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Considerable Challenge (considerable + challenge)
Selected AbstractsWorking in partnership , developing a young people's service in a rural environmentACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2002M. Mitchell Specific objective, The Project reviewed , The Provision of Services for Early Psychosis in Cornwall. It looked at staff feedback, user and carers' views, base line assessment and National Guidelines of Best Practice, and proposed significant changes to meet the needs of young people. Method, The Review was carried out under the auspices of the National Clinical Governance Team and used as its framework the RAID model of change. Results, This resulted in a series of recommendations, which informed new developments. Current initiatives include a Health Promotion Programme, Training Strategies in Primary Care and effective partnerships with young people's services. Conclusions, It proposes significant changes to the correct system of care by working outside the traditional healthcare settings and across the service boundaries of health, education and social care. The rurality of Cornwall provides a considerable challenge for service delivery. This review ensured that ownership rested with users, careers, staff and others who contributed and shaped its future direction. [source] Climate change and plant invasions: restoration opportunities ahead?GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2009BETHANY A. BRADLEY Abstract Rather than simply enhancing invasion risk, climate change may also reduce invasive plant competitiveness if conditions become climatically unsuitable. Using bioclimatic envelope modeling, we show that climate change could result in both range expansion and contraction for five widespread and dominant invasive plants in the western United States. Yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) and tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) are likely to expand with climate change. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and spotted knapweed (Centaurea biebersteinii) are likely to shift in range, leading to both expansion and contraction. Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) is likely to contract. The retreat of once-intractable invasive species could create restoration opportunities across millions of hectares. Identifying and establishing native or novel species in places where invasive species contract will pose a considerable challenge for ecologists and land managers. This challenge must be addressed before other undesirable species invade and eliminate restoration opportunities. [source] Recent Advances in White Organic Light-Emitting Materials and Devices (WOLEDs)ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 5 2010Kiran T. Kamtekar Abstract WOLEDs offer new design opportunities in practical solid-state lighting and could play a significant role in reducing global energy consumption. Obtaining white light from organic LEDs is a considerable challenge. Alongside the development of new materials with improved color stability and balanced charge transport properties, major issues involve the fabrication of large-area devices and the development of low-cost manufacturing technology. This Review will describe the types of materials (small molecules and polymers) that have been used to fabricate WOLEDs. A range of device architectures are presented and appraised. [source] The challenges of conservation for declining migrants: are reserve-based initiatives during the breeding season appropriate for the Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca?IBIS, Issue 3 2009ANNE E. GOODENOUGH Creating conservation policies for declining migrant species in response to global change presents a considerable challenge. Migrant species are affected by factors at breeding grounds, overwintering areas and during migration. Accordingly, reserve-based management during the breeding season is not always a suitable conservation strategy. Recent Pied Flycatcher population decline typifies the pattern for many migrants. The UK population has declined by 43% in the past decade, but explanations, and possible solutions, remain elusive. We use 15 years of data (1990,2004) from a declining British population to establish possible reasons for decline, considering: (1) breeding performance (including the influences of competition and predation); (2) weather patterns caused by the winter phase (December,March) of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), which modify conditions experienced at wintering grounds and on migration; and (3) possible impacts of climate change on spring temperatures. We conclude that decreasing breeding performance is contributing to decline, but that non-breeding factors are more important. Winter NAO index is a strong predictor of breeding population, probably because it influences food abundance in Africa and at migratory stopover points. Importantly, however, year itself enhances the predictive model, indicating that influences on population remain unaccounted for by current research. Management strategies based on increasing breeding productivity cannot fully address population decline because non-breeding factors appear important. However, as breeding performance is declining, breeding-based strategies remain useful conservation tools. To this end, our research indicates that optimal placement of nestboxes as regards orientation and habitat management to increase larval food supplies could increase productivity significantly. [source] Synthesis of Methylene- and Alkylidenecyclopropane DerivativesADVANCED SYNTHESIS & CATALYSIS (PREVIOUSLY: JOURNAL FUER PRAKTISCHE CHEMIE), Issue 4 2010Gérard Audran Abstract Since the methylenecyclopropane moiety is found in many biologically active natural substances, the synthesis of methylene- and alkylidenecyclopropanes remains a considerable challenge. In addition, an attractive feature is their surprising stability, accompanied by a high level of strain, conferring on them an otherwise unattainable chemical reactivity. The growing interest in the chemistry of these compounds has in its turn stimulated the development of alternative approaches to their skeleton, aimed at selectively introducing structural and chemical diversification. The three principal methods to synthesize these important compounds are based on the formation of the cyclopropane ring, the use of preformed cyclopropanes, and the use of preformed methylene- and alkylidenecyclopropanes. , Abbreviations: Ac: acetyl; Ar: aryl; Bn: benzyl; Boc: tert -butoxycarbonyl; Box: bisoxazoline; BTMSA: bis(trimethylsilyl)amide; Bu: butyl; Bz: benzoyl; C: cyclo; Cod: cyclooctadiene; Cp: cyclopentadienyl; Cy: cyclohexyl; Dba: (E,E)-dibenzylideneacetone; DBU: 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene; DCE: 1,2-dichloroethane; de: diastereomeric excess; DEAD: diethyl azodicarboxylate; DMAc: N,N -dimethylacetamide; DME: 1,2-dimethoxyethane; DMF: dimethylformamide; DOSP: N - p -dodecylbenzenesulfonylprolinate; Dppb: 1,4-bis(diphenyl)phosphinoborane; Dppe: bis(diphenylphosphino) ethene; E: electrophile; ee: enantiomeric