Promoting Entrepreneurship through a Community Learning Model – Case Study: Green Businesses

This article presents a community learning model formulated by Engineers Without Borders Colombia with the aim of providing communities with tools to create sustainable productive solutions which have relevancy for members and for potential customers. The goal of this formulation is to promote learning processes that are guided by decisions made by community members to propose sustainable and replicable initiatives. The model applicability is evidenced through a case study devoted to strengthening community-led green businesses in the Guavio Province, Colombia by collecting lessons and conclusions. Ultimately, this collection will prove useful in replicating the learning model in other similar rural communities.

     

Revision of the West Palaearctic species of Rhoptromeris Förster, 1869 (Hymenoptera: Figitidae: Eucoilinae)

The West Palearctic species of Rhoptromeris are revised. A total of 11 species are recognised as valid in this region, including four newly described species: Rhoptromeris dichromata sp. nov., Rhoptromeris koponeni sp. nov., Rhoptromeris leptocornis sp. nov. and Rhoptromeris macaronesiensis sp. nov. Eucoila luteicornis Ionescu, 1959 is synonymised with Rhoptromeris heptoma (Hartig, 1840) syn. nov. A checklist of the Holarctic Rhoptromeris is presented and an identification key to the West Palearctic species is provided. www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8164332C-93E2-4E3F-A408-F5FF5DFB366E     

白莲河水电厂2号机组振动在线监测系统

在线监测系统是水电机组安全运行的保证，该系统能监视机组的运行情况，对尾水管压力脉动值、顶盖、机架跳动及主轴摆度值进行适时测量．为推广该成果的应用，论述了白莲河水电厂振动在线监测系统的设计方法和系统具备的功能．     

尾式金属卟啉配合物的研究(Ⅶ)邻-苯并唑类杂环基尾式铁(Ⅲ)卟啉的合成及催化性质

合成并表征了氯化｛５－（邻－（４－（２－巯基苯并咪唑基）正丁氧基）苯基－１０，１５，２０－三（对－甲基）苯基卟啉铁（Ⅲ）｝（ｏ－ＢｚＩｍＴＭＰＰＦｅ（Ⅲ）Ｃｌ），氯化｛５－（邻－（４－（２－巯基苯并噻唑基）正丁氧基）苯基－１０，１５，２０－三（对－甲基）苯基卟啉铁（Ⅲ）｝（ｏ－ＢｚＴａＴＭＰＰＦｅ（Ⅲ）Ｃｌ），氯化｛５－（邻－（４－（２－巯基苯并口恶唑基）正丁氧基）苯基－１０，１５，２０－三（对－甲基）苯基卟啉铁（Ⅲ）｝（ｏ－ＢｚＡ－ｚＴＭＰＰＦｅ（Ⅲ）Ｃｌ）等配合物，详细研究了丙酮／水介质中，在分子氧和抗坏血酸存在下，这些配合物对环己烷羟化反应的催化性质．结果表明，在无外加轴向配体时，由于尾端基团的分子内轴向配位作用，这些配合物具有较高的催化活性；还原剂的用量对催化效率也有直接的影响     

烃源岩中烷基二苯并噻吩组成及其地球化学意义

对一个海相地层的实际剖面进行了研究，发现烃源岩芳烃馏分中烷基二苯并噻吩和烷基苯并萘噻吩的相对丰度与碳酸盐矿物含量间有良好的正相关性．不同岩性中含硫芳烃相对丰度的变化顺序是：碳酸盐岩＞泥灰岩＞泥质岩．在深度剖面上，二苯并噻吩（ＤＢＴ）与甲基二苯并噻吩（ＭＤＢＴ）呈消长关系。４－ＭＤＢＴ和２＋３－ＭＤＢＴ的相对丰度随埋深增加而增加．１－ＭＤＢＴ则随之下降，４－ＭＤＢＴ／１－ＭＤＢＴ值和２＋３－ＭＤＢＴ／１－ＭＤＢＴ值能较好地反映有机质的热演化程度．     

太平沟大桥曲线箱梁顶推施工设计概述

太平沟大桥该桥全长358．8m，平面位于R=1380．965m圆曲线及L5=300m的缓和曲线上，是国内曲线连续顶推桥长最长、跨径最大的一座桥。详细介绍了太平沟大桥曲线箱梁顶推设计特点及施工设计要点。     

