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The aim of this study is to assess the awareness of criminology students’ regarding the effect of mandatory Reserve Officer Training Course or commonly known as ROTC. The significance of this study is that it clarifies our theoretical understanding of the ROTC program by introducing everyone to the practical aspects of the ROTC program, and also informs our empirical understanding of the important benefits of the program to everyone. Participants from each year level are randomly selected to answer a short survey questionnaire related to the mandatory ROTC program. Given its popularity in the new Marcos era, in terms of academics, training, benefits, possible problems encountered and proposed measures on problem-solving were regarded as “Strongly Agreed” by the majority of all participants. Compared to the different reactions posted on social media about the ROTC program, the findings of this study contradict their negative approach and unfavorable comments regarding this matter. Therefore, the researchers conclude that the main reason why the ROTC program is feared and partially unaccepted is due to their lack of understanding of the true motive and purpose of the said program. It’s in humans’ nature to be afraid of the things and phenomena they don’t fully understand, but some still took the risk and set aside the fear to explore new things that might benefit those they truly treasure the most.&nbsp

In electrocatalysis, the rate of a reaction as a function of applied potential is governed by the Tafel equation, which depends on two parameters: the Tafel slope and the exchange current density (i0). However, current methods to determine these parameters involve subjective removal of data due to the convoluted effects of mass transfer and competitive surface or bulk reactions, resulting in unquantifiable uncertainty. To overcome this challenge, we couple covariance matrix adaptation with a continuum model of CO2 reduction (CO2R) that explicitly deconvolutes non-kinetic effects to extract kinetic parameters associated with 26 literature datasets of CO2R over Ag and Sn catalysts. The fitted kinetic parameters do not converge to a unique set of values, and the Tafel slope and i0 possess an apparent correlation, which we suggest is a consequence of variations in catalyst preparation methods. This work facilitates rigorous benchmarking of electrocatalysts in systems where mass transfer is relevant.

Cells can crawl, self-heal, and tune their stiffness due to their remarkably dynamic cytoskeleton. As such, reconstituting networks of cytoskeletal biopolymers may lead to a host of active and adaptable materials. However, engineering such materials with precisely tuned properties requires measuring how the dynamics depend on the network composition and synthesis methods. Quantifying such dynamics is challenged by variations across the time, space, and formulation space of composite networks. The protocol here describes how the Fourier analysis technique, differential dynamic microscopy (DDM), can quantify the dynamics of biopolymer networks and is particularly well suited for studies of cytoskeleton networks. DDM works on time sequences of images acquired using a range of microscopy modalities, including laser-scanning confocal, widefield fluorescence, and brightfield imaging. From such image sequences, one can extract characteristic decorrelation times of density fluctuations across a span of wave vectors. A user-friendly, open-source Python package to perform DDM analysis is also developed. With this package, one can measure the dynamics of labeled cytoskeleton components or of embedded tracer particles, as demonstrated here with data of intermediate filament (vimentin) networks and active actin-microtubule networks. Users with no prior programming or image processing experience will be able to perform DDM using this software package and associated documentation., BN/Gijsje Koenderink Lab

The development and characterization of active and selective catalysts is critical for the simulation and optimization of electrochemical synthesis of chemicals and fuels using renewable energy. The rate of electrochemical generation of a specific product as a function of electrode potential can be described by a Tafel equation, which depends on two parameters: the Tafel slope (or the related transfer coefficient) and the exchange current density. However, common methods for calculating Tafel slopes are subjective and limited by data insufficiency resulting from challenges associated with product quantification, and, as shown here, the effects of mass transport, bulk reaction occurring in the mass-transfer boundary layer, and the occurrence of competitive surface reactions. Errors in the Tafel slope extracted from experimental data can also lead to errors in the exchange current density estimation. To address these issues, we present a technique that leverages statistical learning methods informed by physics-based modeling to calculate kinetic parameters (the transfer coefficient and exchange current density) with quantified uncertainty. The method is applied to 21 sets of data for the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to CO and H₂ on Ag catalysts acquired under similar experimental conditions. We find that fitted values for the transfer coefficient and exchange current density do not converge to a unique set of values, and that there is an apparent correlation of these parameters; however, the most probable value of the exchange coefficient for CO and H₂ formation correspond reasonably well with the DFT-predicted values of this parameter. While the system explored is relatively simple, the techniques developed can be used to evaluate the transfer coefficient and exchange current density for many other electrochemical processes.

