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At Norfolk Southern, ensuring safe operations is a shared responsibility across our organization. There is not one single solution when it comes to safety. We rely on our combined efforts [...]

What a difference a year makes! That's a cliche, for sure, but it's also an accurate assessment of the state of the railway industry. Much has changed since we gathered [...]

Re: RC 543. I'm the chap sitting in the corner of the press enclosure on the cover of your Who issue. A press pass was handed to me over the [...]

After the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Norfolk Southern promised to make it right. For the people in that close-knit village and nearby towns, that means cleaning the site [...]

The recipe for sustained topline growth in the North American rail industry is simple and powerful: Offer our customers the efficiency and sustainability of rail, with the ease and reliability [...]

STEPHEN GARDNER AMTRAK HIGH PROFILE: Stephen J. Gardner is taking over Amtrak leadership on Jan. 17, 2022, succeeding William J. Flynn, the railroad reported last month. Flynn, who is retiring, [...]

ABSTRACT This article discusses the production process of the major influenza antigen, hemagglutinin (HA), by rDNA methods in E. coli. Fusing the gene for HA to the gene for flagellin, [...]

Husqvarna shares its birth year with ... Johann Sebastian Bach. One of the world's greatest composers remains a powerful force in classical music because of the quality of his work--which [...]

Technical analysis of the stock market can be used to predict future trends of the stock market and stock values. The different ways in which technical analysis is done are described.

AN OVERVIEW The demand for decorated glass in industrial applications has literally exploded within the few years. The commercial opportunities that applying a permanent, functional or decorative image to flat [...]

Editor: Thank you to Stereophile and Herb Reichert for the review of my M302 Anniversary Edition loudspeaker. Harbeths are, by design, easy to own and enjoy, and make great music [...]

The Austalian Stock Exchange (ASX) has offered recommendations for reforming Australia's Corporations Law, which the ASX believes is too complex and too inflexible. The ASX faults Australia's Corporations Law for making the process of drafting corporate forward-looking statements more complex and costly; in addition, the regulations may overlap with the Trade Practices Act's Section 52. The ASX believes the Corporations Law needs to be reformed in order to make it less complex and reduce the level of micro-management in its regulations.

Although repetitive patterns of antigens are crucial for certain immune responses, an understanding of how antibodies bind and dynamically interact with various spatial arrangements of molecules is lacking. Hence, we introduced a new method in which molecularly precise nanoscale patterns of antigens are displayed using DNA origami and immobilized in a surface plasmon resonance set-up. Using antibodies with identical antigen-binding domains, we found that all the subclasses and isotypes studied bind bivalently to two antigens separated at distances that range from 3 to 17 nm. The binding affinities of these antibodies change with the antigen distances, with a distinct preference for antigens separated by approximately 16 nm, and considerable differences in spatial tolerance exist between IgM and IgG and between low- and high-affinity antibodies.

A number of scholars have raised concerns that many social marketers fail to consider the cost of their programs and its related savings. One solution is to use the social return on investment (SROI) framework, which is rooted in the theory of change. To demonstrate its possibilities, a single case study, focusing on a small social enterprise based in the north of England, was used. They apply social marketing (SM) principles to influence positive behavior changes in people living with learning difficulties. The study was limited to their Teens-n-Twenties program, which was designed to support individuals between the ages of 14 and 25 become more independent. The results demonstrate that the program had an SROI valued somewhere between 2.36:1 and 3.88:1 (i.e., for every pound invested, a value of between £2.36 and £3.88 was delivered in social worth). This evaluation was used as evidence of the program’s effectiveness in a continuing funding bid, and the organization was awarded just under £500 K from the United Kingdom’s Big Lottery Fund. The study contributes to the knowledge and practice of SM by presenting a possible solution to the domain’s concerns on how SM can be evaluated.

The impact of perioperative intravenous fluid administration on surgical outcomes has been documented in literature, but not specifically studied in the context of hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgery. This study aimed to investigate the impact of postoperative intravenous fluid administration on intensive care unit (ICU), in this subgroup of patients.

A biomedical scientist describes his experience at a Leading an Empowered Organisation course designed for health professionals. The course teaches health care leaders to manage by empowering their fellow employees and also helps them improve communication.

