bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Discussant
Authors: von Hagen Mark
Published: September 2011

I am not sure how to respond to these presentations since they were all very different in form and content. Maybe that says something about the monster with which we are trying to grapple.
Structural adjustment and social policy in Mozambique
Authors: Marshall Judith
Published: September 2011

This article analyses the social costs of Mozambique's Economic Recovery Programme, sponsored by the World Bank and introduced in 1987. The programme has had some success in arresting economic decline, though not as fast as anticipated. However, social differentiation has increased, with traders, large farmers, corrupt state and military officials and private entrepreneurs gaining from the changes, while women, children and the poor in particular are finding their standards of living dropping sharply with devastating consequences for their health and nutritional status. The article uses the findings of research studies and interviews with urban dwellers on the issues of food supply, education and health to support this analysis. The loss to the IMF and the World Bank of Mozambican control over economic policy, the increase in human suffering with its potential for social and political breakdown, and the appropriateness of the programme in conditions of war, are the three central issues which have to be faced by proponents of this kind of adjustment.
Taxing development in Tanzania: why must women pay?
Authors: Bujra Janet
Published: September 2011

The extension of a development tax to women in Tanzania raises the general issue of the relevance of gender to patterns of economic development in a country with a ‘socialist’ reputation. This article looks at the link between gender and development in Tanzania, but equally importantly it focuses on the way in which the question of gender has been contested and debated within Tanzania.

While the debate on gender has highlighted the way in which ‘socialist’ policies have intensified women's workloads without removing patriarchal social relations, the development tax both recognises the contribution of women but also exposes their continued dependence on men, since their production does not always result in cash income. Structural adjustment programmes have, however, begun to force women into the marketing of subsistence food in order to make ends meet, as the inflationary effects of adjustment bite. Rather than being ‘integrated into development’, SAPs and the Development Levy bind women more closely into capitalist and petty commodity relations of production.
The Prospects for a New Lomé convention: structural adjustment or structural transformation?
Authors: Parfitt Trevor W. , Bullock Sandy
Published: September 2011

In December 1989 the European Community (EC) and 66 African, Caribbean and Pacific states (the ACP) completed negotiations on the establishment of a fourth Lomé Convention. There can be little doubt that one of the decisive factors in influencing the ACP to continue their association with the EC has been Lomé aid. The funding disbursed by the European Development Fund (EDF) has gained a reputation for its generous terms. It has also entailed relatively low conditionality, the EDF's only stipulation being that it should be spent on EC goods and services.

However, this benefit has been put at risk in the newly agreed text of Lomé 4. One of the central innovations of the revised convention will be to introduce a new level of conditionality into Lomé aid in the form of ‘structural adjustment’ policies. This Briefing assesses the likely impact this innovation is likely to have on the operation of the Lomé aid regime. In order to do this we shall initially review the current operation of the Lomé Convention with a view to determining how far it actually does benefit the ACP. The question of why the EC evidently feels that it is necessary to introduce structural adjustment policies into the Lomé regime will also be addressed. Finally, we shall examine how the EC is likely to implement these policies.
Teacher relationships and educational reform in England and Wales
Authors: Acker Sandra
Published: September 2011

Collegiality has been advocated as an antidote to the presumed isolation and individualism of teachers. In the main body of this paper, I review British contributions to this debate. Studies suggest that collegiality is more likely to flourish within primary schools than in other settings. Recent developments, especially the introduction of a National Curriculum, promise contradictory results: increasing the press toward collaborative, participatory planning, while simultaneously depriving teachers of their traditional autonomy over curricular content. In the final section, I consider whether there are different questions which should be addressed.
Do children learn history from ‘Living History’ projects?
Authors: POND MIKE , CHILDS ALAN
Published: September 2011

Advocates of Living History, in which children are given the opportunity to experience what it was like to live through a particular time or event, often claim that children learn more through such re‐creations. Critics, however, argue that this approach, with its appeal to empathetic understanding, trivializes history and pays insufficient attention to learning the ‘facts’. A survey of the literature reveals that there is little by way of research evidence to challenge such criticisms or to support the advocates’ claims. Specifically, there has been no study of the ways in which children's knowledge and understanding of an historical period might have improved as a result of a Living History experience (as distinct from history through drama, role play or active learning, where there is some evidence). As keen organizers of Living History events, the authors of this article were anxious to discover whether their efforts had the benefits they hoped for, or whether their critics were justified. Therefore they used a research funding opportunity made available to them to conduct a study of children's learning about the Home Front during the Second World War, part of the National Curriculum Key Stage 2 programme of study. The research involved 148 children from nine schools in Norfolk. In each school an ‘experimental group’ had attended a two‐and‐a‐half‐day residential ‘evacuees’ experience at Holt Hall, in either 1990 or 1991. Each group was matched by a control group in each school. The ‘control groups’ had been taught about the same period and events at the same time, but they had not had the Living History experience. A test of ten items requiring children to comment on the historical content of pictures was constructed and piloted, then administered to both the experimental and control groups. Children's responses were then ‘marked’ and the scores analysed using a Mann‐Whitney U one‐tailed test. When scores from the experimental groups were combined, and the scores from the control groups were combined, the difference was found to be significant beyond the 0.01 level. In individual schools, the results in four were found to be statistically significant at levels ranging from 0.01 to 0.001. This appeared to justify the confidence placed in the value of Living History for children's learning.
Reforming the Canadian curriculum
Authors: Werner Walt
Published: September 2011

