bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clemency as Cruelty: Forgiveness and Force in the Dying Prayers of Jesus and Stephen
Authors: Matthews Shelly
Published: January 2009

This article clarifies the significance of the dying forgiveness prayers of Jesus and Stephen by placing them aside related bodies of literature including biblical and extra-biblical narratives of persecuted prophets and the suffering righteous, the literature of the Maccabean martyrs, the ethical exhortations to enemy love and non-retaliation in the Sermon on the Mount/Plain, and Roman discourse on clemency. Against a recent cluster of scholarship attempting to situate the prayers fully within Jewish scriptural traditions in order to argue that Luke-Acts is not anti-Jewish, it argues that the prayers function to construct a break between the Ioudaioi and the Christianoi. The dying forgiveness prayers are for Luke a Christian proprium. They are potentially more radical than Jesus' ethical teaching on enemy love and non-retaliation, since the former constitute a challenge to the framework of talionic justice which the latter need not. The threat of the forgiveness prayers to the talionic framework of cosmic justice prompted the modification, and even the suppression, of the prayers in some quarters. Those who embraced and celebrated the prayers without modification, like Luke himself, seemed to have understood them intransitively as idealizing the hero who so prays but as having no effect on the prayer's objects. The article concludes with consideration of the Roman discourse on clemency, which functions similarly. Awareness of the cruelty implicit in Roman clemency serves to illuminate the potentially violent effects of certain iterations of the forgiveness prayers, including those preserved in Luke-Acts.
Reconsidering the Book and the Sword: A Rhetoric of Passivity in Rabbinic Hermeneutics
Authors: Berkowitz Beth
Published: January 2009

The motif of the "book and the sword" as it appears in a Babylonian Talmud martyrdom narrative suggests that Torah and violence are mutually exclusive. This essay will explore in what ways the book and the sword have a more complicated relationship within the Babylonian Talmud and its sources than this narrative suggests. The essay will focus attention on a posture of interpretive passivity that rabbinic legislators adopt in a variety of legal contexts in which their audience's physical and social welfare is at stake, including criminal execution and women's claims upon their husbands. The essay will contrast the representation of the rabbi who laments, "What can I do? For behold the Torah said …" to the creative hermeneutics he in fact exercises. The essay will argue that this idiom, as it appears in several tannaitic texts and then is expanded in Babylonian talmudic texts, is unusual within Antiquity in giving explicit expression to embarrassment about scriptural canon. The essay proposes that the stereotyping of early rabbis as hermeneutically passive by Babylonian talmudic editors allows them to highlight their own exegetical and judicial activism as they transform inherited sources. The essay considers what the representation of hermeneutically passive rabbinic judges can reveal about the complex relationship between legal exegesis, judicial authority, and violence within rabbinic literature, from early to late, from Palestine to Babylonia.
Israelite Exiles in Media: A New Look at ND 2443+
Authors: Galil Gershon
Published: January 2009

This paper reexamines ND 2443+, a Neo-Assyrian administrative record excavated at Calah in 1952, and first published by Barbara Parker in 1961 (Iraq 23, pp. 27-28). A new translation of this important text is presented, followed by a few notes and a discussion on the relation between the Israelite exile Hilqī-Iāu, and the city Sagbat/Bīt-Sagbat in Media. The text should be dated to the last years of Tiglath-pileser III since it mentions Bēl-Harrān-bēlu-usur, the nāgir ekalli, first appointed ca. 775 B.C., and the Israelites Hilqī-Iāu and Gir-Iāu, probably exiled from Israel after the 733-732 B.C. campaign. In light of the new interpretation of ND 2443+ the issue of “the cities of Media” (1 Kgs 17:6; 18:14) is reconsidered, and it is suggested that ND 2443+ indicates the deportation of Israelites to Media in the last years of Tiglath-pileser III.
The Association of Active and Passive Smoking with Peripheral Arterial Disease: Results from NHANES 1999–2004
Authors: Agarwal Shikhar
Published: January 2009

We aim to quantify the association between different forms of tobacco use and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and to characterize the association between secondhand smoke exposure and PAD in a large nationally representative sample of the US population. We observed significant associations between current and former cigarette smoking and PAD. The association between noncigarette forms of tobacco and PAD was not significant even after adjustment for clinical and demographic variables. Secondhand smoke was not significantly associated with PAD. Interestingly, a “threshold phenomenon” for tobacco exposure was demonstrated for PAD occurrence. Individuals with serum cotinine >155 ng/mL were at significantly higher risk of having PAD as compared with a nonexistent or a minimal risk below this threshold value. Lack of association between PAD and secondhand smoke exposure in conjunction with the threshold phenomenon described above leads us to speculate existence of striking differences between the systemic circulation and lower extremity vasculature in terms of pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
Effects of Video Club Participation on Teachers' Professional Vision
Authors: Gamoran Sherin Miriam , van Es Elizabeth A.
Published: January 2009

