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The development of Unmanned Vehicles (UVs) with increasing autonomy has enabled a transition from teleoperation to Human Supervisory Control (HSC). In this demonstration, participants can test three innovative operator interfaces for HSC of UVs. The first system allows users to control a Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) via a hand-held device, such as an iPhone®, through high-level waypoint commands and fine-grained nudge controls. The second system enables a single operator to collaborate with an automated planner to control multiple heterogeneous UVs from a laptop-sized display for searching for, tracking and engaging moving ground targets. The third system is designed to aid in planning on naval aircraft carrier decks, serving as a decision support tool for a supervisor overseeing and scheduling the activity of people, vehicles and unmanned vehicles working in this complex and uncertain environment.

To date, the structures of the glycolipids from Lactobacillus plantarum, a commonly used beneficial probiotic, have not been conclusively assigned. Herein, we report for the first time, the full characterisation of the four principal glycolipids of the L. plantarum cell wall using sugar, linkage and FAME analysis, as well as ESI-MS/MS and 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, and assign the major glycolipids as being: α-D-Glcp-diglyceride, α-D-Galp-(1→2)-α-D-Glcp-diglyceride, β-D-Glcp-(1→6)-α-D-Galp-(1→2)-6-O-acyl-α-D-Glcp-diglyceride and β-D-Glcp-(1→6)-α-D-Galp-(1→2)-α-D-Glcp-diglyceride.

The mainstay of treatment for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is intravenous (IV) diuretic therapy either as a bolus or via continuous infusion. Despite being available for decades, few randomized trials exist to guide dosing and administration of these drugs. In 2011, the Diuretic Optimization Strategies Evaluation (DOSE) trial used a prospective, randomized design to compare bolus versus continuous infusion of IV furosemide, as well as high-dose versus low-dose therapy. The study found no difference in the primary end point for continuous versus bolus infusion. High-dose diuretics were more effective than low dose without clinically important negative effects on renal function. Although limited by patient selection criteria and protocol design, the study challenges long-held beliefs that continuous infusion is more effective than bolus dosing. The study also challenges the notion that high-dose diuretics carry clinically important renal toxicity risks for patients.

In this research, we successfully expressed recombinant CMP-sialic Acid Synthetase (CSS) from Neisseria meningitides and 2,6-Sialyltransferase (SAT) from Photobacterium damsela in E. coli BL21(DE3) fermented at a scale of up to 8 litres using individual plasmids pIRL-1 and pIRL-4b, respectively. After cell lysis with BugBuster, enzyme levels of 2U and 22U per litre were produced for CSS and SAT, respectively. The enzyme solutions were either used directly as crude preparations or further purified by affinity chromatography. Characterization of the CSS and SAT confirmed that both enzymes had comparable properties to those described in the literature. The production of cytidine 5’-monophosphate N-acetylneuraminic acid (CMP-NeuAc) and CMP-9-azido-NeuAc using crude CSS was successful with >90% conversion at scales from 100 mg to 5 g. Activated sugar purification by ethanol precipitation was optimized. Finally, the CSS and SAT enzymes were applied to a large-scale synthesis of a sialylated lactosamine glycoside via a two-step biotransformation. The initial step employed crude CSS to convert Cytidine Triphosphate (CTP) and 9-azido-NeuAc to CMP-9-azido-NeuAc at a conversion efficiency of 98%. This reaction mixture, after ultrafiltration to remove β-galactosidase activity co-expressed by E. coli BL21, was used as the donor substrate for the second step involving SAT. The sialoside 9-azido-sialyl-α-2,6’-lactosamine glycoside was produced with 86% conversion of the starting glycoside. Purification of the product was achieved by chromatography on Diaion HP-20 (a hydrophobic styrenic resin).