Curriculum reform in English Canada is currently driven by three national trends. The first is fiscal restraint on the part of all levels of government which results in down‐sizing of available curriculum options for students and support for teachers; this has encouraged, however, the growth of new co‐operative endeavours among educators within and across provincial jurisdictions. The second includes cultural and economic demographic realities that are challenging the relevance and accessibility of the curriculum, while the third is the political rhetoric of economic competitiveness. Curriculum scholarship is influenced by these trends because research funding comes primarily from the state.
The Christian Democrats and the Political Crisis
Authors: Scoppola Pietro
Published: September 2011

The Christian Democrat Party (DC) is at the centre of the current Italian political crisis. It was in some measure responsible for precipitating it and is now suffering the backlash. Unless we take account of the central role that the DC played for so long within the Italian political system, we shall not be able to explain its centrality in the current crisis.
Berlusconi and Forza Italia: New Force for Old?
Authors: Farrell Joseph
Published: September 2011

In an interview with William Rees-Mogg, Berlusconi revealed that he had two portraits hanging in his office—those of Mrs Thatcher and of the Emperor Justinian. The place allotted to Mrs Thatcher, the prime exponent of free market economics of our times, can hardly cause surprise, but that given to Justinian is less easily explicable. Berlusconi is not known for his passion for the history and politics of the Byzantine Empire, so the Justinian on whom Berlusconi rests his eyes at critical moments must be the Justinian of Dante, whom Berlusconi would have studied in school. Dante gave Justinian a place in Paradiso as the very prototype of the law-giver and founder of a new political and legal order, so Berlusconi's cult of Justinian can be taken as indicative of a self-image as founder of new order. But there is another, more covert factor. Democracy in any sense was alien to Justinian, who as Emperor of the East enjoyed a sway unknown to any leader of a modern democratic state, and one paralleled in western societies only by the absolute power afforded to the owner of a contemporary business empire, like Ford Corporation, ICI or indeed Fininvest; or the leader of an idiosyncratic, autocratic political movement like Forza Italia.
Progress of high-power and long-pulse ECRF system development in JT-60
Authors: Kobayashi T. , Isayama A. , Yokokura K. , Shimono M. , Hasegawa K. , Sawahata M. , Suzuki S. , Terakado M. , Hiranai S. , Sato F. , Wada K. , Hinata J. , Sato Y. , Ohzeki M. , Takahashi K. , Kajiwara K. , Oda Y. , Kasugai A. , Sakamoto K. , Hoshino K. , Moriyama S.
Published: September 2011

A new gyrotron operation technique to increase oscillation efficiency was developed using the JT-60 electron cyclotron range of frequency (ECRF) system. In order to increase the efficiency without a significant increase in the anode leakage current by trapped electrons that limits the efficiency of gyrotrons with a collector potential depression technology, we actively optimized the electron pitch factor by controlling only the anode voltage within ∼0.1 s after the start of the gyrotron operation, and a high-efficiency oscillation in the so-called hard-self-excitation region was achieved from the start of the oscillation. As an application of this technique in the JT-60 ECRF system, the gyrotron output power of 1.5 MW for 4 s, which is the longest pulse length in the world at an output power of 1.5 MW, was recorded with a successful reduction in the collector heat load by 20% as compared with the conventional operation. The reduced collector heat load at the 1.5 MW operation was acceptable for a steady-state operation. Further progress was made with respect to the expansion of the long-pulse capability of the ECRF system. A new gyrotron with an improved mode converter was developed in order to demonstrate a reduction in the stray radiation in the gyrotron; such radiation has thus far hindered long-pulse operations by causing an unacceptable heat load. We confirmed that the stray radiation was reduced to 1/3 of that of the original gyrotron; this reduced heat load is acceptable for steady-state operation. A conditioning operation of the improved gyrotron proceeds up to 31 s at 1 MW. This progress significantly contributes to an enhancement in the high-power and long-pulse capability of the ECRF system used in JT-60SA, where a total output power of 9 MW for 100 s is planned.
On plasma rotation with toroidal magnetic field ripple and no external momentum input
Authors: Fenzi C. , Garbet X. , Trier E. , Hennequin P. , Bourdelle C. , Aniel T. , Colledani G. , Devynck P. , Gil C. , Gürcan Ö. , Manenc L. , Schneider M. , Segui J.-L.
Published: September 2011

