bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functionalization of Macroporous Organic Polymer Monolith Based on Succinimide Ester Reactivity for Chiral Capillary Chromatography: A Cyclodextrin Click Approach
Authors: Guerrouache Mohamed , Millot Marie‐Claude , Carbonnier Benjamin
Published: December 2008

Macroporous cross‐linked organic polymer based on N‐acryloxysuccinimide (NAS) and ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) was prepared inside 75 µm id fused silica capillary as a functionalizable monolithic stationary phase for chromatographic applications. Succinimide groups on the monolith surface provide reactive sites able to react readily through standard electrophile–nucleophile chemistry. Propargylamine was used to prepare alkyne functionalized poly(NAS‐co‐EDMA). Onto this azido‐reactive polymer surface was grafted β‐cyclodextrin (CD) via a triazole ring utilizing the copper(I)‐catalyzed 1,3‐dipolar cyclo‐addition reaction. Chemical characterization was performed in situ after each synthetic step by means of Raman spectroscopy. Good enantioseparations of flavanone enantiomers, chosen as test chiral compound, were achieved under reversed phase conditions by both capillary electrochromatography and nano‐liquid chromatography (nano‐LC) techniques. These results demonstrate the potentiality and usefulness of click chemistry in the preparation of β‐CD containing chiral organic polymer monolith.

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Swelling Behaviour of Isotropic Poly(n‐butyl acrylate) Networks in Isotropic and Anisotropic Solvents
Authors: Youcef Boumédiène Dali , Bouchaour Tewfik , Maschke Ulrich
Published: December 2008

Summary: The swelling properties of photochemically crosslinked poly(n‐butyl acrylate) (PABu) networks in isotropic and anisotropic solvents were investigated experimentally. The purpose of this study was to examine the swelling kinetics of PABu networks in isotropic solvents and to compare the results obtained which those observed in the case of the low molecular weight liquid crystal 4‐cyano‐4′‐n‐pentyl‐biphenyl known as 5CB. The phase diagrams were established in terms of composition and temperature for isotropic solvents, as toluene, acetone, cyclohexane, and methanol, and 5CB, using the plateau values corresponding to equilibrium states of swelling. The polymer networks were prepared via free radical polymerization/crosslinking processes by ultraviolet (UV) radiation of initial mixtures made up from a monomer, a crosslinker, and a photoinitiator. PABu networks with several crosslinking densities were formed using different quantities of difunctional monomer hexanedioldiacrylate (HDDA). Immersion of these networks in excess solvent allows measuring the solvent uptake by determination of the weight in isotropic solvents and diameter in an anisotropic solvent (5CB). Swelling data were rationalized by calculating weight and diameter ratios considering swollen to dry network states of the samples.
pH‐Dependent Behavior of Hydrophobically Modified Polyelectrolyte Shells of Polymeric Nanoparticles
Authors: Procházka Karel , Matějíček Pavel , Uchman Mariusz , Štěpánek Miroslav , Humpolíčková Jana , Hof Martin , Špírková Milena
Published: December 2008

Summary: The self‐assembled core‐shell nanoparticles based on fluorescently double‐tagged high‐molar‐mass polystyrene‐block‐poly(methacrylic acid), PS‐PMA, were prepared in aqueous buffers by dialysis from 1,4‐dioxane – water mixtures. The conformations of shell‐forming PMA chains were studied using nonradiative excitation energy transfer measurements. The study shows that two populations of distinctly different conformations (collapsed and stretched) coexist in the shell and their ratio depends on pH.
Effect of laser welding parameters on fusion zone morphological, mechanical and microstructural characteristics of AISI 304 stainless steel
Authors: Çelen S. , Karadeniz S. , Özden H.
Published: December 2008

Nowadays, the Nd:YAG laser has been a promising key tool for joining thin components. In this research, mechanical and microstructural properties of laser welded thin austenitic stainless steel sheets were investigated with experimental investigations, as a function of laser welding parameters. Butt welded joints were made using a Nd:YAG laser in the pulsed wave mode. The appropriate laser welding parameters were found in order to obtain quality and strong weld seam. The pulsed laser seam welding process is controlled by a variety of parameters. We focus on the effects of the several processing parameters on mechanical and microstructural characteristics of joint and weld quality. The aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of these processing parameters on joint strength and microstructure. And also we examined the weldability of stainless steels in butt joint configuration by a pulsed Nd:YAG laser beam.
Pre‐operative opening detrusor pressure is predictive of detrusor overactivity following TVT in patients with pre‐operative mixed urinary incontinence
Authors: Panayi D.C. , Duckett J. , Digesu G.A. , Camarata M. , Basu M. , Khullar V.
Published: December 2008

Aims

To determine if specific pre‐operative urodynamic parameters could predict detrusor overactivity following TVT in patients with urodynamic mixed incontinence.

Methods

Notes of women with detrusor overactivity (DO) and urodynamic stress incontinence (USI) before undergoing tension‐free vaginal tape (TVT) surgery were retrospectively reviewed. Patients underwent clinical evaluation pre‐operatively including history, examination, and conventional urodynamic studies and were treated with pelvic floor exercises and anti‐cholinergic medication. Those with persistent stress urinary incontinence (SUI) underwent TVT. Patients were re‐assessed after at least 6 months post‐operatively. Pre‐ and post‐operative opening and closing detrusor pressure, and detrusor pressure at maximum flow were recorded retrospectively from pre‐operative urodynamics traces by two clinicians independently and compared to the patients' post‐operative symptoms and urodynamic diagnosis.

