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The Next Generation (the + next_generation)
Selected AbstractsMOLCAS 7: The Next GenerationJOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2010Francesco Aquilante Abstract Some of the new unique features of the MOLCAS quantum chemistry package version 7 are presented in this report. In particular, the Cholesky decomposition method applied to some quantum chemical methods is described. This approach is used both in the context of a straight forward approximation of the two-electron integrals and in the generation of so-called auxiliary basis sets. The article describes how the method is implemented for most known wave functions models: self-consistent field, density functional theory, 2nd order perturbation theory, complete-active space self-consistent field multiconfigurational reference 2nd order perturbation theory, and coupled-cluster methods. The report further elaborates on the implementation of a restricted-active space self-consistent field reference function in conjunction with 2nd order perturbation theory. The average atomic natural orbital basis for relativistic calculations, covering the whole periodic table, are described and associated unique properties are demonstrated. Furthermore, the use of the arbitrary order Douglas-Kroll-Hess transformation for one-component relativistic calculations and its implementation are discussed. This section especially focuses on the implementation of the so-called picture-change-free atomic orbital property integrals. Moreover, the ElectroStatic Potential Fitted scheme, a version of a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics hybrid method implemented in MOLCAS, is described and discussed. Finally, the report discusses the use of the MOLCAS package for advanced studies of photo chemical phenomena and the usefulness of the algorithms for constrained geometry optimization in MOLCAS in association with such studies. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2010 [source] The Next Generation of Collective Action ResearchJOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, Issue 4 2009Stephen C. Wright The articles presented in this volume describe part of a new generation of interest and vigor in the social psychological study of collective action. This new wave builds nicely on the foundation set by social identity, self-categorization, and relative deprivation theories but also introduces a number of important innovative perspectives and variables. In this commentary, I review some of these expansions and additions, raise a number of conceptual concerns that arise out of these new directions, and discuss more generally some novel and important directions that emerge from the work presented in the volume and in other recent work on collective action. [source] Scaling of spectral displacement ordinates with damping ratiosEARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 2 2005Julian J. Bommer Abstract The next generation of seismic design codes, especially those adopting the framework of performance-based design, will include the option of design based on displacements rather than forces. For direct displacement-based design using the substitute structure approach, the spectral ordinates of displacement need to be specified for a wide range of response periods and for several levels of damping. The code displacement spectra for damping values higher than the nominal value of 5% of critical will generally be obtained, as is the case in Eurocode 8 and other design codes, by applying scaling factors to the 5% damped ordinates. These scaling factors are defined as functions of the damping ratio and, in some cases, the response period, but are independent of the nature of the expected ground shaking. Using both predictive equations for spectral ordinates at several damping levels and stochastic simulations, it is shown that the scaling factors for different damping levels vary with magnitude and distance, reflecting a dependence of the scaling on the duration of shaking that increases with the damping ratio. The options for incorporating the influence of this factor into design code specifications of displacement response spectra are discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Network capacity allocation for traffic with time prioritiesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NETWORK MANAGEMENT, Issue 6 2003Xian Liu The packet switching techniques are undergoing evolution. The conventional ,best effort' approach will no longer be the dominant service. The next generation of IP networks must provide QoS to customers. Inadequacy is obvious when the conventional capacity allocation (CA) models are applied to the new IP architecture. In this paper, we propose several CA models that characterize: (1) the service priority scheme; (2) the service preemption scheme; and (3) the non-Poisson traffic in which the packets follow heavy tailed distributions.,Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Extending the retention of friction-reducing capability in low-phosphorus engine oilsLUBRICATION SCIENCE, Issue 2 2005R. Jensen Abstract In advanced fuel-efficient engine oils containing molybdenum dialkyldithiocarbamate, Mo(dtc)2, as a