1,245 research outputs found
The swine flu alert: keeping Asia safe
After years of concern about H5N1 bird flu, the new flu causing global alarm is a pig virus of the H1N1 family. As influenza reports erupt around the world, inevitable questions are arising. Is this the big one? Are we prepared
Technological requirements for solutions in the conservation and protection of historic monuments and archaeological remains
Executive summary: This Study has discovered many achievements associated with European support for
scientific and technological research for the protection and conservation of cultural
heritage. The achievements to date are:
1. Creation of an active research community
2. A body of research of unparalleled and enviable international quality and character
3. Ongoing effectiveness of research beyond initial funding
4. Substantial rate of publication
5. Imaginative tools of dissemination and publication
6. Clear spin-offs and contribution to European competitiveness often going outside
the European cultural heritage area
7. Contribution to emerging European legislation, for example, air quality
management.
The Study has also uncovered important research gaps associated with this field that have
yet to begin to be investigated. It has also discovered the need for continuing fine scale
advancement in areas where researchers have been active for a number of years. The
overall picture is that European research in the field of cultural heritage protection must be
put on a secure footing if it is to maintain its commanding lead over other regions of the
world.
This Study concludes that:
1. It would be invidious to attempt to separate basic and applied research in this area
of research. Like any other scientific endeavour, this field needs to integrate basic
and applied research if it is to continue to thrive.
2. Small, flexible, focused interdisciplinary teams responsive to European needs, must
be sustained, promoted and celebrated as models of sustainability and that what is
proposed under the European Research Area (ERA) for large and complex
research projects, could inflict serious damage on this area of research.
3. Resources cannot be delegated to Member States because of the interdisciplinary
nature of cultural heritage and the need for a co-ordinated pan-European
perspective across this research that helps to define the essential character of
European cultural heritage. National programmes only serve local needs, leading
to loss of strategic output, lessening of competitiveness and risk of duplication.
4. A mechanism needs to be created to help researchers working in this field to
communicate and exchange information with related sectors such as construction,
urban regeneration, land reclamation and agriculture.
5. There is overwhelming agreement over the need for sustainable research funding
for cultural heritage and for an iterative process of exchange among researchers,
decision-makers and end-users in order to maximize benefits from project
inception through to dissemination, audit and review.
For all the reasons mentioned above, the most significant recommendation in this Report is
the identification of the need for a European Panel on the Application of Science for Cultural Heritage (EPASCH)
Jabuka Shoal, a New Location with Igneous Rocks in the Adriatic Sea
Petrographic and XRF analyses of the magmatic rock from Jabuka Shoal, 2300 m west of Jabuka Islet (central Adriatic Sea) revealed that the rock is gabbro. This new location of magmatic rocks in the Adriatic confirms their linear arrangement, and indicates the presence of an important fault line which predisposed the occurrences of magmatic rocks
Do disruptive visions pay off?
Entrepreneurs often articulate a vision for their venture that purports to fundamentally change, disturb, or re-order the ways in which organizations, markets, and ecosystems operate. We call these visions disruptive visions. Neglected in both the disruption and the impression management literature, disruptive visions are widespread in business practice. We integrate real options and impression management theories to hypothesize that articulating a disruptive vision raises expectations of extraordinary returns, which in turn increases the likelihood of receiving funding, but reduces the amount of funding obtained. A novel dataset of Israeli start-ups shows that a standard deviation increase in disruptive vision communication increases the odds of receiving a first round of funding by 22 percent, but reduces amounts of funds received by 24 percent. A randomized online experiment corroborates these findings and further shows expectation of extraordinary returns as the key mechanism driving investors’ sensemaking
Esterase activity and isoenzymes in relation to morphogenesis in Mammillaria gracillis Pfeiff. tissue culture
Cactus Mammillaria gracillis Pfeiff. (Cactaceae), cultivated in vitro, spontaneously switches from an organised to unorganised way of growth, producing a habituated organogenic callus which regenerates normal and hyperhydric shoots without the addition of any growth regulators. Tumour tissues, induced by A. tumefaciens wild strain B6S3 (tumour TW) and rooty mutant GV3101 (tumour TR), do not express any organogenic potential. The esterase (arylesterase EC 3.1.1.2 and carboxylesterase EC 3.1.1.1) activity and isoenzyme pattern of morphologically different cactus tissues: shoot, callus, hyperhydric regenerant, tumours TW and TR, were compared. Tissue samples were frozen at –80 °C and lyophilized before protein extraction. Two esterase substrates, 1- and 2-naphthylacetate, were used. Esterase activity of all tissues varied during the period of one subculture. In shoots and tumours, the highest esterase activity for both substrates was measured on the 21st day, while in the callus and hyperhydric regenerants the highest activity was on the 7th day. Esterases were separated electrophoretically in polyacrylamide gradient gels under non-denaturating conditions. In total, 13 isoesterases, reacting with both substrates, were resolved. No differences in isoenzyme profile were noticed in correlation with the age of tissues, but the esterase activity varied among tissues. The significance of these results is discussed
Esterase activity and isoenzymes in relation to morphogenesis in Mammillaria gracillis Pfeiff. tissue culture
Cactus Mammillaria gracillis Pfeiff. (Cactaceae), cultivated in vitro, spontaneously switches from an organised to unorganised way of growth, producing a habituated organogenic callus which regenerates normal and hyperhydric shoots without the addition of any growth regulators. Tumour tissues, induced by A. tumefaciens wild strain B6S3 (tumour TW) and rooty mutant GV3101 (tumour TR), do not express any organogenic potential. The esterase (arylesterase EC 3.1.1.2 and carboxylesterase EC 3.1.1.1) activity and isoenzyme pattern of morphologically different cactus tissues: shoot, callus, hyperhydric regenerant, tumours TW and TR, were compared. Tissue samples were frozen at –80 °C and lyophilized before protein extraction. Two esterase substrates, 1- and 2-naphthylacetate, were used. Esterase activity of all tissues varied during the period of one subculture. In shoots and tumours, the highest esterase activity for both substrates was measured on the 21st day, while in the callus and hyperhydric regenerants the highest activity was on the 7th day. Esterases were separated electrophoretically in polyacrylamide gradient gels under non-denaturating conditions. In total, 13 isoesterases, reacting with both substrates, were resolved. No differences in isoenzyme profile were noticed in correlation with the age of tissues, but the esterase activity varied among tissues. The significance of these results is discussed
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