Fixing the city one photo at a time : mobile logging of maintenance requests

We have designed a mobile application that takes advantage of the built-in features of smart phones such as camera and GPS that allow users to take geo-tagged photos while on the move. Urban residents can take pictures of broken street furniture and public property requiring repair, attach a brief description, and submit the information as a maintenance request to the local government organisation of their city. This paper discusses the design approach that led to the application, highlights a built-in mechanism to elicit user feedback, and evaluates the progress to date with user feedback and log statistics. It concludes with an outlook highlighting user requested features and our own design aspirations for moving from a reporting tool to a civic engagement tool.

Structural insights into the role of Bacillus subtilis YwfH (BacG) in tetrahydrotyrosine synthesis

The synthesis of the dipeptide antibiotic bacilysin involves the sequential action of multiple enzymes in the bac operon. YwfH (also referred to as BacG) catalyzes the stereoselective reduction of dihydro-hydroxyphenylpyruvate (H2HPP) to tetrahydro-hydroxyphenylpyruvate (H4HPP) in this biosynthetic pathway. YwfH is an NADPH-dependent reductase that facilitates the conjugate addition of a hydride at the C4 olefin terminus of H2HPP. Here, the structure of YwfH is described at three conformational steps: the apo form, an apo-like conformation and the NADPH complex. YwfH is structurally similar to other characterized short-chain dehydrogenase/reductases despite having marginal sequence similarity. The structures of YwfH in different conformational states provide a rationale for the ping-pong reaction mechanism. The identification and role of the residues in the catalytic tetrad (Lys113Tyr117Ser155Asn158) in proton transfer were examined by mutational analysis. Together, the structures and biochemical features revealed synchronized conformational changes that facilitate cofactor specificity and catalysis of H4HPP formation en route to tetrahydrotyrosine synthesis.

Rapid evolution of mammalian X-linked testis microRNAs

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which are small, non-coding RNAs approximately 21-nucleotides in length, have become a major focus of research in molecular biology. Mammalian miRNAs are proposed to regulate approximately 30% of all protein-coding genes. P

Literatur sorkuntza eta oinarrizko hizkuntza trebetasunak : DBHrako material osagarria. 'Creación literaria y destrezas básicas de la lengua : material complementario para ESO'.

Resumen tomado de la web del Departamento de Educación

Gerichtsstände bei Unfällen im Ausland im Lichte der "Odenbreit"-Rechtsprechung und des revidierten Lugano-Übereinkommen

Das Jahrbuch zum Strassenverkehrsrecht erscheint neu im Stämpfli Verlag. Der diesjährige Band enthält Beiträge namhafter Autoren zu den Bereichen Verkehrsmedizin und Verkehrspsychologie, Unfalldiagnostik, Zivilrecht, Verwaltungsrecht und Strafrecht. Die Autoren befassen sich mit der Zuverlässigkeit der Legalbewährungsprognose verkehrspsychologischer Gutachten, der Qualitätssicherung der Fahreignungsabklärung als Hauptzweck der neuen Sektion Verkehrsmedizin der Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Rechtsmedizin (SGRM), der «neuen Linie» des Schweizerischen Bundesgerichts betreffend Beurteilung von verkehrsmedizinischen Fahreignungsgutachten bei Alkoholfällen mit Ethylglucuronid-Haaranalyse, der medizinisch-psychologischen Untersuchung, der Gefährdung beim Fahrstreifenwechsel auf Autobahnen, der immateriellen Unbill nach einem Verkehrsunfall, Fussgängern im Strassenverkehr, Amortisationstabellen in Leasingverträgen, dem Geschäftsbericht 2010-2011 des Nationalen Versicherungsbüros Schweiz und des Nationalen Garantiefonds Schweiz, der Konzession im Strassenverkehr, dem Strassentransport (Ladungssicherung, Bewilligungen für Ausnahmetransporte, Arbeitszeit) und der Rechtsprechung des Bundesgerichts zu SVG 58-89, zur Verkehrsopferhilfe sowie zum Strassenverkehrsstrafrecht im Jahr 2010.

Orbscan Topography in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma

Purpose: To compare anterior and posterior corneal curvatures between eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and healthy eyes. Methods: This is a prospective, cross-sectional, observer-masked study. A total of 138 white subjects (one eye per patient) were consecutively recruited; 69 eyes had POAG (study group), and the other 69 comprised a group of healthy control eyes matched for age and central corneal pachymetry with the study ones. Exclusion criteria included any corneal or ocular inflammatory disease, previous ocular surgery, or treatment with carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. The same masked observer performed Goldmann applanation tonometry, ultrasound pachymetry, and Orbscan II topography in all cases. Central corneal thickness, intraocular pressure, and anterior and posterior topographic elevation maps were analyzed and compared between both groups. Results: Patients with POAG had greater forward shifting of the posterior corneal surface than that in healthy control eyes (p < 0.01). Significant differences in anterior corneal elevation between controls and POAG eyes were also found (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Primary open-angle glaucoma eyes have a higher elevation of the posterior corneal surface than that in central corneal thickness–matched nonglaucomatous eyes.