Characterization of the Transcriptional Properties of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus.

The transcriptional properties of equine infectious anemia virus were examined in two distinct equine cell lines in which the virus establishes either a persistent or a cytopathic infection. Northern hybridization analyses were performed to determine the number, sizes, and relative levels of the EIAV transcripts encoded during persistent or cytopathic infections. Three species of viral mRNA were detected in infected cells: an 8.2-kb full-length genomic mRNA, a 3.5-kb single-spliced mRNA, and a low abundance 1.5-kb mRNA, presumably formed by a double-splicing event of the full-length mRNA. Analysis of the levels of EIAV-specific RNA\u27s present during persistent and cytopathic infections has revealed that quantitative differences characterize the transcriptional patterns of EIAV in these two infections. In persistently infected FEK cells the 8.2- and 3.5-kb mRNA\u27s are the predominant viral transcripts and are detected in approximately equal concentrations, while the 1.5-kb mRNA is detected at very low levels. During the cytopathic infection of FDD cells, however, the 3.5-kb mRNA is the predominant viral transcript, comprising nearly 75% of the total viral mRNA, while the 8.2- and 1.5-kb mRNA\u27s constitute the remaining 25% of viral transcripts. Moreover, the cytopathic infection is characterized by almost a thirty-fold higher level of viral transcripts than those detected during the persistent infection. The splicing patterns of the full-length EIAV mRNA during the cytopathic infection were determined by cDNA cloning and sequencing, Northern hybridization analyses using splice donor-specific oligonucleotide probes, and S1 nuclease mapping of RNA from virus-infected cells. The results have identified the splice donor and acceptor sites used to generate the spliced mRNA\u27s of EIAV in infected cells. The expression of a putative regulatory protein of EIAV from a structural viral gene was investigated by analysis of in vitro and in vivo expression products. In vitro transcription and translation along with in vivo expression in transfected COS-7 cells were used to analyze the expression of the viral env gene. Based on the results of these studies, a potential mechanism for co-expression of two separate proteins from the env mRNA is proposed

Experimental and Finite Element Study of Residual Stresses in Zircaloy-4(r) and OFHC Copper Tubes.

Non-homogeneous plastic deformation associated with metal-forming operations results in a state of residual stress in the final product. Complete evaluation of the mechanical behavior of the product under operating condition requires a knowledge of these stresses. In order to evaluate the magnitude and distribution of residual stresses, existing experimental techniques are complemented by computer-aided simulation of the forming process using elastic-plastic finite element method (FEM). It is found the FEM can be effectively utilized to simulate metal-forming operations in order to determine the combination of process variables which optimizes the residual stress distribution in the final product. In the experimental phase of this study, residual stress distribution in Zr-4(R) and copper tubes is determined by electropolishing the outer(or inner) surface of the tubes while measuring the developed strains at the inner(or outer) surface. Material removal by electropolishing proved to be an efficient and suitable technique due to its constant mass removal rate under conditions which do not alter the pattern of residual stresses in the specimen. In the case of Zr-4(R) specimens, experiments were conducted on the as-received(stress relieved) as well as specimens annealed at 500 C for one hour. The effect of various degrees of cold working on the residual stress patterns of drawn copper tubing is determined by performing similar experiments on soft, 1/4-hard, 1/2-hard, and hard temper OFHC copper specimens. In the second phase of this investigation, an elasticplastic finite-element code (ABAQUS) is employed in a parametric study to determine the optimum processing conditions for drawing copper tubes. Various die/plug angles along with different area reductions are considered to simulate the drawing process. Comparison of the simulation results yields that for a given area reduction, there exists a specific combination of die and plug angles which minimizes the drawing stress. The results demonstrate that the magnitude and distribution of residual stresses are greatly influenced by the die and plug angles. It is concluded that proper selection of theses parameters increases the efficiency of the drawing process, enhances the integrity of the final product; all resulting in greater productivity and reduction in the operating costs

Kurdish Optical Character Recognition

Currently, no offline tool is available for Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in Kurdish. Kurdish is spoken in different dialects and uses several scripts for writing. The Persian/Arabic script is widely used among these dialects. The Persian/Arabic script is written from Right to Left (RTL), it is cursive, and it uses unique diacritics. These features, particularly the last two, affect the segmentation stage in developing a Kurdish OCR. In this article, we introduce an enhanced character segmentation based method which addresses the mentioned characteristics. We applied the method to text-only images and tested the Kurdish OCR using documents of different fonts, font sizes, and image resolutions. The results of the experiments showed that the accuracy rate of character recognition of the proposed method was 90.82% on average

