Search

Objectives: The study aimed to inactivate the FAdV isolate (UPM11142P5B1) produced in a bioreactor and assess the humoral and cellular immunity, efficacy, and virus shedding in broiler chickens. Materials and Methods: The isolate was grown in a bioreactor, inactivated using binary ethyleneimine, adjuvanted with Montanide 71VG, and injected into day-old broiler chickens either with or without booster groups. The following parameters were measured: T lymphocyte profile in the liver, spleen, and thymus; FAdV antibody titer; clinical symptoms; gross and histological alterations in the liver, spleen, and thymus; virus copy number in the liver and cloacal shedding. Results: Compared to the unchallenged control group, booster (BG), and non-booster (NBG), the challenged control group (CCG) had a larger liver: body weight (BW) ratio, milder clinical signs, gross lesions, and histological alterations. They also had a lower BW. At 7, 21, 35, and 42 days post-inoculation (dpi), the NBG and BG exhibited higher antibody levels than the UCG. At 35 dpi, challenged BG and NBG produced more antibodies than CCG. In BG and NBG, T cells were stimulated in the spleen, thymus, and liver. At 35 and 42 dpi, the challenged BG and NBG showed significantly decreased viral copy numbers in the liver and shedding, respectively, along with increased lymphocyte counts. Conclusion: The inactivated UPM11142P5B1 with Montanide 71VG could be a vaccine against FAdV 8b infections in chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The study aimed to inactivate the FAdV isolate (UPM11142P5B1) produced in a biore¬actor and assess the humoral and cellular immunity, efficacy, and virus shedding in broiler chickens. Materials and Methods: The isolate was grown in a bioreactor, inactivated using binary ethylene¬imine, adjuvanted with Montanide 71VG, and injected into day-old broiler chickens either with or without booster groups. The following parameters were measured: T lymphocyte profile in the liver, spleen, and thymus; FAdV antibody titer; clinical symptoms; gross and histological alter¬ations in the liver, spleen, and thymus; virus copy number in the liver and cloacal shedding. Results: Compared to the unchallenged control group, booster (BG), and non-booster (NBG), the challenged control group (CCG) had a larger liver: body weight (BW) ratio, milder clinical signs, gross lesions, and histological alterations. They also had a lower BW. At 7, 21, 35, and 42 days post-inoculation (dpi), the NBG and BG exhibited higher antibody levels than the UCG. At 35 dpi, challenged BG and NBG produced more antibodies than CCG. In BG and NBG, T cells were stimu¬lated in the spleen, thymus, and liver. At 35 and 42 dpi, the challenged BG and NBG showed significantly decreased viral copy numbers in the liver and shedding, respectively, along with increased lymphocyte counts. Conclusion: The inactivated UPM11142P5B1 with Montanide 71VG could be a vaccine against FAdV 8b infections in chickens. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2024; 11(3.000): 693-702]

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines must be produced in a biosafety level 3 facility, so the FMD virus (FMDV) must be completely inactivated after amplification. The inactivation kinetics of FMDV during vaccine antigen production were assessed by evaluating whether the viral titer dropped below 10−7 TCID50/mL within 24 h of binary ethyleneimine (BEI) treatment. This study dealt with four FMD vaccine candidate strains for the efficacy of BEI treatment at different concentrations and temperatures to determine the optimal inactivation condition of each virus. Two domestic isolates, O/SKR/Boeun/2017 (O BE) and A/SKR/Yeoncheon/2017 (A YC), and two recombinant viruses, PAK/44/2008 (O PA-2) and A22/Iraq/24/64 (A22 IRQ), were investigated. The O BE and A22 IRQ required 2 mM BEI at 26 °C and 0.5 mM BEI at 37 °C for complete inactivation. The O PA-2 and A YC required 2 mM BEI at 26 °C and 1 mM BEI at 37 °C. Crucially, the yield of FMD virus particles (146S) in the viral infection supernatant was higher (>4.0 µg/mL) than those previously reported; additionally, there was little antigen loss, even after 24 h of treatment with 3 mM BEI. Overall, it is considered economical to produce FMD vaccines using these four kinds of viruses; therefore, these candidate strains will be prioritized for the manufacture of FMD vaccines in South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jurnal Akunida is the property of Universitas Djuanda and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Application Business & Management / Jurnal Aplikasi Bisnis dan Manajemen is the property of IPB University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study aims to analyze the effect of leverage, liquidity, and