A comparative study on the mineralogy, chemistry and chronology of the Apollo 16 crystalline impact melt breccias. Part II: Chronology.

The controversy on how to interpret the ages of lunar highland breccias has recently been discussed by James [1]. Are the measured ages testimony of true events in lunar history; do they represent the age of the ancient crustal rocks, mixed ages of unequilibrated matrix-phenocryst relationships, or merely thermal events subsequent to the formational event ? It is certain from analyses of terrestrial impact melt breccias that the melt matrix of whole impact melt sheets is isotopically equilibrated due to the extensive mixing process of the early cratering stage [2,3]. It has been shown that isotopic equilibration takes place between impact melt matrix and target rock clasts therein, with the intensity of isotopic exchange depending on the degree of shock metamorphism, thermal metamorphism and the size of the clasts [4]. Therefore, impact melt breccias - if they are relatively clast-poor and mineralogically well studied - can be considered to be the most reliable source for information on the impact history of the lunar highland.

A comparative analysis of the integration of SOA elements in widely-used enterprise architecture frameworks

In recent years, enterprise architecture (EA) has captured increasing interest as a means to systematically consolidate and manage various enterprise artefacts in order to provide holistic decision support for business/IT alignment and business/IT landscapes management. To provide a holistic perspective on the enterprise over time, EA frameworks need to co-evolve with the changes in the enterprise and its IT over time. In this paper we focus on the emergence of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). There is a need to integrate SOA with EA to keep EA relevant and to use EA products to help drive successful SOA. This paper investigates and compares the integration of SOA elements in five widely used EA frameworks: Archimate, The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF), Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework (FEAF), Department of Defence Architecture Framework (DoDAF) and the Ministry of Defence Architecture Framework (MODAF). It identifies what SOA elements are considered and their relative position in the overall structure. The results show that services and related elements are far from being well-integrated constructs in current EA frameworks and that the different EA frameworks integrated SOA elements in substantially different ways. Our results can support the academic EA and SOA communities with a closer and more consistent integration of EA and SOA and support practitioners in identifying an EA framework that provides the SOA support that matches their requirements.

A comparative study of governmental one-stop portals for public service delivery

The continuing need for governments to radically improve the delivery of public services has led to a new, holistic government reform strategy labeled “Transformational Government” that strongly emphasizes customer-centricity. Attention has turned to online portals as a cost effective front-end to deliver services and engage customers as well as to the corresponding organizational approaches for the back-end to decouple the service interface from the departmental structures. The research presented in this paper makes three contributions: Firstly, a systematic literature review of approaches to the evaluation of online portal models in the public sector is presented. Secondly, the findings of a usability study comparing the online presences of the Queensland Government, the UK Government and the South Australian Government are reported and the relative strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches are discussed. And thirdly, the limitations of the usability study in the context of a broader “Transformational Government” approach are identified and service bundling is suggested as an innovative solution to further improve online service delivery.

Hydrogen gas sensors based on thermally evaporated nanostructured MoO3 Schottky diode : a comparative study

In this paper, a comparative study of Pt/nanostructured MoO3/SiC Schottky diode based hydrogen gas sensors is presented. MoO3 nanostructured films with three different morphologies (nanoplatelets, nanoplateletsnanowires and nano-flowers) were deposited on SiC by thermal evaporation. We compare the current-voltage characteristics and the dynamic response of these sensors as they are exposed to hydrogen gas at temperatures up to 250°C. Results indicate that the sensor based on MoO3 nanoflowers exhibited the highest sensitivity (in terms of a 5.79V voltage shift) towards 1% hydrogen; while the sensor based on MoO3 nanoplatelets showed the quickest response (t90%- 40s).

A comparative study of different porous amorphous silica minerals supported TiO2 catalysts

Three porous amorphous silica minerals, including diatomite, opal and porous precipitated SiO2wereadopted to prepare supported TiO2catalysts by hydrolysis–deposition method. The prepared compoundmaterials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS). Through morphology and physical chemistry properties of the resultingTiO2/amorphous SiO2catalysts, it was proposed that the nature of silica supports could affect the particlesize and the crystal form of TiO2and then further influence the photocatalytic property of TiO2/amorphousSiO2catalysts. The catalytic properties of these porous amorphous silica supported photocatalysts(TiO2/SiO2) were investigated by UV-assisted degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). Compared with pureTiO2(P25) and the other two TiO2/amorphous SiO2catalysts, TiO2/diatomite photocatalyst exhibits bet-ter catalytic performance at different calcined temperatures, the decoloration rate of which can be upto over 85% even at a relatively low calcined temperature. The TiO2/diatomite photocatalyst possessesmixed-phase TiO2with relatively smaller particles size, which might be responsible for higher photo-catalytic activity. Moreover, the stable and much inerter porous microstructure of diatomite could beanother key factor in improving its activity.

