Extension planning and the historic city: civic design strategies in the 1908–9 Copenhagen international competition

In shedding light on the 1908–9 competition for Greater Copenhagen this article examines the contest as an instrument for the accumulation and transmission of planning know‐how, ideas and innovations in relation to the development of town planning theory and practice in the Nordic Countries. Plans are considered as both technical and cultural graphics marks reflecting alternative and possibly contradictory images of the greater city or city of the future. The discussion focuses on the relationship between urban design's twin polarities: urban transformation and creation on the one hand; concern for conservation and urban continuity on the other. After considering the competition's international dimension, the article explores the civic art strand of design in northern Europe before 1914 and the idea of the historic city by investigating the conservation movement that flourished in Copenhagen when there were rapid changes in the physical fabric. The article, based on archive materials, analyses of awarded and non‐awarded entries alike, illustrates how architects, engineers and surveyors combined their design of the city's extensions with conservation schemes for both peripheries and centre. It is suggested that, at a time when Nordic municipal authorities were pressing for comprehensive town planning, planners strove to provide ways of protecting the existing built environment. This involved not only safeguarding an emerging ‘historic city’ in contrast to the new extensions, but also proposals for maintaining urban continuity in the peripheries.     

When and how authoritarian leadership and leader renqing orientation influence tacit knowledge sharing intentions

In this study of tacit knowledge-sharing intentions in China, we examine the roles of authoritarian leadership and fairness with respect to the way managers make decisions and treat their subordinates. In particular, we examine the role of leader renqing orientation, i.e., the way leaders distribute favors and emotional concern to their subordinates, as a moderating factor. We draw on the research literature in the domains of knowledge management and cross-cultural Psychology to identify constructs that we then test with a survey of 309 Chinese employees. Our findings are counter-intuitive and are discussed in detail before we conclude with implications for research and practice.     

Structural determinants of calcium signaling by RGD peptides in rat osteoclasts: integrin-dependent and -independent actions

Extensive characterization of the vitronectin receptor (VNR), a member of the integrin group of cell adhesion molecules, which is abundantly expressed in osteoclasts, has revealed a role for this receptor in osteoclast adhesion as well as bone resorption. Earlier evidence from our laboratory suggests that VNR is also capable of transducing intracellular signals following receptor ligand interaction, although this function is poorly understood. Thus, addition of peptides containing the minimal tripeptide Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) integrin recognition sequence elicits transient increases in intracellular free calcium ions, with maximal responses seen with a bone sialoprotein peptide, BSP-IIA. In the present study we have attempted to determine some of the structural requirements for calcium signaling in osteoclasts using derivatives of the peptide PRGDN/T sequence found in bone sialoprotein. While some peptides, such as the parent sequence PRGDN, can induce both signaling and retractile events, it was found that minor structural modifications yielded peptides such as PRADN which elicited a transient increase in intracellular free calcium ions without promoting a reduction in osteoclast spread area (retraction). Conversely, certain other modifications resulted in peptides, such as PrGDN and benzoyl-RGDN, which effect osteoclast retraction, while having minimal Ca2+ signaling capabilities. Osteoclast adhesion, and hence retraction, are known to be RGD-dependent and integrin-dependent events. However, intracellular Ca2+ signaling is RGD-independent and, based on lack of inhibition by an anti-beta 3 integrin antibody F11 and echistatin, very likely integrin-independent. These data suggest that signaling is not always via VNR and as yet unknown receptors on the osteoclast membrane play a role in osteoclast signaling and hence function.     

An improved PCR-based method for site directed mutagenesis using megaprimers

The antimicrobial activity of a combination of lactic acid and whey permeate fermented by a nisin-producing Lactococcus lactis strain was tested by the agar diffusion method using bacteria isolated from fish as test organisms. Lactic acid inhibited all bacterial strains studied, but nisin whey permeate inhibited Gram-positive bacteria only. The combination was more effective than lactic acid alone against Pseudomonas fluorescens and Staphylococcus hominis isolated from fish, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC9721 and Micrococcus luteus ATCC9341.     

