Phenotypic variation in shell form in the intertidal acorn barnacle Chthamalus montagui: distribution, response to predators and life history trade-offs.

The acorn barnacle Chthamalus montagui can present strong variation in shell morphology, ranging from flat conic to a highly bent form, caused by a substantial overgrowth of the rostrum plate. Shell shape distribution was investigated between January and May 2004 from geographical to microhabitat spatial scales along the western coast of Britain. Populations studied in the north (Scotland and Isle of Man) showed a higher degree of shell variation compared to those in the south (Wales and south-west England). In the north, C. montagui living at lower tidal levels and in proximity to the predatory dogwhelk, Nucella lapillus, were more bent in profile. Laboratory experiments were conducted to examine behavioural responses, and vulnerability of bent and conic barnacles to predation by N. lapillus. Dogwhelks did not attack one morphotype more than the other, but only 15 % of attacks on bent forms were successful compared to 75 % in conic forms. Dogwhelk effluent reduced the time spent feeding by C. montagui (11 %), but there was no significant difference between conic and bent forms. Examination of barnacle morphology indicated a trade-off in investment in shell structure and feeding appendages associated with being bent, but none with egg or somatic tissue mass. These results are consistent with C. montagui showing an induced defence comparable to that found in its congeners Chthamalus anisopoma and Chthamalus fissus on the Pacific coast of North America, but further work to demonstrate inducibility is required.

Super-villains of the "real world": the political use of the characterization of villains in Chistopher Nolan's "Dark Knight Trilogy"

It is almost a tradition that celluloid (or digital) villains are represented with some characteristics that remind us the real political enemies of the producer country of the film, or even enemies within the country according to the particular ideology that sustains the film. The case of Christopher Nolan The Dark Knight trilogy, analyzed here, is representative of this trend for two reasons. First, because it gets marked by political radicalization conducted by the US government after the attack of September 11, 2001. Secondly, because it offers a profuse gallery of villains who are outside the circle of friends as the new doctrine “either with us or against us” opened by George Bush for the XXI century. This gallery includes from the very terrorists who justify the War on Terror (Ra's al Ghul, the Joker), to the “radical left” (Bane, Talia al Ghul) including liberal politicians (Harvey Dent), and corrupt that take advantage of the softness of the law to commit crimes with impunity (Dr. Crane, the Scarecrow).

Stability of 5-aminolevulinic acid in novel non-aqueous gel and patch-type systems intended for topical application.

Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) stability within topical formulations intended for photodynamic therapy (PDT) is poor due to dimerisation to pyrazine-2,5-dipropionic acid (PY). Most strategies to improve stability use low pH vehicles, which can cause cutaneous irritancy. To overcome this problem, a novel approach is investigated that uses a non-aqueous vehicle to retard proton-induced charge separation across the 4-carbonyl group on ALA and lessen nucleophilic attack that leads to condensation dimerisation. Bioadhesive anhydrous vehicles based on methylvinylether-maleic anhydride copolymer patches and poly(ethyleneglycol) or glycerol thickened poly(acrylic acid) gels were formulated. ALA stability fell below pharmaceutically acceptable levels after 6 months, with bioadhesive patches stored at 5°C demonstrating the best stability by maintaining 86.2% of their original loading. Glycerol-based gels maintained 40.2% in similar conditions. However, ALA loss did not correspond to expected increases in PY, indicating the presence of another degradative process that prevented dimerisation. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis was inconclusive in respect of the mechanism observed in the patch system, but showed clearly that an esterification reaction involving ALA and both glycerol and poly(ethyleneglycol) was occurring. This was especially marked in the glycerol gels, where only 2.21% of the total expected PY was detected after 204 days at 5°C. Non-specific esterase hydrolysis demonstrated that ALA was recoverable from the gel systems, further supporting esterified binding within the gel matrices. It is conceivable that skin esterases could duplicate this finding upon topical application of the gel and convert these derivatives back to ALA in situ, provided skin penetration is not affected adversely.

Demographic and temporal trends in out of hospital sudden cardiac death in belfast

Objective: To determine the epidemiology of out of hospital sudden cardiac death (OHSCD) in Belfast from 1 August 2003 to 31 July 2004.

Design: Prospective examination of out of hospital cardiac arrests by using the Utstein style and necropsy reports. World Health Organization criteria were applied to determine the number of sudden cardiac deaths.