excess; Et: ethyl; Hex: hexyl; L: ligand; LDA: lithium diisopropylamide; LG: leaving group; MCPBA: 3-chloroperoxybenzoic acid; Me: methyl; MEM: methoxyethoxymethyl; MOM: methoxymethyl; Mp: morpholinyl; Ms: mesyl; Naph: naphthyl; NFSI: N -fluorobenzenesulfonimide; Ns: nosyl; Nu: nucleophile; Pent: pentyl; Ph: phenyl; PMB: p -methoxybenzoyl; Pr: propyl; Py: pyridyl; SEM: 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethoxymethyl; TASF: tris(dimethylamino)sulfonium difluorotrimethyl silicate; TBAF: tetra- n -butylammonium fluoride; TBS: tert -butyldimethylsilyl; TEA: triethylamine; Tedicyp: cis,cis,cis -1,2,3,4-tetrakis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)cyclopentane; Tf: trifluoromethanesulfonyl; TFP: tris(2-furyl)phosphine; THF: tetrahydrofuran; THP: tetrahydropyran; TMS: trimethylsilyl; Tol: tolyl; Ts: 4-toluenesulfonyl (tosyl). [source] Surface protein patterns govern morphology, proliferation, and expression of cellular markers but have no effect on physiological properties of cortical precursor cellsJOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH, Issue 11 2008Anna K. Magnusson Abstract The ability to differentiate and give rise to neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes is an inherent feature of neural stem cells, which raises hopes for cell-based therapies of neurodegenerative diseases. However, there are many hurdles to cross before such regimens can be applied clinically. A considerable challenge is to elucidate the factors that contribute to neural differentiation. In this study, we evaluated the possibility of steering neuronal maturation by growing cortical precursor cells on microscale surface patterns of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. When the cells were encouraged to extend processes along lines of ECM proteins, they displayed a much more mature morphology, less proliferation capacity, and greater expression of a neuronal marker in comparison with cells grown in clusters on ECM dots. This implied that the growth pattern alone could play a crucial role for neural differentiation. However, in spite of the strikingly different morphology, when performing whole-cell patch-clamp experiments, we never observed any differences in the functional properties between cells grown on the two patterns. These results clearly demonstrate that morphological appearances are not representative measures of the functional phenotype or grade of neuronal maturation, stressing the importance of complementary electrophysiological evidence. To develop successful transplantation therapies, increased cell survival is critical. Because process-bearing neurons are sensitive and break easily, it would be of clinical interest to explore further the differentiating capacity of the cells cultured on the ECM dot pattern, described in this article, which are devoid of processes but display the same functional properties as neurons with mature morphology. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Partner Notification Methods for African American Men Being Treated for Trichomoniasis: A Consideration of Main Men, Second Hitters, and Third PlayersMEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2005Bronwen Lichtenstein This pilot study sought information on African American men's preferences for partner notification methods for a common sexually transmitted infection called trichomoniasis. Two focus groups of African American men were convened at a public STI clinic where they were being treated for trichomoniasis. The groups identified a sexual hierarchy in men's preferences for methods of partner notification. The hierarchy consisted of main men (Cake Daddies), second men (Second Hitters), and third or fourth men (Third Players), with placement depending on age, income, and social status. Health department employees affirmed the existence of a sexual hierarchy in a separate focus group. Sexual and economic bartering formed the basis of the hierarchy, and the secrecy involved in such arrangements presented a considerable challenge for STI control. Disease intervention specialists who were responsible for contact tracing spoke of cat-and-mouse methods in contacting the men without understanding fully exactly how the hierarchy influenced men's responses to partner notification. The findings suggest that STI control efforts must take the sexual hierarchy and its privacy implications into account if partner notification methods are to be acceptable to African American men. [source] Genomic health care: Is the future now?NURSING & HEALTH SCIENCES, Issue 2 2008Maggie Kirk rgn, bsc(hons), certcouns Abstract In some areas of health care, genomics is having a steadily increasing impact on clinical practice. Yet, in other areas, genomic developments are considered to be at the periphery of care. Health-care professionals from such areas might feel that the potential of genomics is exaggerated. To explore this issue, genetic nurse specialists were invited to submit case studies and to identify barriers and facilitators in incorporating genomics into mainstream nursing practice. Twenty-five cases were submitted and a total of 10 barriers and seven facilitators were identified. These cases were presented as a basis for debate in a session conducted at the 2006 Annual Conference of the International Society of Nurses in Genetics. The majority of delegates agreed that genomics would have a profound effect on health care and nursing within the next 5 years, particularly in oncology. That nurses do not see genomics as being relevant to their practice was identified as the greatest barrier, by a narrow majority. Specialist nurses in any field have a role in acting as agents of change, educators, and consultants to non-specialists. It is clear that genetics nurse specialists still have a considerable challenge in raising awareness about the relevance of genomics to mainstream nursing practice. [source] Noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of aneuploidy using cell-free nucleic acids in maternal blood: promises and unanswered questionsPRENATAL DIAGNOSIS, Issue 1 2008William M. Puszyk Abstract The discovery of cell-free fetal (cff) DNA and RNA in the maternal circulation has driven developments in noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) for the past decade. Detection of paternally derived alleles in cff DNA is becoming well established. Now much interest is focussing on NIPD of fetal chromosomal abnormalities, such as trisomy 21, which is a considerable challenge because this demands accurate quantitative measurements of the amounts of specific cff DNA or cff RNA sequences in maternal blood samples. Emerging strategies for distinguishing and quantifying the fetal nucleic acids in the maternal circulation promise continued development of the field, and pose a number of unanswered questions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Proteomic strategies in multiple sclerosis and its animal modelsPROTEOMICS - CLINICAL APPLICATIONS, Issue 11 2007Stella Elkabes Dr. Abstract The early and precise diagnosis, the prognosis, and the clinical management of multiple sclerosis, remain a considerable challenge. In recent