Prediction of β-barrel membrane proteins by searching for restricted domains

BACKGROUND: The identification of beta-barrel membrane proteins out of a genomic/proteomic background is one of the rapidly developing fields in bioinformatics. Our main goal is the prediction of such proteins in genome/proteome wide analyses. RESULTS: For the prediction of beta-barrel membrane proteins within prokaryotic proteomes a set of parameters was developed. We have focused on a procedure with a low false positive rate beside a procedure with lowest false prediction rate to obtain a high certainty for the predicted sequences. We demonstrate that the discrimination between beta-barrel membrane proteins and other proteins is improved by analyzing a length limited region. The developed set of parameters is applied to the proteome of E. coli and the results are compared to four other described procedures. CONCLUSION: Analyzing the beta-barrel membrane proteins revealed the presence of a defined membrane inserted beta-barrel region. This information can now be used to refine other prediction programs as well. So far, all tested programs fail to predict outer membrane proteins in the proteome of the prokaryote E. coli with high reliability. However, the reliability of the prediction is improved significantly by a combinatory approach of several programs. The consequences and usability of the developed scores are discussed

Shared Reading Activities: A Recommendation For Deaf Children

There should be a focus on fun in shared reading activities with preschoolers in order to prepare them for later literacy, particularly those at risk of a poor foundation in a first language (L1), including deaf children (here “deaf” covers hard of hearing, as well). We look at how shared reading activities (SRAs) develop pre-literacy skills and describe bilingual-bimodal ebooks aimed purely at producing enjoyment, so families will engage in SRAs frequently

To Hou Heneka and Continuous Change

Beginning with Aristotle’s statement in Physics II.2 that motion must be continuous to be for the sake of an end, I argue that properly understood, continuity is actually a sufficient condition for the goal- directedness of any motion in Aristotle’s teleology. I establish this conclusion first for the simple motions discussed in Physics V-VI, and then for complex changes such as the generation and development of a living thing. In both steps of the argument, the notion of καθ’ αυτό agency serves as a key link between continuity and goal-directedness. The understanding of Aristotle’s teleology that emerges from the consideration of continuity, finally, fits Aristotle’s discussion of that for the sake of which in Generation and Corruption II.9 and Physics II.8

Phosphorylation regulates the assembly of chloroplast import machinery

Chloroplast function depends on the translocation of cytosolically synthesized precursor proteins into the organelle. The recognition and transfer of most precursor proteins across the outer membrane depend on a membrane inserted complex. Two receptor components of this complex, Toc34 and Toc159, are GTPases, which can be phosphorylated by kinases present in the hosting membrane. However, the physiological function of phosphorylation is not yet understood in detail. It is demonstrated that both receptors are phosphorylated within their G-domains. In vitro, the phosphorylation of Toc34 disrupts both homo- and heterodimerization of the G-domains as determined using a phospho-mimicking mutant. In endogenous membranes this mutation or phosphorylation of the wild-type receptor disturbs the association of Toc34, but not of Toc159 with the translocation pore. Therefore, phosphorylation serves as an inhibitor for the association of Toc34 with other components of the complex and phosphorylation can now be discussed as a mechanism to exchange different isoforms of Toc34 within this ensemble

Assessment of the effectiveness of physiotherapy in the treatment of shoulder pain syndrome