This study investigates mathematics teacher learning in a video-based professional development environment called video clubs. In particular, the authors explore whether teachers develop professional vision, the ability to notice and interpret significant features of classroom interactions, as they participate in a video club. Analysis for the study is based on data from two year-long video clubs in which teachers met monthly to watch and discuss video excerpts from each others' classrooms. Participating in a video club was found to influence the teachers' professional vision as exhibited in the video club meetings, in interviews outside of the video club meetings, and in the teachers' instructional practices. These results suggest that professional vision is a productive lens for investigating teacher learning via video. In addition, this article illustrates that video clubs have the potential to support teacher learning in ways that extend beyond the boundaries of the video club meetings themselves.
Designing Video-Based Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers in Low-Performing Schools
Authors: Santagata Rossella
Published: January 2009

This article describes the theoretical framework, research base, structure, and content of a video-based professional development program implemented during 2 consecutive years with sixth-grade mathematics teachers from five low-performing schools. First, difficulties teachers encountered in responding to video-based prompts during the 1st year are summarized. Problematic questions deal with teachers' (a) basic understanding of target mathematics topics, (b) knowledge of their students' understanding, and (c) ability to analyze students' work and reasoning beyond classification into right and wrong answers. Changes that were made to the program to address teachers' needs in the 2nd year are then described. These are structured around three principles for designing video-based professional development: (a) attending to content-specific understanding, (b) scaffolding analysis of student thinking, and (c) modeling a discourse of inquiry and reflection on the teaching and learning process.
Analyzing Online Teacher Networks
Authors: Schlager Mark S. , Farooq Umer , Fusco Judith , Schank Patricia , Dwyer Nathan
Published: January 2009

The authors argue that conceptual and methodological limitations in existing research approaches severely hamper theory building and empirical exploration of teacher learning and collaboration through cyber-enabled networks. They conclude that new frameworks, tools, and techniques are needed to understand and maximize the benefits of teacher networks. The paper presents preliminary data to illuminate both the power and limitations of current tools and techniques for studying cyber-enabled networks using data from a large, mature online network of K-12 educators. The findings raise fundamental questions that are beyond the capability of most education researchers and evaluators to address rigorously and cost-effectively. The authors propose a research agenda designed to create and validate a new generation of research tools and techniques that enable researchers ask more incisive and convergent research questions and help school leaders and teachers support, learn, and collaborate with one another more effectively in cyber-enabled professional communities.
Assessment of iron status and the role for iron-replacement therapy in anaemic cancer patients under the care of a specialist palliative care unit
Authors: Robertson* KA , Hutchison SMW
Published: January 2009

Anaemia is common in advanced cancer, may develop for several reasons, and is not always symptomatic. Our observations of the seemingly indiscriminate prescription of iron-replacement therapy (IRT) for anaemic palliative care patients, and our practice of discontinuing IRT in patients with normal red-cell indices, prompted a study to determine (1) the prevalence of anaemia in our patients, (2) what proportion had iron deficiency, (3) the prevalence and benefits of IRT and (4) the prevalence of side effects attributable to IRT. The prevalence of anaemia was 65%. We found a 9% prevalence of iron deficiency, and suggestive but inconclusive evidence of iron deficiency in a further 41%, but only three (27%) of these patients had typical iron deficiency red-cell indices. Only two patients within the study population were taking IRT. Haemoglobin increased significantly in one, but fell in the other, and both experienced side effects attributable to iron. IRT should neither be indiscriminately prescribed nor withheld for anaemic palliative care patients, and the decision should not be based on red-cell indices alone. When symptomatic anaemia is found in patients whose general condition indicates that IRT would be acceptable, iron status should be fully assessed. A therapeutic trial of IRT may be justified where ferritin is elevated, but other parameters suggest iron deficiency.
The existential impact of starting corticosteroid treatment as symptom control in advanced metastatic cancer
Authors: Lundström S , Fürst CJ , Friedrichsen M , Strang P
Published: January 2009

Treatment with corticosteroids often results in increased appetite, reduced nausea and improved well-being in patients with advanced metastatic cancer. Therefore, we have studied the existential impact of starting corticosteroid treatment as symptom control in this patient group using qualitative content analysis with both a descriptive and an interpretative focus. Ten patients were interviewed before and after 1 week of treatment with 4 mg betamethasone. Prior to treatment, patients reported distressing symptoms, deterioration and diminished autonomy, symbolising threat and death. Corticosteroid treatment produced symptom relief in the majority of the patients. They reported enhanced physical abilities and experienced feelings of a more normalized life and strengthened autonomy, symbolising health and hope. This transfer from threat to hope has important existential consequences in end-of-life care and should be addressed when communicating goals of treatment and care with the patient and family.
Selection of covariance patterns for longitudinal data in semi-parametric models
Authors: Li Jialiang , Wong Weng Kee
Published: January 2009