profitability on company value with financial distress as an intervening variable in manufacturing companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). The data used is secondary data obtained from the financial statements of manufacturing companies listed on the IDX in the 2015-2019 period. The analysis methods used are multiple linear regression analysis and path analysis. The results showed that leverage, liquidity, and profitability significantly positively affect the value of the company. Financial distress has also proven to have a significant negative effect on company value. In addition, financial distress is also proven to be an intervening variable that mediates the relationship between leverage, liquidity, and profitability with company value. The results of this study can be a reference for manufacturing companies in making investment and financial decisions to increase company value and prevent financial distress. addition, financial distress is also proven to be an intervening variable that mediates the relationship between leverage, liquidity, and profitability with company value. The results of this study can be a reference for manufacturing companies in making investment and financial decisions to increase company value and prevent financial distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acanthamoeba is among the most ubiquitous protistan groups in nature. Knowledge of the biological diversity of Acanthamoeba comes in part from the use of strains maintained by the major microbial culture collections, ATCC and CCAP. Standard strains are vital to ensure the comparability of research. The diversity of standard strains of Acanthamoeba in the culture collections is reviewed, emphasizing the extent of genotypic studies based on DNA sequencing of the small subunit ribosomal RNA from the nucleus (18S rRNA gene; Rns) or the mitochondria (16S-like rRNA gene; rns). Over 170 different strains have been maintained at some time by culture centers. DNA sequence information is available for more than 70% of these strains. Determination of the genotypic classification of standard strains within the genus indicates that frequencies of types within culture collections only roughly mirror that from clinical or environmental studies, with significant differences in the frequency of some genotypes. Culture collections include the type of isolate from almost all named species of Acanthamoeba, allowing an evaluation of the validity of species designations. Multiple species are found to share the same Sequence Type, while multiple Sequence Types have been identified for different strains that share the same species name. Issues of sequence reliability and the possibility that a small number of standard strains have been mislabeled when studied are also examined, leading to potential problems for comparative analyses. It is important that all species have reliable genotype designations. The culture collections should be encouraged to assist in completing the molecular inventory of standard strains, while workers in the Acanthamoeba research community should endeavor to ensure that strains representative of genotypes that are missing from the culture collection are provided to the culture centers for preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a fatal acute viral respiratory disease caused by MERS-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. To date, no vaccine has been approved for MERS-CoV despite continuing outbreaks. Inactivated vaccines are a viable option when developed using the appropriate inactivation methods and adjuvants. In this study, we evaluated the immunogenicity and protective effects of MERS-CoV vaccine candidates inactivated by three different chemical agents. MERS-CoV was effectively inactivated by formaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and binary ethylene imine and induced humoral and cellular immunity in mice. Although inflammatory cell infiltration was observed in the lungs four days after the challenge, the immunized hDPP4-transgenic mouse group showed 100% protection against a challenge with MERS-CoV (100 LD50). In particular, the immune response was highly stimulated by MERS-CoV inactivated with formaldehyde, and all mice survived a challenge with the minimum dose. In the adjuvant comparison test, the group immunized with inactivated MERS-CoV and AddaVax had a higher immune response than the group immunized with aluminum potassium sulfate (alum). In conclusion, our study indicates that the three methods of MERS-CoV inactivation are highly immunogenic and protective in mice and show strong potential as vaccine candidates when used with an appropriate adjuvant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Application Business & Management / Jurnal