Tracking individual membrane proteins and their biochemistry: The power of direct observation

The advent of single molecule fluorescence microscopy has allowed experimental molecular biophysics and biochemistry to transcend traditional ensemble measurements, where the behavior of individual proteins could not be precisely sampled. The recent explosion in popularity of new super-resolution and super-localization techniques coupled with technical advances in optical designs and fast highly sensitive cameras with single photon sensitivity and millisecond time resolution have made it possible to track key motions, reactions, and interactions of individual proteins with high temporal resolution and spatial resolution well beyond the diffraction limit. Within the purview of membrane proteins and ligand gated ion channels (LGICs), these outstanding advances in single molecule microscopy allow for the direct observation of discrete biochemical states and their fluctuation dynamics. Such observations are fundamentally important for understanding molecular-level mechanisms governing these systems. Examples reviewed here include the effects of allostery on the stoichiometry of ligand binding in the presence of fluorescent ligands; the observation of subdomain partitioning of membrane proteins due to microenvironment effects; and the use of single particle tracking experiments to elucidate characteristics of membrane protein diffusion and the direct measurement of thermodynamic properties, which govern the free energy landscape of protein dimerization. The review of such characteristic topics represents a snapshot of efforts to push the boundaries of fluorescence microscopy of membrane proteins to the absolute limit.

Crises of social significances: adolescents and their projects for future work

This is a report on data raised through research, which has already finished, about Identification references in adolescents . Objetives : To analyze and reflect upon the collected data, adolescents' representations about the work field and their projects for future work. To conceptualize about the crises of social significances which produce and order sense and, therefore, organize our perceptions of work through social discourses and practices which have an impact on the subjectivity of adolescents and young adults. Methodology: Brief presentation of the concepts which frame the qualitative research in this area. Reading and analysis of fragments from adolescents' accounts, obtained in focal groups at different state secondary schools. Conclusions: The adolescents researched portray a self-image full of uncertainty and skepticism as regards their future possibilities. The impact produced by the fall of work as an ideal of doing and being is made evident in their accounts. Only some of them link their future project with an invested and valuable activity, even if this is not associated with economic safety and wellbeing. Others present themselves as incapable to modify the state of things, which offers a field connected with consumerist values and with the idea that "you are worth what you have (in material things)".

Crises of social significances: adolescents and their projects for future work

This is a report on data raised through research, which has already finished, about Identification references in adolescents . Objetives : To analyze and reflect upon the collected data, adolescents' representations about the work field and their projects for future work. To conceptualize about the crises of social significances which produce and order sense and, therefore, organize our perceptions of work through social discourses and practices which have an impact on the subjectivity of adolescents and young adults. Methodology: Brief presentation of the concepts which frame the qualitative research in this area. Reading and analysis of fragments from adolescents' accounts, obtained in focal groups at different state secondary schools. Conclusions: The adolescents researched portray a self-image full of uncertainty and skepticism as regards their future possibilities. The impact produced by the fall of work as an ideal of doing and being is made evident in their accounts. Only some of them link their future project with an invested and valuable activity, even if this is not associated with economic safety and wellbeing. Others present themselves as incapable to modify the state of things, which offers a field connected with consumerist values and with the idea that "you are worth what you have (in material things)".

Crises of social significances: adolescents and their projects for future work

This is a report on data raised through research, which has already finished, about Identification references in adolescents . Objetives : To analyze and reflect upon the collected data, adolescents' representations about the work field and their projects for future work. To conceptualize about the crises of social significances which produce and order sense and, therefore, organize our perceptions of work through social discourses and practices which have an impact on the subjectivity of adolescents and young adults. Methodology: Brief presentation of the concepts which frame the qualitative research in this area. Reading and analysis of fragments from adolescents' accounts, obtained in focal groups at different state secondary schools. Conclusions: The adolescents researched portray a self-image full of uncertainty and skepticism as regards their future possibilities. The impact produced by the fall of work as an ideal of doing and being is made evident in their accounts. Only some of them link their future project with an invested and valuable activity, even if this is not associated with economic safety and wellbeing. Others present themselves as incapable to modify the state of things, which offers a field connected with consumerist values and with the idea that "you are worth what you have (in material things)".