Results

Fifty‐one women were reviewed. Forty‐six of the 51 attended follow‐up and 35/51 agreed to conventional urodynamic studies. Seventeen of the 35 reported OAB symptoms, and 18/35 were asymptomatic. Nineteen of the 35 women had DO and 16/35 had normal urodynamic studies (NUDS). The median pre‐operative opening detrusor pressure was higher in women with overactive bladder symptoms post‐operatively. The median pre‐operative opening detrusor pressure in women with DO post‐operatively was 33.0 cmH2O and the median pre‐operative opening detrusor pressure in those with NUDS post‐operatively was 16 cmH2O (15.0–23.0 cmH2O) (P < 0.05 Mann–Whitney U‐test).

Conclusions

Higher numbers of patients are required to demonstrate the value of opening detrusor pressure in predicting post‐operative overactive bladder symptoms. Opening detrusor pressure is predictive of post‐operative DO after TVT. Neurourol. Urodynam. 28:82–85, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Lower urinary tract dysfunction in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy, Portuguese Type
Authors: Andrade Maria João
Published: December 2008

Aim

Study lower urinary dysfunction in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP).

Methods

Fifty‐four FAP patients were studied. Clinical examination, urodynamics and ultrasound of the urinary tract were performed.

Results

Urinary symptoms appeared during the first three years of the disease in 50% of the patients. The initial urinary symptom was dysuria in 39% and incontinence in 24% of the patients, sensitivity and contractility disturbances of the detrusor were found at the initial stages. Non‐relaxing urethral sphincter was found in 51,7% and dyssynergia in 37,5% of the cases. Ultrasound revealed thickening of the vesical wall in 42,5% of the patients, more common in males (M:16; F:7). Opening of the vesical neck was found in 56% of the cases (M:19; F:11) with paradoxical closure during the attempt to void. Fluctuations in the opening of the vesical neck were found in eight patients, also more frequently in males (M:6; F:2).

Conclusions

In addition to reduced sensation, underactive detrusor, opening of the vesical neck and external sphincter deficit, we found data suggesting failure of relaxation of the internal and external sphincter. The overdistention associated with an open vesical neck and external sphincter deficit justifies incontinence in those patients. The retention is due to inadequate contraction of the detrusor, probably associated with non‐relaxing of the internal and external sphincter. These dysfunctions derive from deposition of amyloid substance in the detrusor, but overdistention is likely to play a role. Early therapeutic intervention in these patients is vital to avoid secondary injuries. Neurourol. Urodynam. 28:26–32, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in the investigation of gout in palaeopathology
Authors: Swinson D. , Snaith J. , Buckberry J. , Brickley M.
Published: December 2008

Gout is a disease caused by the abnormal accumulation of uric acid in the body, which can result in sodium urate crystals forming tophi at joints, with associated erosion of bone and cartilage. Only two examples of tophi have been reported from archaeological individuals, and the diagnosis of gout based on dry bone manifestations can be difficult. This paper presents preliminary results of a new technique to aid the diagnosis of gout in palaeopathology, namely high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Five archaeological skeletons with suspected gout (diagnosed using visual and radiological analysis) and three controls were analysed. Two of the gouty individuals had a white powder in their erosive lesions. HPLC showed the presence of uric acid in bone in four of the five individuals with evidence of gouty arthritis and was negative for uric acid in bone from the three controls. The white powder was also positive for uric acid. With reliance on the presence of articular erosions, cases of gout will be missed in archaeological human bone. HPLC measurement of uric acid could prove useful in the differential diagnosis of erosive arthropathy in archaeology. It may also be useful in identifying individuals with an increased body pool of uric acid, linked to conditions included in the term ‘metabolic syndrome’. As a result, HPLC uric acid measurement also has the potential to provide additional information on health and lifestyle in past communities. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Risk assessment of thiacloprid and its chemical decontamination on eggplant, Solanum melongena L.
Authors: Saimandir Jayakrishnan , Gopal Madhuban , Walia Suresh
Published: December 2008

BACKGROUND: Thiacloprid [(Z)‐3‐(6‐chloro‐3‐pyridylmethyl)‐1,3‐thiazolidin‐2‐ylidenecyanamide; Calypso™] is a systemic insecticide having persistence in the plant system. It was chosen for the management of the eggplant shoot and fruit borer, Leucinodes orbonalis Guen. Management of this insect pest is difficult because it harbours inside the shoot and fruit portions of eggplant. The persistence of thiacloprid on eggplant has not been studied in India. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has proposed its maximum residue limit (MRL) on eggplant as 0.7 mg kg−1, and there is a need to validate this value. Since residues were found to be above this level, five different decontamination agents were tested for the decontamination of thiacloprid from eggplant.

