Defining the intelligent public sector construction client

Recent efforts and aspirations to transform the delivery of major capital programmes and projects in UK public sector construction by focussing on achievement of value for money, whole life asset management and sustainable procurement have led to the adoption of integrated procurement routes characterised by multiplicity of stakeholders with a diversity of differing and often competing requirements. A study of the challenges faced by the public sector to deliver present and future major capital programmes and projects gravitates to the role of the intelligent client, and concomitant skills and capabilities. The results of the multiple case studies research show that the challenges of this role are especially evident at the interface between the internal organisation and the external suppliers and advisors from the private sector. The research concludes that the intelligent client role requires an individual champion with a unique set of skills working in an environment of a supporting team and capable organisation

Between Old and New: Social Movements and Cultural Change

Social movements challenge authorities on behalf of people whose needs and interests are not catered for in society. To do this, they have to accomplish a contradictory task, i.e., frame the cause of the excluded in interpre-tive packages that are contrary to the dominant views in society while at same time struggle to make these contrary views part of the dominant culture. Therefore, SMOs initiate public discourses on these interests out of which cultural changes may proceed, and if they succeed, they act as producers of new meanings. At the same time, however, the interpretive packages have to resonate with extant cultural views in order to be convincing for movement participants as well as authorities and publics. In other words, these packages have to be contrary to and correspon-ding with dominant views. How do movement actors succeed in this seemingly impossible task? Our review of cultural studies of social movements points to two strategies: (1) linking controversial topics like abortion with generally accepted and valued notions like basic rights; (2) associating their interpretive packa-ge, such as protecting the ecology, with an existing theme, such as harmony with nature, that as an alternative cultural context may legitimate their package. We use a case study, the movement against the slave trade in Great Britain, to test these propositions. The case material confirms their utility, but also reveals a third strategy: relating the package to cultural themes that are on their way to dominance. The material points to the importance of this strategy and of the role the - changing - cultural context plays in producing new meanings. The findings lead to a discussion about the role of movement actors, the cultural context, and the changes therein in the production of meaning

The Abominable Traffic: The Abolition Movement and Emotions

It is obvious that emotions play an important role in social movement campaigns. Strangely enough, however, studies of social movements do not pay much attention to emotions nor do they give them an appropriate place in social movement theory. As Hunt and Benford contend, this overly rationalistic theory urgently needs a 'dramaturgical infusion'. In this paper we follow their lead. In it we explore historical studies of the first public campaign of the eighteenth-century abolition movement in Great Britain to shed light on the role of emotions in movement discourses. Following Hochschild we assume that each society and each culture has its unique emotional dictionary, which defines what is and isn't, and its emotional bible, which defines what one should and should not feel in a given context." In social movement campaigns, actors employ the emotional repertoires of their society in order to express their indignation, to evoke emotional feelings in the audiences they address and thus put pressure on authorities to change their policies. The analysis of the first public campaign of the British abolition movement shows that the feelings about the abolition of the slave trade often ran high. Both the abolitionists and their opponents used a great variety of emotion signs as means to communicate with the world of politics and with society at large. The analysis reveals that four variables determined the degree of emotionality in the abolition discourse. First, the nature of the cause, i.e., abolition of the slave trade. Particularly, the degree of inequality involved in slavery determined the level of moral indignation that fueled the abolition campaign. Second, the strategic-instrumental choices of the leading movement actors when to use emotional arguments and when to revert to more 'business-like' pleas. Third, the cultural climate in which a campaign takes place. In this case the cultural climate of the late eighteenth century contributed much to the emotionality of the abolition discourse. Fourth, the emotional tone of the discourses in extant critical communities, i.e., in the debates initiated by critical thinkers about a topic. In the case of abolition, the pre-dominantly emotional debate that took place within religious, particularly Evangelical, circles did much to make the abolition discourse a heated one. The analysis shows that emotions are essential to get a movement started and to keep it going. They therefore deserve scholarly attention in their own right and must not be taken granted as folklore of movement campaigns

A three-dimensional model of the human blood-brain barrier to analyse the transport of nanoparticles and astrocyte/endothelial interactions [version 1; referees: 2 approved with reservations]

