bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The International Exascale Software Project: a Call To Cooperative Action By the Global High-Performance Community
Authors: Dongarra Jack , Beckman Pete , Aerts Patrick , Cappello Frank , Lippert Thomas , Matsuoka Satoshi , Messina Paul , Moore Terry , Stevens Rick , Trefethen Anne , Valero Mateo
Published: October 2009

Over the last 20 years, the open-source community has provided more and more software on which the world’s high-performance computing systems depend for performance and productivity. The community has invested millions of dollars and years of effort to build key components. Although the investments in these separate software elements have been tremendously valuable, a great deal of productivity has also been lost because of the lack of planning, coordination, and key integration of technologies necessary to make them work together smoothly and efficiently, both within individual petascale systems and between different systems. A repository gatekeeper and an email discussion list can coordinate open-source development within a single project, but there is no global mechanism working across the community to identify critical holes in the overall software environment, spot opportunities for beneficial integration, or specify requirements for more careful coordination. It seems clear that this completely uncoordinated development model will not provide the software needed to support the unprecedented parallelism required for peta/exascale computation on millions of cores, or the flexibility required to exploit new hardware models and features, such as transactional memory, speculative execution, and GPUs. We believe the community must work together to prepare for the challenges of exascale computing, ultimately combing their efforts in a coordinated International Exascale Software Project.
The role of institutions and health in European patterns of work and retirement
Authors: Börsch-Supan Axel , Brugiavini Agar , Croda Enrica
Published: October 2009

This article uses the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to investigate the role of pension and social security institutions in shaping the European patterns of work and retirement. The key novelty of our article is a careful account of the health status of the respondents. We provide new evidence on the extent of health-adjusted ‘unused capacity’ in the labour force, on the institutional determinants of the pathways to retirement, and on the relationship between actual health status and disability-benefit recipiency. We find that institutional differences between countries explain much of the cross-national differences in work and retirement, while differences in health and demographics play only a minor role.
The BBC’s Role in the Changing Production Ecology of Preschool Television in Britain
Authors: Steemers Jeanette
Published: October 2009

CBeebies, the BBC’s brand for young children, has become a successful public service undertaking, lauded by parents and policy makers alike. Nevertheless, it operates in a complex and highly competitive “ecology,” where recent funding crises in commercial television have left CBeebies as the main commissioner of U.K.—originated content. Having outlined the broader industry context of CBeebies, this article examines changes in its organization, target audience, scheduling and commissioning practices, and relationship with the BBC’s commercial subsidiary, BBC Worldwide, to explain how wider commercial, cultural, and technological forces have impacted the Corporation’s strategies for preschool content. It suggests that growing pressures to locate funding for “fewer, bigger, better” programs may have an adverse impact on the range of content and sources of supply.
Morality, Complexity, Experts, and Systems of Authority in House, M. D., or “My Big Brain is My Superpower”
Authors: DuBose Mike S.
Published: October 2009

At first, House, M. D. appears to be a medical procedural show, as it follows a physician and his team around as they diagnose mysteriously ill patients. However, rather than following procedure, House shows the protagonist Dr. Gregory House avoiding work and subverting the hospital’s policies, procedures, and authority. Dr. House’s success comes from his wit, intellect, and problem-solving abilities, all of which allow him to work outside of both standard medical practices and the hierarchy of his hospital. This article argues that House, rather than being the procedural it appears to be, is in actuality a superhero program. Dr. House’s intelligence is his superpower (much as is the case with comic superheroes), and it allows him to ignore traditional authority in favor of his own method. Consequently, House calls into question the very status and existence of both authority figures and mechanisms of control in the postmodern landscape.
HIV-I Reverse Transcriptase Variation in Plasma and Genital Secretion of Antiretroviral-Naive Females
Authors: Shanmugasundaram Uma , Solomon Suniti , Shanmugam Saravanan , Murugavel Kailapuri G. , Nagalingeswaran Kumarasamy , Solomon Sunil S. , Mayer Kenneth H. , Balakrishnan Pachamuthu
Published: October 2009

The reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme of HIV type 1 (HIV-1) is largely targeted by the host immune selection pressure and would differ in the anatomical compartments, thereby having a drastic impact on viral quasi-species evolution. The HIV-1 RT region sequenced from plasma and genital secretions of 8 antiretroviral treatment (ART)-naive females was analyzed for the pattern of amino acid mutations and the ratio of synonymous and nonsynonymous substitutions to determine whether it is under different selection pressure in both the compartments. Phylogenetic and mutational analysis of the HIV-1 RT in plasma and genital secretions of HIV-1-infected ART-naive females showed limited variation likely reflecting the absence of differential selection pressure and therefore genetic variation in these compartments.
Challenges in the design of a Home Telemanagement Trial for patients with ulcerative colitis
Authors: Cross Raymond K , Finkelstein Joseph
Published: October 2009

Background Nonadherence, inadequate monitoring, and side-effects result in suboptimal outcomes in ulcerative colitis (UC). We hypothesize that telemanagement for UC will improve symptoms, quality of life, adherence, and decrease costs. Purpose This article describes the challenges encountered in the design of the home telemanagement in patients with UC trial.