friction-reducing additive, the friction-reducing capability is gradually depleted with mileage accumulation and is dependent on the presence of other additives, such as zinc dialkyldithiophosphate, Zn(dtp)2. Indeed, it has been shown that the loss of the friction-reducing capability of Mo(dtc)2 coincides with the depletion of Zn(dtp)2. The next generation of oils will specify a lower phosphorus content (e.g., 0.08% in ILSAC GF-4 and even lower in the specification after GF-4) to reduce the detrimental effects of phosphorus on catalyst systems. This will necessitate the use of less Zn(dtp)2, which could have an adverse effect on the retention of friction-reducing capability. The aim of this study was to determine if the retention of friction-reducing capability could be maintained or even increased at 0.05% phosphorus with newer molybdenum trinuclear, Mo3S7(dtc)4, additives. To facilitate the study, a modified laboratory-based ageing test was developed which correlated with the loss of friction-reducing capability in the Sequence VIB engine test. This ageing test was used to evaluate model blends of Mo3S7(dtc)4 with Zn(dtp)2 at 0.05% phosphorus and added antioxidants. The results indicate that it is possible to extend the retention of friction-reducing capability. However, whether or not it can be extended beyond the current drain intervals is still an open question. [source] Universal fitting formulae for baryon oscillation surveysMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2006Chris Blake ABSTRACT The next generation of galaxy surveys will attempt to measure the baryon oscillations in the clustering power spectrum with high accuracy. These oscillations encode a preferred scale which may be used as a standard ruler to constrain cosmological parameters and dark energy models. In this paper we present simple analytical fitting formulae for the accuracy with which the preferred scale may be determined in the tangential and radial directions by future spectroscopic and photometric galaxy redshift surveys. We express these accuracies as a function of survey parameters such as the central redshift, volume, galaxy number density and (where applicable) photometric redshift error. These fitting formulae should greatly increase the efficiency of optimizing future surveys, which requires analysis of a potentially vast number of survey configurations and cosmological models. The formulae are calibrated using a grid of Monte Carlo simulations, which are analysed by dividing out the overall shape of the power spectrum before fitting a simple decaying sinusoid to the oscillations. The fitting formulae reproduce the simulation results with a fractional scatter of 7 per cent (10 per cent) in the tangential (radial) directions over a wide range of input parameters. We also indicate how sparse-sampling strategies may enhance the effective survey area if the sampling scale is much smaller than the projected baryon oscillation scale. [source] Instrument and data analysis challenges for imaging spectropolarimetryASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 6 2010C. Denker Abstract The next generation of solar telescopes will enable us to resolve the fundamental scales of the solar atmosphere, i.e., the pressure scale height and the photon mean free path. High-resolution observations of small-scale structures with sizes down to 50 km require complex post-focus instruments, which employ adaptive optics (AO) and benefit from advanced image restoration techniques. The GREGOR Fabry-Pérot Interferometer (GFPI) will serve as an example of such an instrument to illustrate the challenges that are to be expected in instrumentation and data analysis with the next generation of solar telescopes (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] The Gatekeeper: Friend or Foe in Identifying the Next Generation of Kinase InhibitorsCHEMMEDCHEM, Issue 11 2006Olaf Prien Dr. Fighting cancer: The next generation of small-molecule kinase inhibitors might be designed against distinct mutational forms of certain kinases. Current antitumor drugs display remarkable efficacy, but relapse is frequently observed during treatment due to acquired mutation. The gatekeeper plays an important role in this context, and compounds such as 1 that interact with it might be a starting point to design future inhibitors. [source] Mentoring: A Key Strategy to Prepare the Next Generation of Physicians to Care for an Aging AmericaJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 7 2009Heidi K. White MD Mentoring is an important instructional strategy that should be maximally used to develop the next generation of physicians who will care for a growing population of frail older adults. Mentoring can fulfill three specific purposes: (1) help learners choose an area of specialty, (2) help fellows and new faculty navigate advancement in the academic environment, and (3) help new physicians enter a local medical community and develop a high-quality, professionally rewarding, financially viable practice that meets the needs of older adults. The components and process of mentoring are reviewed. Current and potential mechanisms to promote mentoring for the specific purpose of increasing the quality and quantity of physicians available