LMDA Review, volume 12, issue 2

Contents include: Relevance, Residency & Playwriting, The Dramaturgy Residency Project Overview, Residency Project One: Kristen Gandrow at Voice & Vision, Interview with the Dramaturg Kristen Gandrow, Residency Project Two: Brad Rothbart at INTAR Hispanic American Arts Center, Interview with the Dramaturg Brad Rothbart, Residency Project Three: Maxine Kern at New Dramatists, Interview with the Artistic Director Todd London, Interview with the Dramaturg Maxine Kern, Michele Volansky President-Elect of LMDA, LMDA at the Crossroads, Conference 2002 Vancouver, British Columbia, Conference Overview (tentative), LMDA Canada Report, The Musical Structure of Playwriting: A Planel Discussion, and Announcing our new Administrator Cynthia Croot. Issue editor: Gretchen Haleyhttps://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/lmdareview/1025/thumbnail.jp

Characterization of Blf4, an Archaeal Lytic Virus Targeting a Member of the Methanomicrobiales

Today, the number of known viruses infecting methanogenic archaea is limited. Here, we report on a novel lytic virus, designated Blf4, and its host strain Methanoculleus bourgensis E02.3, a methanogenic archaeon belonging to the Methanomicrobiales, both isolated from a commercial biogas plant in Germany. The virus consists of an icosahedral head 60 nm in diameter and a long non-contractile tail of 125 nm in length, which is consistent with the new isolate belonging to the Siphoviridae family. Electron microscopy revealed that Blf4 attaches to the vegetative cells of M. bourgensis E02.3 as well as to cellular appendages. Apart from M. bourgensis E02.3, none of the tested Methanoculleus strains were lysed by Blf4, indicating a narrow host range. The complete 37 kb dsDNA genome of Blf4 contains 63 open reading frames (ORFs), all organized in the same transcriptional direction. For most of the ORFs, potential functions were predicted. In addition, the genome of the host M. bourgensis E02.3 was sequenced and assembled, resulting in a 2.6 Mbp draft genome consisting of nine contigs. All genes required for a hydrogenotrophic lifestyle were predicted. A CRISPR/Cas system (type I-U) was identified with six spacers directed against Blf4, indicating that this defense system might not be very efficient in fending off invading Blf4 virus

How to specify healthcare process improvements collaboratively using rapid, remote consensus-building: a framework and a case study of its application.

BackgroundPractical methods for facilitating process improvement are needed to support high quality, safe care. How best to specify (identify and define) process improvements - the changes that need to be made in a healthcare process - remains a key question. Methods for doing so collaboratively, rapidly and remotely offer much potential, but are under-developed. We propose an approach for engaging diverse stakeholders remotely in a consensus-building exercise to help specify improvements in a healthcare process, and we illustrate the approach in a case study.MethodsOrganised in a five-step framework, our proposed approach is informed by a participatory ethos, crowdsourcing and consensus-building methods: (1) define scope and objective of the process improvement; (2) produce a draft or prototype of the proposed process improvement specification; (3) identify participant recruitment strategy; (4) design and conduct a remote consensus-building exercise; (5) produce a final specification of the process improvement in light of learning from the exercise. We tested the approach in a case study that sought to specify process improvements for the management of obstetric emergencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a brief video showing a process for managing a post-partum haemorrhage in women with COVID-19 to elicit recommendations on how the process could be improved. Two Delphi rounds were then conducted to reach consensus.ResultsWe gathered views from 105 participants, with a background in maternity care (n = 36), infection prevention and control (n = 17), or human factors (n = 52). The participants initially generated 818 recommendations for how to improve the process illustrated in the video, which we synthesised into a set of 22 recommendations. The consensus-building exercise yielded a final set of 16 recommendations. These were used to inform the specification of process improvements for managing the obstetric emergency and develop supporting resources, including an updated video.ConclusionsThe proposed methodological approach enabled the expertise and ingenuity of diverse stakeholders to be captured and mobilised to specify process improvements in an area of pressing service need. This approach has the potential to address current challenges in process improvement, but will require further evaluation

Stand conditions associated with tree regeneration in Sierran mixed-conifer forests

Fire suppression has significantly increased canopy cover, litter depth, and stem density in many western forests, altering microsite conditions that affect tree seedling establishment. We conducted studies in a mixed-conifer forest in the Sierra Nevada, California, to determine relationships between established understory trees and microsite quality, and to examine the effect of fire intensity and shrub cover on seedling establishment. Most of the conifer species were found on microsites with relatively high soil moisture and relatively low direct solar radiation. All species had greater frequency under shadier conditions except for Jeffrey pine, which was found on drier, more open microsites. Although seedlings were more abundant on mineral soil than expected, intact litter and forest floor was not a barrier to establishment. Mortality of planted seedlings was high, particularly in exposed areas. Although shrub cover may initially aid survival, few conifer saplings were present in shrub-dominated patches, possibly because shrubs can be aggressive competitors for soil moisture. The lack of regeneration, logs, or snags in many openings suggest that large gaps are hostile environments for tree seedlings. Results suggest that reductions in shrub cover may benefit tree establishment, but increasing understory light and decreasing surface soil moisture through canopy cover reductions may not. FOR. SCI. 51(3):198 –210.Keywords: Prunus emarginata, Old-growth, Abies magnifica, Natural regeneration, Pinus jeffreyi, Quercus kelloggii, Arctostaphylos patula, Pinus labertiana, Abies concolor, Calocedrus decurrens, Fire, Shrub competition, Ceanothus cordulatus, Microclimat

