The new energy performance regime came into force on 6 April 2008 in respect of buildings with a floor area in excess of 10,000 square metres. Buildings with a floor area of over 2,500 square metres will be brought within the regime on 1 July. Howev...

Russia's Red Army Choir shot a video at home playing notes from the Ottoman military band Mehter in support of Turkey's fight with the novel coronavirus.

Hong Kong doctors have performed Asia’s first heart transplant using a new technology invented in the United States that keeps the organ warm, beating and supplied with blood during the transfer, in a medical breakthrough that will enable more life-saving operations across borders.Dr Timmy Au Wing-kuk – chief of Queen Mary Hospital’s cardiothoracic surgery department, which carried out the medical procedure – hailed the Organ Care System as a success story that could not only allow up to five…

Kartik Aaryan considers 'Love Aaj Kal' opposite Sara Ali Khan as the best performance in his career so far

Performance assessments help people in Southeast Asia determine how well their government is performing and how they can be improved.

Next-Generation Miniaturized Rubidium Atomic Clock Improves Performance and adds Features without Increasing Size

ADB needs to address issues causing weak sustainability of its projects to improve performance, says the 2020 Annual Evaluation Review (AER) conducted by ADB’s Independent Evaluation Department.

ADB needs to address issues causing weak sustainability of its projects to improve performance, says the 2020 Annual Evaluation Review (AER) conducted by ADB’s Independent Evaluation Department.

CES 2015, LAS VEGAS – HARMAN, the premium global audio, visual, infotainment and enterprise automation group (NYSE:HAR), introduced today at CES 2015 the Infinity® BassLink SM, the latest subwoofer in the BassLink line. The compact under seat subwoofer is designed to reinforce the low-end bass performance in vehicles and put the richness back into the music.

CES 2016, LAS VEGAS – Today, HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated (NYSE:HAR), the premier connected technologies company for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, announced the newest version of Infinity® Reference Speakers and...

By Dr. Cristina Bettencourt, Head of HARMAN University   At HARMAN, we owe every degree of our success to our talented and dedicated employees. While we already have extraordinary talent across all of our operations, we never stop trying to improve by...

Huemen, HARMAN’s in-house design agency, brings home 25 iF World Design Awards

Stamford, CT – 12 March, 2020 – HARMAN International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., focused on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, and its Huemen design team have received 25 iF Design...

Google's Sycamore quantum computer, which recently demonstrated its dominance over ordinary computers, is now breaking records in quantum chemistry

The care home's residents are all over 65 years old and have hardly left their apartments for weeks. To cheer them up, the administration decided to organize various concerts.

Six dancers from the Dutch National Ballet headed out into the empty streets of Amsterdam this week to perform their parts in a piece of choreography inspired by the coronavirus lockdown.

Title: Mental Prep for Better Performance
Category: Health News
Created: 5/3/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/3/2019 12:00:00 AM

Title: How Is the Infraorbital Nerve Block Performed?
Category: Procedures and Tests
Created: 4/21/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/21/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: How Is PDA Surgery Performed?
Category: Procedures and Tests
Created: 5/8/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/8/2020 12:00:00 AM

Peptidoglycan, the sugar-amino acid polymer that composes the bacterial cell wall, requires a significant expenditure of energy to synthesize and is highly immunogenic. To minimize the loss of an energetically expensive metabolite and avoid host detection, bacteria often recycle their peptidoglycan, transporting its components back into the cytoplasm, where they can be used for subsequent rounds of new synthesis. The peptidoglycan-recycling substrate binding protein (SBP) MppA, which is responsible for recycling peptidoglycan fragments in Escherichia coli, has not been annotated for most intracellular pathogens. One such pathogen, Chlamydia trachomatis, has a limited capacity to synthesize amino acids de novo and therefore must obtain oligopeptides from its host cell for growth. Bioinformatics analysis suggests that the putative C. trachomatis oligopeptide transporter OppABCDF (OppABCDF_Ct) encodes multiple SBPs (OppA1_Ct, OppA2_Ct, and OppA3_Ct). Intracellular pathogens often encode multiple SBPs, while only one, OppA, is encoded in the E. coli opp operon. We hypothesized that the putative OppABCDF transporter of C. trachomatis functions in both oligopeptide transport and peptidoglycan recycling. We coexpressed the putative SBP genes (oppA1_Ct, oppA2_Ct, oppA3_Ct) along with oppBCDF_Ct in an E. coli mutant lacking the Opp transporter and determined that all three chlamydial OppA subunits supported oligopeptide transport. We also demonstrated the in vivo functionality of the chlamydial Opp transporter in C. trachomatis. Importantly, we found that one chlamydial SBP, OppA3_Ct, possessed dual substrate recognition properties and is capable of transporting peptidoglycan fragments (tri-diaminopimelic acid) in E. coli and in C. trachomatis. These findings suggest that Chlamydia evolved an oligopeptide transporter to facilitate the acquisition of oligopeptides for growth while simultaneously reducing the accumulation of immunostimulatory peptidoglycan fragments in the host cell cytosol. The latter property reflects bacterial pathoadaptation that dampens the host innate immune response to Chlamydia infection.