The use of patterned covariance structures in the parametric analysis of longitudinal data is both elegant and efficient. However, this strategy has not been well studied for semi-parametric models for analysing such data. We propose to estimate the covariance matrix in the semi-parametric model by rearranging the non-parametric component as a profiled linear function of the data and using a local smoothing technique. This results in a parametric regression formulation that enables us to construct likelihood functions and use various information criteria to select the best fitting covariance matrix. We apply our method to reanalyse data from a two-armed clinical trial for Scleroderma patients and show our method is more efficient for estimating the parametric components in the semi-parametric model.
Modelling the evolution of multi-gene families
Authors: Nye Tom MW
Published: January 2009

A number of biological processes can lead to genes being copied within the genome of some given species. Duplicate genes of this form are called paralogs and such genes share a high degree sequence similarity as well as often having closely related functions. Some genes have become widely duplicated to form multigene families in which the copies are distributed both within the genomes of individual species and across different species. Statistical modelling of gene duplication and the evolution of multi-gene families currently lags behind well-established models of DNA sequence evolution despite an increasing volume of available data, but the analysis of multi-gene families is important as part of a wider effort to understand evolution at the genomic level. This article reviews existing approaches to modelling multi-gene families and presents various challenges and possibilities for this exciting area of research.
Considerations for the processing and analysis of GoldenGate-based two-colour Illumina platforms
Authors: Lynch AG , Dunning MJ , Iddawela M. , Barbosa-Morais NL , Ritchie ME
Published: January 2009

Illumina’s GoldenGate technology is a two-channel microarray platform that allows for the simultaneous interrogation of about 1 500 locations in the genome. GoldenGate has proved a flexible platform not only in the choice of those 1 500 locations, but also in the choice of the property being measured at them. It retains the desirable properties of Illumina’s BeadArrays in that the probes (in this case ‘beads’) are randomly arranged across the microarray, there are multiple instances of each probe and many samples can be processed simultaneously. As for other Illumina technologies, however, these properties are not exploited as they might be. Here we review the various common adaptations of the GoldenGate platform, review the analysis methods that are associated with each adaptation and then, with the aid of a number of example data sets we illustrate some of the improvements that can be made over the default analysis.
Probabilistic models and machine learning in structural bioinformatics
Authors: Hamelryck Thomas
Published: January 2009

Structural bioinformatics is concerned with the molecular structure of biomacromolecules on a genomic scale, using computational methods. Classic problems in structural bioinformatics include the prediction of protein and RNA structure from sequence, the design of artificial proteins or enzymes, and the automated analysis and comparison of biomacromolecules in atomic detail. The determination of macromolecular structure from experimental data (for example coming from nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray crystallography or small angle X-ray scattering) has close ties with the field of structural bioinformatics. Recently, probabilistic models and machine learning methods based on Bayesian principles are providing efficient and rigorous solutions to challenging problems that were long regarded as intractable. In this review, I will highlight some important recent developments in the prediction, analysis and experimental determination of macromolecular structure that are based on such methods. These developments include generative models of protein structure, the estimation of the parameters of energy functions that are used in structure prediction, the superposition of macromolecules and structure determination methods that are based on inference. Although this review is not exhaustive, I believe the selected topics give a good impression of the exciting new, probabilistic road the field of structural bioinformatics is taking.
Accounting, gender and history: the life of Minna Canth
Authors: Virtanen Aila
Published: January 2009

This article introduces Minna Canth, one of the earliest businesswomen in Finland, although better known as a pioneer of Finnish realistic literature and champion of the women's movement. The historical study method is applied together with a narrative and interpretative approach to examine accounting and gender based on Minna Canth's bookkeeping and correspondence in the 1880s. Minna Canth's story brings together three realities that normally do not meet: women's everyday life, business, and literature. The study introduces an early female merchant who was knowledgeable about financial issues and managed her own business affairs independently. An intended contribution of this study to accounting and gender research is to extend the current knowledge about women's roles in the nineteenth century and their use of accounting at that time in history.
The Livret system: the interface of accounting and indentured labor in British Guiana
Authors: Tyson Thomas N. , Davie Shanta S.K.
Published: January 2009

