Factor Affecting Profitability: Evidence of Animal Feed Sub Sector in Indonesia from Year (2016-2017)

It is the purpose of every company to gain profit, however, in 2015 there is an indication that economy is slowing down that affecting the whole word including animal feed subsector companies in Indonesia which beg the question what is the condition of the company in the succeeding in 2016 and 2017. This study aims to analyze the factor affecting the profitability of animal feed companies listed Indonesian Stock Exchange. The study is quantitative using four companies listed at animal feed sub-sector listed from the year 2016-2017 at Indonesian Stock Exchange. The method used in this research is descriptive method, using Current Ratio for liquidity and Debt to Asset from solvability and Return on asset for profitability ratio of animal feed four companies namely, Charoen Pokphand Indonesia Tbk (CPIN), Japfa Comfeed Indonesia Tbk (JPFA), Malindo Feedmill Tbk (MAIN), and Sierra Produce Tbk (SIPD). Data analysis is done using descriptive analysis, significance test, correlation test, and regression analysis. The results showed that in terms of descriptive statistic animal feed companies has a good level of liquidity above 1 and have a debt level above the set standard of 30%. In terms of profitability, animal feed companies have good average financial ratio meaning that companies utilize assets owned efficiently to obtain profit maximally. However, the result shows that there is no significant relationship between solvability and liquidity toward profitability at animal feed companies form the year 2016-2017 at 5% and 10% significant level. Thus, the study suggests for future study to expand the sample of the study in term of year of sample and similar companies in different countries or regio

SOLVENCY CONTROLLING AND RETURN ON ASSET OF INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATIONS IN NIGERIA

The study focused on solvency controlling and return on asset of industrial organizations in Nigeria. The purpose was to assess how credit management influence return on asset of the organizations that were considered. Data were collected from published financial reports of these organizations. Data collected were analyzed using multiple regression model. Results of the analysis revealed that solvency controlling did not affect return on asset significantly; and insolvents’ turnover has insignificant though positive effect on return on asset of the studied organizations. Based on the findings, the major recommendation was that of industrial organizations in Nigeria should institute active and proficient credit policy that can take into consideration credit worthiness of clienteles which would in turn influence their return on asset. JEL: L10; L16; G10  Article visualizations

Strategic Management of Climate Change Challenges to Crop and Livestock Productions in Southern Nigeria

The study investigated strategic management of climate change challenges to crop and livestock production in Southern Nigeria which is currently being threatened by climate change effects/challenges. Crop and livestock production in this area include economic farm products that are currently facing serious climate change threats /challenges. Climate change and agricultural production literature show that the havoc caused by climate change in Nigeria suggests more frightening future threats on agriculture in Africa. This makes it imperative to evolve sustainable strategic management techniques for managing climate change challenges to crop and livestock productions that constitute major farm products in Southern Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. A total of 610 respondents comprising of 266 registered crop farmers, 266 livestock farmers and 78 agricultural extension agents were used as study sample.  A questionnaire and focus group discussion guide were the instruments used for data collection. Data were analyzed using the means, standard deviation and t-test statistics. The study revealed the Weaknesses & Threats; Strengths & Opportunities (SWOT analysis) of climate change challenges to crop and livestock productions. It was found among others that: death and low yield of crops and livestock due to drought; heat stress are Weaknesses and Threats while the Strengths and Opportunities include, adoption of species or varieties of crops and breeds of animals that are resistant to drought and heat stress as well as government intervention. It was recommended among others that agricultural scientists and researchers should focus more on developing crops and livestock species that are climate change tolerant. Key Words: Strategic Management, SWOT Analysis, Climate Change, Crop & Livestock production

A Comprehensive Approach to Improving U.S. Security Force Assistance Efforts

Security Force Assistance is analyzed, and some specific recommendations designed to improve U.S. performance are provided. While SFA may be a new term, the activities themselves are familiar ones related to how the Department of Defense works to train, advise, and assist foreign partners\u27 security establishments to accomplish common objectives. The United States has demonstrated serious SFA deficiencies in recent years. As Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has noted, the United States is likely to remain actively and broadly engaged in SFA for many years to come. The need for comprehensive improvement encompasses DoD military and civilian efforts and requires thoughtful integration with broader whole of government approaches.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1353/thumbnail.jp

