Improving Reference Statistics Gathering Across the Library

Reference statistics gathering at the Leatherby Libraries was revamped with the development of new predefined questions and question categories to allow all public-facing departments to enter their reference transactions into the LibAnswers software. Although gathering reference transactions was more organized across the library, the predefined questions were too detailed and confusing. As a result of this assessment, the predefined questions will be removed to allow users to focus on determining if their transaction is a reference question rather than which predefined questions they should use, which will make the reference statistics more accurate

Increasing Distance Instruction Through Electronic Newsletters

This poster details the new outreach method we utilized to increase our bibliographic instruction sessions with the distributed Brandman campuses served by the Chapman Leatherby Libraries. The use of our new electronic newsletter increased the amount of bibliographic instruction sessions that we performed during the 2017-18 year

Report On the Archaeological Site Examination of the Entrance Drive, Carriage House, Greenhouse, Vegetable Garden, Flower Garden and Grapery at Gore Place, Waltham, Massachusetts

Alandscape restoration plan for the 45-acre Gore Place property in Waltham and Watertown, MA, calls for restoration of grounds, gardens and structures to depict and interpret the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century occupation of Massachusetts governor and United States senator, Christopher Gore, and his wife, Rebecca. The restoration plan includes archaeological investigation to help identify the location and integrity of six historically documented features on the Gore Place grounds. Blocks and transects of shovel test pits at 5, 10 and 20 meter intervals along with 1 x 1 m excavation units and trenching were employed in the archaeological site examination of these areas. Testing in the area of the present entrance drive revealed evidence of significant landscape alteration characterized by a unique process of top soil removal followed by filling first with a layer of stone, then loamy sand and gravel and finally replacement of topsoil, all in an effort to create flat and well-drained yard space. The existing entrance drive is hypothesized to have been constructed during the Gore occupation as was a separate service drive. Work at the site of the 1793 carriage house succeeded in pinpointing the location of the original foundation, a task that contributes to the structure’s relocation. The site of the Gore-period greenhouse was also identified by architectural remains that include fragments of marble tile flooring identical to that in the Gore Mansion. Astone-lined drain, glass bell jar fragments as well as a soapstone brick possibly associated with the greenhouse heating system were also found. Investigations in the vegetable and flower gardens revealed intact soils and late eighteenth- / early nineteenth-century artifacts suggesting Gore-period garden features may be preserved and are potentially archaeologically identifiable. Work in the area of the grapery/fruitwall revealed remains of the large greenhouse that occupied the site from the second quarter of the nineteenth century until ca. 1921. Intact greenhouse soils and foundations suggest that the original fruitwall footing is preserved within the later greenhouse foundation. All of these features are well preserved and exhibit a high level of integrity. Those areas of the property not tested during the survey may be archaeologically sensitive and may requrie testing in advance of future proposed impacts. Recommendations specific to each area include options for grounds restoration and interpretation as well as additional archaeological investigations to proceed in tandem with proposed landscape changes. The report also includes a summary of scholarly research associated with design landscape archaeology with reference to Massachusetts

The effects of over-expression of the FK506-binding protein FKBP12.6 on K+ currents in adult rabbit ventricular myocytes

This study examines the effects of the intracellular protein FKBP12.6 on action potential and associated K+ currents in isolated adult rabbit ventricular cardiomyocytes. FKBP12.6 was over-expressed by ~6 times using a recombinant adenovirus coding for human FKBP12.6. This over-expression caused prolongation of action potential duration (APD) by ~30%. The amplitude of the transient outward current (Ito) was unchanged, but rate of inactivation at potentials positive to +40 mV was increased. FKBP12.6 over-expression decreased the amplitude of the inward rectifier current (IK1) by ~25% in the voltage range −70 to −30 mV, an effect prevented by FK506 or lowering intracellular [Ca2+] below 1 nM. Over-expression of an FKBP12.6 mutant, which cannot bind calcineurin, prolonged APD and affected Ito and IK1 in a similar manner to wild-type protein. These data suggest that FKBP12.6 can modulate APD via changes in IK1 independently of calcineurin binding, suggesting that FKBP12.6 may affect APD by direct interaction with IK1

Study of the beneficial effects of green light on lettuce grown under short-term continuous red and blue light-emitting diodes