Results: Of 300 OHSCDs, 197 (66%) in men, mean age (SD) 68 (14) years, 234 (78%) occurred at home. The emergency medical services (EMS) attended 279 (93%). Rhythm on EMS arrival was ventricular fibrillation (VF) in 75 (27%). The call to response interval (CRI) was mean (SD) 8 (3) minutes. Among patients attended by the EMS, 9.7% were resuscitated and 7.2% survived to leave hospital alive. The CRI for survivors was mean (SD) 5 (2) minutes and for non-survivors, 8 (3) minutes (p < 0.001). Ninety one (30%) OHSCDs were witnessed; of these 91 patients 48 (53%) had VF on EMS arrival. The survival rate for witnessed VF arrests was 20 of 48 (41.7%): all 20 survivors had VF as the presenting rhythm and CRI ? 7 minutes. The European age standardised incidence for OHSCD was 122/100 000 (95% confidence interval 111 to 133) for men and 41/100 000 (95% confidence interval 36 to 46) for women.

Conclusion: Despite a 37% reduction in heart attack mortality in Ireland over the past 20 years, the incidence of OHSCD in Belfast has not fallen. In this study, 78% of OHSCDs occurred at home.

Development of a technique to measure the residual strength of woodworm infested timber

This paper presents a study of the residual strength of Pinus sylvestris, which has been subject to attack by the furniture beetle (Anobium punctatum). It is relatively easy to stop the infestation, but difficult to assess the structural soundness of the remaining timber. Removal and replacement of affected structural elements is usually difficult and expensive, particularly in buildings of historic interest. Current on-site assessment procedures are limited. The main object of the study was to develop an on-site test of timber quality: a test which can be carried out on the surface and also at varying depths into the timber. It is based on a probe pull-out technique using a portable load-measuring device. Pull-out force values have been correlated with both strength and energy absorbed as measured by compression testing on laboratory samples of both sound and infested timber. These two relationships are significant and could be used to assess whether remedial work is needed. In addition, work on the use of artificial borings to simulate the natural worming of timber is presented and the findings discussed.

Pullout test correlations and in-place strength assessment - the European Concrete Frame Building Project

A full-scale, seven-story, reinforced concrete building frame was constructed in-place at the Building Research Establishment's Cardington Laboratory, which encompassed a range of different concrete mixtures and advanced construction techniques. This provided an opportunity to assess in-place nondestructive test methods, namely the pullout test, and more specifically the Danish version, which has been known as the Lok test, on a systematic basis during the construction of the building. It was used in conjunction with both standard and temperature-matched cube specimens to assess its practicality and accuracy under site conditions. Strength correlations were determined using linear and power function regression analysis. Strength predictions from these were found to be in very good agreement with the compressive strengths of temperature-matched cube specimens. When a general correlation is used, however, estimates for compressive strength are likely to have 95% confidence limits of around '20% of the mean value of four results.

Disabled Children Negotiating School Life: Agency, Difference and Teaching Practice

This paper explores the school experiences of seven 11–14 year old disabled children, and focuses on their agency as they negotiated a complex, changing, and often challenging social world at school where “difference” was experienced in negative ways. The paper draws on ethnographic data from a wider three-year study that explores the influence of school experiences on both disabled and non-disabled children’s identity as they make the transition from primary to secondary school in regular New Zealand schools (although the focus of the present paper is only on the experiences of disabled children). The wider study considers how Maori (indigenous people of Aotearoa/New Zealand) and Pakeha (New Zealanders of NZ European descent) disabled children and their non- disabled matched peers (matched for age, gender and classroom) understand their personal identity, and how factors relating to transition (from primary to secondary school); culture; impairment (in the case of disabled children); social relationships; and school experience impact on children’s identities. Data on Maori children’s school experiences is currently being collected, and is not yet available for inclusion in this paper. On the basis of our observations in schools we will illustrate how disabled children felt and were made to feel different through an array of structural barriers such as separate provision for disabled students, and peer and teacher attitudes to diversity. However, we agree with Davis, Watson, Shakespeare and Corker’s (2003) interpretation that disabled children’s rights and participation at school are also under attack from a “deeper cultural division” (p. 205) in schools based on discourses of difference and normality. While disabled students in our study were trying to actively construct and shape their social and educational worlds, our data also show that teachers and peers have the capacity to either support or supplant these attempts to be part of the group of “all children”. We suggest that finding solutions that support disabled children’s full inclusion and participation at school requires a multi-faceted and systemic approach focused on a pedagogy for diverse learners, and on a consistent and explicitly inclusive policy framework centred on children’s rights.

Do protected areas mitigate the effects of fisheries-induced evolution on parental care behaviour of a recreationally-important teleost fish?