Methods In a randomized trial to assess the effectiveness of telemanagement for UC compared to best available care, 100 patients will be enrolled. Subjects in the intervention arm will complete self-testing with telemanagement weekly; best available care subjects will receive scheduled follow up, educational fact sheets, and written action plans. Telemanagement consists of a home-unit, decision support server, and web-based clinician portal. The home-unit includes a scale and laptop. Subjects will respond to questions about symptoms, side-effects, adherence, and knowledge weekly; subjects will receive action plans after self-testing. Outcome variables to be assessed every 4 months include: disease activity, using the Seo index; quality of life, using the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire; adherence, using pharmacy refill data and the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale; utilization of healthcare resources, using urgent care visits and hospitalizations.

Results We encountered several challenges during design and implementation of our trial. First, we selected a randomized controlled trial design. We could have selected a quasiexperimental design to decrease the sample size needed and costs. Second, identification of a control group was challenging. Telemanagement patients received self-care plans and an educational curriculum. Since controls would not receive these interventions, we thought our results would be biased in favor of telemanagement. In addition, we wanted to evaluate the mode of delivery of these components of care. Therefore, we included written action plans and educational materials for patients in the control group (‘best available care’). Third, we could not blind subjects to group assignment. In an attempt to decrease bias, staff was masked to group assignment to decrease measurement bias. Fourth, we selected outcome measures that were not invasive to decrease risks to subjects and to enhance recruitment.

Limitations Our results may not be generalizable as our program is a tertiary center. Further, subjects are not blinded to the intervention potentially resulting in bias; we attempt to minimize this bias by having staff masked to treatment group at the time of assessment of outcome measures.

Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, our trial will be the first randomized controlled trial to evaluate telemedicine in subjects with gastrointestinal disease. We describe several issues encountered in design and implementation of our trial that will aid investigators when planning telemedicine trials in inflammatory bowel disease. Clinical Trials 2009; 6: 649–657. http://ctj.sagepub.com
Mapping Fear and Danger in Global Space
Authors: Wilkins Karin Gwinn
Published: October 2009

This article explores how Arab American and other US-based communities map global place, fear and danger through their engagement with action-adventure film. While there is extensive literature demonstrating the limited characterization of Arab communities, of Islam and of the Middle East, we know much less about the consequences of these media portrayals. In discussions of action-adventure settings, Arab American groups and informants were much more likely than their counterparts to specify particular places over more generalized regions, and to be highly critical of rather than justify these constructions. These groups’ sense of danger in the world at large, dictating concern with travel outside the known and familiar territory of citizenship, seemed contingent upon cultural identification as well as direct experience. The connection between identification, whether as an American citizen primarily or as an Arab constituent, and fear in the world is critical in understanding how mapping predicates experiences and interpretations.
(Afri)Ethics, Communitarianism and Libertarianism
Authors: Tomaselli Keyan G.
Published: October 2009

This article attempts to innovate an approach to ethics that treats radical justice as the raison d’être of ethical journalism. Radical justice concerns not just the treatment of the means of collecting and distribution of information but how this is accountable to the realization of the ‘talents’ of people. The approach offered holds governments accountable by proposing a form of public sphere in which ‘communicative action’ allows the maturation of the voice of the citizenry and which is anti-essentialist and audience centred. Communicative action deals with moral imperatives and the creation of freedom in which radical justice is realized. African debates on the topic are critically examined in relation to European discussions, and the idea of a specific Afriethics is critiqued, as are the concepts of ubuntu (communalism), communitarianism and African values.
Sonography of the Neonatal Brain
Authors: Fox Traci B.
Published: October 2009

Neurosonography is a critical part of the care of the sick newborn. Sonography is superior to other modalities in imaging of the brain because it can be performed at the bedside, is easily reproducible, and does not require ionizing radiation or sedation. This article refreshes the sonographer in the normal anatomy and appearance of the neonatal brain using sonography, as well as some of the more common pathologic conditions that may be encountered.
Distal Revascularization— Interval Ligation (DRIL) for the Treatment of Dialysis Access Steal Phenomenon
Authors: Hubbard Jamie , Markel Kyle , Bendick Phil , Long Graham
Published: October 2009

The incidence and prevalence of end-stage renal disease continues to grow, even as treatments improve. The vascular steal phenomenon is an infrequent but often debilitating complication of dialysis access placement, and management can be difficult. A specific technique called distal revascularization—interval ligation, or the DRIL procedure, has been used with success in managing this problem. Anatomically, the site of the steal is bypassed, and the native vessel just distal to the steal site is ligated, making duplex sonography evaluation complex. An examination algorithm is presented, with illustrative examples, to assist the sonographer in evaluating dialysis access patients when they have had the DRIL procedure. The algorithm is based on breaking the study into more easily managed components: (1) duplex sonographic evaluation of arterial inflow and runoff as well as venous outflow, (2) duplex sonographic evaluation of the bypass graft, (3) duplex sonographic evaluation of the fistula/shunt, and (4) physiologic testing of flows to the hand and digits. Based on the knowledge of the pathophysiology of steal and the configuration of the DRIL reconstruction, a complete and accurate evaluation can be performed with confidence.
Origin and evolution of the Notch signalling pathway: an overview from eukaryotic genomes
Authors: Gazave Eve , Lapébie Pascal , Richards Gemma S , Brunet Frédéric , Ereskovsky Alexander V , Degnan Bernard M , Borchiellini Carole , Vervoort Michel , Renard Emmanuelle
Published: October 2009