Ripple-induced thermal loss effect on plasma rotation is investigated in a set of Ohmic L-mode plasmas performed in Tore Supra, and comparisons with neoclassical predictions including ripple are performed. Adjusting the size of the plasma, the ripple amplitude has been varied from 0.5% to 5.5% at the plasma boundary, keeping the edge safety factor constant. The toroidal flow dynamics is understood as being likely dominated by turbulence transport driven processes at low ripple amplitude, while the ripple-induced toroidal friction becomes dominant at high ripple. In the latter case, the velocity tends remarkably towards the neoclassical prediction (counter-current rotation). The radial electric field is not affected by the ripple variation and remains well described by its neoclassical prediction. Finally, the poloidal velocity is of the order of the neoclassical prediction at high ripple amplitude, but significantly departs from it at low ripple.
adegenet 1.3-1: new tools for the analysis of genome-wide SNP data
Authors: Jombart Thibaut , Ahmed Ismaïl
Published: September 2011

Summary: While the R software is becoming a standard for the analysis of genetic data, classical population genetics tools are being challenged by the increasing availability of genomic sequences. Dedicated tools are needed for harnessing the large amount of information generated by next-generation sequencing technologies. We introduce new tools implemented in the adegenet 1.3-1 package for handling and analyzing genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data. Using a bit-level coding scheme for SNP data and parallelized computation, adegenet enables the analysis of large genome-wide SNPs datasets using standard personal computers.

Availability:  adegenet 1.3-1 is available from CRAN: http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/adegenet/. Information and support including a dedicated forum of discussion can be found on the adegenet website: http://adegenet.r-forge.r-project.org/. adegenet is released with a manual and four tutorials totalling over 300 pages of documentation, and distributed under the GNU General Public Licence (≥2).

Contact:  t.jombart@imperial.ac.uk

Supplementary Information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
MapReduce implementation of a hybrid spectral library-database search method for large-scale peptide identification
Authors: Kalyanaraman Ananth , Cannon William R. , Latt Benjamin , Baxter Douglas J.
Published: September 2011

Summary: A MapReduce-based implementation called MR-MSPolygraph for parallelizing peptide identification from mass spectrometry data is presented. The underlying serial method, MSPolygraph, uses a novel hybrid approach to match an experimental spectrum against a combination of a protein sequence database and a spectral library. Our MapReduce implementation can run on any Hadoop cluster environment. Experimental results demonstrate that, relative to the serial version, MR-MSPolygraph reduces the time to solution from weeks to hours, for processing tens of thousands of experimental spectra. Speedup and other related performance studies are also reported on a 400-core Hadoop cluster using spectral datasets from environmental microbial communities as inputs.

Availability: The source code along with user documentation are available on http://compbio.eecs.wsu.edu/MR-MSPolygraph.

Contact:  ananth@eecs.wsu.edu; william.cannon@pnnl.gov

Supplementary Information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Computational prediction of eukaryotic phosphorylation sites
Authors: Trost Brett , Kusalik Anthony
Published: September 2011

Motivation: Kinase-mediated phosphorylation is the central mechanism of post-translational modification to regulate cellular responses and phenotypes. Signaling defects associated with protein phosphorylation are linked to many diseases, particularly cancer. Characterizing protein kinases and their substrates enhances our ability to understand and treat such diseases and broadens our knowledge of signaling networks in general.

While most or all protein kinases have been identified in well-studied eukaryotes, the sites that they phosphorylate have been only partially elucidated. Experimental methods for identifying phosphorylation sites are resource intensive, so the ability to computationally predict potential sites has considerable value.

Results: Many computational techniques for phosphorylation site prediction have been proposed, most of which are available on the web. These techniques differ in several ways, including the machine learning technique used; the amount of sequence information used; whether or not structural information is used in addition to sequence information; whether predictions are made for specific kinases or for kinases in general; and sources of training and testing data.

This review summarizes, categorizes and compares the available methods for phosphorylation site prediction, and provides an overview of the challenges that are faced when designing predictors and how they have been addressed. It should therefore be useful both for those wishing to choose a phosphorylation site predictor for their particular biological application, and for those attempting to improve upon established techniques in the future.

Contact:  brett.trost@usask.ca
Long-term hydrological and phytoplankton monitoring (1992–2007) of three potentially eutrophic systems in the eastern English Channel and the Southern Bight of the North Sea
Authors: Lefebvre Alain , Guiselin Natacha , Barbet Frederique , Artigas Felipe L.
Published: September 2011