The population of the Philippines continues to grow over the years, which leads to different economic concerns. The aim of this study is to determine the significance of the Reproductive Health Law and female unemployment rate on fertility rate in the country. Most studies imply a negative relationship between female unemployment rate, GNI per capita, registered marriages, and reproductive health programs on fertility rate. The result of these studies adheres to the author’s claim that there is a negative relationship among variables. A quantitative research design was used in this study. The used of multiple regression analysis examined the relationship of each explanatory variable to fertility rate based on the data gathered from 1980 to 2020. Results show that RH Law has a negative relationship on fertility rate, while unemployment rate has a positive relationship on fertility rate. This indicates that fertility rate declines because of the implementation of the RH Law that will result to slowdown the increase in population.

Cells can crawl, self-heal, and tune their stiffness due to their remarkably dynamic cytoskeleton. As such, reconstituting networks of cytoskeletal biopolymers may lead to a host of active and adaptable materials. However, engineering such materials with precisely tuned properties requires measuring how the dynamics depend on the network composition and synthesis methods. Quantifying such dynamics is challenged by variations across the time, space, and formulation space of composite networks. The protocol here describes how the Fourier analysis technique, differential dynamic microscopy (DDM), can quantify the dynamics of biopolymer networks and is particularly well suited for studies of cytoskeleton networks. DDM works on time sequences of images acquired using a range of microscopy modalities, including laser-scanning confocal, widefield fluorescence, and brightfield imaging. From such image sequences, one can extract characteristic decorrelation times of density fluctuations across a span of wave vectors. A user-friendly, open-source Python package to perform DDM analysis is also developed. With this package, one can measure the dynamics of labeled cytoskeleton components or of embedded tracer particles, as demonstrated here with data of intermediate filament (vimentin) networks and active actin-microtubule networks. Users with no prior programming or image processing experience will be able to perform DDM using this software package and associated documentation., BN/Gijsje Koenderink Lab

© 2019 American Physical Society. The entanglement of ring polymers remains mysterious in many aspects. In this Letter, we use electric fields to induce self-entanglements in circular DNA molecules, which serve as a minimal system for studying chain entanglements. We show that self-threadings give rise to entanglements in ring polymers and can slow down polymer dynamics significantly. We find that strongly entangled circular molecules remain kinetically arrested in a compact state for very long times, thereby providing experimental evidence for the severe topological constraints imposed by threadings.

“The Science We Need For The Ocean We Want.”We are on the threshold of a new and exciting era of discovery in the oceans that will shape the development of human endeavours for decades to come. New insights on the significance of the microscopic scale of ocean life has shown this level affects almost every aspect of our lives (health, food, industry, ecosystems). For society’s future, we need to investigate the science of marine microbiomes, integrate the novel technologies discovered and initiate policies that foster truly sustainable marine development.The United Nations will dedicate the next decade to Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The Decade’s vision and mission are consistent with the objective of the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance (AORA) between the European Union, Canada and the United States, that is to “advance the shared vision of an Atlantic Ocean that is healthy, resilient, safe, productive, understood and treasured, to promote the well-being, prosperity and security of the Atlantic for present and future generations”. Relevant to the missions of both AORA and the Decade, here, we outline how the marine microbiome is at the heart of the ocean as a living system, driving its nutrient and biogeochemical cycles, forming the basis of its food webs, performing essential and yet unknown functions in climate regulation, including buffering the effects of global change. Furthermore, the oceans are a largely untapped resource for biodiscovery and the bioeconomy, with a high potential for the development of new products and processes. To ensure early coordination and interoperability guided by a shared vision, we need to bring together science, industry and policy makers to advance the “Next Great Exploration of the Oceans”. The following Roadmap is the result of an international cooperative effort between the United States, Canada, and the European Union produced within the AORA framework and consistent with the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean C

“The Science We Need For The Ocean We Want.”We are on the threshold of a new and exciting era of discovery in the oceans that will shape the development of human endeavours for decades to come. New insights on the significance of the microscopic scale of ocean life has shown this level affects almost every aspect of our lives (health, food, industry, ecosystems). For society’s future, we need to investigate the science of marine microbiomes, integrate the novel technologies discovered and initiate policies that foster truly sustainable marine development.The United Nations will dedicate the next decade to Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The Decade’s vision and mission are consistent with the objective of the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance (AORA) between the European Union, Canada and the United States, that is to “advance the shared vision of an Atlantic Ocean that is healthy, resilient, safe, productive, understood and treasured, to promote the well-being, prosperity and security of the Atlantic for present and future generations”. Relevant to the missions of both AORA and the Decade, here, we outline how the marine microbiome is at the heart of the ocean as a living system, driving its nutrient and biogeochemical cycles, forming the basis of its food webs, performing essential and yet unknown functions in climate regulation, including buffering the effects of global change. Furthermore, the oceans are a largely untapped resource for biodiscovery and the bioeconomy, with a high potential for the development of new products and processes. To ensure early coordination and interoperability guided by a shared vision, we need to bring together science, industry and policy makers to advance the “Next Great Exploration of the Oceans”. The following Roadmap is the result of an international cooperative effort between the United States, Canada, and the European Union produced within the AORA framework and consistent with the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean C