The image of the Hungarian and UK building industries : a comparative analysis

Concern that poor image of UK construction industry is restricting recruitment has lead to call for action. This paper gives the results of a recent comparative analysis of the image of both UK and Hungarian industries which indicates the UK image to be relatively good. The perceived cause of Hungarian problems is the poor level of organisation and management.

A comparative usability study of a tag-based interface in the mobile banking context

This paper presents a comparative study to evaluate the usability of a tag-based interface alongside the present 'conventional' interface in the Australian mobile banking context. The tag-based interface is based on user-assigned tags to banking resources with support for different types of customization. And the conventional interface is based on standard HTML objects such as select boxes, lists, tables and etc, with limited customization. A total of 20 banking users evaluated both interfaces based on a set of tasks and completed a post-test usability questionnaire. Efficiency, effectiveness, and user satisfaction were considered to evaluate the usability of the interfaces. Results of the evaluation show improved usability in terms of user satisfaction with the tag-based interface compared to the conventional interface. This outcome is more apparent among participants without prior mobile banking experience. Therefore, there is a potential for the tag-based interface to improve user satisfaction of mobile banking and also positively affect the adoption and acceptance of mobile banking, particularly in Australia.

Human single-stranded DNA binding proteins are essential for maintaining genomic stability

The double-stranded conformation of cellular DNA is a central aspect of DNA stabilisation and protection. The helix preserves the genetic code against chemical and enzymatic degradation, metabolic activation, and formation of secondary structures. However, there are various instances where single-stranded DNA is exposed, such as during replication or transcription, in the synthesis of chromosome ends, and following DNA damage. In these instances, single-stranded DNA binding proteins are essential for the sequestration and processing of single-stranded DNA. In order to bind single-stranded DNA, these proteins utilise a characteristic and evolutionary conserved single-stranded DNA-binding domain, the oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB)-fold. In the current review we discuss a subset of these proteins involved in the direct maintenance of genomic stability, an important cellular process in the conservation of cellular viability and prevention of malignant transformation. We discuss the central roles of single-stranded DNA binding proteins from the OB-fold domain family in DNA replication, the restart of stalled replication forks, DNA damage repair, cell cycle-checkpoint activation, and telomere maintenance.

Integrated genomic characterization of endometrial carcinoma

We performed an integrated genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic characterization of 373 endometrial carcinomas using array- and sequencing-based technologies. Uterine serous tumours and ∼25% of high-grade endometrioid tumours had extensive copy number alterations, few DNA methylation changes, low oestrogen receptor/progesterone receptor levels, and frequent TP53 mutations. Most endometrioid tumours had few copy number alterations or TP53 mutations, but frequent mutations in PTEN, CTNNB1, PIK3CA, ARID1A and KRAS and novel mutations in the SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complex gene ARID5B. A subset of endometrioid tumours that we identified had a markedly increased transversion mutation frequency and newly identified hotspot mutations in POLE. Our results classified endometrial cancers into four categories: POLE ultramutated, microsatellite instability hypermutated, copy-number low, and copy-number high. Uterine serous carcinomas share genomic features with ovarian serous and basal-like breast carcinomas. We demonstrated that the genomic features of endometrial carcinomas permit a reclassification that may affect post-surgical adjuvant treatment for women with aggressive tumours.

Confidence in the police : balancing public image with community safety : a comparative review of the literature

Examining the evolution of British and Australian policing, this comparative review of the literature considers the historical underpinnings of policing in these two countries and the impact of community legitimacy derived from the early concepts of policing by consent. Using the August 2011 disorder in Britain as a lens, this paper considers whether, in striving to maintain community confidence, undue emphasis is placed on the police's public image at the expense of community safety. Examining the path of policing reform, the impact of bureaucracy on policing and the evolving debate surrounding police performance, this review suggests that, while largely delivering on the ideal of an ethical and strong police force, a preoccupation with self-image may in fact result in tarnishing the very thing British and Australian police forces strive to achieve – their standing with the public. This paper advocates for a more realistic goal of gaining public respect rather than affection in order to achieve the difficult balance between maintaining trust and respect as an approachable, ethical entity providing firm, confident policing in this ever-evolving, modern society.

Which dissimilarity is to be used when extracting typologies in sequence analysis? A comparative study

Originally developed in bioinformatics, sequence analysis is being increasingly used in social sciences for the study of life-course processes. The methodology generally employed consists in computing dissimilarities between the trajectories and, if typologies are sought, in clustering the trajectories according to their similarities or dissemblances. The choice of an appropriate dissimilarity measure is a major issue when dealing with sequence analysis for life sequences. Several dissimilarities are available in the literature, but neither of them succeeds to become indisputable. In this paper, instead of deciding upon one dissimilarity measure, we propose to use an optimal convex combination of different dissimilarities. The optimality is automatically determined by the clustering procedure and is defined with respect to the within-class variance.