The influence of bicarbonate supplementation on plasma levels of branched-chain amino acids in haemodialysis patients with metabolic acidosis

BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that correction of metabolic acidosis might improve the nutritional state of acidotic haemodialysis (HD) patients partly because of a reduced oxidation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA). AIM: We investigated whether bicarbonate (Bic) supplementation in acidotic HD patients results in increased plasma levels of BCAA. METHODS: In a longitudinal study (run-in period, 2 months; study period, 6 months), the effect of Bic supplementation on plasma levels of BCAA was studied in 12 acidotic HD patients (7 men, 5 women, mean age 54 +/- 18 years) with a predialysis bicarbonate (Bic) concentration smaller or equal to 22 mmol/l. Bic was supplemented by increasing Bic concentration of the dialysate and by oral Bic supplementation. RESULTS: Predialysis Bic increased significantly during the study period (18.7 +/- 2.7 vs. 23.1 +/- 11.5 mmol/l). There was no change in nutritional parameters. However, plasma levels of the BCAA valine, leucine, and isoleucine increased significantly. CONCLUSIONS: In haemodialysis patients with metabolic acidosis, Bic supplementation over a 6-months period resulted in an increase in plasma levels of BCAA. Further study is needed to elucidate the mechanisms behind, and the clinical importance of the observed changes in plasma BCAA levels.     

Left ventricular diastolic function in patients with type-I diabetes mellitus (based on pulsed Doppler echocardiographic data)

Diastolic function was studied of left ventricle by pulse Doppler echocardiography in 42 patients with type I diabetes mellitus (DM) and 46 essentially healthy individuals. In DM patients diastolic function was manifested by rise in peak velocity of atrial filling, decrease in ratio of peak velocity of early filling to that of late one, increase in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. The findings available suggest the atrial phase has an important part in the structure of diastole in DM patients because of a combined influence of tachycardia and increased rigidity of left ventricular myocardium. Values for early filling in the patients did not differ from those in controls. A conclusion is drawn to the effect that in DM patients tachycardia and hypercatecholaminemia may partly mask disturbances in relaxation.     

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and alcohol dependency: variation in response to alcohol intake among different groups of patients

1. The effects of rilmakalim, a potassium channel opener, were studied on rabbit cardiac Purkinje, ventricular muscle and atrial fibers, with the use of conventional microelectrode techniques. 2. Rilmakalim (0.24-7.2 microM) shortened, in a concentration-dependent manner, the action potential duration (APD) in Purkinje and ventricular muscle without affecting other parameters of the action potential. Pinacidil (30-300 microM) also decreased the APD of Purkinje fibers. 3. Rilmakalim (2.4 microM) and cromakalim (100 microM) hyperpolarized and abolished abnormal automaticity of cardiac Purkinje fibers pretreated with barium (0.2-0.3 mM). Glibenclamide (5 microM) blocked the hyperpolarizing effect. 4. Stable early afterdepolarizations induced in Purkinje fibers by berberine (100 microM) were reversibly blocked by rilmakalim (2.4 microM), which also suppressed late afterdepolarizations induced in Purkinje fibers treated with ouabain (0.3-0.5 microM). 5. The rate of spontaneous discharges of the rabbit sinoatrial node was not affected by rilmakalim (7.2 microM) or by pinacidil (100 microM). Both agents were also unable to affect the APD of atrial muscle fibers. 6. In cardiac Purkinje fibers, tetraethylammonium (TEA; 20 mM) significantly reduced the effects of rilmakalim (2. 4 microM) on the APD. However, neither TEA nor glibenclamide (100 microM) reduced the shortening of the APD induced by dinitrophenol (30 microM) or by salicylate (1 mM).     

Control of time delay processes with uncertain delays: Time delay stability margins

In this paper, the stability of time delay processes that have uncertain delays is considered, and the maximum allowable perturbation which may occur in the time delays so as to maintain stability are determined. In particular, the characteristic equations of time delay systems are quasipolynomials, whose roots determine the stability of such systems, and the root-locus of these equations in specified desired regions is investigated. A numerical algorithm is presented for the calculation of the time delay stability margins in the space of time delays for such systems, and the size of the stability hyperspheres in this space is computed. To illustrate the procedure, the algorithm is applied to process control systems with uncertain delays and the allowable perturbations in the time delays of these systems are then computed.