Pengaruh Customer Accounting Sebagai Strategic Management Accounting Techniques Dan Customer Orientation Terhadap Organizational Performance

This Study was done to examine the affect of customer accounting as strategic management accounting techniques and customer orientation to organizational performance. This study used primary data from questionnaires which were distributed to 50 manufacturing companies in Surabaya and Sidoarjo. The data collected would be analyzed by using Partial Least Square method to test the hypothesis. The result showed there were positive and significant influence from customer accounting and customer orientation to organizational performance

Molecular characterisation and regulation of acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (ACX1) in Arabidopsis thaliana

The metabolic status of a plant is fundamental to its ability to respond either to internal developmental signals or external environmental signals. The metabolic pathway of fatty acid beta-oxidation is of particular importance during the germination of oil seed plants since the conversion of lipids into carbohydrate is essential for post-germinative growth. The first step of fatty acid beta-oxidation is catalysed by the acyl-CoA oxidase enzyme. In the model oilseed plant Arabidopsis thaliana, four genes encoding acyl-CoA oxidase enzymes with different substrate specificities have been functionally characterised. ACXl is one member of this gene family which has been shown to be induced during germination (Hooks et al., 1999a). Interestingly, this particular member has also been shown to be induced under stress and wounding conditions. This study aims to further characterise The genome sequencing project was completed at the end of the year 2000 (The Arabidopsis Genome Initiative, 2000). An earlier publication detailing sequence from an area of chromosome IV (Bevan et al, 1998) was found to include the genomic sequence for ACXl, including the sequence of the putative promoter. Annotation of the published sequence and further sequence analysis revealed that there was a cluster of putative germination-induced genes within 10kb of ACXl. To investigate expression patterns of these putative genes, mRNA transcript levels were monitored at day 2 of germination using both gel blot northern analysis and 'electronic' northern analysis of transcript abundance in an Expressed Sequence Tag (E.S.T.) database produced from a cDNA library prepared during the course of this work. Transcript levels of these genes were too low in 2 day old seedlings to allow any conclusion about co-expression to be drawn. The implications of this level of control are discussed. From the published genomic sequence it was possible to design oligonucleotide primers to be used in a PCR reaction to amplify the putative ACXl promoter. This putative promoter was fused to the luciferase reporter gene which was then transformed into Arabidopsis by A. tumifaciens. This system allowed investigation of the developmental and stress induction of ACXl. This study shows that the ACXl promoter is induced during both germination and dark-induced senescence. Induction is also seen upon wounding of the transgenic plants. It can be concluded that ACXl is a gene of particular interest not only due to its important developmental role but also in its suggested role in the plant defence system. To elucidate the signalling pathways involved in the induction of the ACXl transcript, Arabidopsis cell culture was used as an easily manipulatable system. Northern analysis of ACXl expression revealed that during the period of rapid growth between subculturing, the metabolic demand for ACXl expression was dominant, resulting in constitutive expression from 24 hours. If acid treatnaent experiments were carried out 18 hours after subculturing it was possible to observe a rapid induction of ACXl. This induction was accompanied by an immediate alkalinisation of the cell culture media. Cold treatment of the cells also resulted in alkalinisation of the media possibly suggesting that the respective acidification of the cytosol may be an early stress response which preceeds ACXl expression. The cell culture system has proven to be valuable and should be useful in the future elucidation of the signalling pathways

PTSD Symptoms and Dominant Emotional Response to a Traumatic Event: An Examination of DSM-IV Criterion A2

To qualify for a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder the DSM-IV requires that individuals report dominant emotions of fear, helplessness, and horror during the trauma. Despite this stipulation, traumatic events can elicit a myriad of emotions other than fear such as anger, guilt or shame, sadness, and numbing. The present study examined which emotional reactions to a stressful event in a college student sample are associated with the highest levels of PTSD symptoms. Results suggest mixed support for the DSM-IV criteria. Although participants who experienced a dominant emotion of fear reported high PTSD symptomatology, participants who experienced anger, disgust-related emotions, and sadness reported PTSD symptoms of equivalent severity. Participants also reported experiencing other emotions more frequently than they reported experiencing fear. Coping style was unrelated to dominant emotion experienced; however, dysfunctional coping was associated with worse outcomes in terms of PTSD symptoms. These results have diagnostic and treatment limitations

RNA-Seq identifies genes whose proteins are upregulated during syncytia development in murine C2C12 myoblasts and human BeWo trophoblasts

