Coding for Responsiveness: on the genesis of a coding system to analyse designer's talk

This study explores the 'designer's talk' as a site for the articulation and dissemination of design expertise. The paper discusses the development of a qualitative coding system generated in the course of analysing public presentations delivered by three prominent graphic designers: David Carson, Paula Scher and Stefan Sagmeister. The coding system is informed by theoretical concepts drawn from a model of expertise developed by Hubert and Stuart Dreyfus. Central to the Dreyfus model is the assumption that expertise is not something that is represented in the mind, but in the way that the world opens up for us. Expertise is manifest in the expert's 'responsiveness' to situations. The paper explores the value of the coding system as a tool for understanding ways in which designers orient themselves in the course of developing and extending their practice

In vitro propagation of two Perkinsus species from the softshell clam Mya arenaria

Two continuous, axenic cultures of Perkinsus spp. (H49 and G117)were obtained from the softshell clam Mya arenaria collected from Swan Point in the Chester River, Chesapeake Bay (Maryland). Isolate H49 was obtained from the hemolymph of a heavily infected clam. Except for their larger size, H49 trophozoites and schizonts exhibited the characteristic morphology of Perkinsus marinus and divided by schizogony. Isolate G117 was obtained from a combined gill/palp sample of a moderately infected clam. Unlike H49, vegetative forms (trophozoites and schizonts) of G117 were present along with prezoosporulation stages in the same culture. In culture, G117 cells multiplied by both schizogony and successive bi-partition. Both H49 and G117 cells reacted positively with anti-Perkinsus marinus polyclonal serum and formed hypnospores upon incubation in Ray\u27s fluid thioglycolate medium that stained black with Lugol\u27s iodine. This is the first isolation of Perkinsus species from the softshell clam. Studies to determine the infectivity, pathogenicity, enzyme activities, and genotyping of both softshell clam Perkinsus spp. are ongoing

Prevalence Of Perkinsus Spp. In Chesapeake Bay Soft-Shell Clams, Mya Arenaria Linnaeus, 1758 During 1990-1998

Prevalence and intensity of Perkinsus spp. infections were determined in soft-shell clams Mya arenaria during 1990 to 1998 based upon incubation of rectal tissues in Ray\u27s fluid thioglycollate medium. During the study, soft-shell clams were collected from 18 sites in the upper Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Enlarged hypnospores were found in similar to 7% (114/1,705) of the soft-shell clams. Peak prevalences occurred in the fail of 1992 with similar to 53% (16/30) at Piney Point and 50% (15/30) at Eastern Neck, and in August 1995 with similar to 64%(18/28) and similar to 37% (11/30) at Cedar Point and Piney Point, respectively. This investigation provides evidence that Perkinsus spp. infections in soft-shell clams are more common than previously thought

Histopathological alterations associated with Perkinsus spp. infection in the softshell clam Mya arenaria

Softshell clams (Mya arenaria) collected from the Chester River in the upper Chesapeake Bay showed the presence of Perkinsus spp, in similar to 12 % (28/240) Of clams examined. The infection seems to run a mild course with the host prevailing in encapsulating invading parasites. The gills appear to be the major site of infection, however, the parasite was also found in the digestive gland, gonads, and kidneys and occasionally in the tissue and sinuses of adductor muscles. Typically, clusters of protozoal cells were embedded in on amorphous PAS-positive substrate and were surrounded by one or more layers of granulocytes. In heavy infections, both free and encapsulated Perkinsus spp. cells were observed in affected tissue forming aggregations of different sizes. Within the tissues of M. arenaria, the parasite propagated by schizogony. The presence of large encapsulations in vital organs such as the gills and gonads may adversely affect growth and fertility of affected clams

Zoosporulation of a new Perkinsus species isolated from the gills of the softshell clam Mya arenaria

A gill-associated Perkinsus sp. isolated from the softshell clam (Myo arenaria) is described as a new species, P. chesapeaki sp. nov. Examination of the parasite in seawater cultures revealed life cycle stages and zoosporulation processes similar to those described for other species of the genus Perkinsus. Prezoosporangia developed thickened cell walls upon contraction of the cytoplasm and development of a distinctive clear area between the cell wall and the protoplast. Successive bipartition of the protoplast led to the formation of hundred\u27s of zoospores within mature sporangia. Zoospores were released into seawater through one or more discharge tubes, Ultrastructural studies revealed an oblong zoospore possessing two flagella that arose from a concave side located in the upper third of the zoospore body. The anterior flagellum possessed a unilateral array of hair-like structures. A large anterior vacuole and basolateral nucleus dominated the cytoplasm of the zoospore body. The presence of a rudimentary apical complex including an open-sided conoid, rhoptries, micronemes, and subpellicular microtubules were also discerned. Differences in zoospore morphology, and sequence analyses of two genes previously reported, support the designation of the gill-associated Perkinsus from the softshell clam as a new species

Do hormonal contraceptives stimulate growth of neurofibromas? A survey on 59 NF1 patients

