Improved color edge preserving smoothing

An edge preserving smoothing algorithm is presented. To prevent smoothing over edges, the algorithm requires that diffusion in a direction should not result in an increase in neighbouring gradients. Intuitively, we think that smoothing reduces gradients. This is, however, not true in the vicinity of strong edges where smoothing over the edge results in surface deformation. The possibility of reducing the calculation cost is explored by reducing the frequency of calculating the edge strength

Acanthamoeba castellanii induces host cell death via a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent mechanism

Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis due to Acanthamoeba castellanii is a serious human infection with fatal consequences, but it is not clear how the circulating amoebae interact with the blood-brain barrier and transmigrate into the central nervous system. We studied the effects of an Acanthamoeba encephalitis isolate belonging to the T1 genotype on human brain microvascular endothelial cells, which constitute the blood-brain barrier. Using an apoptosis-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we showed that Acanthamoeba induces programmed cell death in brain microvascular endothelial cells. Next, we observed that Acanthamoeba specifically activates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Acanthamoeba-mediated brain endothelial cell death was abolished using LY294002, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor. These results were further confirmed using brain microvascular endothelial cells expressing dominant negative forms of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. This is the first demonstration that Acanthamoeba-mediated brain microvascular endothelial cell death is dependent on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase

Enhancing employability through hospital placements for Biomedical Science students: A Case Study from the University of Essex, UK

Collaboration between Universities and hospitals has provided the National Health Service (NHS) with many excellent Biomedical Scientists through the placement year scheme. Here, we document the number of students joining the placement scheme and the number and type of hospital departments offering student placements over a 10-year period. Prior to 2012, students were able to join fully-funded placements through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Since then, there has been a fluctuation in numbers completing a placement year at the University of Essex, but the employability of these graduates remains consistently higher than our 3-year graduates. We demonstrate the positive impact of completing a placement year in an NHS hospital laboratory for students, and the contribution to university metrics in good degrees and graduate outcomes as well as the provision of much needed, qualified biomedical science staff to hospitals

Development of New Nanostructurally Engineered Polymer Semiconductors for Organic Electronics

The research presented in this thesis was focused on organic semiconductors and has resulted in the development of novel printable polymer semiconductors that can be used in organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) and organic photovoltaics (OPVs), or solar cells. Polymers used in OTFT applications must have particular characteristics, such as a highly ordered or crystalline structure, favoured molecular orientation, and appropriate energy levels for either hole transport (p-type semiconductors) or electron transport (n-type semiconductors). Achieving these properties requires control of the design and synthesis of the polymers through the choice of appropriate building blocks and side chain substituents. In contrast, for OPV applications, the band gap, thin film morphology, and balance of the donor’s hole mobility and the acceptor’s electron mobility must be finely tuned for optimal photovoltaic performance. The specific focus of the research was on a new type of donor-acceptor copolymers that have alternating electron-accepting azo units and common electron donor units (e.g., thiophene). These polymers are expected to have strong intermolecular interactions due to the donor-acceptor effect, which could lead to improved molecular organization for efficient charge carrier transport in OTFT devices. The donor-acceptor effect also creates narrow band gap polymers, which are preferred for optimum light harvesting. The polymer materials developed in this research are evaluated as channel semiconductors in OTFTs and can also be used as donors in polymer solar cells. Zs discovery of which complemented previous work conducted by the same research group. These innovative building blocks would be valuable in numerous applications, including OTFTs and OPVs. Five polymers have been created, three of which show the most promising potential for OTFT and OPV applications: P1-DTA-BTV, P5-DTAE-BT, and P6-DTAE-TT. All of these copolymers have been synthesized via Stille coupling reaction. The first copolymer, P1-DTA-BTV, which exhibits a small band gap of 1.13 eV, with HOMO and LUMO energy levels of -5.21 eV and - 4.08 eV, respectively, is suitable for both OTFT devices and OPV applications. P5-DTAE-BT and P6-DTAE-TT, on the other hand, are characterized by broader band gaps of 1.29 eV and 1.32 eV, respectively, and their average HOMO and LUMO energy levels are -5.43 eV, -4.20 eV, and -5.40 eV, -4.00 eV, respectively. It has been experimentally demonstrated that the presence of an ester group in the (E)-1,2-di(thiazol-2-yl)diazene DTA monomer helps lower the LUMO energy level, creating the broad band gap revealed in the (E)-bis(2-octyldodecyl) 2,2'-(diazene-1,2-diyl)bis(thiazole-4-carboxylate) DTAE copolymer results, and making the P5-DTAE-BT D-A copolymer an n-type semiconductor, which is very useful for the applications mentioned above. The polymers were characterized by Differential Scanning Calorimetry DSC, Thermal Gravimetric Analysis TGA, Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrometry UV-Vis, Cyclic Voltammetry CV, Atomic Force Microscopy AFM, X-Ray Diffraction XRD

