34 research outputs found
A Critical Analysis of the Wetback Problem
Automobilpalatset i Jönköping, ritat av byggnadsingenjör Birger Lindström, uppfördes under Ă„ren 1929-1930 och var ett av de första parkeringshusen i Sverige. Förutom parkering fanns det utstĂ€llningshallar och bilförsĂ€ljning, service och bensinstation-lĂ„ngt före bilismen var en del av folks vardag. Efter rivningshot byggnadsminnesmĂ€rktes huset Ă„r 2001.  Idag finns andra affĂ€rsverksamheter i gatuplan, resterande vĂ„ningar stĂ„r relativt tomma och mycket nedgĂ„nga. Automobilpalatset Ă€gs av kommunen och det finns för nĂ€rvarande ingen plan för förĂ€ndring.  Jag vill i mitt förslag addera mĂ€nniskan till Automobilpalatset. Stadsbilden och synen pĂ„ bilen har förĂ€ndrats sedan 1930. Det Ă€r inte rimligt i dagens samhĂ€lle att frĂ„nta en stadskĂ€rna den potential som Automobilpalatset besitter genom att förvanska byggnaden och lĂ„ta den stĂ„ mestadels tom. Det kĂ€nns inte heller lĂ€ngre modernt att parkera bilar i ett sĂ„ kallat palats. Den unika arkitektur och kontext som man hittar i byggnaden borde istĂ€llet till större del öppnas upp för allmĂ€nheten. Att fĂ„ ta del av dessa fantastiska rum skulle vara en upplevelse för besökaren och möjliggöra en mer levande attraktiv stadsbild.  Gatubilden under kvĂ€llen skulle förĂ€ndras av att de stora fönstren Ă€ntligen fick lysa upp av de boende vilket skulle trygga platsen sĂ„vĂ€l som synliggöra huset pĂ„ ett nytt sĂ€tt. Byggnadens komplexa uppbyggnad med split-level-plan skapar speciella situationer. Flexibilitet och robusthet liksom tydliga industrifunkisvĂ€rden i struktur, rymd och materialitet prĂ€glar huset. Utmaningen ligger bland annat i den djupa huskroppens stora mörka ytor och i det att vĂ€ga mellan nytt och gammalt.âAutomobilpalatsetâ in Jönköping , designed by engineer Birger Lindstrom and built 1929-1930, was one of the first car parks in Sweden . In addition to parkingspace , there were showrooms and car sales , service and a petrol station - long before the car was a part of people's everyday lives. After threats of demolition the building was named a heritage, to be protected, in 2001.   Today, there is other business related spaces at street level , while the remaining floors are relatively empty and in very bad shape . Automobilpalatset is owned by the municipality and there is currently no plan for changes.  In my proposal I wanât to add people to this place. Cityscape and the opinion of cars has changed since 1930. It is not reasonable in today's society to deprive a city center the potential that this buildning possesses by distorting the building and leaving it empty . It's no longer fashionable to park cars in a so-called palace. The unique architecture and context that one finds in the building ought instead to be opened up and public. To take part of this amazing place would be an experience for the visitor and allow for a more vibrant attractive cityscape. The large windows, finally lit up by residents, would change how the building is looked up-on. The building complex structures with a split-level-plan creates special situations. Flexibility and robustness as well as the industrustrial modernist values ââin structure , space and materiality characterizes the house. The challenge in restoring it lies in the deep volume and large dark surfaces, and in balancing between new and old
Characterization of plexinA and two distinct semaphorin1a transcripts in the developing and adult cricket Gryllus bimaculatus
Guidance cues act during development to guide growth cones to their proper targets in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Experiments in many species indicate that guidance molecules also play important roles after development, though less is understood about their functions in the adult. The Semaphorin family of guidance cues, signaling through Plexin receptors, influences the development of both axons and dendrites in invertebrates. Semaphorin functions have been extensively explored in Drosophila melanogaster and some other Dipteran species, but little is known about their function in hemimetabolous insects. Here, we characterize sema1a and plexA in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. In fact, we found two distinct predicted Sema1a proteins in this species, Sema1a.1 and Sema1a.2, which shared only 48% identity at the amino acid level. We include a phylogenetic analysis that predicted that many other insect species, both holometabolous and hemimetabolous, express two Sema1a proteins as well. Finally, we used in situ hybridization to show that sema1a.1 and sema1a.2 expression patterns were spatially distinct in the embryo, and both roughly overlap with plexA. All three transcripts were also expressed in the adult brain, mainly in the mushroom bodies, though sema1a.2 was expressed most robustly. sema1a.2 was also expressed strongly in the adult thoracic ganglia while sema1a.1 was only weakly expressed and plexA was undetectable