The aim of this study was to develop a three-dimensional (3D) model of the human blood-brain barrier in vitro, which mimics the cellular architecture of the CNS and could be used to analyse the delivery of nanoparticles to cells of the CNS. The model includes human astrocytes set in a collagen gel, which is overlaid by a monolayer of human brain endothelium (hCMEC/D3 cell line). The model was characterised by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), immunofluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. A collagenase digestion method could recover the two cell types separately at 92-96% purity. Astrocytes grown in the gel matrix do not divide and they have reduced expression of aquaporin-4 and the endothelin receptor, type B compared to two-dimensional cultures, but maintain their expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein. The effects of conditioned media from these astrocytes on the barrier phenotype of the endothelium was compared with media from astrocytes grown conventionally on a two-dimensional (2D) substratum. Both induce the expression of tight junction proteins zonula occludens-1 and claudin-5 in hCMEC/D3 cells, but there was no difference between the induced expression levels by the two media. The model has been used to assess the transport of glucose-coated 4nm gold nanoparticles and for leukocyte migration. TEM was used to trace and quantitate the movement of the nanoparticles across the endothelium and into the astrocytes. This blood-brain barrier model is very suitable for assessing delivery of nanoparticles and larger biomolecules to cells of the CNS, following transport across the endothelium

Novel enantiopure bis(pyrrolo)tetrathiafulvalene donors exhibiting chiral crystal packing arrangements

Two novel enantiopure bis(pyrrolo[3,4-d])tetrathiafulvalene derivatives, substrates for preparing chiral conducting materials, show chiral crystal packing arrangements in which successive layers are rotated in accordance with an exact or approximate 43 axis. The corresponding donors containing fused dihydropyrrolegroups, and thus four more hydrogen atoms, form stacks along a crystal axis

Anorectal malformations in Mulago Hospital, Kampala-Uganda

Background: Anorectal malformations (ARM) are common congenital abnormalities in most parts of the world. Their incidence is similar to various geographical locations. This study was aimed at determining the pattern and the outcome of treatment of ARM seen at Mulago Hospital.Methods: The following review is based on clinical experience of 96 patients who presented with ARM between 1999 and 2001 at Mulago Hospital.Results: There were 389 cases of congenital abnormalities seen in three years of which 96 (24.7%) had anorectal malformations. There were 30 (31.3%) cases of low ARM. There were 66(68.7%) high ARM. The commonest operation done was Posterior Anal Transfer (PAT) with or without initial colostomy. The outcome was graded as good in most cases. The commonest complication was stenosis of the neo-anus, which was attributed to delayed closure of colostomy.Conclusion: Anorectal malformations are common in Mulago Hospital. The high variety is commoner than the low variety of ARM. Posterior Anal Transfer gives good results

PPAR<i>γ</i> agonist-loaded PLGA -PEG nanocarriers as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease: in vitro and in vivo studies

Objective: The first aim of this study was to develop a nanocarrier that could transport the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonist, pioglitazone (PGZ) across brain endothelium and examine the mechanism of nanoparticle transcytosis. The second aim was to determine whether these nanocarriers could successfully treat a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: PGZ-loaded nanoparticles (PGZ-NPs) were synthesized by the solvent displacement technique, following a factorial design using poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) polyethylene glycol (PLGA-PEG). The transport of the carriers was assessed in vitro, using a human brain endothelial cell line, cytotoxicity assays, fluorescence-tagged nanocarriers, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, confocal and transmission electron microscopy. The effectiveness of the treatment was assessed in APP/PS1 mice in a behavioral assay and by measuring the cortical deposition of β-amyloid. Results: Incorporation of PGZ into the carriers promoted a 50x greater uptake into brain endothelium compared with the free drug and the carriers showed a delayed release profile of PGZ in vitro. In the doses used, the nanocarriers were not toxic for the endothelial cells, nor did they alter the permeability of the blood–brain barrier model. Electron microscopy indicated that the nanocarriers were transported from the apical to the basal surface of the endothelium by vesicular transcytosis. An efficacy test carried out in APP/PS1 transgenic mice showed a reduction of memory deficit in mice chronically treated with PGZ-NPs. Deposition of β-amyloid in the cerebral cortex, measured by immunohistochemistry and image analysis, was correspondingly reduced. Conclusion: PLGA-PEG nanocarriers cross brain endothelium by transcytosis and can be loaded with a pharmaceutical agent to effectively treat a mouse model of AD

Species recovery in the united states: Increasing the effectiveness of the endangered species act

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) has succeeded in shielding hundreds of species from extinction and improving species recovery over time. However, recovery for most species officially protected by the ESA - i.e., listed species-has been harder to achieve than initially envisioned. Threats to species are persistent and pervasive, funding has been insufficient, the distribution of money among listed species is highly uneven, and at least 10 times more species than are actually listed probably qualify for listing. Moreover, many listed species will require ongoing management for the foreseeable future to protect them from persistent threats. Climate change will exacerbate this problem and increase both species risk and management uncertainty, requiring more intensive and controversial management strategies to prevent species from going extinct