Funnel Vision

This paper will talk about the videos and sculptural installation in my thesis exhibition. Shooting videos outside of the studio developed into a project overarching any individual video or its particular signs. Thus, this paper will focus on the video project with examples that follow a timeline of development, rather than the actual 6 videos on display in the exhibit. The two-part sculpture Deer in the Headlights is created in the context of these videos, and coexists with them in a specific architectural space. This space, as well as the clichéd meaning of the deer\u27s gaze, have a relation to the title of the show

The Escherichia coli RutR transcription factor binds at targets within genes as well as intergenic regions.

The Escherichia coli RutR protein is the master regulator of genes involved in pyrimidine catabolism. Here we have used chromatin immunoprecipitation in combination with DNA microarrays to measure the binding of RutR across the chromosome of exponentially growing E. coli cells. Twenty RutR-binding targets were identified and analysis of these targets generated a DNA consensus logo for RutR binding. Complementary in vitro binding assays showed high-affinity RutR binding to 16 of the 20 targets, with the four low-affinity RutR targets lacking predicted key binding determinants. Surprisingly, most of the DNA targets for RutR are located within coding segments of the genome and appear to have little or no effect on transcript levels in the conditions tested. This contrasts sharply with other E. coli transcription factors whose binding sites are primarily located in intergenic regions. We suggest that either RutR has yet undiscovered function or that evolution has been slow to eliminate non-functional DNA sites for RutR because they do not have an adverse effect on cell fitness

Engaging in quality technical peer review as an international professional responsibility: those who publish confidently must also review competently

La calidad del proceso de evaluación por pares académicos es fundamental en los métodos actuales de publicación científica y técnica, así como en la evaluación de propuestas de investigación. La incompetencia y falta de imparcialidad en la evaluación continúan siendo los problemas más citados sobre el proceso de evaluación por pares académicos. Debido a esto, crear y mantener un grupo de evaluadores comprometidos, responsables y calificados es fundamental para la publicación y diseminación científica. Un principio importante en la mecánica del sistema de evaluación por pares consiste en que aquellos que utilizan el sistema de publicación deberían luego revisar una carga equivalente a su rol como integrantes del mismo. Esto también implicaría que quienes escriben y envían artículos técnicos sean competentes para evaluar y criticar con justicia el trabajo de otros en sus áreas de estudio. Debido al rápido incremento en el número de artículos sometidos por parte de fuentes no tradicionales, incluyendo muchos países en vía de desarrollo, es necesario expandir el grupo de pares académicos al incluir miembros de estas comunidades de modo que sea posible dar respuesta a esta carga adicional impuesta a un sistema ya saturado; asimismo, comprometer nuevas comunidades en el tradicional proceso de evaluación y validación de los trabajos científicos y técnicos. Una evaluación efectiva por pares debe velar por varios elementos que incluyen la habilidad técnica del revisor, la conducta profesional, la imparcialidad, la ética y la responsabilidad por este proceso y por el sistema competitivo en el que éste se desarrolla a nivel internacional. Los pares evaluadores necesitan entrenamiento, supervisión, control, expectativas y guía continua. La validación de la efectividad general del proceso de revisión por pares requiere controles de seguimiento de la literatura publicada para confirmar su precisión y contenido a través de consenso y reproducción experimental. Como, en la actualidad, gran parte de los países en vías de desarrollo contribuyen al sistema de evaluación con un número significativo de artículos, estos países deben buscar activamente entrenar a sus contribuyentes, para que sean pares evaluadores efectivos y reconocidos por revistas internacionales, editores e instituciones financiadoras. Ésta no es una tarea pasiva, ya que requiere definir expectativas, políticas de reclutamiento, entrenamiento y demás elementos asociados, con miras a realizar los ajustes respectivos tan pronto como sus contribuciones sobrecarguen los sistemas de publicación actuales. La responsabilidad colectiva como investigadores, contribuyentes, evaluadores, lectores, y aseguradores de la integridad y protección de este esencial proceso de control de calidad tradicionalmente ha dependido de la integridad y consciencia profesional. La extensión de este esfuerzo por reclutar nuevos grupos de evaluadores competentes, entrenados y calificados, es esencial en la era actual de publicación científica.Quality peer-review remains central to current international scientific and technical publishing and proposal assessment methods. As incompetent review and perceived bias remain the most cited problems with peer review processes commonly employed in scientific review of manuscript and proposals, the creation and maintenance of quality pools of engaged, responsive and qualified peer reviewers is essential to scientific publishing and dissemination. An important operational principle for the peer reviewing system is that all who utilize this publishing system should then also review a commensurate load on behalf of the system. This would also imply that those who compose and submit technical manuscripts are competent to assess and levy fair criticism of other’s work in their field. Given the large and rapid expansion in numbers of submitted manuscripts from non-traditional sources, including many developing countries, expansion of the peer-reviewing pool to these sources is necessary both to accommodate their respective, newly imposed reviewing burdens on the already over-burdened system, and to engage new communities in the traditional process of vetting and validating scientific and technical works. Effective peer review must enforce the many elements of reviewer technical proficiency, professional conduct, bias and ethics considerations, and responsibility in this process and the competitive international system in which it sits. Reviewers require training, oversight, control, expectations, and continual guidance. Validation of peerreview’s overall efficacy requires follow-on policing of published literature to assert its accuracy and content through consensus and experimental reproduction. As former developing countries now contribute increasing numbers of new manuscripts to the technical peer-review system, they should also actively seek to officially train such contributors to also be visible, effective peer-reviewers for international journals, editors and funding agencies. This is not a passive endeavor, requiring expectations, recruitment and training, and the associated resources to make accommodations as rapidly as their contributions are encumbered within the current publishing systems. Collective responsibilities as researchers, contributors, reviewers, readers and enforcers of the integrity and safekeeping of this essential quality control process traditionally rely on individual professional integrity and conscientious effort. Extension of this effort to continually recruit new pools of competent, trained and qualified reviewers in the current publishing era is essential

