6,881 research outputs found
Disruption of the developmental programme of Trypanosoma brucei by genetic ablation of TbZFP1, a differentiation-enriched CCCH protein
No full textThe regulation of differentiation is particularly important in microbial eukaryotes that inhabit multiple environments. The parasite Trypanosoma brucei is an extreme example of this, requiring exquisite gene regulation during transmission from mammals to the tsetse fly vector. Unusually, trypanosomes rely almost exclusively on post-transcriptional mechanisms for regulated gene expression. Hence, RNA binding proteins are potentially of great significance in controlling stage-regulated processes. We have previously identified TbZFP1 as a trypanosome molecule transiently enriched during differentiation to tsetse midgut procyclic forms. This small protein (101 amino acids) contains the unusual CCCH zinc finger, an RNA binding motif. Here, we show that genetic ablation of TbZFP1 compromises repositioning of the mitochondrial genome, a specific event in the strictly regulated differentiation programme. Despite this, other events that occur both before and after this remain intact. Significantly, this phenotype correlates with the TbZFP1 expression profile during differentiation. This is the first genetic disruption of a developmental regulator in T. brucei. It demonstrates that programmed events in parasite development can be uncoupled at the molecular level. It also further supports the importance of CCCH proteins in key aspects of trypanosome cell function
Do rules control power? GATT articles and arrangements in the Uruguay Round
No full textMany complain and offer evidence that in recent years the GATT system has become more power-oriented, less stable, and less equitable. A concern to reverse this drift was one of the motives that brought the international community to agree to undertake the Uruguay Round. Rules control power, assumed the signers of the Punte del Este declaration, therefore elaborating and extending GATT rules would move the international community toward a fairer, more stable international trading system. Finger and Dhar contend that the opposite is true. Particularly in the 1980s, the elaboration and application of GATT rules has been an exercise in the application of economic and political power, not in its control. GATT rules, in theory, are there to limit national trade restrictions. Finger and Dhar contend that in fact things work the other way around: national practice comes first, and determines what the GATT rules mean. GATT's rules do not put limits on national practices, but provide international santion for these practices. Such rules are not part of the thereforelution but are part of the problem. Theirs is a situation-specific argument, say Finger and Dhar, not a generic one. Their target is not"rules", nor is it"GATT". Rather, it is the GATT rules.Rules of Origin,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Common Carriers Industry,Transport and Trade Logistics,Trade Policy
Tension strength capacity of finger joined beech lamellas
No full textBeech wood has high mechanical properties, therefore the production of high quality beech glulam beams is one of our main objectives. Finger joints with standard geometries and adhesives used for joining coniferous wood are not sufficient in terms of strength when gluing beech wood. A hybrid glulam beam was produced and tested in a standard four point bending test. The beam was produced from finger joined beech lamellas on the outer sides and finger joined spruce lamellas in the middle. The results from the bending test showed a lack of tensile strength of the finger joints of beech lamellas on the bottom middle part of the beam, where the rupture occurred. We prepared a numerical model of finger joined beech lamellas and simulations of tension tests, parallel to the lamella. We performed parametric studies with multiple variables referring to geometrical properties of finger joints and two different types of applied adhesives. The results showed a high influence of the finger joint geometrical parameters. Experimental tests on the tension strength of the finger joints were performed. Two finger joint lengths were tested, 10 and 20 millimetres. The results showed a clear influence of the finger joint geometry where highest strengths were obtained with longer and thinner fingers
The Accord of Discord: Reflections on Private Lives in Peter Shaffer’s Five Finger Exercise
No full textPeter Shaffer holds a place of pivotal importance in Modern British Drama. The variety and complexities of life that Shaffer presents through his works, give us a good idea that he is a playwright who intends to further the representative nature of theatre as an agency of influence. The acute fidelity with which he perceives and deliberates upon life narratives remains a preserve in which the playwright influences his proficient talent to good use. He works upon aspects of human situations with a deep sense of purpose and understanding which bespeak of his merit as a playwright. Five Finger Exercise is a play by Peter Shaffer that stands as an important work in the formative years of his career as a playwright and contributes a notable standing to his oeuvre as a writer in the making. Paralleled in the reputation of the drama of the fifties with Look Back in Anger as a profound dramatic work, it is Peter Shaffer’s Five Finger Exercise that holds its ground as a work of incredible consequence about complexities of human ordeals. The ‘family’ and its private frontier remains a compelling subject for drama and it also seeks our renewed enquiry, one that is exemplified in the action of the play, Five Finger Exercise. The paper instils a vital seeking through an academic deliberation, accentuating a vigorous argument as to why it needs to recognised as an important work in English theatre history. It is the domain of the Harringtons’ family and their trials and turmoils that puts into question a consequential deliberation on beneath the surface reality of the family/domestic space. The paper also serves to explore the psychological and emotional dimensions of human behaviour and its treatment as part of the narrative which seeks to highlight Peter Shaffer’s perspicuity and his acumen as a writer
Comparing the Active, Functional, and Passive Range of Motion of Finger Joints Using Dynamic Measurement
No full textStudies on finger kinematics, especially the range of motion (RoM) measurements, are essential to understand the use of finger joints and the pathology of related disease. Limited literatures compared the active RoM (A-RoM) of finger joints with either their functional RoM (F-RoM) or passive RoM (p-RoM) using different measuring protocols and tools. This study aims to provide an overall comparison including all three types of RoMs. We measured A-RoM, F-RoM, and P-RoM, using a dynamic measurement system. Our goal is to investigate the relationships among the three RoMs by comparing their extreme rotation angles. The results suggested that P-RoM was the largest motion range, and F-RoM can exceed their A-RoM. The F-RoM of distal-interphalangeal joints may rotated 8–20° more than their A-RoM, mainly during precise and power manipulations. Besides to A-RoM, knowledge of F-RoM and P-RoM are also important for a comprehensive understanding for clinical practice, and thus, to support the optimization and evaluation of treatment devices for finger joint, such as implant replacement.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Human-Centered DesignApplied Ergonomics and Desig