Lefebvre, A., Guiselin, N., Barbet, F., and Artigas, F. L. 2011. Long-term hydrological and phytoplankton monitoring (1992–2007) of three potentially eutrophic systems in the eastern English Channel and the Southern Bight of the North Sea. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 2029–2043. The spatial and main temporal variations in nutrient concentrations and phytoplankton abundance were investigated between 1992 and 2007 in the eastern English Channel and the Southern Bight of the North Sea, zones of consistent presence of Phaeocystis globosa and diatom blooms. Silicate and phosphate were the main nutrients potentially limiting phytoplankton growth, but the dynamics of the limitation seemingly differ between sites. Phosphate concentration showed a clear monotonic decreasing trend, whereas dissolved inorganic nitrogen and silicate trends were more complex. Nitrate was rarely or never a limiting factor. Results highlight three main periods with a Phaeocystis- or diatom-dominated system in the 1990s, and a more complex pattern in the 2000s. The composition of the phytoplanktonic community is described and an attempt made to establish a link between the community and its environment in terms of variability, shifts, and trends. The effects of larger- vs. regional-scale controlling factors are also discussed.
Experimental human rhinovirus and enterovirus interspecies recombination
Authors: Schibler Manuel , Gerlach Daniel , Martinez Yannick , Van Belle Sandra , Turin Lara , Kaiser Laurent , Tapparel Caroline
Published: September 2011

Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) and enteroviruses (HEVs), two important human pathogens, are non-enveloped, positive-sense RNA viruses of the genus Enterovirus within the family Picornaviridae. Intraspecies recombination is known as a driving force for enterovirus and, to a lesser extent, rhinovirus evolution. Interspecies recombination is much less frequent among circulating strains, and supporting evidence for such recombination is limited to ancestral events, as shown by recent phylogenetic analyses reporting ancient HRV-A/HRV-C, HEV-A/HEV-C and HEV-A/HEV-D recombination mainly at the 5′-untranslated region (5′ UTR)–polyprotein junction. In this study, chimeric genomes were artificially generated using the 5′ UTR from two different clinical HRV-C strains (HRV-Ca and HRV-Cc), an HRV-B strain (HRV-B37) and an HEV-A strain (HEV-A71), and the remaining part of the genome from an HRV-A strain (HRV-A16). Whilst the chimeric viruses were easily propagated in cell culture, the wild-type HRV-A16 retained a replication advantage, both individually and in competition experiments. Assessment of protein synthesis ability did not show a correlation between translation and replication efficiencies. These results reflect the interchangeability of the 5′ UTR, including its functional RNA structural elements implicated in both genome translation and replication among different enterovirus species. The 5′ UTR–polyprotein junction therefore represents a theoretic interspecies recombination breakpoint. This recombination potential is probably restricted by the need for co-infection opportunities and the requirement for the progeny chimera to outcompete the parental genomes’ fitness, explaining the rare occurrence of such events in vivo.
Modulation of lipopolysaccharide receptor expression by lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus
Authors: Su Dan , Le-Thi-Phuong Thao , Coutelier Jean-Paul
Published: September 2011

Lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus (LDV) exacerbates mouse susceptibility to endotoxin shock through enhanced tumour necrosis factor (TNF) production by macrophages exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). However, thein vivoenhancement of TNF production in response to LPS induced by the virus largely exceeds that foundin vitrowith cells derived from infected animals. Infection was followed by a moderate increase of Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4/MD2, but not of membrane CD14 expression on peritoneal macrophages. Peritoneal macrophages from LDV-infected mice unresponsive to type I interferons (IFNs) did not show enhanced expression of TLR-4/MD2 nor of CD14, and did not produce more TNF in response to LPS than cells from infected normal counterparts, although thein vivoresponse of these animals to LPS was strongly enhanced. In contrast, the virus triggered a sharp increase of soluble CD14 and of LPS-binding protein serum levels in normal mice. However, production of these LPS soluble receptors was similar in LDV-infected type I IFN-receptor deficient mice and in their normal counterparts. Moreover, serum of LDV-infected mice that contained these soluble receptors had little effect if any on cell response to LPS. These results suggest that enhanced response of LDV-infected mice to LPS results mostly from mechanisms independent of LPS receptor expression.
Molecular basis of Rrn3-regulated RNA polymerase I initiation and cell growth
Authors: Blattner Claudia , Jennebach Stefan , Herzog Franz , Mayer Andreas , Cheung Alan C.M. , Witte Gregor , Lorenzen Kristina , Hopfner Karl-Peter , Heck Albert J.R. , Aebersold Ruedi , Cramer Patrick
Published: September 2011

Cell growth is regulated during RNA polymerase (Pol) I transcription initiation by the conserved factor Rrn3/TIF-IA in yeast/humans. Here we provide a structure–function analysis of Rrn3 based on a combination of structural biology with in vivo and in vitro functional assays. The Rrn3 crystal structure reveals a unique HEAT repeat fold and a surface serine patch. Phosphorylation of this patch represses human Pol I transcription, and a phospho-mimetic patch mutation prevents Rrn3 binding to Pol I in vitro and reduces cell growth and Pol I gene occupancy in vivo. Cross-linking indicates that Rrn3 binds Pol I between its subcomplexes, AC40/19 and A14/43, which faces the serine patch. The corresponding region of Pol II binds the Mediator head that cooperates with transcription factor (TF) IIB. Consistent with this, the Rrn3-binding factor Rrn7 is predicted to be a TFIIB homolog. This reveals the molecular basis of Rrn3-regulated Pol I initiation and cell growth, and indicates a general architecture of eukaryotic transcription initiation complexes.
High-resolution experimental and computational profiling of tissue-specific known and novel miRNAs in Arabidopsis
Authors: Breakfield Natalie W. , Corcoran David L. , Petricka Jalean J. , Shen Jeffrey , Sae-Seaw Juthamas , Rubio-Somoza Ignacio , Weigel Detlef , Ohler Uwe , Benfey Philip N.
Published: September 2011

