Effectiveness of Preflighting Software in a Design Workflow

The variables that can potentially impact the print quality of a digital file have necessitated the additional workflow step of preflighting. Preflighting is a process by which all elements of a digital file are checked to ensure that they will properly work in a production workflow. This enables problems to be fixed as early as possible in the workflow and not hold up the printing process. Preflighting was originally a manual process, but can now be handled by software. The effectiveness and accuracy of preflighting software was tested by creating files to include common errors, such as fonts not embedded or missing, wrong color space, image resolution too low, wrong file formats and improperly set bleeds. These files were run through preflighting software and a record was kept of whether or not the preflight software identified these common errors. Printed output from these files was then compared to the list of flagged errors from the reports generated by the preflight software. In turn, the output was verified to determine whether the errors affected the final output. Adobe InDesign CS Preflight, Markzware FlightCheck 5.5 and PitStop Professional 6. 1 were selected to determine their effectiveness in detecting and reporting errors that most commonly impact print reproduction quality. The tests conducted showed that none of the three software packages tested wa completely effective in detecting and reporting errors. FlightCheck was the most effective software in detecting errors in the native and PDF files. PitStop flagged more errors that affected output, but all programs flagged too many errors that did not affect output. InDesign Preflight was only effective at flagging RGB errors, while FlightCheck was the most effective at catching common errors. Both FlightCheck and PitStop had problems detecting image color and file format problems in PDF files. This leads to the conclusion that it is best not to rely completely on preflighting software. It is best to use proper file creation techniques and to use preflight as a secondary method to find errors

Proton Irradiation of Radiation-Sensitive Mutants of Coprinus Cinereus

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY-931478

Preliminary Analysis of Proton Radiation Damage Response in Defective Gamma-Radiation-Sensitive Cells

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY-931478

PEMBUATAN SISTEM INFORMASI DATA PEGAWAI MENGGUNAKAN KERANGKA KERJA LARAVEL PADA UBUNTU SERVER

Kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat ini bermitra dengan Dinas Komunikasi, Informatika, Statistik dan Persandian Kota Semarang. Lokasi mitra berada di Jl. Pemuda No. 148, Sekayu, Kecamatan Semarang Tengah, Kota Semarang, Jawa Tengah. Sistem informasi data pegawai dibutuhkan untuk memudahkan admin dalam mengelola informasi data kepegawaian. Kegiatan ini mengembangkan aplikasi sistem informasi informasi data pegawai dan konfigurasi infrastruktur web server untuk aplikasi tersebut. Metode penyelesaian yang digunakan pada program ini adalah melakukan pengembangan web pada front end dan back end web Sistem ini dikembangkan menggunakan kerangka kerja Laravel. Konfigurasi LEMP dan LAMP dilakukan sebagai bentuk pengembangan servernya. Sistem informasi data pegawai ini telah berhasil dikembangkan secara sederhana dengan harapan pengelolaan data pegawai di Diskominfo Kota Semarang menjadi lebih efektif, tidak memakan waktu lama, keamanan data terjamin, dan akurat

Test Targets 4.0: A Collaborative effort exploring the use of scientific methods for color imaging and process control

Test Target 4.0 (TT4.0) is the result of student teamwork to publish a technical journal for a graduate-level course titled: Advance Color Management (Course no. 2081-735-03). Offered by the School of Print Media (SPM) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), the course is a platform to experiment and to realize a new digital imaging paradigm and the dynamics of teamwork.... Team members learn scientific methodology in process control for repeatable color as well as apply ICC-based color management practices in digital workflows. They plan and conduct press run analyses reported in TT4.0, which is printed using facilities available at RIT. In producing this publication, the team learns to integrate design, content creation, digital media, and print production in a seamless workflow.... -p. 4

OcculterCut: A comprehensive survey of AT-rich regions in fungal genomes.

We present a novel method to measure the local GC-content bias in genomes and a survey of published fungal species. The method, enacted as "OcculterCut" (https://sourceforge.net/projects/occultercut), identified species containing distinct AT-rich regions. In most fungal taxa, AT-rich regions are a signature of repeat-induced point mutation (RIP), which targets repetitive DNA and decreases GC-content though the conversion of cytosine to thymine bases. RIP has in turn been identified as a driver of fungal genome evolution, as RIP mutations can also occur in single-copy genes neighbouring repeat-rich regions. Over time RIP perpetuates 'two speeds' of gene evolution in the GC-equilibrated and AT-rich regions of fungal genomes. In this study, genomes showing evidence of this process are found to be common, particularly among the Pezizomycotina. Further analysis highlighted differences in amino acid composition and putative functions of genes from these regions, supporting the hypothesis that these regions play an important role in fungal evolution. OcculterCut can also be used to identify genes undergoing RIP-assisted diversifying selection, such as small, secreted effector proteins that mediate host-microbe disease interactions

The Aspergillus fumigatus Mismatch Repair MSH2 Homolog Is Important for Virulence and Azole Resistance