Health and function of participants in the Long Life Family Study: A comparison with other cohorts
Individuals from families recruited for the Long Life Family Study (LLFS) (n= 4559) were examined and compared to individuals from other cohorts to determine whether the recruitment targeting longevity resulted in a cohort of individuals with better health and function. Other cohorts with similar data included the Cardiovascular Health Study, the Framingham Heart Study, and the New England Centenarian Study. Diabetes, chronic pulmonary disease and peripheral artery disease tended to be less common in LLFS probands and offspring compared to similar aged persons in the other cohorts. Pulse pressure and triglycerides were lower, high density lipids were higher, and a perceptual speed task and gait speed were better in LLFS. Age-specific comparisons showed differences that would be consistent with a higher peak, later onset of decline or slower rate of change across age in LLFS participants. These findings suggest several priority phenotypes for inclusion in future genetic analysis to identify loci contributing to exceptional survival
Beyond counting climate consensus
Several studies have been using quantified consensus within climate science as an argument to foster climate policy. Recent efforts to communicate such scientific consensus attained a high public profile but it is doubtful if they can be regarded successful. We argue that repeated efforts to shore up the scientific consensus on minimalist claims such as âhumans cause global warmingâ are distractions from more urgent matters of knowledge, values, policy framing and public engagement. Â Such efforts to force policy progress through communicating scientific consensus misunderstand the relationship between scientific knowledge, publics and policymakers. More important is to focus on genuinely controversial issues within climate policy debates where expertise might play a facilitating role. Mobilising expertise in policy debates calls for judgment, context and attention to diversity, rather than deferring to formal quantifications of narrowly scientific claims
Extinction filters mediate the global effects of habitat fragmentation on animals
Habitat loss is the primary driver of biodiversity decline worldwide, but the effects of fragmentation (the spatial arrangement of remaining habitat) are debated. We tested the hypothesis that forest fragmentation sensitivityâaffected by avoidance of habitat edgesâshould be driven by historical exposure to, and therefore speciesâ evolutionary responses to disturbance. Using a database containing 73 datasets collected worldwide (encompassing 4489 animal species), we found that the proportion of fragmentation-sensitive species was nearly three times as high in regions with low rates of historical disturbance compared with regions with high rates of disturbance (i.e., fires, glaciation, hurricanes, and deforestation). These disturbances coincide with a latitudinal gradient in which sensitivity increases sixfold at low versus high latitudes. We conclude that conservation efforts to limit edges created by fragmentation will be most important in the worldâs tropical forests
Development and psychometric testing of an instrument to compare career choice influences and perceptions of nursing among healthcare students
Background: With the availability of more healthcare courses and an increased intake of nursing students, education institutions are facing challenges to attract school leavers to enter nursing courses. The comparison of career choice influences and perception of nursing among healthcare students can provide information for recruitment strategies. An instrument to compare the influences of healthcare career choice is lacking. The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of an instrument to compare the influences of healthcare career choice with perceptions of nursing as a career choice.
