Information and Design: Book Symposium on Luciano Floridi’s The Logic of Information

Purpose – To review and discuss Luciano Floridi’s 2019 book The Logic of Information: A Theory of Philosophy as Conceptual Design, the latest instalment in his philosophy of information (PI) tetralogy, particularly with respect to its implications for library and information studies (LIS). Design/methodology/approach – Nine scholars with research interests in philosophy and LIS read and responded to the book, raising critical and heuristic questions in the spirit of scholarly dialogue. Floridi responded to these questions. Findings – Floridi’s PI, including this latest publication, is of interest to LIS scholars, and much insight can be gained by exploring this connection. It seems also that LIS has the potential to contribute to PI’s further development in some respects. Research implications – Floridi’s PI work is technical philosophy for which many LIS scholars do not have the training or patience to engage with, yet doing so is rewarding. This suggests a role for translational work between philosophy and LIS. Originality/value – The book symposium format, not yet seen in LIS, provides forum for sustained, multifaceted and generative dialogue around ideas

Effect of a negative regulatory element (NRE) on the human CYP1A1 gene expression in breast carcinoma MCF-7 and hepatoma HepG2 cells

AbstractThe expression of the cytochrome P4501A1 gene, CYP1A1, is induced by e.g. 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) mainly by transcriptional mechanisms. The inducers mediate their effect upon binding and activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) transcription-factor complex. Utilizing chimeric CYP1A1/HCAT constructs transient gene expression experiments indicate that the putative negative regulatory element (NRE) of CYP1A1 influence the relative TCDD induced CAT activity in HepG2 cells, whereas this effect was not observed in MCF-7 cells. Differences in the formation of cell-specific protein-DNA complexes were demonstrated by gel retardation assays suggesting a functional difference of NRE in these two cell lines

Photospheric flux cancellation and associated flux rope formation and eruption

We study an evolving bipolar active region that exhibits flux cancellation at the internal polarity inversion line, the formation of a soft X-ray sigmoid along the inversion line and a coronal mass ejection. The evolution of the photospheric magnetic field is described and used to estimate how much flux is reconnected into the flux rope. About one third of the active region flux cancels at the internal polarity inversion line in the 2.5~days leading up to the eruption. In this period, the coronal structure evolves from a weakly to a highly sheared arcade and then to a sigmoid that crosses the inversion line in the inverse direction. These properties suggest that a flux rope has formed prior to the eruption. The amount of cancellation implies that up to 60% of the active region flux could be in the body of the flux rope. We point out that only part of the cancellation contributes to the flux in the rope if the arcade is only weakly sheared, as in the first part of the evolution. This reduces the estimated flux in the rope to $\sim\!30$ or less of the active region flux. We suggest that the remaining discrepancy between our estimate and the limiting value of $\sim\!10$ of the active region flux, obtained previously by the flux rope insertion method, results from the incomplete coherence of the flux rope, due to nonuniform cancellation along the polarity inversion line. A hot linear feature is observed in the active region which rises as part of the eruption and then likely traces out field lines close to the axis of the flux rope. The flux cancellation and changing magnetic connections at one end of this feature suggest that the flux rope reaches coherence by reconnection shortly before and early in the impulsive phase of the associated flare. The sigmoid is destroyed in the eruption but reforms within a few hours after a moderate amount of further cancellation has occurred.Comment: Astron. Astrophys., in pres

Incomplete posttranslational prohormone modifications in hyperactive neuroendocrine cells

Contains fulltext : 76028.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)8 p

Intraday rallies and crashes : spillovers of trading halts

This paper analyses a set of intraday rally and crash events at the firm level during the single stock circuit breaker (SSCB) program, and documents the cross-sectional spillover effects of such events on non-halted stocks. We test whether such major price jumps, and subsequent trading halts, affect related stocks through the destabilizing arbitrage channel. We find that extreme price movements that trigger the circuit breakers at the firm level are accompanied by a massive surge in volume, spread and short-term volatility, which gradually revert back to normal. Speculative strategies of arbitrageurs such as momentum and pairs trading cause cross-sectional spillovers in volume and volatility during the trading halt

Synthesis of graft copolymers based on hyaluronan and poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates)

This work reports the synthesis and characterisation of new amphiphilic hyaluronan (HA) grafted with poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs) conjugates. Hydrolytic depolymerisation of PHAs was used for the synthesis of defined oligo(3-hydroxyalkanoates)-containing carboxylic terminal moieties. A kinetic study of the depolymerisation was followed to prepare oligomers of required molecular weight. PHAs were coupled with hydroxyl groups of HA mediated by N, N'-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) or HSTU Tetramethyl-O-(N-succinimidyl) uronium hexafluorophosphate. For the first time, the covalent bonding of oligo derivatives of P(3-hydroxybutyrate), P(3-hydroxyoctanoate), P(3-hydroxyoctanoate-co-3-hydroxydecanoate) and P(3-hydroxyoctanoate-co-3-hydroxydecanoate-co-3-hydroxydodecanoate) and HA was achieved by “grafting to” strategy. Achieved grafting degree was a function of hydrophobicity of PHA, Mw and polarity of the solvent. The most suitable reaction conditions were observed for oligo (3-hydroxybutyrate) grafted to HA (grafting degree of 14%). Graft copolymers were characterized by FT-IR, NMR, DSC and SEC-MALLS. Graft copolymers can be physically loaded with hydrophobic drugs and may serve as drug delivery system