Quantitative Preparative Native Continuous Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (QPNC-PAGE)

QPNC-PAGE, or quantitative preparative native continuous polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, is a high-resolution technique applied in biochemistry and bioinorganic chemistry to separate proteins by isoelectric point. This variant of gel electrophoresis is used by biologists to isolate active or native metalloproteins in biological samples and to resolve properly and improperly folded metal cofactor-containing proteins in complex protein mixtures

Isolation of Acidic, Basic and Neutral Metalloproteins by QPNC-PAGE

A standard protocol for isolating metalloproteins in complex biological samples is presented using quantitative preparative native continuous polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (QPNC-PAGE

Usable Design of Civil Engineer Information Systems

This research used a case study methodology where one instrument used to collect data was a heuristic usability inspection method. Data was collected from a literature review of pertinent Civil Engineer information system design documents, and conclusions drawn about the existing level of specification of usability engineering principles. The heuristic usability inspection method was used to validate the conclusions drawn through inspection of an information system representative of other Civil Engineer information systems, the Automated Civil Engineer System Personnel Readiness module

Turismo accesible como ejemplo de responsabilidad social en las empresas y destinos turísticos. El caso de Lousâ (Portugal)

[Resumo] A responsabilidade social, entendida como unha nova cultura empresarial baseada na xestión ética, pode servir como canle para mellorar a competitividade e a reputación das empresas turísticas, en resposta ás crecentes demandas da sociedade en xeral e dos consumidores en particular. Neste contexto xorde o concepto de turismo sustentable, que trata de ofrecerlles unha experiencia digna e enriquecedora aos turistas e, asemade, responder á crecente preocupación polos impactos negativos do turismo nas áreas de destino. O turismo accesible encádrase neste marco como unha modalidade de oferta turística integrada que lles permite a todas as persoas gozar de experiencias turísticas «sen barreiras». Esta modalidade de turismo non só fai posible a especialización das empresas (e, por tanto, que satisfagan mellor o mercado de persoas con minusvalías), mais tamén estas mostraren unha imaxe máis humana e conseguiren unha reputación de empresa turística socialmente responsable, o cal pode constituír unha importante vantaxe competitiva. Neste artigo centrámonos no caso de Lousã, un municipio portugués que apostou polo turismo accesible como estratexia de cualificación e diferenciación do destino, como estratexia de desenvolvemento e posicionamento nun ámbito crecentemente competitivo. Esta aposta dinamizou numerosas iniciativas e novos camiños de colaboración entre diversos axentes públicos e privados, as cales lle permiten ofrecer oportunidades moi interesantes nun contexto de desenvolvemento dos territorios que busca non excluír a ninguén.[Resumen] La responsabilidad social, entendida como una nueva cultura empresarial basada en la gestión ética, puede servir como cauce para mejorar la competitividad y la reputación de las empresas turísticas, respondiendo así a las crecientes demandas de la sociedad en general y de los consumidores en particular. En este contexto surge el concepto de “turismo sosteni- , ble” que trata de ofrecer una experiencia digna y enriquecedora al turista, al mismo tiempo que trata de responder a la creciente preocupación por los impactos negativos del turismo en las áreas de destino. El “turismo accesible” se encuadra en este marco, una modalidad de ofer- ta turística integrada que permite a todos disfrutar de experiencias turísticas “sin barreras” Esta . modalidad de turismo no sólo permite a las empresas una especialización (y, por tanto, una mejor satisfacción del mercado de personas con discapacidad), sino también les permite mos- trar una imagen más humana, conseguir una reputación de empresa turística socialmente res- ponsable, lo cual puede constituir una importante ventaja competitiva. En este artículo nos centramos en el caso de Lousã, un municipio portugués que ha apostado por el turismo acce- sible como estrategia de cualificación y diferenciación del destino, como estrategia de des- arrollo y posicionamiento en un entorno crecientemente competitivo. Esta apuesta ha dinami- zado numerosas iniciativas y nuevos caminos de colaboración entre diversos agentes (públi- cos y privados), ofreciendo oportunidades muy interesantes en un contexto de desarrollo de los territorios que busca no excluir a nadie.[Abstract] Social responsibility, understood as a new business culture based on ethical management, may serve as a route for improving competitiveness and the reputation of tourism companies, thus responding to the growing demands of society in general and of consumers in particular. The concept of “sustainable tourism” arises within this context. It aims to offer the tourist a worthy and enriching experience, and at the same time to respond to the growing concern about the negative impact of tourism on the destination areas. “Accessible tourism” fits within this framework, a type of integrated tourism which allows everybody to enjoy tourism expe- riences “without barriers” This type of tourism not only allows companies a specialisation (and, . therefore, better satisfaction of the disabled person market), but it also allows them to show a more humane image and to achieve a reputation as a tourism company which is socially res- ponsible, which may constitute a significant competitive advantage. This article focuses on the case of Lousã, a Portuguese town committed to accessible tourism as a strategy for qualifying and differentiating the destination, as a strategy for developing and positioning in an increa- singly competitive environment. This commitment has revitalised numerous initiatives and new types of collaboration between different agents (public and private), offering very interes- ting opportunities in the context of developing territories which aim not to exclude anybody

