Improvement options for a former water-driven-mill building now used as a theatre

After investigating the financial feasibility (and so abandoning the idea) of providing self-generated electricity using hydro-power, it was recommended that the top priority should be the direct connection of an electricity supply, from the mains grid to the building; this would cost £8800. Thereby, the theatre would receive a relatively unrestricted supply of electricity at cheaper unit tariffs. This improvement should be followed by the most urgent repairs being carried out to the building fabric, at an estimated cost of £6990. These repairs are necessary to ensure the continued integrity of the building's structure, thereby inhibiting the on-going deterioration.

The energy and financial appraisal also suggested a priority listing of overall improvements to the building in order to achieve a significant, economically justifiable reduction in energy demand; the recommended options are estimated to cost in total £39819. However, the capital cost of such an upgrading would only be recouped, and the theatre achieve a sustainable future, if the building were to be used more intensively and for a wider range of activities than at present in order to increase its revenue significantly.

All prices as stated are those at August 1991.     

Siblings' differential experiences of marital conflict and differences in psychological adjustment.

The present study examined whether siblings experience marital conflict differently and whether such differences, if present, were associated with differences in their adjustment. Self-report data about marital conflict, children's depressed mood, behavioral conduct, and externalizing problems were obtained from 122 sibling pairs (mean ages = 10 and 12 years) and their parents. Results indicated that siblings were significantly different in exposure to and appraisals of marital conflict. Differences in siblings' exposure to marital conflict were significantly correlated with differences in their depressed mood, behavioral conduct, and externalizing problems. Differences in siblings' feelings of self-blame for marital conflict were significantly correlated with differences in their depressed mood and behavioral conduct. Children who experienced more marital conflict than their siblings had more adjustment problems than their siblings. These results highlight the importance of studying siblings' unique experiences of marital conflict to better understand its impact on children's adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Performance variability is related to change in cognition: Evidence from the Victoria Longitudinal Study.

Performance variability across repeated task administrations may be an important indicator of age-related cognitive functioning. In the present investigation, the authors examined whether age differences and change in inconsistency were related to 6-year (3 occasion) cognitive change. Inconsistency scores were computed from 4 reaction time tasks performed by 446 older adults (54-89 years). Replicating previous cross-sectional results, greater inconsistency was observed for older participants even after controlling for differences in response speed. New longitudinal results demonstrated (a) associations between inconsistency at baseline measurement and 6-year change in cognitive performance; (b) longitudinal change in inconsistency; and (c) intraindividual covariation between 6-year change in inconsistency and 6-year change in level of cognitive function. These findings support the view that performance variability serves as a marker of cognitive aging. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Managing watershed resources

Watersheds, as integrated land and water systems, have proved difficult to manage successfully. This is in part due to the complexities of accommodating different groups of users and making use of multiple resources in spatially large areas. The paper argues, however, that watersheds have a natural physical and economic logic as a unit of analysis. As a bridge between microlevel analysis of individual farmers or economic units and a regional or sectoral approach, the watershed, when analyzed in an integrated, multi-disciplinary manner, yields useful policy results for improved management of land and water resources. Economic analysis plays a key role in this analysis. Integrated analysis, however, does not mean integrated implementation. Existing systems of social and government organization must be used to implement the chosen policies. This is a difficult, but essential step and may require the use of government fiscal and price policies to harmonize social and private goals.The views expressed in this paper are those of the author, who is Research Associate with the East-West Environment and Policy Institute, Honolulu, Hawaii. Parts of this paper draw on Dixon [5], prepared for the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank.     

Microprocessor IDDQ testing: a case study

The author describe their incorporation of I_DDQ testing into the design of the PA-7100LC PA-RISC microprocessor. They also discuss design guidelines, measurement techniques, results after fabrication and volume production, and suggested improvement. Their 900,000-transistor custom design supports I_DDQ testing to ensure high quality without compromising 100-MHz-plus performance     

Online class size, note reading, note writing and collaborative discourse

Researchers have long recognized class size as affecting students?? performance in face-to-face contexts. However, few studies have examined the effects of class size on exact reading and writing loads in online graduate-level courses. This mixed-methods study examined relationships among class size, note reading, note writing, and collaborative discourse by analyzing tracking logs from 25 graduate-level online courses (25 instructors and 341 students) and interviews with 10 instructors and 12 graduate students. The quantitative and qualitative data analyses were designed to complement each other. The findings from this study point to class size as a major factor affecting note reading and writing loads in online graduate-level courses. Class size was found positively correlated with total number of notes students and instructors read and wrote, but negatively correlated with the percentage of notes students read, their note size and note grade level score. In larger classes, participants were more likely to experience information overload and students were more selective in reading notes. The data also suggest that the overload effects of large classes can be minimized by dividing students into small groups for discussion purposes. Interviewees felt that the use of small groups in large classes benefited their collaborative discussions. Findings suggested 13 to 15 as an optimal class size. The paper concludes with a list of pedagogical recommendations and suggestions for new multimedia software features to enhance collaborative learning in online classes.     

Melanin Distribution in Human Skin: Influence of Cytoskeletal,Polarity, and Centrosome-Related Machinery of Stratum basale Keratinocytes

Melanin granules cluster within supra-nuclear caps in basal keratinocytes (KCs) of the human epidermis, where they protect KC genomic DNA against ultraviolet radiation (UVR) damage. While much is known about melanogenesis in melanocytes (MCs) and a moderate amount about melanin transfer from MC to KC, we know little about the fate of melanin once inside KCs. We recently reported that melanin fate in progenitor KCs is regulated by rare asymmetric organelle movement during mitosis. Here, we explore the role of actin, microtubules, and centrosome-associated machinery in distributing melanin within KCs. Short-term cultures of human skin explants were treated with cytochalasin-B and nocodazole to target actin filaments and microtubules, respectively. Treatment effects on melanin distribution were assessed by the Warthin–Starry stain, on centrosome-associated proteins by immunofluorescence microscopy, and on co-localisation with melanin granules by brightfield microscopy. Cytochalasin-B treatment disassembled supra-nuclear melanin caps, while nocodazole treatment moved melanin from the apical to basal KC domain. Centrosome and centriolar satellite-associated proteins showed a high degree of co-localisation with melanin. Thus, once melanin granules are transferred to KCs, their preferred apical distribution appears to be facilitated by coordinated movement of centrosomes and centriolar satellites. This mechanism may control melanin’s strategic position within UVR-exposed KCs.     

Focal Ischemic Injury to the Early Neonatal Rat Brain Models Cognitive and Motor Deficits with Associated Histopathological Outcomes Relevant to Human Neonatal Brain Injury

Neonatal arterial ischemic stroke is one of the more severe birth complications. The injury can result in extensive neurological damage and is robustly associated with later diagnoses of cerebral palsy (CP). An important part of efforts to develop new therapies include the on-going refinement and understanding of animal models that capture relevant clinical features of neonatal brain injury leading to CP. The potent vasoconstrictor peptide, Endothelin-1 (ET-1), has previously been utilised in animal models to reduce local blood flow to levels that mimic ischemic stroke. Our previous work in this area has shown that it is an effective and technically simple approach for modelling ischemic injury at very early neonatal ages, resulting in stable deficits in motor function. Here, we aimed to extend this model to also examine the impact on cognitive function. We show that focal delivery of ET-1 to the cortex of Sprague Dawley rats on postnatal day 0 (P0) resulted in impaired learning in a touchscreen-based test of visual discrimination and correlated with important clinical features of CP including damage to large white matter structures.