years, the development of novel and powerful proteomic techniques prompted the use of these approaches for the search of unique biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid of multiple sclerosis patients. A few studies have also utilized proteomics to delineate the profile of differentially expressed proteins in animal models of the human disease in order to gain global insights into affected pathways. The identification of differentially expressed proteins may be an initial step in the discovery of novel targets and mechanisms that play critical roles in the pathology of multiple sclerosis. Based on these findings, future investigations may elucidate the events leading to demyelination, axonal damage, and neurodegeneration, providing better insights into mechanisms governing the onset and progression of the disease. Although these proteomic studies provide valuable information, they are also faced with a number of challenges. The present review discusses some of the strengths and limitations of proteomic investigations as applied to multiple sclerosis. [source] Magnetic ghosts: mineral magnetic measurements on Roman and Anglo-Saxon graves,,ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION, Issue 3 2004N. T. Linford Abstract The location of inhumations, in the absence of ferrous grave goods, often presents a considerable challenge to archaeological geophysics, given the small size of the features and the slight physical contrast between the fill of the grave and the surrounding subsoil. Even during excavation, the identification of graves may be complicated where site conditions do not favour the preservation of human skeletal remains and only a subtle soil stain is likely to survive. A recent initiative in the UK has seen the formation of the Buried Organic-matter,Decomposition Integrated with Elemental Status (BODIES) research group, to examine the decomposition of organic artefacts in ancient graves with respect to localized changes in pH, redox potential and nutrient status. This paper presents initial results from a limited mineral magnetic study of two grave sites in an attempt to ascertain whether the decomposition of organic remains may lead to a detectable magnetic signature within the soil. Results from a series of isothermal, hysteresis and magneto-thermal experiments will be presented together with surface magnetometer and topsoil susceptibility surveys. Copyright © Crown Copyright 2004. Recorded with the permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Revealing metabolic phenotypes in plants: inputs from NMR analysisBIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 1 2005R. G. Ratcliffe ABSTRACT Assessing the performance of the plant metabolic network, with its varied biosynthetic capacity and its characteristic subcellular compartmentation, remains a considerable challenge. The complexity of the network is such that it is not yet possible to build large-scale predictive models of the fluxes it supports, whether on the basis of genomic and gene expression analysis or on the basis of more traditional measurements of metabolites and their interconversions. This limits the agronomic and biotechnological exploitation of plant metabolism, and it undermines the important objective of establishing a rational metabolic engineering strategy. Metabolic analysis is central to removing this obstacle and currently there is particular interest in harnessing high-throughput and/or large-scale analyses to the task of defining metabolic phenotypes. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy contributes to this objective by providing a versatile suite of analytical techniques for the detection of metabolites and the fluxes between them. The principles that underpin the analysis of plant metabolism by NMR are described, including a discussion of the measurement options for the detection of metabolites in vivo and in vitro, and a description of the stable isotope labelling experiments that provide the basis for metabolic flux analysis. Despite a relatively low sensitivity, NMR is suitable for high-throughput system-wide analyses of the metabolome, providing methods for both metabolite fingerprinting and metabolite profiling, and in these areas NMR can contribute to the definition of plant metabolic phenotypes that are based on metabolic composition. NMR can also be used to investigate the operation of plant metabolic networks. Labelling experiments provide information on the operation of specific pathways within the network, and the quantitative analysis of steady-state labelling experiments leads to the definition of large-scale flux maps for heterotrophic carbon metabolism. These maps define multiple unidirectional fluxes between branch-points in the metabolic network, highlighting the existence of substrate cycles and discriminating in favourable cases between fluxes in the cytosol and plastid. Flux maps can be used to define a functionally relevant metabolic phenotype and the extensive application of such maps in microbial systems suggests that they could have important applications in characterising the genotypes produced by plant genetic engineering. [source] Chemische Produktion gemäß Koran und Thora.CHEMIE IN UNSERER ZEIT (CHIUZ), Issue 1 2008Chemie und Religion Die Herstellung von Produkten im Einklang mit den Gesetzen des islamischen oder jüdischen Glaubens stellt sowohl für die chemische Industrie als auch für die religiösen Autoritäten eine erhebliche Herausforderung dar, die nur in vertrauensvoller Zusammenarbeit gemeistert werden kann. Ein koscher- oder halal-Zertifikat bedeutet nicht, dass das Produkt aus chemischer Sicht besonders rein ist. Vielmehr wird garantiert, dass alle Rohstoffe koscher oder halal waren und der gesamte Verarbeitungsprozess im Einklang mit den religiösen Gesetzen erfolgt ist. Für die chemische Industrie öffnen sich neue Märkte und der gläubige Verbraucher kann sicher sein, dass eine zweite vertrauenswürdige Autorität den gesamten Herstellungsprozess überwacht hat. Industrial chemical production in agreement with the laws of Islamic or Jewish religion puts a considerable challenge on both, the companies and the religious authorities. The difficult problems can only be solved through trustworthy cooperation. A kosher or halal certificate doesn't mean that the product is especially pure from a chemical point of view. Rather it guarantees that all raw materials were kosher or halal and that non-kosher or haram material were not present during the entire production process. In a win-win-situation new markets will be opened for the chemical industry and the faithful followers are assured that a second trustworthy authority has overseen the entire manufacturing process. [source] 2164: Role of placental growth factor (PIGF) in wound healing after glaucoma filtration surgeryACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2010T VAN BERGENArticle first published online: 23 SEP 2010 Purpose Failing filtering surgery due to excessive wound healing is a considerable challenge in ophthalmology, and largely contributes to progressive vision loss in glaucoma patients. Anti-VEGF therapy helps to prevent post-surgical