Aplikasi Bisnis dan Manajemen is the property of IPB University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines must be produced in a biosafety level 3 facility, so the FMD virus (FMDV) must be completely inactivated after amplification. The inactivation kinetics of FMDV during vaccine antigen production were assessed by evaluating whether the viral titer dropped below 10−7 TCID50/mL within 24 h of binary ethyleneimine (BEI) treatment. This study dealt with four FMD vaccine candidate strains for the efficacy of BEI treatment at different concentrations and temperatures to determine the optimal inactivation condition of each virus. Two domestic isolates, O/SKR/Boeun/2017 (O BE) and A/SKR/Yeoncheon/2017 (A YC), and two recombinant viruses, PAK/44/2008 (O PA-2) and A22/Iraq/24/64 (A22 IRQ), were investigated. The O BE and A22 IRQ required 2 mM BEI at 26 °C and 0.5 mM BEI at 37 °C for complete inactivation. The O PA-2 and A YC required 2 mM BEI at 26 °C and 1 mM BEI at 37 °C. Crucially, the yield of FMD virus particles (146S) in the viral infection supernatant was higher (>4.0 µg/mL) than those previously reported; additionally, there was little antigen loss, even after 24 h of treatment with 3 mM BEI. Overall, it is considered economical to produce FMD vaccines using these four kinds of viruses; therefore, these candidate strains will be prioritized for the manufacture of FMD vaccines in South Korea.

Acanthamoeba is among the most ubiquitous protistan groups in nature. Knowledge of the biological diversity of Acanthamoeba comes in part from the use of strains maintained by the major microbial culture collections, ATCC and CCAP. Standard strains are vital to ensure the comparability of research. The diversity of standard strains of Acanthamoeba in the culture collections is reviewed, emphasizing the extent of genotypic studies based on DNA sequencing of the small subunit ribosomal RNA from the nucleus (18S rRNA gene; Rns) or the mitochondria (16S-like rRNA gene; rns). Over 170 different strains have been maintained at some time by culture centers. DNA sequence information is available for more than 70% of these strains. Determination of the genotypic classification of standard strains within the genus indicates that frequencies of types within culture collections only roughly mirror that from clinical or environmental studies, with significant differences in the frequency of some genotypes. Culture collections include the type of isolate from almost all named species of Acanthamoeba, allowing an evaluation of the validity of species designations. Multiple species are found to share the same Sequence Type, while multiple Sequence Types have been identified for different strains that share the same species name. Issues of sequence reliability and the possibility that a small number of standard strains have been mislabeled when studied are also examined, leading to potential problems for comparative analyses. It is important that all species have reliable genotype designations. The culture collections should be encouraged to assist in completing the molecular inventory of standard strains, while workers in the Acanthamoeba research community should endeavor to ensure that strains representative of genotypes that are missing from the culture collection are provided to the culture centers for preservation.

The Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a fatal acute viral respiratory disease caused by MERS-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. To date, no vaccine has been approved for MERS-CoV despite continuing outbreaks. Inactivated vaccines are a viable option when developed using the appropriate inactivation methods and adjuvants. In this study, we evaluated the immunogenicity and protective effects of MERS-CoV vaccine candidates inactivated by three different chemical agents. MERS-CoV was effectively inactivated by formaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and binary ethylene imine and induced humoral and cellular immunity in mice. Although inflammatory cell infiltration was observed in the lungs four days after the challenge, the immunized hDPP4-transgenic mouse group showed 100% protection against a challenge with MERS-CoV (100 LD50). In particular, the immune response was highly stimulated by MERS-CoV inactivated with formaldehyde, and all mice survived a challenge with the minimum dose. In the adjuvant comparison test, the group immunized with inactivated MERS-CoV and AddaVax had a higher immune response than the group immunized with aluminum potassium sulfate (alum). In conclusion, our study indicates that the three methods of MERS-CoV inactivation are highly immunogenic and protective in mice and show strong potential as vaccine candidates when used with an appropriate adjuvant.

