Scenarios and research issues for a network of information

This paper describes ideas and items of work within the framework of the EU-funded 4WARD project. We present scenarios where the current host-centric approach to infor- mation storage and retrieval is ill-suited for and explain how a new networking paradigm emerges, by adopting the information-centric network architecture approach, which we call Network of Information (NetInf). NetInf capital- izes on a proposed identifier/locator split and allows users to create, distribute, and retrieve information using a com- mon infrastructure without tying data to particular hosts. NetInf introduces the concepts of information and data ob- jects. Data objects correspond to the particular bits and bytes of a digital object, such as text file, a specific encod- ing of a song or a video. Information objects can be used to identify other objects irrespective of their particular dig- ital representation. After discussing the benefits of such an indirection, we consider the impact of NetInf with respect to naming and governance in the Future Internet. Finally, we provide an outlook on the research scope of NetInf along with items for future work

Colonization history and human translocations explain the population genetic structure of the noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) in Fennoscandia: Implications for the management of a critically endangered species

The noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) is an endangered freshwater species in Europe. The main threat is from lethal crayfish plague, caused by the oomycete Aphanomyces astaci that has been spread over Europe by introduced North American crayfish species, acting as chronic carriers of the disease. Most of the remaining noble crayfish populations are found in the Baltic Sea area, and there is an urgent need to implement conservation actions to slow down or halt the extinction rate in this region. However, limited knowledge about the genetic structure of populations in this area has so far precluded the development of conservation strategies that take genetic aspects into consideration. Key objectives of this large-scale genetic study, covering 77 locations mainly from northern Europe, were to describe the contemporary population genetic structure of the noble crayfish in the Fennoscandian peninsula (Sweden, Norway, and Finland), taking postglacial colonization history into account, and to evaluate how human activities such as stocking have affected the genetic structure of the populations. Analyses of 15 microsatellite markers revealed three main genetic clusters corresponding to populations in northern, middle, and southern Fennoscandia, with measures of genetic diversity being markedly higher within populations in the southern cluster. The observed genetic structure probably mirrors two main colonizations of the Baltic Sea basin after the last glaciation period. At the same time, several deviations from this pattern were observed, reflecting past human translocations of noble crayfish. The results are discussed in relation to the conservation and management of this critically endangered species. In particular, we recommend increased efforts to protect the few remaining noble crayfish populations in southern Fennoscandia and the use of genetic information when planning stocking activities, such as reintroductions following local extinctions

Representations of South African Indian women in Farida Karodia's Daughters of the twilight and Shamim Sarif's The world unseen.

Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.In this article I examine the representations of South African Indian women in Farida Karodia's Daughters of the Twilight and Shamim Sarif's the world unseen. My contention is that each author chooses a different mode of representation and that certain features of these representations suggest both the different relationship each author has with South Africa and the differences in the times of production of the novels. Thus while both novels are set in the 1950s, Karodia, whose site of enunciation is the 'interregnum' in the 1980s, imagines the agency of her women quite differently from Sarif, who writes from a 'post-anti-apartheid' site of enunciation in the late 1990s. I analyse and compare the relationships between characters (men and women; women and women) and look at the cultural and political significance of mixed-race figures, concentrating on uncovering the mechanisms of power and their effects. I read these against a politico-historical context of the setting and that of the times and places of production

Prostaglandin E2 Regulates Neutrophil Survival Via EP2/PKA/NR4A2 Signalling in the Context of COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a neutrophil-associated pulmonary condition that is accompanied by chronic inflammation. Neutrophil lifespan is typically controlled by constitutive apoptosis, but their prolonged persistence at inflammatory sites is implicated in COPD pathology. However, current COPD therapies are inadequate at targeting neutrophilia. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is a potent pro-survival mediator in neutrophils that is increased in COPD. Therefore, PGE2 may contribute to neutrophilic accumulation in COPD lungs and the resolution of inflammation may be achieved by decreasing neutrophil lifespan. Specifically, it was hypothesised that PGE2 modulates protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent neutrophil lifespan through a specific prostaglandin (EP) receptor subtype, and that the nuclear receptors NR4A2 or NR4A3 are downstream effectors of PKA-mediated neutrophil survival. Human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) were isolated from the blood of healthy volunteers and COPD patients. Cellular apoptosis was assessed by light microscopy and phosphatidyl serine exposure. Gene expression of PGE2 and NR4A receptors was measured by RT-PCR and qPCR. Additionally, a novel approach uses murine neutrophils (mNØ) derived from cultures of bone-marrow progenitors, conditionally immortalised by expression of a chimeric Hoxb8 protein. RNAi strategies to knock down NR4A2 and NR4A3 in mNØ were undertaken. PGE2 and a pharmacological EP2 receptor agonist induced PKA-dependent PMN survival and NR4A2 expression by qPCR. Likewise, PGE2-induced PKA survival was blocked by EP2 receptor antagonism. Interestingly, the inflammatory mediator LPS increased EP2 and EP4 expression by qPCR in healthy control and COPD PMN. Consistently, LPS induced early PKA-dependent survival and enhanced late PGE2 survival. Additionally, RNAi-mediated knockdown of NR4A2 in mNØ decreased cell numbers during mNØ differentiation. In conclusion, EP2 is the dominant receptor subtype in PGE2/PKA survival in PMN. In the context of COPD, LPS further enhances PGE2 survival through increased prostaglandin receptor expression. Moreover, this study links the nuclear receptor NR4A2 to neutrophil survival induced by the PGE2/PKA signalling axis, potentially providing a novel, specific molecular target for neutrophilia in COPD