An aerobic, saccharolytic, obligately thermophilic, motile, non-spore-forming bacterium, strain T49T, was isolated from geothermally heated soil at Hell’s Gate, Tikitere, New Zealand. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, T49T is the first representative of a new class in the newly described phylum Armatimonadetes, formerly known as candidate division OP10. Cells of strain T49T stained Gram-negative and were catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. Cells possessed a highly corrugated outer membrane. The major fatty acids were 16 : 0, i17 : 0 and ai17 : 0. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 54.6 mol%. Strain T49T grew at 50–73 °C with an optimum temperature of 68 °C, and at pH 4.7–5.8 with an optimum growth pH of 5.3. A growth rate of 0.012 h−1 was observed under optimal temperature and pH conditions. The primary respiratory quinone was MK-8. Optimal growth was achieved in the absence of NaCl, although growth was observed at NaCl concentrations as high as 2 % (w/v). Strain T49T was able to utilize mono- and disaccharides such as cellobiose, lactose, mannose and glucose, as well as branched or amorphous polysaccharides such as starch, CM-cellulose, xylan and glycogen, but not highly linear polysaccharides such as crystalline cellulose or cotton. On the basis of its phylogenetic position and phenotypic characteristics, we propose that strain T49T represents a novel bacterial genus and species within the new class Chthonomonadetes classis nov. of the phylum Armatimonadetes. The type strain of Chthonomonas calidirosea gen. nov., sp. nov. is T49T ( = DSM 23976T = ICMP 18418T).

A Gram-negative, aerobic, pink-pigmented, rod-shaped bacterium Chthonomonas calidirosea (strain T49(T)) with an optimal temperature for growth of 68 °C, isolated from soil samples from Hell's Gate in the Tikitere geothermal system (New Zealand), was the first cultivated bacterium of the novel phylum Armatimonadetes (formerly candidate division OP10). The lipid composition of C. calidirosea presents a number of unusual features both in the fatty acids and polar lipids. This contribution reports on the fatty acid profile of C. calidirosea. Transmethylation of bacterial biomass yielded fatty acid methyl esters and hydrocarbons, including squalene, partially hydrogenated squalenes, and diploptene. The only type of unsaturation found in C. calidirosea fatty acids was cis-Δ5, as revealed by GCMS of dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) adducts, and the lack of trans-unsaturation absorbance at 960-980 cm(-1) in the IR spectrum of fatty acids methyl esters. An unidentified component X with ECL 16.86 (BP1) and ECL 17.27 (BP20) was also observed, with molecular ion at m/z 282 ("17:1"). X did not form DMDS adducts, nor was affected by mild hydrogenation conditions, indicating the likely presence of a ring rather than unsaturation. The presence of a cyclopropane ring with cis-stereochemistry was confirmed by the (1)H-NMR spectrum. Hydrogenation of X in acetic acid resulted in formation of straight chain 17:0, 5-methyl- and 6-methyl-16:0 fatty acid methyl esters, thus confirming the structure of a novel 5,6-methylene hexadecanoic acid. The major fatty acids of a solid media-grown C. calidirosea were as follows (in weight % of total fatty acids): 16:0 (25.8), i17:0 (19.3), ai17:0 (13.5), 16:1∆5 (8.8), i17:1∆5 (6.8), 5,6-methylene 16:0 (5.2), i16:0 (4.4), 18:0 (3.6), 18:1∆5 (3.2).

PurposeThis paper aims to explain the emergence of the World Heritage Site (WHS) designation as a de facto brand. Branding provides a framework for managing the image of a place and is an important component of destination marketing. The WHS “brand” is of importance to developing nations because it is available without cost. The study examines the evolution of the WHS program with a focus on emerging markets. It seeks to identify economic, political and other factor which dispose emerging countries to seek WHS designations.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on a multivariate analysis of data on 48 emerging countries in which their predisposition to seek WHS designations is predicted by indicators measuring: on‐going involvement with tourism, number of existing WHS sites, level of democratization, and the Human Development Index. The dataset is used to test four hypotheses.FindingsThe analysis identified two significant statistical relationships: first, the number of existing WHS is, as hypothesized, positively related to applications for additional sites and second, the countries standing on the Democracy Index is significantly related to applications, but negatively, not positively, as had been hypothesized.Originality/valueThe study applies multivariate analysis to a field dominated by case study methodologies and suggests the potential complementarities between the two approaches. It documents as well the development of the WHS program as a major factor and contributor to heritage tourism and highlights the growing prominence and value of the WHS brand.

The author examines the use of the Web-based foreign advertisements for enhancing the international awareness of undergraduate marketing students. An analysis compares the adaptation of advertisements for identical products to the cultural perceptions and values of consumers in different countries. In a sample of 110 international marketing students, 41% rated the analysis of foreign advertisements as “useful” and 41% “highly useful”; 71% of students observed highly significant differences between foreign and domestic advertisements, 29% perceived moderate differences.

