized triangles, headlights, and other situational factors were evaluated. For the slow-moving vehicle tests, the effects of red and amber flashers as well as a 30 and 40 mph (48.3 and 64.4 kph) slow-moving vehicle were examined. For both the disabled and the slow-moving vehicle situations, it was found that four-way flashers are effective at reducing the inherent danger. In the disabled situation, it was found that approaching motorists slow down sooner and slow down more when flashers are displayed. In the slow-moving situation, it was found that drivers of overtaking vehicles approach more cautiously and pass more carefully. In both situations flashers increase the awareness of the drivers of overtaking vehicles

Bioinformatics and the politics of innovation in the life sciences: Science and the state in the United Kingdom, China, and India

The governments of China, India, and the United Kingdom are unanimous in their belief that bioinformatics should supply the link between basic life sciences research and its translation into health benefits for the population and the economy. Yet at the same time, as ambitious states vying for position in the future global bioeconomy they differ considerably in the strategies adopted in pursuit of this goal. At the heart of these differences lies the interaction between epistemic change within the scientific community itself and the apparatus of the state. Drawing on desk-based research and thirty-two interviews with scientists and policy makers in the three countries, this article analyzes the politics that shape this interaction. From this analysis emerges an understanding of the variable capacities of different kinds of states and political systems to work with science in harnessing the potential of new epistemic territories in global life sciences innovation

The negative influence of the entrepreneur’s level of higher education on the attractiveness of European SMEs as alliance partners in Brazil: the role of practical experience and international entrepreneurial orientation

Notwithstanding the contemporary relevance of alliance strategies for SME internationalisation, especially in the case of uncertain business environments, few studies have investigated human resource issues in the context of SMEs prior to alliance formation. Even more scarce are studies looking at the impact of a manager/entrepreneur’s characteristics on pre-alliance formation, despite recognition of the expected crucial role of the entrepreneur in this context and of the strong connection between an entrepreneur and their SME. Drawing on international entrepreneurship theory and empirical observations from an exploratory study, we propose a post hoc conceptual model. The exploratory empirical part of our study employs a sample of entrepreneurs from biotechnology SMEs in the United Kingdom and Germany intending to ally in a large emerging market (i.e. Brazil). Our empirical observations suggest an anomalous (at first glance) negative association between the entrepreneur’s level of higher education (a construct at the individual level) and the attractiveness of the SME as a partner firm vis-à-vis alliance formation (a construct at the firm level). Our post hoc model emphasises the role of practical experience and the corresponding levels of international entrepreneurial orientation as theorised variables mediating the observed empirical relationship. We develop theoretical propositions, and suggest practical implications and future research directions

[Molecular genetic and genomic approaches to studying evolution and adaptation in birds] Молекулярно-генетические и геномные подходы к изучению эволюции и адаптации птиц

The review summarizes information on the advances in molecular genetic and genomic approaches to elucidate the main points in the evolutionary history of birds (class Aves) adapted to a wide variety of habitats. В обзоре обобщены сведения о возможностях молекулярно-генетических и геномных подходов для выяснения основных моментов в эволюционной истории птиц (класс Aves), адаптированных к самым разнообразным условиям обитания

The sacred and the profane: biotechnology, rationality, and public debate

Davies G, 2006. The definitive, peer-reviewed and edited version of this article is published in Environment and Planning A, 38(3), pp. 423 – 443 DOI: 10.1068/a37387This paper explores the forms of argumentation employed by participants in a recent public engagement process in the United Kingdom around new technologies for organ transplantation, with specific reference to xenotransplantation and stem-cell research. Two forms of reasoning recur throughout participants’ deliberations which challenge specialist framing of this issue. First, an often scatological humour and sense of the profane are evident in the ways in which participants discuss the bodily transformations that such technologies demand. Second, a sense of the sacred, in which new biotechnologies are viewed as against nature or in which commercial companies are ‘playing god’, is a repetitive and well-recognised concern. Such forms of reasoning are frequently dismissed by policymakers as ‘uninformed gut reactions’. Yet they also form a significant part of the repertoire of scientists themselves as they proclaim the hope of new medical breakthroughs, or seek to reconstruct ideas of the body to facilitate new biotechnological transformations. Through questioning of assumptions in Habermas’s notion of discourse ethics, and exploring the importance of hybridity and corporeality as concepts in ethical thinking, the author suggests that, far from being ill-formed opinions, such reasonings perform an important function for thinking through the ontological significance of the corporealisation of these proposed new forms of human and animal bodies

[Genomic assessment of breeding bulls] Геномная оценка племенных быков

The review considers aspects of genomic assessment of breeding bulls based on the use of molecular genetic markers and, in particular, SNP markers for determining the breeding value of animals. В обзоре рассмотрены аспекты геномной оценки племенных быков на основе использования молекулярно-генетических маркеров и, в частности, SNP-маркеров для определения племенной ценности животных

Roles of Dicer-Like Proteins 2 and 4 in Intra- and Intercellular Antiviral Silencing

