[Review of] Harold A. McDougall, Black Baltimore: A New Theory of Community, and W. Edward Orser, Blockbusting in Baltimore: The Edmondson Village Story

This essay seeks to make a comparative review of two books: 1) Harold A. McDougall\u27s, Black Baltimore: A New Theory of Community; and 2) W. Edward Orser\u27s, Blockbusting in Baltimore: The Edmondson Village Story. The method of procedure used in this review essay will describe and evaluate the organizational structure of the books in a three-fold manner: 1) summary of the texts; 2) use of oral history in the texts; and 3) contribution of books to oral history= literature and conclusion, drawing upon common themes between the two books

Economics of managing acid soils in dryland mixed cropping systems: comparing gross margins with whole-farm analysis derived using a business process model

A 12-year experiment designed to show the benefits of applying lime to acid soils when growing annual pasture, perennial pasture, and annual crops in rotations with annual or perennial pastures, provides the context for comparing methods of economic analysis. In this study enterprise gross margins are compared with whole-farm cumulative monthly cash flows derived using a business process model. The current study gave gross margins comparable with those of a recently published study based on the first 12 years of the same field experiment at Book Book near Wagga Wagga in southern NSW (Li et al., 2010). Both gross margin analyses indicated positive results for all treatments. However, because key fixed and capital cost items were not taken into account in the gross margin analysis the financial benefits of the treatments were overstated. In the whole-farm analysis, a full set of accounts (including fixed and capital costs) was developed for the experimental combinations of prime lamb and dryland cropping enterprises and used to generate a monthly cash flow sequence for each treatment over the 12-year term of the experiment. This full financial analysis, where all costs are included, showed all mixed treatments (cropping and grazing) accumulated unsustainable losses over the period of the trial. The grazing-only treatments generated positive cash lows over the 12 year period, but 2 accumulated high levels of debt in the initial years. None of these outcomes were predicted by gross margins, which were consistently positive for all treatments. This paper concludes that the analysis of trial results benefits from interpretation in the context of whole-farm analysis, verified by district experience. Relying on gross margin analysis alone would have supported loss-making outcomes in this trial. This conclusion has important ramifications for analysis of all systems trials.Agribusiness,

Biomedical applications of functionalized fullerene-based nanomaterials

Since their discovery in 1985, fullerenes have been investigated extensively due to their unique physical and chemical properties. In recent years, studies on functionalized fullerenes for various applications in the field of biomedical sciences have seen a significant increase. The ultimate goal is towards employing these functionalized fullerenes in the diagnosis and therapy of human diseases. Functionalized fullerenes are one of the many different classes of compounds that are currently being investigated in the rapidly emerging field of nanomedicine. In this review, the focus is on the three categories of drug delivery, reactive oxygen species quenching, and targeted imaging for which functionalized fullerenes have been studied in depth. In addition, an exhaustive list of the different classes of functionalized fullerenes along with their applications is provided. We will also discuss and summarize the unique approaches, mechanisms, advantages, and the aspect of toxicity behind utilizing functionalized fullerenes for biomedical applications

Radiation Protection Using Carbon Nanotube Derivatives

BHA and BHT are well-known food preservatives that are excellent radical scavengers. These compounds, attached to single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), could serve as excellent radical traps. The amino-BHT groups can be associated with SWNTs that have carbolyxic acid groups via acid-base association or via covalent association. The material can be used as a means of radiation protection or cellular stress mitigation via a sequence of quenching radical species using nano-engineered scaffolds of SWNTs and their derivatives. It works by reducing the number of free radicals within or nearby a cell, tissue, organ, or living organism. This reduces the risk of damage to DNA and other cellular components that can lead to chronic and/or acute pathologies, including (but not limited to) cancer, cardiovascular disease, immuno-suppression, and disorders of the central nervous system. These derivatives can show an unusually high scavenging ability, which could prove efficacious in protecting living systems from radical-induced decay. This technique could be used to protect healthy cells in a living biological system from the effects of radiation therapy. It could also be used as a prophylactic or antidote for radiation exposure due to accidental, terrorist, or wartime use of radiation- containing weapons; high-altitude or space travel (where radiation exposure is generally higher than desired); or in any scenario where exposure to radiation is expected or anticipated. This invention s ultimate use will be dependent on the utility in an overall biological system where many levels of toxicity have to be evaluated. This can only be assessed at a later stage. In vitro toxicity will first be assessed, followed by in vivo non-mammalian screening in zebra fish for toxicity and therapeutic efficacy

Self assembly of amphiphilic C60 fullerene derivatives into nanoscale supramolecular structures

