Pterodactylus scolopaciceps Meyer, 1860 (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) from the Upper Jurassic of Bavaria, Germany:the problem of Cryptic Pterosaur Taxa in early ontogeny

The taxonomy of the Late Jurassic pterodactyloid pterosaur Pterodactylus scolopaciceps Meyer, 1860 from the Solnhofen Limestone Formation of Bavaria, Germany is reviewed. Its nomenclatural history is long and complex, having been synonymised with both P. kochi (Wagner, 1837), and P. antiquus (Sömmerring, 1812). The majority of pterosaur species from the Solnhofen Limestone, including P. scolopaciceps are represented by juveniles. Consequently, specimens can appear remarkably similar due to juvenile characteristics detracting from taxonomic differences that are exaggerated in later ontogeny. Previous morphological and morphometric analyses have failed to separate species or even genera due to this problem, and as a result many species have been subsumed into a single taxon. A hypodigm for P. scolopaciceps, comprising of the holotype (BSP AS V 29 a/b) and material Broili referred to the taxon is described. P. scolopaciceps is found to be a valid taxon, but placement within Pterodactylus is inappropriate. Consequently, the new genus Aerodactylus is erected to accommodate it. Aerodactylus can be diagnosed on account of a unique suite of characters including jaws containing 16 teeth per-jaw, per-side, which are more sparsely distributed caudally and terminate rostral to the nasoantorbital fenestra; dorsal surface of the skull is subtly depressed rostral of the cranial table; rostrum very elongate (RI = ∼7), terminating in a point; orbits correspondingly low and elongate; elongate cervical vertebrae (approximately three times the length of their width); wing-metacarpal elongate, but still shorter than the ulna and first wing-phalanx; and pteroid approximately 65% of the total length of the ulna, straight and extremely thin (less than one third the width of the ulna). A cladistic analysis demonstrates that Aerodactylus is distinct from Pterodactylus, but close to Cycnorhamphus Seeley, 1870, Ardeadactylus Bennett, 2013a and Aurorazhdarcho Frey, Meyer and Tischlinger, 2011, consequently we erect the inclusive taxon Aurorazhdarchidae for their reception

The Impact of Coil Winding Angle on the Force of DC Solenoid Electromagnetic Actuator

This paper presents the research on the influence of coil parameter on the force of DC electromagnetic actuator. The coil parameter discussed in the paper is the angle between the windings. The research method is based on analyzing the magnetic path of DC electromagnetic actuator and on comparison of analytically obtained results with the numerical simulation results. Transient numerical simulation of DC electromagnetic actuator has been performed on the 2D axial-symmetric model using the Finite Element Method (FEM). The main contribution is the coil winding angle impact on the force of DC electromagnetic actuator. The results showed that, by reducing the coil winding angle, it is possible to increase the electromagnetic force, reduce the coil dimensions, and thus the dimensions of electromagnetic actuator

Re-evaluating the success of the EPA's 33/50 program: evidence from facility participation

Using previously unavailable data, we examine facility participation in the 33/50 Program and its effect on aggregate and toxicity weighted emissions between1991 and 1995 for a sample of facilities whose parent firms committed to the Program. By focusing on individual facilities we avoid the biases created by aggregating emissions across facilities. We find that while more polluting facilities within a firm were more likely to participate, even when we account for the toxicity of emissions, across firms there is no evidence of greater participation by facilities with higher emissions. Although emissions of the 33/50 chemicals fell over the years, we find that participation in the Program did not lead to the decline in the 33/50 releases generated by these facilities.Toxic Release Inventory; program participation; program evaluation, GMM, dynamic panel

Price variability and the speed of adjustment to the law of one price: Evidence from Slovakia

This paper uses a large panel data set of monthly frequency final good and service prices in thirty-eight Slovak districts over a five-year period to study price variability and the working of the law of one price. We concentrate on three issues. First, using simple statistical tools, we investigate the range of price differences across Slovak districts. Second, we measure relative price variability across cities and across products. The variability of relative prices in the same district appears to be higher than the variability of prices of the same good across different districts. We identify the factors likely to be responsible for this fact. Third, using benchmarks we investigate the speed of convergence to the absolute law of one price. While we find evidence for absolute convergence, the speed is lower than that found in US cities. The speed of convergence to the relative law of one price is considerably higher.

Escherichia coliO157; prevalence, survival, and stress responses during prolonged heat and cold shocks

Escherichia coli O157 is a food borne pathogen of increasing public health concern worldwide. Cattle have been implicated as the primary reservoir of E. coli O157. The fact that the livestock industry has rapidly expanded in Saskatchewan makes it imperative to have a clear scientific understanding of the prevalence of E. coli O157 in this province as well as its survival in soil under ambient conditions.Longitudinal and point studies were employed to determine the prevalence of E. coli O157 among Saskatchewan’s cattle. During a 2-year period, 23 feedlot and cattle operations were examined and an overall prevalence of 15.6% was reported. The most important finding was that the prevalence rates were highly dependent on cattle density. All E. coli O157 isolates obtained from this study were characterized by using multiplex PCR, RAPD fingerprinting, a Vero cell cytotoxicity assay and antibiotic susceptibility tests. This characterization revealed a surprisingly highly virulent and heterogenous population of E. coli O157 isolates. Subsequently, the survival characteristics of E. coli O157:H7 ATCC 43894 in sterile soil and manure-amended soil microcosms, as well as in situ under ambient environmental conditions were examined. Findings from this work indicated that desiccation had the most lethal effect on cell viability, whereas nutritionally-rich soils significantly increased survival times of the pathogen population. A final study was designed to examine the survival strategy of hyper- and hypothermally adapted E. coli O157 cells exposed to high and low temperatures, with specific focus on the role of RpoS. Using wild type and its rpoS null allele E. coli O157 strains, in combination with 2D PAGE, It was found that both heat and cold post-acclimation stimulons consisted of two large sub-groups: (i) stress proteins, and (ii) housekeeping proteins. Comparative proteomic analyses revealed that the GroEL/S chaperonin complex and Pnp ribonuclease played a crucial role in growth resumption during high and low temperatures, respectively. Notably, RpoS had no control over key stress proteins in either stress stimulon. RpoS, however, showed a significantly more pronounced role during cold temperatures, where it was seen to regulate key proteins involved in homoeoviscous adaptation as well as various housekeeping proteins of both stress stimulons

