Economic development as design: Insight and guidance through the PSI framework

Economic development is aimed at improving the lives of people in the developing world, and needs to be carried out with design at its heart, but this has often not been the case. This paper first reviews dominant approaches to economic development including the use of subsidies or the creation of markets and demand and the testing of initiatives using randomized control trials. It then introduces ‘development engineering’ as a representative engineering design approach to engineering and technology in development before presenting the view that successful development needs to involve continual learning through innovation in context. The PSI (problem social institutional) framework is presented as a basis for guiding such development as a design activity, and its application is illustrated using examples from India of the unsuccessful introduction of new cooking stoves and then both successful and unsuccessful approaches to rural electrification. A 2-level approach to PSI is taken, in which the lower level represents daily operation of communities and the 2nd level represents the development project including addressing misalignments between the different PSI spaces and levels

The Science of Life: Exploration Through Agriculture—IPM/agricultural curriculum for elementary school students

The NYS IPM Program is collaborating with the NY Agriculture in the Classroom Program to produce elementary school curricula that teach children agricultural concepts through an IPM, science-based approach. The curriculum, titled The Science of Life: Exploration through Agriculture, consists of a yearlong series of classroom lessons and activities, with extensive teacher support materials

La ribonucleasa P DE Bacillus subtilis : una enzima con un ARN catalítico

La ribonucleasa P es la enzima responsable de madurar el término 5' de losprecursores de los ácidos ribonucleicos de transferencia (ARNt). Eneubacterias, consta de dos componentes, uno proteico y uno ribonucleico (Stark et al., 1978). El gen que define el componente ribonucleico de la ARNasa P de Bacillus subtilís fue clonado y su secuencia determinada. In vivoy en condiciones fisiológicas in vitro, ambos componentes son necesarios paraefectuar catálisis. Sin embargo, a altas concentraciones de iones mono- ydivalentes, el ARN por sí solo es capaz de procesar los pre-ARNt; (Guerrier-Takadaet al., 1983); el gen clonado en un vehículo de expresión que contieneel promotor de bacteriófago T7 permite la síntesis in vitro de un ARN queretiene propiedades catalíticas. Las altas concentraciones de cationesnecesarias para manifestar la actividad del ARN P cumplen la función decontrarrestar la repulsión electrostática entre el ARN enzima y el ARNsustrato, y así permitir el íntimo contacto requerido para la catálisis. Esto seha demostrado en el análisis cinético de la reacción catalizada por el ARN Psolo; a medida que aumenta la concentración de cationes, el Km de la reaccióndisminuye, consistente con la mayor afinidad de la enzima por su sustrato aelevada fuerza iónica; pero la reacción es muy lenta. La posibilidad que labaja velocidad de la reacción se deba a la disociación lenta del producto de lasuperficie de la enzima se infiere de dos hechos: primero, la enzima no parecediscriminar entre precursor y producto maduro (Ki =~ Km); y segundo, elanálisis de la reacción temprana evidencia un primer ciclo rápido de clivaje. La preincubación de la enzima con ARNt maduro inhibe este primer ciclo;probablemente el ARNt no se disocia rápidamente impidiendo el acceso desustrato. Por lo tanto, in vitro el paso limitante en la reacción por el ARN Pes la disociación del producto de la superficie de la enzima. La reaccióncatalizada por la holoenzima no presenta este comportamiento; el producto sedisocia rápidamente de la enzima una vez efectuada la catálisis. La influencia de la secuencia 3' terminal CCA sobre el procesamiento deltérmino 5' fue también investigada. Con este fin, se construyeron sustratosque la contienen o no, a partir de precursores que in vivo la contienencodificada en el gen o no. El análisis cinético de la reacción sobre estossustratos evidencia que la secuencia CCA provee un sitio de contacto entre elsustrato y la enzima, posiblemente participando en una unión hidrógeno. El análisis filogenético hizo posible derivar un modelo de estructurasecundaria para el ARN P. Este modelo se basó en la comparación de lassecuencias para el ARN P en eubacterias Gram positivas y Gram negativas (purpúreas). El modelo es satisfactorio en el sentido que permite identificarun núcleo de elementos conservados, a pesar de la gran divergencia enestructura primaria. Es en este núcleo común que los elementos necesariospara el reconocimiento del sustrato y para la catálisis probablemente residan. Esta hipótesis fue evaluada experimentalmente construyendo in vitro un "minigen" que, clonado en un vehículo de expresión adecuado, permite lasíntesis de un ARN que consta sólo de estos elementos conservados y cuyotamaño es 2/3 del tamaño del ARN P in vivo. Se demostró que esta versiónreducida del ARN P retiene actividad catalítica.Fil: Reich, Claudia Irene. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina

A whole-genome approach to identifying protein binding sites: promoters in Methanocaldococcus (Methanococcus) jannaschii

