The textures of globalization : biopolitics and the closure of xenotourism

In this paper, we explore the tensions around a recent controversial development in medical tourism: xenotourism in Mexico. We take this bioendeavor - now ceased - to be emblematic of the global character of contemporary biomedicine, providing insights into the production and operation of scientific knowledge. We explore this through what we call the “textures of globalization”: the anxiety regarding the extent to which Mexico was understood as an (in)appropriate venue for the generation of novel knowledge on xenotransplantation, and as a location for xenotourism. These tensions, which oscillated between calls for individual freedom (choice) and global regulation (standardization), ultimately led to the closure of xenotourism in Mexico.

Conformational flexibility revealed by the crystal structure of a crenarchaeal RadA

Homologous recombinational repair is an essential mechanism for repair of double-strand breaks in DNA. Recombinases of the RecA-fold family play a crucial role in this process, forming filaments that utilize ATP to mediate their interactions with singleand double-stranded DNA. The recombinase molecules present in the archaea (RadA) and eukaryota (Rad51) are more closely related to each other than to their bacterial counterpart (RecA) and, as a result, RadA makes a suitable model for the eukaryotic system. The crystal structure of Sulfolobus solfataricus RadA has been solved to a resolution of 3.2 A° in the absence of nucleotide analogues or DNA, revealing a narrow filamentous assembly with three molecules per helical turn. As observed in other RecA-family recombinases, each RadA molecule in the filament is linked to its neighbour via interactions of a short b-strand with the neighbouring ATPase domain. However, despite apparent flexibility between domains, comparison with other structures indicates conservation of a number of key interactions that introduce rigidity to the system, allowing allosteric control of the filament by interaction with ATP. Additional analysis reveals that the interaction specificity of the five human Rad51 paralogues can be predicted using a simple model based on the RadA structure.

A fibrocontractive mechanochemical model of dermal wound closure incorporating realistic growth factor kinetics

Fibroblasts and their activated phenotype, myofibroblasts, are the primary cell types involved in the contraction associated with dermal wound healing. Recent experimental evidence indicates that the transformation from fibroblasts to myofibroblasts involves two distinct processes: the cells are stimulated to change phenotype by the combined actions of transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) and mechanical tension. This observation indicates a need for a detailed exploration of the effect of the strong interactions between the mechanical changes and growth factors in dermal wound healing. We review the experimental findings in detail and develop a model of dermal wound healing that incorporates these phenomena. Our model includes the interactions between TGFβ and collagenase, providing a more biologically realistic form for the growth factor kinetics than those included in previous mechanochemical descriptions. A comparison is made between the model predictions and experimental data on human dermal wound healing and all the essential features are well matched.

Loop closure detection on a suburban road network using a continuous appearance-based trajectory

This paper presents a novel technique for performing SLAM along a continuous trajectory of appearance. Derived from components of FastSLAM and FAB-MAP, the new system dubbed Continuous Appearance-based Trajectory SLAM (CAT-SLAM) augments appearancebased place recognition with particle-filter based ‘pose filtering’ within a probabilistic framework, without calculating global feature geometry or performing 3D map construction. For loop closure detection CAT-SLAM updates in constant time regardless of map size. We evaluate the effectiveness of CAT-SLAM on a 16km outdoor road network and determine its loop closure performance relative to FAB-MAP. CAT-SLAM recognizes 3 times the number of loop closures for the case where no false positives occur, demonstrating its potential use for robust loop closure detection in large environments.

OpenFABMAP : an open source toolbox for appearance-based loop closure detection

Appearance-based loop closure techniques, which leverage the high information content of visual images and can be used independently of pose, are now widely used in robotic applications. The current state-of-the-art in the field is Fast Appearance-Based Mapping (FAB-MAP) having been demonstrated in several seminal robotic mapping experiments. In this paper, we describe OpenFABMAP, a fully open source implementation of the original FAB-MAP algorithm. Beyond the benefits of full user access to the source code, OpenFABMAP provides a number of configurable options including rapid codebook training and interest point feature tuning. We demonstrate the performance of OpenFABMAP on a number of published datasets and demonstrate the advantages of quick algorithm customisation. We present results from OpenFABMAP’s application in a highly varied range of robotics research scenarios.