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui apakah manajemen laba berpengaruh terhadap perencanaan biaya modal ekuitas pada Perusahaan Manufaktur periode 2013-2017 dan untuk mengetahui apakah Return On Assets (ROA) mampu memoderasi hubungan antara manajemen laba terhadap biaya modal ekuitas pada Perusahaan Manufaktur periode 2013-2017. Penelitian ini baru pertama dilakukan karena menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif dengan menggunakan data laporan keuangan yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia sebagai data sekunder. Pengolahan data menggunakan program SMART PLS Versi 3.0. Data laporan keuangan yang digunakan adalah laporan keuangan perusahaan manufaktur dari tahun 2013-2017. Teknik sampel yang digunakan adalah purposive sampling sehingg sampel yang digunakan sebanyak 18 perusahaan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa manajemen laba berpengaruh terhadap perencaanaan biaya modal ekuitas dan Return On Assets (ROA) tidak mampu untuk memoderasi hubungan antara manajemen laba terhadap perencanaan biaya modal ekuitas.

FMD virus type A/1/ Egypt 2006 was inactivated with 0.1 M of BEI (Binary ethylene imine) formed by cyclization of 2- Bromoethyl-amine hydrobromide (BEA) in 0.2 N NaoH at 37oC with PH 8.0 for 24 hours. The virus was complete inactivated after 15 hours post inactivation. No residual virus particles were detected when inoculated in tissue culture. The inactivation rates are linear with a regular loss of titer ranged from 0.5- 1.0 log10 / hour. Control sample of virus at 37oC without BEI showed only a loss of 1.0 log from the original infectivity titer after 24 hours. The sample of virus which kept at -20oC, without BEI, showed loss 0.3 log10 from its original infectivity titer after 24 hours. There is no change in the complement fixing antigen before and after inactivation process with BEI inactivator and in the CFT 7 dilution of antigen was stable (fixed) pre and post inactivation of virus. Also it was found that the inactivation rate of BEI was higher than the inactivation with pure Ethylenimine (EI) and formalin.

Introduction: This study discusses the feasibility of an electrophysiological monitor for patient engagement during rehabilitation sessions. While patient engagement has a significant clinical role, it is not obvious how its real-time monitoring could be used. Objective: We designed this study to provide further support for the feasibility of such a tool based on the Brain Engagement Index (BEI), and to discuss clinical usefulness and its evaluation. Methods: The study involved 30 patients during post-stroke rehabilitation. Each patient underwent two sessions with BEI monitoring. In one session the therapist received real-time feedback from the monitor and in the other he did not. The BEI was compared to video-based evaluation of temporary functional change from the session start to its end and with a rater-based evaluation of the level of engagement evoked by the exercises in the session. Results: Irrespective of whether feedback is used, there is association between BEI and temporary functional change as well as with evaluated engagement. Furthermore, the contribution of the BEI monitor to rehabilitation may be demonstrated. Conclusions: It would be challenging to establish directly the monitor's contribution in large-scale studies. Nevertheless, it might be sufficient to demonstrate that the monitor provides important information regarding patient engagement. This work presents an easy-to-use electrophysiological index for monitoring patient engagement in real-time. Enhanced engagement is of utmost importance for effective rehabilitation. The ability to identify in real-time barriers to engagement is expected to be of great contributive value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nervous necrosis virus (NNV), the causative agent of viral encephalopathy and retinopathy (VER), is one of the most threatening viruses affecting marine and freshwater fish species worldwide. Senegalese sole is a promising fish species in Mediterranean aquaculture but also highly susceptible to NNV and VER outbreaks, that puts its farming at risk. The development of vaccines for aquaculture is one of best tools to prevent viral spread and sudden outbreaks, and virus inactivation is the simplest and most cost-effective method available. In this work, we have designed two inactivated vaccines based on the use of formalin or binary ethylenimine (BEI) to inactivate a reassortant NNV strain. After vaccination, the BEI-inactivated vaccine triggered the production of specific IgM-NNV antibodies and stimulated innate and adaptive immune responses at transcriptional level (rtp3, mx, mhcii and tcrb coding genes). Moreover, it partially improved survival after an NNV in vivo challenge, reducing the mid-term viral load and avoiding the down-regulation of immune response post-challenge. On the other hand, the formalin-inactivated vaccine improved the survival of fish upon infection without inducing the production of IgM-NNV antibodies and only stimulating the expression of herc4 and mhcii genes (in head-kidney and brain, respectively) during the vaccination period; this suggests that other immune-related pathways may be involved in the partial protection provoked. Although these vaccines against NNV showed encouraging results, further studies are needed to improve sole protection and to fully understand the underlying immune mechanism.

