A survey of travel behaviour among scientists in Germany and the potential for change

Awareness of the environmental impact of conferences is growing within the scientific community. Here we report the results of a survey in which scientists in Germany were asked about their attendance at conferences, their reasons for attending, and their willingness to explore new approaches that would reduce the impact of conferences on the environment. A majority of respondents were keen to reduce their own carbon footprint and were willing to explore alternatives to the traditional conference

On the optimization of low dosage application systems : Improvement of dose advice and early detection of herbicidal effects

Application of herbicides at rates below the recommended label dose has received considerable attention in recent years as it is a means of reducing overall herbicide use. To minimize the risk of inadequate weed control in these situations, the Minimum Lethal Herbicide Dose (MLHD) technology, which was specifically developed for the use of low rates of photosynthesis inhibiting herbicides, relies on an appropriate calculation of the optimum herbicide dose and on an early detection method of herbicidal effects to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment shortly after application. The study described in this thesis was undertaken to further improve the prediction of the optimum dose of photosynthesis-inhibiting herbicides and to explore the opportunities of expanding the MLHD-technology toacetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibiting herbicides.The first part of the study examined the influence of pre-spraying weather factors on the efficacy of photosynthesis-inhibiting herbicides. The results put forward that pre-spraying weather conditions have a considerable effect on herbicide efficacy and that this effect is mainly through an effect on herbicide uptake. Herbicide-specific correlations between uptake and individual weather parameters were found. These correlations were non-species specific and indicate that inclusion of pre-spraying weather conditions in advisory systems that recommend on the use of reduced herbicide dose rates is recommendable.In the second part of the study theextension of the MLHD technology to acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibiting herbicides, particularly the development of an early detection method of herbicidal efficacy, was explored.Application of the ALS inhibiting herbicides metsulfuron-methyl on Solanum nigrum and Polygonum persicaria plants resulted in a progressive reduction in CO 2 fixation and the relative quantum efficiency of photosystem I (Φ PSI ) and photosystem II (Φ PSII ) electron transport, emerging a couple of days after herbicide application. Ф PSII turned up to be one of the most promising and practical parameters to use when designing an early detection method for sensing the toxicity of metsulfuron-methyl. The loss of Ф PSII was light-dependent and could be earliest detected at the base of the youngest leaf of treated plants

Experimental study of timers implemented in bipolar and cmos technologies

В данной статье исследуются микросхемы таймеров, выполненных по биполярной и КМОП технологиям. Приводятся расчеты, а также практическая реализация и результаты эксперимента. Делается вывод о том, какой из генераторов, в основе которых лежат таймеры, более долговечен и экономичен в отношении к потреблению электроэнергии.In this article, we study the timer ICs implemented in bipolar and CMOS technologies. Calculations of the circuit components are given, as well as practical implementation and experimental results. We determine which of the timers based generators is better with respect to energy consumption

Use of technology and its impact on higher order thinking in the science classroom

This study focuses on examining the impact of technology on higher order thinking in the science classroom by first examining the impact of a teacher’s knowledge of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy on the integration of higher order thinking activities and then by examining what levels of higher order thinking exist when technology was utilized. Previous research has found correlations between the levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy exhibited when using technology, particularly probeware, simulations/virtual labs, and special software like LoggerPro. In addition, previous research has shown a trend of teachers inaccurately categorizing their lessons and activities as having a higher order thinking level than what was found by researchers. For this study, teachers were recruited from the Great Prairie Area Education Agency to submit one to two lessons they determined had students completing tasks at a higher order thinking level as according to Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy. In addition, teachers were asked to complete a knowledge inventory to determine their knowledge of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy. These pieces of data were then analyzed to determine whether there were any correlations between the knowledge inventory scores and the level of Bloom’s their submitted lesson was as well as determining any correlations between the level of Bloom’s and the use of technology in the activity. The results of this study found there to be no correlation between a teacher’s knowledge of Bloom’s and the level of Bloom’s their lesson demonstrated. Teachers in this study typically incorrectly identified the higher levels of Bloom’s when completing their knowledge inventory. Additionally, teachers submitted activities that illustrated a wide variety of higher order thinking when asked to submit ones in which they felt the highest levels were present. There appears to be a correlation between the primary type of technology used and level of higher order thinking occurring in the lesson submitted. Since this was not one of the research questions, future research is needed to validate this result

Creating a Stakeholder Table, Identifying Hidden Stakeholders, and Exploring Relational Interventions for the Bayano Region of Panama

The Bayano region, in Panama, has been linked to many different stakeholders who were or are influenced by the Bayano dam, which was completed in 1976 and flooded a large area. Stakeholder Tables are a good way of exploring the views of stakeholders and their relationships. They can also help in identifying Hidden Stakeholders. Hidden Stakeholders refer to stakeholders who use or are impacted by regions or events, but are generally ignored. In this study, several sources, including discussions with community members and workshop results, were used to develop a Stakeholder Table for the Bayano region. Stakeholders include displaced Guna and Embera indigenous communities. In order to identify Hidden Stakeholders, the table was applied to relevant court cases and agreements, with Hidden Stakeholders being those who were not addressed in these documents. Hidden Stakeholders include indigenous individuals who raise cattle or are involved in tree felling, along with tourism industries. Using some follow-up workshops to collect potential interventions, a Relational Values approach was used to find sustainable projects and methods that can target multiple Hidden Stakeholders at the same time.</p

Разработка способов, алгоритмов и программ обнаружения и исправления пакетных или независимых ошибок при передаче данных по каналам связи

Настоящая научно-квалификационная работа посвящена разработке способов, алгоритмов и программ обнаружения и исправления ошибок при передаче данных по каналам связи для обеспечения целостности и надёжности передаваемых команд и данных между устройствами вычислительно техники, а также при считывании данных из запоминающих устройств.The present scientific and qualification work is devoted to the development of methods, algorithms and programs for detecting and correcting errors in the transmission of data over communication channels to ensure the integrity and reliability of the transmitted commands and data between computing devices, as well as when reading data from memory devices

Matrix metalloproteinase-14 is a mechanically regulated activator of secreted MMPs and invasion

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are extracellular matrix (ECM) degrading enzymes and have complex and specific regulation networks. This includes activation interactions, where one MMP family member activates another. ECM degradation and MMP activation can be initiated by several different stimuli including changes in ECM mechanical properties or intracellular contractility. These mechanical stimuli are known enhancers of metastatic potential. MMP-14 facilitates local ECM degradation and is well known as a major mediator of cell migration, angiogenesis and invasion. Recently, function blocking antibodies have been developed to specifically block MMP-14, providing a useful tool for research as well as therapeutic applications. Here we utilize a selective MMP-14 function blocking antibody to delineate the role of MMP-14 as an activator of other MMPs in response to changes in cellular contractility and ECM stiffness. Inhibition using function blocking antibodies reveals that MMP-14 activates soluble MMPs like MMP-2 and -9 under various mechanical stimuli in the pancreatic cancer cell line, Panc-1. In addition, inhibition of MMP-14 abates Panc-1 cell extension into 3D gels to levels seen with non-specific pan-MMP inhibitors at higher concentrations. This strengthens the case for MMP function blocking antibodies as more potent and specific MMP inhibition therapeutics