University of Saskatchewan

About: University of Saskatchewan is a education organization based out in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 25021 authors who have published 52579 publications receiving 1483049 citations. The organization is also known as: USask.

On the principle of design of resilient systems-application to enterprise information systems

Abstract: Resilience engineering is an emerging discipline. In this article, we discuss the concept of resilience and resilience engineering in light of its distinct identity. We propose the principle of design of resilient systems. Then, we outline how these design principles can be applied to the enterprise information system to make it more resilient. This leads to a proposed architecture of resilient enterprise information systems.

Determining Genetic Similarities and Relationships among Cowpea Breeding Lines and Cultivars by Microsatellite Markers

Abstract: Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] is an important grain legume crop grown for its protein rich grains. It is an inexpensive source of protein in the diets of people in sub-Saharan Africa. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has been working on the improvement of cowpea for more than 30 yr. Over 60 countries receive cowpea cultivars improved by IITA for testing and adoption where needed. Many of these cultivars have identical parentage but look very different morphologically when grown in the field. Forty-six microsatellite DNA markers were used to evaluate genetic similarities among 90 cowpea breeding lines developed at IITA. Twenty-seven primer pairs could amplify polymorphic single-locus microsatellites from all of these materials. Two to seven alleles per primer were detected with a polymorphic information content varying from 0.02 to 0.73. By means of only five polymorphic microsatellite primers, 88 of the 90 cowpea lines could be distinguished. A dendrogram based on the microsatellite polymorphisms generally agreed with the pedigree of the cowpea lines.

A method for transmission system expansion planning considering probabilistic reliability criteria

Abstract: This paper proposes a method for choosing the best transmission system expansion plan considering a probabilistic reliability criterion (/sub R/LOLE). The method minimizes the investment budget for constructing new transmission lines subject to probabilistic reliability criteria, which consider the uncertainties of transmission system elements. Two probabilistic reliability criteria are used as constraints. One is a transmission system reliability criterion (/sub R/LOLE/sub TS/) constraint, and the other is a bus/nodal reliability criterion (/sub R/LOLE/sub Bus/) constraint. The proposed method models the transmission system expansion problem as an integer programming problem. It solves for the optimal strategy using a probabilistic branch and bound method that utilizes a network flow approach and the maximum flow-minimum cut set theorem. Test results on an existing 21-bus system are included in the paper. They demonstrate the suitability of the proposed method for solving the transmission system expansion planning problem subject to practical future uncertainties.

Flaxseed ( Linum usitatissimum L.) bioactive compounds and peptide nomenclature: A review

Abstract: Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) is an oilseed used in industrial and natural health products. Flaxseed accumulates many biologically active compounds and elements including linolenic acid, linoleic acid, lignans, cyclic peptides, polysaccharides, alkaloids, cyanogenic glycosides, and cadmium. Most biological and clinical studies of flaxseed have focused on extracts containing α-linolenic acid or lignan. Other flaxseed compounds have received less attention and their activity is not well described. The benefits of consumption of whole flaxseed fractions such as oil, mucilage and protein indicate that consideration of the entire portfolio of bioactives present is required to associate biological activity with specific compounds.

The role of the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein in the transcriptional regulation of the gene for phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP).

Abstract: Previous studies have identified a region in the promoter of the gene for phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP) (PEPCK) (positions -460 to +73) containing the regulatory elements which respond to cyclic AMP, glucocorticoids, and insulin and confer the tissue- and developmental stage-specific properties to the gene. We report that CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) binds to the cyclic AMP-responsive element CRE-1 as well as to two regions which have been previously shown to bind proteins enriched in liver nuclei. The DNase I footprint pattern provided by the recombinant C/EBP was identical to that produced by a 43-kDa protein purified from rat liver nuclear extracts, using a CRE oligonucleotide affinity column, which was originally thought to be the CRE-binding protein CREB. Transient contransfection experiments using a C/EBP expression vector demonstrated that C/EBP could trans activate the PEPCK promoter. The trans activation occurred through both the upstream, liver-specific protein-binding domains and the CRE. The CRE-binding protein bound only to CRE-1 and not to the upstream C/EBP-binding sites. The results of this study, along with physiological properties of C/EBP, indicate an important role for this transcription factor in providing the PEPCK gene with several of its regulatory characteristics.