Do UK universities communicate their brands effectively through their websites?

This paper attempts to explore the effectiveness of UK universities’ websites. The area of branding in higher education has received increasing academic investigation, but little work has researched how universities demonstrate their brand promises through their websites. The quest to differentiate through branding can be challenging in the university context, however. It is argued that those institutions that have a strong distinctive image will be in a better position to face a changing future. Employing a multistage methodology, the web pages of twenty UK universities were investigated by using a combination of content and multivariable analysis. Results indicated ‘traditional values’ such as teaching and research were often well communicated in terms of online brand but ‘emotional values’ like social responsibility and the universities’ environments were less consistently communicated, despite their increased topicality. It is therefore suggested that emotional values may offer a basis for possible future online differentiation

The peptide N alpha-(L-alanyl-D-isoglutaminyl)-N epsilon-(D-isoasparaginyl)-L-lysyl-D-alanine and the disaccharide N-acetylglucosaminyl-beta-1,4-N-acetylmuramic acid in cell wall peptidoglycan of Streptococcus faecalis strain ATCC 9790

A major portion of the cell wall peptidoglycan in Streptococcus faecalis is composed of the disaccharide tetrapeptide β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyl-N-acetylmuramyl-Nα-(L-alanyl-D-isoglutaminyl)-L-lysyl-D-alanine. The tetrapeptides are cross-linked through single D-isoasparaginyl residues extending from the C-terminal D-alanine of one tetrapeptide unit to the Nє-terminal L-lysine of another. It is the first time that the occurrence of an isoasparaginyl residue in a natural product has been described. The Streptomyces SA en-dopeptidase cleaves D-alanyl-D-isoasparaginyl linkages and is thus the first enzyme known to hydrolyze D-D peptide bonds. Treatment of the disaccharide Nα-( L-alanyl-D-isoglutaminyl)-N є-(D-isoasparaginyl)- L-lysil-D-alanine with 10 equiv of NaOH at 37° for 1 hr results in deamidation of the isoasparaginyl residue together with migration of the aspartyl-lysine peptide bond giving rise to a mixture of Nє-(β-aspartyl)- and N є-(α-aspartyl)lysyl peptides. Under the same alkaline treatment, the N-acetylmuramyl residue undergoes a lactyl elimination which results in the production of acyl peptides and a Morgan-Elson prochromogenic compound, without hydrolysis of the glycosidic linkage. This conversion, interpreted to be the result of a β elimination, also occurs in the other disaccharide peptide monomers previously isolated from Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus roseus, and Streptococcus pyogenes

Abbrandgeschwindigkeit von Vollholz, Brettschichtholz und Holzwerkstoffen Schlussbericht fuer die Zeit vom 01.06.89 bis 31.07.92

Available from TIB Hannover: RN5905(2484) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman

Restoration of blood flow by using continuous perimuscular infiltration of plasmid DNA encoding subterranean mole rat Spalax ehrenbergi VEGF

The optimal vector, regulatory sequences, and method of delivery of angiogenic gene therapy are of considerable interest. The Spalax ehrenbergi superspecies live in subterranean burrows at low oxygen tensions and its tissues are highly vascularized. We tested whether continuous perimuscular administration of Spalax vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) DNA could increase tissue perfusion in a murine hindlimb ischemia model. Placebo or VEGF ± internal ribosome entry site (IRES) was continuously administrated perimuscularly in the ischemic zone by using an infusion pump. None of the mice in the VEGF-treated group (>50 μg) developed visible necrosis vs. 33% of the placebo group. Microscopic necrosis was observed only in the placebo group. Spalax VEGF muscular infiltration resulted in a faster and more complete restoration of blood flow. The restoration of blood flow by VEGF was dose-dependent and more robust and rapid when using the VEGF–IRES elements. The flow restoration using continuous perimuscular infiltration was faster than single i.m. injections. Vessel density was higher in the VEGF and VEGF–IRES (−) groups compared with the placebo. Continuous perimuscular administration of angiogenic gene therapy offers a new approach to restore blood flow to an ischemic limb. Incorporation of an IRES element may assist in the expression of transgenes delivered to ischemic tissues. Further studies are needed to determine whether VEGF from the subterranean mole rat Spalax VEGF is superior to VEGF from other species. If so, 40 million years of Spalax evolution underground, including adaptive hypoxia tolerance, may prove important to human angiogenic gene therapy