Designing in caves: using immersive visualisations in design practice

This paper describes a study of the use of immersive Virtual reality technologies in the design of a new hospital. It uses Schön’s concept of reflective practice and video-based methods to analyse the ways design teams approach and employ a full scale 3D immersive environment – a CAVE – in collaborative design work. The analysis describes four themes relating to reflective practice occurring in the setting: orienting to the CAVE technology itself, orienting to the representation of the specific design within the CAVE, activities accounting for, or exploring alternatives within the design for the use and users of the space, and more strategic interactions around how to best represent the design and model to the client within the CAVE setting. The analysis also reveals some unique aspects of design work in this environment. Perhaps most significantly, rather than enhancing or adding to an existing understanding of design through paper based or non-immersive digital representations, it is often acting to challenge or surprise the participants as they experience the immersive, full scale version of their own design.

Still searching for graves: an analytical strategy for interpreting geophysical data used in the search for “unmarked” graves

Searching for and mapping the physical extent of unmarked graves using geophysical techniques has proven difficult in many cases. The success of individual geophysical techniques for detecting graves depends on a site-by-site basis. Significantly, detection of graves often results from measured contrasts that are linked to the background soils rather than the type of archaeological feature associated with the grave. It is evident that investigation of buried remains should be considered within a 3D space as the variation in burial environment can be extremely varied through the grave. Within this paper, we demonstrate the need for a multi-method survey strategy to investigate unmarked graves, as applied at a “planned” but unmarked pauper’s cemetery. The outcome from this case study provides new insights into the strategy that is required at such sites. Perhaps the most significant conclusion is that unmarked graves are best understood in terms of characterization rather than identification. In this paper, we argue for a methodological approach that, while following the current trends to use multiple techniques, is fundamentally dependent on a structured approach to the analysis of the data. The ramifications of this case study illustrate the necessity of an integrated strategy to provide a more holistic understanding of unmarked graves that may help aid in management of these unseen but important aspects of our heritage. It is concluded that the search for graves is still a current debate and one that will be solved by methodological rather than technique-based arguments.

Population structure and inbreeding effects on growth traits of Santa Ines sheep in Brazil

The aim of this study was to describe the population structure, inbreeding and to quantify their effect for different weights, of Santa Ines sheep. For this reason, 6490 data of production and 17,097 animals in the pedigree data set were utilized to evaluate birth weight (BW), weight at 60 days (W60) and weight at 180 days (W180). The genetic structure analysis of the population was realized by the software ENDOG (v.4.6.), resulting in some level of inbreeding for 21.72% of the animals in the pedigree data, being 41.02% the maximum value, and average of 10.74% for the inbred individuals. The population average inbreeding was 2.33% and the average relatedness was 0.73%. The effective number of ancestors was 156 animals and the effective number of founders was 211 individuals. A significant depressive effect of the inbreeding can be verified for all traits. The monitored parameters related with the genetic variability on this population must be constant in order to prevent the decrease in the genetic progress. The utilization of a program for directed mating in the present flock is an appropriate alternative to keep the level of inbreeding under control. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Incidence of Listeria monocytogenes in Cheese Manufacturing Plants from the Northeast Region of Sao Paulo, Brazil

The incidence of Listeria monocytogenes in three cheese manufacturing plants from the northeastern region of Sao Paulo, Brazil, was evaluated from October 2008 to September 2009. L. monocytogenes was found in samples from two plants, at percentages of 13.3% (n = 128) and 9.6% (n = 114). Samples of raw and pasteurized milk, water, and Minas Frescal cheese were negative for L. monocyto genes, although the pathogen was isolated from the surface of Prato cheese and in brine from one of the plants evaluated. L. monocytogenes was also isolated from different sites of the facilities, mainly in non food contact surfaces such as drains, floors, and platforms. Serotype 4b was the most predominant in the plants studied. The results of this study indicate the need for control strategies to prevent the dispersion of L. monocytogenes in the environment of cheese manufacturing plants.

