Uncertainty, Spheres of Argument, and the Transgressive Ethos of the Science Adviser

This essay seeks to complicate and integrate Goodnight’s spheres-of-argument model by investigating the ethos of the science adviser. Uncertainty types correlate with argument spheres; understanding this—and understanding the science adviser’s ethos as both forum-bound role and transgressive character performance—are crucial factors for advisers’ selection of appropriate ethical stances in public debates

Local Government, local development and citizen participation

Traditionally the local government system had engaged citizens only in limited passive participation. It was no coincidence that the local development structures put in place to counteract the inadequacies in the local government system introduced different and innovative, opportunities for citizen participation. The scope for engagement in the processes of local government and governance has been significantly extended through a number of pilot initiatives as detailed in the preceding sections and especially through the partnership bodies. Most recently the establishment of County/City Development Boards has been an attempt to integrate local government and local development structures and to enhance participatory democracy. This paper looks at citizen participation in the local development/local government process and, through a series of case studies, puts formward a 10 point charter for citizen participation

Plant Oils and Products of Their Hydrolysis as Substrates for Polyhydroxyalkanoate Synthesis

Plant oils could provide a sustainable source of carbon for polyhydroxyalkanoate production as they are both renewable and inexpensive. No study to our knowledge has undertaken a comparative study of the use of major European and global commodity plants oils and products of their hydrolysis as substrates for medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl-PHA) production. There have been several studies which have investigated the use of plant oils and their hydrolysis products for short chain length PHA (scl-PHA) production, therefore, in this study, we have focused specifically on mcl-PHA-producing organisms. A comparison between direct growth on oils and the products of their hydrolysis is described here for several mcl-PHA-producing Pseudomonas strains. Pseudomonas putida KT2440, CA-3, GO16, Pseudomonas chlororaphis 555 were screened for their ability to utilize a range of common plant oils (olive, sunflower, rapeseed, and palm) and their hydrolysis products as sole sources of carbon and energy for growth and PHA accumulation. When the oils were supplied in shaken flask experiments, P. putida CA-3 and P. putida KT2440 showed little or no growth, while P. putida GO16 reached a cell dry weight of between 0.33 and 0.56 g L–1, and accumulated mcl-PHA to between 12 and 25 % of CDW, P. chlororaphis 555 reached a cell dry weight of between 0.67 and 0.86 g L–1, and accumulated mcl-PHA to between 27 and 34 % CDW in 48 h. In contrast, when the hydrolyzed fatty acid mixtures were supplied, all 4 strains tested grew and accumulated mcl-PHA. P. putida CA-3 and GO16 achieved the highest biomass (1.02 – 1.06 g L–1) with the majority of the hydrolyzed plant oil fatty acids, however P. chlororaphis 555 accumulated similar levels of PHA as these two strains. Despite being the strain of choice for mcl-PHA accumulation, for the majority of studies, P. putida KT2440 achieved less biomass and accumulated less PHA than other strains tested with the majority of oil-derived fatty acids. It is important to note that both biomass and PHA levels varied significantly across strain and hydrolyzed oil type. Due to the fact that P. chlororaphis 555 was able to grow and accumulate PHA from both plant oils and hydrolyzed oil fatty acids, it was selected for bioreactor trials to try to achieve high cell density and high PHA productivity using rapeseed oil and hydrolyzed rapeseed oil fatty acids. Rapeseed oil (RO) and its hydrolysis product (HROFA) were chosen for these experiments because P. chlororaphis 555 accumulated approximately 30 % mcl-PHA from both substrates, and as this oil can be produced globally, it would offer less barriers to scale-up than Palm oil. The mcl-PHA volumetric productivity with RO as the substrate was 0.53 g L–1 h–1 after 25 h with a yield of 0.22 g PHA g–1 oil, while the volumetric productivity with HROFA as the substrate was 0.54 g L–1 h–1 after 25 h with again a lower yield of 0.15 g PHA g–1 HROFA. Thus, under the fermentation conditions tested, HROFA was an inferior substrate for PHA production when compared to RO

Hepatitis C quasispecies adaptation in the setting of a variable fidelity polymerase

Hepatitis C (HCV) is a virus characterized by an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase that lacks a proofreading mechanism and, as a result, generates a quasispecies. There is emerging evidence that this RNA-dependent RNA polymerase may in fact have variable fidelity. Here, we review the relevant concepts, including fitness landscapes, clonal interference, robustness, selection, adaptation, mutation rates, and their optimization, and provide a unique interpretation of a number of relevant theoretical models, evolving the theory of replicative homeostasis in light of their findings. We suggest that a variable fidelity polymerase can find its own optimal mutation rate, which is governed by the sequence itself and certain population dynamics. We propose that this concept can explain features of viral kinetics and clearance, both spontaneously and following treatment of chronic HCV. We point to evidence that supports this theory and explain how it refines replicative homeostasis and conclude by discussing particular areas of potential research that might augment our understanding of viral host interactions at an individual cellular level

Correlation between pre-treatment quasispecies complexity and treatment outcome in chronic HCV genotype 3a

Pre-treatment HCV quasispecies complexity and diversity may predict response to interferon based anti-viral therapy. The objective of this study was to retrospectively (1) examine temporal changes in quasispecies prior to the start of therapy and (2) investigate extensively quasispecies evolution in a group of 10 chronically infected patients with genotype 3a, treated with pegylated α2a-Interferon and ribavirin

Co-creativity Evaluation Analysis: C2Learn project delierable No. D5.4.2

Deliverable 5.4.2 is the final installment of a document describing the outcomes of qualitative and quantitative Co-creativity Evaluation Analysis of data and information gathered through the pilot activities (M21, M30 and M36 cycles), following the methodology defined by T2.3. Led by the UEDIN team, in close collaboration with OU, EA and BMBF it sets out in detail the qualitative and quantitative analysis performed, according to the defined conceptual foundations and assessment methodology of the project (D2.3.1-2), leading to a synthesis of the pilot findings. This is complemented by a review of the Socratic Dialogue tool, in light of the pilot findings

Co-creativity Evaluation Analysis: C2Learn project delierable No. D5.4.2

Deliverable 5.4.2 is the final installment of a document describing the outcomes of qualitative and quantitative Co-creativity Evaluation Analysis of data and information gathered through the pilot activities (M21, M30 and M36 cycles), following the methodology defined by T2.3. Led by the UEDIN team, in close collaboration with OU, EA and BMBF it sets out in detail the qualitative and quantitative analysis performed, according to the defined conceptual foundations and assessment methodology of the project (D2.3.1-2), leading to a synthesis of the pilot findings. This is complemented by a review of the Socratic Dialogue tool, in light of the pilot findings