RESULTS: The half‐life of thiacloprid was 11.1 and 11.6 days from trials in 2 years. Safety factors such as theoretical maximum daily intake (TMDI) and maximum permissible intake (MPI) were used to arrive at a risk assessment to human health from the analytical data obtained from the field trials. Thiacloprid at the doses tested (30 and 60 g AI ha−1) was not effective in managing eggplant fruit borer. A waiting period of 3 days before harvest of the fruits after insecticide application and a processing factor (PF) could not ensure a sufficient margin of safety (MOS). Subjecting the data to a processing factor of 60% could not bring the residues below the proposed MRL.

CONCLUSION: Thiacloprid is not found to be an appropriate and effective agent for application to eggplant. Either the proposed MRL needs to be revised or good agricultural practice involving thiacloprid for plant protection in eggplant cultivation is required. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
Derivatization of sialic acids for stabilization in matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and concomitant differentiation of α(2 → 3)‐ and α(2 → 6)‐isomers
Authors: Wheeler Susan F. , Domann Paula , Harvey David J.
Published: December 2008

Sialylated carbohydrates usually decompose by loss of sialic acid when ionized by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) as the result of the labile carboxylic proton. Stabilization has previously been achieved by forming methyl esters with methyl iodide, a procedure that eliminates the labile proton. In this paper, we describe an alternative procedure for methyl ester formation that provides information on the sialic acid linkage directly from the MALDI spectrum. The sugars were desalted, dissolved in methanol, and treated with 4‐(4,6‐dimethoxy‐1,3,5‐triazin‐2‐yl)‐4‐methylmorpholinium chloride (DMT‐MM). After removal of the solvent, the products were transferred directly to the MALDI target and examined from 2,5‐dihydroxybenzoic acid. Small amounts of N‐glycans derived from biological sources benefited from an additional clean‐up stage involving Nafion 117. α(2 → 6)‐Linked sialic acid produced only methyl esters whereas α(2 → 3)‐linked sialic acids were converted into their lactones providing a 32 Da difference in mass. Negative ion collision‐induced decomposition (CID) mass spectra of these neutralized glycans provided information, in many cases, on the antenna of N‐linked glycans to which the variously linked sialic acids were attached. The method was applied to N‐linked glycans released from bovine fetuin and porcine thyroglobulin. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Three‐generational alkaptonuria in a non‐consanguineous family
Authors: Oexle K. , Engel K. , Tinschert S. , Haas D. , Lee‐Kirsch M. A.
Published: December 2008

Objective:

Alkaptonuria (AKU) is a rare inborn error of metabolism of aromatic amino acids and considered to be an autosomal recessive trait caused by mutations in the homogentisate 1,2‐dioxygenase (HGD) gene. A dominant pattern of inheritance has been reported but was attributed to extended consanguinity in many cases. However, we have observed a non‐consanguineous family segregating AKU in a dominant manner over three generations.

Results:

All affected individuals presented with typical features of AKU including darkening of the urine, ochronosis, arthropathy, and elevated urinary excretion of homogentisic acid. Sequence analysis of the HGD gene from genomic DNA of two affected individuals, uncle and niece, revealed a heterozygous missense mutation (M368V) in the uncle that was not present in his niece. Microsatellite genotyping demonstrated that both were heterozygous at the HGD locus and shared one haplotype. This haplotype did not contain a detectable HGD mutation. The haplotype was also found in a healthy son of the niece, making a dominant HGD mutation unlikely. Moreover, sequencing of cDNA from lymphoblastoid cells of the niece did not reveal an HGD mRNA with a potentially dominant‐negative effect.

Conclusion:

Rare causes of the uncommon AKU inheritance in this family have to be considered, ranging from the coincidence of undetectable HGD mutations to a dominant mutation of a second, hitherto unknown AKU gene.
Metabolic programming: Role of nutrition in the immediate postnatal life
Authors: Patel M. S. , Srinivasan M. , Laychock S. G.
Published: December 2008

Although genes and dietary habits are generally implicated in the aetiology of the prevailing obesity epidemic, the steep increase in the incidence of obesity within a relatively short span of time suggests that other contributing factors may be at play. The role of nutritional experience during the very early periods of life is increasingly being recognized as contributing to growth and metabolic changes in later life. Epidemiological data and studies from animal models have established a strong correlation between an aberrant intrauterine environment and adult‐onset disorders in offspring. The nutritional experience in the immediate postnatal life is another independent factor contributing to the development of metabolic diseases in adulthood. Although studies on the small‐litter rat model have shown that overnourishment during the suckling period results in adult‐onset metabolic disorders, our studies have shown that a change in the quality of calories—specifically, increased carbohydrate intake by newborn rat pups in the immediate postnatal period—results in chronic hyperinsulinaemia and adult‐onset obesity. Several functional alterations in islets and in the hypothalamic energy homeostatic mechanism appear to support this phenotype. Remarkably, female rats that underwent the high‐carbohydrate dietary modification as neonates spontaneously transmitted the obesity phenotype to their offspring, thus establishing a vicious generational effect. The high‐carbohydrate diet‐fed rat model has particular relevance in the context of the current human infant feeding practices: reduction in breast feeding and increase in formula feeding for infants, accompanied by early introduction of carbohydrate‐enriched baby foods.
Traumatic Extensor Hood Rupture
Authors: Loosemore Mike J. , Ansdell Mark L. , Charalambous Charalambos P. , Harrison John W. K. , Hayton Mike J.
Published: December 2008

We report a traumatic rupture of the extensor hood of the dominant middle finger in an elite boxer. Surgical repair of the extensor hood with the metacarpophalangeal joint (MCPJ) in 90° of flexion and immobilisation of the MCPJ in flexion for 4 weeks allowed successful return of function to an international level.
Introduction of low dose transdermal buprenorphine – Did it influence use of potentially addictive drugs in chronic non‐malignant pain patients?
Authors: Skurtveit Svetlana , Furu Kari , Kaasa Stein , Borchgrevink Petter C.
Published: December 2008

The aim was to study the introduction of the new low dose transdermal buprenorphine (LD‐TD‐BUP) in Norway, particularly with regard to former use and co‐medication with other potentially addictive drugs.