Between 1838 and 1920, over 200,000 Indians immigrated to British Guiana (BG) as indentured workers on sugar plantations (estates). During this period, different labor types (freedmen, indentured workers, and free immigrants) coexisted on the same BG estates and were paid the same wages for comparable tasks. In 1873, in response to a commission of enquiry to improve the treatment of workers, the BG legislature introduced the Livret system. Livrets were to be kept by each indentured worker and contain the cumulative wages earned during the indenture period. In theory, Livrets would promote greater productivity, help mitigate pay disputes, and enable hard-working immigrants to end their indenture in less than five years. This article describes the Livret system and speculates on the reasons for its introduction and early abandonment. It contributes to the growing body of literature that critically assesses the interface of accounting and labor during the British colonial period.
Silver Bullet or Voodoo Statistics?
Authors: Sosik John J. , Kahai Surinder S. , Piovoso Michael J.
Published: January 2009

Much of group and organization research is constrained by either limited sample sizes and/or nascent theoretical development. Wold developed the partial least squares (PLS) data analytical technique to help overcome these and other challenges facing researchers. PLS represents a powerful and effective means to test multivariate structural models with latent variables. Although PLS is used by researchers and practitioners in many scientific disciplines, some misunderstanding remains among group and organization researchers regarding the legitimacy and usefulness of PLS. To help allay these concerns, this article provides a nontechnical primer on PLS and its advantages, limitations, and application to group and organization research using a data set collected in an experiment on the effects of leadership styles and communication format on the group potency of computer-mediated work groups.
Individual-Level Predictors of Task-Related Teamwork Processes
Authors: Sonnentag Sabine , Volmer Judith
Published: January 2009

This study investigates expertise (i.e., high level of individual task performance) and self-efficacy as predictors of an individual's contribution to teamwork processes (problem analysis, goal specification) during team meetings. Multilevel, multisource data from a longitudinal field study in 22 professional software design teams reveal large within-team variability in individual contributions to teamwork processes. Expertise positively predicted a team member's contribution to meeting processes 1 year later, also when controlling for the initial level of contribution. Contrary to the hypothesis, self-efficacy was negatively related to problem analysis during team meetings.
Individual and Environmental Factors Influencing the Use of Transfer Strategies After Diversity Training
Authors: Roberson Loriann , Kulik Carol T. , Pepper Molly B.
Published: January 2009

Change in work behavior is often the primary goal of diversity training, but few studies have examined transfer of diversity training. In this longitudinal field study, the authors measured cognitive, affective, and behavioral learning outcomes after a diversity training program as well as the subsequent use of transfer strategies on the job. They examined the influence of learning outcomes, trainee characteristics, and environmental characteristics on the use of transfer strategies. Trainee race/ethnicity and the work unit transfer climate are the best predictors of trainees' transfer strategy use. Among the learning outcomes, skill learning is the only significant predictor of transfer strategy use.
Price-Sensitivity Measurement: a Tool for Restaurant Menu Pricing
Authors: Raab Carola , Mayer Karl , Kim Yen-Soon , Shoemaker Stowe
Published: January 2009

Setting the correct price for hospitality products is a crucial management task that has a major influence on a firm's profitability. In general, there has been a lack of academic interest in the area of pricing in services. The restaurant industry typically establishes prices by marking up a variable cost percentage and by intuition, or by trial-and-error methods. This study illustrates how restaurant managers can use price-sensitivity measurement to assess their guests' price sensitivity. By means of a relatively simple survey, restaurant managers can gain insights about their menu pricing directly from their customers. This study uses data collected from a Hong Kong buffet restaurant, but the technique could be applied in virtually any restaurant setting. The results reveal price ranges that represent real value for dinner buffet patrons.
Matrix metalloproteinase-9 and matrix metalloproteinase-2 as biomarkers of various courses in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Benešová Y , Vašků A , Novotná H , Litzman J , Štourač P , Beránek M , Kadaňka Z , Bednařík J
Published: January 2009

Background

Matrix metalloproteinases are notable contributors to neuroinflammation and blood-brain barrier disruption in multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective

The goal of this study was to determine the serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), and their tissue inhibitors (TIMP-1) and (TIMP-2), and to investigate their possible relations to type, disability, and severity of MS.

Materials and methods

Eighty-seven patients with definite MS according to the McDonald criteria and 50 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Their clinical status was evaluated with the Expanded Disability Status Scale. Serum levels were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunoassay.

Results

A significant elevation in MMP-9 serum levels and in the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio was found in the whole MS group ( P < 0.001), in the relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) ( P < 0.001), and secondary-progressive MS (SPMS) ( P < 0.001) groups when compared with the controls. A significant elevation in MMP-2 serum levels and in the MMP-2/TIMP-2 ratio was observed in the primary progressive ( P < 0.001) and the SPMS ( P < 0.002) groups when compared with the RRMS group, and this increase was also associated with the disability ( P < 0.001) and severity ( P < 0.05) of the disease.