The passive marker bei has been the subject of a significant quantity of linguistic research; however the bulk of studies to date have focussed on its use in written Chinese. This article provides a snap shot of current usage of bei in spoken Mandarin based on a corpus of Chinese chat show transcripts and assesses the claims made about the bei construction in the literature. Careful examination of the data reveals that this grammatical marker is both less sensitive to a number of constraints outlined in the mainstream literature and, at the same time, more responsive to a range of different contextual factors, some of which seem to have been overlooked in previous treatments of Mandarin grammar. In particular, it is found that many non-grammatical factors play a role in determining the behaviour of the passive marker bei. The analysis demonstrates that spoken data can reveal interesting insights in to the complexity of the grammatical system, insights that may possibly not be so readily apparent on the basis of written texts and grammaticality judgments alone. This suggests that other morpho-syntactic features of Modern Standard Chinese could likewise benefit from a detailed analysis of their behaviour in spoken interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aristotle's understanding of Presocratic philosophers and his interpretation of their theses based on his own framework has always been a matter of dispute among scholars. His role of representing them as one of the main sources of Presocratic philosophy makes this is more. Here in this paper we try to investigate, analyzing Metaphysics, Physics and Generation and Destruction, how Aristotle interprets all the Presocratics in the same way and based on his own framework. He understands their arche as a simple element came out of nothing and constructing all other things and even considers it as substance while every other thing as accident which is obviously on the basis of his own distinction. He also interprets their change on the basis of his own distinction between change on the one hand and generation and destruction on the other that is itself based on the substance-accident distinction. All these show that he interprets them Aristotelian and this is what we should be aware of while we look at Presocratic philosophers through Aristotle.

We used Chinese prenominal relative clauses (RCs) to test the predictions of two competing accounts of sentence comprehension difficulty: the experience-based account of Levy (2008) and the Dependency Locality Theory (DLT; Gibson, 2000). Given that in Chinese RCs, a classifier and/or a passive marker BEI can be added to the sentence-initial position, we manipulated the presence/absence of classifiers and the presence/absence of BEI, such that BEI sentences were passivized subject-extracted RCs, and no-BEI sentences were standard object-extracted RCs. We conducted two self-paced reading experiments, using the same critical stimuli but somewhat different filler items. Reading time patterns from both experiments showed facilitative effects of BEI within and beyond RC regions, and delayed facilitative effects of classifiers, suggesting that cues that occur before a clear signal of an upcoming RC can help Chinese comprehenders to anticipate RC structures. The data patterns are not predicted by the DLT, but they are consistent with the predictions of experience-based theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the ba and bei constructions in Mandarin using data from the Tong corpus, a new multimedia longitudinal child language corpus. A unified aspectual account of the two constructions is proposed: both require telic predicates, and should thus correlate with the perfective rather than imperfective aspect for learners. Analysis of corpus and diary data reveals that Tong is generally sensitive to the telic requirement when he begins to use the two constructions around 2;0. His ba and bei sentences occur far more frequently in perfective than imperfective aspect, consistent with the Aspect Hypothesis. However, while the majority of the child's bei passives