Background

Of the 20 or so signal transduction pathways that orchestrate cell-cell interactions in metazoans, seven are involved during development. One of these is the Notch signalling pathway which regulates cellular identity, proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis via the developmental processes of lateral inhibition and boundary induction. In light of this essential role played in metazoan development, we surveyed a wide range of eukaryotic genomes to determine the origin and evolution of the components and auxiliary factors that compose and modulate this pathway.

Results

We searched for 22 components of the Notch pathway in 35 different species that represent 8 major clades of eukaryotes, performed phylogenetic analyses and compared the domain compositions of the two fundamental molecules: the receptor Notch and its ligands Delta/Jagged. We confirm that a Notch pathway, with true receptors and ligands is specific to the Metazoa. This study also sheds light on the deep ancestry of a number of genes involved in this pathway, while other members are revealed to have a more recent origin. The origin of several components can be accounted for by the shuffling of pre-existing protein domains, or via lateral gene transfer. In addition, certain domains have appeared de novo more recently, and can be considered metazoan synapomorphies.

Conclusion

The Notch signalling pathway emerged in Metazoa via a diversity of molecular mechanisms, incorporating both novel and ancient protein domains during eukaryote evolution. Thus, a functional Notch signalling pathway was probably present in Urmetazoa.
A subset of the diverse COG0523 family of putative metal chaperones is linked to zinc homeostasis in all kingdoms of life
Authors: Haas Crysten E , Rodionov Dmitry A , Kropat Janette , Malasarn Davin , Merchant Sabeeha S , de Crécy-Lagard Valérie
Published: October 2009

Background

COG0523 proteins are, like the nickel chaperones of the UreG family, part of the G3E family of GTPases linking them to metallocenter biosynthesis. Even though the first COG0523-encoding gene,cobW, was identified almost 20 years ago, little is known concerning the function of other members belonging to this ubiquitous family.

Results

Based on a combination of comparative genomics, literature and phylogenetic analyses and experimental validations, the COG0523 family can be separated into at least fifteen subgroups. The CobW subgroup involved in cobalamin synthesis represents only one small sub-fraction of the family. Another, larger subgroup, is suggested to play a predominant role in the response to zinc limitation based on the presence of the corresponding COG0523-encoding genes downstream from putative Zur binding sites in many bacterial genomes. Zur binding sites in these genomes are also associated with candidate zinc-independent paralogs of zinc-dependent enzymes. Finally, the potential role of COG0523 in zinc homeostasis is not limited to Bacteria. We have predicted a link between COG0523 and regulation by zinc in Archaea and show that two COG0523 genes are induced upon zinc depletion in a eukaryotic reference organism,Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Conclusion

This work lays the foundation for the pursuit by experimental methods of the specific role of COG0523 members in metal trafficking. Based on phylogeny and comparative genomics, both the metal specificity and the protein target(s) might vary from one COG0523 subgroup to another. Additionally, Zur-dependent expression ofCOG0523and putative paralogs of zinc-dependent proteins may represent a mechanism for hierarchal zinc distribution and zinc sparing in the face of inadequate zinc nutrition.
Combination of interferon-alpha and 5-fluorouracil inhibits endothelial cell growth directly and by regulation of angiogenic factors released by tumor cells
Authors: Wada Hiroshi , Nagano Hiroaki , Yamamoto Hirofumi , Noda Takehiro , Murakami Masahiro , Kobayashi Shogo , Marubashi Shigeru , Eguchi Hidetoshi , Takeda Yutaka , Tanemura Masahiro , Umeshita Koji , Doki Yuichiro , Mori Masaki
Published: October 2009

Background

The combination therapy of interferon (IFN)-alpha and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) improved the prognosis of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To determine the molecular mechanisms of the anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic effects, we examined the direct anti-proliferative effects on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and indirect effects by regulating secretion of angiogenic factors from HCC cells.

Methods

The direct effects on HUVEC were examined by TUNEL, Annexin-V assays and cell cycles analysis. For analysis of the indirect effects, the apoptosis induced by the conditioned medium from HCC cell treated by IFN-alpha/5-FU and expression of angiogenic factors was examined.

Results

IFN-alpha and 5-FU alone had anti-proliferative properties on HUVEC and their combination significantly inhibited the growth (compared with control, 5-FU or IFN alone). TUNEL and Annexin-V assays showed no apoptosis. Cell cycle analysis revealed that IFN-alpha and 5-FU delayed cell cycle progression in HUVEC with S-phase accumulation. The conditioned medium from HuH-7 cells after treatment with IFN/5-FU significantly inhibited HUVEC growth and induced apoptosis, and contained high levels of angiopoietin (Ang)-1 and low levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Ang-2. Knockdown of Ang-1 in HuH-7 cells abrogated the anti-proliferative effects on HUVEC while knockdown of Ang-2 partially rescue the cells.