From Melanocyte to Metastatic Malignant Melanoma

Malignant melanoma is one of the most aggressive malignancies in human and is responsible for almost 60% of lethal skin tumors. Its incidence has been increasing in white population in the past two decades. There is a complex interaction of environmental (exogenous) and endogenous, including genetic, risk factors in developing malignant melanoma. 8–12% of familial melanomas occur in a familial setting related to mutation of the CDKN2A gene that encodes p16. The aim of this is to briefly review the microanatomy and physiology of the melanocytes, epidemiology, risk factors, clinical presentation, historical classification and histopathology and, more in details, the most recent discoveries in biology and genetics of malignant melanoma. At the end, the final version of 2009 AJCC malignant melanoma staging and classification is presented

Pengaruh Investment Opportunity Set, Cash Holding, Ukuran Perusahaan, dan Struktur Modal Terhadap Nilai Perusahaan

Penelitian ini mengambil judul: “Pengaruh Investment Opportunity Set, Cash Holding, Ukuran Perusahaan, dan Struktur Modal terhadap Nilai Perusahaan”. Masalah pada penelitian ini yaitu adanya penurunan nilai perusahaan yang signifikan pada perusahaan sub sektor makanan dan minuman di Bursa Efek Indonesia selama lima tahun terakhir. Melihat dari permasalahan penelitian maka perusahaan sub sektor makanan dan minuman yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia tahun 2018-2022 dijadikan sebagai objek penelitian. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis pengaruh investment opportunity set, cash holding, ukuran perusahaan, dan struktur modal terhadap nilai perusahaan. Pendekatan kuantitatif digunakan dalam penelitian ini. Data pada penelitian ini diperoleh melalui laporan tahunan perusahaan terkait yang terpublikasi di situs web Bursa Efek Indonesia maupun situs web resmi setiap perusahaan. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah seluruh perusahaan sub sektor makanan dan minuman yang terdaftar di BEI tahun 2018-2022. Sampel yang diambil sebanyak 42 perusahaan. Teknik purposive sampling digunakan dalam penentuan sampel penelitian. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dan analisis data menggunakan Fixed Effect Model (FEM) dan diolah melalui perangkat lunak Eviews 12 menunjukkan bahwa: (1) Investment opportunity set berpengaruh positif terhadap nilai perusahaan, (2) Cash holding berpengaruh negatif terhadap nilai perusahaan, (3) Ukuran perusahaan berpengaruh positif terhadap nilai perusahaan, (4) Struktur modal berpengaruh negatif terhadap nilai perusahaan. Impikasi dari kesimpulan di atas, yaitu dalam upaya meningkatkan nilai perusahaan, investment opportunity set yang dimiliki perusahaan harus tetap diperhatikan dan ditingkatkan. Peningkatan kemampuan perusahaan untuk memanfaatkan peluang investasi akan meningkatkan kepercayaan investor dan minat pasar terhadap saham sehingga nilai perusahaan akan mengalami peningkatan. Selain itu, ukuran perusahaan juga memainkan peran penting dalam menarik minat investor dan meningkatkan nilai perusahaan. Perusahaan harus mempertimbangkan strategi untuk meningkatkan ukuran mereka, baik melalui pertumbuhan organik maupun akuisisi, untuk meningkatkan nilai perusahaan. Penelitian ini juga menyoroti pentingnya manajemen kas yang efisien. Meskipun memiliki cadangan kas cukup penting untuk kestabilan keuangan, namun penelitian menunjukkan bahwa memiliki terlalu banyak kas dapat mengurangi nilai perusahaan. Perusahaan perlu mempertimbangkan kebijakan manajemen kas yang tepat untuk menghindari penumpukan kas yang tidak produktif. Selain manajemen kas, manajemen struktur modal juga penting karena hal ini menjadi kunci dalam menjaga kestabilan keuangan perusahaan. Dengan memperhatikan risiko yang terkait dengan peningkatan utang, perusahaan harus berhati-hati dalam memutuskan rasio utangnya. Kebijakan yang seimbang antara utang dan ekuitas akan membantu perusahaan menghindari risiko kebangkrutan dan meningkatkan kepercayaan investor sehingga dapat meningkatkan nilai perusahaan

Kajian Transformasi Bentuk dan Fungsi Alun-alun Bandung sebagai Ruang Terbuka Publik

Alun-alun as public open space has undergone several changes in form and function since the 1800 s/d changes in 2014. The purpose of this study was to determine the changes that occur in the form aspect which includes elements forming an open space consisting of parks, green belt of the city, field, garden furniture and pedestrian pathways and open space typology and aspects of functioning which includes administrative and socio- cultural functions. The method used is the study of literature, interviews and field observations. Transformation in the form of analysis by processing images into scalable and transformation function estimates in the analysis based on the deformation that occurs, due to changes in the shape also affects changes in the function of Alun alun Bandung as public open space. The results of the study changes in the shape and function transformation occurred 7 times change

