Structural Studies of Transition Metal Complexes with 4,5-Bis(2-pyridylmethylsulfanyl)-4‘,5‘-ethylenedithiotetrathiafulvalene: Probing Their Potential for the Construction of Multifunctional Molecular Assemblies

Three divalent transition metal complexes of 4,5-bis(2-pyridylmethylsulfanyl)-4‘,5‘-ethylenedithiotetrathiafulvalene have been prepared and crystallographically characterized. The isostructural Co(II) and the Ni(II) complexes show octahedral geometries around the metal ions with the coordination sites occupied by the pyridyl nitrogen atoms and the thioether sulfur atoms of the ligand and cis coordination of the halide ions. Cyclic voltammetry reveals that the complexation leads to a small anodic shift in the first oxidation potential of the TTF system.

Light-quark and gluon jet discrimination in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A likelihood-based discriminant for the identification of quark- and gluon-initiated jets is built and validated using 4.7 fb−1 √ of proton–proton collision data at √s = 7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Data sampleswith enriched quark or gluon content are used in the construction and validation of templates of jet properties that are the input to the likelihood-based discriminant. The discriminating power of the jet tagger is established in both data and Monte Carlo samples within a systematic uncertainty of ≈ 10–20 %. In data, light-quark jets can be tagged with an efficiency of ≈ 50% while achieving a gluon-jet mis-tag rate of ≈ 25% in a pT range between 40 GeV and 360 GeV for jets in the acceptance of the tracker. The rejection of gluon-jets found in the data is significantly below what is attainable using a Pythia 6Monte Carlo simulation, where gluon-jet mis-tag rates of 10% can be reached for a 50% selection efficiency of light-quark jets using the same jet properties.

Segmentation and Segregation Patterns of Women-Owned High-Tech Firms in Four Metropolitan Regions in the United States

Mayer H. Segmentation and segregation patterns of women-owned high-tech firms in four metropolitan regions in the United States, Regional Studies. The number of women starting and owning a business has increased dramatically and female entrepreneurs are entering non-traditional sectors such as high technology, construction and manufacturing. This paper investigates the trends in high-tech entrepreneurship by women in four US metropolitan regions (Silicon Valley, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Washington, DC; and Portland, Oregon). The research examines the sectoral and spatial segmentation patterns of women-owned high-tech firms. Although women are entering non-traditional sectors, the research finds that women entrepreneurs tend to own businesses in female-typed high-tech sectors. In established high-tech regions like Silicon Valley and Boston, male-typed and female-typed women-owned high-tech firms differ significantly in terms of sectoral and spatial segmentation regardless of firm age. While differences between male-typed and female-typed firms are not significant at the regional level for Washington, DC, the analysis shows significant intra-metropolitan differences for the female-typed high-tech firms. The paper concludes that sectoral and spatial segmentation are powerful dynamics that shape business ownership by women in high technology.

Slab rollback orogeny in the Alps and evolution of the Swiss Molasse basin

The stratigraphies of foreland basins have been related to orogeny, where continent–continent collision causes the construction of topography and the downwarping of the foreland plate. These mechanisms have been inferred for the Molasse basin, stretching along the northern margin of the European Alps. Continuous flexural bending of the subducting European lithosphere as a consequence of topographic loads alone would imply that the Alpine topography would have increased at least between 30 Ma and ca. 5–10 Ma when the basin accumulated the erosional detritus. This, however, is neither consistent with observations nor with isostatic mass balancing models because paleoaltimetry estimates suggest that the topography has not increased since 20 Ma. Here we show that a rollback mechanism for the European plate is capable of explaining the construction of thick sedimentary successions in the Molasse foreland basin where the extra slab load has maintained the Alpine surface at low, but constant, elevations.

