The distance between us

Includes bibliographical references.Simon Critchley introduces his book on death, philosophy and literature, Very Little - Almost Nothing, with a preface titled As my father, I have already died, and describes his work as an act of mourning. What follows is an account of his last moments with his father who died after a long struggle with lung cancer. Critchley missed his father's death by twenty minutes: A nurse took me to see him and then left me alone. The room was unlit and sparsely furnished. In pale winter light, he lay with a single sheet covering his corpse: tiny, withered and ravaged by cancer. I spent no more than five minutes alone with him, initially standing petrified, then sitting, and finally summoning up the courage to touch his cheek and nose and caress his forehead. It felt cool. So, this is what death looks like, I thought. This is what my death will look like

Effects of canopy gap size on recruitment and invasion of the non-indigenous Rubus alceifolius in lowland tropical rain forest on Réunion

An important challenge of invasion biology is to understand how interactions between species traits and ecosystem properties enable alien species to become invasive at particular locations. We investigated how gap dynamics in a tropical rain forest on the island of Réunion affected the invasiveness of alien plants. In the 12 000-m2 study area, alien plants occupied 24.9% of the area of gaps, which represented 5.62% of the forest area, but only 0.8% of the understorey area. The most abundant invasive species was Rubus alceifolius, which formed dense, monospecific stands in the largest gaps (> 25 m2). Although plants could persist in the shade, a germination experiment revealed that canopy openings were essential for seedling establishment. A cyclone that struck the study area in 2002 caused a temporary thinning of the canopy, increasing light levels to above the threshold needed for germination of R. alceifolius and also stimulating the growth of established plants. We conclude that the ability of this and other alien species to colonize intact lowland tropical rain forest is strongly influenced by the prevailing gap dynamics. Because gaps are also essential for the regeneration of many native trees in our study area, there is a real danger of the forest being progressively degraded by alien plants. There are no simple solutions to controlling species such as Rubus alceifolius, but efforts should be focused mainly upon the larger gaps where the species are most invasiv

Supporting Device Discovery and Spontaneous Interaction with Spatial References

The RELATE interaction model is designed to support spontaneous interaction of mobile users with devices and services in their environment. The model is based on spatial references that capture the spatial relationship of a user’s device with other co-located devices. Spatial references are obtained by relative position sensing and integrated in the mobile user interface to spatially visualize the arrangement of discovered devices, and to provide direct access for interaction across devices. In this paper we discuss two prototype systems demonstrating the utility of the model in collaborative and mobile settings, and present a study on usability of spatial list and map representations for device selection

Predictions Generated from a Simulation Engine for Gene Expression Micro-arrays for use in Research Laboratories

In this paper we introduce the technical components, the biology and data science involved in the use of microarray technology in biological and clinical research. We discuss how laborious experimental protocols involved in obtaining this data used in laboratories could benefit from using simulations of the data. We discuss the approach used in the simulation engine from [7]. We use this simulation engine to generate a prediction tool in Power BI, a Microsoft, business intelligence tool for analytics and data visualization [22]. This tool could be used in any laboratory using micro-arrays to improve experimental design by comparing how predicted signal intensity compares to observed signal intensity. Signal intensity in micro-arrays is a proxy for level of gene expression in cells. We suggest further development avenues for the prediction tool

Implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies in Portugal: An assessment

This report assesses the implementation of Smart Specialisation in Portugal, comparing the situation today with 2013. In that year a multi-level framework was designed that included a national and seven regional Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3). The role of regions in research and innovation policy was much less advanced in Portugal than other (Western) European countries, but a logical step to implement a concept that gives local actors a prominent role in strategy development through a process of entrepreneurial discovery. Smart Specialisation is a difficult concept to implement successfully because it crosses policy responsibilities and geographical levels. This report finds that a number of problems in the governance of S3 implementation accentuated these difficulties in Portugal: a governance structure that was never really activated; a policy mix constrained by the legal framework governing R&I spending by the European Structural and Investment Funds, preventing a flexible place based approach that responds to local entrepreneurial discovery; a basic form of monitoring that only analyses project alignment to priorities rather than the achievement of strategic objectives; a fragmented national strategic framework for R&I policy; and a lack of human resources to implement what is a challenging policy approach. The Portuguese regions did however learn from this first phase of Smart Specialisation and there have been some interesting and innovative attempts to instigate entrepreneurial discovery processes, work with other European regions and build capacity for managing innovation strategies. The report recommends that S3 in Portugal is fundamentally reset to embrace a more enterprise led model of innovation. This requires a much stronger governance framework including an active inter-ministerial committee led by the Ministry of Economy and a larger mandate for the National Innovation Agency. At regional level the S3 management teams need to be substantially reinforced and act more like development agencies than regional authorities, taking a pro-active approach to working with firms and monitoring the progress of their strategies. The National Innovation Agency should support the regional management teams in these tasks by enhancing their capabilities and facilitating inter-regional cooperation. The conclusion of this report is that these type of fundamental changes are important to set Portugal on the right track to fully benefit from Smart Specialisation post-2020.JRC.B.3-Territorial Developmen

