Evaluating the adaptive capacity of cultural landscapes to climate change: Incorporating site-specific knowledge in National Park Service vulnerability assessments

Cultural landscapes are complex systems of natural and cultural resources that are affected by changes in climatic and non-climatic factors. The National Park Service, Pacific West Region, has developed a vulnerability assessment (VA) model for identifying, evaluating, and responding to the effects of climate change to cultural landscapes by utilizing peer-reviewed data and local knowledge to inform management strategies that can reduce the vulnerability of cultural landscapes to deterioration and loss. Key to developing site-specific adaption plans is a VA based on analysis of the significance, exposure, and sensitivity of landscape characteristics and features, and identification of the management capacity to reduce the sensitivity of the cultural landscape to change. The resulting assessment compares the level of projected vulnerability of the landscape as a whole and of each characteristic or feature under evaluation, and the identification of methods for minimizing the sensitivity of the cultural landscape to climate change. This paper provides an overview of the VA model through case studies from the state of Washington, the territory of Guam, and Tinian, commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands

Layout of Graphs with Bounded Tree-Width

A \emph{queue layout} of a graph consists of a total order of the vertices, and a partition of the edges into \emph{queues}, such that no two edges in the same queue are nested. The minimum number of queues in a queue layout of a graph is its \emph{queue-number}. A \emph{three-dimensional (straight-line grid) drawing} of a graph represents the vertices by points in $\mathbb{Z}^3$ and the edges by non-crossing line-segments. This paper contributes three main results: (1) It is proved that the minimum volume of a certain type of three-dimensional drawing of a graph $G$ is closely related to the queue-number of $G$. In particular, if $G$ is an $n$-vertex member of a proper minor-closed family of graphs (such as a planar graph), then $G$ has a $O(1)\times O(1)\times O(n)$ drawing if and only if $G$ has O(1) queue-number. (2) It is proved that queue-number is bounded by tree-width, thus resolving an open problem due to Ganley and Heath (2001), and disproving a conjecture of Pemmaraju (1992). This result provides renewed hope for the positive resolution of a number of open problems in the theory of queue layouts. (3) It is proved that graphs of bounded tree-width have three-dimensional drawings with O(n) volume. This is the most general family of graphs known to admit three-dimensional drawings with O(n) volume. The proofs depend upon our results regarding \emph{track layouts} and \emph{tree-partitions} of graphs, which may be of independent interest.Comment: This is a revised version of a journal paper submitted in October 2002. This paper incorporates the following conference papers: (1) Dujmovic', Morin & Wood. Path-width and three-dimensional straight-line grid drawings of graphs (GD'02), LNCS 2528:42-53, Springer, 2002. (2) Wood. Queue layouts, tree-width, and three-dimensional graph drawing (FSTTCS'02), LNCS 2556:348--359, Springer, 2002. (3) Dujmovic' & Wood. Tree-partitions of $k$-trees with applications in graph layout (WG '03), LNCS 2880:205-217, 200

HDAC4 in cancer: A multitasking platform to drive not only epigenetic modifications

Controlling access to genomic information and maintaining its stability are key aspects of cell life. Histone acetylation is a reversible epigenetic modification that allows access to DNA and the assembly of protein complexes that regulate mainly transcription but also other activities. Enzymes known as histone deacetylases (HDACs) are involved in the removal of the acetyl-group or in some cases of small hydrophobic moieties from histones but also from the non-histone substrate. The main achievement of HDACs on histones is to repress transcription and promote the formation of more compact chromatin. There are 18 different HDACs encoded in the human genome. Here we will discuss HDAC4, a member of the class IIa family, and its possible contribution to cancer development

Pertumbuhan Planlet Stroberi (Fragaria Ananassa D) Var. Dorit pada Beberapa Variasi Media Modifikasi In Vitro di Balai Penelitian Jeruk dan Buah Subtropika (BALITJESTRO

  Stroberi (Vragaria ananassa Dutch) Var. Dorit merupakan buah yang populer di masyarakat dunia dengan ciri khas rasa buahnya yang asam manis dan segar. Penyediaan benih stroberi selama ini dilakukan secara konvensional dengan menggunakan stolon, sehingga volume perbanyakan relatif lebih sedikit dan tidak bebas penyakit. Oleh karena  itu  diperlukan metode  kultur jaringan untuk budidaya stroberi. Kultur jaringan tanaman merupakan suatu teknik pengisolasian dan pemeliharaan sel atau potongan jaringan tanaman yang ditumbuhkan pada media buatan yang sesuai dan dalam keadaan aseptik. Medium yang dipergunakan pada kultur in vitro tumbuhan ada bermacam-macam. Medium yang digunakan dalam percobaan ini yaitu media MP yang merupakan kombinasi dari larutan MS (Murashige and skoog) dan pupuk cair. Dalam hal ini pupuk yang digunakan merupakan produk dari Balitjestro yang tentunya mengandung beberapa nutrisi dengan konsentrasi yang tepat untuk petumbuhan tanaman. Percobaan ini dilakukan untuk  mengidentifikasi pengaruh berbagai modifikasi media MP serta mengidentifikasi konsentrasi kombinasi media MP yang sesuai terhadap pertumbuhan stroberi varietas dorit. Percobaan ini  menggunakan Rancangan Acak Kelompok (RAK) dengan perlakuan MP1: MS 25% + pupuk 75%, MP2: MS 50% + pupuk 50%, MP3: MS 75% + pupuk 25%, MP4: pupuk 100%, Percobaan di ulang 5x, sehingga diperlukan 20 unit percobaan. Setiap unit percobaan ditanam 5 planlet. Pertumbuhan tanaman stroberi varietas dorit yang ditanam pada media MP1, MP2, MP3 dan MP4 menunjukkan pengaruh perbedaan yang signifikan terhadap pertumbuhan akar, pertumbuhan tunas dan pertambahan jumlah daun. Tanaman tersebut menunjukkan respon pertumbuhan yang paling cepat pada media MP3 karena mengandung konsentrasi larutan MS lebih banyak sehingga jumlah nitrogen yang dibutuhkan untuk pertumbuhan lebih tercukupi

Factors Influencing Food Service Quality in Ghanaian Polytechnics

The aim of the study was to assess factors influencing food service quality in Ghanaian polytechnics. Service quality and customer satisfaction have been identified as key elements of the service-profit chain. A mixture of an exploratory and descriptive research designs were employed to study 250 respondents. Data was analysed using statistical tools such as the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study revealed that all the service quality variables (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy) were positively related to customer satisfaction which indicates the higher the service quality, the higher customer satisfaction. The analysis of respondents’ expectations scores suggested that the most important expectations items were “accurate bill (3.18)”, “clean rest rooms (2.94)”, “clean, neat and appropriately dressed staff (2.46)” and “clean dining areas (3.34)”, which fall under the dimensions reliability and tangibles. In conclusion, customers were not sure whether the physical facilities, equipment and appearance of the personnel of the restaurants (Tangibles) were attractive. The study recommends that improving service quality in restaurant settings will not only increase customer satisfaction and strengthen customer loyalty, but also improve the restaurant’s reputation and generate greater revenue. Keywords: Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction, Restaurants, Polytechni