Management of a complication with a fractured zirconia implant abutment in the esthetic zone

Technical complications in implant prosthetic cases represent a major challenge in dentistry. This case report describes minimally invasive management to recover an implant with a fractured remnant of a zirconia abutment, including provisional rehabilitation during a sequential treatment protocol in the esthetic zone. A patient was treated with a screw-retained one-piece implant-supported reconstruction made of a customized zirconia abutment with direct ceramic veneering in the maxillary right central incisor position. During the prosthetic try-in, a fracture in the apical portion of the abutment was evident. The first rescue attempt led to fracture of the retrieval instrument. Immediately, an individualized wired construction was applied to bond the existing fractured reconstruction to the neighboring teeth to maintain the peri-implant mucosal architecture. Because the implant screw canal was blocked, a customized round bur had to be manufactured and was placed in the implant axis with a specific bracket tool from the service set to protect the interior implant threads. Then, the drills of the service set were guided by the newly created access to remove the fractured remnants. The implant screw was retapped and the area rinsed with chlorhexidine solution. All remnants were removed without the need for surgical intervention. Neither the implant connection nor the bone-to-implant interface was damaged. The stepwise treatment approach with the customized round bur combined with the system-specific drills of the service set saved the blocked implant so that the patient could be successfully rehabilitated with a new implant reconstruction.

THE NATURAL BACKGROUND GAMMA RADIATION EXPOSURE IN THE METROPOLITAN AREA OF THE VALLEY OF MEXICO

Measurements of the natural background radiation have been made at numerous places throughout the world. Very little work in this field has been done in developing countries. In Mexico the natural radiation to which the population is exposed has not been assessed. This dissertation represents a pioneer study in this environmental area. The radiation exposure which occupants within buildings receive as a result of naturally occurring radionuclides present in construction materials is the principal focus.^ Data were collected between August 1979 and November 1980. Continuous monitoring was done with TLDs placed on site for periods of 3 to 6 months. The instrumentation used for "real-time" measurements was a portable NaI (Tl) scintillation detector. In addition, radiometric measurements were performed on construction materials commonly used in Mexican homes.^ Based on TLD readings taken within 75 dwellings, the typical indoor exposure for a resident of the study area is 9.2 (mu)Rh('-1). The average reading of the 152 indoor scintillometer surveys was 9.5 (mu)Rh('-1), the outdoor reading 7.5 (mu)Rh('-1). Results of one-way and multi-way analyses of the exposure data to determine the effect due to building materials type, geologic subsoil, age of dwelling, and elevation are also presented. The results of 152 indoor scintillometer surveys are described. ^

Dr. William Gorgas and his style of management against yellow fever during the construction of the Panama Canal: A historical case study

This study describes the style of management of Dr. William Gorgas as he led the public health effort to reduce diseases to a level that permitted the completion of the Panama Canal construction. Initially, Gorgas was skeptical of the mosquito vector theory. He fully accepted this theory after participating in Walter Reed’s massive cleanup of Havana, Cuba during the Spanish American War of 1898. During 1905 to 1914, Gorgas was selected to lead the sanitary effort during the construction of the Panama Canal. The lessons learned from this historical case study provide public health administrators with guidance to effectively lead current and future infectious diseases threats. Understanding styles of management within the context of disease control is essential in tackling epidemics like yellow fever and other infectious diseases. ^

AN INVESTIGATION OF VOLATILE ORGANIC AIR CONTAMINANTS IN THE INDOOR MANUFACTURED HOUSING ENVIRONMENT (TEXAS)

Manufactured housing has been found to have substantial levels of formaldehyde in the indoor air. Because mobile homes are more affordable than conventional housing, there has been a large increase in their use in the U.S. This increase in mobile home use has been substantial in the sunbelt regions such as Texas, where high temperatures and humidities may enhance out-gassing of formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds from construction and furnishing materials and increase any potential health hazards.^ The influences of environmental, architectural and temporal factors on the presence of indoor formaldehyde and other organic compounds were investigated in conjunction with the Texas Indoor Air Quality Study of manufactured housing. A matched pair of mobile homes, one with electric heating and cooking utilities and the other with propane gas utilities, were used for a series of controlled experiments over a fourteen month period from October, 1982 through November, 1983.^ Over this fourteen month period formaldehyde levels decreased approximately 33%. Daily fluctuations of 20% to 40% were observed even with a constant indoor temperature. An increase in indoor temperature of 8(DEGREES)C doubled the measured formaldehyde concentration. Opening windows resulted in decreases of indoor formaldehyde levels of up to 50%. Studies of the impact of propane as a cooking source showed no increase in formaldehyde levels with stove use.^ The presence and concentration of selected volatile organic compounds is influenced greatest by occupancy. Occupants continually open and close windows and doors, vary the operation and settings (temperature) of air control systems, and vary in their selection of furnishings and use of consumer products, which may act as sources of indoor air contaminants. ^