Human-induced selection on animals and plants has been highly influential throughout our history and resulted in both intentional benefits and unintended detriments. Fisheries-induced evolution (FIE) describes the unintended selection on wild fish populations by fishing that has resulted in the evolution of exploited populations. While the use of aquatic protected areas that exclude angling might be considered an evolutionarily-enlightened management approach to dealing with issues arising from FIE little is known about the effectiveness of this approach for maintaining the phenotypic diversity of traits in protected areas versus those outside of their boundaries. In species that exhibit parental care, including the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), active nest guarding and aggression towards potential brood predators by males increases the survival of offspring. This aggression may render these individuals particularly vulnerable to capture via angling as a result of increased propensity to attack fishing lures near their nests. Relative levels of aggression by these males during the parental care period correlate with their vulnerability to angling year round. Inasmuch as this parental behavior is heritable, this selective removal of more aggressive individuals by anglers should drive population-average phenotypes towards lower levels of aggression. To assess the effectiveness of protected areas at mitigating FIE, I compared the nest guarding behaviours of wild, free-swimming male bass during the early nesting period for bass within and outside protected areas. I found that nesting males within long-standing fishing sanctuaries (>70 yrs) were more aggressive towards captive bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) placed directly on their nests, and patrolled larger areas around their nests compared to bass outside of sanctuaries. Males within protected areas were more likely to strike at artificial fishing lures and more prone to capture during experimental angling events. Collectively, my findings suggest that recreational angling selects for individual bass with lower levels of parental care and aggression, and that the establishment of protected areas may mitigate potential FIE. The extent to which this phenomenon occurs in other species and systems likely depends on the reproductive strategies of the fishes being considered, their spatial ecology relative to sanctuary boundaries, and habitat quality within protected areas.

Lividins: Novel antimicrobial peptide homologs from the skin secretion of the Chinese Large Odorous frog, Rana (Odorrana) livida: Identification by “shotgun” cDNA cloning and sequence analysis.

Odorous frogs of the sub-genus Odorrana are of oriental distribution, and are so called due to the foul smell of their defensive skin secretions released from specialized skin glands following stress or predator attack. Here we report the application of a “shotgun” skin secretion cDNA library cloning technique which can rapidly expedite identification of secretion bioactive peptides. From a library constructed from the skin secretion of the Large Chinese Odorous frog, Rana (Odorrana) livida, we have identified four novel peptides whose primary structures were deduced initially from cloned precursors. Subsequently, mature peptides were located in and structurally characterized from reverse phase HPLC fractions of skin secretion. Named lividins 1–4, these were found to be structural homologs of known antimicrobial peptide families from Rana frogs. Rapid identification of novel peptides can thus be rapidly achieved using this non-invasive, non-destructive technology and the extensive similarities revealed between antimicrobial peptide precursor organization and nucleic acid sequences would lend support to the hypothesis that they have a common ancestral origin.

Elements of the granular gland peptidome and transcriptome persist in air-dried skin of the South American orange-legged leaf frog, Phyllomedusa hypocondrialis.

The defensive strategy of amphibians against predator attack relies heavily on the secretion of noxious/toxic chemical cocktails from specialized skin granular glands. Bioactive peptides constitute a major component of secretions in many species and the most complex are produced by neotropical leaf frogs of the sub-family Phyllomedusinae. We recently reported that these skin secretions contain elements of both the granular gland peptidome and transcriptome and that polyadenylated mRNAs constituting the latter are protected from degradation by interactions with endogenous amphipathic peptides. This thus permits parallel amino acid sequencing of peptides and nucleic acid sequencing of cloned precursor transcripts from single lyophilized samples of secretion. Here we report that the protection afforded is sufficiently robust to permit transcriptome studies by cloning of full-length polyadenylated peptide precursor encoding mRNAs from libraries constructed using ambient temperature air-dried skin from recently deceased specimens as source material. The technique was sufficiently sensitive to permit the identification of cDNAs encoding antimicrobial peptides constituted by six different isoforms of phylloseptin and two dermaseptins. Also, for the first time, establishment of the nucleic acid and amino acid sequence of the precursor encoding the phyllomedusine frog skin bradykinin-related peptide, phyllokinin, from cloned cDNA, was achieved. These data unequivocally demonstrate that the granular gland transcriptome persists in air-dried amphibian skin—a finding that may have fundamental implications in the study of archived materials but also in the wider field of molecular biology.