Mining work, family and community : a spatially-oriented approach to the impact of the Ravensthorpe nickel mine closure in remote Australia

While changes in work and employment practices in the mining sector have been profound, the literature addressing mining work is somewhat partial as it focuses primarily on the workplace as the key (or only) site of analysis, leaving the relationship between mining work and families and communities under-theorized. This article adopts a spatially oriented, case-study approach to the sudden closure of the Ravensthorpe nickel mine in the south-west of Western Australia to explore the interplay between the new scales and mobilities of labour and capital and work–family–community connections in mining. In the context of the dramatically reconfigured industrial arena of mining work, the study contributes to a theoretical engagement between employment relations and the spatial dimensions of family and community in resource-affected communities.

Assessment of “change in flexibility method” in structural health monitoring systems

The modern structural diagnosis process is rely on vibration characteristics to assess safer serviceability level of the structure. This paper examines the potential of change in flexibility method to use in damage detection process and two main practical constraints associated with it. The first constraint addressed in this paper is reduction in number of data acquisition points due to limited number of sensors. Results conclude that accuracy of the change in flexibility method is influenced by the number of data acquisition points/sensor locations in real structures. Secondly, the effect of higher modes on damage detection process has been studied. This addresses the difficulty of extracting higher order modal data with available sensors. Four damage indices have been presented to identify their potential of damage detection with respect to different locations and severity of damage. A simply supported beam with two degrees of freedom at each node is considered only for a single damage cases throughout the paper.

Business planning, idea change, flexibility and performance: the best of both worlds?

The relationships between business planning and performance have divided the entrepreneurship research community for decades (Brinckmann et al, 2010). One side of this debate is the assumption that business plans may lock the firm in a specific direction early on, impede the firm to adapt to the changing market conditions (Dencker et al., 2009) and eventually, cause escalation of commitments by introducing rigidity (Vesper, 1993). Conversely, feedback received from the production and presentation of business plans may also lead the firm to take corrective actions. However, the mechanisms underlying the relationships between changes in business ideas, business plans and the performance of nascent firms are still largely unknown. While too many business idea changes may confuse stakeholders, exhaust the firm’s resources and hinder the undergoing legitimization process, some flexibility during the early stages of the venture may be beneficial to cope with the uncertainties surrounding new venture creation (Knight, 1921; March, 1982; Stinchcombe, 1965; Weick, 1979). Previous research has emphasized adaptability and flexibility as key success factors through effectual logic and interaction with the market (Sarasvathy, 2001; 2007) or improvisation and trial-and-error (Miner et al, 2001). However, those studies did not specifically investigate the role of business planning. Our objective is to reconcile those seemingly opposing views (flexibility versus rigidity) by undertaking a more fine-grained analysis at the relationships between business planning and changes in business ideas on a large longitudinal sample of nascent firms.

Process based synthesis to evaluate design flexibility in airport terminal layout

Flexible design concept is a relatively new trend in airport terminal design which is believed to facilitate the ever changing needs of a terminal. Current architectural design processes become more complex every day because of the introduction of new building technologies where the concept of flexible airport terminal would apparently make the design process even more complex. Previous studies have demonstrated that ever growing aviation industry requires airport terminals to be planned, designed and constructed in such a way that should allow flexibility in design process. In order to adopt the philosophy of ‘design for flexibility’ architects need to address a wide range of differing needs. An appropriate integration of the process models, prior to the airport terminal design process, is expected to uncover the relationships that exist between spatial layout and their corresponding functions. The current paper seeks to develop a way of sharing space adjacency related information obtained from the Business Process Models (BPM) to assist in defining flexible airport terminal layouts. Critical design parameters are briefly investigated at this stage of research whilst reviewing the available design alternatives and an evaluation framework is proposed in the current paper. Information obtained from various design layouts should assist in identifying and defining flexible design matrices allowing architects to interpret and to apply those throughout the lifecycle of the terminal building.

