The Future of East-West Relations: Some Policy Perspectives

East-West relations have been the centerpiece of international relations in the postwar era, and are likely to remain so for the forseeable future

Changing Northern European Views on Security and Arms Control

The northwestern region of Europe has traditionally been viewed as an isolated flank area relative to the central front. Limited war and fail accompli scenarios dominated security thinking during the 1960s and 70s

Conversations on Art–Science Collaboration and Vaccine-Hesitancy

Kaisu Koski, a Finnish artist-researcher based in the UK and the Netherlands, and Johan Holst, a leading vaccinologist in Norway, discuss their collaborative work exploring vaccine hesitancy in parents. The collaboration was initiated as part of Koski’s ongoing research in creating films for medical education. Together, the authors developed collaborative exchanges on vaccine-critical parents’ health beliefs and visualized them in a multimodal artwork series. Due to the authors’ different viewpoints on vaccines, this project raises questions about positionality in interdisciplinary research and the power of visualization in health communication.Kaisu Koski, un artiste-chercheur finlandais basé au Royaume-Uni et aux Pays-Bas, et Johan Holst, un vaccinologue de premier plan en Norvège, discutent de leur travail de collaboration explorant l’hésitation au vaccin chez les parents. La collaboration a été lancée dans le cadre des recherches en cours de Koski en vue de créer des films pour l’enseignement médical. Ensemble, les auteurs ont développé des échanges collaboratifs sur les croyances en matière de santé des parents critiques de la vaccination et les ont visualisés dans une série d’œuvres multimodales. En raison des différents points de vue des auteurs sur les vaccins, ce projet soulève des questions sur la positionnalité dans la recherche interdisciplinaire et le pouvoir de la visualisation dans la communication sur la santé

Variants of an explicit kernel-split panel-based Nyström discretization scheme for Helmholtz boundary value problems

The incorporation of analytical kernel information is exploited in the construction of Nyström discretization schemes for integral equations modeling planar Helmholtz boundary value problems. Splittings of kernels and matrices, coarse and fine grids, high-order polynomial interpolation, product integration performed on the fly, and iterative solution are some of the numerical techniques used to seek rapid and stable convergence of computed fields in the entire computational domain

A simple waterbalance of a subcatchment to the Kapuas River

In developing countries across the world people are depending on rivers as a source of water for drinking, cooking and bathing. This is also the case in the Indonesian part of the island Borneo where this study was made. The largest river is the river Kapuas which, together with its tributaries, supplies the area with water. The hydrology of these rivers is changing and the quality of the water in them is deteriorating. This is due to mining industries, logging, and oil palm plantations as well as the large amounts of waste that is deposited in the water. These changes can be hard to observe since they are gradual and little to no data exists on the previous condition of these rivers. This study was conducted to make a simple water balance model using simple methods to begin to establish an understanding of a tropical rainforest catchment. Very basic methods are a necessity when carrying out work in the region since almost no equipment is available. The fieldwork was conducted on a sub-catchment to the Kapuas River in the village of Sosok. For five days in December from the 17th to the 21st, which is the rainy season, fieldwork was carried out. Measurements were taken of flow, depth, amount of rain, and sediment transport in the rivers in the area of investigation. Two rivers, which flow together to form one, were used as the site of this study. Three stations were established, one in each river, were measurements were taken several times a day. This data was then put into a simple water balance model to see if the model would yield the same results as those that were observed during field work. Many assumptions had to be made regarding surface runoff, groundwater infiltration, evaporation as well as other factors. To use the water balance model one needs a basic understanding of hydrology to know which assumptions are realistic and which are not. The results of the study show that the model can yield results similar to those in the field. The accuracy is high enough that one can gain a basic understanding of the hydrological situation in a catchment by only using very simple methods

Chapter Introduction

democracy; normative theory; political theory; public administration; public policy; policymakin