Small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are key regulators of plant development through modulation of the processing, stability, and translation of larger RNAs. We present small RNA data sets comprising more than 200 million aligned Illumina sequence reads covering all major cell types of the root as well as four distinct developmental zones. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) constitute a class of small ncRNAs that are particularly important for development. Of the 243 known miRNAs, 133 were found to be expressed in the root, and most showed tissue- or zone-specific expression patterns. We identified 66 new high-confidence miRNAs using a computational pipeline, PIPmiR, specifically developed for the identification of plant miRNAs. PIPmiR uses a probabilistic model that combines RNA structure and expression information to identify miRNAs with high precision. Knockdown of three of the newly identified miRNAs results in altered root growth phenotypes, confirming that novel miRNAs predicted by PIPmiR have functional relevance.
Assemblathon 1: A competitive assessment of de novo short read assembly methods
Authors: Earl Dent , Bradnam Keith , St. John John , Darling Aaron , Lin Dawei , Fass Joseph , Yu Hung On Ken , Buffalo Vince , Zerbino Daniel R. , Diekhans Mark , Nguyen Ngan , Ariyaratne Pramila Nuwantha , Sung Wing-Kin , Ning Zemin , Haimel Matthias , Simpson Jared T. , Fonseca Nuno A. , Birol İnanç , Docking T. Roderick , Ho Isaac Y. , Rokhsar Daniel S. , Chikhi Rayan , Lavenier Dominique , Chapuis Guillaume , Naquin Delphine , Maillet Nicolas , Schatz Michael C. , Kelley David R. , Phillippy Adam M. , Koren Sergey , Yang Shiaw-Pyng , Wu Wei , Chou Wen-Chi , Srivastava Anuj , Shaw Timothy I. , Ruby J. Graham , Skewes-Cox Peter , Betegon Miguel , Dimon Michelle T. , Solovyev Victor , Seledtsov Igor , Kosarev Petr , Vorobyev Denis , Ramirez-Gonzalez Ricardo , Leggett Richard , MacLean Dan , Xia Fangfang , Luo Ruibang , Li Zhenyu , Xie Yinlong , Liu Binghang , Gnerre Sante , MacCallum Iain , Przybylski Dariusz , Ribeiro Filipe J. , Yin Shuangye , Sharpe Ted , Hall Giles , Kersey Paul J. , Durbin Richard , Jackman Shaun D. , Chapman Jarrod A. , Huang Xiaoqiu , DeRisi Joseph L. , Caccamo Mario , Li Yingrui , Jaffe David B. , Green Richard E. , Haussler David , Korf Ian , Paten Benedict
Published: September 2011

Low-cost short read sequencing technology has revolutionized genomics, though it is only just becoming practical for the high-quality de novo assembly of a novel large genome. We describe the Assemblathon 1 competition, which aimed to comprehensively assess the state of the art in de novo assembly methods when applied to current sequencing technologies. In a collaborative effort, teams were asked to assemble a simulated Illumina HiSeq data set of an unknown, simulated diploid genome. A total of 41 assemblies from 17 different groups were received. Novel haplotype aware assessments of coverage, contiguity, structure, base calling, and copy number were made. We establish that within this benchmark: (1) It is possible to assemble the genome to a high level of coverage and accuracy, and that (2) large differences exist between the assemblies, suggesting room for further improvements in current methods. The simulated benchmark, including the correct answer, the assemblies, and the code that was used to evaluate the assemblies is now public and freely available from http://www.assemblathon.org/.
N-Acyl-Homoserine Lactone Confers Resistance toward Biotrophic and Hemibiotrophic Pathogens via Altered Activation of AtMPK6
Authors: Schikora Adam , Schenk Sebastian T. , Stein Elke , Molitor Alexandra , Zuccaro Alga , Kogel Karl-Heinz
Published: September 2011

