Cosmopolitan Urbanism and Architecture & Paradigm Change in Research and Education in in Asia

The genesis of human settlements is a continuous process of production and layering of spaces in different scale levels across historical periods. The architectural production in our Asian context is always cosmopolitan, hybrid and eclectic, due to historical links and inclusive cultural attitude. Our common building typologies – and also our modernization processes - are the product of the cosmopolitan communities, the articulation of the multi-layered tangible and intangible traditions, and the direct response to local micro-climate of this region. Diversity, eclecticism, fusion, acculturation, adaptation, can perhaps best describe the nature of our architecture and urbanism. Our architectural education now is in dire needs to develop a design-research culture to deal with social and environmental changes. Contemporarily we are in an urgent need to find resolutions to address serious problems posed by the climate change, ideological conflicts, economic greed, depletion of resources, and social justice. Research in architecture should be based on the reality on the ground and not just based on alien theories. Design should be based on the understanding of the real contextual problems, to formulate sensible, sensitive, and holistic solutions. Learning the lessons and wisdoms from our cosmopolitan architecture and urbanism is an important and necessary step towards the improvements and paradigm change in architectural education, research, and practice in Asian context

A Proposed Music Therapy Program Framework for Persons Living with Dementia in Long-Term Care who are Experiencing Sundowning

Sundowning is a relatively common phenomenon experienced by persons living with dementia that involves a worsening of symptoms (e.g., increased confusion, agitation, anxiety, aggression, etc.) that occurs regularly in the mid-late afternoon or early evening. While music therapy holds great potential to address challenges related to sundowning, a literature review revealed no consistent music therapy applications or existing program frameworks specific to this phenomenon. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to develop a group music therapy program framework for persons living with dementia in long-term care facilities who are experiencing sundowning. The first 1.5 steps of intervention research design, as conceptualized by Fraser and Galinsky (2009; 2010), were used to define the problem, analyze the literature, and propose a theory of change. All of the information gathered and organized up to this point was then used to determine the structure and processes of the proposed group music therapy program. While this program is yet to be evaluated and further refined within a research or practice context, this study may still serve as a practical guide and advocacy tool for music therapists who would like to establish a similar type of program. Limitations of the study along with other implications for practice and future research are presented

Human reliability analysis using virtual emergency scenario via a Bayesian network model

Human reliability assessments (HRA) are typically completed by eliciting expert opinion. Data used are subjective and are prone to uncertainty and errors. This thesis outlines an HRA method using a Bayesian network (BN) model to evaluate human performance in emergency scenarios using a virtual environment (VE). VE can be used to simulate emergency situations to evaluate human performance in an environment that is controlled and safe and gives access to data that is based on an experimental method, rather than expert opinion. This method involves selecting appropriate performance shaping factors (PSFs) that are varied into different states to create credible scenarios in the VE to observe human performance. The virtual experimental technique provides a way to collect data to quantify a BN. The BN approach is suited to the assessment of human reliability due to its ability to 1) characterize dependency among different performance shaping factors (PSFs) and human errors, 2) incorporate new evidence as it becomes available, and 3) quantify the impact of different PSFs on different individuals. This paper presents an extension of the work done by Musharraf et al. (2014) by introducing PSFs that were purposively selected based on the ability to implement them in the VE, their relevance to real-life situations, and whether they could be controlled to minimize the effects of variables other than the chosen PSF. The PSFs used in this paper are complexity, stress, and uncertainty

Pyruvate Kinase regulates Gurken translation by reduced TOR activity in Drosophila Melanogaster.