BACKGROUND: Neurofibromas are benign tumors of the peripheral nerves and hallmark of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a tumor suppressor gene syndrome. Neurofibromas mostly start developing at puberty and can increase in size and number during pregnancy. Expression of progesterone receptors has been found in 75% of the tumors. Many female NF1 patients are thus concerned about the possibility that hormonal contraceptives may stimulate the growth of their neurofibromas. METHODS: A survey was carried out on 59 female NF1 patients who are practicing or have practiced hormonal contraception to examine the effect of the various contraceptives on the growth of neurofibromas. RESULTS: Majority (53 out of 58) of patients who received oral estrogen-progestogen or pure progestogen preparations reported no associated tumor growth. In contrast, significant tumor growth was reported by two patients who received depot contraceptive containing high dose of synthetic progesterone. CONCLUSIONS: Oral contraceptives do not seem to stimulate the growth of neurofibromas in NF1 patients. High doses of progesterone might stimulate the growth of neurofibromas and deserve more caution

Radio pulsar populations

The goal of this article is to summarize the current state of play in the field of radio pulsar statistics. Simply put, from the observed sample of objects from a variety of surveys with different telescopes, we wish to infer the properties of the underlying sample and to connect these with other astrophysical populations (for example supernova remnants or X-ray binaries). The main problem we need to tackle is the fact that, like many areas of science, the observed populations are often heavily biased by a variety of selection effects. After a review of the main effects relevant to radio pulsars, I discuss techniques to correct for them and summarize some of the most recent results. Perhaps the main point I would like to make in this article is that current models to describe the population are far from complete and often suffer from strong covariances between input parameters. That said, there are a number of very interesting conclusions that can be made concerning the evolution of neutron stars based on current data. While the focus of this review will be on the population of isolated Galactic pulsars, I will also briefly comment on millisecond and binary pulsars as well as the pulsar content of globular clusters and the Magellanic Clouds.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, to appear in Proceedings of ICREA Workshop on The High-Energy Emission from Pulsars and their Systems, Sant Cugat, Spain, 2010 April 12-16 (Springer

Habit training versus habit training with direct visual biofeedback in adults with chronic constipation: A randomized controlled trial

Aim: The aim was to determine whether specialist-led habit training using Habit Training with Biofeedback (HTBF) is more effective than specialist-led habit training alone (HT) for chronic constipation and whether outcomes of interventions are improved by stratification to HTBF or HT based on diagnosis (functional defaecation disorder vs. no functional defaecation disorder) by radio-physiological investigations (INVEST). Method: This was a parallel three-arm randomized single-blinded controlled trial, permitting two randomized comparisons: HTBF versus HT alone; INVEST- versus no-INVEST-guided intervention. The inclusion criteria were age 18–70 years; attending specialist hospitals in England; self-reported constipation for >6 months; refractory to basic treatment. The main exclusions were secondary constipation and previous experience of the trial interventions. The primary outcome was the mean change in Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life score at 6 months on intention to treat. The secondary outcomes were validated disease-specific and psychological questionnaires and cost-effectiveness (based on EQ-5D-5L). Results: In all, 182 patients were randomized 3:3:2 (target 384): HT n = 68; HTBF n = 68; INVEST-guided treatment n = 46. All interventions had similar reductions (improvement) in the primary outcome at 6 months (approximately −0.8 points of a 4-point scale) with no statistically significant difference between HT and HTBF (−0.03 points; 95% CI −0.33 to 0.27; P = 0.85) or INVEST versus no-INVEST (0.22; −0.11 to 0.55; P = 0.19). Secondary outcomes showed a benefit for all interventions with no evidence of greater cost-effectiveness of HTBF or INVEST compared with HT. Conclusion: The results of the study at 6 months were inconclusive. However, with the caveat of under-recruitment and further attrition at 6 months, a simple, cheaper approach to intervention may be as clinically effective and more cost-effective than more complex and invasive approaches

Results of the randomized phase IIB ARCTIC trial of low dose Rituximab in previously untreated CLL

ARCTIC was a multi-center, randomized-controlled, open, phase IIB non-inferiority trial in previously untreated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). Conventional frontline therapy in fit patients is fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and rituximab (FCR). The trial hypothesized that including mitoxantrone with low-dose rituximab (FCM-miniR) would be non-inferior to FCR. 200 patients were recruited to assess the primary endpoint of complete remission (CR) rates according to IWCLL criteria. Secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), overall response rate, minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity, safety and cost-effectiveness. The trial closed following the pre-planned interim analysis. At final analysis, CR rates were 76% FCR vs 55% FCM-miniR [adjusted odds-ratio: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.19–0.73]. MRD-negativity rates were 54% FCR vs 44% FCM-miniR. More participants experienced Serious Adverse Reactions with FCM-miniR (49%) compared to FCR (41%). There are no significant differences between the treatment groups for PFS and OS. FCM-miniR is not expected to be cost-effective over a lifetime horizon. In summary, FCM-miniR is less well tolerated than FCR with an inferior response and MRD-negativity rate and increased toxicity, and will not be taken forward into a confirmatory trial. The trial demonstrated that oral FCR yields high response rates compared to historical series with intravenous chemotherapy