The long and winding road towards a MenB vaccine with broad strain coverage

Stručno povjerenstvo je na sastanku u veljači 2014. godine savjetovalo ministra zdravlja Ujedinjenog Kraljevstva da u imunizacijski program za djecu uključi novo sveobuhvatno cjepivo za meningokoknu serogrupu B (MenB), 4CMenB (Bexsero®). Ovo novo cjepivo, koje je nedavno slu`beno odobreno u Europi, Kanadi i Australiji, kombinira konvencionalno cjepivo dobiveno iz vanjske membrane vezikula divljeg tipa meningokoka (wtOMV) i antigene koji su identificirani kroz reverznu vakcinologiju. Procjena obuhvaćenosti sojeva meningokoka iz različitih dijelova svijeta ovim cjepivom je između 70% i 90%, ovisno o lokalnoj epidemiološkoj situaciji. Nakon provedene primjene ovog cjepiva, treba usmjeriti promatranje na podatke o učinkovitosti za različite cirkulirajuće sojeve i potencijalne učinke cjepiva na kliconoštvo i stečeni imunitet. Dio međunarodne zajednice koja se bavi cjepivima naučit će brojne lekcije iz šire upotrebe ovog novog MenB cjepiva i dobrog praćenja djelotvornosti cjepiva u Ujedinjenom Kraljevstvu kao i ostalim zemljama koje bi uskoro mogle slijediti ovaj primjer. Takve spoznaje bit će važne za daljnje poboljšanje kasnijih generacija MenB cjepiva i ostalih cjepiva protiv raznih bolesti koja se baziraju na proteinima. Rad donosi nove spoznaje stečene tijekom 35 godina razvoja i upotrebe MenB cjepiva. Novo cjepivo, 4CMenB, predstavlja novu epohu u formulaciji, procjeni i vrijednosti cjepiva koja se baziraju na proteinima. Značajno je spomenuti da je 4CmenB razvijeno spajanjem "cutting edge" i konvencionalne cjepne tehnologije, uključujući iskustva od ranijih wtOMV cjepiva koja se uspješno koriste od 1980-ih u svrhu prevencije klonalnih epidemija. Podaci velikih kliničkih studija i retrospektivne statističke analize daju procjenu učinkovitosti od najmanje 70% i dosljedno prikazuju umjerene reaktogenosti cjepiva tijekom uporabe od >80 milijuna doza za tri različite formulacije wtOMV cjepiva. Glavno ograničenje ovih wtOMV cjepiva je imunodominantni odgovor prema hipervarijabilnom PorA proteinu (posebno u djece) i vjerojatna nemogućnost da se bolest kontrolira u populaciji gdje postoje različiti cirkulirajući sojevi. Na Novom Zelandu je u razdoblju od 2004. do 2008. godine korišteno wtOMV cjepivo MeNZB® kako bi se kontrolirala klonalna MenB epidemija. Javnozdravstvena intervencija je pružila mnogo novih spoznaja u pogledu međunarodne i javno-privatne suradnje, nadzora sigurnosti cjepiva, procjene učinkovitosti cjepiva i komunikacije s javnošču. Stoga, 4CMenB obilježava novu paradigmu i predstavlja korištenje povijesnog znanja istodobno. Konačno, svijet sada ima mogućnost koristiti cjepivo koje bi trebalo biti namijenjeno sveobuhvatnijoj zaštiti u epidemiološkim situacijama gdje su cirkulirajući sojevi vrlo heterogeni u pogledu genskih i antigenskih osobina. Povijesna integracija znanja koju predstavlja 4CMenB će se pokazati važnom i za razvoj drugih cjepiva u budućnosti.The Minister of Health for the UK was advised by an expert committee meeting in February 2014 to include a new, broad-spectrum meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) vaccine, 4CMenB (Bexsero®) into the childhood immunization program. This new vaccine which recently received regulatory approval in Europe, Canada and Australia combines a conventional wild-type outer membrane vesicle (wtOMV) vaccine and antigens identified through reverse vaccinology. Strain coverage estimates from different parts of the world are in the range of 70% to 90%, depending on the local epidemiological situation. Following implementation of this vaccine, monitoring should focus on effectiveness data for various circulating strains and potential vaccine effects on carriage and herd immunity. From use of this new MenB vaccine on a larger scale and good monitoring in UK and other countries that are likely to follow shortly, the international vaccine community will learn a number of lessons. Such insights will be important for further improvement towards later generations of MenB vaccines and other protein-based vaccines against various diseases. Herein sights gained from more than 35 years of development and use of MenB vaccines are presented. The novel vaccine, 4CMenB represents a new time horizon in protein-based vaccine formulation, evaluation and value. Importantly, 4CMenB was developed with "cutting edge" joined with conventional vaccine technology, including experience from previous wtOMV vaccines, which have been successfully used since the late 1980s to prevent clonal outbreaks. Data from large clinical studies and retrospective statistical analyses give effectiveness estimates of at least 70% and a consistent pattern of moderate reactogenicity during the use of >80 million doses of three different wtOMV vaccine formulations. The key limitation of these wtOMV vaccines is the immunodominant response against the hypervariable PorA protein (especially in infants) and their likely inability to control disease in a population where the circulating strains are highly diverse. In New Zealand from 2004 to 2008, the wtOMV vaccine MeNZB® was used to control a clonal MenB epidemic. This public health intervention provided a number of new insights regarding international and public-private collaboration, vaccine safety surveillance, vaccine effectiveness-estimation and communication to the public. Thus, 4CMenB marks a new paradigm and represents the use of historical knowledge at the same time. Finally, the world now has the possibility to use a vaccine which is designed to give more comprehensive protection in epidemiological situations where circulating strains are very heterologous with respect to the genetic and antigenic properties. The historical integration of knowledge represented by 4CMenB will also prove important for other vaccine development in the time to come