Regulation of host gene expression by HIV-1 TAR microRNAs

Background: The transactivating response (TAR) element of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is the source of two functional microRNAs (miRNAs), miR-TAR-5p and miR-TAR-3p. The objective of this study was to characterize the post-transcriptional regulation of host messenger RNAs (mRNAs) relevant to HIV-1 pathogenesis by HIV-1 TAR miRNAs. Results: We demonstrated that TAR miRNAs derived from HIV-1 can incorporate into host effector Argonaute protein complexes, which is required if these miRNAs are to regulate host mRNA expression. Bioinformatic predictions and reporter gene activity assays identified regulatory elements complementary and responsive to miR-TAR-5p and miR-TAR-3p in the 3’ untranslated region (UTR) of several candidate genes involved in apoptosis and cell survival. These include Caspase 8, Aiolos, Ikaros and Nucleophosmin (NPM)/B23. Analyses of Jurkat cells that stably expressed HIV-1 TAR or contained a full-length latent HIV provirus suggested that HIV-1 TAR miRNAs could regulate the expression of genes in T cells that affect the balance between apoptosis and cell survival. Conclusions: HIV-1 TAR miRNAs may contribute to the replication cycle and pathogenesis of HIV-1, by regulating host genes involved in the intricate balance between apoptosis and infected cell, to induce conditions that promote HIV-1 propagation and survival

Plenum a la Mode - Augmented Reality Fashions

Inspired by ideas portrayed in science fiction, the authors sought to develop a set of augmented reality fashions that showcased scenes from a science fiction novel recently published by the principal author. The development team included artists and designers, a programmer, and the writer. Significant technical challenges needed to be overcome for success, including fabric construction and manipulation, image enhancement, robust image recognition and tracking capabilities, and the management of lighting and suitable backgrounds. Viewing geometries were also a non-trivial problem. The final solution permitted acceptable but not perfect real-time tracking of the fashion models and the visualization of both static and dynamic 3D elements overlaid onto the physical garments

Absolute risk representation in cardiovascular disease prevention: comprehension and preferences of health care consumers and general practitioners involved in a focus group study

Background Communicating risk is part of primary prevention of coronary heart disease and stroke, collectively referred to as cardiovascular disease (CVD). In Australia, health organisations have promoted an absolute risk approach, thereby raising the question of suitable standardised formats for risk communication. Methods Sixteen formats of risk representation were prepared including statements, icons, graphical formats, alone or in combination, and with variable use of colours. All presented the same risk, i.e., the absolute risk for a 55 year old woman, 16% risk of CVD in five years. Preferences for a five or ten-year timeframe were explored. Australian GPs and consumers were recruited for participation in focus groups, with the data analysed thematically and preferred formats tallied. Results Three focus groups with health consumers and three with GPs were held, involving 19 consumers and 18 GPs. Consumers and GPs had similar views on which formats were more easily comprehended and which conveyed 16% risk as a high risk. A simple summation of preferences resulted in three graphical formats (thermometers, vertical bar chart) and one statement format as the top choices. The use of colour to distinguish risk (red, yellow, green) and comparative information (age, sex, smoking status) were important ingredients. Consumers found formats which combined information helpful, such as colour, effect of changing behaviour on risk, or comparison with a healthy older person. GPs preferred formats that helped them relate the information about risk of CVD to their patients, and could be used to motivate patients to change behaviour. Several formats were reported as confusing, such as a percentage risk with no contextual information, line graphs, and icons, particularly those with larger numbers. Whilst consumers and GPs shared preferences, the use of one format for all situations was not recommended. Overall, people across groups felt that risk expressed over five years was preferable to a ten-year risk, the latter being too remote. Conclusions Consumers and GPs shared preferences for risk representation formats. Both groups liked the option to combine formats and tailor the risk information to reflect a specific individual's risk, to maximise understanding and provide a good basis for discussion

Establishing a distributed national research infrastructure providing bioinformatics support to life science researchers in Australia

EMBL Australia Bioinformatics Resource (EMBL-ABR) is a developing national research infrastructure, providing bioinformatics resources and support to life science and biomedical researchers in Australia. EMBL-ABR comprises 10 geographically distrib- uted national nodes with one coordinating hub, with current funding provided through Bioplatforms Australia and the University of Melbourne for its initial 2-year development phase. The EMBL-ABR mission is to: (1) increase Australia’s capacity in bioinformatics and data sciences; (2) contribute to the development of training in bioinformatics skills; (3) showcase Australian data sets at an international level and (4) enable engagement in international programs. The activities of EMBL-ABR are focussed in six key areas, aligning with comparable international initiatives such as ELIXIR, CyVerse and NIH Commons. These key areas—Tools, Data, Standards, Platforms, Compute and Training—are described in this article