Pathogenic and symbiotic bacteria rely on quorum sensing to coordinate the collective behavior during the interactions with their eukaryotic hosts. Many Gram-negative bacteria use N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) as signals in such communication. Here we show that plants have evolved means to perceive AHLs and that the length of acyl moiety and the functional group at the γ position specify the plant’s response. Root treatment with the N-3-oxo-tetradecanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (oxo-C14-HSL) reinforced the systemic resistance to the obligate biotrophic fungi Golovinomyces orontii in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei in barley (Hordeum vulgare) plants. In addition, oxo-C14-HSL-treated Arabidopsis plants were more resistant toward the hemibiotrophic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000. Oxo-C14-HSL promoted a stronger activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases AtMPK3 and AtMPK6 when challenged with flg22, followed by a higher expression of the defense-related transcription factors WRKY22 and WRKY29, as well as the PATHOGENESIS-RELATED1 gene. In contrast to wild-type Arabidopsis and mpk3 mutant, the mpk6 mutant is compromised in the AHL effect, suggesting that AtMPK6 is required for AHL-induced resistance. Results of this study show that AHLs commonly produced in the rhizosphere are crucial factors in plant pathology and could be an agronomic issue whose full impact has to be elucidated in future analyses.
The Arabidopsis Purple Acid Phosphatase AtPAP10 Is Predominantly Associated with the Root Surface and Plays an Important Role in Plant Tolerance to Phosphate Limitation
Authors: Wang Liangsheng , Li Zheng , Qian Weiqiang , Guo Wanli , Gao Xiang , Huang Lingling , Wang Han , Zhu Huifen , Wu Jia-Wei , Wang Daowen , Liu Dong
Published: September 2011

Induction of secreted acid phosphatase (APase) is a universal response of higher plants to phosphate (Pi) limitation. These enzymes are thought to scavenge Pi from organophosphate compounds in the rhizosphere and thus to increase Pi availability to plants when Pi is deficient. The tight association of secreted APase with the root surface may make plants more efficient in the utilization of soil Pi around root tissues, which is present in organophosphate forms. To date, however, no systematic molecular, biochemical, and functional studies have been reported for any of the Pi starvation-induced APases that are associated with the root surface after secretion. In this work, using genetic and molecular approaches, we identified Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) Purple Acid Phosphatase10 (AtPAP10) as a Pi starvation-induced APase that is predominantly associated with the root surface. The AtPAP10 protein has phosphatase activity against a variety of substrates. Expression of AtPAP10 is specifically induced by Pi limitation at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Functional analyses of multiple atpap10 mutant alleles and overexpressing lines indicated that AtPAP10 plays an important role in plant tolerance to Pi limitation. Genetic manipulation of AtPAP10 expression may provide an effective means for engineering new crops with increased tolerance to Pi deprivation.
Effects of ice geometry on airfoil performance using neural networks prediction
Authors: Cao Yihua , Yuan Kungang , Li Guozhi
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a methodology for predicting the effects of glaze ice geometry on airfoil aerodynamic coefficients by using neural network (NN) prediction. Effects of icing on angle of attack stall are also discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

The typical glaze ice geometry covers ice horn leading‐edge radius, ice height, and ice horn position on airfoil surface. By using artificial NN technique, several NNs are developed to study the correlations between ice geometry parameters and airfoil aerodynamic coefficients. Effects of ice geometry on airfoil hinge moment coefficient are also obtained to predict the angle of attack stall.

Findings

NN prediction is feasible and effective to study the effects of ice geometry on airfoil performance. The ice horn location and height, which have a more evident and serious effect on airfoil performance than ice horn leading‐edge radius, are inversely proportional to the maximum lift coefficient. Ice accretions on the after‐location of the upper surface of the airfoil leading edges have the most critical effects on the airfoil performance degradation. The catastrophe of hinge moment and unstable hinge moment coefficient can be used to predict the stall effectively.

Practical implications

Since the simulation results of NNs are shown to have high coherence with the tunnel test data, it can be further used to predict coefficients at non‐experimental conditions.

Originality/value

The simulation method by using NNs here can lay the foundation of the further research about the airfoil performance in different ice cloud conditions through predicting the relations between the ice cloud conditions and ice geometry.
RHC‐based attitude control of spacecraft under geometric constraints
Authors: Hutao Cui , Xiaojun Cheng , Rui Xu , Pingyuan Cui
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose an attitude control algorithm for spacecraft with geometric constraints.

Design/methodology/approach

The geometric constraint is reformulated as a quadratic form when quaternion is used as attitude parameter, then the constraint is proved to be nonconvex and is further transformed to a convex one. By designing a new constraint formulation to satisfy the real constraint in the predictive horizon, the attitude control problem is reshaped to a convex planning problem which is based on receding horizon control.

Findings

The proposed algorithm is more effective in handling geometric constraints than previous research which used single step planning control.

Practical implications

With novel improvements to current methods for steering spacecraft from one attitude to another with geometric constraints, great attitude maneuver path can be achieved to protect instruments and meanwhile satisfy mission requirements.

Originality/value

The attitude control algorithm in this paper is designed especially for the satisfaction of geometric constraints in the process of attitude maneuver of spacecraft. By the application of this algorithm, the security of certain optical instruments, which is critical in an autonomous system, can be further assured.
Development of soy‐based cream cheese via the addition of microbial transglutaminase, soy protein isolate and maltodextrin
Authors: Lim Ting‐Jin , Easa Azhar‐Mat , Karim Abdul‐Alias , Bhat Rajeev , Liong Min‐Tze
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The aim of this study is to develop a soy‐based cream cheese (SCC) with textural characteristics comparable to that of commercial dairy cream cheese (DCC) via the addition of microbial transglutaminase (MTG), soy protein isolate (SPI) and maltodextrin (MD).

