An investigation of the psbA and psbD gene products from higher plants

Imperial Users onl

Low-Stress Bicycling and Network Connectivity

For a bicycling network to attract the widest possible segment of the population, its most fundamental attribute should be low-stress connectivity, that is, providing routes between people’s origins and destinations that do not require cyclists to use links that exceed their tolerance for traffic stress, and that do not involve an undue level of detour. The objective of this study is to develop measures of low-stress connectivity that can be used to evaluate and guide bicycle network planning. We propose a set of criteria by which road segments can be classified into four levels of traffic stress (LTS). LTS 1 is suitable for children; LTS 2, based on Dutch bikeway design criteria, represents the traffic stress that most adults will tolerate; LTS 3 and 4 represent greater levels of stress. As a case study, every street in San Jose, California, was classified by LTS. Maps in which only bicycle-friendly links are displayed reveal a city divided into islands within which low-stress bicycling is possible, but separated from one another by barriers that can be crossed only by using high-stress links. Two points in the network are said to be connected at a given level of traffic stress if the subnetwork of links that do not exceed the specified level of stress connects them with a path whose length does not exceed a detour criterion (25% longer than the most direct path). For the network as a whole, we demonstrate two measures of connectivity that can be applied for a given level of traffic stress. One is “percent trips connected,” defined as the fraction of trips in the regional trip table that can be made without exceeding a specified level of stress and without excessive detour. This study used the home-to-work trip table, though in principle any trip table, including all trips, could be used. The second is “percent nodes connected,” a cruder measure that does not require a regional trip table, but measures the fraction of nodes in the street network (mostly street intersections) that are connected to each other. Because traffic analysis zones (TAZs) are too coarse a geographic unit for evaluating connectivity by bicycle, we also demonstrate a method of disaggregating the trip table from the TAZ level to census blocks. For any given TAZ, origins in the home-to-work trip table are allocated in proportion to population, while destinations are allocated based on land-use data. In the base case, the fraction of work trips up to six miles long that are connected at LTS 2 is 4.7%, providing a plausible explanation for the city’s low bicycling share. We show that this figure would almost triple if a proposed slate of improvements, totaling 32 miles in length but with strategically placed segments that provide low-stress connectivity across barriers, were implemented

THE PACIFIC RIM BEEF TRADE: IMPACTS OF LIFTING FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE TRADE BARRIERS

International Relations/Trade,

The nature and structure of the white-reflecting underside ‘scales’ on the hind wing of Pseudolestes mirabilis (Odonata: Pseudolestidae)

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.The Hainanese endemic damselfly, Pseudolestes mirabilis, is unique among the Odonata in having brilliant silvery-white reflective areas on the underside of the hind wings in mature males. The light reflected is easily seen to be several times brighter than that from normal white pruinescence. The hind wing upsides have a striking coppery appearance due to the filtering of light reflected from the inside of the reflective area through bright amber tinted wing membranes, colour which results from small amounts of melanin in those parts of the membrane. Visual signals are thus produced from both sides of the wing and may be used to advertise territory occupancy while perched, as well as having an obvious semiotic function in aerial agonistic displays between pairs of males. The structure consists of a deep layer of long, parallel, flat wax fibres, secreted from the faces of cross-veins in individual wing cells over the affected areas. This is a spectacular and novel mode of cuticular wax secretion. The structure adds about 23–27% to the mass of the hind wing, which may explain its unusual shape and shortness. However this character is also present in females, which lack the wax fibres, hence it may be an unusual example of an epigametic male trait being partially expressed in females.P. Vukusic and M.R. Nixon acknowledge the financial support of AFOSR grant FA9550-10-1-0020

Biological vulnerability to depression: Linked structural and functional brain network findings

Background: Patients in recovery following episodes of major depressive disorder (MDD) remain highly vulnerable to future recurrence. Although psychological determinants of this risk are well established, little is known about associated biological mechanisms. Recent work has implicated the default mode network (DMN) in this vulnerability but specific hypotheses remain untested within the high risk, recovered state of MDD. Aims: To test the hypothesis that there is excessive DMN functional connectivity during task performance within recovered-state MDD and to test for connected DMN cortical gyrification abnormalities. Method: A multimodal structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, including task-based functional connectivity and cortical folding analysis, comparing 20 recoveredstate patients with MDD with 20 matched healthy controls. Results: The MDD group showed significant task-based DMN hyperconnectivity, associated with hypogyrification of key DMN regions (bilateral precuneus). Conclusions: This is the first evidence of connected structural and functional DMN abnormalities in recovered-state MDD, supporting recent hypotheses on biological-level vulnerability

RiCORE: risk-based consenting of offshore renewable energy projects.

This presentation introduces the context and purpose of the RiCORE project

Developing a National Design Scoreboard

Recognising the growing importance of design, this paper reports on the development of an approach to measuring design at a national level. A series of measures is proposed, that are based around a simplified model of design as a system at a national level. This model was developed though insights from literature and a workshop with government, industry and design sector representatives. Detailed data on design in the UK is presented to highlight the difficulties in collecting reliable and robust data. Evidence is compared with four countries (Spain, Canada, Korea and Sweden). This comparison highlights the inherent difficulties in comparing performance and a revised set of measures is proposed. Finally, an approach to capturing design spend at a firm level is proposed, based on insights from literature and case studies. Keywords: National Design System, Design Performance</p