Polymer interfaces and biopharmaceuticals: Chemistry, designs and challenges

The complex interactions between biological components and polymer materials has an extensive technical history. Virtually every surface property has been invoked as being important to biological interfacial response: texture, roughness, topology, porosity, hydrophilic, hydrophobic, polar, apolar, (non)-wettable, non-fouling brushes, surface mobility, rigidity, flexibility, crystalline versus amorphous, aspect ratio. Few surface properties alone, however, provide consistent, global technical solutions to vexing biomedical technology problems, particularly with cell culture, blood, plasma, microbial milieu, and protein solutions. Bio-interface materials performance must therefore be tailored specifically to each application. Short-term contact use (minutes/hours) has different materials interface requirements than long-term (days) use; globular proteins have particularly difficult needs not readily satisfied by any materials solution. Viable biologics interfaces (i.e., fresh blood harvests, cell cultures) must also consider selective gas permeability, leachables, and sterilization issues. Film properties, lamination, cutting, chemical stability, sealing and handling issues are additional considerations for single-use materials. Lastly cost-of-goods and materials economics must be considered, especially for single use technologies. No one-size-fits-all surface solutions currently satisfy all bio-interface materials needs. This talk will review design principles, dogma and actual polymer chemistries to modulate, modify and manipulate polymer surfaces in contact with biological components. Several polymer surface properties will be discussed with regard to their physical chemistry in aqueous media. Traditional and recent developments in non-fouling interfaces and polymer approaches and their hypothesized influences on biophysical interactions with proteins and cells will be presented

