Games to Create Awareness and Design Policies for Transboundary Cooperation in River Basins: Lessons from the Shariva Game of the Mekong River Commission

International river basins cover a vast majority of the land surface, international cooperation is therefore important for the proper management, and to assure equitable and effective use in the basins. Key elements to improve international cooperation are common understanding of the issues in the basin, understanding upstream-downstream impacts and sharing a common vision for the future. This article focuses on the role of games in international basin cooperation to create awareness and to support policy development. The paper analysed the effects of the game in creating awareness and upgrading knowledge amongst water and related professionals and in designing procedures for cooperation in transboundary river basins. This was analysed during the implementation of the game with 28 participants from the four Lower Mekong countries. The impact on creating awareness and upgrading knowledge was evaluated through the use of questionnaires and pre- and post evaluation questions and for the design of policies, a SWOT analysis was used to evaluate the usefulness of the policies and frameworks as well as to identify possible improvements to the framework. The game implementation proved to be an appropriate tool to provide a practical way for stakeholders to become acquainted with the administrative and technical tools available in the Lower Mekong Basin. Pre- and post test shows that participants gained substantial knowledge on transboundary cooperation and use of tools. The game was part of a longer training programme addressing all the issues, however, the participants gained additional knowledge and insight by playing the game, well above what they had learned during the earlier training workshops. Playing the game proved an important aspect in training and education of such complex systems. The study also shows the role games can play in policy analysis, in particular the way the game provided insight in the design of the policy and the development of procedures, and their function to review and update policies and procedures. A number of recommendations have been made to strengthen the role in both training and education as well as in design of procedures.     

Use of recycled materials in constructions

There are several options for the use of recycled materials in constructions. For every option a number of technical and environmental aspects are relevant. This paper describes several models which can be used to take the optimal decision. In general the world-side used Life Cycle Assessment can be used as a multi-parameter model for the environmental effects. A new single indicator model, the Eco-costs/Value ratio simplifies the decision process. For waste management the model called Delft Ladder is developed. The approach called Design for Recycling can be used to optimize design of constructions for later reuse. In the same way, the Design for Disassembly can be used for demolition. For the technical aspects two models were developed concerning degradation processes and high-graded applications.     

Correlation of the surface chemistries of polymer bioactive coatings,with their biological performances

Surface analysis techniques have been used to characterize heparin-containing bioactive coatings. The relationship between uncoated polymer, intermediate coupling and final layer surface chemistry upon the overall quality of the coating system has been investigated. The results present data from ToFSIMS, XPS and bioactivity in terms of thrombin deactivation as measured using chromogenic assay technique on heparin-based coatings on polymer surfaces including LDPE and PVC. The effect of pretreatment of uncoated polymer surfaces has been investigated where a number of effects critical to coating performance have been identified. Studies of the intermediate coupling regime show how the first and final stages of coupling are the most critical. Finally it is shown how the integrity, mean thickness and chemical state of the heparin final layer can be measured using a combination of ToFSIMS and XPS.     

Marketing a data communications network

The paper describes the background to, and rationale for, a joint approach to marketing Euronet Diane, the European online information network. The role of national PTTs, online information services (‘hosts’), the Commission of the European Communities (CEC), and areas for their interaction, are discussed in terms of an embryonic market place.The constraints of the Euronet Diane organizational structure are considered to be outweighed by the potential results of joint marketing activities.     

Power-law relationships for estimating mass, fuel consumption and costs of energy conversion equipments

To perform life-cycle assessment studies, data on the production and use of the products is required. However, often only few data or measurements are available. Estimation of properties can be performed by applying scaling relationships. In many disciplines, they are used to either predict data or to search for underlying patterns, but they have not been considered in the context of product assessments hitherto. The goal of this study was to explore size scaling for commonly used energy conversion equipment, that is, boilers, engines, and generators. The variables mass M, fuel consumption Q, and costs C were related to power P. The established power-law relationships were M = 10(0.73.. 1.89)P(0.64.. 1.23) (R(2) ≥ 0.94), Q = 10(0.06.. 0.68)P(0.82.. 1.02) (R(2) ≥ 0.98) and C = 10(2.46.. 2.86)P(0.83.. 0.85) (R(2) ≥ 0.83). Mass versus power and costs versus power showed that none of the equipment types scaled isometrically, that is, with a slope of 1. Fuel consumption versus power scaled approximately isometrically for steam boilers, the other equipments scaled significantly lower than 1. This nonlinear scaling behavior induces a significant size effect. The power laws we established can be applied to scale the mass, fuel consumption and costs of energy conversion equipments up or down. Our findings suggest that empirical scaling laws can be used to estimate properties, particularly relevant in studies focusing on early product development for which generally only little information is available.     