Conclusion

These results suggested that IFN-alpha and 5-FU had direct growth inhibitory effects on endothelial cells, as well as anti-angiogenic effects through regulation of angiogenic factors released from HCC cells. Modulation of VEGF and Angs secretion by IFN-alpha and 5-FU may contribute to their anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor effects on HCC.
Right atrium myxoma coexisting with antiphospholipid syndrome: a case report
Authors: Pliakos Christos , Alexiadou Eleni , Metallidis Symeon , Papavramidis Theodossis S , Kapoulas Stergios , Sapalidis Konstantinos , Nikolaidis Pavlos
Published: October 2009

In this case report we describe a rare case of right atrium myxoma that coexisted with antiphospholipid syndrome in a young woman. We describe the unusual findings and diagnostic challenges combined with a review of the literature.
Laparoscopic conservative management of ureteral endometriosis: a survey of eighty patients submitted to ureterolysis
Authors: Camanni Marco , Bonino Luca , Delpiano Elena Maria , Berchialla Paola , Migliaretti Giuseppe , Revelli Alberto , Deltetto Francesco
Published: October 2009

Background

this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of laparoscopic conservative management of ureteral endometriosis.

Methods

Eighty cases of histologically confirmed endometriosis affecting the ureter, 10 of which with bladder involvement were prospectively studied. In detail, patients were 13 women with ureteral stenosis (7 with hydronephrosis), 32 with circular lesions totally encasing the ureter, and 35 with endometriotic foci on the ureteral wall, but not completely encasing it. They were submitted to laparoscopic ureterolysis with or without partial cystectomy, ureteroneocistostomy. The rate of surgical complications, the recurrence rate, the patients' satisfaction rate was assessed during 22 months (median) follow-up.

Results

Laparoscopic ureterolysis was employed for all patients and set free the ureter from the disease in 95% of cases, whereas ureteroneocystostomy was necessary for 4 patients showing severe stenosis with hydronephrosis, among which 2 had intrinsic endometriosis of the ureteral muscularis. Three post-surgery ureteral fistulae occurred in cases with ureteral involvement longer than 4 cm: two cases were successfully treated placing double J catheter, the third needed ureteroneocistostomy. During follow-up, ureteral endometriosis recurred in 2 patients who consequently underwent ureteroneocystostomy. Most patients expressed high satisfaction rate throughout the whole follow-up period.

Conclusion

laparoscopic ureterolysis is effective and well tolerated in most cases of ureteral endometriosis. Ureteroneocystostomy is a better strategy for patients with extended (more than 4 cm) ureteral involvement or with severe stenosis with or without hydronephrosis.
Analysis of virion associated host proteins in vesicular stomatitis virus using a proteomics approach
Authors: Moerdyk-Schauwecker Megan , Hwang Sun-Il , Grdzelishvili Valery Z
Published: October 2009

Background

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is the prototypic rhabdovirus and the best studied member of the order Mononegavirales. There is now compelling evidence that enveloped virions released from infected cells carry numerous host (cellular) proteins some of which may play an important role in viral replication. Although several cellular proteins have been previously shown to be incorporated into VSV virions, no systematic study has been done to reveal the host protein composition for virions of VSV or any other member of Mononegavirales.

Results

Here we used a proteomics approach to identify cellular proteins within purified VSV virions, thereby creating a "snapshot" of one stage of virus/host interaction that can guide future experiments aimed at understanding molecular mechanisms of virus-cell interactions. Highly purified preparations of VSV virions from three different cell lines of human, mouse and hamster origin were analyzed for the presence of cellular proteins using mass spectrometry. We have successfully confirmed the presence of several previously-identified cellular proteins within VSV virions and identified a number of additional proteins likely to also be present within the virions. In total, sixty-four cellular proteins were identified, of which nine were found in multiple preparations. A combination of immunoblotting and proteinase K protection assay was used to verify the presence of several of these proteins (integrin β1, heat shock protein 90 kDa, heat shock cognate 71 kDa protein, annexin 2, elongation factor 1a) within the virions.

Conclusion

This is, to our knowledge, the first systematic study of the host protein composition for virions of VSV or any other member of the order Mononegavirales. Future experiments are needed to determine which of the identified proteins have an interaction with VSV and whether these interactions are beneficial, neutral or antiviral with respect to VSV replication. Identification of host proteins-virus interactions beneficial for virus would be particularly exciting as they can provide new ways to combat viral infections via control of host components.
A randomized, controlled, prospective trial to evaluate the haemostatic effect of Lyostypt versus Surgicel in arterial bypass anastomosis: "COBBANA" trial
Authors: Baumann Petra , Schumacher Hardy , Hüsing Johannes , Luntz Steffen , Knaebel Hanns-Peter
Published: October 2009

Background

The development of suture hole bleeding at peripheral arterial bypass anastomoses using PTFE graft prostheses is a common problem in peripheral vascular surgery. Traditionally the problem is managed by compression with surgical swabs and reversal heparin or by using several haemostatic device (e.g. different forms of collagen, oxidized cellulose, gelatine sponge, ethylcyanoacrylate glue or fibrin) with various success. Preclinical data suggest that the haemostatic effect of collagen is stronger than that of oxidized cellulose, but no direct clinical comparison of their hemostatic performance has been published so far.