scarring by inhibiting angiogenesis and collagen deposition, but does not influence inflammation (which is also an important player in postoperative wound healing). We will check the hypothesis that placental growth factor (PlGF) plays a role in scar formation after glaucoma filtration surgery, and that it may be a(n) (additional) target for improvement of the outcome of this surgery through its known anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory, and possibly anti-fibrotic properties. Methods The effect of an anti-PlGF antibody (ThromboGenics) will be investigated in vitro on the proliferation of endothelial cells (HUVEC), inflammatory cells (Jurkat cells) and of Tenon fibroblasts (TF). The effect of the antibody will also be investigated in vivo in a rabbit model for glaucoma surgery by measuring intra-ocular pressure (IOP), filtration bleb function and survival, and by (immuno-)histological analysis of angiogenesis (CD31), inflammation (CD45) and fibrosis (Sirius Red). Conclusion Our proposed research project will elucidate the potential role of PlGF-inhibition in the improvement of filtration surgery outcome, and will highlight any angiostatic, anti-inflammatory, and/or anti-fibrotic effects. PlGF-inhibition as an adjuvant anti-inflammatory therapy to anti-VEGF treatment in glaucoma surgery might open new perspectives for more efficient surgery. In conclusion, our project opens exciting perspectives for the treatment of the blinding condition of glaucoma, and thus might improve the visual prognosis of glaucoma patients. [source] The National Emergency Department Safety Study: Study Rationale and DesignACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 12 2007Ashley F. Sullivan MS The significance of medical errors is widely appreciated. Given the frequency and significance of errors in medicine, it is important to learn how to reduce their frequency; however, the identification of factors that increase the likelihood of errors poses a considerable challenge. The National Emergency Department Safety Study (NEDSS) sought to characterize organizational- and clinician-associated factors related to the likelihood of errors occurring in emergency departments (EDs). NEDSS was a large multicenter study coordinated by the Emergency Medicine Network (EMNet; www.emnet-usa.org). It was designed to determine if reports by ED personnel about safety processes are significantly correlated with the actual occurrence of errors in EDs. If so, staff reports can be used to accurately identify processes for safety improvements. Staff perceptions were assessed with a survey, while errors were assessed through chart review of three conditions: acute myocardial infarction, acute asthma, and reductions of dislocations under procedural sedation. NEDSS also examined the characteristics of EDs associated with the occurrence of errors. NEDSS is the first comprehensive national study of the frequency and types of medical errors in EDs. This article describes the methods used to develop and implement the study. [source] Conservation Biogeography: assessment and prospectDIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 1 2005Robert J. Whittaker ABSTRACT There is general agreement among scientists that biodiversity is under assault on a global basis and that species are being lost at a greatly enhanced rate. This article examines the role played by biogeographical science in the emergence of conservation guidance and makes the case for the recognition of Conservation Biogeography as a key subfield of conservation biology delimited as: the application of biogeographical principles, theories, and analyses, being those concerned with the distributional dynamics of taxa individually and collectively, to problems concerning the conservation of biodiversity. Conservation biogeography thus encompasses both a substantial body of theory and analysis, and some of the most prominent planning frameworks used in conservation. Considerable advances in conservation guidelines have been made over the last few decades by applying biogeographical methods and principles. Herein we provide a critical review focussed on the sensitivity to assumptions inherent in the applications we examine. In particular, we focus on four inter-related factors: (i) scale dependency (both spatial and temporal); (ii) inadequacies in taxonomic and distributional data (the so-called Linnean and Wallacean shortfalls); (iii) effects of model structure and parameterisation; and (iv) inadequacies of theory. These generic problems are illustrated by reference to studies ranging from the application of historical biogeography, through island biogeography, and complementarity analyses to bioclimatic envelope modelling. There is a great deal of uncertainty inherent in predictive analyses in conservation biogeography and this area in particular presents considerable challenges. Protected area planning frameworks and their resulting map outputs are amongst the most powerful and influential applications within conservation biogeography, and at the global scale are characterised by the production, by a small number of prominent NGOs, of bespoke schemes, which serve both to mobilise funds and channel efforts in a highly targeted fashion. We provide a simple typology of protected area planning frameworks, with particular reference to the global scale, and provide a brief critique of some of their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, we discuss the importance, especially at regional scales, of developing more responsive analyses and models that integrate pattern (the compositionalist approach) and processes (the functionalist approach) such as range collapse and climate change, again noting the sensitivity of outcomes to starting assumptions. We make the case for the greater engagement of the biogeographical community in a programme of evaluation and refinement of all such schemes to test their robustness and their sensitivity to alternative conservation priorities and goals. [source] Challenges in developing fish-based ecological assessment methods for large floodplain riversFISHERIES MANAGEMENT & ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2007J. J. DE LEEUW Abstract, Large European floodplain rivers have a great diversity in habitats and fish fauna, but tend to be heavily modified. The complexity of these river systems and their multiple human impacts pose considerable challenges for assessment of their ecological status. This paper discusses: (1) the application of historical information on fish fauna and habitat availability to describe reference conditions; (2) responses of fish assemblages to human disturbance by comparing various rivers and river segments with different impacts and/or time series within rivers; (3) the role of floodplain water bodies in ecological assessment; and (4) monitoring of large rivers using different gears and sampling designs for main channels and floodplain habitats. The challenge for the future is to standardise and calibrate sampling methods and data to enhance the potential for ecological assessment of large rivers. [source] Teaching and Learning Guide for: Memoryscape: How Audio Walks Can