Yi Huang, Jazmin Osorio Mendoza, Catherine Hambly, Baoguo Li, Zengguang Jin, Li Li, Moshen Madizi, Sumei Hu, and John R. Speakman

The heat dissipation limit theory predicts lactating female mice consuming diets with lower specific dynamic action (SDA) should have enhanced lactation performance. Dietary fat has lower SDA than other macronutrients. Here we tested the effects of graded dietary fat levels on lactating Swiss mice. We fed females five diets varying in fat content from 8.3 to 66.6%. Offspring of mothers fed diets of 41.7% fat and above were heavier and fatter at weaning compared to those of 8.3% and 25% fat diets. Mice on dietary fat contents of 41.7% and above had greater metabolizable energy intake at peak lactation (8.3%: 229.4±39.6, 25%: 278.8±25.8, 41.7%: 359.6±51.5, 58.3%: 353.7±43.6, 66.6%: 346±44.7 kJ day^–1), lower daily energy expenditure (8.3%: 128.5±16, 25%: 131.6±8.4, 41.7%: 124.4±10.8, 58.3%: 115.1±10.5, 66.6%: 111.2±11.5 kJ day^–1) and thus delivered more milk energy to their offspring (8.3%: 100.8±27.3, 25%: 147.2±25.1, 41.7%: 225.1±49.6, 58.3%: 238.6±40.1, 66.6%: 234.8±41.1 kJ day^–1). Milk fat content (%) was unrelated to dietary fat content, indicating females on higher fat diets (> 41.7%) produced more rather than richer milk. Mothers consuming diets with 41.7% fat or above enhanced their lactation performance compared to those on 25% or less, probably by diverting dietary fat directly into the milk, thereby avoiding the costs of lipogenesis. At dietary fat contents above 41.7% they were either unable to transfer more dietary fat to the milk, or they chose not to do so, potentially because of a lack of benefit to the offspring that were increasingly fatter as maternal dietary fat increased.

Daniel J. Tobiansky, Meredith C. Miles, Franz Goller, and Matthew J. Fuxjager

Performance trade-offs can dramatically alter an organism's evolutionary trajectory by making certain phenotypic outcomes unattainable. Understanding how these trade-offs arise from an animal's design is therefore an important goal of biology. To explore this topic, we study how androgenic hormones, which regulate skeletal muscle function, influence performance trade-offs relevant to different components of complex reproductive behaviour. We conduct this work in golden-collared manakins (Manacus vitellinus), a Neotropical bird in which males court females by rapidly snapping their wings together above their back. Androgens help mediate the snap displays by radically increasing the twitch speed of a dorsal wing muscle [scapulohumeralis caudalis (SH)], which actuates the bird's wing-snap. Through hormone manipulations and in situ muscle recordings, we test how these positive effects on SH speed influence trade-offs with endurance. Indeed, this trait impacts the display by shaping signal length. We find that androgen-dependent increases in SH speed incur a cost to endurance, particularly when this muscle performs at its functional limits. Moreover, when behavioural data are overlaid on our muscle recordings, displaying animals appear to balance display speed with fatigue-induced muscle fusion (physiological tetanus) to generate the fastest possible signal while maintaining an appropriate signal duration. Our results point to androgenic hormone action as a functional trigger of trade-offs in sexual performance—they enhance one element of a courtship display, but in doing so, impede another.

