Design Studio of the Future

New communication media enable new design technologies. To investigate the mutual influence of a new medium like Virtual Reality (VR) and architectural design technologies, a laboratory called ‘the design studio of the future’ is established. In due time a design system will be developed offering different design technologies in an integrated environment. Interfaces within VR will support various approaches to the design problem. A large research program (Virtual Reality - Distributed Interactive Systems) is carried out to provide state-of-the-art tools for designers to experiment and to give feed back on the results

Virtual Reality Design Information System : distributed interactive simulation

no abstrac

Theoretical production ecology: reflections and prospects.

This book gives an impression of the field of Theoretical Production Ecology, its development and its position as an interdisciplinary subject. Revised versions of the papers presented at the symposium Theoretical Production Ecology: hindsight and perspectives, organized on the occasion of the retirement of Professor C.T. de Wit from Wageningen Agricultural University, are presented. Professor de Wit's valedictory address is included. The papers have been arranged according to the four scientific themes covered by the Department of Theoretical Production Ecology: soil and climate; plant growth and development; pests, diseases and weeds; agricultural production systems. During his scientific career of more than 40 years, Professor de Wit made substantial innovative contributions in each of these four areas. Together the papers give an overview of the major developments during de Wit's inspiring involvement in production ecology and indicate the directions in which it may proceed in the years to come

Effecten van maaibeheer op kleine zeggenmoerassen in beekdalen : effecten op vegetatiestructuur, microtopografie en faunagemeenschappen

Bij de uitwerking van de instandhoudingdoelen voor Natura2000 zijn beekdalen onderkend als belangrijke gebieden voor herstel van het habitattype H7140 Overgang- en Trilvenen. Dit roept vragen op over het beheer van vernatte beekdalvenen. Traditioneel worden deze beekdalgebieden gemaaid en door technische innovaties in het beheer kunnen terreinbeheerders nu met rupsmaaiers zeer natte beekdalgebieden blijven maaien. Echter, het is onduidelijk of onder de verbeterde hydrologische condities maaibeheer nog noodzakelijk dan wel wenselijk is, aangezien onder natuurlijke condities het habitattype langdurig kan voortbestaan zonder maaibehee

Spatial differentiation in the vegetative mycelium of Aspergillus niger

Fungal mycelia are exposed to heterogenic substrates. The substrate in the central part of the colony has been (partly) degraded, whereas it is still unexplored at the periphery of the mycelium. We here assessed whether substrate heterogeneity is a main determinant of spatial gene expression in colonies of Aspergillus niger. This question was addressed by analyzing whole-genome gene expression in five concentric zones of 7-day-old maltose- and xylose-grown colonies. Expression profiles at the periphery and the center were clearly different. More than 25% of the active genes showed twofold differences in expression between the inner and outermost zones of the colony. Moreover, 9% of the genes were expressed in only one of the five concentric zones, showing that a considerable part of the genome is active in a restricted part of the colony only. Statistical analysis of expression profiles of colonies that had either been or not been transferred to fresh xylose-containing medium showed that differential expression in a colony is due to the heterogeneity of the medium (e.g., genes involved in secretion, genes encoding proteases, and genes involved in xylose metabolism) as well as to medium-independent mechanisms (e.g., genes involved in nitrate metabolism and genes involved in cell wall synthesis and modification). Thus, we conclude that the mycelia of 7-day-old colonies of A. niger are highly differentiated. This conclusion is also indicated by the fact that distinct zones of the colony grow and secrete proteins, even after transfer to fresh medium

Structural and cellular mechanisms of peptidyl-prolyl isomerase Pin1-mediated enhancement of Tissue Factor gene expression, protein half-life, and pro-coagulant activity

Therapeutic cell differentiatio