Standardization, Globalization And Rationalities Of Government

Organizational analysts have remarked on the retreat from hard regulation by nation-states and the formal international bodies they have ratified, in favour of soft regulation, particularly in the form of standards issued by transnational bodies whose a

Policy Options for Forest-Disturbance-Adapted Species Management: Assessing the Rusty Blackbird in New York’s Adirondack Park

Wilderness preservation policies can sometimes create protections that lack enough flexibility to address a variety of species needs. Rusty Blackbird populations in the United States have been declining for decades due to a multitude of stressors. Populations have declined by greater than 95% since 1966 according to the breeding bird surveys (Greenburg et al., 2011). The Wilderness and Wild Forest land use designations in the Adirondack Park, New York State, are intended to preserve forests and limit anthropogenic impact on the landscape within the Adirondacks to maintain its “forever wild” status under the New York Constitution. This designation can be a challenge when attempting to maintain native species in the region that require forest disturbance. This includes species facing rapid decline in the Park, such as Rusty Blackbirds, Euphagus carolinus (RUBL), and Spruce Grouse, Falcipennis canadensis (SPGR). While resources are available to protect the Spruce Grouse because it is classified as an endangered species in New York, other species are more vulnerable. For instance, state protections and funding required to implement management plans and conduct research on Rusty Blackbirds are extremely limited. We examine policy options to address this concern. Potential solutions include experimental management on private lands, incentives for private land owners to manage for RUBL habitat, increased education and restricted, permit-based forest management for RUBL habitat in various contexts. This case demonstrates the need for greater flexibility in policy development to address the needs of species conservation across a range of contexts

A Local Correlation Score to Monitor Sensor Drift of Real-Time Environmental Data

2012 S.C. Water Resources Conference - Exploring Opportunities for Collaborative Water Research, Policy and Managemen

Space Shuttle Program: Automatic rendezvous, proximity operations, and capture (category 3)

The NASA Johnson Space Center is actively pursuing the development and demonstration of capabilities for automatic rendezvous, proximity operations, and capture (AR&C) using the Space Shuttle as the active vehicle. This activity combines the technologies, expertise, tools, and facilities of the JSC Tracking and Communications Division (EE), Navigation, Control and Aeronautics Division (EG), Automation and Robotics Division (ER), and Structures and Mechanics Division (ES) of the Engineering Directorate and the Flight Design and Dynamics Division (DM) of the Mission Operations Directorate. Potential benefits of AR&C include more efficient and repeatable rendezvous, proximity operations, and capture operations; reduced impacts on the target vehicles (e.g., Orbiter RCS plume loads); reduced flight crew work loads; reduced ground support requirements; and reduced operational constraints. This paper documents the current JSC capabilities/tools/facilities for AR&C and describes a proposed plan for a progression of ground demonstrations and flight tests and demonstrations of AR&C capabilities. This plan involves the maturing of existing technologies in tracking and communications; guidance, navigation and control; mechanisms; manipulators; and systems management and integrating them into several evolutionary demonstration stages

Sand River Headwaters Green Infrastructure Project, City of Aiken, South Carolina: A Collaborative Team Approach to Implementing Green Infrastructure Practices

2010 S.C. water Resources Conference - Science and Policy Challenges for a Sustainable Futur

Pearls and perils of an implantable defibrillator trial using a common control: implications for the design of future studies

Abstract Aims Implantable defibrillators are considered life-saving therapy in heart failure (CHF) patients. Surprisingly, the recent Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial (SCD-HeFT) reached an opposing conclusion from that of numerous other trials about their survival benefit in patients with advanced CHF. A critical analysis of common control trial design may explain this paradoxical finding, with important implications for future studies. Methods and Results Common control trials compare several intervention groups to a single rather than separate control groups. Though potentially requiring fewer patients than trials using separate controls, variation in the common control group will influence all comparisons and creates correlations between findings. During subgroup analyses, this dependency of outcomes may increase belief in the presence of a real subgroup effect when, in fact, it should increase skepticism. For example, a high (r = 0.92), statistically unlikely (p = 0.052) correlation between comparisons was observed across the subgroups reported in SCD-HeFT. Such concordance between amiodarone and a defibrillator across subgroups was unexpected, given how much the effects of these treatments significantly differed from one another in the main study. This suggests the study's subgroup findings (specifically the absence of benefit from defibrillators in advanced CHF) were not necessarily a consequence of treatment; more likely, they resulted from variation in what the treatments were compared against, the common control. Conclusion Common control trials can be more efficient than other designs, but induce dependence between treatment comparisons and require cautious interpretation.</p