Design

This randomized, controlled, prospective trial evaluates the haemostatic effect of Lyostypt versus Surgicel in arterial bypass anastomosis. 28 patients undergoing an elective peripheral vascular reconstruction due to peripheral vascular disease will be included. Suture hole bleeding occurring at the arterial bypass anastomosis using a PTFE prostheses will be stopped by the application of Lyostypt and/or Surgicel. The proximal anastomoses will be randomized intraoperatively. The patients will be allocated into 4 different treatment groups. Group1 Lyostypt distal/Surgicel proximal; Group 2: Lyostypt proximal/Surgicel distal; Group 3: Surgicel distal and proximal; Group 4: Lyostypt distal and proximal. Primary endpoint of the study is time to haemostasis. Secondary endpoints are the number of intraoperatively used haemostatic devices, postoperative mortality within 30 days as well as the intraoperative efficacy rating of the two devices evaluated by the surgeon. As a safety secondary parameter, the local and general complication occurring till 30 ± 10 days postoperatively will also be analysed. After hospital discharge the investigator will examine the enrolled patients again at 30 days after surgery.

Discussion

The COBBANA trial aims to assess, whether the haemostatic effect of Lyostypt is superior to Surgicel in suture hole bleedings of arterial bypass anastomoses.

Trial registration

NCT00837954
An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Wonago Woreda, SNNPR, Ethiopia
Authors: Mesfin Fisseha , Demissew Sebsebe , Teklehaymanot Tilahun
Published: October 2009

Background

Medicinal plants are the integral part of the variety of cultures in Ethiopia and have been used over many centuries. Hence, the aim of this study is to document the medicinal plants in the natural vegetation and home gardens in Wonago Woreda, Gedeo Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPR).

Materials and methods

Thirty healers were selected to collect data on management of medicinal plants using semi-structured interview, group discussion, and field observation. The distribution of plant species in the study areas was surveyed, and preference ranking, direct matrix ranking, priority ranking of factors and Informant consensus factor (ICF) were calculated.

Results

The informants categorized the vegetation into five community types based on plant density and associated landform: 'Raqqa', 'Hakka cadanaba', 'Mancchha', 'Bullukko', and 'Wodae gido'. 155 plant species were collected from the natural vegetation and 65 plant species from the home gardens ('Gattae Oduma'). Seventy-two plant species were documented as having medicinal value: Sixty-five (71%) from natural vegetation and 27 (29%) from home gardens. Forty-five (62%) were used for humans, 15(21%) for livestock and 13(18%) for treating both human and livestock ailments: 35 (43.2%) were Shrubs, 28(34.5%) herbs, 17 (20.9%) trees and 1(1.2%) climbers. The root (35.8%) was the most commonly used plant part. The category: malaria, fever and headache had the highest 0.82 ICF. Agricultural expansion (24.4%) in the area was found to be the main threat for medicinal plants followed by fire wood collection (18.8%). Peoples' culture and spiritual beliefs somehow helped in the conservation of medicinal plants.

Conclusion

Traditional healers still depend largely on naturally growing plant species and the important medicinal plants are under threat. The documented medicinal plants can serve as a basis for further studies on the regions medicinal plants knowledge and for future phytochemical and pharmacological studies.
On managing complex adaptive systems motivated by biosystems application to infections
Authors: Hegazi AS , Hashish AH , Ahmed E
Published: October 2009

Many attempts to control Complex adaptive systems (CAS) have failed. Here we try to learn from biosystems to derive some principles for CAS management. An application to managing infections is given.
Genome-wide comparative analysis of the Brassica rapa gene space reveals genome shrinkage and differential loss of duplicated genes after whole genome triplication
Authors: Mun Jeong-Hwan , Kwon Soo-Jin , Yang Tae-Jin , Seol Young-Joo , Jin Mina , Kim Jin-A , Lim Myung-Ho , Kim Jung Sun , Baek Seunghoon , Choi Beom-Soon , Yu Hee-Ju , Kim Dae-Soo , Kim Namshin , Lim Ki-Byung , Lee Soo-In , Hahn Jang-Ho , Lim Yong Pyo , Bancroft Ian , Park Beom-Seok
Published: October 2009

Background

Brassica rapa is one of the most economically important vegetable crops worldwide. Owing to its agronomic importance and phylogenetic position, B. rapa provides a crucial reference to understand polyploidy-related crop genome evolution. The high degree of sequence identity and remarkably conserved genome structure between Arabidopsis and Brassica genomes enables comparative tiling sequencing using Arabidopsis sequences as references to select the counterpart regions in B. rapa, which is a strong challenge of structural and comparative crop genomics.