Introduction to Swiss Law

What are the origins of direct democracy in Switzerland? How does the Swiss judiciary function? What are the principles of Swiss civil, contract and administrative law? What is the role of public service broadcasting in the political decision-making process? What are the leading cases in tax law? What forms of euthanasia are legal in Switzerland? In this introduction 19 legal scholars of the University of Zurich Law Faculty try to answer these questions and give the reader an overview of Swiss public, private, and criminal law. As the first comprehensive introduction to Swiss law in English, it is addressed to both lawyers from abroad and incoming students to the University of Zurich

Energy efficiency and using less – a social sciences and humanities annotated bibliography

The challenge: * Technological progress and changes in energy supply are not sufficient for a transition to a low-carbon energy system; demand also needs to be considered. Energy efficiency and reducing total consumption - the topics of this bibliography - are typical elements of a demand side approach. * The uptake of energy efficient technologies, and understanding how we might use less energy, represent big challenges for researchers, policymakers, practitioners and end-users themselves. The aim: * European energy policy has so far mainly relied on research from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Energy-related Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) have been significantly underrepresented. This bibliography aims to discuss different disciplinary perspectives on energy efficiency and using less and to demonstrate their relevance for energy policy. Coverage: * A major focus of this bibliography is on behaviour and behavioural change. The bibliography highlights the diversity of end-users and their needs, the impacts they experience, abilities, as well as the range of sites where energy is consumed. * It also looks at how SSH research addresses more structural elements of demand - such as markets, institutions, and policy - and how these interact. Key findings: * There is no such thing as a one size fits all approach; different disciplines frame the problems of energy efficiency and using less differently, and do not always agree. Economics is very highly represented in research about energy efficiency, closely followed by Sociology. Other disciplines such as Urban Studies and Industrial Design are slowly becoming part of the work. * Most disciplines focus mainly on mainstream types of users and use. Fewer studies focus on the exceptions - deviants, others, non-users or energy poor, excessive users - or low-energy practices such as sleep, music making or sports. * Electricity is the main focus of most social science research on energy use and efficiency, possibly due to a focus on monitoring savings which is more difficult for gas and energy for hot water use. * There is an overrepresentation of work on feedback devices and smart meters, in contrast to more everyday technologies such as water heaters or washing machines. Several studies urge for more study of this everyday material culture because it strongly shapes how users can engage in using less or using more efficiently; some technologies are simply built to have high energy use. * Less research is done on the responsibility of stakeholders (other than the end-user) for the energy transition, especially the market. It is argued that markets are not neutral or depoliticised, but bear responsibility for the energy transition too. * Dominant areas of research include: a focus on the gap between awareness and actual energy behaviour action; and rebound effects, which may arise when increased energy efficiency leads to lower costs for energy which in turn may lead to increased energy consumption. * New areas of research include new demand side initiatives, services/business models and markets such as peer-to-peer, DIY, and community approaches to engagement. * Most demand side approaches in the policy domain focus on cost reduction, education and communication. Insights from Social Sciences such as Sociology, Anthropology, Urban studies, Ethics, and Science and Technology Studies see less uptake in the policy domain

The ADAMTS (A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin motifs) family

The ADAMTS (A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin motifs) enzymes are secreted, multi-domain matrix-associated zinc metalloendopeptidases that have diverse roles in tissue morphogenesis and patho-physiological remodeling, in inflammation and in vascular biology. The human family includes 19 members that can be sub-grouped on the basis of their known substrates, namely the aggrecanases or proteoglycanases (ADAMTS1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 15 and 20), the procollagen N-propeptidases (ADAMTS2, 3 and 14), the cartilage oligomeric matrix protein-cleaving enzymes (ADAMTS7 and 12), the von-Willebrand Factor proteinase (ADAMTS13) and a group of orphan enzymes (ADAMTS6, 10, 16, 17, 18 and 19). Control of the structure and function of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is a central theme of the biology of the ADAMTS, as exemplified by the actions of the procollagen-N-propeptidases in collagen fibril assembly and of the aggrecanases in the cleavage or modification of ECM proteoglycans. Defects in certain family members give rise to inherited genetic disorders, while the aberrant expression or function of others is associated with arthritis, cancer and cardiovascular disease. In particular, ADAMTS4 and 5 have emerged as therapeutic targets in arthritis. Multiple ADAMTSs from different sub-groupings exert either positive or negative effects on tumorigenesis and metastasis, with both metalloproteinase-dependent and -independent actions known to occur. The basic ADAMTS structure comprises a metalloproteinase catalytic domain and a carboxy-terminal ancillary domain, the latter determining substrate specificity and the localization of the protease and its interaction partners; ancillary domains probably also have independent biological functions. Focusing primarily on the aggrecanases and proteoglycanases, this review provides a perspective on the evolution of the ADAMTS family, their links with developmental and disease mechanisms, and key questions for the future

Wasting Breath in Hamlet

This is the final version. Available on open access from Palgrave via the DOI in this recordThis chapter draws on instances of disordered breathing in Hamlet in order to examine the cultural signifcance of sighs in the early modern period, as well as in the context of current work in the feld of medical humanities. Tracing the medical history of sighing in ancient and early modern treatises of the passions, the chapter argues that sighs, in the text and the performance of the tragedy, exceed their conventional interpretation as symptoms of pain and disrupt meaning on the page and on stage. In the light of New Materialist theory, the air circulating in Hamlet is shown to dismantle narratives of representation, posing new questions for the future of medical humanities