Modelling SIP Services using CRESS

CRESS (CHISEL Representation Employing Systematic Specification) is a notation and set of tools for graphical specification and analysis of services. It is applicable wherever a system consists of base functionality to which may be added selected services. The CRESS notation is introduced for root diagrams, service diagrams, and rules governing their behaviour. It is shown how CRESS can represent services in SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). For analysis, service diagrams can be automatically translated into LOTOS (Language Of Temporal Ordering Specification) or SDL (Specification and Description Language). For scripting, translation is into CPL (Call Processing Language) or CGI (Common Gateway Interface). The structure of the portable CRESS toolset is explained

Base Grouting Case Studies Including Full Scale Comparative Load Testing

Base grouting is becoming more widely promoted in the drilled shaft industry as a means to improve shaft response to load. There are a limited number of full-scale field comparisons of test shafts which have been base grouted and adjacent test shafts which have not. This paper presents several case histories of full-scale static load test shafts as well as the results of the tests conducted on adjacent shafts with and without base grouting. The paper compares six pairs of adjacent grouted and ungrouted shafts on 5 separate projects in various parts of the United States. All tests were performed using the Osterberg cell (O-cell) test method. The comparisons yielded some intriguing results. In some cases the results matched theory quite well and showed some improvement to stiffness and overall capacity. In other cases this was not the case. Among other conclusions, the paper illustrates the need for further load testing and research to better understanding how drilled shaft capacity is affected by base grouting, particularly how the capacity is affected by technique, methods and quality control in various materials

Determinants of short-period heart rate variability in the general population

Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) is associated with a worse prognosis in a variety of diseases and disorders. We evaluated the determinants of short-period HRV in a random sample of 149 middle-aged men and 137 women from the general population. Spectral analysis was used to compute low-frequency (LF), high-frequency (HF) and total-frequency power. HRV showed a strong inverse association with age and heart rate in both sexes with a more pronounced effect of heart rate on HRV in women. Age and heart rate-adjusted LF was significantly higher in men and HF higher in women. Significant negative correlations of BMI, triglycerides, insulin and positive correlations of HDL cholesterol with LF and total power occurred only in men. In multivariate analyses, heart rate and age persisted as prominent independent predictors of HRV. In addition, BMI was strongly negatively associated with LF in men but not in women, We conclude that the more pronounced vagal influence in cardiac regulation in middle-aged women and the gender-different influence of heart rate and metabolic factors on HRV may help to explain the lower susceptibility of women for cardiac arrhythmias. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel

Sport & Nation in den Medien - am Beispiel EM 2008

Diese Magisterarbeit beschäftigt sich mit Erscheinungsformen des Nationalen und der Verarbeitung von Niederlagen in der Sportberichterstattung österreichischer Tageszeitungen. Die theoretischen Eckpfeiler sind einerseits das Verständnis von Nation als Imagined Community und die relationale Sozialwissenschaft, die Gruppen (und Nationen) als durch die Dynamiken zwischen sozialen Feldern geformt ansieht. Andererseits wird der Sport als Mittel, eine nationale Gruppe zu reproduzieren aufgefasst. Massenmedien werden als Vermittler in diesem Prozess angesehen – wenn sie mit Niederlagen konfrontiert sind, lassen sich zwei idealtypische Zugänge dazu identifizieren: kognitiv (Verweis auf Kompetenzmangel und Möglichkeit, aus Scheitern zu lernen) und normativ (Verweis auf Devianz mit begrenzten Lernmöglichkeiten). Anhand der Männerfußball-EM 2008 im Juni 2008 wird die die Berichterstattung fünf österreichischer Tageszeitungen („Der Standard“, „Heute“, „Kronen Zeitung“, „Kurier“, „Österreich“) qualitativ analysiert. Ziel der für diese Magisterarbeit aus dem „Thematischen Kodieren“ von Uwe Flick und der „Zusammenfassenden Inhaltsanalyse“ von Philipp Mayring entwickelten Methode ist es, in sechs Arbeitsschritten aus den Zeitungsartikeln ein Kategoriensystem zu entwickeln, mit dessen Hilfe Hypothesen (eine quantitative Testung findet in dieser Magisterarbeit nicht statt) über mögliche Zusammenhänge zwischen Erscheinungsformen des Nationalen und den verschiedenen Verarbeitungsmodi von Scheitern generiert werden können. Die zwei möglichen Trennlinien bzw. Zusammenhänge in der Sportberichterstattung, die mittels dieser Analyse hypostasiert werden können, sind: Medien, die keinen normativen Zugang aufweisen, verzichten auch auf die diskursive Konstruktion eines „nationalen Schulterschlusses“ und auf die Reproduktion nationaler Symbole (und betonen dafür häufiger externe Faktoren). Und: Medien, die auch einen kognitiven Zugang aufweisen, zeigen auch kritische Elemente im Umgang mit Vergangenheit und nationalen Kontinuitäten und verzichten auf Militarismen und die Konstruktion einer nationalen Gemeinschaft durch Wir-Formulierungen