Design/methodology/approach

Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed in this study to determine the effects of MTG, MD and SPI on firmness of SCC.

Findings

The second‐order model generated via RSM was significant with only a 9.76 per cent variation not explained by the model. The coefficient of regression revealed that MTG, MD and SPI showed significant linear effects (P<0.0001) on the firmness of SCC, while MTG and SPI showed significant quadratic effects. The model successfully predicted and developed a SCC model with similar firmness as that of DCC; via the combination of 2.57 per cent (w/w) of MTG, 19.69 per cent (w/w) of SPI and 19.69 per cent (w/w) of MD. Physicochemical analyses revealed that SCC possessed lower fat content, reduced saturated fatty acid and zero trans fat. Further rheological measurements revealed that SCC was more solid‐like at room temperature, but less elastic at refrigerated temperature compared to DCC. SEM and SDS‐PAGE analyses affirmed that the textural changes of SCC were attributed to MTG‐induced cross‐linking.

Originality/value

The research demonstrated that a non‐dairy cream cheese could be developed using soy. In addition, the SCC also contained better nutritional properties compared to its dairy counterpart.
New labour in libraries: the post‐Fordist public library
Authors: Stevenson Siobhan
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the value of French School Regulation theory for questions of relevance to researchers and practitioners working in the field of information policy in general and public librarianship in particular.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is divided into two parts. Part one outlines Regulation theory's twin analytic tools of Fordism and post‐Fordism and its value for questions about the evolution of the public library. Part two provides an example of the approach's explanatory potential when applied to a series of public library planning documents produced by the Government of Ontario, Canada from the 1950s.

Findings

An interpretation of the evolution of the identity of the library user from patron to customer to information producer‐consumer is proposed at the intersection of the neoliberal state's austerity in social spending, the ubiquity of the new information and communication technologies, and fundamental changes in libraries as sites of waged‐work.

Research limitations/implications

The research facilitates the development of a political economy of the contemporary public library of potential value to the international public library community. Also, conceiving of the public library as first and foremost a site of productive work forces one to re‐engage with the meaning of shifting relations between the library user and the institution on working conditions.

Originality/value

The applicability of a relatively under‐utilized theoretical framework is modelled that enables one to ask new questions of relevance to the field of library and information science.
How to improve organizational performance through learning and knowledge?
Authors: Kuo Tsung‐Hsien
Published: September 2011

Purpose

Through investigating the relationship among human resource management (HRM), organizational learning (OL), organizational innovation (OI), knowledge management capability (KMC), and organizational performance (OP), the aim of this paper was to find a way of improving organizational performance through learning and knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey questionnaire was utilized to collect data. The population of this study included 659 employees from electronic industrial listed and over‐the‐counter listed technological companies in Taiwan (N=208, valid return rate 37.21 percent). Descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, as well as structural equation modeling were used for data analysis.

Findings

The results indicate that: HRM strategies result in better organizational learning, organizational innovation, and knowledge management capability, which ultimately contributes to achieving organizational performance; organizational learning improves organizational innovation and accumulates knowledge management capability; organizational innovation results in knowledge management capability development, which contributes to the establishment of organizational development; and technological companies should utilize organizational knowledge in order to enhance organizational performance.

Research limitations/implications

The generalization of the present study is constrained by the existence of possible biases of the participants, and the regional‐constrained data which were collected in and thus focused on Taiwan. Thus, the characteristics of the surveyed firms may be different from those in other areas or countries. Managerial implications are presented at the end of the work.

Originality/value

This structure has rarely been explored and the findings are particularly useful for management in helping to set human resource management, learning, innovation, knowledge management and organizational performance in a bigger context.
Schooling in conflict: an ethnographic study from Lebanon
Authors: van Ommering Erik
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new approach to understanding the interrelationships between education and violent conflict, namely, one that focuses on the multifaceted, context‐specific impact of conflict on school communities and departs from the lived experiences of teachers and students in conflict‐affected places.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on ethnographic, child‐centred research in elementary schools in Lebanon. It explores how the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel and subsequent internal sectarian strife in Lebanon have shaped the ways in which school communities confront issues of violence and identity.

Findings

By viewing the relationship between education and violent conflict as multifaceted and context‐dependent, this paper elicits how schools may become complicit in the continuing of violent conflict, rather than supporting its ending. It shows how teachers' pleas for peace are overruled by political conflict, partly as a result of children's engagement with politics. The paper argues for grounding educational interventions in children's lived realities so as to optimise their capacities for bridging differences and shaping a better future.