Toxin bioportides: exploring toxin biological activity and multifunctionality

Toxins have been shown to have many biological functions and to constitute a rich source of drugs and biotechnological tools. We focus on toxins that not only have a specific activity, but also contain residues responsible for transmembrane penetration, which can be considered bioportides—a class of cell-penetrating peptides that are also intrinsically bioactive. Bioportides are potential tools in pharmacology and biotechnology as they help deliver substances and nanoparticles to intracellular targets. Bioportides characterized so far are peptides derived from human proteins, such as cytochrome c (CYCS), calcitonin receptor (camptide), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (nosangiotide). However, toxins are usually disregarded as potential bioportides. In this review, we discuss the inclusion of some toxins and molecules derived thereof as a new class of bioportides based on structure activity relationship, minimization, and biological activity studies. The comparative analysis of the amino acid residue composition of toxin-derived bioportides and their short molecular variants is an innovative analytical strategy which allows us to understand natural toxin multifunctionality in vivo and plan novel pharmacological and biotechnological products. Furthermore, we discuss how many bioportide toxins have a rigid structure with amphiphilic properties important for both cell penetration and bioactivity.     

Can We Predict the Financial Markets Based on Google's Search Queries?

We look into the interaction of Google's search queries and several aspects of international equity markets. Using a novel methodology for selecting words and a vector autoregressive modeling approach, we study whether the search queries of finance‐related words can have an impact on returns, volatility of returns and traded volume in four different English‐speaking countries. We identify several words whose search frequency is associated with changes in the dependent variables. In particular, we find that increases in search queries including the word stock predict increased volatility and decreased index returns over the next week. On top of that, we investigate the performance of a market‐timing strategy based on the search frequency of this word and benchmark it against random words from the Word‐Net database and a naive buy‐and‐hold strategy. The results of this empirical application are positive and particularly stronger during the global crisis of 2009. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Oxysterols direct immune cell migration via EBI2

Epstein-Barr virus-induced gene 2 (EBI2, also known as GPR183) is a G-protein-coupled receptor that is required for humoral immune responses; polymorphisms in the receptor have been associated with inflammatory autoimmune diseases. The natural ligand for EBI2 has been unknown. Here we describe the identification of 7α,25-dihydroxycholesterol (also called 7α,25-OHC or 5-cholesten-3β,7α,25-triol) as a potent and selective agonist of EBI2. Functional activation of human EBI2 by 7α,25-OHC and closely related oxysterols was verified by monitoring second messenger readouts and saturable, high-affinity radioligand binding. Furthermore, we find that 7α,25-OHC and closely related oxysterols act as chemoattractants for immune cells expressing EBI2 by directing cell migration in vitro and in vivo. A critical enzyme required for the generation of 7α,25-OHC is cholesterol 25-hydroxylase (CH25H). Similar to EBI2 receptor knockout mice, mice deficient in CH25H fail to position activated B cells within the spleen to the outer follicle and mount a reduced plasma cell response after an immune challenge. This demonstrates that CH25H generates EBI2 biological activity in vivo and indicates that the EBI2-oxysterol signalling pathway has an important role in the adaptive immune response.     

Shank3 mutant mice display autistic-like behaviours and striatal dysfunction

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) comprise a range of disorders that share a core of neurobehavioural deficits characterized by widespread abnormalities in social interactions, deficits in communication as well as restricted interests and repetitive behaviours. The neurological basis and circuitry mechanisms underlying these abnormal behaviours are poorly understood. SHANK3 is a postsynaptic protein, whose disruption at the genetic level is thought to be responsible for the development of 22q13 deletion syndrome (Phelan-McDermid syndrome) and other non-syndromic ASDs. Here we show that mice with Shank3 gene deletions exhibit self-injurious repetitive grooming and deficits in social interaction. Cellular, electrophysiological and biochemical analyses uncovered defects at striatal synapses and cortico-striatal circuits in Shank3 mutant mice. Our findings demonstrate a critical role for SHANK3 in the normal development of neuronal connectivity and establish causality between a disruption in the Shank3 gene and the genesis of autistic-like behaviours in mice.