Painful shoulder syndrome is a common condition of the musculoskeletal system in adults.  This disorder affects your ability to work, overall body function, sleep, and quality of life.  The treatment of shoulder syndrome is multifaceted and covers a broad spectrum of physiotherapy options. These include progressive strengthening exercises, laser therapy, electrotherapy and magnetotherapy. There are a number of treatments available that are reimbursed by the National Health Fund (NFZ). Aim of the research: The aim of the research was to assess the impact of rehabilitation on the treatment of shoulder pain syndrome. Material and methods: The method used in the study was a diagnostic survey. The research was supplemented with an author's questionnaire to compare demographic data and assess the quality of life.  The ranges of mobility were assessed before and after 10 series of treatments and the level of pain using the VAS scale.  The study involved 80 patients presenting with the diagnosis of painful shoulder syndrome, 60% of whom were women and 40% men. The most numerous age group was between 50-60 years old (31 people) and 30-40 years old (24 people).   Results: The treatment process was successful in patients.  Out of the studied population, 95% of patients experienced an improvement in their health compared to the baseline.  A significant reduction in pain was observed with the use of physiotherapeutic procedures.  The patients most favorably assessed massage, kinesiotherapy and cryotherapy. Conclusions: Conservative treatment reimbursed under the National Health Fund is an effective method of improving mobility and reducing to a large extent discomfort in the shoulder joint.Abstract Painful shoulder syndrome is a common condition of the musculoskeletal system in adults.  This disorder affects your ability to work, overall body function, sleep, and quality of life.  The treatment of shoulder syndrome is multifaceted and covers a broad spectrum of physiotherapy options. These include progressive strengthening exercises, laser therapy, electrotherapy and magnetotherapy. There are a number of treatments available that are reimbursed by the National Health Fund (NFZ). Aim of the research: The aim of the research was to assess the impact of rehabilitation on the treatment of shoulder pain syndrome. Material and methods: The method used in the study was a diagnostic survey. The research was supplemented with an author's questionnaire to compare demographic data and assess the quality of life.  The ranges of mobility were assessed before and after 10 series of treatments and the level of pain using the VAS scale.  The study involved 80 patients presenting with the diagnosis of painful shoulder syndrome, 60% of whom were women and 40% men. The most numerous age group was between 50-60 years old (31 people) and 30-40 years old (24 people).  Results: The treatment process was successful in patients.  Out of the studied population, 95% of patients experienced an improvement in their health compared to the baseline.  A significant reduction in pain was observed with the use of physiotherapeutic procedures.  The patients most favorably assessed massage, kinesiotherapy and cryotherapy. Conclusions: Conservative treatment reimbursed under the National Health Fund is an effective method of improving mobility and reducing to a large extent discomfort in the shoulder joint

The linguistic repertoire of deaf cuers: an ethnographic query on practice

textTaking an anthropological perspective, this dissertation focuses on a small segment of the American deaf community that uses Cued Speech by examining the nature of the cuers' linguistic repertoire. Multimodality is at issue for this dissertation. It can affect the ways of speaking or more appropriately, ways of communicating (specifically, signing or cueing). Speech and Cued Speech rely on different modalities by using different sets of articulators. Hearing adults do not learn Cued Speech the same way deaf children do. English-speaking, hearing adult learners can base their articulation of Cued Speech on existing knowledge of their spoken language. However, because deaf children do not have natural access to spoken language phonology aurally, they tend to learn Cued Speech communicatively through day-to-day interactions with family members and deaf cueing peers. I am interested in examining the construct of cuers' linguistic repertoire. Which parts of their linguistic repertoire model after signed languages? Which parts of their linguistic repertoire model after spoken languages? Cuers' phonological, syntactal and lexical repertoire largely depends on several factors including social class, geography, and the repertoire of hearing cuers whom they interacted with on a daily basis. For most deaf cuers, hearing cuers including parents, transliterators and educators serve as a model for the English language. Hearing cuers play a role as unwitting gatekeepers for the maintenance of 'proper' cueing among deaf users. For this dissertation, I seek to study the effects of modality on how cuers manage their linguistic repertoire. The statement of the problem is this: Cued Speech is visual and made with the hands like ASL but is ultimately a code for the English language. The research questions to be examined in this dissertation include how cuers adapt an invented system for their purposes, what adjustments they make to Cued Speech, how Cued Speech interacts with gesture, and what language play in Cued Speech looks like.Anthropolog

Effects Of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy On Intraocular Pressure In Dogs

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a method in which pressurized oxygen is used to improve oxygen delivery to tissues. This treatment has been found to be effective in a variety of disorders in human and animal medicine, however it is underutilized in small animal medicine, in part because veterinary professionals may not be adequately familiar with how it works and when it is worthwhile. There has been hesitancy to utilize this method of treatment due to the fear of the unknowns, one example being a potential for an increase in intraocular. The mission of this project was to expand knowledge of HBOT treatment and also determine the effect of increased oxygen pressures on the internal aqueous pressure in the anterior chamber of the eye to identify any negative effects that there could be on the canine eye. Patients in this study underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy for a specific condition that was recorded and did not receive unnecessary treatments. Each participant had a complete physical examination performed by a licensed veterinarian to assure that there was not underlying pathology that would contraindicate HBOT and patients were not selected to participate if they had a known underlying ocular condition. For this study, eighteen dogs were subject to hyperbaric oxygen therapy and were treated with 100% oxygen at a pressure of 14.7 PSI for 30 minutes. Overall treatments lasted approximately 60 minutes, allowing roughly 15 minutes to achieve 14.7 PSI and roughly 15 minutes to decompress after the treatment to avoid barotrauma. Intraocular pressures were obtained using an Icare® TONOVET Plus Tonometer and the chamber that was utilized in this study is a Companion Animal Hyperbarics, LP chamber. Patient intraocular pressures were measured immediately prior to HBOT and immediately after. A single credentialed veterinary technician was responsible for obtaining each intraocular pressure reading in order to ensure that there was no discrepancy amongst individuals. Due to the nature of the treatment being within an enclosed chamber, intraocular pressures were not taken during the treatment. Analysis of results compared an increase or decrease in post-HBOT intraocular pressure compared to pre-HBOT readings. Results of this trial suggest that there is no clinically significant impact on intraocular pressure in patients receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2021/1021/thumbnail.jp