to care for the older adult population are discussed. [source] The Practice of Leadership: Developing the Next Generation of LeadersPERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2007Article first published online: 4 SEP 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] From Responsiveness to Collaboration: Governance, Citizens, and the Next Generation of Public AdministrationPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 5 2002Eran Vigoda The evolution of the New Public Management movement has increased pressure on state bureaucracies to become more responsive to citizens as clients. Without a doubt, this is an important advance in contemporary public administration, which finds itself struggling in an ultradynamic marketplace. However, together with such a welcome change in theory building and in practical culture reconstruction, modern societies still confront a growth in citizens' passivism; they tend to favor the easy chair of the customer over the sweat and turmoil of participatory involvement. This article has two primary goals: First to establish a theoretically and empirically grounded criticism of the current state of new managerialism, which obscures the significance of citizen action and participation through overstressing the (important) idea of responsiveness. Second, the article proposes some guidelines for the future development of the discipline. This progress is toward enhanced collaboration and partnership among governance and public administration agencies, citizens, and other social players such as the media, academia, and the private and third sectors. The article concludes that, despite the fact that citizens are formal "owners" of the state, ownership will remain a symbolic banner for the governance and public administration,citizen relationship in a representative democracy. The alternative interaction of movement between responsiveness and collaboration is more realistic for the years ahead. [source] A High-Performance Cathode for the Next Generation of Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells.CHEMINFORM, Issue 47 2004Zongping Shao Abstract For Abstract see ChemInform Abstract in Full Text. [source] The Gatekeeper: Friend or Foe in Identifying the Next Generation of Kinase InhibitorsCHEMMEDCHEM, Issue 11 2006Olaf Prien Dr. Fighting cancer: The next generation of small-molecule kinase inhibitors might be designed against distinct mutational forms of certain kinases. Current antitumor drugs display remarkable efficacy, but relapse is frequently observed during treatment due to acquired mutation. The gatekeeper plays an important role in this context, and compounds such as 1 that interact with it might be a starting point to design future inhibitors. [source] BUILDING A DATA-MINING GRID FOR MULTIPLE HUMAN BRAIN DATA ANALYSISCOMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Issue 2 2005Ning Zhong E-science is about global collaboration in key areas of science such as cognitive science and brain science, and the next generation of infrastructure such as the Wisdom Web and Knowledge Grids. As a case study, we investigate human multiperception mechanism by cooperatively using various psychological experiments, physiological measurements, and data mining techniques for developing artificial systems which match human ability in specific aspects. In particular, we observe fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) and EEG (electroencephalogram) brain activations from the viewpoint of peculiarity oriented mining and propose a way of peculiarity oriented mining for knowledge discovery in multiple human brain data. Based on such experience and needs, we concentrate on the architectural aspect of a brain-informatics portal from the perspective of the Wisdom Web and Knowledge Grids. We describe how to build a data-mining grid on the Wisdom Web for multiaspect human brain data analysis. The proposed methodology attempts to change the perspective of cognitive scientists from a single type of experimental data analysis toward a holistic view at a long-term, global field of vision. [source] Application of Visual Analytics for Thermal State Management in Large Data CentresCOMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 6 2010M. C. Hao I.3.3 [Computer Graphics]: Picture/Image Generation,Display Algorithms; H.5.0 [Information Systems]: Information Interfaces and Presentation,General Abstract Today's large data centres are the computational hubs of the next generation of IT services. With the advent of dynamic smart cooling and rack level sensing, the need for visual data exploration is growing. If administrators know the rack level thermal state changes and catch problems in real time, energy consumption can be greatly reduced. In this paper, we apply a cell-based spatio-temporal overall view with high-resolution time series to simultaneously analyze complex thermal state changes over time across hundreds of racks. We employ cell-based visualization techniques for trouble shooting and abnormal state detection. These techniques are based on the detection of sensor temperature relations and events to help identify the root causes of problems. In order to optimize the data centre cooling system performance, we derive