The fusion of villous cytotrophoblasts into the multinucleated syncytiotrophoblast is critical for the essential functions of the mammalian placenta. Using RNA-Seq gene expression, quantitative protein expression, and siRNA knockdown we identified genes and their cognate proteins which are similarly upregulated in two cellular models of mammalian syncytia development (human BeWo cytotrophoblast to syncytiotrophoblast and murine C2C12 myoblast to myotube). These include DYSF, PDE4DIP, SPIRE2, NDRG1, PLEC, GPR146, HSPB8, DHCR7, and HDAC5. These findings provide avenues for further understanding of the mechanisms underlying mammalian placental syncytiotrophoblast development

Effect of long-term corticosterone implants on growth and immune function in juvenile alligators, Alligator mississippiensis

ABSTRACT Sixty juvenile alligators were implanted subcutaneously with slow release pellets of corticosterone or placebo. Alligators were divided into five different groups such that each group received a different dose. A blood sample was taken prior to and 4 days after the implants were in place to measure hormone levels. Additional blood samples were collected at 1 month and 3 months. At 4 days corticosterone levels ranged from 3,400 ng/ml in the group treated with the high dose to 40 ng/ml in the group implanted with the low dose. The extremely high dose caused 40% mortality within 4 weeks. It was evident that the pellets did not release the hormone for the expected 90 days. Circulating levels of corticosterone were back to baseline levels by 3 months. Hormone levels achieved at 4 days were a reliable predictor of subsequent growth. Rate of growth was negatively correlated with plasma corticosterone at 4 days (r 2 = 0.711) and at 1 month (r 2 = 0.544) posttreatment. Differential white blood cell counts performed after 1 month of treatment showed a clear effect of the implant. Alligators treated with corticosterone had decreased percentages of lymphocytes, eosinophils, and basophils and had a higher heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio than the placebo group. Furthermore, histological examination of the spleen revealed a significant depletion of lymphoid cells in alligators treated with the highest dose of hormone. The results from this study demonstrate that exogenous corticosterone can mimic the effects of prolonged stress in juvenile alligators. J. Exp. Zool. 279:156-162, 1997. © 1997 Studies of chronic stress in reptiles have demonstrated that elevated plasma corticosterone levels are associated with reproductive failure, immune suppression, and a reduction in or lack of growth (Lance, '94). It is well known that excessive levels of glucocorticoids suppress the immune system in mammals and can cause muscle breakdown and inhibit new bone formation and linear skeletal growth (Orth et al., '92). However, corticosterone's role in inhibiting growth in reptiles has not been substantiated thus far. Several studies have correlated elevated corticosterone levels with decreased growth in reptiles. A study by Elsey et al. ('90) showed that elevated plasma corticosterone levels were correlated with a reduction in growth in juvenile alligators stressed by crowding. In male green iguanas, plasma testosterone was positively correlated and plasma corticosterone level was negatively correlated with body mass and aggressive display frequency (Pratt et al., '92). Osmotically stressed juvenile alligators experienced a dramatic increase in corticosterone over a 5 week period which was correlated with lack of growth (Morici, '96). In addition to growth inhibition, immune suppression and endocrine alterations were also noted in these studies. Stress-induced immune suppression is well documented in fish (Pickering, '84; Ellsaesser and Clem, '87), birds (Siegel, '80), and mammals (Orth et al., '92), but there is little information available for reptiles, particularly the crocodilians. Therefore, this study was initiated to evaluate the long-term effects of corticosterone implants on growth, the immune response, and the endocrine system in the alligator. In this study we demonstrate that corticosterone alone, in the absence of an external stressor, suppresses growth and the immune system in juvenile alligators

Analysis of dose using CBCT and synthetic CT during head and neck radiotherapy: A single centre feasibility study

Objectives: The study aimed to assess the suitability of deformable image registration (DIR) software to generate synthetic CT (sCT) scans for dose verification during radiotherapy to the head and neck. Planning and synthetic CT dose volume histograms were compared to evaluate dosimetric changes during the treatment course. Methods: Eligible patients had locally advanced (stage III, IVa and IVb) oropharyngeal cancer treated with primary radiotherapy. Weekly CBCT images were acquired post treatment at fractions 1, 6, 11, 16, 21 and 26 over a 30 fraction treatment course. Each CBCT was deformed with the planning CT to generate a sCT which was used to calculate the dose at that point in the treatment. A repeat planning CT2 was acquired at fraction 16 and deformed with the fraction 16 CBCT to compare differences between the calculations mid-treatment. Results: 20 patients were evaluated generating 138 synthetic CT sets. The single fraction mean dose to PTV_HR between the synthetic and planning CT did not vary, although dose to 95% of PTV_HR was smaller at week 6 compared to planning (difference 2.0%, 95% CI (0.8 to 3.1), p = 0.0). There was no statistically significant difference in PRV_brainstem or PRV_spinal cord maximum dose, although greater variation using the sCT calculations was reported. The mean dose to structures based on the fraction 16 sCT and CT2 scans were similar. Conclusions: Synthetic CT provides comparable dose calculations to those of a repeat planning CT; however the limitations of DIR must be understood before it is applied within the clinical setting