PENEGAKAN HUKUM PIDANA PRAKTIK PROSTITUSI ONLINE BAGI MUCIKARI DAN PELACUR DALAM UNDANG-UNDANG NOMOR 19 TAHUN 2016 TENTANG INFORMASI DAN TRANSAKSI ELEKTRONIK

Tujuan penulisan ini adalah untuk mengetahui cara penegakan hukum efektif bagi mucikari dan pelacur dalam pelaksanaan prostitusi online, metode penulisan yang digunakan adalah yuridis normative dengan kesimpulan 1. Penegakan Hukum dalam praktik prostitusi online adalah Pasal 506 KUHP, Pasal 298 KUHP, UndangUndang No. 11 Tahun 2008 tentang Informasi dan Transaksi Elektronik jo Undang-Undang No. 19 Tahun 2016 tentang Perubahan atas UndangUndang No.11 Tahun 2008, Undang-Undang No. 44 Tahun 2008 tentang Pornografi, UndangUndang No.21 Tahun 2007 tentang Pemberantasan Tindak Pidana Perdagangan Orang, dan Undang-Undang UU No. 23 Tahun 2002 tentang Perlindungan Anak jo. UndangUndang No. 35 Tahun 2014 tentang Perubahan atas UU No. 23 Tahun 2002 tentang Perlindungan Anak 2. Faktor penghambat dalam pelaksanaan penegakan hukum terhadap kegiatan prostitusi online adalah peraturan perundangan tidak sertamerta dapat melakukan penangkapan dan penahanan kepada para pihak karena dalam KUHP belum mengatur tentang prostitusi online, serta belum adanya aturan huhum yang efektif yang mengatur tentang penegakan hukum terhadap pelaku prostitusi onlin

INTELLIGENCE AND MANAGERIAL PERFORMANCE: AN INTERACTIVE ROLE OF KNOWLEDGE SHARING CULTURE

Indubitably, business organizations have gained competitiveedge by promoting intelligence skills and knowledge-sharingbehaviors to develop human capital. Therefore, intelligence skillsand fostering knowledge-sharing behaviors have received focused attention from knowledge management practitioners, top managements, strategic managers, policy makers, business leaders, and organizational consultants with the objective of improving managers’ performance level in the workplace. The focus of this investigation is to examine the influence of multiple types of intelligence on managerial performance in the context of the banking sector in a developing country. Furthermore, this investigation aims to examine the interactive role of knowledge-sharing culture in the association between multiple intelligence types and managerial performance. The cluster and simple random sampling technique have been used for data collection. Self-administrated questionnaires have been used to gather responses from 254 employees in managerial positions in Pakistan’s banking sector. The study results indicate thepositive impacts of cognitive, social, emotional, and culturalintelligence on managerial performance. The interactive impacts of knowledge-sharing culture strengthen the relationship betweenintelligence skills and managerial performance

Role of Acanthamoeba in urinary tract infections

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is the second most common healthcare associated infections (HCAI) in England. The HCAI prevalence survey data (2011) released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) shows that UTI’s are the second most common HCAI accounting for 17.2% of the total HCAI’s in England. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella and Proteus are Gram negative bacteria frequently associated with UTI's. More HCAI's are related to the use of urinary catheters than any other medical device. An estimated 450,000 people in the UK use catheters on a long-term basis. Uropathogens are known to form biofilms on catheters causing recurrent infections. Biofilms are difficult to eradicate due to decreased antibiotic susceptibility and increased resistance. A recent study has found the presence of Acanthamoeba in urine of critically ill patients. The ubiquitous protozoan Acanthamoeba, is an opportunistic pathogen well recognised to serve as a reservoir for prokaryotes. Our recent findings (unpublished) confirm that the above mentioned bacteria can invade, survive and multiply within Acanthamoeba evading host defence and antibiotic action by forming cysts. It is our intention to investigate the presence of Acanthamoeba in urine samples collected from patients

