Underperforming policy networks : the biopesticides network in the United Kingdom

Loosely integrated and incomplete policy networks have been neglected in the literature. They are important to consider in terms of understanding network underperformance. The effective delivery and formulation of policy requires networks that are not incomplete or underperforming. The biopesticides policy network in the United Kingdom is considered and its components identified with an emphasis on the lack of integration of retailers and environmental groups. The nature of the network constrains the actions of its agents and frustrates the achievement of policy goals. A study of this relatively immature policy network also allows for a focus on network formation. The state, via an external central government department, has been a key factor in the development of the network. Therefore, it is important to incorporate such factors more systematically into understandings of network formation. Feedback efforts from policy have increased interactions between productionist actors but the sphere of consumption remains insufficiently articulated

The Illuminati Reflected In Dan Brown’s Angels And Demons (2000): A Marxist Approach

ABSTRACT This study is about The Illuminati Reflected in Dan Brown’s Angels And Demons (2000), which is analyzed by using Marxist approach.The objectives of the study are to identify the members, the power of Illuminati and the reasons of Illuminati-Catholic conflicts could happen. This research belongs to qualitative research. The primary data of this research is Angels and Demons novel by Dan Brown, while the secondary data of this research is other sources related to the study, such as: virtual sources and other printed materials that support this research. The researcher draws three conclusions in this research. First, Illuminati have members such as scientist, government, banker and the artists. Second, the power of Illuminati is from their money, brotherhood with Masonic, and their position. Third, the reasons of Illuminati-Catholic conflict could happen because their stereotypes from Church toward Science and vice versa. Keywords: Illuminati, Angels and Demons, Marxist

Turbulence requirements of a commerical CFD code

This viewgraph presentation gives a profile of Advanced Scientific Computing (ASC) Ltd., applications, clients and clients' needs, ASC's directions, and how the Center for Modeling of Turbulence and Transition (CMOTT) can help

The 'Goldilocks Zone': getting the measure of manual asymmetries

Some studies have shown that manual asymmetries decrease in older age. These results have often been explained with reference to models of reduced hemispheric specialisation. An alternative explanation, however, is that hand differences are subtle, and capturing them requires tasks that yield optimal performance with both hands. Whereas the hemispheric specialisation account implies that reduced manual asymmetries should be reliably observed in older adults, the ‘measurement difficulty’ account suggests that manual asymmetries will be hard to detect unless a task has just the right level of difficulty – i.e. within the ‘Goldilocks Zone’, where it is not too easy or too hard, but just right. Experiment One tested this hypothesis and found that manual asymmetries were only detected when participants performed in this zone; specifically, performance on a tracing task was only superior in the preferred hand when task constraints were high (i.e. fast speed tracing). Experiment Two used three different tasks to examine age differences in manual asymmetries; one task produced no asymmetries, whilst two tasks revealed asymmetries in both younger and older groups (with poorer overall performance in the old group across all tasks). Experiment Three revealed task-dependent asymmetries in both age groups, but highlighted further detection difficulties linked with the metric of performance and compensatory strategies used by participants. Results are discussed with reference to structural learning theory, whereby we suggest that the processes of inter-manual transfer lead to relatively small performance differences between the hands (despite a strong phenomenological sense of performance disparities)

Structure of the GDP-Pi complex of Gly203→Ala G(iα1): a mimic of the ternary product complex of Galpha-catalyzed GTP hydrolysis