Results

We assembled 65.8 megabase-pairs of non-redundant euchromatic sequence of B. rapa and compared this sequence to the Arabidopsis genome to investigate chromosomal relationships, macrosynteny blocks, and microsynteny within blocks. The triplicated B. rapa genome contains only approximately twice the number of genes as in Arabidopsis because of genome shrinkage. Genome comparisons suggest that B. rapa has a distinct organization of ancestral genome blocks as a result of recent whole genome triplication followed by a unique diploidization process. A lack of the most recent whole genome duplication (3R) event in the B. rapa genome, atypical of other Brassica genomes, may account for the emergence of B. rapa from the Brassica progenitor around 8 million years ago.

Conclusions

This work demonstrates the potential of using comparative tiling sequencing for genome analysis of crop species. Based on a comparative analysis of the B. rapa sequences and the Arabidopsis genome, it appears that polyploidy and chromosomal diploidization are ongoing processes that collectively stabilize the B. rapa genome and facilitate its evolution.
The effects of radiation and particle size on the pyrolysis of biomass particles
Authors: Bidabadi M , Azimi M , Rahbari A
Published: October 2009

This article presents the structure of laminar, one-dimensional, and steady-state flame propagation in uniformly premixed wood particles. In order to predict the effect of radiation and particle size on the pyrolysis of biomass particles, the flame structure is divided into three regions: a preheat vaporization zone where the rate of the gas-phase chemical reaction is small; a narrow reaction zone composed of three zones (gas, tar, and char combustion) where convection and the rate of vaporization of the fuel particles are small; and finally a convection zone where diffusive terms in the conservation equation are small. In this model, it is assumed that fuel particles vaporize first to yield a gaseous fuel of known chemical structure. The analysis is performed in the asymptotic limit, where the value of the characteristic Zeldovich number is large and the equivalence ratio is larger than unity (i.e. ϕu≥1). The overall investigation of this study leads to a novel non-linear burning velocity correlation. Consequently, the impacts of radiation and particle size as determining factors on the combustion properties of biomass particles are declared in this research.
A simple and efficient constrained particle swarm optimization and its application to engineering design problems
Authors: Kim T-H , Maruta I , Sugie T
Published: October 2009

Engineering optimization problems usually contain various constraints and mixed integer-discrete-continuous type of design variables. This article proposes an efficient particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm for such problems. First, the constrained optimization problem is transformed into an unconstrained problem without introducing any problem-dependent or user-defined parameters such as penalty factors or Lagrange multipliers, though such parameters are usually required in general optimization algorithms. Then, the above PSO method is extended to handle integer, discrete, and continuous design variables in a simple manner, yet with a high degree of precision. The proposed PSO scheme is fairly simple and thus it is easy to implement. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of our method, several mechanical design optimization problems are solved, and the numerical results are compared with those reported in the literature.
Preparation of Yellow Core–Blue Shell Coordination Polymer Nanoparticles Using Active Surface Coordination Sites on a Prussian-blue Analog
Authors: Ishizaki Manabu , Sajima Yoshie , Tsuruta Shoko , Gotoh Akihito , Sakamoto Masatomi , Kawamoto Tohru , Tanaka Hisashi , Kurihara Masato
Published: October 2009

Yellow core–blue shell coordination polymer nanoparticles were prepared through the combination of Fe2+ to the surface FeIII–CN sites exposed on the yellow core nanoparticles of nickel hexacyanoferrate, K0.12Ni3.0[Fe(CN)6]2.04·14H2O. The Fe2+-attached surface shell layer, FeII–NC–FeIII, changed into the Prussian blue-like valence state, FeIII–NC–FeII, via single-electron transfer.
Effects of the Affinity between the Pore Wall and Solvent on the Intracrystalline Diffusivities of Benzene within Porous Materials in the Liquid Phase
Authors: Nakasaka Yuta , Tago Teruoki , Yano Kazuhisa , Masuda Takao
Published: October 2009

The intracrystalline diffusivities of benzene within porous materials in isopropanol solution were measured by the conventional constant volume method. The diffusivities within mesoporous silicas in isopropanol solution were smaller than those in cyclohexane solution. This means the effective pore diameter for the benzene diffusion in the presence of isopropanol is small, because isopropanol are preferentially adsorbed on the pore surface with silanol group due to the hydrophilic affinity.
Silicon-based Interdigitated Electrode Array for Highly Sensitive Heavy Metal Ion Sensing
Authors: Yang Bin , Kong Jinming
Published: October 2009

Highly sensitive sensors based on capacitance changes have been developed for the detection of heavy metal ions by utilization of self-assembled monolayer films on silicon oxide surfaces between interdigitated electrodes. The attractive ability of the sensor to efficiently preconcentrate trace amounts of Cu2+ allows a simple and ultrasensitive method for copper ion detection. The wide range linear calibration curve of 1.0×10−13 to 1.0×10−9 M Cu2+ is constructed at 53 Hz. This sensor is highly sensitive and can push the detection limit of copper ion down to 1.0×10−13 M.
The value of serum free light chains in a case of Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia that produces a type I cryoglobulinaemia
Authors: Pattenden Rebecca J , Davidson Kerri L , Wenham Philip R
Published: October 2009

Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia) is a low-grade small-cell lymphoma that produces monoclonal IgM. Usually, clinical features are related to growth of the tumour and include weakness and fatigue, an increased bleeding tendency, and neurological and visual disturbances. We present a case of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma with type I cryoglobulinaemia that presented with clinical symptoms associated with hyperviscosity syndrome. Quantitation of the paraprotein was not possible using conventional serum protein electrophoresis due to the high serum viscosity, and therefore monitoring was carried out using serial serum free light chain measurements.
The Financial Markets and Customer Satisfaction: Reexamining Possible Financial Market Mispricing of Customer Satisfaction
Authors: Jacobson Robert , Mizik Natalie
Published: October 2009

We investigate the association between information contained in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) metric and future stock market performance. Some past research has provided results suggesting that the financial markets misprice customer satisfaction; i.e., firms advantaged in customer satisfaction are posited to earn positive future-period abnormal stock returns. We reexamine this relationship and find that statistically significant evidence of financial market mispricing of customer satisfaction is limited to firms in the computer and Internet sector. The results suggest that the mispricing anomaly reported in past research appears not to stem from a systemic failure of the financial markets to impound the financial implications of customer satisfaction into current stock price, but rather from abnormal returns achieved by a small group of satisfaction leaders in the computer and Internet sector over the period of study. Analyses based on unconditional risk covariates and analyses using conditional risk covariates estimated from short-window, high-frequency data support this finding.
Commentary—The Economic and Statistical Significance of Stock Returns on Customer Satisfaction
Authors: Fornell Claes , Mithas Sunil , Morgeson Forrest V.
Published: October 2009

According to Jacobson and Mizik [Jacobson, R., N. Mizik. 2009. The financial markets and customer satisfaction: Reexamining possible financial market mispricing of customer satisfaction. Marketing Sci. 28(5) 810–819], excess stock portfolio returns for firms with strong customer satisfaction are small and statistically insignificant, and if there is any above-market performance at all, it is due to a small set of firms in the computer and Internet industries. But their data seem to suggest the opposite. The returns are actually both exceptionally large and significant. Using monthly data, their portfolio consisting of strong American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) firms outperformed the market by 0.0053, corresponding to 6.4% cumulative risk-adjusted above-market returns on an annual basis over a 10-year period—a performance that would beat at least 99% of all large-cap U.S. stock funds tracked by Morningstar. Using a different treatment of risk, their annualized risk-adjusted return is a whopping 8.4% better than market. After eliminating computer, Internet, and utility companies, they find that the monthly risk-adjusted abnormal returns drop to 0.0045, which corresponds to an annual above-market return of 5.4%. This too is better than 99% of all actively managed stock funds in the population. Yet Jacobson and Mizik conclude that these returns are not statistically significant and that there is no evidence that stock returns from firms with strong customer satisfaction outperform the market over the long run.

The failure to reject the null hypothesis is probably due to a lack of statistical power in Jacobson and Mizik's analysis. We discuss why this is likely the case and then present new data updating the results from our original article [Fornell, C., S. Mithas, F. Morgeson III, M. S. Krishnan. 2006. Customer satisfaction and stock prices: High returns, low risk. J. Marketing 70(1) 3–14]. The above-market returns persist and are both economically and statistically significant.
Commentary—The Stock Market's Pricing of Customer Satisfaction
Authors: Ittner Christopher , Larcker David , Taylor Daniel
Published: October 2009

A number of recent marketing studies examine the stock market's response to the release of American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) scores. The broad purpose of these studies is to investigate the stock market's valuation of customer satisfaction. However, a key focus is on whether customer satisfaction information predicts long-run returns. We provide evidence on the market's pricing of ACSI information using a more comprehensive set of well-established tests from the accounting and finance literatures. We find that ACSI scores provide some incremental information on future operating income and that the market quickly responds to the release of information on large increases in satisfaction. However, we find no evidence that ACSI predicts long-run returns. These results suggest that customer satisfaction information is value relevant, but they are also consistent with Jacobson and Mizik's conclusion [Jacobson, R., N. Mizik. 2009. The financial markets and customer satisfaction: Reexamining possible financial market mispricing of customer satisfaction. Marketing Sci. 28(5) 810–819] that mispricing of ACSI information, if present at all, is limited.
Rejoinder—Customer Satisfaction-Based Mispricing: Issues and Misconceptions
Authors: Jacobson Robert , Mizik Natalie
Published: October 2009

We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the commentaries and additional analyses by Fornell et al. [Fornell, C., S. Mithas, F. V. Morgeson III. 2009a. The economic and statistical significance of stock returns on customer satisfaction. Marketing Sci. 28(5) 820–825] and Ittner et al. [Ittner, C., D. Larcker, D. Taylor. 2009. The stock market's pricing of customer satisfaction. Marketing Sci. 25(5) 826–835]. Both studies have multiple theoretical and econometric limitations that challenge the validity of their arguments and findings (e.g., neither study allows for time-varying risk factor loadings in their assessments of mispricing although the composition of firms in their analyzed portfolios changes over time, Fornell et al. mischaracterize the efficient markets hypothesis, and Ittner et al. do not use standard panel data econometric methods and models). Generalizations about customer satisfaction, like any other construct, should be assessed by appropriate econometric methods and should withstand rigorous scrutiny. We believe an open, frank dialogue can help clear up misconceptions, air central issues, and advance better understanding of methods and analyses for assessing the financial market implications of marketing metrics such as customer satisfaction.
For Whom the Clock Drips
Authors: Riggsby Andrew M.
Published: October 2009