Zirconia is currently used as a framework material for posterior all-ceramic bridges. While the majority of research efforts have focused on the microstructure and corresponding mechanical properties of this material, clinical fractures appear to be largely associated with the appliance geometry. Objective The objective of this study was to estimate the maximum stress concentration posed by the connector geometry and to provide adjusted estimates of the minimum connector diameter that is required for achieving 20 years of function. Methods A simple quantitative description of the connector geometry in an all-ceramic 4-unit bridge design is used with published stress concentration factor charts to estimate the degree of stress concentration and the maximum stress. Results The magnitude of stress concentration estimated for clinically relevant connector geometries ranges from 2 to 3. Using previously published recommendations for connector designs, adjusted estimates for the minimum connector diameter required to achieve 20 years of clinical function are presented. Significance To prevent clinical fractures the minimum connector diameter in multi-unit bridges designs must account for the loads incurred during function and the extent of stress concentration posed by the connector geometry.

Stakeholder management and politics have been described as key component of destination branding (Balakrishnan, 2009). This article investigates the impact of political influences on destination branding by examining a sample of 94 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites (WHS) in 54 countries to determine whether democracy and political instability have a significant influence on the decisions of national tourism offices (NTOs) to promote their WHS as tourist destinations. It also examines the relative importance of political instability and democracy on the promotion of WHS by NTOs in comparison to other influences such as stewardship, economic development, and tourism. One of the key contributions of this article is that it applies a multivariate analysis to a field dominated by case study methodologies and suggests the potential complementarities between the two approaches. Democracy, it is hypothesized, facilitates the give and take inher...

Bacterial production of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) is a promising biotechnological approach for the mass production of these valuable compounds, but extensive screening is currently needed to select a strain that meets industrial requirements. A method was developed for the rapid screening and isolation of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)-producing marine bacteria from mixed cultures using the dye 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC). The method was first validated using two bacteria from the Shewanella genus, S. gelidimarina (known to contain EPA) and S. fidelis (known not to contain EPA), and subsequently applied to a range of bacterial samples collected from seven randomly selected New Zealand fish species. By incorporating TTC in both solid and liquid state fermentation treatments, a clear association between the reduction of TTC to the red-coloured triphenyl formazan (TF) and the presence of EPA within Gram-negative bacteria was confirmed. Incubation in 0.1% w/v TTC was optimal for colour response and cell growth in agar plates and liquid cultures. Bacteria that produce EPA reduced TTC to TF, but a number of non-EPA-producing bacteria also showed this capacity. By conducting a subsequent Gram staining, all EPA-producing strains were revealed to be G (-) rod bacteria while the non-producing ones were all G (+) cocci. The fatty acid methyl esters of the isolated bacteria that reduced TTC to TF were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and the content of EPA was confirmed by gas chromatography. From a pool of 2.0 x 10(8)CFU/ml, this method allowed the rapid isolation of 16 bacteria capable of producing EPA. This new approach significantly reduces the number of samples submitted for GC analysis and therefore the time, effort and cost of screening and isolating strains of EPA-producing marine bacteria.

The state-of-the-art and progress achieved in the extraction and fractionation of selected specialty lipids using near critical fluids is briefly reviewed, and opinions are provided on what is still to be achieved, and future directions for further research and development. The selected specialty lipids are high value seed oils, polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrates, carotenoids, and phospholipids. High value seed oils are produced commercially using supercritical fluids, and supercritical CO 2 extraction technology is well established. The opportunities for further development include the use of new gases, and the inclusion of in situ refining into the extraction process. The extraction and fractionation of polyunsaturated fatty acids to produce concentrates has had limited commercial success, despite the extensive research that has been carried out in this area. The future direction for research and development could focus on the combination of enzymes and supercritical fluids for fractionation of lipids; and the extraction of lipids from the industrial fermentation of micro-organisms in which the polyunsaturated fatty acids are already concentrated. The extraction of astaxanthin from microalgae has been commercialized. Further work is warranted in the extraction of carotenoids from micro-organisms, especially using propane or dimethylether as the solvent. The extraction and fractionation of phospholipids is an area that has technical challenges, but shows considerable promise for the development of new lipid products. CO 2 can only extract neutral lipids from lipid mixtures, and a co-solvent such as ethanol must also be used to extract phospholipids. In contrast, propane and dimethylether can be used without co-solvents to extract both polar lipids and also carotenoids. The future challenges in the extraction and fractionation of specialty lipids are to achieve integration of supercritical extraction with other processing and refining operations, and to use new extraction solvents where feasible.