Conclusion

We confirmed that metalloproteinases are useful biological markers in MS, providing information about the clinical type, disability, and severity of the disease.
Motor evoked potentials in clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of multiple sclerosis
Authors: Rico A , Audoin B , Franques J , Eusebio A , Reuter F , Malikova I , Ali Cherif A , Pouget J , Pelletier J , Attarian S
Published: January 2009

The aim of the present study was to determine the sensitivity and the profile of motor evoked potentials (MEP) in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS). We measured the central motor conduction time (CMCT), amplitude ratio (AR), and surface ratio (SR) in tibialis anterior and first dorsal interosseous muscles in 22 patients with CIS. In 12 patients, the triple stimulation technique (TST) was also performed. AR was abnormal in 50% of patients, CMCT in 18% of patients, and TST in 25% of patients. AR had the highest sub-clinical sensitivity and the best positive predictive value. In the absence of clinical pyramidal signs, an early AR decrease seems to result from demyelination inducing excessive temporal dispersion of the MEP, while in territories with clinical pyramidal signs, it seems to result from conduction failure, which suggests that clinical pyramidal signs may be attributable to conduction failure. This study demonstrates that MEP, especially the AR, is sensitive to motor pathway dysfunction right from the early stages of MS.
Reduced cerebrospinal fluid BACE1 activity in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Mattsson N , Axelsson M , Haghighi S , Malmeström C , Wu G , Anckarsäter R , Sankaranarayanan S , Andreasson U , Fredrikson S , Gundersen A , Johnsen L , Fladby T , Tarkowski A , Trysberg E , Wallin A , Anckarsäter H , Lycke J , Andersen O , Simon AJ , Blennow K , Zetterberg H
Published: January 2009

Background

Cell and animal experiments have shown that β-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) may be involved in myelination.

Objective

Here, we assess the association of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) BACE1 activity with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods

BACE1 activity and levels of secreted amyloid precursor protein (APP) and amyloid-β (Aβ) isoforms were analyzed in CSF from 100 patients with MS and 114 neurologically healthy controls. Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 26 with and 41 without cerebral engagement, were also included to enable comparisons with regards to another autoimmune disease. A subset of patients with MS and controls underwent a second lumbar puncture after 10 years.

Results

MS patients had lower CSF BACE1 activity than controls ( P = 0.03) and patients with cerebral SLE ( P < 0.001). Patients with cerebral SLE had higher BACE1 activity than any other group ( P < 0.05 for all comparisons). BACE1 activity correlated with the different amyloid markers in all study groups. BACE1 activity decreased over 10 years in the MS group ( P = 0.039) and correlated weakly with clinical disease severity scores in an inverse manner.

Conclusions

These results suggest an involvement of BACE1 in the MS disease process.
Engaging Trans Debates on Gender Variance: A Feminist Analysis
Authors: Elliot Patricia
Published: January 2009

Transgender studies has emerged from a series of debates that have produced internal tensions, border wars and rifts. The rift I examine here concerns the politically volatile questions of how to think about and how to live gender variance. While some feminist, queer and transgender theorists have come to celebrate the critical potential of the allegedly more transgressive expressions of trans theories and lives, many transsexual theorists read this celebration as devaluing their lives and work. After outlining the transsexual critique, I examine to what extent their concerns are justified through an analysis of two key texts. I discuss strategies for challenging this rift, and argue that the potential for transforming it will depend on dismantling existing hierarchies and revaluing diverse forms of gender variance.
Journalistic thinking
Authors: Marques de Melo José
Published: January 2009

Journalism is a universal phenomenon, but it is anchored in national territories. Starting from this supposition, the author examines the trajectory of journalistic thinking in Brazil and discusses its relationship with hegemonic ideas in specific contexts. He also claims originality and creativity for Brazil's hybrid tradition and examines the work of journalist/thinkers who assimilated the feelings and aspirations of their country and their generation, thus establishing a fruitful dialogue between national and foreign traditions.
The past and the future of Brazilian television news
Authors: Becker Beatriz , González de Bustamante Celeste
Published: January 2009

During the second half of the 20th century, television news became one of the most influential forms of mass communication in Brazil. Despite the emergence of new media and online journalism, television news continues to play a pivotal role in the country's media landscape and society. Recent political and academic developments have created a positive intellectual environment, which has resulted in a new wave of empirical and theoretical research on television journalism. This article seeks to participate in that debate by discussing the past and the future of television news, examining closely the effects of online and digital technologies on the quality of television journalism. By looking at the history of television news and peering into the future, the authors offer suggestions on how to improve this significant form of journalism.
Notes on media, journalism education and news organizations in Brazil
Authors: Virgínia Moreira Sonia , Leal Rodrigues Helal Carla
Published: January 2009