Interdisciplinary Dialogue on Vaccine Hesitancy: Developing Trust and Shifting Stereotypes

Research on vaccine hesitancy typically generates the assumption that researchers are in favour of all vaccines, thus excluding collaborators with varying degrees of vaccine hesitancy. However, there are reasons to suggest that, in addition to focusing on specific groups of parents, interdisciplinary research groups could investigate multiple voices within and purposefully invite vaccine-hesitant researchers to collaborate. This project involved interviews with vaccine-hesitant parents and the creation of an educational film about vaccine hesitancy. The article exposes aspects of critical conversations between an artist and a scientist, two collaborators representing different disciplines and different degrees of vaccine acceptance. Due to the differences in values and roles, the project engendered a methodological proposition and a “safe space” in which the collaborators could engage in dialogue with a person representing different views on immunization. The collaborators represented a simulated vaccine-hesitant individual and vaccine expert, enabling them to practice and reflect on their communication

Modeling effects of L-type ca(2+) current and na(+)-ca(2+) exchanger on ca(2+) trigger flux in rabbit myocytes with realistic T-tubule geometries.

The transverse tubular system of rabbit ventricular myocytes consists of cell membrane invaginations (t-tubules) that are essential for efficient cardiac excitation-contraction coupling. In this study, we investigate how t-tubule micro-anatomy, L-type Ca(2+) channel (LCC) clustering, and allosteric activation of Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger by L-type Ca(2+) current affects intracellular Ca(2+) dynamics. Our model includes a realistic 3D geometry of a single t-tubule and its surrounding half-sarcomeres for rabbit ventricular myocytes. The effects of spatially distributed membrane ion-transporters (LCC, Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger, sarcolemmal Ca(2+) pump, and sarcolemmal Ca(2+) leak), and stationary and mobile Ca(2+) buffers (troponin C, ATP, calmodulin, and Fluo-3) are also considered. We used a coupled reaction-diffusion system to describe the spatio-temporal concentration profiles of free and buffered intracellular Ca(2+). We obtained parameters from voltage-clamp protocols of L-type Ca(2+) current and line-scan recordings of Ca(2+) concentration profiles in rabbit cells, in which the sarcoplasmic reticulum is disabled. Our model results agree with experimental measurements of global Ca(2+) transient in myocytes loaded with 50 μM Fluo-3. We found that local Ca(2+) concentrations within the cytosol and sub-sarcolemma, as well as the local trigger fluxes of Ca(2+) crossing the cell membrane, are sensitive to details of t-tubule micro-structure and membrane Ca(2+) flux distribution. The model additionally predicts that local Ca(2+) trigger fluxes are at least threefold to eightfold higher than the whole-cell Ca(2+) trigger flux. We found also that the activation of allosteric Ca(2+)-binding sites on the Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger could provide a mechanism for regulating global and local Ca(2+) trigger fluxes in vivo. Our studies indicate that improved structural and functional models could improve our understanding of the contributions of L-type and Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger fluxes to intracellular Ca(2+) dynamics