The nationwide Norwegian Prescription Database contains information on all prescription drugs dispensed to individual non‐institutionalised patients, and we may follow all individuals who received LD‐TD‐BUP (Norspan®) after marketing on the Norwegian market on 15/11/05. We studied all prescriptions of opioids and other potentially addictive drugs to patients receiving at least two LD‐TD‐BUP prescriptions during 2004–2006. Poisson regressions were run with concomitant use of addictive drugs (yes, no) as the endpoint.

Overall, 1884, non cancer individuals received at least two prescription of LD‐TD‐BUP. Of these 91.7% received prescriptions of other opioids and 58.6% of them had also been prescribed benzodiazepines/carisoprodol before the prescription of LD‐TD‐BUP. Of the LD‐TD‐BUP users who received more than one prescription, 60% co‐medicated with at least one other potentially addictive drug, and 24% with at least two. In the multivariate analysis, the variables associated with a higher likelihood of using co‐medicated drugs were: previous use of benzodiazepines/carisoprodol relative risk RR=16.7 (95% CI 10.4–26.9), previous use of opioids RR=4.0 (1.9–8.7) and younger age 20–40 years RR=1.9 (1.6–2.3).

So far, it is questionable whether the introduction of LD‐TD‐BUP actually has stabilised opioids consumption or whether it has complicated and increased the consumption of potentially addictive drugs.
The relation between neurocognitive dysfunction and impaired insight in patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Simon Viktoria , De Hert Marc , Wampers Martien , Peuskens Joseph , van Winkel Ruud
Published: December 2008

Objectives

The present study aimed to (i) evaluate the association between insight and measures of executive functions and working memory in a sample of 132 patients with schizophrenia and (ii) to explore to what proportion neurocognitive dysfunction contributed to the variance in insight after controlling for symptomatology.

Methods

Subjects were evaluated with a standardized neurocognitive test battery and a semi-structured interview, the Psychosis Evaluation tool for Common use by Caregivers (PECC). PECC, apart from evaluating symptoms and side-effects, measures insight on a 4-point scale by two of its dimensions: awareness of having a mental illness (AMI) and awareness of having symptoms attributed to a mental illness (ASAMI). Executive functioning was measured by the Wisconsin Card Sort Test (WCST) and the Trail Making B (TMB). Working memory was measured by the Letter Number Sequencing (LNS) test from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS).

Results

Only one significant association was found after correction for multiple testing, between WCST categories completed and AMI (r= −0.29,p= 0.0006). WCST categories completed explained only 7.9% of the variance in AMI, while symptomatology explained 20% of variance in AMI and 16.5% of variance in ASAMI.

Conclusions

The current results show a significant but subtle association with the WCST, which is in agreement with earlier literature. No other associations between cognitive functioning and insight were found. In general, these findings seem to suggest that factors other than cognition have a greater impact on insight in patients with schizophrenia.
The EQ-5D: A useful quality of life measure in borderline personality disorder?
Authors: van Asselt A.D.I. , Dirksen C.D. , Arntz A. , Giesen-Bloo J.H. , Severens J.L.
Published: December 2008

Introduction

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a severe psychiatric disorder and is associated with significant impairment in quality of life. The aim of the present study is to assess the internal and external responsiveness of the EuroQoL-5D (EQ-5D) in BPD patients.

Patients and Methods

Data from 49 patients included in a multi-center Dutch randomized trial were used. We used both the EQ-5D utility score and the Visual Analogue Scale of the EuroQoL, and the Borderline Personality Disorder Severity Index-IV (BPDSI-IV). To determine internal responsiveness, we calculated the standardized response mean (SRM). To determine external responsiveness, we calculated Spearman correlations for the change scores, and compared EQ-5D scores for clinically improved vs. non-clinically improved patients as measured with the BPDSI-IV.

Results

Patient scores improved on all instruments during the three years. SRMs for BPDSI-IV were significantly higher than EQ-5D utility. Three-year Spearman correlation between change scores of BPDSI-IV and EQ-5D utility was 0.487, between BPDSI-IV and EQ-VAS it was 0.404, both statistically significant. EQ-5D utility scores for patients who clinically improved were significantly higher than for patients who did not.