This paper discusses the efforts made by Finnish producers to emphasise the country of origin of their products in order to convey an image of innovation, quality and prestige. Finland's efforts in this area are relatively recent, dating mainly from the early 1990s. Traditionally, a producer of resource-intensive commodities—especially wood and wood products—Finland found itself facing growing competition from producers in other countries, especially emerging nations that enjoyed substantial cost advantages over Finnish producers. In response, Finland drew upon its tradition of excellence in design as well as its long-standing policy of investing heavily in education and research. It began to produce more ‘value added’ products and complemented this change in strategy by a conscious effort to make ‘made in Finland’ synonymous with superior design, quality and innovation. To successfully differentiate their wares, Finnish producers not only made intrinsic improvements to their manufactured goods but also made their Finnish provenance an important and attractive extrinsic feature. Finnish companies have been especially successful at creating brands that have a strong Finnish flavour, conveying an image of Nordic life that is progressive, responsible and technologically advanced. In this context, branding is much more than placing a name or a logo on a product. What is important is not only how the customer views the physical product but also the broader notion of how the product was conceived and produced and the values and traditions that it is perceived to embody. This paper cites a number of examples of how Finnish producers and marketers use the country-of-origin effect to differentiate and market their products. The paper, however, is mainly conceptual rather than empirical. It examines a marketing effort—supported and encouraged by the state but carried out by individual firms—but does not seek to provide a systematic overview of the extent or impact of such efforts. These are issues for future research.

The technique of using focused laser beams to trap and exert forces on small particles has enabled many pivotal discoveries in the nanoscale biological and physical sciences over the past few decades. The progress made in this field invites further study of even smaller systems and at a larger scale, with tools that could be distributed more easily and made more widely available. Unfortunately, the fundamental laws of diffraction limit the minimum size of the focal spot of a laser beam, which makes particles smaller than a half-wavelength in diameter hard to trap and generally prevents an operator from discriminating between particles which are closer together than one half-wavelength. This precludes the optical manipulation of many closely-spaced nanoparticles and limits the resolution of optical-mechanical systems. Furthermore, manipulation using focused beams requires beam-forming or steering optics, which can be very bulky and expensive. To address these limitations in the system scalability of conventional optical trapping our lab has devised an alternative technique which utilizes near-field optics to move particles across a chip. Instead of focusing laser beams in the far-field, the optical near field of plasmonic resonators produces the necessary local optical intensity enhancement to overcome the restrictions of diffraction and manipulate particles at higher resolution. Closely-spaced resonators produce strong optical traps which can be addressed to mediate the hand-off of particles from one to the next in a conveyor-belt-like fashion. Here, we describe how to design and produce a conveyor belt using a gold surface patterned with plasmonic C-shaped resonators and how to operate it with polarized laser light to achieve super-resolution nanoparticle manipulation and transport. The nano-optical conveyor belt chip can be produced using lithography techniques and easily packaged and distributed.

Since their introduction, drug-eluting stents have rapidly altered modern medicine's approach to coronary artery disease. Before the development of drug-eluting stents, standard bare-metal stents were plagued by in-stent restenosis, requiring repeat revascularization in as many as 15-20% of patients during the first 6-12 months following implantation [1]. The currently approved drug-eluting stents have dramatically reduced this complication by using a polymer-impregnated coating that elutes either paclitaxel or sirolimus to inhibit smooth muscle proliferation. The pivotal TAXUS-IV [2] and SIRIUS [3] trials compared drug-eluting stents with standard bare-metal stents and found rates of target vessel revascularization ranging from 3 to 4.1% in stable coronary artery disease patients - far lower than that had been seen previously with conventional standard bare-metal stents. After their approval in April 2003, drug-eluting stents use in clinical practice expanded rapidly. Within 9 months of their introduction, drug-eluting stents comprised 35% of all stent implantations in the United States [4]. In the last year at our own institution, drug-eluting stents comprised over 85% of all stents implanted. Despite their extensive use, data regarding the efficacy and safety of drug-eluting stents in certain clinical scenarios are limited. To date, the only published data supporting drug-eluting stents in ST[corrected]-elevation acute myocardial infarction come from the retrospective Rapamycin-Eluting Stent Evaluated at Rotterdam Cardiology Hospital registry [5] and the randomized, controlled single high-dose bolus tirofiban and sirolimus-eluting stent vs. abciximab and bare-metal stent in myocardial infarction study [6]. In this chapter, we discuss the theoretical risks and benefits of drug-eluting stents for ST elevation acute myocardial infarction, the available data regarding their use, and the areas in which future studies are needed.