RNA silencing is an innate antiviral mechanism conserved in organisms across kingdoms. Such cellular defense involves DICER or DICER-LIKEs (DCLs) that process viral RNAs into small interfering (vsi)RNAs. Plants encode four DCLs which play diverse roles in cell-autonomous virus-induced RNA silencing (known as VIGS) against viral invasion. However, intracellular VIGS can spread between cells, and the genetic basis and involvement of vsiRNAs in non-cell autonomous VIGS remains poorly understood. Here using GFP as a reporter gene together with a suite of DCL RNAi transgenic lines, we show that in addition to well-established activities of DCLs in intracellular VIGS and vsiRNA biogenesis, DCL4 inhibits intercellular VIGS whilst DCL2 is required, likely along with DCL2-processed/dependent vsiRNAs and their precursor RNAs, for efficient VIGS trafficking from epidermal to adjacent cells. DCL4 imposed an epistatic effect on DCL2 to impede cell-to-cell spread of VIGS. Our results demonstrate previously unknown functions for DCL2 and DCL4 which may form a dual defensive frontier for intra- and intercellular silencing to double-protect cells from virus infection in Nicotiana benthamiana

[Towards advanced biotechnological developments to realize the genetic potential of egg-type poultry] Направления современных биотехнологических разработок для реализации генетического потенциала яичной птицы

Realization of the genetic potential of laying hens makes it feasible to achieve the maximum possible yield of egg products against, while using effective feed compositions and various feed additives. Implementation of molecular genetic technologies for the analysis of intestinal microbiota and the expression of key genes for productivity and resistance is an important tool in studying mechanisms of the effects of feed preparations on microorganism of birds. Within the framework of the project for the development of modern biotechnologies to assess gene expression, we carried out an experiment to assess influence of human recombinant interferon alpha-2b on the expression of genes for productivity and immunity in laying hens. A positive effect of the additive on the immune system of birds and the effectiveness of molecular genetic technologies for assessing the expression of key genes and the use of the studied additives in feeding of egg-type poultry have been shown. Реализация генетического потенциала кур-несушек позволяет достигать максимально возможный выход яичной продукции на фоне применения эффективных композиций кормов и различных кормовых добавок. Внедрение молекулярно-генетических технологий для анализа микробиоты кишечника и экспрессии ключевых генов продуктивности и резистентности является важным инструментом в исследовании механизмов воздействия кормовых препаратов на макроорганизм птицы. В рамках проекта по разработке современных биотехнологий для оценки экспрессии генов нами осуществлен эксперимент по изучению человеческого рекомбинантного интерферона альфа-2b на экспрессию генов продуктивности и иммунитета у кур-несушек. Показаны положительное влияние препарата на иммунную систему птиц и эффективность молекулярно-генетических технологий для оценки экспрессии ключевых генов и использования изучаемых добавок в кормлении яичной птицы

Predicting tissue specific cis-regulatory modules in the human genome using pairs of co-occurring motifs

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Researchers seeking to unlock the genetic basis of human physiology and diseases have been studying gene transcription regulation. The temporal and spatial patterns of gene expression are controlled by mainly non-coding elements known as cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) and epigenetic factors. CRMs modulating related genes share the regulatory signature which consists of transcription factor (TF) binding sites (TFBSs). Identifying such CRMs is a challenging problem due to the prohibitive number of sequence sets that need to be analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We formulated the challenge as a supervised classification problem even though experimentally validated CRMs were not required. Our efforts resulted in a software system named CrmMiner. The system mines for CRMs in the vicinity of related genes. CrmMiner requires two sets of sequences: a mixed set and a control set. Sequences in the vicinity of the related genes comprise the mixed set, whereas the control set includes random genomic sequences. CrmMiner assumes that a large percentage of the mixed set is made of background sequences that do not include CRMs. The system identifies pairs of closely located motifs representing vertebrate TFBSs that are enriched in the training mixed set consisting of 50% of the gene loci. In addition, CrmMiner selects a group of the enriched pairs to represent the tissue-specific regulatory signature. The mixed and the control sets are searched for candidate sequences that include any of the selected pairs. Next, an optimal Bayesian classifier is used to distinguish candidates found in the mixed set from their control counterparts. Our study proposes 62 tissue-specific regulatory signatures and putative CRMs for different human tissues and cell types. These signatures consist of assortments of ubiquitously expressed TFs and tissue-specific TFs. Under controlled settings, CrmMiner identified known CRMs in noisy sets up to 1:25 signal-to-noise ratio. CrmMiner was 21-75% more precise than a related CRM predictor. The sensitivity of the system to locate known human heart enhancers reached up to 83%. CrmMiner precision reached 82% while mining for CRMs specific to the human CD4⁺T cells. On several data sets, the system achieved 99% specificity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest that CrmMiner predictions are accurate and likely to be tissue-specific CRMs. We expect that the predicted tissue-specific CRMs and the regulatory signatures broaden our knowledge of gene transcription regulation.</p