Deepen Our Sense of Place by Integrating Art, Oral History and Cultural GeographyGEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 5 2008Toby Butler Author's Introduction This article is concerned with the history and practice of creating sound walks or ,memoryscapes': outdoor trails that use recorded sound and spoken memory played on a personal stereo or mobile media to experience places in new ways. It is now possible to cheaply and easily create this and other kinds of located media experience. The development of multi-sensory-located media (,locedia') presents some exciting opportunities for those concerned with place, local history, cultural geography and oral history. This article uses work from several different disciplines (music, sound art, oral history and cultural geography) as a starting point to exploring some early and recent examples of locedia practice. It also suggests how it might give us a more sophisticated, real, embodied and nuanced experience of places that the written word just can not deliver. Yet, there are considerable challenges in producing and experiencing such work. Academics used to writing must learn to work in sound and view or image; they must navigate difficult issues of privacy, consider the power relations of the outsider's ,gaze' and make decisions about the representation of places in work that local people may try and have strong feelings about. Creating such work is an active, multi-sensory and profoundly challenging experience that can offer students the chance to master multi-media skills as well as apply theoretical understandings of the histories and geographies of place. Author Recommends 1.,Perks, R., and Thomson, A. (2006). The oral history reader, 2nd ed. London: Routledge. This is a wonderful collection of significant writing concerned with oral history. Part IV, Making Histories features much of interest, including a thought-provoking paper on the challenges of authoring in sound rather than print by Charles Hardy III, and a moving interview with Graeme Miller, the artist who created the Linked walk mentioned in the memoryscape article. These only feature in the second edition. 2.,Cresswell, T. (2004). Place: a short introduction. Oxford, UK: Blackwell. A refreshingly clear and well-written guide to the different theoretical takes on what makes places , a good starting point for further reading. 3.,Carlyle, A. (ed.). (2008). Autumn leaves: sound and the environment in artistic practice. Paris, France: Double Entendre. This is a collection of short essays and examples of located sonic media art; it includes interviews with practitioners and includes Hildegard Westekamp's Soundwalking, a practical guide to leading students on a mute walk. Lots of thought provoking, applied reading material for students here. 4.,Blunt, A., et al. (eds) (2003). Cultural geography in practice. London: Arnold. A great book for undergraduate and postgraduate students , concepts explained and lots of examples of actually doing cultural geography. The chapter on mapping worlds by David Pinder is particularly useful in this context. 5.,Pinder, D. (2001). Ghostly footsteps: voices, memories and walks in the city. Ecumene 8 (1), pp. 1,19. This article is a thoughtful analysis of a Janet Cardiff sound walk in Whitechapel, East London. Online Materials http://www.memoryscape.org.uk This is my project website, which features two online trails, Dockers which explores Greenwich and the memories of the London Docks that are archived in the Museum of London, and Drifting which is a rather strange experiment-combining physical geography and oral history along the Thames at Hampton Court, but still makes for an interesting trail. Audio, maps and trails can be downloaded for free, so students with phones or iPods can try the trails if you are within reach of Surrey or London. The site features an online version, with sound-accompanying photographs of the location. http://www.portsofcall.org.uk This website has three more trails here, this time of the communities surrounding the Royal Docks in East London. The scenery here is very dramatic and anyone interested in the regeneration of East London and its impact on local communities will find these trails interesting. Like Dockers, the walks feature a lot of rare archive interviews. This project involved a great deal of community interaction and participation as I experimented with trying to get people involved with the trail-making process. The site uses Google maps for online delivery. http://www.soundwalk.com This New York-based firm creates exceptionally high-quality soundwalks, and they are well worth the money. They started by producing trails for different districts of New York (I recommend the Bronx Graffiti trail) and have recently made trails for other cities, like Paris and Varanassi in India. http://www.mscapers.com This website is run by Hewlett Packard, which has a long history of research and development in located media applications. They currently give free licence to use their mscape software which is a relatively easy to learn way of creating global positioning system-triggered content. The big problem is that you have to have a pricey phone or personal digital assistant to run the software, which makes group work prohibitively expensive. But equipment prices are coming down and with the new generations of mobile phones developers believe that the time when the player technology is ubiquitous might be near. And if you ask nicely HP will lend out sets of equipment for teaching or events , fantastic if you are working within reach of Bristol. See also http://www.createascape.org.uk/ which has advice and examples of how mscape software has been used for teaching children. Sample Syllabus public geography: making memoryscapes This course unit could be adapted to different disciplines, or offered as a multidisciplinary unit to students from different disciplines. It gives students a grounding in several multi-media techniques and may require support/tuition from technical staff. 1.,Introduction What is a located mediascape, now and in the future? Use examples from resources above. 2.,Cultural geographies of site-specific art and sound Theories of place; experiments in mapping and site-specific performance. 3.,Walk activity: Westergard Hildekamp , sound walk, or one of the trails mentioned above The best way , and perhaps the only way , to really appreciate located media is to try one in the location they have been designed to be experienced. I would strongly advise any teaching in this field to include outdoor, on-site experiences. Even if you are out of reach of a mediascape experience, taking students on a sound walk can happen anywhere. See Autumn Leaves reference above. 4.,Researching local history An introduction to discovering historical information about places could be held at a local archive and a talk given by the archivist. 5.,Creating located multimedia using Google maps/Google earth A practical exercise-based session going through the basics of navigating Google maps, creating points and routes, and how to link pictures and sound files. 