Case Studies of Potential Reference Materials in Cultural Heritage Science

The study of cultural heritage objects requires reference materials for comparison in order to determine the identity of chemical compounds in historically/culturally significant artifacts. The reference materials available today can be inaccurately labeled, can contain inauthentic compounds, or can simply be formed differently than what the labeled material should be. Utilizing the laboratory at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, three case studies were conducted over three different potential reference materials in order to properly identify each of the three materials being focused on here. Based on the analysis, the labels for these materials often do not match the actual material. This mislabeling should be addressed as incorrect properties can result in misinformed conservation efforts that have potential to go awry

Homological stability, characteristic classes and the minimal genus problem

The purpose of this thesis is to study the (co-)homological properties of the classifying space of subsurface bundles in a trivial background bundle with fiber a manifold M. We will investigate homological stability pheonomena of this moduli space if M is simply-connected and at least 5-dimensional and the subsurfaces are equipped with tangential structures. Additionally we will investigate the representability of second homology classes by surfaces in general topological spaces. In the case of manifolds this yields a measure for the failure of homological stability if M is not simply-connected. In the introduction we will also briefly touch on how to proceed from these homological stability results to determining the stable characteristic classes of subsurface bundles

Phytochemical Approach and Bioanalytical Strategy to Develop Chaperone-Based Medications

Currently, no pharmaceuticals for the etiological treatment of degenerative protein-misfolding diseases (e.g., ALS, Alzheimer’s or prion diseases) are commercially available. In this technical note theoretical considerations and practical approaches concerning the development of chaperone-based medications from medicinal plants (e.g., Ginkgo biloba) are reviewed and discussed in detail. Phytochaperones and other agents isolated from medicinal plants are proposed to serve as the general basis of drug development in protein-misfolding diseases

The Minimal Genus of Homology Classes in a Finite 2-Complex

We study surface representatives of homology classes of finite complexes which minimize certain complexity measures, including its genus and Euler characteristic. Our main result is that up to surgery at nullhomotopic curves minimizers are homotopic to cellwise coverings to the 2-skeleton. From this we conclude that the minimizing problem is in general algorithmically undecidable, but can be solved for 2-dimensional CAT(-1)-complexes

Simplicial bounded cohomology and stability

We introduce a set of combinatorial techniques for studying the simplicial bounded cohomology of semi-simplicial sets, simplicial complexes and posets. We apply these methods to prove several new bounded acyclicity results for semi-simplicial sets appearing in the homological stability literature. Our strategy is to recast classical arguments (due to Bestvina, Maazen, van der Kallen, Vogtmann, Charney and, recently, Galatius--Randal-Williams) in the setting of bounded cohomology using uniformly bounded refinements of well-known simplicial tools. Combined with ideas developed by Monod and De la Cruz Mengual--Hartnick, we deduce slope-$1/2$ stability results for the bounded cohomology of two large classes of linear groups: general linear groups over any ring with finite Bass stable rank and certain automorphism groups of quadratic modules over the integers or any field of characteristic zero. We expect that many other results in the literature on homological stability admit bounded cohomological analogues by applying the blueprint provided in this work.Comment: 53 pages. Comments welcome