Critical exponents of directed percolation measured in spatiotemporal intermittency

A new experimental system showing a transition to spatiotemporal intermittency is presented. It consists of a ring of hundred oscillating ferrofluidic spikes. Four of five of the measured critical exponents of the system agree with those obtained from a theoretical model of directed percolation.Comment: 7 pages, 12 figures, submitted to PR

Mobility as social participation : a case study from the Netherlands

This paper analyses the current use of mobility means and evaluates an innovative mobility solution proposal that aimed to enable elderly people to participate in the local community in the Trynwâlden in the Netherlands First, qualitative user research methods (interview and cultural probes) were used to understand the current user experience. A total of five elderly Trynwâlden citizens, aged between 60 to 86 and mixed males and females, participated in this research. Then, a field test using an experiential prototype (the Skewiel Mobiel (see figure 1) with a simple service outline and a GPS to monitor the trip statistics) was conducted to evaluate the intended solution. In total 25 different users (17 females, 8 males, between 60 to 86 years old) took 32 rides. Figure 1: The Skewiel Mobiel The use research results identified four elderly mobility levels and the associated transport means (Table 1). The level of mobility is very much determined by the physical disabilities or impairments of the elderly people. Table 1 Mobility levels and transport means Mobility level: Transport means Very mobile: Bicycle, car, bus Mobile: Walker, scootmobiel, taxi Insufficient mobile: Walker, taxi Immobile: None The field test results showed: a) Mostly rides with short distances to shops or to friends or family b) The importance of personal contact with the driver and the co-travellers The new proposal was very interesting for elderly with insufficient mobility and immobility to stay more connected with the local community. Furthermore opportunities could be created for, e.g. local shops and attractions, to create mobility services for social participation. The results also suggested that design and action research methods are more suitable when evaluating a yet to be developed solution compared to traditional user research methods

City branding and social inclusion in the glocal city

This article begins with a re-assessment of city branding that focuses on the marketing strategies routinely employed to promote a competitive identity for the contemporary ‘glocal’ city, before moving on to the issue of social inclusion. Combining a socio-semiotic approach with recent insights from urban studies, it explores a sample of 12 British city council websites to discuss to what extent web-mediated communication, within the modernisation agenda espoused by local authorities, may effectively help to represent and give voice to today’s multicultural and migrant urban communities. The article adopts a critical reading of municipal websites with the aim of understanding how a social inclusion agenda can be incorporated into the authoritative and functional discourse typically used by the sites and proposes that the onset of new interactive technologies, such as blogs and social networks, do have significant democratic potential in this respect, even though their incorporation into the sites is still at a preliminary stage. As such, the article is concerned with how flows of information and people are coming together in the early twenty-first century and transforming what began as a static textual/discursive space into one that is responsive to the flux of the contemporary city. At the time of writing, this is very much a communication revolution in the making, with the new interactive portals sitting somewhat awkwardly alongside information-based web pages and links. In addition, the article investigates the ways in which the sites attempt to present their cities as diasporic, cosmopolitan and ‘glocalized’ spaces, paying particular attention to the subjugated discourse of migration and the way that the cities’ non-white population is fixed and bounded by aesthetic and discursive means.Maria Cristina Paganon

Geographical variation of gene diversity of Pinus pinaster Ait. in the Iberian Peninsula

International audienceThe geographical variation of 25 native populations of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) was studied using ten allozymes encoded by 16 loci. A phylogenetic tree based on Nei’s unbiased genetic distance and a Mantel’s randomization test were made. Geostatistical analysis was used for describing in more detail spatial patterns of gene frequencies. The phylogenetic analysis found a clear clustering in northwestern populations and a complex pattern, with two differentiated groups, in the southeastern and eastern regions. Clinal trends of variation and fine-scale spatial structure were detected by geostatistical analysis. Directional clinal variation was found from south to north and, though to a lesser extend, from east to west. This pattern was stronger when populations were separated by more than 250 km. The long-distance founder events during postglacial spread and the orientation of the main mountain ranges are proposed to be the main causes of the geographical structure of this species

Tools to evaluate estrogenic potency of dietary phytoestrogens: A consensus paper from the eu thematic network "Phytohealth" (QLKI-2002-2453)

Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring plantderived polyphenols with estrogenic potency. They are ubiquitous in diet and therefore, generally consumed. Among Europeans, the diet is rich in multiple putative phytoestrogens including flavonoids, tannins, stilbenoids, and lignans. These compounds have been suggested to provide beneficial effects on multiple menopause-related conditions as well as on development of hormone-dependent cancers, which has increased the interest in products and foods with high phytoestrogen content. However, phytoestrogens may as well have adverse estrogenicity related effects similar to any estrogen. Therefore, the assessment of estrogenic potency of dietary compounds is of critical importance. Due to the complex nature of estrogenicity, no single comprehensive test approach is available. Instead, several in vitro and in vivo assays are applied to evaluate estrogenic potency. In vitro estrogen receptor (ER) binding assays provide information on the ability of the compound to I) interact with ERs, II) bind to estrogen responsive element on promoter of the target gene as ligand-ER complex, and III) interact between the co-activator and ERs in ligand-dependent manner. In addition, transactivation assays in cells screen for ligand-induced ERmediated gene activation. Biochemical in vitro analysis can be used to test for possible effects on protein activities and E-screen assays to measure (anti)proliferative response in estrogen responsive cells. However, for assessment of estrogenicity in organs and tissues, in vivo approaches are essential. In females, the uterotrophic assay is applicable for testing ERa agonistic and antagonistic dietary compounds in immature or adult ovariectomized animals. In addition, mammary gland targeted estrogenicity can be detected as stimulated ductal elongation and altered formation of terminal end buds in immature or peripubertal animals. In males, Hershberger assay in peri-pubertal castrated rats can be used to detect (anti)androgenic/ (anti)estrogenic responses in accessory sex glands and other hormone regulated tissues. In addition to these short-term assays, sub-acute and chronic reproductive toxicity assays as well as two-generation studies can be applied for phytoestrogens to confirm their safety in long-term use. For reliable assessment of estrogenicity of dietary phytoestrogens in vivo, special emphasis should be focused on selection of the basal diet, route and doses of administration, and possible metabolic differences between the species used and humans. In conclusion, further development and standardization of the estrogenicity test methods are needed for better interpretation of both the potential benefits and risks of increasing consumption of phytoestrogens from diets and supplements

A survey of ATRIPLA use in clinical practice as first-line therapy in HIV-positive persons in Europe

ATRIPLA is licensed for use only in HIV-positive persons whose viral loads <50 for 653 months. We investigated the use of ATRIPLA as first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) in EuroSIDA using a web-based survey performed in Autumn 2012. 96/112 clinics (85.7 %) completed the survey. Recommendations when initiating first-line ART was TRUVADA plus efavirenz in 36 (37.5 %), ATRIPLA in 35 (36.5 %), a different first-line regimen in 12 clinics (12.5 %), and no recommendation in 7 clinics (7.3 %). ATRIPLA was commonest in Northern (15/21 clinics; 71.4 %), and least common in Eastern Europe (2/31 clinics; 6.5 %; p < 0.0001). Over one-third of the participating clinics in this survey were using ATRIPLA as first-line antiretroviral therapy, despite EMA recommendations. \ua9 2014 The Author(s)