Anaerobic Metazoans: No longer an oxymoron

The sediments of a deep-sea hypersaline and sulfidic Mediterranean basin have yielded an unexpected discovery, the first multicellular animals living entirely without oxygen. Reported by Danovaro et al. in BMC Biology, these three new species of Loricifera add a new and remarkable dimension to anoxic ecosystems previously thought to support only unicellular life

Crop Updates - 2003 Oilseeds

This session covers fifteen papers from different authors ACKNOWLEDGMENTS VARIETIES Large scale canola varietal evaluation in WA, Peter Nelson, Oilseeds WA Performance of IT and TT canola varieties in the medium and high rainfall agzones of WA 2001-02, Graham Walton, Hasan Zaheer and Paul Carmody, Department of Agriculture QUALITY Reproductive biology, cotyledon development and oil accumulation in canola, J.A. Fortescue and D.W. Turner, School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia Plant and environmental factors affecting oil concentration in canola – a mini-review, D.W. Turner, School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia Potential benefits from interspecific crosses between canola and ‘near canola’ quality Indian mustard, Janet Wroth, School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia (UWA), Wallace Cowling, School of Plant Biology, UWA and CBWA Pty Ltd, Anh-Van Pham, School of Mathematics and Statistics, UWA NUTRITION, AGRONOMY AND MACHINERY Timing of nitrogen application for producing canola grain and oil, R. F. Brennan, Department of Agriculture Managing canola for soil type and moisture stress, Paul Carmody and Hasan Zaheer Department of Agriculture Machinery lessons from 2002 – canola establishment, Glen Riethmuller, Greg Hamilton and Jo Hawksley, Department of Agriculture Machinery lessons from 2002 – harvesting short crops, Glen Riethmuller, Department of Agriculture Does increasing canola seeding rate reduce the competitiveness of grass weeds? Zaicou-Kunesch, C.M., Zaheer, S.H. and Eksteen, D, Department of Agriculture PESTS AND DISEASES Aphid damage to canola – not all cultivars are equal, Françoise A. Berlandier and Christiaan Valentine, Department of Agriculture Should we be worried about developing insecticide resistance in aphids? Owain Edwards, CSIRO Entomology Benefits provided by treating canola seed with imidacloprid seed dressing, Roger Jones, Brenda Coutts, Lisa Smith and Jenny Hawkes, Department of Agriculture, and Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture Blackleg levels in canola in 2002, Ravjit Khangura1, Moin Salam1, Art J Diggle1 and Martin J Barbetti1,2 1Department of Agriculture, 2University of Western Australia DBM in canola, Kevin Walden, Department of Agricultur

Advances in crop insect modelling methods—Towards a whole system approach

A wide range of insects affect crop production and cause considerable yield losses. Difficulties reside on the development and adaptation of adequate strategies to predict insect pests for their timely management to ensure enhanced agricultural production. Several conceptual modelling frameworks have been proposed, and the choice of an approach depends largely on the objective of the model and the availability of data. This paper presents a summary of decades of advances in insect population dynamics, phenology models, distribution and risk mapping. Existing challenges on the modelling of insects are listed; followed by innovations in the field. New approaches include artificial neural networks, cellular automata (CA) coupled with fuzzy logic (FL), fractal, multi-fractal, percolation, synchronization and individual/agent based approaches. A concept for assessing climate change impacts and providing adaptation options for agricultural pest management independently of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emission scenarios is suggested. A framework for estimating losses and optimizing yields within crop production system is proposed and a summary on modelling the economic impact of pests control is presented. The assessment shows that the majority of known insect modelling approaches are not holistic; they only concentrate on a single component of the system, i.e. the pest, rather than the whole crop production system. We suggest system thinking as a possible approach for linking crop, pest, and environmental conditions to provide a more comprehensive assessment of agricultural crop production.Peer reviewe