The selection of Brazilian media organizations as part of the Worlds of Journalisms Project, an international comparative study of journalism and journalistic routines, offers contemporary data for analysis of that country's media. This involves historical aspects of national and regional media, media ownership, and key regulation aspects, as well as journalism education. The process of recognizing the best-suited news media organizations, taking into consideration the scope of the research, identified organizations willing to participate in the process, those which were not interested, and, in particular, the difficulty that most news organizations in Brazil have in dealing with academic research concerning their journalistic practices.
a study of sociolinguistic characteristics of Taiwan children's peer-talk in a Mandarin—English-speaking preschool
Authors: Wang Li-Chen , Hyun Eunsook
Published: January 2009

This qualitative study presents sociolinguistic characteristics of peer-talk of 44 children in a Mandarin—English-speaking preschool in Taiwan where English was taught as a foreign language (EFL). Key findings: teacher-dominated talk influences children's peer-talk; EFL and code-switching emerge in spontaneous peer-talk; children actively engage in EFL learning by using private speech for self-regulatory learning; children actively provide peer tutoring even though they are in the early stage of EFL learning; and language play creates emergent humor for children's verbal participation in the EFL classroom, offering a way for them to resist authoritative voices and thus transform EFL into a living language.
the deafening silence
Authors: Angelides Panayiotis , Michaelidou Antonia
Published: January 2009

Researchers who deal with inclusive education have made great efforts to listen to the voices of children in order to understand marginalization. Despite the fact that these efforts take place, the voices of many children fail to be heard and hence many children continue to be marginalized. In this article we will develop and implement a technique in order to understand and address marginalization. We will develop a technique that uses children's drawings and a simultaneous talk with children to reveal voices of marginalization. We first define the technique by presenting its theoretical background and then illustrate how the method has been used. Using evidence from a school in Cyprus, we demonstrate how children's drawings and simultaneous discussion with the creator of the drawing can help us develop a richer understanding of marginalization.
grandparents as educators and carers in China
Authors: Nyland Berenice , Xiaodong Zeng  , Nyland Chris , Tran Ly
Published: January 2009

Many grandparents play a significant role as educators and carers of children in the preschool years. Recently, this role has become the focus of much early childhood research as challenges facing grandparent carers and grandparent-headed households increasingly become an economic and social issue. Using survey data from China we explore the role of grandparents who have a primary care responsibility for a young child and discuss this contribution to the family in relation to quality of care and education. We argue that grandparents play a significant role in terms of home education of the young, workforce support for young parents, cultural identity within families and community capacity building. Grandparents are therefore deserving of more sustained attention from policy makers and educators when considering the young child's developmental environment.
parental goals and parenting practices of upper-middle-class Korean mothers with preschool children
Authors: Park Ju-Hee , Young In Kwon
Published: January 2009

In order to understand how mothers develop their parenting styles under rapidly changing cultural contexts, this study examines and compares Korean upper-middle-class mothers' parental goals and real parenting practices as they reported. For this purpose, face-to-face in-depth interviews with 20 Korean mothers were conducted. By analyzing the data, we found that Korean mothers' parenting beliefs focused on `raising a child with good social and emotional characteristics', while their reported practices mainly concentrated on children's academic achievements. Korean mothers failed to connect their beliefs and behaviors because they tended to compare their parenting practices with those of other mothers. Although the mothers followed expectations from current Korean society, they constantly had to deal with guilty and uncomfortable feelings of not corresponding with their personal parental beliefs and goals.
care and business orientations in the delivery of childcare
Authors: Campbell-Barr Verity
Published: January 2009

Childcare policies introduced in England in the last 10 years have created economic tensions within the sector. Having set the scene, this article presents an exploration of the different ways in which childcare providers approach operating their childcare businesses. Drawing on a case study of one Local Authority in England, the article presents findings from qualitative interviews with a range of childcare providers, demonstrating that they can be classified as being business orientated, care orientated or having a combination of these two approaches. These orientations are largely determined by the provider's attitudes towards making money and the needs of the child. However, the geographical location where the childcare facility is located also interplays in determining how a provider operates and that, in particular, the deprivation status of an area can act as a constraint on the orientation adopted. The dominance of private providers in England makes the issue of business orientations pertinent, particularly as concerns around sustainable childcare have implications for the success of government policy.
High resistance boron treated steels for railway applications
Authors: Bedolla-Jacuinde A. , Zuno-Silva J. , Rojas S. , Mejía I. , Bejar-Gómez L.
Published: January 2009