Post-genomic science & society : Getting our fangs into omics science and its implications

Genomics and genetic findings have been hailed with promises of unlocked codes and new frontiers of personalized medicine. Despite cautions about gene hype, the strong cultural pull of genes and genomics has allowed consideration of genomic personhood. Populated by the complicated records of mass spectrometer, proteomics, which studies the human protein, has not achieved either the funding or the popular cultural appeal proteomics scientists had hoped it would. While proteomics, being focused on the proteins that actually indicate and create disease states, has a more direct potential for clinical applications than genomic risk predictions, culturally, it has not provided the material for identity creation. In our ethnographic research, we explore how proteomic scientists attempting to shape an appeal to personhood through which legitimacy may be defined.

A comparative study on pyrolysis for liquid oil from different biomass solid wastes

Locally available different bbiomass solid wastes, pine seed, date seed, plum seed, nutshell, hay of catkin, rice husk, jute stick, saw-dust, wheat straw and linseed residue in the particle form have been pyrolyzed in laboratory scale fixed bed reactor. The products obtained are pyrolysis oil, solid char and gas. The oil and char are collected while the gas is flared into atmosphere. The variation of oil yield for different biomass feedstock with reaction parameters like, reactor bed temperature, feed size and running time is presented in a comparative way in the paper. A maximum liquid yield of 55 wt% of dry feedstock is obtained at an optimum temperature of 500 °C for a feed size of 300-600 μm with a running time of 55 min with nutshell as the feedstock while the minimum liquid yield is found to be 30 wt% of feedstock at an optimum temperature of 400 °C for a feed size of 2.36 mm with a running time of 65 min for linseed residue. A detailed study on the variation of product yields with reaction parameters is presented for the latest investigation with pine seed as the feedstock where a maximum liquid yield of 40 wt% of dry feedstock is obtained at an optimum temperature of 500 °C for a feed size of 2.36-2.76 mm with a running time of 120 min. The characterization of the pyrolysis oil is carried out and a comparison of some selected properties of the oil is presented. From the study it is exhibited that the biomass solid wastes have the potential to be converted into liquid oil as a source of renewable energy with some further upgrading of the products.

Genes and growth performance in crustacean species : a review of relevant genomic studies in crustaceans and other taxa

Global aquaculture has expanded rapidly to address the increasing demand for aquatic protein needs and an uncertain future for wild fisheries. To date, however, most farmed aquatic stocks are essentially wild and little is known about their genomes or the genes that affect important economic traits in culture. Biologists have recognized that recent technological advances including next generation sequencing (NGS) have opened up the possibility of generating genome wide sequence data sets rapidly from non-model organisms at a reasonable cost. In an era when virtually any study organism can 'go genomic', understanding gene function and genetic effects on expressed quantitative trait locus phenotypes will be fundamental to future knowledge development. Many factors can influence the individual growth rate in target species but of particular importance in agriculture and aquaculture will be the identification and characterization of the specific gene loci that contribute important phenotypic variation to growth because the information can be applied to speed up genetic improvement programmes and to increase productivity via marker-assisted selection (MAS). While currently there is only limited genomic information available for any crustacean species, a number of putative candidate genes have been identified or implicated in growth and muscle development in some species. In an effort to stimulate increased research on the identification of growth-related genes in crustacean species, here we review the available information on: (i) associations between genes and growth reported in crustaceans, (ii) growth-related genes involved with moulting, (iii) muscle development and degradation genes involved in moulting, and; (iv) correlations between DNA sequences that have confirmed growth trait effects in farmed animal species used in terrestrial agriculture and related sequences in crustacean species. The information in concert can provide a foundation for increasing the rate at which knowledge about key genes affecting growth traits in crustacean species is gained.

Genomic evidence for the parallel evolution of coastal forms in the Senecio lautus complex

Instances of parallel ecotypic divergence where adaptation to similar conditions repeatedly cause similar phenotypic changes in closely related organisms are useful for studying the role of ecological selection in speciation. Here we used a combination of traditional and next generation genotyping techniques to test for the parallel divergence of plants from the Senecio lautus complex, a phenotypically variable groundsel that has adapted to disparate environments in the South Pacific. Phylogenetic analysis of a broad selection of Senecio species showed that members of the S. lautus complex form a distinct lineage that has diversified recently in Australasia. An inspection of thousands of polymorphisms in the genome of 27 natural populations from the S. lautus complex in Australia revealed a signal of strong genetic structure independent of habitat and phenotype. Additionally, genetic differentiation between populations was correlated with the geographical distance separating them, and the genetic diversity of populations strongly depended on geographical location. Importantly, coastal forms appeared in several independent phylogenetic clades, a pattern that is consistent with the parallel evolution of these forms. Analyses of the patterns of genomic differentiation between populations further revealed that adjacent populations displayed greater genomic heterogeneity than allopatric populations and are differentiated according to variation in soil composition. These results are consistent with a process of parallel ecotypic divergence in face of gene flow.