(Table 1) Isotopic and geochemical parameters of gas phase from underground fluids of the Baikal rift and its framing

Results of studying isotopic composition of helium in underground fluids of the Baikal-Mongolian region during the last quarter of XX century are summarized. Determinations of 3He/4He ratio in 139 samples of gas phase from fluids, collected at 104 points of the Baikal rift zone and adjacent structures are given. 3He/4He values lie within the range from 1x10**-8 (typical for crustal radiogenic helium) to 1.1x10**-5 (close to typical MORB reservoir). Repeated sampling in some points during more than 20 years showed stability of helium isotopic composition in time in each of them at any level of 3He/4He values. There is no systematic differences of 3He/4He in samples from surface water sources and deeper intervals of boreholes in the same areas. Universal relationship between isotopic composition of helium and general composition of gas phase is absent either, but the minimum 3He/4He values occurred in methane gas of hydrocarbon deposits, whereas in nitrogen and carbon dioxide gases of helium composition varied (in the latter maximum 3He/4He values have been measured). According to N2/Ar_atm ratio nitrogen gases are atmospheric. In carbonic gas fN2/fNe ratio indicates presence of excessive (non-atmogenic) nitrogen, but the attitude CO2/3He differs from one in MORB. Comparison of helium isotopic composition with its concentration and composition of the main components of gas phase from fluids shows that it is formed under influence of fractionation of components with different solubility in the gas-water system and generation/consumption of reactive gases in the crust. Structural and tectonic elements of the region differ from the spectrum of 3He/4He values. At the pre-Riphean Siberian Platform the mean 3He/4He = (3.6+/-0.9)x10**- 8 is very close to radiogenic one. In the Paleozoic crust of Khangay 3He/4He = (16.3+/-4.6)x10**-8, and the most probable estimate is (12.3+/-2.9)x10**-8. In structures of the eastern flank of the Baikal rift zone (Khentei, Dauria) affected by the Mz-Kz activization 3He/4He values range from 4.4x10**-8 to 2.14x10**-6 (average 0.94x10**-6). Distribution of 3He/4He values across the strike of the Baikal rift zone indicates advective heat transfer from the mantle not only in the rift zone, but also much further to the east. In fluids of the Baikal rift zone range of 3He/4He values is the widest: from 4x10**-8 to 1.1x10**-5. Their variations along the strike of the rift zone are clearly patterned, namely, decrease of 3He/4He values in both directions from the Tunka depression. Accompanied by decrease in density of conductive heat flow and in size of rift basins, this trend indicates decrease in intensity of advective heat transfer from the mantle to peripheral segments of the rift zone. Comparing this trend with data on other continental rift zones and mid-ocean ridges leads to the conclusion about fundamental differences in mechanisms of interaction between the crust and the mantle in these environments.

MRI texture analysis as means for addressing rehydration and milk diffusion of cereals

Cereals microstructure is one of the primary quality attributes of cereals. Cereals rehydration and milk diffusion depends on such microstructure and thus, the crispiness and the texture, which will make it more palatable for the final consumer. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a very powerful topographic tool since acquisition parameter leads to a wide possibility for identifying textures, structures and liquids mobility. It is suited for non-invasive imaging of water and fats. Rehydration and diffusion cereals processes were measured by MRI at different times and using two different kinds of milk, varying their fat level. Several images were obtained. A combination of textural analysis (based on the analysis of histograms) and segmentation methods (in order to understand the rehydration level of each variety of cereals) were performed. According to the rehydration level, no advisable clustering behavior was found. Nevertheless, some differences were noticeable between the coating, the type of milk and the variety of cereals

"Creating a circle of care" : comprehensive service delivery to HIV-positive pregnant women and their newborns : a manual on best practices /

"March 16, 1998."

Nine discourses on baptism : viz. water baptism, John's baptism, Christian baptism, believer's baptism, infant baptism, believing parents and their children in covenant with God, being buried with Christ in baptism illustrated : to which is annexed, Mrs. Jackson's confession.

The first sermon is compiled from sermons by Nathan Perkins and Moses Hemmenway; the other sermons are by John Crane, Jedidiah Chapman, and Elijah Parish.

Governmentality and 'fearless speech': framing the education of asylum seeker and refugee children in Australia

This paper considers the educational provision for, and general treatment of, refugee and asylum seeker children in Australia, using a framework of governmentality. The paper describes the regimes of practices which govern refugees and asylum seekers in Australia, including mandatory detention and a complex set of visa categorisations, and considers their consequences for the educational provision for children. It addresses three questions: How is it possible that the rights of children have been rendered invisible in and by a democratic state? How are repressive and even violent practices normalised in a liberal state, so that ordinary citizens show so little concern about them? And what should our response be as educators and intellectuals? In conclusion, it explores Foucault's notions of ethics and fearless speech (parrhesia) as a basis for an ethics of engagement in education.