Verification of the role of the low level jets in Amazon squall lines

In this study we present a climatology of the Amazon squall lines (ASLs), between the years 2000 and 2008, using satellite imagery and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalyses. The ASLs we are interested in are typically formed along the northern coast of Brazil and sometimes propagate for long distances inland. Results show that, on average, an ASL occurs every 2 days. ASLs are more frequent between April and June and less frequent between October and November. The years of 2005 and 2006 showed 25% more cases than the other years. This might be related to an increase of the Atlantic sea surface temperature. Of the total number of ASL cases, 54% propagated less than 170 km, 26% propagated between 170 and 400 km, and 20% propagated more than 400 km. We also studied the occurrence of low level jets (LLJs) associated with the coastal ASLs. Although LLJs are always present in the environment before the formation of the ASL and even on days without ASL cases, important differences were found, mainly related to the LLJ depths. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Feeding habits of the maned wolf, Chrysocyon brachyurus (Carnivora: Canidae), in southeast Brazil

The feeding habits of the maned wolf were studied in southeast Brazil to understand its response towards changes in the environment and in relation to its prey. By occurrence, miscellaneous fruits, small mammals and wolf`s fruit were the most consumed items. Armadillos, small mammals and wolf`s fruit ( Solanum lycocarpum) provided most of the ingested biomass. While wolf`s fruit and small mammals were mainly consumed in the dry season, other miscellaneous fruits were taken mostly in the wet season. There was selectivity in the predation on some small mammal species. The maned wolf`s diet followed patterns similar to those found in more pristine areas.

Dissecting the brain`s fear system reveals the hypothalamus is critical for responding in subordinate conspecific intruders

Effective defense against natural threats in the environment is essential for the survival of individual animals. Thus, instinctive behavioral responses accompanied by fear have evolved to protect individuals from predators and from opponents of the same species (dominant conspecifics). While it has been suggested that all perceived environmental threats trigger the same set of innately determined defensive responses, we tested the alternate hypothesis that different stimuli may evoke differentiable behaviors supported by distinct neural circuitry. The results of behavioral, neuronal immediate early gene activation, lesion, and neuroanatomical experiments indicate that the hypothalamus is necessary for full expression of defensive behavioral responses in a subordinate conspecific, that lesions of the dorsal premammillary nucleus drastically reduce behavioral measures of fear in these animals, and that essentially separate hypothalamic circuitry supports defensive responses to a predator or a dominant conspecific. It is now clear that differentiable neural circuitry underlies defensive responses to fear conditioning associated with painful stimuli, predators, and dominant conspecifics and that the hypothalamus is an essential component of the circuitry for the latter two stimuli.

Elastase secretion in Acanthamoeba polyphaga

Acanthamoeba species are frequently isolated from soil and water collections. In the environment, the organisms multiply as phagotrophic trophozoites and encyst under adverse conditions. Several species are known to infect man, causing keratitis and opportunistic diseases. The mechanisms underlying tissue damage and invasion by the amoebae are being elucidated and the involvement of secreted peptidases, particularly serine peptidases, has been demonstrated. Here, elastase activity was examined in Acanthamoeba-conditioned medium (ACM), making use of elastin-Congo red (ECR) and synthetic peptide p-nitroanilide substrates. ACM hydrolysed ECR over a broad pH range and optimally at a pH of 7.5 and above. Indicating the activity of serine and metallopeptidases, Congo red release was potently inhibited by PMSF, antipain, chymostatin and 1,10-phenanthroline, partially reduced by elastatinal and EDTA, and unaffected by 1,7-phenanthroline and E-64. Screening with synthetic substrates mainly showed the activity of serine peptidases. ACM efficiently hydrolysed Suc-Ala(2)-Pro-Leu-pNA and Suc-Ala(2)-Pro-Phe-pNA over a broad pH range (7.0-9.5) and was weakly active against Suc-Ala(3)-pNA, a substrate found to be optimally hydrolysed at a pH around 7.0. Following ammonium sulfate precipitation of ACM proteins and FPLC analysis, the majority of the ECR-splitting activity, characterised as serine peptidases, bound to CM-sepharose and co-eluted with part of the Suc-Ala(2)-Pro-Phe-pNA-hyd to lysing activity in a gradient of 0-0.6 M NaCl. In the corresponding FPLC fractions, serine peptidases resolving in the region of 70-130 kDa were detected in gelatin gels. Overall, the results demonstrate that trophozoites secrete elastases, and additionally suggest the high molecular weight serine peptidases as possible elastase candidates. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New alk genes detected in Antarctic marine sediments

Alkane monooxygenases (Alk) are the key enzymes for alkane degradation. In order to understand the dispersion and diversity of alk genes in Antarctic marine environments, this study analysed by clone libraries the presence and diversity of alk genes (alkB and alkM) in sediments from Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Peninsula Antarctica. The results show a differential distribution of alk genes between the sites, and the predominant presence of new alk genes, mainly in the pristine site. Sequences presented 53.10-69.60% nucleotide identity and 50.90-73.40% amino acid identity to alkB genes described in Silicibacter pomeroyi, Gordonia sp., Prauserella rugosa, Nocardioides sp., Rhodococcus sp., Nocardia farcinica, Pseudomonas putida, Acidisphaera sp., Alcanivorax borkumensis, and alkM described in Acinetobacter sp. This is the first time that the gene alkM was detected and described in Antarctic marine environments. The presence of a range of previously undescribed alk genes indicates the need for further studies in this environment.