Editor: It was a great pleasure to read Art Dudley's review of the Harbeth Super SHL5plus. As Art said, I bought the company in 1986 because I 'share [the] founder's [...]

Husqvarna shares its birth year with Johann Sebastian Bach. One of the world's greatest composers remains a powerful force in classical music because of the quality of his work, which [...]

Examines research in operating systems, focusing on particular systems and projects that are seminal and representative. Inclusion of distributed operating systems, heterogeneous computer systems, distributed programming and real-time systems; Evolution of operating systems.

BioPharm: Commercial manufacturers tend to use only a few cell types for protein production, usually Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells or Escherichia Cold (E. Coil). Why have these cell lines [...]

Miniaturized satellites (hereinafter 'microsats') are becoming increasingly popular and more accessible to a wider range of industries operating in space. Their size and relative cost efficiency, together with the exponential rate at which technology continues to develop, has enabled their usage to expand from purely research-based missions to commercial missions operated by public and private entities alike. This article explores the factors in favour of the development of microsats and the technical challenges that have resulted from this development. The article summarizes the international regulation of the space industry, including liability for damage caused by space activities, and the ways in which regulation is implemented nationally. The article subsequently addresses the inadequacies of this framework in its regulation of the industry to date (such that registration of such space objects has in fact decreased) and discusses the further challenges the industry will face as it continues to expand, such as inappropriate registration procedures, overcrowding of radio frequencies and increased space debris, resulting in a greater risk of collisions, which has the potential to expose States to vast claims for compensation. It is clear that a more appropriate regulatory regime must be developed to address the development of the microsat industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Editor: Thank you for the P3ESR review. John Atkinson's comment [in the original review in August 2010] that the Harbeth P3ESR is the best successor to the BBC LS3/5A confirms [...]

The high programmability of DNA origami has provided tools for precise manipulation of matter at the nanoscale. This manipulation of matter opens up the possibility to arrange functional elements for a diverse range of applications that utilize the nanometer precision provided by these structures. However, the realization of functionalized DNA origami still suffers from imperfect production methods, in particular in the purification step, where excess material is separated from the desired functionalized DNA origami. In this article we demonstrate and optimize two purification methods that have not previously been applied to DNA origami. In addition, we provide a systematic study comparing the purification efficacy of these and five other commonly used purification methods. Three types of functionalized DNA origami were used as model systems in this study. DNA origami was patterned with either small molecules, antibodies, or larger proteins. With the results of our work we aim to provide a guideline in quality fabrication of various types of functionalized DNA origami and to provide a route for scalable production of these promising tools.

I welcome your cover story on the spinning of nuclear power ('The nuclear charm offensive', 23 May), but it strikes me that, much as we'd like to blame a corporation-friendly [...]

This article describes the chemical properties, discovery, and research into silver.

The article presents a brief profile of Husqvarna, maker of forest and gardening outdoor power tools. It mentions that the firm was founded to manufacturer musket barrels for the army of King Charles XI, King of Sweden from 1660 until his death. It also mentions that the firm provide innovative quality products and solutions to make garden, forest and park care including zero-turn mowers, saws and drill systems.

SPECIAL SECTION ON Operating Systems Historically, operating systems have evolved to satisfy two, sometimes conflicting and complementary, needs. One is to manage the material (hardware) and data (software) resources of […]

ABSTRACTImmunization with Plasmodiumsporozoites can elicit high levels of sterile immunity, and neutralizing antibodies from protected hosts are known to target the repeat region of the circumsporozoite (CS) protein on the parasite surface. CS-based subunit vaccines have been hampered by suboptimal immunogenicity and the requirement for strong adjuvants to elicit effective humoral immunity. Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) that signal through Toll-like receptors (TLRs) can function as potent adjuvants for innate and adaptive immunity. We examined the immunogenicity of recombinant proteins containing a TLR5 agonist, flagellin, and either full-length or selected epitopes of the Plasmodium falciparumCS protein. Mice immunized with either of the flagellin-modified CS constructs, administered intranasally (i.n.) or subcutaneously (s.c.), developed similar levels of malaria-specific IgG1 antibody and interleukin-5 (IL-5)-producing T cells. Importantly, immunization via the i.n. but not the s.c. route elicited sporozoite neutralizing antibodies capable of inhibiting >90% of sporozoite invasion in vitroand in vivo, as measured using a transgenic rodent parasite expressing P. falciparumCS repeats. These findings demonstrate that functional sporozoite neutralizing antibody can be elicited by i.n. immunization with a flagellin-modified P. falciparumCS protein and raise the potential of a scalable, safe, needle-free vaccine for the 40% of the world's population at risk of malaria.