Assignment of Ptprn2, the gene encoding receptor-type protein tyrosine phosphatase IA-2beta, a major autoantigen in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, to mouse chromosome region 12F

Synapses obtained in vitro in a system of co-culture of muscle cells and neurons are of embryonic type. We prepared a monoclonal antibody (6.17) which recognizes a molecule synthesized by Schwann cells and used it to show that the main characteristics of maturity (decrease in number of synapses, appearance of junctional folds, and suppression of butyrylcholinesterase expression) are under the control of Schwann cells. In addition, Schwann cells have the capacity to aggregate the acetylcholine receptors in myotube cultures.     

Tissue reactions to bacteria-challenged implantable leads with enhanced infection resistance

Tissue reactions to implantable pacemaker leads were investigated in an early infection model in rabbits. Both standard leads and surface-modified leads were used. The surface modification technique was applied to achieve controlled release of the antibiotic gentamicin. The insulating polyurethane tubing material of the leads was provided with an acrylic acid/acrylamide copolymer surface graft and then loaded with gentamicin. Implantation periods varied from day 4, to week 3 1/2, to week 10. We investigated tissue reactions in the absence of an infectious challenge and also the efficacy of surface-modified leads in preventing infection after challenge with Staphylococcus aureus was evaluated. It was demonstrated that the applied surface modification did not induce adverse effects although during early postimplantation an increase in infiltration of granulocytes and macrophages and wound fluid and fibrin deposition were observed. After bacterial challenge, standard leads were heavily infected at each explantation period, denoted by abscesses, cellular debris, and bacterial colonies. In contrast, little or no infection was observed, either macroscopically or by bacterial cultures, with the surface-modified leads. Microscopy showed little evidence of the bacterial challenge, and that primarily at day 4. It was concluded that the applied surface modification demonstrated enhanced infection resistance and thus represents a sound approach to the battle against infectious complications with biomaterials.     

The antitumour activity of the prodrug N-L-leucyl-doxorubicin and its parent compound doxorubicin in human tumour xenografts

The antitumour activity of the investigational agent N-L-leucyl-doxorubicin (Leu-DOX) was compared with that of doxorubicin (DOX) in human tumour xenografts growing subcutaneously in athymic nude mice. Leu-DOX was developed as a prodrug of DOX, and may be converted into the clinically active parent compound by hydrolytic enzymes present in or on tumour cells. It has been suggested that a better therapeutic index with a reduced cardiac toxicity and higher efficacy might be obtained. Both compounds were administered intravenously weekly for 2 weeks, each at maximum tolerated doses of 8 mg/kg and 28 mg/kg for DOX and Leu-DOX, respectively. The panel of xenografts represented three different tumour types. Leu-DOX showed antitumour activity, defined as tumour growth inhibition > 50% and specific growth delay > 1.0, in 10 of the 16 tumours, including two of five breast, five of seven small cell and three of four non-small cell lung carcinomas. In comparison, DOX was active in one breast, four small cell lung and two lung adenocarcinoma xenografts. In all the DOX sensitive lung tumours, Leu-DOX showed higher efficacy than the parent compound. Based on the results of the present study, and since phase I clinical trials with Leu-DOX have already been performed, phase II clinical evaluation of Leu-DOX in patients with breast and lung cancer is recommended.     

The retinoid ligand 4-oxo-retinoic acid is a highly active modulator of positional specification

Retinoids (vitamin A and its metabolites) are suspected of regulating diverse aspects of growth, differentiation, and patterning during embryogenesis, but many questions remain about the identities and functions of the endogenous active retinoids involved. The pleiotropic effects of retinoids may be explained by the existence of complex signal transduction pathways involving diverse nuclear receptors of the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR) families, and at least two types of cellular retinoic acid binding proteins (CRABP-I and -II). The different RARs, RXRs, and CRABPs have different expression patterns during vertebrate embryogenesis, suggesting that they each have particular functions. Another level at which fine tuning of retinoid action could occur is the metabolism of vitamin A to active metabolites, which may include all-trans-retinoic acid, all-trans-3,4-didehydroretinoic acid, 9-cis-retinoic acid, and 14-hydroxy-4,14-retroretinol. Formation of the metabolite all-trans-4-oxo-retinoic acid from retinoic acid was considered to be an inactivation pathway during growth and differentiation. We report here that, in contrast, 4-oxo-retinoic acid is a highly active metabolite which can modulate positional specification in early embryos. We also show that this retinoid binds avidly to and activates RAR beta, and that it is available in early embryos. The different activities of 4-oxo-retinoic acid and retinoic acid in modulating positional specification on the one hand, and growth and differentiation on the other, interest us in the possibility that specific retinoid ligands regulate different physiological processes in vivo.