The present study analyses different boron contents (between 10 and 160 ppm) on the structure of a 0·2C–2Mn–1Si (wt-%) steel deformed at a starting temperature of 1050°C in a T. J. Pigott laboratory rolling mill. The steel was made in a laboratory open induction furnace using high purity raw materials and cast into metallic moulds. This experimental steel has proved to have tribological properties, under dry rolling/sliding contact, as good as those for the 0·8% pearlitic steels used in railway applications. Before thermomechanical processing, the steel ingots (70 × 70 × 70 mm) were homogenised at 1100°C for 1·5 h. The thermomechanical treatment was carried out by a reversed multipass process to reach a level of deformation of 60%. Plastic deformation was finished at ∼920°C for all the rolled steels and the plates (70 × 150 × 20 mm) were then water quenched and/or air cooled to room temperature. Results show more bainitic structures as boron content increases in the air cooled steel after hot rolling. For the quenched steels, the structure becomes more martensitic as boron content increases. The best combination of mechanical properties was obtained for the air cooled 76 ppm boron containing steel, which had a lower bainitic structure. This steel had the yield strength of 750 MPa, 15% elongation and the hardness of 40 HRC. Materials characterisation was carried out by optical and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results are discussed in terms of the boron segregation towards grain boundaries, the effect of boron on the steel hardenability, as well as on the boron carbonitrides (CNB) precipitation.
Effects of microstructural changes, loading conditions and test temperature on toughness of fully pearlitic eutectoid steel used in transportation industry
Authors: El-Shabasy A. B. , Lewandowski J. J.
Published: January 2009

The mode I fracture toughness of fully pearlitic eutectoid steel used in the transportation industry has been investigated at temperatures ranging from −196 to 225°C using bend bar specimens notched and fatigue precracked to contain different root radii. The effects of changes in microstructure on the cleavage fracture stress were determined over a similar range. In addition, the notched and fatigue precracked specimens have been subjected to combined mode I/II fracture under asymmetric three point bend loading at −125°C on different microstructural conditions. Increasing the offset distance between the notch and the loading point produces an increase in the ratio mode II/mode I, a change in the crack deflection angle and a reduction in the total energy of fracture. Significant effects of changes in microstructure, test temperature and notch root radius on the toughness will be presented, followed by the significant effects of changes in microstructure and the ratio mode II/mode I on the fracture load, crack deflection angle and resulting toughness. Fractured specimens were examined both macroscopically and microscopically using stereomicroscope and scanning electron microscopy.
An innovative approach for testing bioinformatics programs using metamorphic testing
Authors: Chen Tsong Yueh , Ho Joshua WK , Liu Huai , Xie Xiaoyuan
Published: January 2009

Background

Recent advances in experimental and computational technologies have fueled the development of many sophisticated bioinformatics programs. The correctness of such programs is crucial as incorrectly computed results may lead to wrong biological conclusion or misguide downstream experimentation. Common software testing procedures involve executing the target program with a set of test inputs and then verifying the correctness of the test outputs. However, due to the complexity of many bioinformatics programs, it is often difficult to verify the correctness of the test outputs. Therefore our ability to perform systematic software testing is greatly hindered.

Results

We propose to use a novel software testing technique, metamorphic testing (MT), to test a range of bioinformatics programs. Instead of requiring a mechanism to verify whether an individual test output is correct, the MT technique verifies whether a pair of test outputs conform to a set of domain specific properties, called metamorphic relations (MRs), thus greatly increases the number and variety of test cases that can be applied. To demonstrate how MT is used in practice, we applied MT to test two open-source bioinformatics programs, namely GNLab and SeqMap. In particular we show that MT is simple to implement, and is effective in detecting faults in a real-life program and some artificially fault-seeded programs. Further, we discuss how MT can be applied to test programs from various domains of bioinformatics.

Conclusion

This paper describes the application of a simple, effective and automated technique to systematically test a range of bioinformatics programs. We show how MT can be implemented in practice through two real-life case studies. Since many bioinformatics programs, particularly those for large scale simulation and data analysis, are hard to test systematically, their developers may benefit from using MT as part of the testing strategy. Therefore our work represents a significant step towards software reliability in bioinformatics.
Simultaneous analysis of distinct Omics data sets with integration of biological knowledge: Multiple Factor Analysis approach
Authors: de Tayrac Marie , Lê Sébastien , Aubry Marc , Mosser Jean , Husson François
Published: January 2009

Background

Genomic analysis will greatly benefit from considering in a global way various sources of molecular data with the related biological knowledge. It is thus of great importance to provide useful integrative approaches dedicated to ease the interpretation of microarray data.