We have adapted an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) to isolate genomic DNA fragments that bind the archaeal transcription initiation factors TATA-binding protein (TBP) and transcription factor B (TFB) to perform a genome-wide search for promoters. Mobility-shifted fragments were cloned, tested for their ability to compete with known promoter-containing fragments for a limited concentration of transcription factors, and sequenced. We applied the method to search for promoters in the genome of Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. Selection was most efficient for promoters of tRNA genes and genes for several presumed small non-coding RNAs (ncRNA). Protein-coding gene promoters were dramatically underrepresented relative to their frequency in the genome. The repeated isolation of these genomic regions was partially rectified by including a hybridization-based screening. Sequence alignment of the affinity-selected promoters revealed previously identified TATA box, BRE, and the putative initiator element. In addition, the conserved bases immediately upstream and downstream of the BRE and TATA box suggest that the composition and structure of archaeal natural promoters are more complicated

Perspectives on innovation: The role of engineering design

The aim of the paper is to foster a discussion in the engineering design community about its understanding of the innovation phenomena and the unique contribution that comes from engineering design. The paper reports on the dialouge originating from a series of workshops with participants from different backgrounds in engineering design, systems engineering, industrial design psychology and business. Definitions of innovation are revisited as used in business, management and engineering design contexts. The role of innovation is then discussed related to product development from (i) the management perspective, (ii) a systems architecture perspective and (iii) in relation to sustainable development as one driver of innovation. It is argued that engineering design has a central role in how to realise the novelty aspect of innovation and often plays a critical role in maturing these into the valuable products, and there is a need to articulate the role of engineering design in innovation to better resonate with the business and management research

Arrangement of Annexin A2 tetramer and its impact on the structure and diffusivity of supported lipid bilayers

Annexins are a family of proteins that bind to anionic phospholipid membranes in a Ca2+-dependent manner. Annexin A2 forms heterotetramers (Anx A2t) with the S100A10 (p11) protein dimer. The tetramer is capable of bridging phospholipid membranes and it has been suggested to play a role in Ca2+-dependent exocytosis and cell-cell adhesion of metastatic cells. Here, we employ x-ray reflectivity measurements to resolve the conformation of Anx A2t upon Ca2+-dependent binding to single supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) composed of different mixtures of anionic (POPS) and neutral (POPC) phospholipids. Based on our results we propose that Anx A2t binds in a side-by-side configuration, i.e., both Anx A2 monomers bind to the bilayer with the p11 dimer positioned on top. Furthermore, we observe a strong decrease of lipid mobility upon binding of Anx A2t to SLBs with varying POPS content. X-ray reflectivity measurements indicate that binding of Anx A2t also increases the density of the SLB. Interestingly, in the protein-facing leaflet of the SLB the lipid density is higher than in the substrate-facing leaflet. This asymmetric densification of the lipid bilayer by Anx A2t and Ca2+ might have important implications for the biochemical mechanism of Anx A2t-induced endo- and exocytosis.Comment: 27 pages, 7 figures; supplementary material available upon request from the author

First implementation of a new cross-disciplinary observation strategy for heavy precipitation events from formation to flooding

Heavy Precipitation Events (HPE) are the result of enormous quantities of water vapor being transported to a limited area. HPE rainfall rates and volumes cannot be fully stored on and below the land surface, often leading to floods with short forecast lead times that may cause damage to humans, properties, and infrastructure. Toward an improved scientific understanding of the entire process chain from HPE formation to flooding at the catchment scale, we propose an elaborated event-triggered observation concept. It combines flexible mobile observing systems out of the fields of meteorology, hydrology and geophysics with stationary networks to capture atmospheric transport processes, heterogeneous precipitation patterns, land surface and subsurface storage processes, and runoff dynamics. As part of the Helmholtz Research Infrastructure MOSES (Modular Observation Solutions for Earth Systems), the effectiveness of our observation strategy is illustrated by its initial implementation in the Mueglitz river basin (210 km$^2$), a headwater catchment of the Elbe in the Eastern Ore Mountains with historical and recent extreme flood events. Punctual radiosonde observations combined with continuous microwave radiometer measurements and back trajectory calculations deliver information about the moisture sources, and initiation and development of HPE. X-band radar observations calibrated by ground-based disdrometers and rain gauges deliver precipitation information with high spatial resolution. Runoff measurements in small sub-catchments complement the discharge time series of the operational network of gauging stations. Closing the catchment water balance at the HPE scale, however, is still challenging. While evapotranspiration is of less importance when studying short-term convective HPE, information on the spatial distribution and on temporal variations of soil moisture and total water storage by stationary and roving cosmic ray measurements and by hybrid terrestrial gravimetry offer prospects for improved quantification of the storage term of the water balance equation. Overall, the cross-disciplinary observation strategy presented here opens up new ways toward an integrative and scale-bridging understanding of event dynamics

A Pilot Study of the Association of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Polymorphisms with Psoriatic Arthritis in the Romanian Population

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is an important pro-inflammatory cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of psoriatic arthritis. We have performed a case-control association study of three TNF-alpha gene polymorphisms in a group of Romanian psoriatic arthritis patients versus ethnically matched controls. A second group of patients with undifferentiated spondyloarthritis was used in order to look for similarities in the genetic background of the two rheumatic disorders. The −857C/T polymorphism was associated with susceptibility to psoriatic arthritis in our population at the individual level (p = 0.03, OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.05–2.57) and in combined haplotypes with the −238G/A and −308G/A SNPs. Regarding the investigated polymorphisms and derived haplotypes, no potential association was found with the susceptibility to undifferentiated spondyloarthritis in Romanian patients