Proper-Time Resolution Modelling

The paper reports on a study of the resolution of the proper-time of the B0 and B+ mesons. The decay modes used are B+ --> J/psi(mu+mu-) K+ and B0 --> J/psi(mu+mu-) K*(K+pi-) and their conjugates. A resolution model based on the proper-time residuals and the corresponding per-event error is proposed and results are presented on the two decay modes studied. While the model still requires further refinement the approach presented appears promising

Strategic Niche Management (SNM) beyond sustainability. An exploration of key findings of SNM through the lens of ICT and privacy

Recently the governance of socio-technical transitions to sustainability is gaining attention in the field of innovation studies. One particular approach is that of Strategic Niche Management (SNM), which advocates the creation of protected space to experiment with radically new sustainable socio-technical practices. This paper contributes by asking whether this approach is also useful for analysis and governance of other types of socially desirable change. This question is addressed through a review of six key-findings of Strategic Niche Management and an original case study in the field of Near Field Communication (NFC) technologies for mobile payment. The social value at stake in this case is not sustainability but privacy. We draw three main conclusions. First, we find that the key-findings and concepts in SNM for sustainability are helpful to understand and interpret much of the data collected for the NFC case and privacy. However, there are notable differences in each of the key-findings, i.e findings related to a) the local-global distinction in SNM, b) expectations, c) social networks, d) learning, e) protection, and f) niche-regime interactions. Second, in relation to governance, the role of sustainability values (being a promising value to pursue) and privacy values (being a bottom-line value to defend) are notably different. Third, these differences result in different roles of public bodies in niche development. The paper ends with discussing the consequences for SNM for sustainability research and future research topics.Strategic Niche Management, sustainability, NFC, mobile payment, privacy

Immunological Strategies to Study GRP170 in Caenorhabditis elegans

Characterization of the ER protein folding chaperone GRP170 of Caenorhabditis elegans could be greatly facilitated by an antibody which recognized the chaperone. Antibodies have not been raised against nematode GRP170. Groups have prepared polyclonal antibodies against vertebrate forms of GRP170. My thesis goal was to investigate whether anti-vertebrate GRP170 antibodies can recognize the nematode homologue on a standard Western Blot assay. Sequences of antigens that groups used to generate anti-vertebrate GRP170 antibodies were analyzed. Peptides used by Ruan et al. (2013), which correspond to regions of human GRP170, shared greatest sequence similarity with nematode GRP170. I investigated whether the Ruan GRP170 antibody recognized nematode protein on Western Blots. I extracted mouse liver proteins and whole worm proteins from C. elegans, separated proteins by SDS-PAGE, transferred proteins to a PVDF membrane, and probed membranes with the Ruan anti-human GRP170 antibody. Although this antibody did recognize a high molecular weight mouse protein, it did not bind to an equivalent high molecular weight C. elegans protein. This antibody would have limited utility for studies of nematode GRP170. Isoform-specific antibodies generated against C. elegans GRP170 proteins would be valuable tools to differentiate the functions of the two GRP170 isoforms. I analyzed amino acid sequences of the two GRP170 isoforms of C. elegans. I identified two peptides in a highly-diverged region of C. elegans GRP170, possible isoform specific antigens. Antibodies raised against these peptides could show isoform specific recognition and be useful for characterizing the two-gene, two-protein GRP170 system in C. elegans

DEVELOPMENT OF VIRTUAL EVENT MARKETING

In the last few years the Pichia pastoris expression system has been gaining more and more interest for the expression of recombinant proteins. Many groups have employed fermentation technology in their investigations because the system is fairly easy to scale up and suitable for the production in the milligram to gram range. A large number of heterologous proteins from different sources has been expressed, but the fermentation process technology has been investigated to a lesser extent. A large number of fermentations are carried out in standard bioreactors that may be insufficiently equipped to meet the demands of high-cell-density fermentations of methylotrophic yeasts. In particular, the lack of on-line methanol analysis leads to fermentation protocols that may impair the optimal expression of the desired products. We have used a commercially available methanol sensor to investigate in detail the effects of supplementary glycerol feeding while maintaining a constant methanol concentration during the induction of a Mut+ strain of Pichia pastoris. Specific glycerol feed rates in the range of 38-4.2 mg × g(exp -1) × h(exp -1) (mg glycerol per gram fresh weight per hour) were investigated. Expression of the recombinant scFv antibody fragment was only observed at specific feed rates below 6 mg × g(exp -1) × h(exp -1). At low specific feed rates, growth was even lower than with methanol as the sole carbon source and the harvest expression level of the scFv was only half of that found in the control fermentation. These results show that glycerol inhibits expression driven by the AOX1 promoter even at extremely limited availability and demonstrate the benefits of on-line methanol control in Pichia fermentation research

Depressed youth, suicidality and antidepressants

The document attached has been archived with permission from the editor of the Medical Journal of Australia. An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Robert D Goldney, Peter R Mansfield, Melissa K Raven, Jon N Jureidini, Joseph M Rey, Michael J Dudley, Duncan Toplis

Wave resistance minimisation in practical ship design

A practical and efficient system is described for ship hull form optimisation and its application for minimising wave resistance. Parametric hull form deformations are defined in a CAD system, specific for the case considered and related with flow aspects to be addressed. Surrogate-based global optimisation is applied for multi-objective problems, such as optimisation for a ship’s operational profile

Unhappiness, health and cognitive ability in old age

Background To test whether scores on depression inventories on entry to a longitudinal study predict mental ability over the next 4–16 years. Method Associations between scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and on tests of intelligence, vocabulary and memory were analysed in 5070 volunteers aged 49–93 years after differences in prescribed drug consumption, death and drop-out, sex, socio-economic advantage and recruitment cohort effects had also been considered. Results On all cognitive tasks Beck scores on entry, even in the range 0–7 indicating differences in above average contentment, affected overall levels of cognitive performance but not rates of age-related cognitive decline suggesting effects of differences in life satisfaction rather than in depression. Conclusions A new finding is that, in old age, increments in life satisfaction are associated with better cognitive performance. Implications for interpreting associations between depression inventory scores and cognitive performance in elderly samples are discussed