Discussion

We conclude that the EQ-5D is fairly responsive in BPD, and, therefore, especially because of its brevity and user-friendliness, can serve as a useful tool in economic evaluations in patients with BPD.
Hepatitis C virus NS5A protein modulates template selection by the RNA polymerase in in vitro system
Authors: Ivanov Alexander V. , Tunitskaya Vera L. , Ivanova Olga N. , Mitkevich Vladimir A. , Prassolov Vladimir S. , Makarov Alexander A. , Kukhanova Marina K. , Kochetkov Sergey N.
Published: December 2008

MINT‐6803713: CKII (uniprotkb:P67870) phosphorylates (MI:0217) NS5A (uniprotkb:P26662) by protein kinase assay (MI:0424)
Demographics and husbandry of pet cats living in Sydney, Australia: Results of cross-sectional survey of pet ownership
Authors: Toribio Jenny-Ann L.M. , Norris Jacqueline M. , White Joanna D. , Dhand Nanveet K. , Hamilton Samuel A. , Malik Richard
Published: December 2008

Our aim was to collect baseline data on the age, gender, breed, reproductive status and husbandry (housing, diet, vaccination, veterinary attention) of pet cats living in Sydney. Accordingly, a cross-sectional survey of 2768 households was conducted using a postal questionnaire. The 2006 Sydney residential phone book was used as the sampling frame. Non-responders were re-mailed the questionnaire on two further occasions, 2 and 4 weeks after the first posting. Completed questionnaires were received from 884 households. No pets were kept by 387 (43.8%) respondents. Dogs and cats were owned by 295 (33.4%) and 198 (22.5%) of households, respectively, with 7.8% of households having both cat(s) and dog(s). Fish and birds were the next most popular pets. Of the 198 cat-owning households, 54.0% kept only cat(s), while 46.5% kept cats with other pets. The distribution of cat ownership across Sydney was non-uniform. Each cat-owning household kept 1.3 cats on average, with the majority keeping one (75.8% households) or two (18.7%). For the 260 cats, the mean age was 7.1 years, the median 6 years, with a range of 3 months to 22 years. There were significantly more female (143; 55%) than male cats (117; 45%). Only seven cats (2.7%) were sexually entire, and these were all ≤6 years. Crossbred cats outnumbered pedigree cats by a ratio of 3.3:1. The Burmese was the most common breed, followed by the Persian. The median age of pedigree cats (5.5 years) was significantly lower than for domestic crossbred cats (7.0 years). Most cats were housed both indoors and outdoors (72.6%), with 19.7% being restricted to indoors and/or ‘pet park enclosures’. Pedigree cats were significantly more likely than crossbreds to be housed indoors. Most owners fed their cats a combination of commercial dry and canned food (38.1%), although fresh meat was popular also and either fed alone (1.6%) or in combination with dry food (14.4%), tinned food (1.6%) or canned and dry food (25.8%). A diet consisting of dry food alone was fed to cats in 13.4% of households. Ninety percent of cats had been vaccinated at least once, while 72.2% received a vaccination in the last 3 years. Older cats were less likely to have been vaccinated recently than younger cats. Only 5.8% of cats had never visited a veterinarian. For the 243 cats that had received veterinary attention, the average number of years since the last visit was 1.5.
ANISE (PIMPINELLA ANISUM): CHANGES IN YIELDS AND COMPONENT COMPOSITION ON HARVESTING AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF PLANT MATURITY
Authors: ÖZEL ABDULHABIP
Published: December 2008

This study investigated the effects of harvesting at different plant maturation stages on the yield and component compositions of aniseed. It was carried out on the Harran Plain (Sanliurfa, Turkey) in the 2002 and 2003 growing seasons. A randomized complete block design was used. The plants were harvested at 10 different growth stages and determinations were made of the yields of seed, the essential oil and its main component (E)-anethole, the weight of 1000 seeds, the number of umbels per plant, the number of seedless umbels per plant and number of seeds per umbel. Statistical analyses indicated that all properties studied were affected by the harvesting stage. The fourth harvesting stage gave the highest yields of seed, essential oil and (E)-anethole. The first and second harvesting stages provided the best quality of essential oils with a high (E)-anethole content.
REML IS AN EFFECTIVE ANALYSIS FOR MIXED MODELLING OF UNBALANCED ON-FARM VARIETAL TRIALS
Authors: VIRK D. S. , PANDIT D. B. , SUFIAN M. A. , AHMED F. , SIDDIQUE M. A. B. , SAMAD M. A. , RAHMAN M. M. , ISLAM M. M. , ORTIZ-FERRARA G. , JOSHI K. D. , WITCOMBE J. R.
Published: December 2008