Since their commercial introduction in 2003, drug-eluting stents (DES) have rapidly altered the management of coronary artery disease. Before their development, the percutaneous management of coronary artery disease was performed predominantly by implantation of bare metal stents (BMS) made of either surgical stainless steel or metal alloys. Although such stents represented a considerable advance over balloon angioplasty alone, they remained limited by restenosis resulting from neointimal proliferation. As a result, ≈15% to 20% of patients treated with BMS required ≥1 repeat revascularization procedure within the 6 to 12 months after stent implantation.1 Despite numerous attempts at systemic pharmacotherapy, device modification, and even use of ionizing radiation, the rate of restenosis after BMS implantation remained largely unaffected. Response by Eisenberg p 1744 Over the past 5 years, effective DES have become the first device to substantially reduce the incidence of restenosis after stent implantation. By delivering high concentrations of either antiproliferative or immunomodulatory compounds directly to the site of arterial injury and by controlling this delivery through polymer-based drug release, both sirolimus- and paclitaxel-eluting stents have safely and effectively inhibited the proliferative process that results in in-stent restenosis. In pivotal clinical trials, both sirolimus- and paclitaxel-eluting stents have reduced rates of angiographic restenosis by 70% to 90% compared with conventional BMS designs, with parallel reductions in the need for clinically driven target vessel revascularization (TVR).2–4 As a result, in April 2003, DES were approved for use in clinical practice in the United States. Within 9 months of their introduction, DES made up 35% of all stent implantations in the United States,5 and their use has increased rapidly since that time. At our own institution, DES comprised >85% of all stents implanted during the past year, and national estimates are that >90% of all percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures …

Background— Recent studies indicate that a routine invasive approach for patients with unstable angina (UA) and non–ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) yields improved outcomes compared with a conservative approach, but the optimal timing of this approach remains open to debate. Methods and Results— We used day of hospital presentation as an instrumental variable to study the impact of timing of cardiac catheterization and revascularization therapy on acute outcomes (death, reinfarction, stroke, cardiogenic shock, or congestive heart failure) among patients with UA and NSTEMI. Between January 2001 and September 2003, 56 352 patients with UA or NSTEMI were treated at 310 US hospitals participating in the CRUSADE national quality improvement initiative. Weekend patients were defined as those who presented to the hospital between 5 pm on Friday and 7 am on Sunday. All other patients were classified as weekday. Weekday patients were similar to weekend patients in terms of demographics, clinical characteristics, and the use of medical therapies in the first 24 hours. Although overall rates of cardiac catheterization and revascularization were similar for the 2 groups, median time to catheterization was significantly longer for weekend than for weekday patients (46.3 versus 23.4 hours, P P =0.23), recurrent MI (2.9% versus 3.0%, P =0.36), or their combination (6.6% versus 6.6%, P =0.86). These findings were not affected by risk adjustment or use of alternative definitions of weekend versus weekday presentation. When weekend presentation was used as the basis for an instrumental variable analysis, we found that catheterization within the first 12 hours of presentation was associated with a nonsignificant trend toward reduced in-hospital mortality (absolute risk reduction 1.9%; 95% CI 6.7% lower to 2.9% higher; P =0.43) that decreased with longer treatment delays. Conclusions— Although weekend presentation is associated with a delay in invasive management among patients with UA and NSTEMI, in the context of contemporary medical therapy, this does not increase adverse events. Weekend presentation appears to fulfill accepted criteria as an instrumental variable for studying the optimal timing of invasive management for acute coronary syndrome patients. Using weekend status as an instrumental variable, we found no significant benefit to early catheterization, although we could not exclude an important risk reduction, particularly for catheterization within 12 hours of presentation.