are perfective, the majority of his ba sentences are produced without overt aspect markers, among which most are irrealis (imperatives, modal sentences, etc.). The difference mirrors the pattern in adult input. These findings are corroborated by additional child Mandarin corpora. The acquisition of the aspectual properties of the ba and bei constructions is influenced by inherent knowledge, input and language-specific features of Mandarin, consistent with the multi-factorial account proposed by earlier studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present report, the role of computationally estimated efficiency indices and pose clustering has been demonstrated in effective decision making, resource management and chemical prioritization. As an example, 720 annulated furanones from six different scaffold classes were computationally docked against Pf -DHFR active site using AutoDock 4.2. Many trends were established by navigating efficiency indices (BEI and SEI) in 2D planes. These trends were then explained by comparing interaction profiles of docked poses with that of known actives/inhibitors. Cases where trends emerged from efficiency plots resonated well with the pattern of a particular cluster diagram were considered as guidelines for optimization purpose. These kind of guidelines can help medicinal chemists in prioritization their work and in effective management of time, energy and chemical resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to see the effect of the relationship between macroeconomic factors, economic growth, inflation rate and the exchange rate on stock returns in the Indonesian capital market approach Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT). The data used in this research is secondary data from The Indonesian Capital Market Directory (ICMD) and the Central Bureau of Statistics from 2007 to 2014. The sampling technique used purposive sampling and the total sample of this research are 80 companies listed in The Indonesian Stock Exchange (BEI). The analysis technique used is ordinary least square regression - OLS. We hope this research can provide an overview of the market participants regarding the relationship between macroeconomic factors and stock returns in the Indonesia Stock Exchange from the framework of the Arbitrage Pricing Theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L’efficacia di due vaccini monovalenti, inattivati e adiuvati per il controllo della Peste Equina, allestiti con i sierotipi 5 e 9, è stata saggiata su cavia per selezionare la formulazione con le migliori capacità immunogene. Nella formulazione dei vaccini sono state prese in considerazione: la risposta immunitaria evocata nella cavia e le proprietà infiammatorie di due diversi tipi di adiuvanti precedentemente saggiati nella specie di destino del vaccino.Il vaccino allestito con il sierotipo 9, saggiato in uno studio pilota su cavallo, si è dimostrato capace fin dalla prima somministrazione di stimolare la produzione di anticorpi neutralizzanti. La risposta anticorpale evocata ha subito un marcato rialzo dopo la somministrazione della dose di richiamo, effettuata dopo 28 giorni, perdurando per almeno 10 mesi. La cavia sembra essere un utile modello di laboratorio per la valutazione delle proprietà antigeniche dei vaccini contro la peste equina.

Monovalent, inactivated and adjuvanted vaccines against African horse sickness, prepared with serotypes 5 and 9, were tested on guinea-pigs to select the formulation that offered the greatest immunity. The final formulation of the vaccines took into account the immune response in the guinea-pig and the inflammatory properties of two types of adjuvant previously tested on target animals. A pilot study was subsequently conducted on horses using a vaccine prepared with serotype 9. The vaccine stimulated neutralising antibodies from the first administration and, after the booster dose, 28 days later; high antibody levels were recorded for at least 10 months. The guinea-pig appears to be a useful laboratory model for the evaluation of the antigenic properties of African horse sickness vaccines.