The influence of excipients on the diffusion of ibuprofen and paracetamol in gastric mucus

The aim of this study was to examine the diffusion of commonly administered analgesics, ibuprofen and paracetamol, through gastric mucus. As ibuprofen and paracetamol are often formulated with alkalising excipients, or are commonly co-administered with antacids that have been demonstrated to alter their absorption, diffusion was also studied in the presence of a range of soluble and insoluble antacids or buffering agents. The effect of pH, which has been demonstrated to modify the properties of mucus, was also studied. Mucus was a significant barrier to diffusion for both drugs, compared to an unstirred aqueous layer with diffusion rates significantly lower in the presence of a mucus barrier for both drugs; ibuprofen diffusion also demonstrated a significant increase in the lag time. Paracetamol diffusion was not significantly affected by addition of any antacid, whereas ibuprofen rates were affected and the diffusion lag time for ibuprofen was significantly reduced in all cases. Isolated increases in pH increased the rate and reduced the lag time for ibuprofen diffusion. It was shown that mucus acts as a passive barrier in the case of paracetamol diffusion, and an interactive barrier to ibuprofen diffusion. Changes in mucus viscosity at different pH values may be responsible for the observed changes in ibuprofen diffusion rate. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Market-level information and the diffusion of competing technologies:an exploratory analysis of the LAN industry

Market-level information diffused by print media may contribute to the legitimation of an emerging technology and thus influence the diffusion of competing technological standards. After analyzing more than 10,000 trade media abstracts from the Local Area Networks (LAN) industry published between 1981 and 2000, we found the presence of differential effects on the adoption of competing standards by two market-level information types: technology and product availability. The significance of these effects depends on the technology's order of entry and suggests that high-tech product managers should make strategic use of market-level information by appropriately focusing the content of their communications. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Introduction: improving manufacturing performance through technology diffusion, implementation and management

The role of technology management in achieving improved manufacturing performance has been receiving increased attention as enterprises are becoming more exposed to competition from around the world. In the modern market for manufactured goods the demand is now for more product variety, better quality, shorter delivery and greater flexibility, while the financial and environmental cost of resources has become an urgent concern to manufacturing managers. This issue of the International Journal of Technology Management addresses the question of how the diffusion, implementation and management of technology can improve the performance of manufacturing industries. The authors come from a large number of different countries and their contributions cover a wide range of topics within this general theme. Some papers are conceptual, others report on research carried out in a range of different industries including steel production, iron founding, electronics, robotics, machinery, precision engineering, metal working and motor manufacture. In some cases they describe situations in specific countries. Several are based on presentations made at the UK Operations Management Association's Sixth International Conference held at Aston University at which the conference theme was 'Achieving Competitive Edge: Getting Ahead Through Technology and People'. The first two papers deal with questions of advanced manufacturing technology implementation and management. Firstly Beatty describes a three year longitudinal field study carried out in ten Canadian manufacturing companies using CADICAM and CIM systems. Her findings relate to speed of implementation, choice of system type, the role of individuals in implementation, organization and job design. This is followed by a paper by Bessant in which he argues that a more a strategic approach should be taken towards the management of technology in the 1990s and beyond. Also considered in this paper are the capabilities necessary in order to deploy advanced manufacturing technology as a strategic resource and the way such capabilities might be developed within the firm. These two papers, which deal largely with the implementation of hardware, are supplemented by Samson and Sohal's contribution in which they argue that a much wider perspective should be adopted based on a new approach to manufacturing strategy formulation. Technology transfer is the topic of the following two papers. Pohlen again takes the case of advanced manufacturing technology and reports on his research which considers the factors contributing to successful realisation of AMT transfer. The paper by Lee then provides a more detailed account of technology transfer in the foundry industry. Using a case study based on a firm which has implemented a number of transferred innovations a model is illustrated in which the 'performance gap' can be identified and closed. The diffusion of technology is addressed in the next two papers. In the first of these, by Lowe and Sim, the managerial technologies of 'Just in Time' and 'Manufacturing Resource Planning' (or MRP 11) are examined. A study is described from which a number of factors are found to influence the adoption process including, rate of diffusion and size. Dahlin then considers the case of a specific item of hardware technology, the industrial robot. Her paper reviews the history of robot diffusion since the early 1960s and then tries to predict how the industry will develop in the future. The following two papers deal with the future of manufacturing in a more general sense. The future implementation of advanced manufacturing technology is the subject explored by de Haan and Peters who describe the results of their Dutch Delphi forecasting study conducted among a panel of experts including scientists, consultants, users and suppliers of AMT. Busby and Fan then consider a type of organisational model, 'the extended manufacturing enterprise', which would represent a distinct alternative pure market-led and command structures by exploiting the shared knowledge of suppliers and customers. The three country-based papers consider some strategic issues relating manufacturing technology. In a paper based on investigations conducted in China He, Liff and Steward report their findings from strategy analyses carried out in the steel and watch industries with a view to assessing technology needs and organizational change requirements. This is followed by Tang and Nam's paper which examines the case of machinery industry in Korea and its emerging importance as a key sector in the Korean economy. In his paper which focuses on Venezuela, Ernst then considers the particular problem of how this country can address the problem of falling oil revenues. He sees manufacturing as being an important contributor to Venezuela's future economy and proposes a means whereby government and private enterprise can co-operate in development of the manufacturing sector. The last six papers all deal with specific topics relating to the management manufacturing. Firstly Youssef looks at the question of manufacturing flexibility, introducing and testing a conceptual model that relates computer based technologies flexibility. Dangerfield's paper which follows is based on research conducted in the steel industry. He considers the question of scale and proposes a modelling approach determining the plant configuration necessary to meet market demand. Engstrom presents the results of a detailed investigation into the need for reorganising material flow where group assembly of products has been adopted. Sherwood, Guerrier and Dale then report the findings of a study into the effectiveness of Quality Circle implementation. Stillwagon and Burns, consider how manufacturing competitiveness can be improved individual firms by describing how the application of 'human performance engineering' can be used to motivate individual performance as well as to integrate organizational goals. Finally Sohal, Lewis and Samson describe, using a case study example, how just-in-time control can be applied within the context of computer numerically controlled flexible machining lines. The papers in this issue of the International Journal of Technology Management cover a wide range of topics relating to the general question of improving manufacturing performance through the dissemination, implementation and management of technology. Although they differ markedly in content and approach, they have the collective aim addressing the concepts, principles and practices which provide a better understanding the technology of manufacturing and assist in achieving and maintaining a competitive edge.