CamPressID: Optimizing Camera Configuration and Finger Pressure for Biometric Authentication
No full textTo protect sensitive information on smartphones, state-of-the-art (SoA) studies exploit the built-in camera to capture PPG signals from fingertips as a hard-to-forge biometric. However, those studies do not provide a comprehensive analysis to optimize the camera parameters and finger pressure, leading to distorted and unstable PPG signals that degrade the authentication performance. To overcome these limitations, we propose the CamPressID framework. First, we analyze various camera parameters and optimize their configuration to obtain PPG signals with a high signal-to-noise ratio. Second, we investigate different finger pressures to identify the best pressure for every subject, in order to avoid signal distortion. To evaluate the performance of CamPressID, we collect a diverse dataset with 58 subjects. Our evaluation results show that CamPressID can improve the average balanced accuracy (BAC) by 10%. Moreover, the BAC reaches 90%, which is similar to the accuracy reported in the SoA using a dedicated PPG sensor for authentication.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Embedded SystemsWeb Information System
The influence of finger position on percussion sounds
No full textPercussion sounds of the chest are resonant sounds induced by striking one finger upon another finger applied firmly to the chest. They have the greatest content of energy in the range of 150 - 200 Hz. The character of the percussion sounds may change due to pathological processes (Sovijärvi et al., 2000). The striking finger must be flexed in both interphalangeal joints simultaneously, to acquire a stable arched finger position. This condition is due to local shifts within the so-called extensor assembly of the finger, which is the anatomical structure where tendons of extrinsic and intrinsic finger muscles converge (Van Zwieten et al., 2002). The stability of the arch of the striking finger contributes to its rigidity, thus influencing the quality of percussion sounds produced
Exploring unintentional drifts in finger force production and muscle activity: A study of finger independence
No full textHuman beings cannot move or produce force with their fingers independently from each other. Finger independence is constrained by the central nervous system which coordinates force production via multi-finger synergies, among additional mechanical and peripheral neural factors. Finger interdependencies represented in the central nervous system rely on integrating tactile, proprioceptive, and visual feedback on task performance. The primary purpose of this thesis was to explore drifts in finger interdependencies in the absence of visual feedback. Twenty right-handed participants (10 females and 10 males, aged 18-29 years) performed a series of isometric, single finger flexion and extension exertions with digits II-V. The right arms of the participants were braced in a mid-prone position, with their right wrist at 0° flexion and digits II-V secured to uniaxial force transducers. The activity of flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) 2-5 and extensor digitorum communis (EDC) 2-5 were recorded via surface electromyography. Participants performed 30 second static, single finger flexion and extension exertions at 15% and 30% of their maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) with digits 2-5. A single repetition of each exertion was performed in two conditions: (1) with continuous visual force feedback, and (2) with visual feedback removed following 10 s. When feedback was given for the whole trial, the uninstructed fingers drifted towards greater involuntary force production (~4% MVC between the four fingers) while FDS and EDC activity generally increased over time. Removing visual feedback on the instructed finger induced consistent downward force drifts in its force production at 15% and 30% MVC flexion and 30% MVC extension, along with decreased extrinsic finger muscle activity. In the flexion conditions, removing feedback also eliminated the upward uninstructed finger force drifts.ThesisMaster of Science (MSc)This thesis explores drifts in finger independence in the absence of visual feedback. Participants performed 30 second static, single finger flexion and extension exertions at 15% and 30% of their maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) with digits 2-5. A single repetition of each exertion was performed in two conditions: (1) with continuous visual force feedback, and (2) with visual feedback removed following 10 s. When feedback was given for the whole trial, the uninstructed fingers drifted towards greater involuntary force production (~4% MVC between the four fingers) while FDS and EDC activity generally increased over time. Removing visual feedback on the instructed finger induced consistent downward force drifts in its force production at 15% and 30% MVC flexion and 30% MVC extension, along with decreased extrinsic finger muscle activity. In the flexion conditions, removing feedback also eliminated the upward uninstructed finger force drifts
Lateral preferences and brain asymmetries: Common challenges for sports and finger athletes [A comment on the chapter by Walter Norris]
No full textWeigelt M, Stöckel T. Lateral preferences and brain asymmetries: Common challenges for sports and finger athletes [A comment on the chapter by Walter Norris]. In: Mornell A, ed. Art in Motion: Musical and Athletic Motor Learning and Performance. Wien: Peter Lang Verlag; 2009: Chapter 5
The influence of finger position on percussion sounds
No full textPercussion sounds of the chest are resonant sounds induced by striking one finger upon another finger applied firmly to the chest. They have the greatest content of energy in the range of 150 - 200 Hz. The character of the percussion sounds may change due to pathological processes (Sovijärvi et al., 2000). The striking finger must be flexed in both interphalangeal joints simultaneously, to acquire a stable arched finger position. This condition is due to local shifts within the so-called extensor assembly of the finger, which is the anatomical structure where tendons of extrinsic and intrinsic finger muscles converge (Van Zwieten et al., 2002). The stability of the arch of the striking finger contributes to its rigidity, thus influencing the quality of percussion sounds produced
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