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The amphiphilic fullerene monomer (AF-1) consists of a "buckyball" cage to which a Newkome-like dendrimer unit and five lipophilic C₁₂chains positioned octahedrally to the dendrimer unit are attached. In this study, we report a novel fullerene-based liposome termed 'buckysome' that is water soluble and forms stable spherical nanometer sized vesicles. Cryogenic electron microscopy (Cryo-EM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies were used to characterize the different supra-molecular structures readily formed from the fullerene monomers under varying pH, aqueous solvents, and preparative conditions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Electron microscopy results indicate the formation of bilayer membranes with a width of ~6.5 nm, consistent with previously reported molecular dynamics simulations. Cryo-EM indicates the formation of large (400 nm diameter) multilamellar, liposome-like vesicles and unilamellar vesicles in the size range of 50–150 nm diameter. In addition, complex networks of cylindrical, tube-like aggregates with varying lengths and packing densities were observed. Under controlled experimental conditions, high concentrations of spherical vesicles could be formed. <it>In vitro </it>results suggest that these supra-molecular structures impose little to no toxicity. Cytotoxicity of 10–200 μM buckysomes were assessed in various cell lines. Ongoing studies are aimed at understanding cellular internalization of these nanoparticle aggregates.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this current study, we have designed a core platform based on a novel amphiphilic fullerene nanostructure, which readily assembles into supra-molecular structures. This delivery vector might provide promising features such as ease of preparation, long-term stability and controlled release.</p

From Navas to Kaltoft: The European Court of Justice’s evolving definition of disability and the implications for HIV-positive individuals

This article will examine the definition of disability developed by the European Court of Justice for the purposes of the Employment Equality Directive and examine whether it is sufficient for the purpose of bringing People Living with HIV/AIDS within its scope. The article will argue that in order to adequately protect People Living with HIV/AIDS within the EU from discrimination, the European Court of Justice needs to ensure that a coherent EU wide definition of disability, based fully upon the social model of disability, is adopted. This is necessary in order to ensure adequate protection not only for People Living with HIV/AIDS but for all individuals with disabilities from discrimination throughout the EU. In addition to this central argument, this paper will argue that the lack of a coherent definition of disability grounded in the social model fragments protection for People Living with HIV/AIDS across the EU leading to a number of possible unintended consequences

Reconstruction of a Segment of the UNESCO World Heritage Hadrian’s Villa Tunnel Network by Integrated GPR, Magnetic–Paleomagnetic, and Electric Resistivity Prospections

The authors are grateful to the Director of the Villa Adriana and Villa d’Este, Andrea Bruciati, for kindly allowing us to survey the archaeological area and to Benedetta Adembri for facilitating the research on site. We are also grateful to Francesco Ferruti and the students that helped us in the data acquisition. Finally, we thank Alessandro Bertani for his help in the acquisition and formal analysis of aerial photogrammetry data. This paper also benefited from four accurate reviews that allowed us to improve the manuscript.The following are available online at https://zenodo.org/record/3351757#.XVIUHdIRWUl, Figure S1: Local reference frames used for the acquisition of GPR data, Figure S2: UAV orthophoto of the study area (Plutonium−Inferi complex) with indication of the excavated areas, Tables S1–S13: Relevant migrated and unmigrated GPR profiles for areas 1 through 13, Table S10A, transversal migrated and unmigrated GPR profiles for Areas 10.Hadrian’s Villa is an ancient Roman archaeological site built over an ignimbritic tuff and characterized by abundant iron oxides, strong remnant magnetization, and elevated magnetic susceptibility. These properties account for the high-amplitude magnetic anomalies observed in this site and were used as a primary tool to detect deep archaeological features consisting of air-filled and soil-filled cavities of the tuff. An integrated magnetic, paleomagnetic, radar, and electric resistivity survey was performed in the Plutonium-Inferi sector of Hadrian’s Villa to outline a segment of the underground system of tunnels that link different zones of the villa. A preliminary paleomagnetic analysis of the bedrock unit and a high-resolution topographic survey by aerial photogrammetry allowed us to perform a computer-assisted modelling of the observed magnetic anomalies, with respect to the archaeological sources. The intrinsic ambiguity of this procedure was reduced through the analysis of ground penetrating radar and electric resistivity profiles, while a comprehensive picture of the buried archaeological features was built by integration of the magnetization model with radar amplitude maps. The final subsurface model of the Plutonium-Inferi complex shows that the observed anomalies are mostly due to the presence of tunnels, skylights, and a system of ditches excavated in the tuff.This research was funded by the Università degli Studi di Camerino, grants FAR Schettino 2016–2018 and FAR Pierantoni 2016–2018, and by the University of Oxford, Eugene Ludwig Fund, New College

The role of interstitial gas in determining the impact response of granular beds

We examine the impact of a solid sphere into a fine-grained granular bed. Using high-speed X-ray radiography we track both the motion of the sphere and local changes in the bed packing fraction. Varying the initial packing density as well as the ambient gas pressure, we find a complete reversal in the effect of interstitial gas on the impact response of the bed: The dynamic coupling between gas and grains allows for easier penetration in initially loose beds but impedes penetration in more densely packed beds. High-speed imaging of the local packing density shows that these seemingly incongruous effects have a common origin in the resistance to bed packing changes caused by interstitial air.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to EP