Originality/value

The lived experiences of students and teachers in conflict zones have rarely been exposed. On the basis of anthropological research, this paper offers original and critical insights into the interrelationships between education and violent conflict, based on the perspectives of elementary school students and their educators.
Bringing down the walls: young people's perspectives on peace‐walls in Belfast
Authors: Leonard Madeleine , McKnight Martina
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present young people's attitudes to peace‐walls in Belfast and whether they feel that these peace‐walls should be temporary or permanent structures.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology is based on questionnaire responses from 125 young people between the ages of 14 and 15 from six schools located in areas in Belfast where Catholics and Protestants live side by side yet apart. The paper is also based on their responses to photo prompts, focus group discussions and images of peace‐walls drawn by some of the young people.

Findings

The young people produced six discourses on peace‐walls in Belfast and these are outlined in the paper.

Research limitations/implications

The paper endorses the necessity of incorporating young people's views of peace‐walls in Belfast as a prelude to finding ways in which to challenge taken‐for‐granted assumptions about the legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland.

Originality/value

The paper is original in that it addresses the neglect of young people's views on peace‐walls in Belfast and contributes to further understanding of the importance of capturing young people's spatial strategies in divided cities.
Child soldiers: our representation challenged by their reality
Authors: Grétry Lucille
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The aim of the paper is to present some events in the life of ex‐child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in relation to the social policy in place and the social representation of child soldiers and childhood in the country. The paper presents an overall picture of the different interventions used with child soldiers in Kinshasa, some elements of the social representation of the child soldier, and finally three stages in a child soldier's life, which bring into question those representations.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a qualitative approach including general informal observation, semi‐directive interviews, focus groups based on drawings and inquired‐investigator exercises with 45 ex‐child soldiers in three towns in DRC. Finally 12 interviews, based on the image classification exercise were carried out with Congolese adults belonging to the middle class in Kinshasa.

Findings

The paper suggests that child soldiers are represented as passive victims, while the reality of their life shows their capacity for action and decision.

Research limitations/implications

Because of the continuing fighting inside DRC, part of the population is not accessible.

Practical implications

The paper includes implications for actions by the NGO sector or other kinds of aid organization.

Originality/value

First, the paper uses new tools for collecting data from children. Second, it presents a study of a subject that, whilst being widely popularized through the media, lacks adequate scientific research. Third, the paper brings into question the Western point of view of the experience of child soldiers.
Factor adjustment implications of a Trade Promotion Agreement between the United States and Colombia
Authors: Clark Don P.
Published: September 2011

Purpose

This paper proposes to use changes in intra‐industry specialization indicators over the period 1996‐2008 to assess the potential for factor adjustment pressures that may arise in the USA if the proposed USA‐Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA) is implemented. Results show that there is considerable scope for intra‐industry specialization between Colombia and the USA. The TPA should result in a larger increase in US exports to Colombia than US imports from Colombia, because Colombian exporters face much lower tariffs in the USA market than do US exporters in the Colombian market. Given the tariff asymmetry, scope for intra‐industry specialization, the relatively large size of the US market, and the small number of US industries that are likely to encounter factor adjustment pressures, the USA should ratify the agreement immediately.

Design/methodology/approach

Changes in intra‐industry specialization indicators are used to identify US industries that may face factor adjustment pressures as a result of the proposed USA‐Colombia TPA.

Findings

There is considerable scope for intra‐industry specialization between Colombia and the USA. Few US industries will be candidates for factor adjustment pressures.

Practical applications

The USA should ratify the TPA.

Originality/value

A new methodology is used to assess potential factor adjustment pressures associated with a TPA.
A re‐examination of Wagner's Law using US total state and local expenditure and its sub‐categories
Authors: Mahdavi Saeid
Published: September 2011

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine the validity of Wagner's Law using annual data (1957‐2006) for the US state‐local government (SLG) real expenditure and eight of its sub‐categories.

Design/methodology/approach

The co‐integration tests of Johansen and the bounds testing approach to co‐integration proposed by Pesaranet al.were carried out to determine whether a long‐term equilibrium relationship existed between real per capita GDP (pcgdp) and the expenditure variables scaled by real GDP. The income elasticity coefficients of the expenditure variables were then estimated. The direction of causality was tested in the context of error‐correction models (ECM) and the Toda‐Yamamoto approach, which allows for estimating level relationships without pre‐testing for unit roots.

Findings

Most SLG expenditure variables were found to be non‐stationary and income‐elastic. However, with the exception of total expenditure (te), insurance trust benefits (ins) and social services and income maintenance (ssim), no other non‐stationary expenditure variable was co‐integrated with pcgdp and error‐corrected over time. The ECM results suggested that te, ins and ssim were driven by pcgdp, consistent with a Wagnerian causal ordering. The Toda‐Yamamoto approach, however, indicated that in these and a few other cases the causal effect was bidirectional.

Originality/value

This paper provides a fairly comprehensive test of Wagner's Law at the US sub‐national government level with an emphasis on the concepts of co‐integration and (long‐run) causality in the income‐expenditure nexus. Its findings underscore the importance of using disaggregated expenditure measures to test Wagner's Law, as they suggest that some, but not all, rapidly growing and non‐stationary expenditure sub‐categories were decoupled from pcgdp in the long run.