new non-overlapped scatter plots to visualize the correlations between the temperatures and chiller utilization. All these techniques have been used successfully to monitor various time-critical thermal states in real-world large-scale production data centres and to derive cooling policies. We are starting to embed these visualization techniques into a handheld device to add mobile monitoring capability. [source] A large-scale monitoring and measurement campaign for web services-based applicationsCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 10 2010Riadh Ben Halima Abstract Web Services (WS) can be considered as the most influent enabling technology for the next generation of web applications. WS-based application providers will face challenging features related to nonfunctional properties in general and to performance and QoS in particular. Moreover, WS-based developers have to provide solutions to extend such applications with self-healing (SH) mechanisms as required for autonomic computing to face the complexity of interactions and to improve availability. Such solutions should be applicable when the components implementing SH mechanisms are deployed on both or only one platform on the WS providers and requesters sides depending on the deployment constraints. Associating application-specific performance requirements and monitoring-specific constraints will lead to complex configurations where fine tuning is needed to provide SH solutions. To contribute to enhancing the design and the assessment of such solutions for WS technology, we designed and implemented a monitoring and measurement framework, which is part of a larger Self-Healing Architectures (SHA) developed during the European WS-DIAMOND project. We implemented the Conference Management System (CMS), a real WS-based complex application. We achieved a large-scale experimentation campaign by deploying CMS on top of SHA on the French grid Grid5000. We experienced the problem as if we were a service provider who has to tune reconfiguration strategies. Our results are available on the web in a structured database for external use by the WS community. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Community mediation: Reflections on a quarter century of practiceCONFLICT RESOLUTION QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2000Scott Bradley It is fitting that this issue of Mediation Quarterly, one of the last before it transforms into a joint publication of confederating organizations, is devoted to community mediation. During the past twenty-five years, community mediation has provided much of the momentum for the growth and diversity of the alternative dispute resolution movement in the United States. At the same time, it has faced many challenges as the larger dispute resolution field grows and evolves. How community mediation responds to these challenges will shape its role and place for the next generation. In this issue, we have asked some key leaders and practitioners in the field to reflect on the development of community mediation and the challenges as we move into another century of practice. [source] THE CHANGING NATURE OF MUSEUMSCURATOR THE MUSEUM JOURNAL, Issue 4 2000Gordon Freedman The historical circumstances,scientific, social, and economic,that brought forth the great museums of the world no longer exist. In their place is a new public context that shifts attention from museums whose business is objects to organizations whose business is information. At the same time, the economic-survival mechanism of museums is shifting from grand philanthropy to innovative development programs and market-sensitive commercial endeavors. Meeting the needs of the next generations of visitors and cultivating the next generation of funders will not be simple. Massive changes in the social fabric of the nation will soon demand new kinds of institutions that play new roles in society. Museums that meet this challenge will not simply be competing with other sectors of society for public attention and funds. Future success will require the fundamental reinvention of museums so that their purpose is obvious and their mission is clearly aligned with the needs of future generations. [source] Standardizing Knowledge in a Multicultural SocietyCURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 1 2005CHRISTINE SLEETER ABSTRACT Across the United States, in an attempt to raise standards for student learning, states have developed curriculum standards that specify what students are to learn. Raising standards has become synonymous with standardizing curriculum. This study critically examines the reading/language arts and history-social science standards documents in California to explore how the standards movement has reconfigured codes of power, and in whose interests. To address this question, we used Bernstein's (1975) theory of codes of power in curriculum. Bernstein suggested that codes of power can be uncovered by examining how curriculum is classified and framed. Our analysis suggests that the state's curriculum standards fit within a political movement to reconfigure power relations among racial, ethnic, language, and social class groupings. This is not simply about trying to improve student learning, but more