Gurken (Grk) expression is required to specify the polarity of the developing oocyte during Drosophila oogenesis. Proper localization and translation of grk transcripts is required to achieve proper axis specification. Gkr translation initiation has been shown to be cap-dependent and require the activity of the DEAD-box RNA helicase, Vasa. Vasa activity can be repressed by the ATR/Chk2-dependent meiotic checkpoint when DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) persist in meiosis. Unrepaired DSBs in oocyte development of spindle-class mutants activate this checkpoint and result in inefficient grk translation and loss of dorsal fates. This inefficient grk translation is thought to be related to reduced Vasa activity. In a screen for suppressors of the ventralized eggshell phenotype seen in spindle-BBU mutants, we identified a mutation in the PyK gene. We show that PyK mutations suppress the eggshell phenotype independent of the DSB repair delay and Vasa phosphorylation seen in spn-B mutants. This suggests that the eggshell phenotype is corrected by overcoming the translational block of grk transcripts seen in spindle mutants. PyK has been identified as a member of the TOR signaling pathway. Direct inhibition of the TOR kinase with rapamyacin suppresses the ventralized eggshell phenotype in spn-B mutant females. PyK modulates TOR kinase activity through the TSC1/2 heterodimer. During dietary starvation, TOR activity promotes capdependent translation by restraining the activity of the translation inhibitor eIF4E binding protein (4EBP). We hypothesize that reduced TOR activity promotes grk translation independent of the ATR/Chk2 meiotic checkpoint pathway. Recent data indicates that this may be achieved by way of IRES-dependent translation initiation of grk when TOR activity is low. This discovery suggests flies are able to maintain the translation of developmentally important transcripts such as grk during periods of nutrient limitation.SUNY at Fredoni

The Study of the SCF E3 Ubiquitin Ligase in the Ceanorhabditis elegans Germline

Faithful chromosome segregation during meiosis requires chromosomes to pair and recombine with their homologous partners during meiotic prophase I. In most eukaryotes, homologous chromosome alignment is reinforced by synapsis, a process defined by the assembly of the synaptonemal complex (SC), a tripartite protein structure that assembles between homologous chromosomes. These processes of pairing, synapsis, and meiotic recombination are tightly regulated and aligned with different phases of the cell cycle. One defining aspect of the cell cycle is its irreversible nature, which is made possible only by the protein degradation that occurs as the cell progresses from one phase to the next. Understanding how protein degradation controls pairing, synapsis, and meiotic recombination allows us to understand how protein degradation regulates the meiotic cell cycle. To investigate the ways in which protein degradation controls meiotic processes, I studied the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the E3 ubiquitin ligase, the SCF (SKP1-Cullin-F-box) complex. I used a mix of genetics, cellular biology, and biochemistry to identify new interacting proteins, possible targets, and potential regulatory subunits of the SCF within C. elegans. I found that SCFPROM-1 targets the protein phosphatase PPM-1.D at the onset of meiotic entry, which in turn releases the kinase CHK-2, the master regulator of early meiotic processes. I also found that two paralogous SKP1 proteins moonlight as necessary structural components of the synaptonemal complex. These proteins have evolved to utilize the binding interfaces between SKP1-Cullins and SKP1-F-box proteins to interact with themselves to form a dimer or to interact with the surrounding SC proteins. In addition to identifying these proteins as SC components, we have shown that they are the last two necessary SC components, completing the essential set and allowing for in vitro reconstitution of the SC. Overall, this work provides a better understanding of how protein degradation and its machinery regulate the meiotic cell cycle and its various processes

Morphology and neuromuscular properties of chelae of decapod crustacean species from temperate and tropical populations

...Both species of decapods showed no seasonal differences in chela muscle performance. Their ability to function over wide ranges of temperatures is undoubtly essential in their successful latitudinal distribution. The difference in the capacity of these two species to rapidly acclimate to cold temperatures is reflected in their natural habitats. C. sapidus lives in estuaries where large short term temperature fluctuations are common. M. mercenaria, a marine coastal subtidal dweller, lives where temperature fluctuations are smaller

Release of CHK-2 from PPM-1.D anchorage schedules meiotic entry

Transition from the stem/progenitor cell fate to meiosis is mediated by several redundant posttranscriptional regulatory pathways i