To address the global burden of sickle cell disease and the need for novel therapies, the American Society of Hematology partnered with the US Food and Drug Administration to engage the work of 7 panels of clinicians, investigators, and patients to develop consensus recommendations for clinical trial end points. The panels conducted their work through literature reviews, assessment of available evidence, and expert judgment focusing on end points related to patient-reported outcome, pain (non-patient-reported outcomes), the brain, end-organ considerations, biomarkers, measurement of cure, and low-resource settings. This article presents the findings and recommendations of the end-organ considerations, measurement of cure, and low-resource settings panels as well as relevant findings and recommendations from the biomarkers panel.

The HIV-1 Rev protein activates nuclear export of unspliced and partially spliced viral RNA transcripts, which encode the viral genome and the genes encoding viral structural proteins, by binding to and oligomerizing on the Rev Response Element (RRE). The human DEAD-box protein 1 (DDX1) enhances the RNA export activity of Rev through an unknown mechanism. Using a single-molecule assembly assay and various DDX1 mutants, we show that DDX1 acts through the RRE RNA to specifically accelerate the nucleation step of the Rev-RRE assembly process. Single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) experiments using donor-labeled Rev and acceptor-labeled DDX1 show that both proteins can associate with a single RRE molecule. However, simultaneous interaction is only observed in a subset of binding events and does not explain the extent to which DDX1 promotes the nucleation step of Rev-RRE assembly. Together, these results are consistent with a model wherein DDX1 acts as an RNA chaperone, remodeling the RRE into a conformation that is pre-organized to bind the first Rev monomer, thereby promoting the overall Rev-RRE assembly process.

The HIV-1 Rev protein activates nuclear export of unspliced and partially spliced viral RNA transcripts, which encode the viral genome and the genes encoding viral structural proteins, by binding to and oligomerizing on the Rev Response Element (RRE). The human DEAD-box protein 1 (DDX1) enhances the RNA export activity of Rev through an unknown mechanism. Using a single-molecule assembly assay and various DDX1 mutants, we show that DDX1 acts through the RRE RNA to specifically accelerate the nucleation step of the Rev-RRE assembly process. Single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) experiments using donor-labeled Rev and acceptor-labeled DDX1 show that both proteins can associate with a single RRE molecule. However, simultaneous interaction is only observed in a subset of binding events and does not explain the extent to which DDX1 promotes the nucleation step of Rev-RRE assembly. Together, these results are consistent with a model wherein DDX1 acts as an RNA chaperone, remodeling the RRE into a conformation that is pre-organized to bind the first Rev monomer, thereby promoting the overall Rev-RRE assembly process.

This document forms part of the research materials collected in the 'School knowledge, working knowledge and the knowing subject: a review of state curriculum policies 1975-2005' project. The research was led by Professor Lyn Yates and was funded as a Discovery Project by the Australian Research Council (2007-2008), supplemented by further funding from the University of Melbourne through 2009. Curriculum policies and major education reports collected as part of this project were digitised to preserve as a resource for future researchers and policy makers with the support of the University Library and the Social and Cultural Informatics Platform.

This document forms part of the research materials collected in the 'School knowledge, working knowledge and the knowing subject: a review of state curriculum policies 1975-2005' project. The research was led by Professor Lyn Yates and was funded as a Discovery Project by the Australian Research Council (2007-2008), supplemented by further funding from the University of Melbourne through 2009. Curriculum policies and major education reports collected as part of this project were digitised to preserve as a resource for future researchers and policy makers with the support of the University Library and the Social and Cultural Informatics Platform.

This document forms part of the research materials collected in the 'School knowledge, working knowledge and the knowing subject: a review of state curriculum policies 1975-2005' project. The research was led by Professor Lyn Yates and was funded as a Discovery Project by the Australian Research Council (2007-2008), supplemented by further funding from the University of Melbourne through 2009. Curriculum policies and major education reports collected as part of this project were digitised to preserve as a resource for future researchers and policy makers with the support of the University Library and the Social and Cultural Informatics Platform.

This document forms part of the research materials collected in the 'School knowledge, working knowledge and the knowing subject: a review of state curriculum policies 1975-2005' project. The research was led by Professor Lyn Yates and was funded as a Discovery Project by the Australian Research Council (2007-2008), supplemented by further funding from the University of Melbourne through 2009. Curriculum policies and major education reports collected as part of this project were digitised to preserve as a resource for future researchers and policy makers with the support of the University Library and the Social and Cultural Informatics Platform.