Moving Forward: Refinement of the INTELLIGENT RIVER, A Basin-Scale Monitoring Instrument

2012 S.C. Water Resources Conference - Exploring Opportunities for Collaborative Water Research, Policy and Managemen

Interactions between Magnetic Nanowires and Living Cells : Uptake, Toxicity and Degradation

We report on the uptake, toxicity and degradation of magnetic nanowires by NIH/3T3 mouse fibroblasts. Magnetic nanowires of diameters 200 nm and lengths comprised between 1 {\mu}m and 40 {\mu}m are fabricated by controlled assembly of iron oxide ({\gamma}-Fe2O3) nanoparticles. Using optical and electron microscopy, we show that after 24 h incubation the wires are internalized by the cells and located either in membrane-bound compartments or dispersed in the cytosol. Using fluorescence microscopy, the membrane-bound compartments were identified as late endosomal/lysosomal endosomes labeled with lysosomal associated membrane protein (Lamp1). Toxicity assays evaluating the mitochondrial activity, cell proliferation and production of reactive oxygen species show that the wires do not display acute short-term (< 100 h) toxicity towards the cells. Interestingly, the cells are able to degrade the wires and to transform them into smaller aggregates, even in short time periods (days). This degradation is likely to occur as a consequence of the internal structure of the wires, which is that of a non-covalently bound aggregate. We anticipate that this degradation should prevent long-term asbestos-like toxicity effects related to high aspect ratio morphologies and that these wires represent a promising class of nanomaterials for cell manipulation and microrheology.Comment: 21 pages 12 figure

Functional Identification of Api5 as a Suppressor of E2F-Dependent Apoptosis In Vivo

Retinoblastoma protein and E2-promoter binding factor (E2F) family members are important regulators of G1-S phase progression. Deregulated E2F also sensitizes cells to apoptosis, but this aspect of E2F function is poorly understood. Studies of E2F-induced apoptosis have mostly been carried out in tissue culture cells, and the analysis of the factors that are important for this process has been restricted to the testing of a few candidate genes. Using Drosophila as a model system, we have generated tools that allow genetic modifiers of E2F-dependent apoptosis to be identified in vivo and developed assays that allow effects on E2F-induced apoptosis to be studied in cultured cells. Genetic interactions show that dE2F1-dependent apoptosis in vivo involves dArk/Apaf1 apoptosome-dependent activation of both initiator and effector caspases and is sensitive to levels of Drosophila inhibitor of apoptosis-1 (dIAP1). Using these approaches, we report the surprising finding that apoptosis inhibitor-5/antiapoptosis clone-11 (Api5/Aac11) is a critical determinant of dE2F1-induced apoptosis in vivo and in vitro. This functional interaction occurs in multiple tissues, is specific to E2F-induced apoptosis, and is conserved from flies to humans. Interestingly, Api5/Aac11 acts downstream of E2F and suppresses E2F-dependent apoptosis without generally blocking E2F-dependent transcription. Api5/Aac11 expression is often upregulated in tumor cells, particularly in metastatic cells. We find that depletion of Api5 is tumor cell lethal. The strong genetic interaction between E2F and Api5/Aac11 suggests that elevated levels of Api5 may be selected during tumorigenesis to allow cells with deregulated E2F activity to survive under suboptimal conditions. Therefore, inhibition of Api5 function might offer a possible mechanism for antitumor exploitation

Nontypable Haemophilus influenzae Displays a Prevalent Surface Structure Molecular Pattern in Clinical Isolates

Non-typable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a Gram negative pathogen that causes acute respiratory infections and is associated with the progression of chronic respiratory diseases. Previous studies have established the existence of a remarkable genetic variability among NTHi strains. In this study we show that, in spite of a high level of genetic heterogeneity, NTHi clinical isolates display a prevalent molecular feature, which could confer fitness during infectious processes. A total of 111 non-isogenic NTHi strains from an identical number of patients, isolated in two distinct geographical locations in the same period of time, were used to analyse nine genes encoding bacterial surface molecules, and revealed the existence of one highly prevalent molecular pattern (lgtF+, lic2A+, lic1D+, lic3A+, lic3B+, siaA−, lic2C+, ompP5+, oapA+) displayed by 94.6% of isolates. Such a genetic profile was associated with a higher bacterial resistance to serum mediated killing and enhanced adherence to human respiratory epithelial cells