The intra-firm diffusion of complementary innovations: Evidence from the adoption of management practices by British establishments

This paper presents a simple profitability-based decision model to show how synergistic gains generated by the joint adoption of complementary innovations may influence the firm's adoption decision. For this purpose a weighted index of intra-firm diffusion is built to investigate empirically the drivers of the intensity of joint use of a set of complementary innovations. The findings indicate that establishment size, ownership structure and product market concentration are important determinants of the intensity of use. Interestingly, the factors that affect the extent of use of technological innovations do also affect that of clusters of management practices. However, they can explain only part of the heterogeneity of the benefits from joint use.

The psychology of news influence and development of Media Framing Analysis

HowHow precisely do media influence their readers, listeners and viewers? In this paper, we argue that any serious study of the psychology of media influence must incorporate a systematic analysis of media material. However, psychology presently lacks a methodology for doing this that is sensitive to context, relying on generalised methods like content or discourse analysis. In this paper, we develop an argument to support our development of a technique that we have called Media Framing Analysis (MFA), a formal procedure for conducting analyses of (primarily news) media texts. MFA draws on elements of existing framing research from communication and other social scientific research while at the same time incorporating features of particular relevance to psychology, such as narrative and characterisation.

The development and diffusion of industrial robots

This thesis describes the history of robots and explains the reasons for the international differences in robot diffusion, and the differences in the diffusion of various robot applications with reference to the UK. As opposed to most of the literature, diffusion is examined with an integrated and interdisciplinary perspective. Robot technology evolves from the interaction of development, supply and manufacture, adoption, and promotion. activities. Emphasis is given to the analysis of adoption, at present the most important limiting factor of robot advancement in the UK. Technical development is inferred from a comparison of surveys on equipment, and from the topics of ten years of symposia papers. This classification of papers is also used to highlight the international and institutional differences in robot development. Analysis of the growth in robot supply, manufacture, and use is made from statistics compiled. A series of interviews with users and potential users serves to illustrate the factors and implications of the adoption of different robot systems in the UK. Adoption pioneering takes place when several conditions exist: when the technology is compatible with the firm, when its advantages outweigh its disadvantages, and particularly when a climate exists which encourages the managerial involvement and the labour acceptance. The degree of compatibility (technical, methodological, organisational, and economic) and the consequences (profitability, labour impacts, and managerial effects) of different robot systems (transfer, manipulative, processing, and assembly) are determined by various aspects of manufacturing operations (complexity, automation, integration, labour tasks, and working conditions). The climate for adoption pioneering is basically determined by the performance of firms. The firms' policies on capital investment have as decisive a role in determining the profitability of robots as their total labour costs. The performance of the motor car industry and its machine builders explains, more than any other factor, the present state of robot advancement in the UK.