important, about reasserting who has a right to define what schools are for, whose knowledge has most legitimacy, and how the next generation should think about the social order and their place within it. [source] Spermatogenesis-defective (spe) mutants of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans provide clues to solve the puzzle of male germline functions during reproductionDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 5 2010Hitoshi Nishimura Abstract In most species, each sex produces gametes, usually either sperm or oocytes, from its germline during gametogenesis. The sperm and oocyte subsequently fuse together during fertilization to create the next generation. This review focuses on spermatogenesis and the roles of sperm during fertilization in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, where suitable mutants are readily obtained. So far, 186 mutants defective in the C. elegans male germline functions have been isolated, and many of these mutations are alleles for one of the ,60 spermatogenesis-defective (spe) genes. Many cloned spe genes are expressed specifically in the male germline, where they play roles during spermatogenesis (spermatid production), spermiogenesis (spermatid activation into spermatozoa), and/or fertilization. Moreover, several spe genes are orthologs of mammalian genes, suggesting that the reproductive processes of the C. elegans and the mammalian male germlines might share common pathways at the molecular level. Developmental Dynamics 239:1502,1514, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Xenopus, the next generation: X. Tropicalis genetics and genomicsDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 4 2002Nicolas Hirsch Abstract A small, fast-breeding, diploid relative of the frog Xenopus laevis, Xenopus tropicalis, has recently been adopted for research in developmental genetics and functional genomics. X. tropicalis shares advantages of X. laevis as a classic embryologic system, but its simpler genome and shorter generation time make it more convenient for multigenerational genetic, genomic, and transgenic approaches. Its embryos closely resemble those of X. laevis, except for their smaller size, and assays and molecular probes developed in X. laevis can be readily adapted for use in X. tropicalis. Genomic manipulation techniques such as gynogenesis facilitate genetic screens, because they permit the identification of recessive phenotypes after only one generation. Stable transgenic lines can be used both as in vivo reporters to streamline a variety of embryologic and molecular assays, or to experimentally manipulate gene expression through the use of binary constructs such as the GAL4/UAS system. Several mutations have been identified in wild-caught animals and during the course of generating inbred lines. A variety of strategies are discussed for conducting and managing genetic screens, obtaining mutations in specific sequences, achieving homologous recombination, and in developing and taking advantage of the genomic resources for Xenopus tropicalis. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Sphagnum under pressure: towards an ecohydrological approach to examining Sphagnum productivityECOHYDROLOGY, Issue 4 2008D. K. Thompson Abstract The genus Sphagnum is the key peat-forming bryophyte in boreal ecosystems. Relying entirely on passive capillary action for water transport, soil moisture is often the limiting factor in Sphagnum production, and hence peat accumulation. While several hydrological models of peat physics and peatland water movement exist, these models do not readily interface with observations and models of peatland carbon accumulation. A conflict of approaches exists, where hydrological studies primarily utilize variables such as hydraulic head, while ecological models of Sphagnum growth adopt the coarse hydrological variables of water table (WT), volumetric water content (VWC) or gravimetric water content (WC). This review examines the potential of soil pressure head as a measurement to link the hydrological and ecological functioning of Sphagnum in peatlands. The non-vascular structure of Sphagnum mosses and the reliance on external capillary transport of water in the mosses make them an ideal candidate for this approach. The main advantage of pressure head is the ability to mechanistically link plot-scale hydrology to cellular-scale water requirements and carbon exchange. Measurement of pressure head may improve photosynthetic process representation in the next generation of peatland models. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Regeneration-type nerve electrode using bundled microfluidic channelsELECTRONICS & COMMUNICATIONS IN JAPAN, Issue 4 2009Takafumi Suzuki Abstract Neural interface devices that will allow signals from the human nervous system to control external equipment are extremely important for the next generation of prosthetic systems. A novel multichannel regeneration-type nerve electrode designed to record from and stimulate peripheral nerves has been developed to allow the control of artificial hands and to generate artificial sensations. In this study a novel flexible regeneration microelectrode based on the nerve regeneration principle was designed and fabricated using MEMS technologies. The electrode, which was fabricated on a 25-µm-thick parylene C substrate, has multiple fluidic channels. Each fluidic channel was 100µm wide×30µm high×1500µm long and featured multiple electrodes inside them as recording and stimulating sites. They also served as guidance channels for the regenerating axons. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 92(4): 29,34, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.10059 [source] The Central Question in Entrepreneurial Cognition Research 2007ENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE, Issue 1 2007Ronald K. Mitchell In this article, we take note of advances in the entrepreneurial cognition research stream. In doing so, we bring increasing attention to the usefulness of entrepreneurial cognition research. First, we offer and develop a central research question to further enable entrepreneurial cognition inquiry. Second, we present the conceptual background and some representative approaches to entrepreneurial cognition research that form the context for this question. Third, we introduce the articles in this Special Issue as framed by the central question and approaches to entrepreneurial cognition research, and suggest how they further contribute to this developing stream. Finally, we offer our views concerning the challenges and opportunities that await the next generation of entrepreneurial cognition scholarship. We therefore invite (and seek to enable) the growing community of entrepreneurship researchers from across multiple disciplines to further develop the "thinking,doing" link in entrepreneurship research. It is our goal to offer colleagues an effective research staging point from which they may embark upon many additional research expeditions and investigations involving entrepreneurial cognition. [source] Reproductive effects of the endocrine disruptor fenarimol on a Baltic amphipod Monoporeia affinisENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2006Therese Jacobson Abstract An endocrine disruptor, the fungicide fenarimol, was investigated regarding its effects on reproduction and hormone (ecdysteroid) levels in the deposit-feeding amphipod Monoporeia affinis. In addition, the influence of food shortage, both by itself and in combination with fenarimol, on reproduction was examined. Field-collected amphipods were exposed in flow-through microcosms during the period of sexual maturation and mating in four treatment series: Control with low food, fenarimol with low food, control with high food, and fenarimol with high food. Fenarimol was added at a concentration of 0.3 mg/L in two pulses/week. Results show that fenarimol has a negative effect on fertilization rate and male mating ability. Results were supported by a tendency toward delayed male sexual development. Food shortage decreased weight in both sexes and retarded female oocyte development. Higher ecdysteroid levels were recorded in males than in females, and food shortage increased male ecdysteroid levels. No effect of fenarimol exposure on ecdysteroid levels was observed. No synergistic effects of fenarimol and food shortage could be distinguished in any variable examined. Thus, M. affinis was vulnerable to reproductive impairment by fenarimol, with effects on the next generation (i.e., a disturbed sexual development and fertilization ability). Food shortage has negative effects on M. affinis, but it does not enhance the effects of fenarimol. [source] Where Does the Lithium Go?ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 4 2010A Study of the Precipitates in the Stir Zone of a Friction Stir Weld in a Li-containing 2xxx Series Al Alloy The main strengthening precipitates of aluminum alloy 2198-T8, which are of the T1 phase, dissolve during friction stir welding, sending many Li atoms into solid solution. The stir zone precipitates are characterized using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and selected area diffraction techniques to begin answering questions about the microstructural evolution and the relationship between microstructure and mechanical properties in friction stir welding of the next generation of lightweight Li-containing Al alloys. [source] Fabrication of CdSe-Nanofibers with Potential for Biomedical ApplicationsADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 6 2010Amir Fahmi Abstract The design and synthesis of nanostructured functional hybrid biomaterials are essential for the next generation of advanced diagnostics and the treatment of disease. A simple route to fabricate semiconductor nanofibers by self-assembled, elastin-like polymer (ELP)-templated semiconductor nanoparticles is reported. Core,shell nanostructures of CdSe nanoparticles with a shell of ELPs are used as building blocks to fabricate functional one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures. The CdSe particles are generated in situ within the ELP matrix at room temperature. The ELP controls the size and the size-distribution of the CdSe nanoparticles in an aqueous medium and simultaneously directs the self-assembly of core,shell building blocks into fibril architectures. It was found that the self-assembly of core,shell building blocks into nanofibers is strongly