Eustache Deschamps\u27 \u3ci\u3e L\u27art de dictier \u3c/i\u3e

L\u27Art de dictier, written in 1392 by the prolific courtier-poet Eustache Deschamps, is the first ars poetica ever written in French. It provides invaluable insights into medieval poetics as perceived by a respected medieval poet. L\u27Art de dictier is composed of two sections: a brief introductory liberal arts treatise and a prescriptive poetics devoted to the lyric. In the introduction, music is divided into two sub-categories. Deschamps calls instrumental music artificial music because he feels it can be taught to anyone. Natural music, in contrast, is poetry, for only those who are inspired to compose it can do so. Since Deschamps was the disciple of the great poet-musician Guillaume de Machaut, it is not surprising that Deschamps linked poetry with music; however, Deschamps felt strongly that natural music was superior to artificial music and might even be better performed without it. Although a long history of artes poeticae precede it, L\u27Art de dictier is related to neither the Latin nor the vernacular tradition. Since L\u27Art de dictier treats lyric poetry, it is, however, more fruitfully compared with the Old Provencal prescriptive treatises (e.g. Las Leys d\u27amor, the Razos de trobar and the Regles de trobar). Comparison with Dante\u27s De Vulgari eloquentia also yields valuable insights. L\u27Art de dictier was last edited by the Societe des Anciens Textes Francais in 1878. A new edition was therefore necessary. Textual variants have been noted and a glossary prepared, as well as extensive annotations. Since it had never been translated into any modern language, L\u27Art de dictier has been translated here

Dysferlin Interacts with Tubulin and Microtubules in Mouse Skeletal Muscle

Dysferlin is a type II transmembrane protein implicated in surface membrane repair in muscle. Mutations in dysferlin lead to limb girdle muscular dystrophy 2B, Miyoshi Myopathy and distal anterior compartment myopathy. Dysferlin's mode of action is not well understood and only a few protein binding partners have thus far been identified. Using affinity purification followed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, we identified alpha-tubulin as a novel binding partner for dysferlin. The association between dysferlin and alpha-tubulin, as well as between dysferlin and microtubules, was confirmed in vitro by glutathione S-transferase pulldown and microtubule binding assays. These interactions were confirmed in vivo by co-immunoprecipitation. Confocal microscopy revealed that dysferlin and alpha-tubulin co-localized in the perinuclear region and in vesicular structures in myoblasts, and along thin longitudinal structures reminiscent of microtubules in myotubes. We mapped dysferlin's alpha-tubulin-binding region to its C2A and C2B domains. Modulation of calcium levels did not affect dysferlin binding to alpha-tubulin, suggesting that this interaction is calcium-independent. Our studies identified a new binding partner for dysferlin and suggest a role for microtubules in dysferlin trafficking to the sarcolemma

Helicobacter pylori infection, serum pepsinogens as markers of atrophic gastritis, and leukocyte telomere length : a population-based study

Background: Persistent infections that induce prolonged inflammation might negatively affect the leukocyte telomere length (LTL); however, the role in LTL of Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) infection, which persistently colonizes the stomach, remains unknown. The study objective was to examine associations of sero-prevalence of H. pyloriimmunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody and serum pepsinogens (PGs), as markers of atrophic gastritis, with LTL. A cross-sectional study was performed among 934 Arab residents of East Jerusalem, aged 27–78 years, randomly selected from Israel’s national population registry. Sera were tested for H. pylori IgG and PG levels by ELISA. LTL was measured by southern blots. Multiple linear regression models were fitted to adjust for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Results: LTL decreased significantly with age (p < 0.001) and was shorter in men than women (p = 0.032). The mean LTL was longer in H. pylori sero-positive persons than negative ones: mean difference 0.13 kb (95% CI 0.02, 0.24), p = 0.016. Participants with atrophic gastritis (PGI < 30 μg/L or a PGI: PGII < 3.0) had shorter LTL than did those without: mean difference − 0.18 (95% CI − 0.32, − 0.04). The difference was of larger magnitude between persons who had past H. pylori infection (sero-negative to H. pylori IgG antibody) and atrophic gastritis, compared to those who were H. pylori sero-negative and did not have atrophic gastritis: mean difference − 0.32 kb (95% CI − 0.55, − 0.10). This association remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, and religiosity: beta coefficient − 0.21 kb (95% CI − 0.41, − 0.001), p = 0.049. The results were similar after further adjustment for lifestyle factors. In bivariate analysis, mean LTL was longer in physically active persons than non-active ones, and shorter in persons with than without obesity; however, these differences were diminished and were not significant in the multivariable model. Conclusions: H. pylori IgG sero-positivity per se was not related to reduced LTL. However, persons with past H. pylori infection (i.e., lacking H. pylori IgG serum antibody) and with serological evidence of atrophic gastritis, had a significantly shorter LTL than did those without atrophic gastritis

A Morphing [4Fe-3S-nO]-Cluster within a Carbon Monoxide Dehydrogenase Scaffold

Ni,Fe-containing carbon monoxide dehydrogenases (CODHs) catalyze the reversible reduction of CO2 to CO. Several anaerobic microorganisms encode multiple CODHs in their genome, of which some, despite being annotated as CODHs, lack a cysteine of the canonical binding motif for the active site Ni,Fe-cluster. Here, we report on the structure and reactivity of such a deviant enzyme, termed CooS-VCh. Its structure reveals the typical CODH scaffold, but contains an iron-sulfur-oxo hybrid-cluster. Although closely related to true CODHs, CooS-VCh catalyzes neither CO oxidation, nor CO2 reduction. The active site of CooS-VCh undergoes a redox-dependent restructuring between a reduced [4Fe-3S]-cluster and an oxidized [4Fe-2S-S*-2O-2(H2O)]-cluster. Hydroxylamine, a slow-turnover substrate of CooS-VCh, oxidizes the hybrid-cluster in two structurally distinct steps. Overall, minor changes in CODHs are sufficient to accommodate a Fe/S/O-cluster in place of the Ni,Fe-heterocubane-cluster of CODHs