Background: G proteins play a vital role in transmembrane signalling events. In their inactive form G proteins exist as heterotrimers consisting of an α subunit, complexed with GDP and a dimer of βγ subunits. Upon stimulation by receptors, G protein α subunits exchange GDP for GTP and dissociate from βγ. Thus activated, α subunits stimulate or inhibit downstream effectors. The duration of the activated state corresponds to the single turnover rate of GTP hydrolysis, which is typically in the range of seconds. In G(iα1), the Gly203→Ala mutation reduces the affinity of the substrate for Mg2+, inhibits a key conformational step that occurs upon GTP binding and consequently inhibits the release of βγ subunits from the GTP complex. The structure of the Gly203→Ala mutant of G(iα1) (G203AG(iα1)) bound to the slowly hydrolyzing analog of GTP (GTPγS) has been determined in order to elucidate the structural changes that take place during hydrolysis. Results: We have determined the three dimensional structure of a Gly203→Ala mutant of G(iα1) at 2.6 Å resolution. Although crystals were grown in the presence of GTPγS and Mg2+, the catalytic site contains a molecule of GDP and a phosphate ion, but no Mg2+. The phosphate ion is bound to a site near that occupied by the γ-phosphate of GTPγS in the activated wild-type α subunit. A region of the protein, termed the Switch II helix, twists and bends to adopt a conformation that is radically different from that observed in other G(iα1) subunit complexes. Conclusions: Under the conditions of crystallization, the Gly203→Ala mutation appears to stabilize a conformation that may be similar, although perhaps not identical, to the transient ternary product complex of G(iα1)-catalyzed GTP hydrolysis. The rearrangement of the Switch II helix avoids a potential static conflict caused by the mutation. However, it appears that dissociation of the γ-phosphate from the pentacoordinate intermediate also requires a conformational change in Switch II. Thus, a conformational rearrangement of the Switch II helix may be required in Gα-catalyzed GTP hydrolysis

Kinematic measures provide useful information after intracranial aneurysm treatment

Introduction; Current methods of assessing the outcomes of intracranial aneurysm treatment for aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage are relatively insensitive, and thus unlikely to detect subtle deficits. Failures to identify cognitive and motor outcomes of intracranial aneurysm treatment might prevent delivery of optimal post-operative care. There are also concerns over risks associated with using intracranial aneurysm treatment as a preventative measure. Methods; We explored whether our kinematic tool would yield useful information regarding motor/cognitive function in patients who underwent intracranial aneurysm treatment for aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage or unruptured aneurysm. Computerised kinematic motor and learning tasks were administered alongside standardised clinical outcome measures of cognition and functional ability, in 10 patients, as a pilot trial. Tests at post-intracranial aneurysm treatment discharge and six-week follow-up were compared to see which measures detected changes. Results; Kinematic tests captured significant improvements from discharge to six-week follow-up, indexed by reduced motor errors and improved learning. Increased Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-Revised scores reflected some recovery of memory function for most individuals, but other standardised cognitive measures, functional outcome scores and a psychological questionnaire showed no changes. Conclusions; Kinematic measures can identify variation in performance in individuals with only slightly improved abilities post-intracranial aneurysm treatment. These measures may provide a sensitive way to explore post-operative outcomes following intracranial aneurysm treatment, or other similar surgical procedures

Triggering Cell Stress and Death Using Conventional UV Laser Confocal Microscopy.

Using a standard confocal setup, a UV ablation method can be utilized to selectively induce cellular injury and to visualize single-cell responses and cell-cell interactions in the CNS in real-time. Previously, studying these cell-specific responses after injury often required complicated setups or the transfer of cells or animals into different, non-physiological environments, confounding immediate and short-term analysis. For example, drug-mediated ablation approaches often lack the specificity that is required to study single-cell responses and immediate cell-cell interactions. Similarly, while high-power pulsed laser ablation approaches provide very good control and tissue penetration, they require specialized equipment that can complicate real-time visualization of cellular responses. The refined UV laser ablation approach described here allows researchers to stress or kill an individual cell in a dose- and time-dependent manner using a conventional confocal microscope equipped with a 405-nm laser. The method was applied to selectively ablate a single neuron within a dense network of surrounding cells in the zebrafish spinal cord. This approach revealed a dose-dependent response of the ablated neurons, causing the fragmentation of cellular bodies and anterograde degeneration along the axon within minutes to hours. This method allows researchers to study the fate of an individual dying cell and, importantly, the instant response of cells-such as microglia and astrocytes-surrounding the ablation site