6.,Recording sound and oral history interviews A practical introduction to the techniques of qualitative interviewing and sound recording. There are lots of useful online guides to oral history recording, for example, an online oral history primer http://www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/research/audiovis/oral_history/index.htm; a more in depth guide to various aspects of oral history http://www.baylor.edu/oral%5fhistory/index.php?id=23566 or this simple oral history toolkit, with useful links to project in the North of England http://www.oralhistorynortheast.info/toolkit/chapter1.htm 7.,Sound editing skills Practical editing techniques including working with clips, editing sound and creating multi-track recordings. The freeware software Audacity is simple to use and there are a lot of online tutorials that cover the basics, for example, http://www.wikieducator.org/user:brentsimpson/collections/audacity_workshop 8.,Web page design and Google maps How to create a basic web page (placing pictures, text, hyperlinks, buttons) using design software (e.g. Dreamweaver). How to embed a Google map and add information points and routes. There is a great deal of online tutorials for web design, specific to the software you wish to use and Google maps can be used and embedded on websites free for non-profit use. http://maps.google.com/ 9,and 10. Individual or group project work (staff available for technical support) 11.,Presentations/reflection on practice Focus Questions 1What can sound tell us about the geographies of places? 2When you walk through a landscape, what traces of the past can be sensed? Now think about which elements of the past have been obliterated? Whose past has been silenced? Why? How could it be put back? 3Think of a personal or family story that is significant to you. In your imagination, locate the memory at a specific place. Tell a fellow student that story, and describe that place. Does it matter where it happened? How has thinking about that place made you feel? 4What happens when you present a memory of the past or a located vision of the future in a present landscape? How is this different to, say, writing about it in a book? 5Consider the area of this campus, or the streets immediately surrounding this building. Imagine this place in one of the following periods (each group picks one): ,,10,000 years ago ,,500 years ago ,,100 years ago ,,40 years ago ,,last Thursday ,,50 years time What sounds, voices, stories or images could help convey your interpretation of this place at that time? What would the visitor hear or see today at different points on a trail? Sketch out an outline map of a located media trail, and annotate with what you hear/see/sense at different places. Project Idea small group project: creating a located mediascape Each small group must create a located media experience, reflecting an aspect of the history/geography/culture of an area of their choosing, using the knowledge that they have acquired over the course of the semester. The experience may be as creative and imaginative as you wish, and may explore the past, present or future , or elements of each. Each group must: ,,identify an area of interest ,,research an aspect of the area of the groups choosing; this may involve visiting local archives, libraries, discussing the idea with local people, physically exploring the area ,,take photographs, video or decide on imagery (if necessary) ,,record sound, conduct interviews or script and record narration ,,design a route or matrix of media points The final project must be presented on a website, may embed Google maps, and a presentation created to allow the class to experience the mediascape (either in the classroom or on location, if convenient). The website should include a brief theoretical and methodological explanation of the basis of their interpretation. If the group cannot be supported with tuition and support in basic website design or using Google mapping with sound and imagery, a paper map with locations and a CD containing sound files/images might be submitted instead. For examples of web projects created by masters degree students of cultural geography at Royal Holloway (not all sound based) see http://www.gg.rhul.ac.uk/MA/web-projects.html [source] Corporate Portfolio Management RoundtableJOURNAL OF APPLIED CORPORATE FINANCE, Issue 2 2008Article first published online: 16 JUL 200 The dean of a top ten business school, the chair of a large investment management firm, two corporate M&A leaders, a CFO, a leading M&A investment banker, and a corporate finance advisor discuss the following questions: ,What are today's best practices in corporate portfolio management? What roles should be played by boards, senior managers, and business unit leaders? ,What are the typical barriers to successful implementation and how can they be overcome? ,Should portfolio management be linked to financial policies such as decisions on capital structure, dividends, and share repurchase? ,How should all of the above be disclosed to the investor community? After acknowledging the considerable challenges to optimal portfolio management in public companies, the panelists offer suggestions that include: ,Companies should establish an independent group that functions like a "SWAT team" to support portfolio management. Such groups would be given access to (or produce themselves) business-unit level data on economic returns and capital employed, and develop an "outside-in" view of each business's standalone valuation. ,Boards should consider using their annual strategy "off-sites" to explore all possible alternatives for driving share-holder value, including organic growth, divestitures and acquisitions, as well as changes in dividends, share repurchases, and capital structure. ,Performance measurement and compensation frameworks need to be revamped to encourage line managers to think more like investors, not only seeking value-creating growth but also making divestitures at the right time. CEOs and CFOs should take the lead in developing a shared value creation model that clearly articulates how capital will be allocated. [source] Inflammatory bowel disease: Established and evolving considerations on its etiopathogenesis and therapyJOURNAL OF DIGESTIVE DISEASES, Issue 5 2010Anja SCHIRBEL Modern studies of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pathogenesis have been pursued for about four decades, a period of time where the pace of progress has been steadily increasing. This progress has occurred in parallel with and is largely due to developments in multiple basic scientific disciplines that range from population and social studies, genetics, microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, and DNA engineering. From this cumulative and constantly expanding knowledge base the fundamental pillars of IBD pathogenesis appear to have been identified and consolidated during the last couple of decades. Presently there is a general consensus among basic IBD investigators that both Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the result of the combined effects of four basic components: global changes in the environment, the input of multiple genetic variations, alterations in the intestinal