IMPLEMENTASI PENGAMPUNAN PAJAK (TAX AMNESTY), UNDANG-UNDANG PERPAJAKAN, DAN SANKSI PERPAJAKAN TERHADAP KEPATUHAN WAJIB PAJAK ORANG PRIBADI DI KPP BANDAR LAMPUNG

The objectives in this study are as follows: The formulation of the problem in this study are as follows: determine the implementation of tax amnesty affecting tax laws in Bandar Lampung KPP, determine the implementation of tax amnesty through tax laws affecting sanctions taxation at the Bandar Lampung KPP, determine taxation laws affect taxation sanctions at Bandar Lampung KPP, determine taxation laws affect individual taxpayer compliance at Bandar Lampung KPP, determine taxation laws through tax sanctions affect individual taxpayer compliance, determining taxation taxation affects the compliance of individual taxpayers, determining implementation (tax amnesty) and tax laws through tax penalties affecting the compliance of individual taxpayers. The methodology in this study is the validity test, reliability test, normality and path analysis. The results of the study are as follows: Structural Equation 1 being as follows: Z = 0.518Y + €, Structural Equation 2 being as follows: Y = -0.034 X1 + 1,947 X2 + € 1, Structural Equation 3 being as follows: Y = 0.143X2 + € 2, Structural Equation 4 being as follows: Z = 0,150Y + € 3, Structural Equation 5 being as follows: Z = 0,986Y + € 4, Structural Equation 6 being as follows: Z = 0,003X1 + 0,986Y + € 5, The structural equation 7 becomes as follows: Z = -0.002X1 + 0.010X2 + 0.982Y + € 6. Keyword - Tax Amnesty, Taxation Law, Tax Sanction, Personal Taxpayer Compliance

The anti-rheumatic drug, leflunomide, synergizes with MEK inhibition to suppress melanoma growth

Cutaneous melanoma, which develops from the pigment producing cells called melanocytes, is the most deadly form of skin cancer. Unlike the majority of other cancers, the incidence rates of melanoma are still on the rise and the treatment options currently available are being hindered by resistance, limited response rates and adverse toxicity. We have previously shown that an FDA approved drug leflunomide, used for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), also holds potential therapeutic value in treating melanoma especially if used in combination with the mutant BRAF inhibitor, vemurafenib. We have further characterized the function of leflunomide and show that the drug reduces the number of viable cells in both wild-type and BRAFV600E mutant melanoma cell lines. Further experiments have revealed leflunomide reduces cell proliferation and causes cells to arrest in G1 of the cell cycle. Cell death assays show leflunomide causes apoptosis at treatment concentrations of 25 and 50 μM. To determine if leflunomide could be used combinatorialy with other anti-melanoma drugs, it was tested in combination with the MEK inhibitor, selumetinib. This combination showed a synergistic effect in the cell lines tested. This drug combination led to an enhanced decrease in tumor size when tested in vivo compared to either drug alone, demonstrating its potential as a novel combinatorial therapy for melanoma

Differential Changes in QTc Duration during In-Hospital Haloperidol Use

Aims: To evaluate changes in QT duration during low-dose haloperidol use, and determine associations between clinical variables and potentially dangerous QT prolongation. Methods: In a retrospective cohort study in a tertiary university teaching hospital in The Netherlands, all 1788 patients receiving haloperidol between 2005 and 2007 were studied; ninety-seven were suitable for final analysis. Rate-corrected QT duration (QTc) was measured before, during and after haloperidol use. Clinical variables before haloperidol use and at the time of each ECG recording were retrieved from hospital charts. Mixed model analysis was used to estimate changes in QT duration. Risk factors for potentially dangerous QT prolongation were estimated by logistic regression analysis. Results: Patients with normal before-haloperidol QTc duration (male <= 430 ms, female <= 450 ms) had a significant increase in QTc duration of 23 ms during haloperidol use; twenty-three percent of patients rose to abnormal levels (male >= 450 ms, female >= 470 ms). In contrast, a significant decrease occurred in patients with borderline (male 430-450 ms, female 450-470 ms) or abnormal before-haloperidol QTc duration (15 ms and 46 ms, respectively); twenty-three percent of patients in the borderline group, and only 9% of patients in the abnormal group obtained abnormal levels. Potentially dangerous QTc prolongation was independently associated with surgery before haloperidol use (OR(adj) 34.9, p = 0.009) and before-haloperidol QTc duration (OR(adj) 0.94, p = 0.004). Conclusion: QTc duration during haloperidol use changes differentially, increasing in patients with normal before-haloperidol QTc duration, but decreasing in patients with prolonged before-haloperidol QTc duration. Shorter before-haloperidol QTc duration and surgery before haloperidol use predict potentially dangerous QTc prolongatio