In the assembly of DNA nanostructures, the specificity of Watson–Crick base pairing is used to control matter at the nanoscale. Using this technology for drug delivery is a promising route toward the magic bullet concept, as it would allow the realization of complex assemblies that co-localize drugs, targeting ligands and other functionalities in one nanostructure. Anthracyclines' mechanism of action in cancer therapy is to intercalate DNA, and since DNA nanotechnology allows for such a high degree of customization, we hypothesized that this would allow us to tune the DNA nanostructures for optimal delivery of the anthracycline doxorubicin (Dox) to human breast cancer cells. We have tested two DNA origami nanostructures on three different breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, and MCF-7). The different nanostructures were designed to exhibit varying degrees of global twist, leading to different amounts of relaxation in the DNA double-helix structure. By tuning the nanostructure design we are able to (i) tune the encapsulation efficiency and the release rate of the drug and (ii) increase the cytotoxicity and lower the intracellular elimination rate when compared to free Dox. Enhanced apoptosis induced by the delivery system in breast cancer cells was investigated using flow cytometry. The findings indicate that DNA origami nanostructures represent an efficient delivery system for Dox, resulting in high degrees of internalization and increased induction of programmed cell death in breast cancer cells. In addition, by designing the structures to exhibit different degrees of twist, we are able to rationally control and tailor the drug release kinetics.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles published within the issue, including the Parsifal Ovation loudspeaker system of Verity Audio, the comments on the design of the Phono3 loudspeaker, and the review on the Moon i-1 integrated amplifier.

ABSTRACTRotavirus is the most common cause of severe dehydrating gastroenteritis in infants. To date, 10 different serotypes of rotavirus have been identified in human stools. While four or five serotypes dominate, serotype circulation varies with season and geography. Since our laboratory has been involved in the development of a multivalent rotavirus vaccine, it is important to identify the serotypes of rotavirus encountered during our clinical trials. We have developed methodologies for the molecular identification of rotavirus strains based on VP7 gene segment sequence. A 365-bp reverse transcriptase PCR product was generated from the VP7 gene segment using a pair of novel degenerate primers. All serotypes tested (both animal and human) yielded an identically sized product after amplification. Sequencing of these products is performed using truncated versions of the original primers. The sequence generated is compared against a database of rotavirus VP7 sequences, with the G type determined, based on the sequence homology. Using this assay, we have correctly identified human VP7 strains from a panel of available serotypes, as well as numerous animal strains. The assay was qualified using rotavirus positive stool samples, negative stool samples, and rotavirus-spiked stool samples. In addition, samples from cases of acute gastroenteritis collected at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have been evaluated and indicate that the assay is able to discriminate subtle differences within serotypes. The assay has been utilized in the testing of >3,000 antigen-positive (enzyme immunoassay) samples collected during clinical trials of a rotavirus vaccine (RotaTeq) and identified a serotype in ~92% of samples (3, 17, 19).

Rotavirus is the leading cause of morbidity from gastroenteritis in the developed world and the leading cause of mortality from viral gastroenteritis (estimated 600 000 deaths) worldwide. G1 is the most prevalent human serotype. Reassortant rotavirus between simian rotavirus RRV or bovine rotavirus WC3 and human strain rotaviruses have been extensively tested as candidate vaccines. Rotavirus (RV) reassortant strain WI79-9 consists of a human (strain WI79) G1 serotype VP7 surface protein on a bovine (strain WC3) background. It is a key component of a pentavalent (G1, G2, G3, G4 and P1) WC3 reassortant vaccine candidate, RotaTeq, now being tested in Phase III clinical trials.

We present a programmable array microscope that uses a ferroelectric liquid-crystal spatial light modulator (SLM) for dynamic generation of scanning apertures. A single SLM serves as both the source and the detector aperture array in a double-pass confocal system. Successive aperture frames scan the array across the viewing area for complete imaging of a sample while preserving depth discrimination. Integration of the microscope output across all aperture frames produces a confocal image.