OBJECTIVES We sought to assess whether statins may decrease cardiac complications in patients undergoing noncardiac vascular surgery. BACKGROUND Cardiovascular complications account for considerable morbidity in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. Statins decrease cardiac morbidity and mortality in patients with coronary disease, and the beneficial treatment effect is seen early, before any measurable increase in coronary artery diameter. METHODS A retrospective study recorded patient characteristics, past medical history, and admission medications on all patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy, aortic surgery, or lower extremity revascularization over a two-year period (January 1999 to December 2000) at a tertiary referral center. Recorded perioperative complication outcomes included death, myocardial infarction, ischemia, congestive heart failure, and ventricular tachyarrhythmias occurring during the index hospitalization. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions identified predictors of perioperative cardiac complications and medications that might confer a protective effect. RESULTS Complications occurred in 157 of 1,163 eligible hospitalizations and were significantly fewer in patients receiving statins (9.9%) than in those not receiving statins (16.5%, p = 0.001). The difference was mostly accounted by myocardial ischemia and congestive heart failure. After adjusting for other significant predictors of perioperative complications (age, gender, type of surgery, emergent surgery, left ventricular dysfunction, and diabetes mellitus), statins still conferred a highly significant protective effect (odds ratio 0.52, p = 0.001). The protective effect was similar across diverse patient subgroups and persisted after accounting for the likelihood of patients to have hypercholesterolemia by considering their propensity to use statins. CONCLUSIONS Use of statins was highly protective against perioperative cardiac complications in patients undergoing vascular surgery in this retrospective study.

Background Previous studies have demonstrated low rates of adherence to American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Quality improvement projects increase compliance with recommended therapies, but identification of AMI patients is a major challenge. Objective To determine the utility of a daily troponin list in identifying AMI patients for a quality improvement initiative to increase compliance with ACC/AHA-recommended therapies. Design Quality improvement initiative. Methods and results During a 3-month period, the charts of patients with elevated troponin levels were screened for a diagnosis of AMI. For those patients with AMI, a clinical reminder about ACC/AHA-recommended therapies was placed in the chart. Nearly half (46%) of our hospital population had a troponin level measured during their clinical course. Of these, 26% had elevated troponin levels and 5% had AMI. All patients with AMI were identified using the daily troponin list with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 78.4%. The daily troponin list captured more AMI patients than the admitting diagnosis. Use of the daily troponin list and targeted clinical reminders was associated with maintenance of a high (>95%) compliance with recommended therapies. Conclusions A daily list of inpatients with a positive troponin identified all patients with AMI. Targeted reminders to clinicians regarding ACC/AHA-recommended therapies for AMI were associated with consistent adherence to guideline-recommended therapies.

Includes bibliographical references, Modern radio astronomy telescopes the world over require digital back-ends. The complexity of these systems depends on many site-specific factors, including the number of antennas, beams and frequency channels and the bandwidth to be processed. With the increasing popularity for ever larger interferometric arrays, the processing requirements for these back-ends have increased significantly. While the techniques for building these back-ends are well understood, every installation typically still takes many years to develop as the instruments use highly specialised, custom hardware in order to cope with the demanding engineering requirements. Modern technology has enabled reprogrammable FPGA-based processing boards, together with packet-based switching techniques, to perform all the digital signal processing requirements of a modern radio telescope array. The various instruments used by radio telescopes are functionally very different, but the component operations remain remarkably similar and many share core functionalities. Generic processing platforms are thus able to share signal processing libraries and can acquire different personalities to perform different functions simply by reprogramming them and rerouting the data appropriately. Furthermore, Ethernet-based packet-switched networks are highly flexible and scalable, enabling the same instrument design to be scaled to larger installations simply by adding additional processing nodes and larger network switches. The ability of a packetised network to transfer data to arbitrary processing nodes, along with these nodes' reconfigurability, allows for unrestrained partitioning of designs and resource allocation. This thesis describes the design and construction of the first working radio astronomy imaging instrument hosted on Ethernet-interconnected re- programmable FPGA hardware. I attempt to establish an optimal packetised architecture for the most popular instruments with particular attention to the core array functions of correlation and beamforming. Emphasis is placed on requirements for South Africa's MeerKAT array. A demonstration system is constructed and deployed on the KAT-7 array, MeerKAT's prototype. This research promises reduced instrument development time, lower costs, improved reliability and closer collaboration between telescope design teams.

We demonstrate the controlled transport of simultaneous nano-scale particles across a gold film patterned with nanopillars and C-shaped engravings. Nanopillars load particles onto nearby plasmonic conveyor belts formed from sequences of C-shaped engravings.

We transport nano-scale objects across a distance of many microns using a repeated sequence of rotated C-shaped plasmonic resonators. Rotating the polarization angle of the overhead laser illumination drives the particles' motion.