Simon Tapper, Joseph J. Nocera, and Gary Burness

Climatic warming is predicted to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, which may reduce an individual's capacity for sustained activity due to thermal limits. We tested whether the risk of overheating may limit parental provisioning of an aerial insectivorous bird in population decline. For many seasonally breeding birds, parents are thought to operate close to an energetic ceiling during the 2-3 week chick-rearing period. The factors determining the ceiling remain unknown, although it may be set by an individual's capacity to dissipate body heat (the heat dissipation limitation hypothesis). Over two breeding seasons we experimentally trimmed the ventral feathers of female tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor, Vieillot, 1808) to provide a thermal window. We then monitored maternal and paternal provisioning rates, nestling growth rates, and fledging success. We found the effect of our experimental treatment was context-dependent. Females with an enhanced capacity to dissipate heat fed their nestlings at higher rates than controls when conditions were hot, but the reverse was true under cool conditions. Control females and their mates both reduced foraging under hot conditions. In contrast, male partners of trimmed females maintained a constant feeding rate across temperatures, suggesting attempts to match the feeding rate of their partners. On average, nestlings of trimmed females were heavier than controls, but did not have a higher probability of fledging. We suggest that removal of a thermal constraint allowed females to increase provisioning rates, but additionally provided nestlings with a thermal advantage via increased heat transfer during maternal brooding. Our data provide support for the heat dissipation limitation hypothesis and suggest that depending on temperature, heat dissipation capacity can influence reproductive success in aerial insectivores.

Emily J. Lombardi, Candice L. Bywater, and Craig R. White

The Oxygen and Capacity-Limited Thermal Tolerance (OCLTT) hypothesis proposes that the thermal tolerance of an animal is shaped by its capacity to deliver oxygen in relation to oxygen demand. Studies testing this hypothesis have largely focused on measuring short-term performance responses in animals under acute exposure to critical thermal maximums. The OCLTT hypothesis, however, emphasises the importance of sustained animal performance over acute tolerance. The present study tested the effect of chronic hypoxia and hyperoxia during development on medium to long-term performance indicators at temperatures spanning the optimal temperature for growth in the speckled cockroach, Nauphoeta cinerea. In contrast to the predictions of the OCLTT hypothesis, development under hypoxia did not significantly reduce growth rate or running performance, and development under hyperoxia did not significantly increase growth rate or running performance. The effect of developmental temperature and oxygen on tracheal morphology and metabolic rate were also not consistent with OCLTT predictions, suggesting that oxygen delivery capacity is not the primary driver shaping thermal tolerance in this species. Collectively, these findings suggest that the OCLTT hypothesis does not explain moderate-to-long-term thermal performance in Nauphoeta cinerea, which raises further questions about the generality of the hypothesis.

Objective

To assess the impact of APOE polymorphisms on cognitive performance in patients newly diagnosed with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) or relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).

Methods

This multicenter cohort study included 552 untreated patients recently diagnosed with CIS or RRMS according to the 2005 revised McDonald criteria. The single nucleotide polymorphisms rs429358 (4) and rs7412 (2) of the APOE haplotype were assessed by allelic discrimination assays. Cognitive performance was evaluated using the 3-second paced auditory serial addition test and the Multiple Sclerosis Inventory Cognition (MUSIC). Sum scores were calculated to approximate the overall cognitive performance and memory-centered cognitive functions. The impact of the APOE carrier status on cognitive performance was assessed using multiple linear regression models, also including demographic, clinical, MRI, and lifestyle factors.

Results

APOE 4 homozygosity was associated with lower overall cognitive performance, whereas no relevant association was observed for APOE 4 heterozygosity or APOE 2 carrier status. Furthermore, higher disability levels, MRI lesion load, and depressive symptoms were associated with lower cognitive performance. Patients consuming alcohol had higher test scores than patients not consuming alcohol. Female sex, lower disability, and alcohol consumption were associated with better performance in the memory-centered subtests of MUSIC, whereas no relevant association was observed for APOE carrier status.

Conclusion

Along with parameters of a higher disease burden, APOE 4 homozygosity was identified as a potential predictor of cognitive performance in this large cohort of patients with CIS and early RRMS.