On-farm participatory varietal selection (PVS) trials are often of two types: mother trials (with all of the entries) and baby trials (each having one, or very few of the entries from the mother trials). We conducted PVS trials on 17 wheat varieties in 12 villages of four districts of Bangladesh over three years but the data were highly unbalanced. Both quantitative and qualitative traits were measured in the on-farm trials. The factors in the trials were both fixed effects (varieties and districts) and random (years and farmers). We used the residual or restricted maximum likelihood (REML) analysis for the mixed model for quantitative traits. For qualitative data on farmers' perceptions, logistic regression procedures were used that are equally applicable to balanced and unbalanced data sets. The REML analysis provided adjusted mean values for quantitative traits for all the varieties, for the mother and baby trials separately, using the data from all years and all locations. It identified varieties BAW 1006 and BAW 1008 that yielded 19–30% more than the control Kanchan and also had a higher 1000-grain weight, were at least as early to flower and had a high overall ranking by farmers in the mother trials. The logistic regression analysis of perception data agreed with the results of the REML analysis as these varieties were most preferred by farmers for grain yield, earlier maturity and better chapatti making quality. The less labour-intensive method of recording qualitative perceptions can usefully replace actual yield measurements, particularly when validated by other participatory measures such as intended and actual adoption. In 2005, BAW 1006 was released as BARI Gom 23 or Bijoy and BAW 1008 as BARI Gom 24 or Prodip for the whole of Bangladesh. The validity of the results of the REML analysis was confirmed by the high early adoption trends of the identified varieties. Since REML is an effective analysis for unbalanced PVS trial data using a mixed model, its wider use by researchers would increase the value of the PVS process.
GENETIC IMPROVEMENT OF PEARL MILLET FOR THE ARID ZONE OF NORTHWESTERN INDIA: LESSONS FROM TWO DECADES OF COLLABORATIVE ICRISAT-ICAR RESEARCH
Authors: BIDINGER F. R. , YADAV O. P. , WELTZIEN RATTUNDE E.
Published: December 2008

The arid zone of northwestern India is a unique adaptation zone for crop plants because of its pervasive severe moisture stress and high temperatures. Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) is a major cereal in this zone as it represents approximately 25% of the total acreage of the crop in the country. Pearl millet hybrid cultivars, which have gained widespread acceptance from farmers elsewhere in the country, have not been adopted in the arid zone. Farmers continue to sow their traditional landraces because the yield advantage of current hybrids is not expressed in this zone, and the risk of failure in poor years with the hybrids is unacceptably high. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research have been collaborating to understand the unique nature of pearl millet in the arid zone since the late 1980s. This collaboration has produced a better understanding of how arid zone farmers manage their germplasm, of the unique features of this invaluable resource and of a range of ways of using this germplasm to produce well-adapted new varieties and hybrids that will meet the requirements of the farmers of the arid zone. It has been shown that new cultivars for the arid zone need to be based on parental materials, including traditional landraces that are specifically adapted to the arid zone. This paper summarizes the main lessons of nearly 20 years of this collaborative research.
MAIZE YIELDS RESPONSE TO APPLICATION OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC INPUT UNDER ON-STATION AND ON-FARM EXPERIMENTS IN CENTRAL KENYA
Authors: MUGWE JAYNE , MUGENDI DANIEL , KUNGU JAMES , MUNA MONICAH-MUCHERU
Published: December 2008

This study investigated the feasibility of using sole organics or a combination of organics with inorganic fertilizer to improve maize production in on-station and on-farm experiments in central Kenya. In the on-station experiment, combined application of Calliandra calothyrsus, Leucaena trichandra and Tithonia diversifolia at 30 kg N ha−1 plus inorganic fertilizer (30 kg N ha−1) consistently gave significantly higher maize grain yields than the recommended rate of inorganic fertilizer (60 kg N ha−1). Sole application of calliandra, leucaena and tithonia also increased maize yields more than the recommended rate of inorganic fertilizer. In the on-farm experiment, calliandra, leucaena, tithonia and cattle manure either alone or combined with inorganic fertilizer increased maize yields with a similar magnitude to that of inorganic fertilizer. These organic resources could therefore be used to supplement inorganic fertilizer as a whole or in part. There was a yield gap between on-station and on-farm trials with on-station yields having, on average, 65% greater yields than the on-farm yields. There is therefore potential for increasing yields at the farm level by closing the yield gap.
The Unionization of the American Steel Industry
Authors: Galenson Walter
Published: December 2008

If there is any single series of events in American labor history which may be characterized as of momentous import, it is the unionization of steel. After a crushing defeat by the United States Steel Corporation in 1901, the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers, A.F. of L., had eked out a precarious and meager existence. Unsuccessful organizing campaigns in 1919–20 and in 1933 left the Amalga-mated the mere shell of an organization. Average membership in 1935 was only 9,869; in that year, 84 local lodges had been disbanded, and only four new ones established. Not a single national organizer was in the field. Against this unpromising background the great drama that was to convert the citadel of antiunionism in the United States into a highly organized industry unfolded swiftly with the formation of the Committee for Industrial Organization in the closing days of the year 1935.
The Political Activities Of A Trade Union, 1906–1914
Authors: Williams J. E.
Published: December 2008

The British Labour Party was not explicitly socialist until 1918. In February of that year a Special Conference adopted a new constitution which stated that the ultimate aim of the party was:-

“To secure for the producers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry, and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible, upon the basis of common ownership of the means of production and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service.”