{\it cis\/} -acting determinants in the control of MuSVts110 RNA splicing

Like other simple retroviruses the murine sarcoma virus ts110 (MuSVts110) displays an inefficient mode of genome splicing. But, unlike the splicing phenotypic of other retroviruses, the splicing event effected upon the transcript of MuSVts110 is temperature sensitive. Previous work in this laboratory has established that the conditionally defective nature of MuSVts110 RNA splicing is mediated in cis by features in the viral transcript. Here we show that the 5$\sp\prime$ splice site of the MuSVts110 transcript acts as a point of control of the overall splicing efficiency at both permissive and nonpermissive temperatures for splicing. We strengthened and simultaneously weakened the nucleotide structure of the 5$\sp\prime$ splice site in an attempt to elucidate the differential effects each of the two known critical splicing components which interact with the 5$\sp\prime$ splice site have on the overall efficiency of intron excision. We found that a transversion of the sixth nucleotide, resulting in the formation of a near-consensus 5$\sp\prime$ splice site, dramatically increased the overall efficiency of MuSVts110 RNA splicing and abrogated the thermosensitive nature of this splicing event. Various secondary mutations within this original transversion mutant, designed to selectively decrease specific splicing component interactions, lead to recovery of inefficient and thermosensitive splicing. We have further shown that a sequence of 415 nucleotides lying in the downstream exon of the viral RNA and hypothesized to act as an element in the temperature-dependent inhibition of splicing displays a functional redundancy throughout its length; loss and/or replacement of any one sequence of 100 nucleotides within this sequence does not, with one exception detailed below, diminish the degree to which MuSVts110 RNA is inhibited to splice at the restrictive temperature. One specific deletion, though, fortuitously juxtaposed and activated cryptic consensus splicing signals for the excision of a cryptic intron within the downstream exon and markedly potentiated--across a newly defined cryptic exon--the splicing event effected upon the upstream, native intron. We have exploited this mutant of MuSVts110 to further an understanding of the process of exon definition and intron definition and show that the polypyrimidine tract and consensus 3$\sp\prime$ splice site, as well as the 5$\sp\prime$ splice site, within the intron at the 3$\sp\prime$ flank of the defined exon are required for the exon's definition; implying that definition of the downstream intron is required for the in vivo definition of the proximal, upstream exon. Finally; we have shown, through the construction of heterologous mutants of MuSVts110 employing a foreign 3$\sp\prime$ end-forming sequence, that efficiency of transcript splicing can be increased--to a degree which abrogates its thermosensitive nature--in direct proportion to increasing proximity of the 3$\sp\prime$ end-forming signal to the terminal 3$\sp\prime$ splice site. ^

Characterization of the NOP -1 opsin photoreceptor in the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa

Light absorption is an important process for energy production and sensory perception in many organisms. In the filamentous fungus, Neurospora crassa, blue-light is an important regulator of both asexual and sexual development, but the identity of the blue-light receptor is unknown. The work presented in this dissertation initiated the characterization of the putative N. crassa opsin photoreceptor, NOP-1. Opsins were thought to exist only in the archaea and mammals until the discovery of nop-1. All opsins have the same conserved structure of seven transmembrane helical domains with a lysine residue in the seventh helix specific for forming a Schiff-base linkage with retinal. The predicted NOP-1 protein sequence is equally similar to archaeal rhodopsins and a newly identified fungal opsin-related protein group (ORPs). ORPs maintain the seven transmembrane helical structure of opsins, but lack the conserved lysine residue for binding retinal. An ORP gene, orp-1 was identified in N. crassa and this work includes the cloning and sequence analysis of this gene. Characterization of NOP-1 function in N. crassa development began with the construction of a Δnop-1 deletion mutant. Extensive phenotypic analysis of Δnop-1 mutants revealed only subtle defects during development primarily under environmental conditions that induce a stress response. NOP-1 was overexpressed in the heterologous system Pichia pastoris, and it was demonstrated that NOP-1 protein bound all-trans retinal to form a green-light absorbing pigment (λmax = 534 nm) with a photochemical reaction cycle similar to archaeal sensory rhodopsins. nop-1 gene expression was monitored during N. crassa development. nop-1 transcript is highly expressed during asexual sporulation (conidiation) and transcript levels are abundant in the later stages of conidial development. nop-1 expression is not regulated by blue-light or elevated temperatures. Potential functions for NOP-1 were discovered through the transcriptional analysis of conidiation-associated genes in Δnop-1 mutants. NOP-1 exhibits antagonistic transcriptional regulation of conidiation-associated genes late in conidial development, by enhancing the carotenogenic gene, al-2 and repressing the conidiation-specific genes, con-10 and con-13. ^