The genetic stability of every living organism depends on accurate DNA replication and repair systems. Here, we investigated the Aspergillus fumigatusMSH2 mismatch repair (MMR) gene MshA and how it impacts virulence and the evolution of azole resistance. We examined mshA gene variation in 62 environmental and clinical A. fumigatus strains. We have observed 12 strains with variants (18.2%), and 8 strains among them showed missense variants. We demonstrated that A. fumigatusmshA null mutants are haploid and have conserved karyotypes with discrete gross chromosomal rearrangements. The ΔmshA strains are not sensitive to several DNA-damaging agents. The lack of mshA caused a significant reduction of virulence of A. fumigatus in a neutropenic murine model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and in the invertebrate alternative model Galleria mellonella Wild-type and ΔmshA populations did not show any significant changes in drug resistance acquisition after they were transferred 10 times in minimal medium in the absence of any stress. However, these populations rapidly acquired virulence in the ΔmshA background and high levels of resistance to posaconazole in the presence of this drug (at least 200-fold-higher levels of resistance than those derived from the wild-type strain). Taken together, these results suggest that genetic instability caused by ΔmshA mutations can confer an adaptive advantage, mainly increasing posaconazole resistance and virulence acquisition.IMPORTANCE Invasive aspergillosis (IA) has emerged as one of the most common life-threatening fungal diseases in immunocompromised patients, with mortality rates as high as 90%. Systemic fungal infections such as IA are usually treated with triazoles; however, epidemiological research has shown that the prevalence of azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus isolates has increased significantly over the last decade. There is very little information about the importance of genomic stability for A. fumigatus population structure, azole resistance, and virulence. Here, we decided to investigate whether the mismatch repair system could influence A. fumigatus azole resistance and virulence, focusing on one of the components of this system, MSH2 Although the mutation frequency of mshA (the A. fumigatusMSH2 homologue) is low in environmental and clinical isolates, our results indicate that loss of mshA function can provide increased azole resistance and virulence when selected for. These results demonstrate the importance of genetic instability in A. fumigatus as a possible mechanism of evolving azole resistance and establishing fitness in the host.Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) andConselhoNacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Brazil, forfinancial support. F.R. and B.H.F. were supported by the Northern Portugal RegionalOperational Program (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement,through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-00001

5'-Serial Analysis of Gene Expression studies reveal a transcriptomic switch during fruiting body development in Coprinopsis cinerea

Abstract: Background: The transition from the vegetative mycelium to the primordium during fruiting body development is the most complex and critical developmental event in the life cycle of many basidiomycete fungi. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying this process has long been a goal of research on basidiomycetes. Large scale assessment of the expressed transcriptomes of these developmental stages will facilitate the generation of a more comprehensive picture of the mushroom fruiting process. In this study, we coupled 5'-Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (5'-SAGE) to high-throughput pyrosequencing from 454 Life Sciences to analyze the transcriptomes and identify up-regulated genes among vegetative mycelium (Myc) and stage 1 primordium (S1-Pri) of Coprinopsis cinerea during fruiting body development. Results: We evaluated the expression of >3,000 genes in the two respective growth stages and discovered that almost one-third of these genes were preferentially expressed in either stage. This identified a significant turnover of the transcriptome during the course of fruiting body development. Additionally, we annotated more than 79,000 transcription start sites (TSSs) based on the transcriptomes of the mycelium and stage 1 primoridum stages. Patterns of enrichment based on gene annotations from the GO and KEGG databases indicated that various structural and functional protein families were uniquely employed in either stage and that during primordial growth, cellular metabolism is highly up-regulated. Various signaling pathways such as the cAMP-PKA, MAPK and TOR pathways were also identified as up-regulated, consistent with the model that sensing of nutrient levels and the environment are important in this developmental transition. More than 100 up-regulated genes were also found to be unique to mushroom forming basidiomycetes, highlighting the novelty of fruiting body development in the fungal kingdom. Conclusions: We implicated a wealth of new candidate genes important to early stages of mushroom fruiting development, though their precise molecular functions and biological roles are not yet fully known. This study serves to advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of fruiting body development in the model mushroom C. cinerea

Rapid evolution in a plant-pathogen interaction and the consequences for introduced host species

Plant species introduced into new regions can both leave behind co-evolved pathogens and acquire new ones. Traits important to infection and virulence are subject to rapid evolutionary change in both plant and pathogen. Using Stemphylium solani, a native foliar necrotroph on clovers (Trifolium and Medicago) in California, USA, we explore how plant-fungal interactions may change in an invasion context. After four generations of experimental serial passage through multiple hosts, Stemphylium consistently showed increased infection rates but no consistent change in damage to the host. In a historical opportunity study, we compared infection and virulence across four groups of clover hosts: California natives, European clovers not found in California, and both California and European genotypes of species naturalized in California. There was significant variation among hosts, but no pattern across the four groups. However, in direct comparisons of familiar California genotypes to unfamiliar European genotypes of the same naturalized species, Stemphylium consistently infected familiar hosts more frequently, while causing less damage on them. This pattern is consistent with the hypothesis of adaptive evolution in both the pathogen (ability to infect) and the host (tolerance of infection). Together these results suggest the potential for rapid evolution to alter interactions between plant invaders and their natural enemies