There are a growing number of university students who have enthusiasm to start their own businesses. The study explores what competencies are important for students or graduates to successfully build and develop their new ventures. Based on the method of Behavioral Event Interview, the study has interviewed twelve students or graduates who already started new ventures. Through coding analysis of interview transcript, the study found seven dimensions of entrepreneurial competencies that are important for performances of the student entrepreneurs. They are opportunity competency, relationship competency, resources integration competency, innovation competency, entrepreneurial aspiration competency, entrepreneurial perseverance competency, and entrepreneurial learning competency. Based on above results, we discussed both contributions to the field of entrepreneurial competencies theories and suggestions for entrepreneurship education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrically automated ultrathin sectioning apparatus, which has been developed in recent years, can produce consecutive ultrathin sections with a diamond knife and a gallium ion beam. These newly developed apparatuses, however, have several shortcomings, such as the limited block cutting area, thermal damage to the sample by the focused ion beam and a sample electronic charge. To overcome these faults and for easier scanning electron microscopy three-dimensional fine structural reconstruction, we have developed a new cutting method using a deep ultraviolet laser, which we have named the 'LANTome (Light Ablation Nanotome)'. Using this method, we confirmed the widening of sectioning areas, shortening of the sectioning time, automatic smoothing of rough surfaces, no sample electronic charge and minimal heat effects on the sample tissue, such as thermal denaturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows how purchasing power parity (PPP) can be used to construct a measure for inflation expectations and discusses the properties of this measure from both a theoretical and an empirical perspective. Under the PPP hypothesis, inflation expectations in one country are equal to inflation expectations in another country plus the expected depreciation rate of the nominal exchange rate. Exploiting this formula, we calculate Japanese inflation expectations from the break-even inflation rates (BEI) and FX forward spreads for five countries (United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Sweden). The resulting PPP-based measure of inflation expectations follows a trend that largely coincides with long-run developments in the Japanese BEI. However, we find that both levels of and variations in the new measure differ across the reference countries, and that a recent gap between the new measure and the Japanese BEI is not negligible from a shortrun perspective. Consequently, there remain several issues that need to be addressed to assess the usefulness of this new formula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For almost 10 years, the Business Ethics Index (BEI) has measured consumers' perceptions of business ethical behavior in the USA and numerous other countries. This article expands the BEI to five Latin American countries (Brazil, Bolivia, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia). The BEI of Argentina and Bolivia were similar in magnitude to the USA, whereas those for Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico were distinctly higher. The component sub-indices showed divergent patterns. The major ethical concerns for Brazil and Bolivia concerned service, whereas Mexico and Argentina complained about overpricing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Romanian Public-Private Partnership Law Review is the property of PPP Research Center S.R.L. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Romanian Public-Private Partnership Law Review is the property of PPP Research Center S.R.L. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Romanian Public-Private Partnership Law Review is the property of PPP Research Center S.R.L. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sandwich-cultured hepatocytes (SCH) are a powerful in vitro tool that can be utilized to study hepatobiliary drug transport, species differences in drug transport, transport protein regulation, drug-drug interactions, and hepatotoxicity. This review provides an up-to-date summary of the SCH model, including a brief history of, and introduction to, the use of SCH, as well as methodology to evaluate hepatobiliary drug disposition. A summary of the literature that has utilized this model to examine the interplay between drug-metabolizing enzymes and transport proteins, drug-drug interactions at the transport level, and hepatotoxicity as a result of altered hepatic transport also is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Novel Aurora inhibitors were identified truncating clinical candidate GSK1070916. Many of these truncated compounds retained potent activity against Aurora B with good antiproliferative activity. Mechanistic studies suggested that these compounds, depending on the substitution pattern, may or may not exert their antiproliferative effects via inhibition of Aurora B. The SAR results from this investigation will be presented with an emphasis on the impact structural changes have on the cellular phenotype. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The potential of oral vaccination against white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in crayfish Procambarus clarkii was investigated. The protective effect of binary ethylenimine (BEI)-inactivated WSSV was tested by oral vaccination, followed by an oral challenge with WSSV. The crayfish fed with feed pellets coated with BEI-inactivated WSSV showed a resistance to WSSV on the seventh day post vaccination (dpv). The relative percentage survival values were 60%, 70% and 75% for the vaccinated once, twice and thrice with inactivated WSSV. Following an intramuscular injection experiment, no mortality was recorded in the inactivated WSSV group and the negative control at 17 days post challenge. The cumulative mortalities in the heated WSSV group and WSSV group were 100%. Shrimp that survived the WSSV challenge on the seventh day after cessation of oral vaccination were positive for the presence of WSSV by a polymerase chain reaction assay specific for WSSV. This result indicated that inactivated WSSV could protect crayfish against WSSV by oral delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a highly pathogenic and prevalent virus infecting shrimp and other crustaceans. The potentiality of binary ethylenimine (BEI)-inactivated WSSV against WSSV in crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, was investigated in this study. Efficacy of BEI-inactivated WSSV was tested by vaccination trials followed by challenge of crayfish with WSSV. The crayfish injected with BEI-inactivated WSSV showed a better survival (P <0.05) to WSSV on the 7th and 21st day post-vaccination (dpv) compared to the control. Calculated relative percent survival (RPS) values were 77% and 60% on the 7th and 21st dpv for 2mM BEI-inactivated WSSV, and 63%, 30% on 7th and 21st dpv for 3mM BEI-inactivated WSSV. However, heat-inactivated WSSV did not provide protection from WSSV even on 7th dpv. In the inactivation process WSSV especially their envelope proteins maybe changed as happened to 3mM BEI and heat-inactivated WSSV particles. These results indicate the protective efficacy of BEI-inactivated WSSV lies on the integrity of envelope proteins of WSSV and the possibility of BEI-inactivated WSSV to protect P. clarkii from WSSV. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Business Ethics Index (BEI), measuring consumer perceptions of ethical business behavior, was extended to four ex-communist countries (Russia, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria). For Bulgaria, the two past dimensions are on the negative side of the scale. However, Bulgarians seem to be optimistic for the future ethical behavior of businesses. The same optimism about the future is observed for all four countries with Romania having the highest scores. Three hypotheses are proposed for the unusually high scores of the past ethical perceptions expressed by Russians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The systematic measurement of consumers’ sentiments toward business ethical practices is expanded to two emerging economies in Asia (China and India). The Chinese were very optimistic about the future ethical behavior of businesses, while the Indians recorded the lowest BEI scores yet. Chinese consumers were very concerned with product issues, while Indians were concerned equally about low quality products and excessive prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Business Ethics Index (BEI) was expanded in Japan. The overall BEI for Japan stands at 99.1 – slightly on the negative side. The component BEI patterns were similar to those in the U.S. In an open-ended question about their ethical experiences as consumers, the Japanese were concerned about customer service and good management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity of the physical and consequently the functional behaviour of starches, isolated from different rice varieties, is related to their specific structures. The latter are directly related to the starch biosynthetic pathway. To fully take advantage of the different functionalities of starches from different rice varieties and to design tailor-made starches, it is important to gain insight into biosynthesis–structure–physical behaviour–functionality relations. In a first part of this review, starch composition is described with a focus on rice starch. Secondly, current knowledge on starch biosynthesis is discussed. This more specifically includes (i) the function of the rice biosynthetic enzymes (i.e. adenosine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylases, synthases, branching and debranching enzymes), (ii) the effect of mutations on rice starch structure and, (iii) models for amylose and amylopectin synthesis. Thirdly, starch structure [i.e. from granule (2–100 μm), to growth ring (120–500 nm), blocklet (20–500 nm), amorphous and crystalline lamellae (9 nm), and amylopectin and amylose chain levels (0.1–1.0 nm)] is dealt with. Finally, relations between rice starch structural aspects [i.e. amylopectin (core) chain length distributions] and physical behaviour (i.e. gelatinisation and amylopectin retrogradation as measured by differential scanning calorimetry) are studied. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A methodology has been developed for the determination of the water–cement ratio (w/c) in hardened concrete using backscattered electron imaging (BEI) by a scanning electron microscope. The method is based on concrete sections that have been vacuum impregnated with epoxy and polished to a flat surface. During impregnation of a dried concrete specimen, epoxy fills capillary porosity, cracks, and voids. The epoxy-impregnated porosity appears dark in BEI, while other phases such as calcium silicate hydrate, unhydrated cement grain and aggregate appear as brighter phases. The backscattered intensity of the epoxy is the lowest compared to all other phases present within a concrete. By using image analysis program and setting an appropriate threshold of the gray scale the capillary porosity of the concrete can be quantified. Reproducible quantitative data is obtained for a concrete sample of unknown w/c by using a set of standardized instrument parameters such as brightness, contrast and working distance. The water–cement ratio, which is directly related to the capillary porosity, can therefore be measured. Signal production, brightness, contrast, sample preparation, and general methodology are discussed. The measured data using this method is compared with data generated by using optical fluorescence microscopy, according to Nordtest NT Build 361-1999. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]