Fun Bilingual-Bimodal Ebooks For Deaf Children

Ebooks provide new ways to advance developing literacy among deaf children. While some aim to promote literacy through explicit pedagogical techniques, the new ebooks described here aim only to offer stories that are fun to share, encouraging learning through interaction that naturally fosters language and preliteracy skills. Reading for pleasure is recognized as valuable for hearing children; it needs to be recognized as such for deaf children. We present the rationale for these ebooks and give examples of how they advance preliteracy skills, in the hopes that those raising and educating deaf children will use them, offered gratis on the Internet

ЕКСПЕРТИЗА УМОВ ПРАЦІ ПРАЦІВНИКІВ ФАРМАЦЕВТИЧНОЇ ГАЛУЗІ ЯК СКЛАДОВА СИСТЕМИ УПРАВЛІННЯ ОХОРОНОЮ ПРАЦІ

Formulation of the problem. At companies belonging to the pharmaceutical industry, there is an urgent need to comply with all standards of occupational safety and health. Particular attention should be paid to the influence of psychophysiological factors: labour intensity and forced working posture, as well as the monotony of work and the performance of the same type of work. The job of the dispenser requires long-term direct monitoring of the equipment, readiness for quick action. The term "operational rest" defined this functional state. And a factor of the monotony of expectation characterized too. It is no secret that the performance of monotonous work is characterized by feelings of fatigue, apathy, drowsiness and numbness; deterioration of heart rate, lower blood pressure, slowing of the alpha rhythm, decreased mus-cle tone; fluctuations in productivity, a general decrease in efficiency, reduced ability to respond to signals from environ-mental stimuli. When performing the functional duties of the dispenser, there is a lengthy performance of simple opera-tions. The content is reduced to a uniform visual control over the quality of products, as well as to work associated with long-term passive observation and limited impact on the brain of various production signals and stimuli.Purpose. The purpose of the study is to analyze the card of the working conditions of dispensers and drug com-pilers. This study aims to develop measures to eliminate the risk of monotony.Results. Therefore, the consequences of such monotonous work can be rapid development of fatigue due to the localization of muscular and nervous loads; sedentary lifestyle; development of neuroses; dissatisfaction with work and reduced creative activity of the employee. Individual psychological characteristics of the employee have an impact on the performance of monotonous work, as well as on the development of mental states. Therefore, in the professional selection, it is necessary to take into account: the monotony of the employee. Everyone knows that people with higher mental abilities have low monostic resistance. Highly skilled workers can maintain capacity, is the ability to perform a particular type of work without erroneous actions, even under heavy and prolonged loads. A low-skilled worker cannot detect changes in monotony and falls victim to indifference.Scientific novelty. Therefore, we recommend that companies implement some measures to reduce the monotony of work, namely: setting enough speed and mode of operation (in the first 30 minutes after starting work: set the pace of the conveyor 5 - 10% below average); rationalization of work and rest regimes (recommend short breaks) (5 - 10 minutes every 2-3 hours); aestheticization of the production environment (improve the lighting of the work area); introduction of some measures on material and moral stimulation; involvement of workers in the management and solution of production problems; improve socio-psychological climate; use the opportunity to play sports and physical culture.Постановка проблеми. На підприємствах, що належать до фармацевтичної галузі, існує гостра потреба у дотриманні усіх норм з безпеки та гігієни праці. Особливу увагу необхідно звернути на вплив психофізіологічного чинника: напруженість праці та вимушена робоча поза, а також монотонність праці та виконання однотипної роботи, стереотипних робочих рухів. При виконанні монотонних робіт характерними є: почуття втоми та отупіння, апатія, сонливість; погіршення ритму серцевих скорочень, загальне зниження працездатності, зменшення здатності реагувати на сигнали навколишніх подразників. Індивідуальні психологічні особливості працівника мають вплив на виконання ним монотонної праці, а також на розвиток психічних станів. Так, праця дозувальника потребує тривалого безпосереднього спостереження за роботою обладнання, готовності до швидких, чітких дій. Цей функціональний стан визначається терміном «оперативний спокій» і характеризується фактором монотонності очікування.Метою дослідження є провести аналіз картки умови праці дозувальників та укладальників лікарських препаратів. Завданням цього дослідження є розробити заходи з усунення ризику виникнення монотонії праці.Результати роботи. При виконанні функціональних обов’язків дозувальника спостерігається тривале ви-конання простих операцій, зміст яких зводиться до одноманітного зорового контролю за якістю продукції, що випускається, а також до роботи, пов'язаної з тривалим пасивним спостереженням і обмеженим впливом на мозок різних виробничих сигналів і подразників. Тому, наслідками такої монотонної праці може бути: швидкий розвиток втоми в зв’язку з локалізацією м’язових і нервових навантажень; гіподинамія; розвиток неврозів; незадоволення роботою і зниження творчої активності працівника. Індивідуальні психологічні особливості працівника мають вплив на виконання ним монотонної праці, а також на розвиток психічних станів. Отже, при професійному відборі необхідно враховувати: монотонностійкість працівника. Відомо, що низьку моностійкість мають особи із вищими розумовими здібностями. Висококваліфіковані працівники здатні зберігати дієздатність, тобто можли-вість виконувати конкретний вид робіт без помилкових дій, навіть при важких і тривалих навантаженнях. Низькокваліфікований робітник не може вловити одноманітності зміни й стає жертвою байдужості. Наукова новизна. Отже, рекомендуємо на підприємствах впроваджувати ряд заходів з метою зменшення виникнення монотонності праці, а саме:встановлення адекватного темпу і режиму роботи ( у перші 30 хвилин після початку роботи: встановлювати темп конвеєра на 5 - 10% нижчий за средньоробочий темп); раціоналізація режимів праці відпочинку (рекомендувати короткочасні перерви (5 - 10 хв кожні 2-3 години); покращити естетику виробничого середовища (освітлення робочої зони); впровадити ряд заходів щодо матеріального та морального стимулювання у розмірі 8% від заробітньої плати; залучати робітників до управління і розв’язання виробничих проблем; покращувати соціально-психологічний клімат; створити можливість для заняття спортом і фізичною культурою