Parasitic Cape honeybee workers, Apis mellifera capensis, evade policing

Relocation of the Cape honeybee, Apis mellifera capensis, by bee-keepers from southern to northern South Africa in 1990 has caused widespread death of managed African honeybee, A. m. scutellata, colonies. Apis mellifera capensis worker bees are able to lay diploid, female eggs without mating by means of automictic thelytoky (meiosis followed by fusion of two meiotic products to restore egg diploidy), whereas workers of other honeybee subspecies are able to lay only haploid, male eggs. The A. m. capensis workers, which are parasitizing and killing A. m. scutellata colonies in northern South Africa, are the asexual offspring of a single, original worker in which the small amount of genetic variation observed is due to crossing over during meiosis (P. Kryger, personal communication). Here we elucidate two principal mechanisms underlying this parasitism. Parasitic A. m. capensis workers activate their ovaries in host colonies that have a queen present (queenright colonies), and they lay eggs that evade being killed by other workers (worker policing)—the normal fate of worker-laid eggs in colonies with a queen. This unique parasitism by workers is an instance in which a society is unable to control the selfish actions of its members

Immune Monitoring Assay for Extracorporeal Photopheresis Treatment Optimization After Heart Transplantation

Background: Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) induces immunological changes that lead to a reduced risk of transplant rejection. The aim of the present study was to determine optimum conditions for ECP treatment by analyzing a variety of toleranceinducing immune cells to optimize the treatment. Methods: Ten ECP treatments were applied to each of 17 heart-transplant patients from month 3 to month 9 post-HTx. Blood samples were taken at baseline, three times during treatment, and four months after the last ECP treatment. The abundance of subsets of tolerance-inducing regulatory T cells (Tregs) and dendritic cells (DCs) in the samples was determined by flow cytometry. A multivariate statistical model describing the immunological status of rejection-free heart transplanted patients was used to visualize the patient-specific immunological improvement induced by ECP. Results: All BDCA+ DC subsets (BDCA1+ DCs: p < 0.01, BDCA2+ DCs: p < 0.01, BDCA3+ DCs: p < 0.01, BDCA4+ DCs: p < 0.01) as well as total Tregs (p < 0.01) and CD39+ Tregs (p < 0.01) increased during ECP treatment, while CD62L+ Tregs decreased (p < 0.01). The cell surface expression level of BDCA1 (p < 0.01) and BDCA4 (p < 0.01) on DCs as well as of CD120b (p < 0.01) on Tregs increased during the study period, while CD62L expression on Tregs decreased significantly (p = 0.04). The cell surface expression level of BDCA2 (p = 0.47) and BDCA3 (p = 0.22) on DCs as well as of CD39 (p = 0.14) and CD147 (p = 0.08) on Tregs remained constant during the study period. A cluster analysis showed that ECP treatment led to a sustained immunological improvement. Conclusions: We developed an immune monitoring assay for ECP treatment after heart transplantation by analyzing changes in tolerance-inducing immune cells. This assay allowed differentiation of patients who did and did not show immunological improvement. Based on these results, we propose classification criteria that may allow optimization of the duration of ECP treatment

Concert recording 2021-11-08

[Track 1]. Six metamorphoses after Ovid. I. Pan ; IV. Bacchus ; V. Narcissus / Benjamin Britten -- [Track 2]. Wind quintet, op. 79. I. Allegro non troppo / August Klughardt -- [Track 3]. Shepherds of provence. I. Pastorale provencale ; II. Chant des berges provencaux (Call at dawn) ; III. Sous les etoiles (Beneath the stars) ; IV. Fete villageoise / Eugene Bozza -- [Track 4]. Trio, op. 87. I. Allegro / Ludwig van Beethoven -- [Track 5]. Brushstrokes. I. Monet / Alyssa Morris -- [Track 6]. The dark-eyed sailor / Ralph Vaughan Williams ; arranged by Bussick

Expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 as a marker of mammary stem cells in benign and malignant breast lesions of Ghanaian women