Transportation infrastructure owners manage an array of different asset types such as bridges, road pavements, earthworks and drainage. Currently, most organization management procedures are siloed by asset type; however, there are important interactions between these asset groups that need to be managed in a cross-asset way. Although these interactions are known, there is little or no quantification of these interactions. For the first time, this paper quantifies that 74% of Highways England's earthwork failures are a result of drainage-related problems, either the lack of drainage infrastructure or the poor performance of it. The analysis undertaken is an important first step not only in moving towards more connected asset management planning for earthworks and drainage, but to also provide guidance for other owners of earthwork infrastructure assets to improve their strategic asset management procedures.

Thematic collection: This article is part of the Ground-related risk to transportation infrastructure collection available at https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/Ground-related-risk-to-transportation-infrastructure

With increased interest in lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) concentration as a target for risk reduction and growing clinical evidence of its impact on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, rigorous analytical performance specifications (APS) and accuracy targets for Lp(a) are required. We investigated the biological variation (BV) of Lp(a), and 2 other major biomarkers of CVD, apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) and apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB), in the European Biological Variation Study population.Serum samples were drawn from 91 healthy individuals for 10 consecutive weeks at 6 European laboratories and analyzed in duplicate on a Roche Cobas 8000 c702. Outlier, homogeneity, and trend analysis were performed, followed by CV-ANOVA to determine BV estimates and their 95% CIs. These estimates were used to calculate APS and reference change values. For Lp(a), BV estimates were determined on normalized concentration quintiles.Within-subject BV estimates were significantly different between sexes for Lp(a) and between women aged <50 and >50 years for apoA-I and apoB. Lp(a) APS was constant across concentration quintiles and, overall, lower than APS based on currently published data, whereas results were similar for apoA-I and apoB.Using a fully Biological Variation Data Critical Appraisal Checklist (BIVAC)–compliant protocol, our study data confirm BV estimates of Lp(a) listed in the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine database and reinforce concerns expressed in recent articles regarding the suitability of older APS recommendations for Lp(a) measurements. Given the heterogeneity of Lp(a), more BIVAC-compliant studies on large numbers of individuals of different ethnic groups would be desirable.

This is a video of musician and Instagrammer nathanleighsays performing Saria's Song (the Lost Woods theme) from The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time on 24 partially empty wine bottles. How about that! Of course this would never work at my aunt's house on account of the bottles all playing the same note because they're empty. And the cats! Soooooo many cats. Keep going for the performance as well as a clip of Link learning Saria's song from the actual game.

Because the internet never stops churning out the hits, this is a video of seals barking edited to perform a snippet of Seal's 1995 Batman Forever closing credits classic 'Kiss From A Rose'. I insisted my girlfriend watch it and she hated it. Although as a rule anything that I laugh out loud watching on my phone next to her in bed, she hates. I don't even wait for her to ask what I'm laughing at anymore because I know she doesn't want to see it. It's heartbreaking really. Great now she's glaring at me. Keep going for the video.

Even as the novel coronavirus continues to affect millions of...

The post Facebook To Host Virtual Graduation Ceremony, Miley Cyrus To Perform appeared first on Man's World India.

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Doctors performed an emotional rendition of Ave Maria to celebrate the recovery of a fellow nurse from the coronavirus.

Hundreds of neighbours came together to perform a socially distanced dance to Whigfield's iconic hit Saturday Night in an effort to spread cheer during the coronavirus lockdown.

This is the moment a firefighter's star-spangled tribute entertained health workers outside a Manhattan hospital.

Scientists predict the explosive behaviour of two supermassive black holes almost to the hour.

Learn to get the most out of your ZFS filesystem in our new series on storage fundamentals.

Shares of cigarette companies have rallied over the past one month, with ITC, Godfrey Philips and VST Industries hitting record highs.

Priti Patel had defended Boris Johnson after he was branded a "racist" by rapper Dave on stage at the 2020 Brit Awards.

Celebrities from across the globe came together Saturday night to lift their fans’ spirits as the world continues to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday night, popular video game Fortnite hosted rapper Travis Scott as part of the Astronomical musical experience.

New TV drama charts story of infamous 2001 coughing scandal

Live shows will begin this month

'Stuck in the House' is Davidson's latest tune

Sia's video stars dancer Maddie Ziegler and stylist Tonya Brewer

Rolling Stone can herd sheep, chop vegetables, and perform a few repairs

Beyoncé was a surprise addition to the TV fundraiser for America's coronavirus relief effort

The singer has announced she will no longer be touring her Lover album this year