DEVELOPMENT OF VIRTUAL EVENT MARKETING

In the last few years the Pichia pastoris expression system has been gaining more and more interest for the expression of recombinant proteins. Many groups have employed fermentation technology in their investigations because the system is fairly easy to scale up and suitable for the production in the milligram to gram range. A large number of heterologous proteins from different sources has been expressed, but the fermentation process technology has been investigated to a lesser extent. A large number of fermentations are carried out in standard bioreactors that may be insufficiently equipped to meet the demands of high-cell-density fermentations of methylotrophic yeasts. In particular, the lack of on-line methanol analysis leads to fermentation protocols that may impair the optimal expression of the desired products. We have used a commercially available methanol sensor to investigate in detail the effects of supplementary glycerol feeding while maintaining a constant methanol concentration during the induction of a Mut+ strain of Pichia pastoris. Specific glycerol feed rates in the range of 38-4.2 mg × g(exp -1) × h(exp -1) (mg glycerol per gram fresh weight per hour) were investigated. Expression of the recombinant scFv antibody fragment was only observed at specific feed rates below 6 mg × g(exp -1) × h(exp -1). At low specific feed rates, growth was even lower than with methanol as the sole carbon source and the harvest expression level of the scFv was only half of that found in the control fermentation. These results show that glycerol inhibits expression driven by the AOX1 promoter even at extremely limited availability and demonstrate the benefits of on-line methanol control in Pichia fermentation research

Herbicide-Resistant Soybeans in Arkansas: Lessons Learned and Future Direction

In Arkansas Delta soybean production, glyphosate resistant (GR) Palmer amaranth has significantly impacted weed management. The incidence of herbicide resistant (HR) weeds has farreaching crop science, economic, and communications implications, which have been explored by the corresponding expertise of our research team members to form a comprehensive literature review. The review was used to develop policy recommendations to address current and future HR genetically modified (GM) crop use and the associated issues. The review of crop science research indicated an overall increase in herbicide application, as well as an increase in weed management programs focused around glyphosate rather than the application of multiple herbicides. The review also revealed some management methods have potential to resolve the problem, including alternating herbicide application, avoiding sub-lethal rates, using “burn down” herbicides prior to planting, crop rotation, tillage, and zero tolerance weed policies. The use of fewer herbicides rather than multiple types creates a monopolistic edge for the companies producing those few herbicides, allowing greater market control. Crisis communication methods, including developing internal readiness, conducting needs assessments, developing a relevant message, and conveying the message through appropriate channels, can be used to develop a response to the issue that will best communicate necessary information to the target audience. The team used these findings to formulate policy recommendations, which include management, economic, and communication plans that may provide a starting point to address the issue

Evaluation of Services Our Way

An evaluation of Services Our Way, a NSW Government service model designed to build the capacity of Aboriginal people to have greater access to mainstream and disability services and encourage self-directed support. Overview Services Our Way is a NSW Government service model designed to build the capacity of Aboriginal people to have greater access to mainstream and disability services and encourage self-directed support. The Social Policy Research Centre was commissioned to evaluate the Services Our Way pilot in Nowra, New South Wales, and did so through interviews with families and service providers. Services Our Way had positive impacts on Aboriginal people with disability and their families. The program helped Aboriginal people access a range of services, meeting immediate priorities of the families. The program was successful in engaging with the Aboriginal community using a culturally appropriate approach – an approach which could be shared with other staff and services to improve the appropriateness of service delivery more broadly. Through the program, families were able to access support and services to participate in social, economic and cultural activities, that helped strengthen and support community and social relationships. The evaluation could not determine the degree to which families transitioned to mainstream services – the research found that families had urgent needs to be met prior to transitioning to other services. The Services Our Way program in Nowra was a pilot, which developed from the initial concept in response to local needs. The evaluation identifies a range of issues in providing person centred approaches to Aboriginal people with disability and their families and communities which should influence the future directions under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).&nbsp

Making the most of community energies:Three perspectives on grassroots innovation

Grassroots innovations for sustainability are attracting increasing policy attention. Drawing upon a wide range of empirical research into community energy in the UK, and taking recent support from national government as a case study, we apply three distinct analytical perspectives: strategic niche management; niche policy advocacy; and critical niches. Whilst the first and second perspectives appear to explain policy influence in grassroots innovation adequately, each also shuts out more transformational possibilities. We therefore argue that, if grassroots innovation is to realise its full potential, then we need to also pursue a third, critical niches perspective, and open up debate about more socially transformative pathways to sustainability