BACKGROUND: Breast cancers that are negative for the estrogen receptor (ER), the progesterone receptor (PR), and the HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) marker are more prevalent among African women, and the biologically aggressive nature of these triple‐negative breast cancers (TNBCs) may be attributed to their mammary stem cell features. Little is known about expression of the mammary stem cell marker aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) in African women. Novel data are reported regarding ALDH1 expression in benign and cancerous breast tissue of Ghanaian women. METHODS: Formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded specimens were transported from the Komfo Anoyke Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana to the University of Michigan for centralized histopathology study. Expression of ER, PR, HER2, and ALDH1 was assessed by immunohistochemistry. ALDH1 staining was further characterized by its presence in stromal versus epithelial and/or tumor components of tissue. RESULTS: A total of 173 women contributed to this study: 69 with benign breast conditions, mean age 24 years, and 104 with breast cancer, mean age 49 years. The proportion of benign breast conditions expressing stromal ALDH1 (n = 40, 58%) was significantly higher than those with cancer (n = 44, 42.3%) ( P = .043). Among the cancers, TNBC had the highest prevalence of ALDH1 expression, either in stroma or in epithelial cells. More than 2‐fold higher likelihood of ALDH1 expression was observed in TNBC cases compared with other breast cancer subtypes (odds ratio = 2.38, 95% confidence interval 1.03‐5.52, P = .042). CONCLUSIONS: ALDH1 expression was higher in stromal components of benign compared with cancerous lesions. Of the ER‐, PR‐, and HER2‐defined subtypes of breast cancer, expression of ALDH1 was highest in TNBC. Cancer 2013. © 2012 American Cancer Society. Mammary stem cells, as identified by cells expressing the marker aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1), appear to be correlated with malignant transformation and progression of breast tissue into biologically aggressive phenotypes. This study reveals increased expression of ALDH1 in benign and malignant tissue of women from the western sub‐Saharan African nation of Ghana, a population known to have higher frequency of triple‐negative breast cancer, and ALDH1 expression in the malignant specimens was found to be associated with risk of triple‐negative breast cancer.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/96403/1/27737_ftp.pd

Novel missense mutation (G314R) in a cystic fibrosis patient with hepatic failure

No abstract.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/38583/1/10_ftp.pd

Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections among young people in South Africa: A nested survey in a health and demographic surveillance site.

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and bacterial vaginosis (BV) are associated with increased transmission of HIV, and poor reproductive and sexual health. The burden of STIs/BV among young people is unknown in many high HIV prevalence settings. We conducted an acceptability, feasibility, and prevalence study of home-based sampling for STIs/BV among young men and women aged 15-24 years old in a health and demographic surveillance site (HDSS) in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A total of 1,342 young people, stratified by age (15-19 and 20-24 years) and sex were selected from the HDSS sampling frame; 1,171/1,342 (87%) individuals had ≥1 attempted home visit between 4 October 2016 and 31 January 2017, of whom 790 (67%) were successfully contacted. Among the 645 who were contacted and eligible, 447 (69%) enrolled. Consenting/assenting participants were interviewed, and blood, self-collected urine (men), and vaginal swabs (women) were tested for herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, trichomoniasis, and BV. Both men and women reported that sample collection was easy. Participants disagreed that sampling was painful; more than half of the participants disagreed that they felt anxious or embarrassed. The weighted prevalence of STIs/BV among men and women, respectively, was 5.3% and 11.2% for chlamydia, 1.5% and 1.8% for gonorrhoea, 0% and 0.4% for active syphilis, 0.6% and 4.6% for trichomoniasis, 16.8% and 28.7% for HSV-2, and 42.1% for BV (women only). Of the women with ≥1 curable STI, 75% reported no symptoms. Factors associated with STIs/BV included having older age, being female, and not being in school or working. Among those who participated in the 2016 HIV serosurvey, the prevalence of HIV was 5.6% among men and 19% among women. Feasibility was impacted by the short study duration and the difficulty finding men at home. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of STIs/BV was found in this rural setting with high HIV prevalence in South Africa. Most STIs and HIV infections were asymptomatic and would not have been identified or treated under national syndromic management guidelines. A nested STI/BV survey within a HDSS proved acceptable and feasible. This is a proof of concept for population-based STI surveillance in low- and middle-income countries that could be utilised in the evaluation of STI/HIV prevention and control programmes