Discussions of human-caused climate change have become an increasingly salient artifact of various media in recent years. With regard to print media in particular, scholars have uncovered general increases in the frequencies with which climate change articles are published, tantamount to the annual reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) advocating the detriments of human activities (particularly carbon dioxide emissions) on the natural environment. Among such reports—be they scientific or anecdotal—writers and journalists have had to interpret the ongoing discussions and evidence surrounding climate change, and develop schemas (or frames) in which to situate arguments. These arguments have taken various forms and have extended beyond the binary notions of being entirely supportive or oppositional to the existing scientific evidence advanced by the IPCC. In turn, scholars have developed myriad approaches for studying the phenomena of climate change portrayals, both in terms of analyzing content and attitudinal effects on audiences. Following the direction of previous scholars, this study examines portrayals of climate change from a regionally distributed publication situated in the desert southwest: the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Given the environmental precariousness to which Las Vegas, NV has been exposed in recent decades—particularly with regard to extreme, prolonged drought and infrastructural issues pertaining to water distribution (Brean, 2013; Futrell, 2001; Holthaus, 2014; Shine, 2014)—this analysis uncovers the trends of particular frames engaged to communicate climate change among 1,111 articles between 1997 and 2014. Specific frames include the attribution of responsibility frame, human interest frame, conflict frame, morality frame and economic consequences frame. Additional factors, such as discussions of geographic areas, authorship patterns across various types of articles, and placement patterns of articles in the physical newspaper, are also considered. Overall, this study found discussions of conflict and economic consequences to appear with greatest magnitude amid frequent references to Southern Nevada specifically. Amid generally increasing frequencies of article publications, climate change articles remained moderately visible with regard to placement in the physical newspaper, as almost all articles were situated on pages succeeding the first page (A1) and within the second section (B). Finally, over half of all news articles were produced by 10 authors, and almost all articles were produced by journalists from the Las Vegas Review-Journal or a financially affiliated organization. Given these results, this analysis argues the Las Vegas Review-Journal constructs a reality of climate change that is somewhat removed from the historical developments of environmentalism, where discussions encompassing conflict and potential economic consequences are the paramount constructs within climate change portrayals. This analysis further argues support for notions of framing theory, and the necessity to consider the regional, cultural and geospatial contexts when developing stimuli design for audience effects investigations.

6599 Background: Molecular diagnostic testing options in NSCLC include conventional testing (specific alterations in single genes or multi-gene panels), and CGP (all classes of genomic alterations—base pair substitutions, copy number, insertions/deletions, and rearrangements in multi-gene panels). Guidelines recommend broad molecular profiling to enable genomic matching with available compendia-based and investigational treatment options. This study estimated the incremental benefits and costs of CGP versus conventional testing of patients with advanced NSCLC. Methods: The impacts of increased use of CGP (via FoundationOne) versus conventional molecular testing on OS and on a commercial US health plan budget were estimated using a decision-analytic model. The number of patients needed to test with CGP to add 1 life year was also estimated. Model inputs were based on published literature (incidence rates, OS associated with drugs indicated for advanced NSCLC), real-world data (testing rates, and biopsy, conventional testing, and medical service costs from administrative claims data analyses), list price of FoundationOne, and assumptions for clinical trial participation. Results: Among 2 million covered lives, an estimated 532 had advanced NSCLC and 266 received molecular diagnostic testing. An increase in CGP use from 2% to 10% (+21 patients receiving CGP) was associated with +2 years in population OS and a budget impact of $0.018 per member per month (PMPM). The budget impact was primarily attributable to changes in drug use, longer treatment, and longer survival (collectively $0.013 PMPM) with the remainder due to CGP cost ($0.005 PMPM). Approximately 11 patients need to be tested with CGP versus conventional molecular diagnostic testing to add 1 life year. Conclusions: An increase in molecular diagnostic testing with CGP versus conventional testing to inform treatment decisions in patients with advanced NSCLC was associated with a gain in OS and a modest health plan budget impact, with most of the added costs attributable to increased use of effective treatments and prolonged survival.