Management of Market Development of South East Europe Countries

Development management in most cases starts closer economic cooperation in order to increase GDP and welfare, which is primarily economic. Market liberalization has in fact started the integration of European states. The countries of South East Europe need to aim at for development paying particular attention to the maintenance of macroeconomic stability South East Europe need to aim at management changes paying particular attention to the maintenance of macroeconomic stability, competitiveness and cooperation with the European Union.In this work, the author wishes to emphasize the importance of development management, long-term sustainable and stable growth is the priority of every society that passes through the transition period. The focus of the paper is the management of market development, where a comparison of the situation of the three countries within the European Union is given: Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria and three candidate countries for membership of the European Union: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro

Teaching With Spirit: Freire, Dialogue, And Spirituality In The Composition Classroom

This ethnographic study examines the role of spirituality in the composition teaching process and in Paolo Freire\u27s dialogic education specifically. Work to acquire some aspects of spiritual Discourse, as the term is defined by James Gee, is needed in order to make this spiritual foundation visible and practicable. Through a series of ethnographic narratives of a classroom, this study demonstrates the necessity of spiritual work on the part of the teacher to develop the mind frame and skill set necessary for dialogic pedagogy. A series of workshop activities based on Freire\u27s spiritual prerequisites for dialogic education are proposed

Investigating the role of glial cells in neurodegenerative disorders by depleting astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in a model of amyloid-beta induced cytotoxicity in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures

The etiology of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, is still under debate. On the molecular level, AD is characterized by the accumulation of the beta-Amyloid protein as well as neurofibrillary tangles. Additionally, evidence pinpoints to a crucial role of inflammatory processes in the progression of the disease. The cellular mechanisms leading to neuroinflammation and neuronal death observed in Alzheimer’s disease are still unclear. It has long been thought that the immune system of the brain is unique and separated from the blood and the remaining organism by the blood brain barrier. Actually, the central nervous system has a special set of defence mechanisms against pathogens and invaders that is distinct from the innate or adaptive immune system. Important players of this defence system are glial cells. Glial cells are non-neuronal cells that are subdivided into three cell types, including microglia, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, with different modes of action and function. Astrocytes and microglia actively take part in the defence process, whereas oligodendrocytes seem to have a more supportive function. To understand and characterize the role of glial cells in neuroinflammatory processes, it is crucial to establish a model system that displays the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease and allows the individual study of cells. It was already shown that microglia could successfully be depleted using the bisphosphate clodronate from organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. However, there is still a lack of a system to study the individual role of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes ex vivo. Here, two different approaches were tested on their ability to be useful in ablation studies of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in vitro and ex vivo. For in vitro studies primary derived cells from either embryonic or postnatal mice were used. Ex vivo studies were exerted on murine organotypic hippocampal slice cultures that in general serve as an excellent model system to study cell to cell interactions and communications. The depletion of astrocytes by antibody-toxin conjugates was promising in vitro but lacking efficacy ex vivo. The cell surface transporter GLAST-1 was found to be a promising candidate, since internalization signals were strongest and treatment of slices responded in a concentration-dependent manner. Treatment of slices with the L-alpha-aminoadipic acid led to depletion of astrocytes and provides evidence for their impor-tance in maintaining cytoarchitecture and thereby influenc-ing the viability of neuronal cells. Antibody-toxin conjugates were also used for the ablation of Oli-neu cells in vitro. Among them, a combination containing the antibody against the cell surface protein Claudin-11 showed greater effects on the viability than the combination of the receptor antibody GPR17. The underlying processes for the internalization are of great interest since this method could be further developed for drug-delivery studies to different specific cells. This method could lead to a broader spectrum of ways for drug-targeting as it is used in cancer treatment

Communication of a Modern Trading Company in the Function of the Drafting of the Final Decision on Shopping

The aim of this paper is communication of modern trading business based on two-way communication between traders and customers. It is very important for buyers to have the opportunity to express themselves freely about the products or services that a particular trading company provides, and the buyers give suggestions on what should be improved. The objective of a modern trading company is to understand each client individually and use it to facilitate the decision making of customers to prefer to work with a particular company rather than with competition. Nothing provides loyalty better than excellent service. Merchandising as a form of communication seeks to influence all of its elements and knowledge to draw attention of the person-consumer in order to adopt and memorize the content communicated to him. The company, the supermarket, the hypermarket is able to define the strategies and policies of the merchandising elements, which will help build the image of the sales, as well as the way of presenting the products, resulting in the main hypothesis of work: Timely communication with consumers influences to a large extent final consumption decision