Post Sockets: Towards an Evolvable Network Transport Interface

The traditional Sockets API is showing its age, and no longer provides effective support for modern networked applications. This has led to a proliferation of non-standard extensions, alternative APIs, and workarounds that enable new features and allow applications to make good use of the network, but are difficult to use, and require expert knowledge that is not widespread. In this paper, we present Post Sockets, a proposed new standard network API, that is designed to support modern network transport protocols and features, while raising the level of abstraction and enhancing usability. Specifically, Post Sockets aims to give portable applications the ability to use a clear, messages based, interface to multi-path and multi-stream transports, rendezvous and connection racing, and fast connection re-establishment

Life Science Exchange: Opportunities for Growth 2014 Report

This report draws on the primary focus group work conducted by the Life Science Exchange project and also reports on the outcomes from collaborative projects identified and facilitated. The aim is to provide stakeholder views of the sector and deliver key recommendations to policy makers (e.g. Welsh Government). We hope the report will influence and shape the thinking in determining a Life Sciences policy as well as further knowledge exchange support measures

Determination of Residual Hexazinone in Maine\u27s Soil and Water

Hexazinone, a systemic herbicide registered for use on wild blueberries in 1983 is credited with increasing Maine\u27s wild blueberry crop by three-fold over a 10 year period, while also increasing overall fruit quality. Unfortunately, the high water solubility of hexazinone gives it a high leaching potential. This solubility factor is exacerbated by the sandy soils where wild blueberries are commonly propagated. In 1991 a routine screen for pesticides used in blueberry agriculture revealed traces of hexazinone in water samples from property formerly used for blueberry production. This discovery has led to the development of solid phase extraction (SPE) and direct-injection high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods capable of detecting hexazinone in ground water at limits of quantitation (LOQ) of 0.1 and 0.33 pg/L, respectively. These techniques were proven rapid, accurate and inexpensive. The HPLC method was used to monitor seven test wells in and near actively managed blueberry agricultural areas. Over a ten-year period, five of these sites showed decreasing hexazinone levels, while two of the wells exhibited large fluctuations in herbicide concentration. The decreased leaching of hexazinone at some sites was attributed to lower application rates, better management techniques and the development of slow-release formulations, such as impregnated diammonium (DAP) and granulated Pronone. In 1994, 1998 and 1999 private wells in seven Maine counties, determined to have high potential of hexazinone contamination from blueberry cultivation practices were randomly sampled for hexazinone analysis. Most wells were sampled in the spring, fall and in two separate years. Approximately 61 % of the total samples tested positive for the herbicide at levels ranging for 0.1 to 6 pg/L. Levels of hexazinone generally fluctuated little between spring and fall. Concentrations were the same (27%) or lower (66%) in 1998 and 1999 as compared to initial values determined in 1994. HPLC and Enzyme immuno assay EIA methods were developed to measure the hexazinone content of soil. LOQ\u27s for these techniques were 25 and 50 nglg for HPLC and EIA, respectively. These methods were used to ascertain the effect of hexazinone formulation type on leaching potential through the soil profile. Granulated Pronone was the most highly retained by soil

Opposing Interests: How Wikileaks Forces a Redrawing of the Battle Lines Between the First Amendment and National Security

The mainstream press and the United States government have found harmony in the still relatively undefined rules regarding the balance between national security and free press. While the government tried a handful of individuals and groups under the Espionage Act in the early 20th century, the press has avoided such trials. Even during the Pentagon Papers case, the government only sought an injunction against publication, which was ultimately not supported by the Supreme Court of the United States. The 21st century presents a new set of challenges for this unwritten peace. Wikileaks may be the proverbial guinea pig in determining how the balance between national security and an informed public will be interpreted in the new, digital century. This thesis explores what changes the organization could face, what an impact such a precedent could have on the future of journalism, and how the American public may be better served with a legislative, rather than judicial, solution

Case Study of the Economic Feasibility of a Red Oak Small-Diameter Timber Sawmill and Pallet-Part Mill

The economic feasibility of producing lumber, cants, pallet parts, and residues from hardwood small-diameter timber (SDT) has not been investigated. To assess the potential for utilization of this resource, an economic feasibility analysis was conducted based on the results of a related SDT yield study. The economic feasibility analyses used in this research included: break-even, net present value (NPV), and internal rate of return (IRR). These analyses were used to determine the economic viability of a sawmill and pallet-part mill that would utilize red oak small-diameter timber. Twelve scenarios were evaluated using these analyses: two processing levels (sawmill-only, and sawmill and pallet-part mill), two yield levels (actual and average), and three log costs ($33, 39, and 44/tonne). The break-even analysis indicated that in this case study the sawmill-only processing level would not be profitable for all log groups under current conditions. The NPV and IRR analyses illustrated that in this case study a new sawmill-only (scragg mill) processing level scenario is not economically feasible under any of the hypothetical conditions tested. The NPV and IRR analyses indicated that the actual-yield sawmill and pallet-part mill scenario was found to be economically feasible at a$74/m3 ($39/tonne) log cost. The NPV was calculated to be over$500,000, and the IRR was approximately 11%