microbiota, and aberrations of innate and adaptive immune responses. There is also agreement on the conclusion that none of these four components can by itself trigger or maintain intestinal inflammation. A combination of various factors, and most likely of all four factors, is probably needed to bring about CD or UC in individual patients, but each patient or set of patients seems to have a different combination of alterations leading to the disease. This would imply that different causes and diverse mechanisms underlie IBD, and this could also explain why every patient displays his or her own clinical manifestations and a personalized response to therapy, and requires tailored approaches with different medications. While we are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of this individual variability, we have only a superficial notion of the reasons why this occurs, as hinted by the uniqueness of the genetic background and of the gut flora in each person. So, we are apparently facing the paradox of having to deal with the tremendous complexity of the mechanisms responsible for chronic intestinal inflammation in the setting of each patient's individuality in the response to this biological complexity. This obviously poses considerable challenges to reaching a full understanding of IBD pathogenesis, but being aware of the difficulties is the first step in finding answers to them. [source] Temptations of weevil: feeding and ovipositional behaviour of Hylobius warreni Wood on host and nonhost bark in laboratory bioassaysAGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Gareth R. Hopkins Abstract 1Warren root collar weevil Hylobius warreni Wood (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a long-lived, flightless insect native to coniferous forests across northern North America. Girdling by larval feeding causes significant mortality on young trees. The insect poses considerable challenges to reforestation. 2Adult weevils feed on all life stages of a variety of coniferous hosts prior to oviposition. Their relative feeding preferences, however, have not been quantified. Moreover, it is not known whether host bark influences oviposition behaviour. 3Feeding preferences of adult weevils were tested in both choice and no-choice laboratory bioassays using small branches from three conifers (lodgepole pine Pinus contorta var. latifolia, interior hybrid spruce Picea glauca×engelmannii, and Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii) and one deciduous tree (trembling aspen Populus tremuloides). Measurements included the surface area of bark consumed, rate of consumption, the number of days of feeding, and, in the no-choice assay, the number of eggs oviposited. 4Bark consumption was greatest on pine and Douglas-fir, followed by spruce. Little to no feeding occurred on aspen. Consumption did not vary between male versus female insects for any of the feeding metrics quantified. 5The presence of aspen branches did not inhibit feeding on any of the other species in the choice bioassays. 6The number of eggs laid by female insects did not differ significantly among tree species in the no-choice assay. Eggs were laid indiscriminately in the presence of all four host types. 7Results and opportunities for future research are discussed in the context of formulating new integrated pest management strategies for this insect, which is increasingly important in the period of reforestation subsequent to the mountain pine beetle epidemic in western Canada. [source] Sequence-specific detection method for reverse transcription, loop-mediated isothermal amplification of HIV-1,,JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 6 2009Kelly A. Curtis Abstract HIV diagnosis at the point-of-care or in resource-limited settings poses considerable challenges due to time and cost limitations. Currently, nucleic acid-based tests are the only reliable method for diagnosing recent infections during the window period post-infection and pre-seroconversion, but these tests are only suitable for well-equipped laboratory settings. The reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) technology exhibits characteristics that are ideal for the development of a rapid, cost-effective nucleic acid-based test for detection of HIV DNA and RNA. In this study, a sequence-specific detection method was developed for immediate, naked-eye visualization of RT-LAMP products with high sensitivity and specificity. The rapid detection method was incorporated into the HIV-1-specific RT-LAMP assay and validated using minute volumes of whole blood from HIV-1-infected individuals. Together with the minimal sample preparation time and one-step, isothermal amplification reaction, the sequence-specific detection method adds to the overall versatility of the RT-LAMP assay and enhances the applicability for use at point-of-care or resource-limited sites. J. Med. Virol. 81:966,972, 2009. Published 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Three-Dimensional Solar Cell Finite-Element Sintering SimulationJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 7 2009Gordon R. Brown The sintering process is ubiquitous in manufacturing, but the design-oriented modeling of sintering has presented considerable challenges. This type of modeling is necessary to be able to predict deformation and thus design appropriate powder compacts so that after they are sintered, the desired dimensions will be achieved. Currently this is done through a costly and time-consuming trial and error process. In our research, an application of the Skorohod,Olevsky viscous sintering constitutive equation in a finite-element (FE) model is developed and used to model solar cell manufacturing. Experimental measurements are used to determine the properties of the solar cell materials, and these are used to calculate the parameters for the FE model. Simulation results are compared with experimental data and analysis has been made to evaluate the adequacy and usefulness of this approach. [source] ,A Nice Sub -Acid Feeling': Schenker, Heidegger and Elgar's First SymphonyMUSIC ANALYSIS, Issue 3 2005J. P. E. HARPER-SCOTT ABSTRACT Schenkerian analysis is a problematic tool for the analysis of early modernist music, not least because its deep-level theoretical and hermeneutic dependence on the Beethovenian heroic style is at risk of predefining the outline of a hermeneutics of other music. By bringing the Ursatz into contact with Martin Heidegger's concept of the Augenblick, it becomes possible to sever this restrictive hermeneutic link and also to open up a radically new possibility for background structures in late tonal music. Elgar's First Symphony presents two considerable challenges to an orthodox Schenkerian reading. First, it is a prolongation of two strongly outlined tonalities - one immuring, the other immured - and second, its Kopfton remains static at the end of movements and does not descend structurally until the finale, thus prolonging a single Ursatz over an entire symphony. By aligning itself with Heidegger's analysis of the nature of human Being, a Heideggerian-Schenkerian analysis of the work illuminates Elgar's ,play' with the