Results

Here, we introduce a data-mining approach, Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA), to combine multiple data sets and to add formalized knowledge. MFA is used to jointly analyse the structure emerging from genomic and transcriptomic data sets. The common structures are underlined and graphical outputs are provided such that biological meaning becomes easily retrievable. Gene Ontology terms are used to build gene modules that are superimposed on the experimentally interpreted plots. Functional interpretations are then supported by a step-by-step sequence of graphical representations.

Conclusion

When applied to genomic and transcriptomic data and associated Gene Ontology annotations, our method prioritize the biological processes linked to the experimental settings. Furthermore, it reduces the time and effort to analyze large amounts of 'Omics' data.
Transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling of Zymomonas mobilis during aerobic and anaerobic fermentations
Authors: Yang Shihui , Tschaplinski Timothy J , Engle Nancy L , Carroll Sue L , Martin Stanton L , Davison Brian H , Palumbo Anthony V , Rodriguez Miguel , Brown Steven D
Published: January 2009

Background

Zymomonas mobilis ZM4 (ZM4) produces near theoretical yields of ethanol with high specific productivity and recombinant strains are able to ferment both C-5 and C-6 sugars. Z. mobilis performs best under anaerobic conditions, but is an aerotolerant organism. However, the genetic and physiological basis of ZM4's response to various stresses is understood poorly.

Results

In this study, transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles for ZM4 aerobic and anaerobic fermentations were elucidated by microarray analysis and by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses. In the absence of oxygen, ZM4 consumed glucose more rapidly, had a higher growth rate, and ethanol was the major end-product. Greater amounts of other end-products such as acetate, lactate, and acetoin were detected under aerobic conditions and at 26 h there was only 1.7% of the amount of ethanol present aerobically as there was anaerobically. In the early exponential growth phase, significant differences in gene expression were not observed between aerobic and anaerobic conditions via microarray analysis. HPLC and GC analyses revealed minor differences in extracellular metabolite profiles at the corresponding early exponential phase time point.

Differences in extracellular metabolite profiles between conditions became greater as the fermentations progressed. GC-MS analysis of stationary phase intracellular metabolites indicated that ZM4 contained lower levels of amino acids such as alanine, valine and lysine, and other metabolites like lactate, ribitol, and 4-hydroxybutanoate under anaerobic conditions relative to aerobic conditions. Stationary phase microarray analysis revealed that 166 genes were significantly differentially expressed by more than two-fold. Transcripts for Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway genes (glk, zwf, pgl, pgk, and eno) and gene pdc, encoding a key enzyme leading to ethanol production, were at least 30-fold more abundant under anaerobic conditions in the stationary phase based on quantitative-PCR results. We also identified differentially expressed ZM4 genes predicted by The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) that were not predicted in the primary annotation.

Conclusion

High oxygen concentrations present during Z. mobilis fermentations negatively influence fermentation performance. The maximum specific growth rates were not dramatically different between aerobic and anaerobic conditions, yet oxygen did affect the physiology of the cells leading to the buildup of metabolic byproducts that ultimately led to greater differences in transcriptomic profiles in stationary phase.
Effective carbon partitioning driven by exotic phloem-specific regulatory elements fused to the Arabidopsis thaliana AtSUC2 sucrose-proton symporter gene
Authors: Srivastava Avinash C , Ganesan Savita , Ismail Ihab O , Ayre Brian G
Published: January 2009

Background

AtSUC2 (At1g22710) from Arabidopsis thaliana encodes a phloem-localized sucrose/proton symporter required for efficient photoassimilate transport from source tissues to sink tissues. AtSUC2 plays a key role in coordinating the demands of sink tissues with the output capacity of source leaves, and in maintaining phloem hydrostatic pressure during changes in plant-water balance. Expression and activity are regulated, both positively and negatively, by developmental (sink to source transition) and environmental cues, including light, diurnal changes, photoassimilate levels, turgor pressure, drought and osmotic stress, and hormones.

Results

To assess the importance of this regulation to whole-plant growth and carbon partitioning, AtSUC2 cDNA was expressed from two exotic, phloem-specific promoters in a mutant background debilitated for AtSUC2 function. The first was a promoter element from Commelina Yellow Mottle Virus (CoYMV), and the second was the rolC promoter from Agrobacterium rhizogenes. CoYMVp::AtSUC2 cDNA restored growth and carbon partitioning to near wild-type levels, whereas plants harboring rolCp::AtSUC2 cDNA showed only partial complementation.

Conclusion

Expressing AtSUC2 cDNA from exotic, phloem-specific promoters argues that strong, phloem-localized expression is sufficient for efficient transport. Expressing AtSUC2 from promoters that foster efficient phloem transport but are subject to regulatory cascades different from the endogenous sucrose/proton symporter genes has implications for biotechnology.