Depressed youth, suicidality and antidepressants

The document attached has been archived with permission from the editor of the Medical Journal of Australia. An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Robert D Goldney, Peter R Mansfield, Melissa K Raven, Jon N Jureidini, Joseph M Rey, Michael J Dudley, Duncan Toplis

What Influences the Diffusion of Grassroots Innovations for Sustainability? Investigating Community Currency Niches

Community action for sustainability is a promising site of socio-technical innovation. Here we test the applicability of co-evolutionary niche theories of innovation diffusion (Strategic Niche Management, SNM) to the context of ‘grassroots innovations’. We present new empirical findings from an international study of 12 community currency niches (such as LETS, time banks, local currencies). These are parallel systems of exchange, designed to operate alongside mainstream money, meeting additional sustainability needs. Our findings confirm SNM predictions that niche-level activity correlates with diffusion success, but we highlight additional or confounding factors, and how niche theories might be adapted to better fit civil-society innovations. In so doing, we develop a model of grassroots innovation niche diffusion which builds on existing work and tailors it to this specific context. The paper concludes with a series of theoretically-informed recommendations for practitioners and policymakers to support the development and potential of grassroots innovations

Effect of short chain fatty acids on the expression of free fatty acid receptor 2 (Ffar2), Ffar3 and early-stage adipogenesis

Adipose tissue has a major influence on insulin sensitivity. Stimulation of free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFAR2) has been proposed to influence adipocyte differentiation. We hypothesised that exposing preadipocytes to short chain fatty acids would induce earlier expression of nuclear receptors that co-ordinate adipogenesis, triglyceride accumulation and leptin secretion. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were differentiated in the presence of 1 μM acetate, 0.1–10 μM propionate or vehicle control. In experiment 1, expression of Ffar2 and nuclear receptor mRNA was measured by quantitative PCR over 48 h following onset of differentiation. In experiment 2, extracellular leptin concentration and intracellular triglyceride content were measured at days 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 following the onset of differentiation. Control cells exhibited similar temporal dynamics of gene expression, triglyceride accumulation and leptin secretion as reported previously. We were unable to detect expression of Ffar3 mRNA at any stage of differentiation. Consistent with a lack of Ffar2 expression in the first 24 h of differentiation, acetate and propionate had no significant effect on nuclear receptor expression. Furthermore, acetate or propionate treatment did not alter leptin concentration or triglyceride content. In conclusion, we observed no significant effect of propionate or acetate on adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells using validated quantitative techniques

Analisis Penyajian Laporan Keuangan Berdasarkan Sak-etap pada Koperasi Karyawan Bank Sulut Go

Laporan keuangan merupakan sarana mengkomunikasikan informasi keuangan dari hasil proses aktivitas akuntansi yang dapat membantu pengguna laporan keuangan dalam pengambilan keputusan. Standar Akuntansi Keuangan yang berlaku umum dianggap rumit untuk diterapkan pada badan usaha yang tidak memiliki akuntabilitas publik. Berdasarkan hal tersebut IAI mengeluarkan Standar Akuntansi Keuangan Entitas Tanpa Akuntabilitas Publik (SAK ETAP) yang dapat mengakomodir kebutuhan akuntansi untuk entitas yang tidak memiliki akuntabilitas publik. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis penerapan SAK ETAP pada penyajian laporan keuangan Koperasi Karyawan (Kopkar) Bank Sulut Go. Kopkar Bank Sulut Go merupakan badan usaha yang mengelola dana anggotanya dalam bentuk simpan pinjam. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah analisis deskriptif komparatif. Hasil penelitian berdasarkan pada penyajian neraca, laporan laba-rugi, laporan Perubahan ekuitas tahun 2015 dan laporan arus kas tahun 2012, menunjukkan Kopkar Bank Sulut Go belum menyajikan catatan atas laporan keuangan (CALK), adanya kesalahan dalam pengklasifikasian pos akun, serta adanya inkonsistensi dalam memperbarui laporan arus kas. Penelitian ini menyarankan agar koperasi mengungkapkan kebijakan akuntansi Perusahaan dalam CALK, memperbarui setiap komponen laporan keuangan, dan mempekerjakan karyawan yang terampil di bidang akuntansi. Kata kunci: Laporan Keuangan, SAK ETAP