6605 Background: Accumulating evidence supports the clinical benefit of targeted therapies matched to cancer patients based on genomic alterations. CGP, which detects all classes of alterations (base pair substitutions, copy number, insertions/deletions, and rearrangements), can match more patients with available and investigational therapies. This study estimated anti-cancer drug costs and overall survival (OS) for matched vs. unmatched therapy. Methods: Costs were estimated for patients with complete data (N = 188/500) from a prospective, nonrandomized, phase I oncology center study of patients with diverse refractory cancers who underwent CGP and were treated with matched or unmatched therapy (PMID: 27197177). Average time to treatment failure and average OS were assessed during the observation period. Patient-specific drug and administration costs were imputed for the first regimen after CGP based on drug classes, unit costs, and times to treatment failure. Results: Patients onmatched (N = 122) vs. unmatched (N = 66) therapy had, on average, longer time on treatment (+1.5 mos), longer observed survival (+2.4 mos), and higher anti-cancer drug costs (+$38K) (all p < 0.01); 66% of increased drug costs were attributable to longer time on treatment as opposed to higher monthly drug costs. Combination therapy was used for 71% of matched and 53% of unmatched patients. Those undergoing CGP in earlier-line (1-3; N = 58) vs. later-line (4+; N = 130) therapy had numerically larger incremental increases in average times on treatment (+1.9 vs. +1.2 mos) and survival (+2.5 vs. +2.1 mos), and numerically lower incremental drug costs (+$27K vs. +$43K), with matched vs. unmatched therapy. Conclusions: For patients cared for in a phase I clinic, matched vs. unmatched therapy was associated with longer treatment durations, longer survival times, and manageable incremental costs. Despite frequent use of combination therapy, most of the increased costs of matched therapy were due to longer treatment times rather than higher monthly drug costs. Benefits of matching were numerically greater in earlier- vs. later-lines, consistent with the value of earlier-line use of CGP to guide treatment.

By representing a promise of value and differentiation, brands have become a competitive asset in a growing number of contexts and activities (Aaker, 1991; Kotler and Gertner, 2002). This is especially true in tourism, where there has been a proliferation of destination brands in recent years (Balakrishnan, 2009). Ryan and Silvanto (2009, 2010) and Hall and Piggin (2003) assert that the “World Heritage Site” (WHS) designation has, in recent decades, evolved into a de facto destination brand that is widely used to promote and differentiate destinations. The growing importance of the WHS brand has coincided with a quiet paradigm shift in the field of heritage protection and preservation. This change concerns the extension of World Heritage Status from natural and cultural sites to intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in the form of living cultural practices and traditions (Ahmad, 2006). Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is promoted by UNESCO as a counterpart to the World Heritage Sites. In 2003, the UNESCO General Conference Adopted the Convention for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH); following its approval by 30 “state parties”, the Convention came into force in 2006 (UNESCO, 2012). By assigning the same importance and protections to intangible aspects of culture- often referred to as “living culture”- as the 1972 UNESCO World Cultural Convention (UNESCO, 2012) had assigned to cultural and natural heritage sites, the new Convention significantly expanded the heritage universe and, by implication, the way in which tourism officials and professionals can use the World Heritage designation to brand, promote and differentiate destinations and locations (Ruggles and Silverman, 2009).

Nine non-pigmented, motile, Gram-negative bacteria originally designated as Alteromonas macleodii deep-sea ecotypes, were isolated from seawater samples collected from four separate locations; two deep-sea sites in the Mediterranean Sea and surface water of the Aegean Sea and English Channel. The six strains studied in vitro were found to tolerate up to 20 % NaCl. The DNA-DNA relatedness between the deep-sea ecotype strains was found to be between 75 and 89 %, whilst relatedness with the validly named Alteromonas species was found to be between 31 and 69 %. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) amongst the deep-sea ecotype strains was found to be 98-100 %; the in silico genome-to-genome distance (GGD), 85-100 %; the average amino acid identity (AAI) of all conserved protein-coding genes, 95-100 %; and the strains possessed 30-32 of the Karlin's genomic signature dissimilarity. The ANI between the deep-sea ecotype strains and A. macleodii ATCC 27126(T) and Alteromonas australica H 17(T) was found to be 80.6 and 74.6 %, respectively. A significant correlation was observed between the phenotypic data obtained in vitro and data retrieved in silico from whole genome sequences. The results of a phylogenetic study that incorporated a 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, multilocus phylogenetic analysis (MLPA) and genomic analysis, together with the physiological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic data, clearly indicated that the group of deep-sea ecotype strains represents a distinct species within the genus Alteromonas. Based on these data, a new species, Alteromonas mediterranea, is proposed. The type strain is DE(T) ( = CIP 110805(T) = LMG 28347(T) = DSM 17117(T)).