Assay of proteolytic enzyme(s) from Neurospora crassa

Assay of proteolytic enzyme(s) from Neurospora crass

Epidemiology and Immune Pathogenesis of Viral Sepsis

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Sepsis can be caused by a broad range of pathogens; however, bacterial infections represent the majority of sepsis cases. Up to 42% of sepsis presentations are culture negative, suggesting a non-bacterial cause. Despite this, diagnosis of viral sepsis remains very rare. Almost any virus can cause sepsis in vulnerable patients (e.g., neonates, infants, and other immunosuppressed groups). The prevalence of viral sepsis is not known, nor is there enough information to make an accurate estimate. The initial standard of care for all cases of sepsis, even those that are subsequently proven to be culture negative, is the immediate use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. In the absence of definite diagnostic criteria for viral sepsis, or at least to exclude bacterial sepsis, this inevitably leads to unnecessary antimicrobial use, with associated consequences for antimicrobial resistance, effects on the host microbiome and excess healthcare costs. It is important to understand non-bacterial causes of sepsis so that inappropriate treatment can be minimised, and appropriate treatments can be developed to improve outcomes. In this review, we summarise what is known about viral sepsis, its most common causes, and how the immune responses to severe viral infections can contribute to sepsis. We also discuss strategies to improve our understanding of viral sepsis, and ways we can integrate this new information into effective treatment

Histidinol dehydrogenase from Neurospora crassa

Histidinol dehydrogenase from Neurospora crass

Computing the Largest Empty Rectangle

We consider the following problem: Given a rectangle containing N points, find the largest area subrectangle with sides parallel to those of the original rectangle which contains none of the given points. If the rectangle is a piece of fabric or sheet metal and the points are flaws, this problem is finding the largest-area rectangular piece which can be salvaged. A previously known result [13] takes $O(N^2 )$ worst-case and $O(N\log ^2 N)$ expected time. This paper presents an $O(N\log ^3 N)$ time, $O(N\log N)$ space algorithm to solve this problem. It uses a divide-and-conquer approach similar to the ones used by Bentley [1] and introduces a new notion of Voronoi diagram along with a method for efficient computation of certain functions over paths of a tree

Performance analysis of an orbital angular momentum multiplexed amplify-and-forward radio relay chain with inter-modal crosstalk

The end-to-end spectral efficiency and bit error rate (BER) of an amplify-and-forward (AF) radio relay chain employing orbital angular momentum (OAM) multiplexing is presented. The inherent divergence of a beam carrying OAM is overcome by means of a lens. Modelled and measured inter-modal crosstalk levels are incorporated into the analysis. The results show that an end-to-end spectral efficiency of up to 8 bits s−1 Hz−1 is achievable using four OAM modes to multiplex four parallel data streams over 20 hops, provided that the detrimental effects of inter-modal crosstalk are mitigated. The spectral efficiency is expected to scale further by using more OAM modes. The BER profile along the relay chain is analysed for each of the four OAM modes

The Canadian Army Reserve in the age of Total Force: An organisational analysis using a behavioural science approach

This thesis explores how the Canadian Army can best use the Regular and Reserve Forces to construct an operationally ready Total Force. The work follows four broad avenues of inquiry. First, the Canadian historical experience is examined in an attempt to place current defence needs into proper historical perspective. Second, the experiences of units which have implemented various versions of Total Force are considered. Third, empirical research is conducted in an attempt to quantify: 1) The similarities and differences between Regular and Reserve soldiers in terms of readiness; 2) The similarities and differences between Regular and Reserve soldiers in terms of the satisfaction of their individual needs; 3) The effect on the satisfaction of the group needs of Reservists of introducing large numbers of Regular soldiers into Reserve units; 4) The similarities and differences between Regular, Total Force and Reserve units in terms of their ability to achieve the task; 5) The interaction between these various items. Fourth, the practices of other allied Armies are contrasted with Canadian practice in a number of areas which appear to affect the results achieved in a Total Force environment. Concrete recommendation are offered with regard to the following: command structure; mix of units; size of units; demographics and location of units; the use of Regular Force personnel in Reserve units; the Reserve augmentation of Regular Force units; training schedules; recruitment and enrolment standards; training requirements and promotion policies; pay and benefits; and operational evaluations. Together these recommendations offer a comprehensive programme for the revitalisation of the Canadian Army Reserves

The Suppression and Extinction of Class A Fires Using Water Sprays

Water has long been the agent of choice for fighting Class' A' fires In fact the thermal characteristics of water make it ideally suitable as an extinguishing agent for most types of fire, whether it is used to extract heat directly from the flames, the hot products of combustion or from the surface of the fuel The phase change from liquid water to water vapour (steam) is particularly effective in extracting thermal energy and the production of large quantities of water vapour may further contribute to fire extinguishment by inerting the surrounding atmosphere, especially where the fire is confined to some extent The literature review which forms the basis of this report has been conducted in order to establish the current state-of-the-art regarding the use of water sprays for the suppression and extinction of Class' A' fires It is concluded that the current state-of-the-art is close to the point where a description of fire extinction can be given from the initiation of suppression to the point of final extinguishment. this is a stated FRDG objective However. certain gaps in the knowledge base still exist and these are highlighted. provisional recommendations are made for the direction of future research in these areas

SOBA: sequence ontology bioinformatics analysis

The advent of cheaper, faster sequencing technologies has pushed the task of sequence annotation from the exclusive domain of large-scale multi-national sequencing projects to that of research laboratories and small consortia. The bioinformatics burden placed on these laboratories, some with very little programming experience can be daunting. Fortunately, there exist software libraries and pipelines designed with these groups in mind, to ease the transition from an assembled genome to an annotated and accessible genome resource. We have developed the Sequence Ontology Bioinformatics Analysis (SOBA) tool to provide a simple statistical and graphical summary of an annotated genome. We envisage its use during annotation jamborees, genome comparison and for use by developers for rapid feedback during annotation software development and testing. SOBA also provides annotation consistency feedback to ensure correct use of terminology within annotations, and guides users to add new terms to the Sequence Ontology when required. SOBA is available at http://www.sequenceontology.org/cgi-bin/soba.cgi

Minimum-weight triangulation is NP-hard

A triangulation of a planar point set S is a maximal plane straight-line graph with vertex set S. In the minimum-weight triangulation (MWT) problem, we are looking for a triangulation of a given point set that minimizes the sum of the edge lengths. We prove that the decision version of this problem is NP-hard. We use a reduction from PLANAR-1-IN-3-SAT. The correct working of the gadgets is established with computer assistance, using dynamic programming on polygonal faces, as well as the beta-skeleton heuristic to certify that certain edges belong to the minimum-weight triangulation.Comment: 45 pages (including a technical appendix of 13 pages), 28 figures. This revision contains a few improvements in the expositio