Beethovenian symphonic tradition, and demonstrates how he successfully manipulates his gigantic early modernist tonal structure. [source] Using medical records to supplement a claims-based comparative effectiveness analysis of antidepressants,PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 8 2010Thomas W. Croghan Abstract Purpose Because health insurance claims lack clinical information, comparative effectiveness research studies that rely on these data may be challenging to interpret and may result in biased inference. We conducted an exploratory study to determine if medical information contained in patient charts could offer clinical details that would assist in interpreting the results of a claims-based comparative effectiveness study of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Methods Retrospective review of 457 charts of patients initiating SSRI treatment. Descriptive data elements included patient diagnosis, symptoms of depressive and anxiety disorders, provider's assessment, and medication treatment and side effects. Results Most subjects were excluded from the study because their charts were not accessible (58.7%), they did not have a follow-up visit (55.6%), providers could not be contacted (58.0%), or providers refused participation in the study (36.5%). Among those included in the study, most patients were noted to have depression, but most charts lacked information on the majority of depression symptoms at baseline and follow-up. Few concomitant symptoms, side effects, and other important clinical and treatment characteristics were recorded. Conclusions Inability to obtain charts due to plan or provider refusal, lack of available information in charts at key times in the course of illness, and missing data elements posed considerable challenges and prevented firm conclusions beyond those drawn from the parent, claims-based study. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Thermal expansion co-efficient of nanotube,metal compositesPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 11-12 2009Sheikh M. Uddin Abstract Thermal expansion exhibits considerable challenges developing residual stresses at the interfaces of different materials treated at high temperature. Electrical devices containing materials with different thermal expansion behaviour very often suffer this problem. Thermal expansion co-efficient (TEC) of different metals can be tuned by using carbon nanotube (CNT). Metal matrix composites (MMCs) using CNT are fabricated by hot-press sintering method and TEC of the composites are investigated throughout a wide range of temperature (,155 to 275,°C). Reduction of TEC of the composite materials was observed up to 20% compared to that of pure metals. The effect of CNTs in the matrix materials and the mechanism behind the improvement are explained from the microscopic investigation of the composites. [source] Home and Away: The Grounding of New Football Teams in Perth, Western AustraliaTHE AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2002Roy Jones Metropolitan sporting, and particularly football, competitions were established in all of Australia's colonial state capital cities about a century ago. Typically, they were comprised of teams from and were supported by the inhabitants of working-class, inner suburbs. These competitions were the primary foci of Australians' sporting interest and loyalty for almost a century. But, with the shift of public attention and private capital to national competitions, the former stadia of many local clubs have become redundant spaces in what are now gentrifying inner suburbs. Simultaneously new, and even old, national league teams have sought larger, more modern (near) city centre venues for their operations. In this context, two new national league teams in Perth,Fremantle Dockers and Perth Glory,have experienced considerable challenges in establishing both physical ,homes' and local identities. These have included both the supplanting of traditional local clubs and the placating of new kinds of inner suburban residents. [source] United by a Common Language?ANTIPODE, Issue 1 2008India to Call Centre Offshoring, Trade Union Responses in the UK Abstract:, The offshoring of business processes from the global North to low-cost countries of the global South has grown spectacularly in the current decade. Self-evidently, transnational relocation presents considerable challenges for organised labour since it suggests both a ,race to the bottom' in respect of pay, conditions and workers' rights and wholesale redundancies in the developed economies. This paper examines the specific case of the migration of call centres from the UK to India and trade union responses in both geographies. Informed by theoretical developments, insights and evidence from diverse disciplines and literatures, the authors concur particularly with Herod's conviction that union strategies to counter TNCs should not be counterposed between ,organising globally' and ,organising locally'and that ,organising at both scales simultaneously may best serve their goals'. Following reflection upon the nature of the call centre and consideration of important contradictions in the offshoring process, we present evidence of UK union responses ranging from the nationalistic, even xenophobic, to the internationalsist, and conclude that membership mobilisation on a principled basis has been key to the limited successes unions have achieved. The paper also evaluates developments in India and the emergence of an embryonic organisation UNITES which is attempting to organise its call centre and business process outsourcing (BPO) workforce. We conclude by considering the gap between the potential and the reality of effective internationally co-ordinated union activity. [source] The emergence of service-based integrated coastal management in the UKAREA, Issue 3 2010Tracey Hewett Coastal partnerships are the primary mechanism to support local and regional integrated coastal management (ICM) in the United Kingdom. This paper identifies four evolutionary stages of coastal partnership development, in which partnerships pass through stages of foundation, challenge, reflection and renewal. Through examining these stages, it was apparent that the manner in which coastal partnerships in the UK support ICM has evolved from a plan-led approach to a service-based approach since the early 1990s. In the service-based approach, partnerships support ICM through an ongoing programme of facilitated stakeholder engagement, capacity building and information exchange, rather than through the development and implementation of an outcome-based management plan. This has been prompted by a number of interconnected factors, including funding scarcity, a historic lack of national-level support and ambiguous evidence of success. Following a discussion of the benefits and burdens of the service-based approach, the paper concludes that whilst the service-based ICM support model offers many advantages and opportunities, the wider coastal governance framework in the UK may still present considerable challenges to its future success. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||