A demonstration of a service oriented virtual environment for complex system analysis

Distributed virtual simulation is increasingly in demand within the automotive industry. A distributed and networked approach to system level design and simulation stands to benefit from a unifying relational oriented modeling and simulation framework. This will permit innovative use of existing independent simulations for increased concurrency in design and verification and validation. This paper demonstrates an analysis of the vehicle as a complex system through the combination of a relational framework, high level syntax and semantics for representing models and distributed simulation. This promises to provide a rigorous, traceable and agile approach to conceptual vehicle design and analysis

Oxidation of Reduced Sulfur Species: Carbon Disulfide

Article on the oxidation of reduced sulfur species and carbon disulfide

Development of a stimuli-responsive polymer nanocomposite toward biologically optimized, MEMS-based neural probes

This paper reports the development of micromachining processes and mechanical evaluation of a stimuli-responsive, mechanically dynamic polymer nanocomposite for biomedical microsystems. This nanocomposite consists of a cellulose nanofiber network encased in a polyvinyl acetate matrix. Micromachined tensile testing structures fabricated from the nanocomposite displayed a reversible and switchable stiffness comparable to bulk samples, with a Young's modulus of 3420 MPa when dry, reducing to ~20 MPa when wet, and a stiff-to-flexible transition time of ~300 s. This mechanically dynamic behavior is particularly attractive for the development of adaptive intracortical probes that are sufficiently stiff to insert into the brain without buckling, but become highly compliant upon insertion. Along these lines, a micromachined neural probe incorporating parylene insulating/moisture barrier layers and Ti/Au electrodes was fabricated from the nanocomposite using a fabrication process designed specifically for this chemical- and temperature-sensitive material. It was found that the parylene layers only slightly increased the stiffness of the probe in the wet state in spite of its much higher Young's modulus. Furthermore, the Ti/Au electrodes exhibited impedance comparable to Au electrodes on conventional substrates. Swelling of the nanocomposite was highly anisotropic favoring the thickness dimension by a factor of 8 to 12, leading to excellent adhesion between the nanocomposite and parylene layers and no discernable deformation of the probes when deployed in deionized water

Recent Microscopy Advances and the Applications to Huntington’s Disease Research

 Huntingtin is a 3144 amino acid protein defined as a scaffold protein with many intracellular locations that suggest functions in these compartments. Expansion of the CAG DNA tract in the huntingtin first exon is the cause of Huntington’s disease. An important tool in understanding the biological functions of huntingtin is molecular imaging at the single-cell level by microscopy and nanoscopy. The evolution of these technologies has accelerated since the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded in 2014 for super-resolution nanoscopy. We are in a new era of light imaging at the single-cell level, not just for protein location, but also for protein conformation and biochemical function. Large-scale microscopy-based screening is also being accelerated by a coincident development of machine-based learning that offers a framework for truly unbiased data acquisition and analysis at very large scales. This review will summarize the newest technologies in light, electron, and atomic force microscopy in the context of unique challenges with huntingtin cell biology and biochemistry.</jats:p

Recognizing and Developing Vocational Excellence through Skills Competitions

Vocational excellence is not easy to define, not least because of differing country contexts, expectations, and norms. Yet, excellence in vocational education and training abounds. One such example is skills competitions. These provide both a benchmark for high performance and an objective way to assess vocational excellence, and where they are international, they also allow cross-country assessments against commonly agreed standards. International skills competitions, specifically WorldSkills Competitions, are the focus of this chapter with the aim of illuminating what vocational excellence is. Drawing on research on WorldSkills Competitions allows an opportunity to understand better the factors that contribute to the development of vocational skills to a high standard, while focussing on understanding the knowledge and skills development of the competitors, and the people involved in this development, allows us to begin to understand better how vocational excellence can be achieved and recognized

Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1 protein Ataxin-1 is signalled to DNA damage by Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated kinase

ABSTRACTSpinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1 (SCA1) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by a polyglutamine expansion in the ataxin-1 protein. Recent genetic correlational studies have implicated DNA damage repair pathways in modifying the age at onset of disease symptoms in SCA1 and Huntington’s Disease, another polyglutamine expansion disease. We demonstrate that both endogenous and transfected ataxin-1 localizes to sites of DNA damage, which is impaired by polyglutamine expansion. This response is dependent on ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase activity. Further, we characterize an ATM phosphorylation motif within ataxin-1 at serine 188. We show reduction of the Drosophila ATM homolog levels in a ATXN1[82Q] Drosophila model through shRNA or genetic cross ameliorates motor symptoms. These findings offer a possible explanation as to why DNA repair was implicated in SCA1 pathogenesis by past studies. The similarities between the ataxin-1 and the huntingtin responses to DNA damage provide further support for a shared pathogenic mechanism for polyglutamine expansion diseases.</jats:p

Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1 protein Ataxin-1 is signaled to DNA damage by ataxia-telangiectasia mutated kinase

Abstract Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1 (SCA1) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by a polyglutamine expansion in the ataxin-1 protein. Recent genetic correlational studies have implicated DNA damage repair pathways in modifying the age at onset of disease symptoms in SCA1 and Huntington’s Disease, another polyglutamine expansion disease. We demonstrate that both endogenous and transfected ataxin-1 localizes to sites of DNA damage, which is impaired by polyglutamine expansion. This response is dependent on ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase activity. Further, we characterize an ATM phosphorylation motif within ataxin-1 at serine 188. We show reduction of the Drosophila ATM homolog levels in a ATXN1[82Q] Drosophila model through shRNA or genetic cross ameliorates motor symptoms. These findings offer a possible explanation as to why DNA repair was implicated in SCA1 pathogenesis by past studies. The similarities between the ataxin-1 and the huntingtin responses to DNA damage provide further support for a shared pathogenic mechanism for polyglutamine expansion diseases.</jats:p

A demonstration of a service oriented virtual environment for complex system analysis

Distributed virtual simulation is increasingly in demand within the automotive industry. A distributed and networked approach to system level design and simulation stands to benefit from a unifying relational oriented modeling and simulation framework. This will permit innovative use of existing independent simulations for increased concurrency in design and verification and validation. This paper demonstrates an analysis of the vehicle as a complex system through the combination of a relational framework, high level syntax and semantics for representing models and distributed simulation. This promises to provide a rigorous, traceable and agile approach to conceptual vehicle design and analysis

New VET theories for new times: the critical capabilities approach to vocational education and training and its potential for theorising a transformed and transformational VET

There is a growing sense that the orthodox set of theories and policies for VET don’t work. This is particularly true in the South where all such Northern theories and policies face the common problem of being constructed for other contexts and then imported. In the light of persistent poverty and inequality; widespread precarious and indecent work; continued concerns about educational access, retention and achievement; and a rising environmental crisis, VET must be transformed to address a new and challenging set of objectives. Here, we offer an exploration of a theoretical approach to VET research that has emerged in the past decade and which offers new insights into how VET can be transformed in order to contribute to the wider transformation agenda around sustainable human development. This is what we term the critical capabilities account of vocational education and training, CCA-VET. We will argue that it is one fertile route towards new thinking about transforming VET in order to support a transformation agenda