Before this change, Ramsay MacDonald, writing in 1911, had said: “The Labour Party is not Socialist. It is a union of Socialist and trade-union bodies for immediate political work…” The new party, founded in 1900 as the Labour Representation Committee, was in many ways un manage de convenance of militant Socialists and Glad-stonian Liberal trade-union leaders. The “immediate political work” for which these groups came together was the representation of the working class in parliament. Of the need for such representation both sides were firmly convinced: the Socialists because they hoped to convert the trade unions to their own way of thinking; the trade-union leaders because they were disappointed by the failure of the official Liberal party constituency caucuses to adopt more working-class candidates.
British Labour and the Confederacy
Authors: Harrison Royden
Published: December 2008

There are few legends relating to the history of the Labour Movement which have enjoyed the influence and popularity of the story of how British workmen responded to the American Civil War. Their supposed unanimity in opposition to the Slave Power and their resistance to every ruling class project for intervention on its behalf were thought to be a serviceable example and inspiration, not only by the stalwarts of the International and the Reform League, but by the organisers of the anti-war campaigns of 1878 and after. Even today a writer on „Peaceful Co-existence” finds it an instructive example of the power of the working class in international relations.
Urban Transformation
Authors: Dyos H. J.
Published: December 2008

The gradual acceptance by politically influential people of the belief that deliberate control of town growth was both feasible and fruitful is a theme in the history of town planning which has many aspects. The transformation of nineteenth century cities by means of street improvement was one of these; and Mr. David Pinkney has recently made a mature assessment of the range of motives underlying the sweeping changes wrought in the configuration of Parisian streets under the Second Empire. By contrast with Paris under the prefecture of Baron Haussmann, the transformation of London was tentative, not to say hesitating, and not undertaken for all the same reasons. In Paris, Mr. Pinkney has shown that political and strategic aims were mixed with desires for aesthetic and social amelioration. “In London”, Napoleon III is reported as saying, “they are concerned only with giving the best possible satisfaction to the needs of traffic.” But were they? It is the purpose of this brief note to comment on the validity of this assertion, and in doing so to illustrate an early approach to matters of urban improvement which are still at the heart of some contemporary town-planning problems.
John Minter Morgan's Schemes, 1841–1855
Authors: Armytage W. H. G.
Published: December 2008

One summer's day, 22 June 1841, fifty-nine year-old John Minter Morgan launched a scheme to establish “self-supporting villages” under the superintendence of the Established Church. It was a stirring attempt to rouse the Establishment to its responsibilities in the face of the Owenite challenge, and it secured a respectable response. An admiral (Sir G. Scott), a general (George Norton Eden) and a respectable muster of clergy, mainly from the Ham, East Sheen and West Molesely districts, all rallied to hear what was afoot.
Die russische Parteispaltung im Urteil der deutschen Sozialdemokratie 1903–1905
Authors: Geyer Dietrich
Published: December 2008

Der nachfolgende Beitrag zur Geschichte der Fraktionskämpfe in der „Sozialdemokratischen Arbeiterpartei Russlands” beschreibt einen sachlich wie zeitlich begrenzten Aspekt jener Auseinandersetzungen, die nach dem Londoner (zweiten) Kongress der RSDRP der russischen Arbeiterbewegung das Gepräge gegeben haben. Dabei wird nicht übersehen, dass die hier gewählte Fragestellung nach dem Verhältnis der deutschen Sozialdemokratie zu den russischen Berufsrevolutionären vor einem historischen Hintergrunde steht, der aus dem Abstand eines halben Jahrhunderts neu durchleuchtet werden muss. Das leidenschaftliche Interesse an der eigenen Geschichte, das Generationen russischer Intelligencija nach Selbstverständigung, Rechtfertigung und Abgrenzung suchen liess, hat dem Historiker eine nahezu beispiellose Fülle von Zeugnissen hinterlassen, die trotz mancher gegenwartsbedingter Schwierigkeiten keinen Anlass geben, von Quellennotständen zu sprechen. Was bis weit über Revolution und Bürgerkrieg hinweg diesseits und jenseits der Grenzen bei aller vom Politischen her gesteigerten Dokumentationsfreudigkeit erschlossen worden ist, braucht den Vergleich – etwa mit der Situation im Bereich der deutschen Parteigeschichte – nicht zu scheuen. Wenn sich die historische Beschäftigung mit der Vorgeschichte der Revolution dennoch einer unzuträglichen Verengung des Blickfeldes erwehren muss, so ist dies nicht so sehr in einer chronischen Mangellage an Quellen begründet, sondern eher in der relativ leichten Zutänglichkeit einer reichen, aber einseitig bolschewistisch orientierten Auswahl des gedruckten Materials. Seit den dreissiger Jahren ist dieser Zustand in besonderem Masse von der sowjetischen Historiographie gefördert worden, die ihre erzwungene Verarmung auf der Linie einer zielgerichteten „Parteilichkeit” bis in die Quelleneditionen hinein kundgegeben hat.
Some Comments on the Nature of the Nationalist Revival in France before 1914
Authors: Weber Eugen
Published: December 2008

It is frequently asserted by students of the history of the Third French Republic that the years before 1914, and especially from 1911 to 1914, were a period of nationalist revival, a somewhat exceptional period when politics were dominated by a novel concern for national unity, prestige, and power; by calls for order, tradition, and discipline; and by catchwords connected with all these things. I propose to inquire first into the social aspect of this apparent change in the ruling ideology of the Republic, and then into the background and nature of the Nationalist movement.
State and Local Immigration Regulation in the United States before 1882
Authors: Klebaner Benjamin J.
Published: December 2008

The absence of significant federal regulation in the area of immigration legislation until 1882 no more denotes a laissez-faire approach in this area than in many other aspects of American economic life. For many generations Congress had left the task of regulating the immigrant stream to the states and localities. The first general federal law (1882) is best understood in the context of antecedent activity on the local level. Eventually most of the seaboard states, including many without an important passenger traffic, enacted statutes dealing with immigration. Table I presents a brief outline of their essential features.
Some Aspects of Life and Politics in the United States of America in 1932
Authors: Venkataramani M. S.
Published: December 2008