Red and blue light are the most important light spectra for driving photosynthesis to produce adequate crop yield. It is also believed that green light may contribute to adaptations to growth. However, the effects of green light, which can trigger specific and necessary responses of plant growth, have been underestimated in the past. In this study, lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) was exposed to different continuous light (CL) conditions for 48 h by a combination of red and blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) supplemented with or without green LEDs, in an environmental-controlled growth chamber. Green light supplementation enhanced photosynthetic capacity by increasing net photosynthetic rates (Pn), maximal photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), electron transport for carbon fixation (JPSII) and chlorophyll content in plants under the CL treatment. Green light decreased malondialdehyde and H2O2 accumulation by increasing the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD; EC 1.15.1.1) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX; EC 1.11.1.11) after 24 h of CL. Supplemental green light significantly increased the expression of photosynthetic genes LHCb and PsbA from 6 to 12 h, and these gene expression were maintained at higher levels than those under other light conditions between 12 and 24 h. However, a notable down-regulation of both LHCb and PsbA was observed during 24 to 48 h. These results indicate that the effects of green light on lettuce plant growth, via enhancing activity of particular components of antioxidantive enzyme system and promoting of LHCb and PsbA expression to maintain higher photosynthetic capacity, alleviated a number of the negative effects caused by CL

Kenya - från enpartistat till demokrati?

En studie av Kenyas väg mot demokrati, med tyngdpunkt på det politiska året 1992 då Kenya, liksom så många andra afrikanska stater, mer eller mindre mot sin vilja, upphävde enpartistaten och införde flerpartisystem

Regulation of chloroplast transcription and DNA replication during light-induced pea leaf development

Vita.The development of the pea primary leaf was characterized in plants grown in darkness or continuous white or far-red light. Leaf growth in continuous far-red light was a high-irradiance response most likely mediated by PhyA. White light, but not farred light, was able to increase cell size and plastid number per cell during development from 8 to 12 days post-imbibition (dpi). Increases in DNA copy number and DNA synthesis rates appear to be activated by growth in far- red light. At 6 dpi, these levels were twice that observed in white-light grown plants. The role of plastid transcription in modulating chloroplast gene expression was also examined. Increases in plastid transcription are activated by growth in far-red light. At 7 dpi, transcription levels in far-red light-grown peas were twice that observed in white light-grown plants. Plastid RNAs accumulated in illuminated plants from 5 to 7 dpi. A overall decline of RNA levels was observed for white-light grown pea chloroplasts between 7 to 14 dpi as compared to far-red light, which may be due to a general decrease in RNA stability. Transcription of genes encoding factors of the transcriptional and translational complexes increased relative to genes encoding photosynthetic proteins from 4 to 5 dpi and declined from 5 to 9 dpi. The data show that differential transcription and modulation of mRNA stability regulate chloroplast gene expression in light-grown peas. A highly purified DNA polymerase fraction was obtained from pea chloroplasts to elucidate the mechanism of light-activated chloroplast DNA replication. This purification resulted in the appearance of two bands with molecular masses between 40 to 45 kDa. Although these polypeptides co-elute with DNA polymerase activity during chromatography, they do not possess DNA synthesis activity. However, a 90 kDa protein was directly observed to possess DNA polymerase activity. Experiments suggest that at least one polypeptide between 40 to 45 kDa stimulates the activity of the chloroplast DNA polymerase. The expression of the DNA polymerase is constitutive. The 40/45 kDa protein accumulates in far-red but not dark-grown plastids. The light induced accumulation of the 40/45 kDa protein may be one mechanism chloroplasts utilize to regulate DNA replication

Nätverkssäkerhet med IPS : Förbättrad nätverkssäkerhet med Intrusion Prevention Systems

Att skydda sin IT-miljö mot olika typer av intrång och attacker som till exempel trojaner,skadliga Java applets eller DoS attacker med hjälp av brandväggar och antivirusprogramär två viktiga lager i skalskyddet. I den här uppsatsen undersöks hur väl ett Intrusion Prevention System skulle kunna fungera som ett ytterligare lager i skalskyddet. Fokus ligger på hur väl IPS-systemet klarar av att avvärja attacker, hur mycket tid som går åt till konfigurering och drift för att få ett fungerande IPS samt hur prestandan i nätverket påverkas av implementationen. För att mäta hur väl IPS systemet klarar av att upptäcka och blockera attacker utförs två experiment där ett mindre nätverk attackeras på olika sätt. I det första experimentet skyddas infrastrukturen av en brandvägg och klienterna är utrustade med antivirusprogram. I det andra experimentet genomförs samma attacker igen fast med ett Snort IPS implementerat i nätverket. Resultatet av de genomförda experimenten visar att en IPS klarar att blockera ca 87% av attackerna, men nätverksprestandan påverkas negativt. Slutsatsen är att endast brandväggar och antivirusprogram inte ger ett fullgott skydd