The protein translocation systems in plants - composition and variability on the example of Solanum lycopersicum

Background: Protein translocation across membranes is a central process in all cells. In the past decades the molecular composition of the translocation systems in the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum, peroxisomes, mitochondria and chloroplasts have been established based on the analysis of model organisms. Today, these results have to be transferred to other plant species. We bioinformatically determined the inventory of putative translocation factors in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) by orthologue search and domain architecture analyses. In addition, we investigated the diversity of such systems by comparing our findings to the model organisms Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Arabidopsis thaliana and 12 other plant species. Results: The literature search end up in a total of 130 translocation components in yeast and A. thaliana, which are either experimentally confirmed or homologous to experimentally confirmed factors. From our bioinformatic analysis (PGAP and OrthoMCL), we identified (co-)orthologues in plants, which in combination yielded 148 and 143 orthologues in A. thaliana and S. lycopersicum, respectively. Interestingly, we traced 82% overlap in findings from both approaches though we did not find any orthologues for 27% of the factors by either procedure. In turn, 29% of the factors displayed the presence of more than one (co-)orthologue in tomato. Moreover, our analysis revealed that the genomic composition of the translocation machineries in the bryophyte Physcomitrella patens resemble more to higher plants than to single celled green algae. The monocots (Z. mays and O. sativa) follow more or less a similar conservation pattern for encoding the translocon components. In contrast, a diverse pattern was observed in different eudicots. Conclusions: The orthologue search shows in most cases a clear conservation of components of the translocation pathways/machineries. Only the Get-dependent integration of tail-anchored proteins seems to be distinct. Further, the complexity of the translocation pathway in terms of existing orthologues seems to vary among plant species. This might be the consequence of palaeoploidisation during evolution in plants; lineage specific whole genome duplications in Arabidopsis thaliana and triplications in Solanum lycopersicum