77 research outputs found
Verbal estimation of distance in a simulated space environment
Human performance in estimating distances in simulated space environmen
Revisiting the 'Missing Middle' in English Sub-National Governance
In the light of the new Coalition Governmentâs proposed ârescalingâ of sub-national governance away from the regional level, it is an opportune time to re-consider the strength and weaknesses of the city or sub-regional approach to economic development and to search, once more, for the âmissing middleâ in English Governance. In this context, the article initially assesses the case for city or sub regions as tiers of economic governance, before examining the lessons to be learnt from the experiences of the existing city regions in the North East of England. It argues that while contemporary plans to develop Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) can be usefully considered within the context of the emerging city regional developments under the previous Labour Governments, a number of important challenges remain, particularly in relation to ensuring accountable structures of governance, a range of appropriate functions, adequate funding, and comprehensive coverage across a variety of sub-regional contexts. While the proposals of the new Government create the necessary âspaceâ to develop sub-regional bodies and offer genuine opportunities for both city and county LEPs, the scale of the sub-regional challenge should not be underestimated, particularly given the context of economic recession and major reductions in the public sector
Ligand-Receptor Interactions
The formation and dissociation of specific noncovalent interactions between a
variety of macromolecules play a crucial role in the function of biological
systems. During the last few years, three main lines of research led to a
dramatic improvement of our understanding of these important phenomena. First,
combination of genetic engineering and X ray cristallography made available a
simultaneous knowledg of the precise structure and affinity of series or
related ligand-receptor systems differing by a few well-defined atoms. Second,
improvement of computer power and simulation techniques allowed extended
exploration of the interaction of realistic macromolecules. Third, simultaneous
development of a variety of techniques based on atomic force microscopy,
hydrodynamic flow, biomembrane probes, optical tweezers, magnetic fields or
flexible transducers yielded direct experimental information of the behavior of
single ligand receptor bonds. At the same time, investigation of well defined
cellular models raised the interest of biologists to the kinetic and mechanical
properties of cell membrane receptors. The aim of this review is to give a
description of these advances that benefitted from a largely multidisciplinar
approach
Retail innovation and shopping practices: consumers' reaction to self-service retailing
Authors' draft also available on Surrey eprints repository at http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk. Final version available online at http://www.envplan.com/In this paper we address the related issues of retail innovation, changing shopping practices, and shopping geographies. We do so in relation to the spread of self-service grocery stores, and particularly the supermarket, in the postwar retail environment of Britain (1950 â 70), arguing that this juncture provides a propitious opportunity to study the relationship between changing practices of retailing and consumption. We highlight shoppersâ selective adoption of new self-service formats in relation to certain product categories and argue that this can be explained in part by reference to the socially embedded nature of women food shoppersâ behaviours and in particular the influence of contemporary notions of the âgood housewifeâ. We support our argument by reference to a wide range of contemporary documentary material relating to postwar shopping including market research reports, the publications of local consumer groups, and selected retailer and government archive sources
Force Measurements of TCR/pMHC Recognition at T Cell Surface
The rupture forces and adhesion frequencies of single recognition complexes between an affinity selected peptide/MHC complex and a TCR at a murine hybridoma surface were measured using Atomic Force Microscopy. When the CD8 coreceptor is absent, the adhesion frequency depends on the nature of the peptide but the rupture force does not. When CD8 is present, no effect of the nature of the peptide is observed. CD8 is proposed to act as a time and distance lock, enabling the shorter TCR molecule to bridge the pMHC and have time to finely read the peptide. Ultimately, such experiments could help the dissection of the sequential steps by which the TCR reads the peptide/MHC complex in order to control T cell activation
Effects of Multiple-Bond Ruptures in Force Spectroscopy Measurements of Interactions between Fullerene C60 Molecules in Water
Effect of temporal and spatial stimulus relationships in controlled perceptual learning upon disappearances observed under reduced stimulation conditions
Visual disappearances under simplified stimulus conditions caused by auditory perceptual learning
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