In a pair of letters (1.23, 6.2), Pliny offers an extended discussion of time limits on speaking in the courts. In particular, he shows a preference for earlier (notably republican) days before the coming of short, imperial time limits. Somewhat surprisingly, his nostalgia is not so much for the days when orators had freer rein, as for days when judges had more complete control of their own courtrooms. The water-clock becomes, in these letters, a figure for the increased authority of abstract rules and systems, itself a mechanism for draining power from individual aristocrats like Pliny to the emperor.
On Tyrant Property Turned Ritual Object: Political Power and Sacred Symbols in Ancient Greece and in Social Anthropology
Authors: Kindt Julia
Published: October 2009

This article explores the conceptualization of religious symbols in both classical scholarship on ancient Greek religion and social anthropology as indicative of where the two disciplines currently stand in relation to each other. Rather than addressing the much debated concept of "thick description," the article focuses on Geertz's considerably less explored notion of "religion as a response to chaos." The article ultimately promotes an approach that sees religious symbols as intrinsic to socio-political power. A look at the cultural practice of the "recycling" of symbolic capital at Athens after the restoration of democracy in 403 B.C.E. exemplifies the explanatory power of this approach for the study of ancient Greek religion.
Cicero's Definition of ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΟΣ
Authors: Zarecki Jonathan
Published: October 2009

While Cicero's use of Greek has been the subject of a number of studies, scholars have generally ignored his use of politikos . Most assume that Cicero simply utilized the Platonic definition of the word. However, an investigation of Cicero's use of politikos and its derivatives reveals a much more nuanced meaning, one that is particularly suited to the political situation of the late republic. As opposed to being a ruler, as in Plato, the Ciceronian politikos holds no permanent position within the state, and his only purpose is to resolve temporary crises in the functioning of the state.
Conflictual Motion and Political Inertia: On Rebellions and Revolutions in Bissau and Beyond
Authors: Vigh Henrik
Published: October 2009

Taking its point of departure in the distinction between rebellions and revolutions, this article sheds light on civil war in Guinea-Bissau and West Africa. It builds on prolonged fieldwork among the Aguentas, a militia of urban youth in Bissau, and interrogates their experiences of warfare to further our understanding of some of the dynamics of conflict in the region. It argues that a defining feature of the conflict we have seen in many parts of West Africa is political inertia. Key conflicts, rather than leading to actual sociopolitical change, seem to represent the tremors of chronically unstable political systems: incessant rebellions rather than decisive revolution.
“We Work Hard”: Customary Imperatives of the Diola Work Regime in the Context of Environmental and Economic Change
Authors: Davidson Joanna
Published: October 2009

Hard work is a core value among Diola rice cultivators in Guinea-Bissau. This essay explores Diola attitudes toward work in the context of recent changes in their natural and social environment. It asks why Diola maintain a particular work regime even when they admit that it is not actually workingforthem. The intrinsic characteristics of wet rice cultivation, the tightly woven web of social relations involved in Diola agricultural practices, and the religious ideals with which these practices are linked reinforce one another and serve as powerful drivers of continuity. But given the decreasing viability of wet rice cultivation in this region, Diola work is increasingly detached from the products it is meant to generate. Because Diola farmers remain committed to these work practices in the face of their acknowledged inability to meet subsistence needs, Diola work has become a “paradox of custom.”
Death and the Left Hand: Islam, Gender, and “Proper” Mandinga Funerary Custom in Guinea-Bissau and Portugal
Authors: Johnson Michelle C.
Published: October 2009

This article explores Islam, gender, and “proper” Mandinga funerary “custom” in Guinea-Bissau and Portugal, specifically the contradictions and debates between men and women about Mandinga custom and Islam as they play out in the ritual of shaking with the left hand, wailing at funerals, and visiting healers to investigate the nature of particular deaths. It suggests that far from constituting a “crisis of modernity,” these contradictions and debates have long been central to how Mandinga imagine themselves in a changing world. They have become intensified, however, in the transnational era, in which continuity among identity, place, and death has been ruptured.
“Culture Stops Development!”: Bijagó Youth and the Appropriation of Developmentalist Discourse in Guinea-Bissau
Authors: Bordonaro Lorenzo I.
Published: October 2009

Since the 1960s scholars have criticized the notion of development, arguing that the rhetoric and practice of international development serve imperialistic interests, destroying local orders and colonizing consciousnesses. Through the analysis of the “will to be modern” of a group of young boys living in Bubaque in the Bijagó Islands (Guinea-Bissau), this article shows how the very notion of development can be reworked and employed in an African context, becoming a means for exerting social demands against traditional authorities, and an idiom to express aspirations, needs, and rights.