Methods: The study was conducted in two phases. In phase one, two sets of scales with parallel items that measure the influences of healthcare career choice and perceptions of nursing as a career choice were developed through an earlier qualitative study, literature review, and expert validation. Phase two involved testing the construct validity, concurrent validity and reliability with a convenience sample of 283 first year healthcare students who were recruited at two education institutions in Singapore.
Results: An exploratory factor analysis revealed 35-parallel items in a six-factor solution (personal interest, prior healthcare exposure, self-efficacy, perceived nature of work, job prospects, and social influences) that explained 59 and 64% of the variance for healthcare career choice and nursing as a career choice respectively. A high correlation (r = 0.76, p \u3c 0.001) was obtained with an existing tool, confirming the concurrent validity. The internal consistency was sufficient with Cronbachâs alpha of 0.93 for healthcare career choice and 0.94 for nursing as a career choice. The test-retest reliability was acceptable with an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient of 0.63 for healthcare career choice and 0.60 for nursing as a career choice.
Conclusions: The instrument provides opportunities for understanding the differences between influences of healthcare career choice and perceptions of nursing as a career choice. This comparative understanding of career choice influences can guide educator and policy-makers on nursing recruitmen
BIOFRAG: A new database for analysing BIOdiversity responses to forest FRAGmentation
Habitat fragmentation studies are producing inconsistent and complex results across which it is nearly impossible to synthesise. Consistent analytical techniques can be applied to primary datasets, if stored in a flexible database that allows simple data retrieval for subsequent analyses. Method: We developed a relational database linking data collected in the field to taxonomic nomenclature, spatial and temporal plot attributes and further environmental variables (e.g. information on biogeographic region. Typical field assessments include measures of biological variables (e.g. presence, abundance, ground cover) of one species or a set of species linked to a set of plots in fragments of a forested landscape. Conclusion: The database currently holds records of 5792 unique species sampled in 52 landscapes in six of eight biogeographic regions: mammals 173, birds 1101, herpetofauna 284, insects 2317, other arthropods: 48, plants 1804, snails 65. Most species are found in one or two landscapes, but some are found in four. Using the huge amount of primary data on biodiversity response to fragmentation becomes increasingly important as anthropogenic pressures from high population growth and land demands are increasing. This database can be queried to extract data for subsequent analyses of the biological response to forest fragmentation with new metrics that can integrate across the components of fragmented landscapes. Meta-analyses of findings based on consistent methods and metrics will be able to generalise over studies allowing inter-comparisons for unified answers. The database can thus help researchers in providing findings for analyses of trade-offs between land use benefits and impacts on biodiversity and to track performance of management for biodiversity conservation in human-modified landscapes.Fil: Pfeifer, Marion. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Lefebvre, Veronique. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Gardner, Toby A.. Stockholm Environment Institute; SueciaFil: Arroyo RodrĂguez, VĂctor. Universidad Nacional AutĂłnoma de MĂ©xico; MĂ©xicoFil: Baeten, Lander. University of Ghent; BĂ©lgicaFil: Banks Leite, Cristina. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Barlow, Jos. Lancaster University; Reino UnidoFil: Betts, Matthew G.. State University of Oregon; Estados UnidosFil: Brunet, Joerg. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences; SueciaFil: Cerezo BlandĂłn, Alexis Mauricio. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de AgronomĂa. Departamento de MĂ©todos Cuantitativos y Sistemas de InformaciĂłn; ArgentinaFil: Cisneros, Laura M.. University of Connecticut; Estados UnidosFil: Collard, Stuart. Nature Conservation Society of South Australia; AustraliaFil: DÂŽCruze, Neil. The World Society for the Protection of Animals; Reino UnidoFil: Da Silva Motta, Catarina. MinistĂ©rio da CiĂȘncia, Tecnologia, InovaçÔes. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da AmazĂŽnia; BrasilFil: Duguay, Stephanie. Carleton University; CanadĂĄFil: Eggermont, Hilde. University of Ghent; BĂ©lgicaFil: Eigenbrod, FĂ©lix. University of Southampton; Reino UnidoFil: Hadley, Adam S.. State University of Oregon; Estados UnidosFil: Hanson, Thor R.. No especifĂca;Fil: Hawes, Joseph E.. University of East Anglia; Reino UnidoFil: Heartsill Scalley, Tamara. United State Department of Agriculture. Forestry Service; Puerto RicoFil: Klingbeil, Brian T.. University of Connecticut; Estados UnidosFil: Kolb, Annette. Universitat Bremen; AlemaniaFil: Kormann, Urs. UniversitĂ€t Göttingen; AlemaniaFil: Kumar, Sunil. State University of Colorado - Fort Collins; Estados UnidosFil: Lachat, Thibault. Swiss Federal Institute for Forest; SuizaFil: Lakeman Fraser, Poppy. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Lantschner, MarĂa Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - BahĂa Blanca; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de TecnologĂa Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Patagonia Norte. EstaciĂłn Experimental Agropecuaria San Carlos de Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Laurance, William F.. James Cook University; AustraliaFil: Leal, Inara R.. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Lens, Luc. University of Ghent; BĂ©lgicaFil: Marsh, Charles J.. University of Leeds; Reino UnidoFil: Medina Rangel, Guido F.. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Melles, Stephanie. University of Toronto; CanadĂĄFil: Mezger, Dirk. Field Museum of Natural History; Estados UnidosFil: Oldekop, Johan A.. University of Sheffield; Reino UnidoFil: Overal , Williams L.. Museu Paraense EmĂlio Goeldi. Departamento de Entomologia; BrasilFil: Owen, Charlotte. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Peres, Carlos A.. University of East Anglia; Reino UnidoFil: Phalan, Ben. University of Southampton; Reino UnidoFil: Pidgeon, Anna Michle. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Pilia, Oriana. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Possingham, Hugh P.. Imperial College London; Reino Unido. The University Of Queensland; AustraliaFil: Possingham, Max L.. No especifĂca;Fil: Raheem, Dinarzarde C.. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences; BĂ©lgica. Natural History Museum; Reino UnidoFil: Ribeiro, Danilo B.. Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul; BrasilFil: Ribeiro Neto, Jose D.. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Robinson, Douglas W.. State University of Oregon; Estados UnidosFil: Robinson, Richard. Manjimup Research Centre; AustraliaFil: Rytwinski, Trina. Carleton University; CanadĂĄFil: Scherber, Christoph. UniversitĂ€t Göttingen; AlemaniaFil: Slade, Eleanor M.. University of Oxford; Reino UnidoFil: Somarriba, Eduardo. Centro AgronĂłmico Tropical de InvestigaciĂłn y Enseñanza; Costa RicaFil: Stouffer, Philip C.. State University of Louisiana; Estados UnidosFil: Struebig, Matthew J.. University of Kent; Reino UnidoFil: Tylianakis, Jason M.. University College London; Estados Unidos. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Teja, Tscharntke. UniversitĂ€t Göttingen; AlemaniaFil: Tyre, Andrew J.. Universidad de Nebraska - Lincoln; Estados UnidosFil: Urbina Cardona, Jose N.. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; ColombiaFil: Vasconcelos, Heraldo L.. Universidade Federal de Uberlandia; BrasilFil: Wearn, Oliver. Imperial College London; Reino Unido. The Zoological Society of London; Reino UnidoFil: Wells, Konstans. University of Adelaide; AustraliaFil: Willig, Michael R.. University of Connecticut; Estados UnidosFil: Wood, Eric. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Young, Richard P.. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust; Reino UnidoFil: Bradley, Andrew V.. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Ewers, Robert M.. Imperial College London; Reino Unid
New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.
Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (PÂ <Â 5Â ĂÂ 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms
BIOFRAG - a new database for analyzing BIOdiversity responses to forest FRAGmentation
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