Post-mortem culture of Balamuthia mandrillaris from the brain and cerebrospinal fluid of a case of granulomatous amoebic meningoencephalitis, using human brain microvascular endothelial cells

The first isolation in the UK of Balamuthia mandrillaris amoebae from a fatal case of granulomatous amoebic meningoencephalitis is reported. Using primary cultures of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs), amoebae were isolated from the brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The cultures showed a cytopathic effect at 20–28 days, but morphologically identifiable B. mandrillaris amoebae were seen in cleared plaques in subcultures at 45 days. The identification of the organism was later confirmed using PCR on Chelex-treated extracts. Serum taken while the patient was still alive reacted strongly with slide antigen prepared from cultures of the post-mortem isolate, and also with those from a baboon B. mandrillaris strain at 1 : 10 000 in indirect immunofluorescence, but with Acanthamoeba castellanii (Neff) at 1 : 160, supporting B. mandrillaris to be the causative agent. If the presence of amoebae in the post-mortem CSF reflects the condition in life, PCR studies on CSF and on biopsies of cutaneous lesions may also be a valuable tool. The role of HBMECs in understanding the interactions of B. mandrillaris with the blood–brain barrier is discussed

Acanthamoeba induces cell-cycle arrest in host cells

Acanthamoeba can cause fatal granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) and eye keratitis. However, the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of these emerging diseases remain unclear. In this study, the effects of Acanthamoeba on the host cell cycle using human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) and human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC) were determined. Two isolates of Acanthamoeba belonging to the T1 genotype (GAE isolate) and T4 genotype (keratitis isolate) were used, which showed severe cytotoxicity on HBMEC and HCEC, respectively. No tissue specificity was observed in their ability to exhibit binding to the host cells. To determine the effects of Acanthamoeba on the host cell cycle, a cell-cycle-specific gene array was used. This screened for 96 genes specific for host cell-cycle regulation. It was observed that Acanthamoeba inhibited expression of genes encoding cyclins F and G1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 6, which are proteins important for cell-cycle progression. Moreover, upregulation was observed of the expression of genes such as GADD45A and p130 Rb, associated with cell-cycle arrest, indicating cell-cycle inhibition. Next, the effect of Acanthamoeba on retinoblastoma protein (pRb) phosphorylation was determined. pRb is a potent inhibitor of G1-to-S cell-cycle progression; however, its function is inhibited upon phosphorylation, allowing progression into S phase. Western blotting revealed that Acanthamoeba abolished pRb phosphorylation leading to cell-cycle arrest at the G1-to-S transition. Taken together, these studies demonstrated for the first time that Acanthamoeba inhibits the host cell cycle at the transcriptional level, as well as by modulating pRb phosphorylation using host cell-signalling mechanisms. A complete understanding of Acanthamoeba–host cell interactions may help in developing novel strategies to treat Acanthamoeba infections

Identification and properties of proteases from an Acanthamoeba isolate capable of producing granulomatous encephalitis

BACKGROUND: Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis due to Acanthamoeba is often a fatal human disease. However, the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of Acanthamoeba encephalitis remain unclear. In this study, the role of extracellular Acanthamoeba proteases in central nervous system pathogenesis and pathophysiology was examined. RESULTS: Using an encephalitis isolate belonging to T1 genotype, we observed two major proteases with approximate molecular weights of 150 KD and 130 KD on SDS-PAGE gels using gelatin as substrate. The 130 KD protease was inhibited with phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) suggesting that it is a serine protease, while the 150 KD protease was inhibited with 1, 10-phenanthroline suggesting that it is a metalloprotease. Both proteases exhibited maximal activity at neutral pH and over a range of temperatures, indicating their physiological relevance. These proteases degrade extracellular matrix (ECM), which provide structural and functional support to the brain tissue, as shown by the degradation of collagen I and III (major components of collagenous ECM), elastin (elastic fibrils of ECM), plasminogen (involved in proteolytic degradation of ECM), as well as casein and haemoglobin. The proteases were purified partially using ion-exchange chromatography and their effects were tested in an in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier using human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC). Neither the serine nor the metalloprotease exhibited HBMEC cytotoxicity. However, the serine protease exhibited HBMEC monolayer disruptions (trypsin-like) suggesting a role in blood-brain barrier perturbations. CONCLUSION: Overall, these data suggest that Acanthamoeba proteases digest ECM, which may play crucial role(s) in invasion of the brain tissue by amoebae