To the present generation of young Americans the so-called two party system appears to be an almost unshakeable and permanent feature of the nation's polity. Several well-known American liberals (as, for instance, Senator Paul Douglas of Illinois and Walter Reuther, head of the powerful United Automobile Workers), who, in earlier years had reposed little faith in the Republican and Democratic parties, have gradually veered round to the view that the quest for reform must be pursued within the framework of the two major political parties. “Third parties” on the American scene have become virtually skeletonized for various reasons and their plans and platforms receive scant notice at the hands of the media of mass communication. With the advent of good times during the war and post-war years, organizations advocating a radical reconstruction of the social and economic order have found a progressively shrinking audience. Radicalism among the intelligentsia has become a factor of minor significance. Will there be any important changes in such a state of affairs if the current business “recession” continues much longer or intensifies? Do “bad times” favor the growth of militant parties of protest and dissent? Few students of the American scene expect that in the foreseeable future there will be any widespread move away from the two traditional parties. It is interesting in this connection to examine the developments in the United States a quarter of a century ago when the nation was plunged into one of the most serious economic crises in its annals. This paper will examine some aspects of life and politics in the United States in 1932 with special reference to the campaign of the Socialist Party of America to emerge as a significant political force.
The Labour Church Movement
Authors: Inglis K. S.
Published: December 2008

The conference held at Bradford in 1893 to form an Independent Labour Party was accompanied by a Labour Church service which some 5,000 people attended. It was organised by John Trevor, who in 1891 had left his Unitarian pulpit in Manchester and founded the first Labour Church. “God in the Labour Movement”, he explained “– working through it, as once he worked through Christianity, for the further salvation of the world – that was the simple conception that I had been seeking, and which at last came to me…” The fullest account of this movement created by Trevor has been given in H. M. Pelling's The Origins of the Labour Party, where it is sensibly cited as a stage in the “transfer of social energy from religion to politics.” The purpose of the present article is to dissent from certain judgments made by Mr. Pelling and to suggest, in some particulars, a different interpretation.
The Chartist Crisis in Birmingham
Authors: Tholfsen Trygve R.
Published: December 2008

On the spectrum of Victorian politics Birmingham stands at one extreme – the exemplar of class harmony and co-operation. Where other towns were torn by strife and discord, here the forces of cohesion and stability were triumphant. An alliance between the middle and working classes remained the cardinal fact of political life from Thomas Attwood's Political Union to Joseph Chamberlain's caucus. Political tranquillity reflected the deeper harmony of a well integrated culture, in which the masters and artisans of a small workshop economy shared a commitment to the social and moral values of the community.
The Non-Socialist Origins of England's First Important Socialist Organization
Authors: Wilkins M. S.
Published: December 2008

England's first important socialist organization was the Social-Democratic Federation. During the eighteen-eighties this organisation was in the forefront of the socialist movement. It came to present an extreme and dogmatic socialism. But it is curious to recall that in origin the organization was not socialist. Although it had a few socialist members, it had no socialist program. The leader of the S.D.F., the wealthy Cambridge University graduate, the formerly pro-Tory journalist, H. M. Hyndman, is always associated with the growth and development of this organization. Yet it has not been recognized that in the very early days of the S.D.F. there was no certainty that Hyndman would hold the reins. Our aim in this essay is twofold: I. to detail the non-socialist beginnings of the S.D.F. and 2. to indicate Hyndman's connection with the new organization. The story of the formation of the S.D.F. – at first called the Democratic Federation – has never been told in its entirety. We will relate what happened at the first meetings. We will show how Hyndman came to gain control and how the Member of Parliament from Newcastle, Joseph Cowen, who could have been the leader, was superseded.
The Emancipation of the Opium Cultivators in Benares
Authors: Wright H. R. C.
Published: December 2008

When Warren Hastings established the English East India Company's opium monopoly in Bihar in 1773, the contractors who undertook its management were expressly forbidden to compel the ryots (tenant-cultivators) to grow poppy. Later, Warren Hastings allowed this restriction to be quietly dropped from the contracts, and in the 1780's the ryots were protected only by implication, in that the contractors were required to deliver to the Company as much opium as could be procured “lawfully and reasonably”. Although no legal powers of coercion were granted, it accorded well with native custom that the ryots should be compelled to keep up the cultivation where it had previously existed, and when Lord Cornwallis investigated the matter in 1788 he found it to be generally understood that such compulsion was in force. Cornwallis intended to bring to the Company's terriories the benefits of personal freedom under the rule of law, but he did not wish to disrupt the opium arrangements. He therefore laid down fixed scales of remuneration for the opium ryots which he hoped would be generous enough to make them willing to continue and extend the cultivation, but did not immediately proclaim their emancipation. The contracts of 1789 were ambiguous; they did not say whether the continuance of existing cultivation was to be comulsory, but only that its extension was to be left to the option of the ryots. In 1793, however, when the ryots had had time to experience the benefits of the fixed rates of pay and their deliveries were increasing satisfactorily, the cultivation was declared to be completely optional. This caused no difficulties in Bihar.