Roles of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in the regulation of SOX9 activity and chondrogenesis

Sox9 is a master transcription factor in chondrocyte differentiation. Several lines of evidence suggest that the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is involved in chondrocyte differentiation. In the present study, we examined the roles of p38 in the regulation of SOX9 activity and chondrogenesis. ^ COS7 cells were transfected with a SOX9 expression vector and 4x48-p89, a luciferase construction harboring four tandem copies of a SOX9-dependent 48-bp enhancer in Col2a1. Coexpression of MKK6EE, a constitutively active mutant of MKK6, a MAPKK that specifically activates p38, further increased the activity of the SOX9-dependent 48-bp enhancer about 5-fold, and SOX9 protein levels were not increased under these conditions. This increase in enhancer activity was not observed in a mutant enhancer construct harboring mutations that abolish SOX9 binding. These data strongly suggested that activation of the p38 pathway results in increased activity of SOX9. In addition, the increase of the activity of the SOX9-dependent 48-bp enhancer by MKK6EE was also observed in primary chondrocytes, and this increase was abolished by coexpression of a p38 phosphatase, MKP5, and p38 specific inhibitors. Furthermore, treatment of primary chondrocytes with p38 inhibitors decreased the expression of Col2a1, a downstream target of Sox9, without affecting Sox9 RNA levels, further supporting the hypothesis that p38 plays a role in regulating Sox9 activity in chondrocytes. ^ To further study the role of the p38 MAPK pathway in chondrogenesis, we generated transgenic mice that express MKK6EE in chondrocytes under the control of the Col2a1 promoter/intron regulatory sequences. These mice showed a dwarf phenotype characterized by reduced chondrocyte proliferation and a delay in the formation of primary and secondary ossification centers. Histological analysis using in situ hybridization showed reduced expression of Indian hedgehog, PTH/PTHrP receptor, cyclin D1 and increased expression of p21. In addition, consistent with the notion that Sox9 activity was increased in these mice, transgenic mice that express MKK6EE in chondrocytes showed phenotypes similar to those of mice that overexpress SOX9 in chondrocytes. Therefore, our study provides in vivo evidence for the role of p38 in chondrocyte differentiation and suggests that Sox9 is a downstream target of the p38 MAPK pathway. ^

Territorial quality and sustainable development : Indicators of performance in the context of a model for participatory rural tourism certification