Electronic spectroscopy of biomolecules in solution: fluorescein dianion in water

A combined and sequential Monte Carlo-quantum mechanics methodology is used to describe the electronic absorption spectrum of the fluorescein dianion in water. Different sets of 100 statistically relevant configurations composed of the solute and several solvent molecules are sampled from the Monte Carlo simulation for a posteriori quantum mechanical calculations of the spectra. In the largest case the configurations are composed of fluorescein and 90 explicit water molecules embedded in the electrostatic field of all remaining water molecules within a distance of 11.3 angstrom. These configurations include 305 atoms and 842 valence electrons, justifying the use of a semi-empirical approach. The electronic spectrum is then calculated using the INDO/CIS method. The solvatochromic shift of fluorescein in water, compared with in isolation, is calculated using the discrete and explicit solvent models. The use of electrostatically embedded explicit water molecules, in INDO/CIS calculations, gives a good description of the spectral shift of the fluorescein dianion in aqueous environment. The results are verified to converge both statistically and with respect to the number of explicit solvent molecules used.

Influence of interlayer tunneling on the quantized Hall phases in intentionally disordered multilayer structures

Stability of the quantized Hall phases is studied in weakly coupled multilayers as a function of the interlayer correlations controlled by the interlayer tunneling and by the random variation of the well thicknesses. A strong enough interlayer disorder destroys the symmetry responsible for the quantization of the Hall conductivity, resulting in the breakdown of the quantum Hall effect. A clear difference between the dimensionalities of the metallic and insulating quantum Hall phases is demonstrated. The sharpness of the quantized Hall steps obtained in the coupled multilayers with different degrees of randomization was found consistent with the calculated interlayer tunneling energies. The observed width of the transition between the quantized Hall states in random multilayers is explained in terms of the local fluctuations of the electron density.

gamma-zein secondary structure in solution by circular dichroism

The proline-rich N-terminal domain of gamma-zein has been reported in relevant process, which include its ability to cross the cell membranes. Evidences indicate that synthetic hexapeptide (PPPVHL), naturally found in N-terminal portion of gamma-zein, can adopt the polyproline II (PPII) conformation in aqueous solution. The secondary structure of gamma-zein in maize protein bodies had been analyzed by solid state Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. However, it was not possible to measure PPII content in physiological environment since the beta-sheet and PPII signals overlap in both solid state techniques. Here, the secondary structure of gamma-zein has been analyzed by circular dichroism in SDS aqueous solution with and without ditiothreitol (DTT), and in 60% of 2-propanol and water with DTT The results show that gamma-zein has high helical content in all solutions. The PPII conformation was present at about 7% only in water/DTT solution. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Fano resonance in heavily doped porous silicon

Unexpectedly, the Fano resonance caused by the interference of continuum electron excitations with the longitudinal optical (LO) phonons was observed in random porous Si by Raman scattering. The analysis of the experimental data shows that the electron states trapped at the Si-SiO(2) interface dominate in the observed Raman scattering. The gap energy associated with the interface states was determined. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Role of the triad N46, S106 and T107 and the surface charges in the determination of the acidic pH optimum of digestive lysozymes from Musca domestica

Structures of digestive lysozymes 1 and 2 from housefly (MdL1 and MdL2) show that S106-T107 delimit a polar pocket around E32 (catalytic acid/base) and N46 contributes to the positioning of 050 (catalytic nucleophile), whereas those residues are replaced by V109-A110 and D48 in the non-digestive lysozyme from hen egg-white (HEWL). Further analyses revealed that MdL1 and MdL2 surfaces are less positively charged than HEWL surface. To verify the relevance of these differences to the acidic pH optimum of digestive lysozymes it was determined that pKas of the catalytic residues of the triple mutant MdL2 (N46D-S106V-T107A) are similar to HEWL pKas and higher than those for MdL2. In agreement, triple mutant MdL2 and HEWL exhibits the same pH optimum upon methylumbelliferylchitotrioside. In addition to that, the introduction of six basic residues on MdL1 surface increased by 1 unit the pH optimum for the activity upon bacterial walls. Thus, the acidic pH optimum for MdL2 and MdL1 activities upon methylumbelliferylchitotrioside is determined by the presence of N46, S106 and T107 in the environment of their catalytic residues, which favors pKas reduction. Conversely, acidic pH optimum upon bacterial walls is determined by a low concentration of positive charges on the MdL2 and MdL1 surfaces. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.