This document forms part of the research materials collected in the 'School knowledge, working knowledge and the knowing subject: a review of state curriculum policies 1975-2005' project. The research was led by Professor Lyn Yates and was funded as a Discovery Project by the Australian Research Council (2007-2008), supplemented by further funding from the University of Melbourne through 2009. Curriculum policies and major education reports collected as part of this project were digitised to preserve as a resource for future researchers and policy makers with the support of the University Library and the Social and Cultural Informatics Platform.

This document forms part of the research materials collected in the 'School knowledge, working knowledge and the knowing subject: a review of state curriculum policies 1975-2005' project. The research was led by Professor Lyn Yates and was funded as a Discovery Project by the Australian Research Council (2007-2008), supplemented by further funding from the University of Melbourne through 2009. Curriculum policies and major education reports collected as part of this project were digitised to preserve as a resource for future researchers and policy makers with the support of the University Library and the Social and Cultural Informatics Platform.

Three groups of four primiparous Holstein-Friesian heifers were fed throughout pregnancy either a control diet or that diet supplemented with either 5 to 6 g per day of rumen-protected intestinally available methionine or 25 mg melatonin. They were euthanased three days after calving. The dietary supplements had no effect on the impression hardness or the concentrations of cysteine and methionine in samples of claw horn collected from a range of sites, or on the areas of erosion in the sole and heel. Significant differences were recorded for the hardness of the horn in the order wall >sole >heel. These differences were associated with higher concentrations of cysteine and lower concentrations of methionine in samples of horn from the dorsal wall than in samples from the prebulbar region of the sole. There were no significant differences attributable to the dietary supplements in the soft tissue anatomy of the solear dermis and epidermis.

Three groups of four primiparous Holstein-Friesian heifers were fed throughout pregnancy either a control diet or that diet supplemented with either 5 to 6 g per day of rumen-protected intestinally available methionine or 25 mg melatonin. They were euthanased three days after calving. The dietary supplements had no effect on the impression hardness or the concentrations of cysteine and methionine in samples of claw horn collected from a range of sites, or on the areas of erosion in the sole and heel. Significant differences were recorded for the hardness of the horn in the order wall >sole >heel. These differences were associated with higher concentrations of cysteine and lower concentrations of methionine in samples of horn from the dorsal wall than in samples from the prebulbar region of the sole. There were no significant differences attributable to the dietary supplements in the soft tissue anatomy of the solear dermis and epidermis.

Three groups of four primiparous Holstein-Friesian heifers were fed throughout pregnancy either a control diet or that diet supplemented with either 5 to 6 g per day of rumen-protected intestinally available methionine or 25 mg melatonin. They were euthanased three days after calving. The dietary supplements had no effect on the impression hardness or the concentrations of cysteine and methionine in samples of claw horn collected from a range of sites, or on the areas of erosion in the sole and heel. Significant differences were recorded for the hardness of the horn in the order wall >sole >heel. These differences were associated with higher concentrations of cysteine and lower concentrations of methionine in samples of horn from the dorsal wall than in samples from the prebulbar region of the sole. There were no significant differences attributable to the dietary supplements in the soft tissue anatomy of the solear dermis and epidermis.

The Minerals Council of Australia released its Australian Minerals Industry Code for Environmental Management at the end of 1996, but the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) believes that the Code has significant shortcomings which prevent it from being an effective tool for improving environmental performance. WWF and Placer Dome Asia Pacific are investigating independent certification as a means of satisfying the desires of mining companies and conservationists to improve the environmental and social performance until oil, gas, mineral exploration and extractive industries all contribute to ecologically sustainable development., The Minerals Council of Australia released its Australian Minerals Industry Code for Environmental Management at the end of 1996, but the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) believes that the Code has significant shortcomings which prevent it from being an effective tool for improving environmental performance. WWF and Placer Dome Asia Pacific are investigating independent certification as a means of satisfying the desires of mining companies and conservationists to improve the environmental and social performance until oil, gas, mineral exploration and extractive industries all contribute to ecologically sustainable development.

Through the current trend for bioprospecting, marine organisms - particularly algae - are becoming increasingly known for their osteogenic potential. Such organisms may provide novel treatment options for osteoporosis and other musculoskeletal conditions, helping to address their large healthcare burden and the limitations of current therapies. In this study, extracts from two red algae - Plocamium lyngbyanum and Ceramium secundatum - were tested in vitro and in vivo for their osteogenic potential. In vitro, the growth of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) was significantly greater in the presence of the extracts, particularly with P. lyngbyanum treatment. Osteogenic differentiation was promoted more by C. secundatum (70 µg/ml), though P. lyngbyanum had greater in vitro mineralisation potential. Both species caused a marked and dose-dependent increase in the opercular bone area of zebrafish larvae. Our findings therefore indicate the presence of bioactive components in P. lyngbyanum and C. secundatum extracts, which can promote both in vitro and in vivo osteogenic activity.