Early defects in photoreceptor outer segment morphogenesis in zebrafish ift57, ift88 and ift172 Intraflagellar Transport mutants

AbstractIntraflagellar Transport (IFT) refers to a highly conserved process occurring in eukaryotic ciliated structures. In vertebrate photoreceptors, IFT mediates protein trafficking to the outer segments. The IFT particle is a multi-subunit complex and mutations in many individual components causes photoreceptor defects. In zebrafish, mutations in the ift57, ift88, and ift172 genes result in retinal degeneration by 5 days post fertilization (dpf). Although the effects of these mutations on photoreceptor survival have been described, early developmental morphogenesis remains poorly understood. We used transmission electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry to examine these mutants at 60, 72, and 96h post fertilization (hpf) and describe early photoreceptor morphogenesis defects

Bibliometric Analysis to Scan and Scrape New Datasets: It’s all about that BASS

Objectives The main objective of this poster is to present a pilot project in determining emerging population health themes and identifying key research-enabling datasets ahead of time. At present, large-scale databanks, such as the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank at Swansea University Medical School, already manage large quantities of health and administrative linked datasets. While these datasets are valuable for research purposes, complementary datasets may be required by collaborating researchers to answer detailed population health research questions. Dataset acquisition can take several years, which is a serious delay to a project with time-limited funding. The ability to pre-emptively acquire datasets so that these are ready for use before a researcher requests them would obviously be beneficial. However, a recent study conducted by the Farr Cipher team at Swansea University identified over 800 health and administrative datasets in Wales alone. With limited resources such as available funding and time, which of these datasets is worth its effort in acquiring? ApproachBibliometrics has long been a means of measuring the impact of papers on the wider academic community. Lately, the focus of analyses has been extended to include the topics, authorship and citations of the publications. Existing bibliometric data mining techniques suggest that it is possible to identify emerging topic trends and through this assist in prioritising dataset identification and acquisition. The project explored mining available literature through bibliometric analysis in order to predict emerging trends and through these identify potentially relevant and valuable datasets for acquisition on behalf of the Dementias Platform UK (DPUK). Literature searches were conducted for papers published on the topic of “dementia” over the last 20 years. Additional keywords and topics were extracted to identify emerging areas of research and clinical interest. These were then compared against an existing list of over 800 Welsh datasets currently not held in SAIL. ResultsResults focus on: • Using bibliometric methods in the context of DPUK cohort publications • Identifying emerging trends in the field of dementia research. • Identifying and prioritising datasets which might be useful for the SAIL Databank to acquir

Comparative analysis of transcriptional changes in zebrafish cep290 and bbs2 mutants by RNA-seq reveals upregulation of inflammatory and stress-related pathways

Acute injury to the adult zebrafish retina triggers the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors that stimulate multiple gene regulatory networks, which ultimately stimulate Müller glia to proliferate and regenerate neurons. In contrast, zebrafish carrying mutations in cep290 or bbs2 undergo progressive loss of cone photoreceptors and exhibit signs of microglia activation and inflammation, but the mutants fail to stimulate a regeneration response. To identify transcriptional changes that occur in zebrafish mutants undergoing progressive photoreceptor degeneration, RNA-seq transcriptional profiling was performed on cep290−/− and bbs2−/− retinas. The PANTHER Classification System was used to identify biological processes and signaling pathways that were differentially expressed between mutants and wild-type siblings during degeneration. As expected, genes associated with phototransduction were downregulated in cep290 and bbs2 mutants compared to wild-type siblings. Although both cep290 and bbs2 mutants undergo proliferation of rod precursors in response to retinal degeneration, the process of negatively regulating proliferation is enriched for upregulated genes, and this negative regulation may restrict proliferation of Müller glia and inhibit regeneration. A total of 815 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were shared by cep290 and bbs2 retinas. Genes in pathways associated with inflammation, apoptosis, stress response, and PDGF signaling were overrepresented. Identifying the genes and biological pathways that are common in zebrafish models of inherited retinal degeneration provides a foundation for future studies on the mechanisms that regulate cell death as well as processes that prohibit Müller cell reprogramming or proliferation in a model capable of retinal regeneration. The pathways will provide targets for future interventions that may promote successful regeneration of lost photoreceptors