El turismo rural ha sido incorporado por pequeños establecimientos agropecuarios del partido de Cnel. Suárez, provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, como actividad alternativa para mejorar la calidad de vida de sus miembros y superar situaciones de crisis agravadas por la marginalidad productiva del SO bonaerense, región a la que pertenecen. Bajo el programa Cambio Rural del INTA (Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria) conforman el Grupo 'Cortaderas II', junto a otros emprendedores interesados en valorar el medio rural. Han avanzado en el proceso de reconocimiento de su identidad y puesta en valor de recursos específicos con anclaje en el territorio. Esta identidad comienza a apreciarse internamente, a raíz de la dinámica grupal lograda y la incipiente articulación con otros actores para la construcción de un partenariado público y privado que genere sinergias y contribuya al desarrollo sustentable del territorio. Sin embargo, aún no es claramente percibida por el turista, cada vez más exigente. Por lo tanto, el presente trabajo persigue proponer indicadores para evaluar el desempeño de un Sistema de Gestión de Calidad con enfoque territorial que, adaptando el modelo europeo 'Marca de Calidad Territorial', sustente una estrategia comercial de diferenciación del servicio y simultáneamente, mida el progreso hacia una mejor calidad de vida y fortalecimiento de vínculos con la cultura local y el entorno físico-natural en el marco del desarrollo sustentable. La investigación se plantea para la micro escala, ya que se trata de un estudio de caso, relevándose información primaria mediante observación directa y entrevistas semi-estructuradas, complementada con información secundaria diagnóstica utilizada por INTA. Las características del grupo y su dinámica de funcionamiento bajo el programa Cambio Rural revelan que es posible adoptar un proceso de certificación participativa propuesto para cuatro pilares de la calidad: de Bienes y Servicios, Institucional, Social y Ambiental. El modelo se integra con indicadores de evaluación de desempeño, agrupados en áreas clave para cada una de las dimensiones de la sustentabilidad, que contemplan el paisaje y la gestión de los recursos naturales; el impacto económico de la actividad, la calidad de la oferta y satisfacción del turista; así como las relaciones sociales internas y los vínculos con otros actores del territorio. Principalmente se encontraron fortalezas en la búsqueda de partenariados y debilidades en aspectos de comunicación y promoción. Se considera que este sistema de herramientas de gestión sustentable permitiría superar las dificultades de una certificación individual, pudiendo aplicarse a emprendimientos con otra ubicación geográfica

The development of professor's professional knowledge in Psychology

This work belongs to the Project "Teaching and learning Psychology: a study of the educational practice in professors and beginners". It is part of an investigation program developed in the context of the subject "Didactic and Practical Planning of Psychology teaching" in which we have been working since 1998. This subject is also considered as the final stage of the formative itinerary for Psychology s professors. The reached results show the incidence that the beliefs and professors' representations have in the teaching processes. By getting into the studies centered in the educational knowledge we guide the inquiry around the development of the professor's professional knowledge and particularly the development of their formation. Our proposal contemplates a formation device which incorporates the observation, reflection, evaluation and self-evaluation of the practice in order to facilitate the reconstruction, significance and re-significance of the teaching and learning processes by giving relevance to the development of the teacher professional knowledge. The analysis of teaching practices process reveals that the mediations that cross the knowledge in the being taught instances are constituted in reflections axes. This involves the future professor's relationship with the knowledge and their projection in the construction of the professional identity.

Scientific Production on Open Access : A Worldwide Bibliometric Analysis in the Academic and Scientific Context

This research aims to diachronically analyze the worldwide scientific production on open access, in the academic and scientific context, in order to contribute to knowledge and visualization of its main actors. As a method, bibliographical, descriptive and analytical research was used, with the contribution of bibliometric studies, especially the production indicators, scientific collaboration and indicators of thematic co-occurrence. The Scopus database was used as a source to retrieve the articles on the subject, with a resulting corpus of 1179 articles. Using Bibexcel software, frequency tables were constructed for the variables, and Pajek software was used to visualize the collaboration network and VoSViewer for the construction of the keywords' network. As for the results, the most productive researchers come from countries such as the United States, Canada, France and Spain. Journals with higher impact in the academic community have disseminated the new constructed knowledge. A collaborative network with a few subnets where co-authors are from different countries has been observed. As conclusions, this study allows identifying the themes of debates that mark the development of open access at the international level, and it is possible to state that open access is one of the new emerging and frontier fields of library and information science

The development of professor's professional knowledge in Psychology

This work belongs to the Project "Teaching and learning Psychology: a study of the educational practice in professors and beginners". It is part of an investigation program developed in the context of the subject "Didactic and Practical Planning of Psychology teaching" in which we have been working since 1998. This subject is also considered as the final stage of the formative itinerary for Psychology s professors. The reached results show the incidence that the beliefs and professors' representations have in the teaching processes. By getting into the studies centered in the educational knowledge we guide the inquiry around the development of the professor's professional knowledge and particularly the development of their formation. Our proposal contemplates a formation device which incorporates the observation, reflection, evaluation and self-evaluation of the practice in order to facilitate the reconstruction, significance and re-significance of the teaching and learning processes by giving relevance to the development of the teacher professional knowledge. The analysis of teaching practices process reveals that the mediations that cross the knowledge in the being taught instances are constituted in reflections axes. This involves the future professor's relationship with the knowledge and their projection in the construction of the professional identity.