Chromium, iron, ruthenium and gold complexes of 3,3-(biphenyl-2,2 '-diyl)-1-diphenylphosphino-1-phenylallene: A versatile ligand

Successive treatment of 9-(phenylethynyl)fluoren-9-ol (1a), with HBr, butyllithium and chlorodiphenylphosphine furnishes 3,3-(biphenyl-2,2'-diyl)-1-diphenylphosphino-1-phenylallene (5). Moreover, reaction of 1a directly with chlorodiphenylphosphine yields the corresponding allenylphosphine oxide (6). The allenylphosphine (5), and Fe-2(CO)(9) initially form the phosphine-Fe(CO)(4) complex, 11, which is very thermally sensitive and readily loses a carbonyl ligand. In the resulting phosphine-Fe(CO)(3) system, 12, the additional site at iron is coordinated by the allene double bond adjacent to phosphorus; the Fe(CO) 3 tripod in 12 exhibits restricted rotation on the NMR time-scale even at room temperature. The corresponding chromium complex, (5)-Cr(CO)5 (9), has also been prepared. The gold complexes (5)AuCl (13), and [(5)-Au(THT)](+) X-, where (THT) is tetrahydrothiophene, and X = PF6 (14a), or ClO4 (14b), are analogous to the known triphenylphosphine-gold complexes. In contrast, in the (arene)(allenylphosphine) RuCl2 system the allene double bond adjacent to phosphorus displaces a chloride, and the resulting cationic species undergoes nucleophilic attack by water yielding ultimately a five-membered Ru-P-C=C-O ruthenacycle (17). Thus, the allenylphosphine (5), reacts initially as a conventional mono-phosphine but, when the metal centre has a readily displaceable ligand such as a carbonyl or halide, the allene double bond adjacent to the phosphorus can also function as a donor. X- ray crystal structures are reported for 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14a, 14b and 17.

Durability of Self-Compacting Concrete

Because of the different mix design in comparison with traditional concrete and the absence of vibration, different durability characteristics might be expected for self-compacting concrete. The stateof- the-art report, prepared by RILEM Technical Committee TC 205-DSC focuses on the Durability of SCC, by first gathering the available information concerning pore structure, air-void system and transport mechanisms. The available durability results are studied and summarised keeping in mind the fundamental mechanisms and driving forces. All relevant durability issues are considered, like carbonation, chloride penetration, frost resistance, ASR, sulphate attack, thaumasite formation, fire resistance, etc... It is not the intention to give a review on these durability aspects for concrete in general. The aim however is to point at the specifics related to the use of SCC, e.g. due to the addition of a large amount of limestone filler, etc... This paper summarizes the main conclusions of the State-of-the-Art Report.

Assessment of Self-Compacting Concrete Immersed in Acidic Solutions

Ettringite and thaumasite can be found among the deterioration products of cementitious materials exposed to sulfate and hydrochloric attack. The results of a test program to investigate the acid resistance of self-compacting concrete (SCC) and conventional concrete (CC), immersed up to 18 weeks at 20°C in sulfuric and hydrochloric acid solutions, are described. The SCC was prepared with 47% carboniferous limestone powder, as a replacement for cement, and an ordinary portland cement. The CC was prepared with portland cement only. The water-binder ratios of the SCC and CC were 0.36 and 0.46, respectively. The parameter investigated was the time, in weeks, taken to cause 10% mass loss of fully immersed concrete specimens in a 1% solution of sulfuric acid and the same amount of loss in a 1% solution of hydrochloric acid. The investigation indicated that the SCC performed better than the CC in sulfuric solution but was slightly more vulnerable to hydrochloric acid attack compared to CC. The mode of attack between the two solutions was different.

Kinematic Design of a 6-DOF Parallel Manipulator with Decoupled Translation and Rotation

A new three-limb, six-degree-of-freedom (DOF) parallel manipulator (PM), termed a selectively actuated PM (SA-PM), is proposed. The end-effector of the manipulator can produce 3-DOF spherical motion, 3-DOF translation, 3-DOF hybrid motion, or complete 6-DOF spatial motion, depending on the types of the actuation (rotary or linear) chosen for the actuators. The manipulator architecture completely decouples translation and rotation of the end-effector for individual control. The structure synthesis of SA-PM is achieved using the line geometry. Singularity analysis shows that the SA-PM is an isotropic translation PM when all the actuators are in linear mode. Because of the decoupled motion structure, a decomposition method is applied for both the displacement analysis and dimension optimization. With the index of maximal workspace satisfying given global conditioning requirements, the geometrical parameters are optimized. As a result, the translational workspace is a cube, and the orientation workspace is nearly unlimited.

Stylistics, criticism and mythrepresentation again: squaring the circle with Ray Mackay's subjective solution for all problems

This article is a response to an article by Ray Mackay (1996) which constitutes an attack on stylistic analysis in general, and the writings of the above authors and Ron Carter in particular. Mackay's article (in Language and Communication) accuses stylistics of 'scientificness' and claims that its attempt to provide objective analyses of literary texts is futile.1 We suggest that Mackay has misrepresented what stylisticians have said about objectivity, and that his understanding of objectivity, science and the nature of text-interpretative argument is seriously flawed.