Softer perspectives on enhancing the patient experience using IS/IT

Purpose – This paper aims to argue that the implementation of the Choose and Book system has failed due to the inability of project sponsors to appreciate the complex and far-reaching softer implications of the implementation, especially in a complex organisation such as the NHS, which has multifarious stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use practice-oriented research to try and isolate key parameters. These parameters are compared with existing conventional thinking in a number of focused areas. Findings – Like many previous NHS initiatives, the focus of this system is in its obvious link to patients. However we find that although this project has cultural, social and organisational implications, programme managers and champions of the Connecting for Health programme emphasised the technical domains to IS/IT adoption. Research limitations/implications – This paper has been written in advance of a fully implemented Choose and Book system. Practical implications – The paper requests that more attention be paid to the softer side of IS/IT delivery, implementation, introduction and adoption. Originality/value – The paper shows that patient experience within the UK healthcare sector is still well below what is desired

Coverage with evidence development: applications and issues

Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2010OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe the current issues surrounding Coverage with Evidence Development (CED). CED is characterized by restricted coverage for a new technology in parallel with targeted research when the stated goal of the research or data collection is to provide definitive evidence for the clinical or cost-effectiveness impact of the new technology. METHODS: Presented here is information summarized and interpreted from presentations and discussions at the 2008 Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi) meeting and additional information from the medical literature. This study describes the differences between CED and other conditional coverage agreements, provides a brief history of CED, describes real-world examples of CED, describes the areas of consensus between the stakeholders, discusses the areas for future negotiation between stakeholders, and proposes criteria to assist stakeholders in determining when CED could be appropriate. RESULTS: Payers could interpret the evidence obtained from a CED program either positively or negatively, and a range of possible changes to the reimbursement status of the new technology may result. Striking an appropriate balance between the demands for prompt access to new technology and acknowledging that some degree of uncertainty will always exist is a critical challenge to the uptake of this innovative form of conditional coverage. CONCLUSIONS: When used selectively for innovative procedures, pharmaceuticals, or devices in the appropriate disease areas, CED may provide patients access to promising medicines or technologies while data to minimize uncertainty are collected.The development of the manuscript was funded by Medicines Australi

Blockade of chemokine-induced signalling inhibits CCR5-dependent HIV infection in vitro without blocking gp120/CCR5 interaction.

BACKGROUND: Cellular infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) both in vitro and in vivo requires a member of the chemokine receptor family to act as a co-receptor for viral entry. However, it is presently unclear to what extent the interaction of HIV proteins with chemokine receptors generates intracellular signals that are important for productive infection. RESULTS: In this study we have used a recently described family of chemokine inhibitors, termed BSCIs, which specifically block chemokine-induced chemotaxis without affecting chemokine ligands binding to their receptors. The BSCI termed Peptide 3 strongly inhibited CCR5 mediated HIV infection of THP-1 cells (83 +/- 7% inhibition assayed by immunofluoresence staining), but had no effect on gp120 binding to CCR5. Peptide 3 did not affect CXCR4-dependent infection of Jurkat T cells. CONCLUSION: These observations suggest that, in some cases, intracellular signals generated by the chemokine coreceptor may be required for a productive HIV infection

Does one size fit all? Place-neutral national planning policy in England and its impact on housing land supplies and local development plans in North East England

This article examines the impact of the National Planning Policy Framework’s requirement that all local planning authorities in England should strive to achieve a robust supply of housing land to satisfy demand for housing development for a minimum of five years. Conceptually the paper challenges the orthodox place-neutral view propounded by UK central government (and many major housing developers) that a bottleneck in land supply caused by deficiencies in the local (plan-led) planning system is the central barrier to unblocking housing supply in all parts of the country. Theoretically, we contend that the five-year land supply requirement within the National Planning Policy Framework is an example of a spatially place-neutral policy approach that does not comprehend the place-based nuances in local and regional land and housing markets in England. Empirically, it explores a case study of all 12 local planning authorities in the North East of England, to question whether a uniform (one size fits all) approach to identifying a five-year supply of land for housing development across England is effectual. Analysis of empirical data validates concerns that in some peripheral localities, other variables constrain housing deliverability more significantly than land supply, issues such as limited mortgage and development finance, an abundance of brownfield land, negative place-based stigma and development viability concern. The research concludes that centrally defined, inflexible, place-neutral planning policy is a significant impairment to some local planning authorities in the North of England achieving up-to-date local plans