dependent on the pH value of the medium. Results of cytotoxicity and antiproliferation of the CdSe-ELP nanofibers demonstrate that the CdSe-ELP does not exhibit any toxicity towards B14 cells. Moreover, these are found to be markedly capable of crossing the cell membrane of B14. In contrast, unmodified CdSe nanoparticles with ELPs cause a strong toxic response and reduction in the cell proliferation. This concept is valid for the fabrication of a variety of metallic and semiconductor 1D-architectures. Therefore, it is believed that these could be used not only for biomedical purposes but for application in a wide range of advanced miniaturized devices. [source] Circannual control of the life cycle in the Varied Carpet Beetle Anthrenus verbasciFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2003T. Nisimura Summary 1Anthrenus verbasci shows a circannual pupation rhythm, and a transfer from long-day to short-day conditions caused a phase shift. Short-day conditions produced synchronous pupation, and the critical day-length was between 13 and 14 h, which corresponded to the natural day-length in September. 2A decrease in temperature does not seem to act as a zeitgeber under natural conditions, because a change from 25 to 20 °C caused no or little phase shift. 3Under conditions of natural photoperiod and temperature, larvae pupated synchronously in April, although under natural day-length at 20 °C larvae pupated in February. Therefore, a decrease in day-length crossing the critical value in September probably shifts the phase of the circannual rhythm so that the gate to pupation opens in February, and probably low temperatures in winter suppress pupation until April. 4Newly hatching larvae transferred outdoors pupated successfully only when transferred between late April and mid-September, although larvae transferred after mid-July developed into smaller pupae than those transferred earlier. Therefore, synchronous pupation and emergence in spring are needed to allow larvae of the next generation to grow sufficiently before winter. [source] The North American Immune Tolerance Registry: contributions to the thirty-year experience with immune tolerance therapyHAEMOPHILIA, Issue 1 2009D. DIMICHELE Summary., The North American Immune Tolerance Registry (NAITR) began in 1992 as a project of the ISTH Factor VIII/IX Subcommittee with the goal of further determining immune tolerance induction (ITI) practices in Canada and the United States. This retrospective registry study, published in 2002, was limited in its capacity to provide definitive answers to many unresolved ITI practice issues. Nonetheless, it played a role in developing guidelines for current ITI practice and in generating hypotheses that must now be examined through rigorous prospective data collection efforts. For haemophilia A, the logical next step has been the initiation of international prospective randomized studies of ITI outcome relative to factor VIII (FVIII) dose and purity for subjects with high titre inhibitors. Both trials will additionally provide platforms for translational study of the immunology of tolerance, a prelude to the next generation of safe and effective tolerizing strategies. For the less common problem of FIX inhibitor eradication, prospective randomized studies will not be a feasible way to confirm the NAITR observations. Coordinated international efforts will still be required to prospectively collect data on ITI outcome to document new potentially effective therapeutic strategies for inhibitor eradication. These registries will hopefully also serve to identify potential subjects for scientific studies of immunology of haemophilia B-related allergic phenomena, a devastating complication of FIX antibody development. [source] Carrier testing in haemophilia A and B: adult carriers' and their partners' experiences and their views on the testing of young femalesHAEMOPHILIA, Issue 3 2008N. F. DUNN Summary., This is a descriptive study, which aims to report adult carriers' and their husbands/partners' experiences of carrier diagnosis and their views as to how these issues should be handled for the next generation. Following an initial pilot, 105 carriers and husbands/partners responded to a postal questionnaire. Most of the adult carriers had been tested because either they or their parents wanted to know their carrier status or they had a son diagnosed with haemophilia. The respondents agreed that the main reasons for testing young potential carriers should be either a family history of severe haemophilia or that the young person or her parents wanted to know her status. Forty per cent (35/87) believed the earliest age for carrier testing should be 0,9 years, 44% (38/87) 10,15 years and 16% (14/87) ,16 years. Respondents aged 18,39 years were more likely to be in favour of testing <2 years. If parents and teenagers disagreed, the majority of parents thought that a test should not be forced, consent refused or results withheld. Genetic counselling provides an important opportunity for parents, who want a very early genetic test, to explore their motivations and balance their desire to prepare and protect their daughter with her right to decide as a teenager. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||