Contribution to single-point closure Reynolds-stress modelling of inhomogeneous flow

This paper is concerned with recent advances in the development of near wall-normal-free Reynolds-stress models, whose single point closure formulation, based on the inhomogeneity direction concept, is completely independent of the distance from the wall, and of the normal to the wall direction. In the present approach the direction of the inhomogeneity unit vector is decoupled from the coefficient functions of the inhomogeneous terms. A study of the relative influence of the particular closures used for the rapid redistribution terms and for the turbulent diffusion is undertaken, through comparison with measurements, and with a baseline Reynolds-stress model (RSM) using geometric wall normals. It is shown that wall-normal-free rsms can be reformulated as a projection on a tensorial basis that includes the inhomogeneity direction unit vector, suggesting that the theory of the redistribution tensor closure should be revised by taking into account inhomogeneity effects in the tensorial integrity basis used for its representation.

The Best interests duty in the future of financial advice reforms : striking a balance between certainty and flexibility

Presentation delivered to the Australian and New Zealand Consumer Law Roundtable held at the University of Melbourne Law School on Friday, 16 November 2012. The paper covers the background to the 'Future of Financial Advice' reforms and their context. In addition to this the scope of best interests duty is discussed. The paper concludes with an assessment of the likely effectives of best interest duty as a consumer protection measure.

Flexibility, Technology and Academics' Practices : Tantalising Tales and Muddy Maps

The project investigated the relationships between diversification in modes ofdelivery, use of information and communication technologies, academics’ teaching practices, and the context in which those practices are employed, in two of the three large universities in Brisbane—Griffith University and the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). The project’s initial plan involved the investigation of two sites: Queensland University of Technology’s Faculty of Education (Kelvin Grove campus) and Griffith University’s Faculty of Humanities(Nathan campus). Interviews associated with the Faculty of Education led to a decision to include a third site—the School of Law within Queensland University of Technology’s Faculty of Law, which is based on the Gardens Point Campus. Here the investigation focused on the use of computer-based flexible learning practices, as distinct from the more text-based practices identified within the original two sites.

Normative and critical criteria for iliotibial band and iliopsoas muscle flexibility

Context: The Ober and Thomas tests are subjective and involve a "negative" or "positive" assessment, making them difficult to apply within the paradigm of evidence-based medicine. No authors have combined the subjective clinical assessment with an objective measurement for these special tests. Objective: To compare the subjective assessment of iliotibial band and iliopsoas flexibility with the objective measurement of a digital inclinometer, to establish normative values, and to provide an evidence-based critical criterion for determining tissue tightness. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Clinical research laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: Three hundred recreational athletes (125 men, 175 women; 250 in injured group, 50 in control group). Main Outcome Measure(s): Iliotibial band and iliopsoas muscle flexibility were determined subjectively using the modified Ober and Thomas tests, respectively. Using a digital inclinometer, we objectively measured limb position. lnterrater reliability for the subjective assessment was compared between 2 clinicians for a random sample of 100 injured participants, who were classified subjectively as either negative or positive for iliotibial band and iliopsoas tightness. Percentage of agreement indicated interrater reliability for the subjective assessment. Results: For iliotibial band flexibility, the average inclinometer angle was -24.59 degrees +/- 7.27 degrees. A total of 432 limbs were subjectively assessed as negative (-27.13 degrees +/- 5.53 degrees) and 168 as positive (-16.29 degrees +/- 6.87 degrees). For iliopsoas flexibility, the average inclinometer angle was -10.60 degrees +/- 9.61 degrees. A total of 392 limbs were subjectively assessed as negative (-15.51 degrees +/- 5.82 degrees) and 208 as positive (0.34 degrees +/- 7.00 degrees). The critical criteria for iliotibial band and iliopsoas flexibility were determined to be -23.16 degrees and -9.69 degrees, respectively. Between-clinicians agreement was very good, ranging from 95.0% to 97.6% for the Thomas and Ober tests, respectively. Conclusions: Subjective assessments and instrumented measurements were combined to establish normative values and critical criterions for tissue flexibility for the modified Ober and Thomas tests.